PaulaJK

Twinkling city lights, refined dining accoutrements and professional service provided the background last evening for Chef Mitchell Altholt's ' Tasting Menu'. This is a new event at the Highlawn Pavilion, offered only on Thursday evenings. Clearly it has captured the chef's interest and imagination. In it he proudly displays culinary skills the equal of NYC venues. The menu changes weekly so what I am sharing represents the July 26th offering. -Mise en Bouche was a tasty duck rilette w. pan toasted herb bread crisps. -Tender filets of Rougt atop a confit of baby leeks were accented with spicey red pepper coulis, the plate decorated w. swirls of squid ink -Beneath the lid of white procelain cassarole/pot lay sweet buttery lobster gently covered with lobster emulsion and garnished w. Hen of the Wood mushroom & truffles. Delicious!...but then, it all had been delicious. My spouse & I had just finished saying that we could probably skip the -Summer Truffle Ravioli of root vegetables when they arrived. The pasta itself was gossamer and the filling light and delightful simultaneously. We could taste celeriac, truffles, trumpet mushrooms and purple/Thai basil although there were other ingredients too. We almost snarfed them.... and then wondered where they had vanished to! -North Carolina Squab, rosy, thinly sliced and silky textured followed, its accompaniments consisting of a Nappa cabbage & bacon fondue and a medallion of foie gras. This dish was rich yet light and just perfect for me. -Exploratuer cheese w. Black Mission figs and a dash of balsamic followed by -Cavaillon melon-sauterne soup w. a ball of citron sorbet provided the perfectly balanced ending to this repast. Our wine--a pinot noir-- was recommended by Jan Zimmerman, Highlawn's extremely competent manager & wine maven. We could not have asked for a more perfect evening. Just as I was regretting that Thursday are difficult for us to get away, I overheard a nearby waiter reciting the night's specials to his guests and realized that steak tartare and duckling l'orange would be quite fine on a weekend night! All was not lost. I have long appreciated Mitchell Altholz's cuisine...but this tasting menu experience is special & if you are inclined, do try and visit on a Thursday so that you can partake of it.

We spent Memorial Day 2007 in St Bart's. Here are some updates. --Hotel Christopher & St Barth's Beach Hotel [home of Le Rivage] have both closed as have their restaurants. --The olde La Marine shuttered about 2 yrs ago although a new edition with different owners has re-opened. We did not visit there. It appears to be a bit more of a club w. a set menu and entertainment on Sat night. --Hotel Carl Gustaf has music w. singer in their Sunset Bar Wed-Sat. Very nice. They serve nuts, olives & canapes w. the drinks. Dinner is from a short and typically expensive menu but tasty and service was very nice. --Guanahani's pool & beachside ' Indigo' is a lovely venue for lunch. Sadly, they have replaced the very pretty lavender and aqua tablecloths w. metal gray placemats---The menu is very interesting w. many selections that differ from the routine found elsewhere [e.g. the Asiatique platter w. tempura, sashimi, maki,etc]. The cuisine itself is quite tasty. The service was delivered by a young staff & was adequate but not smooth. In the evenings, the new Bartolemeo was a disappointment. Its remodeling seems to have led to even less of a breeze. The wood slat floor vibrates when servers walk around. The hostess was in jeans. The menu is short & has lost its interest and caribbean accent although the actual quality & preparation is excellent. This used to be my most favorite restaurant and many a wekk I dined there 3x, but no more. --We had just an ok meal at Wall House and it was hotter than Hades. --Le Sapotillier has a gracious hostess & talented chef. I had pigeon which was delicious...as was the chilled cauliflower soup...but the prices, particularly of the red wines...are breath taking. --For lunch on the beach, the rear of the Hotel Le Tom...name excapes me....casual...tables not in the best condition...but excellent grilled red snapper. --In town, breakfast at La Creperie --pizza at La Saladiere, on the edge of the marina, was very good.....also many other casual style offerings. Owner offered his own hibiscus & papaya [instead of vanilla] rum post meal. Very interesting stuff. I suggested he offer a vanilla panna cotta using it as a topping.

Post theatre, we have often dined at Le Madeleine on 43rd. This is a popular restaurant which requires confirmation of booking. I realize that most restaurants suffer some no shows and tend to overbook. However, this has reached absurd proportions at Le Madeleine. Last night we dined there. The bar area was packed w. standees---who spilled onto the nearby tables.....and at most times, there were about 8 patrons waiting in the narrow space between the door & podium. They also spilled onto the seated table breathing space, abutting backs of chairs. The female maitre d' continuously pressed her waiters to hustle people....and before we had a sip of our cocktail, 5 waiters plus maitre d' [total 6] asked us if we were ready to order...all within 5 mintues!! It would have made a farcial scene on Broadway but we found it unpleasant & rude. They did the same w. all of the nearby tables, inspiring table occupants to chat together about it. If you like this environment, then Le Madeleine still has decent cuisine. However, if you wish some semblance of dining-for- your-dollar, best to look elsewhere. We will.

Our party of 4 dined upstairs in early March. We will not return. Although the restaurant was not half full [mid week], cocktail service [glasses of wine yet!] was very slow. We didn't find several of the dishes 'good enough' let alone excellent. A recent NSLedger review rated mc 2 1/2 stars which we thought generous although we did note that we happened to have ordered several of the dishes the review described negatively [e.g. the caesar salad entree]....so perhaps other menu choices would have generated a better opinion.

Ora has been garnering some very good reviews recently...it's nice to hear directly from someone who's been there.

Tkd7...After your visit, please share your opinions with us. I realize that most people are extolling the steaks. On 3 visits there, my lamb chops, ordered rare, arrived well done.They were replaced but you are so out of sink w. your fellow diners. Then the salmon 'medium' ordered by two of us arrived over cooked & dry. On the 3rd try my rare lamb chops arrived medium at best. I find all of this rather disconcerting, especially for a steak house. The quality of the product is good however. The sides are fair tasting, small portions [for one] & expensive. The macaroni & cheese seems to have cinnamon on top. The setting is quite noisy when the restaurant is full.

We live in Union County of New Jersey [northern] ...seeking a source for [butter] frozen puff pastry. Would like to obtain box of approx 20+ large sheets . Do you have a source? To pay shipping costs would be fine.

Sorry BryanZ, I didn't notice the 'club' menu. There was a chef's tasting menu priced at $160 and the regular menu which had small tasting portions listed on its left hand side and entrees on its right. Indeed, the cocktail [beefeater martini...but all martinis were $20 as I recall unless made w. some of the special vodkas which were higher priced] originated in the Four Seasons bar....but the $75 bottle of Fleurie was from the restaurant! I found the entire experieince outrageous. Within the week I had enjoyed the [signature] tasting menu at Jean George, priced at $110 and including a generous spoon of caviar in 'the egg'. So Atelier didn't do it for me on price point but more importantly, on ambiance, service or cuisine. To each...........

We dined here last evening and I find myself tilting towards Skye rather than Sneakeater [whose reports I greatly enjoyed!]. Obviously, I may not have done my homework sufficiently and expected far, far more. We enjoyed a pre dinner cocktail at the elegant but noisey bar. The $20 matini was nicely made & accompanied by excellent mixed nuts, olives & a few crackers. I would not refer to the service as warm. The bar noise wafts into the restaurant which is open in design. The greeting and seating in the restaurant is far cooler and more formal than one would wish...and certainly more formal than the attire of many of the guests. We had chosen to be seated at a table which turned out to be a cramped banquet which required the waiter to totally remove the table [not just half turn it] to permit entry. The service was cool, efficient and correct but neither warm nor elegant. The tables look like a Valhrona wrapper, all black covering w. accents of red in the butter dish and water glass, which unfortunately is without stem and resembles a fruit juice glass. We were asked if we wished mineral or sparkling water; do your think that our choice of non bottled water was what led to the absence of ice in the water??? We had to request refills. Bread was served to the plate once and not offered again despite its being consumed. We enjoyed the langoustine, a solo act for its lofty price...but certainly I've had equal. My husband's blue fin tuna was overwhelmed by the chopped dried tomato atop the slices. I thought the frog legs were rather uninteresting and unremarkable; they reminded me of an hors passed on a tray. I enjoyed the quail but no more than I usually enjoy quail. The potatoes are magnificent but were tepid. My husband enjoyed his hanger steak. A rather new [2005] and unremarkable bottle of Fleurie was wildly overpriced at $75.......I doubt that it cost more than $10. We twice requested that it be poured. Coffee was excellent & accompanied by one macaron, leaving one feeling that generosity of spirit is absent here. .

Made a raspberry batch last week...forgot my timer....ended up w. something reminiscent of charleston chews.........but hot water did the trick for the bowl.

How would you feel about this; what would you do? On my home answering machine [Tuesday] I rec'd a message from "Jeffrey" [presumably of Ora] stating that he learned that I had had a less than satisfactory last Sat at Ora and would I return his call to discuss it. I had a lot of conflict...mainly because I like to be "fair" and because I could empathize w. a chef. But I minded that he had called me at home; I found it intrusive . And I thought that I had given a complete report of my experience [not just a 1 line summary that invited elaboration] and did not wish to discuss it further....and I did not wish to return to Ora, even if offered a comp....so I finally decided not to return his call.

Oh,Curlz..wish I had overheard them! Yes, in addition & considering the above, we also found them overpriced.... but that seemed like the least of their problems. FYI...did try researching 'Ora"...never thought of adding the town! Anyway, I had read anearlier good review plus thought I recalled a very nice review from the NStarLedger....so, off I went. Other must have heard or read something also as the room was crowded on a Sat evening.

Yes, Morristown.

I'd be greatly interested to learn of your experience at Les Crayeres.....so please write when you return. Until then, have a wonderful trip.

We also met Rosie during Prodigy days...and followed her here to egullet. She is, as Tommy implied, the mother of this board/forum. Hopefully she will continue to be an active poster.

The Highlawn Pavilion was caterpulted from the mundane to the exciting following the advent of Exec Chef Mitchell Altholtz. Do consider this a fine dining venue, not simply a destination for its view, which can be spectacular. We have had both fine and poor experiences at Stage Left.

Word of mouth & NSLedger reviews influenced the 4 of us to approach our dinner at Ora w. much enthusiasm. We were very disappointed. The room is stark, perhaps some would say New Yorkish. It's not the style that was the problem but w. hardwood floors and a lack of any noise absorbing fabrics or decor, the noise level inter- ferred w. conversing. We had a table for 4, too small for the table settings. The busboy struggled to place the small basket of country style sliced bread; it was accompanied by 2 slivers of butter [for 4]. Clunky water glasses were filled once only. Although we opened both a red & white wine, no queries followed about needing other or additional wine glasses. They wouldn't have fit on the table anyway! Even the first glass of wine was not poured. The menu has about 8 offerings in @ dept of apps, pastas and entrees. We chose 4 different apps and 3 different entrees. The octopus app was so-o-o small...barely little finger size. The salmon tartare was disliked. The duck confit & pasta w. boar sauce were uninteresting but edible. Two of us had ordered the scallops. 3 specimens arrived on the plate atop tiny pieces of veggies, no starch. I like my scallops just turned; these were just about raw. We returned them, requesting a bit more cooking and they were returned to us still in a pre turned state. My friend declined to eat them...and the waiter never inquired about her still full plate. Only the pasta w. rock shrimp dish was rated adequate. We four dine out a lot locally and agreed that this was the most disappointing meal that we had ever shared. We didn't linger for dessert or coffee...but considered stopping for a slice of pizza on our way home.

Within the past 6 months or so, someone wrote a fabulous post describing tricks to making chocolate beignets/fritters. I've tried 'the search' but can't locate it....it's probably buried in another topic. Would anyone remember the specific reference or the technique,...I think it may have involved freezing choc. ganache...but was the fritter batter plain or made w. yeast? I've had trouble getting my plain batter to stick to the chocolate. Thanks

Curlz...I don't know anything about the original posters... and I have no connection whatsoever w. Copeland. Several of my friends, including Rosie, had visited the restaurant early on and had been very pleased w. it. My earlier visits were quite pleasant, although perhaps not as enthralling as the Newark Star Ledger's review would lead one to anticipate. Frankly, whatever the genesis, Copeland appears to have gone markedly downhill after a quite promising start. I hope that they get back on track. Our area could use this venue. Incidentally, I don't expect/require a GM to post here......but I don't think it's because they are so busy..au contraire!

On the less starry nights we enjoyed: 1. Les Ormes....The former Le Bellecour was a personal favorite and we were eager to experience this restaurant under its new ownership. The room appear quite the same [warm shades of maize] but without the enormous floral arrangement that used to sit mid room. It was a cold night in Paris. We were seated at a front [street side] banquette where the draft was absolutely freezing my legs. The wall next to me was icy cold; they need to remedy this. We asked to change to a warmer table. In a blink Madame brought a space heater and plugged it in, aiming at my legs. They eventually thawed and we went on to enjoy the evening. Madame and her assistant are warm and considerate .I thought that the menu was more limited than I recall but perhaps someone will recall better than I. There were 4 starters [terrine of sanglier en brioche, a soup, a salad and langoustines w. black trumpet mushrooms. We both chose the latter and enjoyed the dish. There were 3 fish offered [sole, morue & scallops] and 4 meats [lievre a la royale, pied de cochon, a combination of ris & rognons & jarret de veau]. Again, no veal, lamb, chicken or beef. We chose the jarret, a signature dish. It was a generous portion, excellent tasting and accompanied by ethereal gnocchi. Desserts were creme brulee, cheese w autumn fruits and a warm chocolate cake. 2.Dominique Bouchet....We really enjoyed this evening. The room is long, warmly decorated in tones of beige w. sand colored stone & bricks on one wall. Unfortunately, they don't absorb noise and it's a bit too loud here. There were many coloorful, carefree floral arrangements wherever you looked as well as 1 phalenopsis orchid on each table & a vigil light. What I am trying to say, I think, is that some attention & love has been invested in the decor. The waiters---young, efficient and a bit harried [full house] are uniformed in sage green shirts embrodiered w. DB. There are many interesting china plates, some w. DB and others of interesting shapes. For example, the soup bowl was a large white china plate w. a sunken center portion....since we can't eat china, I am happy to report that it contained a delicious cream of marron soup, with a floating slice of black truffle. Two scallops, each a sandwich due to a blk truffle slice within, were perfectly cooked; they sat atop a puddle of herbed oil. Next came sauteed foie gras accompanied by figs whose roasting lent them an interesting taste. The fillet of St Pierre was served w. artichoke hearts and chopped tomatoes..very tasty. Onto the dark and swarthy 7 hour lamb whose sauce was way too salty. Dessert was small and utterly delicious. I would describe it as a small individual pain d'espice tart shell filled w. slightly crisp cubed apples, topped w. a smal size disk of creme brulee, homemade vanilla ice cream on the side. As the evening wore on, DB made the rounds, greeting many friends and shaking hands w. unknowns such as ourselves. When available, he said goodbye to guests as they departed. This was a very pleasant evening. If you find yourself near the St Germain des Pres market on a Sunday and wish only simple bistro food, we enjoyed Le Temps Perdue on rue de Seine. Their onion soup was excelllent and the other items, more than good enough. Extensive menu of foods we knew as 'french' 20 years ago! ...and which I now think of as 'comfort foods'. Madame is very gracious to all. So,in summary, I would put Dominique Bouchet in the Bristol room, substitue Les Ormes' jarret de veau for his 7 hour lamb and have the 'madames' from Les Ormes and Le Temp Perdu run the diningrooms.

Summit, NJ is THE place for you! We have a busy business district in this high end town. Our rather olde fashioned bakery closed this past year. Smaller bakeries in adjacent towns have closed over the past few years. This leaves a wide geographic circle of bereft, pastry-less folks...also without the more mundane items such as danish.....the cupcakes & cookies kids in the strollers [and oldsters also] enjoyed and a place to place special orders for occassion cakes,etc.

The Copeland [Morristwon] earned many kudos in its early months...and indeed, our first visits there were very pleasant. But they are at risk of rapidly going down hill if our visit last evening was an example of management & service. We planned to sit at the bar and graze while chatting, so we were happy to see 'finished' diners leaving their chairs. 1.The bar/waiters removed their dirty dishes but never changed or wiped the placemat and ultimately,we had to request that they wipe the counter which was quite dirty w. breadcrumbs & food stuff. 2.They served our drinks without cocktail napkins, which had to be requested 3.They never presented the dinner menu as was our experience on previous occassions. The bar menus we saw are rather soiled and need to be replaced. 3.We ordered seafood apps from the raw bar. Mine was served.......my friend's shrimp order sat for quite a while at the end of the counter until my friend asked if it was hers. It was. Food was served but napkins & silverware had to be requested. The shrimp were nicely cooked jumbo specimens but had a strong iodine flavor. Although a plain shrimp cocktail had been ordered, this order appeared w. a glass of shrimp salad/mush that is part of the shrimp 2 ways...so not a correct order. 4.Staff was totally inattentive to everyone...and tended to cluster at the service end of the bar and chat. They had to be called for every request. 5.There was a LONG wait for a 2nd glass of [house] wine because they 'ran out' and had to go & get it. Of course, they never came over to explain this until once again, we caught their attention. 6.The wine storeage is ridiculous....it is stored library style at one end of the bar...and the shelves reach high. When a bottle of wine is needed, one staffer uses a stool to climb onto the counter and then reach up quite a bit. His peers stand at his feet, to catch the falling body if need be. Why not use a library ladder?

Stopping in the woods on a snowy evening........ Paris was sparkling from its dusting of snow but soon we left the city lights behind and were embraced by the deep and dark Bois de Boulogne. The sighting of the theatrically lighted Le Pre Catalan, standing alone in this darkness had an almost magical feel. Warm greetings extended from doorman to maitre d'. If I ever inherited a [former] hunting lodge, I would want it decorated like the magnificant diningroom here........wood burning fireplace & mantle, elegant floral arrangements, art work and one side mostly structured w. windows [must be beautiful in spring & summer]. I was surprised at the # of children in this room, ranging from toddler in arms through teens with at least 4 under 8 y.o. Happily, the little ones soon fell asleep and the others were a compliment to their parents influences. In no way did they present any disturbance. I was also surprised at the casual attire with one man in dungarees, another in a crewneck sweater sans shirt,etc. No doubt they were designer jeans as this restaurant is pricey. Service personnel were numerous and quietly bustling here & there. I came away from this trip with some doubts about the desirability of balletic removal of silver cloches! As this was our first visit here, we decided on the menu degustation ..which was extensive. Our coupes of champagne were accompanied by 3 types of glaceed nuts, untried by us. The amuse was creme legere de cepes, a seasonal item which reappeared during this trip from bistros to etoiles. I very much enjoyed the first couse[ l"Estrille, I think] which was a warm small bowl of frothed crab soup. This course had a dramatic presentation both because the accompanying teaspoon contained cream & caviar and because the 2nd component of this course was a rectangular black tile carrying a small crab shell, stuffed w. chilled crab salad & jellied. We were instructed to eat the warm first, then the cold. I would have appreciated my soup to be warmer than 'tepid' but really enjoyed this course. Next was a large plate w. 5 very thin slices of warm betterave.. each slice covered w. an equally thin piece of cheese which was slightly melted. A slice of winter truffle was tucked in between. Perfectly turned scallops [2] accompanied by a poured frothy sauce [i am convinced that the cloches and pours are causing the chaotic service!] .....tasty but not special. langoustine ravioli, sweet in their paper thin dough and sweetly simple filling...w..poured frothy sauce turbot fillet wrapped in lettuce...cooked perfectly...frothy mussel broth poured on it upon serving..quite delicious This course confused me. Two finger size strips of lovely, rare pigeon were presented ...but a pigeon broth was poured on top of them....why bother to roast something. If I had seen this broth coming, I would have shouted non. The cheese chariot was excellent. The first dessert was a small, warm baked apple w. creme fraiche, accompanied by apple sorbet. The second dessert was an absolutely delicious warm chocolate tart.... not particularly original but again, delicious. All evening I had seen a wonderful chariot of after dinner candies being rolled by.......but since THEY select a plate of them & serve you this, why bother w. the chariot? A far more pleasant evening than le Bristol. No one could possibly leave hungry! It was a very fine dinner, nicely served.........but I don't think that the cuisine is exciting or stunning. Incidentally, when we were considering ordering a la carte, once again for this trip we noted a small [4] offering of meat main courses..... pigeon, pheasant, lievre royale and kidneys/sweetbreads. I know it's game season and I enjoy much of it but whether in bistro or etoile, we mostly found an absence of beef, veal, chicken and lamb entrees-- to a degree we've never noted before. at

I'm not certain if you were implying that we had cultural differences............We had a cocktail at the bar........It was the very pleasant barman who suggested transferring it to the diningroom. We ordered bottled water & a bottle of wine........& the menu degustation. We didn't grouse, complain or make negative comments and always say please or thank you....in passable french.

I am aware of the very positive reviews on this board.....and many of the fabulous photos....In fact, they inspired us to choose le Bristo for this special occassionl!! We were there on a Sunday evening and while this is not an excuse at this level, perhaps it contributed to the shakey service. Or perhaps everything got off track after the the drinks-from-the-bar confusion [clearly, a simple mistake]. I still find our particular sommelier's service to be substandard. Anyway, I think I will conclude that Frechon's cuisine may not be for us but will continue to enjoy other people's reports & photos. Out of curiosity...did anyone else have this signature first course? It must be well rec'd to have become so designated. A floating pine branch???