marcus

Au Bon Accueil changed format a year or so ago and is no longer a bistro, but is now a more ambitious restaurant. Previously it was a true bistro. The owner is the same, the son of the Lacipiere who used to be the chef owner of Les Fontaines in the 5th near the Pantheon, probably the best price performing restaurant in Paris at the time. Les Fontaines, unfortunately, declined significantly since it was sold, now at least 5-8 years ago. Au Bon Accueil was never really as good, but not bad. I haven't tried it in its new guise.

I've only eaten there once so cannot comment on consistency, but did find that I actively disliked his use of spices, which is the key feature of the restaurant, so I wouldn't go back. In general, I haven't liked any attempts at fusion cooking that I've had in France. I don't believe that Michel Troisgros goes in for quite the same over the top assertiveness as Roellinger, and would be interested in trying him for a last attempt at French fusion. However, if I were to go back to Troigros after what is now a very long time, I would probably have a very difficult time resisting ordering from the classic menu.

Porkpa, I don't really know the answer, you would need to call. However, they don't appear to have a website so I don't know how you would best go about examining their list. The winelist is book length and could not be easily faxed. I doubt that they have it in softcopy.

Bux, I am really failing to see your argument. You are much more likely to find the bottle that you want on an extensive and well priced list. In addition, the process of choosing that bottle involves looking at many possibilities, thinking about them, and then narrowing down the choice, another major benefit of a great wine list. My point about Berns' off premise storage was to indicate that the effective winelist was less good than one might believe based on looking at the complete list.

Enoteca Pinchiorri has a French list among the best 3-5 in the world and the world's best Italian list. Tour d'Argent is undoubtedly still number 1 for French wines, but the last time I was there they had many gaping holes in their verticals, many of which were from important years. I don't believe that the cellar is being as well maintained with new stock as it used to be. Berns has a very impressive cellar, but it is really doubly hit and miss. First, it is not systematically assembled, so you usually can't look for a particular wine, you need to find something that they have, certainly not a major problem. Secondly, and more significantly, the vast majority of their cellar is not accessable to the restaurant in real time. As you read down the list, you will find that many wines are not available that evening because they are not in the inhouse cellar. This represents at least 75% of the selection, if not more.

We had bouillabaisse at Miramar, L'Epuisette and Chez Fonfon on consecutive nights. Miramar was poor. L'Epuisette and Chez Fonfon were both very good, but the soup at L'Epuisette was clearly better, the fish about the same. L'Epuisette charged 46 euros and Chez Fonfon 40. L'Epuisette is also a step up in category in terms of setting and service.

Rouille is served traditionally with Bouillabaisse and Aioli wit Bourride. When I was in Marseilles in the Spring, a number of Bouillabaisse specialists were serving both with both dishes, so it doesn't seem to be a major issue. I'm pretty well convinced that based on personal experience along with extensive research, that l'Epuisette in Marseilles is currently serving the best traditional Bouillabaisse. I will also say, that although very good it didn't blow me away.

Would you be more specific, I don't understand the reference.

Unfortunately, the Tour D'Argent is only a shadow of its former self, both from a culinary standpoint and a sense of palpable excitement in the dining room. Although it continues to receive 2 stars from Michelin, this relates largely to its historic importance, and it really barely deserves one, the Gault Millau rating of 15/20 is probably right on target. The winelist remains important, although it has been picked over, lots of verticals with key years missing. The wine pricing is very inconsistent versus current market values, and there are bargains as well way overpriced wines, so some advance research would be well advised. The Paris 3 stars getting the most positive attention these days are Arpege, Ambroisie and Pierre Gagnaire, the latter if you're looking for cutting edge. I found the food at a recent dinner at ADPA to be genuinely outstanding, but there were significant service problems.

Renee is correct, not Marie.

You should try Marie Richard's cheese stand in Les Halles, possibly the best cheese shop in the world, the St Marcellin is definitive.

In my experience, a non-French, not known person without a connection cannot get an advance dinner reservation to Ambroisie. On the other hand, lunch reservations are not difficult at all. Before my recent trip to Paris, I tried them more than a month in advance, was told to call back, a month in advance which I did, all booked, and I then asked about the next day, a month plus a day, this was most telling, all booked as well. Their advice was to call back a day or two before I wanted to go. I don't believe that the restaurant was booked, and I do believe that many people do get in by calling at the last minute, but it is hit or miss. There is lots of information around, including this site, regarding Ambroisie's carte and pricing, so this shouldn't be a problem. It should be no more expensive than Lucas Carton, even very slightly less, and is reputed to be much better by virtually all of the credible reports that I've seen.

I just received my GR 2004, and without having done a quantitative analysis yet, it appears that there has been systematic significant year to year inflation in the scores, driven largely by 1-2 point increases in the food scores. This raises questions about the significance of year to year comparisons. I wonder whether others have the same impression?

Many would view Lucas Carton as somewhat over the hill. Even some of those who continue to like it, don't view it objectively as one of the best. A stagiere posting on eGullet commented that Senderens only appears in the restaurant once every three or four weeks. Whether GR and Gavroche compare to the best in Paris is the interesting question, and there have differing viewpoints, to my perception, most thinking not.

You actually will have very few choices, most high style restaurants in Paris are open Monday through Friday only. Ambroisie is open Saturday for lunch and dinner and is probably your best shot, dinner reservations can be very difficult, lunch much less so. Pierre Gagnaire is open Sunday for dinner only.

The question comes down to where does one draw the line as to when disclosure is necessary. Based on the variety of opinions that have already been stated. it's clear that this is a gray area. I personally do believe that in this case my line was crossed. My personal reaction to FG's review of MIX was that it was over the top, that FG was currying favor, and I discounted the review. I also found the derogation of the other food critics to be outrageous. However, it did not raise any ethical issues in my mind. FG's liking for and relationship with Ducasse are well known, and although I may not fully approve, I understand the give and take of favors that exists within the community. To position myself, I'm one of those who believe that anonymity in restaurant reviewing is very important. However, the uncovering of the author/agent relationship with the chef's brother introduces a direct commercial element that I find to be fundamentally different, and does create the appearance of a possible ethical question. I believe that in principle this should have been disclosed in the initial review.

Agree, that if anything, veal parm would be southern. It is related to eggplant parm, which is undoubtedly authentic southern, probably of Neapolitan origin. The question is whether veal parm originated in Italy or America.

Is it found in Italy?

During the discussion of eggplant parm, I was also wondering about veal parm, which I also haven't seen in Italy, and am curious as to whether it is authentic or not. Let me re-inforce Pan's original statement though about eggplant parm, this is an authentic Neapolitan dish found throughout Naples. It is conceptually not much different than the version seen in Italian American restaurants, although it is freshly prepared individually, rather than in pre-cooked loaves to be sliced, and thus follows the round form of the eggplant slice. The other major difference is that it tastes good. There is actually a restaurant in NY named Ribbolita that prepares a passable, no better, version of the dish. However, I would characterize this dish as Florentine, not Tuscan. Florentine cooking is quite different from the food found in the rest of Tuscany. I'm not even sure whether there is a valid category called Tuscan, and would be interested in opinions on this question.

My point was that Petrus is a particularly poor wine for tasting when it is too young.

Happens all the time. What I can't imagine is wasting such a valuable wine which is so unready to drink and couldn't possibly yield any real pleasure at this point.

3-5% of wines are corked including first growths, it is essentially an "act of god", that is, it has nothing to do with storage or shipping, cannot be deterimined in advance, and its really no ones fault. It is far more common than people realize, and there is no reason to believe that there will be any problem with your remaining bottles. There have been debates in prior threads as to who should assume financial responsibility and it comes down to who built this risk into their price. In summary, the consensus as I remember was that restaurants should replace a corked bottle, retailers probably should, but this is not open and shut, and auction houses will not. I don't believe anyone yet has suggested that the problem should be put back onto the chateau. Chateau Lafite 1970, although disappointing, should not be over the hill if stored properly.

The ultimate differentiator for Italian restaurants in Italy is regionality, I would even use the term terroir. This is something that human beings inherently long for and respond to. Every part of Italy has its own small number of simple but unique dishes that embody the soul of the people living there, and which they eat over and over again. As a visitor, one can participate in and take satisfaction from that rite. As soon as you are out of the territory, even as close as Nice, it can no longer be the same.

Let me try this out, which I truly believe. Peter Luger is the most important, perhaps the only important, restaurant in NYC when considered by the standard of worldwide culinary importance, because it is the best exemplar of its type, American steakhouse.

There have been countless reports as to the excellence of Peter Luger's steak, count me in this group, and a small number that have been less positive to negative. Individual reports are difficult to assess and I would need to see many more negative reports before I would become concerned. I always take the train and walk and have never observed any problem. There are always a number of people on every train who are walking to Luger's with whom you effectively form an extended group, which provides even greater safety.