docsconz

Thanks, Eliot for clarifying that. By those criteria, there is no doubt in my mind that Frontera/Topolobampo deserves the award.

The evidence continues to mount against that old dictum. Perhaps I react strongly to it since I grew up with it. ← Although when we were dining in a restaurant in Rome we saw a couple ask for cheese for their pasta with shrimp, and were firmly and pointedly denied said cheese! ← We were also shown a bread stuffing made with the same bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, garlic, and parsley, that they use to stuff mussels & cuttlefish. IT IS SO GOOD! I'll post pictures of those as well. ← This was the one way that we would mix cheese with seafood in my house. My mother made a stuffing with the same ingredients you described. She would stuff blue crabs and simmer them in a tomato sauce to make my all-time favorite dish. The sauce and the crabs would be served over pasta - either perciatelli or bucatini.

Tipping the sommelier more than what one might otherwise in a situation in which the corkage fee was waived by the sommelier raises a sticky question. Can that be seen as a kickback by the restaurant management and potentially get the sommelier in trouble despite the best of intentions?

The evidence continues to mount against that old dictum. Perhaps I react strongly to it since I grew up with it.

Great pics and report as always, Eliot. I don't get there enough to really have a sense of consistency, but in my experience it remains the best Mexican food in the US. Your photos and report help show why.

So much for the dictum of no cheese with seafood in real Italian cooking!

More seafood... Galician percebes. razor clams Is it any wonder that the Spanish eat so much seafood?

...some seafood These cigalas (langoustines) were very much alive and wriggling on the ice. still more to come...

All your photos are excellent, but this one is exceptional. I have to say that the monkfish is beautiful as well. Keep'em coming.

This is promising to be a very interesting exploration, Steverino. Cavatelli and orecchiette are two of my favoritepasta shapes (but then there aren't too many that aren't! ). My mother used to make a very simple but delicious dish with cavatelli. She would prepare it with well cooked, cut into small pieces broccoli sauteed in olive oil with garlic. A little S&P on top and this was pure comfort food. We still have it at home occasionally.

I don't really look for or care what the level of RS is in a wine so long a it is balanced. I do, in fact, enjoy a good German riesling every now and again so long as it is balanced by acidity. I despise wines that are overtly and cloyingly sweet, though. I do like a good amarone and yes that has definite sweetness on the palate too, but a good one is balanced as well. OTOH, I also like a good chianti classico and those tend to be less sweet on the palate. Just give me a well balanced wine and depending on what I am having it with I am generally happy.

When traveling there is almost nothing I enjoy more than visiting the local markets as they tell so much about a culture and its people. The Mercado Central of Valencia was one that I absolutely had to visit. I wasn't disappointed. The Mercado Central of Valencia has been undergoing renovations for over a year. While I had not seen it prior to the renovations, it is truly a magnificent building - the finest market architecture that I have seen. The modernist building designed by local architects, Soler March and Guardia Vich and opened in 1928 became the space for this market, one of the oldest continuing markets in Europe. My sense is that the Mercado Central is neither as large nor as varied as the Boqueria in Barcelona, its most obvious point of comparison. The day my wife and I visited was a day after it was closed for a holiday. We visited on May 2nd, which may explain a relative lack of quantity in the seafood stalls. Even so, the quantity and quality still far surpassed almost anything available in the United States. The photos will be presented as I took them, which is as we walked through the market and visited various stalls as opposed to groupings by type. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Explanations will be given where I think they are necessary. Otherwise, I will try to do my best to answer any specific questions. The nuts in the center of the photo are chufas or tiger nuts. These are used to make the Valencian specialty horchata. More to come...

Excellent report of contrasting restaurants. there is no reason that both can't be great despite their totally different styles. That beef looks perfect! I absolutely loved L'Astrance the one opportunity that I have had to dine there. Barbot's platings are indeed beautiful and matched by the flavors held within. Especially by the standards of 3* pricing in Paris, 150 Euros is very reasonable. It is absolutely on my list of restaurants to repeat when next in Paris.

This morning I had poached eggs on a bed of arugula. I think it would work with spinach, watercress or mache as well. If one wanted to fatten it up, some bacon would work in nicely. The yolk of the eggs provides the dressing.

That salad works very well because it is inherently well balanced. The greens provide some bitterness, the dried fruit sweetness, the vinegar some acidity, the cheese a little sourness as well as smoothness and the nuts some crunch. So long as the balance is maintained, it is a great salad. When it is skewed - usually towards- the sweet it becomes cloying and bad. Despite that, I think that salad is now being eclipsed by a more savory one with greens, eggs, salted meat (typically bacon) and a vinaigrette. Variations include any number of other items. Last night I made a spinach salad with bacon, hard-boiled eggs, sliced turkey, canned Spanish white asparagus and an olive oil vinaigrette with cabernet vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, pimenton and shallot. My family seemed to like it.

All over the world now there are many places like this, but this really isn't a new phenomenon even if places like Momofuku have instilled their own styles into the picture. What you describe in your post began in Paris in the early 1990's as top flight chefs left top flight restaurants to open more casual places serving top flight food at affordable prices often in outlying neighborhoods. These were more than simple bistros or brasseries yet not quite haute cuisine temples. One example in my experience is L'Epi Dupin, but there are countless others. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon was a late arrival on this scene. It conforms to the paradigm, now or not, other than the cost, which is not exactly inexpensive. This movement has certainly changed Paris dining.

One specific example that I can give is Rafael Vidal of Restaurant Levante outside of Valencia. A restaurant specializing in paella, Chef Vidal uses primarily if not completely local products including many out of his own gardens.

The easy answer is that they are the rule rather than the exception. In many ways that may be true as most restaurants tend to highlight local agriculture and producers or at least regional and national. Where it gets tricky is when it comes to seafood. They still tend to focus on local ingredients as above, but the question of sustainability is a tough one as many of the more popular items are or have been overfished. Cod is a classic example, but really the problem runs right through the entire fishery as strains are being felt everywhere. One thing that one doesn't see like one does in the US is highlighting of specific farms or producers with a few exceptions such as "Joselito" Iberian pork. For the most part product may be identified as regional or local, but rarely more specific than that.

If small plates are more profitable then it is a win-win for those diners who like the concept and frequent the restaurants as they will be more likely to continue the concept and keep those diners happy. That being said, i too am curious regarding the experiences of specific restaurants and the original question. Is it in fact the case that it is more profitable to serve more small plates than fewer large ones or even the same number if attracting lighter eaters?

This situation reminds me a lot of that with wasabi. What passes for wasabi in most of the world (perhaps not including Japan and a few other places) is nothing more than dressed up horseradish. While I happen to like that, it is still somewhat deceptive as real wasabi is rare and expensive. BTW, the current issue (no. 75) of The Art of Eating contains an article written by Rowen Jacobsen on "True Wasabi" that is an interesting read. From the same article: The remainder of the article goes on to describe true wasabi and details the wasabi growing operation of Dr. Brian Oates in British Columbia.

I hadn't heard that Nougatine was a testing ground for J-G either, but that doesn't mean that it isn't so. While Nougatine is clearly not thought of on this Forum nearly the way that Jean-Georges is, I imagine that it must have some fans of its own. If not, then why does it still exist? It would seem to me that perhaps the concept of Nougatine - at least in an adjacent space to J-G should be jettisoned with the kitchen devoted entirely to the mother-ship. Perhaps, the answer lies in the fact that the restaurants reside in a hotel and the hotel likes a less formal option along with Jean-Georges. For someone who wishes to sample the great food of the J-G-V empire in a less formal setting I would suggest Perry Street.

I haven't been able to find a menu online, but would be interested to see one from the 1980s if anybody's Googling skills are better than mine. I'm certainly willing to believe that there have been haute-casual restaurants here and there over time. It just seems that right now there's a significant confluence of new restaurants that are of a piece and reflect a new dining culture. ← I'm not sure of the address, but I believe that it is the same restaurant. Ten years can make a big difference to the life of a cutting edge place, especially if the edge dulls. I haven't been back since the mid-80s, but at the time it seemed novel and adventurous indeed. I don't recall the specific menu items. It was inexpensive enough for a medical student to afford an occasional outing, but the food quality was such that it felt special. These comments make me want, again, to ask jesteinf's implied query about where this paradigm is or is not happening. I went into a new place here in Providence last night that, without realizing it until I read this topic, I hoped would meet these criteria. However, it's clear that in Providence the foodie crowd wants the trappings, perhaps as much as they want the food itself. Put differently, I think that it's hard to imagine "new paradigm" or "haute-cheap" making it here because there's not a sufficient diner demographic to keep the places running, whereas in NYC that demographic seems significant and growing. ← I don't know about Providence, but in Charlottesville, Virginia in the late 80's there was a restaurant called Eastern Standard that would more closely compare to the Bouley/Bouley Upstairs example than Momofuku. There were two restaurants in one building . Upstairs was the more formal and expensive Eastern Standard. Downstairs was a very hip, casual, relatively inexpensive and cutting edge version of the restaurant that was quite popular with the less affluent who still enjoyed good food. It was one of my very favorite restaurants in Charlottesville and i generally preferred the downstairs to the upstairs and not because of money. It was more relaxed and befitting of my lifestyle as a relatively impoverished Anesthesiology resident. While certain components may change, I believe all that we are really dealing with is a new element of trendiness to attract a younger adventurous crowd that wants to stand out and be hip without spending an arm and a leg to do it. By definition, the paradigm has to be new and basically ever changing. The concept, however, is as old as the hills.

April 28th, 2007. We arrived in Barcelona early that morning. We were met at the airport by our friends who took us back to their home in Manresa for a brief rest before lunch (breakfast?) at Aligue located in the same town. The food here is certainly not the reason this restaurant does not garner more acclaim than it does as the food really is quite excellent and on a par with many of the better restaurants in Catalunya. The room is ordinary as is the service. That and the fact that Manresa remains off the beaten track for most people who don't live there as well as the fact that Catalunya is chock full of outstanding restaurants are the most likely reasons. All I know is that if that food were served where I live, the restaurant would be the best restaurant in the area and I do not live in a deprived area for food. The sign. The bread. We had the Chef's degustation menu. The amuse. This was foie mousse with artichoke cream and ground corn nuts. This was a pleasant starter with the corn nuts providing textural contrast as well as adding smoke and bitter elements for flavor balance. Shrimp carpaccio using local shrimp. this dish reminded me of one I had a few years ago at Can Fabes not too far away in Sant Celoni. This was very good. Fresh cod cooked sous vide with garlic soup. The texture of the cod was spot on perfect. The flavors were subtle and delicious. This was a marvelous dish. vegetables with Esperdenyes (sea cucumber) and Causalada (pork neck). A version of a traditional Catalan Mar y Montaña (surf and turf), this dish was very well prepared. The pigskin was crisp and delicious and the esperdenyes a real treat. The vegetables held their own as well. Foie Stuffed Fresh Morels in a Cream Sauce - pure decadence - perhaps the finest morels that I have ever eaten. Loup de mer with Artichokes and sobresada. The fish was cooked perfectly as was the skin - delicious. The sauce added just the right amount of flavor without overwhelming the fish. Chef Aligue displaying what will be the next course. Suckling Pig Shoulder. What is not to love? Red fruit with yogurt ice cream. This was good, but not special. Coffe and hazelnut ice creams with a coffee sauce. I think this helped me stay awake tthrough dinner This was refreshing and delicious with crunchy bits thrown in for texture. Hazelnut coulant. Similar to what I had here before, it was still delicious. A view of Montserrat from near the restaurant. The location, the room and the service may not be "sexy", but the food is quite alluring. Given all the great food in the area, it is difficult to recommend this to the traveler with limited time or ability to get around. However, for this with more time or who are venturing towards Montserrat or Andorra, the food won't disappoint.

I'm beginning to get a handle on what kinds of restaurants people may be referring to, but is this paradigm really new? While not quite the same as some of the places referred to, for its day it would have fit the definition, La Maison Japonaise in 1980's NYC fit that bill. It was casual, adventurous (Japanese-french Fusion was still a relatively new thing), not terribly expensive, "downtown" both in location and style and with aa younger, "hip" crowd into which I fit in those days. I guess I don't really think the paradigm is really new at all. The specifics of restaurant fare and style may change, but the concept remains the same - edgy, different, casual, fancy in its own way but still relatively inexpensive.

as I said, I don't like the lunch ssam either. so? it's absurd to conclude off of one item that Chang "is overrated" ← In general, you are correct, although in this case, the dish in question, a ssam, is also part of the restaurant name. If any dish should be good at a restaurant it should be one that the restaurant is named after. For reasons I mentioned above, I happen to think it is over-rated, but not because of the ssam. Mind you, over-rated does not necessarily mean bad. I didn't think the food was bad. I just didn't think it was nearly as good as many of the people on this topic apparently do or as good a value as many apparently think it is.