ulterior epicure

monkfish. 1. Looking for sweatbreads as well... 2. Where is it that you "run offal" on your menu weekly? I need to visit! Tatsu's? 3. LFF is running brains? Really?!?!? u.e.

...off the top of my head... Avenues Blackbird Spring (although it's been a while) NoMI (under Gamba, can't speak for C. David's cooking) North Pond [edited to add: I've been everyone of the restos listed above except Custom House and Le Colonial]

Ditto (although, I only managed to make it to 6 Michelin 3 starred-restaurantes in Europe last fall! ) It would be a shame, but I don't think he (and his staff) will. u.e.

... Oh, to be sure, robert40, my reviews shall include a complete run-down on the crew who toss my scraps and wash my plates after the meal, lest I mislead my readers to think that I implied that Keller himself had sponged my plates and vacuum-dried my wine glasses at a $13/hour wage.

Ha! Ironically, this was the first thing my eye jumped to when I pulled up their menu! I love steak tartare. Now, when you say "prepared table-side" - do they actually chop the steak in front of you, or merely assemble the ingredients? Also, does it include the egg? u.e. P.S. Not to be nit-picky... did you mean "weakness?" ← The plate is laid out in a sun pattern; the diced beef making a mound with rays of mustard, shallots, etcetera emanating from the center. The egg -- which I think helped in this dish -- was a quail egg. So, technically, the steak did not come out whole and was chopped, but was assembled. Thanks Carolyn. Either the portion wasn't very big, or the egg (quail?) was of negligible contribution? Was it more of a entree portion or main dish portion? ...and I do hope you have an American "spell-check programme!!" Just teasin'!u.e.

Ha! Ironically, this was the first thing my eye jumped to when I pulled up their menu! I love steak tartare. Now, when you say "prepared table-side" - do they actually chop the steak in front of you, or merely assemble the ingredients? Also, does it include the egg? u.e. P.S. Not to be nit-picky... did you mean "weakness?"

Okay Fat Guy, I'm on it!! u.e. Warning: Restaurant reviews may be more than a year old after all of the proper research and citations have been made...

Is there any time when he is in neither kitchen ? If so what's the point, apparently restaurant reviews are to be equated with creative fiction, If its ok to write about the chef being there when he actually isnt, why even bother going, we can just read the menu and write the review, what difference does it make ? actually eating the food after all is a minor detail........ ← ... so, what, would propose, is a change to the way I described my experience at Per Se that would be acceptable to you? u.e.

A hearty ditto - bravo! doc and molto, you've got me giddy with anticipation for my upcoming trip! At first, I only saw the of pre-dinner petite fours and amuses was quite happy with the meal (you can tell i did nominal reading - skimming through for just the elements) - only find out the pictures from the meal proper hadn't been posted yet! Look forward to it! u.e.

It seems you don't understand, then. There's nothing "absurd" about what Ulterior Epicure wrote. He was just speaking English. Thank you Fat Guy! At least someone understood me! I was beginning to wonder...

robert40. You're not going out on a limb at all... as I alluded in a former post... But, I suppose I could see how one might not read my report the same way you did... but, I do hope that all of the confusion has been resolved. u.e.

Not to be nitpicky... but you sir said in your blog and I quote.. "If our voyage on the Titanic of restaurants had a near-miss, it was with the “Cervelas de Lyon" - a house-made pork sausage. Keller steered way off course with this little torpedo" and further.... "Thankfully, Keller managed to mitigate the damage of the wiener disaster with the “melted” Savoy cabbage. The bed of finely shredded cabbage sat in an exquisitely pungent and earthy Perigourdine sauce " and the coup de gras....... "Plates cleared, thankfully, Keller found his way back on course and steamed full-throttle ahead with a very redeeming Elysian Fields Farm lamb rib chop." I have no problem with talented chefs at per se making menu items but the prose and tone of your review makes direct references multiple times to "keller". Not the cooks, restaurant, kitchen.......Keller. My point was just that TK probably never even saw them sausages and clearly by your conclusion, his standards are higher than the quote leathery sausages you were served. Of course per se i s a great place and TK works hard ← Points all very well taken. Can anyone (perhaps someone in the P.S. kitchen) illuminate us how much T.K. has control over the items on "his" restaurant's menu? Perhaps I'm assuming too much... ... and yes, clearly, since Keller was not in during my service, I'm quite sure you're right that "he never even saw them sausages." ...not my particularly tough ones, but I'd hope he'd at least seen a version of it coming out of that kitchen. u.e.

Vadouvan, 1. I would like to think that an EC would take credit for what comes out of his/her kitchen regardless of who planned it or prepared it. 2. I was not proporting to ascribe anything from my meal personally to Keller. In fact, I knew well before the meal started that Keller would not be in. ulterior epicure.

Re: Sacramento: good point. Something for me to keep in mind! u.e.

On the topic of chefs' dedication to seasonality and consistancy in the kitchen, Frank Bruni says in his April 12 podcast.... click here.

Thanks rancho_gordo for that clarification. If the food is spectacular, the atmosphere, unless it's unbearably loud, hardly ever affects me. The bar idea does attract me... does this mean I sit at the "bar" as in a traditional predominently liquer counter, or a "bar" as in a "pass" where I'll be able to interact, or at least watch the chefs in action? I much prefer the latter. u.e.

I'm vaguely familiar with the Bay Area - enough to know that Napa is much farther north than Los Gatos. But, to clarify for everyone for planning purposes: Days 1, 2, and 3 I plan on staying in Palo Alto - with day/evening trips into the city - or wherever. Day 4 will be entirely devoted to getting up to TFL by dinnertime. And, yes, I suspect I'll be staying up near or in Yountville that evening. I'll be flying out the next day - probably from Oakland? Is that the most convenient airport for departure? Any suggestions for an (affordable) stay in/around Yountville would be greatly appreciated. u.e.

Actually, and I'm being very serious here, a lot BOH people will say a kitchen runs smoother and more efficiently when the EC or CC isn't around. New Yorker magazine did a piece on that issue about four-five years ago and focused on Batali, Ducasse, Flay, Lagasse and Ripert among others. It was an interesting article - wish I could find it. ← I agree with Fat Guy that a truly well-run kitchen should perform outstandingly whether or not the EC is in. More importantly, if the food is great - who cares? However, I guess there's something just slightly comforting to me, as a diner, to know that the "real McCoy" is actually at the helm. While I can't say that I frequent any one, or few, fine-dining haute establishments repeatedly enough to be able to discern the difference between when the EC is/isn't in the kitchen, I will say that there were instances when I've been disappointed with a meal to find out afterward that the EC wasn't in... and I'm left to wonder whether things would have been different had the EC been present. Unless I see them, I almost always assume that the EC isn't in. The opposite happened to me at JG a couple of years back, when I was absolutely goo-goo from the meal, only to find out afterward that JG wasn't in. I was equally impressed with my last meal, in which JG was in. I was terribly disappointed by my one meal at Daniel, only to find out afterward that Daniel Boulud was in that evening (however, he happened to be hosting his annual Lyonnais get-together with Bocuse...). Bringing this thread back around the Per Se, I know that Keller was not in the day I ate at Per Se. While I can't say I was ecstatic about my meal, it wasn't bad either. The FOTH service was stupendous. Any slights I had with the food itself seemed to be more conceptual than in execution. The only thing I think that Keller's presence would/could have added to the experience would simply be the privilege of meeting him. I'm off to TFL in less than a month... I won't hold my breath, but it'd be nice to catch up with him there. u.e.

Right. Thanks! Me too.... which is why I'm tempted to risk "haute" fatigue by going high-end four nights in a row... 1. Who's the sushi master at Kiss? Does he/she do omakase meals? Kaiseki? If so, what are the prices and what does it include? 2. Would appreciate great sushi suggestions - if they're really that great, I won't be bored or disappointed - I promise. u.e.

Thanks Fat Guy for this very reassuring information! I too have heard that Keller leads by example. Actually, I've personally seen JG Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud and Eric Ripert in the kitchens at their respective restaurants. I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that Exec. Chefs are completely AWOL... thank goodness. But, if it is the case, I'm rarely surprised... I'm always very pleasantly surprised to find the chef in the kitchen (funny, where else would we expect them to be?). u.e.

Funny, this seems to be the exact opposite of rancho gordo's observations. That's great to know, b/c I couldn't get reservations. Help me out - "logo'd?" u.e.

Thanks everyone for the comments. 1. ingridsf: To be sure, Chez Panisse is already on my schedule. Sorry, I should have clarified that earlier - I just wanted to get other suggestions as I knew that Manresa, CP and TFL would be commonly recommended. Thanks for La Folie - but if it's heavy food, I'd rather not. 2. Okay, so no on Boulevard. 3. Town Hall? Quince? Incanto (too bad I'm not going with a huge party that can do the Whole Beast)? 4. Carlsbad: Will check out Acquarello. 5. Carolyn Tillie: Thanks for the suggestions. I read the Kiss forum and am intruigued - but comments there and on other forums comparing SF sushi spots seem to suggest that Kiss is better for cooked dishes. If I'm going for sushi, I'll want to be a purist... I've heard Ino and a dozen others are great. Any illumination on this? Thanks for Azziza, Bar Crudo, and Ame. Will look into them. What's so "unusual" about Zuni? I've read a considerable amount on the restaurant (well, I have for years). 6. Between G.D.'s, F.d.L., and The Dining Room, which would you recommend? Keep the suggestions coming everyone! Thanks! u.e.

Thank you. I often wonder why people have such a hard time grasping this idea. ← LOL! To be sure, I have NO delusions as to what the Executive Chef does and doesn't do... I may be a hopeless romantic, I'm not completely clueless. I suppose I should refrain from referring to the boss as a proxy for chefs de cuisine. That's really sad... u.e.

Any recent reports? Has anyone ever asked that the chef augment the menu to a "chef's tasting" format? Would love to hear reactions/experiences of recent meals! Thanks. ulterior epicure.

I'm surprised that no one's updated this thread in three years.... any recent reports? Thanks! u.e.