Les Grains d'Argent

Monday evenings in the Épernay area can be a challenge to find food, as most restaurants are closed. Certainly nothing in Hautvillers, where we stayed at the superb Clos des Armoires. The hotel/restaurant is by a roundabout, with as neighbouring 'budget' hotel across the road. By the entrance is a small bar, where we perused the menu with a G & T (reasonable €6.50)and champagne flute (€11). The food was very good. Service was not rushed as there were only two waitresses. They apologised as one of their colleagues was ill. No problem. Very friendly. The food was excellent, details of which are on their website. Along with a bottle of 'house' champagne, the bill for the two set menus was €218....

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The food was good. In fact, the monkfish in a sort of Thai lime and lemongrass sauce was superb. Service was spotty, with waiters coming by seldom to refill bread or water. I thought at first the restaurant was expensive for what we got when compared to many other restaurants we've visited in the area. However, unlike any other restaurant we've visited in France (now or in the past) they added a 30% tax surcharge at the end of the meal. That means that the set menu which was 62 euros or about $68 (plus champagne and bottled water) now was $88. Had I know it would have cost this much, I simply would not have gone to this restaurant. I did not like this approach to billing one bit and feel tha...

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Visited with high hopes but this restaurant was very much average. It wasn't terrible but it certainly didn't excite. The food was okay apart from the puddings which were pedestrian at best; like the whole experience by no means bad just... average! The restaurant is new and shows it. The atmosphere was clinical sort of "suburban business motel" which in retrospect is what it is. The service was as one would expect in a British motel diner not a true French restaurant but again not offensive. We left with an overall feeling of being underwhelmed. Would be okay for an overnight pitstop I suppose.

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Interior looks good and modern (the green chairs are subject to personal taste I suppose) and the welcome was friendly. We were (partially) served by a waiter-in-training/stagaire and they even had to show him how to open a bottle of champagne which was a bit painful. They offer a few set menus but allow for personal changes like vegetarian options. Food I had was delicious but unfortunately my wife left the table prematurely and got very sick. Other than a 'I'm sorry' there was nothing the staff did or offered. Won't be going back.

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Great food, really beautifully presented. Best veal sweetbread I ever had! Nice selection of wines as well. One remark perhaps: we had dinner here with 2 and to us, it really had more of a "business hotel" feel, so for a "romantic tête-à-tête", other places might be better suited...

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