molto e

John, Actually, we found your list helpful and we loved Bristol. I wish I had taken this menu to see if you would have found it as pleasant as you had in the past. Fresh_a- if you had this experience I do not think that you would have been happy about it and this was my report on our experience. Molto E

I had the unfortunate experience of wasting one of my precious meals in Paris at Ze Kitchen Galerie. This cuisine is fusion, confusion and as my friend now calls it "poofusion"-draw your own conclusion. The menu changes every five weeks or so and I can definitely say this version does not work. The larger problem exists with their service which at this hipster bistro was indifferent to say the least. This was the only place that I have ever dined at that took the food order and the waiter ran away before offering WINE-IN PARIS-PLEASE. I would liken the wait staff to the wait staff at a club that is suitable to offer drinks only, but we did not get that chance. The looks of the restaurant are appealing, but do not let that sway you as you are there to eat. I appologize that I did not get the menu, but I was in a rush to try and get a decent meal after this fiasco. The menu had two broths- A beef Pho spin that was just not good(pictured) and a cold tomato green zebra mussel soup that no one had. The special appetizer of the night was a salmon ravoli and was it special each bite had a different flavor which may be good if one were sucking on an"everlasting gobestopper", but this was a ravioli. As you can see foam is popular here and as my Italian friend whose love for food is deep asked, "Why is that snot all over my food". I do not have a problem with foam if it is tasty rather than cloaking the secret components of Ze Kitchen's gruel. There was also two fish starters a Lobster, orange and assorted other stuff and a half cooked salmon with orange mayo and yuzu juice. The salmon was wrapped in nori, which my friend questioned it's place in the dish and the flavors were curiously STRONG like altioids-bitter orange mayo and yuzu juice straight and it was reduced to bring its flavor up another notch. There was also a pasta and rice section of the starters that contained a penne with tomato confit and lemon and a rice that had chorizo, zucchini and thai basil amongst some other unidentifiable components. This had so much ying and yang that one was left wondering what flavors you were actually eating.AND MORE FOAM At this point in the meal I knew we had made a terrible mistake and wanted to pay for the meal and restaurant hop, but this was supposed to be a nice meal out with friends and this suggestion fell upon deaf ears. Later in the evening, I am sure that one of us wishes that he had taken me up on that. One of my fellow diners expressed his desire to do bodily harm to whomever recommended this place to us. This place came highly recommended and if the menu changes so frequently perhaps this was not Chef William Ledeuil's best effort, but the service did not show any concern for uneaten plates of food, not one question of whether we liked it or not-NOTHING. On to the main courses: behind door number 1- Sweetbreads-I do not have the components of the dish and it was given an uneven rating Tuna with tomato marmelade and grapefruit? This dish did not work and the tuna was gumy Red Snapper special-ok I am sorry that I did not record anything else at this point as my aim is to record a great meal and not something of this caliber. There was also a zucchini blossom stuffed with a chicken meatball that really looked sloppy on the plate with ginger juice, red bell pepper puree and sliced zucchini that the first bite had a bone in it-nice. Rabbit SLATHERED WITH HALF A JAR OF DIJON that had to be scraped off to reveal the meat. The loin was dry, but the leg was good-talking about the quality of the meat only. The last dish was described as shrimp and squid in tempura, but the shrimp and squid had no tempura batter on them and the sliced zucchini was not crispy but damply fried. After taking a few bites and passing them around to confirm our displeasure of "ZE", I secretly headed for the waiter to pay for this stuff as I felt bad to have been responsible for this suggestion and to have ruined what should have been a lovely dinner in Paris with good friends. The Maitre'D, Cedric Marechal was smoking and laughing in front of the restaurant with friends and when he saw my credit card in hand he said for money that I could have his attention-gee thanks pal. I just wanted to leave fast and we had to wait for the credit card machine to return and as my friend passed me from the bathroom she expressed her hope that when she returned to her place at the table that her food would not be there. Cedric asked me,"No Dessert?". "Nope", I replied and when the mains had been on the table all of 10 minutes and a patron comes to the front to pay the Maitre'D, I would have thought he may have another question instead of that one. When we all left in a hurry after that with uneaten plates of food on our table, on our way out my man Cedric asked," Everything all right" and I told him that it was not and he asked us to explain and I took his card and told him I would get back to him on that. This place is advertised to hire chefs from various nationalities so the food has an authentic flavor, but to quote one of my favorite critics,"this must have been devised by throwing darts at an ingredient board". The flavors fight with each other instead of compliment each other. I am done with Ze Kitchen Galerie and so should you be. Molto E

I had the unfortunate experience of wasting one of my precious meals in Paris at Ze Kitchen Galerie. This cuisine is fusion, confusion and as my friend now calls it "poofusion"-draw your own conclusion. The menu changes every five weeks or so and I can definitely say this version does not work. The larger problem exists with their service which at this hipster bistro was indifferent to say the least. This was the only place that I have ever dined at that took the food order and the waiter ran away before offering WINE-IN PARIS-PLEASE. I would liken the wait staff to the wait staff at a club that is suitable to offer drinks only, but we did not get that chance. http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1125170207/gallery_30892_1677_70013.jpg Thread restarts below user input error-Sorry

Had their message been also in French this would not have been as offensive, but I do wish to state again the food served to us was good bistro food. I can not say that about the food at Ze Kitchen Gallerie which was offensive and I shall post about that now

Here is a little glimpse of what Eric Frechon is bringing to the table. I can not post more because my connection is so slow. Amuse Bouche Bresse Pigeon Carved Tableside How about a little dessert-"Raspberries and Strawberries" I understand what the other posts mean by a "safe bet", but I can not use that verbage. Eric Frechon!!!!!!

Thanks, all to find a sturdy bench scraper

Maybe there should be an organized day that those of us in Paris go and order salads only the only problem is I would need the Foie terrine also

I just ate at the Bristol and it was one of the best meals of my life. I will post pictures later when I have better bandwidth. Eric Frechon is AMAZING!!!!!! His second in command Franck Leroy is superb and the Directeur du Restaurant Raphael Courant an incredibly gracious host. I do not have the name of his pastry chef but he has his own cookbook also and is incredibly talented. I was treated to a lesson in the kitchen the following day and I thought that so gracious. You will not be disappointed at Le Bristol, I promise-in fact you may never be the same. I have also heard nothing but good about the cuisine of Yannick Alleno at the Meurice.

When you find out where the Matfer stuff is please post. Thanks, Molto E

Bux, Thank your bistro choices, Aux Lyonnais is on my list. If you are looking for offal Chez Denise has it all. I will give you my opinion of top chef and this will be for another thread when I have more bandwidth-ERIC FRECHON-LE BRISTOL-ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOWWOWOWOW. Molto E

Bux, What are the bistro and brasseries on your list that you like, I would love to give them a try while I am here. I will say the Foie terrine that I had was excellent and the Mache salad was very good. The rest was solid bistro food and that works for me. Molto E

Brasserie Lipp 151 bd. St-Germain, Paris, France Phone: 01-45-48-53-91 Under EUR 12 St-Germain/Montparnasse (6 Arr.) Cafes This brasserie, with its early 20th-century decor, was a favorite spot of Hemingway's; today, television celebrities, journalists, and politicians come here for coffee on the small glassed-in terrace off the main restaurant. Métro: St-Germain-des-Prés. The atmosphere is great and the food was very solid. We are preparing for Pierre Gagnaire this evening so we did not consume as much as we normally would. Second story of restaurant-cool that the windows open like that After I took pictures of the outside and came in, I was told by an angry waiter in French-NO PICTURES. When I explained just pictures of the food, it was allowed This has been the only English on the menus that I have encountered in two meals here. What would we attribute that being printed on the menu to? Starters: Foie Gras de Canard entier-Toasts/Very, very good-terrine was well done, connsume gelee was traditional and good, toast cut thin Salade de Mache et Betterave- Mache was still connected at the root which was cool, great vinagrette Entrees: Blanquette de Veau a l'ancienne-ok, veal was in large chunks, the vegetables were better than the veal and the sauce was a little disappointing-loved the presentation Sole Meuniere/ Good boned in front of us at the service station Confit de Cuisse de Canard-Good-potatoes tasted like they were done in duck fat Had to get a side of Pommes Puree-Divine Dessert-Raspberries-good, served room temperature may like them best that way Tarte TATIN-I expected more though the Creme Fraiche was excellent Sorbet Tois Parfums-Strawberry may be the best I have ever had, lemon and raspberry average Coffee-That little chocolate square made by Valrhona-cool Overall- highly recommend, I would like to go back but so much to eat and so little time Good Eating, Molto E

Thank you for all your suggestions, I most definitely will purchase some books. My question relates to the "look" of the bistro as we will not be serving strictly bistro food.

John, Thank you so much for such a thoughtful answer, you have given me alot to CHEW ON. I look forward to the trip and leave later today. Thank You, Molto E

I am going over to Paris for a week to do a little research for a restaurant that I will be opening in 2006. We would like to fashion the look after the French Bistro. What are the ones that have caught your eye? This is my current list of places that I am scheduled for, though this is not all that we will go to; L'Ami Louis, Brasserie Lipp, Pierre Gagnaire, Le Bristol, Le Comptoir, Ze Kitchen Gallerie, Atelier Maitre Albert, Aux Lyonnais, Table de Robuchon. This list includes some places that we just want to eat at and I want to try to get to Chez George and Chez Denise, but I am not sure if they are on holiday? Thanks, Molto E p.s. Is there a specific feature that a bistro has that you like?

Doc, We hit the ground running, the adventure starts Monday with L'Ami Louis. I hope my pants still fit when we end in England with the Fatduck and Raymond Blanc. I am very excited, I hope you and yours have a great time, I will be updating with pictures as we go. I am told Gagnaire does not allow photos-is that so? Good Eating, Molto E

Pedro, Thank you, Victor, Andy and Steven for putting together such a great series with this Chef. This was inspiring to me and hope to have the opportunity to sample his work as he is a special person. I will forward this interview to my friends who will appreciate it. Thanks Again, Molto E

I hope that is not the case. I would hope a place Guy Savoy has a hand in will be good. Where did you like? Molto E

Thank you, I made my reservations at Cinq Sentits and I am looking forward to it Molto E

I am not sure if this restaurant falls into this catagory-Ot or Ott-not sure of the spelling. I have one dinner in Barcelona so I have a difficult decision to make. I like the idea of that Taktika Berri and then Cinq Sentits, but I heard good things about Ot? Any thoughts Molto E

Liz, Alinea is more than fun, it is delicious. Ronnie S. is dead on in his observations of a night at Alinea. This forum is the place for dissection of the meal, but while dining at Alinea the only method of dissection is with fork, knife and spoon. The photos take 10 seconds to take and that does not interfere with my experience at all. I do not take notes after the meal the diner is presented with a copy of the menu and that with the pictures refreshes the memory after 27 courses with wine pairings . Perhaps Chef G can give his take on the "Milkweed Pod" course as it seems to have raised many questions or maybe that was the point. Jeffrey, I would like a "Herbed Tuscan Fries" course, but that is for another thread. Good Eating, Molto E

Lo-Lo's is a nice place to go anytime!

Doc, I am going to Paris the last week of August and my friend that lives in Paris told me that she does not make reservations during that time of the year. I made one at Gagnaire and I will speak to her about some other places and get back to you. I am looking at La Regalade, Aux lyonnais, Au bon Accueil, Le Comptoir, Chez Denise, Chez Georges, Auguste, L'Ami Louis, Michel Rostang, Brassere Lipp, L'Angle Du Faubourg, La Vieux, L'Astrance, Atelier Maitre Albert, pinxo, ze kitchen galarie, Jamin, Le Meurice, Le Repaire De Cartouche, Cafe Constant to name a few. I also will be making it to El Bulli after Paris. Good Eating, Molto E

Robyn, It has been 10 days since my first milkweed pod and I have not had any adverse reactions and Chef G was wearing his chef whites during our meal . Though I would gladly trade my milkweed pod course for another verbena course anyday. Good Eating, Molto E

My apologies to Chef Cantu if my photos did not capture his dishes. Frankly, to say they look like a pile of slop on a big white plate is not accurate. I think that you should reconsider that judgement and I would like to see your ability to plate. I also think that to make statements like that without dining at the restaurant is ridiculous. If you have the passion to post that opinion then go to Moto to prove yourself right or NOT. I have eaten there with 6 other diners and everyone liked it and would return. Moto is a great dining experience and you need to give it a try and then make your judgements. Good Eating, Molto E p.s. Your post on March 16, 2004-I thought you said that you had never eaten at Moto? You also have said many other complimentary remarks concerning Cantu in other posts? Trotter "scrapped" plans for London WAY before 2002, so just wondering where you're getting your info. When I read people saying they know so much or worked in some places it seems so obviously not true and since this is a site where no names are used you could say just about anything! I think that in this case inventolux does know what he is talking about being that he was Trotter's sous chef for 5 years or so. By the way inventolux, I had dinner at Moto the other day and it was awesome. I really believe you and chefg are going to push dining into a new realm whether people like it or not. I really like your approach to wine, when I walk into a place I want to put my trust in the chef's hands and let them guide me as they wish. It was an experience! Forum: The Heartland · Post Preview: #546854 · Replies: 22 · Views: 811