Applying some spin to his perennially avant garde branding instincts, Doon-meister Randall Grahm has brought in a new chef, and ushered in a new name for his tasting room restaurant.
Gone is the fairly tame “Cellar Door” and in comes the dashing “Le Cigare Volant” named for the winery’s celebrated flagship Rhônesque creation. The culinary team at Le Cigare Volant will be headed up by chef Ryan Shelton, who joins Bonny Doon from the two star Michelin ranked Baumé Restaurant in Palo Alto. The new name, according to Grahm, represents “a commitment to a more refined…level of cuisine and service.” It also reinforces “a deeper association between the restaurant and the winery itself,” the winemaker believes.
I love this – it is much more grown-up, non-generic name for an upmarket dining arena. And you can check out the new ever-changing menu at www.LeCigareVolant.com.
So, after bugging Charlie Parker to make the place more communal and MOR (and so driving him away) RG comes to his senses. Money–or lack thereof–clearly talks. Frasier fans will chuckle at the name.
Rdb. You are speaking in code. Are you doing so because what you are saying is unspeakable?
What is your point?!
A “Frasier fan” is just another term for a mass media mind-numbed idiot. What sane person care about the “thoughts” of such creatures.
Balm for Gilead: There was publicly acknowledged tension between Graham and long-departed chef Charlie Parker about the direction of the joint: Parker wanted adventurous, Graham more neighborhood-y. MOR is a popular music radio term, which stands for Middle of the Road; it’s been around since the 60s. When Parker left, his assistant carried on ably but unadventurously and the sparkle left the place, as did diners. In an about-face for Graham, the new chef comes from Palo Alto’s modern technique Baume. Le Cigare Volant was a clichedly old school French restaurant in Frasier. Clear?