Bux

Really Nice!, When will this subject be discussed in your class? As none of us can find any evidence of a trip to Japan taken by Chef Point and the question of the nature of the question posed to you has been raised, it will be interesting to hear what your instructor has to say about this.

I'm convinced it's an interesting experience, but even before the review, I'm convinced it's not an experience worth giving up a meal for, and certainly not as a visitor with a limted number of potential meals in Paris. I'm still looking forward to the review. Other people's nightmares make good reading.

I'm curious to know and always forget to check. Does the European Nutella come loaded with hydrogenated vegetable fat like the American made stuff.

I take it you're convinced that'll beat talent elsewhere on tv. I'm not betting against you.

To attract them and expose their weaknesses for our entertainment. PBS has a good track record in cooking, but as Jinmyo says, it's TV. I hope this is real, and not "reality" fame on the line. If I'm supsicious of anything, it's jump starting culinary careers with a bit of quick public fame. If I've been critical of American chefs and restaurants, it's that sense that a degree from a culinary school, not a pot of good veal stock, that makes one a chef. Good luck. I'm not questioning your motives, Tony's already assured us you have them.

Indeed, it's entertainment not a competition. I strongly suspect you don't see the individual scores simple because it offers the producers wiggle room.

Alex is a friend, but he's also probably the single most accomplished chef I've seen associated so far with the show, although he's probably a complete unknown to the TV audience. He may be the closest you'll see to a Keller or a Boulud.

I think this is an appropriate thread for eGullet, although I more and more question if it's a French thread as much as a universal thread. It's appropriate because it's about a restaurant, but what I want to know is how it affects the experience of the food. It really seems as if the food itself isn't the important part of the restaurant. People dine out for all sorts of reasons. People eat at night clubs. We don't get many posts about the food at the Follies Begère or the Crazy Horse Saloon. There are places to eat where it's not about the food. Dans le Noir seems to be one of those. What does the restaurant bring to the table so to speak. I get some sense of what it's like to be in the dark, but I'm in the dark about what the effect is on my food, or why, if I wanted the experience of being in the dark, would I want to have that experience while I'm dining. Many diners choose ambience or service over food. Not every diner believes food is the most important part of a restaurant. I do. Perhaps I'm not the target audience here. Who is, and why?

On the corner of Mosco Street (or is it alley, or is it even Mosco)? Are you referring the woman selling "hot cakes?" There are a number of stands around selling these litte balls of pancake or waffle batter. They're always sold as "hot cakes" -- sometimes as "Hong Kong hot cakes" -- although once I noticed a stand where they were being made faster than they were being sold and little bags of them were piling up. It occured to me that they weren't selling like hot cakes.

Perhaps, but I'm always complaining about NY restaurants that are too dark and reminding restaurateurs that in France, where they know how to cook, serve and eat, the restaurants are invariably well lit. I have no doubt that other senses are heightened in this situation and that it makes for an experience, but I would doubt that it improves an appreciation of the food. I don't recall the Bonjour Paris article talking about a heightened sense of of taste. Come to think of it, I don't recall the food being mentioned much at all and it seems nothing was said about the way it tasted, although we get recommendations of what to order without any clue as to why. A first perhaps for a restaurant review.

www.fromages.com entry on cancoillotte. Cancoillotte is made from a skim milk cheese called Metton. Addly enough although there's a page on cancoillotte, which means it can be ordered from this commerical site, but there's no entry for metton. According to the site, cancoillotte is made by melting metton in a bit of milk or water over low heat and adding butter and salt. It's sold ready made as spread for bread. It also comes in garlic and wine flavors. The closing discription on the entry says it all -- "The taste is simple."

The same number of stars for Spain and the UK? Well you've all but admitted prejudice. That was for effect. I've actually not spent much time in the UK and feel totally unqualified to comment on how well you're doing there. My wife and I do try to spend some time in both Spain and France however, and I have to say that we find the stars in Spain offer greater guarantee we'll be impressed by the food at any star level. Needless to say, I understand that there's a certain subjectivity in this and that we'll all not agree on every restaurant. Still, if I can form a norm for France, I may find some restaurants that I feel should be raised or lowered a notch, while in Spain I've not found a restaurant I thought was over rated and more than a few that were under rated by a star or star and a half easily. In the sense that I am more likely to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of a recommendation in Spain than in France. Thus I could say I find the Michelin Guide more reliable in Spain than in France, but that doesn't lessen my criticism, which I mean to offer in much the same way as I would an opinion about a single restaurant I've enjoyed or not enjoyed. Ultimately, the Michelin remains my first choice in France, but not so in Spain, especially when looking for excellence in out of the way places. I will also admit I've not been good lately about filling in that form. Perhaps I should take some of the blame. By the way, I am indebted for city and town maps in both editions.

I've known Jean-Luc was leaving for some time. I imagine Daniel knew well before I did. Philippe is the new sommelier. I don't know too much about him and I see the restaurant's web site lists the executive chef, the chef de cuisine, the executive pastry chef and the bread baker, but not the sommelier. All that I really know is that he's from Alsace and that I'd consider Alsatian wines if he's got a recommendation. Actually, we drank American wines the other night simply because our Spanish host was in town and it seemed a reasonable gesture as long as there were interesting choices. We had enquired about a California Viognier and he recommended a Tablas Creek blend of Rhone grapes. We also choose a Zin with his advice. He seemed professional and personable. Daniel is one of those chefs who's demonstrated a knack for building a team in the front and back of the house. The more things change the more they stay the same, which is not to say they stay the same because I find the food evolves all the time. It is to say that there's a consistency and that the restaurant always seem larger than it's parts. Then again, Daniel seems to manage to find good people and the turnover may be slower than in other places in that league. It's also been a place where the food doesn't seem to suffer when Daniel is out of town and I think that's to his credit as chef more than a sign of his limits as a cook. I haven't been there as much since Alex Lee left and since my son-in-law left the kitchen and although I shared a concern I've heard voiced elsewhere about a possible change in quality, our meal last week was one of the best we've had with the possible exception of a few dishes our son-in-law has prepared for us. Jean François is doing very well in the kitchen. I knew Olivier when he was at Daniel under Jean-Luc and then at Café Boulud, but not as well as I knew Jean-Luc. I'll be interested in hearing what he's up to. Steven Beckta was one of my favorite's at Café Boulud and later at Eleven Madison Park. For those that don't know, he's opened his own restaurant in Ottawa.

The mind boggles, but I have to share my admiration for any such food club and their members. A galette in Brittany is a pancake made from buckwheat. A crêpe is referred to as a crêpe when it's made from wheat flour and it's almost always sweet. A galette has a savory filling. This is the case in Breton crêperies. In Parisian restaurants serving food of some finesse, a savory crêpe might be filled with seafood and a cream sauce, but that's not Breton cuisine. However, as I'd not hazard a guess about pipéria, I don't know that the whole phrase hasn't got some local slang meaning. I still remember a chicken with morels in a cream sauce with vin jaune. It was in the town of Arbois and I believe the restaurant has a single star. It must have been the late 60s. I don't recall having that dish again. It was exceptional, although I found it very rich at the time and I thought it was a large portion. I recall the chef was a large man in the very image of large chefs. I was still an impressionable young man and the time and it made a very good impression on me.

Amen to that. Looking forward to your report.

. . . (personally i don't think flay deserves to be IC but that's tv for ya).. . . . . . what i found rahter interesting and suspect was that they cut steingarten's comments on 2 of flay's dishes. . . . . . i was disappointed by the Zagat guy, he didn't really have that much to say . . . . . . on the subject of editing - does anyone think that there were more negative comments aired about flay's food to make viewers think Bayless was going to win and then throw the surprise final verdict or did they just use what they had? ← Sorry to take so much out of context, but I think your comments on tv and editing are key. It's only reasonable to assume the show was heavily edited for effect. At the very least it was edited to provide a more entertaining show to either the audience they suspect they get, or the one they want to attract. This is cable TV, but it's not PBS, it's commercial TV. It's hard for me to comment other than abstractly at the moment. I caught this first episode, but only out of the corner of my eye. I was cooking and don't have a good view of the TV from all points in the kitchen. I also found the opening even more grating than the one with the Japanese "Chairman." The show from Japan was exotic and camp. The American show is bizarre in a pretensious manner as far as I'm concerned and the opening sequences send a single message to me -- don't take this seriously or pay too much attention to details or continuity. We're here to keep you entertained. Don't mind the smoke and mirrors. Editing is key. It determines who looks good or bad. Editing of the comments determines your view of the panel's view. Editing of the scores . . . did I say that? I don't know that they edit the scores, just that they take all precautions to ensure they can and keep it a secret. I mean when all they report are the lump scores of three judges, even the judges can't tell if the results are fixed or not. With two judges who had little to say, even the judge whose opinion and scores would be interesting to hear can come away assuming his scores might be upset by a judge or two who had no food background to permit objective criticism. A final point about the charades on stage. Even the sous chefs knew where to start and what to do without any orders. I'd assume the chefs in question had already prepared a script for their team for each theme, if they hadn't already spent hours setting up and prepared dishes for each of the two possibilities. Gimme a break. I enjoyed what I saw of the two chefs working and appreciate each of their talents, but outside of the plating, I didn't see a show that would let me score either side, nor a reason to suspect the scores given were meaningful, or even true. I hope Bayless and Flay had a good time showing off. I hear it can be fun. Otherwise these shows are far less serious than some of you give them credit for being.

I think the shows may be popular and probably very entertaining. I question whether the star status they confer on chefs is really good for our culture, or our food. Knowing the limitations of your staff may be a huge key to success, but the difference between being a cook and a chef is in assembling and, if necessary, training a reliable team on which you can depend.

I think Flay can be an excellent cook, but I have to ask why you think the judging is on the up and up, when the judges themselves are rather questionable choices.

Which sommelier Bux? Olivier Flosse (ex-sommelier at Cafe Boulud) left at the beginning of the year and I'm wondering if it's him or someone else from Daniel. ← Jean Luc from Daniel is opening up the wine shop. It was posted several weeks ago in the Wednesday Section of the NYT. ← Sorry to get off topic here, but when did Jean-Luc leave Daniel? ← I see your first question was answered. I believe Jean-Luc left at the beginning of the year. The new shop won't open for a while. When I asked if there was any concrete news of the place, I was told by one of the captains that Jean-Luc is taking some time off before opening the shop. As I read my own quote, I meant to say the far west village or just south of that. On the topic of the Moore brothers' shop, I got a nice e-mail from Greg Moore promising me a kiddie corner in the new Manhattan shop, although if my grandson has a nose like his mom's, he'll be helping me pick out wines soon enough. Just past 13 months he got to celebrate with three grains of caviar and chase that by sticking his nose in a flute and letting the bubbles tickle his nose.

Is he the one who seems like he's talking with his mouth full of food, even when he's not? Bobby Flay is definitely a major tool. ← Rosengarten? He wasn't on the panel. Perhaps you're both speaking of Jeffrey Steingarten the food critic who's written several exceptionally articulate books and who currently pens a food column for Vogue. That's the same Jeffrey Steingarten who graced these web pages by participating in a Q&A in December of 2003. He has a minor speech impediment which I believe he's artfully overcome. Jeffrey has his share of critics, I know any number of people who could hold the floor telling stories or being critical of him for the length of a long dinner party, but most of them would also admit they'd rather listen to him talk on food than watch almost anything currently on the Food Network. To not know who he is, is to have a hole in one's knowledge of culinary writing. It's interesting that Bobby Flay has never overcome the gaffe of standing on his cutting board, while Bayless seems to have come much further in overcoming his endorsement of Burger King. Life is unfair, although I'll admit Bayless' faux pas seemed more out of place with his previous and later behavior. Nevertheless, and in spite of my personal disappointment at my only dinner in a Bobby Flay restaurant, I've heard he's easy to work with and a genuinely nice guy in person. Excuse the on running analogy to the world of professional wrestling, but Flay seems destined to be the bad boy you love to hate who wins and keeps the audience coming back to cheer the next challenger. I do not believe professional wrestling is fixed any more than I believed Cats or Phantom of the Opera were fixed. They're scripted entertainment.

Brittany never gets the respect it deserves. The best butter I ever had and perhaps the only butter I could eat like cheese, was purchased at the market directly from the source in Hennebont, Brittany. It was purchased by my son-in-law. I don't know for sure that it was from raw milk, but I suspect so. It was incredily nutty like good crème fraîche. Then again, I've only had commerical Norman butter. Brittany is always seen as the poorer cousin when it comes to cider and apple brandy as well and it produces little in the way of cheese worthy of note.

I never met a dumpling I didn't like. That makes me either over qualified for this topic, or just plain unqualified, but I will admit to enjoying the really thick skinned and very filling dumplings at place that I believe was called Dumpling House, somewhere near, or perhaps exactly in the same spot, where Joe's Shanghai is now. The five for a dollar dumplings from the place who's name is the sign that identifies the product is such an inconsistently cooked product, that some days, five is all I can eat. They're usually stuck together or with torn wrappers and the lack of visual appear and the need to use a plastic fork detracts from the taste. Sue me if your taste is only affected by your tongue and nose. I often find their wrappers rather rubbery as well. presumably from reheating or sitting around. Don't underestimate the effects of a mouthful of flavorful melted pork fat. I understand it tastes even better if you can convince yourself it's jellied stock. Fatty pork at my butcher is about one third less than lean pork. If all you sell is pork dumplings, that's got to be a good savings, especially when the final dumpling appears more flavorful. The less expensive dumplings may actually taste better because they're cheaper. The average boiled vegetable dumpling is a dieter's dream. Not only is there no meat or fat, it's so banal that you can hardly finish the first batch. The not so secret appeal of a place like Dim Sum GoGo is not in their fried dumpling. It's a loser in my experience. Their vegetable dumplings are winners. First of all, I don't think they make a "vegetable" dumpling. They make at least six or eight, and maybe more, varieties and they all have names. They bear the name of the priciple ingredient, or some other fanciful name if they have a stuffing of composed of multiple ingredients in balance. These are not the generic afterthoughts most vegetable dumplings appear to be. Anyway, steamed dumplings are Dim Sum GoGo's forte and by and large they are a different animal than your average steamed or boiled dumpling, and even more so in regard to fried dumplings. They probably shoudn't be judged next to fried dumplings any more than hot dogs should be in competition with hamburgers. The are precious in the way that the food at Cafe Gray is precious next to Peter Lugar's. They are not better, but they are finer. There are many people here on this board who can tell you that haute cuisine is just food that's been made silly at best and refined past the point of any value.

Once again I reiterate my rejection of the deplorable conduct of the perps, but if I was their lawyer, I'd be looking for jurors who own their own brownstone or who live in a small building without full time superintendent.

"Faraway" must be the very uptown branch of Fairway. A good coinage there, if I must say so myself. I'd argue that none of the three star restaurants in Paris show any less interest in lighter food than Daniel, Le Bernardin, or Jean Georges. Although I've only eaten in a few of them, I believe I've eaten in a representative sampling of the various levels of stars in Paris and they show the same trend he sees in NY. Yes, there are salads on the menu at db Bistro Moderne, but their hangar steak garnished with oxtail ragout. Foie gras appears only in the Sirloin Burger filled with Braised Short Ribs, Foie Gras and Black Tuffles served on a Parmesan Bun with Pommes Soufflées or Pommes Frites -- a quintessential diet dish appealing to health food faddists. This is Daniel's "bistro." It features country duck pate, not terrine of foie gras. I wonder if the writer has had much success finding soufflés and crayfish with creamy cheese sauce in top Paris restaurants these days. He is correct in noting that New Yorkers are faddists and will run through dishes and styles all too quickly, but food styles in the 21st century in Paris seem to be moving almost as fast. That dining in Paris and New York is different is not news. What's news is how that difference has shrunk in the last half or quarter century. I suggest Jean-Claude Ribaut is an excellent detective. He found what he was looking for. I wonder if he was reading newspapers from the eighties or nineties to get some of his information. It seems rehashed and less than up to date. Or perhaps it's just the comparison to Paris that seems out of date.

I'll be disappointed to learn they don't have a kiddie play area in the NY shop. My guess is that real estate value is going to work against that. Too bad, it would be a great place to take the grandson before we have dinner at my daughter's. Then again, I see him as being interested in helping me select the wine very soon. They'll have a bit of competition in New York of course. They'll have it in terms of price and selection. They've probably picked a good area. I understand the ex-sommelier from Daniel is opening a shop in the far west village of just south of that.