Patrice

My vote to Michel Bras.

Bras is opening a restaurant in Japan...

Please, Please ,Please Mr. Bux !!!

Sadly, crème chiboust, is not a very well known dessert. Well executed, chiboust melt in your mouth. It's often served with fruits and gratinée ( burned like a crème brûlée).

Steve is the winner!!! It's she-boost. I'm with you, I just LOVE chiboust. Above all, chocolate chiboust...

Personnaly,I've no problem when a chef get inspiration for his recipes from different cultures or, like I said before from another chef creation. But, if he decide to serve on his menu a dish created by another chef ( in the 2 examples I gave before, both recipes were already published and were still on the menu of the chef who created it) it would be honest to gave credit.

When I had lunch in L'Arpège in november, Alain Passard did a tour of every table! Some chef, like Ducasse never tour the dinnig room. But, in general most of France chef tour the dinning room. While in France, in the same month I had the chance to speak to Gagnaire, Bras, Passard, Blanc, Bardet and Trama! Georges Blanc was by far the most generous in his time.

Yes ajay The one hour documentary shown on TV last month made me admire this great chef. He seem very humble and take his work VERY seriously. He's always in his restaurant, something becoming less popular these days with superchef like Ducasse.

Yes the No.9 version was served in a Bernardaud bowl. But unlike Claudia version it didn't had the cilantro syrup nor the passion fruit sorbet. They serve it with a passion fruit syrup, what a combination!!! Has a pastry chef I just can't imagine how someone can feel by taking credit from someone else ideas. I have no problem with chef taking ideas or getting inspired from someone else work but reproducing in our restaurant a recipe from a chef without any credit is another thing.

Last week I saw a superb video on Bernard Pacaud where he made a very touching hommage to La Mère Brazier where he started to worked when he was still a kid

I would like to know what you think about chefs stealing other chef idea and serving them in their restaurant like their own. I have the chance to travel a lot around the world and eat in a lot of restaurant and , in the last years I stopped counting the times when I was served a recipes invented by another chef. In his 1993 book: Les Carnet de Michel Bras ( desserts) Bras present a recipe for a frozen mint mousse with a liquid chocolate center. Last year, the very creative chef of Clio in Boston, Kenneth Oringer, was invited to cook in Montreal. He served a fantastic meal. For dessert, he presented a frozen mint mousse with a liquid chocolate center... Did Mr Oringer had the same idea that Michel Bras had many years ago? Let me doudt about it, I know that Mr Oringer know Michel Bras and that he has eaten at his restaurant before. How many buttermilk pannacotta or coconut tapioca desserts have you seen on menu recently. Claudia Flemming, the fantastic pastry chef of Gramercy Tavern has made this two desserts her trademark. Last week while visiting Boston, I was served a very good dessert in one of Boston best restaurant: coconut tapioca with passion fruit and coconut ice cream. I sound a little bit like Claudia version: coconut tapioce with passion fruit caramel and coconut sorbet. How can we prevent this, do chefs have the right of stealing other chef recipes?

The rose flavoured macarons with the acidity of the rasberries and the velvety texture of the lytche give the cake a complex but very harmonious flavor.

While in France, I visited Hermé superb shop on Bonaparte. I always been a fan of his work and a visit to his new shop confirmed my opinion: he's really way ahead the others. I tasted his Ispahan and also a superb lemon tart. His macaron are the best ( the new one: milk chocolate and passion fruit was fantastic) He's also doing the desserts for the very trendy restaurant Korova in Paris. His boutique is like a jewelry, his cake are masterpiece.

Hi Lesley, I was very pleased to finally met you yesterday. Even if service was awful at the Ritz, I had a very good meal. The macaroni with artichokes, foie gras and truffles was superb but, it's the dessserts stole the show. On the menu, they seamed very simple and conventionnal: Grand Marnier Souffé, Chocolate Sabayon, Pineapple and banana tartlet. But the surprise was when you received them, they were far more complex and original. The chilled chocolate sabayon served in a glass was very classy and and a wonderful texture. The soufflé with his crème brûlée and the mulled wine offered a wide range of flavours and textures. I also had the banana and pineapple tartlet served with a coconut parfait and a perfect pineapple chip. The migardises were also terrifcs: miniature chocolate tartlet, pâte de fruit, truffle ( really not the best I had) , sablé with rasberrie and gold leaf, pinenut cake.

The parfait was rectangular: about half an inch tall, half an inch wide and four inches long. The top had a velvet texture ( a mixture of chocolate and cocoa butter shooted with a paint gun) on the side there was a quenelle of milk chocolate cream ( a type of ganache done with crème anglaise ). There was also some caramelized rice crispies around the plate. I was really surprised by the choice of the wine, after tasting, I can say that I was even more surprised...for my taste, the ice wine didn't worked with this dessert. Because of it's acidity, the ice wine competed against the others elements of the dessert. Chocolate, nuts and caramel are not the perfect pairing for such a wine.

Last night I went to the Toqué where Rocco DiSpirito of Union Pacific, in NY, was cooking. The meal was VERY good: -Taylor Bay Scallops with uni and mustard oil (Der Grüne Veltliner 1999, Veltlinsky) -Seafood fiesta platter (Franciacorta, Cuvéé Brut,Bellavista) -Bouillon of forest mushrooms with Olorosso Shery -Roasted foie gras with glazed pear and lovage purée (Coteaux-du-Layon 1985, Moulin Touchais) -Chiliean Sea Bass with squash pudding au safran (Fleurie 2000,Domaine du Vissoux) -Osso Bucco in San Marzano Tomatoes and fresh black truffles (Rasteau 1998,Domaine de la Soumande) -Gougères -Gianduja parfait with milk chocolate cream (Vidal icewine 1999, Konzelmann Estate Winery) The combination of scallops with uni and mustard oil is really fantastic. The punch of the oil succed to balance the sweeteness of the scallops. The seafood platter was a big surprise: in the mibble of the bolw there was a cube of wine gelly, trapped inside the gelly was pieces of lobter. On top of this cube was sitting a flouder ceviche. on the plate was sevruga caviar... A beautiful and very tastefull dish. The lovage purée with the foie gras was a very clever accompaniment. The sea bass was perfectly cooked and the squash pudding ( more like a purée) was perfect. The Osso Bucco plate was covered with slices of fresh Truffles but, the real highlight of this plate was the small spoon in the bone that made possible eating the incredible bone marrow... The dessert was perfectly executed but lacked the originaly of the other services. Mr DiSpirito was really nice, chatting with each guests during all the evening. Another very good meal !!!

For the grapefruit sorbet, the egg was cleanly cut and was set over some sugar, inside it was half grapefruit sorbet and half a fromage blanc foam done with an iSi whipper. The foam was very tasty and the texture was light and smooth. Laurent also used an imersion blender in another service: a lobter risotto with foie gras an a Sauterne emulsion. I had the chance to chat only with Mr Tourondel. But everybody in the kitchen told me that they were very nice and professionnal. My next meal: Rocco DiSpirito of Union Pacific at Toqué, Eric Fréchon of the Bristol at The Ritz, Tetsuya also at the Toqué and a nine service chocolate menu at La Chronique

Last night, I hand dinner at Chez L'Épicier where chef Laurent Tourondel of Cello, in NY, was cooking. Even if I cannot compare this meal to the one I had previously this year in NY at his restaurant, yesterday dinner was indeed a very good. The desserts, prepared by his pastry chef Jean-François Bonnet were my personnals highlights. I really enjoyed his pre-dessert: a grapefruit sorbet with fromage blanc foam served in an eggshell.

While in France, at a restaurant called L'Auberge de la charme ( in Prenois) I tasted a very good ice cream that contained Argan Oil: glace au lait fermenté et à l'huile d'argan. This ice cream tasted a bit like frozen yogourt with a very subtil nutty flavor.

Le Café des Délices is in the 6e on rue d'Assas. The owner and chef is Gilles Choukroun. Before going to Paris he was in Chartres at La Truie qui File. For lunch, you can have a main course and a glass of wine for 89F. In the evening it's 250F for the appetizer, the main course and desserts. Speeking of dessert his pear milkshake was incredible: served in a kind of asian bowl, it was served like a thick soup with pieces of spiced dried figs in it. It was then covered with rice krispies. We also had for dessert a citrus. salad with rose gelée, pistachios, cinnamon

While in France we also enjoyed some very good small restaurant . In paris we had a faboulous meal at Le Café des Délices. The owner who is also the chef had worked for Vigato at the Apicius and he also owned a one starred restaurant outside Paris. His Café is a small restaurant that is always fully booked. He served very creative food for a resonable price: Foie gras creme brûlée as an appetizer and for desser, a pear milk-shake with spiced figs and rice krispies. In Bordeaux we also really enjoyed our meal at Gravelier. This small restaurant is owned by Toigros daugther. The decor is very original, you can also see the chef in the cuisine by a big glass in front of the bar.

I everybody, i'm now back in Montreal after 31 days in France. We had the chance to eat at some of the best restaurants in France: Auberge de la Charme, Marc Veyrat, Nouvelle, Michel Bras, Michel Trama, La Galupe, Martin Berasategui, Gravelier, Le ST-James, Bardet, La Café des Délices, Hélène Daroze, Spoon, 59 Point Carré, Ducasse, Arpège and Pierre Gagnaire!!! We ate some extraordinary food and some very good wine... This is my top five: 1- I must say that there's a tie in first place: Michel Bras and Marc Veyrat. Both of them were unforgettable experiences. The decor, the food and the service, everything is perfect. They are also very different: Everything at Veyrat is bigger than nature, it's a big show. The flavors in is food are very distinct. On the other side, Bras is much more simple. Even if the decor is quite spectacular and the food incredible, Bras is not a show-off. There is a lot of thinking behind his food but he like to present it in a more simple manner. But of them were fantastic experinces. 2-Martin Berasategui ( San Sebastian in Spain) He is maybe the most creative chef I ever meet. His food remind me of El Bulli. There is 30 cooks in the kitchen for about 40 clients... The decor is OK, the service is very good but the food is unequalled. From the first amuse-bouche: a celery ice cream, to the last migardises, everything was perfect. 3- Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée: This is the real 3 stars french restaurant: perfect service, grand food, White Truffles... , fantastic wine list. Everything is there so you can pass a great great meal...$$$ 4-Gagnaire: Maybe a little deception. I read so much good thing about Gagnaire, I was expecthing more that I received. It is still one of the best restaurant in France but the meal I had was not comparable to Bras or Veyrat. 5-Passard: I read a lot about his vegetables and I wanted to taste them. First of all, there's not only vegetables on his menu, there's a lot of fish and seafood. We asked to have only vegetables. They made a vegetables degustion menu for us. Everything was very good and very creative. I will not write about all the restaurants I made but, if you have any question, just ask.

Hi from France, I'm now in Bordeaux. Fro lunch today we will go to Jean-Marie Amat's le ST-James. We had 2 incredible meals in San sebastian. Both of them were at Matin Berasategui restaurants. Very imaginative food with fantastic flavors.In 3 days I will be in Paris: Gagnaire, Ducasse and Passard...

Hi from France, I'm now in Bordeaux. Fro lunch today we will go to Jean-Marie Amat's le ST-James. We had 2 incredible meals in San sebastian. Both of them were at Matin Berasategui restaurants. Very imaginative food with fantastic flavors.In 3 days I will be in Paris: Gagnaire, Ducasse and Passard...

I everybody, I'm now in Biarritz. I don't have a lot of time but I can tell you that I already dined at Veyrat, Trama and Bras. All of them were fantastic but I personnaly prefered Bras. In 4 days i will dine at Martin Berasategui in San Sebastien.