docsconz

Nice pics, U.E. One of the things that I think I would find interesting about dining in China is a comparison of taste values. Would I consider good, dishes that Chinese relish? Would Chinese laugh at dishes that I find interesting or delicious? I would like to think that my spirit of culinary adventure is sufficient to be able to appreciate some foods that are truly foreign to me. Some day I would like to find out for sure.

John - Rovani has been under attack for years by Burgundy producers and aficionados for what can only be called inaccurate reports and blatant errors. The final straw seems to have been the whole issue with the premature oxidation of white Burgundy (http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=162). where Rovani was clearly and publicly blown own of the water for taking an indefensible position on why and how the problem occurred. Supposedly this last issue pushed things over the top for Parker. ← It may very well be that Rovani wasn't a very good Burgundy critic either. As I said, I haven't really followed the Wine Advocate for a number of years now and don't really have an opinion on his perfiormance. That Parker has someone else evaluating Burgundy is still IMO a good idea.

I'm sorry but this "palate" stuff is patently ridiculous. A good wine critic should be able to evaluate all types of wines. Some choose to specialize--it is difficult and demanding to cover all areas of wine (especially today). I find it very curious that this theory holding that one must have a specifically "tuned" palate to appreciate a specific type of wine persists, especially applied as it is to wine writers and critics. ← John, though I very much respect your opinion, I must disagree. Parker has always favored big, brash, blockbuster wines and does an excellent job of ferreting them out. He has been especially successful with the wines of Bordeaux that are consistent with his aesthetic. He is a great critic because he is very cionsistent and one can make judgements based on his critique whether or not one shares the same aesthetic. Burgundy, however, is a bit of a different animal. Most afficionados of Burgundy that I know tend to favor less brash, more subtle wines that vary from Parker's aesthetic. His scores for Burgundies never meshed as well with that and it shouldn't be surprising. That he brought in someone else to evaluate those wines was, I thought, a tacit admission of that and something for which I respect him. I think it is impossible for one person to be the lighthouse for all wines. People have their various strengths and weaknesses as do wines and people have their biases. That doesn't mean that he cannot evaluate, enjoy or appreciate Burgundy, just that his strengths and aesthetics don't play to that wine as well as someone else's perhaps.

Hmm. How long do you think it'll be before well-meaning or Moore-prompted citizens (or PETA) start in with the complaint-filing? ← I'd be surprised if they haven't already. This will be a good test to see how powerful Moore really is in Chicago. It should be an interesting next few weeks.

Very interesting. I thought Rovani was brought in in the first place because Parker's palate appeared to be more in tune with Bordeaux and less so with Burgundy. My impression was that he needed another palate for Burgundy as he was getting a lot of criticism on his Burgundy scores. I also was under the impression that he added the other specialists because Rovani was working out relatively well. As my buying needs have diminished in recent years i have paid less attention to the Wine Advocate and other critics, so I don't really have an opinion on his specialist program outside of Rovani, who I thought did a decent job.

If you get to Poujauran, stop next door at Bellota Bellota (18, rue Jean Nicot) and buy the smallest qauntity of Pata Negra ham they will sell you. It will be enough, and expensive enough, but something you will always remember. (My husband and I bought 100 grams, and while it was lovely, could have had the same experience with less.) ← UMMM, ham, cheese and bread...what could be better than that for a picnic? Well, throw in a little wine, then some fresh fruit and chocolate for dessert.

If you go to The Musee D'Orsay (and you should) there is a lot nearby for food. Amongst others Le Comptoir is not far. It is also a great area for chocolates, pastries and Marie-Anne Cantin, a lovely cheese shop, is not far if walking towards the Eiffel Tower. It was just about one year ago that I was last there. I miss it and envy you.

There is a great little wine shop near the Canal St. Martin - le Verre Volé. They also serve food that is supposed to be pretty good, although I can not give a first hand validation of that. They do have a nice selection of wine and decent prices though.

Thank you for the clarification. While it is business, it sounds as if the way in which it was handled by the hotel might have left something to be desired. I will join you in wishing well to the new staff. Any idea when they will start? Of course, that will need a new thread.

I would have to agree with Bryan that intoday's NYC restaurant economy that price range qualifies as upper midlevel. While Asiate might not be quite as "safe" as Vong, that style restaurant has become relatively routine in major cities around the country. ← There are probably more than 20,000 restaurants in new York City. Menupages has menus for more than 5,000. I am quite certain that there are not more than 100 NYC restuarants with an entry price of $75 at dinner. Asiate, therefore, is higher than the 98th percentile, even if you limit it to the population with menupages entries. Hence, by NYC standards, I'd say Asiate's $75 minimum is quite expensive, and puts it well within the top 100, and probably within the top 50. Gilt's prices, of course, were stratospheric, with perhaps only 5-10 places in town as expensive.In New York, we have a disproportionate share of very expensive restaurants that no other American city can support on such a scale. On eGullet, a disproportionate share of the discussion is devoted to those restaurants. Perhaps we become lulled into thinking that these high-end restaurants are more typical than they really are. ← ...and the vast majority of restaurants are in the less expensive range. The reason that there is a disproportionate amount of chatter here about the more expensive restaurants is that there is generally more to discuss. The better restaurants at the lower end of the price scale generate significant discussion as well. It is just that there are disproportionately more that are unworthy of major discussion. I'm not saying that Asiate is cheap by any means, Mark, but there clearly are price strata with NYC restaurants. To argue it based on a percentage basis of total restaurants I believe misses the point. I think the better discussion is the stratification of price points and people's varying levels of comfort and expectations. Arbitrarily, perhaps $100pp for dinner before beverage, tax and tip may be a dividing point, although with the recent proliferation of very expensive restaurants that might even be too low. The better descriptor fo this stratification would be a pyramid with the most expensive restaurants on top. By this view I think Gilt and Asiate are clearly on different levels.

You have a notion of "mid-level" that I'm not familiar with. At dinner, Asiate is prix fixe ($75) or tasting menu ($95) as the only options. That puts Asiate in probably the 98th percentile, with Gilt in the 99th or 100th. Asiate's service model, to me, appeared to be geared towards the upper end of three stars, and in fact was a bit smoother than Gilt's.I do agree that Gilt's cuisine had the "potential to offend," but Liebrandt's cooking is really in a category unto itself, at least in New York. Asiate's cooking is "safer" than Liebrandt's, because practically everything is "safer" in that sense. But I wouldn't lump it into the standard Asian-Fusion model. Asiate's food is quite a bit more adventurous than, say, Vong. ← I would have to agree with Bryan that intoday's NYC restaurant economy that price range qualifies as upper midlevel. While Asiate might not be quite as "safe" as Vong, that style restaurant has become relatively routine in major cities around the country. I haven't yet had the pleasure of dining on Chef Liebrandt's cuisine, but I would have to wonder if even Ferran Adria would have difficulty in the conservative mid-town Manhatten market? Even downtown is difficult for truly creative cuisine. Wylie Dufresne seems to do a respectable business at WD-50, but a chef of his tremendous talents should be doing even better than that in my mind. WD-50 should be nearly impossible to get a reservation for, but it isn't.

Now you tell me! We actually went to pepe's first. Unfortunately they did not have clam pies that day, so we had a shrimp pie instead -incredible! Fortunately, the people and the regular pizza with mozzarella saved the experience at Sally's.

I really enjoyed the character (and pizza) when I was at Sally's last month with my son. had I known about the "Tomato Bianca" I would have ordered one. As it was their plain with mozzarella was delicious. I didn't particularly care for their clam though. You have all the makings for a great trip (as do we). It should be fun. I can't believe that PJ (and your book) are a year old already! My youngest just turned seven. Time flies...enjoy!

Rogelio, thank you, but what is sparkled paprika? Is that the same as smoked pimenton? ← Sorry, I meant sprinkled. But anyway, it is pimentón ahumado. ← Thank you. As one who makes a lot of typos, I should have been able to interpret that. I wasn't sure if it was something I was unfamiliar with.

You should be ashamed... ← You sound like one of my kids One thing I always loved about the name of the restaurant was the double entendre of gilt as in golden luxury and guilt as in the feeling some get when feasting on the excesses of golden luxury. The name was ripe with possibilities. As it now stands, with all due respect to the succeeding team, it is a surface of gold overlaying something else. I agree the name should be changed. I am still very much looking forward to exploring Chef Liebrandt's cuisine.

Are you inferring "Gilt by association?" I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist.

Doc, After reading this article I remembered you mentioned being there and tried in vain to find your report. Did you happen to post one? ← Robert, you can find it here.. Unfortunately, I actually forgot to bring my camera that evening and so didn't have any photos. It was a marvelous meal.

Alright, U.E., no more bandwidth or tourist-time issues Feed us! You know what I mean By the way, welcome back. Actually I think you did a great job getting this started while over there. I know that is not easy.

Rogelio, thank you, but what is sparkled paprika? Is that the same as smoked pimenton?

Great article. It really provided a wonderfully in depth view of the man and his food. i very much relished the opportunity to sit down and have a glass of champagne with him when I dined there in 2005. He is a very charming and gracious man in addition to being a truly extraordinary chef. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the situation with negotiating with the new ownership of the hotel. If they are smart they will keep Chef Richard very happy.

...and sometimes the sinks too. We have two stovetops, both glasstop Jenn-Air. One we rarely use as a stovetop. Much to my chagrin this is frequently used as a counter-top. The other less so. My son actually burned and ruined a silicone spatula by leaving it on the stovetop recently. We were lucky that it was the silicone side that was on the stovetop and not the wooden handle.

Well, I don't have much to add after all this great advice offered here. no doubt that you will have a great time though. Actually, one bit of advice to you would be to buy and cook some Bresse chickens. They are outstanding (and expensive!) and essentially unique to France. They may make you rethink chicken!

Trust me when I say that pro-foie bias is very intentional If I was doing the polling it would take all my self control not to start the question with "Foie is a foodstuff essential to everything good and worthwhile about mankind and the universe..." ← That is my bias as well and I would certainly prefer to have seen the question asked that way. My point though is that I think it is nearly impossible to ask this in an unbiased way. That the politicians did what they did in the face of such clear bias exposes their own bias that has nothing to do with foie gras as food.

Doc, the aioli is not pictured. The thing in front of the egg in the 2nd photo is the white asparagus puree. ← Thanks, Percy. I should have known better

Not being fully cognizant of Parisian Streets and metro stops, I must ask what arrondisement is that? You should have a lovely time in Paris. I have checked out your blog and it is most enjoyable. I have no doubt that you will get along quite well there. I would encourage you to find a few small shops or markets that you really like and frequent them. The restaurants will depend on where exactly you are and how much you wish to travel. The other obvious questions are what is your budget and what kinds of food are you particularly looking for? Do you speak any French? Even if just a little, that will be better than none.