Remembering Jean-Claude Vrinat

An old food friend of ours passed away this week. His name was Jean-Claude Vrinat, the owner of Taillevent, the famous grand restaurant in Paris. To have dined in his company was to be treated like royalty. He had a presence about him and a special gift that went beyond hospitality. Monsieur Vrinat was a legend.

At every visit, we always felt his warmth. It was like he placed us on his VIP list and considered us his friends. But everyone got this same special treatment from him. Even when it was years between visits, he always remembered us and asked about NY.

Over the years, we ate at Taillevent as often as our schedule and budget allowed. It may have been to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary. We went one Christmas Eve, just the two of us, and another time with a French chef friend who came in from the countryside with shopping bags filled with homemade confiture and bounty from his garden. Then one time we invited a husband and wife, both accomplished physicians, who love to eat fabulous food and know great wines.

A few times (in stronger dollar days) we treated ourselves to lunch at Taillevent right before going to the airport before the long flight home, and everything became more tolerable. It was at Taillevent that we ordered our first bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild. There was also a lunch where we selected an expensive Château-Grillet from the Côtes du Rhône that was corked. Monsieur Vrinat came by, took a sniff, and nodded like the expert that he was. He took extraordinary pride in his wine list. There was no one better.

This past summer after his restaurant was undeservingly demoted from three stars to two by Michelin, our meal was never better. When we told him this, he simply smiled and thanked us. We will miss him a lot the next time we dine at Taillevent.