French Laundry experience, by request
- Thread starter Aser
- Start date
haha! ive checked that blog. i like the short video clips. i guess its legit. ive been to some of the spots but i dont know if they warrant a post. some of them.
there's another one called the great taco hunt or something like that. its a lil better, but no videos.
this one, however, is my favorite. not really a foodist colony elite, but i think it kicks ass over most of these food porn blogs.
http://sobaditsgood.blogspot.com/
there's another one called the great taco hunt or something like that. its a lil better, but no videos.
this one, however, is my favorite. not really a foodist colony elite, but i think it kicks ass over most of these food porn blogs.
http://sobaditsgood.blogspot.com/
my friend who used to live in CC said he sees that truck all the time. nice pic.
I've heard of santa ramen being raved, and I've also heard extremely good things about ramen halu in the much hated sj. It looks very official, considering the site is Japanese only.
pek - I rewatched scenes off Before Sunset the other night, it is one of the few movies that improves w/ repeated viewings. I'll rewatch the cafe one now that you reminded me.
I've heard of santa ramen being raved, and I've also heard extremely good things about ramen halu in the much hated sj. It looks very official, considering the site is Japanese only.
pek - I rewatched scenes off Before Sunset the other night, it is one of the few movies that improves w/ repeated viewings. I'll rewatch the cafe one now that you reminded me.
Re: skates and the fanny joints you guys are talking about. I have to again agree with the dude, aser.
There are quite a few variable in having a pleasant dining experience. I remember this old hippy dude I used to buy mota off of in the height was telling me about the original owners of cha-cha-cha and how he would peek in the restaurant to see if the chef???s were fighting. The chefs were married and he claimed that when they fought the food was extra spicy how he liked it.
Also, its not always the same dude preparing your food in the kitchen. I know the foofier spots have a dude QCing every plate leaving the kitchen but that is no guarantee. This French laundry looks like an exception to that rule, I mean, if theyre switching out the brioche to maintain a certain temperature, that???s some next level scientist shit.
Me and my foodist holmesboy, benjo, were having a discussion about the san Gabriel valley. Aser, I hope you hit at least 1 spot in the SGV. The depth and breadth of their regional Chinese dishes is mindblowing. Im talking Sichuan, shanghainese, macau-ese, chow-chow, Taiwanese, hakka, Islamic Chinese, you name it. Anyways, Benjo had this great idea about becoming a Chinese food sherpa. Anyone in the know, knows that one of the key ingredients in having a great experience at a Chinese restaurant is the ordering of the food. Chinese cuisine should have a balance of 2 opposing forces. That???s that yin-yang shit that I know you folls know. Yes? Well, my dude, benjo is pretty nice with the ordering tasks. Seriously, getting asian food with someone that knows how to order is a top priority for me. Especially the spots that do the ???family style??? thing. Btw, family style is the most ideal way to dine. It is perfection. Anyways, Im not that good at it so I usually have benjo or someone else along for the ride.
The other thing to remember about asian food, especially Chinese food, is the turnover. There are constantly places opening and closing in the SGV. Places swicth owners and keep the name. places start to get a rep and the quality goes down. Chinatown dining is in a constant state of flux. And to be able to recommend a spot, benjo made a good point that you really need to be living in the SGV and hitting the spots on the daily to know what???s what. I mean, it aint that different from digging for the rackord.
Um. Yeah.
There are quite a few variable in having a pleasant dining experience. I remember this old hippy dude I used to buy mota off of in the height was telling me about the original owners of cha-cha-cha and how he would peek in the restaurant to see if the chef???s were fighting. The chefs were married and he claimed that when they fought the food was extra spicy how he liked it.
Also, its not always the same dude preparing your food in the kitchen. I know the foofier spots have a dude QCing every plate leaving the kitchen but that is no guarantee. This French laundry looks like an exception to that rule, I mean, if theyre switching out the brioche to maintain a certain temperature, that???s some next level scientist shit.
Me and my foodist holmesboy, benjo, were having a discussion about the san Gabriel valley. Aser, I hope you hit at least 1 spot in the SGV. The depth and breadth of their regional Chinese dishes is mindblowing. Im talking Sichuan, shanghainese, macau-ese, chow-chow, Taiwanese, hakka, Islamic Chinese, you name it. Anyways, Benjo had this great idea about becoming a Chinese food sherpa. Anyone in the know, knows that one of the key ingredients in having a great experience at a Chinese restaurant is the ordering of the food. Chinese cuisine should have a balance of 2 opposing forces. That???s that yin-yang shit that I know you folls know. Yes? Well, my dude, benjo is pretty nice with the ordering tasks. Seriously, getting asian food with someone that knows how to order is a top priority for me. Especially the spots that do the ???family style??? thing. Btw, family style is the most ideal way to dine. It is perfection. Anyways, Im not that good at it so I usually have benjo or someone else along for the ride.
The other thing to remember about asian food, especially Chinese food, is the turnover. There are constantly places opening and closing in the SGV. Places swicth owners and keep the name. places start to get a rep and the quality goes down. Chinatown dining is in a constant state of flux. And to be able to recommend a spot, benjo made a good point that you really need to be living in the SGV and hitting the spots on the daily to know what???s what. I mean, it aint that different from digging for the rackord.
Um. Yeah.
That could be it but there are so many variables involved, this is an educated guess at best. If you really want to get that nerdy aboot it (oh might as well), it could very much depend on the day he went. If he dined on Sunday, I would tend to agree with you. Although if he were there on a Tuesday, most likely the chef really did manage to procure a great supply of skate, or maybe a bulk discount.
Such is the dynamics of restaurants, I try not to overanalyse while I'm actually there. Rather just enjoy the meal for what it is and save the nerd oots for the late night egullet/chowhound crusing.
I agree with your last comment...at the time we were eating there, I loved the meal, the wine, friends, etc. Afterward, I got to rip it to shreds. That is the fun of eating out and being an amatuer critic.
As for the skate...We were eating on a Thursday night, with a friend who is a regular there and takes a lot of clients to Esca. He knows the somelier, and they came to say hello before the meal. So, when we were talking to the waitress, I trusted her opinion, as we were with a regular. Like I said, it was good, but not great. Also, it was worth a risk, as we were splitting the main courses- and as I said, we sent one back. Which was...The Stripped Bass, the speciality of the house.
I guess my point is...I'm sick of my just-ok meal being my fault, and not that of the kitchen. A good restaurant should be able to make a turd taste good (note there reverence chefs give Thomas Keller, to get us back on topic, for the way he can elevate entrails and radishes). I think that the kitchen just had a bad night when we ate at Esca, which has become a much longer story than it should have been.
Check, please.
Shig = disconnected from ancestral homeland.
In all seriousness, I appreciate your suggestions. And damn, I want to get into the secret Japanese beef spot. invite only? WTF?
So the striped bass was grilled and you're not used to eating crispy fish skin? Unless the fish was undercooked sounds like there was nothing wrong with it. The house specialty is the whole Mediterranean sea bass baked in a sea salt egg white crust.
Splitting a composed main fish course at the table is a bit difficult and isn't the best look imo.
There very few millionaire chefs like Pasternack that stay and run the kitchen all day long. Other celebrity chefs make a name for themselves, get into marketing and have crappy restaurants. If Keller's using artificially enlarged foie gras then ingredient quality is obviously not his concern. Esca is by far the best Italian seafood restaurant in the states and if you ever see the monkfish liver with 25 year old balsamic vinegar in the altro section its a must have.
So the striped bass was grilled and you're not used to eating crispy fish skin? Unless the fish was undercooked sounds like there was nothing wrong with it. The house specialty is the whole Mediterranean sea bass baked in a sea salt egg white crust.
Splitting a composed main fish course at the table is a bit difficult and isn't the best look imo.
There very few millionaire chefs like Pasternack that stay and run the kitchen all day long. Other celebrity chefs make a name for themselves, get into marketing and have crappy restaurants. If Keller's using artificially enlarged foie gras then ingredient quality is obviously not his concern. Esca is by far the best Italian seafood restaurant in the states and if you ever see the monkfish liver with 25 year old balsamic vinegar in the altro section its a must have.
Ok. 1) used to eating crispy fish skin. 2) the seabass tasted like charcoal. not fish. not brine. not ocean. not meat. burnt charcoal. 3) Ok. Whole fish in salt crust is the speciality. But, I'm feeding my lady the new yorker article, where pasternak says striped bass is his favorite fish, it never comes off the menu, etc. etc. etc. So, when she orders the stripper it seems a no brainer. 4) yes, I know that Pasternak was not in the kitchen. He was closing his other restaurant that same week; I'd talked that out with my friend at James Beard before we went. Was not expecting the pasternak attack. And, frankly, I've worked in enough kitchens to know the schedule of those who have their name on the joint.
Taking bites off your companion's fish at the table is, was, and will always be fine by me; perhaps we should not eat out together. If I'm going out with friends, and we've already had crudo tastings, apps, and a pasta course, why not steal a little bit off the other plate? All friends at my table.
look. My hopes were high. I wanted to love the place. And you can love Esca to your hearts little content. but, my meal there was not great. Now, I didn't get the monkfish liver, but we gave 'em a good shot on a lot of other items. So, it will be a while before I go back to the best Italian seafood restaurant in the states; and it isn't my fault, but theirs.
haven't read this whole post, but skimming the last page as a professional cook i just want to say 2 things...
1- the best ramen i've ever had is in central Hokkaido Japan. i even trailed in the kitchen to see how it was done. local miso blended with local aromats...apple, carrot, daikon, etc. made the shit happen. so clean but with amazing depth. can't remember the name of the town but the dude is a self proclaimed ramen master and spitting japanese image of saddam hussein...just way more mellow.
2- there are so many variables in getting good food out of a kitchen that i can't even begin to break it down, but the point is that the culinary ability of the chef is often irrelevant. it comes down to how the kitchen is managed and how the actual cooks have been trained, their ability, how they are supervised, how intense of a service it is, etc. but even the best restaurants are going to have their ups and downs no matter how disciplened and well oiled the kitchen is. haven't eaten at any of the thomas keller restaurants, but if in NY and you want to know what the best of the best can put out, go to "A Voce" on 26th and madison. no i don't work there but i do know all those guys and they're the best in NY.
1- the best ramen i've ever had is in central Hokkaido Japan. i even trailed in the kitchen to see how it was done. local miso blended with local aromats...apple, carrot, daikon, etc. made the shit happen. so clean but with amazing depth. can't remember the name of the town but the dude is a self proclaimed ramen master and spitting japanese image of saddam hussein...just way more mellow.
2- there are so many variables in getting good food out of a kitchen that i can't even begin to break it down, but the point is that the culinary ability of the chef is often irrelevant. it comes down to how the kitchen is managed and how the actual cooks have been trained, their ability, how they are supervised, how intense of a service it is, etc. but even the best restaurants are going to have their ups and downs no matter how disciplened and well oiled the kitchen is. haven't eaten at any of the thomas keller restaurants, but if in NY and you want to know what the best of the best can put out, go to "A Voce" on 26th and madison. no i don't work there but i do know all those guys and they're the best in NY.
