Lesley C

I want to see the French version of this book: L'Assaisonnement d'un Chef: the story of young, up-and-comer Jean-Jules who makes his way up the ladder of French haute cuisine behind the stoves of notorious hot heads, Joel Robuchon, Jacques Maximin, and Jacques Chibois. Now THAT would make for some wild reading!

or David vs Goliath But really, the battle may be of our making, not his.

The Psaltis fiasco proves that there is a ton of dirt in the world of Haute Cuisine that has yet to be exposed. And he has just exposed a tiny smidgeon of what's out there. There are a lot of illusions regarding top chefs. That perpetual image of control and perfectionism will come back to haunt them in the end. For them to pretend they can be everywhere at once and in full control at all times is ridiculous. I hope Keller comes out and says, "You know, my walk-in might have been disorganized. It happens. I can't be everywhere at once. Doug was a good cook. It didn’t work out here at The Laundry, but I wish him all the best." Even if he wants to skin the guy like a rabbit, that's the answer he should give. If I could read that, I would start saving up for a meal at TFL right now just to get the chance to shake that man’s hand. Forget the tour of the kitchen. And really, a lot of these details are petty. The fact that Keller has a spotless walk-in -- or not -- doesn't make me want to visit his restaurant any more or less. And Psaltis does say a ton of nice things about Keller's approach to restaurants. Until you people started harping about the bloody fridge and the slap, I thought his memories were in line with that of any upscale chef. None of them walk away raving. Compared to a lot of bitter chefs I know, he’s unloading a minimal amount of shit.

Yeah, I gotta say I questioned some things in that review. It lead me to believe that they might be opening up a Decca in TO. Maybe I got something wrong too, hope not (yes I read the bit about the Decca name). But why wasn't Lumiere named?

Well maybe not anymore. Looks like some of the old boys got caught with their pants down.

Ahem, well I see that as Mr. Pepin showing his French side.

Well as much as I adore Mr. Pepin, I'm not too thrilled to hear he recommends books based on one chapter. I've picked up many a book due to his endorsement. Maybe this whole fiasco will make chefs and food personalities think twice before penning one blurb too many. Back to Doug, though. I read the book as if I were listening to a chef who had come up the ranks with something to say. I never really thought he was slamming Ducasse or Keller. He was just giving his side of the story. 100% chef speak is how I saw it. Made a nice change from all that star-chef crap. You know there are some people out there who will vomit if they hear one more glowing endorsement of Thomas Keller. I don't know the man and haven't eaten in his restaurants but I find all this fawning rather pukesome. I was actually happy to hear his walk-in was disorganized. Made him sound all the more human. I even found the bit about Ducasse breaking the chair rather titillating.

"non-local" So I guess you're saying that we locals cannot offer an objective review of the place?

OK, oceanfish whoever you are, I'll defend my comment. I happen to be a professional pastry chef and chocolatier with two degrees from the ITHQ to prove it. Cupcakes and brownies do not a top-flight pastry shop make. I'll stand by that statement any day. As for that new chocolate shop, I called it chic but shitty, yes. The quality of the chocolates is frightening. Perhaps I should not use the word shitty -- granted. But for me, calling the food at Toque! (arguably Montreal's best restaurant) is a massive exaggeration, whereas calling this new chocolate shop shitty is not far from the truth. Normand Laprise is a skilled professional. The people who make the chocolates at that new place are amateurs at best. So, I'll play your little game whoever you are Mr. Anonymous. I regret using the word shitty. The word I should have used is UNPROFESSIONAL.

Funny, I thought I was standing up for a chef here. I like this book, and I especially like seeing a chef writing about his life instead of a food writer doing it for him.

Look Bux, at this point I don't know what's going on here, but the inuendo is as thick as creme brulee. Some posters implied that if you touch someone, you're out. I just don't think a slap is a big deal. Gordon Ramsay shoves hot plates of food on people and you don't hear them complaining. Others are saying Psaltis omitted this story on purpose. Does it matter enough to question his credibility? I don't think so, but to each his own. What bothers me most here is that this thread has evolved from a discussion about the book, to a detailed analysis of Doug's hand-slapping story. I read the book and I don't think Psaltis is smearing the French Laundry. There are some criticisms yes, but that's part and parcel of the book. Heck on page 209 he recounts being in Ducasse's Paris kitchen and seeing two chefs punch another in the chest. I'll bet Alain isn't too pleased to see that in there either.

Wouldn't be surprised. I hear Sting is coming out with one soon (no kidding), from his Tuscan estate.

Yes, I could take a slap if I was acting in a disrespectful manner. Not a kick, mind you, but a slap. Violence is a strong word for what Psaltis said was a "light slap." Look, I've had a greasy French pastry chef once push me against a wall and kiss me. It was violent and disgusting. And I didn't get him fired. I just told everyone what he did.

I just got my hands on a bottle of Carole Bouquet olive oil from Sicily for a whopping $35/100 ml. Nice packaging, but for that price I want Bouquet to call me at home and thank me for buying it! And maybe even supply a recipe. Expensive, but it would make a nice Christmas present. Don't ask me what it tastes like,though. I'm too afraid to crack open the bottle!

If the guy did what Psaltis said he did, he's a jerk. It was a jerky thing to do. Anyway, jerk is a low-level jab in my books. I didn't call him an asshole or an idiot, I just called him a jerk. So sorry if I offended you.

I think you would have to compare the walk-in at Ducasse to the walk-in at TFL to understand what he meant. Psaltis obviously has a walk-in fixation. He discusses it a few times in the book. I think for people WHO READ THE BOOK that it's important to set the scene at the Laundry at the time. With Per Se going in NY he says a lot of the best chefs had gone and he was working with a kitchen in transition. It's all very clear IF YOU READ THE BOOK.

The turn of this thread is very sad. As one of the few posters here who has read the book, I can say there's a lot more to it than the last chapter. It would be a shame to discredit the whole book over one omission, no matter how blaring it may be. And frankly, as someone who has worked in a professional kitchen for a decade, I am not shocked by the hand slap. I've seen worse. The guy was a jerk and Psaltis slapped him. He didn't dump a bucket of water on him (seen that), punch him (seen that too), or grab him by the neck (saw that a couple times). He didn't call him a fucking idiot a la Gordon Ramsay. He slapped him and it sounds like the guy had it coming. Of course there are slaps and there are SLAPS... As for the French Laundry bit, so Keller's kitchen wasn't as tight a ship as Ducasse's. I would never have thought differently. Are reservations being cancelled at TFL or Per Se over this? I agree with Bourdain that it would have made the book better, to show the real SEASONING of a chef. Show off your warts, and you might even get some sympathy. That it's not there doesn't bother me. I guess I'm in a minority here. I still recommend the book.

Sensorial said Joe Beef merited its own thread, so here we go. Please post reviews here. So, Sensorial, what did you eat?

Cupcakes, brownies and one person doing all the baking. Doesn't sound too top flight to me. Why oh why can't we get a decent pastry shop in this city!? (actually I know the answer to my question, but I'm just frustrated that things are not evloving). Meanwhile, a chic-but-shitty chocolate shop just opened on St-Denis St. It's called Studio 88 and whoever opened it doesn't know a thing about chocolates. I hear even the hot chocolate is bad. Who knew you could screw up hot chocolate?

I don't think wines like that belong in a wine bar. It's too much of a risk for the owner. However, there are some interesting wine clubs popping up all around the city where people are drinking some wildly expensive wines. I just saw a menu from a wine club event that was unreal. I mean the bottles were in the thousands. You might also want to check out some upcoming special event nights at places like Bu, for a chance to try some better wines by the glass. Or contact a sommelier who gives wine classes on the side. They are usually popping open some pretty good stuff. I hear Nick Hamilton does some very high end tastings from time to time.

The best oil I have is from the rare wine company (www.rarewineco.com). If it's good enough for Ducasse, Ed Behr and Steven Shaw, it's good enough for me. New oil coming soon in December. Excellent oils for $20/500 ml.

$375/L of olive oil? What a joke. What are the olives gathered by Brad Pitt, the oil made by Elle McPherson and bottled by the Queen? Even if I had the money -- which I don't -- I would never drop that much on olive oil. Jesus. Montrealers aren't too poor to buy this oil. They're too smart.

You know, there's a ton of great olive oil in the city. But if your heart is set on it, why not ask someone like Rene at Les Douceurs du Marche to special order it for you.

You know Tom, I find your post offensive. Sure you're entitled to your opinion, but calling Toque! crap is beyond an opinion, it's a slur. Also, regarding Cena, I wouldn't call a three-star rating in the NY Times a failure. I know why that restaurant closed, it sure doesn't sound like you do. Do us all a favour, and take your far superior palate back to your city or to all the restaurants around the world you think are better. I can tell you're new to eGullet. The people who have been here a while offer constructive criticism instead of using words like "crap" or "garbage" to describe food. I like to save words like that to describe vile foodies who should spend a week in a refugee camp in the Sudan with a bowl of rice.

I finished this book a couple weeks ago and I quite enjoyed it. I'm not sure it's for everyone, but if you're familiar with the players it's quite a read. I'm not sure Thomas Keller will be pleased with the chapter on the French Laundry. But I didn't see anything but honesty coming from Psaltis here. Slap in the face? I didn't get that at all.