La Pyramide
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| La Pyramide | |
|---|---|
 Gardens at the restaurant and hotel | |
| Location | Vienne, France |
| Governing body | Private |
Restaurant De La Pyramide popularly known as La Pyramide was a Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant located in Vienne, Isère, France.[1] It was widely believed to be the greatest restaurant in France while its owner Fernand Point (1897–1955) was alive.[citation needed]
History
Point renamed the restaurant that his father bought. He quit Royal Hotel and started working there at 24. He changed the name to La Pyramide (after a nearby Roman pyramid that had marked the turn of a chariot race track).
The Restaurant
Much as he was strict and unforgiving in the kitchen, Point (often with Paul Bocuse as his apprentice and wing-man) was known to play pranks on his patrons and visitors. Parisian high society visitors would find themselves ushered into the kitchen, pushed into a corner, and fed one of Point's latest and greatest dishes under the pretense of being asked to evaluate the readiness of the offering while Bocuse, hidden underneath a prep table, whitewashed the heels of their shoes.
Postmen or visiting locals fared not much better, in one famous stunt Point ordered Bocuse to paint the bicycle of a visiting gendarme pink while Point distracted his visitor.
After Point's death, his widow, Mado, carried on and maintained the restaurant's 3-star rating for many years.[citation needed]
Present time
The restaurant changed hands and fell off the Michelin ratings, but after chef Patrick Henriroux took it over, it gained one Michelin star after a year and has two Michelin stars now.
References
- ^ MacVeigh, Jeremy (2008). International Cuisine. Cengage Learning. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4180-4965-2.