Cooks and Books Visiting Chef Dinners

[heyjude]

It seems high even to me, but the decision is made by the restaurant and Cooks and Books. However, for that $200, you get the $50 book and a multi-course dinner with wines prepared by Ethan. This promises to be a fabulous evening with Thomas Keller and Bouchon chef Jeff Cerciello. The dates will be announced soon along with those for Bittman and others.

[rockdoggydog]

It's going to cost $200 with a book, making it the most expensive Cooks and Books event ever apparently.

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De-lurking to say: Holy ****!

This is the Bouchon cookbook, n'est pas? Bistro cooking?! Dinner at the French Laundry itself only costs $175... I love Ethan, and I love Keller, but that seems a tad nuts.

~A

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Yup it's Bouchon but hey, it's a hell of lot easier than trying to get reservations at French Laundry.

Rocky

[Foodie-Girl]

It's going to cost $200 with a book, making it the most expensive Cooks and Books event ever apparently.

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De-lurking to say: Holy ****!

This is the Bouchon cookbook, n'est pas? Bistro cooking?! Dinner at the French Laundry itself only costs $175... I love Ethan, and I love Keller, but that seems a tad nuts.

~A

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Yup it's Bouchon but hey, it's a hell of lot easier than trying to get reservations at French Laundry.

Rocky

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***Rocky, your comment would make more sense to me IF Thomas Keller was cooking a French Laundry-style meal in Seattle. Granted I've not eaten at Bouchon but "French Bistro Style" in my experience is a far cry from the calibre of meals served at French Laundry where I've dined twice and spent less money than $500/couple.

I guess I'm just disappointed and a little turned-off with pricing that makes little sense to me.

[ScorchedPalate]

I don't mean to be disparaging -- especially as Judy and Kim are such gracious hostesses -- and I truly love Union as much as anyone, but once again I say: $200 is crazy.

We ate at Bouchon the last time we were in Napa. We had a stunningly good meal there, but it is no FL, nor does it attempt to be. It's a phenomenally good bistro -- and I highly encourage you all to go -- but in the end it's still a bistro. (And it's not at all difficult to get reservations.)

To put it in perspective: You could buy the tasting menu at Union with wine pairings, a blow-out dinner at Bouchon, and a copy of the book... all for less than $200 per person.

Copy of Bouchon on Amazon.com: $31.50

Tasting menu at Union: $48

Union wine pairings: $40

5-course dinner at Bouchon: $71.25

- $15 oysters

- $9.75 salade frissee aux lardons

- $26.50 steak frites

- $12.50 cheese tasting

- $7.50 lemon tart

Total for all: $190.75

Admittedly, I am omitting wines from the Bouchon dinner, but I did choose the most expensive items in each category and stretched the bistro genre to include 5 courses. (Cam and I are not shy eaters, and we only managed 2 courses plus a shared dessert at Bouchon.) Hell, if you watch your e-fares, you could fly to San Francisco, drive to Napa, and eat a nice dinner at Bouchon for not much more than $200.

I guess the thing is that I am sorely disappointed. I've been looking forward to this meal literally for months, holding off buying the Bouchon cookbook (and telling people not to buy it for me) in anticipation of getting my copy at the C&B dinner. I guess I don't have to wait any longer: Basking in Keller's glow isn't that much to me. I'm sure there will be no shortage of people willing to pay for the privilege, though...

Sadly,

~Anita

Edited January 23, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[Really Nice!]

To me it's worth it. The man is the best chef in the country, and arguably the best in the world. To spend an evening with him to hear him talk about his views as to where the industry is going, what his next step is, etc. is worth the price of admission. Plus, to have someone of Ethan Stowell's caliber preparing the dishes is an added bonus.

Thomas Keller is my rock star, he's my culinary hero. Some people would pay $200 to see Mick Jagger prance around the stage for two hours, or sit in an ice cold football stadium on the 50-yard line for three hours. I wouldn't, but I will gladly be the first in line for this event.

BTW...

Tasting menu at Union... Now $60

Wine pairing at Union to with the tasting menu... Now $45

[ScorchedPalate]

To me it's worth it.

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I meant no offense to those who feel that $200 is a fair price (and in fact I doubted there would be any lack of people who share your view) but to me, it's disappointing, and it doesn't sound like I am alone.

Tasting menu at Union... Now $60

Wine pairing at Union to with the tasting menu... Now $45

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I stand corrected: I was going off the prices listed on Union's website. But even if you add $17 to my original estimate, you're just a few bucks over $200.. for a meal by Ethan -and- a meal by Bouchon chef Jeff Cerciello.

[elswinger]

I'm trying to think of what chef I would be willing to spend $200 to have them cook for me and listen to talk. I am a poor UW secretary and that's about 20% of my paycheck. I don't doubt the food will be exceptional and the experience worth it for those who can afford. But even if I went, I'd have to go alone because even my friend's who make 3 or 4 times the amount of money I do would rather spend their money on their mortgages than have a once in a lifetime culinary experience. (But for what it's worth, if I had realized Anthony Bourdain was the "freak" who hosted "A Cook's Tour" on The Food Network I would have gladly gone.) And I do have a friend who would probably go see Rick Bayliss, but probably not for $200.

I love the concept and am still considering going to one of these, but I'd like to know a little more about the chef's as I don't automatically conect a Chef's name to their establishment.

[rockdoggydog]

While $200 is expensive, I've always kind of braced myself for some initial sticker shock with any of the Cooks and Books events. I believe that I'm not just paying for a meal, but an experience and a performance. I am one of those people who willingly pay however much to see or attend something that is special to me, and within reason on a relative scale. Having thought about this for a few nights I believe that this is within reason for me on a relative scale because of who it is and I am absolutely confident that Ethan will do a bang up job and blow my socks off even more than usual.

Of course, this is just me talking for myself and no one else. Not everyone will think that this will be either an experience that they can't miss, special enough that the price is secondary to the experience, or as in my case within reason on a relative scale.

Many restaurants in Seattle - I'm not even going to think about other cities, charge $125-$150 regularly for a winemakers dinner. The dinner consists of however many courses and with matched wines from the winemaker and some time to talk to the winemaker, same structure, no book. While I love wine and woudl love to meet many of these winemakers I almost never go to any of these dinners. Most winemakers that I want to meet are at smaller wineries that I can visit and usually meet there and talk to for a while. The chances of my ever getting to meet Thomas Keller in his element and talking to him at any sort of length are vanishinly tiny, so an event like this is an opportunity that I can't miss but I'm sure not everyone will feel that way. Well, that's my soap box speech for the day, feel free to poke lots of holes in it, I always do.

Rocky

Edited January 23, 2005 by rockdoggydog (log)

[DRColby]

Has Monday night's event at Union been boycotted because of cost?

Cathy and I have 5:30 reservations.

Dave

[ScorchedPalate]

Only by me, so I'd hardly call that a boycott. :D

I know some folks here had tickets to the now-cancelled second night, sadly.

[Foodie-Girl]

Has Monday night's event at Union been boycotted because of cost?

  Cathy and I have 5:30 reservations.

Dave

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Isn't "boycotted" a bit harsh?

I hope my posts clearly conveyed MY opinion that the cost seemed excessive relative to what a diner would actually be receiving.

For some, meeting Thomas Keller is well-worth the price of admission alone. I can understand that. But the whole package (venue/style of cuisine/meeting Chef Keller/cost) just didn't compute for me.

That said, I hope you have a great evening and report back (-:

[rockdoggydog]

I was one of the people who had reservations for Tuesday, so I'm a little dissapointed in the cancelation. Whoever is going tonight have a great time! I'll be thinking of you from Sun Mountain Lodge and eagerly await your posts.

Rocky

[vengroff]

I originally had a table on the 29th and got squeezed out by the cancellation. But I subsequently got ahold of a single seat reservation at the bar. Since the person I was going with couldn't make the Monday date it worked out just fine. I'm not sure who else will be at the bar tonight, but I tend to meet interesting foodies there whenver I go.

I'll post a report afterwards.

[white lotus]

Hey Vengroff, it was fun sitting next to you at the bar. I figured that I probably was not going to see very many I knew. So wonderful to see you and other folks from eG & "other foodie website we don't mention". As French bistro food is not my strong point I will defer descriptions to those who are more familiar with the territory. As for me, I was happy that I make it though the courses to the profiteroles and that wonderful chocolate sauce. The green soup with sorrel was heavenly. The left-over hangar steak with the mysterious compound butter, will make a fabulous breakfast tomorrow. Hey Rocky, you were missed. I would have loved to hear you thoughts about the wine and food. Ethan, Michelle and staff could not have been nicer. Mr. Keller and Bouchon chef Jeffrey C were disarmingly charming. Kim and Heyjude looked as comfortable as if they were sitting in their own living rooms. Had I not a long ride home I would have lingered much longer at the party. wl

edited for typos. wl

Edited March 29, 2005 by white lotus (log)

[Really Nice!]

This was the best one yet! Many thanks to Kim and Judy. Thomas was friendly and gracious as ever. I think this is the third or fourth time I've been able to sit down and chat with him. I'm not a stalker, really... honest! It was nice to get his insight as to what his next goal/objective is; why Laura won't write a book about the FOH; and what he'd like to do for his next book. I mentioned that I saw his appearance on Dennis Miller and he laughed. He says that Miller drank that entire bottle of wine in the segment. I'm guessing Thomas sat at our table for around 10 minutes. Jeff Cerciello also stopped by and talked to us for about 15 minutes. His back was really hurting so he wasn't making the rounds as quickly. This was his first book tour and maybe all the travel is getting to him. Today he flies to Las Vegas to visit Bouchon. I think I caught him off-guard as I asked more questions about Ferran Adria and El Bulli than I did on Bouchon. Anyway, he's a very nice gentleman.

On to the menu...

Hors d'œuvres

Marinated olives, page 6 in the Bouchon Cookbook

Hard-cooked eggs with russian dressing, page 16

It's hard to screw up olives and olive oil; so this was okay. The eggs were very interesting and good. Surprisingly light.

First course

Charcuterie plate, page 30

Oysters, page 36

Lentils vinaigrette, page 10

The charcuterie plate included two Salumi salamis and a rabbit pâté. The pâté was very well done. The oysters were served with two sauces: a mignonette sauce and a cocktail sauce; both on page 40. Very good and went well with the Loire Valley wine. Unfortunately I didn't write down the names of the wines. The lentils were well executed. They weren't soggy at all. This was my first taste of lentils served in a restaurant. I think the secret is to chill them in a bain maried with ice separating the two containers after removing it from the heat. This will chill them more quickly and the carry-over cooking won't take them to the soggy stage. Must try this dish at home!

Second course

Chilled asparagus with vinaigrette and eggs mimosa, page 68

Very nice. The rather large asparagus was very tender and the eggs mimosa was very light and delicate.

Soup

Potato leek soup with sorrel, page 57

Another nice dish with the bitter sorrel matching the Languedoc wine very well. As a matter of fact the wine on its own didn't stand up well but with the sorrel it achieved a balance. Reinier Voorwinde, Wine Director at Union, did an excellent job selecting the wines.

Entrée

Flatiron steak with herb butter and french fries, page 207

This was too much. I think a half portion for both the steak and the fries would have been enough. We couldn't finish. As the book says, the steak was very chewy.

Cheese Plate

Pierre Robert; a triple cream brie

Éopisses, a pastuerized cow's milk a la Burgundy

Tomme de Savoie, a pastuerized cow's milk from Savoie France

Maitre Seguin, a goat cheese

These were very good, but again it was too much.

Dessert

Cream puffs with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, page 300

Very yummy. We actually had this on Wednesday for the 25 for $25 dinner so I guess that was the dress rehearsal for this dish. This was served with Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls Rimage; a 'late harvest' grenache. The match with the chocolate was extraordinary. Definitely a wine worth seeking.

I think they sold about 90 seats so I'd say this was an overwhelming success. Kim and Judy appeared to be very much at ease and I think the evening went well for them.

[little ms foodie]

Great report, thanks Really nice! I might have to dig up my Bouchon book and give a few of these a try.

[vengroff]

Thanks for the great summary, Really Nice.

Don't forget the gougeres with the hors d'œuvres course. I love gougeres. I also thought it was really clever to start with them and end with the profiteroles. They were like matching bookends to the meal.

I really enjoyed the rabbit terrine. Rarely has anything that shared a plate with Armandino's cured meats ever stood up to their quality, but this rabbit did. I think they nailed it on both the taste and the texture. Any coarser grind would have felt rustic, and smoother too refined for bistro dining. This managed to bring together a bit of both in one beautiful pink bacon-wrapped loaf. One of my fellow diners mentioned that he could really eat a lot of the rabbit. I would have to agree. If I had a loaf at home it would disappear quickly, whether I had guests or not.

The soup was my second favorite course. It was so much lighter and fresher than its appearance suggested. It looked like split pea soup but had a grassy aroma and a light fluffy texture. Swirling in the creme fraice gave it just the tart little counterpoint it needed. Jeff Cerciello said he never decants soups, but he got a real kick out of seeing the whole meal served in more formal surroundings than normal.

I agree the portions were large, especially the steak. Plus the fact that the first two courses were really three courses each made for a huge meal. I expected a lot, but not quite this much. Luckily I had only had a cup of soup for lunch so I was prepared. The only thing that really felt excessive to me was the egg on the asparagus. There was just so much of it, especially after the, admitedly very enjoyable, Russian eggs two courses earlier.

I don't remember the specific wines so much as I remember the experience of enjoying each with the course it came with. The only exception was the first course, which presented a pretty unique challenge. Charcuiterie, oysters, and a zippy lentil salad are tough to match with one wine. I was happy to consume my glass with the oysters and let the other two dishes stand on their own.

Ethan and his crew did a fantastic job putting the meal together. The execution was really flawless across the board. They closed down the kitchen the day before and spent the whole time gathering and prepping ingredients for the meal.

One other interesting thing I found out was that most of this book tour consists of appearances at bookstores and interviews at local radio stations. There are only a couple of meals like this on the tour. We were lucky to have one of them here.

Thanks to Thomas and Jeff for joining us, Judy and Kim for arranging the event, Hans for brilliantly managing his way through a difficult reservation and cancellation process, Michelle for taking such good care of us, and the entire Union team for a truly remarkable evening.

[heyjude]

It has been a splendid couple of days. Thomas and Jeff and their publicist Amy were wonderful to work with. We had so much fun at the Union dinner. I ditto everything said about the food and wine. The soup was my favorite course, but I ate some of the chocolate sauce with a spoon. It was lovely to see all of you. Ethan and his team can do as many of the Cooks and Books dinners as they want. Don't miss the next one there, which is Mark Bittman on May 11th. Go to http://www.kimricketts.com to see the rest of the schedule. The rest of the time with Thomas and Jeff was spent shlepping to private events and bookstores for stock signings. They were charming to all. Just before we went to the airport, we had a one of everything lunch at Salumi. Armandino was so generous and took them on a tour of the curing rooms. They took home several different salamis and other meats and raved about the experience.