Is this Place Still in Business?

My recent experience arriving at a restaurant I called Resto 1 and having them say that they were sorry but the kitchen was not functioning that day even though I’d called just a few days before to make sure they were open Sundays and served a regular menu (carte) rather than only brunch (which I detest). As I was walking about following the gastronomic map in my head searching for a backup (which I’ve described last week) I recalled the times when even stranger things had happened: There was the time when I was meeting Colette after her French lesson and found a nicely-rated place with a famous eponymous chef’s name, let’s call it Bosco Bois. A quick call to reserve, give Madame the address and telephone number, rough directions and we split up. I arrive and wait a minute; the awning says “Trattoria Fongible: spaghetti, pizza, etc.” Maybe I got the address wrong, so up and down the street I searched. Unhunh, nothing resembling Bosco Bois. So I entered and said “I’m M. …., I reserved for two.” “Yes sir.” “But it’s a trattoria not a French place.” “Yes sir, we took it (and the telephone and Visa account) over.” Or just a little over a year ago when four of us agreed to meet at a place we’d eaten at, a half-dozen times and always liked except for a back-breaking banquette. I arrived last to find the group outside muttering in front of a donner kebab place; “What’s going on?” “Well, I called and the guy didn’t say the old place was gone or he’d taken over, so we came.” In both cases, a backup place was not easily but eventually found. So, how do you know if the place you want to go to is still there and more important, run by the same chef and team? 1. You call and hear the reassuring response “Restaurant Bosco Bois, Bonjour.” If it’s just “Bonjour” or a garbled name, you get suspicious. Of course if it’s in your neighborhood you can cruise by to check. 2. You look it up in the online White and Yellow pages that has photos of the facades of buildings, but that may not have been updated recently at – http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr/ 3. You read websites and newspapers that specialize in announcing changes in advance such as Les Restos.com at http://www.lesrestos.com/news.htm or the Figaro gang’s research but of course donner kebab places are unlikely to be covered. Guidebooks are of no help unless you buy them just after they go on sale. 4. You trust in God or whoever and always have a backup place in mind with the phone number in case you need it. Morale: I could not anticipate that Resto 1 would have its kitchen out of commission but one can be sure a place is still in business and under the same command. Where we went instead of Resto 1: Les Fines Gueules 43, rue Croix des Petits Champs in the 1st, (Metro: Les Halles) T:01.42.61.35.41, Open everyday Cost 40-60 E depending on the wine. ©by John Talbott 2008