Château Les Crayères

Château Les Crayères Review

In a grand park with towering trees planted by Champagne legend Madame Pommery, this celebrated hotel remains the showplace of Reims—a stylish, late-19th-century château featuring guest rooms bedecked with antiques, boiseries, and couture fabrics, plus the finest Champenoise restaurant of them all, Le Parc. Legendary chef Gérard Boyer made Le Parc the most famous haute gastronomic restaurant in Reims. Now Philippe Mille, who was handed the reins in 2010 (he was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France—the Best Craftsman of France—a year later), is regaining the heights of Boyer's era. The thirty-something chef expresses his talent with a modern, but generous, cuisine. Prepared with precision, the product-inspired dishes ooze enthusiasm, including the Bresse chicken with black truffle sauce and the John Dory fish braised with seaweed. An extensive wine list pays homage to Reims's Champagne heritage, while the attentive service ensures that guests feel properly pampered. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday; reservations and jacket and tie are essential. For something less formal, reserve a table at the brasserie Les Jardins which has a large terrace and a light-filled contemporary dining room with a view of the chefs at work in the kitchen.