Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven

Last night I got a chance to watch the HBO Documentary "Le Cirque", an exploration of the famous New York restaurant and its inner-machinations. The film does a great job capturing the patriarch Sirio Maccioni and the restaurant's struggles to stay relevant. Having been THE destination for the rich and famous in the 80's (from Reggan to Sinatra, Kissinger to Trump), Sirio's sons have seen the diminished glory of their father's dream in the 90's and have now come of age with the desire to push Le Cirque back to the top. However, Sirio's stubborness, especially concerning the necessity for prosciutto and melon on the menu, and required jackets even at the bar, forces his sons to bite their tongues.

What's truly incredible is the significance placed on stars from the New York Times' food critic. When Le Cirque reopens in 2006 in a new location, the Bloomberg building, Sirio literally goes days without sleeping prior to the review. When the restaurant receives only 2 stars, everyone is crushed. They fire the chef (who goes on to become Martha Stewart's personal chef) and revamp everything. A new 2008 review from Frank Bruni gives them 3 stars and they finally feel vindicated.

While I understand the importance of Frank Bruni, I think the fact the Sirio places such importance on those stars shows how much the food business has changed since the 80's. While the New York Times Food section is still terribly relevant, I think the internet has completely changed the landscape of how people choose restaurants. Certainly Michelin Stars mean something, but now so does Yelp. As much as some chefs may hate it, there is now a constant drone of bloggers reviewing dinners and these small voices have clout.

All in all the documentary was great, with gems like the Archbishop of New York blessing the restaurant and Sirio riding a bicycle in bright red pants. It was a glimpse into a family business in all its frustration but also glory.