Simon_S

It goes without saying that if you find yourself in Spain, get yourself a taste of some ham. Si

Great, it should be perfected just in time for my visit! I had an earlier incarnation at Alinea, and funnily enough it is one course that sticks in my mind. While the warm glow of that meal still remains, some of the other specifics have been dulled by time... I can't wait for my trip to WD-50. I just hope I'm not too jet-lagged to do it justice. Si

Seriously, though, what does he do? I'm genuinely curious. It may indeed be the case that he's perfecting dishes all the time, but I'm not really sure what this means. I'm more than willing to accept that there's always some aspect being improved, but are we talking about minutiae that are only really relevant to HB, or are we talking about changes that directly reflect on the dining experience? Sometimes I wonder if Fat Duck isn't a victim of its own success. It's hard to take risks when the restaurant is full every night and three stars remain next to the name in The Guide. Is HB having more fun in his gastropub restaurant, for example? Si

I'm reading Devil's Picnic* at the moment, and there are plenty of suggestions in that book! My first thought is that you should definitely try some raw milk cheeses. Epoisses is the obvious example but there are many others. Si *I don't necessarily recommend ortolan, criadillas, absinthe or that bizarre cheese with maggots mentioned in the book.

Actually, add a rasher or two, serve with a fried egg for dipping purposes and you've got a meal fit for a prince. A sausage elevates the sandwich to "fit for a king" standard. Si

We had a really enjoyable, if slightly pricey, meal at Mantel in Cannes last summer. We went for a degustation menu of some kind, and it featured quite a lot of truffle action I seem to recall. Truthfully, I can't remember everything we ate, but it was one of the gastro highlights of our time in Cannes. We preferred it to the 2-star Villa de Lys for example. I'm not sure the cuisine could be considered especially "southern French", but hey, there was a lot of seafood! Simon

Congrats to all at Alexis on the most excellent review from Tom Doorley in today's Irish Times. Thorougly deserved of course, but that doesn't always mean it works out that way. Well done! Si

Answer the door naked. I've never done this myself you understand, but in my case at least, nobody would EVER arrive early again. Si

I was doing great until I got the bill. I seriously felt my eyes begin to water, and it wasn't from the emotion of the moment. It works like this: we convince ourselves in advance that we're absolutely not going to get the tasting menu, that we're going to try to be sensible and pace ourselves a little bit, that starter, main, dessert will be plenty. As we walk into the restaurant, our resolve is at it's very strongest, we're adamant, unshakable. We sit down, ignoring the taster menu descriptions like heroes, we discuss a la carte options, we decide what we're going to have. Then one or other of us says "of course we could just..." and that's the point where the red mist descends. When I come to, I discover we've ordered the largest tasting menu available, asked for wine pairings, made sure that the cheese cart will feature, and I'm already wondering if I'm going to be awake all night with food-induced DTs. In short, there's a good sporting chance we'll plump for the taster menu. Si

Well, I've got the "livin large" part down, but I don't think they mean physically.

I'm sure you're right, but I have absolutely no idea what this means!! Urban Dictionary suggestion: That's an image I'd very much like to be able to cultivate, but it's pretty far from the truth! Si

Not my wife yet -- we just got engaged 2 weeks ago. All our friends and family were speculating that I'd pop the question during our trip to NY, so I fooled them, and Hazel herself, with a surprise trip to Monaco instead. I got down on one knee, she said yes, we drank champagne, ate at Louis XV, it was a fab weekend, but I digress... I won't be joining Hazel in the hot-dog search, they're not my cup of tea at all. The line in Crocodile Dundee accurately portrays my feelings on this particular delicacy. Duly noted. As a rule we don't like to be too rushed, and we're used to dinner taking 3-4 hours at a nice place (lazy Europeans, you see!) On the other hand it may suit us to get out a little earlier on that particular night, to ensure plenty of post-dinner cocktail time. Realistically, it's not going to happen on this trip, but next time we'll try to venture forth from Manhattan to see what we can see. There are just so many places to try! Thanks Pan. I'll *really* try to cope at Katz's but I promise nothing!! I might try to go at a more "off-peak" time, and see if that works. I definitely couldn't join a queue of 200 would-be Harrys and Sallys to wait for a sandwich, but if it's in any way sane I'll deal with the thronging hordes. Having heard so much about it, I really need to try that pastrami. I intend to seek out one of the other GS locations, assuming I'm still capable of eating. I want to know if Szechuan here tastes like Szechuan there. Si

Yes, we've struggled on trips before and we find that trying to do too much ruins the experience. In fact, even as it stands I'm a bit concerned that we're aiming too high. Oh well, we'll be walking the feet off ourselves during the day I'm sure, so that'll help us to build up our appetites and burn off some calories. Thanks Nathan. Proximity to Pegu and Death & Co. was actually one of the reasons we chose the Mercer. It's wildly over our anticipated budget, but hey, what can you do? Thanks for the other recs. Zinc sounds like it's worth a visit. Si

Funny you should mention popcorn, because when I moved out of my parents' house into my own place, my brother and I had a battle-of-wills to see who'd keep "the popcorn pot". It was an old aluminium affair, part of a set that had been a wedding present to my parents 30+ years prior, and was battered and bruised beyond belief. But it was the only pot we could *ever* make successful popcorn in. He won out in the end I'm sorry to say. Si

I'm bumping this thread to report on my bookings so far. Plans have changed somewhat, so here's the layout now: Wed 25th: Afternoon arrival, have a nap, head to WD-50 for late dinner. We thought long and hard about this one, as we didn't really want to do such a serious meal on our first night. Then (partly motivated by BryanZ's heroic efforts around Europe) we thought sod it, why not? Hopefully the afternoon/early evening nap will be enough to refresh us and we'll be able to tackle Mr. Dufresne's cooking with gusto. At the very least, the meal should be quirky enough to keep us awake. I'm hoping we'll be up for the taster, but that decision will probably be based on our energy levels. Thurs 26th: Jean-Georges for lunch and then whatever in the evening. At the moment we're thinking of a show and then a late meal at Momofuku Ssam. We've never tasted anything like what they're offering, so it should be interesting. We'll truly have no idea what to expect, and will hopefully be able to go without any preconceptions. Fri 27th: Hazel's birthday, so this is the night for Daniel. We may give the taster a miss this night, as both of us find it a little difficult to do too many large menus in a short space of time. Of course having said that, I'm not ruling anything out!! Lunch will be wherever, maybe Yasuda if we feel up to it and can do a walk-in, maybe just a hot-dog from a cart or a pizza slice. Sat 28th: my birthday, and I've booked Eleven Madison Park. From what I've seen, this is a restaurant that we really need to sample. We had been thinking of going here on Sunday morning, but now I want to try the full tasting menu, and brunch just wouldn't cut it. Katz's may feature at lunch (if we can stomach the tourists, which seems unlikely), or there's still the slice/hot-dog option. Hazel's really insistent on having a hot-dog at some point. I'm not convinced, but we'll see... Sun 29th: Leaving in the evening, so we've kept the day flexible. Grand Sichuan may feature (if they haven't all been closed by the DOH ) or some other Chinese option. If Katz's hasn't been sampled by then, I might buy a sandwich for the plane. I'm also mulling over Balthazar for brunch, but I'm going to leave that in the lap of the gods. It's highly likely that at that stage we simply won't want to eat any more. That's the plan as it stands. Bookings have been made for one meal per day, in an attempt to leave us somewhat spontaneous with other choices. Of course, we'll also be visiting Pegu Club, and if Death and Co. is still with us we'll try to get there as well. That's apart from any other random food and drink that might get consumed at any given moment. I'll be trying to sample a little more of the NY nightlife than I did on my last visit. We'll be staying at the Mercer, so hopefully there should be some options nearby. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and I'd like to thank everyone once again for their advice -- it's really made the decisions a lot easier. Si

You're not wrong there, and such behaviour certainly wouldn't have been tolerated by my parents as I was growing up. On the rare occasions I was taken out to dinner I sat like a little mouse because there'd be hell to pay if I stepped out of line. The problems here most probably relate to our relatively sudden wealth and our correspondingly sudden sense of self-importance (I'm including myself in that stereotype ) It seems that now we have money we think we should be allowed do what we want, and that *definitely* stretches to the kids. As an example, schools here are finding it harder and harder to discipline pupils, and suspension/expulsion is extremely difficult. You know why? On hearing that little Johnny was repeatedly bold at school and is to be disciplined by a suspension, parents no longer get annoyed at little Johnny. Instead, they sue the school. But I digress... As bad as Americans? Americans I've met (in Chicago mainly) have in general been some of the politest people I've ever come across, and had a far better sense of what was appropriate and where. Mayo, eh? That's where my fiancée's parents come from. Lovely part of the world. Si

If you say so, but... Not here. And if it's not the "precious little Madison" sort of parenting it's the other extreme -- I don't really care what my kids do as long as they stay out of my sight. I'm really not joking about this. I experienced both the last time I ate out (on Sunday evening). One table had a *very* loud child of about 11 or 12 complaining bitterly that he had to sit there while his parents drank their coffee, and then nearly having a hissy-fit about some work he had been asked to do at home, for which he considered the offered €10 per hour payment derisory. I wanted to point out to him that the people serving his food were probably earning less. Of course, his complaining worked and the parents offered more money. I stress, this exchange was taking place on the opposite side of the room, but I could hear every word. Meanwhile, a child of about 6 wandered around the restaurant, unheeded by his parents and playing with a balloon. He nearly tripped our servers as they brought the food, and when it arrived we sat and ate as said balloon knocked off our chairs, shoulders, etc. His parents sat 8'-10' away and ignored all of this. Where do you live, busboy? I think I should move there!! Si

I don't think this is an issue specific to wines. Isolated words that are in another language are frequently printed in italics. Si

Thanks for the description. We'll ask about the possibility of swapping out that course (assuming it's still on the menu when we get there) but if it's not possible I won't sweat it. I'm always game for trying something new, and if I find it unpleasant I'll just have to rinse my mouth out with wine. Si

You see, the problem here is that a lot of people with kids take the "no kids allowed" thing personally. That's quite understandable, but it misses the point. Some parents know how to deal with their kids, are sensitive to the experience of others, and everyone behaves accordingly. Some (dare I say the majority) are either blissfully unaware or, worse, think the world should revolve around their offspring. Don't dream of stifling little Tarquin by suggesting he shouldn't run screaming around a quiet restaurant tripping up busboys. Shouldn't little Trixibelle be allowed to throw her toys onto other diner's tables? Why should I remove my adorable children if they behave this way? Other people should understand. What's the big deal? Weren't they young once too? Parents who are sensitive to the needs of others and who bring up their kids accordingly will generally be welcome at nice places. But if you're setting a general rule it's just too much of a risk to take. Plus, I *do* think there are some environments that just aren't suitable for children. Strip clubs, for example. Smokey bars at 1am. Top-level restaurants late in the evening. Regarding the wedding comment, having just got engaged ourselves, my fiancée and I are adamant there will be no children at our wedding reception. At a recent wedding we attended, a family relative of about 3 or 4 years of age "borrowed" Mommy's lipstick and drew pictures all over my girlfriend's dress. I don't blame the child, but that's not the atmosphere I'm looking for. I don't care who's offended, I'm not risking it. Of course, it's not spelled "caliber" either. At least, not where I come from... Si

Rockin' report there, UE. I've now shuffled my dinner plans in NY to include dinner at EMP on my birthday at the end of April. Sounds like I won't be disappointed! One problem, both Hazel and myself hate celery with all of our beings. It's the one and only thing we'll say we don't eat if consulted prior to a surprise menu. I wonder how we'll feel about it when coupled with truffle and quail egg? If I'm ever going to enjoy celery, it will be in this dish! Si

I haven't really been following the Ramsay NY saga that closely, but I learned a few things from the article. I had heard about Ferguson going, but I didn't realise the other bits of reshuffling happening, and nowhere prior to this had I got the impression that Ramsay himself thought there was something wrong. That, coupled with the descriptions of changing the table layout, menu, preparations, etc. gave the impression of a restaurant in flux and desperately trying to get it right. Of course, Ramsay would never be pleased with that review, but it was hard to decide if he thought the restaurant was perfect and the reviewer was at fault, or whether he'd admit it's not at the top level yet. Aside from that, I'd never heard a lot of the Ramsay back-story before, and I also learned a new word! It may indeed be of a lesser standard than previous articles by this gentleman, but it's the first I've read and I enjoyed it. I must hunt out some of his other articles now. Si

Great article, that. There's a lot going on here that catches the eye, not least the staffing "issues" and the constant tweaking. All of this reminds me of something FatGuy said a while ago: opening in Europe is generally a gradual process where everything gets ironed out over quite a while. That doesn't seem to work in NY. If you don't get it right early on, you might find that ship has sailed. Even if Ramsay turns things around, will it be too late to recover from the mediocre early reviews? Si

You're lucky then. I get them from time to time, and at a recent string of wine tastings there was one corked bottle (out of 12 or so) at 3 tastings in a row. Until recently, I'd never had a corked bottle in a restaurant. Of course, I was in a restaurant telling people this fact and the next bottle we ordered was corked. Typical. Anyway, I'm not convinced that this method will work, but I must give it a try next time. Si

Good lord, what a trio. Not sure I'd be up to the task there!! Yes, I've only this second written a review of Alexis, and I mention the truffle oil. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it bothers you, but I'm happy to join you in your cause.