cabrales

(5) "Peas and Carrots" -- Ditto exactly Stone's assessment, including that this was the most impressive dish of the meal. The chives speckling the pasta "skin" of the bundle were cute-looking. (Keller seems to like chives in a number of dishes.) The lobster meat was very flavorful and had the benefit of not only the butter, but possibly some lobster broth (?) and/or coraile elements (??). This dish might be in Keller's book (??). Anyhow, the carrot saucing was nice and had a muted sweetness. This dish was excellent. Other chefs who have sought to imitate this dish do not approximate what Keller produces on butter poached lobsters. A note on saucing, which is generally very well done at FL. Nice consistency to the sauces in general, and no obvious butter connotations in many instances (although butter was generously utilized). I later sampled the hot Caesar-salad-mimic preparation (excellent too) (cooked romaine with butter poached lobster -- this time not in chunks -- and bottarga shavings and bottarga-based sauce, to mimic the anchovy taste) but have not sampled the "macaroni and cheese" version of butter poached lobster (yet). I'd have to say that Keller's seafood and fish dishes appear stronger than his meat dishes, relative to my preferences. The butter poached lobster at FL is a "must-try", and my sense (unsubstantiated) is that it is generally included in the $135 menu in one guise or another. (6) Hobbs Shore pork belly with melted leeks and "confit" of navel orange A smaller layer of fat between the skin and the meat than most pork bellies. Also the belly portion was slightly less fatty. This did not detract from the flavorfulness and the nice texture of the flesh. I considered the melted leek quenelle unnecessary, and the sweetness of the navel orange confit a bit excessive. Still, a very good dish. The Gevrey Chambertin was nice. (7) Pan-roasted "Chateaubriand" of nature-fed veal with forest mushrooms, "rissole" potatoes and natural "jus" As Stone noted, the veal was a let-down in the meal. The veal was presented in three or four slices, and not overcooked. However, it did not have any meaningful flavor (whether from the intrinsic flesh or from the saucing). The mushrooms had a glistening feel in the mouth, and sat below the veal. Overall, a disappointment that had an effect on the meal. I noticed a generally lower quality to the meat courses in other FL meals too. Still, they were very good by the standards applicable to US restaurants. (8) Dessert-type items The Maytag serving was sizable. As Stone noted, the huckleberry sorbet was very stark (in a negative way). Also as Stone observed, the polenta dessert was excellent. The apple slice was quasi-translucent (green apple), almost like in one of the Michel Trama desserts that I have not yet tried. The mini creme brulee I received had a disproportionate portion of "burnt" top (due to its small size), and therefore tasted a bit darker than most brulees. It was average. On portion size, for one of my later meals, I was so confident with respect to my capacity that I had a pre-lunch at Domaine Chandon before my FL reservation. I had "Six oysters Five Ways", with a glass of Chandon Reserve Brut (1/2 shell with garlic and ginger mignonette, over apple blini, poached in Chandon Brut Classic sabayon, baked under a basil crust and fried in a 'bonbon'). Stone -- Have you written up a meal like this before?

Note the clothes pin wooden napkin holder is intended to be kept by the diner. I suspect quite a few diners who want it do not keep it because they are too afraid to ask. I'm going to buy the glass, hopefully soon. I wonder how much it is. Interesting also that the Mobil stars were featured very prominently on a metallic section (a stove hood?) when one entered the kitchen. Keller was not in attendance over the weekend. The kitchen had nice windows overlooking the garden area separating it from the dining room area. Back to the cuisine:

Stone -- Your descriptions in this thread are putting mine to shame. On theft, Stone was intent to taking the wooden "clothes pin" that holds the napkin. I asked the dining room team member whether we could take them, and she noted that was welcomed. The restaurant sees the clothes pin as almost its business card. (As members know, the clothes pin is the restaurant's logo of sorts). guajolote -- That looks like the cup, although it did seem more bulbous at the restaurant.

(1) Salmon cornet amuse This was as Stone described. The Atlantic salmon was very flavorful, and might have had onions (or shallots) mixed in. It also had a bit of chives, perhaps for another meal (?). I wonder whether the creme fraiche might not have had some small butter component as well. The "cone" was interesting, because it was moist/slightly oily, and yet still "broke" the way an ice cream cone might. I suspect the utilization of white sesame in a limited way on the cone was intentional, as there were two white sesame grains in many on the cone. (2) "Pearls and Oysters" I liked this dish, particularly the "gluey" feel of the tapioca in the mouth -- a sensation which was augmented by the gooey nature of the sabayon. FL utilizes different oysters from time to time (I overheard this during a later meal), but this weekend it was Malpeques. The Malpeques might have been halved in this dish, with one half above the quenelle of pristine oscetra and the other below it visually. A generous serving of caviar, and, for me, sufficient balance between the caviar and the buttery sensations. (3) Braised celeriac salad with Perigord truffles and cutting celery A minor service imperfection in the dining room team member's perception of the need to explain to me what celeriac is. However, this was a nice dish with small segments of (cooked, of course) celeryroot that tasted "unadulterated" by the cooking. The beets I later sampled were to also have this quality, which could be viewed as a positive or a negative (in my mind, a close call). Black truffle manifested itself in the saucing. I had a bite of Stone's foie gras -- moist, as he described, and yet with "clean" fatty sensations (no mushiness or the "harder" texture of many foie terrines). He appeared to have a generous amount of black truffle. (4) Crispy skin filet of Atlantic sea bass with wilted arrowleaf spinach and vanilla-saffron sauce The dish was, again, as Stone described. The bass flesh was nicely prepared, with the right level of cooking. I liked this dish as well, although I found the saffron sauce slightly too sweet for my tastes. Nonetheless, a very good dish. Also, a dish that went beautifully with the Chassagne-Montrachet. That white wine was served in a ravishing Riedel sommelier series large glass (very large glass), with a ridge along the lip (hard to describe). I enjoyed holding and drinking from this large glass. Note I do not own Keller's book, and my dish descriptions might not benefit from information in the book.

Saturday's lunch with Stone and two further meals at FL this weekend constituted a bona fide attempt to understand this restaurant. I would rate it as the best restaurant in the US , although its cuisine falls short, in my mind and with all respect, of the average three-star in France. The cuisine was very well-executed and for the most part the dishes were well-conceived. The dining room team assistance was excellent. As Stone described, the FL building is not particularly impressive-looking from the outside. It is a darkish wood, and the "French Laundry" name is set forth at a low height from the ground. The Relais Gourmand sign is only slightly more noticeable. The "frontage" along the road does not include a door. One has to walk along that frontage before arriving at a blue door on the side. When I arrived, Stone was waiting in the bar area (there are 4 bar stools in grey velour or a similar fabric are available). He had on a tobacco brown jacket which seemed to be close to the color of the dress I wore. We were seated in the ground floor's main dining area. The restaurant has that room, and a ground-floor adjoining alcove-like area with a few more tables. On the upper floor are two additional rooms and a long balcony. The washroom is also on the upper floor. The inside walls did seem a white or off-white color. The bottom half of at least certain portions of the walls in the main dining room on the ground floor might have been wood with a simple pattern that had been painted a light pink (??). There were metallic poles with electric "mimic" candle bulbs, and a weird glass decoration behind the bulbs. Overall, a laid back decor that included dark blue chairs. Parts of the alcove (alcove in a very loose sense) might have also been blue in color. Dining Room Assistance The dining room team was responsive to my inquiries. Gracious, informed and careful. For example, I asked whether Stone and I could benefit from the "solo diner immediate VIP" policy which is described in Ruhlman's book and which chefg confirmed ("Trio questions" thread in The Heartland). The answer was "no", but it was nicely framed. I also took some time to select the wine, and the sommelier appeared to be fine with that. (On the wines, the restaurant had some interesting Raveneau Chablis that I was originally considering, but was steered away from.) On my questions re: the butter, there were two types of butter, one of which was from Vermont and had the fleur de sel component. I asked whether the fleur de sel was from Ile de Re, Noirmoutiers or Camarge. The dining room team member initially referred to the Camarge, but later indicated that it was from Brittany (which still did not identify the region within Brittany). Nonetheless, a good response. Miscellaneous The two closest places to stay include Vintage Inn (around $200/night) and Burgundy Inn. Vintage Inn is less than a 3 minute walk from FL, and is across the street from Bouchon. That being said, Yountville is not a large place and there may be other accommodations within walking distance. Lunch is the same price as dinner ($135 for the nine? course tasting menu). There seems to be some room for substitutions (of at least like-kind dishes), particularly if a diner were to attempt to obtain a signature dish. The restaurant appears to have a staggered seating policy whereby even diners during a given service are scheduled to arrive at different times (presumably to assist the kitchen's handling of the dishes). (More to come, including dish descriptions, on which Stone has, of course, already done a good job)

Stone -- On lunch being lunch or more, it wasn't in part my company? Below are dish names from the menu: Salmon cornet amuse "Pearls and Oysters" "Terrine" of Moulard duck "foie gras" with Perigord truffles, truffled salad and toasted "brioche"/Braised celeriac salad with Perigord truffles and cutting celery Crispy skin filet of Atlantic sea bass with wilted arrowleaf spinach and vanilla-saffron sauce "Peas and Carrots" Hobbs Shore pork belly with melted leeks and "confit" of navel orange Pan-roasted "Chateaubriand" of nature-fed veal with forest mushrooms, "rissole" potatoes and natural "jus" "Maytag Blue" with rosemary poached dried fruits and rosemary-infused oil Oregon huckleberry sorbet with toasted almond "financier" Crispy sweet polenta cake with candied apples and brown sugar ice cream Post-Dessert -- Creme brulee; Ginger pot-au-creme Billecart-Salmon N.V., by the glass 1/2 bottle Chassagne Montrachet "Les Vergers", Ramonet 1999 Gevrey Chambertin, Joseph Roty 1997 (a special cuvee that is off-wine-list and that was recommended by the sommelier over the 1986 Joseph Roty G-C) On souvenirs, I secured two originals of the menu and would be happy to hand one over. Also, you have your little "clothes pin" wooden napkin holder, and will have photos sooner or later.

chefg -- It's wonderful solo diners are always VIP'd at FL. Are you aware of what might have been the thinking behind that? Also, do all VIPs on a given night tend to get the same lengthier tasting?

Today's LA Times contained an article on the db burger. Below are excerpts: "Daniel Boulud began shaving $350-per-pound black truffles onto his regular DB Burger, raising the price from $29 to $50. ... By the next weekend, Larry King and David Letterman were said to be vying to get the two chefs together on camera. Meanwhile, Boulud was making cracks about how Kobe beef should be sliced, not ground, and Old Homestead owner Marc Sherry was accusing the Frenchman of stooping to using a publicist to hawk his burger.... 'OK, we're going to war, but we're not in a depression yet,' Boulud said. 'Everyone has $41,' Sherry said. 'Or everyone can raise $41.' .... Apparently, [boulud] considered charging $55 as a tribute to the restaurant's address at 55 W. 44th St. So why not $44? 'We're adding **$15 worth of truffles** to a $29 burger,' said Guy Heksch, DB's manager. 'We needed to make some profit.' After a few bites, I realized I wasn't eating a hamburger but the illusion of one. After all, when does a burger stop being a burger and become something else? ..." The average amount of truffles in a db burger would therefore appear to be ($15/350) pound, possibly.

Rich & herblau -- Thanks for your responses Whatever method of communicating on eGullet your reactions to restaurants your dining group samples would be appreciated. May I further ask how restaurants are chosen? For example, are there coordinators of your dining group who make the choices? Are the coordinators the people who work out menu choices with the chosen restaurant? How many people attend your typical dinner event? Are there never lunch events? Are events usually on weekends or weekdays?

I had my second db burger royale tonight. My assessment is as was the case before -- favorable. One aspect I noticed for the first time tonight was the utilization of truffled butter (melted) on the bun. The "area" associated with the individual truffle slices varied more tonight -- some were large, and some were as previously describe. I had both the Chateauneuf du Pape and the Cabernet Sauvignon. The darkness of the former is preferable. I forgot to mention that the amuses last time, which was the same as this evening, was a spoonful of salmon, with a nice hint of acidity. Nice, although the salmon was not extraordinary, the utilization of acidity was nice. I had a lobster salad was an appetizer, with haricots (nice sweetness and crunchiness), artichokes and a raw leaf of endive (appropriate), and nice halves of cherry tomatoes. Although the lobster was not Brittany lobster (preferred by me), the lobster was nicely crisp in texture. Nice desserts. Overall, an appealing menu.

David -- I translated the article into English (see the Decadent Burger thread in the NY forum).

The February 2003 edition of Gourmet contains an article entitled "Letters from ...London". On Sketch, the article notes: "allegedly the most expensive (talk is of around $16 million) and one of the largest (even bigger than cavernous Mezzo) in London.... a dozen amuse-bouches shoot out to the table, one after another. As in Paris, the emphasis at Sketch is all about bursting flavors, small bites, and strange combinations [strange would be the right word, in my assessment of the Paris restaurant]. A bland-sounding appetizer of vegetables, for example, is anything but, and includes a cup of parsley, coriander and tarragon juice; little chunks of turnip in cide broth; a puree of sweet potato; and Jerusalem artichokes done three ways. Sketch is, without doubt, the most dazzling restaurant to open in London in years. With a dazzling tab..."

Blue Ribbon Brooklyn's impending opening is reported in the New York magazine newsletter. Apologies that, up on a brief search, I was unable to locate the prior discussion, which I believe included Nina's input. "Blue Ribbon Sushi Now that brothers Eric and Bruce Bromberg have established an outer-borough beachhead with their Blue Ribbon Brooklyn, they’ve taken the inevitable next step: cloning Blue Ribbon Sushi right next door. The Park Slope spinoff, formerly Vaux, is bigger and boxier than the Sullivan Street original, and features a raw bar—something of a Blue Ribbon signature—stocked with giant abalone, sea urchin, and Alaska king crab. Partner Toshi Ueki oversees a **menu identical to Manhattan’s,** from appetizers like peppered lamb with red miso and soy sauce to special maki rolls like the Blue Ribbon (half a lobster, shiso, and black caviar). 278 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn 718-840-0408" I guess prices might approximate the original?

A New York magazine newsletter notes the following: "Tireless chef-entrepreneur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the Asia-obsessed Alsatian ... *Next week,* he unleashes his idiosyncratic take on Chinese food at 66, where kitchen recruits from Hong Kong and Chinatown collaborate on family-style platters that might look more familiar than they taste—or cost. Think *Shanghai soup dumplings, sea-scallop shumai*, and sweet-and-sour fried red snapper with pine nuts, for starters. The stark modern design is by Richard Meier; the uniforms by Vivienne Tam. Fish tanks divide the kitchen from the dining room, which is furnished with Eames chairs and round resin tables, each with its iconic lazy Susan. At lunch, the 44-foot-long communal table becomes a dim sum and noodle bar. At night, we boldly predict, it will be a scene. 241 Church Street 212-925-0202"

HungryChris -- If you are aware (and if you are not, that's wonderful as well), does one have to take some other form of transportation after the ferry?

Given kitwilliams' inability to attend, can I bring a friend -- please? If that is acceptable, I'll bring some other item on that friend's behalf -- I'm not sure what, at this point.

lizziee -- When you have a chance, what is La Belle France? Why, in very broad terms, was your meal at La Tour Rose (P Chavent?) so poor? (What are your views on La Tour Rose (G Vignant)?) I'd further appreciate members' input, if available, on Bernachon Passion.

Welcome May I ask how your club handles wine? Do you seek places that allow BYO or does the $25 price level include wine purchased from restaurants?

Steven -- "Terrific" relative to what? Terrific is far too strong a word.

lizziee -- Thank-you for your continuing advice. On Rotunde, I am considering it. It's located in a casino, so the Sunday opening makes sense. I am using a helpful guide called "Lyon Gourmand" by Andre et Christine Mure (2001 edition, 31st edition), in addition to Michelin and other guides. This particular local guide was inexpensive (7,47 euro), and purchased at a small newspaper stand. For 2001, the other ratings at the Auberge de L'Ill level (the highest level, other than Bocuse, who is at a level all to himself called "Hors Concours") are: L'Alexandrin, Blanc, Chapel, *Domaine de Clairefontaine*, *Le Fedora*, *Larivoire*, *Guy Lassausaie*, Leon de Lyons (to be visited), Les Loges (ditto), Pierre Orsi (very interesting, but may not be included in visit), Pyramide, Rotonde, Christian Tetedoie, *La Tour Rose* and Villa Florentine. I would be interested in additional member input, if available, on the restaurants marked with an asterisk.

lizziee -- Thanks I have reservations for a Saturday dinner at Auberge de L'Ill. Even though certain current guides indicated the place is open for lunch on Sundays and the place used to be so open, it might no longer be. I called the restaurant and was advised of that recently.

I'd appreciate member input on L'Auberge de Fond Rose. Also, input on what restaurants (apart from Bocuse, Les Loges' bistro affiliate and La Mere Brazier, potentially) might be open on Sundays for lunch would be appreciated.

Kenk -- I agree, with respect to the need to utilize different parts of the geoduck, particularly for textural differentation. Did you purchase carry live geoducks from Granville Island onto the plane? If so, what sort of carrying case was provided and did you encounter any customs problems with that? Do you remember which stall at GI provided the specimens? How did you terminate the geoduck?

HungryChris -- While I do not intend to attend, are you aware of the different methods (other than driving) for accessing Mohegan Sun from NYC?

From the Toronto Star today, an interesting point regarding gender of clients: [At Old Homestead,] "I asked Alex, my waiter, how many they sold and he figured 100 a day during the week and nearly twice that on the weekends. Mainly in the evening, and **almost exclusively to men.** Did he have any theories why they ordered it? 'It's different,' he shrugged, 'and some guys always gotta be different, gotta be with it.'" At [db], according to a dining room team member: "'We sell a lot more at lunch when it winds up on expense accounts. People are less willing to spring that much when it's their own dough. Hey, aren't we supposed to be in a recession?'... For the record, the Burger Royale didn't cut it for me. Short ribs, fois gras and truffles don't really belong in the middle of a ground beef patty, no matter how classy the beef... As I was leaving, I noticed a table with four women who could have stepped right out of Sex And The City, each chomping on a Burger Royale. I asked them why they were spending [CAD]$75 on a hamburger. One who looked so much like Cynthia Nixon that it was scary, smiled at me. 'I spend that much on a hamburger,' she said between bites of truffle, 'for the same reason that I live in New York. Because I can.'"