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2 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t ANDY'S PLATE WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO behave in public, my parents would occasionally take me out for a special occasion and we would go to a formal, "fine dining" establishment, usually one with an imposing French name, such as La Caravelle, Le Pavillon, L'Étoile or Lu- tèce. They were hushed, serene islands of refinement and grandeur peopled by tuxedoed waiters and cap- tains gliding silently and gracefully through the dining room, attending the guests' every desire. Tables were dressed in pillowy white linens and set with gleaming silverware and sparkling crystal glassware. Times have changed. Dramatically. Look at the "best restaurant" lists in the national food magazines. Most of the places so honored are extremely casual with open kitchens populated by heavily tattooed cooks, bare brick walls, rustic uncovered tables and servers in jeans and logo tee shirts. The food is "American bistro," an amalgam of domestic, European and Asian influences. But just when the concept of "fine dining" seemed destined for the dust bin of history, it's back, with a vengeance. Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr (34 restaurants including Morimoto, Buddakan, El Vez and Pod) has teamed up in New York with intense, brilliant 38-year-old chef Daniel Rose, a devotée of traditional French cooking. Rose is a native of Chicago who emigrated to Paris and opened a small, ingredient-driven Right Bank restaurant called Spring, which, for the past ten years, has been a quiet sensation there. Their Manhattan outpost is called Le Coucou and it's located at the south end of Lafayette Street on the ground floor of the new 11 Howard Hotel. The space is large and elegant. It is softly lit with circular fixtures that have a slightly medieval look. It has a re- fined finesse but eschews antiquated fripperies such as heavy, opulent fabrics or gilded tassels. Service is formal and polished but never haughty; it's actually quite friendly. The cooks in the immaculate kitchen actually wear tall, white toques on their heads. Yes, the ambiance is plush and lovely—something that many younger diners have probably never experienced. But the centerpiece of Le Coucou is Daniel Rose's exquisite food. The menu features such classics as quenelles—airy pike mousse—in creamy lobster sauce, tender sweetbreads in lush tomato cream scented with tarragon, and little crepinette packages of chicken and foie gras. There's a delicate bourride—black bass and shellfish in an exquisitely nuanced fumet accented by garlicky aioli; duck with figs, foie gras and black olives; and Dover sole with grapes and chanterelles. There's an ethereal veal terrine accented with foie gras and pickled girolle mushrooms; halibut in a perfect, silky beurre blanc accompanied by daikon prepared as sauerkraut; and a stunning dish called "tout le lapin"—all the rabbit—which presents the rabbit in three different preparations. Desserts—a poached pear stuffed with ice cream and mounted on crystalized almonds, a creamy rice pudding—are very good but don't rival the grandeur of the main menu. The wine list, however, is magnificent. It is large, deep and packed with interesting discoveries. New York's rekindled appreciation for classic French cooking extends to Antoine Westermann's Le Coq Rico, a lovely place on East 20th Street by the famed French 3-star Michelin chef that specializes in roasted heritage chickens. (The original is in Paris.) The birds are accompanied by classic French preparations. The creativity and invention that characterize America's current restaurant scene is exciting and always diverting, but it is valuable to experience the culinary culture that laid the groundwork for what has followed in Western cuisine. For that it is neces- sary to revisit classic, traditional French cooking in all its glory. Le Coucou and Le Coq Rico afford that enlightening and totally satisfying opportunity. The Return of "Fine Dining" TWO NEW YORK RESTAURANTS BRING BACK THE ART OF THE TABLE by Anthony Dias Blue PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES PHOTO COURTESY OF LE COQ RICO PHOTO: DITTE ISAGER The terrine de veau at Le Coucou. The interior at Le Coucou has refined finesse but eschews anti- quated fripperies. The Alsatian-style baeckoffe chicken at Le Coq Rico. PHOTO: CORRY ARNOLD ■cr Chef Daniel Rose of Le Coucou.