Ghislaine Arabian

[guru]

I just heard that Ghislaine Arabian has been thrown out of her self named restaurant.No other comment was said about the situation but i found it awkward that you get pushed out of a restaurant that has your name on the door.Or should i say how can you name a restaurant after yourself when you're still that at risk of getting banned of it by the other partners.Anyways, she was also fired of Ledoyen in Paris a few years ago after storming on a cook on national television.If anyone has heard something about that news please share.

[Bux]

Cabrales posted this information recently in another thread.

Speaking of chef movements, Ghislaine Arabian has been dismissed from her namesake restaurant (yes, this is at least her second instance at having been terminated).  Bonjour Paris, a website with good information on Paris culinary goings-on, reports:

http://www.bparis.com/newsletter1464/newsl...m?doc_id=110269

You can check the link she provided for a bit more information or, at least, commentary.

[magnolia]

I think this happened before the summer?

My sources tell me GA has moved to Japan to start something there, so stay tuned.

Someone on CH said that the current issue of Pariscope lists business as usual at the restaurant; I haven't read the entry myself, but my take on the CH poster's translation is that the restaurant is being a bit cheeky, leaving it open to interpretation as to whether the words refer to the chef or the restaurant that bears (bore?) her name...

[Bux]

I think "business as usual" means the food is cooked in the kitchen, delivered by waiters and eaten at the tables by paying customers. It's a good lesson not lend your name to a restaurant unless you have job security or the right to take your name with you when you leave. Then again it must have been awfully appealing to have one's name appear over the door when the restaurant opened.

[cabrales]

I noted the following snipet on a website, the accuracy of which I have no assurances about: "Ghislaine Arabian has left France to work in Japan. Her team has taken on, redecorating the restaurant, thus changing the atmosphere into a cosy one . . . ."

http://www.relais-christine.com/EnglishVer.../actualites.htm

(a small hotel's website)

[cabrales]

TimeOut has the following update:

"16 au 16 [translated as 16 at 16, referring to the restaurant's number along the street presumably]

Ghislaine Arabian (one of France's best female chefs), has gone off to Japan, but the restaurant she left behind has been reinvented, and improved. The glitzy décor has been toned down, and the menu is now an enigmatic, Zen-like script. Hors d'oeuvres like quail's eggs with tapenade (a garlicy sauce with anchovies) show the sassy creativity of chef Frédéric Simonin, and the fillet of beef and sea bass were both gob-smackers. Equally spectacular are wine-poached figs thatched with caramelised sugar and rosemary ice cream, and a chocolate and caramel plate.

16 av Bugeaud, 16th (33 1 56 28 16 16). M Victor Hugo. Open noon-2.15pm Mon, Sat, noon-2.15pm, 8-10.30pm Tue-Fri. Average 75 euros."

[Stephen Jackson]

Anyone here know where she's cooking now, if she's cooking at all?

[fresh_a]

After leaving her eponymous restaurant, now the "16 sur 16", she went to Japan to "consult".. But now, who knows?

[Stephen Jackson]

Ta, Fresh_a.

Hers was one of the first cookbooks I bought ('Cuisine Flamande'), and I've never tried her food. Missed Ledoyen, missed the eponymous place. Ah well, she'll have to go on the Girardet/Robuchon/Loiseau list...

Edited March 4, 2003 by Stephen Jackson (log)

[Laidback]

What has become of Ghislaine Arabian since the dust-up with the owner of her restaurant which has since been named Seize sur Seize and now Table de Joel? Much of her team remained at Seize Sur Seize, but is this still the case now that the restaurant is under the wing of M. Robuchon?

[John Talbott]

Figaroscope's long Dossier of changes of 15 September says she'll resurface in 2005.

[John Talbott]

Wednesday, December 19th Figaroscope's "best of" suppliment had the following update from Emmanuel Rubin:

Ghislane Arabian will be opening a place in the Petites Sorcieres space, 12, rue Liancourt in the 14th, sometime in 2008.

[John Talbott]

Monday's Le Fooding had the first review I've seen.

[John Talbott]

Claude Lebey's "jury" declared G. Arabian's Les Petites Sorciers the best of its kind, says Le Figaro today.

[John Talbott]

Claude Lebey's "jury" declared G. Arabian's Les Petites Sorciers the best of its kind, says Le Figaro today.

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Just a warning for the all Arabian lovers. An eGullet loyalist ate there within the month and really had bad things to say, but two of us (another loyalist and I) had to see for ourselves. I'll be writing it up but my informant was correct and Lebey etc wrong. It's dreadful food, served so slowly that it gives "Slow Food" a bad name and herself isn't even near the kitchen. Details later, but if you go, don't complain afterwards, you've been forewarned.

Back to Lebey. I suppose "best of its kind" could mean lousy food, slowly served by a conductor-less orchestra.

Edited for spelling.

Edited January 30, 2008 by John Talbott (log)

[Ptipois]

I'm awaiting your report, and I'll do one on my blog too, but after what we saw yesterday at lunch it is not such a mystery that Lebey declared that place "best of its kind" in a laudatory way. More to follow.

Just to say that my report on Ghislaine Arabian's Les Petites sorcières is here in English and here in French.

Edited by John Talbott at Ptipois's request.

Edited February 2, 2008 by John Talbott (log)

[John Talbott]

A new post because I can't find the "edit" button on my previous one. Just to say that my report on Ghislaine Arabian's Les Petites sorcières is here in English and here in French.

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Pti your review is priceless, including the pix of Ego, and no one should wait for mine which will not be posted for another week (me grouping stuff together) because you've perfectly captured it all.

[Ptipois]

To resume the discussion about Ghislaine, I think the context adds to the disappointment. Indeed, she has had problems. Whatever her responsibility was, the last few years have not been easy for her. I'd have thought that, starting back from nearly scratch as she seems to be doing now, she should be more careful. But she acted as someone who can do without her customers' satisfaction. That is a mystery to me.

Edited February 2, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[John Talbott]

To resume the discussion about Ghislaine, I think the context adds to the disappointment. Indeed, she has had problems. Whatever her responsibility was, the last few years have not been easy for her. I'd have thought that, starting back from nearly scratch as she seems to be doing now, she should be more careful. But she acted as someone who can do without her customers' satisfaction. That is a mystery to me.

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I'm treading on very thin ice here (to mix a metaphor) but I was talking to my trusted food-finder who had a similar experience chez GA two weeks ago and he posited that Jean-Paul was the ideal foil for Ghislaine, in that she needs a frontroom person to deal with the folk while she deals with the food. It seems that she has reversed the ideal; she's out front and unknowns are at the pianos.

[Ptipois]

I'm treading on very thin ice here (to mix a metaphor) but I was talking to my trusted food-finder who had a similar experience chez GA two weeks ago and he posited that Jean-Paul was the ideal foil for Ghislaine, in that she needs a frontroom person to deal with the folk while she deals with the food.  It seems that she has reversed the ideal; she's out front and unknowns are at the pianos.

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The fact that she should be in the kitchen and have someone else do the service makes no doubt.

But it doesn't take much skill to find a proper waiter for the dining-room, stick to the kitchen, and pop out your head every so often to say hi to the folks, as so many bistrot chefs do. At any rate that should be easier than finding a good sous-chef (which she hasn't been very good at either).

[prasantrin]

Having just read the review...priceless!

But the pressing question is...did you tip?

And the other question is...why did you stay?

Oops, yet another...Do you think it would have helped if you had said anything, or is that kind of thing not done in France?

[Ptipois]

Having just read the review...priceless!

But the pressing question is...did you tip? 

And the other question is...why did you stay?

Oops, yet another...Do you think it would have helped if you had said anything, or is that kind of thing not done in France?

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I'll let John provide his answers, Rashomon-style. Here are mine:

1) God forbid! (I'm not much of a tipper anyway but in this case, hell no.)

2) I was hungry, it was very cold outside, and we had to wait for the main courses to realize that the place was really hopeless.

3) In the particular situation of visiting a restaurant with the purpose of writing a review, you have to drink the cup to the dregs, however bitter they are. If by some miracle things take off at the end, that doesn't make it allright but it has to be mentioned. I was not there precisely for that purpose, but once you begin witnessing such an interesting little story, you feel compelled to stay until the end credits. Saying something might disturb the natural process.

4) We did skip dessert.

Edited February 2, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[John Talbott]

Do you think it would have helped if you had said anything, or is that kind of thing not done in France?

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I'll let John provide his answers, Rashomon-style. Here are mine:

1) God forbid! (I'm not much of a tipper anyway but in this case, hell no.)

2) I was hungry, it was very cold outside, and we had to wait for the main courses to realize that the place was really hopeless.

3) In the particular situation of visiting a restaurant with the purpose of writing a review, you have to drink the cup to the dregs, however bitter they are. If by some miracle things take off at the end, that doesn't make it allright but it has to be mentioned. I was not there precisely for that purpose, but once you begin witnessing such an interesting little story, you feel compelled to stay until the end credits. Saying something might disturb the natural process.

4) We did skip dessert.

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My answers are the same except I'd add that Pti did complain, but when the entire kitchen operation has ground to a halt and no one (except Ego) is eating food - complaining isn't going to magically jumpstart the kitchen. A friend of mine calls this sort of situation a "train wreck" where one must just repair the damage and get the train back on the tracks as soon as possible. This wasn't a situation where'd they'd run out of bread or couldn't find the fish in the frig, the engine had seized up, to toss in another metaphor.

[Pork Belly]

Do you think it would have helped if you had said anything, or is that kind of thing not done in France?

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I'll let John provide his answers, Rashomon-style. Here are mine:

1) God forbid! (I'm not much of a tipper anyway but in this case, hell no.)

2) I was hungry, it was very cold outside, and we had to wait for the main courses to realize that the place was really hopeless.

3) In the particular situation of visiting a restaurant with the purpose of writing a review, you have to drink the cup to the dregs, however bitter they are. If by some miracle things take off at the end, that doesn't make it allright but it has to be mentioned. I was not there precisely for that purpose, but once you begin witnessing such an interesting little story, you feel compelled to stay until the end credits. Saying something might disturb the natural process.

4) We did skip dessert.

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My answers are the same except I'd add that Pti did complain, but when the entire kitchen operation has ground to a halt and no one (except Ego) is eating food - complaining isn't going to magically jumpstart the kitchen. A friend of mine calls this sort of situation a "train wreck" where one must just repair the damage and get the train back on the tracks as soon as possible. This wasn't a situation where'd they'd run out of bread or couldn't find the fish in the frig, the engine had seized up, to toss in another metaphor.

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Your friend's metaphor is too kind. From my years of experience working in a restaurant kitchen, a "train wreck" usually means the kitchen grinded to a halt because something uncontrollable happened: a cook got sick, the dish washer broke, gas to the stove stopped, a kitchen drain overflowed, too many orders came in at once, etc., but in this case, the restaurant CHOSE to stop service to everyone so that they can take care of one diner, the presumed critic. This doesn't say much for the restaurant.

I did enjoy reading ptipois' review on his blog. Ghislaine Arabian's career is like a soap opera.

Edited February 4, 2008 by Pork Belly (log)

[John Talbott]

You friend's metaphor is too kind. From my years of experience working in a restaurant kitchen, a "train wreck" usually means the kitchen grinded to a halt because something uncontrollable happened: a cook got sick, the dish washer broke, gas to the stove stopped, a kitchen drain overflowed, too many orders came in at once, etc., but in this case, the restaurant CHOSE to stop service to everything so that they can take care of one diner, the presumed critic. This doesn't say much for the restaurant.

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Well I'll let Pti speak for herself, but I'm not sure that's what happened. To continue the train metaphor, I think Ego's food represented the last car through the switch, Madame A. sat down to engage him (as well she should), and she was largely oblivious to the train wreck behind her in the kitchen (as well she should not have been), perhaps caused by a loss of gas or perhaps inexperience or who knows? After reading about the brilliance and failure of American generals in WWII, it is clear that whichever, the leadership was clear and you were in or out based on as little as one battle. I do not think we've heard the last of this woman.