Is there a dining room more elegant?  Is there a dress code more strict?  Is there an experience quite as amazing?  I believe the answer is no.

The Ritz Restaurant is in a class of its own, catering to the rich, famous and royal.  They do an amazing job at it and live up to every word of their reputation.

Now, I’m not rich, famous, or royal, but during our stay at The Ritz I was invited to dinner in the dining room with my family.  I was traveling with my 2 daughters and my parents and we were all thrilled to dine in the elegance of The Ritz dining room!  Following the dress code, we put on our Sunday best, because jeans and sneakers aren’t allowed anywhere near the dining room.  Men are required to wear a suit jacket and tie, and my young daughters were looking adorable in their matching party dresses.  We were all set.We entered the dining room, and were elated.  It was stunning.

As we were shown to our table I tried not to squeal in delight as I held back the excitement I felt in anticipation of the night ahead of us.

My daughters were quickly given the princess treatment, as they were set up with a high chair, booster cushion and colouring book.  Before I knew it, I had a glass of Champagne in my hand and our choice of bread was delivered to the table, beautifully set in Tiffany Blue.  Our amuse-bouche put us in the mood for fine dining and the two tiny princesses at our table put their colouring books aside and started on the first course of their kids meals.The kids’ first course looked delicious enough to be on any adult menu!  I may have sampled a bite here or there, just to find out for sure.As good as the kids starters looked, they had nothing on the amazing scallops that were placed in front of me a short while later.With wine chosen to match our meals by the Sommelier, we were in heaven.  His wine choice for us was outstanding, enhancing our already delicious food.

To make things even better, the musician on the far side of the room with his magic fingers on the piano was keeping my daughters happily entertained.  The girls loved his music and it allowed us to enjoy our meal without even feeling like we had a toddler and pre-schooler at the table.  I wanted to hug Billy Joel in the corner, but thought it might have been the wine talking, so I contained myself and continued to enjoy our dinner.

For the main course I ordered the Côte de Boeuf, with vegetables and truffle mashed potatoes.  There was enough food to keep me full long past my next meal.

Now you know how I like my steak done.  I seem to prefer it rarer all the time.  That’s what will happen after 5 years of living in France I guess!

Dessert obviously wasn’t necessary at this point, but how do you say no?  Especially when you can get crêpe Suzette made to order right at your table.  That Grand Marnier can really light up a room!And the crepes were just as impressive. After a bit of Frangelico to wash it all down, we thought there wasn’t anything that could have made our night any more amazing.

Until the final ‘night-cap’ arrived.I’m not sure how we managed to make room, but we did.  My daughters had the best bedtime snack they could dream of.  It was already several hours past bedtime, so why not have some late night chocolate too.  The rules go out the window when you’re having dinner at The Ritz, because let’s face it, this is not something that happens every day.

I’m not sure if you have a bucket list, but if you do: take out your pen and add dinner at The Ritz to your list.  It’s a night that we won’t be forgetting any time soon!

Thank you to The Ritz for hosting us as their dinner guests for the evening.  All opinions are my own.