noambenami

Idiazabal is a spanish cheese. At alinea it is somehow fried and made very crispy and puffy. It is served with a light maple syrup glaze and is also slightly smoked. I wasn't crazy about it, but it was cool. Raw mastic is a resin from a mediterranean evergreen. Alinea infuses a rich sauce with this piney stuff in a wonderful dessert of matsutake mushroom cake, rosemary and pine nut gelee. The mastic is the white creamy sauce being poured tableside. There are photos of both the idiazabal and mastic dishes on alinea's website. For the record, I agree - Alinea, for my tastes, is the best restaurant in North America.

Ok, as a professional let me point out a few things about the site: 1. Its huge - anyone with a screen smaller than 1024x768 won't be able to see the whole thing. I ran into this problem showing the site to an artist friend. 2. It has a completely pointless splashscreen. Countless usability studies have confirmed that splashscreens are annoying to users. 3. When you initially enter the site, the navigation goes completely bonkers, with huge amounts of pointless scrolling of the menus at left. Confusing and jarring. 4. If you go to the GTM section and then click on cuisine at bottom, the photograph doesn't update to the correct five course photo. 5. Navigation doesn't work in a consistent way. For example, clicking anywhere in the main window will sometimes take you to the highlighted section, but sometimes it won't. Furthermore, the approach of making the entire window a navigation bar is unusual, confusing, and prevents further drill-down for information. As far as I can tell, what happened here is that the "clickable" area for, for example, the cuisine section, extends only to the middle of the main window. So, if I'm in the techniques section, it looks like I can click on a "technique" section, but I actually end up in "cuisine"! This is, frankly, completely fu**ed. No navigation system I have ever seen on the internet works like this, it simply makes no sense at all. 6. Following up on #5, when there is text in the main window, its in a font size that is way too small on a high resolution screen and there is often simply too much verbiage. The clumsy navigation system prevents the site from having a clean paging system...or perhaps a paging system was incorrectly deemed unnecessary. 7. The site navigation is plastered all over the place, at bottom right, at top left, at middle left. Just inelegant. Furthermore, the site is 3-levels deep in places and there is no way to hit the back button! If I click on something in the main window, thinking it'll take me somewhere, and I get sent to, for example, the "cuisine" section, that bumps me up two levels and over one. It'd be a hassle to get back to where I was before. The photos are nice...though, all of us here are equally into food porn. The site is certainly not hard to navigate, its just very clumsily built, at least from a professional's point of view. To draw a food analogy, its like looking at a badly thought-out course that has potential. Someone without a knowledge of food would say "oh, I like it fine", where I would respond "oh, but it could have been so much better."

Interesting. Speaking as a software and user-interface design professional, that site is one of the worst restaurant websites I have ever seen. It violates just about every rule of good interface design that has been painstakingly developed over the past few years. I like the restaurant and admire Mr. Cantu very much, mind you.

Had some friends over for dinner last night. Amuse: Riseling polenta with balsamic maple First course: Celery root soup with toasted buckwheat and sunflower seeds Main: Butternut squash ravioli with brown butter-tomato-root vegetable caramel Dessert: Meyer lemon-chocolate mousse on lime-riesling gelee Meyer lemon creme brulee Homemade vanilla marshmallows

I just want to put on the table the fact that my dinner at Lumiere was a tremendous step ahead of my dinner at Charlie Trotter's, which was marred by several mediocre dishes and many service missteps, which included trying to serve meat to a vegetarian. Lumiere's service was much more laid back and enjoyable and they really went the extra mile in terms of hospitality. The food was also unarguably better. Personally, I'd drop this whole snob fest and go to Lumiere again and have the surprise menu - which I plan to do next time I'm in Vancouver. Its also interesting to note that at both Lumiere and Trotter's, the chefs were not in the kitchen. They both have their fingers in a lot of pots.

I ate at Manresa a week ago with a friend of mine, having driven about eight hundred miles from Portland to get to Los Gatos. First off, how lucky are the people in Los Gatos? They are right off of some of the most beautiful beaches and forests I have seen in a long time, and I'd forgotten just how charming and lovely the bay area can be, and how breathtaking the golden gate bridge looks on a clear day with a cloud cascading over it and spilling into the bay. So, we ordered the chef's tasting menu and were summarily treated to well over twenty courses over the course of several hours. We also split a wine match, being total lightweights. Overall, the meal was enjoyable and the staff friendly, if a bit hurried - the restaurant was very full with a large party of VIPs in the private dining room. Manresa is an intense machine, with dishes coming out at you fairly quickly, as they must when you are being served every type of food in existence. The place works with an almost military precision. I won't go over all the courses, but I will note that many of them made me think of New York's Gramercy Tavern, the two restaurants operating on similar levels of execution and using some similar presentation/plating techniques. My main comment is about the overall value of the meal, which I'd rate higher than any other that I have ever had. Perhaps only at Regis Marcon have I been treated to so many lovely plates for so little money. Abalone and pork trotters were followed by wonderful sweetbreads, by squab, and when we thought there couldn't possibly be anything more coming, by beef with foie. And those were served after salmon, turbotin, mackerel and squid, oysters and clam...and a word or praise for David's wonderful cippolini onion and foie gras royale. Preperations ranged from sous vide to sashimi and sushi, with a large amount of roasting being done. It says something, I think, that David's sushi is better than any sushi I've had at dedicated sushi restaurants. Delivering this for $98 just seems unreal. This is cuisine that is clearly done out of love of the craft.

I had the great pleasure of eating at Alinea on Friday night. About one minute after walking through the sliding doors the four of us were invited to stand by the kitchen's canape station and were wonderfully treated by everyone, down to recieving explanations of how the amazing new first-course amuse was made. We ordered the twelve course meal with wine matches. The matches were superb, with predominance of german and spanish wines, but also an excellent slovenian white. All were exceptionally well matched. The food itself. Well, what can I say that hasn't been said before? If Alinea was in Europe, there is no doubt that it would be a solid 3 michelin star restaurant. The levels of creativity, presentation, and taste were a solid notch above every other restaurant I've been to this side of the atlantic. I'll also note that we had a number of food restrictions that were played to quite well - my 15 year old sister is a vegetarian and enjoyed her meal a lot. For contrast, I'll note that she was absolutely miserable at Charlie Trotters. To my tastes, this is the best, and most fun, restaurant in the US...especially after our game of air hockey using some of the chef's utensils.

Thank you very much. Soup was hot.

Had a few friends over for dinner last night...one has a terrific camera and was kind enough to take shots. I'm 99% done with a six-month kitchen remodel and have been itching to cook a serious meal. Almond-crusted shrimp. Cucumber, grapfruit, bay scallop ceviche. Part 1: Radish brunoise, zaatar Part 2: Walnut-red pepper soup poured on top Pineapple, mint, mezcal White-wine Braised beef canneloni with red-wine-coffee braised oxtail. Asparagus, green onion. Vanilla-chai ice cream, strawberries, halva, pineapple tuile.

This is your opinion and of course this stuff is subjective. I can see how a person who is not themselves in the food industry and who has a more basic, rather than intellectual, interest in food would hold this opinion. And there certainly are times when what I want is something as comforting as a duck or pasta with white truffles. That said, let me present my own perspective, which is one of a person with a more intellectual interest in food combined with a bit of experience on the fine dining line: First of all, I think that generosity can come in the form of work. The generosity at Trio and Lumiere and places like Chanteclaire is like that. Perhaps you don't get a whole white truffle as an amuse, but the amount of work and care that goes into each course is staggering. Absolutely perfect brunoise, a lot of ingredients, very careful work. That is still generosity. Furthermore, the spirit of generosity pervaded our meal at Lumiere - the kitchen felt that we should have a drink with our dessert, and so sent us one for free, along with comping our cocktails at the bar and giving us a wonderful free dish while we were there. Second, as I said, duck and truffles is well and good. But there is an entirely different kind of dining, spearheded by Adria at El Bulli and followed by Achatz and folks like him. While the food at Trio was still undoubtedly at the 2-3 star level in terms of refinement, there is an intellectual interest and sense of play that is missing from "pasta with truffles" and which turns the meal into an experience that satisfies not only the gut but the mind as well. And in the long term, for me, Trio was much more satisfying because of the tremendous number of wonderful ideas that I observed and which influence my much more humble cooking. That is merely a different style of dining and sometimes my preference goes to it. I find your point of view valid, but too limited for the varied ways in which I like to dine and think about food. And since I feel like you ignored my statement of before, I'll say it again: At a good restaurant, the fact of someone ordering the surprise menu is a sign that they love food and trust the chef and that responsibility is taken seriously by the kitchen. Since you enjoyed the fat duck and el bulli, I think that our differences on this are probably not so great. I just feel no need to "fight hard" at restaurants. I go there to put myself in the chef's hands and enjoy myself for a few hours.

I disagree. At a bad restaurant, the food will be bad, at a great one, the food will be good. Its that simple. Case in point - I recently ordered the surprise menu at Lumiere in Vancouver, BC. It was the most expensive of the menus. It was an extraordinary meal, one of the two finest I've had in north america, the other being at Trio under Grant Achatz. Both meals were expensive, and I consider both to have been easily worth the money. The thing to understand is that one of the core fundamental values of all truly good restaurants is generosity. I've seen this most often in France, where the culture and Michelin guide have resulted in things like multiple amuses, pre-amuses and pre- and post- desserts. Regis Marcon exemplifies that philosophy for me over there. Another thing to consider is that on the line, we like people who like to dine and will treat them better than people who clearly are not appreciating the food. When someone puts themselves in the hands of the kitchen, that earns them an immediate degree of respect and makes the kitchen happy. Who better to cook for than someone who actually notices and appreciates the food? Much better than sending dish after dish to some wealthy snob who is there to impress his/her clients. So, given the choice, I will always order the surprise menu at a good place.

Well, we were actually cycling from Montpellier to Barcelona, so couldn't go too far out of our way. At any rate, my friend, who is a fine-dining chef (and has worked at 1, 2, and 3 michelin star restaurants) and I were very disappointed with the Jardin des Sens. We thought it was violently overpriced, the ambiance was a 3 to the Auberge du Vieux Puits' 10, and...well, we just felt ripped off. We both felt that the food at Vieux Puits was more enjoyable. First of all, it was about a third of the cost. Second, it had a much more definite sense of style and place. There were also multiple choices for some of the courses. The cheese carts (there were two massive ones, one for local cheeses, one for cheeses from farther out) were astounding. All in all, my impression that truly fantastic restaurants benefit from being in more remote locations remains steadfast: We also ate at a 1-Michelin star restaurant near Banyuls (Oceanus, or something like it) that had the same sense of place and also served wonderful, honest food...and the best cherry sorbet I've ever had. Let us all take a moment to bless the Pacojet. Amen.

I spent about 3 months taking cooking classes in Lyon. In that time, my favorite places in the area were: - L'Etage in Lyon. A steal for the quality in creativity of the food. A focus on Lyonnaise ingredients (pig's ears and the like) but made wonderful with amazing sauces and light preparations. - Lameloise has my recommendation, the prix fix food was terrific, the service impecable and the overall environment wonderful. A good friend of mine worked there and noted that they put most of their effort into the dishes in the a la carte menu. Something to think about. - While the food wasn't incredibly, the 1 star Chateau de Bagnols is an amazing place to dine if the day is nice, they put tables out on the bridge over the moat and you get a wonderful view of Beaujolais. - There is a little bouchon called Notre Maison in the old city, we made friends with the owner and had a wonderful time there every time we went. The chocolate cake is incredible and the food is great. This place represents all that is good about Lyonnaise dining...plus the dining room is something like 400 years old.

Hello Rosie, Great choice for dinner! Expect good food, and plenty of it. The chef, Troy, used to work at Chez Panisse and his style is heavily influenced by that experience. So, the food is light, getting its flavors from ingredients rather than fats. Salsas, vinaigrettes and fresh, local, organic ingredients. Simple, healthy, satisfying preparations. There will probably be about four-five different items (starter, meat, vegetarian option, side dish, dessert.) Desserts are simply but very well made. The space is industrial on the outside and hip on the inside, its a cool place. Bon appetit!

The plates at Espai were way too complex for me to remember or even identify all elements, but in general terms, that last plate was a bowl in whose center was a chocolate ice cream quenelle atop a light chocolate cake. It was all surrounded by what I think was billed as smoked yogurt...and it was this smoked yogurt that killed the plate for me. All menus at Espai are prix fix, and there are three different ones. However, the kitchen was more than accomodating to some special requests that we made that night.

You know, there was one item in the restaurant that I would certainly agree was horribly atonal. A meal consisting of like-minded items would be pretty horrible. Perhaps the restaurant has since responded to criticism. As it was, my friend, who has worked at three michelin star restaurants and who has cooked at the Ritz-Carlton for years, was blown away, as was I, and we had just finished two weeks of eating our way through France and Spain...Perhaps, Robert, you should go back if you have a chance. After all, its a relatively cheap night out.

Small correction, the name of the place is "Espai Sucre" Some quick info: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/barcelona/D51851.html

At the end of a two week gastronomic cycling trip, which included two one star restaurants and three two star restaurants (Jardin des Sens, Auberge du Vieux Puits, and the extraordinary Chanteclair), as well as countless little places of wildly varying quality, my chef friend, his girlfriend, and myself, found ourselves at a small restaurant in Barcelona called Espace Sucre. While it does offer some savory items, the restaurant's concept is built around a dinner comprised of sweet dishes. While I initially leaned towards the more expensive mixed savory/sweet menu, my friend wisely (as it turned out) steered us towards the inexpensive 35 euro dessert-only menu. Our meal started with a pair of wonderful amuses, which the spanish called aperitifs: A thin cracker topped with a soy mousse, corn kernels, and three small shards of pepper/sugar tuile. The flavor was extraordinary, like amazingly refined popcorn. The other was a shot glass of cold, well made pea soup topped with a hemisphere of yogurt foam on top of which was a small shoot of what looked like microcress, and a small dollop of sardine caviar. Again, wonderful, with the acid from the yogurt and salt from the caviar matching the mellow, delicate soup. Now, I will not go into the details of each of the five desserts that followed except to say that with one exception, they were all extraordinary. From a carrot mousse teamed with gingered tapioca and a half dozen other components to a spicy milk gelee teamed with various citrus forms and arugula, all these dishes were playing at a level few restaurants ever reach. One dish stunned both myself and my friend: A manchego cheesecake, topped with a semicrunchy thyme crust, a thick mousse delicately flavored with thyme, topped with a pineapple sorbet, all alongside a brunoise of fresh pineapple dusted with thyme. This dish was one of the most fabulously balanced dishes I have ever had. Seconds were summarily and very atypically ordered. And no, at no point did the meal become overly sweet or tiring. We ordered a couple of bottles of the house cava to go with the meal, which worked out well and was inexpensive. Three people, dining and drinking like royalty paid 150 euros in total. This was about what one of us typically pays for less exciting fare at most of the restaurants we'd been to before. So, if you find yourself in Barcelona, run, do not walk to this extraordinary restaurant. But make a reservation first - the place filled up quickly.

You're very close to the fancy restaurants in NW Portland - Hurley's, Wildwood, Justa Pasta, Blue Hour, Oba, Andina. You're also a walking distance from the places in SW: Higgins, Heathman, Veritable Quandry, Carafe, Saucebox, Aura, Lush... Its a good location. If you decide to drop by Hurley's, let them know you know me and we can take care of you. Noam

Ken's Place - http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/358...en_s_place.html.

Ah of course. You're thinking of Ken's Home Plate, on 19th and Hawthorne no? Thats one of my favorite places in portland - the crabcakes are amazing and its so unpretentious and honest, you have to love it. You also have to know when he's open. Paley's Place has disappointed me the last few times I was there. The cuisine is pretentious - the amuse and petit fours I had there last time were just plain bad: pieces of pink apple with a bit of cheese mousse, and snickerdoodles. The food is unexceptional. Service and ambiance are good, though.

I don't disagree, Saburo's sushi is not the best, but people love it and its reasonably priced. Ken's Place is a bakery with some food items. Arguably the best bread in Portland. Pix Patisserie is all right, the service can be really incompetent though - Bar Pastiche on Hawthorne is a better place with the same desserts in better sizes and lots of neat savory items. Its a fun, tiny spot. And of course, you'd be missing out if you do not have Hurley's 4-course, $40 prix fix menu! :).

I've lived and dined in Portland for about six years. I'm also a stagier at Hurley's (http://www.hurleys-restaurant.com), in my opinion the finest restaurant in p-town, which is why I talked my way into the kitchen. With that out of the way, here are some additional suggestions: - Justa Pasta, NW portland. Cheap, great pasta. - Park Kitchen, NW portland. Creative, organic food, reasonably priced. - Heathman Restaurant, SW portland. Order the mushroom cappuccino. - Saburro's sushi, SW portland. If you feel like sushi. Wait can be over an hour to get in though. - Fong Chong, NW portland. Dim Sum, every day, then you can go and visit the chinese gardens. - Giorgio's, NW portland. Pleasant, somewhat creative modern italian. - Noble Rot, SE portland. Cool wine bar with good food and interesting wine flights. - Clarklewis, SE portland. Overpriced, but cool vibe and tasty italian food. - Mint/820, NE portland. Great sweet potato fries, good vibe. I've been at Taqueria Nueve and thought the food was all right and the vibe good. Its simple, unpretentious food. Have fun!

Once a dish is plated, it typically only has a few minutes before it dies: e.g. A tuile becomes soggy from soaking up sauce and collapses, foam settles, skin forms over a shiny sauce, ice cream melts, et cetera. With that in mind, there are a few reasons why a dish is not served if someone at the table goes to the bathroom: 1. The serving of the plate is part of the service experience, much nicer than just coming back to a plate at your table. 2. Part of the service code is to try and serve everyone at the table at the same time. 3. A plate sitting there on your table may be "dead" by the time you come back from the restroom. I'll note that part of the server's job is inform the back of the house of any restroom breaks so that the kitchen doesn't plate related in the first place. Woe betide a server who does not do this consistently.

FWIW, I dropped in for lunch at the bar at Nougatine in 2004/for $20.04 during the extended restaurant week. It was extremely impressive; I took a friend of mine so we got six different dishes. A salad of some young greens with goat cheese and crystallized ginger and a touch of what was probably a reduction of juiced plums. A shockingly beautiful soup of melon with lavender oil, chili flakes, and cucumber brunoise, plus some sprouts I could not identify. Pork loin with cherry-vanilla sauce and israeli couscous, and the most amazing salmon I've had in my life - covered in thin shaved salt, cooked better than I've ever seen before or since, and served with a dazzling cumin oil/plum juice sauce and beets. Desserts were good as well. A while later, I took a party of folks to Nougatine for dinner. It was disappointing across the board, aside from a nice amuse. I'm guessing that there's a bit more talent put into the $20.04 menu, with perhaps the higher-end kitchen getting involved...