JMayer

My heart goes out to everyone involved in this disaster. It is kind of like santa not coming on christmas. Oh well life goes on, and I am sure when Keller reopens he will knock our socks off! Good Luck to everyone with upcoming reservations! Justin

Fatguy, As always well stated. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I look forward to future posts. Cheers, Justin

Fatguy, where do you exactly see cuisine progressing towards? Or is this more of an issue of execution. At least to me it seem chefs such as Keller, Trotter, etc are not necessarily doing the most cutting edge dishes, rather they are executing them better. How do you explain Alain Ducasse, last I checked his dishes were not cutting edge. Also, how much of JG has to do with image? It seems that in the gourmand circle that JG has lost some of his zest and chefs like Keller are hot (Trotter and Bayless seem to be losing steam in Chicago food circles). Why JG has lost his zest is debatable. I don't know, maybe JG is losing popularity because his cuisine lacks newfound creativity and progress. However, I think one must also consider execution and image. To praise invention exclusively is to force the majority of chefs, incapable one and all of inventing, in the neglecting of traditions. Hence, on the one hand, they abandon all tradition and, on the other hand, they do not really create anything Jean-Francois Revel Cheers, Justin

Fatguy here is a post I was working on before I read your latest, I think it addresses many of the issues you raise. Thank you for a very insightful post, I very much enjoyed reading it. In terms of the customer always being right, I do not think this is always the case, however, sometimes I think restaurants forget that they are in the SERVICE business. I will elaborate on this further in a future post, but for know this is what I wrote down earlier today on MS Word….. This may sound a little like a rant, but reading winemike’s experience inspired me. Sometimes no matter how hard a restaurant tries they cannot please some customers, however, upon reviewing winemike’s post I highly doubt this is the case. To me it seems like LB is trying to maximize its profits by booking to many seating and simply failed in the service aspect. Some people may argue that the waiter was having a bad day or he or she is a bad egg and you should not let this spoil the whole basket. However, if I am going to spend, $500 on a basket of eggs there had better not be any spoiled eggs in it, and if there were, I would have the right to be extremely disappointed. Regarding the waiter having a bad day, I do not care if you are having a bad day; do not take it out on me. We all have bad days, does this give us the right to treat people lesser. If your having such a bad day don’t come into work, however, if you do come into work your there to serve at my pleasure (as if I were to serve you I would serve at your pleasure). Is it acceptable for a pilot, who is having a bad day, to land a plane in a haphazardly manner? Moreover, waiters please leave your pretense at the door. I do not care how much knowledge of food you have or how great the executive chef is, there is no reason for you to treat a person as if they are smaller then you. I am not unrealistic and think that restaurants such as LB can succeed with every customer. Sometimes a restaurant will fail; no individual or team can be perfect all the time. Some failures are greater then others, however, at the end of the day it is still a failure. One failure does not justify a bad restaurant (even several failures) it is the overall opinion of people and repeated visits by people that formulate the quality of a restaurant. If someone goes to a restaurant several times and is consistently disappointed then there is cause for alarm! Cheers, Justin

There is no excuse for bad service. In my experience miscomunications do not occur as often as people claim. And in a highly profesional enviornment such as LB, I would expect that the waiter would have enough sense to interpret possible miscomunications and ask the diner to explain himself or herself better. When one person lets down the team, the whole team fails not just the indivdual (sorry for the preachy tone). In my opinion it is not important who told who what, the fact is somewhere the service failed to meet the expectations of the diner. Therefore, the entire restaurant failed, not just the waiter who may or may not have been following someone elses orders. I am not trying to pick on you fatguy, just wanted to express some of my opinions. More to follow! -Justin

Here is the adress of Piero's : 355 Convention Ctr Dr Las Vegas, NV 89109-2067 Phone: (702) 369-2305

Hello, I really love this Italian place called Piero's, it is a little off the beaten track (not in a bad neighborhood or far from the strip). I can't recall the adress, I will get back to you on that. I have been going there for years. When I first started going it had a real rustic cluby feel to it, however over the years it has been remodeled with a more trendy look. Nevertheless it has a nice ambience. I would consider it an upscale restaurant entrees range from 20-40 dollars and the dress is anywhere from smart casual to suit and dress. The wine list is amazing a very large selection with some of the most expensive bottles I have ever seen at a restaurant (6,000-8,000)!!! This place, at least in years past, had a real old Las Veags feel to it. I am remined of this story upon one of my visits there: There was this table of say 25 people sitting right in the middle of the dining room and at the head of the table there was this older gentleman who kept his jacket, sunglasses, and hat on for the entire meal. The table had ton's of courses and wine and champagne, at the end of the meal the bill was presented to the older gentleman and he took out this wad of hundreds that was huge and payed for the bill in cash. The bill easily had to be $3,000, but it barely put a dent in his wad. Then when everyone was getting ready to leave they went up to the older gentleman (ala Godfather style) and paid their respects, he just sat there. Needless to say I like this place, because it reminds me of the nefarious beginnings of Las Vegas, and the food is amazing (Osso Buco to die for!) Food for thought, Justin

While I agree this may the case with some peoples opinion, my mother and sister have never eaten at the FL and for that matter know a whole lot about Mr. Keller. They were just disappionted at the taste of the food (particulary for the price). Bistro food, at least in my opinion, should have big bold flavors and appeal even to the unseasoned palette. Some people may not appreciate Keller's FL dishes because they are not able to grasp the complexity of flavors (mind you this does not make a person any less), however, at a Bistro, as long as you eat and like beef I do not think it should be a leap of faith to enjoy Beef Bourguigonne. However, I have not eaten at Bouchon (just trusting my mom and sis) so take my opinion for what its worth. Enjoy your meal and please to tell us what you thought. Justin

Hello, My mother and sister just got back from Vegas and were very disappointed, not what they expected. Here is what they had: Country style pate with watercress, cornichons and radishes (solid, but not standout) $11.75 Beef Bourguigonne (Was pretty good, however, the sauce was a little weak) $27 Pan Roasted Trout with almonds, brown butter and blue lake beans (Fish was a little fishy, not bad) $23.50 For the prices, they said, there are many other nicer places to dine, you can get much better (and cheaper) bistro's back here in Chicago. I am very disappionted that Keller would put his name behind a restaurant of this quality! -Justin

Spinach Salad with citrus dressing Sautéed Ruby red trout with soy sesame glaze and shitke mushrooms accompanied with ginger poached pear and seaweed salad.

Hello, I was wondering are there any rules regarding which fish should be cooked with skin on and which should not? Thanks in advance! -Justin

In honor of Fat Tuesday I had: Gunthorp Farms pork chop with pan gravy and veal demi-glaze accented with rosemary Sauteed Arugala with country bacon. And to top it all off 4 Krispy Kreme's and a tall glass of milk! Now that's what I call living (though I may die from clogged arterys). Pork Fat Rules! Justin

Hello, Zapp's are great, particulary the cajun! Crunchers BBQ are great as well. And Terra chips are also quite nice (salt and vinegar) -Justin

Bob Dylan Auguste Escoffier William Shakespeare and last but not least...... Al Pacino if the dinner were a flop old AL could entertain us by reciting a Shakespearean Sonnet and Bobby D would probaby bring some good pot!

Does anyone know if there will be any compensation for lost reservations (i.e discounted meals etc...)? just curious, Justin

Hello, Nuevo Leon 1515 W. 18th St is a nice cheap mexican restaurant in Pilsen that has a lot of character. In terms of Greek Town I have always enjoyed Pegasus 130 S. Halsted St. Yours in Food, Justin

Hello, While reading the numerous responses in this thread I was struck by a quote by Jean-Francois Revel in Culture and Cuisine, “Hence it is language more than cuisine that has its fashions. It is more the word than the content that sustains cuisine…” “There are very few creations in cuisine, so let recreations amuse us!” To me it seems many chefs are pushing the boundaries of phrasing on menus, and creating names for dishes that both inspire and shock. The chef at Juniper is doing nothing more than playing with language (writers and poets have been doing it for countless centuries). So, let chefs have their fun! The judgment on the quality of a chef should be made by the food he or she puts out. Personally, I enjoy menus that are written in a concise and elegant manner with the occasional wit thrown in to delight the diner (As opposed to menus such as Juniper's). However, this is just my personal preference. Yours in food, Justin P.S The comments the chef made on meat are ridiculous, but since when did chefs have to be politically correct and try to satisfy everyone. I would rather have someone be honest about his or her beliefs then hear a bunch of BS!