Truly original signature dishes?

[hollywood]

Fat Guy - Youjr wanting to give credit for dishes that also inspired other chefs to make variations or copies while a good one, is a completely different thread. For example, as far as I know, the entire seared tuna with a pepper crust phenomenon comes from the Spago kitchen. And while chefs all over the country copied it, it isn't a signature dish at Spago although it was on the menu the last time I was there about 6 years ago.

Puck's fame does not derive from that dish being influential. But it would if people traveled to L.A. specifically to eat that dish at Spago.

Steve,

If I'm not mistaken, Puck serves the seared ahi with pepper crust at his Cafes.

Actually, I guess it's now coated in coriander.

Coriander Crusted Ahi - tuna seared rare with stir-fried Asian vegetables and crispy noodles

$18.95

[CathyL]

Didn't I put Nobu's Black Cod in Miso on my original list? I thought I did. Sorry about that. It is clearly a signature dish.

You did - sorry. I'm reading every other word today, apparently.

[KarenS]

George Morrone- Tuna with foie gras, spinach, and potato

Alan Wong- ginger crusted onaga and opihi shooters

Claudia Fleming- Buttermilk panna cotta with sauternes gelee and coconut tapioca with passion sorbet and cilantro syrup

F. Point was Marjolaine

[Steve Plotnicki]

Actually I was thinking of including Alan Wong on the list but never got around to it. He's a great chef and way underrated. But do you think these are better choices?

Alan Wong - Steamed Clams with Kalhua Pig, Shitake Mushrooms, Spinach in "Da Bag," Hot Califonia Rolls with Kona Lobster Mousse, but with No Rice!

Other signature dishes I thought of are;

Pourcel Twins - Bonbons de Foie Gras

Roger Verge - Zucchini Flowers stuffed with mushrooms and truffles

Andre Soltner - Frozen Raspberry Souffle

There there are famous dishes associated with bistros;

Allard - Duck with Olives

La Grille - Turbot with Beurre Blanc

A Souseyrac - Lievre Royale (hare in blood sauce)

Ambassade D'Auvergne - Aligot

Benoit - Beouf Mode

[Nick]

Let's not forget Hans Nicolaisen's One Egg Omelet on a sesame bun.

[KarenS]

The onaga is most representative of Alan's style (plus he sells it more then any other dish)-he says that he always has to have it available. The shooters are very unique (and very Hawaiian- clams aren't).

[Steve Plotnicki]

I actually based on my opinion on eating there. Almost every table hed "Da Bag." Harder to tell if they had Onaga

[Peter B Wolf]

Great Steve P. :

‘ Georges Blanc – “Bresse Chicken with Morels and Cream Sauce” ‘

I thought this was a “Careme” creation called “Demi Deuil” ?

[Steve Plotnicki]

Peter - Demi-Deuill, or chicken in half morning is a different dish. It's one where they seperate the skin of the chicken from the breast and place thinly sliced black truffles inside. Then they roast the chicken. It's possible that Careme invented the dish but the most famous version is from La Mere Brazier in Lyon. But Bocuse makes a famous haute cuisine version of the dish as well. Blanc's chicken dish is like a fricasse with a cream sauce that is dotted with bits of black truffle.

[mikeczyz]

gary danko's glazed oyesters

[southern girl]

Alan Wong Soup and a sandwich...yellow and red tomato soup with grilled cheese kalua pig sandwich

and...opihi shooters

[Fat Guy]

Steve, I thought the Blanc dish was with a foie gras cream sauce. At least that's what I ate there, if memory serves.

[southern girl]

Joachim Splichal...black tie scallops

Michel Richard....creme brulee napoleon

[Jon Tseng]

One of the french three-stars does cromsequis of foie gras - can't remember who

oh, and tournedos rossini, if someone hasn't mentioned it already

j

[Fat Guy]

One of the french three-stars does cromsequis of foie gras - can't remember who

Meneau

[Gavin Jones]

Caesar Salad - C. Cardini

Carpaccio - Harry's Bar - as is Italian food it does not have a chef attaching - though of course one exists.

Plus I think branding is almost exactly the point of 'signature' dishes.

Which appears to be what Ducasse has done.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Jones you're a trouble maker. Branding has nothing to do with signature dishes. It;s a word of mouth thing. Branding has to do with advertising and self-promotion.

Fat Guy - I was only at Blanc once in 1984 (didn't like the place) and it didn't have foie gras as far as I recalled. In fact the Poulet Bresse from Blanc is an important signature dish because it is a milemarker in Burgundian cuisine. Bourg-en-Bresse is a short drive from Vonnas and here is a dish made from local cows and their milk, and I'm sure that the butter they use is local as well.

It's amazing how many Alan Wong dishes are getting listed. The guy really is an underrated chef. If he worked on the mainland he would probably be the most famous Asian Fusion chef.

[Gavin Jones]

Jones you're a trouble maker. Branding has nothing to do with signature dishes. It;s a word of mouth thing. Branding has to do with advertising and self-promotion.

I noticed you subtitled this thread ' A chef's road to fame'.

[Tonyfinch]

A pig's foot and a bottle of beer- Bessie Smith

[Steve Plotnicki]

I noticed you subtitled this thread ' A chef's road to fame'.

Yes via the creation of signature dishes. Not by self-promoting and doing mailings about how great you are. Branding has nothing to do with anything but promoting your name. Caeser Salad fits, but branding doesn't .

[Gavin Jones]

Branding has nothing to do with anything but promoting your name.

Brand: a particular product .... that identifies a particular producer.

an identifying mark esp as proof of ownership

to place indelibly in the memory

They're from Collins concise which was lying around.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Except that Salmon with Sorrel sauce is not a product. It's a dish. That's why it isn't a brand. But you could brand the establishment that serves that dish which would be Troisgros. Fergus Henderson's bone marrow salad is not a brand. Fergus Henderson, now he can be a brand.

[StephenT]

Branding has nothing to do with anything but promoting your name.

Branding is just making the brand, i.e. associating something with your name. Telling lots of people how great the brand is a different issue - that's promotion and marketing. Having a brand but not promoting it is a bit pointless, but that doesn't mean that branding and promotion are one and the same.

PS I know almost nothing about either branding or promotion but the above sounds like common sense.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Having a brand but not promoting it is a bit pointless, but that doesn't mean that branding and promotion are one and the same.

Lots of people have brands that they don't promote and which are very successful. Many of the three star chefs have great reputations, but have not spent much time turning themselves into brands. But then there are chefs who are tireless self promoters like Bocuse, Ducasse and Gordon Ramsey. They have turned their names into brands.

[Gavin Jones]

Branding is just making the brand, i.e. associating something with your name.

Not unlike when I say to my Mother 'Let's go to St. john'

and she says

'Oh, Bone Marrow Salad, lovely lovely bone marrow'.

I am confused how people promote something which isn't already a brand.