dragonflychef

They aren't equating anything. One star goes to a restaurant that is excellent in it's class. Gary Danko is apparently excellent in the banquet quality food, absurdly priced wine list, and excellent service category. The thing about this list for me is that while I don't agree with all of the choices they've done a much much better job than the Chronicle. The Chronicle could never get away with snubbing Oliveto, Jardiniere, Zuni, Slanted Door, etc even though they've all been cruising for years on their Zagat scores and Bauer reviews. The next year will be very interesting across the board as some motivated chefs push to move up the list. I fully expect quality to improve at the restaurants that Michelin rated lower than expected. ← michelin absolutely equates things in europe, so now they have dumbed down the ratings for the american market, my point is simply that just because michelin comes here doesnt mean that anyone deserves stars in any number, one of the major faults people seem to be having is with turning tables in american restaurants, but some one stars on the SF list barely turn tables while others are factories, dave i agree that the chronicle/ zagat/ gayot has lured some into complacency but i have a great reverence for the michelin system . and the list cheapened the ratings, I mean lets talk about , the fat duck, les manoir, louis xv, michel bras, au crocodile, guy savoy , robuchon, do we really have that in san fran?

all that being said how can michelin equate the experience at danko as similar to the one at dry creek kitchen, i like both places but give me a break , michelin should of stayed in europe, these ratings and the ones in nyc are a joke

I am a big fan of kens food at La Toque, two very different restaurants with very different atmospheres, if you are wanting to stay close to Sonoma, come see us, but La Toque is worth a drive as well. Preston Dishman p.s. If nothing else come chew the fat one day 996-0345

hello all wife and I have a business tasting at 12 in healdsburg, would love to hear suggestions for the area , for a late lunch or early dinner, will possibly be entertaining another couple as well. thanks in advance, also completely unrelated, melkor and I were contemplating the possibility of an egullet shindig at our restaurant, got any input , sound off i dont have a fancy signature so i will leave you with this, pepperoni should be made with pork- anonymous

I was a little confused, are you open for lunch? Or if not, when will you be open again? Dang, I was JUST thinking about getting up there the week of 2/14 and you might be closed. Ingrid ← hey ingrid , we reopen tuesday the 7th, dinner only , no sunday no monday, til later in the year, call if we can help any way , or if you would like new menus 707-938-4004, or my office 707-996-0345 preston dishman

we are so sorry we cant be a part of your vacation, we have sent " the daughter" to a spa , and she is finishing her last treatments, please feel free to come by and at least have a look and introduce your self. there is also a new place that my wife and i like that just opened on the square, the harvest moon cafe, the owners are nick and jen , they are closed on tuesdays, and only open for dinner ,but a great meal can be had there, 707- 933-8160, other than that lahaye is great , saul and john, and we like della santina as well, sorry i cant cook for you , but please stop by we are training staff and testing recipes, my office 707-996-0345, hope your vacation revives you, if we can help any way, call. preston and nichole the generals daughter 707-938-4004

stopped by and met the owners and staff, put us down for 3 at 8:30 the place looks great, owners are awesome, come out and support this new venture, this will definitely be good for sonoma, we will report back on the food tomorrow, preston

furthermore, i think the opposite of doc, i think diners cut hypermodern chefs more slack , because they might be more unfamiliar with the preparations, saying to themselves, maybe it is me that doesnt get this,. ......... the best steak and fries , or even a hamburger, then you have everyone and their momma weighing in on what is wrong, or how they could do it better, you wont hear many home cooks say anytime soon , " my pea soil is so much better, "

docsconz, I'm not completely convinced of that statement. People have always expected constant creativity. You should see all the trendy restaurants (and their copycats) that are popping up in Los Angeles. Rather, it is just plain hard to be a successful chef, period. ← russell, here here, doing anything at the top level is tough to achieve,and even harder to maintain and improve upon

so by this statement are you saying chefs in the bay area, because they may not choose to do the molecular gastronomy thing that they dont have minds? sometimes the smartest thing is restraint and knowing when to leave it alone

well there has certainly been some exposure. for campton place before humm left and manresa in los gatos, however i think the main focus, at least in north cali is integrity of ingredients and more classical preparations, most other chefs i talk to, view avant garde food as more an intellectual approach, rather than a heart felt relationship with your ingredients, most also believe foams, atomizers, anti griddles , and liquid nitrogen as fads that will fade away, someone once said the perfect short rib never goes out of style

is this the Bill Telepan? Then don't call them. I bet that they will call you before they give the table away. If they DO fail to honor the reservation make a big stink about it. ← we have this policy so that if clients are in from out of town and staying at hotels, and the prospect of not be able to reach them, they will call us to confirm. but if someone does not call, we will call, and if we don't reach them, our policy is to hold the table. some times my cell runs out of power... ←

As a former New Yorker, and former worker at JUdson Grill, I believe Bill Telepan to be the best american food cook I have ever seen , he is also a fanatic for the freshest and most sustainable products, it was a very challenging kitchen to work from a professional perspective , but a joy to see someone so committed to the best ingredients possible,I wish my wife and I still lived in Brooklyn so we could go and try his new place. Please please patronize, respect and enjoy what this very devoted chef is doing, very few chefs that I have worked for have been able to " back up " all the barking they do, but Bill Telepan has true bite quote=M.X.Hassett,Dec 29 2005, 01:44 PM] Cool what did you have? The quail, coddled eggs, and cassoulet, seem to be calling me. ←

yeah I would love to go direct, but I have some things that are used that I would like to get some credit for , I dont think they will do that, possibly economy , btw, I agree with you about Montague, we have 2 now , need two more.......... maybe santa

Looking for best place for new or used restaurant equipment in Bay Area , closer to sonoma the better, really would like to find Montague or Jade Commercial. Closing for a month and we need some new or better items

carolyn greetings hope all is well and your move suits you, my wife and I have always been suburb and rural people as well , but she also had the oppurtunity to live in Brazil as well as when we both lived in manhattan, we miss the wlaking and finding culinary treasures just as you have found , our neighborhood pizza place, the thai place for whole fish , the perfect pastrami and matzo ball soup , all the four star restaurants, le bernardin, jean george, whole crispy duck , and the best cuban pork for 4.50 anywhere, we wish for you all the same treasures we found durin our big move to a big city , wine country will miss you and so will we, come eat when you can , preston - nichole ps we are closing for month of jan, to do some work and cleaning , coming to work for gary danko for 5 days , love to hook up for some insiders food visits

well if you are near the town of sonoma , pop in for a bite or a drink the generals daughter 707 938 4004 preston

sara when is your trip scheduled?

i think any great chef would and certainly should be concerned with the other details of a meal that either add or dettract from the food that has been served dining is after all an all encompassing experience It's not just that Tony's made his mark as a literary figure and media journalist rather than in the kitchen, but somehow I don't think he'd pride himself on seeing that water glasses are always full or that the bill arrived on time. ←

count me in , my wife and I , preston and nichole dishman cant wait to eat at incanto , and meet some of you all

how about this pass- paul bocuse meat- daniel boulud fish - eric ripert veg- joel robuchon sauce- ferdinand point cold- raymond blanc hot- ducasse pastry-pierre herme with francois payard porter-thomas keller

wow what wonderful thought out ideas about how and why we eat. so much of our dining public does not subscribe to living to eat , rather the focus is on value for money spent , or in other words how much do i get for this price, we must remember we here are in the minority of diners in the us and possibly the world not every chef has the luxury of doing only tasting menus, you still must bay bills and if big honkin lamb shanks pay bills then sell em,we live in a society and era, that chains dominate the dining market, so dont criticize chefs for not being creative or for being uninteresting , there are many challenges that go into menu design and development , as well as educating your customer base, dont throw stones at the very people who are still trying to feed you , and trying to pleasure you with food preston dishman -chef

those are all great choices, cant go wrong in wine country, if you get over to sonoma come and see us, we would love to cook and pour for you, preston dishman generals daughter 707-938-4004

krys, We are delighted you had a great meal, yes the menu is almost done , it will be a 3 course affair with my takes on some traditional and not so traditional things, of course there will be turkey, grits( got to have em), sturgeon, salmon, venison?, squashes, brussels, pears, lots of good wintery things.and number 2 there is a website under design , we are carefully trying to include everything that should be on there and all the things that shouldnt.thank you for sharing your experience with us and for returning for a special day, please come by the kitchen and introduce yourself preston dishman chef -the generals daughter my number in my office for more questions 707-996-0345

Zip, you and your husband were a pleasure to cook for , please give him our best and both you think of Sonoma as a place to eat , drink and enjoy on your next trip out. preston dishman ( and entire staff) the generals daughter