robyn

Re "ethnic" food and Michelin. I don't think it's a valid criticism that Michelin can't evaluate "ethnic food." Based on my experiences with many "ethnic" foods outside their countries of origin (including everything from French food in Spain to Chinese food in France to Indian food in the UK) - the restaurants range from terrible to mediocre to sometimes pretty good (but certainly below 1 star Michelin standards). That is as true of Italian food as Indian food in New York. I find that the best of these places are generally really good neighborhood places. In New York terms - they are not worth a trip downtown if you're midtown (or vice versa). I recall that someone in this thread mentioned Tabla in terms of "New York Indian food". I have eaten at many Indian restaurants in New York (some pretty good - although not Michelin star-worthy) - but not at Tabla. So I looked up Tabla. Here are some of the phrases from the review: "...clean Goan-spiced Maine crab cake...exquisite pairing of seared foie gras with seasonal fruit...Tabla's Indian twist on the burger... Recommended Dishes: Goan-spiced Maine lobster...Niman Ranch pork chop..." Now the review was positive - and perhaps the food is tasty - but this is not exactly what comes to mind when I think of Indian food. By the way - the same could probably be said about BBQ. I suspect I got better BBQ today at our county fair (kind of average for here) than I could find in New York. Robyn

Sounds a lot like Brasserie Le Coze (the name of the restaurant in Miami). Yet - I've been thinking. Michelin doesn't jump into new fads feet first - but it does recognize changes in cuisine styles - culinary leadership - etc. (albeit slowly). Is it possible that by giving 3 stars to a place like Bernardin - it leaves the door open to award 3 stars to a place like Senderens? If a chef with Senderens' stature doesn't want to march to the old tune of Michelin's 3 star system - is it possible that Michelin will change its 3 star tune? FWIW - I often don't mind that Michelin sometimes takes its time with things. In countries where it has been rating for a long time - it is frequently slow to award new stars - and to take away stars from venerable establishments (I mind the latter more than the former). There is the occasional meteoric rise (Jamin comes to mind) - they're few and far between and usually more than justified. As the cost of fine dining continues to go up - I don't think I'm the only diner who doesn't want to wind up in last month's restaurant of the year - and find myself paying through the nose for a mediocre meal. As an aside to the person who mentioned the Indian restaurant in London - that was Zaika - and it did have one star last year. I ate there last year. Unfortunately for me - a month or so after it lost its original chef (didn't know that when I reserved). Certainly wasn't a one star restaurant when I ate there (the food looked great but it looked better than it tasted). And this year - Michelin took away the star. Robyn

A question since I've never been to a Michelin three-star in Europe...are all 3 stars created equal? In other words, would a 3 star in France be comparable to a 3 star in all other European countries in which Michelin publishes a red book? I guess the real question is, do they "grade on a curve" in all countries outside of France? Just curious. ← I don't think the concept of "grading on a curve" is the right concept. It's more like Michelin just does better grading French food in France - and it tends to favor French food outside of France. Sometimes with good results (our French food at the *** Gordon Ramsay in London last year was ***) - sometimes with comical results (I recall a *** French restaurant in Madrid years back that was really a dreadful parody of a French restaurant). From a personal point of view - I have found the Michelin guides to be most useful in: 1) finding places - some really excellent - in smaller cities or towns; and 2) alerting me to new places on the way up - i.e., a place that starts as a 1 star but you have a hunch (after reading more about it) that it is destined for 2 or 3 stars down the road. That is something that is unfortunate about looking at the 1st edition of the Michelin guide to New York. There's no continuity - no sense of history. You don't know whether the place with one star or two is on the way up (in which case it's likely to be better next year) - or on the way down (in which case it's likely to be worse). The guide will only prove its worth (or lack of it) down the road. By the way - the only *** star in New York I've never been to is Le Bernardin. However I was a regular customer at its branch in Miami (which closed quite a few years ago - after Gilbert Le Coze died). Its hallmark was excellent fish - prepared simply. I liked the food a lot - but I'd give it one star at best. Robyn

I don't think you need a "star system" in a major city like NYC (or London or Paris) to figure out where the best restaurants are. I only go to New York once a year or so - and I usually want to eat at least one meal in this year's "best restaurant". In the last 3 years - that means I've dined in 3 of the 4 3 star restaurants. On the other hand - while you put down the "tire" origins of Michelin - that to me is its greatest strength. The fact that - at least where it started - it is comprehensive. Covering everything from large cities like Paris and gastronomic capitals like Lyons to much much smaller out of the way places - small cities - towns - places in the countryside. All kinds of restaurants. The highest of the high in Paris - and the one knife and fork place that opened last year in a small town. In fact - there is really no place in France it doesn't cover (and there are similar types of guides in other countries). You flip through a Michelin guide of France - and can plan a trip around eating (which will inevitably take you to some very interesting places you might not have considered going to - as well as some not so interesting ones where the only reason to go is to dine at a particular restaurant). Or you can find a decent place to eat in a town you're passing through. As someone who has driven/traveled hundreds of thousands of miles in the US and Canada - I wish there was a similarly comprehensive guide for the US and Canada that had the same food acumen as Michelin (Michelin certainly isn't perfect but it's about 100 times better than the Mobil guide or AAA - I just looked up the Mobil listings for where I live - and they're a total joke - 9 restaurants for a city of over a million people - and most of them are lousy - there are at least a half dozen places that are really good that aren't even mentioned). Of course - the internet makes things a little easier now - but wouldn't it be nice to have a guide that would give you all the restaurants in Des Moines when you have to spend a night or two there on a business trip? You might find a nice 2 knife and fork restaurant you wouldn't otherwise find in a million years. By the way - I am an equally big fan of the Michelin green guides (the sightseeing guides). Michelin has been doing US green guides for years. And they are uniformly excellent (I've lived in Florida for over 30 years and still use the Michelin green guide to Florida). Robyn

Hi Ingrid - Just want to make sure I understand you correctly. You waited an hour past your reservation time at Slanted Door? That's not right. I would have walked out. No restaurant is worth that IMO (and the Slanted Door - while good - at least for an early lunch - is certainly not worth it). The only time somethng similar has happened to me in recent years was at Le Cirque in Las Vegas (where - after complaining in a letter about that and other things - I wound up getting a wonderful "apologies from the owner" lunch at Le Cirque in New York). Robyn

Hi Ludja - Sorry I haven't written more. It was a really nice trip - except for having to deal with Wilma long distance all week - and getting a bad cold (probably on the plane). And now I have to deal with Wilma again (we're in one of the few parts of Florida it didn't affect - but I have family - including an elderly father - in south Florida). And I was pretty lazy - no copies of menus - no notes. Didn't even read a newspaper for a week. Guess that's why they call it a vacation . Anyway - apart from the lunches - we had dinners at Quince and La Folie. Big thumbs up to Quince. Two dishes that stand out were an incredible poached halibut starter (my husband's) and the best quail I ever had in my whole life (my main). Even my husband - who usually doesn't like quail - really loved this one. For some reason - a lot of chefs seem to think that quail - like steak - should be served while still blood rare. I don't agree. This quail was cooked like a chicken is usually cooked (not rare inside) - and the skin was crispy and tasty. Don't know how they did it - but it was a real winner. La Folie was good - but somewhat of a disappointment (mostly on my husband's part). I think part of the problem was us. We're used to tasting menus (which is what he had) - and French food - but not huge portions of really rich food in every course. It's too much - and at some point eating becomes more of a chore than a pleasure. That was the case with my husband. He was uncomfortably stuffed with the tasting menu. And he didn't much like the rabbit main course. I only ordered 3 courses - so I didn't suffer like he did. I very much enjoyed my starter - quail and foie gras lollipops. And my main - the butter poached lobster (one of my favorite dishes and this was an excellent rendition). So I guess the moral of the story here is order 3 courses unless you're prepared to eat a whole lot of food. We also ate 2 nights at the Four Seasons at the bar (we just felt like grazing those nights). One night after our lunch at Chez Panisse and the other night before we left (had a really early flight). Quite enjoyable. I don't think the restaurant is great - but it's good. And they'll do anything you want from the main restaurant menu at the bar. One night we had a couple of starters for dinner. Another night we split one tasting menu for 2. And I wound up chatting with the Chairman of the Board of Williams Sonoma one night at the bar (he didn't identify himself as such - but he said he worked at WS - and he knew so much about the company- including every detail of the WS stores in Jacksonville - that I "googled" him when I got back to the room). Met other interesting people there too. Sometimes I have more fun meeting and talking with people than eating! I have to say that we didn't consume a single bad thing anywhere. Not a cup of coffee. Not the sandwich we had at lunch at the Legion of Honor Museum (cafe was closed that day - this was off the rack at an outdoor mini-food-bar). Not the sandwiches we bought at the airport to eat on the flights home. You can eat well in a lot of cities if you try. In San Francisco - you can eat well even when you aren't trying. Robyn P.S. I also got a fabulous pair of shoes at Arthur Beren. Great souvenir .

We just got back from 5 days in San Francisco. We stayed at the Four Seasons. Can recommend the hotel very highly. In terms of bigger deal lunches - we went to Chez Panisse and the Slanted Door. Liked the Slanted Door - but lunch at the Cafe at Chez Panisse was really extraordinary. It is still - after being around for 3 decades - terrific. I think the single best thing we had this trip was the creme fraiche panna cotta at Chez Panisse. Also - it's really easy to get there from downtown San Francisco (take a 20 minute Bart ride - walk 20 minutes and work up an appetite - or take a short cab ride if you'd prefer - and you're there). There's a wonderful cheese shop across the street from it if you're local and can bring things home with you. If you want to try the Slanted Door - we ate lunch there our first day in San Francisco - at 11 am (we were on eastern time). Easy walk-in at 11 am - you'd need reservations to dine at noon or after. You would of course need reservations to dine at Chez Panisse. Robyn P.S. I understand that the Slanted Door is *very* crowded and loud at dinner. Would lead me to avoid it for dinner. The Ferry Building is worth a couple of hours for shopping and food grazing.

I recently bought 2 books about eating in Japan. Of the 2 - I'd pick "What's What in Japanese Restaurants" by Robb Satterwhite if I were traveling really light (which is what I assume people on bikes do). Also - my husband has been learning basic Japanese with the use of the Pimsleur system. There's really not enough time to do much before a November trip - but I recommend trying to get through levels 1 and 2 for people who have the time. Robyn

I approach this from a slightly different point of view since I make grits and corn bread all the time at home. They're not "company fare" - just what we eat. Kind of like some people eat pizza a lot. For grits - I use Quaker quick (not instant) grits. Made according to the box recipe (takes less than 10 minutes - including the time to boil water). You can doctor them with things like cream and/or cheese if you'd like - but I like mine "straight". I have made grits from scratch (and eaten grits made from scratch at restaurants) - and - when you're whipping them up in a home kitchen to serve with eggs - or under some shrimp - it's basically a labor intensive nuisance - not worth the effort. I know there are people who will "diss" this point of view. Perhaps some day I'll invite them to a blind tasting . Most of the difference you'll find in fancy recipes is that they add lots of fatty stuff (grease - cream - cheese - etc.) to make them taste richer. You can do this with quick grits too (although I don't recommend it on a regular basis if you're watching your waistline). But it's like coffee. If you take your coffee with lots of cream and sugar - the taste of the coffee becomes less important. Same with grits. Once you add a bunch of grease - cream - cheese - etc. to grits - I doubt that most people can taste the difference between high class from scratch and quick. Anyway - if you find your grits endeavor not worth the effort (you decide you'll only make it once a year because it's too much work for what you get) - try the quick grits. For cornbread - I've tried bunches of recipes - and I can't beat the cornbread mix sold at Williams Sonoma (it's not really southern - it's a bit sweet - and has a bit too much oil - to be really southern) - but it's heavenly baked in a divided cornbread/scone pan. Robyn P.S. I make grits with water - grits - a bit of salt - and one teaspoon of butter for 4 servings.

and what will they do when Orlando gets hit by its own devastating hurricane? ← Well - Orlando isn't immune to hurricanes (there was damage last year from Hurricane Charley - maybe Frances as well). But all things considered - you're usually safer 50 miles inland than when you're on the coast. (Note by the way that RC is actually moving to Seminole County - which is a relatively affluent area adjacent to Orlando.) The current CEO of RC has roots in central Florida. So it wasn't unusual that he decided to relocate there. What's important in terms of the future of larger businesses in Louisiana isn't nostalgia. Or "loyalty". It's whether the state provides a reason for businesses to stay through the problem months/years ahead. It is no secret that Louisiana has not been the most business friendly state in the country. Mississippi's in the same category. The states can use this event as an opportunity to roll out the red carpet - or to continue with "more of the same". If it's more of the same - I don't think it will take much to persuade larger companies that can relocate just about anywhere to leave. So far - I haven't seen much evidence of the "red carpet" (e.g., Entergy will probably go into bankruptcy - while a state official says it won't get 10 cents worth of rate increases to pay for $1 billion in repair costs - insurers will probably leave Mississippi as a result of the "flood damage" class action - etc.). But it's still early in the game. Note that there are of course some businesses - like restaurants - hotels - etc. - that are more or less "local". But most of them don't provide the types of jobs with decent pay that are attractive in terms of economic planning these days. Robyn

Sometimes you just luck out. I wrote the chef at Opus 39 and asked him whether I could stop by one afternoon to take some pictures. Turns out yesterday he was having a small private dinner for some friends of the restaurant and some members of the press. He invited me and my husband. It was a wonderful event . Got to take some pictures too . Here are a few: This is the rosemary onion ciabatta (told you the new chef from Baltimore did good bread - this was every bit as good as it looks - as was everything else). This is sauteed red snapper with celery root puree and shaved brussel sprout ragout: And here is apricot beer braised rabbit pappardelle with roasted peppers and lobster mushrooms. The pappardelle was made by hand minutes before being cooked: The meat course was grilled beef tenderloin with sundried tomato-kalamata olive tapenade, seared radicchio and whipped potatoes: And I couldn't wait until the end of the meal to sample and take pictures of the dessert. Here's the almond crusted chocolate mousse right after it was made - it was served at the table with earl grey creme anglaise: . There were hors d'oeuvres passed around before dinner. And seared foie gras with grilled frisee, toasted walnuts and sherry-fig vinaigrette as a first course (unfortunately - I don't have pictures of the foie gras - it disappeared too fast!). This dinner was as good as the one we had last week. And - obviously - an unexpected treat. I do hope you'll try this restaurant if you get a chance. It's not often we get a restaurant this good in Florida. Robyn

It's actually Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (the name of the disease in humans). And a neurologist friend of ours whose research specialty is dementia discovered the correlation by accident in the course of his research. You can read about his findings in articles like this. Robyn

Well that narrows things down. I've read a bit more about Quinones since I made the reservation (for a Saturday night). It will be a very big deal meal. We're arriving Friday - leaving Monday - so Blais is out. We will probably do either the big deal or little deal restaurant in the hotel on Sunday (depending on appetite) - since most places are closed on Sunday. Sunday brunch is probably out of the question - unless the 9 course or so meal at Quinones has microscopic portions. That leaves Friday night (we'll catch lunch based on where we are in Atlanta at lunchtime). We'd probably be interested in a light bar menu kind of place (don't want to ruin our appetites for Quinones). Are any of the places you mentioned like that? Any other ideas? By the way - Quinones looks first rate. I especially like the idea of a one seating restaurant (and am willing to spend more $$$ to "rent" a table for the entire evening). Robyn

I'm making my Atlanta restaurant reservations now. Made one for Quinones at Bacchanalia. Can anyone compare the two restaurants (Quinones and Bacchanalia)? We haven't dined at either. I am confused about the dining situation at One.Midtown Kitchen. Is the tasting menu only available on Monday or Tuesday? Can you only eat the tasting menu at the bar? Is the bar adjacent to the restaurant - and as noisy as the rest of the restaurant seems to be (even the website is noisy!)? Has anyone had the full tasting menu there? Any comments? We'll be staying midtown and are also looking for a less big deal place in the area for a Friday night. I like Eno. Any other suggestions? We'll be staying at the Four Seasons. Is either of the restaurants in the hotel good? Robyn P.S. The menu that is on the One.Midtown Kitchen website today doesn't look that thrilling.

My husband got me a book for my birthday - Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna. It's excellent - and I recommend it for anyone who wants to take pictures of food. Robyn

I think handling the squirrels can cause as many problems as eating them. So I wouldn't go near 'em. Robyn

Lyme disease ticks (which live on squirrels - among other animals) are most active in the spring and summer. So perhaps that's the reasoning behind waiting for the winter. Apart from lyme disease - and tularemia - and perhaps some other things - there's also a risk of getting "mad cow disease" from eating squirrel brains or other parts of their neurological systems. Frankly - I don't think it's worth the risk in terms of handling them or eating them. Robyn

Interesting that you said this in this thread - because our meal at Troisgros saved an exceptionally bad day. I had misjudged the driving distance to the town - it rained buckets during the whole drive - the traffic was horrible - and we arrived at the hotel/restaurant in a totally horrible mood about 30 minutes before our dinner reservation. We were frazzled and wet and had awful headaches. Rushed upstairs - showered and changed. Went to eat. And - although I knew it wasn't the thing to do - I ordered a gin and tonic before dinner - because I really wanted one. And the staff - which really didn't know exactly what a gin and tonic was - didn't call me an American idiot. They huddled - and put together a somewhat unorthodox - but totally refreshing - gin and tonic. And the rest of the evening was all uphill from there . By the way - I am glad to hear that the rooms with the restaurant have been renovated. When we stayed there - they looked like something out of a 1970's Playboy magazine fantasy (complete with a spiral staircase in our room which was difficult to navigate after dining with a healthy amount of wine). I think the current decor would be more to my taste. Robyn

Here's the menu: Since we were two - we had everything on the menu except the beef (choice of 3 on that course) - and the cheese course (would have been too much food). By the way - a "Foo Foo" is a dumpling (I hadn't heard the word before). There is no reason to dwell on the courses at length - since the menu changes nightly. There is no guarantee you will see any of these dishes on the night you choose to dine. But - since everything we had - and I mean everything - was very good ---> terrific - I would be content simply to arrive at the restaurant - and see what the chef and his staff have prepared for me on any particular night. One reason the menu changes is the chef here is a dedicated shopper as well as a dedicated cook. He goes to the markets on a regular basis (including local farmers' markets right here in St. Johns County - a lot of our county is rural) - picks the produce and other ingredients that look best - and then figures out how to incorporate them into the menu. Since we don't have the same range of high end ingredients that you might find in a city like New York - he also sources certain items from out of town if what's to be found here isn't up to snuff. There are certain things you can't tell from the menu. Like the restaurant makes its own bread. And the bread last night was delicious. The restaurant has just hired a chef from Baltimore who - among other things - loves to bake bread. He's been there about two weeks - and I hope he decides to stay. My only criticism of the restaurant is that - like so many high end restaurants here and elsewhere - it does not have a full bar. This is probably more of a comment on the intricacies of state liquor laws than restaurants. Still - I would like to see more places with full bars (since I prefer spirits to beer and wine). And - state liquor laws have some other strange effects on restaurants. If I understand things correctly (and there is a possibility I don't) - Opus 39 itself does not have a liquor license. But there is a room at the back of the restaurant (which is part of the restaurant) that has a beer and wine package store license. So - when you first walk in - you go to the back of the restaurant and select your wine. There's a bar in this room where you can sample a fair number of wines before you buy. There are wines by the glass. As well as bottles. And the restaurant will open any bottle it has for you if you pay for a minimum of two glasses. My husband doesn't drink. And most wine doesn't agree with me. So I had my usual Veuve - but not the non-vintage. The 1996 reserve. Reasonably priced at $95/bottle. I am far from an expert on wine - so I will leave it to people who know more than I do to comment on the wine offerings. I generally do not take pictures in restaurants while people are eating. However - I hope to get back to the restaurant in the near future and perhaps take some food pictures one afternoon. If I can arrange to do that - I'll post the pictures. Anyway - I highly recommend this restaurant. It is worth a special trip. Robyn

We had to postpone our trip to San Francisco this week due to Hurricane Ophelia (which was - luckily - a false alarm for us). This was to be an anniversary/birthday trip - so we decided to "make do" with what we had in our back yard - and to explore some new places. We live in St. Johns County (one county south of Duval County/Jacksonville). Our county seat is St. Augustine. The oldest city in the US (really). It's small - and quaint - and somewhat touristy. But the local powers that be have prevented it from turning into wall to wall t-shirt shops (architectural review boards aren't all bad!). St. Augustine is 30 minutes from our house - nice drive on A1A along the ocean - and we enjoy going there several times a month. Some of the restaurants in St. Augustine are ok - but I've never found one to rave about. Tonight I did. Opus 39 has been open for a few years. We had lunch there a while back. Very good. But it was - well - lunch. We continued to hear a lot of good chatter about the place - and decided to try it for dinner tonight. To make a long story short - Opus 39 is a superb restaurant. I would not be unhappy to get the meal I had tonight - a 5 course tasting menu priced at only $55 - in New York - LA - or San Francisco. And - in terms of Florida - there are only a few restaurants that I've dined at in the last few years that are in the same class (Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach - Casa Tua in Miami Beach - and Mosaico in Miami come to mind). And I think the meal I had tonight at Opus 39 was perhaps better than the meals I've had in those other places. For those of you who aren't familiar with St. Augustine - it's a nice place to spend a night or two if you're passing through (St. Augustine is just off I-95 a bit south of Jacksonville). It could also make a nice overnight if you live in central/north/Panhandle Florida or south Georgia. A day of beach/sightseeing and a dinner at Opus 39 - followed by a night at one of the many B&B's or the new Hilton would make for a nice celebration of whatever you happen to be celebrating. More on the menu tomorrow. Robyn

We have zip top bags - but the ones without zip tops that I use are simply called Baggies. I read about the Typhoon in Japan. Sounded pretty bad. Have things settled down? Robyn

You're welcome. It's an annual event (although I don't think it took place last year due to the hurricanes) - usually held around Labor Day. So check with the Ritz Carlton next summer if you're interested. Robyn

I agree with the general thesis about high-end versus low-end. But that is an old story (just compare the charts of Walmart and Neiman Marcus over the last year). And I totally disagree about convention locations like Las Vegas and San Francisco. New Orleans was a major convention center. Even if it becomes a convention center again - you're probably talking minimum 3-5 years. In the meantime - that business will go to other convention cities (unlike 9/11 - Katrina will not - IMO - have a profound effect on the national psyche and cause people to stay home). Robyn

I think I've evacuated 10 - maybe 15 times - during the 30+ years I've lived in Florida. After doing my best to make sure things would be as ok as possible when I returned. All evacuations were false alarms except one - Hurricane Andrew. IMO - the only reasons to stay put are lack of money/resources to evacuate - or urgent medical reasons. And even then - there are emergency shelters (like the Superdome). There are people on the rooftops in the 9th ward (district?) in NO now - and some bodies floating in the water. The dead people couldn't have saved their property - but they could have saved their lives. Perhaps this will serve as a very sad reminder that man is no match for a major storm. And that it is better to be inconvenienced - however mightily - than to be dead. About the only thing I regret watching the storm coverage is that the police are not shooting to kill when they see looting. Because it's the fear of looting - more than anything else - that keeps some people from evacuating. Robyn

The highlight of the weekend was the Saturday evening Cooking Classic. I think it could accurately be called "Chef’s Showing Off" . I loved it . The venue was what looked like a double ballroom at the Ritz Carlton. All done in black with “opening night” lighting – and fairly loud upbeat recorded music (performed I’m sure by groups I’m too old to have heard of). The entire room was filled with tasting stations – both food and drink (the latter supplied by various wine and liquor distributors). And high tables to use as “eating stations”. In addition – the lobby outside the ballroom was filled for the evening with comfy retro couches and tables for those who needed to rest between tastes. Think $1 million wedding reception - and you might have some idea what it looked like . The theme of the evening’s eating was “bocaditos” – small bites. So – in effect – it was an extended tasting menu. Except you could eat in whatever order you wanted – and as much or as little of anything as you wanted. One thing I really liked is that the number of tickets sold for the event was limited. So the waiting time for any station was – at most – a couple of minutes (and I didn’t wind up waiting for anything). Here is the menu for the evening: And the chefs mentioned didn't only create these dishes. They were there at the stations preparing them (when they weren't off for a minute sampling another chef's dishes ). This wasn’t your normal “hotel banquet” food. There wasn’t a clunker to be found anywhere. Everything - even the throwaway things - like veggie crudites (heirloom/baby) and oysters (tasty briny from the northeast and west coasts) was – at a minimum – very good. And there were some extraordinarily yummy dishes. My favorites were the “Soleil” Mac & Cheese, the “Nyonya Assam” Prawn Curry, the Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino, and the Fried Cheese and Cold Mango and Tapioca Soup. But let's see - I can't forget the Scallop with Potato Pancake. Or the Chorizo with Peas and Corn Stew. You get the point . I apologize for not posting pictures of these and other dishes. The lighting was bad for pictures (except at the end of the evening – when the lights were turned up a bit and I got the dessert pictures). Many pictures that I took really weren’t suitable for posting (I’d rather have you fantasize than look at some dim blurry pictures). Those of you who’ve read my messages know that I am something of a dessert freak. And – to me – that was the highlight of this dinner – the desserts. My hat is off to the two chefs who were primarily responsible for the desserts (as well as the staff which helped them). The first is Chef Laurent Lhuillier from the Ritz at Grand Lakes – who started his career in pastry in France at the age of 15. He’s come a long way since then. He’s won numerous competitive awards – including 3 gold medals for his chocolate work at the Chocolate Challenge. And he’s no slouch when it comes to sugar. The piece which appears at the beginning of this thread is his – and made entirely of sugar. And I believe this is one of his pieces too: And this is just a small sample of the other things on the dessert tables: I can’t write about the desserts without mentioning Pastry Chef Sheldon Millett from the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island. I don’t think that Chef Millet has won any awards – but his enthusiasm for his profession was evident during his Classic Chocolate seminar. When asked by TPTB to come up with something special as serving plates for the desserts – he came up with this – “serving plates” made out of chocolate and nuts and fruits. I did a double take when I saw them (had to take a small taste to make sure they were real ): I can’t tell you how terrific this dinner was. Except to say that my husband – who usually hates eating at anything other than a “sit down” dinner – really loved it too. We were both happy campers. And as we walked back through the grounds to our room - we noticed that all the chefs were in a meeting room. Not partying. Probably going over their notes. What worked - what didn't (I thought everything worked but they're more discerning than I am). What could be improved. I think this glimpse gave me a lot of insight into what this weekend was all about. The next morning we stopped by the regular Ritz Sunday brunch (which we couldn’t possibly eat). It was billed as an opportunity to “meet the chefs”. I had spoken with quite a few of the chefs and other kitchen staff over the course of the weekend’s events – but gave those who were there a very enthusiastic “my compliments to the chefs and staff”. I don’t know if the event will be as good next year (it’s an annual event) – but I plan to attend and find out. By the way - I hope that you don't think I'm insensitive writing about a festive event when so many people in the US are suffering the catastrophe that is Katrina. As someone who went through Hurricane Andrew - my heart goes out to them. The only reason I've been able to get all these messages out in 24 hours is that I've been glued to the TV in my home office watching the Katrina story unfold. I hope that those in the affected areas can summon the strength and patience to get through the difficult days, weeks and months ahead. Robyn