Editor Pick
Clos St Vincent
- December 2, 2004
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Wasatch from heber ctity, Utah
Clos St Vincent is a haute cuisine restaurant a little way out of Ribeauville up on a hill overlooking the Rhine valley, surrounded by vineyards. Thanks to the location, good weather, and the high quality food, this was one of the most delightful lunches we have had anywhere. Since it was nice weather, sat outside on the terrace, well shaded by trees interplanted with flowers and with good views of the mountains, ancient Ribeauville below, and the Rhine valley.
Although we sat outside, none of the elegance of a fine restaurant was lost. Tables were set with white linen, fine china, crystal goblets, and fancy silverware. Being lunch al fresco, the waiters wore white jackets and ties, rather than their more formal evening uniform of tuxedos. Being a one star Michelin restaurant, the food and service was superb, and expensive. The lunch menu was engraved. Everything considered, it was easily worth the high prices to enjoy what must be as close to a perfect lunch as possible.
There is also an attractive indoor dining room.
There is no point discussing exactly what we had, for the Clos St Vincent does not offer a standing menu. It changes daily, I assume because, like many great restaurants, what is served each day depends on what the chef finds good and fresh at the local market early in the morning. What is important is that everything we had was top quality, as was the service, in the fully formal French way, which is often misunderstood by Americans, so I explained it in a review
(experiences) on French waiters.
Clos St Vincent is also an attractive hotel, but we didn’t stay there. Clos St Vincent illustrates an important difference between French (European) and American cultures. In the USA, hotel restaurants tend to be overpriced compared to the free standing competition, and often of lesser quality. Not so in Europe, where restaurants in hotels in small towns are usually the best places to eat and prices are the same as at independent restaurants. Travelers in western Europe should never hesitate to eat at a hotel restaurant, except in big cities where some expensive hotels tend toward the American practice, but still, the closest to an American hamburger we ever had in Europe was at the Holiday Inn Luxembourg, but it was not cheap.
The bottom line is that, if that you are prepared to spend a lot for a superior lunch in a grand setting served by a perfect wait staff, it would be hard to beat Clos St Vincent (but the Chevre d’Or in Eze is its peer, see review). We have only been there once, but if in the neighborhood at meal time, we would not hesitate to go again.
From journal Route de Vin Alsace, France