In a city with competition as stiff as an aging diva’s corset, it’s no surprise to learn that the venerable Le Cirque still lives up to it’s reputation.
The History
Back in the ‘70s, it was fashionable to build restaurants around a theme, usually to hide the fact that the food wouldn‘t stand on its own. Le Cirque came on the scene during this era with its tongue decidedly in cheek. What could be a further from the image and atmosphere of the haute cuisine served at this luscious French restaurant than a bawdy circus? There was certainly no need to heighten the experience with gimmicks when the food was par excellent.
Perhaps the name was wittier than one originally suspects. It may have suggested a premonition of the hosts of luminaries and celebrities who would grace its booths over the years, creating a veritable dog-and-pony show of deal-making and power brokering.
The Hype
In 1997, Le Cirque changed venues and moved into the Villard Houses adjacent to the Palace Hotel with a new name--Le Cirque 2000. Since then the restaurant has won nearly every major award conferred by the restaurant and food industry, from "Most Glamorous" to "Best Ambiance" to "Greatest Wine List of All Time." Conde Nast Traveler readers even went so far as to name the establishment "Best Restaurant in the World" in 2003.
Having heard plenty of hyperbole in my time, I nevertheless entered the restaurant with reserved judgment and realistic expectations. I would need to be convinced.
The Décor
The sight of carnival-colored glass arranged as a contemporary art medley over the turn-of-the century windows provided an immediate jolt and hint of things to come, like an unexpected spice in the soup du jour. I couldn’t help but imagine a grand evening of whirling ball gowns as I looked around the elegant room, a former home for a prominent family.
The Food
Sometimes it seems that all top restaurants carry the same selection of popular offerings, rendering them indistinguishable from one another. Happily, this is not the case at Le Cirque, where one finds old standards, innovative preparations and outlandish combinations of delicacies.
Rather than reiterate what’s on the menu, I invite you to peruse the link provided on the restaurant’s website. After an amuse bouche of startling flavors, Sweetie and I decided it was safe to turn our palates over to the chef’s tasting menu, which changes nightly. Perfectly timed and orchestrated, from the kitchen came a parade of colors, textures, and flavors exciting enough to blow away the most seasoned foodie. Like a calliope wagon to children’s ears, this menu waltzed us through the full range of salty, sweet, spicy, and savory, using exquisite ingredients including seafood, wild game, tender beef, and caviar.
Giddy as if I’d overdone the cotton candy after one too many whirls on the ferris wheel, I finally understood the circus reference. Magical, fantastic, amazing, exciting. Yes, it’s the perfect name.