Unauthorized

L'Ami Louis may be my favorite restaurant ... in the world. Although September is not the best time to dine there since the fresh scallops do not come in until the end of October, and there is no baby lamb until January, there are still plenty of wonderful goodies on the menu. This bistro is outrageously expensive, but for people who are serious eaters, and want the finest raw materials prepared with nothing more than garlic and butter (well, maybe some goose fat, too), this is THE place ... a mecca for serious eating and drinking. We began with the cold terrine of foie gras, which is always competent, but never exciting. That was followed by the best snails in the world ... huge Burgundian snails served in their shells with sensational garlic butter and parsley. For some reason, garlic always tastes sweeter at L'Ami Louis than anywhere else. We then shared one of the restaurant's always superb roast chickens. It is a bony bird from Bresse cooked in a super-hot wood-burning oven. The flavor is to die for. L'Ami Louis' great confit of duck never receives the attention from connoisseurs that it deserves. It is one of the finest money can buy. Both the chicken and confit are served with french fries and their famous potato cake. The latter is my favorite potato dish in the world. Sliced potatoes are first poached and then fried in goose fat, put in a cast iron skillet, placed in a hot oven, and then an astonishing amount of fresh diced garlic and parsley are thrown on the top. The dish is served sizzling hot to the table. With that we had two unbelievably perfect wines that I had purchased from their domaines in Châteauneuf du Pape. The Vieille Julienne 2000 Châteauneuf du Pape Réserve may be greatest Châteauneuf I have ever tasted when one considers its possible longevity and awesome potential. It has everything - a deep ruby/purple color, an extraordinary nose of blackberries, sweet kirsch, licorice, and flowers, a voluptuous, full-bodied personality with laser-like precision, amazing purity and depth, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. One wine that may equal it is the 2003 Pégaü Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée da Capo. Both of these wines probably possess more than 16% natural alcohol (regardless of what the label says). The Capo is a monument from a very irregular vintage. It does not have the color depth of the Vieille Julienne, but it tastes like the essence of Provence, offering aromas of roasted meats, herbs, kirsch, and sweet, jammy fruit in a magnificently voluptuous, opulent style. There are loads of tannin lurking under the surface, but it is not that noticeable because of the abundant fruit, glycerin, and intensity possessed by this wine. It was an extraordinary night, and I could not think of two wines I would rather drink for my last meal on Earth than these two.