cabrales

The November 2002/January 2003 edition of Elle a Table reports on Chamree (very rough translations provided by me): Do not hope that you will rediscover the decor of your last vacation on the island of Mauritius. Here, the seriousness is on the plate. In the kitchen, Jerome Bordereau, who used to work with Alain Passard. In the dining room, Antoine Heerah, who is from Mauritius and who is a cuisinier who used to be with... Alain Passard. On the menu, a good, developed marriage between Franco-Mauritian flavors. Pigeon is served roasted with four spices, accompanied by rutabagas; red mullet is accompanied by onions and various Creole condiment; quince is caramelized and is placed on a surprising bed of "Sable" with Mauritian flavors and accompanied by a combawa (a lemon taste with connotations of lemongrass) ice cream; the savarin is served laced with rum and with a rice. The wine list offers a good selection that goes well with the cuisine. Menu (apps, entree, dessert, entremet and pre-dessert) 45 euros; Discovery menu (7 dishes) at 80 euros without wine.

As discussed in the "Food Media and the News" forum, the current edition of Art Culinaire describes lacquering. Below is an excerpt on Peking duck: "Chinese culinary historians maintain that [peking duck] does not have a long history. ... The ducks are then inflated by blowing air between the skin and the body. The skin is pricked and then doused with boiling water, and the ducks are hung up to dry in an airy spot from four to give hours -- or sometimes overnight during the winter months. ..."

I am sampling a hemp dish tomorrow for brunch. Galaxy Global Eatery's webside highlights its chef's interest in hemp.

I am sad to report that a recent meal at Jewel Bako with an eGulleteer couple was disappointing. To be clear, the fish was as fresh as before for the sashimi and sushi. However, the balance inhering under the now-departured sushi chef in the appetizer dishes and the nice utilization of saucing or little additions to the sushi appear to have been compromised. A la carte was ordered on this occasion. However, I asked the new chef what recommendations he had for an appetizer. I was presented with a dual preparation of octupus -- one cooked and intended for sampling with a stark umeboshi salt, and the raw version served with the potential for tasting with matte green tea powder. However, this dish was much more akin to what might receive at a traditional sushi bar (leaving aside the green team powder, etc.) than what I had anticipated for Jewel Bako. Our party had two bottles of Chateau Cabonnieux 1999. The dessert from Payard, a green tea concoction with fruitk, was nice. Subject to further evaluations, I believe there has been a deterioration in the cuisine.

chefg -- Thanks for your response I do not mean to overwhelm you with questions, but below are further inquiries on the cuisine at Trio: 7. Molecular Gastronomy Do you have a view on the value of the "molecular gastronomy" school of thinking, including how it may interact with the solid/liquid/vapour/other state of food products? Below is a thread on the subject: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ular+gastronomy The subject was also discussed in the Q&A Session with Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck, Bray. (Posts are under a forum called "The Fridge"). 8. Follow-Up on Food States Question Could you discuss whether you see the element of surprise to a diner from receiving a food product in an unanticipated state to be itself a positive effect? How do you see surprise as interacting with taste memory, given that familiar flavors can also evoke taste memory? Have you considered playing with temperatures that are unnatural for a given food state? In other words, a food state, while it generally has a related temperature when ice or vapour is involved, could surprise if that temperature were tampered with, for example. 9. Produce Sourcing Could you discuss Chef Achatz's views, if you are aware of them, on the utilization of local produce? Please mention what types of produce would be considered local for purposes of your response. How does the sourcing question relate to Trio's "global influences"? I appreciate your time to respond is limited. Please note that there is no particular timeframe for responding.

Wine might not traditionally be considered essential to the enjoyment of a Chinese meal (although I disagree with that assessment). Many Chinatown restaurants do not have sommeliers, and may have BYO with no corkage. Many dinners in Chinatown by Chinese people tend to begin slightly earlier than at other restaurants. For example, leaving aside the banquet situation, dinner would tend to begin before 8 pm, which would be the very earliest I would begin dinner in France and which would tend to be my desired reservations time for non-Chinese NY restaurants on weekends. The decor at Chinese restaraunts tends to be over-the-top and cheesy to me. The materials utilized tend to be less expensive. The chairs tend to be less comfortable. The decor from one restaurant to the next tends to be more uniform for Chinese restaurants (i.e., less distinctiveness). The washrooms tend to have no design attention. The lighting at Chinese restaurants tends, very generally, to be too stark.

I just ordered the Rabelais book and a book on Apicius. I am attempting to track the original Apicius duck recipe that inspired Senderens' version.

Wilfrid -- The restaurant appears to have added a pre-dessert course, relative to the indicative menu below (which has two types of apps, but not two courses of pre-main-course items). http://www.le-bernardin.com/menu_dinner.html It's been a while since I last visited. Do you remember whether there were decent 1/2 bottles?

On Ledoyen, here are lizziee's and my accounts: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...1800&hl=ledoyen http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...8051&hl=ledoyen

At L-C, for the business lunch, one receives two amuses (served sequentially and not together) just like for every other meal I have taken there recently. The amuses are the types of amuses one receives during dinnertime (in fact, often the same ones, depending I am believing on what aperatif one selects). These are not little nothings. They are small servings of nice items (see the L-C thread for greater detail) with gastronomically interesting features. Then, the appetizer, entree, dessert and nice mignardises. I have not purchased the prix fixe lunch at Gagnaire, but I wouldn't be surprised if dessert were many plates like it usually is. I don't find the restaurant's desserts appealing, though. Nor the rest of the food, for that matter.

joshlh -- How did you secure such inexpensive tickets to Paris? Are these direct flights?

Wilfrid -- I am not suggesting the black truffles are not in the existing burger. I was asking where they were in the burger. You seem to believe that the black truffles were inside the patty (i.e., ground up and included in the beef or in a discrete part of the inside of the patty, like the foie)?

JoonBug is hosting the following event at Gustavino late Saturday night. I have never been to Gustavino, but its decor and interaction with the structure of the bridge appear interesting. Members interested in attending should verify details with the resaturant; I believe pre-registration online is required. "1 Hour **Champagne Open Bar** & Special Guest DJ BabyBlu JoonBug Productions cordially invites you to 'Experience Saturdays In Unparalleled Style & Class' at Guastavino's *this Saturday*. Music will be provided by DJ BabyBlu and will be a mix of hip-hop, Top 40, House, and 80's. Let the groove and atmosphere of Guastavino's 40 foot *cathedral-like ceilings* and luxurious & modern mezzanine take your Saturday nights to a new level. Come have a cocktail at the bar or enjoy VIP bottle table service on the mezzanine. Doors open at 11 PM and there is no cover charge. Table and dinner reservations are available upon request and are strongly suggested. ... Guastavino's is located at 409 E. 59th St. (Between 1st & York Avenues). ... For bottle service table reservations please call: (212) 255-4223 or email tables@joonbug.com" When I asked Joonbug for more information, I received the following somewhat cryptic reply: "Yes, the champagne is free to the recipients of the email, and you can bring a friend. The open bar is first come first serve, based on capacity at the bar. Please join the guest list at www.joonbug.com so we have your name at the door."

Have other members detected how black truffles were incorporated into the pre-existing $29 db burger?

Adam -- Does this book contain considerable food description? Also, have members read the following: "Apicius Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome", by Joseph D. Vehling (Editor), or "The Roman Cookery of Apicius", by John Edwards

On contract negotiation with The Savoy, to the extent Koffmann did not want to leave, why did he not appear to have in place options to extend his pre-existing lease? Wouldn't he have demanded certain assurances of being able to continue at The Berkeley before vacating RHR? I wonder what leasing practices for restaurants are in London.

Andy -- If the Savoy Group would likely want Petrus to move into the LTC space, why would another operator receive it? Is it a question of Wareing changing his mind on the move, given that he presumably wanted the move to occur?

Well, $21 dollars doesn't buy that much fresh black truffle. However, the *fresh* black truffles would presumably be presented in shavings/slices. I do not know whether the pre-existing burger had shavings/slices as the method for including black truffles, or what black truffles were included. I don't subjectively consider a $50 entree (in the sense of a principal dish) decadent. I've paid that much for an appetizer on many occasions in France. It depends on the level of cuisine inhering in what I receive.

chefg -- Welcome While I have not yet dined at Trio, I am interested in doing so and have a number of questions. Please only respond to the extent you are comfortable doing so. 1. Food & Wine Best New Chefs Event Might you have access to the menu for the F&W October 2002 event? Could you consider posting the menu, and any insights on dishes you may have helped prepare and/or tasted? (I have assumed, since your username is *chef*g, that you are or were a cuisinier at Trio) In case you are interested, the November 5 post in the below-linked thread describes the menu for the NY Best New Chefs event at Blue Hill. Have you dined at Blue Hill? http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=8452 2. Utilization of Solid/Liquid/Other States In reviewing the indicative menus on your website, I noted Chef Achatz's attention to the solid, liquid or other state of certain components of his dishes. Are you aware of some of the chef's thinking in this regard, and could you compare that thinking to the approach adopted by certain Spanish chefs, if you are familiar with certain of the latter's dishes? Examples of menu items that appear to have "solid/liquid/other state" effects are: watermelon ice cubes; horseradish foam; ginger glass jelly; liquid black truffle ravioli. 3. Utilization of Vapour In the Food & Wine Best New Chefs issue, Chef Achatz noted that the most "exotic" item on the Trio menu was rosemary vapor. "We pour boiling water over rosemary sprigs at the table, so it perfumes the air and adds a new level of complexity to our lobster dish." Could you describe how the rosemary vapor is intended to interact with the perfume emanating from the saucing of the lobster dish and the lobster itself? The indicative menus on the Trio website include the "Bloody Mary" dish, which is described as including vodka mist. Could you discuss the role intended by Chef Achatz for the vodka mist, if you are aware of it? 4. Pushed Foie Gras If you have information on the Trio "pushed" foie gras item, could you share it with members? For example, is duck or goose foie gras utilized, and which type do you prefer? What is the texture of the pushed foie gras, and are the fatty connotations of foie gras accentuated or mitigated by the preparation techniques? 5. Global Influences The Trio website describes the restaurant as offering "progressive French cuisine with a wide range of global influences". Could you discuss what primary "global influences" might be involved, including with respect to the utilization of spices/ingredients from other regions of the world? Do you see some culinary techniques at Trio as being influenced by global approaches as well? 6. Tour de Force Menu Could you discuss how frequently the 20-course de force menu is ordered by diners? Are you aware of Chef Achatz's thinking behind having so many courses, and how that might relate to his experiences at French Laundry? You might wish to review recent board discussions: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=76&t=15194 (on lengthy tasting menus) http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=36&t=13527 (second half of initial post describing a member's observations on the Tour de Force menu) Thanks in advance for your replies

tommy -- The truffles in the pre-existing ($28 or 29?) db burger could not be meaningfully tasted. No member has yet reported on the "new" $50 black truffle shaved db burger.

With all respect, I fail to see why a $50 black truffle burger is any more decadent or guilt-inducing than a $50 entree at another restaurant. There is nothing fundamental about a burger that to me renders the utilization of black truffles with it particularly decadent. Yes, there are much less expensive burgers and truffles are not normally shaved and included in burgers. However, why does that make a $50 burger inappropriately priced? Note I rarely experience any guilt when it comes to dining or other decisions about how I allocate resources.

MartyL -- Note L'Astrance meals might no longer include wine in the price (at least for the surprise meal during dinner when I was last there). Jamin might not be pricey for lunch if one orders the prix fixe menus (there is more than one). Search for an old thread I started on Jamin, when I took advantage of a lunch under possibly 45 euros. Details are in the thread. I have noted the existence of Lucas-Carton and Grand Vefour lunches, each at under 85 euros. I would recommend L-C, although Gagnaire is a good choice for those who like his food. Many of the two-stars also have reasonable lunches.

The Savoy Group is clearly on the side of Gordon Ramsay, who has the recognition in London and whose affiliates are stationed at some the Savoy Group's other properties (Claridge's and The Connaught too (?)). I think J-G is not going to get the LTC space if GR and Wareing want it.

I had an average-to-good-minus meal at Otto recently. Note that I am not knowledgeable about Italian cuisine; my experience with that cuisine has been, by choice, very limited. I arrived at the restaurant at 9:30 pm, and was told the wait on this Thursday night would be approximately 1 hour. I proceeded to seek a seat at the approx 15-20-capacity bar area. The advantages of the bar area are that the full Otto menu is available to be ordered, and seats are not allocated by the receptionist like tables are. In the standing-room marble table area to the left of the entrance and before the bar, pizzas are not available. I secured a bar seat within 15 minutes, as I was fairly proactive. The bar has a grey marble countertop, and little orangish suspended lights illuminating it. I began with an order of anchovies. The anchovies tasted good, and were curled up alongside hardish small pieces of crusty bread that had been soaked heavily in olive oil. The bread was apparently from Sullivan Bakery, and was not inappropriate with the anchovies. However, there were too many bread pieces relative to the limited amount of anchovies. The anchovies tasted good, and were entwined with strands of scallion-like material. Next, I had the eggplant caponatina -- similar to an eggplant relish, with bits of onions, red pepper, neutral capers, pine nuts, orange zest and interesting sweetish raisins. An interesting sweetish taste with a slight aftertaste of chili-like sensations. Elements of acidity were limited, but offset the sweetness a bit. This was a nice composition, although it was slightly sweet for my taste. The porcini and taleggio pizza I ordered was at best average for my taste. The crust was very dry, and reminded me of unduly dry pita bread. This was aided, near the center of the pizza, by the melted cheese, but near the edges there was a noticeable dry aspect that I found to be a problem. The porcinis were sufficiently moist on a standalone basis, and had been cut into medium diced chunks. The utilization of flat leaf parsley (although not traditional, to my knowledge) was nice and refreshing. The taleggio was fine, but this cheese lacked a certain oiliness and fattiness that I like on pizza and that was certainly necessary on the dry pita-like crust on this particular pizza. Perhaps a very small dribble of olive oil on top of the cheese might have been helpful (??). I ordered scungilli, which were described as being akin to large, conch-like snails. When presented, the scungilli had been sliced up (large slices) and tasted like conch, but without much flavor. Significantly, there was too much thickish oil coating the scungilli slices, although the use of celery and a small amount of chilli bits (?) as accompaniments was not inappropriate. I did not like this dish. The gelato was good. I ordered the two-scoop version of the gelato -- Meyer lemon and huckelberry; and hazelnut with chocolate. The flavors were nicely balanced. One service issue arose in connection with the gelato. Since the minimum purchase was two scoops (which could be of different flavors), I asked the bar team member for two different scoops to each be placed in its own metal cup to avoid the mixing of the flavors. This was apparently a problem, and I ended up receiving two scoops of each flavor in each cup (for the charge of a single two-scoop order). However, this solution by the bar team member showed an inflexibility that surprised me. Why could there not be a single scoop of each flavor, in separate cups? Other gelato flavors available on the night in question were: campari and grapefruit; chocolate; vanilla; caramel. I overheard the names of an Otto maitre d' and general manager: Amanda and Caroline, I believe. Much of the above assessment reflects my subjective preference for other cuisines. While the Otto pricing is good, I could not say I am eager to return any time soon.

kobykoby -- Do you have any updates on Aki? (Note I don't have knowledge about that restaurant or its history)