"Le Cirque" news and stories

Jean Vergnes, the original chef (or, perhaps more appropriately, ringmaster) of New York's famed restaurant Le Cirque, died yesterday at his Florida home. Vergnes, 88, had come of age in France during World War II; he'd started working in Paris's Hôtel Raphaël before undergoing forced Nazi labor, according to his obituary in The New York Times. When the war ended, he continued working in restaurants before emigrating to the States, where he landed at the Colony -- and his star began to rise.

More about Jean Vergnes after the jump.

If cooking is the way to one's heart, Daniel Boulud should be able to attribute much of his success to his understanding of food. "I think that every restaurant is the chef's soul," he says in documentary "A Certain Taste for America."

In an ongoing series entitled "Art de Vivre: The Art of Eating Today," led by the French Institute in New York City on Monday, a screening of the film (very doting on Boulud) was followed by a panel discussion reflecting upon the art of eating and, more specifically, the importance of sustainability and sourcing food.

As a world-renowned chef hailing from a small hamlet outside Lyon, Boulud has achieved his veritable empire -- 10 successful restaurants based in New York, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Beijing -- by striving to keep a strict culinary focus on seasonal cooking and high-quality ingredients.

More on Boulud's rise to fame, and the panel discussion on sustainable produce, obesity in America, seasonal cooking and its debatable expenses, after the jump.

Sheer wanton excess is the name of the game for some restaurants, as New York Times food critic Frank Bruni found upon his visit to Le Cirque.

In the article, Bruni outlines some of the decadent, near-sinful entrees that lined the table, including fois gras-stuffed ravioli, white truffles, and immense cuts of beef and lamb. Bruni expertly sums up the scene, noting that while the food is enjoyable and the staff, inviting, "[they are] probably...contributing to what is a yeti-sized carbon footprint."

Excessive eating and drinking at restaurants is nothing new. In most cases, it's encouraged. In fact, some might say, what's the point of going out to eat if you don't self-indulge?

We saw this lifestyle secondhand in Bill Buford's "Heat," which depicted the author's experience as a chef alongside chef and Food Network star Mario Batali. Buford unabashedly detailed Batali's oft-hedonistic outings, nights filled with lavish food and drink, and plenty of it.

But then, who are we to judge? If we were privy to such a lifestyle, would we not imbibe in what is probably considered more than our fair share? Perhaps. But Bruni makes a good point in that these lifestyles are being - (and should be) - looked at under an increasingly sharp microscope. In a world that has, in the past few years, become less self-absorbed and more self-aware, is it possible that excessive eating and imbibing will become not only passé, but looked down upon?

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Only time will tell how the newest incarnation of Le Cirque fares - and whether diners are still looking for flash and glamour in a new restaurant. Judging by the A-list of diners (from Martha Steward to Donald Trump) that were at the opening, it seems that they do.

With Big Green Truck Pizza, it's not pizza delivery, it's pizzeria delivery. The company has a brick oven, imported from Italy, built into what was once a fire truck. They travel to events (mostly in Conn.) and "wow" customers with real, thin-crust pizzas.

A new farmers market in New York has modeled itself on other farmer's markets throughout the country and, unlike Greenmarket, will allow "food artisans" to sell their wares there.

Even a Southern girl isn't above buying something and passing it off has her own. And when the food comes from a great specialty store like William Poll, guests will be too satisfied to notice the boxes in the waste bin in the kitchen.

Frank Bruni eats across the country (full summary here), but he also makes a stop in to review Sascha and give it one star.

The minimalist, Mark Bittman, cooks soup with fresh basil

[Image NYT]

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When renowned high-end restauranteur Sirio Maccioni reopens Le Cirque in late May, there will be a sideshow of sorts.

Cast aside any worries that he's adding a freak show to his flagship operation. The new attraction at Le Cirque will be one that's been popping up at New York City's temples of fine dining for the past couple of years: a casual component that stands apart from its more rarefied sibling yet shares the same space.

Maccioni joins the ranks of such chefs as Jean-Georges Vongerichten whose eponymous eatery shares a space with the more casual Nougatine and Tom Colicchio whose Gramercy Tavern features a less casual bar area that serves as a gateway to the more formal dining room.

[photo: Eat This New York]

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