Remembrance of Things Paris by Gourmet Magazine Editors

Remembrance of Things Paris by Gourmet Magazine Editors

Author:Gourmet Magazine Editors [Reichl, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-49011-7
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2004-03-21T16:00:00+00:00


MAXIM’S

Joseph Wechsberg

It’s easier to explain what Maxim’s is not than what it is. Maxim’s is not a nightclub where undressed women appear on the floor while the salad dressing is being served. The management often receives letters from all over the world asking about the “program” and what time it starts. Here it is. At nine-thirty in the evening a small orchestra on the platform begins playing what was once discreetly called “table music.” After eleven, people dance, having finished their dinner. Roger Viard (“Roger”), maître d’hôtel and dictatorial ruler at Maxim’s, doesn’t care much for the doubtful combination of dining and dancing.

Maxim’s is not just another three-star restaurant, though it has long had the Guide Michelin’s top accolade. Few people go to Maxim’s to feed themselves. But the late Alexandre Dumaine, not exactly the Maxim’s type, once told me, “You can lunch very well there ordering the plat du jour, maybe the côte de boeuf, from the wagon.” Finally, Maxim’s is not, as some believe, an exhibition of unrestricted snobbism. If it were just that, Maxim’s couldn’t have survived for over eighty years as the citadel of Parisian chic, a rendezvous of the world’s VIPs.

No, it’s more complex. Jean Cocteau called it “le véritable théâtre de quelques grandes actrices.” Paul Valéry compared Maxim’s with a “submarine immersed with its décor Jules Verne.” Maxim’s is the quintessence of Paris, a mixture-as-never-before of history and legend, elegance and impertinence, showplace and snob appeal. You feel it the moment you walk through the woodwork-and-gilt entrance at 3, rue Royale: It is the reflection of what was called La Belle Epoque in Paris and the Edwardian era in London. The 1900 décor must not be changed; the French government declared Maxim’s a national monument. As a heritage of the nation it may not rank with the Louvre or Versailles, but it is as Parisian as the Place de la Concorde just a few steps away. Maxim’s (and Paris) have had their ups and downs, but the ups have outshone the downs. It is no accident that Maxim’s has often been imitated, but never successfully. Underneath the glamour and the glitter there is something solid and permanent that has attracted people for generations. Maxim’s has often been lucky with its public relations. Its most famous (unpaid) press agent was Franz Lehár, who in 1905 placed an entire act of his masterpiece, The Merry Widow, in the midst of the restaurant, where he had never been. Ever since, the legend of the forbidden fruit has remained indestructible.

Maxim’s also remains a battleground of complex social topography. The only other comparable place was Le Pavillon in New York City in its heyday, under the late, great Henri Soulé. He was totally unimpressed by fame and wealth, as many rich and prominent would-be customers came to learn, grievously. Soulé alone decided who got in and who would sit where, and though he repeatedly proclaimed that all tables were “desirable,” the customers knew very well that some tables were more desirable than others.



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