Dinner at Per Se - Suit or Blazer?

[Despos]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Why not just invade the kitchen entirely?
Do they staple the bill to it? My Chinese take-out place does that.
- B

You still pay after each meal? I am billed monthly.

 

[Despos]

A chef/friend of mine has twice taken the opportunity to cook in the kitchen at Taillevent for 30 days each trip, over the last 2 summers. He is no slouch in the kitchen and knows restauarnt life pretty well. He says the kitchen at Taillevent is notches above anything he has seen. When you order frog legs, they are fresh. Frogs are raised in the basement of the restauarant.
The obsessive prep of vegetables and fish. He said their kitchen techniques were amazing and beyond anything he had experienced. If you wonder if he has any cred, he cooks a bunch at the White House (Interesting stories from there as well) and has an extensive, impressive resume.

Best meal for me on my one trip to Paris was A'telier de Joel Robuchon but eating at Pierre Gagnaire was equally good. The clientele at Robuchon was a mix of foodies and tourists making the trek to mecca. Clientele at Gagnaire were more locals eating there for the food. I favor and am more comfortable with the latter. The food and "counter service" at Robuchen are an odd mix to me, not awful, just odd.

Oh Vox, I think I had quail eggs.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

What you're thinking about was only of interest to a subset, particularly the NYC-centered subset. And my grandparents did date back to the Edwardian era, but as children. - B
The great dandy, Evander Berry Wall goes into aching detail over all the top/chic restaurants he used to frequent when he was in New York during the Edwardian era in his autobiography, Neither Pest nor Puritan.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by Despos

You still pay after each meal? I am billed monthly.

My monthly quantity of Chinese takout is probably not in your league. There are the greats; then there are the also-rans.

Originally Posted by Despos

A chef/friend of mine has twice taken the opportunity to cook in the kitchen at Taillevent for 30 days each trip, over the last 2 summers. He is no slouch in the kitchen and knows restauarnt life pretty well. He says the kitchen at Taillevent is notches above anything he has seen. When you order frog legs, they are fresh. Frogs are raised in the basement of the restauarant. The obsessive prep of vegetables and fish. He said their kitchen techniques were amazing and beyond anything he had experienced. If you wonder if he has any cred, he cooks a bunch at the White House (Interesting stories from there as well) and has an extensive, impressive resume.

They are a restaurant that is challenged by the contemporary emphasis on innovation in cooking. All I can say is that I've had great meals there, but I go wanting to eat the basics and drink good wine. It does not surprise me that your friend found the kitchen at Taillevent uncompromising.

Originally Posted by Despos

Best meal for me on my one trip to Paris was A’telier de Joel Robuchon but eating at Pierre Gagnaire was equally good. The clientele at Robuchon was a mix of foodies and tourists making the trek to mecca. Clientele at Gagnaire were more locals eating there for the food. I favor and am more comfortable with the latter. The food and “counter service” at Robuchen are an odd mix to me, not awful, just odd.

Oh Vox, I think I had quail eggs.

The best meals that I had on our most recent trip were the two that we had at L'Astrance, followed closely by dinner at the Meurice with the relatively new chef there. Fabulous.

Robuchon was also very satisfying, as well as Le Comptoir du Relais Saint-Germain where we ate pretty much all the time except for the preceding places.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

The great dandy, Evander Berry Wall goes into aching detail over all the top/chic restaurants he used to frequent when he was in New York during the Edwardian era in his autobiography, Neither Pest nor Puritan.

Wasn't he in Paris during the Edwardian era? If I recall, he lived in the same hotel as the Aga Khan. A fascinating person.


- B

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

My monthly quantity of Chinese takout is probably not in your league. There are the greats; then there are the also-rans
- B

Cannot remember the last time I had Chinese food. I frequent Korean,Thai and Japanese, in that order.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by Despos

Cannot remember the last time I had Chinese food. I frequent Korean,Thai and Japanese, in that order.

Yum, yum, yum...in the end, though, it's China and France, then everyone else.

- B

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Yum, yum, yum...in the end, though, it's China and France, then everyone else.

- B
At least somebody agrees with me. Those two cuisines stand head and shoulders above everything else.

 

[poorsod]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Yum, yum, yum...in the end, though, it's China and France, then everyone else.

- B

+1

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by Despos

Cannot remember the last time I had Chinese food. I frequent Korean,Thai and Japanese, in that order.

I had trouble finding good Chinese in Chicago. Have you tried Phoenix in Chinatown for dim sum? It was decent--though not on par with what I've had in Flushing or the DC metro area.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Wasn't he in Paris during the Edwardian era? If I recall, he lived in the same hotel as the Aga Khan. A fascinating person. - B
He moved to Paris at the end of the Edwardian era, I recall. He said New York was only fit for businessmen. His hotel of choice was the Hotel Meurice and he and his chow-chow were outfitted at Charvet.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Yum, yum, yum...in the end, though, it's China and France, then everyone else.

Originally Posted by iammatt

At least somebody agrees with me. Those two cuisines stand head and shoulders above everything else.

We make big walls, Oxxford-quality suits for a quarter of the price, the world's entire supply of toys and elextronics, and fantastic food. All while wearing what the barbarians consider to be cartoonishly thick-rimmed eyeglasses. Ha.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I had trouble finding good Chinese in Chicago. Have you tried Phoenix in Chinatown for dim sum? It was decent--though not on par with what I've had in Flushing or the DC metro area.

You had trouble finding good food, or you had trouble finding good food in a restaurant you were comfortable eating at?

Because I've ventured down to C-town a couple times and that's where I have had some of the best meals since moving here. But I wouldn't exactly say I was comfortable at the restaurant. Nawwwmean?

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

He moved to Paris at the end of the Edwardian era, I recall. He said New York was only fit for businessmen.

His hotel of choice was the Hotel Meurice and he and his chow-chow were outfitted at Charvet.

Here's an article from TIME in 1940 shortly after his death about Berry Wall for those of who do not want to slog through his autobiography.


- B

 

[Xiaogou]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

I had trouble finding good Chinese in Chicago. Have you tried Phoenix in Chinatown for dim sum? It was decent--though not on par with what I've had in Flushing or the DC metro area.

Phoenix (upstairs) is good for dim sum. Three Happiness is okay...

Where do you recommend in DC? My friends always go somewhere in Maryland--not sure where. Also-- in your opinion, where is the best place to get dim sum in nyc, preferably Manhattan. I have a few favorites but would like to know your input.

 

[kaxixi]

^ We just had this discussion in (now two) threads. Chinese in Chi-town is emphatically... mediocre.

Favorite book on food is Liebling's "Between Meals". Where the "Between" came from, I'm not sure.

Matt and Vox, I have had trouble finding my way through the fog in Chinese cuisine. The cuisine is so different from ours that it's hard to guess what to have, and servers tend to give terrible recommendations because they either try to pander to Western tastes or just don't speak English. Suggestions?