What is fine dining? 
I ask because there has been some discussion about this category of restaurant — whatever it is — in responses to several posts that Jennifer Biggs and I entered on the blog in the past week or so.
In writing about favorite restaurants, FIG said, “Sad to say, not any of the fine dining restaurants, very disappointing.”
When I asked FIG to elaborate about “fine dining” in Memphis, this was part of the response: “not … necessarily bad, just disappointing. They tend to fall into two categories here, (1) misguided hodgepodge of too busy plates with numerous ingredients that are confused as being creative … And (2) pseudo upscale Southern trying to reinterpret Southern cuisine by rehashing tired old ideas.”
Ouch!
And on the post about the pricing of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Chris Henderson, general 
manager of Equestria (where service is excellent), said this about fine dining in our area: " ... there is no fine dining in Memphis. No one measures up to the standard of service that our parents and grandparents once experienced. I would say that there are only a handful (of fine dining restaurants) left in the U.S."
Ouch, again! You can bet that the owners, chefs and managers of establishments like Chez Philippe and Erling Jensen would disagree with both of these viewpoints.
Perhaps we need to ascertain what fine dining really is.
Does a fine dining restaurant have to have white cloths and napkins on the tables and great china and utensils and glassware? Does fine dining imply an atmosphere of cool, subtle 
elegance or unabashed luxury? Do we know we’re in a fine dining establishment when we open the menu and see appetizer prices going up to $20 and main courses going up to $40 or more? Does the idea of fine dining imply a particular type of food that employs the best, if not luxury ingredients, creatively conceived and artfully and beautifully arranged? With emphasis, of course, on classic French cuisine? Or can fine dining be “American” or “fusion,” whatever those terms mean?
In a fine dining restaurant, does the waiter say, “Hi, my name is Steve and I’ll be taking care of you guys tonight”? Or do we count on waiters who exercise courtesy, discretion, helpfulness, efficiency and a certain amount of intuition, if not actual clairvoyance? Who are there without seeming to be there?
Has the seemingly relentless tide toward the casualization of American life and culture ruined everything that would contribute to fine dining? Is the “casually elegant” tier in restaurant 
dining merely a way of getting out of dressing up a little? (Jacket, yes; baseball cap, no.)
Taking the positive aspects and implications (or the negative) of the questions I have posed here, does Memphis (and the area) truly not have restaurants that qualify as "fine"? Does anybody care?
Come on, "fine dining" patrons, restaurant owners, chefs and managers and all you readers who wouldn't pay more than $25 for a meal, including drink, tax and tip, let us hear from you.
Photo credits:
1. The elegant table setting is from jupiterimages.com.
2. Daniel Boulud’s tuna tartare is from nibble.com.
3. This incredibly romantic corner of Michel Guerard’s restaurant is from vanin.be.
4. This dish, from Cafe Toulouse of Le Bernardin, is from shopping.beloblog.com.
Responses to “How Fine Is the Dining?”
December 10th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I count 43 positive comments about dining in Memphis in the “Vote” segment. Why focus on the singular negative? This is a great space to expand on the Dining column. It gives you and your readers the opportunity to exchange positive feedback and enlighten those of us who may not have had the opportunity to visit all of the great restaurants in Memphis.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
DJ,
you are right. This blogosphere seems to be the place for negativity. I am not going to participate other than to say that the memphis dining scene is full of hardworking, well-meaning people putting out good food and experiences. I can think of no other local industry that has to cope with such sharp negativity. Why the powers that be encourage such behavior is beyond me. good luck and good eating to all memphis restaurants and diners.
December 11th, 2007 at 1:25 am
This is an interesting topic.’Fine dining’, to me, is less about price and more about ambiance and service. I went to River Oaks recently and loved it, but consider it a ’special occasion’ restaurant. But I eat regularly at Tsunami, Bari, McEwen’s, etc…places that are far from cheap. Maybe it is about the increase in the casually elegant places, as Fredric suggests,leaving fine dining places in the minority. Relevant to this conversation is the fact that La Tourelle closed but its more casual sister, Cafe 1912 is thriving. What I really want to know is, what is the correlation between what is considered fine dining and the price of Veuve Cliquot?
December 11th, 2007 at 11:38 am
DJ, my intent in this post is not to focus on the negative but to encourage readers to describe and discuss their ideas about fine dining in (and near) Memphis. I’m using the comments from FIG and Chris H only as starting point for this discussion. I’m ready to hear anything positive (or whatever) that readers and diners have to say.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
In my head, I think I define fine dining as “a restaurant fancy and elegant enough that I feel vaguely out of place and uncomfortable.” Erling Jensen, River Oaks, and La Tourelle definitely qualified—although the wait staff is friendly the atmosphere in each is/was refined enough that I feel like a country bumpkin visiting from the backwoods. Other places that have similar food prices such as Napa Cafe and Texas de Brazil are more casual, and I feel less likely to commit a grave error of manners when dining there.
December 11th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
DJ is right. Koeppel and his loyal followers propagate a lot of negativity. Although it seems like he always has a kind word for his friends.
But—the dining scene in Memphis is so much better than it was even 5-10 years ago. Fine dining? The days of Justine are gone and with good riddance. Fine dining-dining fine- shouldn’t be limited to a few stuffed shirts who like to pretend they are the bee’s knees yet often lack real knowledge about food and wine. Fine food is fun, sensual and should be accessible to all who want to pay high or low. Price has nothing to do with whether or not something is fine. That kind of thinking is provincial at best. And if the waiter wants to be friendly and tell you his name–so what? Do people prefer the servant/master relationship when dining? I have been a server at a Memphis restaurant and get more tips with honey than with vinegar.
All of the chefs and restaurateurs in Memphis are hardworking, well-meaning people who have lots to offer. Why harp on the negative–especially when most of it is just uninformed opinion, not backed up by facts. The restaurant business is hard enough without having to deal with such negativity and criticism.
Good luck and good eating to all memphis restaurants and diners!
December 11th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I didn’t mean to be negative about Justine’s. It was a fine place, but it’s time has come and gone………..
December 11th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I think that fine dining has a few unique elements. First, the use of uncommon and unique ingredients: High grade caviar, fois gras, real kobe beef, rare fish; things that I have to search out in specific restaurants that, despite labels of pretentiousness, are just not found on every other corner or even city. All ingredients should be fresh and the preparation/presentation should be flawless.
Second, the staff: If the staff must be knowledgeable about every aspect of food and drink, from the chef to the bartender to the server. Also, and this is what I feel would separate a good fine dining experience from the one many people fear…the staff should be warm and inviting without being too casual. The image of a snooty French waiter is the antithesis of warm and inviting. I also think there should be an element of present but invisible on the wait staff’s part while I am eating.
Third, the décor: I think that this is the most subjective for people. What I consider comfy, the next person might consider stuffy or too eclectic and I see this disparity in people all the time. In addition, do you only take into account the inside décor or the overall location? Jarret’s, Erling Jensen and Interim are not in what I would call attractive surroundings but are interiorly attractive to me. On the flipside I love the exterior of Café Society, Spindini, and Tsunami but they are not what I look for in fine dining in regard to the interior décor despite the fact that I do like to eat there (Though only drinks at Spindini so far.)
Lastly, the clientele: Blame this one on society at large. I enjoy getting dressed up and going to a fine dining establishment and I don’t enjoy sitting next to a person in shorts and a hat at the same time. Does this make me a snooty bastard? Some would say yes and some would say no. Since we’re talking fine dining and not pub grub I think we all can agree that people should dress appropriately. Whoops, what’s appropriate? Tie, pressed shirt, slacks, suit and nice dress shoes. I am a guy so I will not presume to tell women how to dress; someone else can take that one.
At any rate, I don’t know how valuable this is. I’ve read that there are only a handful of true fine dining places left and as I am in my early 30s I may have missed the boat. So I would ask that while people give opinions of what fine dining IS, I also ask for someone to define what fine dining once WAS.
December 11th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Fredric,
Do you think that the shift from more formal dining to “casual elegance” has anything to do with the frequency in which we dine out? To clarify, although I’m not in a position to do so with two young children and all of the economic implications that surrounds having two young children, I read posts on this blog that at least make it sound as if some writers visit Tsunami, McEwens, Cafe 1912, etc. on a very frequent basis. In other words, there was a time when it was a real treat for anyone to go out to dinner, unless you were a corporate “big-wig” or from inherited money. I am a relatively young man, and I remember growing up in a house where it was an absolute thrill when we got to occasionally go to Coletta’s or pick up Nam King to go. My parents would have never dreamed of dropping the kind of money that I might spend from time to time at Erling Jensen, Encore or McEwens, only one of which could arguable be referred to as “fine dining” in the strictest sense of the term. My point is that perhaps the frequency at which we dine out has somewhat lessened the treat or “special event” nature of the dining experience, therefore consumers don’t feel the need to put on their nicest clothes and behave in a formal manner.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
I think jamie is right. Fine dining used to be reserved for special occasions–for even the wealthy. Dining and access to fine and unusual food has become more democratic for many reasons–more people living in well-to-do two income households and also the rise of celebrity chefs and media like the food network. Even what is now the middle class is on a higher level than the middle class of years ago.
The world is a smaller place and what used to be new and exotic is commonplace now.
Years ago, people in memphis did not have anywhere to eat sushi, now there is a sushi bar on every corner. I think fine dining as it was in years past–say before the mid 1980s was too formal and rigid and often served heavy food.
Things and fashions change–often for good reason. Back in the early 1920s, fine dining establishments used to serve a glass of heavy cream with meals, for instance.
Many children of the 60s generation did not want to continue the status quo of fine dining (and other rigid rules, of course) of the 50s and 60s. People also used to dress up to fly on an airplane. Now anything goes. In years past, for example, you wouldn’t be seated next to someone using the F word loudly in a restaurant–with kids at the next table. I witnessed that event last week.
Common courtesy and decency, manners and other aspects that denote a proper(?) upbringing have seen better days.
Although, in many cities, the presence of the old fashioned supper club is on the rise with some vestige of the old fine dining of NYC and Hollywood. Would Memphis support such a place?
December 12th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Tim is right about how much things have changed in Memphis. I’ve been reviewing restaurants here for 20 years (in January) and the growth and change have been amazing, both in moderate to fine dining and in the range of ethnic cuisine. 20 years ago, Memphis was still a steak and lobster town for special occasions or else heavily “continental” or New Orleans-oriented. Only a couple of places — the long-gone Bradford House and now closed La Tourelle — tried to keep the flame going for real French food. Now it’s very different.
I think, Matt, that the proprietors of fine dining restaurants nowadays would be distressed to think that anyone coming in for a meal would feel out-of-place or intimidated; surely bringing the traditional “snobby” level down is a good result of the more casual air that even upscale restaurants have now. I remember years ago what a debate there was when Chez Philippe decided not to make ties for men mandatory. Sacre bleu! and everyone survived. Though as Tim points out, there can be such a thing as too casual; I was a Wally Joe one night not long after the restaurant opened and a guy came in to the dining room wearing shorts, a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops, as if he had gotten lost driving out to Bahama Breeze.
Gary, i think you’re pushing the right buttons on thr fine dining scale: Food and ingredients, decor and service all need to be special in some way, they need to stand out as cogently and consistently thoughtful and well-managed, qualities that don’t really need to cost a lot of money, either for the restaurant or the patron. So much depends on attitiude and attention to detail.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Well, I’m afraid I don’t count anything in Memphis as “fine dining” either. I’ve had plates wet from the dishwasher, sat for an hour with no food only to have the server apologize because the special was sold out hours ago and ask me what else I wanted, and a host of other horrible things at Memphis’s “fine dining” establishments. To me, fine dining is good dining done to perfection. The food should have had someone in the kitchen make it who knows what the food should look like, not just someone who followed the recipe and slapped it on a plate despite the fact that this particular serving is overdone or underdone or just a bad piece. The food should be the best ingredients, that goes without saying, but it should also be prepared with more skill than I, as a moderately-decent cook, can prepare it at home in my own modestly-appointed kitchen. The menu should be thoughtful, not just expensive. The service shouldn’t make anyone feel awkward… that’s kind of defeating the purpose… it should make you feel well-cared-for.
I don’t think that what customers wear has anything to do with whether or not it’s fine dining. One of the best meals I’ve ever had was a little by-appointment-only place at a ski resort where customers might be wearing apres ski boots with goggles around their necks. The meal was exquisite, with wine chosen for each course, and the owner talking with each table (I think there were maybe six tables total). And the setting wasn’t “decor” but real furniture, the sort of lovely things a person of wealth and taste would actually put in his own house.
If you have to wonder whether or not you can trust the place enough to bring your mother there for her birthday, it’s not fine dining.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Wow, lot’s of good ideas and thoughts on this subject. Gary has a lot of good points, and so does Allie, But I disagree that there is no fine dining in Memphis. There is fine dining here. It may be off some nights, but that doesn’t make it a bad restaurant or not fine dining. The Fifth Floor in SF is fine dining, but I there one night and had a bad experience, but I still like the restaurant and I think it is very fine dining.
It’s hard not to look at Erling’s as fine dining. I think Chez Phillip is a fine dining rest. too. I have been inpresed with the Tennessean. They had a few kinks to work out at first, but I think tthey are are headed in the right direction and it’s going to be a fine dining rest. too.
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