guru

Our financial problems have already made the news earlier this year. Do you have anything to add. I hear things on other restaurants everyday and i try to ignore them. I am very sad when somebody else is in trouble. To risk your own money, your health and your family is a very big thing. People tend to forget about it. Sometimes we are treated as if we were playing the country's war budget. We are only cooking food.You should know, you own a business too. May be it's time you give me a phone call and see what i think of your statement.As a food writer a i always thought that you would get to the source before putting out a news. Stelio

Please reffer to my Les Chèvres post concerning that rumor. Stelio Perombelon chef Les Chèvres

I am very confused to see all these things said about me. I have never met anyone from the cube administration and was never approached in any manner by that restaurant. I have heard that rumor before and i can confirm that it isn't true. I really wonder where it comes from... You can still find me every night at Les Chèvres. Stelio Perombelon Still Cheffff Les Chèvres

It would be very hard to exactly tell what a bistro is. Guy Savoy in Paris has several bistros(as he calls them) and from what i know, they all serve things very daring and very far from our L'Express. Les Bookinistes has always been very modern and Les Bistrots de L'Etoile do not serve salade de chevre chaud.I once ate at a very small place in Paris that could hold no more than 12 people at the same time.The owner who was also the only waiter told us that they did not have any fridge in the kitchen. The chef would go to the market and the butcher every morning and would cook right upon his arrival. They would hold the milk and salads in a house refrigerator and god must i say that the food was great. So... what's the definition of bisto? i don't think i even know now!

Alex is thre type of guy who will get better with time.It's true that this bistro thing is a bit confusing but more probably to us.Last time i ate there, the food was very close to what a bistro offers(when you read the menu) but the presentations were modern (moderately).A Cafe in Paris and a Cafe in Montreal are not the same thing.Here you will expect Van Houtte or Starbucks but in Paris you are dealing with a much more refined business.What do we really expect from cocagne?It'strue that the prices are a bit high for a bistro but isn't that what orgueilleux is all about.I was in the same situation when i opened Lemeac, everybody was comparing us to other bistros and one of my competitors was just across the street.When you think of it,L'Express,Levesque, Gauthier are doing a fine job and the last thing we need is another clone of these guys. Alex has never worked in these kind of places so he can't be doing that stuff.I totally agree with Lesley when she says that he still needs time to truly find his voice. The first few months you open your doors and say this is what we do but you also ajust to your clientele.That's what i mean when i say give it more time!

I've eaten three times at Cocagne and i can say that the food has changed a bit.I really enjoyed my first time but prefered my last time that was two weeks ago. The food was always nice but like every other restaurant, it is getting more precise. Come on give it some time!(everybody no matter what the job takes time to truly fullfill a task specially when he's the big boss)

well, it seems that we all agree on the consistency issue but so many other questions come to my mind; why do we rave about our cheeses when you can barely buy two of the same product that are to the same doneness. It's true we have come from a long way but we still time to experiment and fine tune our thing. Also, why do our producers continue making several names when they could concentrate on one good product; we all know that Reblochon tastes different throughout the year but it's a cycle thing and we now know what to expect when we buy it. Here the Victor et berthold is a fine cheese but we never know what to hope for. They have the same temperature issues in France don't they?The grass doesn't taste the same thing from march to november! Shouln't we learn from that instead of saying that we're doing as good as them. The real question is, why do we rave about things that we do when we wouldn't tolerate it from others and still i'm not talking quotas, i'm talking about the work that is done in the lab. Europe had the same quotas problem when they had to give almost half of their milk production to their church every week.That went on until the second world war.They learned how to make the reblochon from the second milking(re-bloche).Morbier was made over a two day period because of milk quantity problems and of a time consuming method.We make up silly excuses to hide lack of competence.I've been serving cheeses in all the restaurants i've worked so far and i see them everyday,i have only one thing to say, an all Quebec cheese plate in a restaurant is a very bad choice and people keep asking for it.

I've been wanting to talk about Quebec cheeses for a long time but i'm always very carefull with that topic because everytime you say something negative, there seems to be very agressive people ready to bash your head.I recently did an event where Quebec cheeses were to be judged and my only duty was to cut them and put them on a plate. Twenty-two of the most popular ones were given to me and i now have a strong opinion on the subject. I'd really like to hear from more people and i will give my impression of what i've seen this week.We are trying so hard to promote our cheeses but what needs to be tuned...still.

La Ravane seems to be a little too modern for the type of food it is serving. I've only tried it at lunch and my first impressions were not that great. The night menu seemed a bit more upscale. I don't know what to say about this place. I have to admit that i eat a lot better in my own family and it costs a quarter of the price to feed an army of twenty. I might not be the right person to judge their effort.

If you want a meal that'll leave nice memories you definately should not go to Les Delices de l'ile Maurice. Believe me, my parents are from Mauritius and i personnaly know Sylvestre, the owner.The food is way too much greasy and the place not so clean. Mauritian cuisine needs more attention and less vegetable oil like in this case. Try Le Piton de la fournaise.

Don't take everything so seriously,it's just funny . First Robert's bashing and then all of a sudden everything clears up and he's a nice guy. Maybe some people should think twice before posting!

Funny how you guys are kissing each other's butt now!

I have to admit that i was dissapointed not to see Rosalie or Brunoise on that list. The people of Cluny have nothing to do with this and let me tell you that they were in our restaurant on tuesday night to celebrate.They are very nice. BUT if i compare the overall experience when i eat there with my past experiences at Rosalie and Brunoise, i just don't understand. I'd would have really liked to see my friends up there, specially because i know that they're working their butts off but,maybe the magazine wanted to give different levels of dinning. This all comes back to the recent thread where we discussed Lesley's ratings. Some people here were saying that the byow restaurants and snack bars should perhaps be rated in another category.It's funny how the wheel turns eh?

Not that i am protecting anyone but there was more than two judges this year and some reporters from montreal were included. This rating means a lot to us right now. You all have to admit that beeing on that list is an honnor. Thanks anyways for congratulating .

Hey hey! what's all that crying! I wasn't saying that chefs who did not train outside Canada are not good and that italian restaurants don't deserve a chance. When did you ( Lesley and Matteo) understand that. I know Steve and one of the chefs at Cavalli and i'm convinced that these guys areworking their asses off; my statement was that Lesley was rating high lately and that i was asking if the city's level had changed.Do you remember that thread about chilli bass where in the end we spoke about prices, well i don't like to be ripped off when i go out, i know the prices things are bought and am starting to be a little suspicious. By the way, i've heard a lot of good things about Cavalli.