Marseille (Chef Urena)

[Steve Plotnicki]

Admin: the current active thread for discussion of Marseille under Chef Andy D'Amico may be found here.

Personally I would not have given the place any stars. One if anything. We thought they hardly had anything to eat there. And I had the Bouillabaisse, a primo example of the I can't get it to taste authentic so I am going to add Pernod to flavor it school. You cannot know your Bouilliabaisse and make the comment that Grimes made in The Times. And the environent is more like a cafe than a restaurant. Actually, it looks like a tapas bar to me. They should have called the place Barcelona, not Marseille. In my opinion, this is another example of kowtowing to a chef. If it wasn't Alex Urena, ex of Blue Hill, no way this place would have gotten 2 stars.

Edited December 5, 2004 by slkinsey (log)

[Wilfrid]

Just had the chance to read Grimes over my tasty deli sandwich, and I see what you mean about the bouillabaisse comment.  I have just been reading the French food historian Jean-Francois Revel on the same subject - an austere and rigorous analysis of the dish - and suffice to say that claiming it's a "kitchen sink" dish is a mite contentious.

[Rachel Perlow]

I didn't read Grimes' piece about it, but I thought I'd comment that Joan Hamburg (WOR radio 710AM) was talking about Marseilles this morning. For what its worth, her opinion seemed to be that it is a welcome newcomer to the neighborhood. However, I couldn't figure out from her comments whether it was supposed to be French or Middle Eastern - lots of talk about Mezze and Morroccan decor.  Like most theater district places, it was very crowded around 6:30, but cleared out substantially by 8PM.

[Snappier]

Actually, i coudn't disagree more -- went last Saturday night, thought it was fantastic.  Perhaps it dies down by 8, but we went after theater for dinner around 1030 and it was still jumping.  I'm not sure if it makes a textbook boulliabase -- and don't care, as long as it's good -- but what we did have was great.  I had sweetbreads with salad which were nice and mellow, and the beef cheek/short rib combo which was great - not total mush as these meats are sometimes prepared.  Tasted the sirloin and the skate, and they were both terriffic too.  From the outside it looks like an overly spare, fishbowl-type room, but inside I found it much warmer and cosier than i expected.  Service seemed a little hesitant, but certainly pleasant.  

[Rail Paul]

Dee and I had dinner at Marseille (45th at 9th) last night, first time there.  Made reservations on OpenTable early Tuesday, receptionist said they have get a lot of reservations that way. They had 545 and 945 slots open.

Pleasant greeting, corner banquette for 2 was a little tight, as the layout was set up with a 4 and a 2. I didn't take notes. They inquired if we would be going to the theater.

Offered tap water or choice of Evian and Pellegrino. Tap was refilled as the halfway mark was reached on the glass. Dee had a Vouvray by the glass($8), I had a Hoosengarden Weissbier. They offered a taste of the wine by the glass before pouring a full glass.

I ordered a mezze (two small disks of intense pepperoni with warm cheese, and two other items which now elude me). We each had the mushroom broth soup (very intense mushroom flavor) with a tiny mushroom popover on the side.

Dee had the salmon in an olive crust (broiled salmon coated with an olive / pastry topping) which was superb. Very moist. The server warned us "the chef prefers to cook the salmon on the rare side, is that OK?"

My hanger steak over pearl pasta was medium rare, with an exceptionally beefy taste. That was a combination of beef juices and trimmings used to thicken the natural drippings, I think. Nice salty finish to the steak crust. Steak was served exactly as requested, delivered sliced and stacked on the pasta. The pasta may have been cooked in a chicken broth rather than just water.

Dessert was a nice ending to the meal. I had a warm date sponge bread with a coffee ice cream. Dee had the warm apple tart. The pastry chef was credited on the menu.

Overall, I liked Marseille very much. Very attentive and collaborative staff, people kept an eye on each other's tables, high communication factors, prices were recited with specials. Damage for two, as noted, with tip was $120.

I mentioned I had heard about Marseille via eGullet as we were leaving. The maitre said they've benefitted from very favorable word of mouth and hoped we enjoyed our evening.

The new cast of the Producers was a lot of fun. Goodman brings more lewdness to the part than Lane did. More of the Mel Brooks / Groucho Marx eyebrow raising, cigar waving nut case. Stephen Weber is a much better singer than Broderick, and a better dancer, but conveys a too confident character for the part. Maybe he'll get more scared as he grows into the part. Great seats,  center, one in K, one in J.

[anil]

We visited the place last week, but for Brunch. I could not take my eyes off the person-who seated us, and  and brought the menu  :p  Between the distracting attire and Horshradish-infused Bloody Mary, I'd say

that our brunch was unmemorable. Given its newness and proximity to the treatre crowd, I see a while before it can settle down and evolve, or ...... ???

[cabrales]

I'd appreciate additional member input on Marseilles.

[Rail Paul]

Dee and I stopped by for dinner a few months ago. I believe I posted here, but didn't get much interest

I don't recall what Dee had, but I had the grilled hanger steak. Juicy, chewy, very beefy taste. Arranged in a fan shape on the plate as I recall. Might have had a wine enriched jus, but I'm not sure. Enjoyed it.

Was it the best, most sublime expereince of my life? No, but it was quite pleasant. Would definitely go back.

Place has a nice bistro buzz to it, lots of hustling waitstaff, etc. It's not Daniel, by any means, but most items were in the $20-$25, range.

[Bux]

I think the relative questions one might want to ask about any restaurant is the one Michelin bases its star system on--how far out of your way would you go to eat there? The other gauge is one Plotnicki proposed some time ago and that's how far in advance would you consider making reservations. At one end there's be those restaurants you've happy to book over a month in advance and make an arduous trip to dine in, while anticipating the meal. At the other end are those restaurants you pass by on foot without an umbrella on a rainy day with little more than the hope someplace else has an open table.

[Orik]

We dined there a couple of weeks ago. The summer tasting menu, priced at $55, started with three small (and insignificant) salads - slightly spicy carrots, mundane beets and eggplants (sauteed I think). It continued with a very good dish of sweetbreads and artichokes, a fish tagine (can't recall what kind of fish) that was seriously under spiced and a very nice fillet of dorade with a hint of preserved lemons and some other sauce (?). As a main course, we had lamb shanks, topped with a phyllo cigar stuffed with short ribs (tasty but soggy) and served on Israeli couscous [1]. Very nice. Finally, for desserts, we got peppermint ice cream served with a mini chocolate marquis, some pudding made from Israeli couscous and a third dish I can't recall. Desserts were accompanied by very light tea, served with peppermint in metal teapots that were to hot to touch.

We also opted for the wine pairing, at $30/person, that was worthwhile only because of the 1994 chateau Musar. If I go there again I think I'll just focus on that wine.

Overall, we thought it was a nice place, but certainly not worth going out of your way to dine at. As expected, there were some details in common with Blue Hill, such as the relatively dark room, the vertically aligned bread and the service procedures but the experience does not compare favorably with BH. Also, the decor is, without going into to many details, poor.

[1] "Israeli couscous" is something that you eat in Israel if you're in the army or if your mother needs a quick and neutral side dish. Most people there do not even refer to it as couscous (although that's what the packages say), but as "flakes" (ptitim). When you see couscous on a menu back there, you can bet it is going to be plain old moroccan couscous.

[bushey]

Orik -- the Israeli couscous I've seen served in restaurants here looks like little gelatinous orbs. I don't really care for it because it doesn't seem to absorb any of the juices/liquids from the rest of the plate, which is what would give a neutral side dish its flavor. Does that sound like the ptitim you're familiar with?

[Orik]

Orik -- the Israeli couscous I've seen served in restaurants here looks like little gelatinous orbs. I don't really care for it because it doesn't seem to absorb any of the juices/liquids from the rest of the plate, which is what would give a neutral side dish its flavor.  Does that sound like the ptitim you're familiar with?

Yes. Those orbs are what I was talking about. It is just a really cheap and nasty kind of Pasta, which makes it even more surprising that Marseille chooses to serve it in place of real couscous.

Edit:

Translated From "Al Hashulchan" - an Israeli food magazine:

"...we searched internet sites around the world to figure out what the 'goyim' think of as Israeli food. The answer was astonishingly simple - ptitim. Yes, yes, those balls of baked pasta are known all over the world as 'Israeli couscous' and enjoy an oriental, exotic aura..."

[cabrales]

Below is Marseille's current menu:

-- MEZE

Warm vegetable -- piquillo pepper, mushroom duxelle, tuffle and goat cheese polenta, matbucha flan (6)

Marinated seafood -- boqueron, fennel and tapenade oil, salmon gravlax with creme fraiche, bonito tuna (7)

Fish -- shrimp ceviche, marinated striped bass, *brandade croquette* (8)

Meat -- Chorizo sausage with bocconcini, poached foie gras with fig balsamic, moroccan cigar with hummus puree (8)

-- APPETIZERS

Chilled cauliflower soup; cucumber, avocado and tomato salad (9)

Chopped salad; tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumbers, chick peas (8)

Haricot vert salad; endive, radicchio, walnuts, blue cheese vinaigrette (9)

*Shrimp Kataifi; romaine lettuce and green mussel sauce (14)*

Lobster salad; poached lobster, sweet corn vinaigrette, micro-greens (15)

Goat cheese and artichoke terrine; sundried tomato sauce (11)

Sauteed sweetbreads; brussel sprouts and caramelized leeks (12)

-- ENTREES

Poached cod; scallions, mussels, cockles and broth de poisson (23)

Sauteed striped bass; roasted peppers and zahatar sauce (23)

Rabbit tagine; braised fennel, dried fruit and Israeli cous cous (23)

*Roasted halibut; portobello mushroom confit, zucchini, carrot julieene and pil pil sauce (23) (modified)*

*Roasted duck breast, farro risotto and brick de canard (20)*

Short ribs and cheeks; hummus, romaine lettuce and horseradish jus (23)

Morroccan seafood burger; salmon, shrimp, scallops, coriander, brioche roll and french frieds (18)

Poached chicken; mushroom puree, swiss chard, pearl onions and dried fruit sauce (18)

Marseille Bouillabaisse; scorpion fish, shrimp, mussels and cod (24)

-- CHEF's SPECIALS

Grilled calamari; ratatouille and romesco sauce (11)

*Heirloom tomato salad, fromage blanc sorbet (12) *

Grilled swordfish, with white navy beans, pearl onions and asparagus (24)

Surf and truf; applewood smoked bacon wrapped scallops, pork tenderloin, sweet corn, shiitake mushrooms and green tomato marmalade (24)

-- Seven course tasting menu at $65/person

[Bux]

Those little balls of pasta known as Israeli cous cous were kind of trendy a few years back. Plenty of respected chefs used it and plenty of people whose palates I respected seemed to like it. I've found it a pleasant variation on the starches one is often served as a garnish.

We just ate dinner in Marseille. Rail Paul's judgement seems close to mine. I found none of it unappetizing, most of it interesting and some of it quite good. If I was disappointed, it was not in relationship to either what's been written here or in other offsite reviews, but I did not find it as compelling as Blue Hill. I've always assumed Alex Urena, the chef here, was partially responsible for Blue Hill's opening menu as he was co-chef there when it opened. We did the tasting menu which may have an extra course as one of our party was known to Alex. In the great tradition of eGullet, others at the table will identify themselves if they so choose and certainly they'll disagree with me to some extent.

--

We had an amuse portion of the "brandade croquette" on a bed of what was described as aioli cheese with some green (basil?) olive oil and what appeared to be mustard seeds. A traditional cod fish cake or cod fish croquette is basically salt cod and mashed potato cakes that are deep fried. Is there a younger generation of diners who are familiar with brandade but not cod croquettes? Perhaps. The aioli was a bit bland (I didn't find and maybe misheard cheese). It could have used some oomph in my opinion and the croquettes could have been fishier, but they were crisp and without residual oil and it was a nice presentation. The oil and mustard seeds were a nice touch. Someone noted the croquettes could have been hotter.

The first course was the "Heirloom tomato salad, fromage blanc sorbet." This was a small portion and there were some nice tomatoes of at least three different colors in there. There were also too many cherry or grape tomatoes which didn't deliver the taste of the heirlooms. There were also a few citrus slices (orange?) that I felt detracted, rather than added to the dish. While they could just be ignored, I found this was a case where less could have been more.

Using the menu Cabrales just supplied, I guess our next course was the "Shrimp Kataifi; romaine lettuce and green mussel sauce," although ours had tiny, but tasty clams. The waiter's descriptions were not always audible and often short. We guessed spinach for the greens, but I thought there was a pleasantly bitter edge, but not as bitter as arugula. Kataifi, I understand are thin strands of phyllo. I might have guessed very fine angel hair pasta that had been deep fried. Anyway it was nice and crisp, but possibly too much for the delicacy of the shrimp it wrapped. My wife said it did not overwhelm the shrimp which she found sweet (in the best sense). A pretty fine dish with or without the full appreciation of the shrimp.

Poached branzini on a spiced mound of eggplant, tomatoes, fennel and maybe peppers may have been the "Sauteed striped bass; roasted peppers and zahatar sauce." While others remembered having branzini, I was sure it was the Italian name for a fish we know well here, but I couldn't place it even after having it. Striped bass fills the bill in retrospect. The small filet was served with the skin. I don't know if this is authentic middle eastern or Mediterranean food or not, and I don't normally gravitate towards this kind of dish, but I thought it was very successful and interesting. It's nice when a dish is both these things. I enjoyed it very much. My wife, and others found the dish too spicy for the delicate fish, especially as it was poached and not sauteed. I thought it was excellent poached and that it supported the spiced vegetables nicely.

My wife's notes stop here, but we also had halibut. Presumably the "Roasted halibut; portobello mushroom confit, zucchini, carrot julieene and pil pil sauce." I don't recall the hot pepper as a believe "pil pil" would indicate. I do recall a veal stock based sauce, some julienne of leeks if not the other vegetables and thought it was delicious although halibut would not have been my fish of choice, nor that of any of the others. Halibut usually offers little in the way of taste of texture that I find desirable and I was not alone in this regard. Still it was a very tasty dish if not the same one as listed on menu supplied by Cabrales.

"Roasted duck breast, farro risotto and brick de canard" followed. The "brick" was a little duckmeat pie. In French brik is, or is akin to, phyllo sheets. I found the pie a little dry and thought of some really fine pastillas (bistillas?) that had a juciness from raisins and a much more interesting taste and texture. I missed the chance for a real north African treat here. The duck was also overcooked for my taste. My first taste of the faro cooked in cream led me to think it might have been a risotto with corn. I don't know why. I liked it. my wife thought it didn't work with the duck. this should have been a real winner and thus was a noticeable disappointment.

Desserts were cute, but also not as successful as I would have hoped to get. A fruit ceviche with mango sorbet in a white chocolate cup just didn't work for me. The sorbet was too spicy--overpowering ginger was the consensus. Unpleasant acrid aftertaste for me and the white chocolate just added a note of fat. I should note that I'm not a great fan of white chocolate--a misnomer if ever there was one, this is chocolate after the chocolate has been removed, leaving the cocoa butter. A chocolate buñuelo

was a better tidbit--a ball of molten chocolate in a candy/chocolate(?) shell with crushed nut(?) coating.

[cabrales]

I was among the participants in the Marseilles dinner, and rate the restaurant considerably more unfavorably. I deem the meal received to have been average-plus (the plus for the heirloom tomato salad only), even after adjustment for the restaurant's generous reduction of the $65 tasting menu price by $25/person in view of another participant in the meal. As a non-Bux participant and I discussed after the meal, there was not the sense of cohesion in a dish one finds at Blue Hill. I'd have to say that, if yesterday's dinner at Marseilles is indicative of Urena's capabilities (and understanding that Urena apparently has to adhere to a "Mediterranean" concept at Marseilles), at least with respect to my own preferences as a diner, Blue Hill is so much better off with Michael Anthony having stepped in as co-chef. (I feel a bit guilty articulating this, but it is what I believe.)

-- Brandade Croquette. The brandade amuse was nothing special. While it was not stale post-deep-frying, it also did not have the obvious effects of having been just deep-fried prior to serving. Note this is a particular sensitivity of mine, and I have perceived this problem even at places like Marc Meneau's formerly three-starred, currently two-starred L'Esperance in Vezelay-St Pere (cromesquis of foie gras). I and others at the table heard the reference to aioli, and nobody at the table tasted the "cheese" mentioned by the dining room team member immediately after the word "aioli" in the dish description (and as part of the same phrase). The apparent mustard seeds were not particularly strong in flavor (appropriately), and were woven into the aioli.

-- Heirloom tomato salad, fromage blanc sorbet. This was the best dish in the meal for me, although, like Bux and another eGulleteer, I found the inclusion of the citrus fruit in the tomatoes as distracting (not just unnecessary). The tomato water and the tomatoes were nice, however, with larger slices of a yellow-colored tomato and a red-colored tomato included amidst whole and half cherry tomatoes. The fromage blanc sorbet was a nice accompaniment to the Tim Stark (Union Square Green Market) tomatoes. The memory of the Blue Hill Tomatoes! dish made me judge this dish more harshly than I otherwise might have; the Marseilles utilization of heirloom tomatoes was better than that at Etats-Unis, Union Square Cafe and Citarella in my assessment.

-- Shrimp Kataifi; romaine lettuce and [clam] sauce. I though the little phyllo fritters enveloping the shrimp (and deep-fried with it) were unnecessary, and detracted from the sampling of the single medium-large-sized shrimp. The sauce was appropriate, with tiny clams about the size of the nail on my pinkie dotting the sauce. For me, this was a dish that did not allow the shrimp's flavors to be conveyed.

-- Poached branzini on a spiced mound of eggplant, tomatoes and fennel. This dish had two sources of disquilibrium-inducing effects. First, as mentioned by Bux, there was too much spiciness for me. There was a reddish-orangish spice along the edges of the filet of branzini that was a bit "hot". That would have been fine on its own. However, the eggplant also had significant amounts of spiciness in it of a different variety. This produced a dish that had two almost separate parts -- the fish and the eggplant portion. The eggplant cubes were appropriately fleshy a texture for the fish, but they were better not taken together. Note that the poaching utilized was not of the type described by various members to be available in Blue Hill. At Marseilles, the poached fish could have easily been slowly pan-fried fish, and lacked the delicacy and temperature contrasts offered by the BH methodology.

-- Roasted halibut; shitake mushroom confit, zucchini, fennel and veal stock-based sauce. The halibut was accompanied by a saucing different from that set forth on the restaurant's menu. The halibut had two less appealing aspects -- (a) an undue hardening for some reason of the portions of the filet that were close to the edges (an assessment shared by another eGulleteer), and (b) lack of very good quality with respect to the intrinsic fish (not that it was of poor quality, however). The saucing, with the fullness and flavors of veal stock, was nice, and the mushroom pieces and the softened zucchini and fennel slivers were appropriately integrated when taken in. However, the saucing did not compensate for the hablit aspects earlier described. I note the use of a single green asparagus spear wrapped in bacon as part of the dish was distracting, and did not appear to work with the rest of the dish.

-- Roasted duck breast, farro risotto and brick de canard. The duck slices were appropriate-tasting on a standalone basis, but, as was mentioned by Bux, the very creamy (in a negative way), dense farro risotto was not a harmonious pairing with the duck slices. The brick was in the shape of a samosa, and was appropriate.

-- Trio of Desserts. The desserts were poor-minus. First, as mentioned by Bux, the fruit "ceviche" was impaired by a pungent (in a negative way) ginger sorbet. The strands of peach and plum below the sorbet were affected as well. The white chocolate "cup" holding the ceviche did not match the acidic, ginger-based ceviche. For me, a pastry-based, more neutral "cup" or even a glass cup would have been preferable. The ceviche, as limited as it was, was nonetheless the best of the trio of desserts. The white-colored item in the middle of the dessert plate, I ate so little of that I cannot meaningfully comment on its contents, except to say that it was poor. The chocolate-based ball-shaped item also left a great deal to be desired.

As is obvious from the above, a very disappointing meal from a cuisine perspective.

Decor

The decor of the restaurant includes burgundy-colored arched areas and colored tiles that gave the restaurant very much of a "bistro" feel (as opposed to the connotations of a more ambitious restaurant). More significantly, the lighting was markedly too dark, and there were bouts of warm and cold sensations in the dining room as the air conditioning system was either turned on and off, or as it otherwise produced noticeable changes in temperature. For example, I had to put on and remove my shawl at least five times during the meal in response to temperature changes.

The service was adequate, although the sommelier had an uneager and scruffed up look about him. I requested a tour of the kitchen, but was told that Urena would come by to say hello. There was akwardness when the chef arrived. I didn't want to say anything that suggested I was happy with the meal, so I asked him about what other tomato dishes he makes. He does not appear to make any other ones, and generally seemed relatively inarticulate. Now, as was emphasized to me by Mrs. Bux, that should not be counted against the chef, particularly when his native language is not English. However, to me, one potential interpretation as that the chef appeared to potentially lack a genuine interest in learning our responses to his dishes and, if true, that could be viewed as a negative trait. Significant discussion among our dining party continued on a number of topics, and some of us talked until past midnight (from a starting time for the meal of 7 pm).

Miscellaneous

The restaurant offers a cream-based olives, capers and anchovy spread for its long bread sections. The dominant taste was that of olives.

[Bux]

From what I understand, Alex Urena is a very shy man and not comfortable in front of strangers. In the good old days he might have made a perfect chef. Today we expect a chef to be more comfortable schmoozing than cooking. I don't think it's fair to criticize his discomfort in public. It's really not part of the job we should expect of a chef. I don't think it was disinterest in our opinion, but a genuine unease in talking to others. That he came out to the table was a sign of resepect and should have been seen that way.

He did say he had inherited the Marseille concept with the job. I gathered it's not his restaurant to do with as he wishes and perhaps that it's his job to create some of the north African and middle eastern food that the owner feels is appropriate to Marseille. Marseille is a city with a large north African and Arab population.

I think Mike is bringing some interesting food to Blue Hill and I thought the food never suffered in the months Dan was there alone, but I still believe Alex must have had some responsibility for the opening menus. Yes, Blue Hill is currently the more compelling restaurant, but Marseille is a useful one to know as you may not be able to get into Blue Hill on as short a notice and variety is the spice of life.

My wife thought the sommelier was a bit scruffy as well. I thought he perfectly matched the character of the room which was so forties scruffy (in a nice way). I don't think there's anything that reminded any of the reviewers about Rick's place as much as the simple fact that the room is so forties and Casablanca is the forties' film. Is there anything else you really need to know about the forties except WWII and that's covered in the movie. I really liked the room and wide spaces between tables. That is I liked the room when there was enough daylight coming through the store front windows. As dusk arrived the room darkened and by nightfall, there was not enough light to read the menu. fortunately I had already selected a red to finish the dinner. The effect, in spite of the wall of glass on the street--really a nice view of the pedestrian traffic and street life in this very recently changed and changing intersection--is that of speakeasy where the food is best unseen, there are no labels on the bottles and you worry more about being spotted, than anything else.

The sommelier's comments on the Deiss Bergheim Pinot Blanc I had selected were right on, and had I bothered to get his advice on the middle of the menu, I would probably have selected one of the Loire reds rather than the Albariño, a white. For what it's worth and the credit/blame is all mine, we finished the meal with a Brusset Cairanne. All of these were in the high thirty dollar riange. A Loire red might have been in the low forties for those looking for some insight to the list. There are a few wines in the twenties, but they didn't have appeal or come with a sense of security. I neither looked for the job of chooser, nor received any sense of budget, but I thought lower rather than higher seemed appropriate.

If I had a problem with the service, it was that the waiter did not articulate the dishes very clearly. However, with several interested and interesting companions it was just as interesting to guess and discuss the food on the basis of taste without names.

[cabrales]

Personally I would not have given the place any stars. One if anything.

I'd have to agree that this place deserves either no stars or one star. (Obviously, under the NYT system)

[Wilfrid]

Do we think there's an obligation on the part of chefs to engage in a de-briefing session with diners? I am pretty sure I think there isn't, and therefore wouldn't incorporate their performance in such a role in my judgment of a restaurant. I understand, of course, that Cabby's judgment was based primarily on the food.

[cabrales]

No, chefs have no affirmative obligation to debrief. However, a diner is also entitled to feel disappointment even if there is no such obligation, when a chef comes to the table and seeks no more than a "de rigeur" showing of having come to the table (one interpretation, although an alternative interpretation would have been shyness and/or inarticulateness).

[Steve Klc]

I'm curious about the Israeli cous cous--it was used in the desserts, right? I'm guessing like in a rice pudding? is there any chance it was tapioca or was it labelled Israeli cous cous on the menu? (Tapioca is much more often seen, thanks to Claudia and others) I thought I was one of the few to ever play with Israeli cous cous in a dessert--last year I had some balls of the pasta floating around with apple balls in a caramel saffron apple soup. I poached the cous cous in apple juice instead of water.

I'd like to find out more of what was attempted--even though the attempt did not succeed.

[Bux]

No, chefs have no affirmative obligation to debrief. However, a diner is also entitled to feel disappointment even if there is no such obligation, when a chef comes to the table and seeks no more than a "de rigeur" showing of having come to the table (one interpretation, although an alternative interpretation would have been shyness and/or inarticulateness). 

I'm not sure I understand why you thought Alex Urena came to the table, or to what the explanation of his shyness was an alternative. I don't understand the use of "de rigeur" in your post. I don't believe Alex was seeking anything. He came to pay his respects as best he could and he came out of respect for a person at the table with whom he has a professional relationship. It was a gracious act and not directed at either of us. Our place was to appreciate that the existing relationship might be more important than our own interests and understand it was the reason he came to the table. Someone who knows him professionally recently described him as "painfully shy." That's not an interpretation. It's a description.

[jordyn]

As one of the so far unnamed eGulleters participating in the meal that Bux and Cabrales have so thoroughly described, I'll add a few quick comments:

- Like Cabrales, I found the tomato dish to be the best. The tomatoes were very good, and while the citrus didn't add anything to the dish, it did not significantly detract, either. The fromage blanc sorbet was interesting, and the slick creaminess of it was a pleasant foil to the acidity and tartness of some of the tomatoes.

- I didn't particularly mind the spicing of the branzini. It was fairly intense (although far from being uncomfortable), but in a manner that complemented the flavor of the fish fairly well. There was a distinct clarity to both the fish and the spicing, resulting in two clear notes on the palate simultaneously. Ultimately, I found this dish to be more interesting than the shrimp, which was fine but not more visually interesting than tasty. Additionally, the dish seemed to fit the theme of the restaurant fairly well.

- I did not enjoy the halibut or the croquette. I found the halibut to be too hard and the croquette to be too soft and mushy, and neither exhibited a paritcularly good fish flavor. The creamy risotto and rich veal stock tasted quite a bit better to me than the halibut itself.

- The peaches at the bottom of the white chocolate cup and the chocolate inside the cocoa ball were fairly good, but these were tasty finds that I had to struggle to find amidst a plate of mediocrity. Sad. Why are good desserts at the mid-to-upper range restaurants so hard to find?

[Bux]

Jordyn, we agree a bit and disagree a bit, but you raise a couple of particularly good points. The branzini was very appropriate to the theme of the restaurant, if it is the Mediterranean world as found in Marseille's population, as I think it is. It's exactly the sort of dish that would be expected in a tasting menu there.

The other issue is the one of desserts in restaurants that are not content to serve creme caramel, creme brulee, chocolate mousee or tartes made off premises, but which are not large or expensive enough to have a pastry chef. It's a thread up Steve Klc's alley.

[cabrales]

I don't mean to say Urena had inappropriate reactions. I note that his actons are amenable to several different interpretations, but others might be more familiar with which one might be more in keeping with the applicable facts. I had never before seen Urena, and doubt I will ever see him again at Marseilles as I do not plan a return. Note that the normal price for a tasting menu at Marseilles is $65; that reinforces the unlikelihood of my return, relative to alternatives uses of those funds.

[Bux]

There are some dishes I'd like to try and would be far more likely to order a la carte the next time I am there.