Toronto

In 1833, my great great grandfather John Moule had a small imported goods store in York, Canada on King Street at the corner of Bay.  At that time, York (now Toronto) had a population of about 9,000.  I do not know what John's store looked like then.  The population of Toronto now is 2.7 million and John's store location is occupied by a 27 story high skyscraper seen in the above photo.

Katherine and her two sisters had their annual reunion in Toronto at the end of June.  We had a particularly good meal at George on Queen Street a short walk from the city center.  It was worth the Walk!  The food was outstanding and that's saying a lot since we had just arrived from a week of dining in Paris, France.  We had the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairing.  Hands down, this was the most brilliant and exciting wine pairing we have ever experienced.  All in all I would say that George is comparable to and equal to Eleven Madison Park in New York City and one of the best five restaurants in North America.

Paris Restaurant Reviews

We returned to Paris to celebrate our 55th anniversary and stayed at our favorite little hotel (L' Hotel) in the 6th arrondissement. (Photo of the entrance above.)

As you might expect, we went to a few restaurants:

Benoit  This is a traditional traditional bistrot now under the tender loving care of Alain Ducasse.  The food is wonderful.  The froglegs were fresh and the second best we have ever had.  (The best were served in a small, nondescript, restaurant in Chartres in 1970.)  The service is attentive and polite.  The ambiance is very typical.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that if you are an American you will sit in the front room with all the other Americans.

Ze Kitchen Gallery  Their specialty is small plates of very creative and unexpected combinations.  We loved it when we ate there two years ago. This time the food seemed somewhat less imaginative and more filling. Still good, but not sparkling.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile  For really exciting food, this restaurant stood head and shoulders above the rest. We had small plates of unusual combinations, many of which were labor intensive.  We sat the bar looking at the kitchen.  

Le Restaurant This is the restaurant in L'Hotel.  It has one Michelin star and half of the clientele are locals, not hotel guests.  A very reliable and comfortable place.

Brasserie Lipp  To begin with, Lipp serves heavy, traditional, Alsatian food with emphasis on charcuterie. One senses that the menu has not changed since 1912. The decor probably has not changed since then either.  The servers are efficient and brusque. You don't go to Lipp for the food.  You go because more than any other place you feel that you are in Paris.  You can find restaurants in the US and Canada comparable to the others we visited.  I doubt that you could find anything in America comparable to Brasserie Lipp.

Le Meurice We saved the most elegant restaurant for last and dined there on our 55th anniversary. Meurice is one of the few remaining examples of the grand Paris restaurant offering the finest in food, ambiance, and service.  The word elegance applies. I won't attempt to describe the plethora of little amuse bouches along the way.  Cepes were a specialty that night and Katherine and I both had them for a first course.   For a second course, Katherine had Langoustine.  I had Bresse chicken with champagne sauce.  Then there was a cheese course and we finished with a rhubarb tart.  The meal was preceded by a glass or two of Sancerre and accompanied by a 2005 Gevry-Chambertin.  This all took three and a half hours.