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| - [I can't believe that I am the second person to review this restaurant. I may be the last; Mary Elaine's closes its doors for good sometime this month (Feb 2008). Perhaps I am the second person because a proper dinner for two (and I mean that that includes a _real_ selection from the best wine list in the city) will cost you $700 to $800, easily the cost of a coach ticket to Paris for the real thing. But make your reservations in advance. Dinner at Guy Savoy must be planned 4 to 6 weeks ahead. In case you don't realize it by the time you finish this one, I _AM_ a food snob.
I feel a very heavy burden here because Mary Elaine's has stood for everything I have hoped for in the finest of service and detailed preparation in a dining experience since I was a member of the Plaza Club, also now defunct. That I could presume to review this establishment and the professionals who take each and every part of their job as their personal quest in life is totally ludicrous. Instead of a review, I can at best present some of my fondest memories of this wonderful place. OK, Now that I have set the bar high enough for myself, let me begin.]
I can't remember if the team that comprises the army of staff that will serve you at front of house numbers 12 or 21 people, but by the time your dinner is over, you will have had a dinner to remember for the rest of your life.
Take your pick from one of two seatings, 6 to 6:45 or 8:30 to 9:15. Give the reservationist every last detail of your preferences. Some of my favorite requests: (1) seat me as far away from that wailing wanna-be Lisa Addeo who thinks she can replace Nancy Gee -- she's still singing the exact same songs in the exact same order she was eight years ago in the lobby. If I have to hear her make those Time-to-Say-Goodbye octave leaps one more effing time, I'm going to kill myself; (2) give us relaxed timing on the courses, we're in no rush; (3) my guest does not drink alcohol and is from Iran, find a formal drink for her that she will appreciate; (4) my guest loves Chateaubriand, could you scrape some up?
Among my most memorable experiences:
The time Todd (manager) knowing my love of late 80's California cabs found a bottle of '88 Heitz Martha's Vineyard and surprised me for my birthday dinner.
The time my guest surprised me by calling in and requested hot sourdough for my bread choice knowing how much I love it.
The time our party sat at Chef's table in the kitchen and I watched first hand the quietest kitchen you can possibly imagine.
The bottle of '62 Chateau Gran Larose that left my mouth black and from which I was still drunk the next day.
My one and only ever sliver of Louis XIV cognac at $750 a slice.
The way Nancy Gee used to sing Angel Eyes, my favorite.
The time Sommelier Paul introduced me to the rasiney sweet pleasure of Lusteau Emilin cherry.
Mary Elaine's took pride in finding the most extravagant yet excellent ingredients in the entire world. It would not be uncommon for the special to include some extremely rare fish that had been flown in that afternoon. The wine list boasted 5000 bottles. Where else could you splurge on a $10,000 bottle of champagne? (The answer is Etienne's Different Point of View at Pointe Tapatillo Cliffs.) What if you feel like having a '60's bottle of Lafite Rothschild? Paul and his staff were always happy to oblige.
I'm talking about the subtleties of food preparation such that a single course may have but six or seven bites, but each of those is a symphony of tastes that overwhelms the senses. On my last visit, the sauce chefs had perfected their entries to each course to such an extent that their excellence sometimes overshadowed the main ingredients themselves.
It was fun to gulp my entire glass of water to see how many seconds it would take to be noticed and refilled (no more than 15).
Mary Elaine's celebrated what might be called a sacred relationship between a host and his guest. You will be missed.
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