cabrales

Double 0 -- Gramercy Tavern closed for a short while recently too. However, as reoprted by another member, it has since reopened.

Charles Smith -- Where there any outstanding appetizers at JB when you recently visited with southern girl? robert and Susan brown and I would find a quick update imminently useful.

Below are excerpts from the October 5, 2002 edition of The Times ("Order of the day", by Sheila Keating): "That bastion of traditional fine dining, the Connaught, has just undergone a revolution...a woman's in charge and the menu's gone Mediterranean . . . . Angela Hartnett, has brought in others: Helena Hell, who will run the restaurant, MENU at the Connaught, which opened this week, and Jayne Brearley, who will oversee the breakfast service. 'It must feel like we're saying: '''You can't have your elite club any more, we're moving in and bringing all our mates,''' chuckles Hartnett, ensconced in the wood-panelled bar where she has been holding staff interviews. 'I really like the surprise factor of having women in charge of the front of house. There are so few in London; people wake up and take notice.' . . . 'I'm not dissing my sex, but I find it easier to work with men . . . Women take things more personally - me included. When I worked with Marcus, if he made a comment that upset me I used to brood for days, and he would say: 'What is wrong with this bloody woman?' Gordon used to tell him, 'She's still sulking; she'll come out of it.'" However, Hartnett believes that having a woman in charge of a kitchen . . . makes the place 'less stern. Because you can't rely on aggression to get what you want, you have to be clever,' she says. 'I can be tough if I have to be, but I have a male sous chef who can be the ballbreaker, so I'm free to smile and encourage!'" Harnett appears to provide fairly good soundbites, although she has not yet reached the levels of her mentor.

The former chef was Hywel Jones -- he did a good job.

rich -- I think I shouldn't be spending $1500 on a meal -- I've never done so before. Plus, I am now uncertain I will be available to take in any dinner that day, in view of other likely demands on me that day. If a member is interested in my spot at the Delouvrier/Deutz dinner at the James Beard House (I forget what the member price is for the event, but it's below $125 for sure), please consider PM'ing me today. I am about to cancel the Beard reservation. What a sad outcome Neither dinner.

Gary -- On Charles Barrier, could you consider describing whether any signature dishes of Barrier are being prepared by the current chef? Apologies that I am not aware of what such dishes are.

I agree Putney Bridge is promising; I have mentioned this on more than one occasion on the board. I ate there around one year ago; the chef was offering woodcock prepared traditionally. Demetre has technique (including as a result of Koffman's tutelage). The service is very "French" (in a good way). The views are beautiful; the downside is the location of the restaurant being a bit away from central London. I should add that the a la carte lunch option Sundays at PB is much more expensive. For members less familiar with London, the least expensive way to access PB if one does not have a car is to take the subway to Hammersmith station, and then hop on a quick taxi ride.

I've had both side by side. Both are excellent.

Would it be appropriate to assume that members perceive the price of the event ($275/person) to be a relatively good deal?

MartyL -- Thanks so much. I am going to order a few bottles. Salon is my favorite champagne.

MartyL -- I appreciate the special nature of the Montrachet event, and the inability to compare the wines with the Deutz event. However, the Montrachet event is more than 10x the cost of the Deutz event. Does your assessment of the Montrachet event depend on what vintages are being served at the non-dinner tasting portion? What would be a minimum quantity per producer that one needs to sample to meaningfully sample a bottle?

I'd be interested in hearing from members who have eaten at Foliage since Chris Staines took over.

In the October 5 edition of The Guardian, Jeremey Wayne reports the following regarding Aurora: "the arrival of chef Warren Geraghty has given the kitchen a much needed shot in the arm. Formerly head chef at Richard Neat's rsetaurant in Cannes where he held a Michelin star, . . . he does a wonderful Dover sole with Cafe de Paris butter; and a 'noisette]' of Challsn duck, with stuffed courgette flowers. . . Price per head three-course prix fixe lunch pounds 28; menu degustation pounds 38 (pounds 60 with wines) . . . ."

I'd appreciate members' input at their earliest convenience. I might have to decide on this tomorrow or the day after. For comparison, here is the Delouvrier/Deutz event: James Beard recently released the menu for the Delouvrier/Deutz dinner. Note that many of the pairings do not involve Deutz champagne, but relate to Delas Freres, a Rhone producer also owned by the Roederer group and supervised by Fabrice Rosset. . . . RECEPTION Bluefin tuna tartare with yellow, green and red peppers; smoked tuna, olive oil and red wine Patagonia shrimp with vinaigrette of pea shoots, romaine and garbanzo beans Fillet of Atlantic rouget with salad of haricots verts, black olives and tomato Hot tourte of duck and foie gras with green salad Served with Champagne Deutz Brut Classic NV DINNER Sauteed Hudson Valley foie gras with reduction of verjus and shallot confit, Cuvee William Deutz 1995 (This will be interesting, as Michel Guerard also has a verjus-based foie gras preparation) Lobster in a ragout of butternut squash, cepes and chestnuts, Delas Freres Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes Blanc 1999 Brittany sole goujeonettes with fumet, tomatoes, fennel, and white mushrooms, Delas Freres Condrieu La Galopine 1999 Wild duck roasted on the spit with galette of potatoes and onion, red wine and cornas sauce, Delas Freres St Joseph Francois de Tournou 1999 Braised lamb shank with grilled leg of lamb, cranberry beans, flageolets, fava and yellow beans, haricot verts, and jus naturel, Delas Freres Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette 1999 Patrice Caillot's dessert selection, Deutz Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise 2000

I noted the following on Verbena's website. The $27/person Sunday prix fixe brunch appears to be a potentially good way to sample the food at the restaurant. Members should verify prior to reliance. The indicative menu includes: House Baked Scones Choice of Orange or Grapefruit Juices, Mimosa, Bloody Mary, or Verbena Royale Choice of Appetizer and Entree A. Appetizers Mixed Lettuce Salad with soft herbs, and sherry vinaigrette Daily Soup House-Cured Salmon Gravlax with buckwheat blini, radishes, mustard oil Duck and Shiitake Mushroom Country Pate, with thai basil, marinated carrots and parker house toast (this appears interesting) Parma Prosciutto with market fruit and balsamic syrup B. Entrées Crispy Duck Confit with brunch potatoes, bitter greens and roasted onion jus (this might be good as well) Crispy Fishcakes, with sesame lotus root, mixed lettuces and ponzu vinaigrette Spicy Halibut and Sweet Corn Crepes, with red bell pepper, english peas and fine herb emulsion 10 oz. Grilled Sirloin Burger, with house-baked brioche bun, grilled onion and herbed fries Cinnamon French Toast with caramelized apples and toasted almonds Buttermilk Pancakes with strawberries rhubarb compote and whipped creme fraiche Rolled Spinach Souffle with snow peas and mushroom nage Forest Mushroom and Ricotta Cheese Omlette with tomato fondue and brunch potatoes Verbena Croque Monsieur, layered sandwich terrine of black forest ham and fontina cheese Roasted Turkey Steak with spinach, mushrooms, lemon and sage http://verbenarestaurant.citysearch.com/5.html

rich -- "Five sets of wines, each showcasing two French and two California wines from the same grape varietals" suggests 20 different samplings, 1/2 of which will be French. If the event is $275/person, that's less than $15 for each sampling, even assuming the food is excluded. Do you have a sense as to how large the sample with respect to each wine might be?

Veritas offers the following for $1,235/person: "Chateau Cheval Blanc -- Thursday October 24th, on this evening, come and discover why Cheval Blanc is not only one of the greatest properties in St. Émilion, but in all of Bordeaux. Located in the Right Bank section of Bordeaux, this famed Chateau sits on the border of Pomerol. This fact helps to contribute to its rich, lusty character that so many connoisseurs have come to expect. Cheval Blanc’s Managing Director Pierre Lurton will guide us through many vintages, including the soon to be released and critically acclaimed 2000 vintage, as well as the *legendary 1947*! Other vintages being served this evening include: 2000 1999 1998 1995 1990 1989 1986 1985 1983 1982 1964 1947" In particular, I'd appreciate members' input on how this event compares (in terms of difficulty of finding comparable events in the future) to the Montrachet tasting at Montrachet.

Veritas offers the following, for $ 855.00/person: "The Single Vineyard Côte Rôtie’s of Guigal. Wednesday, October 23rd Join us this evening to become intimately familiar with the celebrated Côte Rôtie single vineyards of Guigal. Wine Director Tim Kopec, using the deep cellar stocks of Veritas, has assembled multiple examples of these fabled wines to show along side a fabulous five course tasting menu created by Chef Scott Bryan. Owners Marcel Guigal and son Philip will be on hand to speak of the vineyards, and what makes them so compelling and unique. Additionally, they are making available to the dinner, the rare 1990 ‘La Pommiere’ en magnum and the never commercially released 1989 Hommage a Etienne Guigal. This dinner serves as a rare opportunity to meet the people behind the monumental wines of Guigal, as they rarely visit the United States. Included will be: 1995, 1985 Côte Rôtie ‘La Turque’ 1995, 1985, 1978 Côte Rôtie ‘La Mouline’ 1995, 1985, 1978 Côte Rôtie ‘La Landonne’ 1989 Côte Rôtie ‘Hommage a Etienne Guigal’ 1990 Côte Rôtie ‘La Pommiere’ 1995 Côte Rôtie ‘Chateau d’Ampuis’ 2001, 1997 Condrieu ‘La Dorianne’"

rich -- I wonder what quantity of each a participant would receive. Also, on the "value" component (if one can call it that), does your indication of the value depend on what year(s) are served of each Montrachet? Note the reference to "older wines from the titans" during dinner. Might this be a "once in a wine lifetime" kind of event? $1500 is kind of steep, and I do have a ticket to a decent event, the Delouvrier/Deutz James Beard dinner, the same night. I am also trying to be slightly more frugal with respect to food/wine expenditures.

Below is an extremely interesting event. While it is officially indicated to be sold out, I called and apparently there is a chance to obtain tickets if one places onself on a wait list and others do not promptly pay up. Although the price is $1500 per person, it is a sampling of wines from *every* producer of Montrachet. "Montrachet at Montrachet Monday, October 21st, 5:30 PM Montrachet, 239 West Broadway at N. Moore in Tribeca We regret that this dinner is sold out. A Historic Tasting bringing together for the first time in the States wines from *every* producer of this legendary vineyard. Jean-Claude Wallerand, former sommelier of Le Montrachet in the village of Puligny-Montrachet, and Daniel Johnnes, Wine Director of Montrachet, will lead a stand-up walkaround tasting of **Montrachets from each of its 24 producers** and then will host a multi-course dinner to accompany older wines from the titans of this terrior" I'd appreciate members' input on whether this meal and tasting appear worthwhile relative to the cost.

rich -- Apologies for not knowing much about wine. Are the US producers generally good? Actually, I was browsing for this event "Montrachet at Montrachet Monday, October 21st, 5:30 PM Montrachet, 239 West Broadway at N. Moore in Tribeca We regret that this dinner is sold out. A Historic Tasting bringing together for the first time in the States wines from *every* producer of this legendary vineyard. Jean-Claude Wallerand, former sommelier of Le Montrachet in the village of Puligny-Montrachet, and Daniel Johnnes, Wine Director of Montrachet, will lead a stand-up walkaround tasting of **Montrachets from each of its 24 producers** and then will host a multi-course dinner to accompany older wines from the titans of this terrior" Sold out

I noticed the following dinner -- Fall Wine Dinner, France vs. California Monday, October 28th, 6:30 PM Tribeca Grill, 375 Greenwich Street at Franklin in Tribeca In the spirit of friendly competition, this tasting and dinner will empower you to be the judge - who will reign champion over the realm of superior food and wine? Five sets of wines, each showcasing two French and two California wines from the same grape varietals, will go head-to-head, at times presented in blind tastings to preserve the integrity of the competition. In addition, the kitchen will turn up the heat with an international competition between Guest Chef Chris Gesualdi, formerly of Montrachet, creating French delights and Tribeca Grill's Executive Chef, Don Pintabona and Chef de Cuisine, Stephen Lewandowski offering the best of Contemporary American Cuisine. Join us for a fun and educational evening. Producers will include: California - Kistler, Peter Michael, Rochioli, Flowers, Spottswoode, Chateau Montelena, Arrowood and Martinelli. France - **Niellon, Roulot, D'Angerville, Roumier, Lynch Bages, Gruaud Larose, Guigal and Jaboulet.** $275 / person, inclusive of tax and gratuity."

Gary -- There are literally at least four two-stars (including Bardet's place and Grand Hotel du Lion d'Or) in or within no more than 2 hours' driving distance from Tours. I have not yet visited restaurants around Tours, though. I am relatively sure Bardet is generally open Sunday nights.

This thread is going down the "appeal to authority" route, no?!

I appreciate that I wasn't asked this question, and I am not conveying arrogance, but I know Gagnaire meals are not over my head. Maybe that's why Gagnaire isn't getting even more negative assessments -- people who go there and don't quite enjoy his food might harbor a bit more doubt as to whether they are "ready" to perceive Gagnaire's "brilliance" and whether they are missing something in not appreciating dishes. Because Gagnaire is viewed by a certain segment of diners with unjustified reverence (or deference), diners might question themselves a bit more when they encounter food that is not particularly delicious.