cabrales

Tony -- As macrosan and other participants (except you, Andy and Steve P) have indicated, the La Trouvaille ostrich egg dish was tasty and worthy of being sampled. I noticed pheasants' eggs and unborn eggs at the Union Square market two Sundays ago, and will sample them in the next little while.

tommy --- There was serious discussion about other restaurants, including Westermann's Buerehiesel and the specific contents of several dishes offered there. There was also some discussion about the Aspen festival, at which Anthony and co-chef will cook. If it was not the discussion, what do you think it was?

With all respect to Jinmyo, I dislike water chestnuts very much. However, I do not consider them (i.e., the water chestnuts) to be tasty food that I do not eat because they are not tasty in the first place. :confused:

Akiko -- Thanks for the detailed information What does cherry blossom sake taste like, and when in the year should we begin calling Jewel Bako (or other restaurants in NY -- are you aware of any) to ascertain its precise arrival date?

Andy -- I think other sources report a number much closer to the 2 weeks. The above excerpt was included because it shows how Blumenthal might have derived "inspiration".

LML will find this amusing: --The Independent, November 25, 1995: "Mr Blumenthal reckons that in France alone he has eaten in more than 100 Michelin-starred restaurants. He is only 29. . . . By his late teens, he was financing his own *gastronomic tours*. He says that from the time he was 18 . . . every six months, he would take his bundle [saved from not going to pubs, etc.], make for France and eat around with the little red book. His savings clearly added up to *more than meals*. Mr Blumenthal is not sure how many *cookbooks* he has amassed. Suffice it to say, there are at least two for every meal eaten in a Michelin-starred restaurant. These are useful things to read if you want to become a chef; however, the only logical thing Heston Blumenthal did not do before opening the Fat Duck is train in a restaurant. He says he has only four months' experience in professional kitchens, most of that time spent only recently in the Canteen in west London. Amused and touched by Mr Blumenthal's passion for French food, the Canteen's proprietor, Marco Pierre White suggested he work for him for four months to 'earn how to cope with numbers'. The upshot of this *most unorthodox* training, the Fat Duck itself, is a remarkably pleasant place."

Err -- Maybe that contributed (or not) to why he had to "take inspiration" with respect to certain dishes from others.

Here is Nobu's wine list: http://www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/Resta...Nobu%20Main.htm (Click on "Wine List" button to the left)

tommy -- I think it helped that Steve P and ahr had visited the restaurant before. It also helped that, once the co-chefs arrived at the table, our dining party was curious about the baby beef and otherwise exhibited intrest in the cuisine sampled there and at other restaurants.

Andy -- Apologies if my prior post made it appear as though I was taking your comment as a criticism. While the progeny of MPW is itself an interesting topic, MPW has so many culinary children and grandchildren (which generation would Wareing belong in, for example -- did he work for a bit of time directly with MPW?) that it is difficult to keep track. The MPW/Blumenthal link is interesting because (1) I'm uncertain that Blumenthal and MPW worked at Manoir together for an extended period of time, and (2) the exact ways in which MPW assisted Blumenthal to form The Fat Duck are unclear to me.

Steve P -- Yes, come to think about it, ahr did mention J Torres to me during the potluck.

Simon -- When you have a chance, could you describe your meal at Bouley?

Note my listing of the progeny was not intended to be exhaustive, but was intended to clarify why I have been rereading (or have read) a book as silly as one revolving around MPW. I am quite interested in chefs and their progeny, and whether one can find stylistic similarities between generations (a broad topic that is fascinating, but that I am not ready to address). Also note the focus of the post was on Blumenthal and MPW's history.

Steve Klc -- I agree the topic is fascinating. When our dining party was at the restaurant, the two co-chefs (I thought at the time Mark Anthony was the sous-chef for some reason ) came to greet our table together. Dan was very nice too, and gladly provided a tour of the restaurant's kitchen when I requested it. On co-chefs receiving comparable recognition, it is likely the twins Jacques and Laurent Pourcel at Montpellier's Jardin des Sens have received the same award. Of course, they were equally honored when Michelin conferred the third star, although it could be said the star was given to the restaurant (?). Similarly, there are many father-son combinations that have likely won the same award. Jacques Lameloise and his father were both cooking when Lameloise won its third star. Same for Jean-Michel Lorain and his father, with Michelin specifically mentioning the contributions of both. It is likely Jean and Pierre Troisgros have won the same award, as another example. There are likely many morel. However, I cannot think of a situation where two unrelated-by-blood chefs have won the same award as co-chefs.

I'd appreciate members' input on Brian Bistrong's cuisine at Citarella, the restaurant. Bistrong used to work with Bouley, as did a number of members of the dining room team at Citarella.

The James Beard Foundation is hosting a 2002 Chef and Champagne Event on Saturday, July 27, 5-8 pm. The venue is the Wolffer Estate Winery at Sagaponack, NY. The cost is $150/person for JB Foundation members, and $200 for guests. The honored chef is Boulud. I am uncertain what champagne or food, if any, will be available. If eGulleteers are interested in attending and are sure about their attendance, I could consider purchasing guest tickets on their behalf. I will post additional information as it becomes available.

The July 2002 edition of Food & Wine mentions Jacques Torres' Brooklyn chocolate shop. The website, with certain products offered for sale by mail order, is: www.mrchocolate.com As members know, Torres used to be Le Cirque's pastry chef. Have members sampled Torres' chocolates?

A note for members without ready access to Food & Wine magazine: Michael Anthony's mention of eGullet is in a piece on the best new chefs in the US (there are a number mentioned). Each chef generally has description in a column the width of 1/3 of a page. There is a picture of the summer lettuce soup with pickled eggplant that Anthony created with co-chef Dan Barber, also named one of the best new chefs. Barber describes his favorite childhood food: "My aunt made scrambled eggs for me when I had tonsillitis. I still remember the wonderful taste of the eggs."

As members may know, ADNY is only open for lunch Thursdays and Fridays. The next long weekend involving either of those days that I am in NY, I'll be sampling the lunch menu.

(1) Single grape Chardonnay champagne (e.g., Salon; Krug Clos de Mesnil; Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs; Mumm de Cramant; Jacques Selosse, Blanc de Blancs; Deutz Blanc de Blancs; Roederer Cristal). Ideally old (2) Tasting of Moet & Chandon's single-estate champagne (there are at least three, and they may or may not be available in the US; I have not checked, but I saw them last at Fauchon, Paris -- an overpriced retail outlet). Alternatively, comparison of various widely available Moet & Chandon champagne (e.g., Nectar Imperial, Brut Imperial, White Star). Note M&C is not my favorite champagne-maker. (3) Comparison of Canadian (e.g., Inniskillin) versus German Ice Wine (4) Comparison of Certain Guigal wines (e.g., La Turque, La Landone, spelling, etc.

After seeking input on the wine list of Charlie Trotter (a restaurant I am hoping to visit), I thought members active in the Wine forum might enjoy critiquing and pointing out worthwhile bottles on other restaurants' wine lists. Other members visiting the restaurants and less knowledgeable about wine (like myself) would also benefit from knowing which bottles are more promising. Here are a couple of other wine lists, to gauge members' interest level: Cello, New York (a restaurant which I plan to revisit shortly) http://www.cellorestaurant.com/crestdocs/wine.html Gary Danko, San Francisco http://www.garydanko.com/site/winelist.html L'Orangerie, LA http://www.orangerie.com/wines/wineframe.htm

I'd appreciate members' input on which white Burgundies on Charlie Trotter's wine list may be a good value relative to their non-restaurant prices (price ideally below $250 at the restaurant): http://www.charlietrotters.com/cuisine/winelist.asp

I have been rereading Charles Hennessy's "The Making of Marco Pierre White, Sharpest Chef in History -- Marco" with an view towards understanding MPW's relationships with his many progeny chefs (including Ramsay, H Blumenthal, J-C Novelli and, according to the book, to a greater or lesser extent, P Howard). Here's an excerpt bearing on the MPW/Blumenthal relationship: "Another worker in the kitchen [at R Blanc's Manoir au Quat' Saison] had reason to be grateful for Marco's arrival. Seventeen-year-old Heston Blumenthal . . . . had been taken on as an apprentice by Raymond Blanc. Compared with his dreams, he found the kitchen -- as all kitchens are -- hell, and his colleagues brutal. Marco immediately and instinctively assumed the role of protector during Heston's *brief* stay, and became a friend and guest of his family . . . . *With Marco's help* . . . he opened a small bistro in Bray. The plucky little competitor to Michel Roux's grand Waterside Inn in the same village was called The Fat Duck (The name was Marco's suggestion: When asked why, he asks, why not?)."

Below is an excerpt from Bouley's website: "[New] Bouley is reminiscent of David's first restaurant [old Bouley] but **reflects David's world travels,** growth and experiences since the original restaurant closed in 1996. The new Bouley picks up where the other left off and promises to continue taking diners to new and exciting culinary heights." Do members have any reactions to the above excerpt, including on the question of whether Bouley's cuisine has benefitted or not from his travels?

When members have a chance, where can this type of salt and other Indian spices be purchased in good condition in NY?