cabrales

Earlier this year, Goumard was pitching its "champagne bar". Actually, it's nothing other than a separate wine list for champagne, with some good selections. The restaurant discourages clients from coming in just for champagne, although ordering some oysters and other less filling dishes would be sufficient. The decor has a lot of Lalique, both in the ceiling lights, and in a nice set of Lalique crystal fish of different colors. The restaurant tends to overcook its fish slightly, relative to my subjective tastes. However, I go there for oysters from time to time.

In an e-mail newsletter, Restaurant Magazine reports the following: "Angela Hartnett provides the Daily Telegraph with a preview of her new menu for The Connaught in London, which opens on 2 October. The Mediterranean-inspired cuisine will be lighter and brighter than the previous Escoffier-style cooking of Michel Bourdin and, according to the Daily Telegraph, she is not going to be 'another one of those fancy pants, showy chefs of which there are already too many in London'. She says: 'I don't want food that is intimidating. I want it to be basic but good.' Dishes that are set to appear sooner or later on the menu include salt cod fritters, squid risotto on pizza dough, tomatoes and tuna on toast, grilled asparagus rolled in almonds, macaron aux cerises served with glace pistache and lots of American-style salads, such as shrimp and Caesar." American-style salads? Basic, but good? Below is an excerpt from the described article (September 8, 2002, "An appetite with an edge. Angela Hartnett, controversial new chef at the Connaught, has been scouring the world for fresh ideas and ingredients. Belinda Richardson tracked her down in Bologna for a lesson in real Italian food"): "It was Ramsay's idea to send Angela off on tour . . . Angela would pick up a few guidebooks, pack her bags and head off to where she could taste the sort of food she wanted to cook first-hand. The brief was simply to see what she could find by trying out all sorts of different food (from Michelin-starred to roadside caff), by meeting chefs and exchanging recipes, and by visiting local markets and shops, truffling out unusual new ingredients, odd bits of china and up-to-the-minute gadgets. Visiting the markets - especially in Valencia - was probably the highlight of Angela's trip. . . . 'The trouble with Italian food once it gets taken out of a trattoria,' she says, 'is that it gets more complicated. Fair enough, it's bound to - but that's not what I was brought up on. I don't want food that is intimidating. I want it to be basic but good.' . . . . Alain Ducasse's macaron aux cerises served with glace pistache that she ate at Le Bastide de Moustiers in the south of France will be on her dessert menu, but toned down a bit and with a twist of her own, so nobody can accuse her of stealing it from the maestro. 'The only straight copies - and I'm not ashamed to admit this - will be of the salads I ate in California,' says Angela. 'If I could recreate something like that in our Terrace restaurant when it opens next March, I'd be very happy. Shrimp salad, chef's salad, Caesar salad - whatever anybody says, the Americans definitely make the best salads in the world.'"

The weekday timing of the celebrations is going to be problematic for me. I am not eager to "waste" three vacation days to attend the event. Even if a portion of the events could be purchased separately, I would not attend.

The Inn at Little Washington is planning three days of celebration on January 28 through 30, 2003 (weekdays) on the occasion of its 25th birthday. No additional information appears available at this time. When I asked whether the Inn could take reservations for rooms (hypothetically), I was told that no room reservations can be made at this time for those nights. (Ordinarily, cancellation policies entail a $25 charge for cancellation prior to 14 days and one night's stay for cancellation within 14 days) The Executive Assistant to the chef indicated that the rooms for those nights have not been sold; they are merely being held.

Jon -- When you have a chance, please indicate whether you remember the price of the lobster dish with its wine accompaniment (Chassagne Montrachet, Drouhin?). While I appreciate Jon's report, I have the intake of this dish as a short-term food-related target, together with other things. I'd also be interested in the extent to which the lobster was steamed. The L-C website's French name for the dish does not refer to the method of cooking (Homard de Bretagne à la vanille " Bourbon de Madagascar"), but the English label is Brittany lobster off the shell **steamed** with vanilla sauce "Bourbon de Madagascar". Also, I'd like to add that I consider Senderens' cuisine at this point to be better than that of certain other three-stars (e.g., Pourcels, Vrinat, Veyrat, G Blanc and particularly Bocuse).

marcus -- See the discussion under the Gault-Millau 2002 thread (unlinked): I bought a G-M over the weekend, and noted the discordant treatment of certain chefs who have historically played a role in shaping French cuisine: -- Bocuse: As Stephen noted, Bocuse's restaurant is designated an "Institution", with no numerical rating assigned. The explanatory page on the utilization of the G-M guide indicates: "This designation is used for one world-famous restaurant that cannot enter into any category". Some G-M commentary on Bocuse follows (rough translation): "To paraphrase [bocuse], we say that there are only two types of cuisine, the good and the bad. And that of Bocuse is good. It recognizes [food] products, the [method of] cooking is perfect and it's impeccable. . . . The personnel faithful to Bocuse are nice, well brought up and know that the restaurant is a celebratory place for those who choose to go there. And they nurture this joy of living." -- Roger Verge -- Surprisingly, this newly-two-starred (and formerly one-, two- and three-starred) Michelin chef does not even have an entry for his restaurant at Mougins. His hotel is listed as "Le Moulin de Mougins", but that would not ordinarily eliminate the restaurant from the receipt of a rating. See Ducasse's "La Bastide de Moustiers" on the immediately following page in G-M or Pourcels' Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, which have separate entries for the restaurant and the hotel facilities. -- Senderens -- This three-starred Michelin chef only has a 16/20. Some G-M commentary follows (rough translation): "Lucas Carton, la Tour d'Argent, Grand Vefour -- how many restaurants have given rise to such fantasy upon the mere mention of their magical names? . . . How many chefs have, like Senderens, made culinary history? One wants to be able to sense again on the plate the 19.5/20 of fifteen years ago, but the current situation suggests this should be categorized as a historical monument . . . . Reread the G-M of the 80's and be persuaded -- even though that does not affect anything today -- that Alain Senderens is a great chef." (Note the numerical rating in G-M is indicated to be for the food alone. It might be another guide that accords weights as earlier suggested.) Very harsh words for Senderens, given that his cuisine today is, for me, better than Bocuse's cuisine today. :confused: If G-M is categorizing Bocuse as an "institution", it should not completely ignore Verge's restaurant and still be giving Senderens this type of abuse. Bocuse could be viewed as having a special place in French culinary history; however, the treatment of the three described chefs does not appear even-handed.

I'd appreciate hearing if any members have made reservations for the new GR restaurant.

Michael -- I have not yet visited Atelier. However, below is an earlier thread on Atelier: http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...8002&hl=atelier

I like oysters that the French nicknamed Papillons, among many others, when available. The Papillon are sometimes available at (1) Goumard (expensive for oysters), (2) Petrossian (ditto), and (3) La Mediterranee, a very reasonably pricedrestaurant which I like in part for its wonderful murals and J Cocteau paintings and which I have mentioned on the board: http://www.la-mediterranee.com/carte.htm#Entrees To see the murals, click on "The Place" among the selections in the left-hand-side margin and then click on the thumbnails: http://www.la-mediterranee.com I rarely like a place for its decor, but this restaurant is an exception. Also, the food is very reasonably priced and some dishes are nice. That being said, Cap Vernet would be my recommendation.

The shrimp I had were jumping around and hard to get hold of. They might have had greater "intelligence"/"perceptive abilities" than their small little brain areas might suggest, because some would not move (pretending to be dead, I guess) when I picked them up and yet would move quite a bit once I had let go of them. The shrimps' shell were slippery.

Nick -- Please get plenty of rest.

Charles -- Merci

JFK -- As much as I'm on macrosan's side, Gordon Ramsay RHR would be a reservation to hold onto, regardless of whether other GR facilities are contemplated.

Since my last post in this thread, I have sampled (1) glistening eggs pulled from a live lobster (the little clumps are not as readily dislodged as one might imagine), and (2) over a dozen live shrimp, many of whose whiskers still moved after I had separated the head from the body and as I was taking in the shrimp flesh. Both were sampled in France; the latter, as I sat with a bottle of $5 white wine by the seashore. Thanks for Soba's post in another thread, which reminded me to post the above.

JFK -- For further exposure to Ramsay (albeit not necessarily his French styled cuisine), consider a meal at GR Connaught. There is a thread on the restaurant; I believe it will be open by early October (please verify prior to reliance).

Unborn eggs were served at Sammy's They were not included in soup, but instead were cooked and served on a plate. The sizes of the different unborn eggs varied considerably. Some were the size of a normal, small-ish yolk; others were much smaller. They tasted slightly less moist than normal cooked non-runny yolks, but the overall sensation was somewhat similar. Note that the portions for the entrees at Sammy's were very large. For example, I could only finish 1/3 of my skirt steak. The eGulleteers in attendance included: the Perlows, Wilfrid, ahr, Simon M (welcome back to NY ), Fat Guy, Nina (who, as previously mentioned, organized the event), stefanyb, Tony Bourdain (who brought along certain German specialties) and other members whose username I am somewhat uncertain about and who I will leave to provide input as they see fit.

Wilfrid -- Were there unoccupied tables when you visited?

lizziee -- Do you know what Ludovic Lefevre might have left L'Orangerie for? I'd appreciate any updates on the question above.

I'd rather be Japanese lower house member Shinchiro Kurimoto (or is it the other way around) -- anyhow, members know who I am speaking about.

jordyn, a friend of his and I dined at Morimoto on the $120 omakase. Sitting at the "long" end of the sushi bar, I had a fairly good meal that did not match the only meal I had taken in so far at Jewel Bako in NY. Nonetheless, it was, of course, worthwhile to sample the cuisine at Morimoto for the first time. (1) Toro Tartare -- A good amount of toro tartare in a timbale-like column, with oscetra caviar on top, was presented in a cup. The thin saucing for this was soy and dashi. On the "saucer" beneath the cup were fresh wasabe (with which the tuna was intended to be eaten, of course) and a rasberry-like Japanese fruit called yama*** (this is sometimes available at Nobu). While the saucing was appropriate, I did not find this dish particularly impressive. The fattiness of toro was not well exhibited in the dish, which was not as good as the "O'Toro with creamy avocado sauce, and oscetra" I had sampled at Jewel Bako (recognizing that otoro is naturally more luscious than toro). (2) Smoked Kampachi -- This was appealing, with the smoked yellowtail variety being cut into relatively thin slices and garnished nicely with baby cilantro, a vinegar-based sauce with very small bits of red pepper and "pickled"-type onions. The dining room team member advised us that three vinegars had been utilized -- champagne, rice wine and white wine; the result was a nice sauce with just enough oil components and vinegar tastes. We were told that curry had also been used, but it was not detectable to me. I noticed a very limited hint of chili in the aftertaste. The reason this dish worked was the appropriate level of smoking of the kampachi -- the smokiness was not overwhelming, but it was noticeable. This was my preferred dish of the meal. (3) Small cup of dobanmushi-like clear soup, with mitsuba leaf, yuzu and noodles made from fish cake. The soup was on the bland side, and the slice of lime provided was necessary as an added "kick" for the soup. Even with the lime, the soup was unduly "neutral". If the dining room team member had not advised me that fish cake had been used in the noodles, I would not have noticed. (4) Japanese snapper slices with olive and sesame oil blend. This was another nice dish, with four slices of snapper being doused with oil at a very high temperature. jordyn and I agreed that this preparation brought to mind Nobu's "new-style" sashimi, but that the oil temperature utilized at Morimoto was much higher than that at which the Nobu sashimi would be served. The saucing contained citrus, soy and ponzu, chives, ginger and shallots. Although that list sounded extensive, the saucing ingredients were nicely integrated. Miyoga, apparently a cousin of the onion and garlic, was also included. The most appealing part of the dish was the inclusion of a small piece of fern (raw) on top of the described components. The fern tasted refreshing, yet complex. (5) Salad of striped jackfish, with yuzu vinaigrette, baby greens, chive oil and basil puree. This was good too, with a long shaved section of dried and aged bonito (interesting, slightly chewey texture, and shaved using the box-like contraptions mentioned by GordonCooks) and another long section of dried salmon (described using a name sounding like mollogro???). It was appropriate that the basil was subdued in this dish, and I liked the use of vinegar in the saucing. (6) Wasabi and yuzu sorbet with wasabi beignet. The sorbet was appropriately subtle, but the long donut-like beignet had no wasabi tastes. (7) Lobster "Epice" (Eight spice lobster). This pan-roasted half of a lobster was seasoned unduly aggressively for my tastes, although jordyn appeared not to share my assessment. The flesh of the lobster could have been slightly more "crisp" when bitten into, although I had to admit I have a strong preference for Brittany lobsters to begin with. The herbs used liberally on the lobster, to almost form a slight layer of herbs on the exposed flesh of the 1/2 lobster portion, were chilli, cumin, coriander, cayenne, ginger, garlic, pepper and paprika, according to our dining room team member. I found the slightly sweetened creme fraiche (with bits of chives) served on the side helpful to the dish, but jordyn considered that component of the dish too sweet. With the lobster, there was served brocoli, a single stalk of asparagus and a crunchy, long baby carrot. (8) Kobe Beef and Foie Gras. This dish was fairly good, but the Kobe beef (whether from the US or not unclear) was better exhibited in a thicker specimen within Sugiyama's kaiseki in NY. That being said, a slice of Kobe beef perhaps 3 times the thickness of the super-thin beef slices one finds in shabu shabu dishes arrived, folded over itself. The relative thinness of the beef was not a helpful aspect. However, it was nicely served with a Japanese marinade containing sweet soy, ginger and mirin. The glass of pinot noir jordyn and I shared was appropriate for this dish. The foie gras was a small sauteed piece, and it was appropriate (although not memorable). (9) Sushi course. Only five pieces were offered -- O'Toro (not as fatty as most otoro I have sampled), kampachi (acceptable only), fluke (mediocre), Japanese sardine (good) and unagi (mediocre). This was a very weak sushi course (leaving aside quantity and speaking only to quality) for a restaurant that strives to be at this level. It is interesting that the variety of fresh fish, etc. I noticed at Morimoto's sushi bar did not appear to compare to that I have seen at, say, Jewel Bako or Sushi Yasuda. The Japanese sardine sushi was nice, however. Freshly grated sushi, while available, was not ordered. In this instance, freshly grated sushi would not have helped the sushi presentation. (10) Dessert included (a) the Morimoto Japanese yam cake (average), (b) a chocolate fig cake with hazelnut (average), © wasabi tiramisu with a white chocolate sauce (fairly good; interesting integration of light wasabi flavors and mascarpone), and (d) chocolate ice cream (mediocre). There was a cranberry/raisin compote that did not seem to match any of the offered dessert items. The drinks taken in were: -- Mc squared aperatif ($9.50; champagne, midori and lime juice garnished with a lime wedge; this was aggressive flavored, but nice; its neon green-yellow color matched the countertop of the sushi bar area and the color utilized in the entryway to the Morimoto restaurant) -- Shared bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Kim Crawford 2002 (New Zealand) ($46; my first sampling of this wine and a good choice in hindsight for the early dishes) -- Shared glass of Pinot Noir, Antonin Rodel ($10; for the Kobe beef) -- Glass of junmai morimoto ($8/glass; $20/carafe) -- the most "raw", according to our knowledgeable dining room team member, of the three sakes specifically allocated to Morimoto (the others being junmai daiginjo morimoto and junmai ginjo morimoto) Decor I liked the decor at Morimoto -- modern, with an interesting reliance on color juxtapositions and on the effects of colored lighting. The space is relatively narrow, but good use was made of it. When one enters, the area is somewhat neon green colored. One detects various instances of the Morimoto logo, including on the door handles. It is a roundish figure-eight-on-its-side-like, bean-like shape. One sees beautifully blush-colored, sculpted walls (done nicely), matching undulating ceiling patterns. No rough edges; modern, interesting sculpted areas along the length of the restaurant. There are a number of two-person tables along the right and left sides, with two sets of banquettes in the middle. The area between the tables is lit, and the colors change periodically from a deep pink to purple to a moderate green to a type of blue. These efects were not bad, despite my general preference for simplicity of decor in restaurants. Miscellaneous Information As members know, Philly is a short (2 hour) drive from NYC. On the way there, our group stopped at an old-styled drive-in featuring rootbeer. It was a cheerful, nostalgic place, where I witnessed (for the first time) the little food trays that are clipped onto one's car window. Our party stayed in the car, with waitresses coming by to take orders, etc. We shared curly fries, with a good quantity of Velveta-like melted cheese. I drank a root beer float with a generous amount of ice cream. A good stop-over on the way to Philly. There is a 24-hour garage within 1/2 block of Morimoto's restaurant. Morimoto's begins dinner service relatively early (5pm). At such hour, there were more people than I expected. Prior to dinner, our party visited the Rodin Museum in Philly. It is smaller than that in Paris, but nonetheless worthwhile. For example, there is one of the original Burghers of Calais sculptures (collective), along with a pair of sculptures called Hand of God and Hand of Devil. Like the museum in Paris, the Philly facility has the Gates of Hell sculpture. There are several small pate-de-verre pieces, a medium that I is less emphasized at the Paris facility. After dinner at Morimoto's, our party went to see Cirque de Soleil's Varekai production. For me, it was technically markedly weaker than Allegria, Quidam, O, Mystere and possibly one other CdS production I have seen. However, it was still clearly worthwhile. During the break, I sipped hazelnut and vanilla coffee and had several bites of Haagen-Daaz Dulce de Con Leche (?), caramel-flavored ice cream.

I'd appreciate members' input on what the cuisine at Charles Barrier (Tours) is now like. (Note I have never sampled Barrier's cuisine, although that is about to change.) As members may know, Tours is a short direct train ride from Paris.

My subjective input: Troisgros -- less than 2 hours by train from Lyons -- not my favorite restaurant, but one of my favorites Paul Bocuse -- terrible cuisine, but close to Lyons and a "must" for historical reasons only La Mere Brazier -- for the "chicken in half mourning" dish which is the subject of another thread; very reasonably priced, in Lyons itself

Robert -- The book excellent, and is available (at least at the Michelin store in Paris) in English. I may not get it back for a month or two. Separately, I have a budding collection of Guide Rouges. However, it does not extend back to the 1960s or 1970s yet.

Robert -- My fourth post (yes, I am weakening). The book may be the one described below, which can be purchased online, or at the Michelin boutique in Paris. It has a red cover with three large stars on it, and is available in various languages. It is excellent. The book is: TROIS ETOILES AU MICHELIN J.FRANCOIS MESPLEDE GRUND REPORTAGES Prix éditeur : 38€ - 249.26FF - 38.39$ (from chapitre.fr) The book answers questions about when different chefs had three stars. I have a copy, but lent it out a while ago.

My third post today. First Recommendation: Flora. I believe the restaurant of Flora Mikuni, roughly opposite the Four Seasons Georges V hotel in the 8th arrondisement, would be welcoming to two women. The chef is a woman, and the two dining room team members that assisted the male maitre d' (apparently maitre d') in the room I was in (there are three rooms, plus a very small quasi-private dining area) were women. The service style is friendly and intimate, and I dined there recently solo (as I tend to do). The chef used to work at Les Olivades, and the cuisine, while not to my tastes, would not be a poor value. A five (??)-course tasting menu I did not sample was 50 euros/person. I ordered the following: (1) Raviolis de langoustines dans un consomme de crustaces aux petits legumes (Raviolis of langoustines in a shellfish consomme with small vegetables; 18 euros). The pasta was heavy and pasty, and the consomme lacked subtlety. (2) Travers et mignon de cochon au miel et epices, galette de polenta aux pistaches (18 euros). Portions of the pork were wrapped with some type of ham-like item, and were average. Also included was a rib-like section that had decent skin portions, but was slightly overcooked. (3) Dessert of pain perdu with mirabelles and mirabelle sorbet (8 euros). This was quite good, and we are in the midst of the somewhat short season for these little yellow plums. Wine was ordered by the glass -- champagne bottled for the chef (less than 8 euros) and a glass of white, Menetou Salon 2001 (5 euros). 36 Avenue Georges V, 01 40 70 10 49 (reservations required). Second Recommendation: La Regelade. On my only visit, two of the three dining room team members were women. This restaurant is busy, and the team was efficient and professional (but perhaps slightly rushed) with respect to all clients. Again, I dined alone. Reservations are also clearly required at this facility. With all respect to your desire to consider friendliness towards two women in choosing a restaurant, my own, subjective guiding principle has been to choose a restaurant based on cuisine. I am younger than the women in question and dine solo, and therefore arguably am as susceptible to certain negative gender-based perceptions of women as diners. However, I have always been treated very well by restaurants at all levels in France. Indeed, I find that I frequently receive free and/or special dishes, even from restaurants visited for the first time