pim

April 27th, 2004 I had a bit of time before my afternoon meeting, so I skipped out to La Régalade to check out the new chef. I had no reservation but I made sure to get there right at noon to ensure a seat. The service at la Régalade was as unnecessarily harried as ever. The place was not even half full when I arrived, but the two waitresses flew about the place as though they were on wings, well, or on some kind of pharmaceuticals. Yet, the service and the food were so slow my two-hour window was not even enough to finish my lunch. I must admit that I had not been happy with La Régalade for a long time. When the new crop of bistro nouveaux, like La Régalade, La Repaire de Cartouche, L’Os à Moelle, and Chez Michel first opened in the early 90’s, La Régalade was my favorite. The chef was clearly more talented than the rest. However, I found La Régalade to have deteriorated badly over the years. In fact, the last meal I had there was over a year ago. That meal was so bad, and the service even worse, that I vowed not to return again. When I heard that the chef was leaving because of exhaustion, it didn’t come at all as a surprise for me. I have been seeing it in his cooking for a while. Anyhow, since I was free for lunch not too far from the neighbourhood, and I was definitely curious about the new chef who reportedly had a pretty good pedigree, I decided to pop in for lunch. Even with the room only half full, the waitress took at least 15-20 mins to get to me for my order. I order the menu coup de coeur, starting with Bisque crémeuse de Homard et petit crouton (Lobster bisque with croutons), and a Carré de cochon fermes, échalottes confites (pork loin with shallot confite). For dessert I was tempted by the peach ice cream that was on the menu coup de Coeur, but decided it was too early in the season for peaches, and opted instead for Fraises garriguette de Provence, sorbet lait menthe (garriguette strawberries from Provence and milk/mint ice cream). After my order was taken, a terrine landed with a big thud on my table. It was the famous paté de campagne “La Régalade”. It was as good as ever, perfect chunky texture, with plenty of flavorful fat dotted throughout. I remember the first time I was there, I had to be physically restraint from eating up the whole terrine before my meal arrived. My first course, Bisque crémeuse de Homard et petit crouton, took its time arriving, but I was far too happy digging into the terrine to care. Finally, the soup plate arrived with bits of partially cooked lobsters, a few chunks of bacon and plenty of chopped chives. A small Staub pot arrived shortly thereafter, half filled with flavorful soup. The soup was delicious, but, unfortunately, the lobster itself was not so fresh. A few pieces of lobster were completely rare. If they were intended to be partially cooked by the soup, then the liquid was simply not hot enough to do the job. The rare bits tasted even worse than the somewhat cooked ones, and I ended up leaving most of the meat in the bowl. I was really missing the terrine then, I’d much rather be eating the terrine still. The next course also took its time to arrive. I literally had to tell the waitress that I only had 30 minutes left for my meal. I arrived at 12, and was seated promptly, but it wasn’t until almost 1.30 that my second course finally arrived. It was the Carré de cochon fermes, échalottes confites. The huge slab of pork was perfectly cooked, the meat very tender, and the crackling simply perfect. There was also a small green salad, and another small staub cocotte of mashed potato flavored with mustard. The salad was inoffensive enough, but the mashed potato was slightly oddly flavored, and I am normally such a fan of mustard. Unfortunately, I only had about ten minutes to actually eat my food, and barely finished half before I had to leave. I told the waitress to bring my dessert immediately, as I am expected back at my hotel at 2pm for a meeting. I took a few bites of the dessert before I ran. The strawberries were no so sweet and weren’t quite fully ripe. The ice cream tasted pretty benign as well, I couldn’t taste much of the milk or the mint, to be honest. But then again that could perhaps be because I only had a minute or two for it before I literally bolted from the place, jumped in front of the first taxi I saw, and told him there will be 10 euros tip for him if he could get me back to the hotel in 15 mins. Happily, he did, so I was only a few minutes late. The bottom line, this lunch has done little to win me back as a fan of La Régalade. The food was good, but I could get far better food at La Repaire de Cartouche or L’Entredgeu, where the service was also far better. I love the signature terrine, but it will have to take far more than that to bring me back there. Photos are on chez Pim

I was there just over a week ago, and he was gone already.

Ruth's Chris steakhouse. A chain steakhouse in the US. Not that I would ever be caught dead eating there, but what's up with the name? Is "Chris" a code for something I am entirely unaware of? Should it matter to me that Ruth's got it?

I went to school just down the road from the old Erawan hotel, and used to go there almost every afternoon to the bakery to get a Palmier (called Pi-Sueh, or butterfly in Thai). Fond memories indeed. The Grand Hyatt building is indeed a monstrosity, though they have a pleasant-ish lobby lounge area. My family had a christmas lunch there last year. Yes, we are buddhists. And yes, that would qualify as odd. But if you're looking for a pleasant lounge to have tea and little bites between mad rushes around the Ploenjit area, I suggest the lobby at the Regents (Four Seasons). It is such a lovely and serene place to get away from the hustle bustle just outside the door. The serve ok tea (I'm a tea snob), and nice pastries.

This looks like Turmeric alright. It's is called Ka-min-lueng, or simply, Ka-min in Thai. There's another type of Ka-min, called Ka-min-kao, whose flesh is much softer yellow than this bright orange one. Ka-min is used mostly as an aromatics or a natural dye, whereas Kamin-kao is sometimes eaten out of hand as a garnish for some types of relish.

I think you are talking about a restaurant called Si-Fah, the original location was in Wang Burapa. It was something of an institution. I used to go all the time with my grandfather. The restaurant still exists, the best known location now is in Siam Square. Although I think you may find that your taste has changed. Mine definitely has, I now find the ducks there far too sweet, and not enough meat on the bone. I also now dislike the sweet-ish sauce they douse over the sliced ducks and the rice, finding the taste far too assertive and somewhat muddy the taste of the duck meat itself. Though I admit I sometimes go there anywhere, more for nostalgic reason than anything else.

Fantastic blog! I haven't looked at these food blogs much since I did mine, but this one will have me glue to the screen. The pork stew sounds superb--but I suppose Nashville is just a bit too far to drive over to beg for some. and welcome Keifel--impressive tattoo too, by the way.

The last time I was at Piperade, a month or so ago, I heard chef Hirigoyen talked to his friends at a nearby table about a new "tapas" place he's going to open somewhere in either Union Square or the financial district. I forgot the name. Anyone heard of it? been there? how is it? What's the name by the way? I'd like to give it a try.

How funny. That's my idea of a quintessential dim sum experience. I can never get used to the order-from-the-menu places. I agree that the latter places are often better, but I just couldn't get used to them for some reason. Chacun a son goût, to each his(her) own, and all that. I suppose.

a raise? You mean, HE got PAID?!? news to me

Just thought of another thing. I think Thompson referred to Tao Si when talking about bean paste. Tao Si, unlike Tao Jiew which contains beans in broken and semi-paste form, contains whole fermented black beans that could be rinsed before use. Mamster, the class is paying off, evidently. But whatever you do, don’t email me in Thai. I would be so ashamed I couldn’t reply back in my own language! Pim (who lost her ability to navigate a Thai keyboard looooong ago)

bbq4meanytime, thanks for the PM to draw me to this thread. I'm not sure how much I have to add beyond what Mamster has already said. He even produced the Thai characters, very impressive, even I didn’t know how to do that! Tow Jiew, yellow bean paste, and Tow Jiew Dum or Tow Si, black bean paste can both be used for Raad Na. Mamster was right in that neither is absolutely required, though it’s quite common to add them. I think the reason why ecr has never seen the Tow Jiew or Tow Si added to Raad Na was because most specialty Raad Na vendor would very likely have the sauce pre-made earlier in the day. It is then portioned out to make one individual serving at a time, hence no addition of Tow Jiew while making individual portions. I’m sure most of them add either Tow Jiew or Tow Si to the sauce, to a varying degree depending on their preference. I also know that some vendors actually pound the Tow Jiew into a fine paste before adding to the sauce, to add the taste without leaving a few whole beans which would taste too strong in a bite. If one goes to an all purpose street vendor (sometimes called Aharn Tam Sang), then the sauce would be made for each order. This is not necessarily better though. I much prefer going to a shop specialized in Raad Na. Although Raad Na here in the US are almost always made with flat rice noodle (Sen Yai), in Thailand one can order a variety of noodles, including angel hair rice noodle (Sen Mi), crispy fried egg noodle (Mi Grob), or regular egg noodle (Bah-mi). My favorite is Sen Mi.

Margeret made a very good point here. Which restaurant you pick should depend entirely on what exactly do you want with the experience. I doubt that people who’ve never been to a three-star place before would be able to tell a difference between the quality of the food chez Gagnaire or, say, L’Arpège. I’m not trying to be a snob here (though it tends to come out anyway), I am just stating my opinion. So, you should ask yourself what you want exactly. The kind of three star experience with all the pomp and circumstances? (One of your original choice, Le Grand Véfour with the fantastic room will be great for this. In fact, I think that room was a star in one of the scenes in the latest Merchant/Ivory’s project Le Divorce.) A fantastic setting that screams, Only in Paris? (For this you cannot beat La Tour d’Argent, with the fantastic and expansive view of the river and the Notre-Dame.) An understated elegance that focuses on the purity of ingredients and seasonality? (My vote is for L’Arpège.) A culinary joy ride, the likes of which you’ve never experience befre? (Pierre Gagnaire, but of course.) At any of these places, you will spend about the same amount of money, except perhaps at L’Arpège which is the most expensive normally. At every three star restaurants I’ve been to, unless you act completely like If-it’s-Tuesday-it-must-be-Belgium type of tourists, you will be treated very well and with respect.

Rent a convertible and drive top-down up the northern coast. 1st stop, a hike in Point Reyes, don’t forget to stop first at Tomales Bay’s Foods and pack a nice picnic basket to take on the hike. Find a lovely spot along the trail and have a nice lunch while contemplating the gorgeous view. Back in your car, keeping the top down, drive up to Gualala and stay overnight at the Whale Watch Inn. Do ask for one of the rooms with bath tubs for two. Stay there for as long as you fancy, then back in the car and drive further north to lovely Mendocino. In Mendocino, stay at the Greenwood Pier Inn, ask for one of the Sea Castle rooms, or the Cliff House. I cannot recommend this Inn heartily enough. The decor might be a little funky, but you cannot beat the location, perching right at the edge of a cliff overlooking an enchanting cove in the little town of Elk, just south of Mendocino. These three rooms are very private, each with its own patio and Jacuzzi tub for two with a view. There are so many things to see and do in that area. You could rent a bike and ride up the logging road next to the Big River, or rent a kayak for a leisurely row up the Big River estuary. There are also so many hiking trails, but nothing will beat a quiet kayak trip on the gorgeous estuary with nothing but each other, and perhaps an otter or two along the way, as company. Another accommodation idea is the Stanford Inn. The hotel sits on beautiful grounds across the river from Mendocino village. The rooms here are a bit close together, and perhaps not all that sound proof, but the hotel has a beautiful and ever-so-romantic greenhouse swimming pool, and , of course, a hot tub. A day excursion down the 128, through the redwoods with many stops along the way to taste the bounty of Alexander Valley’s vineyards would also be lovely. You could even go all the way to Boon’s Ville and sample some of the town’s famous microbrews. You can also eat well at a few inns in the area, including the Stanford Inn, the Albion River Inn, and the Harbour House Inn, among others. The Mendocino cafe in the village is also a lovely, if a bit quirky place for a bite (in between the kisses). A 25th anniversary is indeed impressive. It sounds like you have one of those relationships that restore faiths in relationships. Er…and by 25th you did mean years, yes? I’m wondering because I myself find making it even to the 25th month anniversary at times a struggle.

It is quite a common practice to leave large pieces of aromatics such as lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves (that are not intended for eating) floating in a soup. When I do it, I usually leave REALLY large chunks to discourage accidental consumption.

I'm not a big fan of Boulevard, have never been one. I've had about two meals there over the years, and niether time was particularly impressive or delicious. Definitely go to the Ferry Plaza, that's my usual hang-out Saturday mornings. If nothing there striked your fancy, you could just walk across the street to the Embarcadero building and have one of SF's best Dim Sum meals at Harbour Village. It's far better than Yang Sing and on par with (but much easier to get to than) Koi Palace.

One way to eat cheap in Paris is to eat ethnic. Paris has fantastic ethnic food, Vietnamese, Moroccan, Algerian, Senegalese, to name but a few. Unfortunately, most people in the know guard their secret ethnic places like a lioness guarding her young, since it is so easy to tip the balance and inundate those little places with gastronomic tourists. One of my favorite places, that I am willing to share, that is, is Le Bambou. It is on R. Baudricourt, cross street Ave. d'Ivry, near Place d'Italie. I love their big giant bowl of fantastically fragrant Pho, and Bahn Cuon, a steamed crepe with pork sausage and bean sprouts. After dinner, you should wander that neighbourhood for fun. Just on Ave. d'Ivry around the corner from the restaurant is a lovely tea salon L'Empire du The, which specializes in Chinese and Japanese tea. They also serve some really nice macarons with Asian flavors, like green tea and black sesame. Practically across the street from the salon is an Asian green grocer, who carries all sorts of interesting vegetables and herbs. That's worth a look as well. I also second John Whiting's recommendation for La Cave de l'Os à Moelle. The food is like the cooking of the French Grandmère you've never had, but would love to.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Strauss Family Creamery Yogurt. It's made from organic cow milk and tastes wonderful. They don't make flavored yogurt, only non fat and whole milk plain ones, which is just fine with me since I prefer to add preserves or honey to flavor the yogurt myself anyway. That way, I have almost limitless possibilities when it comes to flavors, and I am able to control the level of sugar to my own taste. I remember eating Total yogurt while in Greece, and was happy to see that they are now available in the US. However, with the prevalent use of growth hormones and such scary things in dairy products here, I am very reluctant to ever touch non-organic stuff. Total is hence out of the question. I sometimes drain my Strauss yogurt a little bit, to get the very thick texture that I like, which is just shy of yogurt cheese, really. Yogurts in America, in general, are runnier than those one gets in Europe.

My recipe is on Chez Pim. To make the coconut cream to pour on top, just heat up some coconut cream until slightly thicken, add a bit of salt, and perhaps even sugar if you'd like. The coconut cream topping should be more salty than sweet to provide a counter balance to the sweet coconut milk and mango. In Thailand, we sometimes sprinkle roasted yellow mung bean on top to provide an added crunch.

This one practically had me weeping at first bite. The best dish I had so far, this year. I could barely stop myself but for the fear of utterly freaking out German Boy. I did lick my fingers though. I didn't care if that was a fancy *** place, them frog legs deserved to be eaten à la main. Finge-licking food, and finger-licking good definitely.

Hey, I don't know about you, but I sort of find that interesting. The pork sounds delicious, by the way. I want some!

My girl Louisa. Somehow I knew you would appreciate this. Next time I am anywhere near Innsbruck I will go looking for your truck, properly inebriated, but of course.

Hi Carolyn, Sorry, I won't be able to make it. It's too bad, really. Perhaps next time. thanks for the kind words and the invite, Pim

A picture of me, oh, you meant the one with the giant cup in front of my face? Why thank you, on behalf of the cup, I suppose... If you're talking about the girl who was pounding the curry paste in one of the photos, no that wasn't me, that was one of the maids at my aunt's house. I've got her number, if you want. But then again you would have to deal with her big burly gardener boyfriend. And, trust me, you don't want to...

Hi everyone, I thought I would write a farewell post to officially end my week of eGullet Food Blog. Marlena Spieler will now take on the responsibility. It has been a lot of fun, though I must admit that I am happy that I no longer have to remember to snap a photo before I eat! I am now back in California, and to the much less interesting world of daily work. I simply can't wait until my next adventure. By the way, since you found this Food Blog interesting, you might also find it fun to see some pictures I took while eating, cooking, and otherwise playing during my recent three-week visit back home to Bangkok. The pictures are on my photoblog. Thanks everyone for your kind comments on the thread and in private. cheers, Pim