tupac17616
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Posts posted by tupac17616
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Mon Vieil Ami is an option on Sundays
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Thanks for sharing, Michael. Glad to see that you enjoyed Marco Fadiga Bistrot. I went there back in July or so and definitely enjoyed it. It had been recommended to me by Marco Parizzi, chef at his eponymous restaurant in Parma. And I still remember the stuffed squid, in particular, as being one of the food highlights of my time in Bologna.
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I have a great recipe from Piedmonte that is an eggplant parmesan recipe that is meant to be served room temperature.
[...]
**Tupac: if you are around, this is the recipe that I totally forgot to send to you. My apologies!!!
woohoo!
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Frankly, I doubt many of the people who are hitting a whole bunch of Michelin stars in one trip are doing it for trophies or oneupmanship - they're doing it because they're serious about this sort of dining, and want to have experience at many of the great restaurants as possible.
agreed
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For the longest menu ("Menu Astrance", ~8 courses) last week it was 190E for just the food, 290E with paired wines.
That's pretty good with wines...
And the wines were pretty good
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For the longest menu ("Menu Astrance", ~8 courses) last week it was 190E for just the food, 290E with paired wines.
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So, anyone else been to Gagnaire of late? Had this menu? Is he slipping?
I went a week and a half ago, and we supplemented the set lunch menu with a few extra dishes. We were very close to opting for the spring tasting you had, though a few a la carte items we calling us more loudly.
For me, restaurants like Gagnaire that take such chances with odd combinations can be frustrating. I'm not sure the hit/miss ratio was on the safe side of 50/50, to be honest. Certainly some of the high notes are beautiful (the duck dish from the a la carte menu may have been the single best dish I ate during two weeks in Paris that included Arpege, L'Astrance, and other great meals). But many things I tasted at PG made me think -- pardon my French -- "wtf??!!". The canapes, for example, ranged from refreshing to horrific. Ditto with the 10 desserts that flooded the table at the end. This was my first meal at Gagnaire, and I would definitely return, though probably not for a tasting. I think you could put together a wonderful meal a la carte (start with the langoustines, and have the aforementioned duck, for example), and maybe avoid some of the possible land mines on the menu that way.
Don't worry about L'Astrance. We went there last week, too. It's a fun meal. Definitely have the wine pairing. Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris!
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Menus - how far in advance can a cuisine based on 'whats good and fresh today' be planned?
I'm thinking a weeks about it.
I think a week is about right for the purposes of getting the neccesary orders to the purveyors. Same-day changes (sometimes fairly large) are not at all uncommon, though.
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Hi tupac,
Why is it essential to have wine-pairing here?
Generally speaking, how do you decide whether or not it's necessary to have wine-pairing when you dine at 2-3 star places?
Thanks
Honestly, for me this was just a case of dumb luck. I hadn't heard anything good or bad about the wine program at L'Astrance; and at first we were ambivalent about doing the full pairing, considering the previous night's excesses. But I think Julien had it right when he said that both the dish and the wine take on a whole new dimension together. There were many wines I did not like on their own. And likewise many such dishes. But I'm not sure I've had a wine pairing quite so good before. I was very impressed.
BTW, great photos Julien. And good call with the second round of pork belly!
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From a very recent nine day stay, here is what was written to a friend about two of them and a third[...]
We very much enjoyed our meal at Au Trou Gascon two or three nights ago. Especially the first bottle of wine we had (Domaine Arretxea Hegoxuri).
And I'm very happy to read that report from Mon Vieil Ami considering we're headed there tomorrow night!
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How much is the current suprised menu? Is it still below EUR 200? It's not that I'm crazy about it, it's just one of the interesting places that I've never tried yet
yesterday the menu with wine pairing (absolutely essential here, in my opinion) was 290E/person
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I will be with a girlfriend whose very life is dedicated to gelato.
Hie thee to Pasticceria Alba in Palermo!
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Are you planning a visit to Ledoyen? It's a favorite of mine, and I think there's a fair chance you'd still be able to make a reservation there.
I think ajg already had plans for Ledoyen prior to this trip, though I could be wrong. That said, it's still on my list of possibilities for the trip.
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I've heard that L'Astrance must be booked 2 months in advance- I hope you don't mind me asking how you may be repeating one (sounds like you'll decide later?) or have you had the ressies for awhile?
You're exactly right about L'Astrance. I misunderstood our schedule a bit, and so I misspoke! Last day is still up in the air at this point.
Also aj do you eat at bistros and neighborhood joints too or just the haute cuisine?
I don't want to speak for him, but I will say that in the not-haute category on this trip, ajgnet will be our fearless leader as we knock off a good bit of my list:
Au Boeuf Couronné
Au Trou Gascon
Aux Lyonnais
Chez L'Ami Jean
Chez Michel
L’Ardoise
L'Avant Goût
Le Pamphlet
Le Sèvero
L'Os à Moelle
Mon Vieil Ami
Ribouldingue
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I'm assuming I'll have better luck at Daiwa than you, since I at least look Japanese (and hopefully once I start speaking, they won't kick me out).
I'm glad at least one of us can get in there. My Japanese skills certainly won't be opening up any doors for me anytime soon!
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Next time take pictures!
So, about that...
We took around 3,000 pictures in Tokyo between the three of us. So I suppose the least I can do is share a few of them!
Tsunahachi -- tempura before and after
Tsukiji -- breakfast uni
Park Hyatt -- breakfast buffet
Kyubey (Keio Plaza) -- still-quivering kuruma ebi; its grilled head
Mist: Chabuya Japan -- miso & sesame noodle with boiled pork
New York Grill -- Australian Southern Rock Lobster, Black Truffle, Champagne Sauce; Grilled Miyazaki "Koyoma" Ribeye, Braised Beef Cheek and Celeriac Cream
Mochi Cream -- mochi omakase; raspberry mille feuille mochi
Gonpachi -- seiro soba
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon -- La Langoustine en ravioli truffé à l’étuvée de chou vert; "Iberico de Bellota," escorte de pain toaste a la tomate
Takashimaya depachika -- macarons from Wittimer
Mitsukoshi depachika -- taiyaki; unagi donburi
Isetan depachika -- "It's a small world after all...". To understand the personal significance Salumeria Garibaldi has for me, click here.
Ningyocho Imahan -- beef shabu shabu
Ukai Toriyama -- yakiniku/yakitori; mugitoro
New York Bar -- buffalo burrata with iberico ham, strawberries, and melon
Tokyu depachika -- baked Japanese sweet potato
Meiji Shrine food court -- udon with egg and scallion
Tofuya Ukai -- shirako with bitter orange juice; salt-grilled Spanish mackerel with yuzu
Candy -- sakura kit-kat; pocky, pocky, pocky
Capsule hotel -- a little cultural exploration
Narita Airport sushi -- one last piece of uni before saying goodbye to Tokyo
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Sad to hear that you didn't like your shabu shabu-- it's one of my favourite meals. Usually Japanese restaurants don't allow two or more people to just share one order, so I wonder if maybe they were a bit pissed off and served you inferior beef (and tried to give you a pepper overdose) as revenge? It could also be that you over cooked the meat, because shabu shabu beef should definitely not be rubbery-- it just needs a few swishes in the broth until it's just barely cooked.
It very well could have been the case that they weren't happy with our decision to split that meal, but they didn't bat an eye when we made that request. We'd had a LOT of food that day, and certainly didn't need a full meal, but I really wanted to (re)try shabu shabu.
I was very surprised with the toughness of the meat, because it had only a short dip in the broth. I love raw meat, and my friend Adam is the biggest nippophile I know, so he wouldn't have let us make the mistake of overcooking it. Perhaps, as you supposed, it was just inferior beef.
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And so that, my friends, is that. It was my first time in Tokyo, but there's no way it will be my last. It's really a great city. It's huge, it's metropolitan, but somehow it's clean. It's efficient. It just works. New York could really learn a thing or two. The people were ultra polite, almost awkwardly so at times (with the exception of that stupid lady at Tsukiji), and for the most part I felt welcome. It was crystal clear than just one week was really only enough to barely scratch the surface of this great food city, and this great food culture. Tokyo may not have been the most soul-satisfying place I experienced on this trip -- that title would go to Bangkok -- but I can't say enough good things about it. And I am dying to return. Next time, hopefully it won't be around New Years, so I can eat more sushi! Next time, I'll go to Ryugin. Next time, no French food. Next time, next time, next time. That next time can't come soon enough.
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There had been both very good and very disappointing meals up to this point in the week, but it was smooth sailing after that. At the suggestion of our hotel concierge, we booked a mid-afternoon meal at Ukai Toriyama. This place is located at the base of Mt. Takao, about 45 minutes by train from Shinjuku station. The concierge claimed that if we were in the mood for yakitori, the grilled chicken here would would certainly scratch that itch. He recommended we make a reservation around 3pm, so we could see the place by day and by night. This was definitely the way to go. There were three different course meals on offer -that -- grilled chicken, grilled beef, and hot stone beef -- and three of us. How convenient, right? Too bad we couldn't quite get the point across to the waitress that we wanted one of each of the menus. They initially said no, we all had to order the same menu. They also pointed out that setting up both the grill and the hot stone at the same table would be too tight. But we persisted, and our persistence (read: stubbornness) paid off. We all shared everything, so we could taste the maximum number of different things, so I'm not quite sure what dishes went with each course menu. An early highlight was ebi imo. The texture of this potato was such that it yielded easily to the fork but still had integrity when you bit through it. The flavor was sweet and delicious. A selection of tempura vegetables including carrot, mushroom, and shiso leaves was really nice. Crisp and not the least bit greasy. A bowl of wonderful chicken broth was served with a tender chicken meatball. A grilled Japanese sardine served whole on a skewer was great. The grilled chicken was the favorite of the main courses, but both beef courses were also quite nice. One thing I particularly enjoyed, and something I've since prepared a few times at home, was mugitoro, grated yamaimo served over barley rice. Dessert was a silky red bean soup with a chunk of glutinous rice cake. They somehow avoided the gritty mouthfeel I often associate with red bean desserts, and it was not over-sweetened either. Really a solid meal overall, one of the best of my whole trip. The cost, by the way, was a bit over 10,000yen/person.
This was the last night all together, so we went up to the bar on the 52nd floor for some drinks. There was a jazz ensemble playing that evening. I was having flashbacks to the movie Lost in Translation. Unfortunately, Scarlett Johansson was nowhere to be seen. We shared some champagne and a few snacks from the bar menu. We shared some laughs. And we shared some memories about the great experience in Tokyo that we were wrapping up.
Breakfast the next day was room service. I'm telling you. It's all about the omelet here. While Adam was leaving that morning, I still had one day more before moving on to Shanghai, and my other buddy still had some time to kill. He wanted to go back to Shibuya crossing, so I indulged him even though I had the "been there, done that" attitude about the place. I stopped in to the Tokyu department store basement for a simple baked sweet potato. There's something special about Japanese sweet potatoes, I think. Every time I sampled one -- whether orange, yellow, purple, or white -- it was delicious.
The time flew by and soon it was time for my other friend to leave. We said goodbye at the metro station near Harajuku, and I headed back to the Meiji shrine, which we had already been to a few days prior to this. Of course, I wasn't go back for the temple; rather, I was going back for the outdoor food court they had set up near the exit.
I wanted a light lunch, and I saw something I couldn't pass up: fat, chewy udon noodles with a raw egg stirred through off the heat and sprinkled with chives. The Japanese answer to spaghetti alla carbonara, this was friggin' delicious. When I look back at Tokyo, it's the simple things like this (and the unagi donburi) that I miss the most.I was on my own for dinner the last night. Both of my friends had already left, and our collective knowledge of Japanese had gone with them. Beyond food words, I know nothing (this seems to be a trend across several languages for me
). I had heard great things about Tofuya Ukai, so I booked it well in advance. It definitely did not disappoint. I ordered the Yuki set menu, priced at 12,600yen, which featured beef as the main course. I was intrigued by the fish main course on the Touki menu, though, so I asked them to work that in as well, which they did for an additional 1,800yen. Things started with steamed shredded turnip, yam, firm tofu and mushroom. Served in a soy-based broth and dotted with wasabi, it was sweet, salty and hot all at once. Next was fried tofu with miso & scallion and tamago topped with shredded turnip. The texture of the fried tofu was spongy in a good way. A very good way. It was also crisp on the outside and tender within. The tamago was well-done also, custardy smooth. Next was a sashimi course, which was supposed to be more "special" since I ordered the most expensive of the three offered menus, my waitress claimed. They gave me a dreadfully mundane selection: cooked ebi, decent maguro, and forgetful karei. I wasn't exactly expecting cocktail shrimp given that the only dishes that differed between the three menus were the sashimi course and the main course. At least they gave me the shrimp head, though, which was the best bite of the bunch. Next up was a fish dumpling with shredded scallop served in a hot broth. The fish dumpling was fantastic -- soft, custardy texture and a slightly sweet flavor. The broth was very clean tasting. So nice. Next was a plate consisting of three separate presentations: soft buckwheat tofu topped with uni; boiled abalone served with seaweed; and the oh-so-good "rape and milt in bitter-orange juice". The first two were as good as they sound, but I really must say the third was the single best thing I ate during this trip to Tokyo. I smiled when I saw this on the menu. We had been asking for shirako at a few restaurants without any luck, and here it was finally on my last night in Tokyo. Much to my surprise, both the texture and flavor were phenomenal. It was (not surprisinly) creamy, almost custardy smooth. The flavor was delicate, and slightly sweet. The bitter orange juice contrasted the natural flavor of the shirako perfectly. Really an incredible mouthful. Next the waitress brought a huge bowl of warm soy milk and a block of silken tofu. She set this on the table and ladled it into a smaller bowl. The aroma was so nice. In a way it reminded me of the latte di mardorla, or almond milk, that I've tried in Sicily. Slightly sweet. Warm and satisfying. The silken tofu was great, too, served with kombu and soy sauce. My fiish course was outstanding: salt-grilled mackerel with yuzu. Just so flavorful! The grilled beef was pedestrian, and frankly didn't warrant the extra cash I'd spent in choosing that menu. But at this point, what did I care. Next they brought a bowl of rice topped with snow crab; miso soup with tofu; and pickled vegetables. The rice was particularly good. Never have I encountered a culture that cooks its rice so incredibly well as the Japanese. Seriously. It's amazing. Dessert was a small cup of red bean soup and some wedges of persimmon. Nothing special, but not bad either. Factoring in tax, the meal came out to about 16,000yen. Not cheap. In fact, the most expensive meal of the entire trip. But oh so worth it. I would return here in a heartbeat. -
Rona, this is for you....
So far I've only talked about Tsunahachi, the Tsukiji market, and Kyubey, but that was just the first 24 hours!
The day after our dinner at Kyubey was New Year's Eve. We slept late and had breakfast at the hotel. Pretty decent buffet, actually. And they can make a mean omelet. We made our daily trip to the gym, then headed out for some (window) shopping. Lunch was inside the Ometesando Hills shopping center, at Mist: Chabuya Japan. This is a ramen shop that Adam had really enjoyed on a previous trip. Let's just say this is not the typical ramen shop I had pictured before coming to Tokyo. We pulled up a chair at the bare metal (read: cold, industrial, and ugly) bar. There were only two options: Tonkotsu Noodle (1,000yen) and Miso & Sesame Noodle (1,200yen). I chose the latter, and opted for an extra topping of boiled pork (250yen). Other toppings on offer were boiled egg (150yen) and seaweed (150yen). Now, this was a hell of a lot more than I ever expected to pay for ramen, but I must say I found it to be quite tasty. Adam was not so impressed this time around, and kept complaining that the miso & sesame noodle didn't even come close to the soy sauce noodles he had enjoyed the last time. Luckily, I'm not too susceptible to his negative power of suggestion, and I happily cleaned out my bowl.
Dinner that night was at New York Grill, the restaurant on the 52nd floor of our hotel. Adam claimed this was the place to be on New Years Eve in Tokyo, and given the view, I'm not sure I can disagree with him, even if the food was very mediocre. I was particularly amused with the wine list, which was uselessly disjointed into three separate lists. The first, with American wines, was the longest. We asked if they had any French wines, so they brought a second list. And our request for an Italian wine produced yet another list. Funny. Anyhoo, we had champagne, a sauvignon blanc/semillon blend from the Columbia Valley, and a cabernet sauvignon from Napa. The courses seemed to alternate between terrible and mediocre. Particularly deserving the former distinction were the Hokkaido taraba crab salad and a mushroom "risotto" with a dry puck of sausage. The Australian rock lobster with black truffle (only there in spirit) & champagne sauce and the grilled Miyazaki "Koyama" ribeye with braised beef cheek and celeriac cream were a whole lot better, though. A cheese course and dessert were decent, if forgettable. But certainly, this was not an evening where I was particularly worried about the food. The view was great, the company was great, and really I can think of no better way to ring in the New Year than with two of my best friends and a glass of champagne in hand.
New Year's Day I wandered around Shinjuku on my own for a bit. I stumbled onto a place near Shinjuku Station called Mochi Cream. They had 24 flavors of ice cream-filled glutinous rice goodness, of which I chose six: adzuki, black sesame, red sweet potato, double caramel, raspberry mille feuille, and cheese. Cheese?!, you might be asking. I certainly was wondering the same thing. I assumed these mochi were filled with flavored paste rather than ice cream, so I saved them until I'd returned to the hotel to share with my friends. The "cheese" it turns out was cream cheese -- not so good. Adzuki, red sweet potato, and double caramel were okay. Black sesame and raspberry mille feuille were great. The raspberry in particular had tiny extra-crunchy bits throughout the center that felt almost like pop rocks on the tongue. Very tasty snack.
Despite all the above suggestions to avoid Tokyo on New Years and the week thereafter, but there we were, trying to find a nice place for dinner. Gonpachi was not that place. It was open, of course, and we went, but it was like a bad dream. As we sat for 2 or 3 minutes as they looked for our reservation, I would not have been at all surprised if they had handed me a little coaster whose lights would blink when our table was ready. Yes, it was that kind of place. The kind of place where the menu is disgustingly eclectic (foie-friggin'-gras?!). Where the "authentic" atmosphere looked to be over-designed by some white guy who has never set foot in Japan. Where the ratio of foreigner-to-local was about, oh, infinity. Where the cooks in the open kitchen were competing for the customer's attention like kindergarteners in a school play. We gave the place a chance. The cold soba that Adam and I each ordered was decent. And our friend Jeremy ordered a few skewers of chicken, which he enjoyed. But the atmosphere in that place was seriously driving me bat-shit crazy. We got out of there ASAP, and moved on to a second dinner.
We almost followed Raji's recommendation for yakiniku at Toraji, but I was outnumbered 2-to-1. Both of my buddies thought why come to Tokyo for Korean BBQ. Raji had told me it was simply Korean-style, but regardless, we ended up going elsewhere. To L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
(why come to Tokyo to eat French, I responded! 
). Now, I really like L'Atelier in New York. There's no coincidence that it's the longest review on our website right now. But a chain is a chain is a chain, and I wasn't exactly thrilled to be spending a Tokyo meal in a French restaurant. I had a plate of jamon Iberico, and dish of langoustine ravioli with truffle cream sauce. Both were tasty, I'm not going to lie. But expectations are very, very important. And frankly, eating non-Japanese food with so little time in Tokyo felt pretty stupid.The next day, we hit the depachika, and we hit them hard. Takashimaya, Mistukoshi, and Isetan. All three were great, each in their own way. Takashimaya and Isetan had huge selections of sweets. I found the French connection to be really intriguing: Pierre Herme, Fauchon, Dallayou, and the list goes on and on. Many of these place have locations in only two cities -- Paris and Tokyo. Very interesting. My single favorite thing that I ate all day was a fantastic bowl of unagi donburi from a vendor at Isetan. Simply rice topped with grilled unagi, but so satisfying. I could eat that every day.
We had a light dinner at Ningyocho Imahan in Ginza. We weren't incredibly hungry, so we split one beef shabu shabu meal among the three of us. To say I'm inexperienced with shabu shabu is an understatement. This was only my second time having it (the first was, oddly enough, at Masa in NYC). All I can say is I must be missing something. I really don't see the appeal of this at all. Boiling the thin slices of beef yielded floppy, rubbery, and flavorless results. The mushrooms and cabbage were a bit better, but still incredibly bland, even when doctored with the dipping sauce they'd given us. The waitress inexplicably put about a tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper into the broth she served us in small cups at the end. Totally overwhelming. The price for this not-so-wonderful meal? About 12,000yen, factoring in the 4,000yen fee for the room, which they of course neglected to mention anywhere on the menu. I thought that was pretty steep!
to be continued...
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I think it was most likely a miscommunication. Perhaps she meant that they are physically too big to knock elbows at the sushi bar. Or maybe she thought they were GIs. All I know is that what can seem like racism in Japan is often just a matter of mispoken English or Japanese.
This was no miscommunication, I'm afraid. Her message was crystal clear. But either way, let me move on to talk about more important things -- namely, the rest of the trip!
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Well Michelin just took one off your list. Do you have Arpège plans? Gagnaire? etc.
Yes sir. L'Astrance, Gagnaire, and L'Arpege for sure, maybe repeating one of the latter two on the last day.
Well, good luck. We dined at Le Meurice and at Pierre Gagnaire last week. The latter remains my favorite restaurant anywhere.See:
http://countryepicure.wordpress.com/2008/0...gnaire-paris-2/
Thanks for sharing, Michael. Looks like a lovely meal, particularly Linda's langoustines.
Wait a minute! tupac still hasn't finished writing up Tokyo! Tell him the trip's off till that gets done!Wow, looking back at that thread, I really did just trail off.
I'll try to remedy that now! -
[...]I've found, after decades of translating Italian -- and the same is true for any language -- that a Gordian-knot approach often works best where (as on a menu) space and reader attention span may be limited.
well put
Bologna and Alba
in Italy: Dining
Posted
Great to read your continued report!
I do remember trying Sacchero for gelato, but their gianduja was all I had, and it wasn't very memorable. The gelato at Golosi di Salute was quite good, very pure flavors. But my favorite gelateria in Alba was Gelatissimo, Piazza Navona 10b.
Speaking of sweets, next time in Alba I would recommend checking out Laboratorio di Resistenza Dolciaria, Via P. Ferrero 11. I can still taste that wonderful tart made with hazelnut paste (the owner's local answer to marzipan) and robiola cheese. Owner is a really nice guy, as well.
The food at Vincaffe was actually pretty decent for the most part, though we were there mostly for the wine. A very pleasant surprise, though, was their battuta al coltello. Raw veal with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice, served atop baby arugula. Simple and delicious.
Would love to check out La Libera and Osteria dell'Arco next time around.
Thanks for sharing your travels with us!