Lesley C

You know, I went to Les Halles a few years ago expecting a big fat disappointment, and I ended up having a really good meal. I had some nice hot foie gras served with a magret and I remember we also had this delicate salmon and veal with mustard sauce. It was all so much better than expected. And I had this great waiter -- a real French pro, and friendly as well. I love their dessert service when they bring all the cakes to the table. And their tarte au framboise is excellent. I was there again for a press dinner last year, and I thought it was pretty mediocre. They served a modern-style tasting menu that just didn't work. At Les Halles, stick to the classics as much as possible and try to eat there on a quiet night. But no, it wouldn't be my first choice for downtown dining either (that, for fun, would definitely be the Troika!). Then again, I think my parents would prefer Les Halles to Cavalli or Rosalie. It's a very old-fashioned -- adult -- restaurant. There's definite appeal for a certain crowd.

Loufood, before you continue with your curt little comments, let me make it clear that I said I never experienced any kind of abuse in France, and that I asked if you did and what exactly you consider abuse. What you consider abuse, what I consider abuse, and what Joel Robuchon (a notorious abuser) considers abuse may be a very different thing. And why narrow in on France? Check out England, land of so-called abuser Gordon Ramsay. Or Spain, where chefs are known to treat foreign stagiaires like crap. I was "abused" once here in a pastry shop in Montreal. Abuse may happen in French kitchens but it happens in every other friggin' kitchen on the planet. The French are tough, often brutally honest, but no more twisted than any other population out there. Go work in Moscow and let me know what happens.

As a restaurant critic I've learned that in a terrific restaurant I'll eat anything. I would eat anything Mario Batali would put on my plate. But in a shitty restaurant, forget it. I ate lamb testicles in a seriously bad restaurant in Nice last year and I almost puked. I was more turned off by the stale breading and greasy taste than the spongy texture of the balls. But if Mario Batali prepared lamb testicles, I'd trust him enough to eat them. I don't think it's so much about what you're eating, but who did the cooking and -- especially -- the selecting.

I did a stage the first year I worked in Lyon for Thierry Froissard and earned a paycheck the second time I worked in Cordes for Yves Thuries. And I was there as a pastry chef, not a writer. I worked as a professional pastry chef for 10 years before ever writing a word. Loufood, are you saying you did? I'm still interested in hearing about the abuse you have seen or experienced in France. No, I see it as the King of the World vs. the locals. Big difference. Anyway, looking forward to tasting Mr. Ducasse's bagels, smoked meat, and poutine. Bet he could show those old boys at Schwartz's a thing or two.

Loufood, I think you missed my point entirely. Also, have you ever been to Montreal? Are you at all familiar with the scene here or our products? Do you realize the struggle this city went through to develop its own culinary identity? And I would like to know what you call abuse. I have no problem with harsh words, discipline, shitty staff meals, maggots crawling in the garbage can in my room or a chef who calls me a "pétasse," "conasse" or "sous merde." No one ever hit me.

Thanks for the lecture Kevin, I guess you don't read my column Do you really think Ducasse would be sourcing out better ingredients in Montreal than Normand Laprise, David McMillan, Claude Pelletier, and Racha Bassoul? No way. In fact, he gets Quebec foie gras and venison sent to ADNY. AND his chef would be French, someone from the Ducasse enterprise. So when it comes to ingredients, new Spoon chef would be leaning pretty heavily on local chefs to source ingredients. They might acquire a license to import fish, but they sure aren't going to be importing lettuce, apricots, butter, or poulet de Bresse from France. Also, there is a long tradition Quebec chefs going to France on stage. We have a wonderful little thing going on in this province called the French language. If any Montrealer really wanted to work for Ducasse, he/she certainly could -- and in France. As for abuse, I worked in France twice and was never abused. And I ran into as many excellent as shitty ingredients. So what are we going to get with this Spoon? A hot and happening new restaurant, run by the King of the World, and some French chef who thinks he's going to be an instant success in Montreal because he's from team Ducasse? I thought we fought pretty hard for Quebec chefs to rise to the forefront of the scene. Ever since the death of Nicolas Jongleux, there really isn't one top French chef in Montreal, save for perhaps Eric Gonzalez at Le Lutétia. That was hardly the case twenty years ago. I'm not one to buy into this "they are French so they're bound to be better" crap. This team may be efficient, well trained and slick, but they're also going to have to get used to our ingredients, as well as the tastes and the limited budget of our population. Also don't forget the Spoon concept, though shocking to the French, may seem a bit gimmicky to North Americans. We're used to Caesar salad, California wines, and bubblegum ice cream in this neck of the woods. If Spoon turns out to be a big hit, great! There’s a lot to like about Ducasse, I’ve been a fan for years. I interviewed him a few years ago and walked away seriously impressed. BUT I expect our chefs to meet the challenge. And let’s not forget this is not an original undertaking that will advance our city’s culinary scene. Spoon is a franchise.

Yes, Jesus they're snobby -- off-puttingly so. I also find the store isn't all that clean anymore. It looks run down. Nothing compared the the French traiteur I remeber from Pastrie's day. And many of the good butchers have gone.

Hi Bill, I see this is your first post. Welcome to eGullet. Actually I am a pastry chef and I made it in a a stainless steel ring, the same way I make my regular molten cake. The results were perfect light golden brown with a firm wall and molten center. The hot oozing white chocolate was what turned everyone off (I used Valrhona). White hot chocolate is another tough one for me. I really do admire the way you adapted this recipe for white chocolate. That's why I tried it in the first place. And I love white chocolate. Heat just seems to bring out its richness. I ate two of them, but I don't think one of my guests ate a whole one (then again, they were all French, and the French aren't wild about anything too sweet). Sorry to start you off on a negative note. I'm sure you have a million more recipes that I would adore. And again, BRAVO for developing such a fun variation on the mi-cuit.

As a restaurant reviewer, I too would love to have a chef of that caliber with a restaurant in this city. I wouldn't count on him doing any cooking or being on hand for a chat. I just hope he opens something besides a Spoon, something like Mix -- but CHEAPER!!! Then again it would be the only Spoon in North America.

I don't see why. For experience yes, but they would soon find themselves in that dark looming shadow. Instant nobodies. I know a few excellent chefs who have turned down jobs with Ducasse for precisely that reason. I think local chef/owners might worry about losing customers to another exciting new restaurant, cause you're only an exciting new restaurant for so long.

No, you just weren't reading eGullet. I also hope it works out, BUT I'm sure the local chefs aren't too pleased with the news. You can only spread the fine dining crowd so far. Someone is bound to suffer, and it might even be Mr. Ducasse.

I made those cakes for a dinner party I had (all chefs and pastry chefs) from the New York Times recipe they ran last year. Everyone thought it was seriously icky. I have seen a chef here in Montreal who does something quite smart with the white chocolate "moelleux," he serves three small ones, make that very small ones, next to a regualr dark chocolate molten cake. On it's own, I find the white version of this cake far too cloying. So the smaller, the better

Ahem, old news Robert.

So I guess, FG, you don't consider the lack of real expertise/experience an issue? Are the top chefs like Boulud, Ripert, Vongerichten and DUCASSE expected to take this guy seriously?

Hey carswell, thanks for another great report! Anjou Quebec is a wonderful store, which used to be better back in Mr. Pastri's (sp?) day. When they started vacuum packing the cheese I started to worry. BUT if you're willing to spend the money, you'll find some real gems in the butcher counter. They also used to have incredible pastries. But now the pastires are really quite poor and limited in selection. Anyway, glad to hear the confit is a hit. Have you ever tried their cassoulet? As for Vilette, it might be worth talking to the owner about his confit recipe. Maybe the "green" comment would be helpful to him. French chefs will never admit they did something wrong. But secretly, I'll bet he'll adjust the flavourings. Again thanks for the report, and the fun thread.

I, for one perhaps, make a huge effort to review restaurants anonymously and having worked as a pastry chef I know what complete bullshit it is for critics to say they don't get special treatment if they are recognized. They do. Been there myself, devoting tons of time on a plate destined for a critic. I even managed to review Toque! anonymously and I know Normand and Christine. I'd say I'm recognized no more than five times a year. About repeated visits. It's often a matter of budget, something which is not an issue with a mega paper like the Times. Once I've blown my budget I'm out of money, and in a high-end restaurant, that usually means one visit. I actually used to pay for visits out of my pocket. Can't manage that anymore. Also, I'm not a staff member at the paper (no restaurant critic in Montreal is, save for Marie-Claude Lortie who is the editor of La Presse's Actuel section). Time is money and if I go out for three, three-hour meals a week, I'm not getting paid for that time. I'm strictly paid for 850-1200 words of copy. They don't even pay my gas if I review a restaurant out of town. It all comes down to time and money, and the newspapers in Montreal just aren't willing to treat the restaurant beat with the respect it deserves. It's not a job, it's a freelance assignment. No one in Montreal could make a living out of restaurant reviewing alone. It's below minimum wage pay. Don't forget, reviewers like Claiborne, Grimes and Riechl were on salary, they were paid to dine out a dozen times a week. We're not. But yes, that second visit still happens quite often, especially when I don't feel I quite grasped what the restaurant is all about (like A L'Os). Trust me, one visit to a place like Gibby's, and I'm ready to review. BTW, could we try to stick to the topic at hand. I just wrote up this big reply and now looked up and noticed this is on the coffee thread. Jeez

Hey wait a minute, I never gave Lemeac a good review, still wouldn't. To this day, I have never had a stellar meal there. Robert you bring up some good points, but there are so many exeptions to the chef-owned restaurant rule that I find myself often being disappointed by some of them in the long run, even at times -- GASP -- Toque! And chef-owned places can be dull, so much emphasis on the food, so little on everything else. I've come more and more to appreciate places like Cavalli, like the Troika, like the old Lychee Supper Club (pre Apollo), and like Rosalie where there is more going on than seasonal ingredients and steallar technique. I'm not saying give me ambiance or get me outta there. But after going to so many restaurants (and God knows you've been to a thousand more than I have), I crave a bit of fun -- at least a bit. In the same way as I would rather watch Nigella Bites than Cook like a Chef.

I also like the Yard book, though I think it's a bit advanced for the home baker -- especially the novice home baker. I'm mean really... pistachio puff pastry. I never even bothered with that back in my pro days. Try to track down the Roux Brothers Patisserie book. It's far less complicated than Yard's (which may look more complicated than it actually is) and contains many helpful, step-by-step photographs. It's one of the books that held my hand when I started down the path of becoming a professional pastry chef (sorry, that sounds incredibly corny ). I still use it often for basic recipes. And it's just such a beautiful book. One thing that has always bothered me when people -- especially food writers -- recommend books, is that they tend to forget about the old books. Even if the Roux book is out of print (might be) do everything you can to find it. I promise you won't regret it!

Eerr... Culatello, I don't think you quite grasped Patrice's comment. Yes, good tasting food is always the priority BUT chefs wiling to take food in interesting new directions will always get the praise. It's not easy to be innovative anymore. Of course, there are also ways to be innovative with simple food.

Normand Laprise has long been a supporter of Belanger. His foie gras used to come from the same farmer who supplied Belanger. Not sure that's the situation anymore.

Do me a favour ace, don't EVER call me sweety.

No, I don't know ace. And I don't take anonymous posts all that seriously anymore. Waste of time. And let me put it this way, Montreal restaurant critics make less money than your average dishwasher. I'm not kidding. So there's another stupid stupid comment flung our way by this so-called restaurant consultant.

Bought? That is complete bullshit! And critics can't make or break a restaurant. But a good or lousy chef certainly can. Why don't you introduce yourself if you're going to fling out accusations like that? If you have an ax to grind, at least give some solid examples. I, for one, have had it with nasty anonymous posters.

Hey ace, whoever you are, different strokes for different folks. There are fewer and fewer French-Laundry style restaurants in Montreal. Why knock places like Toque! and Bronte if they do a nice job with their cuisine. And if all we had on the scene were carbon copies of Queue de Cheval, I would pack up immediately and move to France.

Very true. Smart one that Claude. But you shouldn't ignore them either, and I've seen people do that as well. Even when reading the most harsh, unjust review, chefs should remember this person is at the very least a customer.