l'Ami Louis Wine List. Where's the value?

Going there in about 10 days, haven’t been in years. I read a few reccs on this board for some value on the list, wondering if anyone has been there recently, perused the list recently, and found the value? What should I drink? Need a red and a white that goes with the food (Prob the chicken and the lamb), say between E50 and E150 per bottle. thanks for the help!

I had lunch there back in January. Unfortunately, I didn’t see too many values on the list. We had a bottle of 2010 Dauvissat Les Clos, which was priced at E100. It went great with the Scallops and worked fairly well with the Escargot as well.

If you don’t think a Dauvissat Clos at 100E is a deal I’m not sure what is.

Last time I was there, the best values seemed to be in Alsace.

HUGE +1 here. I love L’Ami Louis, and this is a place where I don’t mind spending the big bucks becuase the purity and quailty of the food really rewards great matchs. Go all in and enjoy!

Agree re: value but isn’t it infanticide?

From a January 2012 Patricia Wells blog post:

The wine list has improved a thousand-fold (both in selections and in value), and on my last visit we feasted on both the flinty white Sauvignon Blanc Henri Bourgeois Sancerre “Jadis,” (80€) and the heady, deep purple, expressive Gigondas from Domaine de la Bouïssiere (59€) bargain prices by former L’Ami Louis standards.

I completely agree and that’s why we drank it. But, like I said in my post above, there weren’t too many deals and this was the best one I saw. The list was really picked apart.

I was there twice in 1985…can’t believe it, but…and, yes, I am old. On one visit, I needed to use the mens room, which was/is downstairs. I opened the first door I saw and when I went in, there was a waiter in there grabbing some wine. He said “welcome to the cave of Chez L’Amis Louis”…look around…this is it. It was a large closet with boxes of recently bought wines. Though there must have been some collectibles, they were in the real minority. (This was all before Thierry de la Brosse of the Courvoisier family took over.) The last time I went there…on 12/31/99 for lunch with my sons and wife, I did a repeat performance when I saw a waiter head downstairs. He opened the door to go in…and I asked if I could look. Same deal…wines in cases that were bought recently…no real focus. That was ok with me…as we had a Macon wine from a negociaant at the waiter’s recommendation that lunch…and Cote Chalonnaise in late '85.

Unless things have changed, wine isn’t where they focus their efforts, though it does sound like they have looked to get some regional values. After all, the whole place is an hommage to the Landes…the home region of the original owner, Mr. Antoine…and home of some good wine values.

Please report back. I always love hearing about this place, though I doubt I’ll ever go there again. Not the best “value”, though that word and L’Amis Louis hardly belong in the same sentence.

Stuart -

My first visit was in 1995, last visit was in 2006. The wine program improved tremendously over the intervening 11 years. And it appears, per Patricia Wells, that there has been further improvement since 2006.

I hope to return. If you go with a group and share dishes (they’re certainly large enough) you can legitimately work “value” and “L’Amis Louis” into the same sentence - so long as “value” is preceded by “relative.”

Cheers!

Bob

Yeah,Bob…I’ve never regretted going there, though I enjoyed it most the first time of two in '85…when my wife’s company was paying. Not a “relative” then…but a great experience.

Glad to hear they “upgraded” the wine stuff…it was part of their nonchalance/ irreverance, I think.

Sounds like I’ll grab the '10 Dauvissat ‘Clos’ or maybe some of the ‘off the run’ Rhone villages, like Gigondas, St. Joseph, Cornas, etc…
It’s maybe our 7th or 10th time going there. One of the ‘go to’ places just for the experience, along with Robuchon (for the food) and LTDargent (for the wine list).

List link?

Apparently they are very old school and do not have a website.

There is a similarly named restaurant, down in Cap d’Agde, which does have a website, but it’s not the same place.

I’m glad to hear so many positive remarks on the place, as my impression has largely been shaped by this classic takedown piece: Vanity Fair - Entertainment, Politics, and Fashion News | Vanity Fair

There is no value at L’Ami Louis whether it’s food (Fois Gras at EUR 50/60, St Jacquest EUR 50/60 and Chicken at over EUR 90 for two) or wine, IMHO.

For me it is the overall experience that’s worth the price: it’s the ultimate high quality comfort food. I would love it to be my last meal.

When I go I invariably end up at around EUR 350/400 for lunch between the two of us with two bottles of wine. I tend to go for the N.V. Henri Bonneau Vin de Table du Vaucluse Les Rouliers which is one of the cheapest on their list and a bottle of fizz usually Deutz…

I should have been there at the end of May but my best friend is busy at the Cannes Film festival (competing for the Palm d’Or for short films…).

Which prompted this lengthy thread: The Worst Restaurant in the World . . . is in Paris - Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes - WineBerserkers

Ten years later, and that damned chicken is still a family joke.

What’s the joke?

On each of the three occasions I’ve eaten the roast chicken, it was like manna placed directly on my tongue by the hand of God.

Our $100 bird was ordinary; and that’s not factoring the extra night in Paris to visit this supposed Nirvana. One of the most disappointing meals of my entire life; frankly we have had better locally and with none of the attitude.