Gentleman Farmer - May 28, 2011

For a farmer, even for a leisurely and a gentlemanly one, it seemed that his sense of season was not well attuned to the changes in nature. The menu was comprised of an eclectic selection of farm animals – pheasant, rabbit, snails, duck and foie gras – and wilder ones - venison, wild boar, bison and ostrich – although with today’s technology, I suppose you can just about farm almost anything anytime, except for an unsightly fungus called truffle. Nonetheless, a wild boar is quintessentially a winter dish, is it not?

This quaint restaurant used Laquiole silverware, which, despite being quite near the restaurant supply district, I doubt if came from any of the suppliers nearby, who had apparently never heard of a banneton. This was noteworthy and admirable: I am not fussy about the décor or anything in a restaurant that does not enter my mouth; however, silverware, not only do they enter into my mouth, they are necessary to transport the food into my mouth. And yet, the quality of utensils in New York is lamentable: plates are well-aged with multi-scratches and spoons and forks are self-bending even without the assistance of Uri Geller.

La Maison de la Truffe

Risotto aux Truffes d’Été

 

I was saving this for a rainy day, but I suppose today was the rainy day. Therefore, I had finally made up my mind and broke the seal to this jar of French happiness. Rest assured, despite the common myth, the French can cook pasta, rice and gnocchi, yes, they can and very well, too. Nonetheless, La Maison de la Truffe had delegated the making of this luxurious, almost instant – approximately 12 minutes – risotto with summer truffles to the professionals: Product of Italy.

Lyon Bouchon Moderne - January 1, 2011

Escargots – Garlic sausage, watercress risotto

It is about time that escargots squirmed out of their little holes. Granted Escargots à la Bourguignonne is delicious, but among all the innovations, inventions and creations – from deconstructed to destructed, it is an unforgivable neglect that escargots have stayed stagnant in its comfortable garlic herb butter. Is it in fact a sign of general decline in creativity? Or, is it simply due to laziness in the name of cost cutting to keep using the half-dozen escargot plates? Please: Even mussels have discovered curry.

Les Halles - December 10, 2010

I have never watched "No Reservations," nor have I read “Kitchen Confidential.” I avoid TV personalities-cum-chefs, who invariably seem to be more interested in being celebrities than cooking good food. If a chef wants to make money, and by all means they have the right to as anyone else, what should they do? To that question, I have no answer. Cooking is an art; it is a performance art. Therefore, by definition, it is ephemeral and evanescent, and of course, being such, it cannot truly be mass-reproduced (the reason why Hollywood films are such a waste of every resource conceivable). Then, why was I interested in dining at Les Halles, a place filled by either Bourdain-worshippers or after-work crowd? My dormant interest stems back many years when my favorite waiter at my favorite brasserie in Tokyo (Aux Bacchanales) moved to Les Halles, Tokyo. There had to be reason for the move, no? (Or just money?)

Le Singe Vert - October 23, 2010

Le Demi Poulet Roti

There was no monkey business at the Green Monkey in terms of their pre-theater prix fixe - I suppose you can call your prix fixe whatever you want but "theater" here surely does not refer to Broadway, well, unless, if it is off-off-off-and-off Broadway - of $19.95, plus $5 for dessert.  The price tag is here to stress the fact that there was no monkey business when it comes to the amount of food they place in front of you, the lack of which seems to be a common vice shared by many pre-theater menus.  

Lamb Shank in Red Wine with Chestnuts - October 28, 2010

Served with Caesar salad and
spinach with tarragon

In case you are wondering what I am doing with the 10lbs of chestnuts I had ordered - there is nothing wrong with being a purist and simply roasting and peeling and eating them away - I had also put the chestnuts into a stew in lieu of potatoes.  This stew of lamb shank and chestnuts is such a heartwarming dish that is guaranteed to win not only hearts but also stomachs.

Lucien - October 16, 2010

Le Lapin A La Moutarde

A few years ago, I was told by a French expat that he had simply given up on French restaurants, high or low, in New York in place for his girlfriend (now wife)'s amateur cooking.  I had already had a deep suspicion that the standard of French food in New York was mediocre but if her decent one-dish, simple cooking, produced after following a Le Cordon Bleu cookbook for three mysterious hours, was superior, then the standard, or the lack thereof, might have hit a new low.  The Daniel empire, while the best among the overrated and overcrowded culinary frontier that is New York, has been consistent in being superior to its peers; and yet, when you consider what "peers" are consisted of, the compliment becomes somewhat limited.  In any event, my tireless search for my Le Paul Bert in New York landed me in the Lower East Side on a cold, gray afternoon.  While I do not subscribe to the automatic skepticism that the French do not know how to cook pasta, it was indeed disheartening to find that the top item on Lucien's menu, proudly described as the "Traditional Lucien Dish," was nothing other than spaghetti alle vongole.     

Le Bouchon, October 10, 2010

My quest for a good bistro - as pathetic as it is, I am not even asking for perfection anymore, but just a warm and cozy place for some solid, down-to-earth French cooking; the atmosphere New York can fake, but faking certainly does not extend to cooking - had taken me as far as Cold Spring.  In an ideal world, my quest should have taken me all the way over to Le Paul Bert in Paris; however, life is far from perfect, is it not? 

Le Paris Bistrot, October 8, 2010

Once in a while, I revive one of my pet projects perhaps to try my luck, an experiment not dissimilar to a dogged search through a bin of collected buttons to find the matching button for a shirt or a coat, saved in a tin box from so many labels for that one incident where you may indeed need it in the long span of time, dragged from apartment to apartment but miraculously never lost, and never thrown out because you hope against hope that one day your conscientiousness may pay off and your fingers will find that button among a thousand...how satisfying, how justified will that feel!? Finding the right bistro is such a quest:  With so many French people in New York, where do they go to eat?  Not the corner deli or another "New-American" whatnot.  Do the French expats simply give into the sorry state of French restaurants on this small island, bossed by chef-generals who are more interested in world domination and wasabi and Thai curry rather than good, solid French cooking, as a part of the bargain they have signed up for in this New World?  Unless it is located in the French Consulate, based on sound reasonable estimate on the number of French stomachs in New York City, yes, there must be a good bistro; however, in reality, there is not. A few promising establishments have have maddeningly close and yet failed:  Artisanal, Balthazar, etc.  Where is that one place where bubbling onion soup gratinee will always welcome me?  I am running against time as the dreary long New York winter is approaching...yet again.

Gascogne - May 2010

Review of restaurants should be foremost about the food: As long as the food is good, who cares about the rest? Taste, taste and taste - that is all a true gourmet cares. All other shortcomings can be forgiven as long as the food is lovely: If you love someone, you must love everything about that person, correct? Yet, most of the so-called reviews seem to be more interested in whining about the service (I say, expertise deserves respect, although many seem to disagree: don't ask for parmeggiano reggiano for your spaghetti alle vongole; it is your fault, if the chef gets a bit nasty) or the proximity of tables (do not be such a selfish anthropophobe: love thy neighbor, remember?) above food. If you are so easily disturbed, a little meditation or therapy can help, you know?

However, Gascogne is an exception to my rule of review: the atmosphere and the service of this restaurants is remarkable because they are so French. The cozy and tranquil back garden creates the illusion that you are in Paris, provided that you do not look up at the back walls of the buildings. One Saturday evening, I was running late for the 7PM reservation by more than 30 minutes, which caused my punctual friend to suffer a wait on the bench outside, and yet when I finally arrived, the staff seated us without a fuss. More to the credits of Gascogne, we only told our waiter once that we were waiting for one more person to arrive, and the waiter never asked us again until we gave up waiting and ready to order - one hour later. Truly graceful, the waiter did not bring our bill until we had fully digested the dessert - another hour later. I will give you this: When the food is fine, service and atmosphere do enhance the overall experience.

Escargot: Unfortunately, really unfortunately, the puff pastry could not cover the less-than-admirable quality of the escargot inside. The lack of quality, nevertheless, was rescued by the fact that it was seasoned well, if not superbly so. Edible? - yes; Will I order again? - maybe no.

Terrine de Lapereau: Delicate with the cooling gelee, this was a delight on my palate.

Foie Gras Poele: Did this come from the Hudson Valley? Or...? If they indeed have come from the Hudson Valley, the foie gras at Gascogne fooled me well. No matter how much they try upstate, the foie gras of the etats-unis is just not the real deal, is it? Biting into the perfectly sealed crust , the runny decadence inside melted into my mouth...lovely, lovely, lovely.

Confit de Canard: One of my favored dishes, but Gascogne's was a little bit on the fatty side, a little too fatty...

Faux Filet de Boeuf au Poivre Vert: Steak with green pepper corn sauce is also one of my, well, fine, many favored dishes. The sauce was full of spirit; however, could they please get a younger boeuf so it would not be as tough to chew and swallow?

Apricot Flambe: Simply done and irresistible - the acidity of the fresh apricot with a touch of sweetness from the brandy were light and round off the dinner satisfactorily.

Crepes Suzette: Prepared by the waiter and properly caramelized by a beautiful fire at a safe distance (so far that I could only see the flame through the window), these crepes were as authentic as they were delectable with the Grand Marnier and orange.