First Taste: La Veranda

07.17.08

La Veranda, Gordon Ramsay’s stylish new restaurant sublimely set in one of France’s legendary hotels—the Trianon Palace, a Belle Epoque beauty in lush gardens across from the park at Versailles—can be very good, but it is also royally exasperating. There’s the gorgeous black-and-white interior by English decorator Fiona Thompson, and some excellent contemporary Continental cooking under the long-distance auspices of Ramsay. But the service is appalling.

When we arrived on a pretty July night in the hopes of dining en terrasse, a bossy host at the entrance to the dining room skipped the de rigeurbonsoir” and cut to the chase: “Do you have a reservation?” We did, but we were escorted into the conservatory dining room, to a table against the wall. Forget the terrace, where you can watch the sheep nibbling on the lawn across the fence in the Parc de Versailles. “What about a table by the window?” I inquired, thinking that at least we’d be able to enjoy the greenery through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “We’re saving those,” said the maître d’. Since the dining room was empty, I did some verbal arm-wrestling and got us moved.

Too bad about the rude “welcome,” because the food at La Veranda was quite good overall. A starter of stuffed squid was filled was a soft, underseasoned fish mousse that wasn’t completely rectified by a swirl of spicy tomato sauce. But an excellent homemade terrine of foie gras laced with jambonneau (ham hock) helped soothe our nerves. Our main courses were excellent: Pluma (filet) of Iberian ham, perfectly cooked, with broccolini in a cabernet jus; and cod with fork-mashed potatoes and horseradish cream. And so were our desserts: a clever, Robuchon-like riff on an île flottante (passion-fruit gelée in a Martini glass topped with a terrific crème anglaise and a tiny meringue crown); and a delightful citrus terrine with freshly made basil sorbet.

The impeccably executed, cautiously inventive French food reminded me of the cooking at Racine in London, a place that, while not dazzling, is good enough to be noteworthy. The experience at La Veranda, though, was knee-capped by waiters who had to ask who was eating what, forgot to pour the wine, reached in front of us when serving, never refilled the bread basket, delivered the bill before coffee, and generally failed at the kind of hospitality that would have made this meal special.

I’d still go back to La Veranda for the setting and the food. The restaurant is the ideal place to eat if you’re visiting Versailles this summer. Just be sure to book well in advance and steel your nerves against the service.

La Veranda Westin Trianon Palace Hotel, 1 Boulevard de la Reine, Versailles (33-1-30-84-5556)

Subscribe to Gourmet