Page "Craig Claiborne" Paragraph 7

In 1975, he placed a $ 300 winning bid at a charity auction for a no-price-limit dinner for two at any restaurant of the winner's choice, sponsored by American Express.

Selecting Franey as his dining companion, the two settled on Chez Denis, a noted restaurant located in Paris, France, where they racked up a $ 4, 000 tab on a five-hour, thirty-one-course meal of foie gras, truffles, lobster, caviar and rare wines.

When Claiborne later wrote about the experience in his New York Times column, the newspaper received a deluge of reader mail expressing outrage at such an extravagance at a time when so many in the world went without.

Even the Vatican and Pope Paul VI criticized it, calling it " scandalous.

" It was also noted that he and Franey ordered nearly every dish on the menu, but they took only a few bites of each one.

Despite its scale and expense, Claiborne gave the meal a mixed review, noting that several dishes fell short in terms of conception, presentation or quality.