Lutèce (restaurant)
Encyclopedia
Lutèce was a famed French
restaurant
in Manhattan
that operated for more than 40 years before closing in 2004. It once had a satellite restaurant
on the Las Vegas Strip
.
It was famous for its Alsatian onion tart
and a sauteed foie gras
with dark chocolate sauce and bitter orange marmalade.
, a chef, to run the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Surmain became partners with Soltner and they ran the restaurant together until Surmain returned to France, where he opened a restaurant in Majorca, followed by Le Relais, a Mougins
in Southern France. Soltner became chef-owner of Lutece until it was sold to Ark Restaurants in the 1990s. Lutece closed on February 14, 2004, after a period of declining revenues attributed both to alienating longtime customers with a change in menu following the restaurant's sale, and more general industry changes such as a decrease in lunchtime expense account
diners and the effects on New York City's tourism industry following the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Julia Child
and a panel of food critics for Playboy magazine each proclaimed Lutèce the best restaurant in the United States, a rank it held in the Zagat's survey for six consecutive years in the 1980s.
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
that operated for more than 40 years before closing in 2004. It once had a satellite restaurant
Lutèce (Las Vegas)
Lutèce was a restaurant located in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip. The restaurant was owned by Ark Restaurants with David Feau as executive chef from the New York restaurant...
on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
.
It was famous for its Alsatian onion tart
Tart
A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard....
and a sauteed foie gras
Foie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
with dark chocolate sauce and bitter orange marmalade.
History
Lutèce opened in 1961 by founder Andre Surmain who brought young André SoltnerAndré Soltner
André Soltner is an internationally recognized French chef and author working in the United States.- Background :...
, a chef, to run the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Surmain became partners with Soltner and they ran the restaurant together until Surmain returned to France, where he opened a restaurant in Majorca, followed by Le Relais, a Mougins
Mougins
Mougins is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It is located on the heights of Cannes, in the district of Grasse. Mougins is a 15-minute drive from Cannes. The village is surrounded by forests, such as the Valmasque forest...
in Southern France. Soltner became chef-owner of Lutece until it was sold to Ark Restaurants in the 1990s. Lutece closed on February 14, 2004, after a period of declining revenues attributed both to alienating longtime customers with a change in menu following the restaurant's sale, and more general industry changes such as a decrease in lunchtime expense account
Expense Account
An expense account is the right to reimbursement of money spent by employees for work-related purposes.-US tax treatment of expense accounts:...
diners and the effects on New York City's tourism industry following the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Julia Child
Julia Child
Julia Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for introducing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which...
and a panel of food critics for Playboy magazine each proclaimed Lutèce the best restaurant in the United States, a rank it held in the Zagat's survey for six consecutive years in the 1980s.
In popular culture
The restaurant's reputation has led to it being used as a touchstone in film and television work made or set during the period when it was open.- In season two of Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, set in the 1960s, there are several scenes that are set at Lutèce and the restaurant is mentioned several times in other episodes. - The 1971 film A New LeafA New LeafA New Leaf is a dark comedy film based on the short story The Green Heart by Jack Ritchie, starring Elaine May, Walter Matthau, George Rose and James Coco. Better known for her collaboration as a stage comedienne with The Graduate director Mike Nichols, May also wrote and directed . For this film...
shows Walter MatthauWalter MatthauWalter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears...
's character, now broke, visiting his favorite restaurant for the last time. - During the restaurant's 1980s heyday at the top of the Zagat's survey, it was mentioned in Wall Street by Gordon's call girl when talking to Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen).
- Mentioned in Crossing DelanceyCrossing DelanceyCrossing Delancey is a romantic comedy film starring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert released in 1988. It is directed by Joan Micklin Silver and based on a play by Susan Sandler, who also wrote the screenplay...
by Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving) as the place of her intended birthday dinner. - Mentioned in The Prince of TidesThe Prince of TidesThe Prince of Tides is a 1991 romantic drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Pat Conroy; the film stars Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte. It tells the story of the narrator's struggle to overcome the psychological damage inflicted by his dysfunctional childhood in South Carolina...
by Pat Conroy in a scene where Dr. Susan Lowenstein and Tom Wingo dine together. - Mentioned in the movie Arthur, where the wealthy title character visits his dying butler, Hobson, in the hospital, and places an order, "l want the trout almondine from Lutèce. Tell Henri it's for me."
- Mentioned in Other People's MoneyOther People's MoneyOther People's Money is a 1991 drama/romantic comedy film starring Danny DeVito, Penelope Ann Miller and Gregory Peck. It is based on the play of the same name by Jerry Sterner. The director was Norman Jewison and the screenplay was credited to Alvin Sargent.-Plot:Corporate raider Lawrence...
when Kate Sullivan (Penelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann MillerPenelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
) invites Lawrence Garfield (Danny DeVitoDanny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
) to discuss a proposition about New England Wire and Cable Company. - In the 1963 Ian FlemingIan FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
story Agent 007 in New York, James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
refers to Lutèce as "one of the great restaurants of the world".