Like 18th century essayist and novelist Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine". More than that, I adore old hotels. In fact, I adore them so much that when I travel abroad, if at all possible I never stay in hotels that are less than 100 years old. And, let's not kid ourselves, when I can afford it, there are no hotels that beckon to me more than the Ritz Hotel in Paris. With the turn of both the century and millennium, there may thus be no better time for me to pay homage to Caesar Ritz and Georges Auguste Escoffier, two men to whom the world of luxury will forever owe a debt of gratitude.

By the end of the last century, the fashionable world of England and Europe was beginning to lose its old ingrown exclusivity. Bursting with new money, many people were beginning to find Queen Victoria staid and Emperor Franz Josef stuffy. All of Europe was craving for new pleasures and sensations, and Cesar Ritz's decision to open the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1898 was marvelously timed to titillate and delight all of Europe. Because he furbished the hotel with previously unheard of and incomparable luxury and beauty, many were at first shocked by the new hotel. The bedrooms were furnished with Louis XIV and Louis XV furnishings, marble bathtubs and chandeliers that had been made in Limoges. If that was not enough to raise a few eyebrows, Ritz' was also the first hotel in the world in which every room had a private toilet and bath. It was also one of the few hotels at which the doorman had a special bell to warn the staff of the impending arrival of royalty.

Born of plebeian origin in Niederwald, an obscure Alpine village near the Simplon Pass, Ritz was an unlikely candidate to be the man to revolutionize the concept of luxury. The thirteenth child of a Swiss peasant couple, Ritz's first job was an assistant waiter. By the time he was twenty he had served as the maitre d'hotel in several fine European restaurants, but even then one would hardly have guessed that this "little shepherd boy", as Ritz liked to call himself, would become the man that would rule the social world of all of Europe with as much power as any king or emperor.

Ritz was a perfectionist in everything he did. To ensure that the food in his restaurant would be the best in the world he put the great chef Auguste Escoffier in charge of the kitchens. Ritz was wise enough to realize that even superb food was not enough to make his restaurants world famous. By spending lavish amounts of money and installing all of the trappings of wealth, he designed dining rooms in such a way to guarantee that clients would be as delighted by the ambiance as well as the food. Ritz himself was in charge not only of the hotel but of the restaurant where he supervised the entire staff of waiters, bus boys and wine steward who came in contact with the public.

There were some things that he insisted on doing himself. He would, for example, personally answer the private bell that informed the staff of the arrival of royalty or other important guests by placing a fresh white carnation in the buttonhole of his jacket on the way to the lobby. He was the master of protocol, of seating, of housekeeping, of every detail. Did Grand Duke Sergei prefer his turbot prepared in a certain way? It would be done. Did Lord Baltimore fancy a particular type of drinking glass? It would be provided. Did Lady Carlisle have a fondness for a certain waiter? He would be assigned to her table.

As to Escoffier, no chef has ever taken himself or the gastronomic arts more seriously. Gastronomy, he said, "is part of the humanist vision: it defines man as a superior species because he is the only animal who cooks his food and because he is capable of eating when he is not hungry". More than this, art and gastronomy were one and the same. To Escoffier, there was "the same mysterious gap between a musical scale and a Debussy prelude as between an egg and a souffle." Among other things, Escoffier was a pompous ass, but, as the great gourmet Curnonsky said, "we forgive him his sins for every morsel he prepares for our tables is a masterpiece."

At his birth, it seemed most unlikely that young Escoffier would become the man who determined the types and styles of food that would be set on the most privileged tables of Europe. Born in 1847 in the obscure village of Villeneuve-Loubet in the Alpes Maritimes, Escoffier's father wanted his son to follow in his steps and take over the family blacksmith shop. Because his mother took pity on him, Escoffier escaped the rigors of the blacksmith's life and began his working career as a dishwasher at the age of 13 in his uncle's restaurant in nearby Nice. At 19 he gravitated to Paris, where he quickly became a well known sauce chef at the smart Restaurant de Petit Moulin.

By the time he was 25, he had become a chief chef and had developed a philosophy of food. Every dinner was to be constructed like a symphony of contrasting movements, with all parts of the symphony having a related theme. Soups, he said, "should perform like an overture in a light opera, divulging what is to be the dominant phrase of the melody throughout". Each diner, like the listener at a concert, should experience the same progression. He was also the first chef to take seriously the precept that "the order of food in a diner should be from the more substantial to the lighter".

By 1880s he had become the best known chef in Europe, and royalty and millionaires flocked to dine at his table. When he met the hotellier, Cesar Ritz, the two realized that they would make an ideal partnership: Ritz was to become a marvelous manager and organizer of luxury hotels that would cater to the whims of the wealthy and Escoffier who would fill their stomachs.

Over the years, many have called the Paris Ritz the greatest hotel in the world. The hotel, actually two large town houses, opens onto one of the most historic squares of Paris, the PlaceVendome, and when the two houses were joined together their union created various courtyards and gardens. The luxurious suites have been occupied by the Rothschilds, Goulds, Vanderbilts and Astors. Just about everybody from the Aga Khan, Woody Allen, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Rose Kennedy and, regrettably, Herman Goring, has strolled down its long shopping corridor. Called Temptation Hall, with showcases representing the wares of the most prestigious shops in Paris, this is by far the most luxurious and expensive shopping mall in the world. Those interested or involved with the international world of business will also find that nearly every major bank from Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and the United States have offices here.

Those planning a trip to Paris will be pleased to know that the bedrooms at the Ritz are probably the most fastidiously maintained in the French capital. Antique chests, bronze hardware, marble baths, mellow woods and crystal lights are all chosen tastefully and coordinated in both style and color. Diners can take their meals in the Grill Room (merely excellent) or the Espadon (superb), or may enjoy a more casual snack in the Ritz Club with its wood burning fireplaces, mahogany and brass bar and dance floor. Prices at the Ritz are not inexpensive and some are shocked to realize that parking their car here costs as much as a meal at many other restaurants. Single rooms average $450 per night, doubles average about $600 and suites are available at up to $5,000 per night. Dinner in the Espadon will average nearly $200 per person. Concerning the wine list, there is no need to fear that the wine you want will not be available. In addition to a cellar with 50,000 bottles, the hotel also maintains a private warehouse in the 15th Arrondissement that houses another 100,000 bottles. Nor need one worry about not having the after dinner drink of their choice. The bar boasts 1,200different kinds of brandy, Cognac and Armagnac, some of which date to 1812 and a selection of Port Wines, the earliest of which is from 1840.

For several recipes devised by Escoffier and now available at the Espanade at the Paris Ritz, click here

© Daniel Rogov