No. 24: Gerard's Place

A perfect piece of seared foie gras. A quiveringly tall soufflé. A lobster bathed in Sauternes. A pile of carrots carved into tournes, the decorative knife cut that’s the bane of every culinary apprentice’s first year. These might seem like relics from the bygone era of old-guard French dining rooms of the ’70s and ’80s, but you can still find them at Gerard’s.

What you can’t find anymore at Gerard’s is Gerard. In June, Gerard Pangaud, the two-star Michelin chef, left his kitchen to become head instructor at L’Academie de Cuisine cooking school. His business partner and ex-wife, the effervescent Michelle Pangaud, now oversees the show.

The dining room, with its color-splashed paintings of roosters and ceiling swathed in marine-blue chiffon, remains as warm and welcoming as a country inn. Ben Lefenfeld, a protégé of Pangaud’s, now runs the kitchen, and he has scarcely departed from the master’s repertoire: the seared foie gras, lobster with Sauternes and lime, roasted duck breast with duck confit, citrus soufflé are still what’s special. Neither has he abandoned the old, sky-high prices—and it’s sometimes hard to justify a $66 entrée when you’re no longer selling two Michelin stars.