Escoffier Dinner, Pacific City Club – Bangkok

November 5th, 2008

The evening’s event, “A Celebration in honor of Auguste Escoffier”, got off to a good start as guests mingled in the club’s main drawing room as they sipped a refreshing Gutswein Scheurebe Troken, Wittmann, Rheinhessen with enough acidity to balance the intense fruitiness of this German white wine or a red  Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Rene Lequin 2004.

After moving upstairs to the dining room, Peter Brongers, President of Escoffier Thailand Chapter introduced special guest Chef Robert Fontana, the President of Escoffier Greater China, as soon as all attending epicureans were seated, and following this, both gentlemen had a few words to say about the Escoffier Association.

Particularly interesting on Pacific City Club resident Chef Denis Lartigue‘s menu for the evening was the 1st course; a combination, put together in three mini-portions, of warm veal tongue, duck foie gras and spicy pork belly and lentils; next to follow, a light broth of Fine de Claire oysters, black truffle and braised celery; 3rd course filet of line caught sea bass steamed in a Varech seaweed stock and finished with a beurre Nantais.
A rose and cumin granite cleaned the palate and paved the way for the main course; Pigeon from Anjou, France caramelized with spices, which was followed by an interesting preparation of Roquefort cheese Bavarois enhanced with vanilla bean; the dinner finished with the dessert course, apple cider tart tatin with hydromel & lavender ice cream and caramel with fleur de sel.

Gastronomic products donated by Classic Fine Foods, Wines by Fin.



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Edison Bar & Lounge – Los Angeles

November 2nd, 2008

108 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel. (213) 613-0000
Opening Hours: Wed-Fri 5:00pm-2:00am
Sat 6:00pm-2:00am
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

If you have had enough of makeovers of huge industrial complexes transformed into frenzied nightspots, and there are many around the world, than this is not the place to spend your time after dark. Although, if you appreciate the planning and effort of the individuals involved, spearheaded by Andrew Meieran (Mercury Liquors), to maintain the original structure of the Edison Power Plant (the first building to have electricity in Los Angeles) as it was, wherever possible and still windup with a reasonably comfortable space, sprinkled with old Edison Company murals and touches of art deco here and there.
The target market for this venue—bar, lounge, music, and dancing is—up scale loft residents in the immediate area. It seems that L.A. is now obsessed with renovating formerly seedy areas such as LA’s downtown and Hollywood’s Hollywood Boulevard and adjacent neighborhoods. There is massive on-going demolition to build more loft spaces. My guess is; do it or its out to the desert!
If all of this has not peaked your interest, then maybe a 35-cent martini will, every Thursday evening between 5-7pm.
The Edison Drink: lavender-honey infused Woodford Reserve Bourbon with pear liqueur accented with fresh pear juice, a selection of rare Bourbons, an extensive Scotch menu, hand-made cocktails to everyone’s requirements; all are available in the various bar lounges. They even have a dance floor but don’t get electrocuted—the static is extremely high.
There is a small menu of bar fodder and a very poor wine list; stick to alcohol selections.

The entrance that leads into the Edison Lounge is located in the alley off 2nd Street, between Main Street and Spring Street.
They have had the good sense to enact a strict dress code prohibiting athletic wear and sports shoes of any kind, regardless of the designer label or the cost. Shirts with collars are preferred for men; women should dress accordingly.
You should definitely take advantage of the “Happy Hour”: Save 40 percent on classic drinks during the “cocktail hour,” which takes place Wednesday through Friday from 5pm to 8pm, and Saturdays from 6pm to 8pm.

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L’Ami Jean and a Tribute to Restaurant Roger Lamazère – Paris

November 1st, 2008

L’Ami Jean
27 rue Malar 75007 Paris.
Tel : +33 1 47 05 86 89
Opening Hours: from Tuesday to Saturday
Credit Cards: Visa, MC
Prices: Moderate

L’Ami Jean, in the Seventh Arrondissement happens to be the best place in the city now to sample South-West and Basque cooking, which some time ago was taken over by Stéphane Jego, a chef who in the past worked at a favorite of mine, the Parisian bistro, La Regalade.
I still have fond memories of going to the restaurant Roger Lamazère, which disappeared in 2000, it  was at the time the best choice for South-West cooking. I especially went there to eat Ortolans, during a very short season of two-weeks in October. Of course, today in France it is illegal to sell them but not to eat them, so if you know some farmers that are netting these birds you can still have them although they cannot be sold in restaurants.
The procedure to eat them is to view the little birds that were roasted whole with their heads and legs still attached on a platter in front of you, and as they were wild, field birds (buntings) they were kept in a dark place and fed grains to fatten them up and not cleaned, you ate them whole with a large napkin draped over your head in an attempt to savor and capture the delicate perfume of the little birds, and a snifter of Armagnac close-at-hand. You popped the whole bird into your mouth and slowly chewed it bones and all with frequent doses of Armagnac during the procedure that took a good five minutes to complete. It is one of the rare gastronomic experiences that one can have, and agreed it is not for everyone; it is indeed an amazing experience.
Another specialty of Lamazère was the whole black truffle eaten au naturale as well as the entire goose liver (foie gras frais). These delicacies were not inexpensive at the time although, compared to prices that you would pay today it is almost unbelievable how inexpensive they really were.
Also the Cassoulet was memorable as it had been enriched with a piece of confit de canard, in addition to the Toulouse sausage and pork loin. It was put to melt in the pan where the cassoulet completed its cooking. The incomparable creaminess of the beans was as much the result of a slow simmer, and the presence of goose fat and garlic formed a delicious crust. Roger Lamazère and his staff were so kind and helpful in giving us incredible service and wonderful friendship. Roger Lamazère was “A One of a Kind” restaurant!

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Beccofino Trattoria Opening Party, Convent Road – Bangkok

October 30th, 2008

Beccofino Trattoria
44/16 Convent Road
Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500
Tel. 632-0621-2
Opening Hours: Lunch: 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner: 6pm-10:30pm
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate

The first branch of Beccofino Trattoria opened on November 3, 2008. The second Beccofino Trattoria opens in Chiang Mai in the beginning of 2009. A trattoria is a more casual version of a ristorante featuring a more informal “Italian home cooking” style.
Beccofino Trattoria on Convent Road is located in a four-story shop house with the restaurant occupying at least two floors, on the Sathorn side of Convent Road with parking in the church across the road. The first floor has a small bar and a smoking section on the terrace and seating for approximately 30 diners. The second floor has a dining room overlooking the high-rise landscape of Bangkok’s financial district with seating for around 25 diners and also offers a private dining room for eight persons.

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Harry’s Bar – Venice, Italy

October 27th, 2008

S. Marco, 1323
30124 Venezia (VE), Italy
+39 041 5285777
Website: www.cipriani.com
Opening Hours:
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Very Expensive

Harry’s Bar is an institution and has always been a hangout and haven for Americans as diverse as Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, and more recently Woody Allen. Hemingway was a regular from the late forties forward and some of the scenes in his novel Across the River and into the Trees took place at Harry’s Bar. This probably partially influenced the decision of Arrigo Cipriani, who is the son of the founder Giuseppe Cipriani, to post a sign recently, giving notice that every American will be entitled to a 20% discount on all consumables until the financial, sub-prime mortgage crisis is over. An honorable gesture, everything considered.

The bar and ristoranti that brought to the Italian culinary repertoire the Bellini and Carpaccio along with expected steep prices and special services catering to the patrons, which might have included carrying the Aga Khan to the table in his own armchair, where he proceeded to gulp down Beluga caviar whole without even bursting a single egg with his teeth.

As the story goes, an American student named Harry Cushing was strapped for cash and asked Giuseppe Cipriani the barman at the Europa Hotel in Venice for 10,000 lire ($6,000 today). He then disappeared, leaving Cipriani worried that he might never see his money again. However, the American returned in February 1930, and he not only repaid Cipriani but offered to put up 40,000 lire more and said, “We can now open a bar and call it Harry’s”.

Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry’s Bar in Venice in 1931 directly on the St Mark’s bay waterfront. He also made famous a drink, the Bellini, a mixture of white peach juice and sparkling prosecco, named after the fifteenth-century Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini. The dish is Carpaccio of beef, a plate of trimmed wafer-thin sirloin drizzled with a blend of mayonnaise and lemon juice, which was invented for an Italian Contessa who was on a diet free of cooked meat. It too was created by Giuseppe and was also named after an Italian painter, Vittore Carpaccio, who was famous for using colors in deep red hues.

The clientele’s motive for returning so often was not that they expected marvelously innovative culinary experimentation, just Italian classic cuisine, properly cooked and presented.

Recommended dishes & drinks include:
Carpaccio alla Cipriani, Scampi all’Armoricaine, Trippa alla Parmigiana
Bellini, Whisky Sour, Martini

If you would like to find a great selection of places to stay with discounted prices, visit Hotel Reservations in Venice for more information.

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Brasserie Flo – Paris

October 24th, 2008

7 cour des Petites-Ecuries, 10e
10th Arrondissement (Gare Du Nord/Gare De L’est)
Tel.    01-47-70-13-59
Website: www.flobrasserie.com
Opening Hours: Daily noon-3pm and 7pm-1am
Credit Cards:  All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

Brasserie Flo has acquired the patina that only time can bring and has a charm that is unique—none of the other brasseries—although lovely in their own way, have gained the look of aging gracefully as is the case with Flo.
This is a difficult place to find and sometimes I have trouble, although on other occasions, especially if the taxi driver has been there before, it has been easy.

They specialize in typical brasserie fare, Alsatian choucroute garni (special sauerkraut with pork, bacon, ham, sausages for two). It is a wonderful brasserie that has been around for years and I always enjoy dining there. On one occasion years ago I went to Flo with Peter Langan, of Langan’s Brasserie London in tow, it was one of his favorites and on this occasion we found Flo easily, however the remainder of the evening was not so easy, as the usual Langan’s drunken shenanigans came into play, although fairly harmless, it was none-the-less annoying.

This brasserie is among the must-see brasseries in Paris along with La Coupole and Bofinger.

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La Coupole – Paris

October 23rd, 2008

La Coupole – Art Deco splendor beautiful pillars and ceiling
102, Boulevard du Montparnasse
75014 Paris
+33 (0)1 43 20 14 20
www.flobrasseries.com/coupoleparis
Opening Hours: 8am until 2am
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

I really enjoy brasseries, the life and the bustle, although only authentic ones in France. La Coupole is one of my favorites in Paris (now belongs to the Flo Group) where I have spent a good deal of time over the years dining late into the evening.

Oysters, plateau de fruits de mer, lamb curry with quince, and sole meunière are some of the all time favorite dishes here.

Open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. the atmosphere is relaxed and very Parisian. Guests can have a simple sandwich on the terrace or a grand repas with white tablecloth in the restaurant, the three styles (restaurant, brasserie, and terrace cafe) have existed here side by side since 1927.
La Coupole has become the quintessential brasserie in Montparnasse frequented in times past by authors Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Henry Miller.

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Gustomenta – Beijing, China

October 22nd, 2008

Gelato Xindong Lu 38-12, Gongti

Tel. 8610 641178890

This is the latest address after their re-location from San Li Tun Nan Ji (bar street). There are many unusual flavors of home-made gelato listed, although not all flavors listed are available. The room can be very smoky, which tends to ruin the tasting experience.

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Chez Castel – Paris

October 21st, 2008


15, rue Princesse
75006 Paris
Tél. : 01 40 51 52 80
Private Club – Members and their Guests only!

Opened in the 1960’s by Jean Castel in Saint-Germain des Prés, Chez Castel has welcomed almost every famous luminary in the world who passed through the red door and were quickly escorted to their waiting tables.
I remember spending some time in the disco downstairs in the late sixties when visiting Paris, the dance floor is about the right size and it is a fun room; in more recent times the bar and small dining room on the ground floor were more interesting to me. Chez Castel has always been a chic destination on the Parisian club scene and is now owned by Phillippe Fatien.
Once inside the unmarked red facade there is a check-in window at the right and a small dining room and bar on the left. The disco with a small dance floor is downstairs and upstairs is the formal dining room. The club screens and selects entry at the door; it is doubtful that without knowing a member who happens to be in the club when you arrive, or has left your name at the door, that you will be able to gain entry.

The amazing thing is, Castel is the only club that I know of that has been able to bridge the generation gap. They are able to pack the younger generation in the basement disco, and at the same time the more sophisticated crowd dine in the gourmet dining room upstairs, and the rest of the crowd that are  somewhere in between, frequent the ground floor bar and small adjacent dining room.
There are over a thousand members and membership cost per year is in the range of 600 euros for which a discount on consumables is given.

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Brasserie Le Nord – Lyon, France

October 19th, 2008

Brasserie le Nord, Lyon
18 rue Neuve, Presqu’ile, Lyon
Tel. 04-72-10-69-69
Website: www.paulbocuse.com
Opening Hours: Daily for lunch and dinner
Reservations recommended
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

It is a luxury to taste selections from a traditional brasserie menu along with Lyonnaise dishes and ingredients accompanied by rivers of Beaujolais and is made even more significent in this; the gastronomic heart of France. The brasserie called Le Nord (North), one of four in Lyon (north, south, east and west) were created by world-famous chef, Paul Bocuse and the service is very professional and the restaurant classically highlighted by dark wood paneling and polished brass, with crisp white table linen.

Charolais beef, Beaujolais wines, Saint Marcellin cheese, quenelles of pike from the Dombes, Bresse poultry, sausages with pistachios are all available in the Brasserie du Nord. Bocuse likes to reveal the producers he uses for all ingredients, as he well knows it is imperative to have them or his cooking would suffer. It is simplicity, although at the same time, it personifies excellence.

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