cabrales

The USC banana tart with macadamia nut brittle is quite good.

Have members considered why a diner needs tastes that conform to commonly understood notions of what might be enjoyable or amenable to appreication by the diner? Wouldn't it be sufficient if a diner, through experimentation with different restaurants and other cuisine opportunities (including cooking at home), came to intimately understand what pleased her (whether in the esense of enjoyment or appreciation) and knew how to identify and continue to secure things that could do so? Shouldn't there be more potential focus on self-awareness -- associated with conviction in one's own preferences and the ability to match those preferences to restaurants and other sources of cuisine.

Did any members sample Barbot's cuisine while he was the chef at Ampersand in Sydney? If so, where the flavor combinations and general style comparable to those described with respect to L'Astrance?

La Tante Claire.

macrosan -- I agree the service at Foliage is good. I took a couple there for lunch within the last year. For some reason, they both did not choose to drink, so I also declined alcohol. We were, of course, ordering the very reasonably priced prix fixe lunch. While I did not necessarily focus on who the maitre d' was, the service was very good throughout the meal. There was never any sentiment conveyed that we were not the restaurant's top priority, by reason of our less expensive menu choices or the absence of a wine order.

USC serves food, at least on Saturdays, even past 2:15 or so. There is a limited menu at least at the bar. Do members have input on the limited, "late late" lunch menu? Note, on the $20.02 poor lunch described by jaybee, that the negative conclusion was the unanimous assessment of many eGulleteers. The link is below: http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...b1afb372269f600 (consider later entries)

Below is a link to a summary by Boulud's sommelier of his visit, with Boulud, to the Rhone region. http://www.danielnyc.com/chef/travels.html

PaulaJ -- You might be interested in pirate's post on Le Cinq in the middle of the L'Ambroisie thread: http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...=10&t=8550&st=0

Lesley -- Thanks for your input. I'm surprised that Quebec and not another country in Europe is the #1 tourist destination for French people. Do you see the relatively widespread respect and love for cuisine in Quebec that one associates with France?

My answers might appear run-of-the-mill, as the two maitre d's whom I believe are effective are at the UK's two Michelin three-stars. Jean-Claude Breton at Gordon Ramsay RHR is always on hand, makes first-time diners feel at home (although including reportedly by pretending to recognize them when he could not have possibly seen them before), is confirmatory of diners' choices of dish (I subjectively really like his hand-rubbing gestures when he is expressing approval of one's orders, although that response may not be shared), is knowledgeable and articulate (I like lengthy description of dishes when I request them), and does recognize repeat diners (e.g., specific facts he might remember about prior conversations, availability of access to rcancelled reservations, nice treatment at the restaurant, etc). When I am at the restaurant with guests, he is forthcoming about my prior dining at the restaurant (including by mentioning that I need not look at the menu to know its contents, which is inaccurate but still nice). By the way, Dominick (spelling?), who is now affiliated with GR Claridge's but used to be at RHR, is also excellent. I also believe RHR has London's most proficient and best-service sommelier, Thierry Berson (spelling). Diego Masciega at Waterside Inn is a very effective maitre d' as well. He spent some formulative years at Chapel, and is mentioned at several places in M Roux's book "Life Is a Menu". At WI, he would stop by to talk to guests sitting in the entryway lounge (one of the areas for taking in aperatifs, close to the artwork involving sculped people holding string instruments and next to the cabinetcases holding WI items one can purchase), and picked up enough on my interest in food to offer a tour of the kitchen. Also, while he is not always taking the meal order in the dining room, he is generally around to say hello. He personally responds to many e-mails sent through the WI website. http://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/theteamrestaurant.htm The Capital appears to have a female dining room lead (is the middle-aged woman the maitre d'?). Given the size of the dining room, this person appears quite active. I'd have to say that she lacks a bit of the polish and appearance of being at ease of the two maitre d's described above. However, it's nice to see a female maitre d', if she occupies that role.

Dan & Mike -- I'd appreciate learning about some of the themes that emerged from the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and your reactions to them. For instance, what are your thoughts on "raw" (non-sushi) dishes such as Trotter's coconut pad thai (which reportedly involved the substitution of julienned coconut meat for the typical noodles)? Also, what dishes did you prepare in Aspen and why did you choose those compositions?

Have members eaten at Le Bec Fin since Daniel Stern was recently hired by Perrier? Also, what are members' thoughts on the downstairs "bar" (unclear if that's the customary reference to this area or if the area still exists, since I ate there quite a while ago), if a regular reservation were for some reason not secured? Does the bar take reservations? http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...b1afb372269f600 (on LBF's change in chef)

GordonCooks -- When you have a chance, could you discuss how you were notified of the Wine Spectator event? Are most WS events open to responding subscribers (I recently became a subscriber)?

Out of curiosity, are there well-regarded cooking schools in Canada? If members have the available information, what chefs are among such schools' alums? Is there a concern in Canada that promising trainees may leave for the US?

BLH -- When you have a chance, you might want to review the below thread on Guy Savoy (restaurant meal commentary is towards the end of the thread): http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...f608d591e971eed http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...23&hl=guy+savoy

BLH -- Which night of the week are you considering visiting Paris? If it's a weekend night, for example, your choices might be more limited. Also, could the below-linked thread be the thread you were not finding? http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...f=10&t=4959&hl=

Steve P -- I would, depending on the club. If I appreciated the club's services and other things the club would have to offer and the price of admissions were reasonable, I would.

jordyn -- I think Morimoto lunch might be capable of being secured last minute, although I have not actually looked into the question. Since a combined Le Bec Fin/Morimoto day trip might be feasible, I wonder how difficult getting both reservations would be.

rich -- When you have a chance, could you discuss why you would not patronize a restaurant at which you were the best dressed diner?

As I have mentioned in another thread, it does not matter to me what the other clientele at a restaurant may be like. I don't listen in on their conversations; I look to the dishes and the physical decor of the restaurant for visual appeal. If the other clients look less "distiguished", that's fine.

The only think I seek, consistent with my prior acquiescence, is for John and other legitimate, valuable members of our community not to peel open old scabs by repeating their views on what happened during the Neo-Nazi/France/Suvir episode -- views that, in the face of moderator silence, are at a minimum unsubstantiated and in my mind misleading. It's one thing to accept lack of disclosure; it's another to be asked to stay silent in the face of "conclusions" so abundantly being dispensed in a manner that could appear to be "documentary" in nature (i.e., a statement of purported, known facts and assessments). John -- As you may know, I value your contributions considerably -- except in connection with conclusions on the Neo-Nazi/France/Suvir episode.

I like both Steve P and John. What I am taking issue with are John's repeated statements of a conclusion that he believes in, but that is unsupported by publicly available facts and that John knows I and certain other members are uncomfortable with.

Bux -- If John resubmitted the article after I and certain other members had acquiesced on (i.e., given up the pursuit of) the reinvolvement of Suvir, then my subjective read WOULD be as follows: 1. At the time of the submission of the article, John knows Steve P, Nina W, I and others are active posters. He knows that we might be tempted to respond to the article (with the Neo-Nazi/France/Suvir matters rather prominently featured), and he knows, of course, that he will post the article on the board at my request. 2. At the time of the subimssion of the article, John also knows that Suvir might prefer to let things be, given the acquiescence. Or would somebody in John's position and with his knowledge of the board be thinking that Suvir would desire a thread like this one continuing on and on? If somebody in John's position were looking after Suvir's interests, he might also make the inference that a person in Suvir's position (not that I am inferring what Suvir might or might not be thinking) might prefer not to have the Neo-Nazi/France/Suvir matter broadcast before a cast of hundreds in the food-writing community, some of whom might know him or otherwise be in a position to later work with him. Even though Suvir is painted in apparently admired strokes in the article, it would not be unreasonable to consider that a person in Suvir's position would not want a UK journalist to come onto the site and investigate in detail the applicable threads, including ones on Site Tips. 3. At the time of the submission of the article, given (1) and (2) above, it is reasonable to assume that somebody in John's position would have inferred that I, Steve P, Nina W, certain other members AND Suvir (let alone the moderators) would have preferred the status quo (i.e., no stirring up). 4. If the facts are described above, whose interests might somebody in John's position actually be advancing by including the Suvir matters in the article?

Wilfrid -- I'm not indicating any member has any on-line faults, except that I can be long-winded, unduly technical and off-topic. However, my prior point was that it's the combination of any faults and everything else each member brings that causes eGullet to be what it is, and to have been what it was. I don't have any issue with the valuable package that John offers, except in connection with his conclusion on the Neo-Nazi/France/Suvir matters and his "re-stirring" the flames on this matter. It's as if one has accepted an injury even though there is a scab that is on its way to disappearing to reveal different, but nonetheless healthy, tissue, and then parties who took the opposite position deliberately peel off that scab.

JJS -- Welcome, and thanks for your detailed input l'Amphytryon is closed for the day I am considering. Is Lorient worth a visit as a town?