Déjenner
803 Third Avenue, New York City
French Imported Champagne Cocktail 1.50
Le Café Chambord, in New York, is inconveniently far from that city's more glittering purlieus. In decor, it is merely modestly pleasing. It is small: 100 people are the most it can seat at one time. Yet Chambord has been, since its founding in 1936, a mecca for the dedicated gourmets of the world. In the quiet of its simple luxury, which makes the ornateness of other posh dining places seem vulgar, the haut monde pays its respects to haute cuisine -- at prices equally haute. Here the movers and makers of international big business -- men like David Sarnoff of RCA, or Aristotle Onassis -- lunch superbly at their leisure. Or a smart young couple -- late risen and with a free afternoon -- will feast sumptuously tête-à-tête in the intimate elegance of a secluded divan. Here, at evening, the famous and the great convene -- with the chic-est of women -- to celebrate Chef Grange's artistry. This is no pre-theatre dining establishment; it takes time to prepare and to savor the fine foods which are transfigured into culinary masterpieces by a cordon of chefs who may be seen -- in LeRoy Neiman's painting -- plying their art in full view of the patrons, through the glass wall of the kitchen. Each table is served by a captain, two waiters and a bus boy, aided by a wine steward who presides over one of the world's great cellars. René Dufau, the headwaiter, supervises a staff of 60. "A good waiter," Dufau says, "is able to serve a meal without being noticed." True; yet many diners who might feel justifiable confidence in selecting from the superb menu at Chambord prefer, nonetheless, to consult with one of the captains concerning just which dishes, in what order, will make a meal greater than the sum of its parts. But whether you make your own selection or put yourself in a captain's capable hands, whether you feast on Le Roi Faisan à 1'Estouffade Perigourdine or Le Tendre Caneton à l'Orange et au Grand Marnier avec Pommes Soufflées, your repast will be fit for gods, your dining a memorable occasion.
