robert brown

Busboy, if you visit Carpentras, there is a very nice cheese shop that has some of the local production. It is in the main shopping square of the town, on the right "leg" as you face into the square. Nearby is also a renown confiserie, the name of which I forget (It begins with "C", maybe Calvet or something) that specializes in chocolate-covered flavored almond paste among others (The raspberry was very good). Those two shops make a stop worthwhile if you are close by, unless you're a nut like me and are an hour or two away.

Busboy, the ability to select a certain cheese in several stages of taste and texture is the difference between cheese buying in France and the USA. I like pungent cheeses such as Muenster (and even in France it is not a "no-brainer" to get one exactly the way one wants it), but in general I seem to be in Danielle's camp as I prefer unctuous, somewhat mild cheese (Reblochon, the three greats of Normandie:Camembert, Pont L'Eveque and the stronger Liverot) and classic goat cheeses aged"a point" or in the middle. I always look to include cheese from the region (usually the Alpes-Maritimes where I am mostly when I am in France) and like to buy them directly from the farmers at the market; so if you are outside of Paris, you should try to do that. Otherwise, the rare times I am in a cheese shop in Paris, I look for one or two cheeses I either have never heard of or are made in small quantity. Don't be shy about asking for tastes and saying no to any one that doesn't hit you. I envy you and Mogsob and would love nothing better than spending a couple of days in Paris scoping out cheese sellers.

Where are you going?

While there is not enough data now to make a valid finding, it is nonetheless interesting to note in a tantalizing way the backgrounds and interests of those who have posted favorable opinions about Ferran Adria and meals at El Bulli. In this group are a contributor to the El Bulli threads who is clearly well-read and educated and highly-informed about gastronomy in Spain; a well-traveled gastronome who is an architect and sculptor; an expatriate who is in possession of three advanced degrees; a professor at one of the nation's leading state universities; and an art world professional who grew up among works of the New York School and the documents of Dada and Surrealism. I may have mentioned in the discussion linked to the Daily Gullet El Bulli story that Adria is gripped by the notion of sensibility, most likely because this is what is overriding in his approach to creativity, and what he expects (or hopes) the consumers of his dishes will bring to the table as a prerequisite for understanding the essence of his cuisine and restaurant. That his detractors remain obsessed with discussing the food weeks after they have eaten it speaks volumes about the nature of Adria's work and place in contemporary gastronomy.

I believe that newspaper and magazine restaurant reviewing is as much about filling space than filling stomachs. Restaurants are dynamic enterprises and cannot be grasped and retained such as a book, a painting, or, given current technology, even a motion picture. Restaurant-goers who have to rely on such reviews in the absence of anything else also have to rely on the taste or judgment of one person making "x" number of visits over a brief period of time. Furthermore, unless it is in a specialized forum such as this Q&A, we don't know the experience, credentials, and the state of the palate of the writer. In magazines such as "Gourmet" restaurants are reviewed once and never again. In DC, I suppose you have the luxury of returning in a year or two to the more interesting surviving restaurants, but in New York, unless it is one of the most high-profile restaurants, we never hear about most restaurants again from any single reviewer. Frankly, I would prefer the informed consensus found on an enterprise such as eGullet in terms of determining a restaurant I wish to dine in. How useful, then, do you consider restaurant reviews from your colleagues, and how do you mitigate the effects of what I have stated above?

I apologize for writing "Docsconz hit the nail on the head......" It is not that he is necessarily incorrect, but using the device that I did; i.e. allying myself with other people's insights to buttress, or give the impression of my coming across as the bearer of ultimate truth is a device one of the dear departed members used with great frequency and which I always abhored. So again I apologize and promise to be more attentive in the future.

What may be the most interesting recent phenomenon in high-profile chefdom and restaurant-going is this bandying-about of the word "atelier". Bux puts forth two variations: a workplace structure and a laboratory for experimentation. I evoked the apprentice or worker/master concept, and, if memory serves me correctly, Jon Tseng's mentioning of the Robuchon book recalls to me that Robuchon used "atelier" to mean "groomed by Robuchon" chefs who have gone out on their own to varying amounts of glory or recognition. So what is "atelier" and what does it mean? Is it a recognition that preparing high-quality food is somehow comparable to what goes on in a painter's studio? Is it some obfuscation to mask the down-sizing and democratization of what was once "haute cuisine?" Or is Atelier Robuchon, as I half-jokingly said to my wife, a half-way station between his former three-star establishment and the return of the self-service restaurant?

Docsconz hit the nail on the head in suggesting it is the ignorance of most people of the nomenclature or the various layers of knowledge required to know your Burgundy. (The same can be said for Barolo and Barbaresco). It's much easier to remember the name of an edifice than a person's name, village, and vineyard and the reputations and vintages. As for Parker ceding Burgundy reviewing, it is a consequence of his accusing Faiveley of selling "different" wine in the USA than in France and no longer being welcomed in Burgundy, I believe. After that, he began dumping on Burgundy and probably turned his impressionable following off the wines. I also think the big negociant houses have muscled out a lot of the small domaine wines in restaurants. Even in France Jadot, Latour, Ramoissinet,etc. have taken over the pitiful Burgundy sections. You also see it somewhat here in the USA. In general, though, the one area American has France beat is in restaurant wine lists. Nowadays I usually order a Chianti Classico. I find them reliable, relatively inexpensive, and approachable young. Red and white Burgundy is, however, the serious foodie's wine of choice. I just hope the price comes down: a tall order given the strength of the euro.

After reading a few reports about Atelier Robuchon in various formats, it eventually occurred to me that there is a potentially interesting linguistic aspect that everyone seems to have overlooked. As students of art know, a work of art attributed to an atelier is a step down from one attributed to the master whose atelier it was. One of the most vivid and relatively recent examples of this is encountered in the collecting of the posters of the legendary A.M. Cassandre, whose posters for the SS Normandie and the trains Etoile du Nord and Nord-Express are icons of Art Deco graphic design. From time to time, however, one encounters posters signed “At. Cassandre” (Atelier Cassandre) that are worth less than the great examples that are signed “A.M. Cassandre”. Because Cassandre did not execute these posters, which instead were designed by his hired hands, they lack various creative qualities that the master himself possessed, and are therefore valued at much less. In a question that maybe only a native French speaker can answer, is Robuchon subtly implying that a customer at his restaurant (and future Atelier Robuchons) should not expect the food to be authentic Robuchon, but something by a hired hand and once-removed from the master? Admittedly this is a point that will certain slip by just about everyone. Yet, I have to believe that this is why Robuchon chose the name that he did instead of another one (Restaurant Joel Robuchon above all ). On one hand he would like us to believe that Restaurant Joel Robuchon has been reincarnated in a lower form of life, but on the other, should anyone question it, he can always say, “Why do you think I call it an atelier"? And one more thing: What were the odds of Patricia Wells panning her collaborator’s restaurant? Did she have any business reviewing it? Is every restaurant reviewer employed by the New York Times Corporation obliged to refer to Robuchon’s original restaurant as “eponymous”?

Greenback 1.1692. Looney 1.3559

In the Food Media & News Forum I began a discussion (Click Here) about a brief article by Florence Fabricant in last Wednesday's New York Times Dining section. Fabricant's piece was essentially an infomercial for Terrance Brennan's Artisanal Cheese Center, a new cheese aging facility located, appropriately enough, in Hell's Kitchen. I denounced the venture because it heralded itself as the first cheese aging operation of its kind, a breakthrough for the United States. But, I asserted, because of USDA restrictions on the import of raw milk cheeses the new center has little or no gastronomic significance. Florence Fabricant and the Dining section's editors were well aware of the controversy over raw milk cheese regulation, but didn't even mention it in the article. I therefore accused them of perpetuating a kind of culinary fraud by not questioning the validity of Brennan's operation; instead describing the venture pretty much as Brennan's public relations firm presented it Neither I nor other posters generalized the audacity of Brennan's conduct into a broader statement about the American culinary experience. But as I reflected on how American restaurants and higher-level food purveyors conduct themselves, it struck me that the Artisanal Cheese Center is a recent, but by no means unique, attempt to pull the wool over the food public's eye. It is just part of the downside of what can be called "The American way of eating". What comes to mind are the practices that are peculiar to American gastronomy. For example, where else do you encounter waiters presenting in earnest, theatrical tones the ingredients and cooking method of each dish? How often in other countries do menus credit the purveyors of specific foodstuffs, e.g. "Niman Ranch Lamb Chops"? In the field of wine, America is the home of reducing quality to quantitative codification, a practice that makes many serious wine imbibers cringe. On the opposite side of the ledger, middle and upper class Americans probably spend the largest proportion of their disposable income on meaningful food than any other nationality. In so doing, we exhibit a curiosity and willingness to learn about food and wine that gives me the impression that we are the nation most hungry for culinary knowledge and experiences. This results in a robust media, as seen in magazines, newspaper sections, restaurant reviews, cooking and culinary travel programs and Internet sites. Yet another by-product of our zeal is the introduction and importation in increasing numbers of many heretofore unknown and little-known cuisines, dishes, produce and wines that one can find in restaurants and retail outlets. In the interest of leaving room for a variety of responses, I have left out other major characteristics. It would be interesting to hear what members like and dislike about the practices and culture of food and wine in America, and to make some cross-cultural comparisons. What other countries have you visited that you think have a different approach toward dining, drinking, and purveying food? Primarily, though, what, in general or specific terms, is positive and not so positive about our food culture--the "American Way of Eating"?

Michael, is that "Do-nos-ti-a" or "do-no-stee-a? I dunno.

Akiko, when I heard Kazu migrated to Brasserie 360, we went soon after. Although Kazu's preparations were about the same, I don't think the selection of fish was quite as broad as Jewel Bako's. Even though the prices were the same, the atmosphere is dreary. The sushi bar is at one end of a drab dining room that was almost empty and was serving brasserie food. The sushi bar itself seemed makeshift and Kazu was already talking about the day when he would have his own place. We ourselves have migrated to Sushi Yasuda where you really have to be at the sushi bar to get the most out of it: true just about anywhere there is a serious sushi restaurant.

Sue, thanks for the advice. Vmilor, if I recall, is a partisan of Zuberoa. I'll have to try to get this resolved. I also need some names of tapas bars in San Sebastian in case I wasn't unambiguous in my thread starter.

Has Rick Kennedy updated his "Good Tokyo Restaurants" book?. I still use it even though it must be about ten years old. Isn't he part of a website? The book was unerring, which may say as much for the consistently high level of restaurant food in Japan.

I am planning a quick trip to San Sebastian in late August during which I am allowing one large meal a day for four days. The obvious five restaurants to visit are Arzak, Akelare, Berasatequi, Mugaritz and Zuberoa. Which one would you skip?. Also I could use some nice tapas bar recommendations along with a simple, but honest lunch address in Bilbao. I am also afraid that when I am there, I won't be able to stop humming Kurt Weill's "Bilbao Song" from "Happy End". Did anyone have that problem?

Loufood, it's the same article I read. I just blew it, that's all.

The lack of a name in the article must mean it is Restaurant Jean-Marc Delacourt.

Jaymes, I have eaten at several of the cafes along the port of St. Jean. Le Skipper is about the best. Although the food isn't as good, try the restaurant on the beach known as La Plage Passable. It's the typical stuff; grilled fish, mozarella and tomatoes, pastas, pizzas, Salade Nicoise,etc. but to watch the dusk fall across the "Rade de Villefranche" is delightful.

We stick with the pickled lox, kippered salmon, Easter Nova Scotia, and the sturgeon; the last of which can be variable; but when it's not too oily, it is a true delicacy.. The fresh-squeezed OJ is the best around. Our first Sunday breakfast after being away is always there. Let's hope they never tear the building down. It is arguably one of New York's best restaurants and one of the few that symbolizes and puveys pure and unsullied New York cuisine at its best.

Menton, I would consider the Welcome Hotel. We stayed there for six weeks when the workers were renovating our house. It is a very agreeble place overlooking the port, the harbor and Cap-Ferrat and steps away from the old part of town. The Welcome is soundproof, which is a nice plus given that it is in a lively area of restaurants and cafes. The rooms are not large, but tastefully decorated and the desk people are attentive and friendly. The municipal parking area is right across the street as is the adorable chapel painted and decorated by Jean Cocteau. The Versailles is right on the Basse Corniche and looks rather charmless, thoough I have never stayed there. Everone we have sent to the Welcome has been very happy staying there.

Maybe the two should merge and call it "Alain LeBasque". I heard the Ducasse rumor two months ago from a dessert chef in a fancy restaurant.

It works fine at El Bulli. Tastes dandy, too.

Gastronomie.com tells us that Jean-Marc Delacourt, the two star chef at Le Chateau de la Chevre d'Or in Eze-Village now has his own restaurant seven miles north of Nice in the village of Falicon. It serves a three-course and a five-course "menu" that he changes twice a week according to price and availability/seasonality of the produce. While the amount of euros of each menu isn't mentioned, Delacourt refers to it as "the right price". Plasma screens that depict the activity in the kitchen run the length of the dining room. With three plus Delacourt in the kitchen and two menus, it is a tightly-run operation. Nonetheless, this sounds as though it could be a nice addition to the dining scene given Delacourt's CV that includes being "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" in 1991, working at the Crillon and the Ritz and having as one of his two partners sommelier Franck Thomas, voted Best Sommelier of Europe. Stay tuned as they say.

Bux, do I have to elaborate all over again? Why not; there are a lot of new faces on the site since the last time. If I had to quantify it, I would say that the thrill being gone (but not forgotten) is 25% me and 75% them. Anyway, the thrill is not 100% gone. It just takes a lot more effort to be thrilled. It's also a different kind of thrill that I look for in France now; the more unexpected, the more simple such as a new cheese (new to me) that I makes me jump for joy or a perfectly-prepared classical dish in a simple restaurant. At the high end, though, I had great meals recently at Arpege and Ledoyen. So all is not over for me. But like you, I have become enthusiastic about dining in Spain. El Bulli and Can Fabes have brought me closer to the excitement I felt most recently at Michel Bras and Marc Veyrat in the mid-1990s than any place else. In fact we are going back to Barcelona in early July and intending to visit, at last, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the handful of high-profile restaurants in and around San Sebastian.