New York Times - DINING OUT; Still Fit for a King
By JOANNE STARKEY
Rated:  Excellent

DINING on Long Island's South Shore reached a new level of sophistication with the opening of Louis XVI in Patchogue in 1997. It instantly became the standard for elegance in décor, food and service. It still is. The restaurant's location, overlooking the Great South Bay, offers spectacular water views. The gracious interior provides plenty of competition: sparkling crystal chandeliers, massive flower arrangements, fluted columns, 18th-century-style paintings and a marble foyer. Diners are treated like members of the French court, seated on brocade chairs or tucked away on cozy banquettes. The service staff moved like a well-trained ballet corps, working as a team to deliver dishes presented under silver domes. Nor was the service all show. Waiters knew the ingredients of every dish (quite a feat, considering their complexity) and made sure all the essentials were covered: water poured, warm rolls delivered and silver replaced.

The meal proceeded at a stately pace. Type A personalities called it glacial, but others sat back and enjoyed the pampering.

Jean-Claude Teulade, the chef when the restaurant opened eight years ago, is still working his magic. His creations are French classics done with flair.

Even something as simple and familiar as smoked salmon was not routine. The fish was smoked in-house and served with a tiny pastry basket of baby lettuces. On the plate were intriguing slices of striped aspic created from lemon confit and aged balsamic vinegar. On the side were a silver boat of lemon sauce and thin toasts tucked into a linen napkin.

The menu offers three prix-fixe meals: three courses for $62, four for $72 or a seven-course tasting menu meal for $95.

Every dish on the menu is also available à la carte. One night I ordered two appetizers and had a superior light meal. The first course consisted of three jumbo asparagus spears sharing the plate with a little basket of greens, a mound of chopped salad heavy on beets and flavored with orange, all atop a tangy citrus sauce ($15). When others were eating their entrees, I had a lobster salad ($19) with a warm whole lobster tail, exotic greens and papaya.

The three-course meal is probably a better choice than the four. Those three courses translated to seven when the free tidbits before and after the meal were included. We were first presented with three dainty bites (one night it was duck rillettes with a bull's-eye of foie gras, smoked salmon wrapped around baby sprouts and an avocado mousse topped with a chopped tomato salad), followed by a demitasse of creamy, delicious pea soup. An intermezzo of riesling and candied ginger granité preceded the entrees, and plates of tiny cookies and homemade chocolates followed them. Along with the check came a napkin enclosing Key lime madeleines, served warm.

There were no weak dishes on the ever-changing menu. My favorite entree was the braised baby pig (unfortunate name) reminiscent of pulled pork, which was formed into a patty and fried to a turn with a crunchy Dijon mustard crust. The red snapper in its crispy potato shell was another high flier.

The menu may change frequently, but the Marie Antoinette doll is a constant. This showstopper dessert consists of a marzipan body, spun-sugar hair and a skirt of coffee tuile over a bourbon-vanilla parfait. It was as good as I remembered it.

Giving it the most competition was the ''tasting of seven deadly sins.'' The selection is different every day. A molten-center chocolate cake and a Key lime crème brûlée in a lime shell were two of the seven the night we ordered it.

Even the ice creams and sorbets are special. They are homemade and given what the menu called a ''magic presentation.'' Three scoops of selected flavors arrived in a magician's top hat of molded chocolate. Save room for those free cookies, candies and madeleines. Sweet memories indeed.

ATMOSPHERE -- Versailles on the water.
SERVICE -- Flawless.
SOUND LEVEL -- Serene.
CREDIT CARDS -- All.

REVIEWED BY THE TIMES -- June 12, 2005.
Published: 06 - 12 - 2005

Zagat rates Louis XVI "Best Restaurant on Long Island"

The new 2000 Zagat Long Island Restaurant Survey is out. One of this year's surprises is that newcomer Louis XVI in Patchogue, which rated in the survey for the first time, is the top-rated restaurant overall.

LOUIS XVI (Patchogue)
Voted the No.1 restaurant overall on LI, as well as No.1 for Decor - devotees swear it could rival "the Palace of Versailles" -this "extravagant", "elegant" and "exquisite" "crown jewel" boasts "gorgeous views" of Great South Bay from its "beautiful setting on the water" in Patchogue; indulge in "extraordinary", "imaginative" New French cuisine"magnificently presented" by an "impeccable" staff; dip into the "kid's college fund" or "mortgagethe House" if you must, but it's "worth every franc" for such an "incredible dining experience."