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The World's Best Restaurateur Just Passed Away

Posted by Ed Levine, January 11, 2008 at 7:01 AM

Restaurateur Jean-Claude Vrinat of Taillevent in Paris died this past week, and though I never ate at his restaurant, I feel compelled to pay tribute to him. Vrinat was by all accounts the greatest, most gracious restaurateur of all time. Every single person I know who has eaten at Taillevent, from anonymous exchange students splurging to famous chefs ordering every item on the menu, has been treated like royalty. The best appreciation of Vrinat I have come across on-line is this moving piece by Mike Steinberger in Slate:

It was the quality of the service that set Taillevent apart. Vrinat and his staff went about their work with a serene perfectionism; no detail escaped their notice, but they made flawlessness look easy and fun. Above all, they were guided by a determination to send every client home satiated, smiling, and happy.

Danny Meyer wrote a letter to his staff explaining his deep affection and admiration for Vrinat:

He was a wonderful man and a professional friend who influenced me in so many profound ways: his relentless striving for culinary excellence, consistency, gracious hospitality, refined, seamless service – along with the constant twinkle in his eyes – were peerless characteristics that made him the restaurateur I most looked up to with a world of respect and admiration. I am not sure I’ve ever experienced another restaurant beyond Taillevent which has for so many years been so able to pair such highly refined food and service with such a down-to-earth, non-pretentious sense of being welcomed home.

How unflappably gracious was Jean-Claude Vrinat? According to Steinberger, "Vrinat once told me about the time that Salvador Dalí, a frequent guest, arrived for lunch accompanied by an ocelot on a leash. When Vrinat asked why he had brought the cat, Dalí explained that it was his birthday and he wanted to celebrate with someone. Fortunately, the meal passed without incident, but as Dalí was settling up, Vrinat gently conveyed his disapproval: "Perhaps next time it would be best if your friend didn't come; I had the sense he didn't especially enjoy himself." Dalí took the hint, and the ocelot never returned."

By now I hope you see why I'm paying tribute to a restaurateur I never met who had a restaurant I never ate in. Vrinat "made flawlessness look easy and fun." He "sent every client home satiated, smiling, and happy." He "paired highly refined food and service with such a down-to-earth, non-pretentious sense of being welcomed home."

The best tribute we Serious Eaters can pay Jean-Claude Vrinat is to eat at his restaurant the next time we're in Paris. His daughter Valerie and the rest of his staff remain in place. I think you'll be able to get a table, though perhaps it would be best not to bring your pet ocelot. He or she would be welcome, but apparently ocelots enjoy eating at other places more.

Taillevent

Address: 15 Rue Lamennais, 75008 Paris
Phone: 33 1 4495 1501
Fax: 33 1 4225 9518
Reservations: resa@taillevent.com

Photograph of Jean-Claude Vrinat from Taillevent.com | Photograph of ocelot by dyanna on Flickr

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Tags: Jean-Claude Vrinat, Paris restaurants, Taillevent