cabrales

jordyn and I spoke about the kitchen table experience recently. We each considered Trotter's ignorance of our presence in his kitchen very rude. The least he could have done was to nod at us, which was not what was done. We speculated that our table might have "looked" very young, but we did not know why Trotter was so indifferent.

In case members did not catch it, below is The Observer (Food Monthly)'s article from Sunday on the gearing up of Menu for opening. http://www.observer.co.uk/foodmonthly/stor...,807465,00.html

In reviewing another James Beard book, "Beard on Food" (1974), I noticed a number of references to boiled beef: -- On the bollito misto then available (at least) at Quo Vadis (Saturday lunch during winter months): "When this comes rolling out of the kitchen on a cart, it is a dramatic sight. First, there is a fine piece of boiled beef flavored with pot vegetables and herbs, and very often some veal or a veal tongue, or a calf's head or feet for contrast. There is always a large Italian sausage -- a cotechino or zampone (a sausage stuffed in a boned pig's foot), and usually a chicken or a capon. . . . [The dish] needs to be prepared with great care, patience, and style. While it bears some resemblance to the French pot-au-feu or the New England boiled dinner, it has certain distinct variations which make it, to my mind, infinitely more interesting. . . . [recipe for this dish] . . . . As accompaniments, I have course salt, horseradish sauce, and the traditional sauce verte, a vinaigrette sauce made with 3 parts oil to 1 part wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and finely chopped parsley, chives and thyme -- it should be really thick with herbs. Also traditional are Italian mustard fruits . . . ; their sharp flavor goes well with the meats. . . ." -- On the use of aioli: "It will emerge as a dense, mayonnaise-like mass, highly fragrant and flavored with garlic . . . . It makes a magnificient sauce for . . . . hot or cold meats such as boiled beef or lamb." -- On caper sauce: "[W]hen it starts with a base of a good bechamel sauce, with the piquant acidity of the capers coming through, it is a marvelous complement to boiled or poached meats -- boiled beef, as well as lamb or mutton, and poached chicken." A recipe followed this description. -- There are two pages on pot-au-feu. "It's simple, certainly, but it is precisely the simplicity of preparation and the honest, appetizing flavors that make this one of the outstanding gastronomic treats of all time. . . . One of the greatest virtues of this [pot-au-feu] meal in a pot is that you can cook more than you need, reheat the beef next day, and serve it up with a crisp home-fried potatoes . . . . or turn the cold boiled beef into a glorious salad or hash." -- A discussion on mincemeat includes the boiling of beef and beef tongue. Also included in Beard's book is a beef-and-rice salad using finely diced cold boiled beef or roast beef. Similar beef is described for a Beef Salad Parisienne recipe.

Orik -- Note that the dessert described above does not appear to be made from the live turtles you saw in Chinatown. I think it might be based on industrially processed parts of turtle.

Suvir -- No; when I am in Chinatown, I sometimes drink a beverage made from combining coffee and tea (hot). It is called something like "yeen yeung", and is apparently relatively popular in Hong Kong.

Suvir -- I usually go for desserts, but I'll keep the dim sum in mind.

lizziee -- I couldn't agree with you more on the misguided nature of Veyrat's cuisine. Worse, one pays quite a lot for the Symphony Menu and for **poor** cuisine. There was something in the foie gras sorbet that was unhelpful, but the worse part of the dish was the overwhelming nature of the vermicelli. Also, one problem with the version of the sorbet I received was that it was kind of thick, and not light. For me, the parmesan neither matched the foie nor the chicken consomme. The chicken consomme was unrefined to begin with, but with the cheese strands and foie, it became downright terrible! Your 10th course is an adaption off Veyrat's solid potato puree with a sprinkling (usually not along the whole top of the puree) of matte chocolate powder. It is sometimes presented as one of four veggie-driven items on a single plate. I feel like I should expound on the perverted nature of Veyrat's cuisine. I had a frog's legs dish that was very poor. Perhaps 12-15 small frogs' legs are dusted with either a powder/coating of mandarin or of licorice. The spicing is so severe that the taste of the frogs is lost. Even worse, the frogs' legs were extremely (literally) dry. Note I am not indicating that all Veyrat dishes are poor; but many of them are. The dishes that are good are not very good, in general. Some of Veyrat's desserts are acceptable, like a tasting of four or five small creme brulees flavored with different herbs, etc.

The following is another event at Tribeca Grill: Wine Dinner, Great Wines of the Rhone Valley December 2nd, 6:30 PM Tribeca Grill, 375 Greenwich Street at Franklin in Tribeca "Wine Director David Gordon will transport you for the evening to his favorite wine region, the Rhone Valley. Join him for an intimate tasting of some of the best wines that the Rhone has to offer. Featured at the dinner will be the great white wines from Chateau Beaucastel and Chave. Reds will include Mont Olivet ‘Cuvee Papet’ Chateauneuf du Pape 1998 and 1989 as well as two vintages of Beaucastel Chateauneuf: 1995 and 1989 (Wine Spectator wine of the year). Chateau Rayas will be featured (1998 and 1996) as well as their outstanding Cotes du Rhone, Chateau Fonsalette from the great 1990 vintage. The Northern Rhone will be represented by the two finest producers of Hermitage: Chave and Jaboulet La Chapelle, both from the 1997 and 1989 vintages. While experiencing these treasured wines, delight in a five-course dinner prepared by Executive Chef, Don Pintabona and Chef de Cuisine, Stephen Lewandowski. $375 / person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Seating is very limited for this dinner. To make Reservations Please Call the Tribeca Grill at 212 / 941 - 3900." I do not know enough about wines to evaluate this dinner's attractiveness.

I confirmed that a dessert actually made from the shell or hard underbelly of turtles is available at Sweet-n-Tart's Manhattan Chinatown branch. One has to order it by saying something like "kwai ling go" (rough translation). Apparently, it's listed on the menu for non-Chinese customers as Chinese jelly, so as not to shock. It is an acquired taste, but it is rather inexpensive and definitely worth a try. Sweet-n-Tart has certain other nice desserts as well. 20 Mott St. (bet. Chatham Sq. & Pell St.) New York, NY, 10013-5001 (212) 964-0380

Thanks for your responses to questions to date I've read a bit about the history of your interactions with Marco Pierre White.In what signficiant ways (if any) has MPW been a mentor, cheerleader and friend to you? Do you speak with MPW with some frequency at this stage in your respective lives? If you are comfortable discussing it (and I would, of course, understand if you were to see this subject as being unduly personal or otherwise inappropriate for discussion) have you attempted to be helpful to MPW during what has been an apparently (at least) difficult period for him?

Turtles and/or relates might be available in Chinatown; I'll inquire of friends, but an update might take a while.

marcus -- Don't worry ; there are many restaurants I dislike. The truffe sous la cendre is begging to go into my tummy, although not necessarily this year.

Below is an interesting prior thread relating to vegetarianism, entitled "What are vegetarians missing?" http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...97&hl=indiagirl

Marc Veyrat serves Genepi as well as Gentiane. I can never remember which is which, but both are interesting in flavor. One can also buy elongated-shaped bottles of Gentiane with the Veyrat label.

Steve P -- If a diner preferred white, would that be inappropriate for the white truffles and what whites might be a good choice?

I'd appreciate members' input on what Italian whites might be a nice accompaniment for white truffle samplings.

loufood -- I have never visited Le Train Bleu. However, the decor of the restaurant (particularly the ceilings) is reported to be quite intricate. I know that decor can never compensate for cuisine; thus the attractive of the LTB invitation might depend on, among other things, what your alternatives are and how frequently you find yourself in Paris.

lizziee -- Thanks for the accurate description of the first meal at Gagnaire. The 7th course of guinea hen was overwhelmed by argon (or argan) oil that was very aggressive in this context. The guinea hen did indeed seem delicious from its aroma in the cocotte. However, when it was presented to us later, I am not sure the hen was "savable" relative to the apparently nicer version we would have received, had there been no argan oil introduced. I continued along my path of being open, at the beginning of every Gagnaire meal, to trying to appreciate his cuisine. However, like every other Gagnaire meal I have encountered, I ended up disappointed by the cuisine, although not in any way, of course, by the special company of lizziee.

Is there an ownership component on the part of Toptable Group of, or financing of, Ouest and the other restaurants? I hear Araxi is a good restaurant, but have never dined there. Araxi has previously won Vancouver Magazine's Gold award for Whistler restaurants. http://www.vancouvermagazine.com/0004/awar...s_whistler.html Johnathan -- If you are comfortable discussing it, have you eaten at any other interesting restaurants in Vancouver recently that might be worth mentioning on the board (to the extent not already described)?

I include below a description of the service imperfections in a PA meal.

On my last visit, the dining room team members did describe (not explain) the dishes (their names) that I ordered, but made no attempt to indicate what the amuse was until I inquired.

Bux -- That's an interestnig point. That suggests the Red Guide's relinquishment of some control over its contents, in a way that seems unusual for Michelin. I wonder about the scenario in which a restaurant submitted a dish that inspectors had deemed to be mediocre in their reports -- what would happen then?

Below is the May 23, 2002 Ouest Press Release excerpt on the bar menu: "This weekend also marks the introduction of an independent Bar Menu presenting an interesting choice of 10 savoury items that offer exceptional value and greater accessibility. The bar menu has been designed to appeal to locals encouraging them to drop in for convenient bite after work, as well as being ideally suited to the pre and post theatre goers that frequent the near by Stanley Theatre. Bar Manager Jay Jones, ‘2002 Premier Crew’ award winner as well as recipient of the ‘2001 Classic Bar Tender’ award has an inviting list of new martinis to present to patrons, Jones “serves martinis like nobody’s business” (Vancouver Magazine). And wine enthusiasts can choose from a range of over 20 selections offered by the glass, in addition to over 90 labels listed by the half bottle." I also recently noticed that Ouest has some sort of an affiliation (?) with Whistler's Araxi, which I have not visited. http://www.toptable.ca/index.asp

tommy -- Note the grapes are not always available. We were not assured prior to arriving for dinner that the grapes could be secured. Of course we would have been happy sampling a non-grape-specific tasting tonight as well. As for the cost of the meal, it was not too much more than the menu's tasting dinner.

tommy -- There were four in our dining party -- robert and Susan brown, jordyn and myself.