Joël Robuchon at the Mansion/L'Atelier

I really hate to write this review. I am a foodie and have seen and heard so much about Robuchon. So this was to be the highlight of my recent LV trip. We made reservations weeks in advance. I had read the Fodor's book and visited their web page so I knew my wife wouldn't like the bar stool counter thing at L'Atelier. So we requested one of the small tables along the wall. SURE, no problem we were told on the phone.

When we arrived on our last evening (I saved the best for last), the hostess escorted us to two bar stools. But we requested a table we told her. But those are only for larger parties she responded.

Now I have to bring up two issues here. One: there was nobody in the place even though they had been open for a half an hour (it was 5:30). And two, I have no idea how large a party you had to have as to me, the most any of these tables could handle would be 4 at best but you be the judge, there are pictures on their web site.

In short, we walked out. And I'm not sure how many Michelin Stars L'Atelier has over Robuchon at the Mansion but I hope none are for Front of the House service.

My ratings are low because like the judges on Chopped, you can't judge when you haven't received a portion. But I can't post this without selecting the ratings. And maybe it is just because at these prices and competition (consider Restaurant Charlie and Fleur de Lys have bitten the dust in the past year), maybe the Chef of the Century needs to revisit that the host or hostess is the very first impression one receives of the rest of the show.

Generally my favorite is not fancy French, as tasting menus tend to make me hungry not full, and four hour meals give me spilkas. Having said that, this was perhaps the most amazing dining experience that I have ever had. Everybody at the table shared my view.

The restaurant is so gorgeous that upon arriving you just know you have a treat at hand. Sometimes fancy French brings stuffiness along with it (in the U.S., never in Paris), but this was not the case here.

Then, of course, there is the food. It looked so pretty that it was a shame to eat it, but what the heck.

We had their 16-course meal. They are always fine tuning things. Two of the plates actually had 3 courses on each. That way they could trim down an hour. I guess people start getting a bit antsy after four hours.

Their breads were so outstanding that after a couple times around they come by apologizing for its greatness and offer to bring however much we wanted, but cautioned us about filling up.

Although we have seen this before, it is always the height of luxury for Allyn to have a proper bench upon which to put her purse.

Finally at the end of the evening they gave each woman a gift to take home – a wonderful pound cake.

We ate in the private room, which made the experience even more superb. True it cost an extra couple hundred dollars, but given the bill was $4,900 for seven of us, it seemed like a bargain.

L'Atelier was a fantastic experience! Had the tasting menu and even ordered extra since everything looked and tasted even better. Our server was a lot of fun and most helpful. Definitely sit a the bar so that you can see how much care goes into this excellent dining experience. Can't wait to go back!