Angela T.
Yelp
We had an absolutely incredible experience at Racine for my birthday dinner. The reservations open up several months in advance and fill up quickly, but if you keep checking the website, there are often cancellations within a week or two of the date. I ended up snagging one of these cancellation for my birthday, which was amazing!
Racine does a single seating per evening, with only about 15-20 guests spread around tables at the restaurant. You are seated promptly, given a couple of options for a tasting menu, and offered both a by-the-glass and bottle wine list. Since we were in Reims, the by-the-glass champagne options were interesting and thoughtful, and we went with those rather than doing a wine pairing.
The dinner itself is actually a series of individual bites of food, with each of the courses consisting of several different items. It was all absolutely beautifully designed, and the taste was phenomenal. The staff were exceptionally attentive, which is to be expected when there are only a few guests, and Chef Tanaka serves several of the courses himself, which was a nice treat.
The ambiance of the restaurant is quite serene. It's a quiet place, it looks over a garden, and the tables are spread far enough apart to give a lot of privacy. It was a very relaxing meal overall.
Despite the cost, I would definitely go back to Racine if I visited Reims and could get a reservation.