Lesley C

Look I like Batali -- I even have dirty dreams about Batali -- but we all know he's great. I would simply like to hear about someone else who happens to be fabulous. It's a newspaper, so give me some news.

Not quite as harsh, but I'm along these lines. I thought it read more like yet another profile of "Batali the Great" than a restaurant review. Do we really need another love letter to Mario Batali? Even he seems bored with all the attention. Time to move on, I think, and this might have been a great opportunity to do just that. Thumbs down.

I just wanted to let the people who posted on this thread know that I asked the initial question to our Q&A guest this week, James MacGuire, and he has suplied a very interesting -- and probably unexpected -- answer. Have a look.

Wow, interesting stuff. I hope the people who posted on the initial thread have a good look at your answer. So your conclusion is, a good baguette is a good baguette no matter where we find it -- and chances are that good baguette is not made with sourdough, correct? (Hmm considering your description of the ideal baguette, I'm wondering if any Montreal baguettes get your thumbs up?) Now what about the Flute Gana, the baguette by Ganachaud that we now find all over France? If I remember correctly, the "mie" is rather yellow and there are large holes in the centre. Have you tasted the Flute Gana? Wouldn't this be considered a top flight French baguette? Also regarding the baguette --and, come to think of it, loaves of pain de campagne as well -- we sometimes see a blistered crust, with tiny bubbles having formed on the surface. I believe certain bakers (including, I think, Nancy Silverton) see this as desirable, yet I have also heard this is a mistake. What's your take on the blistered crust?

Hi James, Thanks for all the great answers so far. There was a topic on the pastry and baking board a while back entitled: Why are baguettes so much better in France? Ingredients? Water? Skill? See here http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=40608 After four pages of debate, I think we got nowhere. That’s when I thought of inviting you to egullet to clear things up. As the original poster did not repost this great question, I thought I would. Here it is: "I know we have great artisanal bakers here in the States. Every big city in the US has a slew of them. But every time I go to France, whether in Paris, Provence or Burgundy, the baguettes taste so much better. Crispier crust, sweeter, not as hard to chew, and also tend to taste good much longer. It doesn't matter where I pick it up-a train station, a patiserrie, a deli. or a restaurant-they all taste better than Stateside. So what gives? Alex Bernardo" And then came a flood of answers such as : From jackal 10: John Whiting: Fat Guy: And And And Artisanbaker: Can you please add your two cents. Thanks

Nancy Silverton's book ruined my life for a good two weeks. Building that starter and keeping it going was not only expensive but a massive waste of time. I don't know how much organic flour went directly down my drain. I once brought it to a friend's dinner party to feed it. I would never, ever, go through that again. But then again, I live in a city with great bread, so my home-baked bread days are over. The Silverton experience killed it for me.

Yes I did say Toque! has changed more ambiance-wise than food-wise, but the food didn't thrill my socks off either. I went three times before I reviewed it and I wouldn't run back there for a while. What I would try out is La Chronique. Their June tasting menu looks delicious and I just stood next to the sous-chef buying some fabulous looking cheese at Yannick.

Yeah right, sorry. Busy day.

I thought the review was excellent, BUT the hesitation of awarding stars may point more to inexperience (in reviewing, not writing) than unprofessionalism. This is a common dilemma with sushi restaurants: dinner is always better at the sushi bar. Had she reviewed a dozen of them, she might have seen that coming. I think they could have either split the stars (which really doesn’t make sense if the prices are the same) or gone to three stars if the majority of the restaurant's seats are away from the sushi bar. I thought the big cop out here was the silly ???? rating and to stay tuned for the BIG and FINAL decision when Frank Prial takes over. If that's the case, why did she bother reviewing the restaurant when Prial could have started out with Masa next week?

I drank one coffee every morning of my pregnancy and nursing and everything turned out brilliantly. I even drank the occasional glass of wine with dinner. I really don't get that no coffee thing. Moderation is obviously key. OK, sorry, back to Montiganc. Another interesting Montiganc diet fact: no raw carrots! That must be a diet-world first.

Hi James, Your puff pastry is legendary in these parts (Montreal) and I remember once giving a cooking class where the puff pastry supplied was from your bakery. Now I have made puff pastry for a good fifteen years, and I always thought I made it quite well, but I have never made anything as good as yours. Not only did it taste great, but it was smooth as butter, easy to roll out, and it rose very, very high. So...could you share a few secrets? Do you put any butter in the detrempe? Do you use bread flour? Rumour has it you work the base dough until it is quite elastic, something I was taught never to do because it makes rolling out so difficult. How long do you rest the dough between turns? Any other secrets you are wiling to share? Thanks!

I interviewed Mr. Montignac a few years ago and I didn't think he was all that full of himself. What I did encounter was a man who was very angry about Suzanne Sommers stealing his ideas as well as the authors behind the Sugar Busters diet who, he claimed, asked him to write the book with them, but went ahead and lifted all his research when he refused. He also claimed to have reinvested all his money in his clinics, restaurants, and research. The Montignac diet was HUGE here in Montreal years ago, so much so that restaurant goers were ordering fruit salad before dinner. I know many, many people who lost a ton of weight on his diet. I'll never forget a woman I know at Thanksgiving dinner trying to decide whether to go for the turkey meat or the stuffing (she went for the stuffing). Montignac also encourages the consumption of dark chocolate, which more or less started the craze here for high-percentage cocoa chocolate bars. We also have a superb bakery that sells Montignac bread. We also have Montignac mayonnaise, bagels, jams, fructose and peanut butter in all our local supermarkets.

We have a spectacular croissant maker and baker, James MacGuire, holding court over at the Q&A this week. MacGuire makes some of the best croissants I have ever tasted (and I have eaten tons of croissants). You might want to ask your question again over on the Q&A thread. I'm sure he'll share some secrets we can all benefit from.

I didn't think Rocco could look any worse, but last night it all came together. The guy is a massive egomaniac, and a lazy one at that. I can't believe no one has the guts to say,"You know Rocco, you're a fucking asshole." (maybe they did but it was cut by NBC censors ) I loved the bit with Jeffrey and the gang eating at Red's place talking about not having to change the logo on the plates. Meanwhile Rocco is putting his hair pizza on the pannini press. I mean, can you imagine any other top chef clowning around like that for the crowd when the brigade downstairs is in major shit. Wow. And the way Tony was fired. I know that happens often in kitchens, but he didn't deserve that. And mamma's really showing her colours. She's got the evil eye going on there. I'm with the guy who walked out after service. If I were anyone employed by that restaurant, I would be looking for a new job -- pronto!

I dined at Bleu Raisin last night and thought it was great. The new menu format is wonderful because you can create your own tasting menu without walking away feeling stuffed. I had some wonderful foie gras, these nice Vietnamese-style cold spring rolls made with salmon, great scallops, duck, and more. Desserts were also very good. I think the restaurant has reached a whole new level and their decision to drop the BYOW policy was to discourage diners who were coming there for a soup and salad to pair with three bottles of wine. They are certainly aiming higher, and from what I tasted last night, they are going to succeed. And BTW, the cheese course is till superb: four Quebec cheeses (Laracam, Pied de Vent, Chevre Noir and Gre des Champs) all served in generous portions.

jgarner53, for a few more ideaas you might want to ask this question to next week's Q&A guest, bread expert, James MacGuire.

Bonny Doon is going for screwcaps on all its wines. I think the screwcap looks quite elegant on the Cigar Volant bottle. Well done.

I think the Frimas by La Face Cachee de la Pomme is quite dazzling. And I have always considered a good ice cider less cloying and tooth-achingly sweet than ice wine.

Who last reviewed the restaurant? Reichl? And does anyone know if the last star rating was the same?

Seriously, I'm shocked to hear you say that. The all-Quebec cheese board at L'Initiale in Quebec city is a beautiful, bold thing. I say Bravo to them for supporting a local product wholeheartedly. I'm also surprised to hear how bad you think the local cheese is. I think it's pretty damn amazing. I'm often disappointed in the imported French cheese, which can be seriously underwhelming. Also, compare that all-Quebec cheese board to an all-B.C. cheese board, an all-Ontario cheese board, even an all-Vermont cheese board. There's no comparison. We are miles ahead of any other region in North America. Comparing the French cheese tradition to the Quebec cheese tradition is useless. They are, what?, a thousand years ahead of us? We have a young industry that's growing rapidly yet producing some fabulous products. And, really, I meant what I said: if you're seriously interested in this subject, it's worth your time to go and talk to some cheese producers. The whole process is fascinating.

Anna N I thought you might be interested to know that coming up (after Alton brown) is a Q&A week with bread expert James MacGuire. Be sure to hold on to that question for James because I'm sure he'll have some good answers and solutions.

I would cut the quantity of whole-wheat flour with regular flour, at least a cup. You'll get a lighter loaf.

Anyway if you cut a vent in them, the filling will seep out when piped in. As for drying them out, really, the trick I mentioned about listening for the crackling noises to stop works. Way too many people undercook choux pastry. It should be a deep golden brown, certainly not pale.

Uh, no it's not. I have never done this and have always made great pate a choux (I can't say this about absolutely everything, but I can about pate a choux). And I wouldn't bother with the bowl of water or bread flour either. What hasn't been mentioned here is that it is absolutely essential to get enough eggs in the batter. For every cup of liquid used to make the base dough, you should later be incorporating at least 4 large eggs. As for cooking, the choux are cooked when they no longer crackles when held next to your ear. And because I usually freeze it cooked, I prefer to overcook it slightly, because it will become less soft when defrosted.

One of the problems with Quebec blue cheese is that the producers are not permitted to make it in the traditional manner such as Roquefort. Luc Mailloux wanted to make an authentic bleu cheese, but he was told by MAPAQ to forget it. He also wanted to make artisanal raw milk butter for restaurants, but that was prohibited as well. Keep in mind, there are very strict laws these people must follow. Sometimes, as in the case of the blues, to the detriment of the product.