
robert brown
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Everything posted by robert brown
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Gastronomic history may have been made last week with the awarding of a third Guide Michelin star to Parisian chef-restaurateur Guy Savoy. It is possible that he is the first chef of Jewish heritage to have acquired the ultimate prize in "haute gastronomy". I know of no other chef, but that does not mean there have not been any over the decades. Some of you out there may not buy into the fact that Savoy is indeed Jewish. However, I have put my faith (which is also Jewish) in one of the older Parisian "fessers", Monsieur Alain Weill, formerly one of the restaurant critics for "L'Evenement du Jeudi", who told me in the late 1970s that French Jews often have as last names the names of places (towns, cities, regions,etc.) in France, and that Guy Savoy was such an example. I have passed on this information to Jewhoo.com (whose existence Steve Plotnicki made known to me). And Steve and Cabrales, coincidently, are dining at Guy Savoy this weekend. Perhaps if Steve has enough to drink, he can pop the question along with the cork from his Champagne bottle.
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Bux, you bet. If the French can screw up the Olympic Games, they can screw up anything.
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Steven, what do you mean by "political favoritism"? (vis a vis Michelin).
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Nothing I have heard or read about in the past fours years, which coincide with a hiatus in the many visits I made in the stretch from Joigny to Chagny since 1974, indicates that the three-star (or former three-star) have regained their lustre. Maybe Troisgros is an exception. Blanc has never been a genius chef; Bocuse hasn't been special since the 1980s; Loiseau doesn't use butter and it shows. I found my meals there unexciting, but still with impeccable products. Not bad, but not great. Chapel is gone; Meneau was never great; Lorain I never was enthralled by; Pic was never great, although his daughter as gotten some good press, but in France that usually doesn't mean anyrhing, nor does it necessarily if Patricia Welles likes something (although sometimes it can). All this to say that the one "sleeper" in the area which I have always enjoyed and found to be consistent and both overlooked and unpretentious is Lameloise. I have had two or three really good meals; nothing crazy over-the-top, but delicious, sober dishes. Another restaurant you may want to consider for a real classic Burgundy meal is Greuze in Tournus. I don't know if it has held up, but I know that Steve Plotnicki may drop in in several days. I hope so because I need a fresh report and I trust his palate. Don't take any of this at face value; the info. is rather old. I believe most of what I wrote still holds. It's meant to be somethings like a side-by-side double axel.
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Tony, It (the use of points) is also an example of "trying to say everything and ending up saying nothing."
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What about Ron Popeil in the world of rotisseries?
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Tommy, do you want to hold 'em or fold 'em? I'm partial to the Albert Moreau Beaune wines (Toussaints and Teurons) in the value for money department. Maybe priced in the low 30's. The 1997 you could probably enjoy now if you like to drink Burgundy young, which a lot of people do. Otherwise straight village wines such as Gevrey-Chambertin 1ere Cru from Serafin would be nice. A Comte Lafon single-vineyard Volnay. Why don't you go to the store and write down some names and post them? Is it a store with a big choice of red Burgundies?
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The most vital function a good wine judge serves is to tell you when you can best drink the wine in the bottle. A "96" becomes a "69" if you open it too soon or let it sit around too long.
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Bux, maybe we each have a different notion of "artistic temperment". When I think of divas, I think of primadonnas. Artistic temperment implies to me the personality, abillity, and vision to create art. Anyway, I realized that, after I wrote my initial post, I have met lots of graphic designers, industrial designers, and even a chef or two (Gagnaire comes to mind and, a bit less, Chapel and Jean Troisgros, the last of whom looked the most like a stereotypical artist). There are, and I have known, plenty of very good artists who grew up in unsophisticated places, received little liberal arts education, and were not necessarily the most articulate or "intellibent" people, yet were able to express brillliant ideas or vision in their work. Rarely have I met a chef who strikes me this way, although with an increasing number, especially outside of continental Europe, coming to cooking after a college education, this is changing. Nonetheless, I agree with Jinmyo in that cooking is a craft. It just has too many strictures and boundaries to ever be free and spiritual. (What we ought to be discussing that is more pertinent and amenable to an even more interesting back and forth is gastronomy in relation to the popular culture; is it part of it, and, if so, what has being so done to gastronomy in terms of quality? Whoever wants to start up the topic, if it's not me when I get a chance, should do so in the "General" forum).
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Maybe the concept of "being artistic" is what we're talking about; what one finds in arranging flowers, applying make-up for a special dramatic role,etc. We had this discussion last month. I've met almost no great chefs who have what you could call "an artistic temperment", whereas I've met many artists and writers who do and, as a result, are a lot more interesting to talk to, analyze, and read about. Certainly, however, I would call good cooking an applied art, but "art" in the sense of an adjective for 'design". (Edited by robert brown at 12:15 pm on Feb. 3, 2002)
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Vivin, are you Indian? Thanks for what sounds like a great suggestion. Do you know if this restaurant has anything to do with the old Bukhara that was next door to the Helmsley Hotel on E. 48th (or 47th) maybe five years ago?
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In Parker's defense, he needs to taste scores of wines every day at a time when one's palate is supposed to be at its best: the morning. I also think his now out-of-date book "Burgundy" is excellent. It taught me what I needed to know to be an alert consumer of these wines. Unfortunately he screwed himself up with the producers there and, to his discredit, he began to take collective, gratuitous shots at them. At least he eventually had the common sense to turn Burgundy wines over to his co-taster. Of course I agree with Steve Klc: Wine is for the enhancement of food. In fact, other than a great red Burgundy, I am incapable of drinking more than a few sips of any wine by itself. Given my "big picture" training and background as an ex-popular cultural student/researcher, to me the Parker phenomenon and that of Marvin Schenken (publisher of The Wine Speculator and Cigar Afficionado) ; i.e. the precise quantification of wine is about the most apparent manifestation of how Americans are spoon-fed and coddled in matters of gastronomy. In other words, it is not allowed to come naturally to us unlike, say, the French and Italians. In what is typically American, we have created an information industry around wine, the preparation of food, and dining out There is a certain notion in the American food media that without quantification we would otherwise be lost, if not traumatized, about where to go or what to eat and drink. I do have to give a guy like Schenken credit for being perceptive enough to cash in on the ability to provide an instant "conferring" of gossamer-thin connoisseurship, of which wine imbibing (and cigar smoking) is exhibit "A". Any comments in the hope that this will be the start of a lively discussion, destination unknown? (Edited by robert brown at 6:54 pm on Feb. 1, 2002)
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I went to Violin d'Ingres 2-1/2 years ago and Guy Savoy maybe 18 years ago. Violin d'Ingres has nothing to do with the Man Ray photograph. I would take Guy Savoy. La Coguille used to be my favorite seafood restaurant in Paris while Le Divellec I never could get to. I advised someone recently to stick to the most simple preparations at La Cagouille. It is better as a lunch place. The other addresses you mentoned I have never been to. M. Le Divellec must be quite old by now.
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I mentioned them before, and I'll mention them again: the lamb chops. You get five of them, making them ideal for sharing. They are the best main course I have had there so far.
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Right now the only cookbook my wife uses is a three-ring binder with recipes she grabs off the Food Network site. All are written by Mario. It keeps us eating well when we're not eating out. It's also cheap. Other than that, it's the classic Julia.
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Sandra, many thanks for coming through. It looked liked I would draw a blank.
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Does anyone know of any interesting places to eat in Whistler? Thanks in advance.
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Bux, my wife and my brother's wife generally have good dynamics overall; in fact they often make meals together when we are week-ending or vacationing. I guess it's just a quirk of some kind. Steve K., your post just above reminds me of the time I asked Pierre Gagnaire if he had a collection of recipes. He answered by giving me an incredulous look and said that he never writes down what he does. However, most people I know seem to cook one-handed, with the other hand holding open a cookbook or a recipe from the New York Times. I have heard so many times from family and friends that the Times receipes are faulty, ambiguous, seemingly incomplete,etc. It is this situation that I have in mind in my second post above. My dinner party invitations would be better if the host or hostess were closer to you in culinary skills and could take your approach.
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Bux, maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt. It's the practice in general that I would like to hear about; also whether people feel they have been shortchanged or deceived by professionals who do it when they have receipes published for reasons other than availability, or substitution, of ingredients. Perhaps there is also a complexity or expertise problem involved. Maybe we should broaden out the discussion to inegrity, honesty, and fairness is the business of writing recipes, as well as if people think a chef has good intentions but lacks empathy or can not put himself or herself in the place of the person who wants to make the dish in question. P.S. B. Edulis was writing his/her post as I was writing mine; another way of presenting the same matter!! (Edited by robert brown at 10:47 am on Jan. 27, 2002) (Edited by robert brown at 10:49 am on Jan. 27, 2002)
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Recently my sister-in-law made me a mini-size version of the birthday cake she was making for her son. My wife asked her if she used a mix. My sister-I-law said that she did. However, my niece, sub-rosa, told my wife that her mother also added Ghiardelli baking chocolate to the mix; a major reason that the cake was so tasty. My wife was quite upset that a family member had purposely withheld from her the inclusion of a key ingredient, provoking a discussion among the two of us as to why so many people in a household, or between amateur cooks, do this. It seems completely senseless and quite a mean act to commit. It would be interesting to hear what you think: Is this practice mean or, for any reason, justifiable? Have you done it yourself; if so why? Do you have any interesting stories about it such as it costing you a friendship or starting a family feud?
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Holly: Bux and I were trying to think of the name of the famous "bouchon de Lyon" in, I believe the old city, but maybe not. Anyway, it's Cafe de la Federation. Real old and authentic. If you ordered "gras double", it might satisfy your craving for something with a lot of grease. It's a real institution, but I can't vouch for the food. Someone out there has certainly been there. A lot of us will be anxious to hear about Bocuse.
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Holly, you hit on the bouilliabaisse place I was trying to think of; the one Eli Zabar sent me to. It has been around 7-8 years since I went, but I recall a very simple neighborhood place in a nondescript part of Marseilles. I remember enjoying it, but too much time has passed for me to recall details. I wasn't into the dish as much as I am now, but I have every reason to believe you will be pleased. Eli is a great judge of classic dishes such as bouilliabaisse. La Ferme de Mon Pere also gets the three stars in the Michelin. Arrive famished if his Lake of Annecy restaurant is any indication. Marc Veyrat doesn't stint on quantity. Save room for some Vacherin d'Abondance (Abondance being a breed of cows found in the Haute-Savoie), as it is an incredible cheese you almost never find in that particular variety. I had it when his Lake of Annecy restaurant was open in February. (Edited by robert brown at 10:21 pm on Jan. 25, 2002)
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Holly, as much as I revered Alain Chapel, I am reluctant to tell you to dine there. His death has left a kind of pall over the house, and while one eats well, it appeared sad to me. Wait until his son becomes experienced enough to take over. That's in about six years. I always felt that Pic was one of the lesser three-star restaurants when Jacques Pic was there. (He died young as well). Friends of mine ate there last summer and said they had a very good meal at the hands of his daughter. I would like to see you go there to get another opinion. In terms of gastronomy, I go along with Steve P. in that Troisgros is the place to go. It takes longer than it looks to get there. It's a tough 88 km by car and a slow train ride if the schedule is favorable. For just being in a nice place, I still say nothing beat Talloires on the Lake of Annecy. It's autoroute a good part of the way. I'm not a fan of Georges Blanc either. I would say Troisgros first, even if it takes up an entire day assuming you put food way above sightseeing.
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Last night our friends pulled a fast one and drove us down to Craft instead of to the restaurant they originally told us. We had no reservation, but as we needed to eat early, we thought we would eat at the bar. When we mistakenly walked into the main dining room, the hostess said she had just received a cancellation and sat us at a table. I became instantly favorably disposed to Craft when I heard on the restaurant’s sound system “I Don’t Want to be Kissed (By Anyone Else But You”) from the Miles Davis/Gil Evans album Miles Ahead. When I returned home, I looked again at the Craft thread on this site wondering what the posts, perceptive and erudite in their own way, had to do with going, or choosing to go, to Craft in relation to other restaurants, or why what Tom Colicchio’s approach has anything to do with anything else. If there is any fundamental issue involved, it is why are not there more restaurants like Craft in a city of eight million people, with a million people passing through every day. I wonder if it is by design or accident that Craft was launched as a living indictment of the New York dining scene. For me it is one of literally a handful of restaurants I would be anxious to return to, recommend, or bring my friends to. Even though not every dish was winning, there were enough at a very high level of freshness, preparation, and honest conception that I would return there much sooner than to, for example, Le Bernadin where I have not had a memorable meal since Gibert Le Coz died; Tabla, where the “Indian” food is neither from here or from there; or even Café Boulod, which I liked, but felt that the food was deliberately made overly-rich. I found Craft to be in the style of, and on a par with, some of the very enjoyable bistro-type restaurants I have visited in France. My Terrine of Gamebirds, made with quail, partridge, pheasant, and gamecock, and heightened with fragments of chives and cilantro, was the best dish I have had in New York in years. My roasted guinea hen, and that of the husband of the couple we were with, was tender and flavorful, while my wife’s sea bass braised in a “fumet”with carrots and fennel bass was perfectly cook and impeccably fresh. Our other friend’s braised monkfish was the only main course that fell short. The roasted “ratte” potatoes served with an aoli had just the right firmness and richness, and the Hen of the Fields mushrooms were chewy and fragrant. Agnolotti filled with black truffle and meat served in a cheese sauce was also delicious, though not as ethereal as I find agnolloti to be in Italy All of the four sorbets and four ice creams in the sampler were of perfect texture and easily identifiable. The punchy five-letter word “Craft” says a lot about the restaurant. It makes the point that cooking is nothing more or noting less than a craft while paying homage to the fundamental ways that food is prepared and to ingredients in their most perfect state. The menu is now less confusing since the “mix and match” element that throw a lot of people off has been abandoned. Now it is a well laid out, simply designed piece of paper that can be changed daily along with the availability of the best ingredients. For two months I have been waiting for an opportunity to acknowledge Yvonne Johnson’s post that said how food doesn’t taste as good here as it does in Europe. It is an observation I have heard from ex-pat and foreign friends and to which I also subscribe. For the first time, however, I am being made to realize that such may not be the situation for much longer. For the moment, it is my dinner at Craft six days ago that is making me consider the possibilities.
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Anthony, my wife called me in to see the segment on Siem Reap tonight. Did Raffles buy a plug on your series for Le Grand Hotel d'Ankor? We were there this past June and ate in the dining room that serves the local food. It was awful and, opposite of you, I got the runs; something that didn't happen to me with the food at the local restaurants my wife and I ate at. I let the German guy who was managing the hotel know how bad the food was throughout the hotel, but, of course he didn't really care, as all that mattered was the money earned from all those uninformed international tourists staying there who didn't know one bite of food from another. It's unfortunate that they grab you on the food by making you pay for two meals a day. Did you really think it was indicative of fresh, authentic local food? Weird because a dinner I had at their hotel in Phnom Penh, Le Royal, was excellent. (Edited by robert brown at 11:30 pm on Jan. 22, 2002)