Bux

When did you last cook in France and how much are you in contact with French chefs, cooks and kitchens today?

Here's a description of a manzanilla pasada from Lustau Here's an interesting page from Vinícola Hidalgo on their Pastrana single vinyard aged manzanilas.

My guess is that the "fresh" chickens are also from a different source than the others and that contributes to the flavor and quality. That's just a guess.

That's a terrific question for two reasons. One is that many of us find choosing wines problematic at El Bulli. The other is that Rogelio has a good working knowledge of Spanish wines as well as wines in general. Rogelio mentioned an aged manzanilla somewhere in the post. I'm most familiar with the very fresh almost salty manznillas, but I can take a guess as to what they're like in regard to the wines from Jerez. It might stand up better to some of the creative early courses far better than the cava or white wine I've ordered.

Ca'Sento has 2 soles in Campsa, while Torrijos has none. Albacar, Rías Gallegas and Riff have one. Ca'Sento seems to be closed all of August. A very few recommended restaurants are open for the first two weeks in August, but it seems Valencia is not the place to visit in August.

Although I have dined with a couple who were having their second El Bulli meal in two weeks and have met people who ate at El Bulli two nights in a row, it's not everyday food. It does however sound as if the climax of your meal is a bit more in context with "real" food than meals reported on from the previous few seasons.

There was a point in the evening when the music became more noticeable, now that you mention it. I wonder if that was random. That is if someone just thought it was a good idea to turn up the sound, or if it's something that's programmed the way restaurants often dim the lights at a particular time at night. I've never quite understood the thinking behind the latter practice. I mean I could understand a lower wattage at dinner than lunch, but lowering the lighting level in the middle of dinner seems weird.

I don't fully understand how it works and thought it was terrific when it was introduced, but sometimes I find the old search feature in the upper right of the page between "Help" and "Members" works better.

John Talbott's digest of restaurant news and reviews mentions Delicabar on May 14 and 21:

The NY Post is known for its sensationalism in reporting, but even it managed to report that It even went on to say that We don't even know what they mean by finding the "employees' 'personal cleanliness inadequate.'" My guess is that someone walking near the kitchen didn't have hat.

Earlier I said: I probably should have left off the maybe. I think a lot of people younger than I am find what I consider noise, to be a part of the vibrant scene they are searching for. The music, is probably a draw for many more than it is a turn off, but it's also true that those who are drawn by the loud music probably linger for a shorter time, having places to go and scenes to make that night. I also enjoy Balthazar where the noise at peak hours is at least as loud as it is at Casa Mono and the tables just as small.

Banyuls is a fortified wine--alcohol is added to stop the fermentation of the grape juice and preserve the sweetness. For most of us, it's a wine whose place is reserved for a chocolate dessert or perhaps a blue cheese. As for zinfandel, you may find yourself directed to the red wine section if you ask for one in a good wine shop.

I think it's a generational thing by Mrs. B's implications. She thinks young women today feel they're not sluts if they wait for the second date to have sex and thus there's a lot of pressure not to get to know your date on the first date.

There used to be a one star restaurent in Florensac that had some very good food. It's been gone for a while and Chez Philippe was about the best meal we had in a restaurant the last time were were in the area. I gathered there weren't many other choices even at that level close by. I too have heard it's a bit less inviting now. I don't think it ever actually had a star, although from time to time a starred restaurant pops up here and there. I don't sense the area is improving much and the starred restaurants don't seem to be in much demand. We'll probably visit friends in the area for a few days next month and eating out will not be one of the draws.

A few quick thoughts. Prices have gone up a few dollars a dish since I've been here last. I still think it's well enough priced for the quality of the food, but it's a place to grab a bite. It doesn't provide the comforts I'd ask for if I were "dining." It's rather loud and conversation can be difficult across a table of four or more. The noise is partly a product of the hard surfaces and number of people in the space as well as due to the music level. Elbow room is also a bit less than desirable. My guess is that it's more comfortable sitting at the bar, but you can't converse with four or more people at the bar. I'd also suggest not going with an odd number of people as they're likely to squeeze three at a table almost big enough for two. But the food is very good and maybe better than it appears to many for the less than ideal comfort level. It's a pity the place doesn't operate as a tapas bar encouraging patrons to order a bit at a time as the mood strikes. We were very much encouraged to place the complete order at the beginning although the food was brought out in courses as we requested. Beyond the comment's made about clearing plates, almost a necessity at such small tables when trying to share dishes, the service was very good. The whole sharing and we are not a tapas bar is an issue. The first two times we were there, we were encouraged to share, but I guess they've realized it doesn't work well. Old habits die hard and we shared dishes last night. I don't think it's the best way to eat there, but it does have the advantage of allowing one to try as many different dishes as possible. Still one has to decide how much value one places on eating there. I'm sure many diners will prefer a more relaxed atmosphere and then again, maybe some people come for the frenetic atmosphere of Casa Mono. For me, it's the food that will bring me back when I'm in the mood The white wine we had, a 2003 Basa Rueda is not what I'd call a very dry wine. For it's price, which, although marked up three or four times retail at the restaurant, is at the low end, it offers a considerable degree of floral bouquet and fruit. I would not really classify if as a dry wine in terms of food wines, but it is a clean, and even somewhat crisp easy drinking summer wine. The red, although I thought it serviceable enough, had less character, but I wonder if Soba prefers another type of red, or didn't like this simply because it was red wine. It's easy to see how subjective taste is in food. I didn't find the food objectionably salty, with the exception of one of the orders of sweetbreads. It is also precisely what I'd describe as assertive food. I'm hard pressed to name a restaurant at that price that offers non assertive food of similar quality. It probably doesn't exist except at a more expensive restaurant. Good and bad are quite subjective. I suppose assertiveness is also subjective. To a great extent all food and restaurant reviews are going to be subjective and relative. For instance, I didn't find the oxtails stringy. Rather they were what I'd expect of oxtail, or even short-ribs when used as a stuffing in ravioli. It's not much different than ropa vieja. On the other hand, I have found that in Spain, such preparations are often cooked almost to a paste. I enjoy that too, but the style of the oxtail stuffed piquillo peppers was very much to my taste.

I trust there's no confusion here that Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract has anything to do with the whiskey. It is the extract of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans.

Perhaps unknowingly, I am one of the converted. I can't see hating García's food. Even if it's not one's subjective style, even if you begin to ask yourself why he did something, and even if you think a dish falls flat, there was for me, a basic sense of almost comfort food. Perhaps García can take some questionable leaps of fancy, but there was an underlying sense of satisfaction that permeated the meal we had there. I'm hardly an expert on Spanish cuisine, but I've seen my share of the avant garde and the traditional; the richly flavored and the bland; the exceptional and the banal. García seems to be an iconoclast as Rogelio says. It's a credit to him and a service to Madrid that he can operate successfully apart from a mainstream. In a way, Viridiana is precisely the sort of place I had in mind when I referred to Mario Batali's Casa Mono as not reminding me of any particular restaurant I knew in Spain, and yet I wouldn't be surprised to run across such a place in Madrid. The overriding sense of the food is one of old fashioned sensory pleasure, but while there's little sign of current fads, foams and deconstruction, there's evidence of enough creative thinking behind the food for it not to be dismissed as unintellectual. It's a great place for old friends to meet and a good place to eat with new friends who are gastronomes, or so it seems to me. Either that's an obvious truth, or I'm very much influenced by our dinner there. It was the restaurant chosen by Pedro, Rogelio and Eduardo as the place for us all to meet for what turned out to be a long and stimulating evening of good food, fine wine and good cheer. We had invited Victor to dine with us, but he begged off saying he had to be up early. I thought that odd as Pedro had made the reservation, I would have been embarrassed to enter a restaurant except in the company of Madrileños. I though it odd at least until we returned to our nearby hotel some five hours later. We had been warned not to eat lunch and every one laughed when Mrs. B said she hoped the courses were small. They were less than gargantuan, but there was something of a rabelaisian quality to the meal, if you eliminate the vulgarity. Our friends are fans of Garcia and regular diners at Viridiana and they had him prepare a menú degustación suitable for visiting gastronomes. The ambient lighting was a little too low for many of our photographs to have come out clearly and there was far too much conversation and good wine for us to have kept notes. The meal was enjoyed for the company and the moment without regard to telling you all about it after the fact, but it was too good to forget and not enough has been written about Viridiana on eGullet. This is a hole I'd like to help fill. I'll take a breath, take care of some other business and post about our meal next.

My prejudices for and against mass production and widely available brand names color my acceptances of them. My guess is still that they represent good value over all and will excel and lag behind in different products. If you're looking for absolute top quality without concern for price point, you're probably going to be led to artisanal producers. If you're stuck choosing amoung unknown brands, this one may be a safe bet. As I said, that's my prejudice not my observation from experience, but you're in a wonderful position to be a consumer reporter for au all.

By the way, Campsa rates Tàpies as two "soles." I've never found any guide totally reliable, but two "soles" in Campsa would lead me to expect very good food. Sometimes Campsa is a little too enthusiastic, but they seem closer to the marn that Michelin which seems content to ignore up and coming restaurants until someone dies to make room in the next category.

I don't know any restaurants to recommend in the area. I know one in Jaca, but that's halfway or more to Pamplona and over mountain ridges. Otherwise the ones I know or have heard of are in Girona and that area. It should be a beautiful area. Esilda wanted to go there when we drove from Barcelona to San Sebastian, but with the mountain ridges running north/south, it meant a special trip rather than just a detour.

Ther more touristy the neighborhood the more densely packed are the restaurants. By the same token, the chances of getting a really bad one by chance rise. I just can't think of any particular neighborhood I'd pick on that particular qualification. A hotel near a metro station is a good idea in terms of sightseeing access, if you can manage stairs, otherwise you may be better off with buses. Bear in mind that some of the Metro exchanges allow free transfer between lines, but may involve blocks or walking and several sets of stairs. Age, lifestyle and budget may lead you to or away from certain arrondissements.

When I mentioned Daniel's vegetarian menu, I meant it as a sign that they're committed to satisfying a vegetarian's appetite for haute cuisine. In fact you should check it out online to see what sort of dishes he offers. As for being a French chef, Boulud's been in this country for quite a while and used to feeding Americans. I would at this point, say he no longer has the mindset of a Frenchman, just that he's retained the high standards of that country's haute cuisine tradition. I hadn't thought much about vegetarian desserts. I realize gelatin might be out of the question for most vegetarians, or for all true vegetarians, but I wonder if most pastry chefs would even think twice about using eggs. I don't reallly know how white sugar is refined, but that sounds peculiar. Sugar refineries are large processing plants. I can't picture horse's bones in the picture, but what do I know. Maybe bonemeal is invovled, but again I can't imagine how. People say strange things.

The Chateau de Riell lost its stars and apparently some time ago. It has no stars in this year's guide and didn't have any in 2002 or 2000. For some reason, I have only even year guides on hand. Actually, I checked online for this year's rating.

I've been to a lot of fancy restaurants with no salt and pepper shakers. I missed that the first time around, or it just didn't dawn on me that someone would regard putting salt on the table as standard restaurant procedure. In most chef driven, or "auteur" perhaps, restaurants, I would not expect to see salt or pepper on the table. I've not been to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, but I would not expect to find a salt shaker on the dining table. I thought it a bit strange that Andrea Strong raised the issue in regard to Stone Barns in her review. Granted, she does say it's a pet peeve of hers, but she also has to realize that she sets her personal standards of taste as being outside the norm for fine restaurants. She may have a good point, but she may also leave her opinions on taste and flavor subject to doubt by those who don't expect to see salt shakers on the table. A quick and not very scientific look at her reviews indicates a lust for eating and an appreciation of assertive food. She's easily impressed by very secondary restaurants, yet fails to grasp the importance of some subtler food. I like her enthusiasm for eating out, but wouldn't necessarily look to her opinion on many restaurants that are at the head of my pantheon. Her summation of Dan Barber as honest and earnest, is a belittling comment about a significant culinary talent in a city with great competing talents. Apparently on the basis of this one meal, (seems to review restaurants after one meal and I didn't find a review of Blue Hill on her site) possibly colored by a misunderstanding of a dress code, I too might find unnecessary, she goes on and say Barber is "dedicated chef who I admire for many reasons. His approach to food and cuisine is rooted in preservation and sustainability. He sees the big picture, connecting food back to the earth and supporting local regional produce. This should not be trivialized. He is preserving our food supply and educating a new generation of chefs to do the same. But the disconnect for me is that you don’t taste the passion he has in his principles on the plate." I've never tasted any chef's passion for principles, but I've certainly tasted Barber's passion for cooking.

Pushing the envelope is what we've come to expect from four star restaurants as we've entered the 21st century. A chef who's not evolving may expect to lose some respect in the culinary community. At the same time, a chef whose restaurant "fails to deliver" is in danger of losing a star and no less so if it's because he tried to be clever and failed to deliver because his creativity was misdirected.