For a Michelin three-star restaurant, this was a technically proficient meal, but it lacked anything compelling or profound. It was enjoyable, albeit uninspiring, cuisine. My favorite course was the langoustines from Breton (the chef is from Brittany). However, Le Cinq's spectacular dining room is one of the most beautiful dining venues I have ever seen.

The wines began with an extremely young 1996 Salon, which has 20-30 years of life ahead of it. It is tight and crisp as well as impressively clean and pure. That was followed by a magnum of Louis Carillon's 2000 Puligny Montrachet Les Réferts, which was very good, but again, serviceable more than inspiring. A magnum of 1990 Château Latour exhibited gorgeous crème de cassis fruit, sweet tannin, and full-bodied, opulent flavors. It remains youthful and primary in its freshness and fruit-driven style. This 1990 needs another 5-10 years of bottle age to reach full maturity, although its sweet tannins and opulence provide undeniable appeal already.