As I have stated many times over the last three decades, L’Ami Louis is unquestionably my favorite restaurant in the world. Every time I visit, it’s like pure paradise. It is always busy, hot, incredibly noisy, and packed (only 35-40 seats), but what they do better than any other place is their extraordinary snails, scallops (only available from October through March), ceps (only available in September), roast chicken (available all year from different sources), baby leg of lamb (only available January through May), and grilled blue lobsters. Add to those offerings what I consider to be the greatest potato dish in the world, their potato cake (sliced potatoes sautéed in goose fat, cooked in an incredibly hot oven until they are crunchy, and then doused with generous portions of fresh garlic and parsley). It always amazes me to see some diners having a mixed salad when this venue is a bastion for pure gluttony. The late, great A. J. Liebling got it right in his classic book on gustatory pleasures, Between Meals, as did the late Joseph Wechsburg in his noteworthy Blue Trout and Black Truffles. While L’Ami Louis’ house foie gras is always delicious, better can be found at many other restaurants. However, their cold confit of duck is terrific. I only discovered this dish several years ago as their warm confit of duck is absolutely outrageous. The first ceps of the season were exquisite. They never cheat you on portions at L’Ami Louis, and maitre ‘d Louis Gadby said that although these were still hard to get, he was anticipating an abundant season given the rainstorms and climatic conditions. (It is also a promising truffle season, which frequently means France has had a so-so year for grapes.) The ceps were so meaty, rich, and intense, it was like eating a steak.

No one does better snails. There is something about these giant snails that are cooked live with an extraordinary freshness and intensity of flavor to the parsley, garlic, and butter. They just don’t get any better, and having had them four or five times a year over the last 33 years, they never cease to amaze me. The roast chicken, which, at this time of the year comes from a bird called the Cou Cou de Renne, was absolutely sumptuous. Crunchy on the outside, without a lot of breast meat, it offers incredibly juicy flavors that are unlike anything I have found in the United States. Of course, mixing it with that amazing potato cake and their crisp, not greasy, perfectly cooked French fries added to the extraordinary pleasure of the evening.

One of my favorite dry rosés is the Cuvée William Deutz. The 1999, while a few notches below the gorgeous 1996, is still a brilliant dry rosé from a Champagne house that appears to be doing greater and greater things with each new release. The Châteauneuf du Papes included an outrageous bottle of Janasse’s 2005 Vieilles Vignes. Perhaps it was due to all the garlic and butter, but this wine emerged from its massive, tannic youthfulness, and is beginning to reveal more character and suppleness. It is a fabulous Châteauneuf du Pape with 10-20 years of life ahead of it. The 2004 Domaine de Pégaü Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Laurence was a much lighter colored offering made in the style of the Henri Bonneau wines, with some amber and ruby at the rim. It exhibited beautiful aromas of roasted herbs, seaweed, and sweet plums, currants, and kirsch. In the mouth, it was medium-bodied with a beautiful attack and mid-palate, but it narrowed out slightly in the finish. This brilliant Châteauneuf will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age.

In summary, great food and exceptional wines at a great bistro (founded in 1924) made for a remarkable, fun time, which reminded both my wife and I that this is what the enjoyment of life is all about.