vmilor
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Posts posted by vmilor
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Carolyn,
Unfortunately Turkey has not yet entered the stage when chefs start to become celebrities. If this happens, given the quality of ingredients and individual wealth, Istanbul may become a gourmet destination. Would you please tell us what Musa Dagdeviren cooked? I had never heard of restaurant Civa actually so I was puzzled.
Tugra used to be special with a German chef who was obssessed about Ottoman cooking and a manager, called Vedat Basaran. Now it is merely good with a different management and chef. Vedat Basaran opened restaurant Feriye nearby and it has a lovely setting by the sea. The food is better than Tugra today but a tad below the old Tugra of the late 80s.
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Joe:
Thanks for the confidence and the l'Atelier link. From the very beginning, when I read Steve Plotnicki's report, I decided that their style was out of sync with my expectations. It is better to leave my memories of some of the greatest meals cooked by Robuchon undisturbed. But I know for fact that Robuchon worked very very hard. He now deserves to enjoy life and take shortcuts. IMO his true successor in terms of ethics and cooking style is Pacaud.
I will try to address your questions. It would be adviseable to get a second opinion though esp. from somebody like Jellybean who is clearly well informed and judicious.
1. I called l'Astrance 2 weeks before and spoke to Monsieur Rohat for a solo lunch last June. I have not had any problem. I did not drop any names; nothing. The cuisine is light and uplifting and I will not be surprised if they get a second star as I would rate them one and a half. There is still a gap though between l'Astrance and the cooking of the chef's mentor, Passard ,at Arpege. Arpege is not my #1 choice in Paris but some dishes there are very well thought out and stay in my memory. This is not the case with L'astrance, including the crab ravioli which is fine.
2. Les Elysees should be very easy to reserve. As far as I know Briffard is not a celebrity, except a glowing review by P. Wells, but actually I find Ms. Wells too generous in her praise and our judgments often differ. Make sure you try the rustic pied et tete de cochon dish at les Eysees. If I were not lazy I should have posted the details of my funny solo dinner there, the day before my lunch at l'Astrance.
3. They know me at Jamin as the current manager was #3 at the old Jamin and this colours the experience. This said, the cooking is very solid and this is perhaps the best price quality ratio in Paris among haut cuisine places. It is good, very good, to me as good as the 2 which have gotten third stars(Savoy and Ledoyen) but not really true third star level.
4. I liked Soliveres cooking very much at Les Elysees. Two and a half stars level. He is esp. good with shellfish and derives ideas from various traditions, and not only the mediterranean tradition. Lizzie, whose opinion I respect very much, reported a great meal at Taillevent. My only caveat was that in May truffles were served and I don't like the idea of serving off season ingredients on the grounds that the international clientele expects to find them on the menu! Personally I would not go to Taillevent after getting the worst table when the previous chef, Del Burgo, was at the helm. The excuse was worse then the act: I was not staying in a 5 stars hotel so I was not expected to spend on the wine list. Quite funny.
5. Gagnaire is a moody person and when he is on (and not in London) cooking can be trascendental there. My exception is the menu degustation for lunch which is just very good. He really is a 19th century man and he excels in creating baroque preparations which may or may not have existed in ancient Rome and worthy of Satyricon. I never understand why people call his cooking avant garde. In my eyes he is an antic piece. I recommend that you pick just one appetizer, preferably shellfish based, and one main course, maybe game.
6. When bored with the usual suspects I go for North African in Paris. I like Wally-Saharien which is actually Algerian not Moroccan.
7. I am the person to ask this question as I qualify. I have had 2 great meals at Violon d'Ingres when they opened and I could have carried Catherine back had my wife not been with me
We again went there 8 months ago. The food was as delicious as I remember. I don't know why they are not 2 stars as I had better luck there than, say, at Pre Catelan or Trois Marches. The only problem is that Catherine was not there and the service was correct but not cordial in our last visit.When are you going to Paris actually?
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Jellybean:
I will gladly accept that I made wrong assumptions on the basis of what I considered a bizarre equation(smallest lamb chops are undesirable) but since these assumptions brought forward a wealth of knowledge and convincing arguments to benefit the reader I am happy that I rendered a public service prodding you to expound on your arguments.
Of course the species is very important for lamb such as the churra breed in Spain, kivircik in Trakya, Turkey, etc. I wish I knew what Robuchon was serving at Jamin(where I ate 30 times or so), because it was the best I have encountered in France, including Pacaud which, IMO, is the flagbearer for classical French cuisine today.
Two more subjective notes: first, I am avoiding l'Atelier since I never thought to highly of either Laurent and Astor whose chefs are cooking today at l'Atelier. Second, I respect people who are not awed by gastrotech gimmicks and focus on ingredient quality in their review of restaurants. I, for one, would love to hear more reports from you on Parisian or other restaurants.How did
you choose such a funny nickname though? -
two of the smallest lamb chops I have ever seen. The lamb was also of inferior quality, tasteless, just semi-tender and bleeding heavily, which they had tried to mitigate by frying the chops hard on the exterior.
Looks like you had spring lamb if chops for smallest you have ever seen. Some people, including myself , go out of their way to devour them. Looks like they cooked them Basque style. This is a great delicacy in early to mid Spring. Old Robuchon used to prepare an outstanding baby lamb in salt crust in spring for 2. I gather this is no more on the menu?
L'Astrance is not a great value anymore. I had solo lunch there last June and the menu was 80 euros. Wines by glass are of poor qualityand expensive for what they are. It is a nice restaurant which delivers at the higher end of one star and will be equally at home in New York or London given the cooking style.
A quite "hot" 2 stars now is Les Elysees and they have good value for lunch. The chef there was an ex chef of Plaza Athenee and he was kicked out when Ducasse took the reins. He is trying hard to prove himself. The room is quite romantic in a nice hotel(Vernet) with a glorious dome designed by Eifell.
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The reporter made a fine selection of 15 restaurants in the city with a bias for some of the most expensive places, esp. Le Pecheur, Four Seasons, Tugra and Mavi Balik. The interesting thing is that if one selects purely randomly the overall quality will be very similar. It is simply very difficult to eat badly in Istanbul and I see very little price/quality relationship within each category.
For seafood lovers lufer(not lufte) is a must. There are smaller versions of this fish which is unique to Bosphorous and called sarikanat and cinekop. They are also quite good. A line caught lufer is the best, check the marks(holes) on the cheek. IMO it is one of the 5 or so most flavorful fish of the world.
Beware of seabass or dorada(called levrek and cipura) if you are not with somebody who is Turkish AND seafood expert AND is a client of the restaurant. You will be served fresh but farm raised fish which is not nearly as good as the wild one.
The so called red mullet that is barbunya(triglia, rouget barbet) can also be superb if it is rock rather than sand variety. They often serve tekir(rouget) calling it barbunya(rouget barbet).
Most of the calamari is imported and frozen. There is fresh cuttlefish(seppia) but restaurateurs eat it themselves and say that clients do not like the look of it. Fresh gambas can be excellent but again chances are that they will give them to best clients.
Among kebap places Develi is one of the 7 or 8 best and the kebap you eat in Turkey will be very different and way superiour to the mediocre stuff which is called kebap in the US. Try Kasibeyaz near the airport for the special doner kebap. It is only served for dinner and they tend to run out around 10 PM or so.
For classic vegetables and top quality lamb BEYTI in Florya is a must. Order the lamb shoulder for 2. But everything there is top notch.
If the weather allows to eat outside and if you want a tete a tete dinner opt for Korfez in Kanlica. They have a private boat from Rumelihisari too. You will spend about $100 per head but dine with foreign dignitaries and chic ladies from the upper crust. It is a seafood restaurant with a little more creative dishes than others.
I am impressed that the reporter tried and apparently liked raki. It took me 15 years to get my wife share this particular passion of mine. I think the reporter was too generous though with the merlot. Sarafin makes a merlot but at best it is average. Red wine in Turkey is just OK. But there is more than acceptable white wine. Sarafin makes good sauvignon blanc and chardonnay and they retail about $20.
For the ultimate Istanbul experience though you got to go to Reina or Leila
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Joe and Craig:
Both of you guys are more connoiseurs of risotto than I . I never had the one you mention, i.e Pila Vecchia. The first risotto which was an eye opener for me was at the French Laundry, Keller's carnaroli with borown butter and some Langhe goodies. The rice itself I had in Calandre was superior. He told me that he prefers even shaped carnaroli for seafood and vialone nano for other purposes. His producer from Piemonte is TENUTA CASTELLO. He gave me a handfull but somehow we lost it! I suppose this is a non commercial artisan with modest means that Massimiliano discovered. This is what is great about the guy. Discovering top quality product is not a PR thing for him, it is a way of life.
I forgot to add that, although we chose the 125 Euro menu quite a few things in the cheaper menu attracted our attention. Unfortunately they must have taken mental notes as we had extra courses for no extra matierial charge but it takes a toll---I lost today in tennis.
They decanted the Valpolicella and served it in the stupid Riedel balloon shaped glasses. I hate these glasses aesthetically. We did not start our Dal Forno till the piccione, i.e. 2 hours or so after they have decanted it. And yes, Craig is absolutely correct that even the 96 Valpolicella was an overkill for the baby pigeon but it went well with the cantal like cheese we had and the gorgonzola. Still I was very curious and given my mediterranean blood curiousity mostly takes precedence over reason and logic.
I will post about the 2 stars as soon as I can. Thanks for your encouragement and kind words.
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I find the overall score which includes up to a 5 point arbitrary bonus to be largely meaningless. Can you list the 60 point scale food only scores?
I actually wanted to but had problems with the link on the gambero rosso web site. Here is the list with only the food votes taken in account, which as you rightly point out cahnges the things a a bit:
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Gambero Rosso San Vincenzo [LI]
Vissani Baschi [TR]
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Da Caino Manciano [GR]
Le Calandre Rubano [PD]
Combal.0 Rivoli [TO]
La Madonnina del Pescatore Senigallia [AN]
La Torre del Saracino Vico Equense [NA]
Uliassi Senigallia [AN]
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Ambasciata Quistello [MN]
Antica Osteria del Teatro Piacenza
Il Desco Verona
Don Alfonso 1890 Massa Lubrense [NA]
Hostaria Santa Lucia Jesi [AN]
Paolo e Barbara San Remo [iM]
Perbellini Isola Rizza [VR]
Al Sorriso Soriso [NO]
La Terrazza del Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni Bellagio [CO]
Let me make some overall comments about 3 of the highly ranked places here: Da Caino, Gambero Rosso and Calandre. I have only dined once in each place but quite recently.
CALANDRE---February 26, 2003
My overall impression of this place is that there is a very talented and intelligent chef in the making and he succeeds with both seafood and meat. His passion for cooking reflects in the dishes and the overall attitude is right, prices are reasonable, they do not mind hearing some criticism and one day this nondescript inn near Padua may become a gourmet destination.
The chef already excels in extracting flavor from impeccable ingredients and pass the "deliciousness" test before showing off his technique. The quality of cauliflower, potatoes, red gambas, langoustines, calamari, and squab and artisanal risotto from Piemonte(Vialone Nano)are such that one can only take the hat off. Starters are very appetizing and the progress of the meal is well measured. The famous ex Robuchon cauliflower mousse with oscietra dish is rendered more interesting with the apt inclusion of gelatinous veal feet. Even more impressive is the simple seafood coctail of gamberi rossi served in a flute with various agrumes, raw radicchio and a dollop of fruity olive oil. The dish is uplifting, acidity is tempered with fruitiness and slight bitterness and the palate feels good afterwards. He follows this with "involtini di Scampi fritti su salsa di lattuga e cappucino di seppia al nero". The first part of the dish in non impressive. Maybe he shows off his impeccable deep frying technique with langoustines but compared to what, say, the likes of Ducasse and Pacaud can concoct with this favorite shellfish of mine, Massimiliano just does OK and the lettuce mousse does not add much. But the latter half of the plate, i.e. the custard of potatos and squid ink with sweet cuttlefish is a masterpiece. The potato puree is the level of Robuchon version of the past(but without butter)and somehow this simple looking dish is more than the sum of its parts(forgive the cliche). Next comes a Milanese risotto embellished by licorice dots. The risottos I had in this trip in and around Milano was an eye opener for me. Massimiliano's version was a cut above of the second best. Bravo. It is hard to follow this with another pasta and he can not. "Tortelli di stracchino e ravioli di guancia di manzo" which comes afterwards is good but not better than, say, the superb versions I had in Trattoria Pompiere in Verona(highly recommended in its own right). After a slightly smoked chicken broth, Massimiliano served me arguably the best pigeon dish in memory. "piccione arrostito con fegato grosso d'anatra, tartufo nero e millefoglie di mele"is such that the dish is beautiful, has a clear center, both the brest and thigh(served in the same time)are rendered beautifully, foie gras does not dominate but adds up to the flavor, and the apple slices provide the counterpoint. How can a rich dish with truffles, foie gras, etc., taste so light? What is in this pigeon that is so flavorful? Massimiliano explains. He is clearly pulling my leg but at this point I am quite ecstasic, ready to be taken for a ride.
"The pigeon comes from a nutty man in somewhere in Tuscany(he told me where but I forgot). He takes special care of his birds, talks to them, and he makes them listen to classical music".
What? Did I understand correctly? Is this a seen from a Jarmusch movie? Will they taste better if they listen to Mozart as opposed to Wagner? Anyway Massimiliano is too modest to take personal credit. He loves to talk about his suppliers.
Desserts at this point can only be a letdown. And they are a letdown except a remarkable celery sorbet.
My notes also list the 7 cheeses we had beforehand. I read the note:" a great pecorino with a Vacherin consistency". Was I drunk or what?
I suppose I could not have been drunk. Following 2 welcome prosecco(really from the house) my wife and I had only a 2000 Pinot Grigio from Sanct Valentin==which I graded 92 and was 26 euro--and a 96 Dal Forno Valpolicella for 70 euro which I graded 93+(By the way the Sauvignon from the same house is also very good and they make pretty decent pinot noirs)
Total cost:386 euro
My final wish and judgment: I would love to return. Presently I will rank the chef say 2 and 3/4 stars so Michelin is right. Gambero Rosso rating seems ungenerous to me esp. in view of the fact that they have ranked(for food) Da Caino and Gambero Rosso higher. To me the latter 2 were a notch below, maybe deserving 2 stars but not at the higher end of 2 stars(like Soliveres when he was at les Elysees, or Rostang in a good day, or Briffard at Elysees, or Zuberoa in Spain, etc). Massimiliano is still evolving and may emerge as a top gourmet destination--not all 3 stars are created equal--in near future.
I may also post notes from recent meals at Da Caino, Gambero Rossi, Perbellini if there is interest.
PS: I am not too ungrateful. Of course we cheered at the end of the dinner, sipping our from the house vin santo wines, for Joe H who brought this restaurant to our radar screen.
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. . Kaia and Elkano are worth a pilgrimage for whole, grilled wild rodaballo (turbot), the best in the world, IMHO.
Here is a kindred spirit. The multistarred Basque restaurants will not give one an accurate picture of the cuisine there and as far as I am concerned a whole grilled wild rodaballo eaten in Gueteria gives one a more transcendental experience than having any single dish at the multistarred places. For my money, out of a total of 5 days, I would eat traditional seafood twice, grilled meat once(In Tolosa) and visit 2 multistarred temples in Vizcaya(and lunch in tapas bars).
One minor correction: this said, the Atlantic turbot, however great, is not on the level of kalkan, ie turbot caught in the Bosphorous in Istanbul in March when they migrate from the Black sea. The season starts in february and ends in early June but it is the second half of March that this fish--which in my opinion is one of the 2 tastiest fish in the world---is at its optimum. I confess that there is no chef in Istanbul who is as skilled as the chefs in Kaia or Elkano or Zuberoa when it comes to preparing the turbot but even in the hands of an average chef the Bosphorous turbot shines. It is too bad that Turkey does not have the likes of discerning palates like Mr. Dawes and Mr. Serna to publicize its unique products.
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Ginger chef and vserna:
I do not quite know what conclusions I should draw on your first and quasi first hand experinces with MB. A chef I knew well in San Francisco (Roland Passot) had told me that his French mentor--I believe at Le Francais but I can not recall his name==used to literally beat apprenticce up but this is how he learned his trade. Robuchon also had a reputation for being very very tough. Associates in leading service firms in investment banking(say at Goldman or Stanley Morgan), or strategic consultancy( say at Mc. Kinsey and BCG), or law( say at Cravatt) always have a very rough time and they work as well paid indentured slaves but most of them end up learning their trade. Why should it be different in the restaurant business where you guys are insiders and I am just a client. I have been in all of the 2 stars and 3 at the Basque region(at least two times in each place but many more at some) and it seems to me that MB makes the least errors. So maybe there is a link between his perfectionism and the hellish athmosphere in his kitchen. Of course it may be preferable to exert more benign discipline but this takes great management skills and one can not expect this in a trade which is essentially practiced by very skilled artisans.
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Thanks Bux for posting a stimulating article and giving some of us an opportunity to dissent.
One gets the following impression from Gopnik piece: The life in Paris is becoming increasingly conventional and steeped in self interest. French are now not really interested in politics abroad and Paris is becoming a city of monuments without a soul, like Venice. Not much is happening on the intellectual scene either. Most objections to US policy lack vitality and the most creative thinkers today are those "anti- anti Americans", i.e. those who virulently attack the anti Americans.
Admittedly I am neither French nor a student of recent intellectual trends in France but I find an absence of basic honesty in this technically proficient and very cleverly written piece. For one thing the phrase "anti American" is misguided and self serving. Of all nationalities I have observed it is only among Americans that I hear the argument" you(or they) are criticizing our government so you do not LIKE us". This is quite childish. I can see that some ethnic groups, right or wrong, can hold grudges against some others for historical reasons. I mean a Tutsi can be an "anti Hutu". In contrast, French, even those who are vehemently against the policies of the current administration hold very dear views of individual Americans and of American society. Having an American wife of Anglo Saxon stock has never hurt my relations in France and this is also true for the liberal and politically radical circles.
Second, I have been in France quite a few times in the last 2 years and can attest that the notion of French people retreating to a moldy homebound life which is also cartoonish is simply untrue. I have spoken to a number of individuals from all walks of life and whenever I broached the topic of Iraq and the neoconservatives, the French responded with great vitality and I was impressed about their level of sophistication and knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs. With all respect I can not say the same for the great majority here. The point Gopnik is missing is that French intellectuals(not unlike true gourmets who relentlessly react against even minor signs of decline in their favorite eating establishment) exaggerate any sign of decline in the cultural intellectual life. For instance a brilliant commentator, Philippe Meyer, coined the term of "Veniceification of Paris" to draw attention to the standardization and lack of vitality and increasing conservatism in cultural/intellectual life in Paris. (A PARISIAN's PARIS is available in Amazon). Rest assured: as long as there are so many brazen and perceptive intellectuals there is always hope for safeguarding cultural and intellectual traditions in this nation even though they may be beset with temporary setbacks.
There are so many omissions in the Gopnik piece which I found disheartening. How can a journalist worth his salt extensively quote a man (Bernard Henry Levy) who hails the Pakistani Secret Service as the mastermind of terrorists without laying out the close ties between this institution and its US counterparts/masterminds? If Pearl was murdered because he was privy to such secret knowledge (which is possible) then how can the murderers be deemed to be nihilistic? Clearly the murderers are sub-human and sub-animal but they are target oriented and professional. I suppose for true nihilistic murders one should again look at one's backdoor and dwell on high school shootouts in a country where renewing a driver license is met with more bureaucratic obstacles than buying a murderous weapon.
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Incidentally I love the food in Turkey, much better than in Greece (that'll get the Greeks going!).
Please be my guest if you make it here. You will be most welcome and I will do my best to charm your lady friends.
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Bux,
I guess we have more in common than we differ. If I understood you correctly you are claiming that it is as difficult to be avant garde and creative as it is to be traditional and creative. I can live with that even though definitions are tricky. I may follow you less if you are arguing that a measure of creativity for avant gardes is the ability to spawn followers. Why should that be so? Take Robert Bresson. He is as avant garde as one can be in terms of his narrative rigour. As far as I know he did not have any folllowers because it is very hard to replicate him and this is a reason to salute him more and not less.
Your Mc. Donald joke is very classy and perhaps reveals an irreconcilable difference in philosopy. You seem to revel in diversiity and have a very open mind. At least on the surface these are the hallmarks of a wise and genuinely nice person. On my part I revel thinking how "stupid" people are because they may fail to appreciate Bresson, or Iberian bellota ham or the beauty of my start up business plan.
Conversely I may sneer at them if they like the wrong political leader or the wrong fries. I mean, in the end, both subjectivity and open mindedness and elitist opinionatedness result in a feeling of well being which we all need. -
I have been at the Moulin only once in 1991 when it possessed 3 stars. I was not impressed then thinking that the food did not have soul and character although it mimicked haute cuisine. Now Nicolaus' well written and honest piece did convince me to give this place another try. His criteria of greatness,i.e. remembrance of dishes long after they have been consumed is a solid criteria. The fact that at 70, and certainly in no need, Monsieur Verge is at the helm is remarkable and speaks for itself. It is entirely possible that in an age people have forgotten the taste of a good breed of lamb(this is esp. true for Americans who can not eat great lamb), it may be a better bet to compose a menu of 30 different kinds of gelatinous baby food with a sweet edge to them than to risk failure by trying to perfect a dish with intense flavors. My vote for Verge is on hold but I appreciate a thorough report whose author has no qualms about being an iconoclast.
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I guess it is harder to be traditional and creative than be avant garde and creative. In this sense I think l'Ambroisie is taking more risk than El Bulli. We all have some idea about a classic lobster navarin or truffe en croute in sauce perigourdine or what not so it takes real guts to distinguish oneself executing these dishes with an edge. But when confronted with tubes and cubes all disguised as something else we are at least vowed and appreciate the concept if not the taste. Maybe we have to rethink what creativity means. I need help here from those who are experts in other art forms( such as John Whiting) to advance the discussion.
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My only comment to Bux' s sound reasoning is that sometimes people like me don't dress down an establishment like St. Martin not because they have not understood the level but because they think the place is beyond redeem and they will never return so it is preferable to say "fine" in a noncommittal, brusque way and enjoy the scenery. The restaurant then may mistake this nonchalant attitude for ignorance or approval. Of course Robert's way is better and more responsible but it is also rare.
The half joking France-Italy comparison is too simplistic. About a month ago I ate at Carletto in Bordighera and had a dismal seafood meal. Nothing was fresh, and/or well executed. Now this place is one of the temples of seafood gastronomy in Italy and I am sure in the past they deserved their reputation. Other tables the night we ate there consisted of Italian tourists with guides on their table( Michelin, Espresso) and I noticed that the table next to us got a bigger( fresher??) version of grilled gamberi of San Remo. I have never seen such a thing happening in France and in my experience I would say that Italians compared to French tread more on the extremes. Sometimes they are unbelieveably friendly and generous and other times they apply double standards to outsiders and this does not bother their consciousness. In this sense I think of Italians more like my own countrymen(Turkish--we may also be very generous but also can rip off unsuspecting foreigners) whereas French are more like Americans IMHO.
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Thanks Robert for the excellent reporting. My only disappointment is that when I saw the El Bulli name and the catchy title I did expect a sensational revelation such as Bin Laden hiding there or something. This would have been more worthy of expressionism and Murnau
I now know what to do about next year's reservation. I will first find out about the cooking devices his assistants will have invented next winter. If it looks like something edible can be concocted from these scary gadgets I will definetely reserve for the summer of 2004!
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Gareth:
Please do post your write up. Unfortunately I have not done but decided to highlight Pacaud's overall significance esp. because it contrasts with the gurus such as Veyrat and Adria who are more in fashion nowdays. I guess most people prefer to be awed and shocked and such tactics work in Haute Cuisine. Please see Robert Brown's excellent post in the El Bulli lab in the Symposium. It gave me shivers, and to think that a chef will concoct dishes to suit the new gadget (rather than the other way arouund) reveals a philosophy which is perhaps more in tune with the times. Pacaud is clearly roving against the tide. The typical reaction against him is that people(at least in the gourmet sites) are underwhelmed. Bux and Lizzie are in the minority in the US. Probably not in France as l'Ambroisie is very hard to reserve.
Two minor points. I mentioned that more than one visit may have been necessary to fully appreciate this place because in my first visit there I failed to detect all the qualities I am now championing. This was my fault as we ordered too much and all the heavy dishes. Because there is a risk when you order a la carte(l'Amb.does not have a degustation menu) I just wanted to bring to the readers' attention that Monsieur Pascal is more than willing to offer advice but one has to ask. Apparently you fared very well and chances are that you are wiser than me in ordering strategy.
As to the cost: Alas it is not cheap, 700 or so euros for two. My own take to the issue is that, for people with upper middle type disposable earnings(both of us are in academics) the best strategy is NOT to buy an expensive house instead of talking about mortgaging it. IMHO Americans are made to spend far too much for homes which are owned by banks and then they get stressed to earn enough to pay the mortgage and property taxes. . At any rate we are just too happy to rent in Atlanta for the monthly price of one meal at a 3 stars and then budget a few special meals when traveling.
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You are absolutely correct about our own spin to things. Last time at Gagnaire(june 29) they insisted speaking in English, out of respect for my wife I guess. I kept replying in French and getting the message they converted to French and they were very patient having me translate the whole menu to English for my wife. I do not even know my own motive why I prefer to speak in French--I suppose a combination of some silly and other perhaps more valid rationales. My point here is that how resilient and considerate the staff at Gagnaire was. 2 weeks prior to this and at L'Ambroisie Monsieur Pascal spoke in French to my wife the first time. This was very basic conversation and something like "how are you madame" but the remarkable thing here is that we had something like a meeting of the minds with Pascal, I am kind of eager to have my wife utter a few sentences in French given that she respects some French institutions and people very much and the feeling seems to be reciprocal. Anyway my point is that somebody else may put a very different spin to these 2 incidences and consider the staff to be dismissive or arrogant, esp. out of context. But the truth is that body language and eye to eye contact are also very important and in some 3 stars the staff really rises to the occassion and adjust their behavior to match the expectations. I suppose creative food and creative interaction complement one another beautifully and this is the essence of 3 stars experience.
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I am very sorry for the late reply but it is not easy to get connected from a tiny island in the Marmara sea.
I guess humour is something quite personal. The first time I had dinner there I also felt that we were all attending a funeral. Tourists at the front room whispered to one another and the staff, esp. madame did not smile. Subsequent visits, however, revealed another facet of this establishment. The staff is very quick witted and the back room is usually full of laughter and joie de vivre. The clients there are not all French but they are all repeat clients who speak some French. What impressed me most is that the staff has a knack for understanding what the client wants: if you want to engage with them they reciprocate, otherwise they are very discreet. Besides some jokes(upon my initiation to be sure) center around female beauty but never descend to a level that is lewd or vulgar. Other jokes relate to guessing the identity of after dinner spirits Monsieur Lemoullac will match with desserts. Last time I was sure he had given me very old single malt scoth. It was very old but turned out to be rhum. Given that I had declared myself to be a connoisseur Mr. Lemoullac was very diplomatic in that he did not tease with me
Oh I forgot to add that despite the appearances to the contrary dining room personnel is quite capable of self-parody but it may take time to reveal this dimension which perhaps elicit self confidence cum mutual trust. -
My standard for dishes in Haut Cuisine restaurants is to ask the question "can this have been any better?" Over the years and after many meals I have reached the conclusion that this tiny restaurant located at the Place des Vosges comes as close to perfection as any establishment to have such a claim. The truth about the cooking of Monsieur Pacaud is that one is not likely to appreciate the unique quality of this little gem on the basis of one meal alone. This is partially because, unlike some other chefs who concoct elaborate degustation menus consisting of 15+ small portions and resort to "awe and shock" tactics, Pacaud is a firm believer in harmony and restraint. Furthermore, Pacaud's sense of creativity runs contrary to our times which often mistake originality for creativity. Unlike some other very fashionable chefs who are inventing new techniques, new flavors and new textures, Pacaud is more than content to focus on perfecting a single dish before he puts it on the menu. His arsenal of dishes does not consist of 300+ tapa size portions invented over a year a la Veyrat or Adria, but his cooking is very sensitive to seasons and fresh products. He may not serve black truffles even in early December if he does not think they have matured enough to serve to his clientele. (As far as I know the new chef at Taillevent has offered a black truffle dish in May.) Not unlike Alice Waters of Chez Panisse at Berkeley, Monsieur Pacaud has longstanding relationships based on mutual trust with his suppliers and he refuses to bend to the will of a fashion conscious public who may be disappointed if asparagus is not on the menu in December.
The first adjectives which come to my mind when I try to describe Pacaud's cooking are: "intense", "focused" and "clearcut". The main ingredient, be it a turbot or lobster or truffle or game or soft cooked egg is always the center of attention here, but the individual touches via peripheral elements and saucing is such that the whole potential inherent in the main ingredient is brought to the surface, its qualities revealed, rather than obfuscated. Like other great artists and athletes, Pacaud makes a difficult process look simple, possibly too simple for our own good since some clients may feel underwhelmed by the experience. I suppose the cooking partly reflects the chef's character and one never sees Pacaud in the dining room, hopping from one table to the next. Over 10+ years I've only caught a glimpse of Pacaud on Friday June 13 when my wife and I dined there. He looked like an unassuming, moder person to the point that he may be shy. He is not an exuberant person and neither is his cooking.
It is hard for me to be unbiased about the quality of service at l'Ambroisie as I have interacted for some time with both Monsieur Pierre Lemoullac and Monsieur Pascal and consider them friends. But what strikes me most after so many visits is how gracious the whole experience of dining there is, how smoothly things flow there. I always grin at people and establishments who take themselves too seriously and who mistake professionalism for the lack of fun and good humour. Good humour and wit, on the other hand, exhibit an underlying intelligence and good will. I found these qualities to be quite pronounced in the three small dining rooms at l'Ambrosie compared to the other haute cuisine temples I have visited, and the absence of turnover among the staff may indicate that there exists an esprit de corps among the employees.
Let's hope that this unique institution which embodies the best and the most refined in French culture will continue to resist any temptation besides the pursuit of excellence in the years to come.
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Now that I think of it for $1000 I prefer to dine out with good wine. But if I am given the choice of any dinner I want or any bottle of wine I want I would choose the latter. I always felt envious when some aficianados speak about pre-phyloxera wines. Once in an Int'l Food and Wine society dinner(at San Francisco when the late Dr. Haskell was at the helm) I had an unforgettable sip of 1870 Lafite but I can not pretend to say that I drank a bottle. Now I would like to have all of this bottle to myself--although Mrs. M. can get a sip if she treats me well that day
But unfortunately $1000 is too meager a sum for this. -
This is an excellent thread with three stars contributions and I have printed it out to digest it later at leisure.
The only thing I would like to add that having lived here for 20 years what amazed me most in the American way of eating is POLARIZATION. There are several dimensions to this. There is a small elite(not necessarily an economic elite) which gives importance to eating but for the great majority it is just fuel. Second there are only a few cities where good restaurants are concentrated but the vast majority of the country is a culinary wasteland. I lived in New Jersey in 93 at Princeton and we could not find a decent place to dine out. Third, the restaurant scene in gastronomic destinations is also polarized more than the case elsewhere. You can eat great or very poor food in San Francisco or New York but it is hard to eat that well or badly in many other cities in Europe and the Middle East that I have been to. Another dimension of polarization is that even the eating habits of "sophisticated" Americans are polarized. Many of these individuals appreciate good food and on occassion they eat very well but most of the time they get too lazy and satisfy themselves with tv dinners and packaged supermarket food.
But in the end the food scene is a microcosm of the larger system. The American society is polarized along all dimensions of social and intellectual life. At the Borders book store in Atlanta I have attempted several times to buy Lindt chocolates. 3 cost a dollar. When I put nine on the counter they could not figure out that this costs $3. i had to divide the pieces into groups of 3 and show that it is $1 times 3. This happened twice with different people and my wife had the same problem with a third person. One actually was a junior college graduate. I also have problem when I ask in a grocery store, say, two thirds of a pound of something. This is a difficult concept for quite a few salespeople. The educational level in my country, Turkey, is lower than the States but we do not find there the type of extremes I have described.
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Adria's(el Bulli) ex chef de cuisine Morales is cooking at Hacienda Monasterio 10 km. or so outside. Ferran Adria is a partner. The rest. already gathered a Michelin star.
But don't go to Sevilla if you do not want Porto beat Celtic 2 to 0
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From Webster's online dictionary. Other dictionary definitions are essentially similar.
Main Entry: post·mod·ern
Pronunciation: "pOs(t)-'mä-d&rn, ÷-'mä-d(&-)r&n
Function: adjective
Date: 1949
: of, relating to, or being any of several movements (as in art, architecture, or literature) that are reactions against the philosophy and practices of modern movements and are typically marked by revival of traditional elements and techniques
- post·mod·ern·ism /-d&r-"ni-z&m/ noun
- post·mod·ern·ist /-nist/ adjective or noun
Postmodernism is a return to the past, not a break with it. The concept of postmodernism in and of itself, without a prior modernist movement to which it is reacting, is really a non-sequitor. If one is looking for a modernist movement in cooking, it would have to be nouvelle cuisine. Thus, Robuchon and Ducasse as synthesizers of nouvelle cuisine with prior approaches are the postmodernists. I would propose that Adria is a neo-modernist, and placing him in the postmodern category will lead to confusion.
Marcus, Please note that in the definition that you give, the Webster dictionary uses the word "typically". In the humanities and social science, the modernism encompases both Marxist and Positivistic theories. Postmodernism is a rejection of this, and they do not try to revive any traditional techniques. Post-modernists in humanities will not even admit the notion of the past because they will challenge a linear narrative. In this sense Adria is more post-modern than the other two chefs. But the bottomline is that they are all great chefs or forces in comtemporary cuisine to reckon with. Our difference seems semantic to me. How about reporting on your new exploits instead.....
P.S. Your Webster dictionary give the definition: "of or relating to a movement that is in reaction against the theory and practice of modern art or literature." There is no mention of a return to tradition.
Expectation
in France: Dining
Posted
I think the critical test is to eat a SECOND time in a favored place preferably during a different season and then, once the restaurant passes the test, one can be reasonably comfortable to recommend it, at least in the short term before the stagnation and decline dynamics outlined by Jonathan set in. As far as I am concerned I rarely liked a place the second time if I was disappointed the first time and this holds true for different categories ranging from the hot dog stand to neighborhood bistro to H.C. But somehow the reverse does not hold: I am often disappointed when dining a second time in a place I had liked very much earlier. Why should this be so? I have some inchoate thoughts on this and may be worth discussing if you share similar observations.
I also found out that my disagreements with Michelin often are resolved at my expense after repeated experience in a place. More often than not I think Michelin is too stingy as, say, place x deserves 2 stars not one. But after 2 or 3 meals I arrive to the same conclusion as Michelin so I was wrong. Disagreements are often resolved in time as Michelin reacts belatedly. But they react.
Applying similar standards to others, I trust reviews based on one meal less even if the reviewer is somebody I think highly of. The more the reviewer talks about the QUALITY of ingredients and place them in a comparative context, the more I trust the reviewer. Hence a less "sophisticated" diner who is aware of, say, taste difference in line caught sea bass versus farm raised one or a churra breed lamb versus Sonoma lamb may be more trustworthy than somebody who has dined in all 3 stars. But, more often than not this is a false opposition as quite a few high end eaters are also knowledgeable about ingredient quality.
I also derive utility from a well written review in ways perhaps not intended by the writer. Take O Combal review by Bill Klapp and it is very well written by somebody whose knowledge of Piemonte cuisine is second to none . It is also timely as I am selecting 2 out of say 10 or so I am considering for 2 days. I gathered from this review that the food is too precious, the chef is hardly mature as he is imitating Adria, he(Scabin) is overly obsessed with texture and is likely to be very stingy when it comes to grating whife truffles if he offers them at all as part of the 120 euros menu. So I scraped him off the list. What I am trying to conclude here is that if the reader puts the review and the reviewer in a context(Bill Klapp spends considerable time in Langhe and good examples of traditional stuff will astonish him less than me and perhaps he has more than 48 hours time span to indulge in that incomparable aroma), the value derived from a well written review increases dramatically.