vivin

Mao and Vivin's Happy Trip thru Paris: Since my detailed notes about the individual meals are in my bag at the mercy of Delta (that you do not want to get me started on), I am going to post a separate thread that I thought about while on the way back. There were several dishes that were similar across restaurants and it is interesting how the chefs differed on their approach to the same basic concept. HUMBLE POTATOES WITH BLACK TRUFFLES Puree de Pommes de Terre a la Truffe Noir – Guy Savoy Pureed potatoes with black truffles on top. Although this was one part of the three-item appetizer, this was the least interesting version. I might have enjoyed the textural contrast between creamy potatoes and nutty pieces of black truffles more had I not been biased (read enlightened) by previous two experiences. The truffles were of decent quality (having gained enough expertise on them in five days :-) and the combination was nice tasting. Sliced potatoes with black truffles – Le Grand Vefour Unlike Savoy, Guy Martin matched slices of cooked potatoes with slices of black truffles. The texture of slicing the excellent potatoes and truffles was much better than the pureed version. The smell of the black truffles hits your nose just before you bite down upon them, the nuttiness of the truffle and the yielding potato underneath providing texture and a starchy base at the same time. Extremely good. Black truffle, potato in marmalade, top quality salt – Alain Ducasse. You say boring, I would agree (at least from the description). Would you order it off the a la' carte menu for 100 Euros (approx 87 dollars). Are you kidding me? Eighty seven dollars! Well we had this and I can say, without reservation, it was worth every cent I paid for it. The potatoes were top quality and so were the truffles. Moreover, the potatoes were sliced a little thicker and sat in a creamy marmalade. The potatoes were completely covered with THIN slices of black truffles and you would not know what was underneath till you broke the surface. Topped with salt crystals. Ducasse's potatoes tasted yummy and the truffles were beyond comparison with other restaurants. The potato slices were thicker and the addition of the marmalade released flavor more effectively than Guy Martin's version at LGV. The truffles were paper thin and this contributed to the heightened aroma of the whole dish. The salt was a real kicker when you hit the crystals (just a few). Ducasse's made LGV's version seem a little dry in comparison. If you think I am nit picking – you bet I am. Did that make all the difference? Apart from dismissing the effect as purely a function of the quality of ingredients used, that is the only way I know of to explain why I would go back and spend 87 dollars on potatoes. In case you are wondering, it was part of the black truffle menu.

I went to Paris for a one-week culinary tour this past week with my wife and one of our best friends (known as Mao on the boards). Here is a summary of what transpired by the way of eating experiences. Detailed reports forthcoming when the baggage arrives ;-). L’ARPEGE: FOOD CAN BE ART The meal at L’Arpege was unlike any other experience I have had. The textural aspects and presentation was along the lines of top Japanese kaiseki meals but the myriad spices used (especially cumin) with vegetables highlighted Passard’s talent when combining flavors. Quote of the day: The food appeals to the intellect as much if not more than the palate. LUCAS CARTON: FOOD CAN BE VERY GOOD (Just be sure not to eat too much before the meal). Take a beautiful setting at Place de La Madeline and serve food that is good to excellent (my wife has a knack for ordering the best meals). It was better than most French meals in NYC. Place is a little too formal though. Qotd: AND WHAT WAS I THINKING BOOKING 2 MEALS IN THE SAME DAY? ALAIN DUCASSE: THE FOOD RITUAL THAT FOODIES LIVE FOR You want nothing but the best ingredients cooked to perfection? The best service? Amazing wine served by a very knowledgeable sommelier? All in an atmosphere of luxury and unhurried bliss? You want an out of body experience where you feel like royalty? If you have got the funds I would not recommend any other place. Qotd (in my best French accent): Anything is possible. NOW WE HAVE BEEN: TAILLEVENT Take well prepared classic French preparations, combine it with the gracious service that only tradition can teach and place it in a venue where you are surrounded by millions of dollars worth of art and you have Taillevent. Qotd: Now we’ve been. FOOD CAN BE SURPRISING: LE GRAND VEFOUR: Picture an old restaurant in a historic setting. Chandeliers hung from glass panes on the ceiling, gilded window frames and all, hand painted glass that is profoundly beautiful. After the meal you can walk out on to a courtyard in one of the palaces at the back of the Louvre. Would you expect fillet of turbot with spices like turmeric and coriander? Saute of eggplant to accompany the lamb with cocoa sauce? 8 different flavors in your dessert all dancing on your tongue? Candied olive that is as beautiful as a band blown piece of glass? I did not. Then I went to the Le Grand Vefour. FOOD CAN BE AMAZINGLY DISAPPOINTING: GUY SAVOY After the religious experience that we had there two years ago, expectations were bound to be sky high. Was it the expectations that let us down? I do not think so. It was the food and the service. Qotd: Once you are there (in the promised land of the THREE STARS), you just don’t care. Overall, Le Grand Vefour and Alain Ducasse came out on top. LGV gets the nod for the most innovative food but AD for overall experience. L’Arpege a close third. For more than double the cost and less than half the experience relative to last time, Guy Savoy comes in at fourth while LC and Taillevent were good but not formidable. Was the trip worth it? Absolutely.

Ajay, I have never been to any of these restaurants but I have experience at other similar places. 1) Fax or call work for reservations. call as far in advance as possible. you can always cancel. Not speaking French is not a problem when getting reservations OR while there. 2) I love doing tasting menus at places I have never been to before because it gives me a chance to try out a lot of different things. That is the best way to experience French haute cuisine, in my opinion. 3) Having a vegetarian at the table, they might not let you do the tasting menu. At Guy Savoy, they were able to substitute dishes for my wife (who was then vegetarian). She turned after tasting his dishes (unlikely to happen with your mom given what I know about Indian mothers). no harm in asking. 4) I am going again this Friday and going to Arpege on Monday just to taste his vegetarian concoctions. So I will let you know about that when I come back in a week and a half. cheers.. vivin

Suvir, Here is my review on Bukhara Grill on the NYC board :-) cheers..Vivin http://www.egullet.com/ib3....=4;t=23

Suvir, No question about it. You and I obviously have something in common that is rare (I believe). This food bit is in my blood. My father comes from the original Moti Mahal family (in Darya Ganj in New Delhi). My dad's uncle (one of those who started Moti Mahal) had some establishment in Lahore. And my last name is Oberoi (related but not close to the Oberois who own the hotels). My dad personally owns the line of several Mughal Mahal restaurants in New Delhi (starting with the original one near Hotel Siddhartha in Rajendra Place). When I say that there is little innovation in Indian food (commercially) I say so with pain. Because I see it everyday in my wife's cooking. She hails from Karnataka. She successfully pulls together elements from Kannadiga, Punjabi (she was raised in Delhi), French and Italian cuisines. AND BOY IS IT FUN! Last summer, my parents and my aunt were visiting. My wife made fresh ravioli with cheese and the bitter greens of radishes (mooli patta) adding Indian spices where she thinks appropriate. And she served it up with a salad of figs and mozzarella with cilantro chile pesto style dressing. You would think these old people will not get it. Are you kidding me? They loved it. There was nothing left. My dad's oldest sister has never been out of the country. But she cares about good food. My dad still drives all over the city looking for good kaale maa ki daal that he hauls all the way over. The batch this time was hard as stones. Takes for ever to cook even after soaking it. But boy does it taste good. I am sure there is something to do with grandma's genes. Obviously, you have inherited similar ones. Why don't more people enjoy that? Why can't I add that to my father's restaurants? Questions I do not expect you to answer. Your fired up responses deserve a lengthy and well considered reply. Your list of restaurants and their descriptions have me salivating. Yes, they might be far from authentic but a clever chef (a la my wife) who understands Indian palates can twist a foreign concept to appeal to Indian taste buds. And I need to see your tandoor sometime. Unfortunately, I will have to break this highly stimulating and invogorating discussion. In five days, we leave for a culinary tour of the temples of haute cuisine in Paris. Meals at Guy Savoy, Ducasse (and 5 others of similar caliber) await. I am sure I will have a lot more to say about the trip (and our discussion today) once I get back. Now I have to start packing... Looking forward to more of the same... cheers... Vivin

>> Could it be, perhaps, that the truest examples of Indian-influenced "Haute cuisine" have been developing--but developing abroad, outside of India--because that is where the talent has been willing to experiment and where the audience has been more willing to embrace it? Is it also possible that professional cooking in India has yet to adequately embrace and reconcile this parallel track of "home cooking" as the French did? Another issue I'm curious about: how influential will the fusiony, French-Indian constructs developed here in the US, like those of Floyd Cardoz and the late Raji Jallepalli, be on the professional and home cooking of India? Steve, I can tell you from my dad's expeiences over 50+ years, you could not be closer to the truth. In my opinion, innovation in restaurants in India has been close to nil. Mostly because the audience is not willing to embrace it. My dad has been experimenting (and it is not real innovation a la Michelin star restaurants) over the years with new dishes with little success. The same "chicken tandoori" and "seekh kabab" that he used to sell in the '50s remain the bread and butter of his trade even today. Newer items have never made it big. There is no reconciling the "home cooking" with restaurant food (in the north). Just as the street vendor food will never sell well in restaurants or cooked well in homes. Just totally different foods. I am sure others will disagree. Innovation is happening more abroad where the talent and audience are both present. As an example, North Indian folk music underwent a revolution in the late '80s and early '90s in the UK (with its large population from north India) while no one in India was listening to this stuff. Now the imported innovation has become a big hit at home. Can this happen with food? Possible but not probable. Suvir, when you speak of the Indian fusion and the fast changing and evolving restaurant scene, please elaborate on this. Are you talking of the inevitable (and long overdue) penetration of regional cooking in metropolitan area restaurants OR the western influenced restaurants popping up all over? Please forward me a list of restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi that you would consider truly innovative. I NEED to experience this. That brings me to another difference between restaurant and home cooking. Surprising no one has brought it up here. Restaurants (especially in the north) specialize in meats (chicken, goat, lamb mostly) while home cooking is mostly vegetarian. That is a big reason they do not mix well. How many Indians grew up eating poultry or meat twice a day like me? Very few. How many of them will appreciate Floyd Cardoz's innovations. Again, I think the answer is very few. I am not making this up. My dad and I have been debating this very issue for a while. Is it a viable business idea to start an establishment like Tabla in New Delhi? He does not think so and will not advise me to put my or his money in such a venture. thinking aloud - I am struggling with the notion that what happened with French cuisine will happen with Indian food. The concept of haute cuisine has so far been absent as far as I know. I will visit Bukhara again the next time I go to Delhi. comments and criticism welcome. cheers..Vivin.

Uh Oh! The first day you guys start the Indian board, THE MOST INTERESTING discussion about Indian food opens up. First, thank you guys for starting up the new board. Second, let me add that my dad has been in the restaurant business in New Delhi for fifty years. He runs several in the city. My family is one of the three or four old restauranteer families in New Delhi and therefore have vested interest in issues that we are discussing here. >> Home cooking is much superior to the restaurant fare available. Mostly >> for one simple reason, in India, most people would rather go out and eat >> foods other than Indian. I disagree that home cooking is much superior. As Suvir points out, correctly in my opinion, restaurant food is usually much different. In the north, for example, the tandoori and mughlai food served in restaurants (that most of us in the west call Indian food) is almost absent in homes. People do try and mimic restaurant delicacies at home, usually with poor results. How many homes in India have a "tandoor" at home to cook their versions of "chicken tandoori" or "seekh kabab." Not many. Conversely, vegetables and lentils cooked in homes are almost impossible to reproduce faithfully in a mass production facility. That is not only true of this Indian "restaurant food" but also of street vendor foods – mostly snack type foods. All are very specialized foods that are done well in different settings by different kinds of people. Can your mom make better tandoori delicacies than the chefs at my dad's place (who has been doing it for 50+ years)? I really doubt it. This argument is more true of northern food than of other states where people actually eat various versions of "thali" consisting of home-style food. I can not say that home style cooking is that much better (I grew up on a 50-50 combination). Home cooked Indian food is ingredient intensive and depends critically on what is fresh and in season. That is the way things operate there – everyday my parents wake up and decide what to eat depending upon what is available. The same can be said of other cultures and cuisines. Those of us that have immigrated to the west miss home cooked food – for sure. However, it is as much a lack of quality ingredients as it is a dearth of "moms and grandmothers and aunts" each of whom has their own set of special recipes and techniques. How many people of other cultures lament the non-availability of fresh and quality ingredients from their homelands. EVERY ONE. I will take it a step further. My dad will argue with you till the cows come home that the quality of ingredients available in India has gone down over the decades. Before her death, I heard stories from my grandma about the quality of wheat and ghee and lentils available where she grew up – in present day Pakistan before they immigrated to present day India in 1947. Nostalgia OR reality?? A bit of both. Make no mistake about it, we suffer from the same. How many times have I dreamt of certain dishes I used to eat as a kid, made special requests to my mom and aunts when I visited, only to find out it tasted better in my memories. Haute Indian cuisine…Now you are talking. I will formulate thoughts and post it later.. cheers..Vivin.

If you tasted a lot of items you could spend between 50-75 per head incl tax and tip BUT can get easily get out for under 50 pp. cheers, Vivin.

I had the pasta tasting menu on my first visit. Amazing food (I agree, best Italian in NYC, by a long margin). The wine pairing is a great way to experience really nice wines (some of which only they get) at a reasonable price. For what you pay, the food is incredible. See my detailed post on the NYC board. Vivin

Robert, I am Indian but immigrated to the States 14 yrs ago. I am not sure about the old Bukhara but one of the owners worked at Diwan Grill (also in the 40s between Lex and 3rd??).

After a really good performance at the opera (Sat matinee), we decided that we wanted to eat Indian. So we sauntered over to our favorite Bukhara Grill on 49th and 3rd (next to Wollenski's Grill (on 49th). Although I have been eating there since the restaurant opened, I have not really posted a detailed account of my experiences there. Bukhara warrants a detailed post because of three reasons. One, the food is consistently really good. So much so that this is the only Indian restaurant we will go to regularly although I live in Connecticut (hint to the Bukhara management - you could own Fairfield County's Indian food clientele if you opened here). This is also the only Indian restaurant I know of where the chef is a partner (that I am sure contributes to the quality and consistency). Two, the service is superlative (on par with the best 5-star experiences in NYC - that is saying something). What they lack in refinement and ultra expensive decor, they make up for in enthusiasm. Three, this is as close to haute cuisine experience as I have gotten with Indian food. I have had out of body 10 course meal experiences there when I have let one of the two owners (Raja and Vicky) orchestrate the meal You could just as easily be satisfied with a quick meal from their lunch buffet but here is my recipe for the truly gluttonous out there. My typical eat till I drop meal at Bukhara goes something like this. Let one of the owners know that you are there for a grand meal and give him some general preferences and be ready for a superb 6-8 course meal that is satisfying in every way. It is customary to let them decide what ever is fresh made for the day - usually "chat" or "aloo tikki". These are their versions of the amuse bioche. Tantalizing tit bits of potatoes fried with chick peas and crisp wafers with tamarind and cilantro chutney. Let the procession of appetizers begin. they do roasted/grilled items in tandoor really well. Their versions of "Malai Kabab" with succulent marinated cubes of chicken is delicious when tried with raw onions and greens for texture. The marination is perfect and the spices actually let the taste of the meat out. "Burra kabab" is marinated roasted pieces of goat that uses only certain parts (I forget which) that are really flavorful. If overcooked (as I have had in other places) this dish WILL closely approximate the texture of tire rubber quite well. Eat immediately while still hot. These two dishes keep the hope alive that Indian cooking is not just about killing the natural flavor of the meats by overspicing and overcooking in some broth or the other. "Paneer tikka" - giant cubes of home made cheese marinated and roasted in a tandoor - a must have. Whole roasted potatoes stuffed with spices and god knows what else. Whole mushrooms grilled and finally, "veggie seekh kabobs" that are made by chopping/grinding vegetables that are shaped around giant skewers and roasted in a tandoor. This has not worked for me anywhere else. I would urge you to taste a bunch of main dishes -"Daal Bukhara" (lentils), "Chana Peshawri" (chick peas cooked in spices in authentic frontier style, some eggplant dishes that occasionally crop up with/without yoghurt based sauces that are eye opening, "paneer bhurji" cheese scrambled with spices and some chopped veggies. The new item on the menu – “Kurkuri Bhindi” is a home run - Okra sliced and spiced and cooked to a crip. (Note to Indian scotch drinkers: This could be an addictive munchy to accompany your drinks) "Roghun Josh" or whatever they call their classic goat dish slow cooked in brown sauce is amazing. I tend to dislike chicken in sauce combinations so can not comment on those. They make their desserts from scratch in house and I would taste at least two - "kheer" with chopped almonds and ground pistachios is my favorite (not too sweet and brimming with flavor). I also had fresh "gulabjamuns" (balls of dough in syrup - usually is gross in most places but excellent when done well as at Bukhara). You need to top off the meal with their "masala tea" that is perfect at settling you down after a long and heavy meal. Cognac will be forced upon you (usually on the house) unless explicitly denied. What happens after you have tasted 7 or 8 dishes all done consistently very well, topped off with light desserts. Aaaaah! I would not put it in the same league with the best Japanese, Italian or French meals I have had (a la Nobu, Babbo etc) with regards to creativity or refinement. But (and this is a huge but) I would rather head to Bukhara than drop 赨+ at Jean Georges for an uninspired tasting menu the likes of which NYC is full of. Is this kind of meal heavy? Undeniably. Too much spices? No. Full of flavor? Yes. My advice is to go with a bunch of friends so you can taste a lot of different things (as outlined above) without stuffing yourself silly. Four works well. Six is perfect.

Actually I have posted here before (voberoi) but had to register again 'cause wanted to post from work and did not have my password handy. We did the 贘 omakase. My wife did not do the omakase and the bill was reasonable. The previous time I went, it came to about 175 pp (2x120 omakase) incl tip. Not bad considering what I paid at Lespinasse and Jean Georges and other French places in the city. However, Babbo and Nobu are more moderately priced. Given that those two provided two of the top 3 dinners this year in the city (Sugiyama being the 3rd but more expensive), I can see why it is so hard to get in.

In contrast to the undescribable spiritual experience that Sugiyama offers, where I have been, I got a taste of why New York might be the food capital of the world. If unknown and exotic is not your cup of tea (I dig it)and you would like some of the most innovative food in the city, Nobu is the ticket. A perfect antidote to the underwhelming French centric meals offered all over the city. The overall experience was significantly better since I knew more. They were extremely flexible. Two of us ordered omakase dinners while the two others went a la carte. I nixed the shell fish (allergies). They even agreed to my no fried courses request. First - Toro sashimi with jalapeno/citrus sauce and topped with caviar (providing a touch of saltiness). This was bodhisattva quality tuna. Excellent even though the shock factor was not there (I had had it before). Second - monkfish liver pate with salmon roe - really excellent (among the best I have had). better than at sugiyama. Third - Japanese snapper slices with assorted root vegetable julienne and basil dressing - v good. Fourth - Grilled halibut with a side of noodles (forgot the name) with sesame white truffle oil and a raw quail egg in the center. It was really subtle and excellent flavor. Fifth - main course of rare seared duck slices topped with some vegetables and seared foie gras. This is definitely some of the best red meat I have had. Sixth - Sushi course (5 pcs) which was not amazing (Mr. Sugiyama's fish from Nirvana is much better) but still good topped off with miso soup (nothing tops off your Japanese dinner like this lovely broth with velvety tofu. My friend's had an oyster in it.) aaaahhh! I was riding on clouds. Seven - their dessert is nothing to write home about. Some carmalized banana slices with some coconut/banana sauce and some kind of cake like thing in the middle. My wife realized after my first course that she had made a big mistake - kept mooching off of me all night. She ordered some tempura, miso soup, vegetarian rolls and yellowfish tuna sashimi with jalapeno slices and citrus sauce (twice). Top to bottom consistent (that oh so hard to find quality even at Sugiyama) and excellent dinner - definitely the best meal this year.