L'invention de la cuisine (DVD)

[seanw]

Just thought that I would alert those interested in these three chefs to a DVD just acquired in France from their Amazon.

Paul Lacoste, the director, does a capable job of introducing these three creative & different personalities.The film endeavours to reveal what inspires the chef to create & explain this process through relevant examples e.g. Bras- Gargouillou etc.

There are some fantastic scenes throughout, I especially enjoyed a conversation with Michel & his son where the son provides Michel with some paper which has the information pertaining to a garnish for a dish.The son is asking for the approval & advice of Michel who completely ignores the question & highlights a spelling error made by the son & refuses to budge until the son recognises the error.The scene was a tender moment but also highlighted the particular attention to detail of this chef.

Another great scene that involved Gagnaire that was particularly insightful involved his pastry chef, whom he had just spoke of respectfully & affectionately, & a dessert creation. Gagnaire looked over the dessert & then tried it, firstly mentioning that it had good flavour he suggested that they could work on its presentation. Gagnaire then proceeds to deconstruct & reconstruct the dessert so that it looks phenomenal by comparison to the initial effort. He was later interviewed on a different matter but somehow he was engaged elsewhere, there was a slight pause & Gagnaire apologised to the interviewer he was thinking about the dessert he worked on earlier.

All in all a very interesting look at the creative forces within, arguably?, France's most creative Kitchens.The DVD is subtitled in english.

[Steve Klc]

Very interesting, thanks a lot. Link?

[Bux]

What Klc said.

"... Michel who completely ignores the question & highlights a spelling error made by the son & refuses to budge until the son recognizes the error" -- Is this not an old school French trait even outside the kitchen? I think the younger generation has learned to relax and accept imperfection in the world at large, but I remember the days when people would correct my grammar before answering my questions in French. I had to learn to accept that they were not being unkind, but rather respectful in that regard. It was unimaginable to them that an intelligent and personable young man would not want to speak French perfectly. In fact the reason they didn't speak English had little to do with chauvinism, but with an abhorrence of speaking it imperfectly.

[Gary Marshall]

i've just ordered it and was very surprised to see the french site accepted my uk password and had all my data!

it even translated prices into sterling too so i'm very impressed, lets see if it actually arrives now

cheers

gary

[Steve Martin]

The DVD has just arrived. I will watch it tonight.

I have dined at Gagnaire and Bra with Rolly to come this year.

I notice Bra was mentioned in the Restaurant Mag survey as the most improved: we found it needed some improvement.

I am still fearful that I will never have a better meal than I had at Gagnaire. My experience there went beyond elation into a slight depression that I had peaked too early

Sounds like bollocks, I know, but it is coming true. Let's see what Rolly can do.

[grahamtigg]

I notice Bras was mentioned in the Restaurant Mag survey as the most improved: we found it needed some improvement.

I'd be interested to know where Bras's restaurant is though to be lacking - can you elaborate on your experience a bit more? I assume that Restaurant Mag just published the survey results. Perhaps its been through a dull period.

[Gary Marshall]

mine arrived yesterday too, amazon.fr must be wondering where all the interest is coming from!

had a quick flick through gagnaire, it was very interesting.

gary

[Steve Martin]

Excellent DVD. Gagnaire was head and shoulders above the other two.

He had no recipes to offer because when he 'perfects' a dish, he flings it out. He seems to be embarked on a voyage of constant creation and improvisation. He looked as ragged and worn-out as when I met him.

As for Mickey Brass, who's name I keep spelling Bra, he seemed a rather complacent kaiser who was full of it. He has created a wonderful restaurant but we didn't like his food. He seemed to have forgotten we had to eat the food as well as look at it. Only a small amuse of tarte of ceps had any real impact and flavour. The rest gave an impression of rawness, including a truffled creme of raw turnip that tasted like a packet of crisps.

I had written, in my stillborn review - we had eaten the sheep's fodder and now we had the sheep, in a similar state of rawness.

This was lamb utterly undercooked, with a great slab of raw white fat attached. A clever thin slice of aubergine that was entirely tastless.

We had eaten so much raw vegetable that we felt bloated. I had visions of Brass plunging one of his filthy Laguiole knives into my guts to relieve the wind.

The famous biscuit coulant was a disaster filled with hot strawberry pulp. Heating strawberries just doesn't work, no matter who you are. On a recent web article, he lists the variations he has tried over the years. Strawberry is conspicuously absent from his list.

Breakfast was chaos with guests stood around waiting for used tables to be cleared.

Roellinger seemed the most normal and I look forward to dining there.

[Matthew Grant]

Steve, I'm interested to read your comments re:Bras. We just returned from his restaurant and I thought it was one of the best meals I've eaten. I'm not normally one to go for a lighter style of ccooking but this meal was incredible. I believe that the food was outstanding and then had the added benefit of looking incredible as well (certainly some of the prettiest dishes I've seen in a long time). The slow cooked lamb, was I thought superb, nicely contrasted with the strong meat jus meaning that the lack of Maillard reactions was not too noticeable.

I'll post a full report when I've a little more time.

Edited June 1, 2003 by Matthew Grant (log)

[seanw]

Steve, could you elaborate on how the fat was raw on the outside of the lamb ,I would infer from such a statement that the meat actually never came into contact with any heat. Did you send it back?? I am sure a chef of his calibre would cook it to your liking if you specified what that involved. I quite liked the knive's , I am surprised that they would set dirty cutlery it must reflect a degradation of standards. Just to confirm also, Gagnaire is taller than either Bras or Roellinger but not necessarily a head & shoulder length. Please elaborate further on your comments about Bras, Gagnaire & Roellinger for instance how viewing the DVD may have affected your opinion (either negatively or positively) of the two establishments/personalities you have already dined at. And what particularly was it about the DVD that enthuses you about Roellinger .I think that such information ,however subjective, provides a useful alternative or addition than personal dining accounts, or maybe I just like watching documentaries on interesting restaurants.I guess the more source material I can acquire then the more informed opinion I have.

cheers!

[Bux]

Shades of the El Bulli thread. I would recommend Bras to a far winder audience than I would El Bulli perhaps, but it's incredibly subtle food amd my impression is that it won't impress many diners used to the in your face creativity type of wow. We were there the day it opened for the season and there was a service error or two that may have come from internal miscommunication and perhaps I felt there was some element of pretense in the design aspect of the table, but the food was, as Matthew said, "outstanding." Bras is among the most respected of his peers as well.

[Steve Martin]

I have been offline for a while. So, to clarify what I have written.

'Head and shoulders above' is an expression that means 'better in every way'.

The knives were filthy simply because they have you keep the same knife throughout the meal.

The fat was part of the lamb and was too undercooked to be eaten. We enjoy very rare meat, but not undercooked lamb and certainly not raw, or undercooked slabs of fat.

I have given up writing restaurant reviews since Bras. I don't have much interest in reading reviews here either, because of the discrepancy between what people find to be outstanding cooking. I only make my comments now because the Restaurant Magazine panel seemed to think he is much improved. I feel he is getting the easy ride that Bocuse has had for too long.

I have gotten tired of reading about 'wow factor' and 'getting it'. A good chef maximises the flavour of the food while producing textures that keep the palate interested. Bras did not do this.

I could have written many very favourable restaurant reviews from France since then, but why should anyone believe them.

El Bulli is a good example. We went to Bras instead of trying for cancellations at El Bulli, because I read that Adria was off form. One set of 'experts' refused to go back because they had been made to eat prawn shit, it seems to me.

Later on there was a positive review and, more recently, a negative one. Who should I believe? Who should you believe? Not me, because I detect very little in common with most of the people here, though I am glad to chat with you. I hope you have all looked at my sigline website.

My wife and I found the DVD portrayal of the chefs tallied with our impressions of their cuisine.

One trying to make art instead of dinner and one making dinner from art.

Bras said it all when he explained he wanted the appearance of his food to give an impression of the Aubrac landscape. The diner was supposed to have his communion with Bras while looking at the plate.

Gagnaire sees himself as an artist using a palate of tastes. He says he has a 'dictionary of tastes' in his head. He likes nothing better than to assemble foods that do not at first appear to go together. He doesn't give a toss for the 'authenticity' and 'relevance' so widely touted here and I applaud him.

I expect Rolly's cuisine to be similar to Gregory Coutanceau at La Rochelle. A sort of twinning of terroirs; his own and an oriental one. Both chefs consider the history of the spice trade into their areas of France allows them to use such foreign ingredients and still be 'authentic'

Oriental spices in the hands of a French chef is a magical combination that has been too long in coming. Unlike the oriental cuisines, they don't shove the entire spice repertoire into every dish. I expect Rolly to have even more discipline in this regard.

[Andy Lynes]

Steve, I would be interested in your clarification of a couple of points if you have the time :

"I don't have much interest in reading reviews here either, because of the discrepancy between what people find to be outstanding cooking. "

Do you mean the discrepancy between what you find to be outstanding and the majority of others find outstanding, or that there is simply no consensus on what is outstanding and what is not? For me, part of the joy of eGullet is the opportunity to read a number of different views and to understand why an exactly similar meal or restaurant experience can be wonderful to one person, but dreadful or just dull to another.

"I could have written many very favourable restaurant reviews from France since then, but why should anyone believe them."

Why do you think anyone would dis-believe them? I would personally be very interested to hear about your recent experiences in France.

Not me, because I detect very little in common with most of the people here, though I am glad to chat with you. I hope you have all looked at my sigline website.

I'd be interested to know in what ways do you feel you differ from other eGullet members, given the shared passion for food. I'm sure members who are sufficiently interested will have spotted the link in your sig line and clicked through to your site.

[Steve Martin]

Hi Andy,

After reading a favourable review and then a bad one, I am none the wiser. It might tell me something about the writers but even that unwanted information will be suspect.

The question is why should anyone believe a good review from me will mean a good meal for them or vice versa?

As for a passion for food, I notice a passion for discussion of opinions and, perhaps, a broad consensus that food shouldn't be 'mucked about with'.

Aside from lists of dislikes, the subject is often whether food is 'authentic' or 'relevant'.

Many here seem to think they know whether a dish has 'integrity' or not. Has the chef been 'true' to his ingredients.

I can't be doing with it.

On the other hand, how many times can we discuss types of salt and ways to ruin a steak.

By the way, on the DVD, Bras says not to put salt on raw meat because it makes it bleed.

My counter indicates very little interest in my website. I mention it because it serves as a way to introduce myself. On your site, you ask that people look at your track record before they read your reviews.

I like the reference to a vanity publication, because it explains very well what we are doing.

Let's face it. We should really be in our kitchens.

[Bux]

After reading a favourable review and then a bad one, I am none the wiser.  It might tell me something about the writers but even that unwanted information will be suspect.

Although very often that's all I get from a review, and perhaps more often than not, that's all people get from what I write about a meal, I think that's the least important thing about a review. Mostly I find I want to eat at a restaurant if I feel it has captured the reviewer's interest in some way. Whether he liked it or not is not the most relevant thing. What I hope to get out of the review is some knowledge about the food so that when I get to the restaurant I will understand the cuisine better and be better able to order and appreciate the cuisine. Other than that, I hope the review adds something to my general knowledge of cooking and dining. I will certainly read reviews of restaurants I don't expect to visit and hope I come away with some general appreciation for dining and some idea of what's happening in restaurants today.

[seanw]

Hi Steve,

The reference you made to Bras' non-salting of the fillet was slightly incorrect. Because he opens the fillet with two incisions to insert the fat he does not salt the interior, as this would indeed cause the meat to bleed & dry the meat out. However the exterior is salted immediately before cooking.

Bras' philosophy is entirely linked to his place,region,terroir...whatever!This makes him distinct from Gagnaire whose talents were accepted more readily in Paris than St Etienne.A visit to Michel Bras is an immersion in the Auvergne culture. The sous chef mentions an anecdote from Gagnaire, that the place & the people working their resembles a cult. Michel's honest food & immense work ethic reflects this tradition. It is almost possible to state that a lack of connection with the restaurant is alack of connection with the place.Your dissatisfaction with the fact that your cover was not changed after each course arises out of your expectations, were you to visit local restaurants it is entirely common to view auvergnats pull out their Laguiole knives. I think it is just one more effort to offer the diner an experience of the culture.The relative international success of the Laguiole forge has been closely tied with the success of the restaurant.

Reading the Bras website & parts of the DVD the descriptions & portrayal of his ideas can lead to the charge of pretense .However Michel is very quiet & reserved & his expression is essentially not vocalised (unlike Gagnaire, would you agree?) & so the food is sublime & deeply thoughtful although I am aware you do not agree. I guess we are comparing apples with oranges. I look forward to this winter when I can try Gagnaire's food for myself.

[Steve Martin]

Sean,

I have just watched that section of the DVD again and the meat is not salted before cooking.

He says they "will season mainly with pepper because salt will make the meat bleed". Although he does say "mainly", the meat is shown throughout and no salt goes near it.

Perhaps I should have wiped the knife on my trousers as well. The knife trick was explained to us too late, but I don't doubt that it is Authentic.

I actually thought Bras greatest stroke of genius was in designing a Laguiole knife that didn't look like a tacky souvenir.

Now we are on "honest" food. What is dishonest food?

I will not take the concept of honesty and integrity in food as a given. I think you brought more baggage to the table than I.

He is not in the Auvergne, but the nearby Aveyron.

I do agree that the food is thoughtful and, I suppose, sublime in concept and appearance. What I am saying is that the meal lacked flavour and balance. We felt we had munched our way through a box of raw vegetables and were actually glad when it was over.

We were not offered dessert wine or digestif, but that was the same as Gagnaire.

The French so often lose interest in the diner half way through the meal, exceptions such as Veyrat, Coutanceau and Putelat are a relief.

Certainly, in the DVD, Gagnaire paid us the courtesy of explaining himself as fully as possible. No doubt that is what he was asked to do.

We found Bras dreadfully stilted. A man who now believes in his own greatness. We didn't see him at the restaurant.

Gagnaire, at his restaurant, seemed very humble and shy. I wish I had known for sure that he spoke English as I would have liked to have said more to him.

I do hope you have a great time at Gagnaire, though, apparently, some people don't.

PS. I was planning on visiting Rolly before I saw the DVD.

[Bux]

My guess is that seanw meant to say "Aubrac," rather then "Auvergne." Bras is inseparable from the Aubrac. At any rate, the Aveyron is a governmental department, while the Auvergne is a region that is larger than a single department. The Aubrac includes both parts of the Aveyron and Lozere and lies just south of the the Auvergne. It is not a political entity as is the Aveyron. Aubrac is also a breed of cows and they are also known as Lagioule.

[Matthew Grant]

A couple of things!

Does the DVD have an option for English subtitles?

I have read several times before that you should not salt meat before cooking as it draws out moisture but I imagine that salting at the last moment would not effect it too much. However, if employing a low temperature cooking method then I would think that it could have quite an effect.

Michel Bras was most definitely in attendance when I was there as I shook his hand while viewing the kitchen. He seemed very shy.

Veering slightly off topic, your comments regarding the French losing interest in diners halfway through the meal is interesting. We ate our first 3 star meals abroad during our trip and I have to say that the service did not reach the standards of the 3 stars I had been to in England. El Bulli service was adequate, apart from the wine service which was bizarre (detailed elsewhere). Michel Bras was good, apart from them not offering dessert wine until I asked and also not offering digestif as described by yourself. Finally at Ledoyen, service started superbly, there was an army of staff at the beginning of our lunch, so much so that I commetned to Rachel at how superb the service was. However, by the end of the session there was quite literally 2 waiters who were rushed of their feet. They failed the napkin test miserably and Rachel was left standing outside the dining room with no idea where the toilets were. Poor service marred an otherwise excellent meal.

Edited June 11, 2003 by Matthew Grant (log)

[Gary Marshall]

yes, it is subtitled in english.

it's worth the money to see gagnaire in action in service!

cheers

gary

[Andy Lynes]

Just got my copy and enjoyed it greatly. The Gagnaire is the best film but all are very interesting. Does the La Coste interview have subtitles does anyone know, I can't seem to get them to turn on if there are any, although I note it does state that the interview is "in French" on the DVD menu, but then so are all the films!