luizhorta

More or less, I had an ilusion that I would find a better offer here, comparable to the one we have with wines, but was deeply dissapointed, found only 10 different butters from abroad, and the french in the market are President and Bridel, nothing else. so we will have to conform to what you said, "in France, bla bla". Thanks! So your original question was probably so that you could write a sentence something like, "although in France, blah blah blah are generally considered to be the best....." Right? ←

I'm writing, in fact my newspaper's food and wine section is, an article about butter in general, specially those found here, not many, with an odd local contribution, "manteiga de garrafa", a bottled liquid one, used in many dishes in northern Brazil.

I need to find the best (or the top, say 3 or 4, best) butters in France. Artisanal or industrial producers welcome. I am writing an article on butter, but beyond the 2 very common that are imported here in Brazil, don't know any other. Thank you all.

Andoni Luis runs just Mugaritz. And now this new hotel restaurant. Martin Berasategui has: Kursaal, Bodegon Alejandro, Gugghenheim (in Bilbao) and the 3-star original Martin B in Lasarte, plus the Lasarte restaurant in Barcelona (Hotel Condes de Barcelona), each one has a sous-chef under his direction. Andoni Luis worked with Berasategui before setting Mugaritz (and with Adrià for years too).

I've been in Els Casals last december and his work (with his 3 brothers, his wife and his mother) is amazing. Not only for the philosophy of all that but also because the food was delicious, the pork superb, the woodcock very, very good. I've stayed one night, and it's just around 50 euros to eat and more 50 to sleep and have a perfect breakfast with bread made there and a variety of sausages too. Rovira deserves his star and more attention, nice that you posted your commentary on his appearance in MF.

Does foam freeze? ← It's not a recent product, curious that only now it arrives in the UK. Some are very good indeed, like the Vanilla one (with an entire vanilla pod inside) and some are awful, like the garlic one (garlic adds an oxidated flavour to the olive oil).

Google answered that one: "I’ve always liked the story why “horse” butchers are open on Mondays. It is because in the 19th century, horse racing - and these always took place on Saturdays and Sundays – used to be rough so that many horses were injured and had to be shot, which resulted in a large number of dead horses by Sunday night. Therefore, why waste good food? Horse meat is not only low in calories but also in cholesterol and it takes a gourmet to tell it apart from beef. The dead horses were therefore taken to butchers to be cut up and sold. This was before refrigeration, so a butcher could not wait until Tuesday to get rid of his stock of horse meat and opened on Monday". from Marilyn Z. Tomlins' blog http://wwwfrench-marilyn.blogspot.com/

Sorry John, I wrote an "also" after January the 1st that changed the sense of my post. I mean, some catholics eat only fish on the 1st day of the year.

Because fish is part of the allowed diet for many religions on holydays? We catholics can eat only fish on some occasions during the year, namely Holy Week's Friday, Ash Wednesday and...January the 1st (for some) and all fridays during the year.

Remarkable description of a meal! Thank you! Would you mind telling us about the prices of the dishes/menu?

Dry Martini, the very good cocktail place will be open all days, including Christmas and New Year, as the owner says: the bar never close. I had a new pearly gin tonic there that was astonishing. I happen to visit due to a comment by Ferran Adria saying the place is his favorite for creative cocktails and saw why he did say that.

Jean Marc Boyer: http://www.lepuitsdutresor.com/

I do agree Victor, not a big fan of Wagyu myself. Have you tried "our" brazilian version of meat at Rubayat in Madrid?

I will help you! :-)

And you are 21, of course you will return to the basque country! Drink as much Txakoli as you can and eat Idiazabal cheese! With your friends it will be a good idea to visit a Sidreria, to eat typical food (cod, big beefsteak and drink refreshing cider. It's delicious).

Judith is the best person to give you hints, since she visits frequently. I would say the smoked foie or any foie dish is a must there, as well the flower petals, buds and baby vegetables with a cheese broth. Recently I had the clay coated potatoes that was wonderful. As to Elkano, it's a special place, for terrific seafood, but it is in Getaria, not easy to reach without a car. I would choose the pintxos suggestion from Dan Ryan or try Martin B's instead. I think Guggenheim is worth the price, but it's more on the Mugaritz side (Andoni Luis himself onde said the place to be as a Mugaritz outside Mugaritz). A Berasategui menu of his all times hits is an impressive experience.

I would recommend lunch at the Guggenheim, Josean Martinez is a very good chef and his lunchtime menu affordable. The same at Kursaal, in San Sebastian, that is under Martin B's supervision and offer a good midday menu, not expensive and well done. Mugaritz is a must go, of course, I think the menu is what you said, around 110 euros, but there is no a la carte option, and the menu is sublime and like a simphony, so you can't skip one movement in the risk of losing the entire oeuvre. I would save for it because it's worth. You can check at their site, because I think there is a shorter version for 90 euros, but I am not sure, in any case go to Mugaritz and take the menu.

Try "Trip to Havanna" a dessert from the Roca's. I think it will suit you well. How is Elvis?

http://www.elmundo.es/metropoli/2007/05/11...1178834513.html

Can see in the photo: Paco Roncero, Joan Roca and...who are the others?

And I am having fun! In fact I've posted the thread in the french forum, where people tend to be more full of savoir vivre, but the moderator moved it here, 'cause the movie is not due to show in paris till august.

It's quite evident, just make an image search of a Cheval Blanc and a Lafite label. Then you will see in the movie, that is very realistic in depising the bottles.

The Cheval never appeared, it was a Latour '61 and a Lafite, whose vintage is not visible, or not mentioned either. The Cheval, as Docsonz explained, was asked but the restaurant had no bottles. Ahhh...I believe the Lafite he was eventually served was a '61, though. (Or was that the LaTour?). ←

Right! That's it! Thanks. I do recall seeing Lafite, but think that he was told that they were out of the Cheval Blanc. ←

Watched the movie yesterday and noticed that Anton Ego, the critic, asks for a Chèval Blanc 47 but what appears in his table is (for my eyes) a Lafite bottle. Anyone to confirm it? Or shall I get new glasses?