became off putting. Amazing. Maybe it was the time frame. Maybe it was the frame of mind brought on by watching the Gore / Bush smackdown going into overtime on CNN International. Whatever it was it was real. And the odd thing was that we wouldn’t (or couldn’t) stop eating these wonderful meals even when we knew that we had had enough. Once we all showed up in the dining room for the next scheduled meal all of that political angst went right out of the window.

The seven course meals were proving to be overwhelming – too much of a good thing - so something simpler was requested. The menu was knocked down to five courses and it was still overwhelming. All of it was damn good - but still overwhelming. (A menu of one of the five course meals follows.)

The whole ‘hitting the wall’ thing became evident one day when the group went on a field trip to a French winery. This was one of those way cool 400-year-old places with the underground catacomb-like tunnels, torch light and wine stored in great wooden barrels. At the end of the tour plates full of hors d’oeuvres and wine were presented to us. These were the kind of little snacks that taste wonderful and are pleasing to the eye. These were appetizers that you can easily fill up on because they taste so damn good. If they were served at a Super Bowl party there could easily be a fight over who gets the last one. I remember everybody looking stupefied at these lovely looking and savory treats with a collective “Oh no - more food?” vibe.

The last two nights on this leg of the trip ended with people crawling out of the dining room, walking unsteadily up to their rooms and passing out – clothes on. We were happy, fat (I had a ten pound weight gain – she’s not telling), slightly drunk and it felt good.

Day seven had our group on another train – this time to Lyon for a two day stay at Maison Pic. Maison Pic is a newer Relais & Chateau establishment. The chef there, Anna Maria Pic - while not as famous as Benard Loiseau - was an up and comer and had something to prove. So she laid it on us too. The meals weren’t as grand as they were at Loiseau’s (four courses as opposed to seven) but they were of the same universe – unbelievably delicious food and first class service.

Two days later we parted ways with our travel group and flew to Baden-Baden, Germany. We stayed for another two nights at Brenner’s Park. This place is an old spa and hotel located in the Black Forest area. Old Nazis (okay – then eighty year old former German military men) still come there to hang out. Why not? They’ve got to have some place to hang. The accommodations were, as expected, first class. And, of course - wouldn’t you know it - they had a popular restaurant, a new chef and an invitation to dine on gourmet faire at their expense. We froze, made excuses and literally ran away from yet another gourmet meal. I think we were happy eating the apples in the room that night.

The final day of the trip – a beautiful, fall Sunday in Baden-Baden - Raschinna and I went for a walk through the town. Our goal was to find some kind of unpretentious eatery (a lunch counter or a Fatburgers would have worked fine) where we could eat something simple and filling. On that walk through town – narrow, cobbled stones Bavarian streets, quaint shops – we noticed that everyone look like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Interesting.

We stopped a small outdoor café. Everybody in town seemed to be on the streets that day. It was very cool and very laid back. At the café I decided to have something simple that I’ve had hundreds of times so I chose a club sandwich with fries. Plainer than that you can’t get, right? Actually, and amazingly, that club sandwich was the best club sandwich I ever had – before or since. I couldn’t tell you what made it so special but it was that. This time Raschinna let me lick the plate. That was nice.

It was a good trip. I’m still in touch with some of those guys.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The Grim Aftermath: In February 2002, Bernard Loiseau – our gracious, ebullient host and world-class chef – committed suicide. It seems like there was talk in the culinary rumor mill that his Paris restaurant was going to lose two ratings points from a 19 rating to a 17 rating (20 represents unachievable perfection.) This was something he couldn’t live with – so he shot himself with a new hunting rifle.

I’m not sure what the lost of those two numbers means but it was enough for him to end his life. Maybe it’s a French thing. Maybe it’s a food thing. Maybe he was as passionate about his art as Van Gogh was about his. Whatever - it is beyond me. He left behind a wife, two young children and a budding culinary / hospitality empire. The story of Loiseau’s rise and premature exit is documented in the biography “The Perfectionist: Life And Death In Haute Cuisine” by Rudolph Chelminski.

Incidentally, I believe that Bernard Loiseau was the model for one of the characters in Disney / Pixar’s hit animation movie “Ratatouille”. The character even looks like him. He was the dead chef that coached the cooking rat from the afterlife.

Madame Loiseau still runs his restaurant and chateau. Business is good.

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