percyn

After learning about Tunnbrods, I had to order one during a recent trip to Sweden. It probably would have tasted better if I were drunk. Tony, when are the new episodes going to air?

You're welcome Michael. To comment further on Arpege....I had done my usual research on eGullet and other sites, read reviews from other diners, etc and to be honest, I was expecting to have a meal unlike any other I had before, where vegetables would be front and center, exploding with flavor. In certain ways, it did not disappoint. Where else would you be served roasted beet as an entree? And many of the vegetables such as the ones in the ravioli in fish consommé were especially flavorful and crunchy. But when I look back, the only dishes that really stood out for me were the pigeon (it's sauce in particular) and some cheeses. The rest of the menu I could get at any good restaurant or perhaps even be inspired to cook it at home . Granted I do not grow my own vegetables, but who is to say that my local farmer did not pour as much of his soul into it as Passard? And dare I say that some dishes like the delicate Brittany lobster were overpowered by an acidic sauce? Combine that with the hustle and bustle of the service, the long wait between certain courses, the relatively high price (even compared to other 3 star restaurants) and my heightened expectations and you may see why I was a bit disappointed. I do not regret trying this restaurant, but it would not be high on my list of recommendations to my friends. Hope that helps...is there a particular dish you were curious about or wanted me to share my recollection of? Cheers Percy

hzrt8w, I don't claim to be an expert or know their secret, but that dish inspired me to make this and the foam in my dish was made with a home cook's immersion blender a little cream and letchin, so I am sure a bit more heavy cream, letchin and a heavy duty immersion blender would work wonders.

Molto e, I will be at L'Atelier in LV in a few weeks and have also enjoyed L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Paris and since many of the dishes on the degustation menu seem to be similar to the ones I had in Paris, would you recommend trying the le Carte items? Was the Onglet on the degutation or le carte?

I saw Katherine's on the ride back from Savona Bistro, which was followed up the next day with a recommendation from a co-worker, so it is on my short list of places to try in the area. gfweb, any special items on the menu which are a "must have"?

Yes, it is "caviar" (I think bleakfish roe) and cream cheese. It is actually quite good with scrambled eggs.

Diver Scallops, King Crab with Seafood Foam on Porcini Risotto

Nope. Sorry, ... here is another hint

Went there this weekend for lunch. Service, while friendly still needs improvement. It took 10-15 minutes before my order was taken (but dishes were sent from the kitchen in 5 minutes) Ordered some "Spagetthi", which was not the same as the za jiang mein (炸酱面) served in other restaurants, but not as weak as the previous owner's version either. It had the fried pork and shredded beef on top, the noodles seemed the same, but it had a robut broth, which was actually quite pleasent. Also ordered some Mongolian beef, which had a touch of spice with sweet undertones from the scallion. Just to be sure I get some spice in my diet, I ordered the Sichuan Cold Chicken, which did not disappoint in the spice category. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me but I did end up with left overs for 2 days.

That Porkbelly(?) looks good Rocklobster. Is that Butternut squash puree it is plated with? What is the deep red gastrique(?)

This is what I made for breakfast yesterday. Scrambled Eggs, Wild Boar Bacon and .... (can you guess the mystery ingredient in white and orange)?

A report from my trip to Stockholm (& Paris), including restaurant F12, can be found here.

Was in Paris last weekend and had dinner at Alain Passard's L'Arpege and lunch at Le Cinq in the four seasons. Both are 3 star restaurants, but I found Le Cinq to be a superior experience and quite reasonable for lunch. A full report of both dining experiences can be found here. Cheers Percy

Miss the cafe and croissants I had in Paris last week.

Since people are sharing stories of how they remember finding this gorgeous "nugget".... Having grown up in India, where chicken legs are marinated in spices (tandoori or otherwise), along with its texture, I remember it for having intense flavor as the spices usually get into the nooks and bones / meat in that area.

They say that Japanese mandolines are the best. I have a cheap Beriner (under $50), but you can get a more expensive one.

What a great trip and report...thanks for sharing...it makes me want to head there tomorrow...no wait...today !!

Klary, its a great idea and I know you would be a natural at it. As others have suggested, I would start by brainstorming and identifying your target clientel and services they would be interested in, e.g: Ex-pats - Visits to several local markets over the course of a few days - Local restaurant lunches/dinners and how to order the food, customs, etc - Series of hands on cooking classes Tourists interested in food - Market tour - Afternoon cooking class (perhaps following the morning visit to a market). Perhaps this is only offered during peak tourist season. Locals - Dinner club where you supply the ingredients and recipes for a group of friends to come in and cook meals for a few days in advance and reheat at home. Price varies by dish. - You mentioned an International school across from you. Perhaps not everyone is interested in cooking, but still like eating good food with their families. Seems like a pre-made meal which they could pick up with their kids would be ideal for them. They pay you by the week or month and you make 2-3 dishes per meal. Your margins increase as you get more clients and word-of-mouth (pun intended) spreads. Forgive me if this seems condoscending, as it is not meant to be, but before starting any business I advise my friends to do a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, treats) analysis, to give you an objective view. Who are your competitors? Are others offering this? How will you target your desired demographic? etc And if you need a manager to collect money, give me a call

Bill, if you are placing an order at D'Artagnan then I would recommend adding this to your shopping basket as well. The main think I liked about this bacon was the depth of flavor from the wild boar meat and while the version I made was not as crisp as regular bacon, I was not trying to crisp it either. If you want, I can put a few strips in the convection oven for a few minutes to see if it crisps well.

Got some Wild Boar Bacon from D'Artagnan so I had to serve it with a fried egg

Intersection of St Germain and St. Jaques

Divina, thanks for a great blog, pictures that will hopefully convince my wife to make the trip to Italy and finally for sharing your recipe. Cheers Percy

Now on to my dining experience at Le Cinq. If you have not had an opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons, George V in Paris, I highly recommend going there for a meal or afternoon tea. The hotel is one of the most beautiful Four Seasons properties and they call it the hotel of flowers for a reason. In every corner or nook you will find fresh roses and other flowers in amazing decorations….and this coming from someone who perhaps shares the macho view that flowers and bouquet are overrated. The room, décor and ambience at Le Cinq is truly amazing. Zagat says “..this is what royalty must have felt like” and they are not kidding. There are 20 ft windows draped in heavy silk. Frescos on the ceiling and flowers everywhere. The furniture seems to be in a Louis XVI(?) style and the chairs are very comfortable. To start, I was offered a selection of Champaign and I choose a Rose, which was excellent and worth the 30 Euro/glass. But I guess you have to forget the price if you want to enjoy yourself. It did come with excellent buttery, cheese twists. Based on the correspondence with the hotel and the fact that they have my profile in their system (the four seasons is very good about keeping track of their guests likes and dislikes across their properties worldwide), they inquired whether I would be interested in their “light” tasting menu. Mind you, “light” is very subjective and you will soon see why. I was also glad to see that they had some good wines by the glass, so I ordered a 2002 Puligny-Montrachet The bread I was initially offered was a slice of salt-free white bread. One might think that is very odd for a classic French restaurant, until the waiter pours some Tuscan olive oil from a carafe and invites you to dip the bread in it, which I willingly comply with. I have never tasted such an olive oil so full of flavor and complexity. The fluffy white bread was a perfect carrier for this amazing oil as it slowly dissolved in your mouth, releasing the oil’s aroma and leaving a slightly grassy, pungent, peppery flavor on your tongue. Next were 2 amuse bouches – the first was goat’s milk cheese wrapped in a thin slice of zucchini and topped with a pimento pepper (pictured next to champagne above) . Amuse Bouche # 2 was a thin Canoli like shell, filled with a puree of chestnut, cepes and truffle. I was also presented with other bread such as baguette, bread with lardon and country bread, with unsalted and salted butter. I wish I could get such great mini baggets locally. The crust was not too thick and had a nice crunch, while the inside was filled with air pockets and chewy. The first course was “Risotto” of eggplant with Cepes (porcini) and a few olives. The eggplant was fantastic, not only in taste, but especially in texture. It really did have the texture of a slightly soft arborio or bomba rice. Next, was Pan Seared Scallops Root Vegetables and Cream Sauce – The sweetness of the scallops complemented the excellent cream sauce. Wider shot of plate For the next course I had a choice between Veal in Lobster Sauce with Carrots and Artichoke or Pigeon in truffle sauce. Since I already had pigeon the night before, I chose the veal and requested that it be prepared the way Chef prefers to which the head waiter quickly responded – pink ! and gave a smiled. This was a good choice for the sauce alone. The veal was well cooked (a tad bit stringy), but I loved the lobster sauce, which the waiter came over with some extra and poured over the meat. The bread stick like thing resting on the "lobster sausage" was a piece of what I will call "french toast". By this time I was convinced that someone was playing a joke by calling it a “light” tasting menu. Next came the Formage cart. Don’t ask me to name them all, but I did get a selection of cheeses with the help of my very friendly waiter. I forgot to take a picture of the cheese on my plate. Now for something that gives this restaurant that little extra (in addition to the personalized china, etc) which probably contributed to the 3 stars. They exchange your napkin used for the meal with a smaller one more appropriate for dessert. To “get you in the right mood”. Then came the pre-dessert, a “minestrone” of fruit. Hard to describe the texture and taste of the cake, but it was dense outside, soft inside and felt like it had dates. The fruit was mango and pineapple. Then came a Passion fruit crème brulee on top of mango, pineapple and passion fruit. Sorry for not having a picture of it, I can’t believe I did not capture it. Next, I was presented with a drink menu of coffee (Gand Cru Blue Mountain), Chocolat Choid (hot chocolate), Aperitifs, etc to which I selected the Chocolat Choid. A few moments later came the dessert cart. I was full, but couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to taste their rendition of my favorite sweet, marzipan, along with kitchen made marshmallow and some chocolates. They even pour you a special mineral water (poured in the glass with the blue tint in the picture below) to “energize you” after the lunch. For those who don’t believe that water can have different tastes, I challenge you to try this one. If you can taste the different between Fiji and tap water, this is another quantum leap. Two hours later, I was glad the meal came to an end and thankful to have such a great experience. I have been to many restaurants, some more expensive, but none came as close to a perfect dining experience as the one I had at Le Cinq. The wait staff were charming, polite, appeared out of nowhere like magicians and moved with a grace of dance professionals. The head waiter noting that I enjoyed food even gave me a complimentary copy of Les Grande Tables du Monde. I have been thinking about the food, the service, the décor, the ambiance…what would I change? How can they improve? And nearly 24 hrs later, I can’t think of anything but trival, minute things. I have an overwhelming amount of good things that come to mind. A new bar has been set. In summary, this restaurant has reinstated my trust in the Michelin guide and is truly a bargain when compared to the other 3 star restaurants. Cheers Percy

On to day 2 in Paris. The day started with a walk to Notre Dame and a stop for a café and croissant at the counter of Café Notre Dame (you can people watch and get a good view of Notre Dame. My lunch reservations at Le Cinq were at 1pm, so I strolled around a bit and headed back to the hotel to get changed before heading to Le Cinq. When I saw these ducks, I thought of I_Call_the_Duck, an eG member and frequent dining companion. Was tempted to try some oysters and homard, but had to restrain myself knowning that a big lunch was to follow in a few hours.

Part II - Paris Sorry for the delay in posting, the traffic from CDG to the hotel has terrible and barely left me time to take a quick shower, get dressed and head to Alain Passard's L'Arpege a 3 star restaurant in 7e. Also appologize for the quality of the pictures in advance, as this is not a place you want to use the flash. I was quickly seated at my table and presented with the menu, which included a 20th anniversary tasting menu. It took me a minute to figure out that the years next to the dishes where years in which the dish was introduced and not the vintage of the suggested wine pairing. Mind you, at 340Euro, I would expect wine to be included (that's twice the price of a fixed menu at Per Se). The wine list was extensive, but did not include wines by the galss or any bottleunder 100 Euros. I was told that the 20th anniversay menu was suited for white wine and I inquired whether they have half bottles to which the sommelier first said no, but then said he would check the cellar and came up with a 2005 Sancere (I did not get a chance to note the name) and it was quite good (for the 60Euros I later found it had cost me). So on to the menu... Amuse Bouche - Alain Passard's garden vegetables on kitchen-made potato chip. (For those not aware, Alain Passard is fanatical about vegetables and it shows in his cooking. The essence of whatever vegetable is presented jump right at you. I was further amazed in how the vegetables paired on the plate "influence" each other. Not a harsh clash in any of the dishes, nor a forceful compliment, but rather a gentle kiss of essence. He treats vegetables the same way a master sushi chef would treat a prized fish). Egg w/Maple Foam - Extremely light foam with a hint of maple and a yolk that was so sublime, I could not have duplicated the texture via sous vide techniques (and I will try). This first dish set the bar pretty high. A simple yet perfectly executed dish. Sweet & Sour Lobster topped with Black Raddish - Once again, the sauce was sweet with a gentle touch of vinegat to cut the sweetness. The lobster was perfectly cooked and must have been poached at an ultra low temp. Vegetable Puree Soup w/Japanese Bacon (spek) Foam - The soup seemed to be a puree of root vegetables of high quality. You could not pick our too much of one vegetable over the other. Like a good wine, when I thought of a particular vegetable like parsnip, I got a faint taste of it, turnip the same, etc Salt Roasted Red Beet w/12 yr Balsamic Vinegar - I was instructed that I would eat the skin if I preferred. The beet had a gentle sweet flavor, which the balsamico could over-power. However, the skin was soft, yet dense with flavor and stood up well to the vinegar. The texture of the beet was just past crisp. So it was not hard and not muchy...just right. Scallops with Spinach and Parsley Puree w/Cepe Sauce - The scallops were not pan seared, but must have been slow poached just to the point that they were not raw, but preserved all their natural flavors and sweetness. A few moments later a waiter arrived at the table with a sizzling copper pan to place a baby leek which was sauteed in butter on my plate Saithe w/ Yellow Wine Sauce and Roasted Potatoes - Succulent piece of fish, which had a firm texture. I wish we could get Saithe in the US, it has such a great flavor Fish Consumme w/Vegetable Ravioli - The delicate flavor of the comsumme was given a boost by the crunchy and extremely flavorful vegetables wrapped in extremely thin ravioli skins. Pigeon w/Caramelized Almonds - The only dish that needed a red wine. The whole pigeon was roasted and presented at your table before it was taken back to be carved and plated. The sauce was just increadibly....I can still taste it. It must have tons of reduced pigeon jus, crushed bones and I think it might have some liver in it too. I soaked it up with bread and could have had another plate of sauce as a substiture for another dish. Formage - The cheese "tray" was this huge block of redwood which needed 2 people to lift and carry from one side of the room to the other. For most of the night this was placed next to me and I could sometimes smell the cheese aroma. There was a big wheel of 4yr Comte, which they claim there are only 5 of in the world and it was being served to everyone. I can't remember to names of the cheese but when I told him I liked soft cheese, he gave me a sheeps milk, a runny mild cheese and an runny and extremley strong one. Over the next few days I will try to find the names and post it. Chocolat Napolean - This was extremely flaky and cracked like thin sheets of plaster or a very old canvas. Not too sweet Petit Four Green pepper and Chilie Gelee - This was a first. It was 2 of each, sweet to start but a finish with a pronounced green pepper or chilie flavor. The service was good, but it seemed a bit rushed and it seemed like the wait staff was rushing and occassionally dumping into each other in the relatively small restaurant. Not something I expect from a 3 Michelen star restaurant. So that was dinner at L'Arpege last night, I will post about today's lunch at Le Cinq and othe food things when I return to the US in the next day or so. Cheers Percy