MobyP

What were the first three courses? How was the venison done? And what about Mister Spatchcock?

aaaaand?

Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. This week's selection comes from: The Times The Independent The Guardian The Observer This is London And the new December Observer Food Monthly. Restaurants Terry Durack at - WD-50 in New York. Richard Johnson at - Taman Gang 3 Pubs Jan Moir at - Soufflé Matthew Norman - Wolseley Jay Rayner at the Ebury. What happens when - 'Man of the People' A A Gill finds somewhere he loves. (It had to happen eventually.) Features No taste like home . Finding Turkeys in this emerald isle. Sourcing the Best. John Carlin on Adria and the tappity tap tapas of Spanish cuisine. The Dinners of Egon Ronay. Food Two from Mark Hix: Cassoulet. Corn chowder. Gordon Ramsey - a superb slow-cooked Duck for Christmas? Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on the joys of Offal. Nigel Slater on alternatives to Christmas lunch. Rowley Leigh on pheasants, and cooking for a crowd. Xanthe Clay on Goose and bits. Wine and Spirits Cellar notes #10: Trouble-free bubbles. Top 100 Winter Wines. Andrew Catchpole on Xmas wines. Tim Atkin's essential guide to wine. And his top 36 choices for Christmas. what really is a single malt?

Does anyone know M Meunier, or someone else in admin at the restaurant? I wonder if we could invite them here to address the concerns being made? There seems to be such a respect for the food, he must feel some sense of defeat that so many are leaving disappointed.

jackal10 - are you writing the 'how to cook a perfect turkey' thread? And I always thought Turkey was among the hardest proteins to get right. Personally, I'd rather go with a four rib fore-rib roast, but so many of my English relatives are used to well-done beef, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. And I think the cook crying at the Christmas table would just ruin it for everyone. For desert, though, I was thinking of an Admiral's steamed pud variation. My step mum is the queen of fruit preserves. She has some mandarins that have been soaking in brandy for 3 years - I used them for little tarts this summer, and they were unbelievably good. I'm told they don't really come into their own for at least 2 years. The structure of the fruit has almost been replaced by crystalised sugar and brandy. Indescribable. After waiting for 3 months, Amazon finally found and sent me a copy of the famous Pudding Club's book. There's a very simple recipe for the Admiral pudding there which I'm going to use.

I'm in the same spot. I couldn't decide. I wanted something slightly unusual, and was going to go Capon, but apparently they're illegal in the UK. So - I'm thinking of doing a slow roasted/ half-braised shoulder of lamb in plenty of white wine and stock, and then a few racks of lamb with honey, mustard and bread crumbs. The shoulder I should be able to do the day before, and reheat - and the rack I can sear off before hand, cover in the good gunk and bread crumbs, and then at the last minute throw it in a really hot oven for 20 mins for med-rare. Or at least I hope that's how it will work.

You see? Yet another definition of what it means to be British. Spending your youth, sitting on a Swedish hot plate. How will anyone ever understand us?

I think that should be your signature line.

This I don't understand. There's been 10 or fifteen years of fantastic lobster or langoustine pasta dishes on the London scene - raviolo, tortellini - so how did they get it so wrong? Did they forget to kill it? Just wrap a sheet of pasta around a live lobster, attach it to a dog collar, and escort it to your table, where they smashed it with a sledge hammer? And after all that, I bet they forgot the sauce, right?

I've moved our Grand Egullet Meal to here.

Jonathan Day has one which came with the house in London (I'm sure he'll be here soon to tell you himself). As you can see, once they're in, they're in. You'd have to break down walls and hire a crane to get rid of it, I imagine. But his crafty idea is to switch it off in summer, and he has a 2 burner hob in his 'Summer Kitchen' (his pantry off to the side). They're impressive objects, I admit, but I wouldn't want my daughter to marry one. What I can't figure out is how on earth did these things ever get seen to be English (or British, as you State-siders keep calling it). Aga, for those of you not in the know, like Saab, is a Swedish company. Presumably they were always a serious investment - several levels and price multiplications up from a regular cooker. Now they're what? in the 8-12,000 pound range? Also, for you yankees, the image here is having one in your farm-house, or country pile - cold winters, rainy autumns - and curling up in the kitchen with a nice steaming mug of tea, and the rosy heat off the aga. The notion of having one in the city is just - well - odd. When you see one in action, you're dealing with a 2 ton block of clothes-singeingly-hot throbbing iron. It's less a kitchen appliance than a public-works contruction project. How on earth did that ever become the must-have item?

At Petrus?

Remember to tell us about it afterwards! And is it me, or have lobster ravioli, braised beef or lamb + faggots, and roast turbot (not to mention foie gras tortellini as a garnish), become ubiquitous for any multi-course haute dining experience? It seems to me I keep coming across them as a group.

I heard Bocuse still starches his own socks... and if I recall, the FL might have failed the napkin test.

Another week, another selection of little delectables... Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. This week's selection comes from: The Times The Independent The Guardian The Observer This is London And November's Observer Food Monthly. Restaurants Jan Moir at the Waterside Inn Marina O'Loughlin gets stuck in at The Anchor and Hope. And also looks at Treats and temptations Giles Coren at East@West Jay Rayner gives Shumi a classic kicking. Astonishingly, we announce the absence of an A A Gill review this week. I know, should he ever find himself extraordinarily, repulsively ill, that we would all wish him a speedy recovery. Features The old Hamper in the attic has a makeover. Food Rick Stein on buckets of Cream. Mathew Fort on the joys of Animal Fat. Mark Hix on Christmas Treats. Rowley Leigh on the joys of stuffing Veg. Richard Ehrlich on Luxury Goods. Susan Low on 1001 things to do with Chestnuts. And Pies. Gordon Ramsey on Party Food. Tamasin Day Lewis on tip top mail-order Foods. 3 from Jill Dupleix. Nigel Slater on Xmas. Wine and Spirits A tale of two clarets. Malcolm Gluck on desert wines. Roger Protz on strong lagers, ales, and beers of the world. Fiona Beckett - single malts.

Ah, the joys of psychosomatic dislexia - I read that as "He has a stump, and imprints it clearly." Yes, I say! I thought we were starting on the xmas captain hook jokes - Marcus Wareing being Peter Pan, I imagine. MPW is the crocodile... By the way - basd on the meal I had, my money's on Aikens to join the (Shhh!) 'G' list.

Welcome to eGullet, Pugster.

Maggie, was Enrico with you? And did you get the sense of a personality coming through the food, or was there something anonymous about it?

Is it the one in Putney? I might try that tonight. My life is full of boxes at the moment, and no kitchen to be found.

And I could always let you have it at - erm - a very reasonable price.

I found canned pumpkin ('Libby's, is it? An American brand, at any rate) at Sainsbury's (Kensington) - in the canned fruit or baking section.

Ah Moby, how ingenuous of you not to see that which is so self evident to everyone else? Sorry. If you expect people to read between the lines, you better leave a bit more space.

Forgive me for coming late to this particular party, but isn't this news rather extraordinary? Given the talent involved, the fact that Alex Lee's next place isn't a major NY opening, or SF, LA, Chicago etc (if Boulud contractually kept him from the NY scene) - isn't that news in itself? A country club? What the hell is one of the country's major talents doing in a country club?

Obviously when I say he hasn't cooked in years I mean hours. Actually, it's my impression that unlike Ramsey, he isn't regularly behind the pass. But if he's travelling consistently back and forth between (at least) 2 continents, and we have every reason to believe he is whipping about, cooking and being a chef clearly aren't the top of his priorities. I still believe he plays a major role in what food is served, and what food is sourced - within the boudaries of giving his protogees some freedom, but now he's selling the Ducasse Experience. Across the board. And I'd guess we get nada from Loufood for another few months, if then.

Can't find the 'nose-bleed' smiley.... searching desperately!