Archive for February, 2009

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Le Lys Thai Restaurant – Bangkok

Monday, February 9th, 2009

photo credit & logo property of Le Lys

Nang Linchi, Soi 6 Thung Mahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
Tel. +66 02 287 18 98
http://www.lelys.info/
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Inexpensive

The ownership team is made up of a Thai lady called Paty and her French husband Philippe Delmas, and due to their input it works out to be a very pleasant experience both dining-wise and asthetically with even an opportunity to play pétanque (French lawn bowling) in the garden. They have recently moved from their location on Luang Suan to this new one on Narathiwat and they continue to serve the same reliable Thai dishes as before. Fruit drinks, wine and beer. Definitely worth a visit.

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The Spotted Pig “Gastro Pub” – New York

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

photo credits: www.thespottedpig.com, logo property of The Spotted Pig

314 W. 11th Street
at Greenwich St.
New York, NY 10014
Tel. (212) 620-0393
Email: info@thespottedpig.com
Website: www.thespottedpig.com
Operating Hours:
Brunch: 11am – 3pm (weekends)
Lunch: 12 – 3pm
Bar Menu: 3pm – 5:00pm
Dinner: 5:30pm – 2am
Dress Code: None
Owners: April Bloomfield, Ken Friedman
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate
Awards: One-Michelin star

Many pubs around England offer food ranging from mediocre to simply dreadful, the exceptions are pubs that serve gastronomically exciting cuisine. They were far and few between a few years ago, though gaining ground recently. My friends who keep up on those sorts of things have, over many years, introduced me to many surprisingly excellent, and these days dubbed, “gastro pubs” surrounding London and beyond.

Now in lower New York City, English Chef April Bloomfield, who garnered her training at such well know restaurants as: River Cafe, Kensington Place, Bibendum, and Chez Panisse, has opened her “gastro pub” The Spotted Pig in the depths of lower Manhattan in the West Village. It is a very popular spot now and very difficult to snag a table so your best bet is to wait for a table during the off hours either early or late, or you can dine at the bar or around the columns, if space permits. On February 14th they are celebrating their 5th anniversary.

Following are the menu offerings:

Bar Snacks

Deviled Eggs $ 3.00
Chicken Liver Toast $ 5.50
Devils on Horseback $ 7.00
Marinated Olives $ 3.50
Roasted Almonds $ 3.50
Roll Mops $ 7.50
Pot of Pickles $7.50

photo credit: The Spotted Pig

Plates

Beau Soleil Oysters with Mignonette 6 for $ 18 / 12 for $ 36
Marinated Octopus and Celery Salad $18
Jerusalem Artichoke & Escarole Salad with Hazelnuts $17
Apple, Walnut & Cheddar Salad $16
Smoked Haddock Chowder with Homemade Crackers $15
Prosciutto & Ricotta Tart with Marjoram $18
Sheepís Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Sage $15
Sweetbreads with Piperade and Mint $16
Crispy Pigís Ear with Lemon & Capers $15
Caesar Salad with Parmesan & Croutons $16

Entrees

SautÈed Quail with Roasted Treviso & Parmesan $30
Seared Spanish Mackerel with Mint Vinaigrette $24
Wild Striped Bass with Porcini & Crispy Leeks $32
Pan Fried Calfís Liver with Mashed Potatoes & Sage $21
Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings $ 17

photo credit: The Spotted Pig

Sides

Shoestring Fries $7
Mushrooms with Bacon & CrËme FraŒche $10
Roasted Carrots with Thyme $8
Beets & Greens $8
Brussels Sprouts $10
Champ $8
Plate of Five Vegetables $24

Desserts $8

Walnut, Chocolate & Amaretto Cake
Orange & Bourbon Chocolate Cake
Banoffee Pie $9
Ginger Cake
CrËme Caramel
Cheese Plate 2 for $ 10 / 3 for $ 15

Beer and Wine

Cask Beer

Cask-conditioned ale is the traditional beer of Britain. It is unfiltered and undergoes a secondary fermentation in the cask. When that fermentation is finished, the beer is left with a very light natural carbonation and a subtle depth of flavor. The yeasts, its job finished, drops to the bottom of the cask and leaves the beer clear. It is pulled up to the bar by a hand pump, just as it is in England’s Pubs. Cask ales are best enjoyed at a gently chilled cellar temperature. We hope you enjoy this handmade artisanal beer, brewed from the finest malt and hops.

Spotted Pig Bitter $9
Six Points ìOtisî Oatmeal Stout $9

Also on Draught:

Victory Pilsner (Downingtown, PA) $7
Capt. Lawrence Pale Ale (Pleasantville, NY) $8
Speckled Hen Pub Ale (England) $7
Guinness Stout (Ireland) $7

Bottles

Sapporo Light Beer (Japan) $6
Red Stripe Jamaican Lager (Jamaica) $6
Pacifico Clara (Mexico) $6
Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager (England) $9
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Chico, CA) $7
Brooklyn Brewery ìLocal 1î (Brooklyn, NY) $16
Magners Irish Cider (Ireland) $7
Saison Dupont Farm House Ale (Belgium) $12
Lindeman’s Lambic (Belgium) $12

Wine

Sparkling

Prosecco Ombra NV $10
Champagne Pol Roger “Brut Reserve” NV $19

Rose

Refosco Bastianich “Rosato” 2007 $9

White

Bourgogne Olivier Leflaive ìLes Setillesî 2006 $12
Viognier F. Villard ìLes Contours de Deponcinsî 2006 $17
Tocai Friuliano Bastianich 2007 $11
Sauvignon Blanc Rock Rabbit 2006 $9
Roussanne McCrea ìCiel du Cheval Vineyardî 2006 $16
Riesling Dr. Pauly Bergweiler “W.S” Kabinett 2005 $16

Red

Crozes-Hermitage Paul Jaboulet “Les Jalets” 2004 $14
Morellino di Scansano La Mozza “I Perazzi” 2006 $10
Pinot Noir The Four Graces 2006 $15
Zinfandel Ridge “Three Valleys” 2006 $13
Cabernet Sauvignon Clos du Val 2005 $17
Malbec Cuvelier Los Andes 2005 $15

There is no corkage fee; as you are not permitted to bring in your own wine. Choose from their most reasonably priced list!

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“Celebrity-Chef Bistros” a Growing Trend – Paris

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

In the late eighties two-star Michelin Chef Michel Rostang started the Bistro trend with an eye towards lowering prices. Since that time other starred chefs have done the same and as of late they have been sprouting up like mushrooms, in fact, some of these starred chefs have opened multiple bistros.
To make things worse the French, as well as Americans, and now most of the rest of the world, have been in the throes of a deep recession that some financial analysts are calling a full-blown depression.
This financial crisis makes it passé to brazenly spend money, so save for some customers from Asia and Russia who may not have realized this yet, most people are more cautious when it comes to spending money in ultra-expensive restaurants and may not show up as often or at all.
However, the tremendous upsurge of the popularity of bistros is not entirely due to frugality. The pace of life has changed, and things have generally become more casual even in Paris, who bravely resisted giving into this trend longer than anywhere else. Look around at what average people consider glamorous today, just take the show-business stars, for instance, they are not the impeccably dressed, chic, and attractive beauties of the past but just common looking persons mirroring the general population; not someone to look up to—but someone to feel on an equal level with.

I expect that one of the driving reasons, aside from the financial aspects, why the great chefs want to open bistros is because many of their clients want to go to restaurants to have uncomplicated food without compromising quality. Much of the food in these “New Celebrity-Chef Bistros” is very good, although undoubtedly a few are quite pedestrian, as we must remember that the starred chefs are only creating the menus not working in the kitchen. On the whole, they are trying to purchase the best and freshest basic produce, that is key in this type of operation, as they cannot fall back on expensive ingredients to make the their dishes taste good, and that is why it takes more talent to create dishes out of common ingredients without relying on exotic ones.
The unfortunate truth is that French people are not dining out as much as they once did, and at least the younger generation, are emulating the bad dining habits exhibited by the British and Americans masses. The sad fact is that little bistros are closing all over the city or are a landscape of empty tables. One day the citizens of Paris will finally wake up, look around, and say, “What has happened to all of our restaurants?” The fault will ultimately be theirs!

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Restaurant Drouant

Sunday, February 1st, 2009


16-18 Place Gaillon
75002 Paris
Tel. 33 (0)1 42 65 15 16
Metro station “Opéra” or “4 Septembre” 180 meters
Cuisine : French gastronomic
Opening Hours: Daily Lunch: Noon-2:30pm; Dinner: 7pm-Midnight (closed August)
Outdoor Dining, WiFi, Valet Parking
Cuisine : French gastronomic
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

Within a few steps of the Opera de Paris, restaurant Drouant offers refined cuisine from three-star Michelin Chef Antoine Westermann from Alsace. It is also the place where the prestigious Goncourt, Renaudot and Apollinaire literary awards are given each year in one of the dining salons, which must be accessed by climbing the magnificent Ruhlmann staircase. Renowned for their plateaus of shimmering oysters and brilliant Alsatian cuisine along with a well-stocked cellar of wines from that same region, and as an added bonus the front of house is in the hands of Antony Clemot who left Ile Saint Louis’s Mon Vieil Ami’s kitchen to become the manager.

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