winemike

Hello, I have recently moved to London and had an unfortunate removal ... I can't find my Global knives and my non-stick pans Could anyone recommend a shop in London where I could find these items (and possibly many more ). I'm not looking for the most "prestigious" shop but rather just for a restaurant supplier where individuals could get in, or something like that. Many thanks in advance for any pointer Cheers, Mike

That was my case too ... a few months back ... Anyway, the restaurant is a winner, I could not believe that it was only half full only for Sunday lunch. But, apparently, it's been a hard time for all restaurants for the last month or so ?

"Le Pont aux Chats" has opened at the end of April this year and I had my lunch there this Sunday. And what a lunch !!! Simply one of the best I had in 2004 if not the best ! The setting : situated 42, rue de la Krutenau ... in the Krutenau quarter of Strasbourg, it's been taken over by Valere and Veronique Diochet last April. Valere has been the sous-chef of Antoine Westermann at Buerehiesel for 13 years and Veronique has been sommelier there for several years. And their 3 Michelin stars experience shows : stunning food and excellent wine service ! The setting (the real one) : it's a smallish place (30 seats) and it's a modest but nicely decorated room. There is a patio which must be fantastic in the summer. The food .... Started with "Filets de Petits Maquereaux de Ligne Simplement poeles, Vinaigrette aux Oignons Rouges, Veloute de Pommes de Terre a l'Huile d'Olive". Absolutely stunning ! The mackerel was clearly of the highest quality, the veloute was rich without being heavy and the vinaigrette made using the best olive oil... Simple but terribly efficient Followed a dish that the chef used to prepare when he was a cook for Bernard Loiseau : "Cuisses de Grenouilles Poelees, Puree d'Ail Doux et Jus au Persil Plat". As good as the version I had at Bernard Loiseau's restaurant a few years back. The frog legs were the same quality as the ones served at Buerehiesel. I suspect they come from the same provider ... What can I add ? Before the main course, we had "Coquilles Saint-Jacques Fraiches Poelees, Risotto au Citron". WOW ! The scallops come directly from Quiberon and it shows : they're the freshest you can get (in Strasbourg) and they were cooked to absolute perfection. The risotto was fantastic too, just a touch of lemon to leave the space for the marvellous scallops... At this stage, I was clearly charmed and the rest of the meal did not disappoint : tha main course was a "Civet de Chevreuil d'Alsace Maison, Spatzle". This is very simply as good as the slightly more sophisticated version that was served at Buerehiesel last year. A very concentrated, gamy (of course) sauce and outstanding meat with the spatzle, reminding to everyone that we are in Alsace ... Dessert was a "Creme Renversee au Caramel, Salade d'Orange au Poivre Queue". Very refreshing orange salad perfectly "seasoned" with the pepper. But another guest had an even better dessert : "Fruits d'Automne Marines a la Cannelle, Riz au Lait Vanille". Stunning. The fruits (fig, apple, quetsch) were amazing, with just what it takes of cinnamon and the "riz au lait vanille" simply divine. Again, the Chef serves a quite Alsatian dish which must not be missed .. especially because the season fruits alone are worth it !! The wine service (and advice) was brilliant, we had a Tokay Pinot Gris 2001 from Maurice Schoech and it paired beautifully with the fish/frog legs. Nice acidity, fruity (but dry or with very very low residual sugar) and incredible length, this wine is a winner. We also had a half bottle of Riesling Kaefferkopf 2001 from M. Schoech and this wine, I thought, was even better. Finally a Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Du Loup 2001 which paired nicely with the Osso Bucco that other guests had but which I thought a little "light" for the deer .. though it is clearly a very good wine. The wine list is very reasonably priced though, of course, is not extremely extensive as the restaurant just opened a few months back. But it has a great Alsace section and Veronique knows her wine so you're in safe hands there. So, what's the main reason to go then ??? The price !!! We clearly had Michelin starred food level and service and paid the third of what we'd have to pay in a starred restaurant. Just grand .. this place is a bit unknown at the moment but it won't be for long ... It's been the best surprise I had for a long time. It's a simple and friendly place and the food is just amazing : clearly a dream place for me. There's just one thing which I really regret : I live a few hundred kilometres away from this place ! Mike. PS. I have left the dishes names in French as I do not know how to translate everything and to just report how the Chef describes them ...

Absolutely agree with loufood. La Grande Epicerie also has some great wines at not (too) stupid prices. Last time I've been at Hediard (on Place de la Madeleine), they did not have half of what I was looking for. My Mrs bought 2 "tuiles au chocolat" (not sure how you translate this) and they tasted like cheap chocolate. Very very disappointed (at 1 eur each, you do not expect that) !!

I'm a fan too. And their Riesling Icewine is one of my favourites as well... Cheers Mike

Thank you all for your replies ! I went to Le Dome ... closed indeed Well, I've been to "Au Bon Marche" instead and it was alright. The tuna was not sushi grade, IMHO but the "bar" was very fresh .. brilliant. A nice shop .. and they got Champagne from Selosse ... ... Thanks again. Mike.

Sorry to bother you all but I have a favour to ask : I'm in Paris for few days and I'm looking for a place where I can find sushi grade fish. The few fishmongers I've seen so far (random visits ...) have not proven successful I'd be delighted if anyone can give me a pointer for a good place Many thanks ! Mike.

That's a very good advice, indeed. On top of that, get yourself a Michelin red guide and check the repartition of starred restaurants on the map of France (if you're looking for food experiences...). It can help making a choice. Being from Alsace, I surely encourage you to visit this wonderful region

Looks like it's time to stock up. Hmm ... I'll pass the stocking up and move to the 12 y ... by far my favourite !

Just one thing, in case you're not aware of it : Antoine Westermann makes the best frog legs I've ever had in my life at Le Buerehiesel. I must have had this dish at least 50 times and just can't get tired of it....

In Alsace, a place I highly recommend is in a small town called Gundershoffen, 1/2 h north of Strasbourg. The restaurant is "Au Cygne", 35 Grand-Rue tel. +33 (0)3 88 72 96 43 1 Michelin star. Have not visited very recently (last 6 months) but got very positive recent feedback from trusted sources.

Retail prices for Coche-Dury are sky high because the _merchants_ apply a 400 % markup. Mr Coche sells his wine at the same price to both restaurants and merchants (or not at a very different price). So Coche-Dury at Troisgros is not a bargain, it's just that _most_ retailers apply crazy markups. Well, as long as there are people to buy ... And thanks for your review !

It is difficult to get an idea of ALL that Scotland has to offer on the whisky front. There's that commercial series "Classic Malts" which is composed of Lagavulin (Islay), Cragganmore (Speyside), Dalwhinnie (Highlands), Glenkinchie (Lowlands), Oban (Highlands) Talisker (Skye). They're all ok, my favourites being Talisker, Lagavulin and Cargganmore. Now, you should also go for Campbeltown with a Springbank (great !) and Glen Scotia. The Orkney Island's Highland Parks must not be missed either... The Balvenie seems to be a favourite of some contributors here, I must say their 10 and 12 years version are not my favourite, their 21 years Portwood neither .. 15y and 25y single barrels are above the rest (not just in alcohol ... IMHO Also, Signatory Vintage has delivered some very nice versions of some classics, always worth looking at what they have to offer. Whisky is also a very "moody" affair. Sometimes I like an Oban, sometimes I go for Lagavulin 12 years .. probably at the opposite of the peatiness scale ... Slange !

Lagavulin 12 years. Nothing to add. Springbank 1967 / 32 years from Signatory Vintage maybe ? ...

True. But the price increase is also related to lower yields this year (something around 30% less ?). And the negociant are also left with shed loads of 2001 and 2002 that they have to get rid of ... So by putting high prices on the 2003's they may hope that they can get rid of some of the previous year's bottles ?? If prices stay at that level, I just do not see the primeurs market to be of interest to individuals anymore. For instance, Yquem 2003 is selling at 210 Eur ... yeah, right ... I can find Yquem 1990 at less than Eur 250, why would one even think about buying 2003 at that price ???

Absolutely true. And that's what primeurs are implicetely about (for the first growths for sure) : speculation. Ausone 2003 at Eur 325 is just plain laughable...

I've been there some days ago and bought some baguettes and "pains au chocolat". They're brilliant. Just like in France with a well baked baguette and buttery and crispy pains au chocolat. I'll definitely go back there to try some other stuff they make (the macaroons looked great too). The restaurant looks really good too, I'm planning to go one of these days. Has anyone been there ? What are your thoughts ? Thanks, Mike.

Not very food related ... but I think it's just common sense : when you're in a country, try to speak the local language. Why is it special with the French ? Clearly, speaking the local language opens doors .. what happens in the US if you don't speak English ? .... As for "taquiner" .. I don't get it ... to tease and "people talking about you" .. how is it related ? I think the French national sport are strikes and complaints Along with eating and wine drinking ....of course !

... they say that in many regions of France !!! Especially when you go south .... It is supposed to be a region of France where people do not have any accent, a kind of "perfect" French, from the pronounciation point of view. Though the main attraction is that it is one of the underrated wine region of France (Vallee de la Loire) .. and the castles are great ... clearly worth a visit.

Following my disappointing experience at Le Bernardin, I have sent a letter to the owners of the place explaining why I was not satisfied with my dinner there (the waiter's attitude being a big part of the problem). I have left my e-mail, phone numbers and, of course, address and almost 3 months later, I still have not heard anything from them. No mail, no call, no e-mail. It seems like they really don't care about their customer's comments ...

Absolutely right. And it joins Bux's point. The Michelin guide is a traveller's guide. It has its place in my car. I don't buy it because I want to see who's got the stars, I buy it because I want to know where is a nice place to eat when I'm not in a region I know and I just happen to be there for lunch or dinner.

"Zum Gemahlten Haus", on Schweizerstrasse 67, is a very "German" place. German dishes, local "Apfelwein", sort of mild alcoholic cider. You can also give "Adolf Wagner", Schweizerstrasse 71, a go. Very Frankfurt style. Grune Sosse, JagerSchnitzel. Not very light and a bit touristy but worth a try. I have been a couple of times to this place and was not impressed at all, food very average, very expensive winelist. For French food, I'd rather go to "Erno's bistro" on Liebigstrasse, 15. Try "Gargantua" too. Details on vigna's post. Definitely worth a visit, indeed !

Why for a minimum of 6 months ? I think they *already are* unbearable... These are the guys contributing to the STUPID cost of Romanee-Conti, for instance.

Now that's a problem I would love to have. I must admit I'd love to have this problem for all the wines of the list. .... and plenty of time in front of me .. to drink them, not digest them, goes without saying !! Which leads to this implicit? question. Can you actually enjoy all these wines even if you had, say 1 year, in front of you ? What I'm saying is that I understand how great Coche-Dury's Meursault are when I compare them with "regular" Meursault. Had I only known Coche-Dury or just drunk his wines for a long time (without drinking 'lower' quality) , I probably would not appreciate his achievement... Well, I will probably not get the answer by actually doing this !!

I'd go further ... it's not only masochism, forgive me but I think it's plain stupid. These wines diserve far more respect than they'll get in this show off event. I'd have more respect for someone stating he passed out after drinking too much 1961Haut-Brion ...