pirate

I had lunch at Le Bristol last November. The prix fixe was completely uninteresting and I ordered a la carte. Started with a dish of thinly sliced scallops interleaved with black truffles. The truffles did nothing for the dish except raise its cost. Much better was a similar dish at La Luna (0ne Michelin rosette) where it was served with fresh herring roe. Plat was duck breast which was cooked properly but lacked flavor. When the waiter inquired, I mentioned it. The waiter returned and reported that the chef said it was difficult to get really good duck. An honest reply. I was not impressed and did not return to Le Bristol on a later Paris trip.

" I think the real change is not the decline in France, but the rise elsewhere." Bux I agree with Bux. My first realization of this was eating 3 superb meals at Comme Chez Soi in Brussels in the eighties. I also ate at the Carlton in Brussels when Passard was chef before going to Paris to open L'Arpege. He made the raviolis of scallops in the same delicious way as Senderens used to do at Lucas-Carton. I ate at L'Arpege several times when it had 2 stars. On the third dinner in a week he prepared an unforgettable steak with cepes for 3 of us as a variation from the menu. I went back once when he had 3 stars and there was more "grand complication" cuisine and I was disappointed and never returned. I have been impressed with Wohlfahrt at the Traube-Tonbach French restaurant in the Black Forest and the Steirereck in Vienna.I have already made comments about the quality of French cuisine in Japan, my favorite country for food. In the USA I 've been impressed with Oceana in NYC although I understand that Moonen has recently departed. Economic trends are working against haute cuisine. But as long as talented young people enter the profession it will continue to exist somewhere.

I like classic cuisine. But try to find it in major European cities at name restaurants. Personally I have found the best classic French cooking in Tokyo (Cabrales seems to think only sashimi and sushi are of interest in Japan). Obviously this is based on my experience. One instance that comes to mind is the following: About half a dozen years ago, because a female friend wanted to attend an Escoffier cooking class at the Ritz in Paris, I went along. The chef demonstrated a classic dish Oeufs Meurette. Actually at that time I had never eaten it. It seemed too simple. It turned out to be delicious. I remarked to the chef that I wished L'Espadon served dishes as carefully made and as good as that. In any case a couple of years ago I lunched at one of my favorites in Tokyo, Cam Chien Grippe' (Yes, the dog with the grip!) and they had it on the menu. It was perfectly made. By the way one reads that ADPA serves herb tea with fresh herbs. Cam Chien Grippe' has always done that and it's delicious. Cam Chien Grippe' baked their own bread. It was so good that they opened a bakery abot 500 meters away with a broader range. Rather pricey but impeccable products. The sucess of Hiramatsu in Paris is another indication of my contention. Getting back to dining at the Waterside Inn, based on my experience at La Gavroche, I wouldn't bother to go. To quote Louis Jourdan in "Gigi" "It's a bore"

I agree with you but with Cabrales many postings it seems to me that she prefers what I term "Grand Complication" (apologies to Swiss watchmakers for the terminology) cuisine.

Seems like a very boring cliche'ed menu. Among white burgundies, I like the Meursaults produced by the young newcomer Fichet which are relatively inexpensive. I myself would get a bottle of Aligote' for everything . If you're willing to venture away from French wines, Lugana from Italy's Lake Garda is a wonderful wine with food. Also Gruener Veltliner from Austria.

As Audrey Hepburn said to Fred Astaire in "Funny Face" while sweeping down a staircase in the Louvre "Take the picture! Take the picture!"

I lunched at the W in Warwick hotel in April. One rosette is a fair rating for it. The food was not memorable but value for price ratio was good and a half bottle of a well aged provencal red, recommend by sommelier, was better than I expected. Don't expect much food cooked to order. The hotel has a lot of business meetings and luncheons, so service is just passable

Michael Husser competed against Sakai on Iron Chef and won ( 3 out of 4 votes), I was impressed with his skills and imagination.

to Cabrales: your post appears to back up my intuition about langoustines at Ambroisie. I was spoiled by the langoustines served at the Cafe de Paris in Biarritz when Lapointe was chef and it had two rosettes. The langoustines were wrapped in bacon, grilled and served with a sauce mousseline. The langoustines were very fresh and the combination of flavors still make me drool. A great dish! I would only consider ordering langoustines at Garnier, mentioned in an earlier post, or La Luna ,a French restaurant despite the Italian name in the 8th.

to Cabrales: Actually with refills 4 glasses of wine. The sommelier was rather famous and I've heard he left. Most of our conversation was about Chateau de Pibarnon, the Bandol wine. The lunch at Laserre was about 58 euros. Not memorable. I had a fish for the plat. Wine was a costly 75 euros for a half bottle of 1998 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots (Maltroye vintner I believe) and it was a disappointment. The menu at Guy Savoy is , I believe the same as at dinner. I ordered a la carte and probably paid as much as the big tasting menu. I happened to be staying at the new Radisson remodeled from the original Vuitton building on the Avenue Marceau almost at the Arc de Triomphe. At 12:15 I asked the Concierge to make a reservation for one and then walked around the Arc to the restaurant. Radisson is very stylish and very confortable. Savoy: liked the new decor, service is magnificent. Food very good but not what I would regard as 3 rosette. Actually my best meal was at a no rosette favorite of mine: Garnier just across the street from the Gare St.Lazare. Lunch started with eperlan frites served with a tartar sauce. The little fish were crisply fryed and not greasy. The tartar sauce was delicious and classiic (14 euros I believe). I followed this with sauteed bay scallops served with spinach with olive oil. The scallops were fresh sweet and delicious. (28 euros). I had a half bottle of Chablis (18 euros) which was a perfect match for the food. No dessert. Plain water with ice. My physician would have congratulated me for this meal.

to Cabrales: They didn't like us not ordering an entree and lusciously described the langoustine dish to us which we noticed was being consumed at tables near us. We politely and graciously declined By the time we refused dessert they were resigned to us but brightened when we ordered cheese. We ate only small amounts. Let me take this occasion to advance the cause of debrouillardisme (there's an accent on the first e). I travel a lot on business and have been in Paris twice in the past nine months. Lunch is my preferred meal since late heavy dinners make it too difficult to sleep and get up fresh for business. I generally don't make reservations. And I usually wear a sweater over a shirt sometimes with a tie. I ate at three two michelin rosette restaurants where rather than decline my clientcy (Nous sommes desole...) provided me with ill-fitting jackets. In all cases I was treated rather well. I did not stay at the two hotels. One restaurant was the Bristol hotel. The waiters inquired about my reaction to each dish and relayed it back to the chef who sometimes replied. I had ordered a la carte and the main dish was magret de canard. It was cooked rare as requested but was not that flavorful. Certainly not up to the comparable dish I had in Japan previously (Seasons restaurant in Osaka Hilton. Chef had German name) . When the waiter came back he said that Frechon, the chef, admitted it was hard to get high quality duck. On to the restaurant at the Four Seasons where Legendre was in charge. There I ordered the 60 euro lunch (not worth discussing) For an additional 16 euros one could have wine with the entree and plat. One got coffee with dessert. The Sommelier came over and we chatted.I mentioned my preference for burgundy. I got superb wines with refills. A premier cru Chablis and a premier cru Chambolle-Musigny both in top condition. I had my usual no cost pichet of ice water. The sommelier in addition to the wines brought over a bottle of water for me to try which he said was in fashion. It was a still water with very small mineral content from Lorraine in the Vosges Mountains and started with a W. Name escapes me. Not imported to USA. Thirdly, Lasserre also provided me with a jacket. Good table. Service and food fine. Guy Savoy with three rosettes let me in without a jacket. I did wear a jacket to Lucas-Carton.

Added comments to my earlier post. It was the room you first enter and that seems to be the front room. Perhaps all the tables in Siberia were reserved by Americans far in advance. At that time one got 4.8FF to a dollar so the 650FF beef dish alone came to $135. It was boeuf de Salers and served with pommes de terre souflees and a marrow bone. If we had made a reservation well in advance we would probably have come hungrier and ordered more. We ate what we wanted and isn't that what restaurants are for. Alas I'm a born d'ebrouillard. I refuse to be intimidated by restaurant personnel and I get repect for my knowledge of food and wine.

My one intersection with Ambroisie. A friend and I were staying near the Louvre. She being an opera fan, we decided to walk to the new Bastille Opera and buy tickets. It was before lunch and a warmish overcast November day in 1997 and I was wearing an open shirt and slacks, no jacket, under a raincoat. On the way I mentioned Ambroisie was a short detour and we could stop and ask about lunch. We did. It was just about noon and given our appearance the maitre d'hotel looked us over sceptically when we told him we told him we wanted to lunch there and would be back after buying our opera tickets. He acceded hesitatingly probably quickly calculating the possibility of the empty table being populated by better prospects. We came back about a half hour later and were seated in the front room at a central table in all our casual American dress. Neither of us is fond of most "nouvelle cuisine" and we decided to have a cote de boeuf for two and a bottle of Cahors. We refused to have an entree or desert and only added cheese to finish the wine. The beef, wine and cheeses were excellent. We ate what we wanted and warded off all the blandishments put to us. We loved the new opera house had good seats purchased the same day and enjoyed the production we saw that night.

Nick has the classic recipe. It is also the same as served at the Pavillon in the 60's. Check Wechsberg's book "Dining at the Pavillon".

Your description of pommes de terre macaire is not the classic version.

In 1971 I stopped at the Cote D'or in Saulieu and had a bottle of 1947 Romanee St Vivant Quatre Journeaux Louis Latour. I had been drinking Beaujolais primarily although I had drunk an excellent 1953 Lafite-Rothschild prior to that. It was a revelation. About two weeks I returned and orderered a 1959 Romanee-Conti. The chef 's (Francois Minot) spoke English and asked what I wanted for dinner. Although not on the menu I said only a chateaubriand bearnaise could do justice to the wine. I started with a gratin d'homard. That bottle was so harmonious flavorful with an aftertaste that kept coming back at you. It became the wine against which I measure all others. For the first time I realized what the French meant by "race". In any case I never bought a Bordeaux again and built up a Burgundy cellar. Every bottle of a case of 1964 Musigny de Vogue V.V. was superb. A case of Leroy Musigny 1978 was distinctly inferior Every bottle the 1966 vintage was only a shade behind. 3 bottles of 1966 Romanee-Conti were the best overall R.-C. !969 R.-C. was disappointing. A case of Ponsot 1966 Clos de la Roche V.V. was superb. Most recently visiting Baden-Wurtemburg and Alsace I purchased a bottle in a wineshop in Freiburg to take home. I drank it recently. It was a gold medal winner, Sasbacher Lutzelberg Auslese Spatburgunder 1997 bottled by the wine cooperative. It was excellent and impossible to purchase in the USA.

Taillevent: In 1971 (it had 2 Michelin stars at that time) I went for dinner without a reservation on a weeknight. The owner M. Vrinat acted as Maitre D'Hotel and when I used some French phrases insisted that we converse in French. it was a struggle. In any case I started with a sort terrine of pike (like quenelles in texture) with a buerre blanc. I thought the sauce was not up to those I had in the provinces. On the menu was a Carr\'e d'agneau Sarladaise for 2. I said that I liked lamb but was only one person. He put in on the order and I ended with an excellent eight ribs (charged for half) Moreover the pommes de terre Sarladaise were not just fried in goose fat but had interleaved slices of black truffle (comme il faut). I noticed that other diners were served the potatoes without truffles (pas d'autentique). He suggested a red Beaune but I said that I wanted something "plus cors\'e" and ended up with a very fine demi-bouteille of a Gouges' Nuits "Clos des Porrets" from the magnificent 1964 vintage Spoiled by great provincial restaurants I did not return until lunch in 1984 ( now three stars) with 3 other food and wine lovers. Two of us shared a turbotin which was well over the hill. I haven't bothered to go back since then. Too uneven for the prices charged.

Haven't eaten there for years. But Besson and his original staff are alumni of a glorious reataurant of the 60's and early 70's in Paris, Chez Garin. They have in the past had special evenings devoted to menus based on Garin's dishes.

Bux, touch\'e

I find black morels superior to all the beige to brown types.

The Troisgros family is Protestant.

Is Lokoum related to the confection Rahadlakoum celebrated by the song in the musical "Kismet"; i.e. the famous line " the kind of confection to drive a man out of his Mesopotamian mind"

It's regrettable that all those of you who dote on restaurants in Paris (flying thousands of miles) don't get to measure those restaurants with others. In France itself I've found the provinces better. In Europe Girardet when he was cooking, Witzigman when he was cooking, Comme Chez Soi and Schwarzwaldstube at the Traube-Tonbach matched anything in France. I haven't been to El Bulli but I suspect it is also a match. However I have no hesitation in stating that Tokyo is the top restaurant city. I don't find it strange that Hiramatsu is so sucessful. His restaurants in Tokyo are not at the top. I was in Paris in November and also this month. I ate at two 3 star four 2 star and two 1 star restaurants. Only one of the 1 star and one 3 star would, in my opinion, merit a return.

correction Frechon not Frechet

Addendum to first post: Checking the 1971 Michelin guide I find the first restaurant at which I has an ortolan was Darroze in Villeneuve-de-Marsan (Michelin states among Sp\'ec. Ortolans 15 mai-30juin -15sept.-30 oct.) The second restaurant also had 2 stars : the Poste at Magescq. Ortolans are caught in nets then caged and fattened. I followed the instructions Gigi's aunt meted out: Eat everything. The bones and beak are so fragile it's like eating a cracker. Meat is dark and smooth and velvety in texture. Closest thing is top grade duck breast rare (alas hard to find in Paris; last November I ordered it at the Bristol; when the waiter asked I stated that the quality was inferior. He came back and said Frechet, the chef admitted it was hard to get top quality) Pigeon generally comes off better in France but the best I've had was at Clio in Boston. In any case ortolans are served in their melted fat and have a not very strong but delicious richness. With regard to Guy Savoy I was persuaded to try it again almost a week ago by the egullet postings despite being disappointed 6 or 7 years ago. I liked the new decor and service was excellent. The main dish was breast of Bresse chicken with morels at 70 euros. When I inquired about the morels I was told they were white (actually beige). I regard these as inferior to the black morels but was assured that they were as good and came from Savoy's birthplace in the Isere. They were not up to the black and as much mushroom flavor could be gotten from standard mushrooms (I cook).