GASTROMONDIALE

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.

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.

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.

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.

Arpege

Is Alain Passard a near magician who can cook with his left hand, so to speak, and still concoct absolutely perfect dishes?  Probably. Few can compete with him to create such elegant and amazingly harmonious dishes, which look simple on the plate but reveal so much intensity and complexity with each bite without losing focus.  His Fin gazpacho a la moutarde onctueuse d’Orleans,  Homard des Iles Chaussey “Arpege”, and Turbot de Bretagne  are all culinary masterpieces. They are masterpieces because the raw materials are perfect or near perfect (somehow the lobster meat had perfect texture but lacked the sweetness we associate with great blue lobster), the balance between acidity, nuttiness and sweetness in each dish is optimum, and all of these dishes are original and express the inimitable style of a great chef in bringing out the full range of flavors hidden in his ingredients without torturing them or subjecting them to senseless experiments with texture, as many Passard  imitators do. In fact, when he prepares a risotto du potager with various root and other vegetables from his garden, one feels that all our preconceived notions about luxury and “grand dining” can be laid to rest for a while. Sometimes the most simple (but not simplistic) is also the most decadent.

L'Astrance: At the Crossroads

I recently had my second meal at this deservedly celebrated restaurant after a hiatus of two years. My first meal had revealed the courage of a young chef who was so ingredient focused that when he came across some outstanding cherries and strawberries he did not shy away from offering them in their natural format as a pre-dessert course with no manipulation.  At the same time, the chef, Barbot’s, desire for minimal treatment of ingredients and his determination to eliminate sauces as binding elements in his dishes embodied some risks. That is, his cuisine seemed very dependent on the quality of the raw material and their proper execution, and any single mishap on these counts would prove more disastrous for this chef than for some other celebrated French chefs. In addition, elimination of binding elements implied that Barbot’s cuisine was very much dependent on the synergies between the dominant ingredient of a dish and the supporting elements.  In that regard, although it was clear that Barbot was a painstaking researcher, he had not reached the maturity level and instinctual assuredness of his mentor Monsieur Passard of Arpege.  I was very curious to try the restaurant a second time, and when I called, Monsieur Rohat, the co-partner and manager of the dining room, graciously granted my request, adding that they no longer served an a la carte menu, but a menu surprise for the whole table.  "Is there anything you don’t eat?" he added.

Cordeillan Bages

I have been intending for some time to share my very positive impression of this gem with readers, but had not gotten to it. It is better late than never. Indeed my early fall (October 11) dinner at this chateau was one of the highlights of a 16 day trip to France and Spain. Other highlights included Mugaritz and Etxebarri in the Basque region of Spain, Con Fabes and Can Roca in Catalunia and L’Ambroisie in Paris. At Bras and Troisgros, on the other hand, we had less than stellar meals. My wife and I have also made a number of excellent new discoveries among one star and no star restaurants (Ca L’Enric and Ca Nasia in Catalunia and Pont de l’Ouysse and L’Esplanade in Dordogne—I hope to summarize them in an upcoming review).

Isami -- Paris

For people who wish to have a quick and light and high quality lunch, however, there is a better and cheaper (but not cheap) alternative than L’Atelier in Paris. This is however not an international style contemporary brasserie but Japanese fast food, a sushi place. Located in the touristic Ile Saint Louis, ISAMI is a tiny mom and pop and daughter type of place that only prepares sushi and sashimi. Thanks to Mikael who recommended this place I was able to secure a reservation and then watch scores of people, mostly Japanese and some French, get turned down since they did not have reservations. The clientele is in fact is mostly Japanese and the overall quality of sushi is very high with pristine quality fish and shellfish. They set standards high with the amuses: excellent bulots which taste as they do in Brittany and also a silky and rich and delicate foie de lotte or monkfish liver which will elicit oohs and aahs if it is ever served in a modern three star, such as Gagnaire.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

I was looking forward to my first meal at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon with great expectations as I have dined several times in the past at Jamin-Robuchon and consider him to be a culinary force, perhaps one of the greatest chefs whose cooking I have had the privilege to experience. My expectation was such that L’Atelier was delivering a toned down version of the great chef’s cuisine to make it more accessible and in line with contemporary taste. I wish this were the case. Unfortunately, as it stands now, L’Atelier only bears resemblance to the old Jamin in naming some dishes after the original versions. But unfortunately the food at L’Atelier bears no resemblance as to why honed palates rightly held Robuchon at such high esteem when he cooked at Jamin, and, for a short time, at the Poincaré location before handing it over to Alain Ducasse.