
Wilfrid
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I think I agree with Cabby on that point. I am feeling misunderstood today. I am not complaining about the amount of attention on Blue Hill. I am also somewhat in the dark about any battle of wills going on here. BH's cuisine has been well worth discussing. I'd like to talk more about some other restaurants, not necessarily less about Blue Hill. I've reported on a number of other restaurants recently, and I wish more people would do the same. I don't know who counts among the three "influential and aggressive" posters, but there are a lot more than three people driving the NY board. I would love to read Marcus's comments, or anyone else's, on Fleur de Sel, Jean-Georges, San Domenico, or any of the other NY restaurants recently described here.
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Fair enough on Jarnac, Steve. I ate there a few weeks back, and thought the menu was quite traditional as usual. I may just have overlooked the kind of dishes you mention. I am struggling even to remember what I ate (no, not the cassoulet).
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I would certainly be interested in seeing comparable detailed discussion about New York restaurants other than Blue Hill. There have been some pretty thorough reports about some other places recently, but not much discussion has developed. If I was being picky, I would advise Steve P. that there doesn't seem to be much that's moderne about Jarnac. But then, I'm not the picky sort.
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Bux, I don't know if you misread me. I was saying that I wouldn't want to eat the Blue Hill style of cuisine all the time, not that I expect to dine superbly all the time. There is a place in the world for very soft, delicately cooked food, and some people apparently think that the peak of gastronomic perfection. I weary of it sometimes.
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I have been a supporter of Fleur de Sel since it opened (when I lived in the neighborhood). It's been through a few changes, and Cyril Renaud is no longer ever-present in the kitchen. I went back there at the weekend and ate my second meal prepared by his executive chef, Erik Mongno. One impression I had was that they'd lowered the lighting since I last went. It's such a nice room, and Renaud's oil paintings are pleasant enough to look at, that the extra dinginess seemed a pity. The menu looked familiar. I took the tasting at $65. A sardine mousse - detectably fresh - sandwiched between two crisp tuiles, could have been larger. Then, as luck would have it, I was accidentally served the alternative to the sardine - oysters with a mignonette dressing and a powerful punch of mustard oil. I pointed out the error, and the maitre d' advised me to eat the dish on them. Next were the goat cheese ravioli with caviar, a successful combination I'd eaten previously. The most interesting dish of the evening was the cod. Do you know what it's like when a dish slowly grows on you while you're eating it? This was described on the menu as "sauteed", and I was expecting something fried, and maybe a little crispy. I have deep reservations about cod, and still think the British have the best way of dealing with it - dip it in batter and spark it up with acidic garnishes like pickled onions. This turned out to be a rectangle of extremely tender cod fillet, ntohing obviously sauteed about it. My first taste was bland - this is just the kind of dish I am always complaining about. But it was served with some cepes, and in a light mushroom broth. A few more mouthfuls and the real flavor of the cod began to dawn on me. I'd forgotten cod tasted like this. And the earthy mushroom backdrop worked perfectly. Thanks for suprising me. The meat coarse was a well-judged loin of venison with a beet juice. Fauvist. Two desserts - a familiar raspberry tuile sandwich with a dab of ice cream, then some chocolate stuff (I am terrible at remembering desserts, I know). I thought I had found a steal on the wine list with a '96 premier cru Savigny-les-Beaune at $62, but in fact it turned out to have lost its legs. So, only one knockout dish, but a satisfying all-round meal. Tell me my standards are too low, but I will continue to recommend this place.
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I'm sure I've posted this elsewhere, but I entirely agree with the comment: "It is the only restaurant in NY that comes close to replicating a Parisian bistro/brasserie (the food is bistro, the decor is brasserie)." Shame the tete de veau, sauce gribiche is no longer on the menu, but that poached, truffled chicken is good stuff. I also know of no other New York restaurant where you find bulots on the raw bar. That's whelks in other words.
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Well, I see it's only me catching up on this thread right now, and it's been genuinely interesting despite the random rudeness. Although Steve is not going to be entered for any diplomacy prizes, I think his take is basically right. Blue Hill is an example of a restaurant where personal attention from the chef will enhance your dining experience; this is not to say - and I think Steve was misinterpreted here - that people ordering from the menu are going to get a poor meal. A restaurant like Blue Hill has to offer a wide choice on the menu, not just dishes the chef likes cooking or which will be especially good on that day. There's no reason to suppose that those dishes won't be prepared with care and attention, but it seems obvious that you are likely to raise the quality of your experience, assuming your tastes are catholic, if the chef puts together the best meal he can. But, as I said, I think Blue Hill is an example of where that can happen. I am not sure that every kitchen, even in good restaurants, is geared to offer that kind of service, except perhaps to a few very special customers. I'd be interested in hearing opinions on that, but perhaps it needs its own thread. On the style of cuisine at Blue Hill, I am in the camp that finds some of the cooking too restrained. But I should clarify - I am not saying that I don't like it when the Blue Hill chefs practice extreme restraint with an ingredient, as when they barely, delicately and gently poach a piece of fish. It can be great. What I contend is that I don't want to eat that way all the time.
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Just in case anyone thinks I don't have an opinion: I tend to think that the meaning of a word and how it is used are pretty closely related, and I see "artisanal" being used fairly loosely. I don't see a strict definition, but I would expect, very broadly, an artisanal product - whether food or not - to be small batch production from an independent producer. There may be exceptions to that, but that's my broad expectation. It follows that artisanal products will often be good products, just because they are being made on a small scale and probably by someone who cares about the end result. But there is no guarantee that they will be good products.
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I love these stories.
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Cassoulet time. Although there are long ways around to prepare this dish, the basics are really very easy, and I put together a good, simple version with very little effort at the weekend. Beans, some chopped onion, a small proportion of diced carrots to add some interest to the texture. Just a little tomato paste to move the color from grey to pinkish. If I was making this for a special occasion, I would use several cuts of pork, but this was just an easy domestic version, so I used some fresh bacon and chunks of saucisse seche (the very hard French salami-style sausage, which softens while cooking and gives the beans a lot of richness). And of course some duck confit already prepared for the winter larder. Simmered on stove top for about an hour (beans pre-soaked and boiled), then finished in a clay pot in the oven. The beans very soft but still holding their shape, and the liquid completely absorbed. Didn't bother with a breadcrumb crust. Really, minimal preparation time for a lot of good food. Do not be intimidated by Mr Cassoulet.
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The question I have raised in the past, which has never been adequately addressed, is how the theory enunciated by Mr P. is impacted by the evident fact that the market loves dross. What he says about La Tante Claire today may or may not be true, but the explanation fails in the absence of any even slightly reliable correlation between marketability and merit.
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Are we spoilt, Bux? One may be able to pick holes in D&D's cheese selection, but by the standards of - well - most Northern American cities let's say, it's really pretty adequate. I too use Chinatown for shellfish and game in particular - great prices, and Kurowycky or First Avenue Meats for kishkes, sausages and pig's feet in jelly. Is Ottomanelli's really significantly better than D&D for meat?
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Wilfrid, Grand Central thread, October 28: "There has been a space in the food hall for some weeks, and I saw today that it's to be filled by Murray's Cheeses. Not enough space to offer the same selection as Greenwich Village, but a welcome addition. Surely." Greetings from the cutting edge.
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My question was prompted by earlier comments on the thread such as: "I have a lot less of a clear understanding of why people downtown would shop at Dean and DeLuca -- I'm assuming there are a lot of tourists in there." (S. Shaw) and "I also don't understand why anyone thinks that D & D has a good reputation? " (S. Plotnicki) I think I do have a pretty good idea what the downtown options are. And I would contend that D&D is better for cheese, charcuterie and bread than the 14th Street GoE. I haven't bought meat and fish from Jefferson Market, so can't make the comparison. I am still trying to work out whether anyone can offer somewhere which is all-round better than D&D below 14th Street. Not hearing any convincing answers yet. Balducci's?
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Of course, my serious question has been lost amidst all the rib-splitting drollery. If anyone's surprised I shop at Dean and Deluca, where should I be shopping downtown. Even on a Saturday. Jefferson Market? Or should I go to a separate supplier for each item on my list. Assume my list includes fresh meat, charcuterie, cheese and bread, for the sake of argument.
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The menu is subject to change as I have yet to do the marketing, but I am considering: Oysters *** Roast capon with redwine and cranberry sauce Cornbread or spoonbread Succotash *** Pumpkin and bourbon pie
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Whoa, he wasn't killed inside the Wakamba Lounge. The incident was on the street. I was drinking in there the previous evening.
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Do I hear a waltz? Someone made a comment that made sense, although whether it was on the site somewhere on in "real life" I can't recall. There really isn't anywhere else in New York - except maybe Union Pacific - doing the kind of cautiously innovative cooking that Blue Hill is doing. i think that's why people find it worthy of remark. (Hmm, I think this might have been on the thread about whether the 4 stars are resting on their laurels).
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Dean and Deluca appears to have a massive staff, very few of whom spend their time serving customers. Kind of annoying that, even at busy times, they can have only one person on a counter.
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It's been a long while since I had a decent banger. Lamb loin chops casseroled slowly in a clay pot witha little olive oil, white wine and some sprigs of fresh rosemary.
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Yo, let's hear it for the messed-up Marxist dipsomaniac genius. From 'Tuppeny Coloured' through to the last gasps of ther Gorse trilogy. And 'Rope' is a pretty good movie too.
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Well, I bailed out too. Instead, I am going to correct the fact that I have never been to Le Gavroche. Before it closes.
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I ate the poached duck on my first visit to Blue Hill, which was the least exciting meal I've had there. I wonder why that has become a signature dish?
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Thanks for the report. I enjoyed Tocqueville on both occasions I've eaten dinner there, but would agree the prices are pitched just a little high for the kind of restaurant it is.
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Toby's post made me blink. I lived in that neighborhood for a couple of years, and found the food shopping very good. What's wrong with the French butcher apart from his prices? Gramercy Fish a couple of doors away may not be the best in the city, but is pretty good by most standards. Lamazou for cheese; First Avenue Wines for wine; a pretty good Garden of Eden at 23rd and 3rd; the French deli attached to Pitchoune a few blocks down for baguettes and pates. As for Dean & Deluca, I use it because it's open all day Sunday. Whgat are the downtown alternatives? Murray's for cheese, but I don't know any good butchers open Sunday. Even on Saturday, should I go to Murray's and Ottomanelli's instead of D&D? I mean, what are my alternatives? I just don't have time to make a special trip to the Upper West Side.