ulterior epicure

I'm translating a recipe from French to English. Here are some terms for which I have no translation other than literal. If there are other meanings, I'd appreciate a translation from those in the know: 1. "Sucre glacee." (Is this frozen sugar, or a specific type of sugar?) 2. "Beurre fin." (Is this just high-quality butter?) 3. "Couverture de chocolat amer." (It does not specify a cocoa %; should I asssume that "bitter chocolate couverture" is 99/100%?) Thanks. u.e.

Agreed. But maybe what oakapple pointed out is right: maybe the food is consistent, whilst diners' proclivities are not. It is helpful when diners/posters are able to discern and articulate whether a dish is executed properly, but just not to their liking, or whether it is just a botched go. From ckkgourmet's descriptions, it seems that he/she is not necessarily saying that the food was not executed properly, but rather, they didn't really excite his/her palate.

But Liebrandt's absence should be an excuse for the restaurant's failure to operate at top speed.

Next time! Hopefully you will return to San Francisco before Chef Lahlou's upcoming book and T.V. show have brought him wider attention... ← Shameless tease.

Well, that's a quick cross off my list, sadly.

Yikes, what a nightmare! I can't find a single programming error. Someone rescue me from my own online incompetence!

I never realized how wanted I am ... Russell's Sally Field moment. No I haven't. I plan to be in Paris later in November (finally!). Krug? I thought Billecart-Salmon was the Savoy family favorite. Perhaps not in these united states? Here are a few comments about Raku from others. Raku is about a 3-mile schlep from the Wynn Resort. I don't about you, but I'm not going to walk there. I doubt it's going to be a $80 cab ride, unless you want me to give you a ride, I'll take the $80. Thanks for the link, I'm heading over there right now. DJT is no more. It only opened less than four months until August 2008, about two weeks before my Las Vegas visit. I was so bummed. Are you sure? Then why did the director of food and wine at the Trump send me "DJT"-labeled menus just the other day (upon request)? M'kay. Duly noted. Decent Beijing duck is hard to find on these shores. "Really good" Beijing duck is almost a holy grail (save Vancouver). I just might be tempted. No, I haven't done New York, New York (aka Manhattan). Yeah, well, if my two cents are worth anything, it's nothing to scream about. I've posted it about it twice. CLICK HERE and HERE. As you can see from the titles, I'm not exactly dying to check out the one in Vegas.

Chef Hiroo Nagahara is at the helm of Bar Charlie. I like him a lot. When things aren't too crazy, he'll take the time to describe things in detail, e.g., I once received a ten minute tutorial on Japanese knives, and the particular knives he uses. I've only been there once, but liked it quite a bit. It's a very small, simple place, but the food is both interesting and tasty. Its address is 5030 Spring Mountain Road. That's about two and a quarter miles from the nearest point on The Strip. I never thought about walking to it, but my very fuzzy memory suggests that Spring Mountain Road isn't exactly a pedestrian's paradise. You can probably use Google maps to take a peek at the route. ← 1. Fantastic. Thanks, lgott, for that helpful response. 2. Would it be repetitive to do Raku and Bar Charlie? 3. Meh. I don't know what cabs out there charge, but a 2 1/2 mile cab ride round trip won't bust my bank account, I wouldn't imagine.

I can give a quick, short list: Alex and Robuchon (the Mansion): keep them on the list. It's been a while since I've eaten at the Mansion. I usually go to L'Atelier, Robuchon's "casual" restaurant. If you haven't tried Alex and it's open when you're there, definitely go. Restaurant Charlie: I ate there about a month ago. Very good. I had the 14-course tasting menu, which included courses from both Restaurant Charlie & Bar Charlie (more kaiseki). I was impressed. Rumors keep surfacing that it might close. My feeling is that Restaurant Charlie is THE restaurant for the Palazzo's big-time gamblers, so it won't closed. But just in case, go there. Guy Savoy: If you're into comparing his two places (Paris, Las Vegas), give it a try. In terms of food, I have to give the nod to Robuchon. Savoy provides a more overall dining experience. Raku: I want to go there so bad. About everyone I know has been there, except me! Raku is off the Strip on Spring Mountain Road. This is the place where the chefs go after service (Rick Moonen, Paul Bartolotta, etc.). Raku opens at 6 p.m. until late, like 2-3 a.m. More izakaya-style cooking. rm: Speaking of Rick Moonen, rm is another place I haven't been to yet. Currently, he and Adam Sobel are teaming up, re-doing the menu and will re-open their fine-dining seafood restaurant later. Rick is committed to sustainability. Check out the webpage over at Mandalay Bay. I hope this help. Enjoy Las Vegas! ← rjwong, thanks for joining this party (I was wondering when you'd show up). A few notes: 1. Don't worry, The Mansion and Alex aren't going anywhere. I'm definitely going to these two. 2. re: Restaurant/Charlie: Well, now I'm torn. Whilst I am highly skeptical of "Westernized" kaiseki, eating at the bar is appealing to me. That said, in terms of food. the format of the 14-course in Restaurant Charlie seems like a perfect balance. Do we know who is manning either station? And then, part of me is skeptical in total because of a rather breathless meal at had at Charlie Trotter a few years ago (though the service was astoundingly well choreographed). 3. re: Guy Savoy. Have you been to Guy Savoy's home office? I was there in December of last year and had a rather faultless, if not unexciting meal. I see that the top tasting menu (the $290 menu, not the shocktacular $750 Krug menu) in Vegas (if the version online is current) seems unseasonably focused on the master's greatest hits: artichokes may be in season, but black truffles? Roasting chicken with black truffles makes me want a raging blizzard outside. Also, I've had about a third of the items on that menu; I would hope that his Las Vegas chefs couldn't prepare them any more competently that the chefs in his kitchen in Paris while Chef Savoy and I were both there. 4. re: Raku. And what does everybody who's been except you have to say about it? How much of a schlep is it out to Raku? Are we talking a nice, but manageable walk? Or are we talking $80 cab ride? I'm also highly curious about: DJT Alize Wing Lei (though I've heard it won't change my life) And why does everyone keep recommending Mesa Grill? It's a little scary (no offense Bobby Flay). As a side note, rjwong, have you been to l'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in New York? I wonder how you would compare it to the one in Las Vegas

Seth, if you have any interest in baking, you can easily reproduce that cake at home. I'll have to look through my Jean Georges cookbooks to see which one(s) include the recipe; off the top of my head, I know it's in "Cooking at Home with Four-Star Chef." I make it regularly. (How else do you think I console myself for not living in New York?)

...And it really didn't thrill me. While I don't regret my experience at coi, I do regret not having gone to Aziza.

Depends on what you are looking for; Koo is sushi and Ame is crudo -- both restaurants serving amazing examples of raw fish but with different options at each. Ame has the advantage of providing other additional flavors (like Lissa's Staff Meal which is AMAZING!) and other California Haute offerings in meat and wine pairings. Koo provides sushi and Japanese flavors in way that is unexpected and enthralling. I really love Ame's crudo offerings but they also do lots of really stunning dishes beyond raw fish. ← Well, we have sushi here in Toronto - although I am not sure how it would compare to SF's - - If it is greater quality, I would maybe lean towards sushi...so far I have Coi and Canteen booked for SF - one more night to go - where would you book!? ← If you have access to wheels, then either Manresa or ubuntu would be top on my list.

Call Wynn and make sure Alex is open. When I called them to book a reservation for a dinner un July, I was told it was going to be closed for summer vacation. a Few weeks worth. ← Thanks for that tip.

Alright, this thread hasn't moved in a couple of months. I'm giving it a bump since it looks likely that I'll be headed out there soon. Three, possibly four, nights. Where should I spend them? I'm thinking Alex and The Mansion are at the top of my list.

Others will probably have a more accurate description than I. ame struck me as Asian meets Italian. But not necessarily on one plate.

Unless you want to experience Asian fusion circa 1990 served by an attentive staff, I cannot recommend The Dining Room at the Ritz. It will certainly feel like a time warp after coi.

@ dagadorn: For your sake, I'm thrilled to see they finally 86'ed the "Cocao Nib Financier." I'm a little jealous, as the dark chocolate and whiskey combination was one from the a la carte dessert menu that I had been eyeing that night.

I ate at The John Dory, somewhat inadvertently, last month. Here's a short-form report (you can see and read more at the ulterior epicure).

Craig LeBan's recent four-bell review reminded me that this restaurant needed some dusting off on eGullet. Since the old Fountain thread didn't seem to get much traffic, with the start of a new chef, Rafael Gonzalez, I thought I might help this restaurant turn a new leaf, as it were.CLICK HERE.

Thank you. And you're welcome.

Egads! That pork with favas looks amazing. Thanks for the report, felix.

From my meal in December, 2008 (actually, it was Christmas eve). You can see photos and the entire write-up at the ulterior epicure.

By the way, The Sportsman has always charged for their butter, except if you order the tasting menu. And, not to split hairs, it's £1.20, not £1.50.

Pam, I'm sorry to hear that you weren't happy with your experience at The Sportsman. I just wanted to note, with regard to your comment: Was it similar to THIS? If so, it really wasn't airy/fluffy mousse-like when I had it either. It had more of a pudding (in the American sense of the word)/ganache consistency and weight. I thought it was excellent. But, I didn't for a second think of it as "diet food."

FWIW, here are my two cents about Corton: (review: a different side of flavor...) Here's an excerpt: