Andy Lynes

Just follow the eGCI of course!!!

Very nice, maybe Julie should have one now as well.

And this man represents eGullet in the minds of some people. Dear God, we are all doomed.

Ok then, how about "I pitch 'em, he knocks them out of the park", a baseball metaphor. (I should have known not to stray into sports talk, especially American sports talk).

You'll be needing a manager and a publicist soon.

We should have a review of this book online quite soon. I read it and really liked it. It was reviewed by chef Bruce Poole for Caterer & Hotelkeeper and is online here.

So there! I set 'em up, he whacks them out of the park.

I thought you were serious as was going to question the economics of such a move. Glad I didn't now!

So I would assume that it was worth bringing those bottles in terms of quality, age and compatibility with the food rather than picking off the list?

I don't think thats a goer at Michelin star level. For me, the ideal is to hand over control to the restaurant the moment you walk in the door and for everything to be perfect from that second on. At 3 star level (or 4 star in US terms which is what we are talking about here), you should expect no less.

Absolutely, that particular currency has been well and truely devalued. Unless of course you are Jamie Oliver and your name can fill a back street restaurant in the City of London months in advance. But that is an entirely different audience from say Marco or Nico in his pomp, or the one that Ramsay at Hospital Road attracts now. I think they have gone through the adoration phase and are now looking for some real service and relative value for money. Well, I am anyway.

My lord, the defence calls "common sense".

Oh, go on then Fat Guy, I'll fall for it. This years Restaurant Magazine 50 Best awards put Adria at number 2 to Thomas Keller. I'm assuming that you believe the voting panel to be incorrect in their conclusions and that you have adequate evidence to back up your position.

As someone who from time to time requests a change of table in restaurants (see this thread for a very recent example), can I ask what you disliked about your original location. Was it an obviously "bad" table, or just not to your liking? I put great store by how a restaurant deals with this sort of situation. If handled badly, it can sour the whole experience, which my review of Lindsay house in London illustrates. It would appear TFL did an admirable job in your case, but I can't help thinking that a top establishment, every table should be good. Can I ask if the $50.00 corkage for just the Sauvignon, or did you bring other bottles? I must say I'm deeply impressed that you were able to order two menus of different lengths for one table and that the additional meat course was comp'd. I would guess it was ordered without regard to cost and it seems that the restaurant repaid your trust, appetite and enthusiasm in spades.

Gus, if you would like to tell the managing director of DD that he is quite welcome to invite eGullet members along for a tasting when they open up, I'm sure we could round up a posse.

Have you seen that amazing rhubarb tart in "Canteen Cooking" by Marco Pierre White. Its a puff pastry base with hundreds and hundreds of wafer-thin slices of the fruit arranged in concentric circles on the top, then brushed with butter and sugar. Its cooked from raw for an hour, and inverted halfway through the cooking time to ensure the rhubarb caramelises. It looks fantastc, although I have never seen it offered on any of his menus.

I do tend to cook rhubarb first for a crumble for the very reason it releases a lot of water and you then have the opportunity to control how much of that liquid you want in the finished dish. I just cook it for a minute or so until it becomes tender but not mushy so I can drain it off and add back the quantitly of cooking liquor that I want. 10-15 minutes pre cooking is excessive. But I think either approach is valid, its just what suits you best and which result you prefer.

My chili was improved beyond recognition by this thread.

I would guess that was true of Wishart, they were very attentive on the service front (a little too attentive in fact) and seemed very interested to know if I had enjoyed the food or not (luckily they didn't enquire about the dessert).

We've had some record high temperatures in the UK since I got back from my NY trip, so things are only just beginning to cool down now. I like your description of the potatos, they sound quite extraordinary.

At the risk of sounding pedantic, the might the potatoes have been "Pomme Dauphine" rather than Dauphinoise? That is usually a gratin of sliced potatos cooked in cream and sometimes finished with cheese. Sounds like a nice meal though, 6.6 doesn't sound like an outright disaster. Did you like the room and service?

Ben O’Donoghue will be taking charge of the kitchen at The Atlantic Bar & Grill in its 10th year and shortly after will be travelling around the country promoting his new TV series entitled ‘Surfing the Menu’. Previously head chef at the private members club Monte’s in Knightsbridge, UK, O’Donoghue worked in Jessica’s in Perth, Goodfella’s restaurant in Sydney (where with O’Donoghue as sous chef the restaurant won the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best New Restaurant plus two chefs hats, the Australian equivalent of the Michelin star), and the acclaimed Tribeca restaurant in Double Bay. He then spent over 4 years at The River Café where he met Jamie Oliver, subsequently working with him as consultant and food stylist on TV shows, books, and overseas tours. Of his plans for The Atlantic Bar & Grill O’Donoghue says: “Social interaction being fundamental to a great dining experience (and I will be making The Atlantic just such an experience), I will be looking to create a social vibe with the food, so lots of shared plates. I believe in cultural and geographical honesty. Honesty and integrity are words often bandied about, for me it means nurturing the natural qualities of ingredients with simple, strong cooking techniques and complimentary flavours. Natural form and flavour are the be all and end all for me”. (Information courtesy of Sarah Canet of Gruppo).

Thank you sir!

Are you going to cook with them, or just scoff the lot?

Sarah, thanks on behalf of everyone for those kind words, we'll look forward to hearing more from you.