“Just the place to bury a crock of gold," said Sebastian. "I should like to bury something precious in every place where I've been happy and then, when I was old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember."
These menus’s I have saved for the years, and when revisited, truly make me happy. Dinner in my day was when people would dress up and use the restaurant as a stage, a setting for a night’s entertainment. Today, they just eat out for convenience, and then rush off elsewhere. For me, eating out was like going to a theatre. I prepared for what I was going to eat; I dressed up certainly and wished to spend at least 2 hours, if not more, enjoying the, meal, the service, and the atmosphere. To me, it was like going to church.
One of my fondest memories of dining was in London at the wonderful (now not so wonderful) Edwardian Hotel, The Connaught. That hotel, up to recently was like stepping back in time. Retreating to some safer, cozier era when ladies worn hats and gentleman wore suits. The big draw for me was always the Restaurant and Grill room. Here the low hum of conversation ( that is gone now world wide in restaurants), the genteel clink of polished silver on old china, waiters in tails exuding an a air of quiet efficiently and old fashioned servility. The atmosphere, of course was always clubby, exclusive and stuffy. An menu of mixed English comfort food and classic French cuisine and all under the eye of maitre-chef Michel Bourdin. M. BOURDIN retired (sadly) in 2001 and that began the fall of one of the best restaurants in the world. ………………, Please check back for more on this greatest of chefs and greatest of dining rooms.
