Who cares what they're wearing, on Main Street or

Anyone know where that comes from? I've always loved it, for obvious reasons, and when I happened by Savile Row yesterday, it brought a (fitting, isn't it, if you know the lyric I'm quoting) smile to my face.


(And no, of course that photo isn't in London. It's at Versailles. But I didn't have a picture of me smiling in London!)

So yes, I'm in London for the weekend. And it's been an interesting 24 hours so far! I have to admit that my first couple of hours here made me realize just how much I love Paris. Strolling around London felt nothing like strolling around Paris, and I was really missing my adopted European home's charm. But I went for a long walk regardless, in an attempt to familiarize myself with the city, and wound up at dinner at Maze, on Jarad's recommendation. Maze is one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, under Chef Jason Atherton, who completed a stage at El Bulli in Spain. I was expecting it to be good, but probably wouldn't have gone without a trusted recommendation, as I am no Gordon Ramsay devotee (and am generally skeptical of places that are receiving buzz due to popular television shows). Thank goodness I ignored my skepticism.

Because wow. All I can say is wow. I don't have an all-time favorite meal, but if I were making a list of some of my top meals, this one would definitely make the cut.

I settled in at the bar and was greeted by my perfectly friendly and attentive, yet not overbearing, bartender. "Care for an aperitif? A glass of champagne or a cocktail?" Yes, but what to have? I'm not a champagne fan, so thought I'd start with a cocktail, but wasn't really in the mood for my usual gin and tonic. So I asked for a suggestion, and the bartender came up with a Reformed Negroni - Miller's gin (reformed, apparently, because it uses Icelandic water), apricot brandy, Punt e Mes (dry red vermouth), citronge, and orange bitters. It was delicious, and I now know that I like my bitters diluted with gin (unlike a friend who won't drink negronis, because he doesn't like to dilute his gin with bitters!)

I sipped my tasty beverage as I perused the menu, comprised of two pages of small dishes meant to be ordered tapas-style, and another two pages of more traditional appetizer/entree dishes. I opted to order tapas-style, of course, so I could sample as many different dishes as possible, and immediately regretted that I was alone, because it was so difficult to narrow my choices down! After soliciting recommendations from the bartender, I made my decision.

First dish off the blocks was described on the menu as roasted Orkney sea scallops with Yorkshire ham, egg, and peas. I thought I'd never taste scallops that could rival those of Tom Power at Corduroy, but that day has come. The scallops at Maze were perfectly roasted, still barely cooked in the center, and garnished with rounds of potato cut to mimic the scallop shape, a sunny side up quail egg, pea puree, and a drizzle of a ham reduction. The dish worked well regardless of what combination of its parts you got in each bite -- I know, because I sampled all of the permutations.

Next, I turned to marinated beetroot, Sairass cheese, pine nuts, and Cabernet Sauvignon dressing. Sairass (a sort of ricotta/sheep's milk cheese) and a piece of marinated beet were sandwiched between two paper-thin slices of bright red beet, sprinkled with chopped pine nuts, garnished with microgreens, and drizzled with a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction. This was a flavor explosion -- it was sweet, creamy, and salty all at the same time -- I've had the classic beets and cheese combination a thousand times, and I always love it, but this rendition took it to a higher elevation. I couldn't help but think of my Dad at this point, because he would love this dish (and would love that I love it, since I used to wrinkle my nose in disgust when he ate borscht!)

Now it was time for another beverage selection, and my bartender brought me a glass of Alsatian Gewurztraminer, telling me it would pair well with the foie gras in my next dish. I took a sip before my dish arrived, and it was nice, but oh-so-much-better when I sipped it with ...

Honey and soy roasted quail with Landes foie gras and spiced pear chutney. This was amazing. If I ever return to Maze, I will find it hard to avoid ordering this, even though I want to try other flavors on the menu. This was like a sweet and savory duo of quail, as half of the quail was atop the pear and raisin chutney, and the other half beneath the seared foie, which was topped with a melange of chives, coarse salt, and crushed pepper (all the same size, I might add ... I notice knifework a lot more these days, and chives chopped to the size of coarse salt was a thing of beauty). But this was more than just precision knifework -- the flavors and textures were sublime.

My final savory dish was one from which my bartender tried to steer me, but I didn't listen. And while it was good, it didn't reach the heights of my other choices. I ordered Duart salmon, squid paint, micro squid, Kentish peas, and maple-roasted chicken skin -- I was intrigued by the combination of ingredients, all of which I love. This dish was good, and had I tasted it before the others, it might not have disappointed me. But after the amazing combinations I had already enjoyed, this one just didn't come together. Each part was cooked beautifully, but the combination didn't gel. (I did, of course, love that the peas had been cooked with mint. Fresh peas with fresh mint has got to be one of my favorite things about spring and summer.)

Next up? Dessert! Of course. I briefly entertained the idea of having a cheese plate and then dessert, but knew I probably couldn't make it through both, so I decided on Madagascan vanilla rice pudding, rasperry and lemon thyme jam, mascarpone and pecan ice cream. My choice met with the approval of my bartender, who enthusiastically told me that was "heaven in a dish". Really?

Really.

It's as if this dessert was made for me. A dish of rice pudding, specked with vanilla, topped tableside with a scoop of mascarpone pecan ice cream, a few candied pecans, and a light drizzle of thin caramel sauce. I momentarily wondered where my raspberry and lemon thyme jam was, but when I sunk my spoon to the bottom of the dish I found it, hiding there. I'm pretty sure I have no better words than my bartender's -- "heaven in a dish".

I knew at this point that mignardises were coming (and was unsure how exactly I was going to pop three more morsels into my mouth!), but I didn't know that before that, my bartender would scoot around the bar, pick up my purse, and ask me if I'd like to follow him back into the kitchen to see the inner workings and meet Chef Atherton. Um, of course! So we walked back and into the kitchen, where I saw a well-oiled machine at work. Twenty-five cooks on the line at any one time, with Chef Atherton in the middle, able to see everything at once. As the chef explained to me (while reviewing and okaying each dish as a cook brought it to him, before it went out to service), he redesigned the kitchen, removing all pillars and obstructions, so he would be able to see every part of it from his station. (A nice side effect is that the entire kitchen is viewable from the chef's table, where a lucky group of six was enjoying a meal.) Getting a glimpse behind the scenes, and a chance for a quick chat with the chef, was an exciting benefit to eating at the bar and befriending my bartender!

Back at the bar, I enjoyed my mignardises, a baked Alaska lollipop (pineapple sorbet topped with a lightly browned meringue), a basil-infused chocolate truffle, and a rose Turkish delight. I was full, happy, and ready to return to my hotel.

When I got back to my room, I sent a quick email: "Just had an amazing meal. Amazing." And proceeded to fall asleep, and sleep like a baby, my first good night's sleep in about a week. Absolute relaxation. That, as much as anything else, is the sign of a really good meal, no?