docsconz

Unfortunately I cannot help you, but please tell us, What is "Dragon's Beard Candy"?

I'll have to try them, sometime. Perhaps one of my problems vis a vis ethnic restaurants in Montreal is that they are not high on my priority list when I go there. There are always some great tried and trues as well as exciting new restaurants to try. Plus I don't get there as often as I would like.

Montreal may have them, but they must be relatively well hidden. I'm certainly not saying that Montreal is devoid of good ethnic cuisine - that would be absurd. However, compared to New York and per my experience, Toronto as well, I believe that it remains a relative weakness. But then this area is a particular strength of New York, especially outside of Manhatten. I really hope Laprise makes the new Toque work. He is too good a chef to have a less than stellar restaurant. I will watch reports with great interest.

I agree that we have great foie gras and game, but we have substandard beef, pork, and chicken. I won't dismiss that NYC has a lot of style over substance but it also has a lot of style + substance. ← No doubt and when this is the case, it makes for a truly special meal.

I guess we need to define what we mean by "high-end." Just the food? The decor as well? Breadth of wine list? Silverware, stemware? Doc, not sure if you have been to the new Toque. I too had fond memories of the old one, but the new one simply sucks. Rude service. The room is cold (literally - freezing cold even on a warm summer day), acres of space b/w tables. Food was good but not as good as I remember it on the tiny space on St. Denis. The wine list is obscenely expensive and I was "pooh-poohed" because I was drinking by the glass (their half-bottle list is outrageous and since I often dine alone, it's all that makes sense for me). It's also become very VERY expensive but I peeked at their lunch menu and it does seem extremely reasonable especially in contrast to the awe-inspiring prices for dinner (for Montreal!) ← No, I haven't been to the new Toque and what you say is distressing. That is truly a shame if they have lost a lot of what made the restaurant special. When I am talking "high end" I am generally referring to the food. While Montreal has some lovely restaurants, the decor etc. is generally quite limited compared to what can be found in NYC. Unfortunately, often the "high-end" decor is simply a matter of style over substance. While I like a beautiful environment as much as the next guy, the quality of the food, cooking and service remains of utmost importance to me when evaluating a restaurant.

Despite the city's heterogeneity, the area I think Montreal really lags compared to NYC is with ethnic restaurants. While not bad in Montreal, NYC remains miles ahead in this category.

Bux, this is where Montreal has really improved over the last ten years or so. At its best, Montreal rivals NYC. It just doesn't have the depth or breadth of dining choices in The Big Apple. To me the most unique (in a good way) restaurant in Montreal is Les Chevres. It is unlike anyplace I have ever been to in NYC or elsewhere. I have had some truly outstanding and extremely memorable meals at Toque, comparable to almost anything in New York. I have never had better foie gras anywhere than what I have had at Toque. As for the bagels - I love them, although as a preference they really are an acquired taste. I think most New Yorkers (and most that I know who have had both) who have cut their teeth on contemporary steroid laden NYC bagels will still prefer them as I would expect Montrealers would prefer their own. A lot certainly depends on how fresh they are. NYC bagels freeze better, but it is hard to beat a freshly baked St. Viateur poppy seed bagel!

I have split off the discussion on lobster cookery to a new thread of its own in order to keep this topic on Per Se and to develop more discussion on this apparently controversial question that is clearly not limiteed to Per Se. Thank you for your understanding

Based on a discussion that started about lobster cookery in the thread on the restaurant Per Se, it seems evident to me that there is considerable disagreement as to what internal temperature a lobster should be cooked to and what is nthe best method to achieve that so that the lobster isn't overly chewy and "tough". Some of the discussion that spun off from directly talking about Per se has been shifted to here.

If that is the case, Ya-Roo, then perhaps you would be better off with fresh tuna, even if it makes the dish less "authentic". I am not crazy about regular US canned tuna packed in water, but I like the European stuff packed in olive oil and love it especially in this dish. The ventresca may not be O-Toro for overall satisfaction, but it is clearly the same part of the tuna and in my mind at least, ideal for this dish. I'd love to read what Chef Canora has to say about poaching tuna.

Thanks for reminding me! I still have some leaves in the freezer I need to use. Even if I did get sick from there, the meal was worth it!

I concur.

There may certainly be better Thai restaurants in the country than Sripraphai. I just used that as an example of at least one Thai restaurant that is well known that I have been to that I thought was much better than Arun's in a number of ways. I would not be at all surprised if there were better Thai restaurants than Arun's in Chicago. I would be surprised if there were not.

Have you tried this with Minus 8? I'm curious, because I have that one in my arsenal, but not the stuff you have used. What about other oils besides walnut like avocado or even good evoo? Perhaps this drink will make you famous with a name. It sounds worth trying to me. I like your website. It looks as if you are doing some cool things. Please keep us informed of your creations.

IMO the two other "must" restaurants in that vicinity are El Raco de Can Fabes and Sant Pau. Neither are exactly right around the corner, but then they aren't that far either. Both are worth the effort and cost. Can Fabes is 3*** and Sant Pau 2**.

Thank you for your information. Based on my experience in eating sous vide preparations, I would think that would be an excellent method of preparation for the lobster. Even so, while it is not my recollection that the lobster was particularly tough, it does seem to be a fairly common complaint based on my readings here and elsewhere. Has there been any consideration given to the criticisms mentioned of the dish or alterations made because of them?

It has been about two years since my one and only visit to Arun's. My impression then ws that it was way overpriced and overhyped. While the food wasn't bad, it certainly wsan't anything special. Unfortunately, it seems that my visit may not have been an isolated instance. As for the best Thai food in the US -not even close. Sripraphai in NYC, for one, is miles better and much cheaper to boot.

Of these restaurants only Gramercy Tavern is still considereed a top restaurant in NYC nowadays, although the others still should have been good. Nevertheless, the top end of what Montreal has to offer is certainly at least competetive with NYC in terms of quality and generally quite a bit less expensive, especially when considering the exchange.

A votre sante'!

The 1986 Leoville Barton, if it has been kept in good condition, should be an excellent wine and fine to drink now. Leoville Barton is a fine winery and 1986 a superb vintage. It will certainly go well with nearly any red meat dish. I can't help you with the other except to say that if it is from the Languedoc it is not a Bordeaux even if it contains Bordeaux varietals.

What makes this vinegar a "drinking vinegar"? I imagine this wouldn't be bad with a fine balsamico tradizionale or Minus 8 wine vinegar.

Unfotunately, I haven't, although I very much hope they succeed in preserving the ecosystem and enhancing the production of this product. This sounds like it would be an ideal story for the Slow Food Movement.

I've used a cheese grater for years, also. The one I use has a wooden handle and holes about 1/8 round. It is fantastic! As with you, I don't peel the ginger. When I finish with the grater, I simply run it under water, and give it a shake. All clean!! In the past I have tried the ceramic ginger grater and also a wooden one. Fageddaboutit! My tried and true cheese grater is my choice. I do a lot of Chinese cooking and use the cheese grater for garlic as well. I don't peel the garlic. I simply pinch the very tip of the point of the garlic, with my fingernails and run the garlic up and down the grater, holding it with my fingers and when I get to the bottom, I flatten my fingers out. In a instant, the flesh goes through and the skin stays on the top side. In my Chinese cooking classes, this tip is the one all the students love best. ← This sounds like an interesting technique . Could you possibly post photos so that I'm sure I understand what you are doing? I know that if I did it wrong and shredded my fingers, my medical partners would not be too happy!

This dish is one of our summer staples, especially when the really good haricots verts and new potatoes hit the farmers' market. I would also support the notion that high quality Italian or Spanish tuna in EVOO is the way to go. If you want to splurge you can get ventresca fo additional fatty silkiness.

This discussion raises an obvious question to me. Would the dishes from several years ago at El Bulli still be as good if they were still served there? Is the novelty of the dishes of such primary importance? While I have certainly enjoyed food from Adria disciples and others clearly influenced by him , I have yet to have his food prepared by him or others, so it will all be novel to me anyway. While I do enjoy novelty for it own sake, it is ultimately unsatisfying unless it is backed up by real substance. I am very much looking forward to experiencing El Bulli for myself and coming to my own conclusions later this summer.