🙏❤️❤️ when I was young many years ago it was my first experience eating at a French restaurant I was only 24 yrs. I fell in love with it. I went back a few times after that. It’s so sad to see there is no restaurant like this any more they’re all gone It’s sad . This and all the other old restaurants like this that are gone, the meals still stick in my mind. Especially dressing up and with a jacket and tie in palm $$ the maître D 🤭
I like the idea that a restaurant could function as a school without ever announcing itself that way. You can draw a straight line from those brutal lunch services to the evolution of American fine dining over the next thirty years.
This was wonderful reading. I, like you, quickly found La Côte Basque to be my favorite restaurant in the City and went there dozens of times during it's heyday. It was always the place I saved for the most special occasions, the most "important" dates, the "this has to be memorable" evenings.
There are still many wonderful restaurants in NY, many run by Rachou's numerous students and acolytes. But when they are at their best, I still think back fondly to how much better La Côte Basque was.
One often elevates one's memories to be better than the reality actually was -- La Côte Basque is one of those rare cases where, I expect, if I were ever able to return the reality would be even better than the memory.
Thanks for writing this and reminding us of an extraordinary place and man.
🙏❤️❤️ when I was young many years ago it was my first experience eating at a French restaurant I was only 24 yrs. I fell in love with it. I went back a few times after that. It’s so sad to see there is no restaurant like this any more they’re all gone It’s sad . This and all the other old restaurants like this that are gone, the meals still stick in my mind. Especially dressing up and with a jacket and tie in palm $$ the maître D 🤭
I like the idea that a restaurant could function as a school without ever announcing itself that way. You can draw a straight line from those brutal lunch services to the evolution of American fine dining over the next thirty years.
This was wonderful reading. I, like you, quickly found La Côte Basque to be my favorite restaurant in the City and went there dozens of times during it's heyday. It was always the place I saved for the most special occasions, the most "important" dates, the "this has to be memorable" evenings.
There are still many wonderful restaurants in NY, many run by Rachou's numerous students and acolytes. But when they are at their best, I still think back fondly to how much better La Côte Basque was.
One often elevates one's memories to be better than the reality actually was -- La Côte Basque is one of those rare cases where, I expect, if I were ever able to return the reality would be even better than the memory.
Thanks for writing this and reminding us of an extraordinary place and man.