The second part of our travels through Northern France landed us in the Champagne region. Our first three days were in war-torn Verdun, and now we were staying among vineyards and famous names like Dom Perignon.
Click here to read more about the forts of Verdun and the small village of Hautvillers. But now that we were firmly planted in the Reims area, we were ready to indulge in some French-style, rich food. In the city of Reims, there are dozens of fine eateries, but after some careful research and reservations made weeks in advance, we made our way to Le Parc at the Les Crayeres , a 5 star hotel and grand chateau with a 2 Michelin star restaurant on the compound.
Not only are reservations mandatory, but it was very clear we had to confirm two days in advance or else our table would be let go. The dress code was not Victorian strict, but jackets and slacks were encouraged.
From the moment we parked the car, we knew we were in for an exquisite evening. Next to us was a Porsche, Ferrari, and an Aston Martin, and that was just in the car lot. We were met at the door by waiters and hosts in suits and ushered to a booth for an aperitif while our table was prepared. Ce avec quoi? We were handed menus to peruse and a menu of Champagnes and wines that rivaled Moby Dick.
We left the important decisions to my father who expertly picked a magnificent Champagne to accompany our aperitif appetizers. In order to fully enjoy myself and be present, I did not take copious notes of everything that was presented, so I apologize at my faulty memory not remembering every detail, but I will do my best based on my pictures. While we enjoyed some acoustic Pink Floyd being played by a man in a British flag jacket and a woman with wild hair, we sipped our wine and had tiny bites of pumpkin and carrot mousse, beef tartar, foie gras with lemon jelly, and a fourth that escaped my memory.
