Homes & Estates

LONG STIGMATIZED AS STAID, UNIMAGINATIVE RESTAURANTS EXPLOITING A CAPTIVE CLIENTELE, HOTEL DINING ROOMS ARE SUDDENLY AMONG THE MOST ACCLAIMED IN THE WORLD. D ining d o w n s t a i r s

BY ROGER GRODY

N ot long ago, the last place savvy tour- ists — travelers passionate about food, that is — would choose to eat was the dining room of their hotel. The freestanding restaurants in the neigh- borhood were almost certain to offer more exciting or authentic cuisine. But times have changed, and in cities around the world some of the best restaurants can be accessed without a taxi or metro ticket. With rising costs for food, labor, insurance, and even amenities like linen and floral arrangements, many accomplished chefs simply do not have the means to independently operate fine dining restaurants. Hotels, which rely on buzzworthy chefs to enhance their reputations, have become natural culinary part- ners. In some cases, signing a celebrity chef can be beneficial to a hotel, even if the restaurant is ultimately unprofitable. For their part, chefs can concentrate on their craft without being distracted by accounting, legal issues or public relations. With the intense pressures of maintaining three precious Michelin stars, the ultimate honor in the restaurant business, many chefs in Paris enjoy the nurturing environment of a luxury hotel, and some of Paris’ top restaurants are located in the city’s grand

hostelries. Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée is one such place, as is Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V. And for pure opulence, it is hard to beat the two-star Le Meurice in the hotel of the same name. Not all notable Paris hotel dining rooms feature the gilt, crystal and silk of Le Meurice, and less pre- tentious boutique hotels are attracting exciting young chefs. Le Comptoir du Relais in the Relais Saint- Germain, a small Left Bank hotel, was among the first contemporary bistros specializing in high-minded but affordable gastronomy, now popular in the City of Light. The dining room is not opulent — tables are in a small space or spill onto the sidewalk — but the cooking of chef Yves Camdeborde is renowned. Anna Brooke, who covers the Paris dining scene for Frommer’s Travel Guides, reports, “If you take Le Comptoir out of its hotel context, it’s part of Paris’ bistronomie movement featuring simple, creative cuisine at reasonable prices.” And while she suggests Le Comptoir may be in a class by itself, she can rattle off a number of boutique hotels offering affordable gourmet restaurants. Brooke reports two major trends in hotel dining occurring in Paris: first, a return to basics, showcasing exceptional ingredients with less manipulation; and

PLAZA ATHENEE PHOTO ©PIERRE MONETTA; INSET PHOTO © STÉPHANE DE BOURGIES

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