Top-Rated Jean-Robert at Pigall's

Zagat's recently released their rankings for 2006, and lo and behold, Jean-Robert at Pigall's is one of the top 11 restaurants in the United States.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061119/LIFE09/611190320/1025/LIFE

I'm having a hard time getting my head around this, but it's definitely exciting. Upfront, I want to admit that I've yet to dine at Pigall's. THis restaurant on Fourth Street downtown has been through many incarnations throughout the years, as it has gone through many different owners. A couple of decades ago, it was on a par with the Maisonette, but then it went downhill.

I once went there when it was reimagined as a BBQ spot called Pig Al's. That is probably a chapter in the history of the restaurant that Jean-Robert de Cavel would like to forget.

But one of the top restaurants in the country is right here in town! That's great, that's amazing, I'm having trouble coming up with the words. And I haven't been there, partly because it's not cheap. Let's hope that this restaurant is the rising tide that raises every other restaurant in the city.

I look at the influence of the Maisonette on the local scene. Jean-Robert came from there, as did David Cook of Daveeds, and I'm sure many of the other greatest local chefs cut their teeth in that kitchen. Now that that restuarant has been mismanaged into obscurity, let's hope that Pigall's can serve a similar purpose.

Congratulations to Jean-Robert at Pigall's.

And let's give local diners some credit for supporting the restaurant so that it could get to this point.

And here's hoping I can enjoy a meal there soon.