Homes & Estates

94 | Homes & Estates

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

BY ROGER GRODY

LONG STIGMATIZED AS STAID, UNIMAGINATIVE RESTAURANTS

EXPLOITING A CAPTIVE CLIENTELE, HOTEL DINING ROOMS ARE

SUDDENLY AMONG THE MOST ACCLAIMED IN THE WORLD.

ining

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