sickchangeup

This was the article I was referring to: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/lower-wine-prices-and-a-new-chef-for-cru/ "Cru is lowering prices on its famous wine list by 30 percent across the board, said Robert Bohr, a partner in the restaurant. "

I haven't, but I'd be very curious to hear what happened with that whole 30% wine price reduction rumor.

haha - agreed on both counts! That's a pretty solid VIP dish, FG got hooked up with it during his visit that he documented earlier. It's a true old school classic. And I've dined many times with Christopher, he's great. On the bread thing, the reason other tables got it after their first course, and you only got it after you asked for it, is that they hold off on bringing the bread until you reach the salad/foie part of the menu - until you are done with the so called canapes. On the regular 9 course menu, salad/foie is the 2nd dish. On your VIP menu, it was the 9th from the looks of it, so if left to their own devices you would have got it then I'm guessing. FG made mention of this on his own report: It is a shame you missed out on the Animal Farm butter, Per Se serves it just the same as French Laundry, I just don't think the farm is large enough to ensure that neither restaurant ever runs out. It's also a shame you missed out of the beauty of the French Laundry on a sunny day, the biggest advantage TFL has over Per Se (in my eyes) is the ability to take a mid-lunch stroll through the garden. The smoked sturgeon canape looks amazing, as does the heart wrapped John Dory. I know they did a "Heart and Sole" dish on one of the offal menus that combined Dover Sole & Heart, not sure if this was similar to that. I really like your menu, they incorporated offal in very well - I still recall the lambs tongue from a dish I had last month, it was delicious!

He works downstairs now at Bouchon Bakery, heading up their pastry program. Elwyin Boyles is the current Head Pastry Chef, his profile is on the Per Se website.

I'd check with them for the definitive answers (mine are just from cumulative experience), but: Once you have a reservation, call them back and tell them you would like to do an extended menu with your visit, with more courses than the 9 usually offered. This might go a number of different ways - but most often someone will contact you back closer to the reservation to see exactly what you're after and tell you the price depending on what they get that time of year. Or they could just acknowledge your request and re-confirm once you are seated. White truffles should be done by then, but black truffles might be around. $450 is the starting point, I paid $500 at TFL for example - varies based on what ingredients they bring in that day. The offal menu "officially" ends December 30th as far as I know, but more often than not they have some form of offal kicking around in the back if you ask for it when talking with them. Have fun!

My only experience with these "head to head" is at Per Se, where they serve both at the end of a meal sometimes. The pot de creme has a firm white yogurty/heavy creamy & tangy top layer, under which is some form of fruit layer - guava for example. It's 2 complete and distinct layers, neither more than a half an inch thick in this mini-dessert format. When you spoon in, you grab a bit of both. From above it just looks white. The creme brulle is what most of us know it as - a rich yellow cream, flecked with vanilla, with a torched crunchy sugar topping. The two are night and day based on what I've had.

I see, thanks. Of course I eat Italian food literally maybe twice a year (Morandi breakfast with laptop in hand excepted - soft boiled eggs, bacon etc... are hardly Italian), so perhaps someone with more familiarity than me (i.e. a waiter/bartender at an Italian restaurant) should probably know more :-)

You have cocktails for breakfast? Whoops - count me as someone that wouldn't know what to get you in that case - Americano to me is espresso & water :-)

I've ordered a few hundred Americano's for breakfast at Morandi and not once did they not know what it was, despite 10's of different servers over the years. That said, I do agree - it has happened to me a few times in NY where (unexpectedly) the servers had no clue what I was asking for (most recently Bar Americain comes to mind).

It was beautifully tempura'ed. I was surprised to find it was quite mild in flavor, have you had cod milt before? Having had no frame of reference I was preparing myself for something incredibly strong tasting. The tiny amounts of fresh shaved (scraped?) bonito to finish was a nice touch. Word has it they will be doing this through the end of the year, with the menu changing every two weeks or so.

Offal menu is back! http://www.tkrg.org/upload/ps_menu.pdf OFFAL TASTING MENU November 16, 2009 ___________________________________________________________ "TORCHON DE FOIE DE LOTTE" Granny Smith Apple Gelée, Pickled Daikon Radish and Sorrel with Sterling White Sturgeon Caviar OXTAIL AND BEEF TENDON TERRINE Burgundy Truffles, Young Beets and Watercress with Preserved Horseradish-Crème Fraîche "SHIRAKO TEMPURA" Matsutake Mushrooms, English Cucumbers, Compressed Asian Pear and Tatsoi with Bonito "SURF AND TURF" Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster Mitts "Cervelle de Veau," New Crop Potatoes, Young Onions and Frisée with Béarnaise "Mousseline" FOUR STORY HILL FARM'S "PORCHETTA" Rapini, Sweet Peppers, Pine Nuts and Sultana "Mostarda" with "Jus de Porc à l'Oreille" SLOW ROASTED ELYSIAN FIELDS FARM'S LAMB NECK "Langue et Ris d’Agneau," Toasted Farro Tabouleh, Charred Eggplant Purée and Cumin-Scented Yogurt with Lamb Sauce "FIORE SARDO" Salumeria Biellese "Guanciale," Sunchokes, Rainbow Swiss Chard Ribs and Arugula with "Balsamico al Ginepro" HUDSON VALLEY MOULARD DUCK FOIE GRAS "SHERBET" French Prune "Pudding" and Sugar Pie Pumpkin with Pumpkin Seed Oil MINCEMEAT PIE Laurel Ice Cream "MIGNARDISES" PRIX FIXE 275.00 SERVICE INCLUDED

But Benno's the boss :-)

I've actually run into Chef Keller more often (at Per Se) that I would have expected, probably 4 or 5 times this year. He is a very gracious host, and apart from a few visits out to the dining room to greet folks here and there, he seems to mostly hover around the pass in Chef whites. I've enjoyed my chats with him just as much as I enjoy chatting with all the folks there, so many people work there that sometimes you see certain people, sometimes you don't. I guess I just don't understand how any one person not being there would affect my enjoyment of what is consistently a world class meal, but everyone has their own peeves :-) With regards to just the food, I'll add to what's been said already - it's consistently sensational regardless of the presence or absence of anyone in particular in the kitchen, and as a diner I really find this to be ideal. I'll also third the shout out to Chef Breeden, we tend to sit with the AM crew far more often than not, tend to eat off menu, and have had a number of truly truly memorable dishes under his guidance. I know there are people that don't love the style of the food here, but for someone like me that really loves the food, it's almost silly to think that things could improve further under the next generation of chefs - and yet I'm pretty confident that it will do just that. Chef Kaimeh seems to be a true artist in the most visual sense of the word, and I look forward to eating there just as regularly in 2010.

Ummm, you can't get the fried chicken at Ko. Different restaurant. "Their" in this case applying to the Momo Empire referenced a bit later. Sloppy writing...

I'm with you Taion. I first thought this after leaving the 10 course $75 at Degustation when (at the time) I compared it to the old $100 Ko price point. At $125, to leave still hungry enough to eat a dessert, with no appreciable change in the types of ingredients used, and with no form of expense being invested into the dining "room"... Well, I don't get it. Well, I do get it - supply & demand. But I don't see the value being there as it used to be. As for comparables, I find it absurd to compare the EMP Gourmand and Per Se 9 course to Ko, you are ignoring some seriously massive elephants in the room (decor, service & environment at very least - all of which I'd rate as "poor" at Ko). I would go with Degustation as a primary comparable (with far far far better service), also Aldea Chef's Counter - for both you now have an extra $50 to supplement your meal at will, which for Aldea, can easily bring you from 5 to 9 courses for example. Which is not to knock the food. Ko's food is still delicious, as are their $50 fried chickens. I'm just agreeing that the exceptional value once present (a key part of the Momo empires proposition) is, in retrospect, fading.

I'm frankly shocked to hear that wasn't always the case. If you go pick them, you get the "experience" & the apples!

"One Michelin star means a very good restaurant in its category."

And the extreme awkwardness of the NY Michelin Twitter feed continues: "Tomorrow morning the star fairy, Jean-Luc Naret, will be calling restos with a new star. Please answer the phone, we ate & fought 4 U." We fought for you??? With WHOM?? You are Michelin for Christ sake, can you imagine the France group pleading with French restaurants to pick up the phone when they call cause "they fought for them"? Someone in France has to shut this down soon no?

Casa Mono should also be marked as (new) above

Article here Daniel gets a 3rd star, Alto gets a 2nd. EMP gets 1 star. Adour and Del Posto each lose a star (and depending on how you look at it, so does Bouley). Gilt and Gordon Ramsay hold onto their 2 stars. Don't even want to try and make sense of the 1 star list...

New menu is out: here

The exact quote: "Shhhhh…..New York City has a new three star chef….find out Monday when the 2010 stars are announced."

I just got a spam email from the Oak Room here in NY (from "Laura Altman" - see below). I won't repost it here, thereby spamming all of you in the process too, but that's the first time I've been spammed by a NY restaurant. I have never eaten there, nor do I intend to - are they affiliated with some restaurant group or did they just buy or rent a list from some broker in desperate times? I have no idea how they would have gotten my email address. Even worse, they are breaking one of the few laws that apply to email, and that is the CAN-SPAM law, which prohibits bulk commercial email from being sent out without the full company name, full postal mailing address and an option to unsubscribe being included in the mailing. Anyone else ever get spammed by this or other establishments? This is the person I got the email from: "Call Laura Altman at 646-251-7829 or email laura@oakroomny.com"

Come again?? Sounds interesting - 5 courses?

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if achieving a 3rd Michelin star didn't factor very heavily into both the execution of, and timing of, Chef Boulud's considerations in going ahead with a renovation at Daniel. How could it not? Bruni was enamored by it, could work the same magic with the Michelin inspectors. Right, because new upholstery is exactly what the folks at Michelin should be focusing on. I take it you are the #1 fan of their NY Twitter feed too? Huh? Michelin, while potentially focusing on furniture (If Daniel nets it's 3rd star), has also taken to having an incredibly awkard twitter feed for two US regions: NY & SF. They are spreading their wings it seems: http://twitter.com/MichelinGuideNY