At Le Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville meals ran from a modest $250:00 plate upwards to $400:00. Here the menu included unique features such as freshly killed game, specialty fish dishes, wild boar and other meats that were normally eaten raw by our forefathers.
Benoit himself used to head off on regular hunting trips to bring home his trophies and cook them for his adoring customers.
His place was solidly booked for three months ahead and his dazzling kitchen, the size of a basket ball court, cost a cool $1.3 million dollars. However, early this week he presided over his last supper, finished his glass of wine and went home to shoot himself.
The speculated reason? Pressure to stay at the top.
A month after receiving the award, the stress of running the planet's greatest restaurant and keeping the coveted three star Michelin Award proved too much.
Herein lies a sobering lesson. The stars and status that are granted by the world can just as easily be taken away by the world. This was evidenced by another winner of the Planet's first eatery, who shot himself a few years ago when they downgraded his restaurant in Paris.
If you think that all this is a light year away from the Lord's prayer and the words "give us this day our daily bread." IT IS, and be thankful that it is so.
Tonight Pauline and I will be sharing a meat pie (cost $5:00) and a few veggies and we will be blessed to finish off with a cup of tea. Our Thursday night menu at the L'Hotel Ville de Wilson.
Jubilate.
Ian
