Archive for March, 2011

Esquire’s John Mariani Opines About: The New Book “Modernist Cuisine” and “life, on the line” Grant Achatz’s Memoir – USA

Monday, March 21st, 2011

esq-mariani-achatz-031811-xlgby John Mariani

A brief encapsulation of this article:

Esquires Magazine restaurant features writer, John Mariani states that he finds the new six-volume, 2,438-page, forty-eight-pound, $625 book Modernist Cuisine written by  billionaire scientist Nathan Myhrvold, “fascinating, but only in the way I would a manual for building one’s own atomic bomb or sports car from scratch.” There are many anecdotal mentions along the way of what Mariani calls “the insufferable Achatz”, referring to Grant Achatz of Alinea restaurant in Chicago. He does have praise for chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, where Achatz once worked and, by his own admission, first acquired his pissy arrogance. Mr. Mariani also has a gripe with Achatz’s partner Nick Kokonas, who he calls, a “burnt-out stock trader”, where co-author Kokonas accuses him within the pages of Archatz’s memoir life, on the line of deliberately writing on, and then stealing their expensive stainless steel bound wine list, which has been refuted by a few eye-witnesses privy to the encounter.

Take a look at the link to this article in its entirety below:

My Grant Achatz Problem — and Yours

Valentino Restaurant Group Will Open, Primi Al Mercado at Santa Monica Place, May 20, 2011 – Los Angeles

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

PieroSMP

Piero Selvaggio of Valentino Restaurant Group plans to open Primi Al Mercato on the top of Santa Monica Place on May 20, a dual trattoria and retail space known as the Laboratory di Pasta. The trattoria will serve handmade pastas with sauces composed of seasonal ingredients from the nearby Santa Monica farmers market. It is about time that the Bay Area has a place to buy specialty pastas.

Carpineto Wine Dinner at Beccofino Restaurant – Bangkok

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Carpineto-Reminder

Alex Beam/The Boston Globe Has Had Enough; Of Foodies, Gastroporn, Grass-Fed, Free-Range, Etcetera – USA

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

small logo RDCCulinary Tidbits . . . Alex Beam from The Boston Globe has penned this highly amusing piece, basically a dissenters hope that the Foodie-two-shoes fad is fizzling out. Is it back to KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and other criminal conspiracies against the gastrointestinal tract?

Read the article in its entirety below:

He’s had his fill – by Alex Beam

Burger King’s CEO Declares British Food “Terrible” & British Women “Unattractive” – USA

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Burger King

Burger King’s, new Brazilian-born boss, Bernardo Hees recent faux pas, when referring to his time spent at the University of Warwick while studying for an MBA, is taking some heat. He declared that the major reason he was not distracted from his studies was that British food was “terrible” and British women were “unattractive”.

This prompted the woman’s campaign officer at University of Warwick to question, “if he views women as potential distractions in academia, I wonder how he views them in the workplace? Michelin-starred Chef Marcus Wareing, whose dishes are composed of home-grown food at London’s Berkeley Hotel have helped along Britain’s, growing reputation in the culinary world, also found the insults hard to swallow. He said it was staggering they had come from someone in charge of a firm churning out fast food, adding: “It’s an insult to British gastronomy.” Hees has since apologized through a spokesperson.

Chinese Buyer of Bordeaux Château Disregards Wine Making Protocol; Infuriates Former French Owner – France

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Ch. de la Salle

The former owner of Château de la Salle, Blaye charges his Chinese buyers Zhongai, a company based in Dalian, China with bad business dealings. The Chinese company has infuriated the French owner by doing little since buying the wine estate, including not keeping up the vineyards or getting ready for the approaching harvest. Two months after the deal closed, the house remains shuttered and no manager has been hired. The two employees of the winery turn up but there is no money to put diesel in the tractor. “No one from Zhongai have ever visited the property,”  said Patrick Etineau. “I put my heart into making a good wine and I never would have sold them the Château had I known they would act like this.” They also had the audacity to threaten to expand into neighboring vineyards and dump all the production into the vats without any selection for quality, diluting any notion of terroir.

Pebble Beach, Food & Wine Event 2011 – Pebble Beach, California

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

small logo RDCCulinary Tidbits . . . PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA—More food event news: The chef line up is set for Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2011. Matt Molina, Nancy Silverton, Walter Manzke, David Myers, Joachim Splichal from Los Angeles, along with Charlie TrotterTyler Florence, Tom Colicchio, Tyler Florence, Jacques Pepin, Morimoto, Gary Danko, Chris Cosentino and Roland Passot.  There are some newcomers too: Guy Fieri, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell and Geoffrey Zakarian join in on the star-studded event being held the weekend of April 28. Tickets and more info on the website.

F&W Pebble Beach

Creative Crab Promotion Marriot Resort & Spa – Bangkok

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Crab Creation

Creative Crab Promotion in Benihana Style

At Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa

Benihana at Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa proudly presents the special promotion to welcome the upcoming summer “Creative Crab” in Japanese style while you enjoy the vibrant entertainment skills by our expert Teppanyaki chefs, promising an impressive dine and show extravaganza, every single time you come! Starting from March 1 until April 30, 2011.

Join the sense of fun while dining with Spider Rolls, fried soft shell crab roll with mayonnaise or try Sri Lankan Mud Crab, chawan mushi. Then, taste the Alaskan King Crab Salad with spicy mayonnaise and fresh lime. Savor the teppanyaki dishes of Teppan Soft Shell Crab with Japanese curry and Alaskan King Crab Legs follow by Crab fried rice with garlic butter.

Make sure you book a table for this March or April with your friend and family to enjoy a parade of Creative Crab that awaits you!

Benihana – the renowned Japanese Steakhouse – offers “An Experience at Every Table”. Interact with the chefs, famous for their entertaining and culinary skills, as they prepare Teppanyaki at your table. Private rooms are also available.

Operating hours:           Lunch               11.30 – 14.30 hrs.

Dinner             18.00 – 22.30 hrs.

For more information or reservations, please call (66) 2 476 0022 Ext. 1416, email restaurantrsvncenter@minornet.com or visit website www.marriottdining.com

Le Beaulieu, Exclusive Wine Dinner, Tuesday 29 Mar. 2011 – Bangkok

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Le Beaulieu, Exclusive Wine March 2011

2011 Michelin Starred & Bib Gourmand Restaurants in France

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

gm_france_2011_282x478Images, logos, book design: property of Michelin Guides France

Starred & Bib Gourmand Michelin Restaurants in France 2011
N : the new stars 2011

THREE STAR
25 three-star restaurants
Location (department) Establishment

Baerenthal / Untermuhlthal (57) L’Arnsbourg
Chagny (71) Maison Lameloise
Eugénie-les-Bains (40) Michel Guérard
Fontjoncouse (11) Auberge du Vieux Puits
Illhaeusern (68) Auberge de l’Ill
Joigny (89) La Côte St-Jacques
Laguiole (12) Bras
Lyon (69) Paul Bocuse
Marseille (13) Le Petit Nice
Monte-Carlo (Principauté de Monaco) Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse
Paris 1er Le Meurice
Paris 4e L’Ambroisie
Paris 7e Arpège
Paris 8e Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée
Paris 8e Le Bristol
Paris 8e Ledoyen
Paris 8e Pierre Gagnaire
Paris 16e Astrance
Paris 16e Le Pré Catelan
Paris 17e Guy Savoy
Roanne (42) Troisgros
Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid (43) Régis et Jacques Marcon
Saulieu (21) Le Relais Bernard Loiseau
Valence (26) Pic
Vonnas (01) Georges Blanc

TWO STAR
Location (department) Establishment

Annecy (74) Le Clos des Sens
Arbois (39) Jean-Paul Jeunet
Arles (13) L ‘Atelier de Jean Luc Rabanel
Les Baux-de-Provence (13) L’ Oustaù de Baumanière
Beaulieu-sur-Mer (06) La Réserve de Beaulieu & Spa
Béthune / Busnes (62) Le Château de Beaulieu
Bonnieux (84) La Bastide de Capelongue
Bordeaux / Bouliac (33) Le St-James
Le-Bourget-du-Lac (73) Le Bateau Ivre
Cannes (06) La Palme d’Or
Cannes / Le Cannet (06) Villa Archange N
Carantec (29) L’Hôtel de Carantec-Patrick Jeffroy
Le Castellet (83) Du Castellet
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (74) Hameau Albert 1er
Chasselay (69) Guy Lassausaie
Courchevel 1850 (73) Les Airelles
Courchevel 1850 (73) Le Chabichou
Courchevel 1850 (73) Cheval Blanc
Èze (06) Château de la Chèvre d’Or
Gundershoffen (67) Le Cygne
Honfleur (14) Sa. Qua. Na
L’Isle-Jourdain / Pujaudran (32) Le Puits St-Jacques
Lorient (56) L’Amphitryon
Lyon (69) Auberge de l’Ile
Lyon (69) Mère Brazier
Lyon / Charbonnières-les-Bains (69) Philippe Gauvreau
Magescq (40) Relais de la Poste
Mandelieu / La Napoule (06) L’Oasis
Megève / Leutaz (74) Flocons de Sel
Mionnay (01) Alain Chapel
Monte-Carlo (Principauté de Monaco) Joël Robuchon Monte-Carlo
Montpellier (34) Le Jardin des Sens
Nantes / Haute-Goulaine (44) Manoir de la Boulaie
Nîmes / Garons (30) Alexandre
Obernai (67) La Fourchette des Ducs
Onzain (41) Domaine des Hauts de Loire
Paris 1er Carré des Feuillants
Paris 1er L’Espadon
Paris 1er Le Grand Véfour
Paris 2e Passage 53 N
Paris 6e Relais Louis XIII
Paris 7e L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon-St-Germain
Paris 7e Jean-François Piège N
Paris 8e Apicius
Paris 8e L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon-Étoile N
Paris 8e Le ”Cinq”
Paris 8e Lasserre
Paris 8e Senderens
Paris 8e Taillevent
Paris 17e Bigarrade
Paris 17e Michel Rostang
Pauillac (33) Château Cordeillan Bages
La Plaine-sur-Mer (44) Anne de Bretagne
Plomodiern (29) Auberge des Glazicks
Pont-du-Gard / Collias (30) Hostellerie Le Castellas
Porto-Vecchio (2A) Casadelmar
Puymirol (47) Michel Trama
Reims (51) L’Assiette Champenoise
La Rochelle (17) Richard et Christopher Coutanceau
Romans-sur-Isère / Granges-les-Beaumont (26) Les Cèdres
Rouen (76) Gill
Saint-Émilion (33) Hostellerie de Plaisance
Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert (42) Le Neuvième Art
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (73) La Bouitte
Saint-Sulpice-le-Verdon (85) Thierry Drapeau Logis de la Chabotterie N
Saint-Tropez (83) Résidence de la Pinède
Sens (89) La Madeleine
Toulouse (31) Michel Sarran
Toulouse / Colomiers (31) L’Amphitryon
La Turbie (06) Hostellerie Jérôme
Uriage-les-Bains (38) Grand Hôtel
Val-Thorens (73) L’Oxalys
Vence (06) Le St-Martin
Versailles (78) Gordon Ramsay au Trianon
Vézelay / Saint-Père (89) L’Espérance
Vienne (38) La Pyramide

Links to the complete listings of Michelin starred and Bib Gourmand restaurants in France for 2011 is below. Simply download the PDF file to your computer:

Michelin Starred Restaurants France 2011

Bib Gourmand Michelin Highly Recommended