Epicurean Awards 1999

TASTE OF THE TOWN

This award really goes to two restaurants, since our voters didn’t specify which of the two Andre’s restaurants they prefer. So it must be doubly gratifying to chef André Rochat, since the Savoy native pioneered upscale French cooking in this city. Whether you eat in his cozy little Downtown bungalow or in his grandly elegant crystal palace in the Monte Carlo, you can count on impeccable service and utterly glorious food. No one in the city does a better fresh Dover sole, and the foie gras en terrine with sauternes aspic and black-pepper brioche is a wonder.

Another specialty is game, such as the marinated venison tenderloin with wild mushrooms, creamed spinach, apple compote and huckleberries — a dish worth a wide detour. Try the simple lemon tart for dessert. In addition, Rochat is a serious wine collector. His list starts simple and reaches up to the dizzy heights of an ’85 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti for $6,000 a bottle.