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RESTAURANTS TO WATCH 2004
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The rarefied world
of fine dining experiences the
occasional hiccup. This year was no
exception, from the culinary tremor in
Los Angeles when Alain Giraud exited
Bastide—a restaurant he tailored for
three years prior to opening—to Sirio
Maccioni's pronouncement in New York
that he would relocate Le Cirque 2000.
It's too early to say where the points
will fall when these culinary giants
settle into their transitions, but we
are eagerly watching and
waiting.
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BASTIDE
LOS
ANGELES
What was once a bastion of Provençal
cuisine has now become newly installed
chef Ludovic Lefebvre's showcase for
exotic spices. While
Lefebvre travels the world of fragrant
ingredients, his sommelier is bound to
his all-French cellar, which proves
exceedingly challenging with some
combinations; other pairings are pure
genius. But whether Bastide's clientele
rides merrily along on this departure
remains to be seen.
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THE DINING ROOM
SAN
FRANCISCO
Ron Siegel arrives at The Dining Room
at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
after a lauded and successful tenure at
Masa's, but he has big shoes to fill
and is still in the shadow of long-time
executive chef Gary Danko. Siegel has
risen to seemingly impossible
challenges before; after all, he won
the Iron Chef lobster competition when
the program was still based in
Japan.
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LE CIRQUE 2000
NEW
YORK
The gastronomic world heaved a
collective sigh this summer when Sirio
Maccioni announced he would pack up his
Le Cirque 2000 in November and
relocate. Where his next move will be
is still unconfirmed. With three
talented sons in the business, he
surely is not planning to fold his tent
in New York? Stay tuned.
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LE FRANÇAIS
WHEELING
The faithful have continued to worship
at this temple of French gastronomy
with or without founder Jean Banchet's
participation. When one of the owners
of Les Deux Gros, a more casual French
restaurant in suburban Glen Ellyn,
claimed his stake in the property, many
cheered. But now Michael Lachowicz has
pulled out, leaving the fate of this
dining Mecca up for grabs.
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MASA'S
SAN
FRANCISCO
First Ron Siegel left for The
Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, then
replacement Richard Reddington, from
Auberge du Soleil, trimmed his
responsibilities in the wake of landing
his own restaurant project in the Wine
Country. Can Gregory Short, whose last
posting was at the casual dining room
The Loft of Montage Resort & Spa in
Laguna Beach, Calif., step up to the
plate?
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L'ORANGERIE
LOS
ANGELES
Elsewhere in the country, the dining
gods have not smiled on formal French
restaurants in recent years, but Gérard
and Virginie Ferry have held firm at
this elegant locale. Still, the
revolving door to the executive chef's
office leaves us scratching our heads.
The Ferrys always find incredible
talents to man their stoves: New
arrival Christophe Bellanca should be
no exception.
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STRIPED BASS
PHILADELPHIA
Add one part famous New York chef
(Alfred Portale), one part
of-the-moment restaurateur (Stephen
Starr) and what do you get? The newly
conceived Striped Bass. Not that the
former Striped Bass had hit the
skids—but now it's more of a
technicolor Bass. Considering Starr's
golden touch in Philadephia, this new
incarnation of an old favorite will no
doubt be an unusual and delectable
kettle of fish.
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WATER GRILL
LOS
ANGELES
This exceptional seafood restaurant
ticked along in downtown Los Angeles
long before it was fashionable to go
there. So there is no doubt the
restaurant will survive the departure
of its talented chef, Michael
Cimarusti. All eyes are on King's
Seafood Company, the owners of this
standout, as they search for a worthy
replacement.
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Over the years, we have been electing restaurants to be on GAYOT's Yearly Restaurant Awards.
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