CHEZ L'AMI LOUIS
Just back from Paris. Once again, went for Sunday lunch to Chez L'Ami Louis. I know the place certainly has its share of detractors (‘way too expensive,’ ‘better food of this type to be found in Paris,’ ‘you can do better on a value/cost basis,’ etc.), but I have to say it really is my all-time favorite restaurant meal. Period.
This time skipped the foie gras appetizer and had the duck confit (cold), and my wife and I shared our favorite dish on the menu - the escargot. The escargot at L'Ami Louis are one off the most fabulous things that I've ever put in my mouth. The duck was a departure from the usual foie gras appetizer that I order, and the meat was sooo dense and flavorful.
For the main course, we ordered what we always have had in the past - the roast Bresse chicken, served with a potato galette. The roast chicken is really to die for - so moist, with wonderful gravy. Many people order the pommes frites, but those in the know get the galette - so crispy outside and fluffy inside with fresh garlic on top. And a nice salad on the side as well.
The cost is definitely high, and getting reservations a process in itself, but despite the costs and difficulties, when one finally sits down and partakes of a lunch such as this in Paris with someone you love on an early winter Sunday afternoon, there is simply nothing that can be improved upon. Worth every Euro.
matsonjones
Nov 02, 2006 11:40PM
Can you let us know the best way to make reservations? Also, what was the tab for lunch (and did you have wine)?
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When we went a number of years ago, we had our hotel call. The place was booked, but we decided to go by anyway to see if we could get a table (Sunday night at 9pm), which we did after a 45 minute wait at a nearby seedy bar - a v. interesting experience. If you decide to try this, I would strongly recommend that you keep your cab waiting until you've confirmed that you can get a table - at least when we went, the neighborhood was a bit dicey/empty, and we would not have been able to just hail a cab to go elsewhere.
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We had a fun time dining here summer of '05. Made the mistake of ordering both the fois gras & confit along with mains. I wouldn't say it was my favorite - but definitely memorable for many reasons above & beyond the food.
I called the concierge at our hotel about 6 weeks before our arrival and had him make reservations. Actually, found that by calling and introducing myself we were able to then continue via email. Excellent concierge at an ok hotel on the Left Bank.
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L'Amis Louis is an institution. Agree its great. Best meal ever? Hmmmnnn. It's really in its own category and I agree its great... I love it. The dishes you mention are classic... killer. Its hard not to order the bresse chicken, but if its the right time of season, try the baby lamb. But its what it is... to my taste I'd put other places in the best meal ever category... like Robuchon, Troisgros, Bras, Veyrat, Boyer, Girardet... chefs like that.
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pjaym17:
After many modes of dealing with the reservation line of L'Ami Louis, her is my suggestion -
You can take your chances with a hotel concierge. If (and it's a big IF) they can make and confirm for you a reservation, than more power to you.
Being the control freak that I am, I like to do everything myself, thus - I call about six weeks in advance. I always make it a point to reach then at about 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. their time on a Wednesday through Friday, as it's difficult to get them to answer the phone at any other time. When I call that early in advance they ALWAYS tell me 'call two weeks before, call two weeks before.' Fine. A couple of weeks later (about four weeks before I want the reservation) I call again. Sometimes (very rarely) they'll book you then - but most times they'll say again 'call two weeks before.' Fine. About ten days later (just outside the suggested two week zone) I call again. This time, I almost always get booked - especially if you want a coveted Sunday lunch reservation, because if you actually wait exactly until exactly two weeks before, they're suddenly 'fully booked, we have no tables!' When you call this time ask to speak to Louis (I don't know if that's his real name or not) - he's the only one who takes the bookings. Groveling is suggested and appreciated. Having someone who speaks fluent French call with you if you don't speak the language also helps.
After you have the reservation, I call to confirm with Louis seven days before my date. Then I call about two days before AGAIN to reconfirm with Louis (or at that point have my concierge do it on my behalf) - they have been known to 'lose' some American reservations. And that's how I've never had any problem getting a table at that restaurant.
And to WineTravel's comment:
Intelligent people can certainly have a difference of opinion. I've mopst of the chef's restaurants you've mentioned at one point or another and have had wonderful experiences. We just returned from Alinea in Chicago (the full 27 course flight) which was transporting!
But I'm just one of those guy who feels that my best (or imaginary last) meal would not involve the fireworks of Robuchon, the finesse of Keller, the extravagance of Anschatz, or the wizadry of Gagnaire. My perfect meal would be something humbler like a great burger, or a simple bowl of pasta with white truffles, but the dreamiest for me - the escargot, the roast Bresse chicken with potato galette, and a little duck confit or foie gras at Chez L'Ami Louis - and did I mention being in Paris on a Sunday in early winter with the late afternoon light filtering through the front of the dining room where I'd sitting with my wife?
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I'm associated with a group which each year books the entire restaurant for the last Sunday evening in January. They have done so for at least the last fifteen years. I make it about every three years. Its an incredible experience, since we order just about everything on the menu. From memory the appetizers include the above mentioned escargots, foie gras and scallops. The mains include the great chicken, lamb and beef. The sides are the wonderful thin frites and the potato cake. The only area where we go light are with desserts where we have only the delicious fruit. Of course the wine flows freely. The only problem with the evening is that I eat far too much and feel bloated. I've never seen the final l'addition, but I think it approaches $500 per person.
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"You can take your chances with a hotel concierge. If (and it's a big IF) they can make and confirm for you a reservation, than more power to you.
Being the control freak that I am, I like to do everything myself, thus - I call about six weeks in advance. I always make it a point to reach then at about 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. their time on a Wednesday through Friday, as it's difficult to get them to answer the phone at any other time. When I call that early in advance they ALWAYS tell me 'call two weeks before, call two weeks before.' Fine. A couple of weeks later (about four weeks before I want the reservation) I call again. Sometimes (very rarely) they'll book you then - but most times they'll say again 'call two weeks before.' Fine. About ten days later (just outside the suggested two week zone) I call again. This time, I almost always get booked - especially if you want a coveted Sunday lunch reservation, because if you actually wait exactly until exactly two weeks before, they're suddenly 'fully booked, we have no tables!' When you call this time ask to speak to Louis (I don't know if that's his real name or not) - he's the only one who takes the bookings. Groveling is suggested and appreciated. Having someone who speaks fluent French call with you if you don't speak the language also helps."
Sweet Jesus on a cracker, what's the big deal? I just picked up the phone and made a reservation. And, no, I don't speak French.
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workintheater - I do things this way because as I said, they have had (in the past) a regular habit of 'losing reservations' for Americans. I've heard endless tales of people showing up for lunch or dinner after having made a reservation, and being told 'sorry, we have no reservation, no tables available, you must come back another time.' So call me OCD, but at least I've never had that situation occur.
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Just back from Paris and I, as you, returned to L'Ami Louis for a Friday Lunch. This is our second visit and it was a good as the first. I had oysters and my wife foie gras, both were very good. We then shared the Cote de Boeuf and it was excellent. On our last trip we had the baby lamb. We, of course, had the galletes and then the pomme frites which came with the Boeuf. Desert was baby strawberries. We drank champagne and then a bottle of burgundy. yes it was expensive. Yes the portions are excessive. Yes the waiters have attitude( It is part of the act) . Will I return? Yes as soon as possible and next time I won't skip the snails
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So how much was the lunch for two , more or less...???
One of these days I have to get there!
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Fresh from a lunch at L'Ami Louis last week here are my comments. This must be the MOST over-hyped restaurant ever. I first ate there in the early 1960s and visited frequently up to the 1980s. I returned after a gap of 20 years for the worst disappointment ever. The decor is purposefully shabby it's a taking point. The surliness of the waiters is probably an act - we had a "good cop" and a "bad cop"/ The later was downright rude - unacceptably so for the offhand service. The menu did not feature a single fish dish, not even the wonderful coquilles St. Jacques which I have always enjoyed there. The fois gras IS fabulous but $90 is ott. The escargots probably the best ever but $150 per dozen ? The huge platter of cote de beouf on the bone with a massive blob of unnecessary butter on each serving was so under-seasoned it was fairly tasteless. The haystack of cold greasy frites was inedible. A half bottle of decent Bordeaux was the only fairly reasonable thing on the bill ($100). $22 for a small expresso did hurt though. This was a "never again" experience particularly as I had hoped to enjoy at least the nostalgia. Be warned
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Thanks Allwol for posting prices. And how much for the famous roasted poulet de Bresse?
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Anyone who wishes to try L'Ami Louis should do so, but I dined there 10 years ago, and will never return. The lady and I had roast chicken with the shoestring potatoes, preceded by a tub of lettuce dressed with olive oil, for two.
The food was good, but simple and unmemorable, undeserving of insane prices, and a modest red wine we ordered was marked up 700%. The waiter was courteous and very professional, though.
However, shortly after we were seated, I asked the maitre'd to recommend a bottle of red wine (there was no sommelier per se). He said, "No. Make your own mistakes." That soured me. At those prices, smart-aleck responses are unwelcome.
The evening was interesting, an actress who won an Oscar years ago, and her husband, both hugely successful Hollywood celebrities, were seated nearby, but I enjoyed dining elsewhere more. What I sought from L' Ami Louis, I found last November at Chez Denise on a bitterly cold evening.
We arrived fearful, without a reservation. The owner and his wife were most gracious, and seated us. The cafe was festive, food was terrific, service was good, almost all of the other patrons were French, and we happily returned for dinner again the following evening. We felt welcome.
I find it hard to imagine anyone regularly choosing the food and service of L' Ami Louis above that of the many other grand Parisian cafes.
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Thanks for posting about your experiences. I always wanted to go there but will now cross it off my list. Just curious: Were most of the diners French? American?
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Sorry for the delay in replying, Erica. I hope you don't avoid L'Ami Louis just on my sayso. My experience might've been different if I'd ordered something else, other people were having sea scallops that looked delicious, and a pot roast was sitting on a rolling cart that my grandfather would've loved.
As for other diners, the cafe itself is linear, and we were sitting near the door, not near many other diners. The celebs we saw were Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, who were vacationing, staying at the Ritz.
Seated at a table near us was a couple from Brooklyn, 30something, nice people. They had the foie gras appetizer and shared some with us, and it was very good, served with toast points.
We were not close enough to other diners to see who they were, but the cafe is always popular with Americans, and French people also. I recall reading that Jacques Chirac took the Clintons there, once.
My only point was that the night I went, for what I ordered, it was enormously expensive and slightly disappointing. I still wanted to see the place, but I would probably order different selections were I to return.
Bear in mind, the worst meal I've ever had in Paris was, by my standards, terrific.
Best wishes, enjoy!
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