cabrales

Jonathan -- That a sommelier will have more wine information than the typical informed diner does not mean that the latter does not have sufficient knowledge to evaluate a wine list. It might mean that a sommelier has much more than the minimum knowledge required to process a wine list. I disagree with your use of the word "gouging". How can a restaurant gauge a diner if the diner is accepting the so-called upselling? I can't think of any situation where I feel I have been gauged. That is because I either ask the price of a recommended item, or, if I don't ask, I don't care. With or without upselling, a restaurant does not guarantee a wonderful experience with respect to a product. My notion of accountability is that a diner should accept the consequences of her own decisions, including her decisions to accept a recommendation for a more expensive dish or wine choice. In other words, I do not distinguish upselling from selling and I consider selling by restaurants (whether obvious or not) to be entirely normal and appropriate. I encourage restaurants to maximize profits.

jakubc -- The frogs' legs/eel dish was recently sampled by me too. It is called "Troncon d'anguille et cuisses de grenouilles au laurier" (Eel and frogs' legs with bay leaf?). The eel was presented in a filet, and it was very fishy tasting. The flesh was not particularly elastic-tasting; nor did it have the denseness one sometimes associates with eel. Significant use of melted butter and strong connotations of fat in the dish, which remained dominant despite the utilization of lemon peel to mitigate it. Frogs' legs were deboned and fatty tasting. Taken with a Puligny Montrachet "Les Demoiselles" 1993, Madame Francois Colin. Also the least preferred dish within my particular Troisgros meal. I have had much better eel dishes at the restaurant previously. Troisgros remains one of my favorite restaurants. Did you receive a white chocolate-outer layer fairly large lollipop? The inside was passionfruit ice cream. The late 4Q 2002 Quatuor (spelling) of dessert was (1) sabayon with coffee (average), (2) beignet with rasberries, (3) coconut cream with pineapple bits and pineapple gelee and chocolate tower, and (4) guava gelee and white chocolate and banana concoction. Pre-dessert was, for different meals, (1) chocolate tart with strawberry/licorice gelee and milk ice cream (the milk was very savage-tasting for some reason), and (2) thin strands of mango (almost like spaghetti) that were slippery and moist.

"Our last and unfortunately disappointing meal at Arzak was on November 30 of 2002. We found the cuisine tilting towards the deconstructivist school, but somehow wondered how well thought out and researched new creations were. Certainly the presentations are as artistic as in the past, if not more so. Small pieces of shrimp, pistachio powder and potato crumbs look interesting on the plate and can be arranged like a flower." Are you referring to te "Idiazabal with prawns and prunes"? This dish was on the Arzak menu in November 2002. This dish was indeed average, but the ingredients sound a bit different from your reference to pistachio powder. The prawns were not memorable. The prune manifested itself in a mild, tapenade mode (not sweet). There was a "column" on the plate of organish dried small breadcrumbs -- these had Idiazabal cheese integrated into the breadcrumb (i.e., there was no moisture; non-smoked version of Idiazabal was utilized). There was also a little bit of Guindillas (peppers that looked a bit like pale green beans).

Holly -- All three condiments were in little, rustic-looking ceramic jars. They had little spoons for the diner to transfer the condiment to her plate. I strongly suspect the ketchup and Dijon mustard were not prepared at db. In fact, it would not have been technically correct to label the mustard Dijon if it had been prepared in db's kitchens, I'd imagine. The horseradish mayonnaise is almost certainly restaurant-made, as its taste has varied from meal to meal.

Stelio & Patrice -- When you have a chance, could you please discuss why you are focusing on vegetables?

Steve -- Thanks so much. I have been wondering about this facility. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=10&t=14971

Well, at least two actively posting eGulleteers have now sampled the "new" db burger. Another eGulleteer (who, I trust, will provide input as well shortly) and I had lunch at db today. We each sampled the $50/person "db Burger Royale -- The original db burger with shaved black truffle." My burger was served with pommes souffles (the normal accompaniment for the "new" burger), while my dining companion requested that his side be the fries from the original db burger. As usual, I ordered by burger rare. It was presented that way, although in the past it has been ever-so-slightly more cooked than rare. This time, the beef has a suppleness, in part due to the rare preparation, that I liked. The dining room team member confirmed that everything is as was the case with the original db burger, except that (1) slices of black truffle, with some sort of buttered effect, had been placed both above and below the beef patty, and (2) pommes souffles were included instead of fries. The difference was noticeable. First, there was a reasonable amount of sliced black truffles both on top and below the patty. Not an enormous amount, but more than fair. The black truffles were of an appropriate, limited thickness (moderate). Their diameter (not radius) for the larger area was about an inch (or less). Thus, not the largest black truffles were utilized, but these were of appropriate quality. They had been somehow integrated with butter, according to the dining room team member. This was detectable to me and my dining companion, and the butter/oil effects manifested themselves in fatty oils that soaked into the bun in certain portions. Nice emoliance and buttery sensations to the black truffle slices. The whole burger seemed more oily (in a positive manner), for some reason. I experienced nice black truffle aromas to the new burger prior to eating it. (The shaving is not done at table, to be clear.) I detected a very limited hinted of acidity to the saucing of the burger, from "sniffing" the burger (in a polite manner). The dining room team member noted there was a "truffle vinaigrette", whose composition is subject to interpretation. Today, the red onion (raw) pieces were particularly strong. I removed some from the burger, so that the onion would not overpower the black truffles (particularly on the nose). The tomato confit was nice, and the frisee seemed normal too. The condiments were the same as for the normal db burger -- (1) horseradish mayonnaise (for some reason, slightly "hotter" today than the on the two prior occasions a burger was sampled, (2) ketchup and (3) Dijon mustard. Somehow the horseradish mayonnaise, even though intended to be the same as that for the original burger, was slightly "hotter" than I recall. I believe the "new" burger is better taken either without additional sauce, or perhaps with the horseradish mayonnaise (which seemed to have been included in the burger to some extent already). I believe the Dijon mustard would overwhelm the black truffles a bit. I had a quarter liter of the Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de Vileneuve 1999 ($20). Total bill allocable to me, was $99 after tax and before tips, with a glass of house champagne (Cuvee Daniel) and a $9 glass of Graham port "Six Grapes". I had never heard of the "Six Grapes" version of Graham (NV), and therefore sampled it. It is a cuvee that is average at best, and its label mentioned, not surprisingly, that it was intended to be drunk young. Service by our dining room team member was very good. My dining companion and I were seated in the "back" room. This room is a bit brighter than most restaurant venues I have visited recently, and we both noted the ease with which the braised short ribs portion of the burger could be discerned to be different visually from the beef. The foie seemed slightly larger than for an original burger, although that is not intended. Overall, I believed the $50 "new" burger is at a not unreasonable price increment relative to the $28/29 initial db burger. I enjoyed the new burger, and, if I visited db again, might be inclined to order it. Below is a transcript of certain portions of the Today show's Boulud interview: "KATIE COURIC, co-host: Now to another moo-ving experience. The battle of the burgers. On Wednesday we showed you the 20 ounce American Kobe beef burger from The Old Homestead Steakhouse, costing a whopping 41 bucks. It was billed as the priciest burger in town. But now it's been dethroned by the DB burger which costs $50. It's served at Chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant, DB's Bistro Moderne. ... How come this is so expensive? Chef BOULUD: Actually, this is a $29 burger where it's sort of got a royal flavor inside, and I'm putting fresh black truffle. Fresh black truffle is a very short season. It's about three to four months. And I think, you know, I mean, in an Italian restaurant you would shave white truffle for a lot of money, and fresh black truffle is certainly a little bit more affordable and better when it's cooked with meat as well and--and beef. So my burger, having already a--a--a filling of braised short ribs foie gras and truffle inside, it's a natural truffle, so **two layers of fresh black truffle** in it. And--and it's--of course it looks unassuming, 'Where's my 50 bucks?' But it's all in the taste. It's all in the burger. It's all... ANN CURRY: You've got a lot in there. MATT LAUER: Well, what else--tell people how much those black truffles cost. I mean, they're expensive. Chef BOULUD: So I cover--I cover the buns on the burger with the truffles. And... LAUER: How much are they a pound, the truffles? Chef BOULUD: Those cost about 500--four to $500 a pound. ... So you see the burger is--we--we--we cover it with those truffles *inside on top* and... CURRY: And it's because they have such a short season that--they're--they're so pricey? Chef BOULUD: Yeah, it's a short season. Of course, you can still enjoy the burger at $29. But I felt then, it's not about the war of the burger, but my burger is so complex in flavor, it's so interesting, I think I wanted to make the greatest burger in America. COURIC: If you do say so yourself. So it's--it's--it's ground up braised short ribs and foie gras in the middle? Chef BOULUD: And foie gras and a little bit of truffle and root vegetable, and then wrapped up in the best prime meat. And it's not too fatty, actually. I tried to use a very lean meat, and then braised it... COURIC: Three parts sirloin and one part chuck, right. Is that right? Chef BOULUD: Yes, plus a very small percentage of fat. Actually, the Kobe beef burger has much more--a lot of more fat and much less complexity in taste. LAUER: Well, and also he fired a bit of a shot across the bough...of The Old Homestead restaurant saying anybody can just take ground beef and jam it together and make a hamburger, that there's something a little more intricate and delicate about this. Chef BOULUD: Yeah, it--it takes a real chef to make a DB burger. CURRY: *Ah, OK.* COURIC: Them's fighting words. And I like that it has red onion, curly chicory and tomato comfit. Chef BOULUD: Of course, because this extends the flavor of the burger into it. ... And the burger is a nine-ounce burger. It's a real meal to itself. LAUER: How's it selling? Chef BOULUD: And I know Matt is having one basically three times a week. ... Very big. Already yesterday without having to put it on the menu, we sold about 30 at lunch out of maybe a 100 burgers, so... LAUER: Hmm. Chef BOULUD: That was a 30 percent sale in two days it going to go to 80 percent. LAUER: It's delicious, Daniel. CURRY: How did you get your mouth around this, Matt? Because I mean, we're using our... LAUER: I just bit a little corner. CURRY: Right. ... COURIC: So when--*when black truffles go out of season, you just won't serve this anymore, right*? Chef BOULUD: I'll--yeah, I'll wait until--and that's why I think it will be a wonderful thing to bring it back again in December when truffle season come back. COURIC: All right. Chef BOULUD: I love truffles...."

jakubc -- Thanks for your informative report. A couple of questions and thoughts on my part in response: -- At Ferme, were you immediately seated in the dining room or were you initially placed on the upper floor seating area? (My subjectively preferred spot in the dining room is near the chickens, which is directly ahead (in a little corner of sorts) when one enters the main dining area. I have not been seated there yet.) -- Œuf coque, brouillé, piqûre d’Oxalis, écume de muscade -- Is this dish still being served with the syringe, and, if so, what was your reaction to that presentation method? -- Crozets savoyards virtuels au jus de poule degraisse -- This dish appears relatively new, although I can't be sure. Could you describe the dissolution process of the disc a bit more (e.g., the rapidity with which that occurred)? -- Cappuccino de pommes de terre aux truffes et cacao -- The potato/cacao combination used to manifest itself in the form of pureed potatoes, over which would be dusted (partially) dry cacao powder. Please describe the capuccino, and how the cacao was integrated into the capuccino, if you recall. -- The creme brulee samplers I have had at Veyrat's do have the normal, thin crust on top, consistent with the NYT report you noted. -- Veyrat has produced a number of new dishes since only about a year ago. -- On Troisgros, what is fascinating is that certain classical leanings have been retained, yet M Troisgros has been influenced by Asian spicing to a controlled extent. Depending on what is ordered, that can be more or less apparent. Troisgros is one of my favorite restaurants.

Nina -- Thanks That sounds very difficult.

Loiseau is among the chefs described in Anne Willan's article "On Burgundian Tables", which is included in Best Food Writing 2000 (ed. Holly Huges, Alice Waters): "For several years he banished butter, cream, and egg yolks from the kitchen. Well before the current phobia of animal fats, Loiseau was using nonstick pans and a minimum of oil. He abaoned the use of stock, regarded as the basis of much French cuisine ... and turned to water for extracting fresher, purer essences of taste. He thickened sauces wih vegetable purees, for example, replacing the usual garlic butter on frogs' legs with a jus of parsley [in a signature dish; note that parsley, garlic and butter are normal accompaniments for frogs' legs in France]. Lentils give body to mussel soup, testament to waht can be done without a roux. . . .

Jon -- How is rendered foie gras fat obtained, to be clear?

As previously discussed by Steve P and me, Maison d'Aubrac has several advantages: (1) nice aligot (potato preparation from Massif Central's cuisine (spelling), elasticky), (2) nice selection of La Turque and related Guigals, (3) late opening hours, (4) sampling of Aubrac beef in Paris, and (5) easy accessibility by Metro. (Before it also used to have the advantage of being very close to Kurova and Herme's pastries.) I used to like the beef tartare, but it appeared unduly sweet on my last visit.

Jon -- When you have a chance, were you the party preparing the foie? Could you also share whether you caramelized the oranges yourself, and what types of oranges were utilized? Was the peel included?

Steven & Coop -- Perhaps the Ouest thread should be renamed West, and we could continue the thread. Coop -- I appreciate your upcoming report.

I prefer Food & Wine to Gourmet. I am not addressing the relative appeal of included recipes, as I do not cook. However, the restaurant news is slightly better in F&W, in my assessment. Neither is particularly attractive, I'd have to admit.

I'll bring three consecutive years of Bahans Haut-Brion from the late 1990s. I'm not sure these are ready to be taken in, but we will find out. The comparison should be reasonably interesting. (Bahans is the second wine of Haut-Brion.) http://haut-brion.com/crus/bahans/bahans01-fr.htm (producer site)

Jonathan -- I am not indicating that it is appropriate for restaurants to seek to maximize profits at the expense of diners' pleasure. However, my own view is that what is preferable to a diner is highly subjective and a restaurant may believe that it is (or is not) recommending something superior at a greater cost to a diner. What is "exploitative behaviour" is entirely unclear in any given circumstance -- there often is a reason (e.g., better perceived terroir) that a wine is more expensive and there is considerable flexibility in what wine goes with what dishes. Thus, as a baseline point, I would like to highlight that it could be viewed as oversimplication for there to be clearly delineated demarcations between "exploitative behavior" and a dining room team seeking to make available more expensive food and wine, which might be appealing to the diner, to the diner. That a restaurant has, as you mentioned, reputational concerns over the long run is an argument that exploitative behavior will not be sustainable over the long run. Unless diners are as a group not cognizant after meals of what they have taken in, they will recognize overpricing as such and upselling as such, under your argument presumably, and discpline the applicable restaurants with reduced patronage. Thus, your argument regarding reputation effects is an argument in favor of there being built-in restrictions against upselling (assuming that consumers can tell the difference). On information asymmetries, let's turn to the wine case. If there are information asymmetries, it's because the diner has not informed herself about applicable wines. That is something for which the diner should bear the burden. I again highlight that what wine is "better" or more appropriate for a given sequence of dishes is highly subjective, and it is extremely difficult to be sure of upselling in any given factual context. I believe that restaurants should get the benefit of the doubt, unless a diner has an egregiously apparent case of upselling. Even in such case, I believe the diner should be held accountable for her own decisions. Regulation is not the only solution to exploitative behavior. If a market is reasoably efficient, as you know, the marketplace may place constraitns on exploitation (under most simple models of perfect competition, for instance.)

I'd like to highlight that, regardless of what upselling might be and whether a restaurant seeks to upsell under that definition, a diner is ultimately responsible for keeping track of any budgetary considerations she may have. While this may be a controversial assertion, I believe that a diner is responsible for informing herself about food and wine such that she can rely on her own choices in the event she detects that a dining room team member (including a sommelier) is seeking to upsell. I do not find upselling objectionable. There are certain inherent potential tensions in the interactions between a restaurant and a diner, and the restaurant's interest in maximizing profits and the diner's desire to minimize cost *all other things being equal* is one of those potential tensions. I have maintained repeatedly that it is entirely appropriate for a restaurant to seek to maximize profits, and selling of more expensive food or wine items (even wine items that are less appropriately matached for the dishes ordered) is one channel of maximizing profits.

chefg -- 5b. Before the techniques of a given area is experimented with, presumably the techniques, principal products and principal dishes have to be identified and understood. Is there a structured process for the Trio kitchen team to research the cuisine of, say, a country in Africa or The Tropics? Do you draw primarily on English language cookbooks, for example? How can one can assured of authenticity by reviewing cookbooks and other sources, when one has not sampled the cuisine extensively? To what extent are you satisfied with the sources of information relied on? 5c. Could you discuss how Chef Achatz's team has drawn inspiration from the cuisine of Africa? Are cuisines reviewed country by country within Africa? 5d. Same question as 5c, with respect to Asia, focusing perhaps on Chinese cuisine. 13. Role of Humor The composition and naming of certain Trio dishes may suggest elements of humor (e.g., the Caramel Popcorn, Pizza and Bloody Mary dishes). When you have a chance, could you discuss how you see the role of humor in dishes at the restaurant? Below is a thread on the role of humor as perceived by members: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...t=7583&hl=humor

Robert -- Thanks for alerting us to the Blue Hill ICI event. The January 23 is scheduled for 6:30-9:30 pm, at the ICI at 230 Fifth Avenue. "Theme Night: Black Truffle Fare Mike Anthony, Blue Hill, NYC Shots of Mushroom Soup with Truffles and Parmesan Foam Quail Eggs on Brioche with Truffle Butter Berkshire Pork Testa with Black Truffles and Polenta Nantucket Bay Scallops with Chestnut Ravioli, Black Truffles and Squash Broth Breast of Pasture-raised Chicken Stuffed with Truffles and Winter Greens, Baby Carrot Stew Poached Quince with Caramelized Macadamia Nuts and Truffled Ice Cream Italian Table Club Members, $100 For reservations, call Sal Rizzo: (212) 725-8764, Ext. 25." The non-member price is $150. It is preferable to purchase membership for $24 and pay $100 for the event. I am inquiring into whether the price includes wine, etc. I may be able to report on the meal (?). Interestingly, the BH ICI dinner will be the evening immediately after Laurent Gras' black truffle dinner at the J Beard House. $150

I'd appreciate your assessments of the extent to which VT readers are interested in learning about the availability of vegetables-based cuisines at restaurants in France. Are readers interested in Michelin starred restaurants?

There is a greater chance of receiving hot towels, or at least a towel of some sort, at the table. There is no pressure to buy bottled water. Soft drinks taken with a meal are not frowned upon necessarily at Chinese restaurants in the US.

With all respect, Chez Bruce, L’Escargot Picasso Room and Racine over GR, RHR? What is the Picasso Room at L'Escargot, by the way?

Further inquiries for chefg: 10. Preferred Dish What is the dish on the Trio menu that you believe is the most delicious? Is that the same dish of which you are most proud, from a culinary technique perspective? 11. Other Restaurants If you are comfortable discussing it, do you dine out at other Chicago-area restaurants, in your free time? How would you contrast the approach of Chef Achatz to, say, the culinary principles prevailing at Tru? 11b. What are the restaurants in Europe that appeal to you? Do you consider dining in Europe significant to the cuisine of which you are a part? What are your thoughts on the respective cuisine of the Group of Eight in France, if you are comfortable sharing your insights (Veyrat, Gagnaire, Bras, M Troisgros, Passard, Roellinger, Lorain, Chibois)? 12. Desserts Could you discuss how Chef Achatz coordinates his dishes with those of his pastry chef? Is the integrating approach explicitly discussed, or more informally coordinated?

iriee -- When you have a chance, could you provide more information on the Summer Shack? (Note I have never sampled Jasper White's cuisine) Is the Summer Shack on the premises of Mohegan Sun itself? When I visited MS a number of years ago, there were no accommodations on site. I assume that has changed. (For other members, there is relatively inexpense bus service from the Chinatowns in each of NYC and Boston for MS.)