La Guerite . . . another review!

cec1

Senior Insider
Four of us went there last night for dinner. Arriving about 8:30, we stayed 'til Midnight . . . enjoying a most enjoyable evening of food, beverages, & conversation. We had a "banquette" style table at street side of the restaurant, and as one of my guests said, "I wish I had the pillow concession here!" They were abundantly found -- very attractive with bold, very wide stripes of white & deep red colors and not overstuffed -- we felt like Pashas in a scene from an Ottoman feast.

The "starter" concept contemplates that people will share a few items, & the waiter ("Pierre") likened it to having tapas. Well . . . that was far from the case. We had the evening's starter "special" -- fettuccine in garlic, white wine, & grated Parmesan cheese -- and some Ratatouille. Not small in size, at all . . . with a small salad, the two starters could have been dinner for four. AND, they were out-of-the-world delicious. Not to be deterred, however, we launched into main courses . . . I had the veal chop, medium rare; one guest had moulles (a huge bowl . . . more than he could finish). Others had sea bass & a bowl of seafood pasta. There also was a shared plate of perfectly cooked fresh asparagus, drizzled in a very light walnut oil.

We shared two desserts . . . one was called "Alicia." It was a layered confection served in a large round glass -- looking something like a small goldfish bowl. Custard, cake, & fruit. Light & airy. The second dessert was a chocolate item . . . dark, dark, dense chocolate that melted in the mouth. We stopped short of licking the plate!

Wines -- two bottles of white, one red -- were great, and contrary to fears of "sticker shock," they were priced similarly to wines at other high-end SBH restaurants. The after dinner offering was a clear liqueur from Greece, "Mastiha." It was chilled & almost seemed to have ice crystals in it.

One thing that has been commented upon by others . . . the music. Yes, it did get loud about 11 PM. Quite loud. I must say, however, that by that time, we hardly noticed, apart from a growing sense of being in a beautiful "club." Some part of which sense clearly came from the table next to us -- a "bevy" of glamorous YOUNG blonde women, most of whom seemed to have forgotten their skirts (or their costumes somehow were truncated as they came off the yacht). (Did I mention the 50-ish, bald yacht owner (?) who was their host?). It could have been a "New Yorker" cover parody of SBH.)

All in all . . . it was a fun experience, as well as excellent food. Our bill for the evening was not "over the moon" -- probably about like Orega, the night before. Owner Pascal spent a bit of time talking with us . . . he's returning today to Monaco for a couple of weeks. His assessment of their first season was very upbeat . . . so I think we'll see La Guerite again next year.

Not a place for everyone . . . far from staid. Food, however, was excellent, and the ambiance was a happy, mature scene and a side of SBH that I rarely see. I'm pleased to report that it's worthy of a visit . . . you even may like it (as I did).
 
Sounds good! Now I wish we had given it a try earlier this month. We were put off by the less-than-stellar earlier reviews.
 
I seem to always ending up asking these questions but again. :nerd:
Where is this restaurant? Is it ok for teens/kids?
 
I seem to always ending up asking these questions but again. :nerd:
Where is this restaurant? Is it ok for teens/kids?


ha ha... just answered my own questions by peeking at the similar threads. It's in the same location as the Wall House.

So what about for kids? teens?
 
I don't think the restaurant presents any issues with respect to kids / teens that are different than any other place.
 
Not a place for everyone . . . far from staid. Food, however, was excellent, and the ambiance was a happy, mature scene and a side of SBH that I rarely see. I'm pleased to report that it's worthy of a visit . . . you even may like it (as I did).

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Doing a little preliminary research for a March/April trip and was looking at TA reviews for La Guérite. I know, I know, but if you actually read the reviews there is usually pertinent information to be gleaned from them. What struck me here was the Parisian reviewer's overt recognition, and blessing, that La Guérite is the sort of place that uses high prices to discourage the sort of clientèle they don't wish to attract. ("la clientèle, sélectionnée par les prix élevés, est très beautiful people") I think L'Isola is in that category. The hotel restaurants on Flamands and GCdS also.
 
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