cabrales

The significantly outdated information in the P Wells list of World Top Tables continues: -- For the UK, the top restaurant is indicated to be: No.1: La Tante Claire, 68 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HP, tel: (71) 352-6045. http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/topta...europe/brit.htm Pierre Koffman's La Tante Claire is no longer at RHR, which has housed Gordon Ramsay's restaurant for several years now. -- For France, the #4 restaurant is Taillevent. However, Ms Wells notes: "With the kitchen in the hands of Philippe Legendre . . ." The chef now is Michel del Burgo. http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/topta.../europe/fra.htm -- For Switzerland, the #1 restaurant is described as: "No.1: Restaurant Fredy Girardet, 1 Route d'Yverdon, 1023 Crissier (5 kilometers west), tel: (21) 634-0505. . . . How rare to find a chef who has reached the age of reason, maturity and experience without having lost his sense of enthusiasm and creativity. That's Fredy Girardet in a snapshot. One of the world's greatest chefs remains in top form after nearly 30 years at the stove. . . ." As members may know, Girardet has retired and P Rochat has been tending to the stoves at Crissier for at least a few years now. ------- Separately, I'd appreciate any member input on one-starred Passiflore or on two-starred Les Muses at the Scribe (previously, Patrice provided some input). Here's the P Wells review of Passiflore released in 1Q 2002: http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/iht/2002/2903.htm

An interesting aspect about the P Wells website. When one reviews her "World's Top Tables" for France, there is the following indication: "No.1: Joel Robuchon, 59 Avenue Raymond-Poincare, Paris 16, tel: 47-27-12-27. http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/topta.../europe/fra.htm Obviously, Robuchon no longer cooks regularly anywhere, and 59 Poincare is a very different restaurant nowadays (even though supervised by Ducasse, not that such supervision provides any positive indications). Also note that the telephone number is dated, without the "1" in front. Also note that El Bulli is not included in P Wells' top tables for Spain: http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/topta.../europe/spa.htm

Bapi -- Was the squab in a salt crust lodged within a pastry shell that looked like a cute squab? I have seen a picture of such a dish, as described in the "Humor" (or similarly named) thread under "General".

Yes, there was an earlier review, entitled "In Paris: A Star is Born" (January 2001). It was one of the earliest reviews of L'Astrance in the English press. http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/iht/2001/2601.htm I know P Wells likes to write about G Savoy and Gagnaire from time to time, but have not followed her writings on other restaurants to determine whether lead write-ups within the span of 1.5 years are common.

Bux -- Do you know if the table is available to all diners?

Steven & Bux -- What are your eight favorite restaurants in NY, and the eight restaurants you deem presently best in NY? For me, the two lists are the same (taking into account the subjective nature of "best" restaurant assessments), and are as set forth above.

Steve Klc -- Subjectively best can be the same for some diners, as in my case, as preferred/favorite, no? If a restaurant does not deliver on the cuisine, it would not be on my own preferred list.

jordyn -- The latter. I will continue investigation of Annisa.

In NY, if I had to allocate eight meals over eight of the restaurants on my subjectively preferred list, I would allocate one to each. Note we continue to speak about NY, I presume.

Steven -- I think a number restaurants are better than Gramercy Tavern, based on 5-7 visits to GT over time. I happen to believe that GT is overrated on the board by a significant margin. For me, Jean Georges and Picholine are good (by NY standards) but not as good as those I have listed. I have not yet visited Veritas (on my to-do list), and believe that Acquavit, Cafe Boulud and Craft are definitely not as good as those I have listed. On Union Pacific, that is on my list of preferred restaurants. I like that restaurant quite a bit. The group that you place Blue Hill with contains some restaurants that to me may not offer appealing cuisine, pending further investigation -- Aureole and Tabla. Eleven Madison is fairly good (by NY standards, which is a significant caveat), as are Tasting Room and Annisa. Annisa used to be one of my preferred restaurants, and I will subject it to further investigation. I have never dined at Toqueville or Marseilles. If I have to have Italian cuisine, I prefer to go to Babbo. However, I rarely feel a desire to take in Italian cuisine.

Steven -- No Japanese (or Italian) restaurants are included in my *subjective* assessment of the top eight restaurants in NY. They are, in no particular order, currently: Cello, Blue Hill, Union Pacific, ADNY (Ducasse is not a cuisinier I like; however, ADNY is still in this category), Bouley (not when I visit as a "regular" diner, however) , Le Bernardin, Lespinasse and either Montrachet or March. I used to like Chanterelle, Annisa and Daniel more than I do now (pending further investigation). I like eating the ceviches at Patria too, for some inexplicable reason. However, note the quirkiness of my preferences. For example, in France, I do not particularly like the cuisine of, among others, Ducasse, Pourcels, Bocuse, Gagnaire, Veyrat and Blanc. I'd say Tasting Room is quite good (based on only one visit), but I would *not* rate Gramercy Tavern among the top restaurants in NY.

To clarify, not all chef's tables are in the kitchen. There are obviously chef's kitchen tables, as in Gordon Ramsay -- Claridge's or Trotter's. However, there are sometimes chef's tables that are not in the kitchen, and the Louis XV tables sounds like a table that is proximate to, but not actually in, the kitchen.

Do members have a view as to whether it is common for P Wells to re-review a restaurant so quickly following a previous write-up?

I'd rate Blue Hill among the best eight restaurants in the city currently (with no connotations regarding placement within that range, pending further investigation of applicable restaurants).

James Beard's August 2002 Previews include a September 19 "Friends of James Beard Benefit -- A Moveable Feast" with Dan Barber of Blue Hill and Claudia Fleming of Gramercy Tavern. Also included are Rick Laakonen of Ilo, Douglas Rodriguez of Chicama and Pipa, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, Tom Valenti of Ouest and Zarela Martinez of Zarela. This is an out-of-house event (i.e., not located at the J Beard facility), and will be held at Boylan Studios, 601 W. 26th St. Tickets for the above event are $75 for Beard members and their guests for general admission 7-9 pm, and $125 for VIP admission 6-7 pm. Apparently, the event does *not* include dinner -- only stations/stalls/laid out (?) food and wine would be included. Interesting October J Beard in-house events include: (1) Monday, October 21: Winemaker Dinner with Christian Delouvrier of Lespinasse with Deutz champagne, and (2) Wednesday, October 2 dinner with Morimoto. Both events are somewhat appealing. Michael Romano will prepare a Bordeaux Lovers' Dinner on Tuesday, October 22 with wines from Chateau d'Issan and Chateau Les Granges. Coming up in September, but earlier disclosed are (1) Ron Siegel of Masa's, on Saturday, September 28, and (2) Colin Alevras of Tasting Room on Monday, September 9.

Bapi -- See the below thread. It is WI's 30th birthday, and the lunch is part of that celebration: http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?ac...51748a9fab44116

PaulaJ -- The Pere Meurice salad is described in Serge Dansereau's "Food & Friends. A chef's journey through France & Italy." Like other discussions in the book, the assessment of Boyer is favorable: "We visited the kitchen with Gerard [boyer]'s chef de cuisine, Kerry [note obviously wrong name] Voisin, and observed the well-honed skiills of the brigade. The simplicity of Guerard's food has distinctd roots in his father's style. He uses a minimum of ingredients prepared with a sure hand, full of talent. The Salade au Pere Maurice, a classic dish of the house, was executed with true expertise in the handling of the foie gras, artichoke and beautiful fresh beans. The presentation and preparation were quite classic, with sauces made of strong reductions, finished with northern butter [this statement is likely accurate]. A love of leek and truffles is evident throughout the menu. Some more exotic dishes are starting to make their mark too, like the beef served with poelee (pan-fried) vegetables or the fillet of bass with coriander and a thyme-flavored lemon confit in a tagine style. In general, however, the food is a classic combination of true and tried dishes of Gerard's repertoire."

While I have no desire to sit at Ducasse's chef's table at Louis XV, Serge Dansereau's "Food & Friends. A chef's journey through France and Italy" notes the approximate location of such table: "Alain Ducasse had organised for us to eat in a small alcove directly facing the kitchen. To eat here was an enormous privilege. As in the tradiion of the past, La Table du chef is reserved for the chef's friends and the food press, or is the site for regular menu tastings assisted by the chef's key staff. . . . La table due chef (aptly named 'the fish bowl' by the garcons) . . . ." Have any members been seated in the described location?

Serge Dansereau's "Food & Friends. A chef's journey through France & Italy" (1998, 2000) indicates that L'Etoile d'Or, 30 rue Fontaine 75009, tel 01 48 74 59 55, might carry Bernachon chocolates normally associated with the Lyons region: "Denise [Acabo, the shopkeeper] disclosed the name of her favorte product -- Bernachon . . . . The Bernachon family . . . select their cocoa beans from particular growers and plantations around the world . . . . They know and nurture their growers as chefs nurture their own small suppliers. . . ." Other chocolates at L'Etoile d'Or mentioned were (1) Bernard Dufoux's Conquistador (with caramel, pistachios, sugared orange, flamed raisins and roasted nuts), (2) Christina Bochard (Grenoble)'s mandarin confit dipped in chocolate with Grand Marnier, and (3) items from Andre Boyer (Sault-de-Vaucluse). Have members visited L'Etoile d'Or, and what are members' favorite Bernachon chocolates?

Simon -- When you have a chance, could you consider discussing what restaurants in London you would accord a 6/10 to? From reading your posts, you would likely rate two-Michelin-starred The Capital higher than 6, but would rate Gordon Ramsay (including Royal Hospital Road) facilities possibly lower (?). Samantha & Scott -- Same question. From your posts, The Capital would be higher than 6/10 for you. How would you rate one-starred Petrus, given the oversalting you experienced? As jaybee indicated, I liked my dessert, in part because it contained cherries -- one of my favorite fruit.

John -- On your Restaurant Lou Marques meal, would you consider it not only the meal that stands out in your memory, but your single best restaurant meal all factors considered?

Have members visited Atelier?

thelastsupper -- When you have a chance, could you consider discussing your visit to El Raco, and where you stayed? (I have not yet visited) If you ordered tasting menus, did you order the more "traditional" one? In addition, please discuss accommodations, etc.

Robert -- Under your revised theory, dining consumers would be deemed rather inept at discerning price changes even when they are made in Francs. This notion of pre-euro-introduction price increases would generally be more easily detected by French and non-French diners, as all then applicable prices would have been in Francs, no? On two of the restaurants for which you drew prices from the guides: -- Carre des Feuillants: As of February 2002, shortly after the introduction of the euro, the Menu "Idees de la Saison" (the only menu degustation shown) was at 138 euros. It included, among other things: Capuccino de chataignes a la truffe blanche d'Alba (chestnut capuccino with white truffles from Alba), Gateau de Topinambour a la Truffe Noire (Jerusalem artichokes cake-like item with black truffles) and Brie de Meaux Truffe. -- Neither Michelin nor G-M was necessarily very accurate with respect to Guy Savoy's menus. The Menu Prestige Autumne 2001 was 1150FF or euro 175. It included, among other things: Soupe d'artichaut a la truffe noire, brioche feuilletee aux champignons et beurre de truffes (signature artichoke soup with black truffles), and homard breton et pommes de terre au corail, saveurs de Condrieu et petite brochette de legumes (Brittany lobster and potatoes with corail, flavors of Condrieu wine and a little skewer of vegetables). However, the more expansive Le Festin 2000 (it's called that, but this was taken in 3Q/4Q 2001) was at 1500 FF or euro 229. This price remainded largely unchanged during 1Q 2002. It included the artichoke soup, Ragout de Lentilles et Truffes (ragout of lentils and truffles), foie gras de canard poele aux Chanterelles, jus au grand caraque, croustillant aux poivres et amandes (pan-fried duck foie gras with girolles, jus, crunchy elements with pepper and almonds). During 1Q 2002, the menu "Autour de la Truffe" was 290 euros. I have performed an analysis of L'Ambroisie, which I visited both during Dec 2001 (when the menu was the Autumn 2001 menu, with both FF and euro prices) and during end 1Q 2002 (when the menu was the Winter 2001 menu, when only euro prices were shown and after the euro introduction): -- Before: Feuillantine de langoustines aux graines de sesame, sauce au curry (langoustines with sesame and curry sauce) 440 FF or 67.08 euros -- After: Same dish, 71 euros -- Before: Fricasse de homard aux chataignes, coulis de potiron et sauce diable (Fricasse of lobster with chestnuts, pumpkin-like coulis and sauce diable) 680 FF or 103.67 euros -- After: Fricasse de homard sauce civet, puree Saint-Germain (Fricasse of lobster with sauce civet, puree Saint-Germain) 110 euros -- Before: Soupe cremeuse de noix de Saint-Jacques a la melisse et au lait de coco (Creamy soup of scallops with lemongrass and coconut milk) 410 FF or 62.50 euros -- After: Soupe de noix de Saint-Jacques en parisienne de legumes (Soup of scallops with a parisienne of vegetables?) 68 euros -- Before: Carre d'agneau de Lozere en croute de noix, poelee d'artichauts (Lamb from Lozere with a crust, pan-fried artichokes) 480 FF or 73.18 euros -- After: Carre d'agneau en nougatine de truffe, etuvee de legumes d'hiver (Lamb with a nougatine of truffles, vegetables of winter) 80 euros -- Before: Filet de boeuf de Salers poele aux echalotes grises, bordelaise a l'anchoise (Filet of Salers beef, pan-fried with grey shallots, bordelaise sauce with anchovy) 530 FF or 80.80 euros -- After: Same dish 82 euros -- Before: Fromages frais et affines (Cheese) 160 FF or 24.39 euros -- After: Same item 26 euros -- Before: Tarte fine sablee au chocolate, glace a la vanille (Chocolate dessert, vanilla ice cream) 160 FF or 24.39 euros --After: Same dish 26 euros -- Before: Assortiment de desserts et patisseries (Various desserts and patisseries) 200 euros or 30.48 euros -- After: Same item 34 euros Based on the above, I would be comfortable concluding that the price increases at L'Ambroisie were very minor around the time when the euro was introduced. Also, note that economic theory (as you know, highly simplified for this purpose) suggests that pricing at the marginal cost of providing a product is not generally profit-maximizing when conditions that prevail are not those indicative of perfect competition (e.g., fungible products). Restaurants are likely analogous, again simplified, to oligopoly (unduly simplified, mutually dependent producers with somewhat differentiated products) or perhaps, in the extreme for a small group of diners, a monopoly (a sole provider). In either scenario, the profit-maximizing price is higher than that under perfect competition, and the profit-maximizing quantity of the good/service to be offered is lower than that under perfect competition.You might view profit maximization as an inappropriate objective for a restaurant; it might be inappropriate as the sole purpose of a restaurant, but it is not inappropriate, in my mind, as a primary purpose.

I have not yet visited New Orleans. However, I have thought about sampling Bananas Foster at its origination point -- Brennan's. The online menu for that restaurant describes the dish as follows: "A Brennan Creation and now World-Famous. Bananas sautéed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and banana liqueur, then flamed in rum. Served over vanilla ice cream. Scandalously Delicious!" http://www.brennansneworleans.com/breakfastmenu.html