Will I remember this meal for the rest of my life? “If the answer is yes, it can be a Relais et Châteaux Grands Chefs restaurant,” says Jaume Tàpies, international president of the preferred hotel and restaurant ratings of the jet set. It began more than 50 years ago as a glorified route guide to stops in the south of France for the new motoring class (as did ratings by Michelin tires and Mobil oil). Today there are 500 R&C establishments in 20 countries—but just a handful of Relais et Châteaux Grands Chefs restaurants in the West.

What makes them elite? Tàpies says his inspectors look for more than material luxury: “It’s about being rather than having. It’s about feeling well, whether you’re in San Francisco or Japan.” The rating system is based on the five Cs: calm, character, charm, courtesy, cuisine. “That the coffee is served within four minutes? We don’t care about that kind of thing,” Tàpies sniffs.

Anonymous inspectors visit existing members and prospective new ones each year. (Last year 150 new places applied; 39 were accepted.) And, unlike some rating guides in which waning properties can linger year over year, 30 to 40 are asked to leave annually. We checked out these three West Coast members to find out how they measure up.

Lumière, Vancouver
5 Cs Anyone who’s done the starred-restaurant circuit knows that confirming, reconfirming and re-reconfirming coveted reservations is a diner’s nightmare. One of Lumière’s angel-voiced hostesses—not an automated message—calls you with a reminder the day before your reservation. Arrive early so you can spend quality time in the Lumière bar, where mixology is theatre and the appetite-whetting cheese gougères are addictive. Ask for a table near the kitchen for an occasional glimpse of star chef Daniel Boulud.
Meal to remember Executive Chef Dale MacKay (raised in Vancouver, trained in London and Tokyo) uses ingredients like Fraser Valley venison to “add a touch of his own soul” to classical French cooking, says owner David Sidoo. MacKay’s local spot prawn ravioli has the soul of Al Green and ethereal herbal flavours in its sauce vierge. The migniardises at meal-end are so good you almost want to skip dessert. Don’t: desserts like a sinful chocolate and butter caramel tart are worth weeks of penance.
2551 W. Broadway, Vancouver, 604-739-8185, lumiere.ca

Gary Danko, San Francisco
5 Cs This colourful (orange lightboxes, wild flower arrangements) and surprisingly lively restaurant is the cure for the stuffy formal dining blues. Danko says, “We treat our guests how we like to be treated when we are going out to dinner or if we were inviting friends to our house: with American style and American hospitality.” Unexpected touches include a waiter’s quiet recognition of a birthday celebration (a little candle in the migniardises) and parting gifts (packets of bespoke tea and a killer corkscrew). Staff have even been known to drive items forgotten in the restaurant over to a guest’s hotel, Danko says.
Meal to remember From a menu that’s all over the pan-Asian, Mediterranean and French map, fat scallops in a delicate Thai curry are a standout dish. As a welcome break from the tyranny of the set tasting menu, this one is totally à la carte: any dish can be an entree or a main; construct a traditional three- or five-course meal or group-graze a few small plates. Tableside preparations are witty and dramatic: asparagus soup is ladled from an adorable French mini-saucepan over parmesan and prosciutto wafers; a raspberry puffs up when infused with a breath of crème anglais, then sighs with the addition of a little scoop of blackberry sorbet. Five sommeliers bring wine-without-snobbery pairings.
800 N. Point St., San Francisco, 415-749-2060, garydanko.com

Bel-Air Restaurant at the Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
5 Cs It doesn’t get much more charming and calming than 12 bucolic acres (complete with a pair of swans) in the heart of L.A.’s most exclusive neighbourhood. Fresh, seasonal menus include herbs and spices from the hotel’s private gardens on the grounds, says executive chef Douglas Dodd. You’ll see anyone from Nancy Reagan to Patrick Dempsey dining on the bougainvillea-draped terrace—though this is strictly a paparazzi- and rubberneck-free zone. Long-term staff (many of them with 15-plus years of service) are attentive enough to remember how you take your tea, arranging the tiny pitcher of warmed milk just-so next to the infusion pot. “There is a certain sense of old-world charm when you know the server has been there for so many years,” says Dodd.
Meal to remember The refined comfort food here is so good it puts haute cuisine to shame: a simple pot pie elevated to gourmet status by silky lobster chunks; spicy tortilla soup hand-ladled at table from an elegant copper cauldron. The signature breakfast dish is crème brûlée french toast, a sticky, sugar-crackled brioche you’ll dream about until your next stay.
701 Stone Canyon Rd., Los Angeles, 310-472-1211, hotelbelair.com