283 replies to this topic

[Andy Fenn]

Thank you Jon. I think I may have heard that somewhere from you before!

As there are 5 of us, I think a couple of us will do the tasting. But do not fear - I will attempt to ensure I am one of the carters.

The tips I was after were in relation to actual dishes - which ones hit the highs? What were the lows?

By the way, will there be a game tasting menu at the moment? And white truffles? We could always mix up a couple of tasting menus as well. Gagnaire's is our oyster...

[Jon Tseng]

By the way, will there be a game tasting menu at the moment? And white truffles? We could always mix up a couple of tasting menus as well. Gagnaire's is our oyster...

Dishes or game you'll have to ask someone else. The dishes change all the time anyhow. Yes you are definitely in white truffle season at the moment.

If anyone offers you black truffles say non. Its way to early.

J

[IanT]

Thank you Jon. I think I may have heard that somewhere from you before!

As there are 5 of us, I think a couple of us will do the tasting. But do not fear - I will attempt to ensure I am one of the carters.

The tips I was after were in relation to actual dishes - which ones hit the highs? What were the lows?

By the way, will there be a game tasting menu at the moment? And white truffles? We could always mix up a couple of tasting menus as well. Gagnaire's is our oyster...

Jon,

The meals Chuck, Lizzie etc. have posted about Chez Plotz all look like tasting menus to me. And they are Gagnaire vets. Time to support your view

Edited by IanT, 23 November 2006 - 09:15 AM.

[Jon Tseng]

Jon,

The meals Chuck, Lizzie etc. have posted about Chez Plotz all look like tasting menus to me.  And they are Gagnaire vets.  Time to support your view 

Pierre Gagnaire tasting menus and cartes very different experiences. He admits the same himself - more controlled; set progression by chef etc.

In my experience (and I've done tasting at both PG and Sketch Lecture Room the tasting menu dishes more toned down, conventional, less fun.

Plus to be honest you probably get as much (if not more) variety of preparations on carte given carte style is to have 3-4 distinct preparations of an ingredient as part of each course - tasting menu dishes are just single dish in trad haute tasting style.

Yes I think this debate has been had elsewhere. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who holds this view.

ta

J

[insomniac]

Ladies and gentlemen, my son (commis in a 2 star Mich in UK) and I ate at PG last summer from the carte and suffice it to say that we were so seduced by the food, even after 2 weeks of (superb) Michelin trawling through Spain, that when chef appeared at our table in fresh whites, his head magically backlit by the dining room lighting, his hair gleaming like a halo, the vision was so surreal that we sat like morons with mouths slightly open at this angelic apparition, whereupon PG smiled and decamped to the kitchen where he probably had a good laugh at our expense. Tourists. But OMIGOD the food.
Not a very helpful post but that was the best meal we have ever eaten and we still laugh at our mutual reaction.

[IanT]

Jon,

The meals Chuck, Lizzie etc. have posted about Chez Plotz all look like tasting menus to me.  And they are Gagnaire vets.  Time to support your view 

Pierre Gagnaire tasting menus and cartes very different experiences. He admits the same himself - more controlled; set progression by chef etc.

In my experience (and I've done tasting at both PG and Sketch Lecture Room the tasting menu dishes more toned down, conventional, less fun.

Plus to be honest you probably get as much (if not more) variety of preparations on carte given carte style is to have 3-4 distinct preparations of an ingredient as part of each course - tasting menu dishes are just single dish in trad haute tasting style.

Yes I think this debate has been had elsewhere. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who holds this view.

ta

J

Thanks John. I'll try and track down those earlier discussions.

[lesanglierrouge]

I ate at PG last week. We took photos unabashedly and without a protest from the staff (however I think they knew we were all industry people and not just doing it to be tacky). We all ordered the menu degustation, and I must disagree with what has been posted earlier. I thought it was very well worth the price and the food was very provocative and interesting. We paid about 450 eur/person including a generous gratuity on top of the auto-grat and each of us left feeling very pleased with our experience.

I found the restaurant to be very comfortable and the staff very attentive. I particularly found the cave staff to be exceptional. Their recommendations were spot-on from the aperitif to the digestif and they gave us plenty of room to select some of our own favorites as well.

Of particular interest on the menu was the cream of sea urchin with the squid and tete de veau in pate brise. We all woke up the next morning thinking about that!

[HOLLY_L]

I look at the Gagnaire website, but despite clicking furiously around, I couldn't seem to find anything that seemed like the place to submit a reservation request. I finally found someplace called contact, and I will try submitting a request throught that, although I'm not sure if it's designed for more general contacts.

I also tried calling, but there was some sort of long message in French that I couldn't understand - my French is not very good. It may just have been that they couldn't pick up, but the message seemed long for that. I saw on one website that they do close for a week in spring, and I wonder if that is this week. Avril, which even I know means April, was spoken several times. Does anyone know if the restaurant is closed this week?

[PauloR]

http://www.pierre-ga...is/cd24-new.htm
After opening the page, at the left side Demande de Reservation

[BryanZ]

Their English is very good, so try calling back another time. Make sure you're taking the time difference into account. Also, if you have an Amex card (I think platinum or higher) you can use that conceirge service. Although my experience with the service is mixed to say the least, it's good for major Paris restaurants.

Pierre Gagnaire is a totally sweet restaurant.

[estufarian]

For my reservation (made in March) they took a week to respond to the electronic request. I followed up with a FAX (also a good option if your French is not that good) and received the email response a few hours after the Fax.
But all responses were in French!

[Bu Pun Su]

Last christmas I ate at Gagnaire's HK left wondering when I would eat at the real one in Paris, who would have thought that now I could write the review here ... yes in France forum
If you want to read the comprehensive review, please click here Gagnaire Paris review
If you just care about the pictures, see the following link Gagnaire Paris pictures

Food/Wine (97/91)
As almost all foodie-goers know, Pierre is a very creative chef, often goes out of boundary to the point that many patrons, critics and even his fellow chefs are not very sure what he's trying to do. However, Gagnaire does not hold the 3-star michelin for more than a decade for nothing, this experience taught me that nowadays, more often than not, his experiments are successful ones - many of the (new) dishes are carefully prepared. So here are what I have,
- the first one was actually a disaster . The poached codfish was tasteless accompanied by 'bitter' olives oil, not a good sign ... but hey, don't judge a book by its cover
- mixed vegetables (asparagus, different kind of carrots etc.) served with crab's juice reminded me of Passard, the expert of veggie dishes. A harmonious dish yielding different flavors - very colorful, Pierre also knows how to prepare good vegetables
- then it comes, possibly the most complex dish for that day. The most dominant ingredients would be the eggplant and red mullet, the overall taste is sweet with slight bitterness. Like the previous dishes, those many elements are not there for nothing (in the long review above, one could see the complete dish descriptions), mix them up to give different taste
- then it comes the perfect dish, the roasted seabass. Now I understand why it matters to cook sea bass to the bone and served it with its skin and fat. The turnips and watercress generate freshness while the fennel with soft butter enrich the already very delicious fish. A masterpiece ... I've never eaten a better fish yet until about a week later ... (not even Le Squer's classic turbot with black truffle could beat this)
- to no surprised that this next dish also contains many ingredients, but this one I think Pierre tried to create a more discrete dish, meaning one could simply enjoy the squids (prepared in 3 ways), an excellent fatty tuna and intensely tasty foie gras. an wonderful dish, but not perfect
- after the big drops and a few loops of roller coaster, he gave us a break this time. Cold peas with peppermint, infusion of fresh herbs with coconut milk would serve as a palate cleanser
- the main course is milk-fed veal served with morels and 'biscuit' of langoustine (probably the weakest element, the texture and typical taste of great langoustine was simply not quite there), but the veal is juicy and tender, perfect texture along with fresh and tasty morels. overall, still very good
- there are 3 different cheeses served here, not sure about the details. There were goat (the best), cow (a bit sour) and sheep (smell and taste like mont d'or) cheeses
- lastly the 6 different kinds of desserts served at the end. Some of the memorable ones would be lemon mousse with cucumber, light and refreshing; cream of orange and carrot with white cheese below, mild fruit sweetness. Pistachio ice cream with summer raspberries - fresh with sweet and sour balanced; apple jelly and crispy apple "chips" - fragrant apple aroma, but the taste is more on the acidic side. The parade of "edible arts" finally ends here
All in all, I'm very satisfied and gave it 97/100 as a representative of 3-star meal strictly from food's only perspective

The wine list is about the same level as other 2-3 star restaurants (but please don't compare it to Taillevent, ADPA or Le Cinq - these places are in different league as far as the wine is concerned). The problem is that it may not be very easy to pair/match wines with Gagnaire's food. Some even suggest to match them with champagne from the beginning to the end. Anyway, here what I have - a half-bottle of 2004 Saint-Peray, Domaine Bernard Gripa (its freshness and acidity balanced out the strong taste from some of the dishes) and a glass of 2001 Jurançon Moëlleux domaine Cauhape. It is fresh and rich with a blend of exotic fruits and citrus, moreover it has an aromatic finish. I was a bit lucky here, somehow they did not charge me for drinking about 1.5 big bottle of stilled water.

Service/Ambiance (94/92)
The dining room is definitely more on the modern side in sycamore setting. The tables (it's quite big even for a single diner) are very well-spaced and comfortable. The rest room was not very convenient as there's a big renovation in progress for Hotel Balzac. The restaurant was very quiet, only about 10 people ate there (Is it normal for Monday lunch?) The service is refined and professional, yet relaxed. They try to make everybody felt special regardless one is a regular customer. The chef greeted the guests both at the beginning and the end of my meal.

My overall grade for this experience is 94.5/100 - very close to 2 3/4*. I find the degustation menu was great. While the a la carte menu looks wonderful as well on paper but it's very expensive - 2 of them without cheese and desserts would easily surpass the dinner tasting menu. If you like expecting the unexpected (like watching Jack Bauer in "24"), this would be a must-try place hands down. It adds many educational knowledge on what a chef could do with his/her dishes. Gagnaire, along with Adria and Bras, are perhaps the most innovative chefs at their generations

[Frege]

While I'm not much of a poster, I am an avid reader. I'm in Paris for the week en famille, with my restaurant card all planned. Pulled in yesterday from LA, and had a perfect first night dinner at Chez Louise et Robert. I've been going there for about 25 years - well before its Bourdain fame - and it is unchanged. A great Cotes de Boeuf, bleu, roasted potatoes and a bottle of Cotes de Nuits Villages. Just the thing for dealing with jet-lag.

Tonight I'm just back from what was supposed to be one of the culinary highlights of the trip - dinner at Pierre Gagnaire. I ate there a little over a year ago - M. Gagnaire in residence - and had a meal that met my test for a great meal: as I walk out the door, I'm thinking about when and how I can go back. So it was with great expectations that we went there tonight. We ordered the spring tasting menu. (It can be downloaded here: http://www.pierre-ga...s/cd24-new.htm) M. Gagnaire was not in residence, and it was on the whole, disappointing. Not that there weren't some great dishes. The first four dishes were all very good to excellent, the standouts being the John Dory with a slightly piquant sauce of rhubarb and tomato which was a highlight, along with the excellent lobster dish. But after that disaster. The white asparagus ice cream topped with what seemed to be canned tuna with cucumber jus was awful. Now I'm a big fan of molecular, but this was probably the worst dish I've ever had at a 3-star restaurant. The rest of the meal that followed was mediocre. The red mullet and artichoke with an oyster I thought was a mess, the slice of veal with a curry aspic sauce was OK, the cheese course was not very good, but of course the desserts were fabulous, although not quite as memorable as last time I was there.

So, half the meal was very good to superior, half was bad to OK. Not good enough, especially for the tariff. Also, too much reliance on fish. My daughter is not much on fish, and they graciously designed a non-fish menu for her, and I think she did much better. She had a fabulous foie gras, an excellent chicken dish and an excellent duck dish. Since she scarfed these up, I only got to taste a morsel of eoach, but they seemed more what I would expect from Gagnaire.

Service was excellent in Gagnaire's somewhat diffident style, although for two courses not all of the dishes were brought at the same time. A small lapse, but not something done at this sort of restaurant.

I certainly didn't leave with any thoughts of returning. My only thought was that if I was going back to a top restaurant in Paris where I'd been before, I should have gone to Guy Savoy!

Still to come, of the biggies, L'Astrance and Senderens. Will I be disappointed? At least the cost at these shouldn't be in the same league. On a more modest scale, have Ze Kitchen Galerie, Le Chateaubriand and Lena et Mimile on the card before heading home.

So, anyone else been to Gagnaire of late? Had this menu? Is he slipping?

Edited by Frege, 06 April 2008 - 06:15 PM.

[tupac17616]

So, anyone else been to Gagnaire of late?  Had this menu?  Is he slipping?

I went a week and a half ago, and we supplemented the set lunch menu with a few extra dishes. We were very close to opting for the spring tasting you had, though a few a la carte items we calling us more loudly.
For me, restaurants like Gagnaire that take such chances with odd combinations can be frustrating. I'm not sure the hit/miss ratio was on the safe side of 50/50, to be honest. Certainly some of the high notes are beautiful (the duck dish from the a la carte menu may have been the single best dish I ate during two weeks in Paris that included Arpege, L'Astrance, and other great meals). But many things I tasted at PG made me think -- pardon my French -- "wtf??!!". The canapes, for example, ranged from refreshing to horrific. Ditto with the 10 desserts that flooded the table at the end. This was my first meal at Gagnaire, and I would definitely return, though probably not for a tasting. I think you could put together a wonderful meal a la carte (start with the langoustines, and have the aforementioned duck, for example), and maybe avoid some of the possible land mines on the menu that way.
Don't worry about L'Astrance. We went there last week, too. It's a fun meal. Definitely have the wine pairing. Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris!

[julot-les-pinceaux]

Sounds like two typical Gagnaire meals. He is a genius but it's a place for people who go to three stars every week.

If you have Lucas-Carton experience, you might be disappointed at Senderens, which is considerably less luxurious. That includes the food. Senderens is a genius (a reliable one) and the new restaurant definitely makes you taste what a genius he is, relying on high quality but non luxurious ingredients. Food is great, but it is casual compared to the usual top restaurants, somewhere between bistrot and gastro, more on the gastro side. Personally, I'd much rather have a meal at Senderens than Gagnaire or l'Astrance, that said.

Another thing about Senderens is that, as he decided to lower prices, he still has great, simpler food but the wine pairing he offers just is of insufficient quality. It is still great pairing but not exceptional wines. My advice is to buy good bottles from the wine list. There is a page of 79euros bottles that has only great wines (see here for pics from last week), especially that Riesling Kabinett which is a great match with the langoustines among other things.

I reviewed Senderens here.

[Frege]

Don't get me wrong - the first time I ate at Gagnaire it was a memorable meal. Sure it wasn't that every dish was fantastic - there were ebbs and flows - but overall it was coherent and delicious. Last night was different. I am very much a supporter of the experimental and novel in cooking, and I expect to experience that in restaurants like Gagnaire. But I also expect that when it gets to the table, everything served has been fully vetted and is delicious. (This was certainly true of the The Fat Duck.) It is hard to believe that all of the dishes served last night were pleasing to the palate of the master! No matter what, the bottom line for a restaurant like this is consistency and being delicious.

One other thing, apparently now that smoking is banned in restaurants, Parisians have taken to smoking in the bathroom! When my companions went to the ladies room it was smoky and there were ashes in the sink!

Appreciate the encouragement re: Senderens and L'Astrance.

Edited by Frege, 07 April 2008 - 02:34 AM.

[John Talbott]

So, anyone else been to Gagnaire of late?  Had this menu?  Is he slipping?

I have been hearing this for some time, here and in personal communications. People who loved the place when he first moved from St Etienne are now disappointed. I stopped going before these reports tho' for other reasons.

[olivier]

I ate the very same menu you had last week and thought it was excellent. Two things that might explain our difference in point of views:
- Gagnaire was actually there (however, you'd expect his second to perform well when the chef isn't here, wouldn't you?)
- although i ate at several 2* and 1* restaurant it was my first three-star experience, and the food quality was just one of the many things that contributed to the overall quality of the meal this evening.

I agree with you that the John Dory was absolutely fabulous. Asparagus ice cream + cucumber, I thought it was OK, kind of a savory "trou normand", but the marine overload of the red mullet+oyster+seashells was maybe a little bit too much, especially at that point of the meal.
The veal, however, I found really excellent: very good meat, perfect cooking, a simple yet very good red pepper sauce... I couldn't ask for anything else.

Cheeses: the camembert "brioche" (more like a "mousse", actually) was quite surprising, as it really retained all the camembert taste with a very different texture. This course also made me discover the "Bleu de Termignon", which I didn't know and really liked a lot.
By the way, anyone knows where one can find Bleu de Termignon in Paris? I went to Quatrehomme and they had some, but I guess it wasn't ripe enough, as it wasn't blue at all, and had nowhere near the power of the one we ate at Gagnaire.

Well, those were just my two cents ; I'm not as experienced as most of the people who post there, so it is very likely I'm a little bit "too" enthusiastic about Gagnaire.

On the contrary, I was kind of disappointed by Ze Kitchen Galerie last month... I hope you won't!

[Frege]

Yes the veal was good, but not enough to rescue the second half of the meal, I thought. The problem was that the first part made it seem as if it might go down as memorable, the second half undermined it.

To reiterate, at this class of restaurant, consistency throughout the meal is of great importance. Although I don't expect every dish to be among the greatest things I've ever eaten, I do expect there not to be any failures. I don't think this meal met up to that standard.

[robyn]

I don't think Gagnaire was ever my cup of tea - but I've thought of trying Gaya for lunch. Lower prices - lower expectations - maybe a good meal. Have any of you Gagnaire fans dined at Gaya? Robyn

[Bu Pun Su]

There should be the review of Gaya somewhere
If my memory serves me correct, there's rarely any positive review about it even at the much lower prices than Pierre Gagnaire

I noticed in that many of the current's comments from the experts in this forum generally point that the current gastronomy is "declining"
No matter how good the chefs cook, they always point out that the past is better
Is it really the case? Or it's more "psychological" case ... when you talk to your grand parents, more likely they will explain things are much better back then (how come? with many advancement and refinement, r u saying that in many aspects people nowadays go "backwards"?)

Frege, sorry for your bad meal there
I thought Pierre Gagnaire is still one of the ultimate and most genious chefs in the world. Whatever he cooks, for me it's almost always enlightening. He could give all of the recipe details, yet we still fail to make the dish that's closed to the one he cooks in the kitchen. Guy Savoy ... I agree that it's very difficult to go very "wrong" there, but not easy to have a spectacular meal either

[Frege]

Frege, sorry for your bad meal there
I thought Pierre Gagnaire is still one of the ultimate and most genious chefs in the world. Whatever he cooks, for me it's almost always enlightening. He could give all of the recipe details, yet we still fail to make the dish that's closed to the one he cooks in the kitchen. Guy Savoy ... I agree that it's very difficult to go very "wrong" there, but not easy to have a spectacular meal either

I too admire Gagnaire, and my meal there last year was memorable, in large part because of the culinary imagination it displayed. That was why it was all the more disappointing; at his status, and given the price, we have a right to expect that all dishes have been vetted and that the meal shows significant consistency from dish to dish. I know that Blumenthal comes in for criticism for varying his menu very little if at all, but the advantage is a meal that is consistent from start to finish.

[John Talbott]

I don't think Gagnaire was ever my cup of tea - but I've thought of trying Gaya for lunch.  Lower prices - lower expectations - maybe a good meal.  Have any of you Gagnaire fans dined at Gaya?  Robyn

Well I'm an ex-fan and I liked it shortly after it opened and said I'd go back but have only been back once.

[pierre45]

I don't think Gagnaire was ever my cup of tea - but I've thought of trying Gaya for lunch.  Lower prices - lower expectations - maybe a good meal.  Have any of you Gagnaire fans dined at Gaya?  Robyn

Well I'm an ex-fan and I liked it shortly after it opened and said I'd go back but have only been back once.

I have eaten at Gaya a few times and Liked it.It's been awhile however.
Stick to seafood dishes and the ones with gagnaire inprint.THey are not wildly inventive,thus easily likable.

[Frege]

Sounds like two typical Gagnaire meals. He is a genius but it's a place for people who go to three stars every week.

If you have Lucas-Carton experience, you might be disappointed at Senderens, which is considerably less luxurious. That includes the food. Senderens is a genius (a reliable one) and the new restaurant definitely makes you taste what a genius he is, relying on high quality but non luxurious ingredients. Food is great, but it is casual compared to the usual top restaurants, somewhere between bistrot and gastro, more on the gastro side. Personally, I'd much rather have a meal at Senderens than Gagnaire or l'Astrance, that said.

Another thing about Senderens is that, as he decided to lower prices, he still has great, simpler food but the wine pairing he offers just is of insufficient quality. It is still great pairing but not exceptional wines. My advice is to buy good bottles from the wine list. There is a page of 79euros bottles that has only great wines (see here for pics from last week), especially that Riesling Kabinett which is a great match with the langoustines among other things.

I reviewed Senderens here.

I read your review of Senderens, and thought about it with some care, reflecting upon my experience there the other day. You obviously have considerable experience with Senderens' cooking, dating back to Lucas Carton days, and can trace the lineage of his cooking to what he is serving today, and so look past the many negatives of the restaurant as it exists today, in terms of food, ambiance, service, and in comparison to other restaurants world wide operating at this price point. (For instance, I've had superior meals at Providence in LA, Jean-Georges in NY and Cyrus in Sonoma of late.) For me, eating at Senderons for the first time, and without your prior experiences, although some dishes were very good, others were significantly flawed, and the noise level, visuals of the room and the mediocre service all detracted from whatever virtues the food did have. These are not factors to be ignored in a restaurant of this level. Moreover, as a rule, when I dine in a restaurant of this nature, I want to be surrounded primarily by people whose minds are on the food, and not (at least primrily) on their extra-curricular activities to follow. While my meal at Gagnaire was a disappointment, I saw much more in the food there than at Senderpns. Perhaps he still provides enough to brighten the culinary memories of those who loved Lucas Carton, but for those of us without such memories, eating at Senderons leave much to be desired.

[julot-les-pinceaux]

No offense, but judging from your writing, I don't think that's is what it is. I think that it is a matter of preference and expectations. Definitely what you just wrote showed how the very concept of this restaurant today is the opposite of your expectations, esp. as far as the setting and service and attendance are concerned. Those are elements that you could have known without going.

Lucas-Carton also had its detractors. Senderens has a very special style, and if you are not receptive to it, you aren't. In that case it all feels like a bad joke and that's exactly what bad Lucas-Carton reviews were about already.

I've read as many bad reports about Lucas-Carton as I am reading those days about Senderens. As I wrote, I have no pleasure or interest eating at Gagnaire or l'Astrance, which I find in the end vain and self-centered. I don't think it is related either to my memories or to their lack of talent or interest. That's also why in the end I don't think that reviewing is about rating, it's about setting expectations right, finding what's good for you and helping you enjoy it.

As far as the setting is concerned, I agree that it is uncommon, esp. at night and with its red light. It already was before they did the Star Trek/Space Odissey thing, but it sure became even more... surprising.

Service is definitely casual. And as I wrote in a nearby thread, the restaurant needs a user manual. And its very concept is unstable, because Senderens' style requires flawless execution which is made difficult by the conditions in which this kitchen runs. I would not recommend Senderens without all these precautions. Should not have been recommended to you, obviously, because it could have been clear from the beginning that you would not like it and that was nothing like what you are looking for. It remains the only place where that unique style can be tasted and enjoyed, furthermore at cheap cost (not when you pay in dollars but that's not Senderens' fault -- and it remains half the cost of l'Astrance, one third of Gagnaire's).

[mdibiaso]

Have to agree here. Lucas Carton was definately a restaurant that split people's opinions and which many people did not "get". They could also suffer from "execution" at times (I was there 2 weeks after 9/11 and it was not a good evening). Even at Lucas Carton the noice level was high and you were sitting right next to others. But I actually enjoyed this and often conversed with other tables and gave them suggestions on how to order.

I am finally going to Senderens in about 4 weeks. I do NOT expect it to be anything like Lucas Carton. And that is simply based on what I have read. The ingredients are different, the atmosphere is different, the costs are different. Thinking one will get a LC like experience at Senderens today is like to going to Robochon l'Atelier and expecting to get something similar to Jamin. Its a guaranteed way to be disappointed.

[PhilD]

I don't think Gagnaire was ever my cup of tea - but I've thought of trying Gaya for lunch.  Lower prices - lower expectations - maybe a good meal.  Have any of you Gagnaire fans dined at Gaya?  Robyn

Well I'm an ex-fan and I liked it shortly after it opened and said I'd go back but have only been back once.

I have eaten at Gaya a few times and Liked it.It's been awhile however.
Stick to seafood dishes and the ones with gagnaire inprint.THey are not wildly inventive,thus easily likable.

I have eaten at Gaya quite a few times. To me it is a medium priced fun restaurant rather than a temple to gastronomy. It is a young team, and they show a lot of enthusiasm.

My wife and I always tried to sit at the bar (and definately avoided upstairs), the menu structure is non-traditional so we usually chose a number of dishes and asked the kitchen to split them and serve them sequentialy thus creating our own six course meal.

[fortedei]

It’s interesting to see how times have changed. People walk out of “three star” very, very expensive restaurants and there is disappointment in the food, service and ambiance.
I’m going to date myself, but when you walked out of Alain Chapel in the mid 70s, you thought you’d died and gone to heaven. Everything, everything was perfect. Not even a minor miss. Same with Troisgros, same with La Mere Blanc (when Georges had only two stars), same with Haeberlin, same with even with Guerard (when he was still in Paris).
What has happened to cause the change?

[PhilD]

It’s interesting to see how times have changed. People walk out of “three star” very, very expensive restaurants and there is disappointment in the food, service and ambiance.
I’m going to date myself, but when you walked out of Alain Chapel in the mid 70s, you thought you’d died and gone to heaven. Everything, everything was perfect. Not even a minor miss. Same with Troisgros, same with La Mere Blanc (when Georges had only two stars), same with Haeberlin, same with even with Guerard (when he was still in Paris).
What has happened to cause the change?

Are we simply more educated and thus our expectations are higher? Educated in terms of tastes and experiences, we have a broader base of experiences, travel is easier etc etc. Chefs are now having to cook for a more sophisticated audience. An audience that is more self assured and therefore comfortable in giving their opinions and criticisms.

In order to cater for the more educated palette do chefs need to push the boundaries. And pushing boundaries gets risky with more chance of failure, In the '70's was it such a narrow "cuisine" that practice made perfect?

Has the relative cost of high end dining fallen to our current disposable income and as a result access to this level of cooking become broader? Can we afford to eat more often at top restaurants? Because the experience has become more frequent we are more comfortable in expressing an opinion.

Or maybe it is more simple, the standards have dropped. Are there more 3 stars than there were in the past? Is there enough talent to go around?