french

Dominique Ansel’s Dreamy Caneles

May 20, 2013 By fritosfg 2 Comments

I’m going to Paris this summer and I can’t wait. The sights, the streets, the shopping…and the food. Oh the food. There is nothing like eating in France. You can cook the same recipes here in the US, but the ingredients just aren’t the same. Sometimes, though, when I am lucky, I taste something that really reminds me of Paris.

Like every single thing that I ate at Dominique Ansel Bakery. This tiny bakery, with a few tables and backyard garden, is the namesake of the baker who made his name with Daniel Boulud. He is known for his rich, authentic Parisian pastries and delicious desserts. He is also known for his croissant-doughnut mashup called the cronut, but I didn’t wake up early enough to snag one of those.

In fact, lots of his pastries run out early in the day, so set the alarm clock if you have your heart set on something particular. Don’t worry, the bakery sells made to order madeleines throughout the day.

Blackberry Pavlova

Frankly, this is wonderful. Airy meringue sandwiching rich pastry cream, tart blackberries, and some concentrated syrup so sweet and jammy that it is a pure burst of summer. This is light but very sweet. Elegant and fulfilling, ideal after a rich lunch.

Flourless chocolate cookie

This is just an excuse to eat a personal sized cake. Dense and fudgy with gooey chocolate chips melting even at room temperature. It’s sweet, but not overly so. It has a warm, deep flavor that only comes from truly high quality chocolate. It’s decadent but not too much to handle on your own.

Canele

Do you like bread pudding? If you do, then you will love this canele. The thickly burnished crust is sugary but not just sweet – it also has a slightly bitter edge that makes it really complex and interesting.

The interior is eggy and soft, almost melting in the mouth in contrast to the stiff outer crust. It is heady with vanilla and the faint backnote of rum. It isn’t overtly alcoholic tasting or heavy - it’s light and custardy, a wonderful blend of different tastes and textures. This is better than many caneles I have had in Paris and was the hit of my visit.

Dominique Ansel is a slice of Paris right in Soho. It is fairly priced (though not cheap) and the pastries are just perfect. I would absolutely go back, and plan to.

It might just hold me over till summer vacation.

Filed Under: review, SoHo Tagged With: bakery, desserts, french

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon – Laid Back Michelin Star Dining

March 22, 2013 By fritosfg 3 Comments

Eating at Joel Robuchon at The Mansion is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I doubt that I will soon, if ever, experience that kind of luxury, attention to detail, or service, again.

But I had the famous chef’s food just last weekend, in a far more casual setting at far more reasonable prices.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is Robuchon’s workshop. It is where his executive chef and the team is allowed to play with flavors, textures, and ideas, offering them to the public at prices that might make the wallet whine but not scream. Here is where you see more avant garde food, fewer suit jackets, and many more dining options. It’s not just one set menu – you can order a la carte or from several set menus, none topping $160 (which includes 15 courses, by the way).

The feel of the restaurant is hip and sleek, with its pops of red against shiny black. The place to sit is at the counter, where you can see the chefs preparing your food, but if you want a table, just say so at the time of making your reservation. We chose this option, and it worked out well so we could all talk. We also made our own tasting menu instead of going with one of the prix fixes…because we wanted all the foie.

Bread

The bread, though it doesn’t arrive on a bejeweled cart in 14 different varieties, is as faultless as that found in the parent restaurant. The baguette, in particular, is crusty without and slightly sour within. It’s crumb is fine and it is served warm, ideal with the rich, unsalted butter.

Amuse Buche – Foie gras and Parmesan parait

Um, yeah. Foie and Parm. Umami to the max. This tiny shooter is liquid foie and airy Parmesan foam, served warm so that the foie melts into an unctuous with a savory Parmesan cap. Salty, a little sweet, and creamy, this is one of the hits of the night.

Iberican ham with pan con tomate

Not much to say about this except damn…the ham is (as always) soft, pleasantly fatty, and deeply p0rky, but the bread is really the star of the show. Lightly toasted bread is covered with such small, even dices of tomato that it seems like tiny elves must be working in the kitchen. The bread is rubbed with a garlic cove so it is perfumed with garlic instead of overpowered by it. The tomatoes are, even at the tail end of winter, are juicy and sweet against the melting fat of the ham.

Carpaccio – Seabass with citrus and chiles

The best crudo I have had in awhile. The seabass is sliced so thinly that it is like a sheet of velum, milky pink against the white plate. It is dressed, but not saturated, in olive oil and the smoky, late-blooming heat of espelette pepper, bright lemon, and basil. The fish comes through fatty and moist and it is so good that you might not want to share.

I certainly didn’t.

Le Teriyaki – Kobe beef over sushi rice and spicy avocado

This is where Robuchon’s playful side shines. He takes the sweet-salty Asian flavor of teriyaki and sushi rice, then fuses it with French technique. The beef is seared to a perfect rare, with the inside warm and dry but still beautifully red and tender, the avocado is sliced so that it melts into the sushi rice, and the whole plate is perfectly balanced. It isn’t totally French, but nothing here is. It’s all about French technique and global ingredients.

Les Ravioles – Foie gras ravioli in chicken broth

These ravioli are ethereal and buttery rich at the same time. Imagine this: you are eating your Bubbe’s chicken soup. It is comforting and warm, your favorite chicken broth. Then imagine that she used fresh herbs (other than dill, fresh herbs are NOT the Jewish grandma’s MO). Licorice-y tarragon, fresh mint, and fragrant basil bringing Southeast Asian and French flavors to the soup, like a Vietnamese mash up. Now imagine that you put one of her famousfkreplach into your mouth. Except, this kreplach isn’t filled with beef. It is filled with a small nugget of foie gras. Not pate, mind you – pure foie gras. Molten, liquefied foie that thrills you to the tips of your carnivorous toes. It is a shock of richness against the wholesome broth, and the dumpling skins are so light that they are almost nonessential. This is a sleeper hit on a menu filled with exotic sounding dishes.

La Langoustine – crispy langoustine fritter with basil pesto

One of my tablemates said that this might be the best bite that he had ever put into his mouth.

That’s what she said.

Langousitnes have the texture of shrimp with the buttery taste of lobster. This langoustine is expertly cleaned and prepared and is SO rich and meaty that you might think there is more foie gras in there! Wrapped in a single sheet of crunchy, greaseless phyllo dough, it is served with both an herbal pesto and entire leaf of basil, lightening up an extremely dense, rich dish. This is butter overload, so don’t order it if you don’t like butter.

In fact, don’t read this blog if you don’t like butter.

La Caille – free range quail stuffed with foie gras, served with pommes souffles

First, the quail: Decadent. An exquisitely deboned quail, served medium so it is earthy and slightly funky, like wild boar. Stuffed with a cylinder of warm foie gras, melting into the quail, picking up it’s salty, crispy skin and tender meat. This is seasoned only with the quail and foie fats, salt, and pepper. It’s ideal.

And the pommes souffles…they are Robuchon’s calling card. He invented them by using half as much butter as potatoes That’s enough butter to get a gal into trouble. Add some fragrant troubles, and she is a goner.

I am so, so weak against butter(with a few potatoes mixed in there).

Le Burger et Frites – beef and foie burgers with caramelized bell peppers and spicy bell peppers coulis

Not your average slider. The patty is thick and very mild, probably from a cut like filet mignon or a style like Wagyu that is very fatty and moist. The slider is – here’s that word again – rich, punctuated by the sweet and spicy bell pepper jus. I still prefer the one at DB Bistro, but this slider is a decadent and delicious way to end a meal.

Oh yeah, and the fries may be the most perfect specimens I have had in America.

The word rich came up many times in this review. However, you don’t have to be rich to eat here. You have to save up for a while, but you don’t have to lust after it without any payoff. It is pricey but attainable fare in a relaxed, cool setting with excellent service. It’s all the foie you can handle. And it’s from the chef of the century.

Chef Robuchon, you have done it again.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Tagged With: Fine Dining, french

French Roast Brings Casual Chic to the UWS

October 23, 2012 By fritosfg Leave a Comment

French Roast is the type of place that every neighborhood should be lucky enough to have. It is inexpensive but still has waiter service, has a large enough menu to entertain everyone but it is focused enough to cook everything well, and has servers who know who to keep a whole family happy as well as leave you alone if you just want to sit with your latte and work.

The place is uber crammed on a sunday brunch, but for lunch or dinner on a weekday, it is just perfect. Busy but not crowded, with enough staff to make sure that you aren’t waiting for too long without a menu or a coffee.

Endive and Frisee Salad with hearts of palm, blue cheese, and vinaigrette

A special that day, this salad mimics one of my favorites. Bitter endive, creamy and sharp blue cheese, and a bright vinaigrette. The tangles of stiff frisee and velvety hearts of palm vary the textures in this salad. Though it could have used a few walnuts, the salad was substantial for an appetizer.

Pumpkin Bisque

This other daily special was a highlight of the meal. Extremely pumpkiny and thick enough to coat the back of my spoon. It was none to sweet, picking out the buttery and earthy notes of the gourd instead of the sweet ones that are so often exploited. There are spicy backnotes of onions and thyme, followed by the rich, grounded taste of the bisque. Hot and creamy without being at all greasy, this is the perfect soup for any rainy day.

Mediterranean plate with hummus, babaganoush, carrot salad, and s Spanish eggplant

Just what you might expect from this establishment. Since it isn’t a Mediterranean restaurant, the food is a little one note, but since it’s a good restaurant, it’s a damn good note. Lemony humus, sweet and spicy eggplant, and some very garlicky babaganoush. This is not a must have on the menu, but it is a great option as a group appetizer or as a very nice light lunch with the warm pita that accompanies it.

French Roast is a gem on the often overpriced UWS. It is fairly priced, casual without being divey, and the food is genuinely delicious. Come here for lunch with a friend or alone and prepare to leave well sated.

Filed Under: Upper West Side Tagged With: french

Cassoulet

September 27, 2012 By fritosfg 4 Comments

One of the best things about visiting France for the first time is realizing how wrong you are about so many things. They don’t hate Americans. They don’t all wear Chanel. And the don’t all smell like rotting brie cheese.

Well, some of them do, but 11 year old boys don’t like to shower in this country, either.

One of my favorite things about visiting France was realizing that not everyone eats tiny crudites, expensive champagne, and tasting menus every night. There is a whole world of rustic, hearty, rather inexpensive French food. Food that you eat with family, drinking table wine, laughing and dipping spoons into each others bowls until you rise from the table, bellies ready to burst and eyes ready to take a wonderful fat-and-carb induced slumber.

Cassoulet is such a dish. This rustic pork, duck, and bean stew is everything I don’t associate with Paris – heavy, overt in taste, somewhat clumsy in serving. And yet I love it.

Don’t leave anything out, especially duck. That is the only really expensive part this dish, but it serves such a large amount of people that it is totally worth it. Use a wine that you love to drink, so you can drink it with the meal. I used a Tarquiet Chenin-Chardonnay. This wine has the dry, crisp notes of chenin blanc blended with some buttery, yeasty flavors of chardonnay. It really stands up well to the pork without overshadowing the other flavors.

Cassoulet (adapted from Saveur)

Ingredients:

60 oz. cannellini beans

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

10 tbsp. olive oil

5 cloves garlic, smashed

1 lb. pork shoulder

1⁄2 lb. pancetta, cubed

1 bunch thyme, tied with twine or thread

4 tbsp. dried oregano

2 bay leaves

3 cloves, tied in a cheesecloth, or 2 tsp. ground cloves

1 28 oz. can whole peeled or crushed canned tomatoes

1.5 cups white wine

4 cups chicken broth

4 confit duck legs

1 lb. ground pork

2 cups panko bread crumbs

4 tbsp. melted butter

3 tbsp. each salt and pepper, plus extra to taste

1. Put the ground pork, the pancetta, the onions, the garlic, and the carrots into a large dutch oven with the olive oil. Let it sautee and steam until the pork is totally cooked through, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 325F.

2. Strip the confited meat off of the bones, and take the skin off. The skin should come off easily. Save it and set it aside.

3. Add the meat to the dutch oven,and, meanwhile…

4. Cube the pork into 1 inch pieces or thereabouts (removing excess fat and saving for future use),

and then add it to the dutch oven.

5. Add the beans, stock, wine, and tomatoes…

then the spices and herbs. Bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.

6. Set it to cook in the oven, covered. Do not disturb for 3 hours.

7. In the meantime, put the reserved confit skin in a skilled over medium low heat. Let it cook for about 40 minutes, or…

until you have this. Crisped duck skin, a pool of gorgeous duck fat, and an incredible smell wafting through your kitchen.

8. Chop up the skin…

and mix the skin and butter with your panko bread crumbs.

9. By now your stew should be pretty much cooked. Taste it. Does it need more salt, more spice from the cloves? Does it need more acidity from wine? Adjust it as you see fit, and have a bite of the pork to make sure that it is extremely tender. It should be so delicious that you literally start drooling immediately. If you do…

Add the breadcrumbs to the top…

and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and fragrant.

10. When the juices start to bubble through the top of the breadcrumbs, the cassoulet is done.

11. Serve, mes petits, serve.

There is nothing cool or reserved about this dish. It is entirely out loud and unapologetic. Porky and sweet and tart and rich and savory. Creamy beans, tender pork, crisped bits of pancetta. Juicy tomatoes, the gentle spice of cloves, and the crispy, butter breadcrumbs.

Serve this with the leftover wine, or any other spirit that suits your fancy. Eat it with a a light salad and top off the meal with some buttery shortbread cookies and coffee.

Or, just plan to finish off the cassoulet instead of dessert.

Eating like Paul Bunyon – betcha didn’t know France had it in her.

*The wine was provided to me as a sample. I was not required to use or write about it, and my opinions are my own and unbiased.*

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: french, soup

Leeks Vinaigrette (And Global Bazaar Ticket Winners!)

September 24, 2012 By fritosfg Leave a Comment

For a recent bistro themed meal, I needed a light side dish that would cut through the fatty main course but was heartier than a salad. Preferably something that could be cooked ahead of time then kept at room temperature for the duration of the party so it wouldn’t take up room on the stove.

It should also be classically French because, heaven help me, I love a theme.

I turned to leeks vinaigrette because it is a dish that is so easy to prepare. It takes awhile to prep, but after you are done cutting and cleaning, the cooking is a breeze. This recipe serves bout 4 people as a side dish, but double or triple or deca-tuplet it – it is so easy to do! It is delicious hot, room temperature, or cold, and can easily be made vegetarian. everyone loves this, even people who are funny about onions, and most importantly…it’s as French as Chanel.

Leeks Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 bunches leeks

2 boxes chicken stock

1 cup your favorite vinaigrette

1. Chop the long, husky, green ends off the leeks and the roots, so you are only left with the white parts. Take off any hard or bruised outer leaves, then slice the white parts into small rings.

2. Fill a large bowl with cold water, then plunge the leeks in there, swishing them around in the cold water, and let them sit for about 5 minutes, while the dirt sinks to the bottom.

Really get in the water, separating the circles, making sure the leeks are clean. You may need to spill out the water, then repeat the process a few times. It’s worth it for non-gritty leeks.

2. Pour the chicken broth in a large pot, and add the drained, cleaned leeks.

3. Set to boil for 30 minute, or until the leeks are very tender, almost melting, with no fibers.

4. Drain leeks.

5. Add the vinaigrette, and eat immediately or let come to room temperature.

6. Serve.

These leeks are what is refered to as “melted”, because they become so soft and smooth. They are incredibly healthy, but taste indulgent – almost fatty in their richness. They have none of the pungency or overly sugary overtones of raw or caramalized onions. They are something all their own. Savory, light, filling, and somewhat earthy, the way that turnips or potatoes are.

They soak up the vinaigrette, with ads brightness and a bit of salt to the naturally sweet leeks. They cut through fatty stews, they are delicious layered on bread with ricotta, and they are even great the next day served atop a pizza.

And they are unequivocally french.

Long live the theme.

AND…

The winners of the pairs of Global Bazaar tickets are (taking into account 2 comments that were not available to win the prize – and it was only done through 19 comments, but I had some problems copy and pasting here…)

True Random Number GeneratorMin:

Max:
Result:10Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Lisa

and

True Random Number GeneratorMin:

Max:
Result:19Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Melody

*Winners must contact me by 4 pm today with their full names and email addresses so they can get tickets! Otherwise, prizes will be released to other people.*

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: french

DB Bistro Moderne – The OG of Luxury Burgers

August 17, 2012 By fritosfg 5 Comments

There is something to be said for the plain burger. The fast food burger. Even the occasional turkey burger. But the king of all burgers, the big mac-daddy of them all has to be the DB Bistro burger. When Daniel Boulud introduced his foie gras and truffle stuffed burger, all bets were off. This ushered in an era of burgers made with Kobe beef, topped with lobster, and served with everything except a black AMEX card.

But many of these burgers were merely an exercise in opulence with no thought towards balance of taste or texture.

Boulud’s burger is still around, the OG of luxury burgers. Is it worth they hype?

The dining room is nothing to brag about. Attractive? Sure. But, also in the middle of Times Square, it is best described as business casual and utilitarian. I would feel equally comfortable dining in nice jeans and a shirt as in heels and a cocktail dress.

Cheese Crisps with Red Pepper and Olive Dips

These little cheese crisps were light and incredibly flaky. Infused with the mellow, nutty taste of Gruyère cheese, they were comprised of at least 12 layers of crisp, buttery pastry. Dipped into the roasted red peppers, which tasted like they were warmed by the sun then sweetened with fruity olive oil. Also enjoyable was the garlicky, anchovy laden tapenade. This elevated bar snack was a welcome starter to what would be a very decadent meal.

Country Duck Pate with Pickled Vegetables and Dijon Mustard

This pate is outstanding. It is more than just a hodge podge of different offal, it is a carefully constructed mixture of tender meat, iron-y offal, and luscious duck fat. It spreads evenly at room temperature, infusing the warm toast with a deeply duck-y taste and soft texture. There is the fragrant scent of cloves, tart pickled vegetables and spicy, grainy mustard. This is like very rich liver pate with bits of tender, moist duck meat scattered throughout.

Sauternes

This sauternes, a 2004 Château Doisy-Védrines, was superior to the glass I had in Palm Beach and complimented the duck beautifully. Thick, topaz liquid slid down my throat, warming it and bringing out the sweet, delicate notes of the duck fat. It was really a beautiful combination.

House Made Fettucine with Crispy Pancetta, Brown Butter, Aged Parmesan and Shaved Summer Truffles

This dish surpassed expectations. The house made pasta proved yet again that fresh pasta is a different beast than dried pasta. So toothsome, chewy yet delicate, the noodles threatened to melt in my mouth but held their own against the garlicky shards of pancetta. The brown butter was thick and rich, coating each noodle and shred of salty Parmesan cheese. The crowning glory was a veritable windfall of truffles – they are not shy on the truffles here. We actually saw a gentleman come out and present a server with a whole truffle, then shave it on, just to ensure she felt she got her money’s worth. My plate came with plenty of truffles the first time around. Less earthy and dominant than black truffles, summer truffles are light, ethereal tasting, a shroud of umami around rich, buttery flavors. It gives it an aromatic, fragrant to a dish that could otherwise seem rather heavy and one-note. This dish is not to be missed.

Black Sea Bass with Summer Squash, Mosto Vinaigrette, Tomato Confit Hen of the Woods Mushrooms

Delicate black bass was filleted beautifully and cooked until flaky but still moist, with a crispy, delightfully salty crust. The vegetables made a light, vibrant summer ragout and the tomatoes were of special note. Peeled and cooked gently for hours, they burst with a sweet, tangy,almost jam-like taste. This fish was beyond reproach and yet…it went almost uneaten. That is because of:

Original DB Burger - Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short RibsFoie Gras and Black Truffle, Served on a Parmesan Bun with Pommes Soufflées

I had my doubts about this burger. How could a burger this overloaded with ingredients retain its integrity as a burger? Furthermore, how could a burger with this many tastes manage to respect all of its fine ingredients. This was going to be a disaster, I was sure of it.

I was so, so wrong.

The first thing I said when I tasted this was “I felt like I have never eaten beef before.” This was SO beefy, with its double hit of medium rare ground sirloin, rosy and robust in taste with the tender shortribs. The short ribs were not stringy or gamy, but cooked until the flavor was mellow and deep against the vibrant ground beef. The bun was soft and squishy, but did not deteriorate from the copious meaty juices. The taste of truffle was delicate but ever-present, savory and heady next to the sweet madeira in the short ribs. The piece de resistance was, of course, the sizable disc of foie gras, melting and rich. It swam in my mouth, almost dancing, the sweet, buttery component of the dish. I still don’t know how these ingredients all worked so well together – even describing it seems like overload – but the taste is one that I will never forget. One half was perfect – more than that and I would have gone into cardiac arrest. Happy cardiac arrest.

The pommes souffles are potato chips meet french fry. The world’s crispest french fry that has been hollowed out, so only warm, potato-scented air remains. Delicious dipped in the house made mayonnaise.

Did I mention that I ate the hamburger with no condiments? It needed none. It was ideal.

This meal, starting with the excellent, attentive service (our server noticed we were on a romantic dinner outing and was sent over a celebratory glass of sparkling wine) and ending with a plate of indulgent mignardises, was spot on. Though the dining room’s temperature was a bit warm and certainly more casual than the food would suggest, the dinner was memorable in every way. It is, also, extremely reasonably priced. It offers a prix fixe menu, brunch, and the burger itself is only $32. There must be $35 of foie gras in that patty alone. This burger is the best I have ever had. It is the best I will ever have.

The search for the perfect burger is over - it is right in midtown and it lives up to its storied hype.

Filed Under: Midtown Tagged With: American, Fine Dining, french

Artisanal – For the Love of Cheese

August 10, 2012 By fritosfg 1 Comment

I take cheese very seriously.

If you don’t, just stop reading now.

If you DO…well then, you will want to make your way to Artisanal for dinner, as I did. This Terrance Brennan restaurant, an NYC stalwart for years, is the city’s most famous cheese emporium. The restaurant worships cheese. There are cheese tasting menus, cheese fondues, and even an entire room filled with the stinky stuff, where you can eat amongst the dairy.

If that doesn’t sound romantic to you, then again, please just stop reading now.

Artisanal looks like a huge bustling Parisian brasserie - a bit less authentic than Balthazar, but just as bustling. It is ideal for an upscale dinner with a group of friends, but since it gets so loud, it isn’t the best choice for a first date.

Lady Mary with Lillet Blanc, Citrus, Basil, and Champagne

It is rare that a restaurant makes a cocktail so extraordinary that I sit up and take notice. This is such a rarity. Lillet Blanc is an aperitif, a fortified white wine that is sweet and citrusy. It balances well with the peppery basil and tart lemon. The final touch of crisp champagne makes this bright cocktail both potent and eminently drinkable. This tastes like punch but after just one, you will be pretty buzzed.

Luckily, the restaurant serves plenty of dishes to soak up that booze.

Bread

Each meal here starts with crusty, tangy sourdough bread. There is a nutty whole wheat version as well, and both go well with the sweet, unsalted butter.

Steak Tartare

This starter is a classic bistro dish. Cubes of tender, robust beef, mix with egg yolk, capers, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce in this satisfying, if somewhat bland rendition. I prefer my tartare to be mixed tableside, extra spicy, but this is at least made with extremely fresh, coarsely ground beef. It is especially tasty when spread on warm toast, creating a carnivorous open faced sandwich. The frites that come alongside are exemplary. Piping hot, incredibly crispy, and not too salty – they really taste of potato. Order the truffle mayonnaise alongside for dipping purposes. The mayonnaise is rich and creamy, and the truffles are heady, deep, and incredibly savory. I started dipping my spoon into the serving vessel and eating the mayo plain.

No, I’m not embarrassed.

Fondue

When you come here, you eat fondue. There are 3 fondues to choose from – 2 standard choices, and one rotating fondue du jour. The one we tried, the fondue du jour, was made with leeks and Gruyère cheese. The fondue comes to your table with hunks of bread, and you of course have to purchase some add ons. The fondue arrives to the table in a pot on a burner, so it stays liquid and warm the whole time. The first thing about this fondue was the aroma. It smelled like that mouth-watering scent of onions bubbling away in butter, mixing with the light, high note of white wine. Dipping a chunk of bread in the fondue made the cheese stretch from the pot to my plate in a ribbon. The taste was…perfection. Nutty, salty, gooey, creamy. Studded with sweet bits of browned and caramelized leeks.

The bread is tasty enough, but when you add in juicy nuggets of garlicky kielbasa, sweet apples, and tiny, tart cornichons, the meal takes on a wholly different level of greatness. The tastes are so varied and customizable – the pot finished all too quickly.

Profiteroles

If you are eating French, you might as well do it all the way – am I right or am I right?

The profiteroles here are topped tableside with warm, viscous chocolate sauce that hits the perfect note between bitter, milky, and sweet. The ice cream is smooth and fragrant with vanilla, and the dough is crisp and light, crunching ever so slightly between the teeth. The best dessert on the menu, and possibly the best rendition in town of this dish.

Artisanal is a very special place. Not just because the prices are upscale but not obscene. Not just because the service is efficient and knowledgeable but not pushy. Not even because the food and drinks are spot on in preparation and execution. It is because this restaurant specializes in the ultimate communal experience. What fosters conversation more than eating together and sharing a meal like this? Dipping into bread basket together, laughing as cheese strings refuse to break, arguing over which fondue to get…this is what eating is about. It is about sharing an experience with another person. Artisanal is tailor-made for that kind of experience.

And if you love cheese as I do, it is tailor-made for you.

Filed Under: Flatiron Tagged With: french, review

Joel Robuchon at The Mansion – A 16 Course Dream Come True

July 27, 2012 By fritosfg 2 Comments

Foodies like all types of dining experiences. Eating potato chips on a road trip. Enjoying burgers at a drive in. Cooking at home for loved ones. And, once in a while, every foodie relishes a truly fine dining experience. This was such an experience.

Joel Robuchon, named “Chef of the Century,” did not want to open Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in Las Vegas. He had to be wooed and coaxed out of retirement. To hear the whole story, I direct you to the very funny and delicious book The Man Who Ate the World, by Jay Rayner. When he did open it, he pulled out all the stops. Since it has opened, it has been considered one of most over the top, the one of the most elegant, and certainly one of the most expensive restaurants in America. Though other restaurants, like Per Se, have the same 3 Michelin stars and difficult reservation policies, there are very few restaurants that compete on the old-school elegance and technique of this restaurant.

It is part of the famous Mansion hotel-within-a-hotel in the MGM Grand. You have to be invited to stay there, and rooms start at $5,000 a night. It is only for whales, foreign princes, and people to whom $5,000 a nigh tis chump change. You aren’t even allowed to visit the hotel – it is within a secret courtyard hidden in the MGM Grand.

But, if you book a table at Joel Robuchon, you get a gold limo that chauffers you to The Mansion, where you can relax in the glass atrium before dinner. Tropical plants thrive in the always 75F temperature, and gently classical music is piped through. You may find yourself, as I did, shocked into the realization that this will be a dining experience like none other you have ever had before.

Don’t worry, I took a coaster from a coffee table to remind myself later that this wasn’t a dream.

Soon, a concierge will arrive to take you through The Mansion to dinner.

To say that the room is elegant would be doing it a disservice. It is absolutely, straight up, old school fancy. Done in tones of eggplant and gold, there are plush banquettes, a sparkling chandelier, and even a faux garden outdoors, so people can eat outside without ever having to battle bugs. Many of the seats are couches, putting forth the idea that this is not a meal to nourish, but one to relax, to enjoy, and to indulge.

Bread Cart

This is where the magic starts. A cart filled with at least 17 types of bread is rolled to you, and your server describes each one, like some glorious, hunger-inducing monologue. Baguette, country bread, milk bread. Basil brioche, bacon bread, Gruyère bread. Hard bread, soft bread, miniature bread, gargantuan bread. Each different, each baked in house daily. You are encouraged to sample many breads throughout the course of the meal, though only your first selection will be warmed.

Bread Selection

Mustard Bacon Baguette – an exemplary baguette, with a stiff crust and an airy interior. Flecked with sizable chunks of fatty bacon and pungent grainy mustard.

Gruyère Bread – light and fluffy, with a generous portion of nutty Gruyère cheese capping the roll.

Comte Bread – delicate and buttery, like a croissant. Filled with smoky, salty comte cheese that oozed in the middle.

Saffron Brioche – fragrant and heady with saffron, reminiscent of paella. Very light and moist.

The butter, from Brittany, is hand shaved, and the olive oil is Spanish.

Butter

It deserves special mention. This Brittany butter is incredibly dense and feels like it weighs twice what American butter does. It tastes sweet and very clean, not greasy at all. Sprinkled with fleur de sel, it is delicious enough to be eaten on its own.

Don’t worry, I didn’t. I am a classy broad, ya know.

Cherry gazpacho with sheep’s ricotta and pistachios

The first taste of this is not cherries, it is sherry vinegar. Deep, nutty, complex. Then, sweet tomatoes and fresh cucumber come through. Finally, at the end, a sweet note of cherries finishes off the mouthful. The sheep’s ricotta is milky and the salty pistachios are a wise textural contrast. It is an ideal starter.

Salad of tomato with basil infused olive oil and basil gelee topped with mozzarella

Wonderful things about this dish include:

-the incredibly potent tomato. It tastes bright but also earthy, and very sweet.

-the mozzarella. Tiny, exact pearls of mozzarella, so creamy they practically melt if you look at them too hard.

-the basil gelee. Incredibly fragrant and herbal, it is spicy next to the sugary tomato.

-the black plate that makes the gelee look black, instead of clear.

-this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXQTdPCWG7M&feature=youtu.be

Red turnip and radish with yellowtail carpaccio, chilled cauliflower veloute, and maki of thin couscous, all topped with caviar

Yellowtail carpaccio – as mild as toro, with a less fatty taste and slightly firmer texture. It has a brightness that works well with the peppery radish and crunchy, earthy turnip. The caviar adds a pleasant salty taste that ties in the land and water theme.

Cauliflower veloute – my favorite part of the course. Thin but very rich and smooth, this is the essence of cauliflower. It is salty enough to bring out the naturally sweet and creamy flavor of cauliflower, and the caviar adds both depth and texture. It is so very savory that I would swear there was pork somewhere in the base of the soup.

Couscous Maki – The least memorable part of the dish, but the one where the caviar stands out the most. Thinly shaved cucumber holds pearls of couscous, topped with a generous portion of caviar. the caviar’s deep taste reverberates through the mouth with salt, bitterness, and a final note of iron, like liver.

Roasted foie gras with cherries and kumquat compote

My baby. My favorite food. My sweet little liver. This is as ideal a foie gras as one could hope to have. A thick, crisp crust conceals a warm, pale pink interior that is so umami it defines the word. Savory and meaty, with a dense, creamy texture. It pais well with the cherries, which taste of wine, and with the bright kumquat puree, which temper the dish’s richness. When foie is this perfect, all description fails it.

Seared scallop with young leek in green curry

Following the foie with the scallop is a calculated and very smart move. To follow it with more meat would result in palate fatigue. To follow it with a light fish or vegetable would mean that the delicate taste would be lost. Following it with buttery shellfish served in a spicy, herbal broth both gives the palate a rest and awakens it for the courses to come. Every move at this restaurant is thought out and planned. The scallop has a crunchy crust and a soft interior. It works well with the green curry, which is it is so bright with ginger, cilantro, and lemongrass that it seems almost alive. It breathes life into the meal and re-awakens the appetite. One of my favorite dishes of the night.

Truffled langoustine ravioli, grilled spiny lobster medallion in herb sabayon, sea urchin on potato puree with Blue Mountain Coffee

Ravioli – delicate sheets of pasta wrap around a chopped langoustine filling. Plump and bursting with buttery flavor, it is infused with the powerful scent and flavor of truffles. The earthy shrooms make the dish as meaty as it is oceanic. My seafood-wary sister claimed this as one of her favorite dishes of the night – it is quite rich and very tasty, but also very mild on the seafood taste.

Lobster – a bit tougher than I like, with too many herbs taking away from the butters inherent delicate flavor. It was still quite tasty, but not up to par with the other aspects of the plate.

Urchin – unbelievable. Pillows of soft, creamy, intensely briny sea urchin atop Robuchon’s famous pommes puree. These potatoes, made with as much butter as potato, are so rich and dense that they make the uni seem even lighter and more refreshing by comparison. The Blue Mountain Coffee adds a smoky, pleasantly bitter quality. For once, coffee actually tastes as delicious as it smells!

Delicate green pea cream on foie gras royale with argan oil

The only misstep of the night for me, due more to personal taste than any cooking discrepancies. The peas taste too grassy, almost like wet soil. The foie gras royale is airy and gets lost in the thick potage, and the argan oil has no discernable flavor. Let it be known that I am not a huge pea fan, and that other members in my party lapped this up.

Slightly cooked slamon with grain mustard seeds and mango tagliatelle

The best salmon I can remember eating, including at top-notch sushi restaurants. It is so mild, so soft but not mushy, with a thin, caramalized crust. It must be cooked incredibly gently, because it has a moist but still cooked interior, where the fat has melted away and self basted the fish. The mango tagliatelle is just as outstanding – thin ribbons of fruit that resemble al dente pasta in texture, but with a bright, tart flavor.

Sauteed veal chop with porcini mushrooms

Veal never tasted this good. This veal has the intensity of beef with the delicate texture of veal. I was able cut it with a fork, it has a woodsy, hearty taste that one normally only associates with beef. It stands up to the porcini mushrooms, not as heady as truffles but much meatier. The demiglace served alongside is thick and reminiscent of wine, slowly cooked onions, and spicy black pepper.

Risotto of soybean sprouts, lime zest, and chives

Sprouts cooked very gently in the style of risotto, until they form a thick, rich stew. If it weren’t for the slight crunch, I would think it WAS risotto! Bright with lime zest, there is the nutty taste of Parmesan cheese and a lingering taste of garlic that makes this dish taste traditional. Well, as traditional as spout risotto can be. Once again, a wise choice in terms of timing. This gently bridges the gap between salty main course and sweet dessert.

Honey gelee and a light lemon cream finished with a spiced red fruit coulis

Very sweet, more like caramel than honey. The lemon goes a long way to cutting through the sugar, and keeps it from being overpowering. An interesting dessert, but not a sensational one.

Caramel panna cotta topped with fresh strawberries in a balsamic reduction

Now THIS is a dessert. A showstopper. Panna cotta that is smooth, milky, and incredibly clean, with just a bit of bittersweet caramel. Fresh strawberries, juicy and tangy, cloaked in their rich balsamic dressing. Bits of crunchy brioche croutons soak up the juices, and vanilla scented foam perfumes the whole dish.

A perfect end to the meal.

Or is it?…

Mignardises

Um, no. This is the end to the meal. An entire cart full of mignardises (small sweets served at the end of a meal) comes to you, and you choose s many as you would like. Caramels, chocolates, petit fours, cakes that burst in your mouth with raspberry jam, macaroons, lollipops, bonbons…it’s as if Willy Wonka himself is in front of you.

Needless to say, they are all delicious, but do not miss the cannele. It is custardy, caramalized, and a gustatory transport straight to Paris.

Joel Robuchon is, for me, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not only because it is prohibitively expensive, but because how many times can Cinderella go to the ball? From the moment I stepped in the gold limo to the second that I was surprised with a birthday cake, to the very last bite of my very last petit four, this was a fairy tale. There were some dishes that were not to my taste, but that mattered less than the experience of the meal. It was a 4 hour dining journey. Servers came by to chat when we had questions, to advise on the wine list, and to show us a special feature of the dish. They also left us alone to laugh, to talk, to revel in the meal and each others’ company. Our needs were anticipated – we never had to ask for more bread or an extra napkin. The surroundings are beautiful, the service is excellent, and the food was really beyond my expectations. It combines classic techniques with unexpected ingredients. That scallop with the curry sauce is not the most technically complex dish on the menu, but it is representative of Robuchon’s attention to detail and exquisite palate. From beginning to end, this meal is worth every penny to someone who values a unique and over the top dining experience.

The next day, I went back to eating sandwiches, but for just that night, I was Cinderella at the foodie ball.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Tagged With: Fine Dining, french, review

Cafe Boulud, Palm Beach

July 18, 2012 By fritosfg Leave a Comment

While vacationing in Palm Beach, you might expect to eat club sandwiches by the pool. You might expect to eat haute sushi while shopping the incredibly expensive boutiques on Worth Avenue. You might expect to have cocktails on the beach or appetizers at the beach club.

You probably don’t expect to eat the refined cuisine of Daniel Boulud.

The Brazilian Court is home to the Palm Beach outpost of Cafe Boulud. The trick here is transferring Boulud’s flawless service and precise cuisine to the laid back elegance of Palm Beach. Residents here are wealthy and well-traveled – they know good food. But can this outpost deliver?

The dining room is beautiful – an indoor space overlooking the spacious courtyard. Trees and twinkling lights fill the room, giving the illusion of being outdoors with no bugs and where it never goes above 75 degrees. The space is not stuffy, but be sure to wear at least a polo shirt if you are a gentleman, and ladies would not feel out of place in heels. This is Palm Beach, after all.

As a note, I was here during the Boulud Sud pop-up of the restaurant, where for a month, the menu is comprised of dishes inspired by the fabulous version of the NYC restaurant.

Sundried Tomato and Olive Foccacia

The house baked foccacia is yeasty and soft, studded with juicy tomatoes or pungent olives.

Enjoy it dipped into a plate of olive oil flavored with garlic, rosemary, and red peppers.

Sicilian Sardine Escabeche with Pine Nuts and Raisins

In a word: sensational. These bear absolutely no resemblance to the oily, bony specimens that come in tin cans. These are soft enough to cut with a fork, and the bones are so tiny that they dissolve in the mouth undetected. There is no fishy, iodine-y taste that many sardines have. Instead, these are more like smoked trout – extremely mild, taking on the flavors of the tart lemon and herbal fennel. The raisins provide an unexpected note of sweetness, working with the tart, bright flavors in the marinade, and the pine nuts are a pleasant textural contrast. If you don’t like sardines, try these – you may be a convert.

Rabbit and Foie Gras Ballotine with Chestnut Mostarda and Madeira Gelee, with Sauternes

Woodsy, earthy rabbit and heady, smooth foie gras in a smooth, meaty mosaic encased in buttery pastry. The foie gras and rabbit are such a natural pairing, because while they both taste intensely meaty, one is dark and husky and the other is light in texture and almost electric in taste. Though I didn’t care for the very sweet chestnuts, the slight acid of the madeira jelly worked well with the ballotine. The crowning touch was the Sauternes. Sauternes is a desert wine that is notoriously delicious with foie gras. Sip it after taking a bite of foie gras and the liver takes on different flavors – of raisins, of walnuts, of rich rare steak. This is a classic dish done very well.

Lamb Merguez Sausage with Chickpeas and Couscous

As our waiter said “That’s a lot of sausage!” You aren’t cheated on the portions here – the point isnt’ to get the money out of you, it’s to make sure that you leave having a wonderful experience. The lamb, though a bit grainy and coarsely ground, is bursting with flavor. Smoky with cumin, hot with harrisa, with a finishing note of cool mint, it is Morocco on a plate. It sits on a bed of garlicky, peppery couscous next to lightly curried chickpeas and spinach. This plate is a flavor explosion – it isn’t for people who like plain potatoes and boiled beef. The execution is beautiful, and the flavors really pop.

Chocolate Souffle and Pistachio Ice Cream

All the molten chocolate cakes out there, take note. This is your classy grandmother who shops at Bergdorf’s and still wears heels. LIght, moist, and almost impossibly rich, it disappears the moment it touches your tongue, almost too fast. The pistachio ice cream, nutty and creamy, adds a wonderful temperature contrast. This is classic and almost the perfect dessert.

The madeleines that come with the check really make it a perfect dessert. Lemony and still warm from the oven, I ate 4 of them and would have eaten more if I hadn’t been so very stuffed.

This restaurant is excellent. It isn’t inexpensive, but you get what you pay for. Excellent, unobtrusive service that never once bothered my date and I when we were deep in discussion, yet somehow always made sure the water glasses were full. Flavors that are surprising and excellently executed. And atmosphere that is equal parts romantic, laid back, and elegant. It fits Palm Beach to a “T” and is absolutely a must-visit if you are in the area.

*Disclaimer – The restaurant paid for my meal. I was not required to write a review, and my opinions are my own and unbiased.*

Filed Under: Florida Tagged With: Fine Dining, french, review

Petrossian

July 2, 2012 By fritosfg Leave a Comment

When I recently used a Groupon for the first time, I learned 2 things:

1. Groupon lets the restaurant decide the specifics of the certificate. That means that, though there may be no small print about dining restrictions, the restaurant decides if you can dine there for dinner only. Not a huge sticking point, but something to remember.

2. If you are a careful shopper, Groupon has some very good deals. .

In particular, it offers packages to really high-end restaurants. Like Petrossian.

The caviar emporium is also affiliated with a lovely art deco restaurant near Carnegie Hall where luxury ingredients like caviar and foie gras reign the menu. This means that costs add up quickly. By buying the Groupon, I got to have a 4 course meal, including vodka and caviar, for $50 per person.

Any girl with as much Russian blood in her as me is going to buy that deal for the caviar alone.

12 grams Royal Transmontanus Caviar with Creme Fraiche and Toast Points

One of the most interesting aspects of this caviar is how indistinguishable it is from imported Russian caviar. Very clean tasting, with individual beads that do not pop with a disarming crunch, but rather gently their release salty, briny flavor. I have had domestic caviar before, several years ago, and that stuff was NOT this stuff. There is no bitter aftertaste, no muddy flavors. Paired with the bite of vodka, warm toast points and rich creme fraiche, it was a well-rounded and indulgent appetizer.

Petrossian Salmon Sampling - Our Premier Smoked, Classic Tsar Cut, Dill and Vodka Spiced, Tsar Black Sea Spiced and Salmon Roe

A wonderful treat for anyone who loves smoked salmon. Perhaps not as fine as my favorite balik cut salmon, but an excellent example of how salmon can take on many flavors and textures. The classic Tsar Cut was buttery and fatty, tasting like thick cut belly lox. The dill and vodka salmon was herbal and the fishy flavor was greatly reduced by the sharp vodka cure. My favorite part of the dish was the salmon roe – fluorescent orbs of salty, oceanic flavor. Pleasantly sticky and not at all mushy, this roe alone would make a delicious appetizer.

Pan Seared Striped Bass with Basil-Lime Risotto, Candied Pearl Onions, and Bouillabaisse Sauce

The fish was crispy and mild, the pearl onions were a nice jammy counterpart, and the broth was rich with saffron, adding aromatics to the dish. That’s all fine and dandy. The risotto was out of this world. The texture was dead on – individual grains of rice that were creamy yet fluffy. And the taste was revelatory, nothing less. The basil and lime gave an unmistakably Asian flare to the risotto – fragrant, citrusy, and extremely savory. I would NEVER have thought to do a risotto mixing these flavors, but when combined with nutty Parmesan cheese, this was outstanding. I can’t wait to recreate it at home.

Apple Tart with Cinnamon Ice Cream

Don’t believe it for a second. This is not an apple tart. This is a gooey, buttery, doughy cinnamon roll with a little tartness from apples. That’s all. If you like Cinnabon, you will love this. The homemade cinnamon ice cream, smooth and a little spicy, is a tasty sidekick.

Petrossian is a beautiful restaurant with attentive service. The food was delicious, especially the caviar and that unrivaled risotto, and with the Groupon, the meal was an affordable indulgence. Not an everyday thing, but something that makes a fantastic treat.

Filed Under: Midtown Tagged With: Fine Dining, french, review