Simon_S

The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast? I misread it too. Si

According to michelin, Knives and Forks, as more to see with comfort of the dining room, and stars with food quality. ← Yes, but one star signifies exceptional food within its category. The knives and forks are a clue as to what "category" Michelin considers the restaurant to occupy. Look folks, I know that every other rating system in the world has 0 star = crap restaurant 1 star = mediocre restaurant 2 star = good restaurant 3 star = excellent restaurant or some variation thereof, but Michelin doesn't work this way. Merely getting into the Michelin guide is a good start. A star is an exceptional achievement, and should be viewed as such. Sadly, most of the comments in the press release above don't demonstrate much understanding for the Michelin system, and the tone of the article does nothing to educate an unenlightened reader. Furthermore (and I'm loathe to suggest this in many ways, but I'll continue) it's hard to shake the feeling that some of the Michelin-bashing is based on a simple anti-France bias. I hope I'm wrong about that. Si [edited to add: the press release linked above is not actually the article I was referring to. I read a different article (linked elsewhere on egullet?)...eh...this one here. Apologies for the confusion.]

I don't know any of the restaurants in question and indeed have never been to SF, but I feel compelled to point out that the Michelin guide is about far more than stars. Interpreting it isn't always easy, I grant you, but I very much doubt Michelin are equating experiences as you suggest. For example, do both restaurants receive the same number of knives and forks? Si

Yawn. Doesn't anyone have any IMAGINATION any more. Si PS

My attempt to tie together recent culinary news from Illinois. A diner in Sweet Home Chicago sat wondering "Where'd the foie gras go?" His face turned quite dour When Alderman Moore Defended his recent embargo. Displeased with this clumsy approach Which he felt would surely encroach On his civil right He took some delight In eating a live Six Flags roach. Si

Try "Foie" not "Fois" if searching. You may have more success! Si

Things I don't eat are generally more down to texture than to flavour. I can't cope with slimey. There are 3 flavours I just can't warm to, however -- celery, cucumber and cloves. I'm not sure if there's anything I wouldn't eat for survival, though. Si

Hi Corinna, I thought you'd be along fairly quickly alright! There were no wines by the glass on the wine list, and nobody mentioned a wine pairing. That's not to say they're not available, but they weren't advertised as such. The half bottle selection wasn't too inspiring either as we had intended to get a half of red to accompany our pigeon. We managed to finish the full bottle, though!! I wouldn't compare it to elBulli, Alinea or Fat Duck. Sure there are foams here and there, and some slightly unusual combos, but ultimately these are fairly recognisable dishes with a bit extra. It's not really at the cutting edge level of the other three. Of course, that's not necessarily a criticism. I'm not even sure that such a restaurant could survive here at the moment. It's funny you should mention SnackMar, because I actually thought of it during the meal. I suppose it's not dissimilar to SnackMar on some level, not in terms of menu or style, but more that some of the flavours and combinations were reminiscent for me. Now, I know what I mean when I say this, but I imagine such a comparison would be totally misleading for anyone else, so forget I said that! I'll be really interested to see how Mint develops over the next year or so. Speaking to the maitre d' afterwards, she told us that they are booked out a few weeks in advance, and that they are extremely busy. She mentioned incredibly long hours for the chefs (I'm not awake for as many hours as they're working per day!) and on the whole everyone seems to be working hard to make it work. I really hope Mint continues to be successful and that people keep going, as I'd love to see how the chef develops the menu over time. I couldn't help feeling that there are more ideas there that, for the moment at least, are being somewhat reigned in to fit the standard starter/main/dessert approach. In truth, I'd also like to see it in a bigger space, with a bigger kitchen. Preferably within walking distance of my house! In any case, one to watch, and I'll be awaiting your review with baited breath. Si PS When I say I'll take my camera next time, I should stress that won't be for quite a while. Probably...

Hazel and I ate at the "new" Mint on Saturday night. Not having eaten there before, I can't compare and contrast, but I can certainly report that this is a restaurant to be taken seriously. Before we were even handed the menus, a selection of amuses were placed in front of each of us. As usual, I wasn't taking any notes so my memory could very well be slightly off here, but the first was tomato with tomato foam, the second a carrot foam and jelly with marinated trout, and the third foie gras with potato and chanterelle mousse. All 3 were excellent, flavourful and (by Dublin standards at least) inventive, and I was already thinking that this was better than I'd eaten in Dublin for a long time. No mean feat considering I hadn't even seen a menu! Bread selection was top, and I settled on bacon and onion, and red-pepper. Hazel went for the bacon also, and black olive bread. The red pepper was the least successful of the 3, the peppers imparting a slightly gooey texture. The bacon and onion and olive breads were lovely. On finally perusing the menu, we decided that the tasting had all the courses from the dinner menu that we wanted the most, or at least it would if we could swap the advertised lamb for the interesting-sounding pigeon. We asked the maitre d' if this was possible, she checked with the chef who agreed, and we were all set. The wine list is on the short and young side, which is maybe to be expected for a new restaurant, but the (French and young!) sommelier was very helpful and seemed to know his stuff. We chose a bottle of 2003 Meursault (En La Barre from Domaine Jobard) which opened up decently enough after decanting but would certainly have benefitted from a few more years, and a 2002 Volnay (the producer of which has slipped my mind -- apologies). Before the tasting menu started properly, there was a further appetiser of pumpkin soup with parmesan and truffles, with a pumpkin foam. This served almost as a palate cleanser (preparer?) although I didn't get much truffley flavour. From there it was onto "Scallops" ( Roasted scallops with pork belly, onion puree and rosemary). This was one nicely caramelised scallop on a small piece of pork with lots of "other stuff" going on around the plate. This turned out to be a recurring theme... Next up was Foie gras and pineapple terrine with celeriac foam and pineapple crisps. This was a cylindrical tower in the middle of a plate with various jellies and sauces and glazes surrounding it, and thinly sliced pineapple crisps leaning against it. Further investigation revealed the foie gras to be at the bottom of the tower. This was a really exciting dish, the pineapple jelly and crisps having tremendously intense flavour, and complementing the foie gras very well. Once again, the plating might not be to everyone's taste, and there was a *lot* going on, both to the eye and the palate The next dish was John Dory with lemongrass avocado puree, cherry tomatoes and sour cream (can't remember the proper description) and this was the one dish that didn't *quite* work for us. The fish was beautifully cooked, but the flavour was a little swamped by the green, intensely lemony "soup" that surrounded it. This may sound really harsh, but all I could think of was lemon meringue pie with john dory in it. That's an unfair criticism of what was a very well-executed dish, but I just couldn't shake the association. By now we were really starting to fill up, but we pressed gamely on and were presented with the pigeon. This was pigeon breast stuffed with pear, a pigeon leg, pear puree, a potato and foie gras "lollipop" and the by now expected plating with various miscellaneous stuff. There were truffles involved somewhere, but they didn't have a huge effect in my dish. Hazel spoke highly of the truffles, but only after she'd finished it so I couldn't sample! In any case, the pigeon was beatifully done, marrying well with the pear, and the lollipop was really excellent with a crunchy, deep-fried exterior giving way to a smooth and rich interior. A small but well-chosen cheese trolley followed, and all the cheese seemed properly-aged and nicely presented. Mercifully, our waitress cut small amounts of each of our selections, because at this point we were really getting full. One of Hazel's selected cheeses was Comte, and when the sommelier spotted this he told her to be sure to save some and he would be back shortly with the remainder of our Meursault to accompany it. Sure enough, it worked very well and I was impressed with the attention of the sommelier on this one. After a break we moved onto dessert number 1, apricot prepared various ways. This was good, but my memory of it is scant. Dessert number 2 was "Apple" -- Roasted apple with apple jelly and apple doughnut. This was a barnstorming finish with a mind-numbing array of incredible apple flavours. The apple doughnut was particularly good. Coffee followed, and I couldn't believe when I saw the plethora of petit fours presented. There were chocolates, sugar lollipops, doughnuts and various assorted others. Now by this stage we were fit to burst, but somehow managed to put them all away The service throughout the night was very good, attentive without pestering, and with real attention to detail. However, the tables are just too damn close together, laid out bistro-style in the admittedly small room. I wouldn't mind if I was paying bistro money, but given the serious nature of the food on offer here, and the money being spent, I'd like to be able to whisper sweet nothings etc. without being overheard. Nonetheless, it meant I got a bird's-eye view of the other diners choices, which were in all cases extended versions of the dishes on the taster menu. In conclusion then, this is as a really exciting addition to the Dublin scene, with creative, well-executed and flavoursome food on offer. My one criticism is that there are just too many ideas on each plate. You can't help feeling that the chef is just a notch exuberant at the mo, and maybe a little less would be more. Still, this has to be one of the top restaurants in Dublin now, and easily the most exciting. Next time, I'll bring my camera and my notebook! Si [edited to fix some mis-remembered dishes -- thanks Hazel!!]

Now this I like!!! Si

While I agree with everything Corinna has said (as always!) I feel the need to give a shout out to One Pico, a restaurant that I have always enjoyed, and that is only a whisker below the Quartet of Guilbaud's, Thornton's, L'Ecrivain and Chapter One in my opinion. I find it hard to choose a top 3, but that's definitely my top 5. Si

Am I alone in not making mashed potatoes with milk? I generally just throw in a knob of butter, salt and mash them like the dickens. I have been known to leave out the butter altogether if stuck. It's reasonably well-known that Irish people like their potatoes "floury" rather than "soapy", and in truth I quite like a bit of that flouriness to stay in the texture of mashed spuds. Incidentally, I agree with Jenny -- mashed potatoes were a staple part of growing up for me. I still remember the sound of the potatoes being mashed in the kitchen, and the effect it would have on my brother and I. Once we heard that, dinner was close...! Si

Didn't I read somewhere that "Stinking Bishop" is actually the name of the pear used to make the perry, and the cheese took its name from that? Si

This seems quite an extreme viewpoint. In what way do you consider it "flawed"? Si

Actually, I think it would take you two weeks to become suspicious. ← Good point!

I was a little alarmed by: "If you can’t polish off a loaf in two weeks, freeze it." I'd be instantly suspicious of bread that lasts 2 weeks without going mouldy. Si

Hate to jump in with such pedantry, but Durrus is an Irish cheese, not British. As you were... Si

I doubt it. Si

I ask again, how do you know that ducks are suffering when being force-fed? I'm not doubting for one instant that humans would suffer if force-fed grain through a tube, but ducks aren't humans. I would suffer extreme discomfort if forced to eat food without chewing it, but that's what ducks do since they don't have teeth. A night sitting out on a cold marsh with no clothes on would probably kill me, but ducks manage quite nicely. I stress, I'm not trying to be flippant here, but from what I've read, there isn't much evidence that ducks are suffering all that much when force-fed. There was a link here recently to an article that detailed this fact by looking at behaviour, stress hormone levels and even brain activity in ducks during the gavage stage of force-feeding. Leaving aside the obvious tendency to anthropomorphise, I'm still not convinced that ducks find gavage all that unpleasant. Si

How do you know that they suffer? Si

I very much enjoy BSCB, and if returning from a trip involving lots of rich foods, for example, I have been known to crave it. In all honesty, I don't consider the flavour to be bland and would cheerfully eat it grilled and unadulerated. Not every night, of course, but then again I wouldn't eat foie gras every night either. In truth, I'm not so fond of dark meat, and given the choice would always choose breast. Perhaps this is a little out-of-order, but US supermarkets have something of a reputation for selling bland meat, don't they? Is it possible that we're just fortunate to have access to better chicken breasts on the shelves over here? I'm not trying to insult anyone, so apologies if it sounds that way. I just can't believe that the humble chicken breast is coming in for such a bashing!! Si

It seems to me that the discussion has veered somewhat away from Steven's original "How to Dine" course into something a little different. After all, that course is titled "getting the most from restaurants", and it seems clear to me that what's being discussed there is how a diner can better ensure that masterpiece/home run dinner. So the opening premise there seems a little different to some posts in this thread. Of course, many of us have different goals in mind when dining, we may not need the home run, we may want to support a new restaurant, we may want to take a risk, we may want to see what the fuss is about, etc. But I think Steven's article is about playing the percentages to ensure a top-notch meal. Against that backdrop I can't argue that going to more mature well-regarded restaurants will, all else being equal, be more likely to produce a consistently good meal. Is it guaranteed? No. Does it mean you can't have a good experience at new places? Of course not. But as a general rule for those diners who lack the restaurant karma Steven mentions, it seems sensible. Bear in mind, there are a lot of non-seasoned diners out there who, on deciding to splash out for a "special" meal, go to the new, hot place that all the talk is about. When they leave disappointed (as can easily happen) the temptation is to assume the Emperor has no clothes in all this high-end dining. I know many people who have fallen into this trap. So for everyone who misses out on a blockbuster meal early in the life of a restaurant, I think there are far more who ate there when it first opened and will never return. Si

I can assure you, apologies are definitely not required! Please accept *my* apologies for bringing this thread off-topic. Si

I'm not normally one to point out irrelevant spelling errors, but I have to say I thought this was particularly fitting. As one who is trying to lose some weight around my midriff, restaurant meals that aren't up to scratch are a particular disappointment. A common phrase shared between my girlfriend and I is "all of the calories, none of the enjoyment!" May I propose a new verb: "to waist", that works in exactly this context. If I go to a new restaurant and experience a disappointing meal, I most definitely think I have "waisted" my time and money. Si PS As regards the issue at hand, my feeling is a year may sometimes be too long. I think the best advice is to go to whatever restaurants interest you, but if the restaurant is relatively recently opened, temper your expectations accordingly. Try to focus on the good aspects of the meal rather than dwelling on the bad, in the hope that the bad will be ironed out in due course.

The Toucan brew is the 2nd of a series of 6, I believe. To be honest, I'm not really a fan, I preferred the "Brew 39" that started the campaign. Nothing compares to the real thing, though! Si