BryanZ

I'm pretty sure Chef Blais has done this quite frequently. He kind of flies under the radar as compared to some of the others but seems to do a lot of interesting things if liquid nitrogen. I personally still have never used the stuff, as I can't get a hold of it.

Definitely. Would love to get some more info on your experiments if you have the chance.

3/16/07 part 3 Dinner that night would be at Abac, a chic one-star restaurant with an emphasis on modern Spanish cooking. Abac is also well-known for its suckling pig, another highlight of the trip. We were presented with English menus, with prices for the ladies, unlike at Gaganire, Les M, and Astrance. We would find service in Barcelona to be more relaxed and younger than in Paris. Abac is located a simple room but it appealed to me. The tables are very well-spaced and the lighting is very pleasant. Small lamps on the two tops made for easy picture tasting. Despite our collective fullness and the g/f's bordering on collapse we still had a tasting menu for, I believe, €82. We also opted to substitute in the suckling pig for the goat as our main. It was a small supplement but worth it I think. The dish was purposefully not complex but entirely delicious. Before that, however. Bread and snacks Olives, pork puffs, tempura-battered herbs, a crisp wafer Amuse 1 Rolled ham, spring greens, and a savory ice cream. A nice, clean start. Amuse 2 A bit of soup in a glass jar. I can't recall what the soup was, however. It was the frothiest of the servings of soup were on the trip, perhaps fitting of Spain. Winter "salads" Lightly dressed greens on the left. On the right was a cool winter vegetable tart en gelee. Bits of squash and turnips and other things were pefectly brunoised, topped with a slice of truffle, and set in a light gelee. I think the crust was made with potato. Razor clam Unfortunately, this was the only razor clam I would eat on this trip. I would've like to eat more of them but for some reason opportunities did not present themselves. The razor clam was removed from the shell, crisped lightly and, I think, served with bits of squid. The addition of bitter greens and vinegar helped the balance our the creamy, slightly chewy clam. Scallop, mozzarella-potato foam, saffron broth This was definitely the low point of the night, as the foam was just wayyyy to heavy for the scallop. The scallop and creamy broth alone would've been good by themselves but the foam was too much. I admit to being quite full, but I feel like this dish was a failure on the fundamental level. It lacked the balance of contrasting flavors that the previous did; this was jsut too creamy and the sweet-salinity of the scallop got overpowered. Tuna, red wine sauce, glazed vegetables Although this dish included heavy ingredients like tuna and a red wine sauce, it was very good. The seasoning on the tuna was some type of special cumin that added a lot of depth to the dish. Each bite left me wanting the next. Suckling pig, natural juices, roasted potatoes Before I wax poetic on the merits of the wonderful foray into porkiness, an incident occured that made me appreciate the service of the restaurant. The g/f was obviously quite slow to finish her dishes, and our captain noticed this. After telling him about our eating escapades he seemed sympathetic and told the kitchen to slow things down and scale down her meat portion. While I certainly appreciated the service gesture, I was worried we would be getting less pork, the reason I came to Abac. My fears were for naught, as the half portion they took off the g/f's plate was placed on mine. Sweetness. I was pleased. Nevertheless this dish had the crispest pork skin I've ever had. After savoring the skin and shearing the loin section of the ribs I was able to go at the bones with gusto thanks to a finger bowl also delivered with the course. I was so pleased with this dish, and it remains one of my favorites of the trip. My only complaint is that I wanted just a bit more jus to eat with the potatoes. Cheese cart Interestingly this would be the only place that we would encounter a full cheese cart. In fact, I was kind of disappointed we did not come across one in France, but this made up for it. Not only was I able to try a few ballsy French cheeses, I was able to try some Catalan cheeses too. The cheese cart was included in the price of the meal, making it an overall very good value. French cheeses, Catalan cheeses Besides the epoisses, which has been my favorite cheese for the past several months, I think I enjoyed the Catalan cheeses more. They were selected by our captain, and I really liked his choices. Pre-dessert Another one of my favorite images. An ice cream with a bit of fruits and herbs. Nice and light. Poached pear Poached pear filled with a light chocolate mousse. This was a really nice dessert and lighter than it looks. Petits fours One of the cooler serving platters I have seen. A bunch of different bites and chocolates. Abac was a really great meal. The service here was probably the most personable we encountered on the whole trip. When we told him about our meal at Can Roca the following day, our captain looked surprised but sung its praises. He also asked if we were "cookers" (which I'm guessing meant "cooks" in the professional sense), to which I replied, "Yes, something like that..." and tried to explain to him what Z Kitchen was. It had been a very, very long day of excessive eating. Only hours later I would be strolling through the Boqueria, trying to meet up with eG member Silly Disciple, and finally enjoying some nice morning platos. ETA an anecdote: At another table just across from us at Abac an older gentleman, his much younger female companion, and what appeared to be their young toddler were dining across from us. I'm all for letting kids come to nice restaurants if they're well-behaved and this one was not necessarily all that disruptive. The couple also made an early reservation so I don't have a lot negative to say. Nevertheless, the kid was bouncing off the walls, albeit quietly, for the first 30 or so minutes we were there. Playing with an action figure, a Gameboy, reaching across/around/under the table; it was amusing. Then out of nowhere he pretty much passes out in his seat. It was almost as if his parents drugged him. The staff, seeing this brought over a second chair and laid him across it. This kid was literally sprawled out and did not move a muscle for the next hour or so. When the couple left, the kid was pretty much tossed like a rag doll up on his father's shoulder and taken out, still sleeping. I wish we had taken a picture; it was very funny.

How do people feel about restaurants not honoring reservations made via PTT, as rumored on Eater? To me that seems incredibly inhospitable and alienating. Restauraterus need to take this up with PTT, not the clients, especially if they make no explicit claims against using the service.

rich, your mom must be REALLY old.

My trip report has been going on for the past couple days, and I am now retelling the Spain part of my journey. I would like to thank everyone who helped me out and gave me recommendations. Barcelona was a great time so, again, thank you. For those interested, my travelblog begins here and also includes my time spent in London and Paris on the days prior. The Barcelona part of the trip (Jamonisimo, Tapaç 24, Abac, Can Roca, Cinc Sentits) is here.

Indeed. This makes me so sad. Really really, really sad. It looks like the next time I will have the opportunity to sample Chef Kahn's creations will be on a future visit to California. I think he should stay around and work with Liebrandt. That would make things better.

3/16/07 part 2 Immediately after our ham experience I decided tapas were in order. Our plane had been delayed in getting into Barcelona and our original plan was to have ham for brunch, tapas for an afternoon-evening snack, and a tasting menu for a late dinner. Because of the delay and getting slightly lost trying to find Jamonisimo, ham and tapas had to be stacked back to back. For me, this wasn't so much a problem. For the g/f, however, this is where things would take a turn for the worse. Before we get to food comas, the inability to walk, and the occasional dry heave, there was Tapaç 24, a modern tapas bar right on Passeig de Gracia, a high-end commercial street with a couple Gaudi-esque buildings too. Croquetas These were good but not transporting. Patatas bravas A classic tapas dish, I think, where fried potatoes are topped with mayonnaise and a spicy sauce. This dish has international appeal. Bikini 24 A sandiwch of jamon Iberico, mozzarella cheese, and black truffles. Like the best ham and cheese ever. McFoie Burger Rare ground beef mixed with foie gras. Beefy and unctuous. Lightly crisped on the on outside on the griddle. I also had another glass of cava. Cava effectively became my water in Spain. A glass of cava to start the meal? Sure. In between meals? Sure. You haven't had your complimentary drink to welcome you to the hotel yet, should I send you a glass of cava? Why not. The total for this mini-meal was like €26 or €28, I can't quite picture which. At this point the g/f had hit something of a consumption wall. It seems there is such thing as too much of a good thing. A rest was in order before the meal that night.

I mean three of the four Paris meals were at Michelin starred establishments. I think a certain level of garnish and decoration was exepected. Nothing was all that groundbreaking in plating, save for the Anarchy 2007 at Can Roca which I will be posting shortly. Can you remember any more details of the dish? Was the foie gras and mushrooms at room temperature? It almost looks like the mushrooms are simply thinly sliced and not cooked in anyway. Was there any other spicing or saucing with the foie or mushrooms? Thanks for anything else you can add! ← The dish was actually quite simple. It was servted at room temperature and the mushrooms were not cooked. That helped give the dish its toothsome quality. If I recall there was a light dusting on the top but I wasn't told what it was. One garnish was a lemon sorbet. The other was a nut oil. The foie was probably cured (per the link above) but besides that there was no additional saucing. Yeah, figuring out gratuities led to a couple awkward language situations. Gagnaire set us straight for France and they were relatively direct about it. I asked if gratuity was included, and gladly would've added it, but was told it was not necessary. I'm not sure if people usually tip more on top of that? In London I was told that 12% is pretty standard by acquaintances, so that's what I did. In Barcelona we assumed that gratuity was included, as in Paris and did not tip on our first meal at Abac. At Can Roca the next day we asked a runner whose English was not strong, "Is there gratuity on this?" pointing to the bill. Looking confused he said no, and we thought we'd stiffed our excellent captain from the night before. Then our captain came over and righted the situation, saying that gratuity was in fact included and that the runner had misunderstood us. Despite that minute or so of panic, all was otherwise well. So in short, gratuity was included.

3/16/07 part 1 Now the story of the Amex conceirges from hell. The previous afternoon I had received a friendly letter from one of my Amex Conceirges informing that my reservation at Alkimia, a modern one-star restaurant in Barcelona, could not be found at the restaurant. Of course, they chose not to call me to inform me of this change. I wrote an email asking them to call ASAP. Of course, this did not happen either. Needless to say I was not pleased. Later that evening, after a series of international cell phone conversations that depleted upwards £20+ from the g/f's pay-as-you-go international phone, it seemed all was well. I had just finished up putting in alternative reseravtion requests at Sauc, Abac, and Hisop and was hoping for the best. Just as I was saying my goodbyes her prepaid minutes were depleted thanks to Vodaphone's exorbitant int'l rates. Aweseome. Amex would have no means to reach me, unless of course they were smart enough to look up my cell phone number that they had on file. Of course, they were not. Not knowing the conceirges name I wasted several minutes on my phone trying to get any information as to whether a reservation had been made. The individual I spoke to had no idea and would try to call me back. Of course, she did not. More phone calls ensue over the next day. Finally, many many many international cell phone minutes later I am informed that I have a reservation at Abac. To my parents who are likely reading this, this month's cell phone bill could be a little, ummm, high. Let's just say that if I was choosing a personal conceirge service, Amex would not be at the top of my list. End rant. Anywho, before leaving Paris we grabbed the aforementioned banana-Nutella crepe. After an Easy Jet flight from Orly, I was able to share a cab from Barcelona Airport to Plaza Catalunya with a Duke classmate in my freshman year dorm who happened to be on the same flight. Small world. After dropping our bags off at the Antic Espai, an equally parts creepy yet quirky yet cute hotel/hostal, we headed off to eat. But first, Hostal l'Antic Espai A highly unique but entirely enjoyable lodging experience. The bed, the terrace, the excess of ceiling molding and chandelier-age, and that's just in our room. Also, the entire staff seemed to be young homosexual men, or maybe they were just European. My gaydar is usually right on in distinguising between the two camps, much more so than most of my peers. Here, however, I really wasn't sure. Really nice guys though. The location was great too, just a couple blocks off of Passeig de Gracia and Plaza Catalunya. Pretty much every single chef or foodie I respect has sung the virtues of jamon Iberico, a special type of Spanish ham made from pigs who forage for acorns during the last months of their lives. This ham is expensive, very expensive. We headed to Jamonisimo, a highly recommended ham shop in Barcelona. All hams here are hand sliced. Iberico, again, is soo expensive. Like €165/kg. Here, we would encounter the most significant language barrier of the whole trip. The staff didn't speak a work of English. And even after years of private schooling in Spanish and Latin, my practical command of foreign language leaves something to be desired. The woman who I intereacted with was incredibly sweet and patient. The whole experience was among the most memorable of the trip. I knew there were three regions that Iberico comes from. I also knew there were three sections of the ham that I wanted to try. My usage of the word "lugares" was apparently too vague. I'm also quite slow on picking up the difference between the verbs "comer" and "probar." I wish I could retell the full story here; it was amazingly comical. In the end, however, we received just what we wanted. A tasting plate of the "tres lugares en una pierna" and "un poquito plato de jamon de otro region" in my bootleg Spanish. In other words, three cuts of from one ham and a smaller plate of ham from a different region. My first exposure to pa amb tomaquet/pan con tomate/toast with tomato and olive oil. This stuff is addictive. I think we had like four full plates. We gratefully learned that it was complimentary with our large ham purhcase. Three textures of ham from Extremadura Each part of the ham had a clearly different texture and slightly different flavor. Those with more experience with this product can remind me and others as to the three sections we ate. We also ordered two "copas de cava." "Copas" not "vasos" as I was subtly instructed. We had already eaten a couple pieces by the time this photo was taken. A smaller plate of ham from Salamanca This was silkier and saltier than the ham from Extremadura. I may have preferred this one slightly, as it was perhaps closer to hams that I had had in the past. Overall this was a great cultural and culinary experience. It was not at all cheap, however, as I think everything came to just shy of €50. The ham really did have a certain luscious nutty fattiness uncommon in other hams I've had in the past. Feeling more confident in my Spanish abilities I reflected to our new friend that "El jamon de Extremadura es mas como carne pero el jamon de Salamanca es mas como sal." She laughed and vaguely understood what the hell I was saying: the former was meatier while the latter smooher and saltier. I also purchased a small packet of choirzo Iberico that is extremely delicious. The nuttiness still comes through after the addition of the pimenton. Travelers should finally note that Jamonisimo is not where it "should" be. According to Google Maps and street numbers you will find yourself at an apartment building. Face the apartment building, turn left, and walk a couple blocks and you'll see it on the corner.

That's a great question. It was a very deliberate choice. I'm extremely type-A and research and plan and research more to the extreme. My budget for this trip was predicated on not walking into some restaurant and blowing $300 for one meal when I could rationally get two meals of similar quality for the same price. Therefore I had a host of American Express conceirges attempt to get me completely accurate lunch prices, as I knew at some places they would be half, or even less, the price of dinner. The success of this plan was limited but I think it shows the type of time you have to invest if you're looking to truly maximize your dining budget. I had also considered more expensive locations like Guy Savoy, l'Ambrosie, Ducasse but found that the prices remained prohibitively expensive for an experience that was not guaranteed to be that much better. In addition, my tastes slant toward the modern, that's why Gagnaire and l'Astrance were relatively easy choices. There are cheaper options like at Taillevent or Le Cinq, and I'm sure that they are wonderful restaurants in their own right. When I heard they were losing a star each, however, that further locked in my determination to get in at Gagnaire and Astrance. Obviously, my dinners represented cheaper and more "value-driven" options. Indeed taking 3 hours out of the day can be tough if you plan to sightsee. I didn't so much care about that stuff, so my days were built around meals with walking around to famous sites as completely secodary. Also, I consider myself a very prolific eater so I can put away multiple tasting menus in a day, only a few hours apart. For some that just spells death. This would become a very real threat in the Spain portion of this trip. Well, perhaps not death, but discomfort. Finally, if you're really anal you can actually plan your sightseeing around great meals, something even I didn't proactively attempt. Want to experience the Les Halles experience? Make an early reservation at a bistro in the area and see Notre Dame before. Book lunch at l'Astrance and spend the afternoon by the Eiffel Tower, as you'll be right there. Most people do it the other way around, but that's not nearly as cool.

3/15/07 part 2 After l'Astrance we found ourselves just steps from the Eiffel Tower. L'Astrance is located on the opposite bank of the river of the Eiffel Tower so we decided to check it out. Eschewing the elevator, we climbed to first two levels, as high as one can go via stairs. It was a nice way to burn off some of our lunch. Feeing not the slightest bit hungry, we decided that this would be a good time to try some Parisian macaroons. Gregory Renard caught our eye because its window display case was pretty. I'm not sure if this place is reputed to be "good" or not. Nevertheless we tried about a half-dozen mini-macaroons. They were absolutely delicious, far better than any I've had in the States. I think we tried chocolate with fleur de sel, citrus, raspberry and a few others. Pictures were not taken. I apologize. Dinner that night would bring us to Chez l'Ami Jean, a very popular Basque bistro. The room is full of incredibly closely packed tables, people from all over the world, and a certain joviality. There were also vaguely pornographic cartoons in the bathroom hallway, including a delicious looking pig with rather large breasts. Good times. The menu here is quite large with mains in the mid-€20 range. They also offer a three course menu for €30 (though it may have been €45, but I think the former) that allows for diners to choose any three courses off the menu: starter, main, dessert. We asked our waiter to just pick some of his favorite dishes and just let it ride. We also had him choose an inexpensive bottle of red wine for about €25, too. The meal starts with some hearty bread, butter, and a yogurt-like spread. I'm not sure what it was, kind of strange but not objectionable. Portions here were absolutely huge, to point of being comical. The quality of the food was very good and I really loved this meal. I just wish I was hungrier for it, as I would have enjoyed finishing everything. Cured fish with warm potatoes Fillets of cured fish were served with cured onions and carrots in the huge terrine dish to the left. That dish is not miniaturized in any way, it'a full sized terrine dish. The potatoes were warm and served with a light pickled salad. The dish was simple, oily in a good way, and full of strong flavors that had melded together in a very satisfying manner. Chicken stuffed with foie gras Again, this is just a starter. In my mind that's a substantial main course. Anyway the chicken was pan roasted and served with a couple types of cured vegetables and meats. One encoutered salty speck, smoky sausage, acidic preserved tomatoes. And a couple nice pieces of chicken with a surpise of oozy foie in the middle of the breast portion. Pork with lentils A dish that filled both the stomach and soul. Presented tableside in a large Staub cast iron cooking vessel, some of the its contents were then spooned out for easy consumption. This is only about 1/2-2/3 of the dish. There was still another hunk of pork belly and loin and a smaller piece of sausage in the pot with a whole bunch more lentils. So simple, so hearty. I loved it but was simply too full to eat as much as I would've liked. Braised beef wrapped in cabbage Shredded braised beef was wrapped in a cabbage leaf almost like a sausage of sorts. This was served with pureed potatoes. Chocolate parfait Sorry about the quality and composition of this image. This was essentially a parfait of chocolate mousse and nuts. It was fine but too heavy for me at this point in the meal, day, trip. Rice pudding For perspective that smaller bowl filled with the light brown substance is the size of perhaps a small cereal bowl or Japanese rice bowl. The vessel holding the rice pudding, is about five times the size. You can see it is effectively filled with rice pudding. It was enough to feed a group of six yet somehow we managed to eat almost the whole thing. It was really, really good. Nothing frivolous about it, just good pudding, a nice sauce, and some nuts for texture. Incredibly full we wandered over to a Canadian sport bar to meet up with a friend studying in Paris for the semester. Seeing the host of drunk students and young adults contained therein made me glad I was not doing the typical spring break. After a short walk to see Notre Dame, unfortunately not lit up at night time, we caught the last metro back to our hotel.

I could also see the owner sweating it big time. How does one go to serving only a couple tables a night to getting an extremely laudatory review in the NYT in a style of cuisine that is vastly under represented in the city. Then again, there are certainly worse problems to have in life.

This could be somethign of a generalization that could be applied to many NYC restaurants. Nevertheless The Bar Room is one of the "trendier" places I eat at and have more often that not found the waiters to be more frequently of the struggling actor/model types. Engaging or beautiful people but not necessarily all that passionate about the food they're serving. Throw in the persistent crowds and the service experience can suffer. I've found the closer you're seated to the bar, either on the low banquettes or in the first row or two of tables, the better the service. The closer you get to the fine dining side, the more sparse servers become. With that said, ue is right in that the backwait, usually Central or Southern American gentlemen with marginal English skills, are hardworking and efficient while still trying to remain friendly.

Well I think what I read was for the "collection" of black truffle dishes. Each was well over €100 and there were approximately 10 on the menu. That makes the 1,35 seem feasible. I can't say for certain, though. I think I will speak to comparisons between European and American fine dining when I'm done uploading everything. Patience, friend.

I've never had a problem with verbosity. I thought it added a lot, but then again I am very interested in Ramsay both as a chef and as a person.

The tables packed behind the bar are indeed ridiculous. Eating at the bar seems fine but those tables, I don't know if I could handle it. I disagree with noise comparisons between upstairs and down. Upstairs seems airier and more relaxed. Of course, that's relative. Babbo is a very busy restaurant.

Bruni awards Rosanjin the duece. That'll certainly put this place on the map.

There's a great article on the opening of Gordon Ramsaw at the London NYC in this week's New Yorker. It chronicles the entire journey, from opening until March. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04...d?currentPage=1

3/15/07 part 1 After sleeping in, we managed to grab a pain aux chocolat on rue Cler on the way to the newly three-starred l'Astrance. The pastry was lighter and flakier than those usually found in the States but was a little light on the chocolate from my perspective. L'Astrance is something of a controversial restaurant this year since it is so far far from the traditional model of a three-star Paris restaurant. For one, it only seats 25 guests, its design is minimalist as opposed to oppulent, and, yeah, it doesn't really have a menu. I didn't know that last fact at the time. Bloggers and eG posters always refer to their "surprise" menus at l'Astrance. I thought a surprise menu would have to be specially requested or was only for those "in the know." I knew they served modern food and were not ridiculously expensive for lunch, so a visit seemed natural Upon looking (looking, not reading) at the menu, nothing convinced me otherwise. On the left was something about "Menu Hiver" (winter menu) and a series of ingredients that appeared to be organized into rather strange but feasible dishes on about a half-dozen lines, the appropriate length for a tasting menu. That list, I thought, corresponded with the €120 Menu Hiver on the right side of the page. A lunch menu was offered at €70 with no dishes listed, but perhaps they had a separate lunch menu card like at Pierre Gagnaire. Then there was a much more expensive Menu Astrance that also had no dishes listed, perhaps this was the surprise menu I lusted after. Unfortunately, it would be too expensve for my budget. Then the waiter came and set me straight. "Can you explain the menu?" I asked, pointing to the lunch and menu hiver options. "The lunch menu is three courses, the menu hiver is five." "What about the menu surprise?" "Yes?" Awkward silence. "The menu surprise, do you have that?" "Ohhh (or the nasally French-sounding equivalent), every menu here is a surprise." Pointing to the list of ingredients on the left side of the menu he explained, "The chef uses these ingredients here to put together a menu that changes everyday." It seems like us 'mericans were even more uncultured than they thought. With that whole deal sorted out we opted for the €120 Menu Hiver. Ordering wine was a little bit confusing due to the language barrier and I suppose I was somewhat to blame. I had requested different wines for the each of us, but they interpreted it, sort of, as trying a couple different wines to share throughout the meal. I believe this was an honest miscommunication not an upsell, but it did add a measure of stress that persisted throughout the meal as we did not know how much we would be charged. In the end we tried three wines, each receiving the equivalent of a half to full pour of each thanks to a couple top-offs. In the end it was a reasonable €25 each and I wasn't necessarily unhappy to pay it. Again, the worst part about the meal was the persisting uncertainty of not knowing if they were pouring wines that could have easily added $100 or more to the final tab. This whole trip had me riding the razor edge of overdrawing my debit card, so that type of unplanned excess could wreak disastrous, or at least unpleasant, consequences. Now, to the food. Canape Herbed brioche with a garlic cream puree. Amuse A creamy, almost yogurty soup with an herbal, nearly astringent quality to it. This was fine to open the palate, but I wasn't totally in love with it. More unique in flavor combination than delicious. Foie gras and mushroom terrine A realy cool dish combining a luxury ingredient, foie gras, and a basic one, white mushrooms. What made this dish excellent was, again, the fact that the sum was greater than its parts. Fundamentally it was very simple, just foie and mushrooms but the mushrooms almost blended with foie giving the whole dish an uncommon toothsome quality not ususally associated with foie. The nut oil and lemon sorbet played opposite sides of the flavor spectrum as fitting accompaniments. Scallops, prawn Wonderful pieces of seafood sourced from somewhere of note that I'm forgetting now. Perhaps Brittany? The herbs and flowers added a subtle vegetal component but the bergamot-infused puree was an interesting choice. It wasn't unpleasant, and I think I could see the idea of pairing bitter with sweet seafood, but it threw the dish out of balance in large quantities. Docsconz has noted that a meal Pierre Gagnaire seemed thrown out of balance by an excess of bitter flavors; I think the same could be said of this dish. Fundamentally great, just pushed a bit too far in the puree. Fish I think this was some type of local fish, as I didn't know the name. This was perhaps the simplest dish of the day but expertly executed. A wonderful morel sauce, a bit of lightly crisped veg, and moist piece of fish. The kind of dish you could eat all day but not necessarily have much to say other than delicious. Celery root and black truffle soups Perhaps the most fundamentally delicious item of the whole trip. The black truffle aspect really perfumed the whole cup. Whereas the fish course was delicious but only as good as one might imagine, this was delicious in a way that only experiencing it can dictate. The taste remains in my memory as I write this. Duck An absolutely gorgeous duck breast, expertly cooked. Beneath were some crispy bits to contrast with the soft breast meat. I was totally into the coffee-olive condiment in the foreground. Again, a bitter component but I really loved it. I do something similar with a bitter candied olive condiment but this was very nice. Desserts Desserts here were lighter than at other locations and for this we were thankful. We were still offered a variety of selections as is clearly seen, but they were easier to eat and therefore more enjoyable if not explicitly more delicious. There was a bit of chocolate in the parfait-like thing in the front right but it was minimal and not overpowering. After-meal snacks Front to back: Madelines, cool chai-spiced milk in eggshells, fruit plate. A great way to end the meal. Nothing too heavy after all that food, and the fruit plate was nice to nibble at. We were seated on the upper level, where there are two tables that look over the small dining room. I'm not sure if this is where the B team sits, but it was nice and airy. The staff was available throughout the meal but upon asking for the check it was somewhat harder to track down the staff who spent the majority of their time on the lower level. This wasn't a big deal but in a Michelin three-star worth noting. Although our reservation was only at 1PM we were the last people to come in and the last to leave. Strange. An excellent (and expensive at €290 for the two of us) meal but overall I think it fell short of Pierre Gagnaire on the overall experience. Some of the dishes, however, the foie, the soup, the duck were truly excellent and eye-opening.

3/14/07 part 2 After our walking tour of Paris a rest was necessary before venturing beyond Paris city limits to Les Magnolias. Les M is a one-starred restaurant by Jean Chauvel that specializes in modern, whimsical food. In other words, right up my alley. Les M did have something like a suburban feel. Although not located in a house per se, it was decorated as one. A couple different rooms, a slightly awkwardly placed kitchen, some local art. Nice but not a restaurant that will win any design awards. Language here was also slightly more of a problem but really not a big deal at all. I should also note the service here was "slowest" of all the restaurants we visited. It wasn't slow in the lazy sense as the servers were busy and hard at work, just very measured across all tables on the aggregate. All the other French visitors in the room seemed to be enjoying themselves and had we not asked them to speed things up 2/3 of the way through because of train back to Paris we HAD to catch, it would've turned into a four hour meal. I think this was more of a cultural thing overall. I should also note that once we did ask them to speed things up they were great about it and got us out of there in a timely but not rushed fashion. Naturally, we opted for the tasting menu for €85 per person. There was no notice of what we would receive, but they did take the time to ask us if there was anything we didn't eat. We said, "No." They said the main course was pigeon, would that be alright. We laughed, "Yes, pigeon would be fine." Us 'mericans weren't as uncultured as they thought. Amuse of frothed mushroom soup and a little biscuit with tomato pop rocks This dish was pretty evocative of the rest of the meal. Classic ideas, updated with modern, though slightly gimmicky touches. The food was playful and tasty but not necessarily modern fine dining in the Gagnaire, Can Roca, Alinea sense of the concept. Foie gras, semi-soft cheese whose name was lost in translation, baby bok choy A vegetable soup with a starchy root veg puree packed into the straw A nice starter of "soup and salad" augmented by a big hunk of foie gras. No complaints. The soup was fun to drink in the huge glass straw. Liquid ham sandwich The brown topping is, perhaps fittingly, toast, grated tableside. Not quite truffles but it worked with the dish quite well. The soup tasted just like a ham, cheese, and egg sandwich. It was a somewhat similar delivery system to the soup component of the first couse, but the novel yet familiar flavor made it enjoyable. This dish was memorable but somewhat gimmicky. Will I seek out a liquid ham sandwich in the future (or a liquid Krispy Kreme donut)? Perhaps not. Am I glad I tried this oft-discussed dish? Certainly. Fish (I honestly can't remember what type it was or if we were even told or if this, too, was lost in translation) The kumquat was the coolest accompaniment. It was filled with a sorbet and added a nice acidity and temperature contrast to the dish. I also believe the little pellets at the front were alginate faux-caviar but they were more gelatinized rather than bursting. I didn't think they added too much to the dish. Tuna tartare and caviar Tuna tartare, caviar, and citrus foam on a mini pedestal. The foam did taste of soy lecithin, though I'm not sure those unfamiliar with the product would be able to place it. Obviously, that's not me, it's the g/f, also known as the eating machine. Cod A delicately steamed piece of cod, topped with white asparagus and a thin sliver of what seemed like radish or turnip. The poppy seeds were a nice textural addition. A spoonful of apple-lemon juice A positively childish palate cleanser. Get it? Ha ha. Pigeon, potato puree,iced tea, savory macaroon A nice pigeon dish, but the potatoes were a little heavy at this point of the meal. All was remedied by drinking the light and refreshing tea and eating the savory macaroon. The macaroon was really special, light, barely salty, and with a touch of what seemed like horseradish. Cheese A triple creme cheese was melted with a light and creamy egg custard in the eggshell. Strawberry sorbet The mini pedestal, this time with a sleeve, allowing the strawberry sorbet to be pushed up like an extremely fresh tasting Push-Pop. Liquid cake in a mini-bottle We were instructed to shake up the bottle then drink away. Little cake crumbs sat atop the milky and runny batter-like contents. Desserts From front to back: Chocolate with berries, sugar pillow; banana tart; honey jellies, honey-flavored cotton candy. Overall I was pleased with the meal. It was fun and relaxed and didn't require too much effort. The dishes tasted as they should, save for the few occasions when using a modern technique went too far or interefered. I liked a lot of the idea but a few things got somewhat repetitive. Nevertheless, I wish we had someone cooking like this in New York; Chauvel does not demand to be taken as intellectully as someone like Dufresne. Wines here were quite moderate and at the end of the day was about €200 for the two of us.

Indeed, I think it was Eater and Grub St. that broke the fact that this place offering high-end kaiseki for take-out/delivery. Since then not a lot has been said. It'll be interesting to hear what Bruni has to say. From what I've seen it's certainly not modern Japanese but perhaps more so than Sugiyama, what many consider the gold standard for kaiseki.

just a general question about this course.. I always wonder about it when I see a picture like this.. how do you know what you are supposed to eat first? I'm thinking it can make a great difference.. I think in El Bulli reports I've seen it mentioned that diners are instruced 'how' to eat a dish.. were you instructed how to eat this table full of goodies? ← Yes, we were instructed how to eat the series of dishes. Starting with the middle, we worked clockwise. It finished with a clam and red cabbage dish on the right that was really so interesting. Kind of like a seviche, I guess, because there was vinegar with the cabbage, but the color and textural range of the dish was particularly striking.

Sam Mason warrants more that three pages of buzz. Then again buzz isn't always a good thing. Gilt had a lot, then didn't pan out so well. Varietal the same.

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. I had a great time in Paris and some truly wonderful meals. I am eG travelblogging about my week in Europe and am now getting into my time in Paris. I do hope you'll read. There are tons of great pictures from the likes of Pierre Gagnaire, Les Magnolias, l'Astrance, and Chez l'Ami Jean. I hope you'll check out my trip and meal reports here. Paris follows London.