ulterior epicure

French chef or Italian making the pasta and saucing it? ← Multiple French Chefs. I have even had wonderful pasta made by American chefs in French Restaurants.; ← I make wonderful pasta at home. I am not Italian. ← How much time have you spent in Italy? ← Insignificant. I've visited maybe seven or eight times.

French chef or Italian making the pasta and saucing it? ← Multiple French Chefs. I have even had wonderful pasta made by American chefs in French Restaurants.; ← I make wonderful pasta at home. I am not Italian.

Actually, YOU might enjoy that review more if you had seen THIS.

Bring out the harpsichord! Thanks for the report Lenski. I'm curious to hear what others have to say about this dish as I admit I've been totally out of the loop on it. What mark did it miss, may I ask, other than, as you say, being an anachronism?

Finally, someone who agrees with me about that turbot! Kindred souls, you and me, ajgnet.

Would JG mimic Passard's pigeon like that, I wonder? ← The reason I brought that up is because I recalled seeing a recipe in one of Vongerichten's cookbooks for duck crusted with dragées (and, if I'm not imagining things [or mis-remembering], I recall seeing it on his menu as such a couple of years ago). I just went through all of his cookbooks and couldn't find it. Then, I realized that I have one ("Simple to Specatular") on loan to a friend (but, for some reason, I don't think that recipe is that book). Heading to Google, here's what I found.

I'll add to that deception the crab salad I noted above. I had not expected (nor was I disappointed) that the pacific-looking cake of creamy crab would nearly singe off my nose-hairs.

There's an article in today's Wall Street Journal about a number of New York fine-dining restaurants dropping corkage.

Let me know if the Heuringen you visit look like the one above! ← Im in a hotel right behind the opera for two nights, so if we find out where this is before that, I will go. ← You are a stud. Thanks.

I should also mention that the Souffle Chaud Passion et Ananas that came with the dejeuner menu was probably the best at the table.

I almost mentioned this but failed to. La Peche is spot-on correct about this dish. I really did not understand why it was included on the chef's "classics" - nor why it was included on the menu at all. It is hazardous eating, as was an apple "tart" that my friend ordered - the phyllo-like shell had the same mouth-shredding tendency as the sugar glass work on the famous Pampelmousse Millefeuille (or whatever they call it) dessert. ← I remember reading a few things about that (maybe on your flickr, UE?), but I thought everyone loved the grapefruit dessert. Anyway, I think I'll take the 5 desserts. ← I forgot that I had added comments to that photo. Well, there you have it - the flavors were lovely (I did not find the agrumes as acidic as La Peche), but the sugar glass was hazardous. The other thing I did not love about it is that the sorbets, as they melted, just made the overall eating a bit unappealing. It was like eating citrusy water with sweet glass.

The herbal emulsion was creamy too. It was tangy and slightly sweet. I'm imagining the buttermilk emulsion to be a dairy equivalent - maybe even more like white gazpacho than the herbal emulsion.

I almost mentioned this but failed to. La Peche is spot-on correct about this dish. I really did not understand why it was included on the chef's "classics" - nor why it was included on the menu at all. It is hazardous eating, as was an apple "tart" that my friend ordered - the phyllo-like shell had the same mouth-shredding tendency as the sugar glass work on the famous Pampelmousse Millefeuille (or whatever they call it) dessert.

Perhaps your inquiry will inspire me to move along my flagging review process. I still have about six or seven Paris meals I need to write up. I may be a lone dissenting voice on this one, but I happen to really like the turbot. I will admit, it is not pompous or sexy - the zebra stripes notwithstanding. But, like a steady and loyal friend, it is unwavering and timeless. The texture of the fish is tremendously tender and subtle (unless you are of the school that taught you turbot should be meatier and more gelatinous, you, like me, will be amazed by and enjoy this texture). The warm chunky potato "salad" (I have no idea how else to describe it - it was rocky-mashed [or diced, boiled, and roughly mixed?]) and wrapped in a creamy milieu - underfoot was elegant, yet hearty and comforting. I certainly can see why this dish is listed in a separate portion of the menu entitled "Chef's Classics" (or the French equivalent of). My favorite dish was the eel that I ordered (Julot had mentioned it and Food Snob also noted it above). To be honest, not much else grabbed me. But I was so taken by my eel and halibut that I only nibbled from the other plates. The sweetbreads were find when I had them - but admittedly, the preparation was different from the a la carte version (it was the lunch prix fixe version).

Nice report, as always, Bryan. A few thoughts: 1. Remind me why I DIDN'T order the Medai for lunch the other day. I had this dish last year, when it was presented with a tangy (think white gazpacho-sherry vinegary and sweet) herb emulsion. It was spectacular. I was very curious how the new/present presentation - with a buttermilk sauce tastes. 2. Am I imagining things, or is that duck actually crusted/dusted with dragées?

Unfortunately, you are right. No, the name under the signage is "Römerquelle", a mineral water brand. All I can guess is that it's situated on Grinzinger street. But as mentioned, there are many, many. But times have changed anyway, and most Heurigen in Grinzing are simply tourist attractions nowadays. Some of the nicest Heurigens - run by private people, mostly wine farmers, opened only two or three times a year for two weeks and visited by the local people - you'll find in the small villages east of airport Schwechat, way out of town. Of course, there still exist some very nice Heurigen in town. You might consult this guide: Ausgsteckt is': der Wiener Heurigenführer ← Well, I was on my way to the Staatsoper that night, so it couldn't have been too far out of town. I was hoping the sliver of the sign I caught in the photo above would trigger someone's memory here. I'll keep hoping.

Let me know if the Heuringen you visit look like the one above!

A hundred years ago, a student on a shoestring, I went to Middle Europe. Passing through Vienna, I had three things I must eat: Sacher tort, streudel, and wienerschnitzel. For the latter, I sought out my amateurish guidebooks and they pointed me to the Grinzing district of the city. The restaurant I decided on was tucked in a cute little tavern-lined alleyway (perhaps all of Grinzing is like this?). It was busy and popular. The interior looked more like something you'd see on a summer ferry boat - slat-baked chairs with white frames and green backs. The whole restaurant's decor, in fact, seemed to have that same white and green (dusty and darker shades of green) motif. One might think one was in Tudor England, or an Irish pub. The floors were lined with varnished wood boards. I recall asking my server the difference between a large and a small wienerschnitzel. He approximated the sizes with his hands. I ordered the small. It was larger than my head - certainly hanging over the sides of my large plate. Here is the only clue I have as to the identity of this heuringer in Grinzing. Can anyone help me identify it? Note the "Reserved" signage on the table - could the name under the "Reserviert" be the name of the restaurant? Your help is greatly appreciated!

I was not aware that Niche offers a "m.g."-minded menu on certain days. Clearly, I did not gone such a day.

My meal at Niche a couple of months ago was pretty straightforward. If there was much m.g. influence at play, it was disguised/hidden awfully well.

Has anybody been recently?

Johnny was emoting to my guests and me about the turning seasons. Winter seemed particularly difficult on him. He said, with an elfish grin, that spring is making his "ears sprout."

At this time of the year? Or are they using canned truffle juice? Either way, I'm not sure I would order it, even if I could drink much of it.

You know, Trader Joe's IS in St. Louis. And Minneapolis. Both are much closer than California. But that's all moot now... hopefully...

I thought I had started (or someone else had started) a thread lobbying for Trader Joe's to open a store in Kansas City. (If the admins can find it, please do merge). It seems that my wishes have come true. It was reported in the Kansas City Star that the company is considering a location at 135th and State Line - on the Missouri side to avoid the Kansas liquor retail laws.