cabrales

Patrice -- While that is a revelatory dessert, it was not included because a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. See "Chef of the Century" under "General".

Jinmyo -- Thank-you I miss our ongoing discussions on the board too. I am on the road, like Wilfrid was. I have written up some posts, including the description of lunch at Basildog's, on another computer and am having some technical problems with it. Posting style is, as you know, particularly interesting in view of the Andrew threads. Your posts were wonderful and amused me (just as I was taking in some Pierre Herme patisseries no less).

I sampled the Tourte d'artichauts et legumes confits, sorbet aux amandes ameres (Artichoke torte and confit vegetables, bitter almond sorbet) at Grand Vefour. An excellent dessert, consisting of three components. First, a torte combining slightly sweet artichoke with a creme brulee like material on an unusual bottom piece. Second, confit cross-sections of celery that had candied elements and offered a refreshing taste. Finally, an appealing almond sorbet. Have members sampled a vegetable-based dessert at Guerard Besson (sic)? I vaguely recollect description of it, although I have not dined at the restaurant.

I'm average weight for my height, but note the following habits (which may or may not be helpful or hurtful to weight control) -- (1) I do not generally eat breakfast. (2) I drink only diet soda, and avoid fruit juice when possible (in favor of bottled water). (3) If I have eaten particularly vigorously, I may skip cheese courses that do not look appealing. (I have been less effective with this approach of late.) (4) I occasionally skip a meal, sometimes lunch when I am working. (5) I do not eat much pasta or rice. I do not eat bread unless I am at a restaurant. (6) I do not take sugar with coffee, of which I drink a good amount. (7) I stay up quite late, even when I am not working.

Margaret -- This question would be a good one for the Amex Platinum Concierge desk. Let me know if you'd like me to pose it. Also, what type of restaurant would be ideal, so certain guidelines can be provided? I know of at least one three-star in Paris that would be open.

Liza -- Morels are ruling the day in France too. Friday lunch -- Included in a Bresse chicken dish, with ecrevisse and morel sauce at Ducasse's Plaza Athenee. Chunks of morels were mixed with strips of white and dark meat Bresse chicken; this was adorned with an ecrevisse with head and "whiskers" on. This was only one part of a Bresse chicken dish to be later described. That evening -- Another restaurant served morels to me -- like other ingredients there, morels seemed more beautifully prepared. The next day, had lunch at Auberge de L'Ill, where I had veal in morel sauce (so-so) as my main course. Detailed write-ups to follow on France board. I have never sampled blonde morels. How different do they taste from black morels?

Suvir -- Please describe the taste and appearance of Srinagar mushrooms.

I wonder why criminis appear to be included in NYC restaurant menus relatively infrequently. (I do not know how seasonal they are, etc.)

Patrice -- I have never sampled it. Is the place worth a visit?

Basildog welcomed me to his Padstow restaurant for lunch today. I had a good-to-very good meal, on which I will provide details over the weekend when I can. Below are the dishes Basildog prepared: -- Scallops with Capers and Bacon -- Stir-Fried "Thai" Squid -- Pan-Fried Turbot with Asparagus, New Potatoes and Chive Butter Sauce -- Rack of Lamb with Spring Onion Mash and Red Wine and Rosemary Sauce -- Saffron Poached Pears with Strawberry Salsa and Clotted Cream; Caramelised Lemon Tart Basildog and I also had some time to chat. He was thoughtful even from the beginning of the meal. From my posts, he remembered I liked Pellegrino, and purchased and chilled two bottles for me. My posts had further revealed I dislike background music, and that was taken into consideration as well.

It has been reported that, originally, Jacques took care of fish and desserts. This reflects the fact that he used to be chef pâtissier when Pierre Gagnaire was at Saint-Étienne. Laurent took care of the appetizers and meat dishes. http://www.saveurs.sympatico.ca/cshcf/rous...on/pourcel2.htm ("En cuisine, Jacques s'occupe des poissons et des desserts, Laurent des entrées et des viandes.") When I was at Jardin in 3Q/4Q 2001, I was discussing with one of the dining room team members my observation that Jacques (I think; I don't like the twins' cuisine and I wasn't paying particular attention) seemed to be standing near the entryway to the hotel quite a bit around the beginning of services. The team member noted that Jacques is a bit more social, and also considers strategy a bit more. Then, he noted that, with the creation of Maison Blanche in Paris and Companie des Comptoirs in Avignon, there needed to be more travel and Jacques was often the twin interested in such activities. The sense I received was that Laurent may be cooking more nowadays. I have not received an update since 3Q/early 4Q 2001. Like Robert, I have been interested in the question of dual chefs for a while (e.g., Jean/Pierre Troisgros, Pierre/Michel Troisgros during a certain prior period, Jacques Lameloise and his father previously, the Haeberlins during a certain period, the tumultous period when Anne Sophie Pic was returning to Pic and the resulting difficulties with her brother, Gaston/Guerard Boyer during a certain period, J-M Lorain and his father during a certain period -- this was particularly interesting to me as Michelin explicitly credited the work of both father and son when it awarded the now-removed third star).

I read in Where Magazine several months ago that Bernachon is available at one shop in Paris (not maintained by Bernachon itself). Can members provide leads? I have never sampled those chocolates :confused:

Bux -- Sorry, I misread your question. If you're asking whether I tip dining room team members of restaurants located in small inns, I do. However, so far I have not stayed at small inns in the countryside with particular frequency. I certainly hope to explore small inns more. As for the problem of not receiving the bill until checkout at such inns (or larger places), I generally leave cash at the table.

Jon -- When you have a chance, what did the monks' beard taste like?

Bux -- I try to tip at inns or hotels by leaving cash in my room, accompanied by a note specifying my intent (e.g., "pour vous -- merci"). However, I am much less generous in tipping for cleaning, which I view (perhaps wrongly) as a rather routine activity, than for service at restaurants, which is multi-faceted and more difficult to excel in.

On certain occasions, I have found the bitterness inhering in dark chocolate overly stark for my subjective preferences. It's interesting, because I ordinarily like bitterness as a taste, but in chocolate, the pronounced nature of the flavor is not necessarily to my liking.

Steve Klc -- Yes, why does white chocolate taste like that? Also, which French chocolatiers in your assessment have stronger milk chocolate offerings than average?

I'd be interested in hearing members' views on why people who are serious about chocolate tend to prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate. Also, why might white chocolate be considered a light-weight relative to even milk chocolate?

Mao -- What did you choose to drink with the described meal, and how would you compare the wine lists (with respect to non-Japanese items) offered by the various kaiseki restaurants?

Bux -- That's a good point. While in a conceptual sense tipping should reflect the quality of the service received during a particular meal, the pragmatic effects of tipping at a restaurant at which one expects to have repeated meals over time are highly relevant. I generally tip well on top of the included service charge at restaurants in Frnace generally, and very generously at the 2-3 restaurants I truly care about.

The weekday lunch does appear to be a very good value, and would argue for Jardin (assuming you are in Montpellier during the weekdays on which the special lunch is available) over Comptoir, where I assume you could readily spend approximately the same amount. Of course, the cost of the originally-under-50 euro special lunch could increase considerably (as a %) even if you were to take a glass of champagne. When I was walking around Palais Royal, I noticed Grand Vefour has an under-75 euro special lunch. I will report on what that contains shortly.

Bloated -- Did you have a chance to sample Hevin's chocolates with cheese interiors?

jaybee -- If you feel inclined, please consider whether responding to the following questions is worthwhile: (1) When this couple joined you at your weekend home, would they not bring a gift (incl. a food/wine item)? (2) Is this couple's vacation home roughly about as far from their/your home as your vacation home? (3) Does this couple appear particularly thrifty, anti-social towards others or greedy to you? Do they appear to be spending money on themselves (e.g., buying themselves lavish dinners in the city)? (4) Do you think the couple places a high value on your friendship? (5) Apart from asking for proportionate bearing of food costs, have you hinted to the couple your dissatisfaction with the situation? If not, why not, from your perspective?

There are tiny food-related scenes in the film "In The Mood for Love", by Wong Kar-Wai. The protagonist couple, who live in the partitioned, sublet apartment and whose respective spouses are having an affair, run into each other from time to time while heading out to buy noodles for their own consumption. These scenes are typically at the end of the day, in limited light, and the female protagonist is usually in one of her silk cheong-sam dresses with luscious fabrics and patterns. Some scenes occur in a cafe. This is not one of my preferred films, but it has impressive cinematography. http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_review.../02/021603.html ("Still dressed for the office, she dashes out to a crowded alley to buy noodles. Sometimes they meet on the grotty staircase. Often it is raining. Sometimes they simply talk on the sidewalk.") http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_St....00.html ("In the Mood for Love is a movie perfumed not merely by the noodles and dumplings that feature so prominently, but by the smell of clothes drying out after being caught in the rain.") http://www.inthemoodforlove-wkw.com/ (the protagonists)

Lesley -- When you have a chance, please consider discussing what aspects of the patisseries/chocolates you sampled were sloppy (e.g., delicacy of construction, basic chocolate taste itself?).