TarteTatin

While looking for places to go to in Paris in three weeks, I came across a few threads for this restaurant. Anyone been in the past few years? The last posts talked about new owners a few years ago. Merci.

I'll never forget my first three star meal experience, at La Tour D'argent, about 20 (?) years ago. Beautiful, romantic, table by the window, the lights of Notre Dame**....an ancient Captain (the oldest in the world?), that squeaked as he bent over vertabrae by vertabrae, "Voulez vous un ap-er-it-tif, ma-dame, et mon-sieur?" (It took him 4 syllables to say aperitif, two for madame, very charming). Claude Terrail looking dashing overlooking his terroir. The old, single, proper, coiffed lady at the next table with her dog...Numbered Duck, of course...lots of food. Apertifs to Digestif. Then they took us upstairs to the Garden Rooftop, and made an excuse that they were called downstairs, and they'll be right back! Well, there was a (not in use) hot-tub, and a gorgeous garden overlooking Paris! Oh, my! We kissed and it was so very romantic! They came back and got us after a long while, and then took us down to the wine cellar.... Claude Terrail (just before the Germans came in with WWII), walled up the wine, so the German's wouldn't see it. They took the wall down much later after the war, and have (had) some of the only 1940's wine left...The Cellar rat took us of a tour of the cellars, outrageous, very civilized. (This special treatment might have been because hubby was a Maitre'd at the time, and presented his card) Anyway, after, as a surprise, not knowing where we were going, hubby took me to the Crazy Horse. I had never been to a show like that, didn't know about this type of thing at all, hubby wouldn't say a word about the type of show we were seeing... It was great! Bottle of Veuve Cliquot, at a booth, fantastic show. That, was the most romantic evening I've ever had in Paris! **The story is, Claude Terrail payed for the lights to be on at Notre Dame during WWII, for his customers - the electricity was supposed to be off...

Every time we go they have less and less d'Artagnan products. We love the Magret, today they had none. Last time there was one almost outdated. We have tried to go every few weeks, thinking we're missing something. But today's visit will probably be one of our last. Like I said, we've got Reading Terminal, Superfresh on Delaware Ave for d'Artagnan, and Essene for health food items, as well as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. It would have been nice to find it all in one place, but we prefer to go to the individual places for what we need, and they are closer, to boot. They don't have recycled trash bags or paper towels. Not in the "regular" store, nor in the "organic" section. In addition, we'd rather support the smaller guys, Reading Terminal and Essene.

You make good points, H. Dubois and Dosconz...our friends were associated with the review and didn't want to be, since they are acquaintances with the owner (only because they eat there occasionally). No, I did not identify them in the review. I think what must have happened, is that the owner read the review, and they must have deduced which table had those specific problems, and went back to their reservation book and called from that. Meanwhile, our friends receive this phone call out of the blue, offering them a free dinner, and it's out of left field. Also, I think our review was not at all scathing. Just stating the facts of some things that happened during the evening, and I noted quite a few times that we like this restaurant, and they must have been having an off night. Needless to say, our friends only saw it as a complete bad review, and when they explained how upset they were to us, I asked them if they saw how I complimented numerous things...but they didn't read those parts, or something. I wish I could show them this thread. But then they'd be even more upset that I was sharing on a public forum with others!

We recently wrote about a good restaurant that had an off night. The owner read the review and contacted our friends who had made the reservation. He offered apologies and a free dinner. Our friends then read what we had written on eGullet and were upset about what we wrote. Our friends think because of the nature of the internet, a negative review could seriously damage a previously well reviewed restaurant. Despite disclaimers within our review that previous experiences had been good, and that perhaps the restaurant was having an off night, they didn't think that posting on eGullet or an emailed/internet review was the answer. They thought we should have contacted the owner directly. We tried to explain to them that eGullet is a discussion board, and that the people who post here understand the nature of bad and GOOD reviews, and that not everyone has the same experience at a restaurant. We also tried to explain that a bad review within a thread does not necessarily mean that the restaurant should be avoided, and that most people who read and post on eGullet do indeed read the entire thread before drawing conclusions about any particular restaurant. Their point of of view, not really knowing much about eGullet, was that this thread with a negative review "would be there forever" and could irreparably damage the restaurant. eGullet's motto is "eat, chew, discuss". We're not sure why our friends are upset with us (we presented the facts as they were). Do they not understand eGullet, having not been on it much before? Are we wrong in our assumption that we should relate our experiences? The week after, we wrote a glowing review about someplace else, where we had a super time. So we all write positive and negative reviews... Isn't that what eGullet is all about?

And mushier.

Quince Tarte Tatin rocks! Hubby Tarte Tatin is the cook in our house, he's made it a few times as an option to his famous regular one... I think the Quinces don't carmelize as well as Apples, and are somewhat juicier than the apple version. (He doesn't use the recipe you show, however)

As you might know, Egullet members along with DDC members, had a super couple of nights of dinner at Mandoline in May. Memories of that are on a different thread... Last night, four of us dined at Mandoline. It was exceptional! Very creative, the food was super, the service was super, all in all, a perfect night. Chef remembered us from our previous visits, and served this -Incroyable- amuse. It was little rounds (actually, not so little) of perfectly cooked filet, with a Madeira reduction, topped, I think, with tomatoes, balsamic, olive oil? The meat had taste, and was also tender. Two of us started with the Lobster Truffle Macaroni and Cheese-with sharp cheddar and grilled brioche. ($10) Tasty. I always want more truffles, of course, and more chunks of lobster, but that's not to say there wasn't a sufficient amount of both; it's just that those are two things that I want pounds of. (grin) Others had the Seared Jumbo Lumb Crabcake with a microgreen salad in a chipolte vinaigrette ($11), and Fried Calamari-with hot peppers and a lemon and garlic aioli ($8). The Calamari was a full plate, could have been an entree. It wasn't fried fried, just lightly and not at all greasy or fatty. Not being a cook, I don't know how they achieve this not fried at all state, when it's called fried... The aioli was simply divine. I had the Sauteed Barramundi-with Lobster Ravioli in a truffle sweet corn broth ($24). This was a huge piece of Australian fish, and he served it with the skin sort of seared/fried? Again, I don't know what I'm talking about, but it was the most delectable piece of fish; tasty, tender, perfectly cooked. I ate the skin too. It came atop two, homemade Ravioli's. Delicious. The other three all ordered the Hoisin Glazed Duck Breast-with baby bok choy and raspberry scented jus ($21). I tasted it, and, again, it was tender, but also had TASTE, which I like my meat to have! Not just from the sauce, but the taste of the Duck was there, and the sauce complemented that. Desserts, we had two Capogiro samplers, delicious Olive Oil, that spicy Mexican Chocolate, and a Basil. We also had S'mores. Graham cracker crust, ice cream, chocolate, marshmallow. GREAT. The total was $175 with Double Espressos, without tip, for the four of us. (We brought our own wines, of course) The service was delightful. We've had this waitress many times, she has a sense of humor, is talkative when you want her to be, but understands that we don't want to be best friends. She's professional, but also funny, and smiles. Real ones! That's something that's lost a lot lately in restaurants, I think. We're all there to enjoy, the customers: our food and experience. The staff in some restaurants lately, seem to not enjoy their job. Our waitress last night seemed to really enjoy her job. Okay, I'm here, I'm working, but it's okay. We complimented Chef Todd. The food is creative and done well...Some of you will want to know that his 3 month old is doing well! The restaurant is closed for lunches now, and accepts cash only. I believe he's also running a Mon-Thurs special for $30 for three courses-correct me if I'm wrong. We went to an early movie, then stopped at Amada's bar for a cocktail. Mandoline's hostess called us when our table was ready. It truly was a perfect evening.

Good news, all! I didn't have the chance to contact Ross yet; but he must have heard about this post. The other couple that we were with (and whose name the reservation was under), received a phone call today from a very nice man, who I assume was Ross. He must have figured out where we were sitting, and called. Our friend said he was extraordinarily nice, apologizing, talking about wine, etc...We will be going back soon.. He said the man couldn't have been nicer, and talked with him for awhile. We still love Django, and it's obvious that they care very much about the opinions of their customers and want everyone to have a positive experience. I think that was the gist of the conversation.

Saw lima beans everywhere on Saturday morning. Lots of expensive shucked ones...chose Halteman's lima's. Halteman's has some fresh local produce that a lot of us miss often; at least I do... And, at more inexpensive prices than the other produce places that have local stuff.

Thanks for both of your comments....Jeff, as far as the overtipping: It's one of those things that we were with another couple celebrating their birthday, then we drank a lot of wine and thirdly, hubby paid the tip. He does that overzealously, having been in the biz himself for so many years. Had it been me... V.-I do think you are right, it was very thick plastic casing, so probably bought in...and I do agree, we should have insisted on opening our own wine. No excuse for us not doing that, especially as Sam was a Sommelier for years, and I a wine steward. It's just sort of that feeling that we are wanting good service, and that includes wine service. Especially at a place that has earned the reputation that Django has. I really prefer the "prose" of Standard Tap, where they say, "Boar", or "Mussels and Sausage". If you want to know what's in it besides, the staff will tell you. The other night there, we had "White Peach Ice Cream" and were surprised to deduce that it had Cardomon in it. That's fun too, deconstructing the flavors... It's all a learning experience!

There's probably 5 search titles under "Django", not sure which one I should post under... Anyway. Oh, my. Last night at Django. Party of four. Sloppy, is the word that comes to mind. Both the service and the food. It's still a good place, and I will go back, and it wasn't awful. It's just that my expectations of what we've had there before made it difficult to accept the many problems... It all started off with the Champagne. We'd brought this really good bottle that we hand carried back from Reims, Champagne last year. Not only did the waitress grab it off the table (when I was in the business, I handled good bottles with a bit of...care...I think that's the word). But she proceeded to fling open the cork and lots of it spilled onto the floor and chair. She put the bottle down on the table, and took out her rag and wiped the floor and chair. Nary a smile, or an apology, or anything. She then poured it, rather rushed, and proceeded to dribble lots of drops from each glass and over pouring it so that the foam started rushing out of our glasses. Again, just a rushed response, looking over her shoulder as to what else she needed to do. The service was like that the whole night...Champagne glasses remained on the table until we were done with our next bottle of wine and we had to ask for them to be removed, along with the wine bucket from the second bottle of wine....plates were not cleared for about 20 minutes after each course...We still tipped her over 20%, and I kick myself for doing so. At the beginning, the amuse got spilled. I think that was my hubby's fault, for flinging his hands about in such the tight table space. It was a cold Watermelon and cucumber soup shot. It tasted like Watermelon juice. (The Watermelon and Habanero soup at Tap last week was much more flavorful and interesting). Now, one of the biggest food issues. I ordered the "Torchon of Foie Gras with Pickled Peaches, Vanilla Hazelnut vinaigrette, Brioche toasts" appetizer. (Probably because Chicago is on my mind!). Two small round discs of cold foie gras pate arrived...with the plastic outer wrapping still on it!!! Yes, you read that right. They buy in this torchon pate, which comes with this sausage like plastic around it, and they forgot to take this outer wrapping off of my foie gras! It was clear plastic, so when I tried to cut into it, it wouldn't cut, and I proceeded to peel it off....Then, they forgot the toasts that were supposed to come with it. I asked the waitress for the toasts. She looked at me funny. I said that the menu said there were supposed to be toasts with it. About five minutes later these really weird round sort of toasts came out of the kitchen, like they didn't really know what to serve as toasts and just made this up with a piece of bread last minute for me. The foie Gras was tasteless. It came with a side of peach compote, (didn't taste pickled)which was good, but with the foie gras it hid even more of the no taste of the foie gras (if that makes sense). No vinaigrette anywhere... There was also a side of fried little onion bits, that had been fried a few hours ago and were soggy. When the waitress cleared my plate, I called her over and showed her the large round piece of plastic that was the only thing left on my plate. Nary a word or apology... Others had veal sweetbreads for an app, and this lovely beef tartare with fried oyster app. Both liked theirs, although there was a big inconsistency in the two that ordered the former, as one came with lots of plump oysters, and one had a tiny amount... Now my dinner problem! I order the "Grecian Lamb tasting". Great idea, lamb three ways. Asked how it was served, she said medium rare, I said great. When it came, mine was the only plate she said was super hot, and to be careful not to touch it. Okay. It was beautiful. A Lamb chop over a greek salad, three little meatballs in the middle, and a side round dish of moussaka. I cut into the Lamb chop and it was Medium Well. Just a touch of pink. Well, from years of working in the biz, I know what that means. It's also why my plate was hot. My dish was done way before everyone else's, and was sitting under the lights, and, cooking some more. I didn't turn it back...there were four of us and everyone was talking, and...I had already complained once...The lamb meatballs were cute and dense and okay. The Moussakka was delicious. Lamb strips and a great topping. Clearly a winner. Others had: "Skate and Eggs", despite the title, topped with a single fried egg, which he really liked. Duck breast looked good, which was also supposed to have Foie Gras in it, but he said he didn't taste any...someone else had the veal sweetbread app....Desserts were a Cheese Plate, which everyone always raves about, but a fingernail (literally) full of 5 cheeses doesn't allow you to really taste any of them. Especially for $13... And a lot of condiments and crackers...also a Chocolate Almond Terrine which was good. So. Django is still creative. Look at those titles! Skate and eggs. Grecian Lamb three ways. Etc. But for $26, I want my Lamb chop to be cooked medium rare! Also, re-reading the menu this morning, the descriptions sound so inviting. Listen to this: "Red-Thai Curry Spiced Angus Beef Tartare, Sesame Crusted Oysters, Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette, Lemongrass Aoli". However, although very good, none of those flavors were distinguishable! Hubby said he didn't taste any Lemongrass Aoli, or Coconut Lime Vinaigrette, or Sesame on the Oysters, etc. It was all very good! The titles are so busy, but really, it was simply good tartare with good fried oysters... When the waitress brought the check, she said she had taken off the bill my Foie Gras appetizer. That's really nice. The kitchen and the service were really off last night. Which does happen! Django is creative. I'd be interested to hear about the next time someone eats there... Added note: Hubby says its possible they could have made their own Torchon of Foie Gras, (instead of buying it in), but they would still need to remove the plastic it was made in!

Hubby used to frequent the Seashell when he lived there. He's brought me there quite a few times over the past 15 or so years, and we really like it! We usually get take out, and have a pint or so across the street first.

We adore her. Have all her books. Sometimes, we have reading food parties. (I think I'll start a post about that) My favorite story of hers to read out loud, is when she is alone in Burgundy, and stumbles upon a restaurant that she walks to; where she is the only customer for lunch. The waitress, the chef, the trout au blue, everything is just amazing to read out loud!

Just recently bought one of those new Corn Zipper's written about in the NY Times Food section. Yuck. Used it on one ear of corn. I'm back to using my bread knife. It's faster, I get fuller kernels cut, and less corn milk juice. They should have called it, Corn Zipper Milker/Juicer!

From vacation? (also usually from France) Grape Nuts. Elbows with garlic, olive oil and lots of monterey jack with jalapeno cheese melted on top. Green vegetables besides haricot verts and lettuce.

Thank goodness I'm not involved with this. Hmmm. Doesn't sound kosher.

So far we're looking at Montpellier, Hotel d'Argon at first, and then the Grand Hotel in Sete after that. Wanting to be on the water; even if it is just after Christmas and cold! What do you think of that plan? Would we be close at all for day trips to wine routes/places? Still considering TGV from CDG, vs. plane. Both to Montpellier. We discovered if you go into Paris, the TGV is less expensive, but then it's the time and money to get into Paris, when the TGV is right there at the airport. Then we're headed back to Paris in time for New Year's (for another week), and usually just celebrate on one of the Pont's with a bottle of Champagne!

Yes, Ms. Megan was a delight! We had a great trip to NYC yesterday, a mini vacation in a day. Went to L'absinthe for lunch (see "Plateau" post), and overindulged in a second meal at Cafe D'alsace at night before "training" home. We arrived to our reservation trying to seat us at the back by the bathrooms, and then another crowded table. When we asked for a table by the front window, they said yes... The Tarte D'alsace/Flammekuche was delicious. We each had one. It wasn't at all like the one's in Alsace. We were dreaming of carmelized onions, lardon, and creme fraiche...or something similar. This was simply a thin, tasty pizza. But it was good. Oh, to start, we asked for Pastis, which the waitress had never heard of. She thought we were talking about the restaurant Pastis. We explained it was a drink that one relaxes with, while perusing the menu. We spelled it for her. It was Licorice. So we educated her a bit. Surprisingly, they only had Pernod (I believe, from the taste), no Ricard or even Artisinal Pastis. No Pineau de charentes/Ratafia, on the drink menu. Hmmm. Alsace region? For entrees, hubby had Charcroute. This was the best I've ever tasted. The big cast iron pot that they served it in was strange at first, but then he adapted and liked it. Instead of separate potatoes, sauerkraut and meats, (like in Alsace) they were all melded together. Fresh juniper berries, with sauerkraut with bits of meat in it...and the potatoes mixed in as well. Not just sausages, but bits of meat interspersed throughout. I had the Quenelles. I love the old fashioned lobster rich laden ones I get in France. Although, after last nights, I realize they don't seem as homemade as these! These were heavier than I've had, sort of like Matzah Balls, but with regular fish and crayfish or something, and bits of veg inside, no filler, very tasty...and not as rich, which is a good thing. There were 4 pieces served with probably a pound of more (no kidding), of sauteed spinach, also some nice asparagus pieces and some haricot verts. Although the menu was full of Alsace wine which we adore...at a good price...we saw an Austrian Gruner Veltniler for $23! Okay, it was a screw top, and the Sommelier thought that was funny. It was the most inexpensive choice on the menu, I believe, but that's not why we chose it. We have a friend that sells Austrian wine in NY, and has started to educate us quite a bit. This was light and tasty. We split the same dessert as Megan, above. The Mandiant. Delicious. Truly. I'm not a dessert lover, and it was great. He had a Kirsch from Trimbach, I had a Muscat de Beaume de Venise. Dinner was about $150?? Can't remember. A certainly indulgent day in NY. Slept on the train home to Philly. Took a cab home.

Has anyone been to L'absinthe recently? Ruth Reichl had a review in the NYT from 1995...

No, the too funny part, is that we made reservations before I saw that you are already going as well! We'll be there at 7:15 (early so we can get back to Philly later). I'll look for you, or IM me. (your picture is on the sig) Food best be good, for both parties!

We'll be in NY Thursday, have been to Alsace, France, and love good tarte flambe (flammekuche), as well as good kougelhopf, etc. Can't find anyplace in Philly for it. Has anyone been to Cafe d'Alsace recently, have they improved?

C'est chouette! Very cool! Can't wait. 3 months from now, until a week in Paris in October. Then 2 month after for two weeks in France from Christmas. Then 3 months after that, until we're booked for a week in April! (Not bragging!) (Just excited) We don't do anything else ever, to save for the off season fares to France. Wahoo!

About 10 years ago we went for a second time to Skibbereen, near Union Hall, west of Kinsale and Cork City. There were good restaurants there, and pubs, and a livestock auction. South of Union Hall was a coastal town that we bought fresh lobsters and oysters off of the boat. Amazing. Clonakilty had a good couple of pubs...one in the town center was in a house, literally. Went upstairs to her living quarters to go to the loo. I remember a good seafood restaurant in Baltimore....and others on the coast there. Kinsale was cool, there was a biker's bar that was good for a pint. And a good jewelry store not far from there. Did you know that jewelry/artists don't have to pay taxes in Ireland (or something like that, I may have my facts wrong). Cork City had a famous hotel we ate breakfast at. Gorgeous.

Oh, I forgot: Sponge Cake. Why bother?