Taboo Restaurant – Palm Beach

October 24th, 2009

Taboo Restaurant, Palm Beach (image credit: Taboo, Palm Beach)221 Worth Ave
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Tel. (561) 835-3500
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11:30am to 5:00pm
Dinner: 5:00pm-10:00pm weekdays; 8:00pm-11:00pm Fri., Sat.
Sunday Brunch: Served until 3pm
Dress Code: Dressy
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

Taboo is a legend on Worth Avenue that continues through the generations! It is an institution, try to overlook the inconsistencies in the cooking and stick to lighter dishes or seafood or maybe just imbibe in a few drinks. It is an experience to go to this the “grande dame” of restaurants in Palm Beach.

Taboo Restaurant (image credit: Taboo, Palm Beach)

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Brass Cap Restaurant in Santa Monica – Los Angeles (Closed)

October 23rd, 2009

Brass Cap, Santa Monica (Closed)Brass. Cap
100 W Channel Rd, Santa Monica, CA
(310) 454-4544 ‎

Bruce Marder’s rendition of what he called an “American brasserie” with its heavy French overtones, in Santa Monica Canyon (just below Pacific Palisades) has sadly closed. It was popular with locals although, possibly it did not attract enough mainstream audience and combined with a tough economy led to its demise. I quite enjoyed it on many occasions when in Los Angeles.

Bruce Marder also owns: Capo, Broadway Deli, Cora’s Coffee Shop, Brentwood Restaurant.

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October 31, 2009 Disciples Escoffier, Greater China, Dinner – Shanghai

October 21st, 2009

Auguste EscoffierPapillon, Lan Club

4/F, 102 Guangdong Lu,
The Bund
near Sichuan Lu
email: lan.marketing@lan-global.com
Mon-Sat 12:30pm-2:30pm, 6:30pm-10:30pm; Closed on Sundays
Prices: Expensive

LAN’s newest French restaurant, created by chef William Mahi, the influence behind the kitchen of KEE Club, creates deceptively simple although lofty French cuisine. Be prepared to pay for these modern entrees.
Opened July 22, Papillon is the French restaurant in the LAN Club. It is a showcase of Chef William Mahi, who is known for his intricate presentations with different textures and defined tastes. It was Chef Mahi’s desire to open Papillon on the 4th floor, and to offer the finest French cuisine in the region.
They named the restaurant Papillon due to hundreds of butterflies displayed on the walls with (465 different butterfly specimens), in addition the garden cocktail lounge has a natural plant wall with over many different kinds of plants from all over the world. The way that they exhibit different combinations of flowers and grasses expresses the natural living concept of the LAN Club.

Disciples Escoffier, Greater China
The delegation was established in 2007, with a vision to renovate the culinary arts scene in Shanghai, where over the past few decades the gourmet arena has experienced rapid growth. To forward this development, Disciples Escoffier, Greater China Delegation holds monthly Epicurean Dinners. These informal events are held at established hotels or restaurants in Shanghai and are hosted by some of the best chefs in France and across the globe, who have brought their expertise to the amazing variety of restaurants in this city. The menus are prepared by top chefs and feature a theme, usually with French or Western influences. They offer gourmands an opportunity to indulge in exquisite food and wine in a pleasant atmosphere. The hotels and restaurants salute Escoffier’s vision of promoting the culinary arts scene, as well as an association with some of the top names in the gastronomic field.
Papillon, Lan Club, 102 Guang Dong Road, Shanghai, 200002, China
Tel. 86.1.52.21.10.57.26
email: epicurean.d@disciple-escoffier-china.org
Menu in the style of Ferran Adria, Juan Maria Arzaak, Martin Berasategui, Santi Santamaria, Subijana, Gianluigi Bonelli.

Menu October 31, 2009

Oyster d’ Avant Garde by William Mahi at LAN Shanghai

Oysters foam Caviar Salt Vintage Style

Raviolis Translucid Iodized Oysters Duck Liver Tomatoes

Sea Bass Purple Basil 30 seconds

Poached bubble Eggplants

(wine included) Escoffier Member RMB400; Non-Escoffier Member RMB500

Please reply to: Tel. 86.1.52.21.10.57.26

email: epicurean.d@disciple-escoffier-china.org for more information or reservations.

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Niu’s on Silom, Jazz-Blues Bar, Restaurant – Bangkok

October 17th, 2009

Niu's on Silom (photo credit: Niu's on Silom)Pictured above: Looking at Niu’s from the courtyard

661 Floor 1-2 Silom Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel. 02-266-5333-4
Fax. 02-266-5335
email: reservation@niusonsilom.com
website: http://www.niusonsilom.com

The Concerto Restaurant is a short walk up a circular stairway to the floor above Niu’s on Silom, the fashionable jazz bar on the ground floor, it is a comfortably furnished room with all tables having a bird’s-eye view of the tree-lined square below, and features a treo of musicians playing very subdued light music; they are hidden up in the front to the extreme left, and provide the perfect background music for enjoying dinner.

Concerto (photo credit: Niu's)Above: The dining room at Concerto Restaurant at Niu’s on Silom

Piccata of Dutch Veal at Concerto Niu's on Silom (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)Above: Piccata of Dutch veal

Spaghetti Vongole (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)Above: Spaghetti vongole with bottarga

Chef Marco Cammarata presented me with an exquisite amuse-gueule, an assembled medley consisting of small dishes of fresh crab, foie gras & mango, and Scottish salmon with fennel and this, I thought, was a good start for what was to come. An uncomplicated menu of spaghetti alle vongole topped with some bottarga to begin, followed by a very hard to come by, at least in this part of the world, genuine Dutch veal prepared as scaloppini piccata. Both dishes were flawlessly executed. When the dinner was finished, the waiter suggested that I order dessert and grappa at the jazz bar downstairs and that turned out to be a very good idea!

Concerto Dining Room, Niu's on Silom (photo credit: Niu's on Silom)Pictured above: Another view of Concerto’s dining room at Niu’s on Silom

The bar room is exceedingly well put together and oozes sophistication and good-breeding, you may choose to be seated in a comfortable leather chair or sit at the bar to listen to one of the rotating vocalists, which on this particular evening was Tessie, who was backed by the accomplished house band with Steve Lowry on trumpet; while I slowly worked on a vanilla and coffee Panna Cotta and sipped a lovely red wine, Montemoro, Special Selection 2003, from Alessandro Puri’s, Wine Merchants Co., Ltd., Bangkok. The club has a state-of-the-art sound system and the entire room, and even the plate-glass windows are soundproofed, this new club gives some serious competition to the Bamboo Bar and other jazz venues in town. Just outside Niu’s bar where live jazz is performed nightly is a relaxed, informal outdoor dining area, seating can expand into the courtyard as required and there is also an outdoor-bar, it is the perfect setting for the cooler evenings of the winter season that is fast approaching.

You may find the schedule of who is playing on any given evening at Niu’s on Silom by going to their website: http://www.niusonsilom.com

Pictured below: Live jazz at Niu’s on Silom bar on the ground floor

Jazz at Niu's on Silom (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)

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Italasia Wine Tasting at Jim Thomson’s House – Bangkok

October 17th, 2009

Lungarotti at Italasia Tasting (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)Above: Ms Chiara Lugarotti CEO of the famous vinyards from Torgiano in Umbria represents Lungarotti at the Italasia Wine Tasting.

Italasia Wine Tasting (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)Many fine wines were exhibited and poured at the Italasia Wine Tasting at Jim Thompson’s House on Friday 16 October, 2009.

Italasia Wine Tasting (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)An excellent selection of the finest salumi and many different cheeses from different regions in Italy from mozzarella di bufala from Campania in the south to raw cow’s milk cheese from Piedmonte in the north.

DSCN1732aAbove: Mr. Andrea Bizzarri of Italasia who helped arrange this elegant wine tasting, pictured with one of his employees.

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Spanish on 4, Grand Opening Party – Bangkok

October 14th, 2009

Spanish on 4 (4)

Spanish on 4 had its Grand Opening party last night Wednesday, Oct 14th, 2009. The place is easy enough to find being just a short walk from the Saladaeng BTS Station and is directly across from Soi Convent on Silom Road.

From the sinous tapas and regular bar combo the bartenders were kept busy pouring white and red wines, San Miguel beer, with plenty of mini tapas circulating upstairs and down, and Sangria, of course!  Both Spanish chefs Xavier and Raul were back and forth between the kitchen upstairs and the refrigerated display cases at the tapas bar. The place was jammed but the knowledgeable staff and easy-flowing design lent itself to handle whatever this wall to wall crowd could give it and more; with the help of the upstairs dining room and terrace seating outside in the front.

They will make paella to the order (it takes 40 minutes) and the price is between 700 – 800 baht depending on what you choose to be in it.

Spanish on 4 (photo credit: restaurantdiningcritiques.com)

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Nyotaimori, ‘Sashimi or Sushi Displayed on Naked Female Body’ – Japan, Los Angeles

October 14th, 2009

Nyotaimori

Nyotaimori, ‘to eat sashimi or sushi displayed on a naked female body’ once practiced in the secret underworld of the Japanese Yakuza, has not garnered ANY attention among the Japanese mainstream of late. It is a different story in the United States, likely due to intense competition among sushi restaurants, and a select few sushi places offer this attraction for small groups who wish to experience this style of sushi dining.  More recently it has evolved into a trendy fad in certain major cities in Europe.  In Los Angeles, one of the restaurants offering Nyotaimori is: Hadaka Sushi in West Hollywood that will, for a price, arrange this for you.
Cleanliness is the most important factor in preparing for this event. All body hair must be removed and the person’s skin must be cleaned by soaking in a hot bath and being thoroughly scrubbed with a Japanese akasuri (rough cloth), before positioning the sushi on the body (in America the sushi must be placed on a banana leaf for health reasons) the woman’s body must be cooled down by rinsing with cold water to bring the body temperature down, this is a very important step.

Hadaka Sushi, West Hollywood
8226 West Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, 90046
Tel. 323-822-2001

Nyotaimori

Nyotaimori

Ikizukuri

Above: From Hong Kong, the title of the photo “Ikizukuri” (meaning: live skinned fish eaten as sashimi, sake is sometimes poured into the fish’s mouth to show how fresh it is, and it will wiggle).

Links you may enjoy:

Demonia, Bangkok

Eden Club, Bangkok

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Lord Jim’s, Mandarin Oriental Hotel – Bangkok

October 13th, 2009

Lord Jim's, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok (photo credit: Mandarin Oriental)48 Oriental Avenue, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel. +66 (2) 659 9000
Opening Hours:
Buffet lunch:
11am-3pm 
Sundays
11:30am-3pm 
Saturdays & Public Holidays
12pm-3pm 
Monday – Friday
Dinner:
7pm-10:30pm (last order)
Dress Code: Dressy Casual
Credit Cards: All major
Prices: Expensive

Over the years, Lord Jim’s, with its great glass windows overlooking the Chao Phraya River, has always maintained quality cuisine and service. The restaurant now specializes in seafood, where you will find some of it displayed on ice as you enter, and this restaurant is also known for its outstanding preparations (a choice of three different styles) of foie gras. We started with oysters flown in from France, and grilled lobster. I finished with an amazingly fresh and delicious Black Halibut. In addition they also offer the following selections as well as many more for your dining pleasure:

Fresh White Crab Meat with Avocado
Rémoulade dressing and crisp lettuce leaves,
chilled avocado soup with lemon cream
Lord Jim’s Iced Seafood Tower
Rock lobster, tiger prawns, selection of sushi and sashimi, fish tartar, fresh oysters, selected mollusks, crab claws, scallop ceviche, wild smoked salmon, Hiyashi Wakame salad (for Two Persons)
Seared Duck Foie Gras and Fresh Mango
Young rocket leaf salad with an orange-balsamic duck jus
Grilled or Pan-Fried Whole Dover Sole
Buttered spunta potatoes and Champagne cream with steamed vegetables
Whole Boston Lobster
Crushed green peas, thyme croquette potatoes and Vichy carrots with a green pea cappuccino

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Sindustry Ladies Night, Launch Party, At The Tunnel – Bangkok

October 12th, 2009

Sindustry Ladies Night at the Tunnel (image credit: The Tunnel)

Featuring “Lady of the Underground” Dominatrix Dancers, Spanking you all night long!!
Dress Code: All Black, Latex, Rubber, Whips, Chains & Chickens
WARNING:
THE TUNNEL is sure to blow-up your mind and Burn-up your braincells with this legendary party! (The Only Afterhours Ladies Night in Bangkok)
LADIES FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT & A CHERRY LIPS MARTINI!
For table reservations or to annoy Fred call: 0875940641

Are you up for this? Ladies Night Every Wednesday at the Tunnel, Soi 5, Soi Lang Suan, Bangkok

Wednesday nights are Bangkok’s first after-hours “Ladies Nights” that cater to the ladies and the place rocks. Stop in and have a look, the crowd starts to arrive en masse after 2am!

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D’Sens, Dusit Thani Hotel – Bangkok

October 11th, 2009

D'Sens 1, Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok (photo credit: d'sens)

A week-long special, gastronomic extravaganza at D’Sens, Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok. Wine and Champagne pairings organized by French Sommelier, Yannis Kherachi. Tasting Menus, Tea presentations, pastry exhibitions, cooking demonstrations and the launch of the Pourcel Brothers, Chef Jacques and Laurent’s new book with the rather complicated title “Transparences En Duo Verrines, Petites Cuillères & Snackings”.

D'Sens 3, Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok (photo credit: d'sens)

The Chefs that participated were: Chef Kotaro Hasegawa, Sens & Saveurs, Tokyo, Japan; Chef Erwin Eberharter, Exec. Chef, Dusit Thani Bangkok; Chef Philippe Keller, Exec. Soous Chef, Dusit Thani Bangkok; Chef Julien Lavigne, Chef de Cuisine, D’Sens, Dusit Thani Bangkok; Chef Slawek Golaszewski, Exec. Pastry Chef, Dusit Thani Bangkok; Sommelier Yannis Kherachi, Le Jardin des Sens Montpellier, France.

D'Sens 4, Dusit Thani Hotel (photo credit: d'sens)Above: Jacques & Laurent Pourcel

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