Jump to content

cmling

participating member
  • Posts

    175
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by cmling

  1. cmling

    L'Arnsbourg

    It is, of course, nice not to have to travel after eating. But you have to get to the hotel first... Charley
  2. I find Giles very, very amusing. I can understand that many people might find him a bit strange, but he *does* have a way with words. Which raises (not "begs", Giles would be quite irate) the question whether restaurant reviews that make you chuckle can be "serious"...
  3. cmling

    L'Ambroisie

    I know people who have spent 200k Euros on a car... L'Ambroisie's prices do not astonish me. It's called priorities. ← Oh, I do understand what you mean. I flew to New York from Vienna in 1980 to hear Horowitz (assuming that he would never play in Europe again), then gladly paid five times what any other ticket for a recital would have cost when he *did* play in Vienna in 1987. The only thing that just might give me pause is that I could eat at least two, probably three, exquisite meals for the price of the Ambroisie experience. But then again, I did say (didn't I?) that I am entirely willing to believe it is worth it. Interpreting the statement above more or less literally, I can only take it to mean that L'Ambroisie's priorities are to make lots of money. Fair enough!
  4. cmling

    L'Ambroisie

    The prices *do* astonish me, who is not all that easily astonished. But I have a feeling that a money-is-no-object mood could lead to a very nice experience there. Not anytime soon, alas. But this restaurant interests me strangely.
  5. Reservations at BOTH?! You are fortunate. If you did not make the reservations for the same time/meal (which would have been rather naughty), you might want to compare them yourself. I might as well add that I consider the Schwarzwaldstube one of the very best restaurants I have ever had the pleasure to visit (several times, and it seemed to just get better and better).
  6. I did. Charley
  7. Not that this is of any importance at all, but why, pray, did you ask?
  8. I really enjoy reading your reviews! EUR 45 for the delights you were served seems amazing value for money. (It almost makes sense for me to fly to The Netherlands for lunch...) Charley
  9. Kropf. http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults...perty_id=333962 I love this place and make a point of going there whenever I am in Zürich. This is a place for sausages, beer, and atmosphere: all of them excellent. I suppose I should add that to the best of my knowledge smoking is not yet banned in Switzerland.
  10. I note with interest that the restaurant seems to have customized (not the most elegant term, but I think you know what I mean) your meal. E.g. the perdreau rôti does not appear on the menu. It all seems entirely wonderful. If I ever get to Paris again, I think I simply must eat at L'Ambroisie. (My meagre experiences so far: Le Pré Catelan - very good; Lucas-Carton/Senderens - one of the best meals of my life, close to perfection.) I suppose 400 Euros per person (including unimportant wine and a non-bow-down-and-pray digestif) should do it? Strange, but I seem to have fallen in love with a restaurant I have never seen!
  11. Bingo ← Which I find quite almost mendacious, unless she says what she is doing.
  12. Not having eaten in New York since 1980, I have nothing at all to say about the restaurants Michelin likes or doesn't. But I find it very, very remarkable that the number of 3-star and 2-star restaurants is the same. What is more surprising: the quantity of 3-stars or the paucity of 2-stars, I wonder? I don't think there is any Guide Michelin where these categories are in equilibrium.
  13. Baiersbronn (where the deservedly famous Schwarzwaldstube of the Traube-Tonbach is situated) is not in Freiburg, and not exactly nearby. It is in the north of the Black Forest, while Freiburg is in the south. A good 2.5 hours by train, not much less by car. In Freiburg, by the way, I can recommend the restaurant in the Hotel Colombi without reservation. It has one Michelin star, but definitely deserves two. (Michelin frowns upon the fact that the chef sometimes has to cook for "events" in the hotel.)
  14. Market? The Naschmarkt is one of Europe's most impressive food markets. Definitely worth a look. Take the U4 at Schwedenplatz (just a minute or two from where you are staying) to the Kettenbrückengasse station (another five minutes or so), then walk back towards the centre of the city. Shopping? What are you looking for?
  15. Figlmüller is famous for huge schnitzels (pork, not veal, which disqualifies them from the title "Wiener Schnitzel", I add). It is by no means famous for good schnitzels. Inexpensive and good: Hedrich on the Stubenring. A 10-minute walk, I would guess.
  16. And I had naively thought his rather remarkable prices (e.g. EUR 205 for lobster with "its glass of wine"* - both superlative, I am sure!) had kept him nicely in the black already... *http://petitcolas.net/fabien/restaurants/LucasCarton-2.jpg
  17. Roger Jaloux, if memory serves. Also a "Meilleur Ouvrier de la France" in his own right.
  18. and dogs must be carried ← I quote Philip Howard in "The Times": *** I agree that clueless tourists are irritating when they ignore the customs and conventions of the rush hour. I saw one puzzled by the notice, "Dogs must be carried on the escalator". She was looking for a dog to carry to allow her on the moving staircase. *** Made me smile! Charley
  19. If you are considering a trip to Baiersbronn, Bareiss is extremely good, but the Schwarzwaldstube at the "Traube-Tonbach" is considered one of the very greatest restaurants in the world. I have had half-a-dozen or so meals there over the last 15 years, none of them less than stellar, some almost beyond credence. I can unreservedly recommend the Cheval Blanc, too, if you want to remain in France. I had a week or so there, some years ago, learning how to cook (better). Their cellar is amazing. Still haven't been to Burehiesel, but everything I have heard is encouraging (except, perhaps, their prices).
  20. Bux, does GaultMillau really use that system now? I recall it as 13-14 points: one toque, 15-16 points: two toques, 17-18: three toques, 19-20: four toques. Incidentally, when the first GM for Austria appeared (1980?), they gave a "distinguished" restaurant 8 points, probably just so people would talk about it (cf. 20/20, probably for the same reason).
  21. If the weather permits, and I am served my coffee and digestif, of course! But do I know that beforehand?
  22. I really should have mentioned that I am all in favour of non-smoking sections everywhere. Indeed, in fine restaurants I fully understand a complete ban on smoking in the dining room(s) - if there is a bar/lounge/whatever where I can enjoy a post-prandial cigar. I *never* smoke between courses in a restaurant where the food interests me and discourage my dining companions from so doing. But total prohibition is, to my mind, just a bit too much.
  23. It will have a very minute effect on Italian business in that I will no longer travel to Italy unless I absolutely have to.
  24. And here's another grateful lurker who wishes to thank everyone involved. It was fascinating reading. I think I now have a better understanding of Chef Adrià's hopes and enthusiasms. If the wheels of fate turn in the right direction, here's hoping that I will dine at elBulli in 2006!
  25. Thank you very much, serge. Very pleasing and informative photos. I would also note that Taillevent at lunch seems to offer incredible value for money, particularly if you consider that it is in Paris, and in a fashionable part of Paris at that.
×
×
  • Create New...