vogelap

When getting directions, you insist that people use RESTAURANTS as landmarks. This happened to me at dinner last night -- I was having trouble visualizing the location being described until they said it was "near the old Vinchenzio's location", and I knew exactly where they meant.

Please note that going through culinary school and/or working in a kitchen will do nothing to diminish any rotund-ness you've cultivated!

That is really something! Personally, I use a knife.

I don't think it's out of line to "taste" a wine in a restaurant. There is no need to make a big production out of it, but wine that's been recently uncorked benefits from a swirl in the glass and a good sniff. Even when we dine at a 4-star restaurant, we'll swirl, sniff, and sip the wine when it's served. Because, you know, that individual bottle could be corked.

I acknowledge that there was a fair amount of "beeping" in the BBC version and that Gordon is rougher on the staff... But, in the BBC version, I always sensed compassion under his language and rough treatment -- he really seemed to want these restaurants to improve and stay afloat. "Tough love," ya know? That's what I felt in the BBC version. The US version, so far, seems to be about the drama with very very little emphasis on the food or strategies that Gordon employs to attempt to turn things around. Granted, they are not running a how-to program, nor has it been billed as such. But I cannot get over the feeling that Gordon's considerable, legitimate talents aren't being utilized (or revealed). I also found it interesting that the end credits included a note that said that the show "may" have been presented with a timeline that was different than the order of the actual events.

Interesting to hear you say that, Mikeb19... What I've been told -- and this is from local chefs (not the culinary school) -- is that a culinary education (degree) equals approximately 5 years in the business, assuming all other factors like knife skills, speed, etc, are the same. You'll still start peeling vegetables, sure, but you'll move up much more quickly. It's an interesting experience to be the only cook in a kitchen who knows how to make a buerre blanc without looking it up first. I thank culinary school for that.

The US version I saw -- they "Ramsay'd" a place called Peter's -- missed all of the features that made the UK version a treat. Instead, the US version focused on the family drama, and what I am SURE were set-pieces of the bookies coming to the restaurant. I did think that the re-fitting of the kitchen was a nice touch, and wondered where that money came from. Without suggesting that he has any acting talent, the manager -- Peter -- seemed to me to be an impractical caricature. Perhaps he's 100% genuine, but it sure didn't feel like it to me. Sadly, it seems that Gordon is satisfied for Americans to think of him as the a> loudmouthed b> jerk who is c> also a chef, rather than trading on his considerable skills as a chef and restaurateur. That being said, I'll probably watch the whole series (as long as it lasts) just because I think it's important to support cooking shows in general.

You're right. I am much more interested in cook's abilities to, say, cook an egg properly than what they can cook from a vending machine.

Michael does a great job of coordinating everything... The prep sheets were comprehensive and well-thought out. And, Michael does a heck of a lot of the prep on his own (I think that most of the volunteers are at their house only on Thursday & Friday). Also, and Michael wouldn't mention this... His kitchen at home is larger than some professional kitchens I've worked in, and better appointed than most (he's got a cryovac machine in his home kitchen!). To give you an idea of how large it is... Think elegantly re-purposed two-car garage!

During the early part of September each year, the Bethesda Foundation hosts GOURMET SENSATION, one of their signature fund-raising events. Since 1988, chefs from all around the world as well as local chefs have shared their culinary creations with an ever-growing and appreciative crowd to raise funds for Hospice of Cincinnati. This year's event was on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Gourmet Sensation table display My involvment with GOURMET SENSATION is as an appreciative guest, but I am involved with an event that occurs before GOURMET SENSATION -- that is the chefs' appreciation dinner the night before. For more than 12 years, Michael & Kathy Brown have prepared a multi-course meal for the chefs and their guests. For two of the last three years, Michael & Kathy have allowed me to assist them with preparations and service of this meal (I missed helping in 2006 because I was on vacation). This grand meal is presented in the beautiful dining room of the Cincinnatian Hotel, in their Palace restaurant which closes for the evening to allow Michael and his crew to move in and work in the hotel's kitchens. This year, we served over 70 people. On Thursday and Friday September 6 & 7, I went to the Brown's house to assist with preparation of the meal. Several other professional cooks and enthusiastic amateurs show up to work for short or long shifts at the Brown's house, so their large kitchen is crowded and bustling with activity. The menu Michael & Kathy designed was as follows: * Home Cured Wild Coho Salmon and Gazpacho 2006 Gunderloch “Redstone” Riesling (Rheinhessen, Germany) * Medallion of Foie Gras, Viognier Gelee and Fig Compote 2003 Gregory Graham Viognier (Napa Valley) * Walleye with Braised Artichokes, Artichoke Puree and Lobster Mushrooms 2006 Four Sisters Sauvignon Blanc (South Eastern Australia) * Loin of Veal, Sweetbread, Corn and Apple Ravioli, Honey Crisp Apples and Calvados Sauce 2004 Four Sisters Shiraz (South Eastern Australia) * Epí * Couronne Lochoise, Roasted Beets and Pistachios 2005 Chateau Calabre (Montravel, France) 2004 Domaine de Pallus Chinon (Loire, France) * Chocolate Caramel Walnut Tart 2003 Gregory Graham “Red Hills” Syrah (Lake County) The gazpacho was novel -- Michael used gelatin filtration (as discussed in McGee's column in the New York Times (registration required)) so the resulting liquid was intensely flavorful and crystal clear with a reddish tint. The home cured salmon was very tasty (though I only had a nibble). I prefer seared foie gras to cold, but this preparation of the foie in a tourchon was quite nice (when isn't foie gras nice?!) and very simple to serve, though I didn't love the plating -- I thought it looked a little crowded. Still, the plates were virtually licked clean when they came back, so the crowd must have been happy. The Viognier gelee was tasty and attractive. The walleye was cooked very well (Keith has been cooking at the Palace for longer than he cares to admit, and he's got a real master's touch with fish and meats), and the lobster mushrooms were a very nice compliment to the flavor of the fish. A personal favorite dish was the veal -- it was beautifully prepared and cooked -- very tender, and the sweetbread, corn, and apple ravioli were quite tasty. The cheese in the cheese course -- the Couronne Lochoise, a soft and creamy raw goat's milk cheese from the Loire valley -- was absolutely delicious, though before we portioned them, the individual cheeses looked like glazed yeast doughnuts! We cut each "doughnut" (actually, the word "Couronne" means "crown") into four wedge-shaped pieces, which was a generous cheese course. The roasted beets & pistachios were wonderful together (very earthy) and complimented the cheese very well. This was one of my favorite elements of the meal. Couronne Lochoise After the cheese course came Kathy's delicious Chocolate Caramel Walnut Tart, a beauty for the eyes and a delight on the tongue. Even though I am not a "chocolate person", I certainly appreciated the rich flavors of this dessert. We served it with a squiggle of Syrah reduction to decorate the plate. Service of the meal went very quickly and smoothly -- Gina, Jody, Tarrick, and others made light work of the plating and service. The menu was well planned and well prepped, so there was very little that needed to be done a la minute. Once service was done, we were taken out into the restaurant and presented to the appreciative crowd. It was nice to recognize many faces from my previous GOURMET SENSATION experience -- good to see Juho and othersm and it was nice to connect with new faces like Nancy & Steve from Baltimore! A few drinks were poured, a lot of conversation, and then I went home and sacked out! I heard reports that lots of the guest chefs went out and painted the town red -- some reported getting back to their hotel rooms at 4:30am! The next evening, Wendy & I attended the GOURMET SENSATION and were very impressed with the dishes prepared by the chefs. While every dish was tasty (and we tried them all), standouts included the bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with bleu cheese, the venison burgers, the sticky toffee pudding, the short ribs, the soft-shell crab, and the fish-in-coconut-milk-broth. A nice upgrade this year was the keepsake wine glass and plastic plate (with wine glass holder). It made juggling food, forks, and wine much easier than before. Wendy & I were invited to go out with the chefs after GOURMET SENSATION and we intended to... We really did! We went home for a bit of downtime between the event and the partying, and never managed to get back up again to go out. So we missed a good time with the chefs, but I've made a promise to myself that next year we will make it!

I've got that one too... It's over-the-top in presentation... The gold on the cover cracks me up. Has anyone tried any recipes from it? I particularly like seeing the menus and photos from the classic restaurants. ← Wowzers. Yes, bride and I have it, use it on occasion, but have to throttle back on fat content. Even now--- most of the foods are too rich for us to eat-- we've made a few memorable dinner parties from it. And always show the short "Vincent" after dinner with port and cigars. hvr ← Can you recall which of the recipes you've made from the book?

Cannot wait to watch this episode! My trusty PVR recorded it for me, so it's waiting, and I'm hungry.

I've got that one too... It's over-the-top in presentation... The gold on the cover cracks me up. Has anyone tried any recipes from it? I particularly like seeing the menus and photos from the classic restaurants.

Blocked aisles... Yeah... I hate it when folks take the time to park their carts _just so_ they block all traffic around them. And they're usually on their ear-mounted Bluetooth phone (in my kitchen, we call those "c*ckrings"). This may be a bit more than you asked, but there is a WONDERFUL grocery store near me that CONSTANTLY changes their layout. It seems like they change it every third month or so... It makes me a little be crazy!

Thank you for your help, Rochelle... I appreciate it and am glad I can get to the restaurant from my resort via Disney transit! I'm not planning on going to Epcot this time, so I'll have to pass on Bistro de Paris. I have, however, added it to my tickler file for NEXT time!

Thank you for the reply, Robyn... As it turns out, I may have the opportunity to dine at TWO places while there (one dinner and one lunch)... Thanks to call on my behalf by the Chef where I work, I am dining at Victoria & Albert's on Friday and will consider Ran Getsu for lunch on Saturday, if they're open. Does anyone have comments about Victoria & Albert's? The latest review I've seen was from 2005.

I'll be in Orlando (at WDW for a conference) with ONE FREE NIGHT -- Friday, July 13. I staying on WDW property (Caribbean Beach Resort) without a car. I would like to dine at a fine dining place (pref. French or Japanese, but (as you'll see below, not limited)) and cost is not an issue. Thanks to eGulleteers who have gone before (gosh, I love eGullet!), I came up with the following short list of places: * Le Coq Au Vin * Primo * Chez Vincent * Cedars * Ran-Getsu * Victoria & Albert's * Normans At this moment, Victoria & Albert's is in the lead spot for where I will dine, mainly because I love French food (it's what I cook in the restaurant) and I can get there without a car using Disney's transportation (is that a correct assumption on my part?). However, if one of the above list is a MUST-TRY, I can make it happen -- hop a cab or something.... I value the opinions of eG'ers, so look forward to reading what you have to say!

I'd bet it's skirt steak. And probably poorly cut at that.

Congrats, Mark... A few years ago, I did just what you're doing... AND I LOVE IT! (Even though I am nursing a fairly serious cut on my left middle finger from a new knife I was using to cut butternut squash in the restaurant kitchen this weekend. Several of my chef friends, upon seeing my bandaged finger, said, "New knife?"!)

I recorded the show and am excited to watch it when I get some time. I like Gordon Ramsay, even though he is portrayed as a blowhard on his USA television show, HELL'S KITCHEN. I've heard he's hard on his boys, but also very fair and supportive of them -- I like that in a chef. Has anyone here had any direct experience with Gordon Ramsay? What's he like in person?

$3 for a cupcake seems a bit dear to me too, though $2 for iced coffee seems reasonable. A bakery cupcake in this area (Cincinnati) is about $1.50-1.75, and those are larger than home-baked cupcakes.

I used AccuChef (http://www.accuchef.com) and liked it very much for an 'old school' recipe manager. I then tried Living Cookbook (http://www.livingcookbook.com) but found it to be unreliable, overly complex, and somewhat difficult to use. Lately, I found BigOven (http://www.bigoven.com) and really, really like it. It's Windows only, but it also has a Windows Mobile viewer which is very handy. It's my current recommendation.

I appreciate everyone's replies... Are there other places we should know about?

I will have a group of friends in Memphis TN for one night in August. We are a supper club and are visiting Graceland, et. al., and for our "official" supper club dinner I need to choose a restaurant. We will be 10 people, and I am hoping for a suggestion about the perfect place. We want either somewhere that embodies the city (maybe a BBQ place?) or else something fabulous. Doesn't matter if it's fancy or a hole, so long as the food is great and we will remember it as the quintessential Memphis experience. So for one single best dinner in Memphis, where should I take my friends? Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

Good to see you back, Malawry! Your column was one of the first that got me into eGullet. Man, that seems like a long time ago! Since then, I've finished my own culinary schooling (though I take classes whenever they fit into my schedule!) and have been volunteering at a local French restaurant (Jean-Robert at Pigall's, Cincinnati's only 4-star restaurant) for over a year now. Congrats on the pregnancy!