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fresh_a

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    3 star bias... ?

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    That sole with noodles looks a little, shall we say, anatomical?

    OK, dear friends, let me jump in here. I totally agree with Julot -- Bocuse is an outstanding restaurant to me in the sense that it is hosted by the only still active chef who came from the Fernand Point school. Alain Chapel, Raymond Thuilier, Pierre Gaertner and Francois Bise are all dead, Louis Outhier and Pierre Troisgros are retired. Bocuse nowadays is the only link we still have to the greatest French gastronomy of the 20th century.

    I have been visiting his restaurant on a yearly basis throughout the past decade and found nothing less than consistency and perfection, both in service and on the plate. The great man himself was there to greet me every single time, and I got the feeling that the quality I experienced was directly linked to his presence. Yes, some of his marketing strategies are ridiculous, yes, the wine list could be better for this type of place, yes, the decor has seen better days. But I tremendously enjoy everything I get there, it's best ingredients, classic preparations and the best silver service imaginable under the magnificent Maitre d', Francois Pipala. My last visit is only four weeks ago and here is what I had:

    Duck meat dodine à l’ancienne, stuffed with foie gras and pistachios

    gallery_42455_5893_45601.jpg

    Filet of sole with noodles, à la Fernand Point

    gallery_42455_5893_40075.jpg

    Beaujolais winemaker’s sherbet

    gallery_42455_5893_21132.jpg

    Whole spit-roasted pigeon

    gallery_42455_5893_65541.jpg

    Fromage blanc (unfermented cottage cheese) with double cream

    gallery_42455_5893_8678.jpg

    Crepe as a pre-dessert

    gallery_42455_5893_34440.jpg

    Traditional baba au rum with vanilla ice cream

    gallery_42455_5893_65940.jpg

    And a view of the kitchen with the immaculate copper pans ...

    gallery_42455_5893_50165.jpg

    As you can tell by my list, I am not against innovative cooking. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to Arzak, Berasategui and Akelare. But whoever has a sense of tradition, should go to Bocuse as long as the great master can still stumble his "Bienvenue".

    2009 French Food Guides - GM's, Lebey, Pudlos

    in France: Dining

    Posted · Edited by fresh_a (log)

    I was the first one to buy the new Le Fooding guide 2009 at the boutique Colette this morning - visibly, the only other people lining up were those waiting for some new trendy trainers....... The Colette release seemed so exclusive that it wasn't even on the shelves, and the shop assistant had to go and look in the storage room to find it. The format is interesting, and mimics the magazine MONOCLE in both size, paper choice and typeface, and includes 800 restaurants in both Paris and the rest of France. It goes on general public sale the 13th of November.

    Takazawa comes to France!

    in France: Dining

    Posted

    Wow, sounds great . Is that a commercial?

    For those eGullet members who might be travelling through France and Spain this winter, I detail a unique dining opportunity that might be of special interest, I must stress that I am not commercially involved with the restaurant concerned l'Auberge Basque' and merely wish to share news of the marvellous opportunity with fellow food lovers.

    From the Nose Blog of A Good Nose.Com:

    The world's most enigmatic chef will be visiting Europe during late November and early December this year. Yoshiaki Takazawa is a culinary phenomenon: his cult Tokyo restaurant Aronia de Takazawa has only two tables, and three to six month advance booking is de rigeur... his food is original, intelligent and offers a unique vision of culinary creativity - he is an inspiring, exciting and dynamic Japanese chef.

    A Unique Dining Opportunity

    After making a presentation at the renowned LMG Chef Congress in San Sebastian, northern Spain (from 24th - 27th November), Yoshi and his charming wife Akiko, will remain in the Basque country, crossing the frontier from Spain into France and for just four days he will appear as celebrity guest chef in Cédric Béchade's temple like kitchens at l'Auberge Basque, near St Jean de Luz. For European food lovers and gourmets, this is wonderful news. Rather than flying all the way to Tokyo, it will be possible to enjoy a splendid set lunch or dinner prepared jointly by Yoshi Takazawa and Cédric Béchade in the South-West of France.

    Dates for 'Yoshi Takazawa at l'Auberge Basque' are: 4th, 5th 6th and 7th December 2008 - at the democratic price of €85.00 plus wine, advance booking will be essential!

    David Eley

    Weblinks:

    www.agoodnose.com

    www.aubergebasque.com

    www.aroniadetakazawa.com

    Restaurant, Food and Chef News

    in France: Dining

    Posted · Edited by fresh_a (log)

    He talks about it here too

    22 seater restaurant with similar , no choice menu concept, much larger dining room, champagne cellar and snacks outside of lunch/dinner hours with luxury comfort food like lobster rolls...

    And the investment for the original Spring wasn't much more than 100k...

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