The End of an Era
With this article and this follow-on piece, the Cincinnati Enquirer announced the imminent closing of Jean-Robert at Pigall’s and Jean-Robert de Cavel’s resignation from the restaurant group heretofore bearing his name.† As much as I mourn the closure of Pigall’s, I mourn the end of an era of fine dining in Cincinnati yet more.
For the record, I define “fine dining” much more strictly than most others.† I use the term to refer to a restaurant that would merit serious consideration as a Michelin two or three star restaurant or as deserving a four star review from the New York Times.† As an additional reference, Relais & Chateaux uses the worthy of two Michelin stars standard for designating a Relais Gourmands restaurant, a designation held by Pigall’s for several years.
I know I will offend some (including several friends) when I state categorically that no other restaurant in our city meets that definition of fine dining.† That is not to say that those other restaurants are are not fine places, deserving of your patronage and dining dollars; those places simply do not have every element required to meet the fine dining standard.† They also do not carry on Cincinnati’s long and significant history of fine dining restaurants.
Most Cincinnati residents who are interest in food know that the Maisonette held Mobil’s five star designation longer than any other restaurant in the country.† Many can recount that Cincinnati had three Mobil five star restaurants for a year or two in the 1970s (the Maisonette, old Pigall’s and the Gourmet Room in the Terrace Hilton hotel).† Almost no one remembers that one year in the mid-1960s Cincinnati was home to three of the eight five star recipients or that the third restaurant (after Maisonette and Pigall’s) was the La Ronde restaurant in the Carousel Hotel on Reading Road.† New York City boasted only two five star restaurants that year.† (I wish one of the Adrian sisters would remind me which year this was by looking at their father’s scrapbook they so graciously shared with me a few years ago.)
Outside the regimented world of kitchens implementing the brigade system, the name of Pierre Adrian is virtually unknown.† But a generation of chefs working in America and throughout the world considered Chef Adrian a mentor and role model.† Chef Adrian was chef of the Maisonette through the 1960s and was the chef when the Maisonette began its run of consecutive five star honors.† Chef Adrian would likely be a household name along with the great chefs of history but for his death at an all-too-early age.
How does a city go from supporting three or more fine dining restaurants to none in just a bit over a generation, you ask?† Is the economy to blame?† The decline of downtown?† Changed dining habits?
All the above, yet none of the above.† I place responsibility in roughly chronological order on shopping malls, multiplexes, chain restaurants, cheap air travel, specialty catalogs, and e-commerce.
When I was young, Cincinnati was the commercial and cultural engine for a region extending to a 200 mile radius from the city.† The residents of the small cities and towns in that region flocked to Cincinnati.† The doctors, lawyers, accountants, merchants and teachers traveled here three or four times a year.† In the summer, they brought their children for a baseball game and a trip to Coney Island and in the winter to visit Santa and see the decorations.† In the spring and fall, they came as couples with friends.
They stayed in the hotels.† The Netherland Hilton and the Sheraton Gibson were packed on the weekends.† They shopped.† Their children were clothed from the racks of the four full service department stores within a three block radius of the hotels.† The women bought their finery at the likes of Giddings Jenny and Henry Harris.† The men purchased suits, shirts, ties and overcoats at Brooks Brothers, Burkharts, Dunlaps and the “hipper” place next door (Mr. T, please remind me of the name of the men’s store that is now JeanRo).
They attended the symphony, ballet and opera at Music Hall.† They watched acts at the Taft and the Emery and plays at the Schubert.† They went to first run movies at the Albee, the Keith’s, the RKO Palace, the Grand and the Capitol. azulfidine
And they dined, oh how they dined.† They ate at restaurants large and small for every meal of their visits.† The city was replete with choices unavailable in their towns at that time – from tea house to steakhouse to oyster house.† And at dinner, they splurged, the Maisonette, Pigall’s, or the Gourmet Room, how did one choose?† Well, each of these visitors had a favorite.† My maternal grandfather was partial to Pigalls, the original location at Fifth and Pike, thank you very much.
As the 60s became the 70s and the 80s, this version of the world went away.† Developers built shopping malls near these smaller cities.† The malls brought mutiplex theatres and sit-down chain restaurants.† Suddenly the gentry of these places didn’t need to travel for staples or even for luxuries.† And for the true treat, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and London were but a plane ticket away.† The places that relied on this regional business began to close.
I am not sure why, but the fine dining restaurants held on longer than any of the others — the hotels of that era are long torn down or substantially altered, the theatres are essentially gone, Music Hall hosts half empty concerts, the department and specialty stores are but a memory.† Fine dining restaurants struggled and survived as the others failed around them, yet finally succumbed.
Why did fine dining hang on longer than the others?† I have long espoused that fine dining represents the best value in restaurant meals.† The small price premium that one pays over the lesser competition pales in comparison to the effort, artistry and surroundings provided in the fine dining environment.† In this week’s New York Times review of Restaurant Daniel, Frank Bruni summarized my conviction well:
At restaurants considered much less exclusive, you could spend only $30 less on a similar amount of food, and you wouldnít get anything approaching Danielís bells and whistles. These flourishes make you feel that youíve slipped into a monarchís robes, if only for a night, and turn an evening into an event.
A fine dining meal is the equivalent of a two or three hour vacation — at a fraction of the price of the real thing.† The food nourishes the body, and the surroundings and service sooth the soul.
It is ironic that the Times effexor reaffirmed its four star rating of Daniel the day before the Pigall’s announcement.† In temperament and cuisine, Daniel is the New York four star most resembling Pigall’s.† Before Jean-Robert ventured out on his own from under the fame of the Comisar family and Maisonette, Daniel Boulud left Le Cirque and the shadow of the Maccioni family.† And it was Daniel’s departure from the Plaza AthÈnÈe to join Le Cirque that created a position for Jean-Robert to begin working in the United States.
The Times review is worth reading.† It is an informed look into fine dining in New York and represents some of Bruni’s best writing.† After March 1, dining on this scale will be a airline flight away rather than a short drive or walk.
And we will all be the poorer for its being so.
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What a wonderful reflection on what was and what is no more.
Comment by G — January 24, 2009 @ 6:23 pm
[...] Just do it. This is the best commentary on the entire Jean-Robert/Wade situation, and about Cincinnati dining both past and present, that I’ve heard or read. [...]
Pingback by Go read Just Cured. | wine me, dine me — January 25, 2009 @ 9:41 am
Great article. And I agree completely, a fine meal like this is an event, not “just food” as so many who have never experienced it will call it.
The Wades say “high end dining doesn’t work”…but it does, everyone knows it does. The problem is branding yourself out of control, opening too many places, losing focus of the main event….
Comment by Lesley — January 25, 2009 @ 10:22 am
What a wonderful article! I remember the days when, as a little girl, Mom would take me downtown every weekend or so to shop at the big department stores and, of course, Polly Flinders. I miss that particular downtown.
I agree with you that as our cities all sort of merge (I foresee Louisville to Columbus becoming one huge strip mall someday soon), we are losing the fine dining experience. It makes me sad.
My husband and I recently ate at the Palace. I believe it was John McLean, the Maitre’ d Hotel, who charmed us with stories of the old Pigall’s and where he used to work – Stouffer’s.
I keep hoping for a fine dining resurgence, but I doubt it will be anytime soon.
Comment by Michelle Lentz — January 25, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Just Cured
Trackback by cinplify.com — January 25, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
G — Thank you. It is not all together no more. You can find the legacy of what was in the world class cultural and arts institutions that our citizens built and support. I fear, however, that they are next to be at risk. And you can find what was once here in larger cities throughout the US and Europe. I am hopeful they have the populations and traditions to keep fine dining and other fine things safe for generations to come.
Lesley — Soon, I will likely be tempted to write a post on what makes a fine meal an event rather than just food. Many have heard my spiel on the subject, but I have never written it for public consumption.
Michelle — I didn’t remember that John started (in Cincinnati) at the Stouffer’s hotel (as did Richard, the maitre d’ at Pigall’s). John is a professional from the old school. He has the unfortunate situation that all his former employers are no longer — Celestial, Maisonette, old Pigall’s, Stouffers. He and others should begin to commit those stories to something other than oral tradition. He will also be one (of many) who is upset with me for saying Jean-Robert at Pigall’s is the only fine dining restaurant left in our city. But, I stand by that statement.
Comment by Michael — January 25, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
Bravo Michael, what an excellent piece of writing. It takes me back to trips into to the city with my family and lunch with my Aunt and Uncle, Shillito’s windows at Christmas, the wine shop under the escalator at Pogue’s, shopping at Brendamore’s. Remember Gidding-Jenny, if you bought a gift certificate it was perfumed and wrapped in a box! Coming to the city was an adventure, going to the Maisonette, or Pigall
Comment by vudutu — January 26, 2009 @ 7:26 am
Excellent article, Michael. The city will not fully understand what has happened with the closing of Pigall’s for several years. This I know already: the city will be a poorer place for the closing.
Comment by Andrew Vogel — January 26, 2009 @ 8:42 am
Your comment on a mini vacation reminded me of what I said the first time I stepped into Twist;
“Was it crazy expensive? Yes.
Was it worth it?
Well I would be lying if I said we couldn’t have had just as much fun at Rockin Robin’s.
BUT!
If you want an experience where no detail has been over looked, you’ll always get what you pay for, and at the Twist Lounge nothing has been taken for granted. It seemed like every 5 minutes something new would present itself for us to marvel at.”
http://5chw4r7z.blogspot.com/2008/02/pigalls-twist-lounge-bar.html
Comment by 5chw4r7z — January 26, 2009 @ 9:12 am
vudutu — I have all those memories and more. The only reason I have to visit a mall is to go to the Apple Store.
Andrew — Agreed. And thanks for stopping by.
5chw4r7z — Of course you could have as much fun at Rockin Robins. Part of the joy is having the choice among widely diverse entertainment options. Some days are right for dine dining; others for a trip to a dive bar.
Comment by Michael — January 27, 2009 @ 8:07 am
Mr. Brown,
Nice piece. I do agree with some, but I do think it’s more complicated than even you present (that was supposed to be funny). May I weigh in?
Times have changed. Yes. We’ve lost some of the resplendence, yes. We’ve become an ADHD nation where allowing ourselves to be untethered for very long is rare. Yes, the luxury of a long repast is one of the casualties.
However, in the era you speak of, most of our meals were at home. Dining out was a special occasion, and thus restaurants were fewer (although ironically, Cincinnati had a very diverse restaurant scene in the 50′s, 60′s & 70′s. Polynesian, Spanish, and more).
With hardly anyone at home cooking (except for you, naturally), the restaurant industry has boomed over the past 20 years. Over 30% of Americans dine out for dinner weekly. The percentage is much higher if you include lunch, carryout, and overpriced coffees. Our shrinking borders, increased travel, food education, accessibility to and demand of premium ingredients have all raised the bar. Yes, there are a bunch of crappy chains. Sigh. But there are also more quality restaurants competing for your dining dollar.
With so many good options at all levels of price points, “Fine dining” restaurants (for the sake of category only, you and I have similar definitions) are difficult to keep afloat on their own. It is common nowadays for chef-driven restaurateurs to build a portfolio of restaurants at several concept/price levels. The fine dining flagship is often kept afloat by the others, because traffic for chef-driven fine dining depends on a strong tourism industry.
In cities like NYC, the customer base of the venerable fine dining restaurants is largely visitors to New York. Since you referenced Restaurant Daniel (absolutely comparable to Pigall’s in many ways), I can honestly say New Yorkers are not dining there on weeknights, or even weekly (there may be a brief 2nd honeymoon with Bruni’s 4 stars). In truth, New Yorkers dine at Daniel about as often as Cincinnatians have dined at Pigall’s.
Is it any coincidence that all the high-end chef-driven places are in Las Vegas? Tourism. (Las Vegas residents do not go the strip nor dine at Le Cirque). Same scenario for Gary Danko in San Francisco and French Laundry in Napa – the customer base is made up of a large percentage of visitors.
We have not reached that critical mass yet in Cincy. We are getting there, but it will take some more time. Still, even this analysis is only part of the reason for demise of Pigall’s (and this is neither the time nor the place for commenting on that). Ultimately, as sad as the “divorce” is, I think the phoenix (JR) will arise from the ashes. Don’t you?
And – “fine dining” is important in our culture. I don’t see it going away, I just see it getting redefined.
Comment by yogababe — January 29, 2009 @ 1:26 am
Yogababe — Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the conversation. As I expect from you, your comments are thoughtful and insightful. Please visit and comment often.
Of course, I agree that the circumstances are more complex than I expressed in that post. My intent was to write a short chapter rather than the entire book. If visitors are interested, I will also write about the shift from dining at home, the dramatic changes in restaurant dining options available to us, the surge of chains, the emergence of the “near fine dining” category, changes in tax laws, and many other factors that affect both supply and demand.
On the subject of New York, however, I have heard the local/tourist split for Restaurant Daniel and the Comisar family’s estimate of that split for Maisonette during the good times. Although I do not recall the precise numbers, Daniel gets a higher percentage of local business than Maisonette did.
Comment by Michael — January 29, 2009 @ 8:55 am
You left out the loop/bypass highway. I credit the rise of the loop/bypass highway with a lot of responsibility for the deaths of multiple downtowns across the midwest. When the road led downtown, people went downtown. When it became easier to get from Montgomery to Glendale than from Montgomery to 5th street — and the parking in Glendale was free — a lot of suburbanites headed for I-275 instead of heading down I-71 or I-75. Development happens along major thoroughfares — it always has — and in hindsight I think cities allowing bypasses to be built to solve their downtown traffic problems only brought them a far worse problem.
Comment by valereee — February 1, 2009 @ 4:33 am
Someone said to me once that MADD killed downtown dining. It’s an exaggeration, of course, but it’s undeniably a factor. Back in the day, people stayed downtown after work, had a drink, and then stayed for dinner. Now downtown empties out, and commuters go to their neighborhood chain where they can have a beer with dinner and not risk a long drive home. The margin on alcohol made restaurants profitable – not the food.
It’s sad, because losing fine dining in the city is like watching the last sequoia go to the lumberyard. You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.
Comment by tizzie — February 4, 2009 @ 3:47 pm
Val and tizzie,
Thanks for your comments and visiting. I should be embarrassed for not responding to your comments before this.
Both factors, one more significant than the other, in my view. I am going to do a couple of additional posts on the subject and will expand on your thoughts in those pieces.
Comment by Michael — February 16, 2009 @ 5:15 pm
[...] hope is that Jean-Robert continues the tradition of culinary excellence (written about eloquently here) started long ago, and will once again make Cincinnati sparkle with his inspired talent.
Pingback by Pigall’s Last Day | wine me, dine me — February 28, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
Michael, since I wrote a column for the April issue regarding some of these thoughts, I thought it best to identify myself as yogababe, so there would be no confusion as to who these words belonged to.
Best,
Donna Covrett
Comment by yogababe — March 1, 2009 @ 11:59 pm