mcwein
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Posts posted by mcwein
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My wife and I were lucky enough to be invited for Friends and Family night. We love this place -- but that's not surprising, given it's a Steve Cook restaurant. Between the two of us, we tried all 6 tequila cocktails. My wife's favorite was the Senor Barriga: herrauduro blanco, mulddle lime, sugar and them, served on the rocks. It's a unique take on a margarita -- really refreshing. My favorite was a Quico, made with pomagranite liquer.
I had one of the best ceviches ever: the Tostadas de Ceviches made with shrimp, octopus, spanish mackerel, clinatro, jalpenios, tomatos and avacado. Highly recommended. My wife had the Gorditas, which in our opinion was the only disappointment of the night -- kind of bland and ordinary.
My wife had the Chiles en Nogada -- which we both could have gone on eating for the rest of the night. It's a cold dish consisting of poblano peppers stuffed with ground beef, dried fruit and nuts and served in a creamy goat cheese sauce -- although the menu says "creamy walnut and pomegranate sauce." I think it was goat cheese, but whatever, order it! I had the slow-cooked goat with cactus salad, guacamole and scallions, serviced with corn tortillas. The goat was amazingly tender and flavorful. I've had goat in the Caribbean, and it was chewy and gamy. Not at Xochitl. Just terrific.
For dessert my wife had a savory vanilla ice cream (with pepper?) and some sort of delicious choclate cake (hard to remember: we had 6 cocktails, don't forget), and I had a delicious and beautiful avocado and pear tart with kiwi.
Even though we were guests, we saw the bill -- and it was unbelievably reasonable.
Tell your friends!
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On Robert Parker's website, I read a description of a dinner that Mark Squires had at Studio Kitchen in November 2006. Is Shola back?
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My wife and I have been regulars at Django for the past five years -- and by regulars I mean we go there at least once a month. We are well known to the staff, including Ross.
We love the place, the food, and the staff. Having said that, there's no excuse for the poor service or the inconsistency in the dishes you were served.
Ross is truly a wonderful guy. I'm sure if you write to him, he will get back to you.
Early on in Ross's tenure, I'd say for the first 6 months, we experienced some inconsistencies as well -- mainly food that should have been hotter. However, we've never had anything resembling your experience, which, I'll say again, is inexcusable.
Keep this in mind too, for what it's worth: the staff, for all intents and purposes, is new. I think only two of the original servers are still there. We know the ones who left, and I can tell you that they did not leave because of Ross (actually there's one server who went to Striped Bass, and I don't know why she left Django). As you may know, Aimee trained the stafff when she and Bryan owned Django. Bryan cooked (did he ever!). Now Ross has no Aimee. Christine, Aimee's protege, went to Ithaca to open a restaurant with her husand. Again, I'm not making excuses for the poor service you received -- I'm just giving you the lowdown.
I agree that you should not have tipped well for the shoddy service.
Having said all that, I hope you will get in touch with Ross, and I hope you will return to Django.
My (more than) two cents.
BTW, we love Marigold Kitchen and are regulars there as well. Brett is the best thing that happend to that place. The cooking was always great -- and Michael is out of this world. But it took Brett to make Marigold a great experience time after time, IMO.
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Sorry to hear it. Thanks.
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Does anyone know how to get in touch with Studio Kitchen? I've tried emailing at studiokitchen424@aol.com but the email was sent back because of an "undeliverable address."
Thanks
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My wife and I split a pairing with the tour. It was perfect. I strongly feel that this is the way to go at this restaurant if at all possible.
Great. Thanks, everyone. BTW, not to be crass, but I'm figuring about $300 per person for the tour and wine pairing?
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Glad you had a great time. We have reservations for next month. Two questions, if you don't mind: do you regret not having gone for the tour menu, or do you think it would have been too much food? Do you remember any of the wines?
Thanks
I don't think that the Tour is too much food. It's intended and designed to be filling without being ridiculously so.
It's clear that the menus at Alinea are ever-changing but here are the wines (and other pours) we were served with the Tour when we were last there in late July:
Lillet Blanc, Podensac, France
Au Bon Climat "Hildegard" Santa Maria Valley 2000
Bisson "Marea" Cinque Terra Italy 2003
Pol Roger "White Foil" Brut Champagne
Tommaso Bussola Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2001
Masumi Arabashiri junmai Ginjo Sake, Nagano, Japan
Guy Larmandier Premier Cru Rose, Vertus
Domaine Ehrhart Pinot Gris "Im Berg" , Alsace 2002
Georg Breuer Riesling "Charm", Rheingau 2002
I Portali Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata, Italy 2002
Achaval-Ferrer "Altamira" Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2001
Ramos-Pinto 20-year Tawny, Oporto
Lheraud Vieux Pineau des Charentes
Ochs Blaufrankisch Beerenausiese, Weiden am See, Austria 2002
Don PX 1971 Gran Reserva, Montilla-Moriles, Spain
=R=
Ron --
How large were the pours? I'm driving to Peoria tne next morning!
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We went to Alinea on August 25th and we both thought it was the best meal we've ever had.
And we are harsh critics!
After having reservations at Moto, then Trotter's, we finally pulled the trigger and decided to go for Alinea. (It was a tough choice: we had only one night in Chicago). We'd been to Trotter's in Baja before (very good) but the Chicago branch seemed a little heavier than we wanted, and Moto sounded like it might be too gimmicky.
We took a cab from downtown...and once we were in the door we knew it was going to be great. That entry described in other posts, really sets the vibe. It is at once sophisticated and playful. Just like the food, it turns out.
We found the food to be consistently surprising. They served a couple things, Skate, and Lamb Cheeks, that I don't like and would never seek out. But both were like new experiences: different then they had ever been, and really wonderful to eat. The skate was unlike anything I'd ever had. Paired with bananas? Worked beautifully.
We did the 12 courses, with the wine pairings. We thought about the tour, but were worried that it might be too much, and too rich to do. More on that worry later.
The flight of palm was not only fantastic, diverse, and a big WOW (I did think the pedestals were a little awkward - I kept thinking I'd lose a palm to the floor), but the wine pairing they did worked with all five palms...a tough thing considering the vanilla pudding is sweet and the prune is strong, and the truffle pungent. That pairing was killer.
The wine pairing was good not only for the wines, but also for the informative wine service (we didn't get his name). Our server, Peter, was gracious and funny.
We had litchi with horseradish gelee, oyster cream and caviar. That might've been our favorite dish all night. It is better than FL's Oysters and Pearls. So sublime, creative, great tasting, and fun. Exciting just to think about. It was really a peak experience. Unforgetable.
The bacon just made us giddy. In fact so many dishes did.
The bison was some of the best red meat I've ever had. Cooked perfectly. Great flavor.
The sweet corn dessert was awesome. The chocolate on the spoon was killer.
We were very surprised that the meal was not heavy at all. We've had a lot of tasting menus and usually leave feeling too full. Or you can't sleep that night cuz your body is trying to digest the 200 ingredients you just ate, not to mention all the wines. (French Laundry always kills me. This is so much better).
We not only didn't feel too full, we slept great. And no food hangover in the a.m.
We didn't want it to end! I'm trying to go back in January.
Two small knocks: When you reserve, they ask you what meal (8 or 12 courses or the tour) you're going to want to have. It's a little hard to totally know in advance, isn't it? Depends on how you're feeling that day. I know they probably need to plan the tables out, esp. since the tour takes so long, but that's an awkward question to be asked. I had to call back the morning of our dinner once we agreed together on what we thought we wanted. I told them the 12 course, but then once we sat down and had the menu in hand, we toyed with going for the tour, but the server said he'd need to check to see if it was available to us.
That is strange. If that's the case, that should be stated at reservation: if you don't pre-book the tour, you might not be able to get it once you sit down.
The other thing was that one bathroom appeared to be out of order (we were upstairs) and the one available was dirty, with a bad smell and urine splashed on the floor like a ballpark. It was gross and not watched over as carefully as it should have been.
But we walked out of there on cloud nine, and I still think about that meal daily.
Glad you had a great time. We have reservations for next month. Two questions, if you don't mind: do you regret not having gone for the tour menu, or do you think it would have been too much food? Do you remember any of the wines?
Thanks
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I was browsing and happened to notice your post. We ate at Le Meurice about a month after you did -- also the tasting menu with wine matches. My notes are very similar to yours. It was the best meal on our 10-day trip to Provence/Cote D'Azur (we spent the last night in Paris) -- and that includes dinner at Louis XV, which was a minor disappointment. As for the Chateau Chalon from Jura, it is quite different indeed. You might know that it's aged for over 6 years in virtually uncovered oak (a filmy yeast is what covers it). We bought a 1976 Chateau Chalon (Darraud-Perron) in Nice, and were told by the shopkeeper that the wine is in its infancy
I've read the wine can go 100 years.Anyway, I enjoyed reading your post. It brought back great memories.
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Andy --
I'm glad you so enjoyed le Meurice. My wife and I have reservations for late May. Can you please comment on the wine list in terms of selection and price? Also, I read that they're now serving wine by the glass to match each course. True?
Thanks
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I believe the dinner reservations are 1 month in advance - and they're extremely unlikely to give you a reservation as a tourist unless you've been there a few times before and they know you, or unless you have a Parisian local make the booking.
Lunch reservations on Saturday's are do-able though.
That's disappointing -- especially since we won't be in Pais on a Saturday. You mean you have to eat lunch there before you can eat dinner ?
Oh, well...if we can't reserve there, I still have a reservation at Le Meurice.
Thanks.
Mike
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For some reason this year, every school in Europe held half term in the same week, so tickets from London to Nice were outrageously expensive. We decided to fly Ryanair, via Nîmes, which was offering very cheap tickets from London -- some for as little as £1 plus airport taxes. I was slightly worried because of Ryanair's reputation for inflexibility and poor service, but everything worked as planned. Stansted airport, though irritating to reach from South London, was efficient, and the outbound and return flights were exactly on time. Nîmes airport itself has a bizarre mix of flights -- Air Cubana was there, and there is one daily flight from London. But the airport is simple and modern, and more relaxing even than Nice Côte d'Azur, which as airports go is pretty good. We were quickly enough on the road toward Lourmarin, and I felt a strange peace as we drove though the sunny countryside, even when we went through the rather nondescript towns near Nîmes and wondered why the French seem to have several "literies" (bed shops) in any town of any size. Do they buy beds so much more often than people from other countries? We left Nîmes airport at 1120 and arrived at L'Auberge de la Fenière just over an hour later, in time for lunch.
The restaurant itself is decorated in a clean, modern style. My wife, eldest son and I had the Valentine's Day menu (EUR 78):
Noix de saint-Jacques et truffes, en salade de mesclun au vieux parmesan
(Scallops with truffles on a mesclun salad with aged Parmenan cheese)
Filet de chevreuil façon Rossini, galettes de polenta, sauce poivrade
(Venison filet with foie gras on polenta cakes)
Saint Marcellin affiné
(a soft cheese)
Blanc-manger au parfum de truffes, sauce chocolat
(Blancmange studded with truffles in a dark chocolate sauce)
Macaron "rose et framboise", sorbet litchi, coulis de fruits rouges
(Rose-flavoured macaroon with raspberries, litchee sorbet)
There were several interesting amuse-gueules, including a plate of jewel-like slices of bottarga, dressed with olive oil, and an anchovy cream that was light and perfectly flavoured, and all sorts of mignardises to follow.
The younger son wasn't quite up to the menu, so he had a pavé de boeuf which arrived beautifully charred and rare, surrounded by quenelles of mashed potato. He tucked into the beef with relish but looked at the potatoes, decided he didn't like them, but was eventually persuaded to taste. His face lit up and his eyes widened, and the potatoes (which were superb) vanished quickly.
Almost all of the food was delicious. We were served a mediocre second amuse, a flabby slice of red mullet, but the rest was remarkable. The scallops were sweet and firm, the combination of venison, foie and polenta perfectly balanced. The blancmange reminded me of one of Bruno Clément's truffly desserts, but it was better, and the macaroon was superb.
While we had our dessert, our youngest son had the "assiette tout au chocolat", an amazing plate of mousses, sorbet, cake, and other chocolate preparations. He adores dark chocolate, and this was perfect. The wine list, which I believe was developed by the chef's husband, was also good; we drank a 2000 Coteaux D'Aix en Provence from Chateau de Revelette, the "Grand Rouge" that had surprising power and finesse for the price (about EUR35).
What fell down at the Auberge was the service, which was friendly and earnest but entirely uncoordinated, as if orchestrated by the Marx Brothers. Part of the problem was that everyone and no one seemed in charge of our table; various waiters brought and removed dishes, took orders (but then forgot that they had), poured the wine or forgot to pour the wine. Servers brought bread around again and again, but wouldn't bring the Badoit we had requested.
Chef Reine Sammut is doing some beautiful cooking at this place, and the ambience is lovely. If she can just improve the somewhat bumbling front of house, the Auberge will be a required destination in the area. It was wonderful, though slightly frightening, to see the children start to recognise good food (and at a later lunch in Nice, to spurn badly cooked dishes). We will certainly return.
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Auberge de la Fenière
Route de Cadenet, Lourmarin
Tel 04 90 68 11 79
Jonathan --
I'm a new member to eGullet, and I read your 2004 review of La Feneire with great interest. We're going to Provence this May. And an acquaintance -- who is the (American) sommelier at Christian Etienne -- recommends Auberge La Feniere over Moulin de Lourmarin. Do you know anything about the latter restaurant, and if so, do you agree with the sommelier?
Thanks
Mike
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I read somewhere that reservations are accepted no earlier than two months ahead. True? Also, the Michelin Guide says the restaurant is closed for the "February holidays." Does that mean all of February? Thanks in advance.
Django, Philadelphia
in Pennsylvania: Dining
Posted
As a steady customer at Django for the past 5 years, I'm thrilled when I hear (deservedly) great things about Ross's cooking. Ross was presented with a huge challenge when he took over what could arguably be called the best BYOB in Philly when Aimee and Bryan owned the place. I think Ross does a terrific job. Too bad Craig LaBan keeps reviewing the restaurant for what it isn't -- i.e., a restaurant run by Aimee and Bryan.
FWIW, Ross told us about the split in partnership. Not pretty, but it's in the past. We're going there again in two weeks, and as usual, we can't wait.