jaybee

Good. I hope the trots, fox or otherwise don't visit me tonight.

I have high regard for her books. However, I have had mixed experience with the recipes and technique included in FLGTP. Specifically, her technique for tarte tatin was faulty, resulting in soggy apples and less than great caramel. In a couple of other instances, I found her methods to be either imprecise or not the best of alternatives. I found no fault with the information on who, what, where. They are wonderful overview books for new or experienced travellers to Paris or France.

Cheek by jowl, by spleen, by kidney. It was cozy. A truly amazing place! Merit un detour and a return. Ali is a charmer.

Steve, Wilfrid just finished copius amounts of tripe, cows foot, eyeball, lamb kidney, heart, spleen and liver at Ali's. It was a very complex meal, filled with events that alter and illuminate our time, and I was there. Many bottles of wine of both colors accompanied this feast, so I don't think you can expect a reply until at least the morning. Why I am still here is a mystery to me. I suspect that I'm afraid to go to sleep lest the lamb's eyeball will exact it's revenge in my sleep. I will schedule a colonoscopy soon, and I expect the Dr. to say "in all my years. I've looked up many an asshole, but this is the first one that's looked back at me." The meal cost $30 a head (no pun inended) (wait, yes, it was), thereby disproving your theory that complex, haute cuisine must perforce be more expensive than simpler fare. Comparing heart to heart, liver to liver, spleen to spleen, this was a haute as I've had of this genre, (and I understand you have too) and at the price, worth twice as much. erp, urp,

According to my quotron, that was said by Johannus Blancingus, an obscure American of Coddish descent living in England in the early 21st Century. He was known for his pithy proseand his love of simple pleasures, such as cottage paintings.

A large bottle of Fisher's ale will cost more than a bottle of Chateau Fleetstreet at Pomeroy's.

For some reason, I think this quote from Reichl's Lespinasse review belongs here.

Damian, thanks for being the keeper of continuity on the Blue Hill thread. As the saying goes, those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it (or some such wording which I will look up and correct bye and bye). I'm pleased to se that our menu was totally different from the previous EG visit, though two of the ornaments were the same. Post script: "Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it"--Santayanna

You read Hertzberg too?

emendation: I believe I referred to the chef as Marc Anthony (I guess Julius Caesar was on my mind) and David and their names seems to be Michael and Dan. They are a charming duo. Holy smokes, Cabby! You told me you stopped taking notes after the second course! I must say, I find your descriptions of the complex haute cuisine quite interesting to read (unlike others who may find it, well, ...let's say, less interesting than reading about simpler fare ). You display an astonishing ability to dissect and describe the individual tastes and textures of the food as well as the whole gestalt. And all the while you sat there laughing, talking, drinking wine and being teased by Steve. Who would have known that this incredible dissaggregation process was going on behind that smile? Thank you Liza, for your confirmation of the identity of lamb's quarters. That's a new one, and something I'll add to my herb list. I think the final bill per person was $112 with tax and tip and including corkage for three bottles.

I think the British upper class have a long lead over the Americans in this regard with respect to more than just haute cuisine.

Ah, now this is getting fun.

This is the area is where we have stayed the last few times in Paris. The "neighborhood" is quiet at night (a major issue in Paris, where the motorcycles can drive you nuts at night). As long as the area is near a decent metro that doesn't require six changes to get somewhere central, the "neighborhood" restaurants are not so important. But here they are plentiful and good: the Fontaine de Mars, if the new owners and chef Lefevre have maintained the quality of food is a great "local" spot with lots of warmth and welcome. The last two meals there were memorable for the food and the fun; Le Florimand is not too shabby, and neither are Au Bonne Accueil, L'Oeillade, Au Petit Tonneau or Le P'tit Troquet--all small lovingly run bistros that can satisfy any appetite or quest for a variety of regional dishes. The view of the dome of Napoleon's tomb at night is impressive, the Metros are good, (Ecole Militaire, La Tour Marbourg or Les Invalides) and taxis are not too difficult to find at several excellent cab stands. I have also stayed many days and nights in an apartment near the Parc Monceau, a tony neighborhood with a good street market nearby. Being able to walk to the parc and sit with a good book and a cigar during a sunny day is a pleasure not to be under-estimated. In fact, come to think of it, living (as opposed to visiitng as a tourist) near a great park in Paris may be more desireable than living near good restaurants.

I don't consider that to be a true thread, but a collection of largely unrelated riffs united under a common banner. This, on the other hand, is a priceless thread of highest quality. Or should I say a best quality thread of highest price?

An excellent perroration to this thread, FG. You now have the disticntion of starting the longest thread to date on eGullet, even longer than the infamous "France/anti-Semitism/neoNazi" thread. "Of course it was inspired by SP's comments. (Debits where debits are due).

Nothing is "categorically true" except, as the saying goes. death and taxes. Yet I've run through a large number of categories of products and services I use and in almost every case, the best in class is among the highest priced. That doesn't mean there aren't high priced items that are not best in class, or even that some high priced items are crap. but if you want the best car, the best scotch, the best wine, the best audio equipment, the best camera, ...you'll have to pay top dollar. Why is this idea so objectionable to some? Or is it objectionable that the sellers of the "best" charge the highest prices? What is "best?" One way to tell is to ask "professionals" who use the products to make a living: If you ask professional photographers, most are likely to say Nikon. If you want the "best" Nikon, you'll pay more than for the next best Nikon. Lens quality is one of the major factors. If you asked, what about Rollie, Hasselblaad or Linhoff?, they might say, oh, yeah, they are also best in their class. Can one be happy with less than the best camera and lens. Sure. Every time I've cared enough about a product or service to want the best, and taken the time to research the choices, it turned out that the "best" is also among the highest priced. Occasionally, someone puts a "best" product on the market for a modest price relative to the top level items. But this is quite rare. As has been said, the increments of "betterness" become smaller and smaller the further up you go on the scale. People who want the "best possible" whatever are often laughed at or called "obsessive." But who are others to judge them? And why does it bother those who don't care about having the best that others do, and are willing to pay for it? Your post, Yvonne, smacks of this attitude. I've had guests (a professional pianist, included) listen to a recording in my house (not knowing it was a recording) and think that a live musician was playing. They are amazed and incredulous when I tell them it is a recording. Then I show them the system and they ask what something like that costs. I tell them and they look at me and say"are you crazy" to spend that much? "I spent $2000 for my system and I'm perfectly happy with it," they say. So I say, "good, that is wonderful for you. Perhaps if I hadn't heard this system and decided I had to have it, I would have the money in my bank account." What I don't say is that I am happier having the system than I would be having what I spent for it in the bank. It is also my evaluation that this level of quality is important to me. If I could have obtained it for half the price, I would have. If I could have had 80% of this quality for half the price, I wouldn't have. That is my choice. It seems to me that a lot of the argument here is based one point of view that people should not indulge themselves to the maximum level possible in pursuit of what they consider to be the best or highest quality regardless of cost, and those who do are fools or knaves. If that is the case, this thread should end here, because like the mythic goony bird, it is flying in ever-decreasing circles and will soon dissapear up its own asshole.

Joined by three other EGers, I enjoyed a delightful meal at Blue Hill last night. This was my first visit, prompted by the reports of EG members. Marc Anthony, as reported elsewhere, offered to "cook for us" as the menus were removed. Wine was BYO. We began with a '88 Bollinger with the first course, which was a disc of Testa, (which is made from pork cheeks) on a rice cracker. It looked like sausage but with a crumbly texture. Too bland to my taste. This was followed by white salmon with a jelly of light soy and some fruit juice. The aspic added a nice acidity and sharpness to the creamy rich-textured salmon. This was a more successful dish. Our second wine was a '99 Nuits St. George Blanc, which has a nice steely ("minerally" Steve called it) taste. This wine opened up gradually and was an excellent compliment to the next two courses. Char with some type of green sauce, watercress and a leaf with a sharp taste whose name escapes me. The char was firm with a slightly browned crust, very tasty. This as followed by Poached Cod with mussels and shrimp with sliced cherry tomato as accent. A wonderful dish, the cod fell apart in large flakes or leaves, being almost translucent and full of moisture. We debated the need for the tomato and were split on its benefits. I thought it added a sharp acidity. The mussels and shrimp in the sauce provided a nuanced flavor and a toothier texture to contrast with the delicate cod. Somewhere along the char we began drinking an '85 Bonne Mares from Roumier which had been decanted about an hour earlier. This was a real treat. Wonderful perfume with a bit of chalk and much fruit. It was a perfect accompaniment for the final dish, poached duck breast served with a stew of beets finely chopped with lime juice and sautéed spinach. The duck was moist and chewy with a rich meaty taste. A second winner. I would return just for this dish. Dessert included a cappuccino mousse with cherries, chocolate torte and little tasty morsels of caramel, chocolate covered almonds and a lemon cake. The room is comfortable, not too noisy, and decorated in a low key style. Tables are generously sized and the chairs are comfortable for a long sitting. The service was excellent. Good humored and quietly efficient. Any emendations from others present are welcomed.

Bravo, lxt. Scriabin couldn't have written it better.

So it's a zero sum game? I hadn't read anyone suggesting that quality food for vox populi was of no importance. Any society that caters only to its rich is corrupt. That fact that the indulgences of the wealthy fascinate the less wealthy seems to bother some. Why this fascination should be taken as an excuse to denigrate those indulgences is a matter of political and social philosphy more than gustatotory preferences.

Are answers to my questions beneath you, John? I wouldn't want the dim light of my cynicism to cast shadows on your brightness.

I am woefully ignorant about many wines. Please tell me about this one.

A glib and wholly unsuitable response. Am I to accept that you are privvy to the motivations and desires of all English language writers of worth, so you can speak with authority about the underlying influences of their choices? And that you deny any relationship between income and choices made by artists?

And, John, are you saying that 1) no English language writers of worth chose to write about "haute-cuisine?" I just want to be clear about your premise. 2) "Good" writers in languages other than English who have written about "haute cuisine" are not worthy of consideration by English language readers?

Did you make a choice, perverse or otherwise, not to focus on the first part of my reply and dive right for the red herring I planted at the end?

Good writers choose to write about subjects they feel offer them an opportunity to make a contribution, and about which they believe they are (or can be) sufficiently educated to write intelligently. Perhaps the writers you cite made those choices because they felt the subject had been covered sufficiently and/or the potential audience for their (perverse) choice was greater, ergo more royalties, more aclaim, more money to spend in 3 star restaurants. The Marjorie Allingham school of thatched-cottage painters knew who would shell out big bucks for their mythical cliches, and it wasn't the simple peasants who lived in those cottages.