Greg Wells

Can anyone recommend a good Chinese cooking class in Beijing, Chengdu or Hong Kong? My wife and I are going to travel to China on vacation and have enjoyed these types of classes in other countries and thought there must be something similiar in China. We are looking for a half-day or full-day class. Thanks for your help.

The most troubling paragraph in the decision for wine lovers should be this one that begins on page 9 of the slip opinion: The Court doesn't say this because the issue was not before it, but doesn't this suggest that reciprocity laws (i.e., allow shipping from wineries in "open" states but deny shipping to wineries in "closed" states) might themselves be unconstitutional? If so, how will that impact that political process that is going to arise after this decision as states decide what "even-handed" approach they want to take to wine shipments? You can bet that the wholesaler lobby with be fighting for a "ban all shipping" approach in every state that will listen. The question is: how many of the reciprocal states that now allow shipping have done so because of the leverage that California and other states have wielded through the reciprocity tool? Under the current system, small wineries in Virginia, for example, can plausibly say to the legislature that it should open up Virginia to shipping so that the Virginia wineries can have access to the lucrative markets in the reciprocal states like California. But assuming that reciprocity is Constitutionally infirm, the same small wineries in Virginia are going to be able to ship into California regardless of what Virginia does. And I doubt that most small wineries actually do much in-state shipping to consumers (as opposed to "cellar door" sales which I imagine are significant, but not impacted by the shipping rules). So, if that's the case, where is the powerful constituency that's going to have a strong incentive to fight for direct shipping within the states? Is "consumer freedom of choice" going to be sufficient to ward off the wholesalers? If not, might we end up with fewer states allowing direct shipments than before?

I was obviously disappointed that DonRocks disliked what has become one of my favorite restaurants. And I’m sorry that he and morela had an unenjoyable meal there last weekend. But I think if we take a detailed look through their experience, we can reconcile the discordant notes being sounded about this restaurant and all learn something and make future experiences better. [Don’s post initially raises a universal issue that I’ve started a new General Topic about: whether the proportion of “ethnic” diners in an “ethnic” restaurant can or should be viewed as a signal of that restaurant’s quality. My thoughts on this issue appear there, but I do wonder how much this snap judgment impacted the rest of the experience.] Bangkok 54 serves a lot of uncompromising Thai food. Unusual dishes like shrimp with sator beans and yum pla duk fu (Don’s failed fried catfish salad) that impostor Thai restaurants would never even dream of putting on the menu. Spicy dishes that are actually pungent and spicy, that reflect the balance of hot-sour-salty-sweet that defines Thai cooking. My happiest moment ever at this place was when I noticed that, after the positive Sietsema review, Bangkok 54 had added a written disclaimer to the bottom of its menu: “Please order with care.” This sentence spoke volumes to me: “people are sending food back because they don’t like it. Rather than giving in and dumbing down these dishes, we are not going to change our food, and if you don’t like it, tough.” But any restaurant also has to stay in business. And that means serving food that appeals to a broader constituency. This strikes me as particularly true for Bangkok 54, which suggests a much greater investment (nicer décor, open kitchen, etc.) than the typical hole-in-the-wall. In my experience, most Thai and other ethnic restaurants confront this conundrum by “dumbing down” traditional food. Bangkok 54 responds differently, and to my mind, in a superior way, by offering excellent Thai food along with a spate of more generic dishes that I suspect are aimed at those who typically prefer “dumbed down” Thai food. These dishes don’t suggest that they aspire to the heights Thai cooking can achieve. And it doesn’t surprise me to hear that they don’t reach them either. DonRocks and morela ordered a strange amalgam of both, and I think that’s why they didn’t have the best experience. I agree with Don on the green papaya salad, and I agree with Don on the service issues (which I think everyone who’s said anything about this place since the Post review has noted), so I won’t dwell on these. The only other “uncompromising Thai” dish that I see in Don and morela’s order is the catfish salad. I’m not sure what they expected when they ordered this dish, and I wasn’t there to taste what they got, so I can’t rule out the possibility of a bad batch on an off night. But having tried this dish a couple of times at Bangkok 54, and countless times elsewhere, I don’t think the problem was in the kitchen. Many, if not most, Thai salads have raw onion and whole nuts in them. Most are served at room temperature. And this isn’t supposed to be chunks of deep fried fish like you might get at a southern fish fry. The fish is minced before it is deep-fried and is supposed to produce a light, airy texture. Not convinced? Here is Varmint's picture of the same dish from the well-regarded Sripriphai in New York: Again, no chunks of fish to be found. In fact, I cannot think of a better way to describe what, in my experience, the fried catfish salad is supposed to be like than Don’s own words: “shreds of fried fry.” I don’t mean to fault Don and morela for ordering this, or for not liking it (even Steve Klc falls into that camp). I know from reading eGullet that Don and morela have good palates. I have no doubt that their criticisms are well-taken. But I think they are properly directed at the dish itself and not Bangkok 54’s preparation of it. Again, maybe this is an issue where the service needs to adjust to the level of the cooking and make sure people better understand what they’re getting when they order it. But I don’t think it’s fair to criticize a restaurant for serving what sounds like a textbook version of a traditional dish that you just don’t like. As far as the entrees go, I’m curious as to how Don and morela came to order items such as the five spices roasted duck and the shrimp potpourri. There’s nothing in the menu descriptions that has ever tempted me to give these dishes even a passing thought. They don’t even sound like Thai food, let alone good Thai food. And if, as I suspect, Bangkok 54 puts these dishes on the menu to appease those that they perceive (wrongly in this case, as my PM discussions with Don have shown) as not being interested in Thai food, then there also is little incentive for them to try to produce good versions of these dishes, whatever their origins. Bob Halliday, the former food critic for the Bangkok Post, put it this way, “Thai food is about balance: the harmony of harsh and pungent ingredients with a myriad of spices. The ‘Rot Chart,’ meaning the proper or appropriate taste, comes from a great understanding of these ingredients and the methods used to bring them to life. It's a high wire act; the bitter, sour, hot, salty and sweet are all interwoven into an exquisitely complex cuisine.” If Thai food is a high wire act, then five spices roasted duck and shrimp with special sauce are not even in the same tent. I’m fully convinced that Don and morela would have had a better experience if they would have ordered some of the specific dishes that I recommended or, at a minimum, those that at least suggest a stronger relationship to traditional Thai food. Yes, Bangkok 54 does put these dishes on the menu and, yes, it does charge money for you to eat them, so it is fair game for them to be judged on them. But I also think we should aspire to see restaurants at their best rather than at their worst when passing judgment. And I remain convinced that Bangkok 54’s best is something very special.

Bangkok 54 has, to my mind, quickly eclipsed all of the other Thai restaurants in the DC area and is serving mostly Lotus of Siam-caliber food in a more stylish setting. The service can use some work, as dishes often come out of the kitchen at random times (i.e., mains nearly on top of appetizers, etc.) and it's often difficult to get a server's attention once you've ordered. But if you focus just on the food, you're likely to have great meal. In terms of specific dishes, for appetizers I recommend the larb, which is both moister and more flavorful than any other I've encountered in the area. The roasted duck salad is also excellent, but has many of the same flavors as the larb, so it probably doesn't make sense to order both. If they are still serving the "house special roll" on the specials menu, I would order one (or more) of those. This is similar to a peking duck roll, except the thin pancake is replaced with a warm, freshly made piece of roti bread. For main courses, I would definitely do one of the "54 Special" basil stir fries -- either the pork belly, roasted duck, or squid. I prefer the pork belly, but make sure that they understand that you really want the fatty part. All of the curries that I've tried have been excellent, as well. My favorite is the roasted duck curry, but the red and green curries are also very good. They also have a unique yellow curry that is more Indian than Thai; it's an excellent dish but maybe doesn't fit into a meal as well as the others. The shrimp with sator beans is the real standout, even better than the version served at Rabieng in Falls Church. This bean has a very unique taste and texture, almost a cross between a fava bean and a pea, with a very bitter flavor. If you haven't tried them before, it might be better saved for a second trip.

I’ve been “lurking” here on eGullet for a long, long time, first because I wasn’t sure I knew enough to be a meaningful contributor, and later because I was just waiting for something significant enough to overcome the inertia and make me want to post. That moment came after dinner last night at Yannick Cam’s Le Paradou. This restaurant just doesn’t seem to be developing the attention and “buzz” that, based on the food being served, it rightly deserves. If my two meals there are representative, Le Paradou has surpassed the good-but-inconsistent Café 15 and Gerard’s Place on the list of best French restaurants in town and is, at least, competitive with Citronelle for the top perch. If I had to describe the common threads in what I’ve eaten here, it would be intensity of flavor and earthiness. The “Creamy Soup of Morel, Roasted Scallops, Parma Ham” is among the best soups I’ve had. It has a powerful aroma and a remarkably concentrated mushroom flavor. The smooth texture of the scallops complements the creamy soup. It is fortunate that Le Paradou serves good bread, or else I would have resorted to sticking my face in the bowl and licking it clean. One quibble – so few restaurants warm their bread like Le Paradou, but why is the butter ice cold? For both meals, I ordered the same entrée, the “Duck Breast, Boudin Blanc, Turnips, Jus of Caramelized Onions and Oregano.” If at first you do succeed, try, try again. The boudin blanc is amazingly light and airy and complements the duck breast very well. This dish also includes an uncredited appearance by a slice of a prosciutto-like salty pork, which helps balance the dish. Ordering the same thing twice really reinforced for me the importance of ingredients in a dish. The first time I had this dish, the baby turnips had an almost candy-like sweetness to them. The second time, they were less sweet with more of the earthy, slightly bitter flavor that I usually associate with turnips. Both versions were excellent, but this slight change in one element made for an almost entirely different dish. The only dish that has been less than fabulous was a “Lobster Claw Salad with Coriander, Avocado Terrine, Gazpacho.” The cold lobster claw had too much of a mealy consistency for my taste, which I believe is a symptom of either overcooking or having been steamed too far in advance of service. Otherwise, this was a great dish in the making. I suppose this might be thought of as another take on “deconstructed guacamole.” The gazpacho had a particularly strong tomato flavor. I sampled two of the desserts, and both were excellent. The “Apricot Baba, Perfumed with Rum, Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Ice Cream” surpasses even the excellent Baba that I order every time I visit Café Atlantico (apologies in advance to Steve Klc). The coconut ice cream is very smooth but intensely flavored. Roasting the pineapple really accentuates its sweetness, but without it becoming cloying. The rum flavor is also powerful, but doesn’t overwhelm the dish. A “Minestrone of Fruits with Banana-Passionfruit Sorbet” was not quite as good, but still a wonderful way to end a meal. It includes finely diced fresh fruit that tasted as though it had been macerated in sugar, with fresh strawberries, sliced pistachios, and the aforementioned sorbet. Le Paradou can be an expensive treat, culminating in a $100 chef’s tasting menu. But most of these items are available a la carte at the bar. More importantly, the $28 lunch (one appetizer and entrée; $7 more gets you a second appetizer) represents the best dining value that I’m aware of in Washington. Service was efficient and courteous at both meals. I recognized some of the waiters from other restaurants in town, including the guy who first recommended that I try the hunkar begendi at Zaytinya, for which I am ever grateful. Although I hope that the other waiter who told me that the Bordeaux being offered by the glass – the 1996 Demoiselle de Sociando Mallet according to the wine list – was the “second wine of Latour” was merely mistaken and not trying to pull a fast one. The location, frankly, could be better. The phone book will tell you that it’s at 601 Pennsylvania Avenue, but it’s really hidden on a difficult-to-find, one-way stretch of Indiana Ave. This spot has been something like Seinfeld’s “Bermuda Triangle of Retail.” Since I moved to town, Bice, Villa Franco, and Maloney & Porcelli have all struck out in the same space. We owe it to ourselves and our city’s dining reputation to support this place.