P i s t a c h i o

Sarkozy’s favourite meal at Le Bristol, where he dines a couple of times a week, is a starter of stuffed macaroni with black truffle, artichoke and duck foie gras, which costs about $100.

Associated Press

For starters, an economic crisis during which the guardian of rarefied cuisine says to its family: Why can’t you be more like your expat brother Jean-Georges in New York? “He does a three-star prix fixe lunch for $28,” says Michelin France’s Director Jean-Luc Naret. Actually, JG is only one in a band of peers lining up killer deals.

Main course, the heart of fine-dining, pumping with the life-blood of corporate spending [about to hit an endangered watchlist, but still sustaining].

To finish, with sweet irony: a declarative coup de gras from Le Bristol’s chef, Eric Fréchon, the only star upgrade [from two to three]  given by Michelin France this year. Says Fréchon: “In the past, we used to turn people away. Today, we aren’t doing that any more.”

Great news for the cheese course: a ripening democratization of grande cuisine.