Vadouvan

Evan, next time you go up to NYC, lets meet up and i will take you to Despana foods in NOLITA. I buy all my spanish stuff there, far superior. V. http://www.despananyc.com/

1. Anyone can type a menu and use evocative prose, the trick is to make sure the flavor matches the prose. 2. If they made the torchon, they would have wrapped it with Saran Wrap or similar thickness kitchen film. If the plastic was thick enough that you could not slice it or clear enough that nobody noticed it, then it is commercial grade vaccuum packaging which means they probably bought the torchon. It is better sliced with the plastic on so it holds shape however, someone needs to be detailed enough to notice it. 3. Greg salisbury is no longer affiliated with Django. Direct your comments to Ross Essner. 4. I encourage people to control thier experiences. When I take special bottles to BYO's I open it myself. Most waiters in BYO's save for Brett at marigold dont know how to open wine without tilting or shaking it up.

There is no way anyone can run both kitchens. Besides,ignoring the fact that they are in two different states, Gilt belongs to a Mid Eastern Royal Family and Bass is a Starr restaurant. Each entity requires dedicated attention and there is no way either entity would accept such an arrangement. Of course Starr will replace him if he hasnt already. Its Philly's loss for the most part, the city always seem to lose chefs on the more creative side of Food.

Pats and Genos in Philadelphia are for tourists, they arent anywhere near the best steaks in philly. I would give up on cheesesteaks in NY, had a few, all pretty lame except for tony lukes at the old location. It's like trying to find a good bagel in philly.....

Perhaps, but Its just to illustrate the general style of cooking. Of course it would be ostensibly different in NY but the meal I had there 3 weeks ago while good wasnt much more creative than that menu save for the chocolate covered foie gras. The catch 22 is if they want more accessible food, new chef cant do anything much more creative without venturing into the Liebrandt/gagnaire/dufresne world.

Chef, one can never tell but I suspect dilution and it loses its special-ness. I have eaten twice at Atelier in Paris but I would be hesitant to go spend all that money when they become high end chains like Nobu or Vong. I am all for capitalism but I assume other people are bearing the cost of building these places (like the 4 seasons), given that there is little economic risk. As chefs build empires, I would rather go to an Avenues or alinea where there is a dedicated person in-house than one of these globe trotting chef establishments where the "chef" stays long enough to re arrange the deckchairs and move to the next location.

I am not sure it was a sudden change, it appears since Gilt opened the hotel management wanted the food to still be creative but "more accessible". I had 3 dinners at Gilt that ranged from great to excellent but I got it, not everyone "gets it", ostensibly most e gulleteer would since the community tends to be more food savvy. Unfortunately, the typical folks who went to Le cirque 2000 which was like an Appleby's for the super wealthy dont eat Liebrandts kind of food. Certainly the Bruni review was like the significant nail in the coffin. It probably opens the discussion about if NYC has enough interest to support anything above the very good but essentially "Safe" cooking that you get at places like Per Se, Jean Georges and ADNY......(removing WD-50 from the equation just for the sake of argument). As I see it, outside of what Wylie does,no one else seems to push the envelope...? I would have to say I agree with Liebrandt, bad PR, reviewed too soon and questionable perception by the reviewer. Definitely true,If he had a wylie-esque setup without hotel honchos to answer to, he would do better, Imagine WD 50 in some silly uptown hotel ? Let the art flow......that is without listening to the food and beverage manager's BS. Sketch works in London, Gilt should work in NYC for christs sake... Probably not a drastic change, I think they just want slightly simpler food but still really creative. Certainly wont be Liebrandt / gagnaire-ish but probably still pretty modern. The answer lies in who the new chef is.......there is always a solid forensic trail of recent cookery. The new chef is actually coming from Philadelphia of all places...... Christopher Lee / Striped Bass formerly of Oceana, this years Food and Wine best new chefs, James Beard winner. You want any clue to what Gilt will be serving come september, check out the Bass's menus http://www.stripedbassrestaurant.com/

I am a bit suprised since I hear nothing but excellent reports about the food at Lolita. That aside, the fact is .... 1. Not to sound Clintonian but there is nothing "Special" about the word "Special"....in ANY restaurant. Dining out "special" promotions are banquets for short term profits, same with any "special" evening like Valentines day, New years eve, Book and the cook ect ect. HD73 you may be the first member of the public to understand how it works since you basically touched on the math. See the way it works is in most cases, going to the restaurant at other times to order a similar amount of food is within a reasonable price range of the "Special" promotion. HOWEVER...and this is the best part, the restaurant's food cost in "special" dinners is 10 to 15 % less...sometimes more, translation, they make a ton of money, you think you are getting a deal, everyone is happy......except in this case...you. Moral of the story.....avoid "specials". Read Kitchen confidential, there is some truth to Tony's stories.

Bike Racing, I have watched Paris Brest and Paris -Roubaix.....several times.

you got that right, if it wasnt for the japanese, a lot of old school BS would be extinct. Why else would there be a Taillevent-Robuchon in Japan ????? and.....basically, if it wasnt for female japanese tourists, Hermes and burberry would be out of business............

That's because "pattisiers" are fast becoming extinct. Seriously when was the last time you saw a gateau St. honore or l'opera........ Dont forget Paris-Brest or croquembouche........ edited to add.... Not to be confused with boulangiers.....is that spelled right

The teacup/demitasse (rosenthal versace-barrocco) actually works well for a carrot or butternut soup if you perch it dead center in the middle of a bernadaud shogun plate. Otherwise, the plates and chargers are just too busy. Since this was last posted, I was handed a TRU cookbook and apparently Tramonto uses this stuff....

He will stay in NJ, The city wage tax and all the other Philly BS is about as enticing as a root canal without any anaesthesia....

SUP Doc.... Fully agree with you, its just been in my experience, when I see chocolate cigars and what not, it always ends up that the attempt to make it look as realistic like a cigar makes it taste like crap. I wanna see a Reuben and matzoh ball soup dessert............

Not really percy, suffice to say, the concept of dessert has evolved over the last 5 years. Prior to that, the terms "Dessert" and "Pastry" intersected far more than they do now. Now that people are finally realising that mastery of sweet and savory is to the benefit of both, you now have a lot of talented "pastry chefs" ...Will Goldfarb, Alex Stupak. et al who show much more brilliance than the typical pattisier. most desserts in restaurants in philly are sugar cluster bombs, deliciousness and appreciation can certainly not be dictated but nuance of flavor can. A less sweet chocolate dessert for example (to me) tastes much better than an overly sweet one. So that's my approach, sweetness that doesnt eclipse the brix level of the average muscat, sauternes, banyuls, trockenbeerenauslese, recioto soave, loupiac, Jurancon, Port and no silly inedible garnishes.......and above all, no garnishes constructed to look like an actual object such as spoons, cigars, pianos...ect ect.

Not so Judy, it works brilliantly, it just has to be sliced superthin and dehydrated and it cracks like a potato chip. it actually intensifies the flavor. I garnish Monkfish served with put lentils and pork shoulder croquettes with crisp Serrano ham. I do the same with Mojama as a garnish for tuna tartare.

Its a great promotion except it doesnt really work because its redundant. Restaurants that have outdoor areas that are attractive, condusive to dining and attracting people for cocktails ARE doing those things already.Estia is in a location that isnt outdoor food friendly, lots of commercial traffic, condo being built next door, greek food and no real energy. I happen to love the food at Estia actually but the outdoor dining is an afterthought. Estia has Great food, no energy. Rouge has great energy, mediocre food. It depends on how you want to define yourself.... To set up fake attractive people to give the appearance of desirability does not work unless you do it for an extensive period of time. Everyone misses the point, getting attractive people to sit outside your restaurant isnt about hiring people, its about treating attractive people who are otherwise predisposed to spend thier money at your restaurant with VIP treatment so they return with thier pals. They would be better of simply getting the mailing lists of Philadelphia Style magazine or Cashman PR. If it works, I stand corrected.

But seriously it's not about me trying to be a know-it-all and pretending to be a better cook. Its simply an observation that basically says, the difference between your food and the average tapas bar in spain are these specific points. It isnt to trash the restaurant . The danger of sending restaurants unsolicited feedback is that I know from history, they take it the wrong way and interprete it as you being a know it all. Posting it online on e gullet isnt derogatory other than saying here are specifics, without emotion or embellishment, just the facts. The key statement was......"It's only been open for 3 days". Especially in a climate in which Amada is doing the same thing much better.......I would want to know......There is no embarrassment in this forum, we just happen to be a group of people who arent going to restaurants for the glitz and glam..... But Technical food discussions are more fun than politics......

I didnt mean to overdramatize things even though the food wasnt as good as I would have liked.

Ok Alex, I'll trade you some Bernadaud / Reynaud for some Animal Farm butter ........

Bill I am just done, I am as of today no longer posting in any threads about specific restaurants and what they do, what attracted me to e-gullet is just the ability to network with like minded people who are interested in cookery and the technical details. No point in creating any animousity, it's just best to avoid these situations.... Restaurant reports get too often interpreted as "reviews" and the fact is one person's opinion no matter how positive or negative is one person's opinion. Expecting everyone to agree with you is just a delusion....

Like Miami Vice ?.......

So your "disagreement" isnt a disagreement other than stating you like rustic ethnic food on rustic ethnic place settings. The kind of food being discussed on this thread isnt rustic / ethnic food however I noticed you posted the same thoughts on the Ferdinand thread where it's valid but certainly not in this case. Besides aesthetics, porcelain has functional use ( heat retention without the glazes and colorings leaching into your food when you heat the plates up). It isnt a "current trend", unless you have been eating at La Buca, deux cheminees or Hotel chains, almost everyone has been using white plates for 10 years...... I seriously doubt you will be seeing any indian curries on $75/piece Rosenthal plates anytime soon. Besides Indian restaurants use mostly metal bowls......

I dont salt the ice cream, I salt the lemon peels. Maldon makes fine salt, I have it here in front of me, I bought it at Waitrose supermarket in canary wharf. http://www.mycanarywharf.com/directory/sho...upermarket.html

Bob, i actually feel what makes Maldon special is it's flavour, not as salty as free flowing or kosher salts. Maldon makes two packages... Maldon Crystals which look like snowflakes.... Maldon Fine which looks like regular salt for quick incorporation. I use the crystals for obvious garnishes like steaks /Foie torchons ect ect and the fine for purees/ sauces. Putting Maldon Crystals in sauces is a bit like washing your car win an Hermes scarf ...no ?