Pic

Cohesion.

The best restaurants of the world are cohesive. Message. Brand. Food. Service. Physical space. WInes. Vision. Meaning. Everything fits. Each informs and elevates the other, making the whole far greater than the sum of the parts.

Pic brings all of that and more together, landing at my #2 favorite all time. I gave ample consideration as to whether it was even better than Noma. Let's call Pic 1(a). This was an absolutely perfect experience.

You heard me. This. Experience. Was. Perfect.

Magical. Extraordinary.

Point to any aspect of it. The food was mind-boggling. Service was flawless. Literally flawless. The space (the Inn as well as the restaurant) is... I run out of words. There aren't enough superlatives. I have no idea how to convey to you what this place is really like. 

I am in awe.

Pic sits on the outskirts of the small town of Valence, an hour south of Lyon, France. At the time of my visit, it had just been named The Best Restaurant in the World by TripAdvisor. I have no quarrel with that designation.

First established in 1889, the restaurant first earned 3 Michelin stars in 1939. Through three generations, the restaurant would lose its stars, and the next generation would win them all back. Chef Anne-Sophie Pic is 4th generation who has followed this pattern, taking over the restaurant in 1999 and earning her 3rd star in 2007. 

Should you visit, I urge you to spend the night at the Inn. It will allow you the full experience, which is glorious. I won't spend too much time on the Inn - this is a restaurant blog after all. But it is truly 5-star service, with every need and want met immediately and with a smile. I put my money into restaurants, so I'm not used to 5-star hotels. I made plenty of faux pas because of it, like wheeling my luggage along with me to the lounge or looking for an iron in the room.

These are things they take care of for you.

This 5-star service carries into the restaurant experience, which begins in that same lounge. A drink. The first few bites. A letter from Chef Pic herself.

My opening drink was made from gin, made in-house with beeswax from bees they raise. And of course...a honeycomb cracker sits on top. It is this level of cohesion that just makes you (well, me at least) sit back in awe.

As I enjoyed this drink and incredible opening bites, I was greeted by - and again, I am not exaggerating - the very best front of house professional I have ever encountered.

It occurs to me that while I remember terrific service, I rarely remember terrific servers. Before tonight, the only one who really stuck with me was the server at my first visit to Disfrutar. (He was the general manager on my second visit.)

Well, Margaux is the general manager of Pic and her treatment will remain with me for a very, very long time. I will again strain to effectively describe the experience. She is someone with enormous responsibility and surely 500 things that urgently need her attention. But when she is with you, none of that exists. You are her sole focus and have her complete attention.

She adds energy and vitality to the experience and enables conversation that flows effortlessly. (It reminds of the host's visit to my table at the end of my first visit to Manresa.) A genuine smile brings joy and her questions make you the star. Her control allows you to relax, knowing you are in great hands. You can't wait for her next visit to see you.

A story to outline her insane skill at hospitality. A few courses in, she invited me to enjoy a few bites in the kitchen. Leading me through a door, we turned to head down the brightly lit hallway lined with larger-than-life photos of the history of chefs from this incredible family. (A photo of this hallway is below.) As we came through the doors and turned into the hallway, a server was coming the other direction carrying a large tray of dishes headed for the dining room.

I'm not sure how Margaux even saw this server, because she was opening the door and leading me through, eyes on me over her right shoulder and conversing the whole time. Without taking her attention away from me in the slightest, she placed her left hand ever-so-gently on the edge of the tray, causing the server to hang back and allow us through. Her focus remained entirely on me, guiding me right through, past that server and on to the table waiting for me in the kitchen.

I will remember that moment. Perhaps forever. It was a demonstration of the absolutely incredible skill of hospitality combined with limitless and unmitigated commitment to the customer's experience. 

My experience. 

There are many more stories to tell, including the following morning as she greeting me by name in the lobby, referencing from memory specific things about my preferences and our conversations from the night before. There's an emotion when you are treated like this. It touches a piece of you that nothing else does. She is the embodiment of this skill. I'm not sure whether I'm more indebted or more in awe.

She wasn't alone. Every staff member was friendly and found that perfect balance of traveling fast enough to show purpose yet slow enough to be present and available. Smiles. Connection. Joy. That dining room was magical to just sit back and watch.

The food followed suit. Every single dish was brilliant. Smart. Interesting. Inviting. And superbly delicious. They offered a choice of pork chop or venison. As is my custom, I requested both (always offering to pay for the additional dish) and of course, it was not a problem in the slightest. 

Nothing is.

Another story for illustration. When sat at the table in the kitchen (again...photo below), fresh bread and butter is set there for you. But no dish is brought to you for 10 minutes or so. This is by design. It allows you to fully focus and observe the kitchen. To get your bearings on that spectacle which is in front of you, without splitting your focus between that and a new plate of food in front of you. Breathe. Enjoy. Just as you are getting your full of watching the kitchen, the first dish of food arrives.

Wines were incredible, including one made from grapes just over the river, on land which chef owns. It sits above her grandfather's old property. (Of course it does...) Tea was prepared with full Chinese flair. The dining room space was sumptuous and inviting. Absolutely nothing was missed. 

I've enjoyed some of the best restaurants on the planet. Places like this are rare. You sit amidst it simultaneously amazed that it exists and honored that you get to experience it.

Chef Pic was unfortunately in Paris the evening I visited, cooking for the Prime Minister or some such thing. I enjoy meeting chefs, but she was one I was eager to size up. To thank and perhaps glean the tiniest bit of wisdom. It was not to be. But her mark was made. This experience was...

I honestly don't have the word. Magical is the closest I can suggest.

Pic is out of the way, but it is worth a detour. Heck, it is worth planning an entire trip around. 

I am emotional and thankful for having experienced it. You will experience the same. Everyone does.

That, my friends, is the magic.