I did not have Gift of Time so had a bit of jet-lag on my first evening. I recall just being happy to be taken to dinner and to meet fellow guests. Fouquet’s pre-set menu was adequate but not memorable.
I have never known anything other than a cocktails party, followed by a sit down fairly set menu on a Tauck tour. Our most recent tour last month, was exactly the same despite the pandemic, totally unmasked sitting close together. The meal included chicken and beef on the same plate, very nice. If you are vegetarian, be sure to inform Tauck before the tour.
If I remember correctly, there was some wine & cheese before the dinner in the same room where dinner was served. As mentioned before, the event was a c+ at best. It was nice to meet fellow travelers and on the way back the bus stopped and we were able to get out and see the Eiffel Tower all lit up. We were on this tour during the World Cup in 2016. There was a huge soccer ball hanging from the tower. When France won their match you could hear the cheers all the way to the hotel and the car horns went on all night. It was quite exciting.
Some sort of reception has been my experience, too but I did read a review somewhere written by someone who was disappointed that there was not a reception or cocktails before sitting down at Fouquet’s. It would seem odd if that were the case.
It may depend on waiting for late guest arrivals to the hotel. My group entered Fouquet’s and were immediately seated for dinner. We were treated to a mini tour of central Paris by bus before returning to the hotel. It included a perfectly timed stop to see the Eiffel Tower light up. This past August 2021 (Lisbon to Barcelona cruise) we had cocktails at the Lisbon Intercontinental before a welcome dinner at the hotel. Jennifer Tombaugh joined us for cocktails. She had just cruised the Douro. Andorinha maiden voyage
I love those little extras that Tauck throws in. And I’ll be on the Douro this fall with Tauck after a week in Lisbon and after a London to Lisbon Silversea cruise. So looking forward to all my travels this year and next!
The week before our trip there had been some civil unrest in Paris and several of the windows of the restaurant had been smashed and were still boarded up. I might be wrong, but I think we had the cocktail reception at the hotel then made our way to the restaurant. I do recall once before that we had cocktails in a hotel before heading to a restaurant for the welcome dinner. But yes, typically the welcome reception and dinner are at the same venue, whether the venue was a hotel, palace or restaurant.
BSP51 - Nice photo, and even nicer to see a jacket! My husband approves. Dressing up, or not, is a personal choice.
The joy of traveling again will compensate for any dinner disappointments...but truly surprised at the reports of an average meal at a renowned restaurant. We will report after our April journey...
I think it’s fair to say that Fouquet’s has mixed reviews…the food sounds like a typical yet touristy Paris brasserie - probably depends on one’s French dining experience as to how it rates. I’ve learned to keep my expectations to a fairly pedestrian level when on any kind of group tour and will be happy when pleasantly surprised!
Here here, GG. Couldn't stay silent on this one. The ceviché at the Singular Patagonia, bastilla at bakery in Marrakesh (and at street markets in Marseille and Lyon), empanadas in Lima delivered to the corner market every morning, coffee éclairs all over France, canelés in Bordeaux, Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon (and London and Montréal), Scotch (uh-oh) eggs in UK, skewers of fried octopus in Hong Kong. I may not live to eat, but it is definitely a memorable part of my travels. And yet one meal I will always cherish is a dinner at the home of a couple in Sydney; I met them on a flight to Hobart, Tasmania. They called it a simple supper, but the chicken and carrots were the tastiest I've ever had. Was it the company or the food? Such are the wonders of travel.
Here, Here, GG. I can't stay silent on this one. The ceviché at The Singular Patagonia, bastilla at a Marrakech bakery (and at markets in Marseille and Lyon), skewers of fried octopus in Hong Kong, cinnamon gelato in Turin, éclairs café all over France, empanadas delivered to the corner store every morning in Lima, canelés in Bordeaux, Scotch (uh-oh) eggs from a London food truck, Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon, the beauty of a Japanese keiseki spread. I may not live to eat, but food is certainly a memorable part of my travels. And yet the meal I cherish the most was at the home of a couple I met while flying from Sydney to Hobart, Tasmania.They said it was just a simple supper, but it was the best chicken and carrots I've ever tasted. So was it the company or the food? Such are the wonders of travel.
I hear you, GG. I can't stay silent on this one. Ceviché at The Singular Patagonia, bastilla from a Marrakech bakery (and at markets in Marseille and Lyon); desserts: éclairs café in France, Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon (and Montréal), cinnamon gelato in Torino, canelés in Bordeaux (and Philly). Plus street food: skewers of fried octopus in Hong Kong, Scotch (uh-oh) eggs in UK, empanadas in Lima delivered to the corner market every morning, children selling bread in Istanbul calling Simit, Simit. I may not live to eat, but food is definitely an important part of my travel memories. And yet my most cherished meal was a simple one, dinner at the home of a couple I met flying from Sydney to Hobart, Tasmania, the most delicious chicken and carrots I've ever tasted. Was it the company, or the food? Such are the wonders of travel.
We were on this trip September 2018 and I remember how disappointing the meal was. We didn't get a choice. I assume vegetarians on this trip informed Tauck. However, the wine was very good and we had drinks and appetizers at the Intercontinental before we left for the restaurant.
In addition to traveling for the sheer joy of learning the history and cultural norms, I also try to immerse myself in the local cuisine as much as possible. As much as we like fine dining, we are the happiest when just roaming through food markets and having small bites along the way. We also like to eat at "mom and pop" establishments to get a true sense of the local cuisine. With a smile and a warm, genuine hello in their native tongue, the local residents have always been willing to offer suggestions on where to eat.
It truly sickens me to see the proliferation of American junk food "restaurants" in so many cities. I digress.....
Gourmet Gal - I'm so jealous of your Silversea London to Lisbon trip! We were scheduled to go this past Fall with them on the same route but as an Expedition. It was a smaller ship leaving from Tower Bridge- they cancelled (not Covid related). So disappointed.🙁 Doing Reykjavik to Tromso on Silversea this June. Have you done any Expeditions with them?
We did Magic of Morocco with Tauck instead - loved it. Now I'm trying to convince DH to do Northern Spain with Tauck this Fall. I WILL get to the Guggenheim in Bilbao come hell or high water! On my bucket list.
If we don't get eaten by Arctic polar bears first!
We enjoy the food scene everywhere, too. We like to book culinary tours when visiting a new city and our favorite company is Culinary Backstreets with guides worldwide.
The Guggenheim in Bilbao is one of my favorite museums. The structure alone is a work of art. And the drive into the city.....well, I won't spoil the surprise! The small but well appointed gift shop is also quite nice and a great place to purchase gifts. Sorry for digressing from France to Spain! Great thread, however.
I actually prefer nibbling my way through the day, snacking on local specialties and enjoy Tauck receptions, sometimes more than the fancy multi-course dinners. Btw took an excellent National Geographic Lisbon to Bordeaux cruise in 2016, itinerary now slightly tweaked. They had us spending late afternoon and evening on the ship in Bilbao, but we petitioned for more time in town. And yes, the Bilbao Guggenheim building is wonderful, esp. watching it in changing light. If you have time to wander, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum is just a few minutes away; it has an unusual display of sculptures in the windows, visible from the street even when museum is closed.
SGF, this fall the SS cruise is to replace the cancelled Tower Bridge to Lisbon that we had booked either last year or the year before (the last 2 years are a blur - wonder why). It was on The Cloud and was a food expedition cruise so all excursions were included. This one will be on a new ship, slightly different itinerary but the ship has a cooking school and special regional dining venue. We’re very happy about the overnights in Bordeaux and Bilbao. That cruise, plus the Tauck Douro cruise, along with pre and post days will be a month long. We’re really looking forward to it. But first things first with the upcoming 3 weeks in France!
I’m beginning to worry about the uptick in Covid cases in France.
I've been on several where there were limited choices - 2-3. Usually the main and maybe the dessert. If it's an ala carte night at a hotel we've normally had free range of the menu though a few times the choice has been limited if they had some particularly expensive items on the full menu. On their river cruises there's usually one night on board with a set menu compared to most nights when you have 3-4 choices of mains plus standards like steak, salmon, chicken.
With so many vegetarians, vegans, food allergies, etc it's hard in this day and age to dictate an entire meal.
In my Tauck experience, when a dinner is included but "on your own," where you choose the time, and sometimes the restaurant from among several options, there is not always a set menu. Definitely in Patagonia we chose from the full menu several times, even once at lunch as I recall and several times during the Chicago Event and at least once in Switzerland. Of course, I'm going back a few years. As for non-carnivores, there's generally been an alternative, though best to request ahead of time. I remember once several of us chose two first courses and no main b/c the appetizers sounded more exciting. Imho first courses (entrées) and desserts are often better and more reliable than the mains, even when I'm not traveling.
Just to follow up now that the trip is over. Fouquet’s was a nice evening and enjoyable even though there was not a cocktail time before, just bussed to the venue and being seated right away. The food did turn out to be very average and unfortunately the wines not so great, especially the champagne. There was a choice of main dish and there was live music and service was quite good though it felt a little rushed. We were then bussed directly back to the hotel.
All this talk about fine food on tour- ask anyone who has been on J&E about the "lunches" we had on the charter flights from Aqaba to Aswan and Abu Simbel back to Aswan. You can also research what mil said. If there is anything worse than a sandwich with no spread or condiments on a large, 6" dry roll, it is three of them!
Comments
It’s a set menu with a few choices. We found it not very good and after the fact we wished we would have skipped it.
I don't remember the main course choices, but I found the escargot to be quite nice.
I did not have Gift of Time so had a bit of jet-lag on my first evening. I recall just being happy to be taken to dinner and to meet fellow guests. Fouquet’s pre-set menu was adequate but not memorable.
Thanks for the replies. Is it just directly sitting down for dinner or is there a cocktail time before being seated?
I have never known anything other than a cocktails party, followed by a sit down fairly set menu on a Tauck tour. Our most recent tour last month, was exactly the same despite the pandemic, totally unmasked sitting close together. The meal included chicken and beef on the same plate, very nice. If you are vegetarian, be sure to inform Tauck before the tour.
If I remember correctly, there was some wine & cheese before the dinner in the same room where dinner was served. As mentioned before, the event was a c+ at best. It was nice to meet fellow travelers and on the way back the bus stopped and we were able to get out and see the Eiffel Tower all lit up. We were on this tour during the World Cup in 2016. There was a huge soccer ball hanging from the tower. When France won their match you could hear the cheers all the way to the hotel and the car horns went on all night. It was quite exciting.
Some sort of reception has been my experience, too but I did read a review somewhere written by someone who was disappointed that there was not a reception or cocktails before sitting down at Fouquet’s. It would seem odd if that were the case.
It may depend on waiting for late guest arrivals to the hotel. My group entered Fouquet’s and were immediately seated for dinner. We were treated to a mini tour of central Paris by bus before returning to the hotel. It included a perfectly timed stop to see the Eiffel Tower light up. This past August 2021 (Lisbon to Barcelona cruise) we had cocktails at the Lisbon Intercontinental before a welcome dinner at the hotel. Jennifer Tombaugh joined us for cocktails. She had just cruised the Douro. Andorinha maiden voyage
I love those little extras that Tauck throws in. And I’ll be on the Douro this fall with Tauck after a week in Lisbon and after a London to Lisbon Silversea cruise. So looking forward to all my travels this year and next!
The week before our trip there had been some civil unrest in Paris and several of the windows of the restaurant had been smashed and were still boarded up. I might be wrong, but I think we had the cocktail reception at the hotel then made our way to the restaurant. I do recall once before that we had cocktails in a hotel before heading to a restaurant for the welcome dinner. But yes, typically the welcome reception and dinner are at the same venue, whether the venue was a hotel, palace or restaurant.
BSP51 - Nice photo, and even nicer to see a jacket! My husband approves. Dressing up, or not, is a personal choice.
The joy of traveling again will compensate for any dinner disappointments...but truly surprised at the reports of an average meal at a renowned restaurant. We will report after our April journey...
Nicely said, Nancy. I remember the escargot and creme brûlée were quite nice. Safe travels.
I think it’s fair to say that Fouquet’s has mixed reviews…the food sounds like a typical yet touristy Paris brasserie - probably depends on one’s French dining experience as to how it rates. I’ve learned to keep my expectations to a fairly pedestrian level when on any kind of group tour and will be happy when pleasantly surprised!
I never travel for food. I love to learn more history, have experiences I can't have at home, and meet interesting people.
Well, from my handle you can see I enjoy all aspects of travel, including food and culinary culture!
Here here, GG. Couldn't stay silent on this one. The ceviché at the Singular Patagonia, bastilla at bakery in Marrakesh (and at street markets in Marseille and Lyon), empanadas in Lima delivered to the corner market every morning, coffee éclairs all over France, canelés in Bordeaux, Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon (and London and Montréal), Scotch (uh-oh) eggs in UK, skewers of fried octopus in Hong Kong. I may not live to eat, but it is definitely a memorable part of my travels. And yet one meal I will always cherish is a dinner at the home of a couple in Sydney; I met them on a flight to Hobart, Tasmania. They called it a simple supper, but the chicken and carrots were the tastiest I've ever had. Was it the company or the food? Such are the wonders of travel.
Here, Here, GG. I can't stay silent on this one. The ceviché at The Singular Patagonia, bastilla at a Marrakech bakery (and at markets in Marseille and Lyon), skewers of fried octopus in Hong Kong, cinnamon gelato in Turin, éclairs café all over France, empanadas delivered to the corner store every morning in Lima, canelés in Bordeaux, Scotch (uh-oh) eggs from a London food truck, Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon, the beauty of a Japanese keiseki spread. I may not live to eat, but food is certainly a memorable part of my travels. And yet the meal I cherish the most was at the home of a couple I met while flying from Sydney to Hobart, Tasmania.They said it was just a simple supper, but it was the best chicken and carrots I've ever tasted. So was it the company or the food? Such are the wonders of travel.
I hear you, GG. I can't stay silent on this one. Ceviché at The Singular Patagonia, bastilla from a Marrakech bakery (and at markets in Marseille and Lyon); desserts: éclairs café in France, Pastéis de Nata in Lisbon (and Montréal), cinnamon gelato in Torino, canelés in Bordeaux (and Philly). Plus street food: skewers of fried octopus in Hong Kong, Scotch (uh-oh) eggs in UK, empanadas in Lima delivered to the corner market every morning, children selling bread in Istanbul calling Simit, Simit. I may not live to eat, but food is definitely an important part of my travel memories. And yet my most cherished meal was a simple one, dinner at the home of a couple I met flying from Sydney to Hobart, Tasmania, the most delicious chicken and carrots I've ever tasted. Was it the company, or the food? Such are the wonders of travel.
We were on this trip September 2018 and I remember how disappointing the meal was. We didn't get a choice. I assume vegetarians on this trip informed Tauck. However, the wine was very good and we had drinks and appetizers at the Intercontinental before we left for the restaurant.
In addition to traveling for the sheer joy of learning the history and cultural norms, I also try to immerse myself in the local cuisine as much as possible. As much as we like fine dining, we are the happiest when just roaming through food markets and having small bites along the way. We also like to eat at "mom and pop" establishments to get a true sense of the local cuisine. With a smile and a warm, genuine hello in their native tongue, the local residents have always been willing to offer suggestions on where to eat.
It truly sickens me to see the proliferation of American junk food "restaurants" in so many cities. I digress.....
Gourmet Gal - I'm so jealous of your Silversea London to Lisbon trip! We were scheduled to go this past Fall with them on the same route but as an Expedition. It was a smaller ship leaving from Tower Bridge- they cancelled (not Covid related). So disappointed.🙁 Doing Reykjavik to Tromso on Silversea this June. Have you done any Expeditions with them?
We did Magic of Morocco with Tauck instead - loved it. Now I'm trying to convince DH to do Northern Spain with Tauck this Fall. I WILL get to the Guggenheim in Bilbao come hell or high water! On my bucket list.
If we don't get eaten by Arctic polar bears first!
Shari
We enjoy the food scene everywhere, too. We like to book culinary tours when visiting a new city and our favorite company is Culinary Backstreets with guides worldwide.
The Guggenheim in Bilbao is one of my favorite museums. The structure alone is a work of art. And the drive into the city.....well, I won't spoil the surprise! The small but well appointed gift shop is also quite nice and a great place to purchase gifts. Sorry for digressing from France to Spain! Great thread, however.
I actually prefer nibbling my way through the day, snacking on local specialties and enjoy Tauck receptions, sometimes more than the fancy multi-course dinners. Btw took an excellent National Geographic Lisbon to Bordeaux cruise in 2016, itinerary now slightly tweaked. They had us spending late afternoon and evening on the ship in Bilbao, but we petitioned for more time in town. And yes, the Bilbao Guggenheim building is wonderful, esp. watching it in changing light. If you have time to wander, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum is just a few minutes away; it has an unusual display of sculptures in the windows, visible from the street even when museum is closed.
SGF, this fall the SS cruise is to replace the cancelled Tower Bridge to Lisbon that we had booked either last year or the year before (the last 2 years are a blur - wonder why). It was on The Cloud and was a food expedition cruise so all excursions were included. This one will be on a new ship, slightly different itinerary but the ship has a cooking school and special regional dining venue. We’re very happy about the overnights in Bordeaux and Bilbao. That cruise, plus the Tauck Douro cruise, along with pre and post days will be a month long. We’re really looking forward to it. But first things first with the upcoming 3 weeks in France!
I’m beginning to worry about the uptick in Covid cases in France.
I do not remember any Tauck tour that I went on which had any dinner other than a set-menu.
I've been on several where there were limited choices - 2-3. Usually the main and maybe the dessert. If it's an ala carte night at a hotel we've normally had free range of the menu though a few times the choice has been limited if they had some particularly expensive items on the full menu. On their river cruises there's usually one night on board with a set menu compared to most nights when you have 3-4 choices of mains plus standards like steak, salmon, chicken.
With so many vegetarians, vegans, food allergies, etc it's hard in this day and age to dictate an entire meal.
In my Tauck experience, when a dinner is included but "on your own," where you choose the time, and sometimes the restaurant from among several options, there is not always a set menu. Definitely in Patagonia we chose from the full menu several times, even once at lunch as I recall and several times during the Chicago Event and at least once in Switzerland. Of course, I'm going back a few years. As for non-carnivores, there's generally been an alternative, though best to request ahead of time. I remember once several of us chose two first courses and no main b/c the appetizers sounded more exciting. Imho first courses (entrées) and desserts are often better and more reliable than the mains, even when I'm not traveling.
Just to follow up now that the trip is over. Fouquet’s was a nice evening and enjoyable even though there was not a cocktail time before, just bussed to the venue and being seated right away. The food did turn out to be very average and unfortunately the wines not so great, especially the champagne. There was a choice of main dish and there was live music and service was quite good though it felt a little rushed. We were then bussed directly back to the hotel.
All this talk about fine food on tour- ask anyone who has been on J&E about the "lunches" we had on the charter flights from Aqaba to Aswan and Abu Simbel back to Aswan. You can also research what mil said.
If there is anything worse than a sandwich with no spread or condiments on a large, 6" dry roll, it is three of them! 