robyn

We went to the Anchor and Hope for lunch last Friday. About 12:30 - maybe a bit later. Had to wait at the bar for about 5 minutes. Perhaps it was a short wait because it was a bank holiday weekend? Had a fabulous lunch. Started with the "peas". I'd read about this starter. That's what it is - peas in a pod. Doesn't sound like much - but if you come from a part of the world where it's tropical - and you can't get fresh sweet spring (English) peas - then it's terrific. My husband chose the better dish this time - lamb sweetbreads (we've have sweetbreads before - never lamb though) with various veggies (wonderful sweet carrots) and beans. I had the turbot. It was a fine turbot - but no competition for the sweetbreads. Good Guinness on tap. My husband also liked the Bombadier bitter (it was his birthday - he was entitled to 2 beers for lunch ). So I guess my advice in terms of a table would be - go on a bank holiday weekend . For those of you who are tourists like I was - the place is a short walk from the Tate Modern. A perfect place to have lunch before a visit to the museum (don't miss the Hopper exhibit). Robyn

Unpacked and found my menus. I've told you just about everything I thought about our meal at TA - but I didn't tell you what my husband and I ate. We started with the champagne trolley. The first time I saw one of these was at ADNY - and it was love at first sight. Wine generally doesn't agree with me but - for some reason - champagne does. So I stuck with champagne for the evening - Pol Roget NV. I'd never tried this champagne before (it isn't that common here in Florida) - and I liked it a lot. It wasn't a bargain at TA - 10 pounds a glass. I've found some here in Florida today for $20/bottle. I'll be stocking up. My husband and I both had the ALC carte menu for 55 pounds. I thought the price was very reasonable for the meal. We had several amuse bouche courses. I don't take notes - so what I don't remember isn't memorable. The one amuse bouche that was memorable was a wonderful parfait/mousse/whatever of tomato with pesto. The essence of spring. My starter was "Duck" - which is billed on the menu as hot duck cassonade with foie gras beignets, cured duck and prune puree. It was terrific (duck several ways and things that taste good with duck) - and the foie gras beignets were the single best thing I had in London. We deep fry everything here in the deep south in the US. Wonder why no one here has thought to fry foie gras ? My husband's starter was "Scallops" - billed as roast scallops with cauliflower puree, sherry jelly and pickled raisins. It was good - delicate - but I liked my "Duck" better (I tend to prefer hearty dishes). For the main - I had "Veal" - roast veal fillet with veal shin lasagne, braised veal and braised onions with sorrel. The circles of fillet were served over little piles of delicious mashed poatoes. The single best thing on this plate was a square the size of an envelope served vertically which was fried tongue of veal. I swear - Tom Aikens is the best southern cook in the world - he knows what to fry and how to fry it . My husband had "Chicken" - roast chicken breast with boudin of chicken leg confit, chicken and morel mousse, morels and Sauternes sauce. I thought this was very good - but again - more delicate than and not as good as the veal. My husband tends to order a lot of fish and chicken - but I always like to give a chef a chance to work with the big flavors that you can only develop when you're working with game and meat. The best dessert throwaway was the truffles (I have a weakness for truffles). I would have ordered the Coffee and Hazlenut for dessert (it's one of my favorite flavor combinations) - but my husband ordered it first. So I took the Lemon. The Coffee and Hazlenut was coffee and hazlenut cake with coffee mousse and coffee parfait. I liked it better than the Lemon (lemon rice pudding with lemon pannacotta, lemon sorbet and lemon mousse) - but the Lemon was tasty (perhaps parts might have been a bit tart for some people - but I like my citrus desserts tart). I will note that I had never heard of lemon rice pudding before this trip - but I wound up having it twice. The first time was at 140 Park Avenue - and I thought it was better at 140 Park Avenue because the rice was lumpier there and it was served with spiced poached pears - I'm a sucker for poached pears. If I had to point to one weakness at the restaurant (and it's a minor weakness) - it would be on the dessert end. All in all - it was a terrific meal - and I think what I ordered played to the chef's strengths - which are the big tastes of game and meat. I always advise people to order the "big" dishes at "big" restaurants - and TA is no exception. The wine service was excellent. My husband asked for a recommendation for a bottle to go with his meal - and received a Menetou-Salon "Clos des Blanchais" Henri Pelle Loire 2002 for 35 pounds. He liked it a lot - and it didn't break the bank. So you don't have to spend a fortune to drink good wine here (although it is certainly possible to go to much greater heights - at much greater cost - than we did). I frankly can't see how reasonable people can disagree about this restaurant. It's excellent. I know from reading this thread and other things on the internet that this chef carries some baggage with him - and then there is the unfortunate current gossip about him and his wife. I don't think that the chef's past or his marital situation is any of my business. I'm simply a diner at his restaurant - not his mother - and all I want is a excellent meal. There is no question my husband and I got that when we dined with him and his staff last week. Robyn

The upper middle class can certainly compete with the rich in terms of dining. I am not so sure about oceanfront estates in Palm Beach . Robyn

Just curious - what didn't you like about Mrs. Aikens? What was your experience? I found her to be quite charming. Like the rest of the staff. And the Irish sommellier - well no one could mistake him for anything but Irish the night we dined. Which is kind of beside the point - because we judged him on his wine selections (for us - we don't exactly drink traditionally) - and we were quite happy (I with my pol roger - my husband with his wine). Her husband - Mr. Aikens - is quite interesting too. We chatted with him for a while in the bar area (I like to have a cigarette after dinner and you can only smoke in the bar there). I really hadn't gotten the kind of feeling about food I got that night since I had my first Robuchon meal at Jamin. Something new - something exciting. In this case - well I have to liken the dishes to what one feels watching the Cirque du Soleil. There is a lot going on - but you take it in with a sense of awe and wonder - not scorn. Like every possible piece of veal (including the tongue) cooked every which way with everything that goes with it - including magical beignets of foie gras - what could be more terrific than that (this was the single most delicious thing I ate in London)? I was pleased to learn that Mr. Aikens (is it Aiken or Aikens?) trained for a while with Mr. Robuchon. The most favorite chef of my younger days passing on ideas to a new generation of chefs who will bring a smile to my face as I age . Anyway - what didn't you like? What did they do to offend you? I am a simply a middle aged woman who loves good food - and my love didn't go unrequited the night I dined there. Robyn

Like I've said - we had a fabulous dinner there on the 27th - and just got home today. Once I get unpacked and back to normal (a couple of days) - I'll report too (on this and the other places we went to). It would really be too bad if Mrs. Aikens left the establishment - because I thought she was a terrific "front of restaurant" person. By the way - I read an article in the paper on the plane today. I think it was from the Times. About the Michelin rating system and the fellow who wrote a book "exposing" the "dirty little secrets". And all I can say is he was totally on point. If one looks only at food and service - then the 2 best restaurants we went to were Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens (the interior at Gordon Ramsay was a bit more polished). Can't say that one was better than the other. They were just totally different in terms of food styles. Gordon Ramsay is Chanel - or Gucci - traditionally elegant - and Tom Aikens is Cavalli or Alexander McQueen - right on the cutting edge. Like I said - no better or worse (except perhaps as a matter of taste preference) - just different. That said - I can't understand Aikens having 1 star - and Ramsay having 3. You might say - well Aikens is new - and Ramsay isn't. But if the Times article is correct - the chefs with "pull" can get their 2 stars or 3 stars even when they're new. Makes me wonder. I'll also note that we thought Menu was very very good. It got a first star this year - and that is clearly where it ought to be. Zaika - on the other hand - while enjoyable - simply isn't in the same league as the other restaurants with Michelin stars. In light of the Times article - it really gives one pause. Anyway - I know I'll get around to writing more about each place when I get caught up back home. We had a great time eating in London (apart from the star restaurants we ate at places as diverse as the hotel restaurant - 140 Park Lane - Wagamama -the Anchor and Hope - fantastic lamb sweatbreads there - and terrific dim sum in Chinatown). I took some pictures at a few places and will post them when I figure out how to upload pictures. I had to diet before I left and I fear I'll have to diet now upon our return . But it was worth it! Robyn P.S. The favorite things we saw apart from food were the Chelsea Flower Show, Jerry Springer at the Opera, the Hopper exhibit at the Tate, the roses at the Queen's garden in Regent's Park (simply the most amazing display I've ever seen) and listening to people from dozens of countries who now live in the UK scream at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park about how awful the US and the UK are (it is of course their right to do that in the US and the UK - but they'd have their tongues cut out were they to say similar things about their home countries in their home countries - my husband and I furthered the tradition of heckling that afternoon ). You're too late the catch the first event - but the others are ongoing and I recommend them. Those of you who live in London live in a wonderful city - and I'm more than a bit jealous.

Thanks for the tip. I'm still here (until Monday) but I'm afraid I'll have to work my way through the box of chocolates I took home from Tom Aikens first . We had a fabulous meal there last night. Will write a full report later (today is my husband's birthday and I think he wants to spend it doing things other than watching me write messages on the computer ). Robyn

That's interesting. My husband and I are in London now. Ate at the only 3 star in central London today (Gordon Ramsay). Fixed 3 course lunch is about $63 - 3 course a la carte (lunch or dinner) is about $117. I tend to think of London as being more expensive than New York - so Per Se sounds kind of pricey to me. Robyn

The times they are a'changing. We got both the caramel truffles and the strawberry ice cream wrapped in white chocolate at lunch today. Robyn

I am alive and well although still very jet-lagged in London. My husband and I had lunch at Gordon Ramsay today before the Chelsea Flower Show. We know that Gordon Ramsay was not in the kitchen 1) because we paid a brief visit to the kitchen; and 2) Gordon Ramsay made the headlines in tonight's Evening Standard ("Celebrities Walk Out of Ramsay Hell's Kitchen"). We haven't seen the TV show yet - although apparently everyone else in the UK has (our cabdriver to the restaurant couldn't tell us enough about it). Nevertheless - lunch was beautiful (it's a sign of a fine well-run restaurant when things are smooth as glass in the head chef's absence). My husband had the lunch menu. He started with a cannelloni of cornish crab with wild salmon, baby spinach and a chive veloute. Main of roast fillet of wiltshire pork with crushed peas, herb gnocchi, wild mushrooms and madeira jus. Dessert of marinated rasberries with tapioca, melon and lemon brioche. I dare anyone to find a better meal anywhere for 35 pounds. I ordered from the a la carte menu. Not as much of a bargain - but well worth the price. Starter of warm scottish lobster tail (I didn't know Scotland had lobster) with grilled asparagus, tomato and aubergine millefeuille, caper and chervil emulsion. Main of oven-roasted pigeon from Bresse with sauteed foie gras, creamed spinach and mushrooms, braised root vegetables and truffle jus. Both of these were seriously delicious - not overly this - or underly that - just plain wonderful. The plates were totally clean when they returned to the kitchen. I forgot to get the dessert menu - so I can't quote you chapter and verse - but my dessert was a tall cylinder of bitter chocolate filled with various layers. The first and most memorable was a ginger mousse. Then layers of several other smooth things - with a layer of crunchy caramel in the middle. Side of vanilla ice cream with thin threads of chocolate. An excellent dessert expedition. I didn't drink anything except a liter of water (it was lunch and the flower show beckoned). Being from the US - we find it silly to pay for water - but we are resigned to the European custom (when in Rome, etc.). My husband asked for 2 glasses of wine to pair with his courses - and received reasonably priced pairings (white was excellent - red was ok). We liked the room and the table seatings (the person who wrote about 5 people being cramped was correct - the tables here are for 4 or fewer). The table settings (including flowers) were attractive - and the flowers in the planters outside (mostly hydrangeas) were lovely. Perhaps my only criticism was that the flatware could have been a bit "heftier". The service was both attentive - and extremely friendly. In particular - the head waiter was both funny and charming. Capable of treating me like a grown up woman while making me feel like a kid in a candy store. What can I say? This is a world class restaurant. Deserving of its praise. Although I had my camera - I couldn't possibly have whipped it out to take pictures. Would have ruined my mood (taking something magical and turning it into something clinical). I don't eat like this very often - but - when I do - I enjoy every minute. Note that we got here yesterday. We are staying at the Marriott Park Lane. We ate at the restaurant in the hotel last night - 140 Park Lane. I won't lie and say that it's in the same class as Gordon Ramsay. But we had several dishes that show that the chef has serious talent. Our favorite starter was parfait of chicken liver and foie gras with mango confit and salad mache. Favorite main (restaurant signature dish and a world class dish) was fricasse of monkfish and veal sweetbreads with morels and tarragon. And the dessert - lemon rice pudding with spiced poached pears - was very very good (I'm a sucker for anything with poached pears - and this dessert was both novel and delicious). The service and surroundings - while certainly below 3 star Michelin standards - are nice. The restaurant is currently running a 2/1 coupon offer on london-eating.co.uk - and I would like to give the chef a little free advertising here - because he deserves it. Running a hotel dining room is frequently underappreciated - and this is certainly more than another hotel dining room. Again - I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures during dinner - but perhaps I can take some in the (open) kitchen later this week. We're having a good time (only complaint is Chelsea Flower Show should have sold 1/2 the number of tickets - it was more crowded than Disneyworld on its most crowded day). Wish you were here (if you aren't already ). Cheers! Robyn

Is the developer subsidizing the restaurant? Robyn

Absolutely not. I guarantee. What if you were Rudy Giuliana's personal secretary - minus the $100 bill? Robyn

It's completely different because there are no jacked prices at Per Se. Everybody at Per Se gets the season-ticketholders' price even though the product would be worth more on the open market. There are no inflated scalper/broker rates based on supply and demand. At the World Series, the people with the most money get the tickets. At Per Se, the tables go to those who call first, and everybody pays the same. Well - that is not an entirely accurate analogy. The main problem being that most of the people here can't seem to get reservations after 6 or before 10. Not a problem on my part. I'm not planning a trip to NYC anytime soon - and perhaps by the time I get there - I'll be able to dine at a normal hour. Robyn

I don't think these restaurants are so much "failing" as coming to the end of their natural lives (and some lived to a very ripe old age!). Robyn

It's always nice to speak a bit of the language in a country you're visiting - but a little won't help you with a complicated menu. A friend of mine wrote a series of books quite a few years back - Ellison's Menu Readers (from various countries - including France). They're reasonably comprehensive - and very compact (will fit into a pocket or a purse). They're also out of print - but you can pick up a copy on Alibris. Robyn

I wouldn't mess around trying to bring any contraband into the country these days - no matter how innocuous. Stressed out border agents aren't apt to be amused by a cheese smuggler. Robyn

The Pyramids cost about $5. Robyn

Being from Florida - Vancouver is high on our list of places to go to get out of the heat in the summer. Regarding your ideas - I have the following comments. Don't choose between Tojo's and Blue Water. Do both (we did both on our last trip and were quite happy). At Tojo's - we ate at the bar. Didn't do a fixed omakase. Just let the chef prepare dishes until we were full. Came to about $75 a head without liquor. Note that we are not huge eaters. Your mileage may vary. We went to C last trip as well. Excellent. If I had to choose between Blue Water and C - I'd choose C - but I wouldn't want to have to choose. Eat at Granville market (who can look without eating!). The beach itself isn't wonderful - but walking/biking/roller blading/etc. on the "boardwalk/seawall" is great. Do as many miles as you need to burn off your excess caloric intake . The Pink Pearl is a sentimental favorite of ours. Perhaps there is better dim sum in Vancouver these days - but any good dim sum is a treat for us - so we keep returning to the Pink Pearl. If you want mountains - forget about the rope bridge. Take a day trip to Whistler. It's a breathtaking trip (the village is ok too - last time we were there - we saw a great street juggler). I like walking in Stanley Park (I do have to walk a lot to burn off the calories ). I also like walking in the contemporary furniture stores (happens to be a love of my life - exploring contemporary furnishings all over the world). Since you'll be in town over the weekend - go down to the docks while the cruise ships are in port. They are really quite a sight (huge! -- like floating cities). Note that the trolley is a great deal - and a great way to get around the city if you've never been there before. It hits all the major attractions around town - and you can get on and off as much as you like. Don't have to worry about driving and parking. The Museum of Anthropology is a bit off the beaten track - but it is a world class museum. Worth at least a couple of hours. For other people reading this thread (don't think you'll have time) - it's a thrill taking the jet helicopter to Victoria for the day (there are discount rates if you travel at times other than business rush hour). I've only been on a helicopter twice in my life - so I'm like a kid when I get in one. Most of all - remember that apart from making major restaurant reservations in advance - Vancouver is a wonderful little city where it's a lot of fun to unwind and poke around (I'm type A too - but Vancouver is more fun if you practice some type B ). Too bad you won't be in town for the PNE. Anyway - I love Vancouver. Hope you do too! Robyn P.S. I have probably given you much too much to consider for a long weekend. My husband and I have been to Vancouver 3 times in the last 10 years - each time for about 5 days. I suspect you'll return as well. So what you don't see this time - you can see next time.

People here in Jacksonville paid $1000/head for front row tickets for the Alabama farewell tour concert here last month. I don't think most were rich. Some maxed out their Mastercards to pay for the tickets. So I guess it's to each his own. On my part - I figure between $500 and $1000 for 2 people for a dinner at a very important restaurant in a very important city these days. Perhaps $200-400 in a very important restaurant in a lesser city. There are probably a lot of people who can't afford to spend this amount - or don't care to. That doesn't make it obscene. When someone has earned money - he or she has the right to spend it however he or she wants to spend it. And what justifies the price is expensive ingredients prepared with exquisite attention to detail presented in world class surroundings. Robyn

They aren't - for the simple reason that - to me - a "destination restaurant" is a restaurant that I go to when there's no other reason to go to the place where it's located. Therefore - Trois Gros in Roanne is a destination restaurant - Alain Ducasse in New York is not. I'd never go to Roanne - and then think about making a reservation or stopping in at Trois Gros - whereas I'd go to New York and perhaps consider the possibility of trying to eat at Alain Ducasse (wouldn't expect to get in - but it wouldn't ruin my trip if I didn't get in). They are both excellent restaurants (at least Trois Gros used to be - I can't speak for what it's like it today) - but one is a "destination" restaurant - and the other is a great restaurant in a great city that has lots of other things to offer. I used to go to "destination" restaurants when I was younger. It was frequently a lot of fun. But - as I've gotten older - I find that I prefer traveling to world class cities - and doing things in addition to eating (be it museums, theater, shopping, whatever). I have even gotten to the age where an afternoon being pampered in a spa is an attractive proposition . Part of it has to do with the fact that I simply can't do a week of nothing but eating in a place like France - eating in a 1 star one night - a 2 star the next night - and a 3 star the next night. It's just too much food! And too much driving (when you live in a slurby city - like most cities in Florida - the last thing you want to do on vacation is spend half of your vacation driving - I need to walk at least 2-3 miles a day to get in shape for fine dining these days ). So I say - enjoy these places when you're relatively young. As for Trio and Moto in Chicago - I can recall thinking of trying Trio when my husband and I were in Chicago a couple of years ago - and I frankly can't remember why we didn't. We wound up at MK instead for our so-called "big deal meal". In retrospect - I wish we had tried Trio - but those are the breaks. In any event - that trip was during "architecture week" in the spring - and the events/tours that week would have made the trip worthwhile even if all we had eaten was frozen pizza. As for Blais - I'm sorry I missed it (we get to Atlanta about once every year or so and would have liked to try it). From what I've read of this chef - perhaps he could try perfecting the stuff he's working on - and then find a decent home in a corporate environment - like a high end hotel. Don't laugh. A lot of the better high end restaurants we're finding these days are in corporate/hotel environments (just look at the restaurants in the AOL/Time Warner building in New York - including Per Se - it sure doesn't hurt that patrons from the Mandarin Oriental can take an elevator to the restaurant). And Dave - as for Atlanta in the early 80's - I remember those days! I used to travel there perhaps 10 times a year to argue in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals downtown - stayed at the Peachtree Plaza. And I cursed the court administrators who had come up with the idea of the 11th Circuit (before then - I used to go to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans). All I can say is that between then and now - Atlanta has come a long way. Robyn

I've never eaten in Moto, Trio or wd50 - so perhaps someone who has can tell us whether they serve "Adria" type food. Robyn

Should I bring a football helmet when I eat there next week ? Robyn

Hawaii is famous for spam consumption too. Robyn

I don't think there's anything wrong with us (I used to live in Miami - don't now - but I get there about once/twice a year and think it's a fine/fun eating town). Ask yourself which restaurants of this type have really achieved success? Can you name one in a major city that relies essentially on local clientele (as opposed to being a "destination restaurant")? Can you name one in New York? London? (And Fat Duck doesn't count because it isn't in London proper - it's a destination restaurant outside of London - it would be the equivalent of going to Massapequa for dinner if you were staying in midtown Manhattan). I think what customers in lots of places are basically saying is they might want an experience like this once - but it's not worth a return visit. So the restaurants that serve this kind of food - and haven't achieved "destination" status - don't have "legs". On my part - I think there's some fine dining in Atlanta (I don't live there but last trip we dined twice at the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead and thought it was world class). Robyn

This is a very good argument for "ordering local" except perhaps in the finest of restaurants (e.g., we have a shrimp fleet here - and the local shrimp are terrific). Robyn

I think you gave me a lot of insight here. Guess I lucked out. Actually right for the wrong reason. I smoke - and (at least when I was there) - you could only smoke at the bar at Seastar. So that's where I ate. And - apart from really liking raw seafood - the raw bar chefs were so personable - willing to recommend things - say what was great - what wasn't so great - so interested in making nice presentations - that my husband and I never did get around to ordering from anything other than the raw bar menu. At some point during both of the meals we had there - the chef appeared - and insisted we try a couple of things we hadn't already tried. The modest wines we ordered were appropriate for the food. And we had interesting discussions with the people on both sides of us (they were from Seattle - high tech kind of work - and my husband and I don't get to talk with people who do that kind of work too often - so we just - to use a phrase - "ate it up" ). We had two meals where everything just kind of "came together". The "Jupiter aligning with Mars" kind of experience. Good eats. Lots of fun. By the way - even when it comes to cooked seafood - I agree with you that "less" is generally "more". Whether it's a nice deep fried flounder - or a poached fillet of sole - or just peel and eat shrimp (served with small portions of appropriate sauces). I cook a lot of seafood at home - and high quality seafood usually speaks for itself. You know - I have to ask you Seattle people a question. Our Costco here in Florida sells whole Dungeness crab - previously frozen. Is this a product that can be decent if previously frozen (obviously it would be better fresh - but we're not likely to get it fresh here)? Robyn