chefboy24

thanks egullet i specifically wanted this in the new york forum why? because there are over 100 views and 3 responses also - i'm asking the question "as a new yorker, where should i eat in los angeles?" thanks for reading my post maybe if moderators on egullet were less uptight, it wouldn't be the laughing stock of the restaurant/foodie scene. in my 10+ years of posting on several messageboards of all kinds of scenes, this one, by far and the way, is the most uptight. so once again, thanks.

hey egulleters i wanted to post this in the new york forum because i need advice from ny foodies. going to l.a. for the weekend i want to eat great stuff however - i dont want anything super fussy. i'm really tired of 7 course tasting menus for the moment. i want honest, straightforward, straight up delicious yummy food. i also want to experience quintissential california cuisine, not a stuffy fussy overeager/overambitious operation here are my questions landing at midnight - is there anywhere to go for a snack? (i'm guessing no, but hoping yes) spago - is it still at the top? was it ever? craft l.a. & mozza - should i care when i've already been to all of mario and tom's NY restaurants? others i'm considering a.o.c. luques campanille providence melisse any help greatly apreciated

it's now michael white from fiamma?

his son steven now runs the show i believe - he's very nice. anyway GO TO BRIDGE. insane deals on mauviel

jb prince is the only store you will ever need. seriously. except for cookware if you want good pots, check online, but bridge kitchenware has some fabulous sales on mauviel tin and stainless copper - better than any online price, but you have to go in the physical store, not call or not their webpage. broadway panhandler and everyone else's prices are crap oh and for knives korin

zagat's got a good list in their 2007 nyc restaurant guide - of course there are a few that are only obvious to us foodies, like you mention, but you can quickly filter them out.

i can't remember. i was sitting at a table of 3, me and a guy from work and his girlfriend. we had only one or two rounds - the other drinks were great. but my first drink there was a disappointment - i will definitely try it again. this was back around probably june 21st or so, i think it was a thursday because i had work the next day

Wow I just reread this thread and I want to make myself perfectly clear. First of all - I would never ever introduce myself as a "mixologist." I hate that word. I do. I know some great restaurant bartenders who've worked at three star level or higher on this island and they are great at what they do, they charm, they have a repetoire of phenominal cocktails, they provide great service- but they would never, EVER, call themsevles that. Is a mixologist creative? Or are they reading Dale Degroff and Gary Regan and pulling stuff out of there. How many people really have original ideas anymore? And considering this whole cocktail movement going on right now - I belive these "mixologists" are just simply returning to the CLASSICS - recipes that were created 100 years ago. A chef can spend his life's work honing his craft- being able to finally call himself a Chef. How long does a mixologist? Seriously. Alright. This is probably a grand statement. Yes, I make grand statements for effect. I'm a sales guy. I'm loud, and I'm extroverted. The drink I had - was definitely not the Pisco Sour. Whatever it was - there were too much bitters. I know this because I have been working in restaurants for over 10 years now - usually as a captain. I have a very sensitive stomach and I'm lactose intolerant - and my waiter drink of choice, during service, is club soda and bitters. So effectively I have been drinking club soda and bitters for years and years and years - I like the taste - and it settles my stomach so I don't have to run to the toilet at a bad time. That being said - I REALLY know exactly what bitters tastes like. Also - I love cocktails. I love this whole cocktail thing. Like a lot of people, I was drinking gin & tonics and makers mark things for a while - but I've got really turned on to this whole cocktail movement. Big ice cubes, fresh juices, bitters, syrups, rums, ryes, gins, bring it on! I love it. But that drink at PDT had too much bitters. You're right, I probably shouldn't have said that they are so ambitious and imitators. That was for effect. A flawless execution? Well you have a very optimistic view of how things get done in bars and restaurants! You think your Halibut at Le Bernardin is flawlessly executed every time? From my point of view - nothing is ever flawless, nothing is ever "perfectly" cooked, is it - if you ask most chefs? Rather, if a line cook says to a chef "this pork chop is perfectly cooked" - I'm sure a million chefs would find a million different things wrong with it. We say things for effect - "this cocktail is perfect." But what is a perfect cocktail - one at the right temperature - with the right balance of sweet, sour, bitter, and booze - that you taste and its just freaking delicious? Perhaps. What is a perfect wine? A DRC 1961? A Mugnier Musigny 2005? Who knows? Who cares? Anyway - But I can tell you this - I have never had a cocktail that was anything but delicious at Pegu, Flatiron, or Brandy Library. And THIS cocktail at PDT had too much bitters. P.S. - I got the tin lined pots. HAHA. And one copper/stainless fry pan. All Mauviel - from Bridge Kitchenware actually - talked to Steven Bridge (I believe) - and he's got insane deals when you physically walk in the store - not the ones on the web. Will post pics. And stay tuned for me WD 50 blog review on my 9 course tasting followed by 5 course dessert tasting!!!

I think I remember you from the picture in your blog. Weren't you in Monday evening sitting at the bar? I believe you introduced yourself as a Mixologist and a friend of "Crif's" then seeing our cordial bottles asked for all 12 syrups, 6 bitters, orange flower water and olive brine mixed in a glass with 2 oz of liquor of my choice. ← hehe i don't normally introduce me as a mixologist - that was someone else. i do wine sales now, ex line cook/sommelier. i probably should have sat at the bar - took a while to get drinks, i sat at the bar with my boyfriend at brandy library a few days ago and it was great. i know "recipes" say 2 shakes of bitters - but we all know that when you are slammed and in a rush - your food/drink doesn't always come out as flawless as you wanted it too. i probably should have sent it back but i don't know - i didn't want to cause a scene - it was late.

great spot i had one cocktail with some friends tho - and there was way too much bitters in this thing - like probably 10 shakes. i couldn't even taste the fruit or the alcohol. goes to show you...... just because they are ambitious and claim to do all the trendy things (ice cubes, fresh juice, gins, classic cocktails, bitters)...doesn't mean the execution is flawless.. i guess they are imitators?

why yes of course, i experience much better service in manhattan. and not just with restaurants.

<smacking head> So that's what I've been doing wrong </smacking head> Let me get this straight: Successful German restaurateur eats at successful US restaurant, feels his approach to running a restaurant is superior, tells a somewhat embellished tale of the experience to prove his point, and on this basis we can now definitively state that European dining is better than US dining? ← winner.

Tomme de Chataignier is so hot right now It's on Gramercy Taverns's cheese list, and when I went to Murrays to get some cheese for a wine tasting at my store, it will super ripe and awesome and I picked up a pound. Must be a new shipment in town or summin' I imagine it comes from one source.... I heard this guy Herve Mons...

i'm going to say that for most 3 and 4 star restaurants in manhattan this is false more often or equally as often, than it is true

Review: http://chefboysfoodandwineblog.blogspot.co...end-reborn.html (for pictures) It has come to my attention that many New Yorkers employ the Zagat guide as a food Bible of sorts. Unfortunately, it has become the sole deciding factor for many people on where to spend millions of hard earned dollars eating in Manhattan. Dare I say it - the numerical Zagat score a restaurant receives effects millions of dollars in revenue for that restaurant. This isn't right. But I can't help but remember that Chris Farley sketch on SNL in the 90's where Chris Farley plays a fat, bridge-and-tunnel housewife, clad in a floral print moo-moo, reading mini restaurant reviews from Zagat to her husband. It just so happens that Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern have consistently held top spots for food and "popularity" in New York for some time now. I always took this with a grain of salt; in my opinion - assigning a restaurant a numerical score from 1-30 is about as ludicrous as assigning a wine a number score from 1-100. The "Zagat Effect" is a peculiar phenomenon. Have you heard of this? Let me explain. I'm sure you have wondered - how does a restaurant get to be so highly rated in the Zagat guide? Good question. From votes from you, dear reader! The Zagat effect keeps certain restaurants at the top, namely, Gramercy Tavern, but prevents other restaurants from usurping those who reign year after year. You see, certain folks go to Gramercy knowing that it's got the top rating, they dine there, and they then believe that this must be the best of what New York has to offer. And when it's voting time every fall - all of you New Yorkers vote like sheep (well, not all of you). If you're reading my blog, you are most likely ahead of the curve. Cheers. Nobody has a mind of their own anymore. That's why people need Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator to make up their mind for them on what to buy, drink, and cellar, and Zagat for where to eat. It's quite sad. It is my belief that Zagat completely misses the point and the quality of certain restaurants, just like Wine Spectator and Parker miss the point of certain wines. I could go on and on and on about how silly Zagat food scores are. For example - restaurants like The Grocery and Sripraphai have a 27 for food, and Il Giglio, Di Fara (a pizza place for Christ's sake!), and Grimaldi's have a 26 for food in the latest Zagat 2007 guide, while Del Posto (2 Michelin stars, 3 NY Times stars) has merely a 24, and the Modern has only a 25. I mean this sort of thing is ridiculous. Enough ranting, though. But this blog entry is not about Zagat, Michelin, or the NY Times reviews and their inconsistencies. It is about a awe-inspiring *revival* of a New York standard. When Le Cirque and the Russian Tea Room reopened, they literally EMBARRASSED themselves in front of millions for all of New York to watch. To contrast, Danny Meyer has quietly been revitalizing two of his star restaurants - Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park. And if I have any inkling - Union Square Cafe is next up for some rehab! But let me just tell you right now with complete honesty- Gramercy Tavern is once again a superstar, thanks to Mike Anthony and Nancy Olsen, and Danny Meyer for hiring them. Anthony has most recently been the Chef de Cuisine for Dan Barber upstate in Westchester at Blue Hill at Stone Barns (where I'm going to have my fabulous spring wedding someday). The Dan Barber way of life is local ingredients, in season, recently harvested, organic, artistically presented, using a lot of sous-vide, Bouley influenced. A mouthful? I know. I trailed at Blue Hill once, spent a good 14 hour day in the kitchen - and I'm not really sure how they maintain innovation, quality, consistency day after day for so many hours a day without getting burnt-out. I had one of the best meals in my life at Blue Hill upstate as well, but that, ladies and gentlemen, is another blog entry altogether. The style of Anthony's cooking is honest, seasonal, minimalist, and focused. There aren't 15 different items in 3 inch diameter circle. The ingredients are bright and pure without being showy or flashy. This is my kind of cuisine. First up was a marinated calamari salad with carrots and pine nuts. For a tasting menu in spring - and for a chef reared at Blue Hill - I expected something a bit...I dunno... greener? But this dish was classy. The calamari was fresh and tender, toothy and firm without being rubbery, the carrots were bright and crunchy, the meyer lemon vinaigrette provided a vibrancy well needed. To be fair, after a little sprinkling of some additional fleur de sel on top of the dish - it reached a higher level of balance. I like salt. But not so much that you can taste the salt - just...enough to give your food a punch. Someone should tell the garde-manger guy to taste his food before he sends it out. No matter, it was a great start to a great meal. Next up was a dry diver sea scallop on a bright green sauce that was swimmingly salty and contained delicious circles of spring asparagus, scallion, and spice. Nicely seared, oceany and fresh, the scallop countered the green spring juice wonderfully. Contrary to Samantha from Sex and the City and Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue - Scallops are NOT over. Scallops are fabulous. I could have used two scallops, even. I'm a big boy. They did complement my 1er cru Chassagne Montrachet beautifully (an '01, a steal at $70) Fish course number 3 was gently, subtly smoked trout. This was the most elegant of all the cuisine we enjoyed today. On one end of the plate rested bright red pickled onions which were countered by a red beet puree on the other end. Sour - meet sweet. Play nice. They did. Also - trout is a bitch to bone out. Ladies and gentlemen - trout is full of pointy, microscopic, bitchy pin bones. As you can tell by this photo - the trout was superbly filleted. A bit of sliced chives and fleur de sel gave a little push forward for this elegant flesh of fish. This dish is a star. And the portion is surprisingly generous, following a lonely, albeit fabulous scallop. Squab concluded the savory courses. There is a famous saying amongst cooks that people love "meat on a stick." The leg was perfectly bite size, tender, and convenient for nibbling as it was still resting on the bone while the breast was deboned and roasted to a perfect rare-medium rare. This meat was unctuous and full of flavor, tender and juicy. Textbook squab at its best. Actually, I couldn't help but think of some microsurgery. The fiddleheads were small, the squab was small. I wanted more. I guess that's the point of a tasting menu - Thomas Keller in his French Laundry cookbook says that he always wants to leave you wanting one more bite - then you're off to another course. Well, then. The next course was cheese of course (knowing Jerry). There were 8 in all ( I think we got a bonus cheese because I am so damn charming). The honey was artisan, small batch, and surprisingly cloudy, but freaking delicious. The figs were jammy and sweet. What I do like about this cheese is that the cheeses are kept on the marble at the tavern-kitchen. They certainly get up to room temperature. The cheeses were really great, but there were 8 of them, and I'm sure each one deserves its own paragraph. And for the grand finale - a tasting of Nancy's desserts. Full disclosure: I worked with Nancy back at Dona when we opened it together. To clear our palettes first was a bright burst of passion fruit sorbet and cilantro puree. Success. I'd like to say "the Nance" is a master of chocolate and hazelnuts, but she's damn good with seasonal fruits as well. She told me about these stunning local strawberries she just got in from the Greenmarket. You know what they say - when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. When life gives you local organic strawberries - you make strawberry sherbet, stewed strawberries with rhubarb crisps, and almond financiers. You've heard that one right? Also - Nance does this freaking delicious warm chocolate bread pudding with cocoa nib ice cream. Chocolate bread pudding doesn't really sound that awesome - until you put it in your mouth. It is orgasmic. Nancy is very talented - how else do you go from culinary school to Executive Pastry Chef at Gramercy Tavern in 5 years? Originally, quality, hard work, 16 hour days. Everything she does is delicious. It isn't molecular, it isn't totally seasonal, it is just simply brilliant, simple, and mind blowingly delicious in the most visceral sense. I am still tasting the emotional impact of her chocolate hours later. That's how good she is. I think she is the most talented pastry chef on this island of Manhattan. Maybe her and Johnny at Jean Georges. Another aspect of this flawless lunch and restaurant that I must discuss is the lack of a Wine Director. I, for one, don't like it. On their website, Juliette Pope is the "Wine Director." But after a good talk with our very charming, talented, knowledgeable (and fellow CIA Grad) captain waiter, it turns out that there is no sommelier/wine director. Apparently, the managers (GM, Asst GM or otherwise) do the buying and managing of the list. Maybe that's why the list needs some help. There are some Burgundies on there that I have honestly never heard of (and I work at the Burgundy Wine Company). The quality of the list could certainly be improved to meet the level of cuisine. Also - the prices are ridiculous. There is a Dauvissat 1er cru on there for $115 which my store sells retail for $62. And we are an EXPENSIVE retailer. $115 for that wine is absurd. I expected $104. A $98 price would make restaurant guests feel that they are getting a good value (ask any banker - blow out that product at a price a little bit less than your competitors). There are some really obscure producers on that list, as well (and not obscure in a good way - obscure in a lazy way - as in...you bought the wine because you got a good deal from the distributor). The list really really needs improvement. See for yourself. There's a much more interesting list at The Modern, EMP, or even Tabla. Running a wine list at a restaurant like this requires a full time effort - 60 hours or so from a dedicated professional who lives, sleeps, drinks, and dreams wine. Managers have to worry about their front of house staff. Captains have to worry about service. There is a reason why every single 3 and 4 star restaurant in New York has a Wine Director - because it is necessary. There are gaps on this winelist and diners are missing out by not having a dedicated wine professional. Service is lacking in this regard. I was a 3 star captain, and I knew my wine, but I sure as hell didn't have time to talk about wine with my guests because I had 6 other tables in my section to serve during a busy dinner service. As well - there were two service managers or maybe even the General Manager working the room in stiff suits. I swear they were like walking skeletons full of dread. I was watching them but they sure as hell weren't watching me. I didn't see a smile once, not a hello, not a "How is your lunch?" I didn't see joy and passion, I saw misery. Our captain was talented, witty, and knowledgeable. But he was the only one. Well, I'm not being fair - the woman host/manager at the door was a natural, she could charm the pants off anyone. But whatever happened to a host that worked the room? This is why Sirio and Donatella are famous - because they make you feel like part of the family, they make you feel like you are important. Greggory at Varietal deftly works the room ensuring that you are enjoying yourself in the same fashion. Someone needs to play this role at Gramercy. And you know what? I'm tired of people saying "Danny Meyer is all about service." Please. I saw tons of service issues. Really. The food was the star. I say the front of house formula at Gramercy Tavern is not a good one. Gramercy needs a sommelier. Gramercy needs managers who smile. I don't like to see stiff men in suits walking way too fast in such an elegant dining room. Gramercy Tavern needs food runners who know what is on the plate! (One runner totally didn't even know what he was placing before us when he placed the squab on the table, I had to remind him!! Oof!) Am I being picky? Maybe. But when lunch for 2 costs over $300 (and that's with a LOT of comped stuff because I am special)...everything had better be flawless. Too much here lies in the hands of the captains. Our captain handled the job flawlessly but something was lacking from the rest. Still, Gramercy Tavern offers an experience matched by very very few in New York. It is a legendary restaurant still providing food and service in the top echelon. Go now and feast on fiddleheads and ramps and softshell crab. Eat Nancy's sublime desserts. You can be sure that the seasons will be celebrated if not worshipped. The dining room is flawless, the food sublime, and everything sparkles, but if I had one wish for the restaurant, it would be more warm and honest hospitality. Gramercy Tavern 42 E. 20th Street New York, New York 10003 212-477-0777

i remember this stuff back at CIA. the best way i've found is to pick a leader, and when he picks up the cloche, everyone else follows him ...usually works best but that feeling of being surrounded by waiters and runners sometimes gives me an anxiety attack!

this is a GREAT THREAD since december or so, me and the hubby have been doing freshdirect. i can't say enough good things about it. at first i was all "i need to see and touch my produce and meat and fish" let me tell you something, the butchers, the fish monger/butchers - everything is top top rate. - definitely higher than that of whole foods - those guys aren't real butchers at all. i am rarely disappointed with the quality of the produce, meat, and fish. i wish they had a little more selection with some gourmet items. for example, there is only one producer of walnut oil.....roland.......who mysteriously makes lentils, risotto, olive oil, etc etc. scary! as well, of course i hit up union square for the unbeatable seasonal produce (ramps, spring onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc etc) BUT i am proud to say we have done a full vegetable share at the chelsea CSA. if you don't know what this is - GET ON IT. It's not too late to sign up, http://www.chelseacsa.org/. First week of produce comes out june 12th i believe. also on a fun lazy sunday/monday afternoon - we do murrays cheese, artisinal cheese, dipalo diary for cheese, balthazar for bread. definitely russ & daughters for lox/herring/red licorice. murray's for bagels in chelsea too (coming home with still warm bagels on a sunday morning and lox from russ & daughters is the definition of happy )

okay i am strongly considering your advice

definitely good advice. actually - i've read that tin melts at as low as 460F!! you're right...back at CIA i think we had table service copper....and at williams sonoma i think i must have not seen the heavy cuprinox copper/stainless to be honest....i think buycoppercookware.com really has the best prices i think i'm going to do: 1 fry pan copper/stainless cuprinox 2.5mm 1 large braizer tin lined cupretam 1 3.75 qt sauce pot tin lined cupretam all 3 come out to $615...much lower then what i thought i was going to have to pay at broadway panhandler...around $890 because i will definitely use metal tools on the fry pan and probably get the oil up to 460 regularly (as thats the smoke point of a good canola or grapeseed) but as far as the braiser and the saucepot - i can live with wood spoons, and plus i use my high-temp rubbermaid spoonula for everything. i think this might be the best for how i cook. then again if falk does tin lined...i may have to go to thr drawing board?

oh no!!! mauviel has a tinned copper line called "CUPRETAM" this is probably the most fabulous, from a purist standpoint, no? i'm not of the generation that knows about "retinning"...however....this seems like the higest quality?

hmm upon further inspection - mauviel has 3.5 mm copper with tinned interior, altho their stainless/copper only goes to 2.5 i might be interested in the 3.5 mm copper - altho i've heard tinned copper is much more gentle and dents easier (or will totally burn off)

very interesting. i've heard this before.... i don't exactly have my heart set on bourgeat, but they are the heaviest i've used and i really like how the brazier, fry pan, and sauce pot feel in my hands. i always was under the impression that the mauviel coppers were lighter? also - which ones are your favorite? i'm basically going for the heaviest and most durable possible. i think i'd also prefer flared lip, which is bourgeat

Gelato is simply the Italian word for "ice cream." Well, actually it's a little more complicated than that. It's the past participle of the verb gelare, which means "to freeze over" or "to freeze." So technically gelato simply means "frozen." From this we get latte gelato, meaning "frozen milk." In the sense that it is used to mean "ice cream," the milk part became "understood" and the adjective became the noun standing in for the whole phrase. Anyway... in America, gelato has come to mean "Italian-style ice cream." There are several things that distinguish gelato from ice cream. In Italy, gelato is made from rich whole milk instead of cream. It is also frozen and held at a higher temperature, and is considerably more dense. This results in a different experience from American ice cream. Both American ice cream and Italian gelato have a light component and a rich component, but they are reversed. American ice cream, traditionally made with a high fat content and frozen at lower temperatures, derives its lightness from the air that is beaten into the cream as it freezes. The richness, of course, comes from the high fat content. Italian gelato, on the other hand, made from milk and frozen at low temperature, derives its lightness from a relatively low fat content. The richness comes from the low air content/density, which is created both by the fact that you can't whip air into milk and by the higher freezing temperature. Personally, and I haven't tried Grom yet, I don't think that any gelato in NYC holds up next to quotidian Italian gelato, except for Laboratorio and Otto. Even the "just good" places in Italy seem to make their product daily and use fresh, seasonal ingredients. ← yes...the short way of saying that is that there is more air whipped in american commercial ice cream.

well the difference is.... you can walk into otto in the bar room/train station room (whatever) and order 2 gelatos. you can't walk into daniel and just get the bread without dropping at least $125/person. i actually stopped by il lab yesterday (after a nice trip to gus's pickles).... we had the black fig, buttermilk, and vanilla saffron. man, orgasmic creamyness, really fresh, exploding with flavor. and not too much saffron in the vanilla safron, and the buttermilk was so freaking good (and i don't even like buttermilk) i had orange and watermelon sorbet and while you can tell that these were totally fresh made from real ingredients....the gelato was the superstar.

checked out broadway panhandler as they have the matfer bourgeat copper pans.... my problem is... i HATE the sets. so i've decided to get the biggest "saucepan", the big brazier/sautoir, and a good 9.5 inch frypan, unfortunately with no discount. altho panhandler has very good prices. but i'm wondering if anyone else in manhattan have bourgeat copper? should i go on the net? there is one guy with a site in dallas who seems to have the best prices and free ups ground...i am strongly considering him. jb prince doesn't have anything that heavy, and i've used the bourgeat's when i cooked in boston, i think they are better pans than mauviel or all clad copper. your thoughts?