GASTROMONDIALE

The Real Luau (by David Katz)

As a lover of food who has moved to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, I could either lament the lack of great restaurants, or embrace the delicious traditional preparations of the wonderful range of indigenous ingredients.

To be fair, there has long been a movement among the best Hawaiian chefs to replace the bland fare that hotels feed to visitors with elegantly simple dishes of local fish and organic produce.  But were Michelin to tour the entire state, they would find one or two places worth a stop, and none worth a detour, let alone a journey. 

Foremost among the Hawaiian culinary traditions is the feast known as the luau. 

Joel Robuchon Las Vegas

“Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky”

I am in the Las Vegas airport waiting for the bus which will take us to the MGM Grand Hotel where Robuchon’s three Star Michelin restaurant is located.  A young girl, apparently bored from the long wait,  is chanting this tune over and over again.

The next day, while leaving Las Vegas for the greater pleasures and promises of California, I can’t help but murmur the same tune. With one difference:

“Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder WHERE I am

……."

Perfection Revisited: L'Ambroisie and Ledoyen

Given the despicable situation of the dollar vis a vis the Euro, I became reluctant to take chances with erratic three stars in France and elsewhere. So, in a recent trip in November we visited the old favorites:  L’Ambroisie and Ledoyen.

I am happy to report that both restaurants are holding the highest standards, and both Pacaud and LeSquer are perfectionists albeit in different ways. Le Squer’s cuisine is still evolving and has not yet reached the impeccable maturity displayed by the 60 year old Pacaud who is still at the helm and looks very fit. While Le Squer is still tinkering with tradition and introducing some new dishes and amuses, Pacaud has attained a level of self confidence that should secure his name alongside the greatest chefs of this century.

Southwest France: Pont de L'Ouysse, Hostellerie Plaisance, etc.

Dordogne is one of my favorite places on earth: calm/serene/scenic/authentic.  All clichés are warranted.

There is also good food to be had.

A Trip to Valencia and Barcelona: Ca' Sento, Can Fabes, Can Roca, and Others

Is the hype about Spanish cuisine justified?

Following another 10 day trip to the South of Spain last month in March 2007, I have an unequivocal answer: Yes and No.

It is no, if we equate Spanish cuisine with the “in” places favored by international gastronomic traveler and glossy publications whose business is to create hype. At the high end, with the exception of Con Fabes, the top of the Spanish scene does not equal France in terms of the rigor and precision of the celebrated chefs.

It is yes, by all means, if we are searching for great ingredients or singular dishes cooked expertly, rooted in gastronomic traditions.  Spanish cuisine is especially interesting because certain kinds of seafood (from Galicia and also the Mediterranean) and certain products are either unique to Spain, or nearly so.

Le Meurice: Well Deserved Third Star

I have eaten several times in the new three star Michelin restaurants in Paris (three times at L’Astrance, four times at le Pre Catelan, and twice at Meurice).  Each one of them has distinct qualities, and clearly the Guide Michelin should be trusted more for France than elsewhere; that is, it is distributing stars like confetti in some countries.  This said, for gastroville standards, the only restaurant which truly deserves the three stars this year is Meurice. Young chef Alleno is certainly a culinary force with whom to reckon.

Recommended Restaurants in the Bay Area: Manresa, Chez Panisse, Quince, Oliveto

The Bay Area—San Francisco dining scene has a special meaning for me for a simple reason. It is here that I cut my teeth for fine dining, in the mid 80s. Before the Bay Area, obviously I ate well in my home country, Turkey, but I have never been impressed by the so called Continental-French restaurants in Turkey. When I arrived to Berkeley as a beginning graduate student in the mid-80s, I was unaware of the lower depths of the everyday activity called eating. I had grown up in a boarding school eating in the school five days a week and was familiar with the level of food in Turkish factories. But nothing I had known had prepared me for what I found in the International House at Berkeley at the time. The food was simply inedible. And I barely ate. At one point I lost so much weight (I was 120 pounds and 5’ 8’’) that some feared I was about to become anorexic.

Ledoyen: Tradition and Modernity Reconciled

When at its best, French Haute Cuisine generates a feeling of opulence and satisfaction which may not be matched by anything else in the realm of gastronomy. The problem is that, French Haute Cuisine rarely delivers its promise.  Sometimes it becomes the victim of shortcuts which are disguised through clever plating and aesthetically pleasing presentations. Other times it may suffer from an excess of Cartesian accuracy and the search for perfect symmetry and technical mastery at the expense of deliciousness.  On the other hand, when a reasonably young chef steeped in tradition attempts to render classical dishes more amenable to modern palates without giving concessions from the inherent complexity and harmony of these dishes, the result can be quite stunning.

Hispania: Beginning of a Love Story

I am not exaggerating.

If I choose one restaurant that I will eat at once a week in the foreseeable future I will not have a second thought: It will be Hispania, located in Arenys de Mar, about a 40 min. drive from Barcelona.

This is actually what Josep Viella, gourmet extraordinaire, does, who has also been my generous host in Barcelona last month.  He is certainly lucky to have access to this gem of a place in his backyard.

L'Ambroisie: Absolute Perfection

What is the measure of true greatness in French cuisine?

In my opinion there is one overriding measure. A meal prepared by a great chef should achieve an absolute harmony without sacrificing the complex flavor profile of classic French cooking, while also giving the impression of clarity and light handedness in cooking. At the end of the meal one should feel uplifted and ecstasic rather than that one’s stomach is nearly bursting. When looking back at the meal in hindsight with the benefit of a couple of weeks that has elapsed, one should still re-live the culinary nirvana that is tantamount to a transcendental experience which may not be captured in words.