Le Cinq
photo: courtesy of Le Cinq
As we reported earlier, Philippe Legendre's abrupt departure from Paris' Le Cinq left the Four Seasons Hotel George V's "temple of Haute Cuisine" without an executive chef. On Friday, they officially named Eric Briffard of Paris' Les Elysées as the new top toque. Known for dishes with a laserlike precision of flavors (as well as for an affable personality), Briffard has been helming the haute-cuisine kitchen of Les Elysées in the Hôtel Vernet since late 2002. Prior to that, the Joël Robuchon–trained chef had been in charge of Le Régence, the main restaurant of the Plaza Athénée before Alain Ducasse moved his eponymous establishment there.
The Buzz spoke to André Wawrzyniak, the directeur de restauration at Les Elysées, who says that Briffard will probably stay on until the beginning of May. No replacement has been named yet, and there’s a possibility that the restaurant may go in a different, more casual direction.
– Troy Segal