lizziee

Matthew, We had Space of Aubrac room #11 and it was magnificent. It was the last room with floor to ceiling windows which allowed for a 260 degree view of the countryside. Be sure to order breakfast. Michel Bras sends a wooden basket decorated with flowers, a thermos of coffee, juice, creme caramel, honey, jam, bread, pastries, another basket of specialities of Laguiole, a cake filled with fruit, yogurt with strawberries and cheese. For both dinners, we also sat directly in front of the windows. The room is long and your attention is focused on the exterior view with a fabric ceiling that has a "light show" of clouds moving by. Each pair of round tables is separated by white gauze and you enter your area by going over a stone bridge from the long hallway. It takes your breath away. Also, be sure to have aperitifs in the lounge. It is spectacular like the prow of a ship sticking out over the end of the hotel - 100% glass. You feel as if you were floating in air.

We had one of the worst dinners ever at Lucques. I can't understand all the hype about this restaurant. It was packed with trendy types eating huge amounts of lousy food. We had about two bites of each course and gave up, dreaming of stopping for a pastrami sandwich at Johnny's pastrami. (We didn't!)

carpet bagger, Two places to try in Yountville would be Vintage Inn and Yountville Inn, although I have not stayed at either, they appear to be what you are looking for. I would check out posts in California that mention Napa and/or wine country for suggestions re restaurants and wineries. From a recent visit in January, we were particularly impressed with Auberge du Soleil. They have a new chef, Richard Reddington who is finally producing food which equals the ambiance. Of course, The French Laundry is a must and with the economy the way it is, I would definitely check on cancellations. Other favorites are Bistro Jeanty - a classic French bistro with good food, service and wine list and Martini House - incredible decor, solid cuisine and another good wine list. Unfortunately, we were unimpressed with Terra.

Unfortunately, our last meal was also uninspired. One of the things that I could always count on was the consistent first rate experience at Spago. Although the service was exemplary, the food was mediocre - a first for us. We had lunch with southern girl at Spago on Saturday and I can report that as uninspired as our last dinner, this was a wonderful lunch. Hopefully, I can recount most of what we had, but know that southern girl will fill in the blanks. Southern girl and I had the tasting menu while my husband whimped out and had oysters and a tuna nicoise salad. As always we started with spicy tuna in a crispy sesame tuile cone. 1st course - sweet shrimp seviche with cilantro, pea shoots, tiny, diced cubes of tomato with a touch of sesame oil. The shrimp was sushi bar quality and the mixture light and refreshing. 2nd course - "Soup and Sandwich" - The soup was mushroom cappuchino with black truffles and the sandwich cold foie gras on thick brioche toast. 3rd course - Garganelli (egg pasta) with littleneck clams, broccoli rabe with bacon confit. I could have eaten 3 bowls of this - the bacon with the clams was an inspired mixture, reminiscent of the taste of New England clam chowder. 4th course - Skate wing with celeriac puree and black truffles. The skate was sautéed perfectly - crispy on the outside, but tender and moist within - another perfect course. 5th course - Story Farm Hills (I think) Guinea Hen stuffed with brioche and sweetbreads with brussel sprouts. 7th course - Grilled Carpenter Ranch squab with caramelized cauliflower, pumpkin chutney and grilled foie gras. This was my least favorite dish as the pumpkin chutney was overpowering for my taste. It did, however, serve to wake up your taste buds. 8th course - cheese from the cheese cart served with raisin walnut toast. 9th course - southern girl will have to describe this as I stopped note taking, my usual problem at this point in a meal. The service at Spago is always perfection. Everyone from the GM to the busser couldn't have been more attentive. I might add that a party for the director of Hours was being given at 4 tables next to ours. We were not in the least slighted by being next to Hollywood "big wigs" and were treated as if we were also on the "A" list. It did add some interesting scenery.

My favorite Shad Roe recipe from an old issue of Gourmet Magazine: Shad Roe 8 slices lean bacon 1 stick unsalted butter 4 small pairs of shad roe 1/2 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper 2 Tablespoons medium dry Sherry 8 slices homemade-type white bread toasted, crusts removed and kept warm 1 bunch watercress, trimmed 1 lemon, quartered for garnish In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until it is crisp, transfer it with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain and keep it warm. Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon of the fat from the pan, add the butter and melt it over moderate heat. Dredge the shad roe in the flour, shaking off the excess. In the skillet, turn the shad to coat it with the butter and cook it covered, turning it after 4 minutes for a total of 8 minutes. The shad will sputter as it cooks. Stir in the sherry, carefully and simmer the mixture UNCOVERED for 2 minutes. Halve 4 of the toasts diagonally. Arrange 2 toast triangles on opposite sides of each whole toast. Spoon 1 Tablespoon of pan juices over each portion of toast. Top each whole slice with 1 pair of shad, spoon remaining sauce over shad. Garnish with bacon, watercress and lemon. For those who are watching their waistline: Shad Roe 1 pair of shad roe olive oil salt 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chives, minced 1 to 11/2 teaspoons dill, minced 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons shallots, minced 4 to 6 mushrooms, sliced butter shavings 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon sherry, Amontilado Lay roe on oiled parchement paper. Season with salt. Sprinkle with herbs. Place mushroom slices in overlapping leaves. Dot with butter shavings. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sherry. Carefully bring paper up and around; fold, crimp open edges to seal. Bake in preheated 500 oven for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake additional 10 minutes.

carpet bagger, Thank you so much for your kind comments. Most of the time, we bring our own wine to a restaurant, although we always ask if there is a corkage policy. The only restaurant in Los Angeles which currently does not have a corkage policy is Bastide and we then chose from their list. (So far, we have only been once.) When we go out of town to Napa or San Francisco, we always order from the list.

Bux, Ajay, Wilfrid A great deal of our dissatisfaction with our meal at Atelier had to do with expectation. We switched our reservation from Daniel to Atelier, expecting at least a 3 star experience. Instead, we encountered major execution problems. I can't say if this was entirely due to the kitchen for the wait staff may have contributed to the problem by not getting the food to us on time. Chef Bonnet seemed to hint at this possibility when he commented on the problems of getting his desserts to the table in a timely fashion. But, even given this, there is no excuse for a cold baguette for the trout mousse, ice cold fingerling potatoes in the lobster dish, the salmon amuse straight from the refrigerator and congealed black truffle sauce with the turbot. I absolutely agree that the Quail dish and the Squab dish are extraordinary and both tours de force. In retrospect, I wouldn't have wanted to miss either dish. However, in a seven course tasting menu excluding the amuse and the desserts, 3 out of the 7 seven courses featured foie gras with the 3rd course of sautéed foie gras being only fair. It was this 3rd course which hurt the balance of the tasting menu and gave you the feeling of poor progression. As to the frogs legs dish, I, too, am much fonder of Jean George's version. I happen to like a combination of textures in a dish and I think the crispiness of the frogs legs in the JG dish is a perfect contrast of flavor and texture. However, I did love the intensity of the broth in the Atelier version. It reminded me somewhat of Astrance's "bread" soup, but much, much better without that over-proofing yeast flavor. You asked if the luxury ingredients were mishandled and unfortunately the answer is yes. Not in the case of the above two dishes but in the use of the caviar in the tuna/scallop tartar, the sautéed foie and the turbot with the black truffles. I am not adverse to luxury, only when it is handled poorly to fair. It is as if the luxury of the ingredient could make up for the fair execution.

I apologize for the long wait on my last meal at SONA but I have been "on the road." We went to SONA on Feb. 15 and unfortunately we were inundated by a large post Valentine's Day crowd who were "clueless" or what you might describe as "amateur night" diners. In spite of this, we were treated as special guests from the moment we walked in when the hostess greeted us by name and said how happy she was to see us to the last when Chef Meyers met us in the lounge area for a wrap-up commentary on the evening and exchange of "who's doing what around town." Chef Meyers is truly an extraordinary chef who prides himself on searching out stellar ingredients and cooking with passion as well as restraint. Amuse - Ebi shrimp with blood orange and ginger served in a soup spoon 1st course - Big eye tuna with Daikon, pea shoots and pickled cucumber with an uni, wasabi sauce. The uni sauce added a wonderful full note to the tuna and the touch of wasabi gave the dish the necessary heat. 2nd course - on a large round plate squid, prawns and sweetbreads were arranged on a bed of immature pine nuts with fennel fronds. I can't remember the exact saucing, but my notes mention that this disparate group of ingredients rather than resulting in disharmony was perfectly balanced. 3rd course - Halibut and mussels in a watercress broth and foam surrounded by tapico. I am not sure what tapico is but we ate around it as it was very gluey in consistency and taste and did not enhance the perfectly cooked fish. (In retrospect, I might have meant tapioca, but I am not sure.) Our server was not very helpful and he tended to make up ingredients when he didn't have a clue. 4th course - for an example of the above and why I was unsure what tapico was, our server described our next dish as European cod with juniper infused red cabbage. What we actually had was Black Cod from Holland with rabbit sauce enhanced by Moroccan flavors with cumin, coriander carrots and Moroccan squash. Again what sounds like too many flavors destroying the broth was actually just the right amount of spicing which woke up our palates. 5th course - Rare breast of duck with chestnut confit, whole chestnuts served on beluga lentils. 6th course - short ribs. The only thing that I can read from my notes is "the best." Also, as this was over 2 weeks ago and many meals since then, I honestly do not have a clear recollection of the dish. Unfortunately, I do not have any notes on dessert which is a great slight to Michelle Meyers who is an inventive, gifted pastry chef and who deserves to have her desserts described in detail. I can only say that SONA is a must experience for anyone who loves fine dining and deserves a loyal clientele. carpet bagger - I have not been to La Folie in years so it would be unfair to comment on long ago experiences. As to 2117, we used to go there quite frequently, particularly on Sunday night. It is wonderful fusion food and his BYO policy is the best. We haven't gone recently, not because we didn't enjoy it, but we had eaten the menu many times over and it sort of dropped from our radar. We will definitely go back again.

This is a composite post by the Browns (Robert and Susan) and the Lizziee's that was an ad hoc e-gullet dinner at Atelier. There are some posts about restaurants that we really don't like writing, and our reaction to Atelier falls in this category. We were really looking forward to this meal, particularly because the reviews from Bux and Wilfrid were stellar. We wish we could echo their sentiments. The chef from the Ritz in San Francisco is a friend of Lizziee's and had spoken to Ronan, the GM, about arranging a special tasting menu for us. As a result, we never saw the menu. However, from reading Wilfrid's post, our dishes did not vary from the standard tasting menu. As a general overview, before describing each dish, we felt the construction of the tasting menu was so off balance that the entire meal suffered. There was so much repetition of tastes and textures that it became an homogenized whole. It seemed as if the chef felt that the diner would be wowed with luxury ingredients like foie gras and caviar and that this was in itself sufficient to produce a spectacular dining experience. 1st amuse - smoked trout mousse, shaped like a small quenelle, on a small, toasted baguette. It was nicely done, but should have been served closer to room temperature. 2nd amuse - a mixture of small diced potatoes and creme fraiche were plated on a herb dressing over which lay a slice of smoked salmon topped with a bit of creme fraiche and a couple of finely diced chives. The problem with this dish was again one of temperature as it was extremely cold, as if it had just been taken out of the refrigerator. 1st course - Quail "Praline", Black Truffle Gelee, Fine Herbs Salad. This is, in a word, a spectacular dish and unfortunately, one of the two highlights of the meal. If anything, it was so good that all the succeeding dishes just didn't measure up. Cold pieces of rare breast of quail and foie gras were wrapped into a tight ball and covered with spinach, resembling a baseball. On top were pungent 1/16th of an inch cubes of black truffles. In the middle of the plate was the fines herb salad and perched to the side the crunchy quail drumsticks. Far to one side was a small mound of black truffle gelee. Our only complaint was that we had to re-arrange the plate and have the truffle gelee next to the quail ball as you really needed the gelee to reinforce the flavor of the "ball." But this was really a small quibble in what should be considered a tour de force that displayed the chef's Alsatian roots. 2nd course - Bluefin tuna and diver scallop tartar seasoned with Iranian Osetra caviar served on thinly sliced cucumbers that had been lightly tossed with sesame oil. A touch of balsamic vinegar had been dribbled on the plate. This was just under seasoned; all of us kept looking for some fleur de sel. We think the problem with the dish was that the caviar was to act as the seasoning agent, but a few grains of caviar was not enough to do the trick, and the caviar itself was mushy, without that pop in your mouth feel. 3rd course- Sautéed Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Basil Jus and Pea Shoots. The major problem was again under-seasoning. Also, we were off put by the texture of the foie gras, which had a baby food consistency to it. The basil jus, the tiny slice of lemon on the foie and the small sprinkling of nutmeg to the side of the plate was just not enough to "season" the foie gras. 4th Course - Peasant Toasted Flour Soup with Florida Frogs Legs and Garlic Sprouts. The soup was wonderful, rich and favorable. Chef Kreuther enriched a dark brown roux with mushroom and vegetable stock that had been infused with bacon. The frogs legs had a "poached" feel to it so that you expected texture where there was none, making you wonder why the frogs legs were there in the first place. 5th Course - Turbot with Fresh Hearts of Palm, Black Truffle Sauce. This was bad. The turbot was cold and the sauce had congealed on the plate. We can only guess that this had sat in the kitchen and should never have been served. 6th Course - Roasted Maine Lobster in a "Folly of Herbs," Salsify and Fingerling Potatoes. The lobster was done perfectly, with the saucing aromatics (11 of them) adding a perfect match to the lobster. However, the fingerling potatoes were ice cold as if someone in the kitchen forgot to heat them up. 7th Course - Squab and Foie Gras "Croustillant", Seasonal Vegetables, Caramelized Apple Cider Jus. This was definitely a signature dish and the second highlight of the meal. The squab breast was roasted rare and packed around a slab of foie gras wrapped in Savoy cabbage which sat in Moroccan brique pastry. Wilfrid described it best: "The breast meat was rare, the foie gras molten, the cabbage soft, and the pastry case perfectly crisp." The biggest problem with the dish was its placement in this type of a tasting menu. We were saturated with foie gras and the squab was a mimic of the quail. It was this dish that confirmed our feeling that instead of the chef trying to put forth a harmonious, balanced array of dishes, he was more interested in lightening up his inventory of ingredients, especially foie gras. Having had on hand two first-rate red Burgundies that one of us brought from home, we finished them with selected several pieces of cheese from a somewhat small but well-cared for array. Among the dozen or so were Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Livarot, and a Spanish half-cow, half-goat cheese we had never seen before Dessert Tasting: Chocolate Velvet Fondant, Nougatine, Almond Praline Ice Cream Rice Crispy, Peanut Ice Cream, Chocolate, Condensed Milk Cappuccino Empire Apple Crumble, Cranberries, Fresh Ginger Ice Cream Flambeed Banana "Tarte Tatin", Maple Sugar Ice Cream Warm Chocolate Passion Fruit Cake, Coconut Sorbet Generally, the desserts were a take on "down home" American comfort food, using classic American dessert ingredients. They were made for a typical American palate emphasizing sweetness. We wondered what would happen if this immensely talented chef was let loose in France or in a kitchen that didn't cater to hotel guests. As we were eating our desserts, Jean-Francois Bonnet, the pastry chef, came out. He is a delightful, articulate 27 year old who spent over 30 minutes at our table often providing cogent analysis of the state of fancy dining in France, particularly how one two-star restaurant on the Cote d'Azur had reduced their dessert selection from 14 to six. He bemoaned the "war" between the front and back of the house and how so often his creations are ruined by a waiter who is slow to get the food to the table. We loved the small cookies served with our coffee and Chef Bonnet requested that our server get us another plate. When the server said there were no more, Chef Bonnet went back to bake some more. This was at 11:30 at night, after a full service day. Chef Bonnet was the highlight of a meal that was very expensive (and this was with corkage waived, but included a bottle of Didier Dageneau's Pure Sang Pouilly Fume) at a bit over $200 per person and served in a hotel restaurant that seemed more concerned with maximization of profit than treating the clientele as if some of it could be knowledgeable.

My service man is a "professional" front of the house person. He went to a hospitality college and his aspirations are to be the consummate front of the house person. He sees his job as a profession not a way stop on the way to becoming something else. Bux, my visitor doesn't have a computer so he can only post when he comes over to visit which is not often as he works 6 days a week, 14 hours a day.

I have someone visiting me and as he was watching me read this thread, he immediately sat down to wade through all 10 pages. His comments from a front of the house perspective are below. Having worked at 2 four star New York restaurants and one 3 star Michelin restaurant, I am dismayed by some of the comments. I am a front of the house person who works 12-14 hours a day, and for us the most gratifying moments of our lives is when our clients leave happy. Some people just won't ever be pleased. others will leave happy no matter what. But there is no difference whether you have a lot of money or no money at all. We only care that you "respect" everyone in that restaurant (i.e.) The Hostess The Busboys The Runners The Waiters The Captains The Maitre d'hôtel The Director When I say respect it is moving your elbow when we are trying to put down your food, listening when we are describing a dish. If we ask you to wait for your table in the lounge, even though you see there is a table ready, we are only doing it for the betterment of your experience. Asking for an owner that is never there will just insight the staff. Saying THANK YOU. Generally, a VIP, a term I never use, are those who make our jobs more enjoyable. We, as a collective group, love to "give" more than expected service or what you would call extras. The kitchen loves to "just" cook and we love to find a hidden jewel in the cellar. At one restaurant where I worked, we went so far as to go to a store and get Iranian caviar which by the way they kept hidden. We did this not for a regular, but a first timer who happened to shine shoes and was bringing his daughter for her 21st birthday. Did he slip the whole staff $100 bills? Not quite! But, this is when we, as a very tired group, go home and can't wait to wake up to do it all again. We love moments like this when we can alter an experience. This family will be a "special client" of mine forever, although he never returned to the restaurant. Obviously, we get regulars that may just want to have a "panache salad," that is not on the menu. We, of course. do it. We also have regulars who we know are true "eaters" and we will gladly "just cook." But, when you disrespect one or any of the staff, the kitchen will find out through us. We again will probably do anything we possibly can to make your dining experience more than expected. We spend many a night tossing and turning about what could have been better. It bothers us more than you when something goes wrong. We are perfectionist at what we do, but we are also realists, it would help if "you" were too. Thank You, your friendly service person

essvee, I wonder if what you had was Chartruese Tarragon? It is extremely hard to find and was a favorite of Point, Chapel, Blanc and Guerard.

Pan, That's the point. Fat Guy and Steve are trying to say that nobody has to be the "ordinary" diner. It won't happen in a day, but it is a relationship. It is not manipulative for if it is pretense, it shows. If it is honest and sincere, any diner with no dollars can have an extraordinary experience.

I would like to make a suggestion. The reporters in question are Pooja Bhatia (pooja.bhatia@wsj.com) and Shirley Leung (shirley.leung@wsj.com). Could we have them as a Q and A?

Fat Guy, I just finished reading your encore and I think it should be the banner for all fine diners everywhere. Anybody can be a VIP. It is NEVER a matter of money, it is NEVER a matter of ego, it is only a matter of respecting fine food and service and communicating and thanking those who do so. I only wish I had written what you wrote. can't spell

Fat Guy, Well said and bravo. That is exactly the point. An experienced diner doesn't have to ask or throw their weight around. It just happens!

Paul, It seems that your trip is arranged around dining in Michelin 2 and 3 star restaurants. I would echo the comments of Cabrales, Vmilor and Peter. Bocuse is mediocre food, but historically interesting. Troisgros is extraordinary. At Georges Blanc, be sure to pre-order (at least 24 hours in advance) the Poularde de Bresse cuitre en croute de gros sel "Selon Alexandre." This is a much better dish than his other hyped chicken dish. We were unimpressed with Pyramide and felt that this was a two star on the way down. Veyrat is very controversial. Like Vmilor, our first meal there was exceptional. Last year, it was awful - innovation for the sake of innovation with weird combinations of flavors. Also, like Vmilor, I second his suggestion of Rochat/Pont de Brent and Chateauvieux. In Lyon, I would suggest Auberge de l'lle, a new two star.

It is interesting how the WSJ reporters begin their article. They describe an incident at Spago where "demanding diner," Randall Rubin, an aspiring 32 year old filmmaker goes to Spago and is quoted as saying, "Why should I let the menu dictate what I'm going to eat?" and "he just didn't feel like eating anything on the menu that night." Thereupon, Wolfgang Puck constructs a special dish of spicy tuna tartar and delivers it to the table himself. (For the record, Wolfgang rarely cooks anymore and the spicy tuna tartar is a standard first amuse.) Their premise seems to be that because the restaurant industry is in a terrible recession, any "average Joe" can demand "couture cuisine." The key sentence in the article is their comment: "The weak economy has shifted the balance of power from the celebrity chef to the paying customer." The reporters were clearly setting up a we vs. the restaurant. Their purpose was to see if they could get special treatment: they set out to "challenge the chef," insist that their "appetizer and entree not appear on the menu" and with "few parameters" ask the waiter "if the chef could prepare something special, just for us." I don't think we are talking about ordering off menu in any way similar to the WSJ reporters. For me, restaurants where I have tasting menus or off menu items are restaurants where I have a long standing relationship. In the case of Spago, a restaurant we go to frequently, we never order. I haven't seen a menu at Spago in years. Lee Hefter, executive chef, does a tasting menu and we never know what will be served. This is far different from announcing to the waiter I don't feel like eating anything on the menu this evening and I want Lee to cook just for me. When they see our name on the reservation book, they know in advance that we will do a tasting. We make no demands or last minute requests. We never expect anything special just for us. We recently went to Sona for the first time. As I had never eaten there, we ordered their tasting menu as written. After a wonderful 3 1/2 hour meal, the chef, David Meyer, came over and said he looked forward to our returning and creating new dishes for us to sample. We were there last Saturday night and the hostess greeted us with the words, "the chef is ready for you." Were we served off menu items? I honestly don't know as I never looked at the menu. Am I demanding to be served something special? Never. I just come in with the attitude that I love good food, I am willing to take a chance, and I am looking forward to whatever the chef makes.

Cabrales, Thank you for your detailed reply. Your persistence has certainly been rewarded.

Cabrales, I noticed on the Blue Hill thread that you posted that you had reservations at FL on Feb 18. It seems that it is much easier for you to secure reservations at FL. Is this because you have become a regular diner? What "tricks" are you using?

Martin, I am not suggesting that a menu be designed without regard to flavor or as you suggest "if he only includes them for the purpose of color variety, then he's going to lose my attention." But, I do think you eat with your eyes as much as your palate. I am opposed to heaping a wild assortment of foods and flavors on a plate in the hopes that it works. I also dislike this same piling on of one dish after another without any regard to how it effects the total dining experience. Tonyfinch, I accept the premise that my response to dining is greatly influenced by the French. My experience in this cuisine far exceeds that of other cuisines. However, isn't an omakase meal similar in many respects? It doesn't follow the amuse, fish, meat, cheese, dessert format, but not only does there seem to be a set order, but also a "balance" (I admit readily that this is not the best choice of words) between flavors, temperatures, textures and the like. For example, at Ginza, the chef seemed to design a menu that included all these elements. (http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=27&t=13984&hl=ginza) I also agree with the premise that in the hands of less skilled chefs, they can "fool" the diner with a myriad of small bites. One of my most favorite restaurants in Paris is L'Ambrosie. The menu is a la carte only. Each dish is so pristine and so perfect that it can and does stand alone.

southern girl, Others have commented that the weakest parts of the French Laundry menu are the meat courses. Was this your experience? From your description, the rabbit dish was an A and the veal less than. The "White Truffle Custard with a Ragout of Black Winter Truffles" is incredible. This is when Thomas Keller's comment that he wants you to say after tasting a dish,"God, I wish I had just one more bite of that," is so true.

carpet bagger, Another wonderful sushi place to try is Takao in Brentwood. You can find posts on Takao at: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...=15273&hl=takao

Unfortunately, our last meal was also uninspired. One of the things that I could always count on was the consistent first rate experience at Spago. Although the service was exemplary, the food was mediocre - a first for us.

southern girl, With your fine palate and expertise, I hope you are still in the business. If not, it is a loss to fine dining.