For Christmas after my sister's graduation from the CIA, I gifted her with a trip to the Inn at Little Washington where we dined at the Chef's Table in the kitchen. It was truly a once in a lifetime dining experience...

Speak good and well my colonist friends. Les vies de Dieu à Paris.

Hands down, it was at Northwoods in Annapolis. The place was so charming, the wait staff were totally knowlageable, the food delicous. I'm sorry that they have decided to close.
A close second would be Sheppards Mansion in Hanover. Again, atmosphere, wait staff and food all a concert of elegance and perfection.

Toss up between the crystal room at Tavern on the Green at Christmastime and the tasting menu (with wines) at Vin which took 3+ hours.

Strictly on elegance, Tavern On The Green wins hands down. Food, not so much. It wasn't even worth half of what we were charged.

Vin's surroundings weren't perfect, but the food was. And the food itself was defnitely elegant.

The most elegant meal I ever had was in WV, believe it or not! We went to Lot 12 while on a spa trip, and it was just superb- we STILL talk about that meal 2 years later.

The restaurant was in a beautiful old Victorian, with rich dark woods and white table linens. We feasted on toasted gnocchi for an appetizer, I had a perfect NY strip with maprle butter over it and CRAZY good mashed potatoes, he had a dijon-roasted rabbit, and had ginger creme brulee for dessert.

I did not have the pleasure of dining at the chef's table, but I too had the pleasure of dining at The Inn at Little Washington (took my wife for her birthday a few years ago). There is no other place like this in the entire world. Starting with afternoon tea, everything about this place is magical. The food is without peer, especially the truffle dusted scallops and the rabbit.

The only other dinner that comes remotely close is Citronelle in Georgetown. They have the most amazing escargots. Michel Richard's version of the "Kit Kat" is awesome.

I am not sure it was the most elegant, but the most impressed I ever was at a restaurant was in NYC. When I growing up my uncle would take me into the city about twice a year for lunch and a show. We went to the Four Seasons (1969-1970) and I ordered a glass of milk. It came in a gold plated clamshell ramekin about a foot wide surrounded by crushed ice. Forty years later I remember as if it were yesterday.
Most elegant meal-the Inn at Little Washington.

PS EL-thanks for getting back to the basics of what I look for in your blog

I gifted her with a trip

Uh oh, nouns used as verbs alert!

I think I'll go sofa for a while and maybe TV while I apple.

It was an anniversary dinner at a new (at the time) French restaurant in Calumet City, Ill. Since it was more than 30 years ago, I can't remember the name but I do remember how much we enjoyed it.

My company's Christmas parties are rather elegant. This past year's was at the Governor Calvert House in Annapolis. All of us out-of-towners were flown up at company expense and we stayed there, or at the Maryland House nearby.

And the next morning, there is a lavish brunch as well.

Arrows in Ogunquit, Maine. Best. Meal. EVER! They were doing the farm to table thing before it was trendy. The service was seamless - waiters were present yet somehow seemed invisible at the same time. And, the food was exquisite.

Stall 1043...swoon! I remember they had strawberries and basil with black pepper.

My husband and I agree that our most elegant meal together was at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Not only was the food wonderful, the service was amazing...choreographed plate presentation for the table of ten nearby really blew our minds.

What does one do about a gift certificate from Taste Restaurant/Ann Nault that is now useless?

Hampton's was right up there; I still remember the suavely coordinated removal of the silver domes that covered our plates.

I've not been to very many classy restaurants, but I suppose it would have to be Sardi's, in NYC. We ate on the pre-theatre Prix Fixe menu, and the food was honestly not all that good. The atmosphere I guess was what you'd think of as classy or elegant though.

I honestly felt a lot more elegant eating at our very own Della Notte, where I went with the boy for our two year anniversary. The food was way better too.

I, too, will vote for Citronelle in DC.

Sloth, you are quite right. Della Notte is quite elegant and the food is great! I haven't been there in a few years but now that I'm reminded of it, I am going to get back there soon!

I second GrayGirl's recommendation of Commander's Palace. Ever since I first read Interview with the Vampire when I was a teenager I'd been dying to eat there. Well, when I finally made it to dinner I wasn't disappointed. It was every bit as refined and elegant as I had imagined. Gracious service combined with beautifully prepared food, What more could one want? Also, the late, great chef Jamie Shannon personally came to the table and gave me a signed copy of the Commander's Palace cookbook. Note the "gave me" part.

Definitely the tasting menu at Alinea! The service there surely sweeps you off your feet!

What does one do about a gift certificate from Taste Restaurant/Ann Nault that is now useless?

Put it in a nice frame and sell it on eBay as decorative art, just like those stock certificates of defunct corporations.

Next to the elegant broasted chicken at the old Towson Inn (sorry, I couldn't stop myself) I remember a wonderful meal at Stall 1043 just can't tell you what I had, just that it was wonderful. Next best are any meals at the Prime Rib when they are not crowded.

Oh, lay off GrayGirl, Rev'Ed.

The most elegant meal I've had was, surprisingly enough, in Rochester, Minnesota, at a little restaurant called Chardonnay. Our party of five had a private room on the second floor of this old Victorian house, so the atmosphere was intimate and companionable. And the food was exquisite.

"I gifted her with a trip"

Uh oh, nouns used as verbs alert!

Come, come now. The verb to gift has a history dating back to the 1500s. It is hardly a new use, nor would I condemn such use as obsolescent (though I suspect some may disagree with the latter statement).

Hot turkey platter with french fries and gravy at the old Hess Diner in Highlandtown!

Citronelle in DC. Just amazing food. And the service was better than anything I could imagine. The waiter is always right there for you, but is, I believe, actually invisible until he needs to do something. They anticipate your needs so perfectly that you wonder how your wine glass got filled.

The most elegant meal I ever had was at Daniel, in Manhattan. The most beautiful dining room I've ever seen, impeccable (and impeccably choreagraphed) service, and wonderful food. We'll be going back there in December.

I was unimpressed by Citronelle. If I'm going to have an expensive meal around there, I'll go to Marcel's in Foggy Bottom.

Mine was at a lovely little French place in Montreal, not far from McGill. Unfortunately I'm drawing a blank on the name right now. The food was delicious and a nice mix of classic French with a touch of Canadian and bit of updating (some very tasty red pepper ice cream for dessert). The service was impeccable and atmosphere soothing.

All was well until they brought some little hand-made candies with the check. "Mmm . . . " my pronunciation-challenged mother said, "these have anise in them" (anise pronounced "anus"). The contrast between the evening and the statement was too much. I fear I damaged the ambiance a bit with the weeping and snorting that accompanied my out-of-control laughter. (you know the kind - the more you try to stop the worse it gets)

The Williamsburg Inn in Virginia. One of the only places I have dined that still provide fingerbowls. My family usually goes once a year in the spring and it is the definition of elegance.

The best meals I have enjoyed have all been at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA. The downstairs is more formal than the cafe but not what I would call elegant. For most elegant I would have to give the award to Picasso in Las Vegas.

Although I'm trying really hard to stay on topic, I just have to comment that KristinB, I'm well familiar with out of place hilarity. My incident was when I was in my early 20s and playing Trivial Pursuit with a bunch of seniors who were staying in Phillips Beach Plaza hotel. The question was "what color is the ring around Uranus" (which was pronounced "the old way"= your anus). I laughed so hard that my jaws hurt while they kind of looked bemused and befuddled at what could possibly be so funny!

I guess I am not as traveled as some, but for me it is probably the last 2 meals I have had a Charleston here in good old Charm City.

I've eaten at many fine restaurants but the most elegant was at Lasserre in Paris. Each table had a sterling silver center piece, the food was Michelin rated and the surroundings absolutely breathtaking. I remember looking up and catching the eye of a server and they started walking towards the table, a simple nod let them know I didn't need anything.

When I excused myself from the table to go "powder my nose", two staff in the dining room guided me to the elevator and upon arrival on the first floor the restroom attendant already had the door open, beckoning me in.

The ceiling in the dining room opens to expose the sky.

Fabulous food, the epitome of service and beautiful surroundings - the most elegant meal I ever had. They also presented each of us with a delicate, mini porcelain saute pan. Here is the link to their web page for those traveling to Paris.http://www.restaurant-lasserre.com/uk/navigation.htm

The most pretentious meal I ever had was at Charleston. Thankfully I was gifted - uh, treated - for my birthday. My gifter - benefactress - is a regular there and we were treated like royalty. The dinner lasted five hours (we had all courses) and she plopped down $600. It was an interesting experience if only to observe the choreography of the staff.

The most elegant dinner I've had was at Sanford in Milwaukee. http://www.sanfordrestaurant.com/
People actually dress to dine there. Unlike Ixia here in town, which is elegant except for the clothes.

Farallon, in San Francisco, for our 25th wedding anniversary. It was superlative in three ways. First, the decor (millions of $$$ of blown glass with an undersea theme) sounded cutesy until you got there, and realized the designers nailed it. Second, the service. We went on the advice of the concierge at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, who evidently tipped the staff off that it was a dig deal meal. Maybe they do this for everyone, but a pre-appetizer and two separate amuse bouche courses were over the top. Finally, (and I think I've written about this before on this blog) the best rockfish (main) and grape pie (dessert) I have ever had -- which is hard to say for a native upstate Yorker, where grape pie is heavenly, and current denizen of the Chesapeake region, where we're supposed to know rockfish.

In the last century, the most elegant meal we ever had was at the Channel Bass Inn on Chincoteague.

Salishan in Oregon many years ago was probably the most elegant and among the most tasty.
And I apologize for being a bad influence on the Sandbox denizens with my chili dogs and bacon cheeseburgers (although a bacon cheeseburger properly cared for can approach haute cuisine ... but probably not elegance).
Scratch scratch scratch.

jl - my son had a bacon cheeseburger at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant a few years ago (ok, it was Kobe beef), I'd say if not elegant, it's at least hoity toity (did I spell that right?)

Elizabeth - tasting menu at Alinea? I'm very, very jealous.

I'm with CantonK - my most elegant meals have been at the Williamsburg Inn. The food is very good, but it's the service that makes the whole experience so memorable. It just feels very special.

Ooh...there was a year that I taught in a private school in Manhattan and the Senior Dinner was held at Tavern On The Green. Food and service were amazing. It probably didn't hurt that one of the seniors at the dinner was the owner's daughter.

Later that same week I was also invited to her graduation/birthday party, which was held at Le Cirque 2000. Who knew there was liquor ABOVE the top shelf? It was nothing short of fantastic. I was spoiled for weeks afterward.

A couple of years ago I took my girlfriend to (the now-departed) Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was good but the service was remarkable. Much like OMG's experience at Citronelle, they were attentive without being obsequious, and on top of everything without being obtrusive about it. When I went to the restroom, they covered my plate and re-folded my napkin, then swooped down and uncovered the plate just before I returned.

The most elegant meal I ever had was a private dinner while I was in Turkey. It was in the dining room at Ataturk's residence outside of Ankara. Furnishings commensurate with bweing "The father of his country." Complete table service, likely Ataturk's. Excellent food (don't remember specifics, unfortunately) and good wines. Professional service, if not choreographed.

Second most elegant dinner was at Renoir in The Mirage. Sadly, closed now 'cause Steve Wynn wanted the paintings back for his new hotel. The wine bill alone for the nine of us came to almost $400.00. The chef made up a special personalized dessert. Again, good food, good service, and an elegant ambience.

Emeril's in New Orleans. Hands down the perfect, most elegant dinner from start to finish...it was a once in a lifetime experience for me.

My most elegant meal was a birthday dinner at the Madison Hotel in DC. There were two or three levels of servers: a main server and a somellier, a water boy cum busser, and yet someone else to bring plates to the main server to place in front of us. How cool is that?

Second most elegant was at Louis Palladin's restaurant in DC; oh-so-French atmosphere, oh-so-fabulous food!