Then, in 12 days of calculated excess, they try to eliminate more of the restaurants on their list, including Pic, Pierre Gagnaire, Paul Bocuse, Georges Blanc, Lameloise, Troigros, L'Esperance and La Cote d'Or. And that's pretty much it. A dish or two inspire lilting lines, but for the most part the food commentary is listless. This time out, his narrative vehicle is just that, a 1965 Ford Mustang, ordered sight unseen and shipped to England to provide exotic transportation. The car is practically a piece of junk, but stale jokes about its daily breakdowns help fill the miles and the time between expensive pigouts.
Gaffes keep popping up.
One can't help wondering just when this madcap tour took place. Tour d'Argent lost its third star last year. The Enoteca Pinchiorri and the Antica Osteria del Ponte are also no longer in the top category. Neither, for that matter, is Pic, in Valence. Even so, Mr. Stevens should have done a bit more prep work, as they say in the top kitchens.