BackwardsHat

He refused to make them? lol... Tough luck I guess, the shoestrings were awesome... I'll consider myself lucky... I tend to order "chef's choice" as well sometimes, I find that most chefs like your confidence in their abilities and nice rewards tend to follow... but I can tell you that I've never done that when it comes to steak... But you got a great cut... I was debating about getting that exact same cowboy rib-eye when I was at Ray's.... Thick bone-in rib-eyes are probably my favorite steaks... There is a great one in San Diego that's 32-oz.... I'm salivating just thinking about it...

mnebergall: Glad to hear you had a great experience there... Ray's appears to be VERY consistent in cooking great steaks... What did you think of the shoestring potatoes? I wouldn't be surprised to see them on the menu in the near future like steve says... From what I hear, the same thing happened with the chopped steak and that's why it's now a daily special... As far as secrets go, I share everything on this board, it's only fair given the amount of great tips I've gotten... Hell, I probably wouldn't have even discovered Ray's if it weren't for egullet... :) Steveklc: They aren't really "fries" like you might be thinking, more like shoestring potatoes lightly grilled in oil and onions... Not really crispy... But, I am almost positive you'll love them regardless...

Eh, my only advice is not to be shocked/disappointed by the appearance of the place... It's really quite bare and ugly... Everything is cheap: the tables, the napkins, etc... I can't really comment on the wines since I am not too much of a wine guy, but I had a glass of a south american shiraz (argentina I think) and my girl had a chardonnay (cali I think), both were tasty and not that expensive... Personally I like champagne with my steak, or sometimes coca-cola...

OK, so I went to Ray's this past Friday night... 8PM reservation... I got there at about 8:15 and the place was packed... There was only one table open, a nice table for 2 right in the middle of the restaurant, on the right hand side... A few people were turned away/waiting outside so it was nice to be able to walk right in and have my table waiting for me... There is a sign at Ray's that says "An empty table is not necessarily an available table." I guess they must get quite a few people showing up and asking why they can't eat dinner that night when they can see empty tables... Anyway, the dinner was GREAT. My dining partner and I ate the Chateaubriand for two, medium-rare... We got the usual sides (mashed potato and creamed spinish) but also added some asparagus as my dining partner is a bit lactose intolerant and couldn't eat much of the potato or spinish)... We started with a couple of salads and the blackend scallop appetizer... The scallops were seared nicely and VERY flavorful, they were pretty rare, just the way I like them... The salads were great, lots of shallots, tangy vinegar... The steak was cooked just great and VERY flavorful... We got a bearnaise with it and it was pretty remenicent of being in France... Also, Michael made us a complementary side dish of shoestring potatoes since my dining partner couldn't eat the mashed potatos... They were VERY tasty... The potatos were traditional shoestring, with lots of onions and lots of oil... PERFECT... Michael came out a few minutes after our steaks arrived and asked us if everything was good (btw, I was pleasantly surprised to see how young he was)... I of course told him that he had outdone himself on the steak and that I wasn't worthy of such a perfectly cooked tenderloin... He gave me a smile and a chuckle... He then asked my dining partner if she liked the shoestring potatoes... She said yes, they were quite good.. He then went on to say that he just sort of created that idea right then and there because he wanted to give her something unique since she couldn't eat the milk-based mashed potatoes... He then started chatting it up with her a little bit more, asking her if the overall meal was to her expectations, etc... So after a few more minutes of chatting and so forth he thanks us, we thank him, and he moves back to the kitchen... We ended the meal with the strawberries and whipped cream, which is one of my most favorite desserts ever (J'adore les fraises avec chantilly!)... So anyway, bottom line, Ray's is the shiznit, I recommend it to anyone who likes a good steak and can look past the fact that there is no decor... It's hands down the best cooked steak you can get outside of your own BBQ... And Michael seems to be a great guy who cares about his food, which I have to believe is the secret to his success... Anyway, I recommend an 8:00-8:30 reservation time on weekends, it worked out great for us... Cheers...

Yes Gary, that's exactly what it was called, Yamazato. I had two of the whiteboard specials... I think at least (maybe they weren't on the board, but I asked the sushi chef for something interesting)... They were both rolls... One was a variation of spicy tuna, the other was some complicated roll... Like we agree, both were good, but not great, which seems to be the theme here in the DC area... I am beginning to realize the only consistently good sushi in the DC area that I have access to is the sushi I make in my own house when I am able to get fresh fish (see picture below)... On a more positive note, I used to think the same about steaks but I took a trip to Ray's and I must say that I will go back there semi-often as it's the closest thing to a good steak I've had outside of my own grill in a while (see my reply on the ray's thread)...

Ya, I went to Kampai in Rosslyn... It was pretty empty when I went as well... 7:30ish... I didn't like the sushi that much, but it was OK... Average at best, but not bad... I tried a place in Alexandria that was pretty good, it was right off little river turnpike and beauragard street, across from the World Mart, I forget the name of the place, but it was surprisingly good, some of the best DC area sushi I've had... But still, nothing great...

Ya, the chicken is good, but it doesn't beat home-made, nor do I think ANY fast-food chicken will ever beat homemade... BUT, I must say it's some of the tastiest restaurant fried chicken I've ever had...

Everything there is pretty salty...

130 euro menu as of early april: Amuse - Saffron creme mousse, pea mousse, and lemon mousse in a chilled shot glass. Entree #1 - The specialty of the house, the avocado with crab and almond oil Entree #2 - Duck fois gras, 2 layers sandwiched 3 layers of mushroom, lemon sauce on the side and mint on the side as well. Entree #3 - Scallop w/ cucumbre, cucombre sauce, flowers, and thin radish slices Entree #4 - Puree chorizo in yellow whipped sauce w/ green peas and onion Lemongrass & pepper shot of sorbee served in between Entree #4 and Plat #1 Plat #1 - Sole fish fillet, raw oyster, caviar, caviar in jelly, endive, all with dark green parsely sauce Plat #2 - Loire valley fillet, asparagus, mushrooms Mystery Soup was served in between Plat #2 and #3 Plat #3 - Lamb dish (sooooooo good!!!) with cheese sauce, onion, peas, and carrots Dessert #1 - Strawberry, cream, biscuit with ice cream Dessert #2 - Chocolat & praline with praline sauce on side

I agree, if we had the 45 € menu, it was a great deal. I only felt bad because I had specifically said it was 29 € and my boss said "lets go, my treat". I would hate to think that she spent 100 bucks taking me out to lunch. I think they had another menu as well for 130 €, which the entire table had to order. I'm just hoping that's not what we had. No, I don't believe you had the 130 euro menu... That's the surprise dinner menu, which consists of many more courses than you described.. I will post a followup post right after this one with a description of the 130 euro menu, I had it a few weeks ago for dinner... 45 euro and 29 euro is only a 16 euro difference, not that big of a deal, I wouldn't sweat it

45€ is a great deal for lunch at L'astrance... The "surprise" lunch menu you had is basically a mini version of the "surprise" dinner menu... As far as I know, they only have one lunch "menu", so it must be the surprise menu you had there... I could never eat lunch at a place like L'Astrance for the simple reason that I would want to order a huge dinner menu since the food is so light and tasty

There is no "secret" to getting a reservation... Like saycheese said, read my post in the Taillevent vs Grand Vefour thread... Oh, loufood's response in this thread is accurate, listen to what she has to say... Good luck!

I ended up eating about 50% sashimi and 50% nigiri since the rice wasn't the highest quality... How would you rate the fish on a scale of 1 to 10 on your Tuesday night experience?

Maybe I should make a separate Astrance thread? I was hoping to get some comments on the past surprise menus...

This is a great thread... Nothing is more infuriating than getting an overcooked steak... I always order medium, and usually get between medium-rare to medium-well, SELDOM do I actually get a medium steak... The sad fact is that I've basically accepted is that the only place I'll get a perfectly cooked steak is from the grill in my backyard...

Yes, that's it, Shino Express! But when I used to go there (let's see, that would be about 5 years ago), the regular price was a dollar a piece. Yes, I used to go there regularly as well from 1995-1997... It's my favorite place to eat in Boston... I go back to Boston at least twice a year and always stop and Shino and Ginza to say hi and have some good sushi... Gotta love the freshness at Shino... I love how the crowds wait outside for the place to open at lunch as well... Anyway, glad to know there is a fellow Shino lover here at egullet

No baby asian artichokes for me when I wen... Here's a quick rundown of what the surprise menu at Astrance was for me (you guys can tell me if it's changed much, I'm quite curious actually) Amuse - Saffron creme mousse, pea mousse, and lemon mousse in a chilled shot glass. Entree #1 - The specialty of the house, the avocado with crab and almond oil Entree #2 - Duck fois gras, 2 layers sandwiched 3 layers of mushroom, lemon sauce on the side and mint on the side as well. Entree #3 - Scallop w/ cucumbre, cucombre sauce, flowers, and thin radish slices Entree #4 - Puree chorizo in yellow whipped sauce w/ green peas and onion Lemongrass & pepper shot of sorbee served in between Entree #4 and Plat #1 Plat #1 - Sole fish fillet, raw oyster, caviar, caviar in jelly, endive, all with dark green parsely sauce Plat #2 - Loire valley fillet, asparagus, mushrooms Mystery Soup was served in between Plat #2 and #3 Plat #3 - Lamb dish (sooooooo good!!!) with cheese sauce, onion, peas, and carrots Dessert #1 - Strawberry, cream, biscuit with ice cream Dessert #2 - Chocolat & praline with praline sauce on side OK, that's all I can remember right now... I didn't get a menu either since the surprise menu is not written down... I will post more detailed comments when I post my full review of all the restaurants but I decided to write what I had now since we're on the topic of astrance and the ingredients they use...

Nope, no bribes, secret passwords, or favors... I just did my research on the policies of the restaurants and planned accordingly and in advance (although only about 1 month in advance, but apparently it was enough)... I think the best advice I can give you is to be as authoritative and confident as possible over the phone when making reservations... I definitely had the distinct impression a few times that the person on the other end of the phone was trying to scare me off by being rude but I always stood my ground and ended up with 6 reservations, all with great tables and absolutely no problems when I showed up at the restaurants... Oh, one other thing I did was call every restaurant to re-confirm once I got to Paris, and I gave them my local cell phone number in Paris (I bought a sim card for my phone so I'd have a local mobile number) and I think many of the restaurants appreciated that... But anyway, I have no "secret"... Honestly, I think there is a lot of luck involved for first time reservations... But, remember, if you do get in, and plan to go again, definitely let the head waiter, or maitre d, or whoever is around that night when you are eating dinner, know that you want to return... They should (if you didn't do something to piss them off) tell you the best way to get another reservation, and they may even pencil you into the reservation book if you know about when you will be returning... Hopefully I've been helpful... Let me know if you have any other questions...

Yes - but that's not their primary concern. The day that I went to Rungis with the chef - Pascal Barbot - his primary focus - joie de vivre - was on his freedom. He'd said that he did NOT have money - but he had happiness. He said that the money could come later - over time. My God - I love the French sometimes. And one more thing - about the allegedly hard to keep L'Astrance reservations - I don't buy it - at least not by any fault of the restaurant's. It's hard to think of a more more conscientious group of restaurant people anywhere in the world. And the day to go - Tuesday night for dinner. The chef goes to Rungis Tuesday morning and picks up things for which he has no plans whatsoever - it's a night to share in some gastronomic discovery. Interesting, I went on Tuesday night (the night that they suggested to me when I made a reservation over the phone), although I had the Surprise menu, so I'm not sure if I benefited from the Chef's discoveries of the day because I've heard you need to order a la carte to enjoy the "hidden gems" at some of these places... Is that true for Astrance loufood? Also, I totally agree with you regarding the "hard to keep" Astrance reservations... I was reading about the "disappearing" reservations and I had the exact OPPOSITE experience... When I called to confirm both times, they instantly knew my name and said, "Yes, of course you are confirmed". When I arrived, they didn't even look up my name in the reservation book when I announced myself. As I said before, it is a VERY smooth operation they are running there... And loufood, I totally believe what you say about barbot... It all makes sense now... They could charge quite a bit more for the food there, but with the current prices, I think Astrance is the bargain of the year... I was wondering why they weren't charging more or using a bigger space with more tables??? Now I know... I'm very glad that they are chosing quality and happiness over initial profit, it's a very forward-looking view that is rare these days and I am sure they will be rewarded for it, I know that I will continue to go back there as much as possible...

What the Hell do you think that was about? I suspect they didn't have reservations and were hoping to get lucky with a last minute cancelation, which I assume happened because I was surprised to see 2 empty tables... 1 table is normal maybe, that's fine, but TWO emptys in a place as small as Astrance tells me that someone bailed at the last minute... Either way, the management was not letting anyone in without a res, even though they had the tables... But who knows what the real story was...

Lemme get this straight: You seriously prefer snobby and uptight service? Yeah, I tend to like the more rude/snobby/mean service when I go to "fancy" restaurants, don't ask me why, I just do... In fact, that's probably the reason I liked the service at Astrance the best... Those guys were by the book on everything, they run a VERY tight ship, very impressive service in my eyes... I also enjoy restaurants that are difficult to get into, it makes the experience more complete for me... Again, another reason I probably liked Astrance so much... (There were 2 empty tables and they turned people at the door away at like 9:30PM, and yes, the tables remained empty all night)... Guy Savoy had the best food by the way, and was the best "overall" experience for me (even though they were super friendly!)...

Astrance was awesome... They had the best service of any of the restaurants I visited... I'll post a full review soon...

I just saw this...reminds me a bit of the buck a piece sushi at a sushi joint on Newbury Street in Boston. I can't recall the name--but it was a tiny place. I will have to try Kotobuki the next time I'm in town. BackwardsHat, have you tried Makoto yet? morda There is a GREAT sushi place on Newbury Street (at the dartmouth intersection) in Boston called Shino Express... I think they do have $1 specials sometimes... I have NOT tried Makoto yet, but I will try it soon...

I visited 6 michelin restaurants while in Paris over the past 2 weeks (just got back sunday night). I will post reviews as soon as I have the time... For now, I'll tell you that Pierre G. does indeed rock, it's a great place (and Pierre is a great guy) and that you won't go wrong with it. The places I visited were Pierre G., Guy Savoy, Grand V., Taillevent, ADPA, and L'Astrance. ADPA and Grand V. are two totally different places... The Plaza Athenee hotel is a modern trendy place, while Grand V. has a booth where Napoleon and Josephine sat and is located in the Palais Royal Gardens... I went to both places and had two totally different experiences... If you want modern luxury, go to ADPA, if you want old traditional luxury, go to Grand V. I can tell you that the staff at Grand V. are VERY friendly and relaxing while the staff at ADPA are very snobby and uptight... Personally, I prefer the snobby and uptight staff, but it's all personal preference... ADPA will cost you more than Grand V. as well, it's one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris, and I think a bit overpriced for what it is (as is the rest of the Plaza Athenee)...

When did you go? I went maybe 2.5 weeks ago (on a wednesday), and the fish was SUPERB. I went back the very next day, and it was only OK at best... I had a friend go back about 1 week ago (on a saturday) and they said the same thing, only OK at best...