But now here we are, dipping our toe back into the water.
Since the end of March, it made no sense to me to write about restaurants you wouldn’t be able to visit. That would be torture for foodies!
But…my antenna have been up and I’ve managed to tune into how restaurants are handling the pandemic. You may find it amusing.
First there are the baby-blue masks…and then are those fashionistas that color coordinate their masks with apparel. Others make their own, while some appear to mask up and celebrate the Carnevale di Venezia – the Venice Carnival.
America wears a baby blue mask
Except Nancy ... She color coordinates
Some folks make their own
At Carnivale time in Venice?
SOCIAL DISTANCING…on the sidewalks…in the grocery store…even at Burger King (or maybe especially at Burger King).
What we are all doing now
Keeping our distance
Social distancing @ Burger King
Each in his own way
With small contraptions
And bigger contraptions
Circular devices
And angular devices
And in the restaurants…
How about restaurants?
CAFÉ-KONDITOREI in Germany attached swimming pool noodles to straw hats as a social distancing measure.
Swimming pool noodles in Germany
Giant inner tubes solved the issue at FISH TALES BAR in Ocean City, Maryland.
Giant inner tubes insure safety
At MEDIAMATIC ETEN, a vegetarian restaurant in Amsterdam, you can practice distancing by dining in your own private greenhouse.
How about your personal greenhouse
If you want pandemic safety in Paris, visit H.A.N.D. restaurant near the Louvre and dine under your personal giant protective transparent lampshade suspended from the ceiling over your head and upper body. It was created by noted French designer Christophe Gernigon. He claims that his transparent dining pods actually enhance the dining experience by trapping in the food aromas. HMMMM!….B as in B. S as in S.
Giant plexiglass lampshades
In Paris ... Looks terrible to me
Now, as you already know, restaurants are required to eliminate roughly 50% of their tables to ensure distancing safety. But what to do with all those pesky unused tables?
Teddy Bears fill tables in London
In London, in Knightsbridge, bright red plush teddy bears occupy the forbidden seats and tables.
THE INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON, a Relais & Château five-star, five diamond-rated restaurant located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, resolved the issue by dressing mannequins and seating them at the empty tables to make the restaurant seem full. A little creepy? I was just wondering.
The Inn @ Little Washington ... Creepy!
And speaking of creepy, check out TRATTORIA DE LUIGI in Royal Oak, Michigan (just north of Detroit). Instead of achieving social distancing by removing tables, they’ve converted chairs into white-draped ghosts. Calamari with a side of Casper, anyone?
Trattoria de Luigi ... Detroit
Even creepier: OPEN HEARTH in Greenville, South Carolina seats empty booths with blow-up dolls (no doubt mail ordered and delivered in plain brown wrapping paper – after all, what would the neighbors think?)
Open Hearth ... Greenville, South Carolina
Double creepy
All amusing…all creative…some creepy…. and all bizarre.
It’s funny – but only the first time. Not so funny on the second visit.
No, I’m a firm believer that restaurants are where you go when you want to leave concerns, troubles, drudgeries, duties and worries in a pile by the door – a place where life changes the moment you step inside. It’s kind of like a little vacation from yourself.
So ... We're glad you're back - From Pitt Blue Rochester and all our Parasole Restaurants
Like a little vacation
Back to Bouillabaisse
Yep ... They're wearing masks at Good Earth and all Parasole Restaurants
Joanne and I are healthy (fingers crossed). But during this time of no travel and no dining experiences, I thought it would be best to pause the blog … C’est la vie.
As a little kid growing up in a little town in central Illinois,
a daily highlight for me was the 8:21 AM of the arrival of the sleek and speedy,
Chicago-bound CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR at the Kewanee train station. About once a year
my mother, grandmother, Aunt Rose and little Phil would board that superliner
for a 3-hour ride to the big city to visit Aunt Edie – always occupying a table
in the dining car, and I, always ordering pancakes.
My home town
The Zephyr stopped on it's way to Chicago
Where we would visit Aunt Edie
I loved the dining car
To this day I retain my childhood amazement with train travel,
especially the pleasure of luxuriating for hours in the dining cars.
So it was that last summer Joanne and I – grandkids in tow – traveled
through France and on to Barcelona aboard the glossy TGV trains, cruising along
at 300KM/H (190 MPH)…all the while anticipating gracious lunches served by
smartly uniformed stewards.
After all, some of our fondest travel experiences were aboard
Europe’s grand trains. Back in the day,
Joanne and I traveled to Italy regularly on business for the Buca restaurants.
We’d always fly Northwest Airlines to its European gateway, Frankfurt, then journey
by rail to our final destination. Train dining at that time was serious business,
with starched linens, silver service, the sound of clinking glassware, and
meals prepared to order over open flames. As we rolled into the Alps, and
finally through the Brenner Pass, gaping at the spectacular views, we’d assuage
our souls with ample amounts of wine. Life was good.
Off to Europe
Arriving in Frankfurt
We would hop on the train
Where we dined ... Oh did we dine!
As we crossed the Alps
Life got even better on other trips to visit our daughter who
was living and working in Switzerland. After a short stay with Jennifer, Joanne
and I would again book a train trip over the Alps – only these times we’d take
a less direct route, heading east toward St. Moritz through the hair-raising
Bernina Pass, savoring the breathtaking scenery and meticulously prepared
dinners in equal measure.
Our daughter lived in Geneva
We would take the train to Rome
Through the hair-raising Bernina Pass
Dining on five-course dinners in a full-scale, softly lit dining
car as the Alps flash past your window is certainly a romantic experience.
Maybe not quite as sensual as the famous dining car seduction in the film North
by Northwest involving Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, but definitely worth
booking a private cabin for.
In 1974
Eva Marie Saint
And Cary Grant in the dining car seduction
And guess what happened?
In 1974, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
introduced movie audiences to the glamour and elegance of perhaps the world’s
most famous train. Watching Albert Finney confidently assert “I am probably the
best detective in the world,” I wondered if it was Hercule Poirot’s self-possession
that got Mrs. Hubbard all hot and bothered – or was she in thrall to the silk-swathed
luxury of the train? All I knew is that one day I, too, would travel on the
Orient Express (with Joanne as my Lauren Bacall).
Good guy or bad guy?
Mrs. Hubbard ... (Lauren Bacall) ... A suspect?
Detective genius Hercule Poirot ...
Some years later while in London, we discovered that we could
book a lunch trip on the Orient Express as it embarked from Victoria
Station on its three-day journey to Istanbul.
Victoria Station ... London
How?
Well, the train (known as the Belmond Orient Express in
England) leaves London around 11:30 AM. Champagne in their private boarding
lounge at Victoria Station awaits. The train arrives two-and-a-half hours later
at Folkestone Harbor on the southern coast of England – giving you just enough
time to enjoy a lavish, Champagne-soaked lunch. From Folkestone, Joanne and I
took a chartered motor coach back to London. Passengers who are continuing on to Istanbul
cross the Chunnel on the Eurotunnel train. And upon arriving in Calais, France,
they board the Venice Simplon Orient Express to continue on their adventure.
And the private lounge
The route ... 2.5 hours
To Folkestone Harbor
Your Cabin Crew
The elegant dining car awaits
Lavish Champagne-soaked lunch
Joanne enjoyed herself
The Euro Tunnel Train to Calais
Having tasted the experience of traveling – not just across
England but back in time – on the most storied 5-star vintage train carriages
in the world, we decided a few years later (on our anniversary or something) to
actually do the Full Monty and book the train’s Asian sister, called The
Eastern and Orient Express, for a trip from Bangkok to Singapore through
the lush jungles and greenery of Thailand and Malaysia. With heavenly, mouthwatering
cuisine, romantic mood lighting and crisp sheets, it gave new meaning to
“civilized travel.”
And now ... Bangkok
The route to Singapore
And the Cabin Crew
Thru the jungles
Attending to your every need
Vintage dining carriages
5 Star meals
Joanne approved
And NO, it didn’t break the budget. You see, we saved on two
nights in a hotel and all meals were included as well as transportation for two
to Singapore (900 miles).
So how was our more recent experience on the TGV?
First class in every way – EXCEPT IN THE DINING CARS!!
It appears that nationalization has infected train transportation
and has set out to diminish the experience of travelers. Today there are no
sit-down dining options save for one meal period, during which you’re served
airline-style at your seat. The Pullman style full-service dining car has
been replaced with what is called a “Buffet Car,” where you line up, order, pay
and STAND UP to eat. And eat, you shall: carb after oil-drenched carb. Sugar, sugar and more sugar. Salt, salt
and more salt. At least you cover the railroad three basic food groups….GREASE,
DOUGH and SUGAR.
But today... This? ... Really?
Salt, salt, salt
Calories & carbs
Coffee in a paper cup?
Only on the Orient Express
And this ... Every other trian
I’m reminded of the London Guardian’s restaurant critic, Jay
Rayner, as he commented on a breakfast that he recently endured on a
train. “The croissant was so flaccid that no form of culinary Viagra would
ever get it to stand up again.”
The flaccid croissant ... Any culinary Viagra around?
As you all know by now, I firmly believe that London has become one of the best food cities in the world, boasting a huge diversity of cuisines as well as an incredible array of award-winning restaurants.
But just a few short years ago, London was mocked for its drab, boring cuisine – the culinary manifestation of a Puritan ethic that regarded the spending of anything more than necessary on food as just plain wrong. The self-denial cultivated by Protestantism yielded bland, dismal renditions of dishes that could have been (and, competently prepared, can certainly be) delicious: Bangers and Mash, Toad-in-the-Hole (sausage and sometimes kidneys) baked in Yorkshire Pudding Batter…Pork Pie (mmm, innards)….Fish & Chips (often greasy)….well-done (very well-done) Sunday Roasts with the drippings utilized on wash-day Monday to bind leftover potatoes and cabbage into dinner patties called Bubble & Squeak.
How about them teeth?
And protestantism and self denial
And self denial caused crap like this
Fish and Chips ... Cod was plentiful
Toad-In-The-Hole
Pork Pie ... (Think innards)
Sunday Roast ... Very, very well done
And the roast drippings for bubble and squeak
Then
came World War I. Artisanal farmers and dairymen abandoned their fields and
flocked to the cities to work in factories. Artisan cheese all but vanished.
France, Italy and Spain held on to their peasant culture and set up Appélations
Controlées to protect their unique ingredients. (Today Britain has only
one: Stilton Cheese.)
Along came World War 1
And
if that weren’t enough damage to British food, World War II hit the country
with a double-whammy because England imported roughly 70% of its food and
Germany intended to starve the Brits by sinking their shipping convoys. England
was locked in a war of national survival.
And in 1939 ... World War 2
The
best and most nutritious food needed to be allocated to the troops.
Consequently, rationing was introduced to the folks on the home front on a vast
scale. A typical weekly food ration for an average adult was 4 ounces of bacon,
2 ounces of cheese, a single egg, and 8 ounces of sugar. Rubber, paper, metal
pots and pans, and even bones were collected on a regular basis from
households.
Food was rationed
For rich & poor alike
BTW
the fat content from a single pork bone could supply an explosive charge for
two rounds of ammunition (and here you thought the risk of pork fat was limited
to heart attacks).
Mothers and housewives were forced onto a
wartime footing in the kitchen. The British diet changed forever and homemakers
were severely challenged to put nutritious meals on the table without the
protein they were accustomed to using. It was all about making do with less.
Factory
workers would come home to a nutritious dinner of Woolton Pie, a casserole of
root vegetables in white sauce smothered with a thick layer of mashed potatoes.
Black Pudding (blood sausage) was not rationed, nor were organ meats
apparently, because Haggis – an assemblage of liver, sheep’s lungs, heart and
tongue, ground up and baked in the lining of a cow’s stomach – assumed a new
popularity.
Woolton Pie ... (Vegetable Casserole)
Blood Sausage was not rationed ... Yuk!
Haggis became popular ... Sheep's lungs anybody?
Chicken
livers on toast become a staple, as did kidney pie. Spam found its way to the
breakfast table, and smoked cod ended up in a potato-like chowder called Cullen
Skink. (Cullen is a town in Scotland. I don’t know about Skink.) With sugar
tightly rationed, Apple Brown Betty became Britain’s go-to dessert because the
apples provided the needed sweetness.
Chicken Lives on Toast
Kidney Pie ... Nothing was wasted
Spam ... Both in action and on the home front
Sunday Breakfast ... Spam and Eggs
Fish consumption went up
A nice bowl of Cullen Skink
Applewood Brown Betty ... No sugar required
Victory
Gardens sprung up on every little plot or scrap of available land…even directly
in front of the Prince Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. And women took to
fruit and vegetable canning on a massive scale. Kraft Cheesey Pasta that was
‘cheese-flavored” was a thrifty choice.
Victory gardens everywhere
Even in front of the Prince Albert memorial
Homemakers ... Canning from the victory gardens
Stockpiled in basements
Oleo margarine replaced butter
In
fact, when I saw the image of the Cheesey Pasta, I recalled my own somewhat
vague childhood memories of the war, because in our house the same Kraft
product was called Kraft Dinner. Growing up in a house with three families, I
recall my mother and grandmother feeding us Mac & Cheese quite often. It
must have run five cents a person.
And often became Woolton Pie
Mac and Cheese
At least once a week
And from my childhood war years ... About 5 cents a serving
I
also recall, as a five-year-old, rummaging through a kitchen drawer on the hunt
for ration stamps emblazoned with mighty tanks, warships, cannons and fighter
planes. With a fistful of stamps in hand, I’d sneak off to my room and
carefully arrange them on the linoleum floor. Most kids who stole those valuable
stamps would have received a ration of punishment. But for little Phil, living
in a house with three women (my grandmother, my mom and my Aunt Rose), the best
they could muster was, “Isn’t little Phil cute?”
As a 5 year old ... I loved ration stamps
Another wartime
frugal dish that my mother fed our extended families was Beans and Dumplings.
If memory serves me right, it combined the taste of water with the flavorful
touch of flour.
Beans & Dumplings ... A strong taste of water with a touch of flour
Back to England.
There were weekly drives in the neighborhoods to
collect items for the war effort – even bacon grease. But not all animal
products were gathered. Rabbits, which bred year ‘round, were a plentiful
source of meat, and many Brits built rabbit hutches in their backyards. Chicken
coops, too. Pig Clubs were also established. Neighborhoods would pool their
money and buy a pig, fatten it on scraps of food, and eventually butcher it.
Nothing went to waste.
Brits formed pig clubs
And saved bones for explosives
Rationing
was finally retired in 1954. By that time, British food culture had sustained
major damage; an entire generation forgot how to cook. Food in Britain was
stunted.
And
then. AND THEN!!!
Margaret
Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979, and the boom that followed solved the
problem. Suddenly it was okay to have money and to spend it. Dining
out became acceptable, not sinful.
An then ... In 1979 the boom began
The
enfant terrible chef, Michael Pierre White, opened HARVEY’S and was
awarded two Michelin stars. LE CAPRICE arrived on St. James Place. And LE TANTE
CLAIRE was crowned with three – count ‘em, THREE – Michelin stars. After Le
Tante Claire closed in 2004, Gordon Ramsay opened in the same spot on Hospital
Road.
In London, Enfant Terrible Michael Pierre White
Opened Harvey's in 1987 ... 2 Michelin Stars
LeCaprice was a hot ticket
La Tante Claire ... 1981 ... 3 Michelin Stars
On Hospital Road
Followed by Gordon Ramsay
London was suddenly becoming an outward-looking
global city. RIVER CAFÉ was, and still is, enjoying Michelin star-studded
reviews. QUAGLINO’S arrived with great fanfare. And the world-renowned
designer, Terrance Conran, resurrected Bibendum in Kensington – still going
strong today with Claude Bosi in the kitchen, fine dining (crazy expensive fine
dining) upstairs, and an oyster bar, serving giant pristine shellfish platters,
on the ground floor.
River Cafe on the Thames 1987 ... 3 Michelin Stars
I’ve been spoiled by MANNY’S – a steakhouse that sets the bar so high that almost every other steakhouse ends up disappointing me one way or another. Sure, a lot of them are fine; and many are good – the steaks are delicious, the service is crisp and efficient. But most of them, including some of the legends, end up leaving me cold. They’ve checked all the steakhouse boxes, but there’s no wit…no attitude or edge…it’s all prose, no poetry.
As Maureen Dowd wrote recently in the New York Times,
“You can teach someone to dance, but you can’t teach ‘em to boogie.”
But I do have my favorites, many of which I’ve written about
here. One of them is PRIME 112, a Miami steakhouse run by the Myles Restaurant
Group, that city’s dominant restaurant company, which also has concepts called
PRIME ITALIAN and PRIME FISH.
Steakhouse
In Miami Beach
With a nice patio ... Table #72 Recommended
All three places are well-located and well-run. The principal
thread of continuity, however, is the approach they take to dining. They’re
about “big food” that’s also really, really GOOD FOOD. And it comes at a steep
price. To most folks, they fall into the special occasion category – splurge
places where you’d celebrate an anniversary, birthday, or a business success.
At PRIME 112, steaks hover around $60 – $70, and top out with a
16 oz. Japanese Kobe ribeye priced at $230 (that’s not a typo, folks). A
platter of Asian chicken wings and an appetizer of five wagyu gyoza dumplings
each clock in at $25.
Steaks hover around $70 ... A 16 ounce Wagyu is $220
Wagyu Goyza Dumplings appetizer ... $25
$25 Chicken Wings appetizer
Now, make no mistake, these dishes are generous and they are
delicious.
Same with PRIME ITALIAN across the street on Ocean Drive: good,
but steep. The Calamari appetizer costs $23. Pastas – all good, all bountiful –
average north of thirty bucks a plate.
Across the street
On Ocean Drive
It's sister Restaurant ... Prime Italian
Calamari appetizer ... $23
Risotto
Lobster Ravioli
And then there’s PRIME FISH. This is a restaurant I was
especially eager to try. After creating the Oceanaire Seafood Room, probably
the nation’s first “power seafood” chain, I wanted to see how the Myles group
ventured into the territory suggested by its name.
And around the corner on Collins
I was expecting something bright, unadorned, and masculine –
like a Joe’s Stone Crab on steroids – but that’s not the ambiance of Prime
Fish. This isn’t the seafood equivalent of a New York-style steakhouse. The
ambiance is warmer, with a tropical feel appropriate for Miami (it has a
beautiful courtyard). It’s a gorgeous restaurant.
Beautiful outdoor cafe
Based on my experiences at Prime 112, I expected to be wowed. I
wasn’t. Not on my first visit, anyway. As I recall (this is a few years back),
the evening did not start well. I wanted to enjoy a simple salad, but all their
offerings were composed (fussily, as I recall) and ran about $25. I noticed,
though, that a few of their salads contained arugula, so I asked our server for
a small arugula salad with a little olive oil and salt. A couple of
minutes later he returned and informed me that the chef refused.
But I'm pissed off at the chef
The Chef ... "No Arugula Salad for you"
“We’re not happy ‘til you’re not happy.”
Joanne had a kale Caesar (today’s price is about $19). I can’t
remember my salad. Joanne followed with an absolutely superb bowl of Lobster
Bisque, redolent with little lobster knots that ensured a taste of lobster in
each and every spoonful. You’ll pay $27 for it these days.
Kale/Caesar Salad ... $19
Smoked Fish Spread with Parker House Rolls
Loaded Lobster Bisque $27
Big Eye Tuna Poke app ... $52
For our main courses, Joanne had King Crab Lasagna (for $49.
Yikes!). I had Swordfish Saltimboca, priced similarly.
King Crab Lasagna ... $49
Swordfish Saltimbocca
With a bottle of wine and Red Velvet Cheesecake for dessert, I
think our bill came to just under $13 million dollars.
Red Velvet Cheesecake
Remember, I go through this so you don’t have to. And what I
discovered on subsequent visits is that you don’t have to break the bank at
Prime Fish. Consider our follow-up dinners there. They took place fairly
recently (it took a while to digest their refusal to give me the salad I
wanted).
So we tried em' again ... But we ate differently
On the first of our recent dinners, remembering not just the
sticker shock of the check, but the bountiful portion size, Joanne and I
approached our dinner a bit more practically. We split an order of six
deep-fried Oysters Rockefeller. That worked out to $11 a person. On another visit,
we shared a Grilled Octopus appetizer reminiscent of Dirk Diggler as well as a
whopping, immensely refreshing salad of chilled watermelon, feta cheese and
roasted pepitas – perfect for a hot Miami night.
The Bread Service was the same
Joanne and I split Deep Fried Oysters Rockefeller ... $11 per person
We also shared Grilled Oysters
Grilled Octopus ... Plenty to share
Watermelon & Feta Salad ... We shared
Our simply grilled Fresh Grouper entree (a 10 oz. filet) was
plenty enough for the two of us. And on another occasion when a three-course
dinner just seemed like too much, we shared a Fish & Chips. You could also
split a Tuna Burger or a Lobster Roll and Fries – all substantially less costly
than a main course entrée. Next time, just for variety, we just might make a
dinner consisting of four or five appetizers. And wine. Of course.
Split a 10 ounce Grouper
Roasted Cauliflower side dish ... $14 ... We split
Another visit ... Fish & Chips
And a Tuna Burger
Lobster Roll & Matchstick Fries ... $23
We shared a Chocolate/Peanut Butter Cheesecake ... $15
And another time we shared S'Mores
With a little creativity, it’s possible to finesse expensive
restaurant menus. Now, you may be afraid that your server will shame you into
ordering more, but I don’t think that will happen – not at restaurants as well
run as Prime Fish and its sister operations. They know that if you have a good
experience, there’s a great chance you’ll be coming back. And we will, because
on our two recent visits we left Prime Fish perfectly satisfied, having spent
about $150 for the two of us, including wine. That’s not cheap, but for an
absolutely top-tier restaurant in a market like Miami, it’s worth it for the
food and experience. Remember, good seafood isn’t cheap (because cheap seafood
isn’t good).
Sharing is the way to go ...
BTW, full disclosure…Joanne and I most always split courses at
Manny’s.
Around the turn of the 19th century, a rumor spread throughout Japan that a place on the opposite side of the ocean called Peru was full of gold. Furthermore, it was a paradise with a mild climate, rich soil for farming and beautiful beaches.
In the 1890's ...
Several thousand Japanese
Migrated to Peru
Warm climate, rich soil
Consequently, several thousand Japanese – mainly farmers from tropical Okinawa – emigrated to Peru and signed four-year employment contracts to work the farms and sugarcane plantations. After fulfilling their contracts, many migrated to the city and set up small retail shops as well as Japanese-influenced restaurants. I say “influenced” because in the early years they discovered that they could not consistently get all the Japanese ingredients that they were accustomed to using – things like matcha, ginger and miso, as well as soy and teriyaki sauces.
100,000 Japanese reside in Peru
Peruvian dishes
Matcha for healthy tea
Miso
Ginger
& all sort of Japanese staples
Typical of immigrant
restaurateurs, the Japanese introduced new cooking techniques to Peruvians
while incorporating native ingredients in Japanese dishes. Over time, they were
able to secure the ingredients they’d left behind, but not before they became
well-versed in cooking with local staples such as Aji Amarillo peppers, purple
potatoes, and different breeds of colorful corn.
Peruvian Peppers
Colorful Peruvian Corn
And potatoes of all stripes
Especially Peruvian Purple Potatoes
The marriage of
Peruvian and Japanese cuisine had been consummated, and the new blended cuisine
was called “Nikkei” – Peruvian food through a Japanese lens.
Nikkei ... Peruvian food through a Japanese lens
For example, the most popular national dish of Peru is called ANTICUCHO. It’s skewered beef heart marinated in red wine and cumin, then grilled. The Peruvian/Japanese version will more likely resemble YAKATORI, but the beef heart skewers will have been marinated in sake, ginger and teriyaki sauce before grilling.
Peruvian Skewers
Peruvian Beef Hearts
Just like Japanese Yakatori
In Nikkei cuisine ... Marinated in Sake
Nikkei cuisine was validated by none other than Nobu Matsuhisa, who in 1977 opened his first NOBU RESTAURANT in Lima, Peru, and went on to become a global icon of high-class sushi fare. More recently, the Nikkei restaurant MAIDO in Lima was ranked #8 in the listing of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants.”
With a Japanese influence
If
you can make it to Peru, by all means sample Nikkei cuisine. There’s quite a
bit of it. Japanese-Peruvian residents number over 100,000, representing the
largest minority in the country (In fact, Peru even elected a president of
Japanese descent, Alberto Fujimori, in 1990).
Peru elected a Japanese president in 1990 ... Alberto Fujimori
Fortunately,
you don’t have to go that far to find a spectacularly good exemplar of the
cuisine, because CHOTTO-MATTE is crushing it in Miami Beach. Located in an
alley just behind Lincoln Road, this gorgeous restaurant boasts beautiful wall
murals, a bar whose ceiling opens to the sky, a resident DJ, and some of the
most flavorful food you’ll find anywhere.
Chotto-Matte in Miami Beach
Spectacular Bar
The ceiling opens
Joanne
and I had been there a few times during the past year, but two weeks ago we celebrated
her birthday there – and with nine family members (plus a few hangers-on) in
tow, we were able to sample practically the entire menu. And GOOD IT IS.
Fortified with orchid-garnished TRADER VIC’S-like
tropical drinks, we began with cocktail snacks which came in a wooden Japanese
sake box. They included crunchy seasoned giant corn kernels as well as deep-fried
Peruvian yuca and sweet potato chips with guacamole and mango salsa dip.
Drinks like Trader Vic's
Peruvian Yuca & Sweet Potato Chips
Next up: Three orders of gyoza Japanese dumplings in Peruvian spicy yellow tomato salsa for dipping. That was followed by a sushi sampling platter – straight-forward and pristine. Then two NIKKEI versions of maki rolls arrived, one crowned with a handful of crispy plantain straws, the other rolled in Peruvian quinoa, then torched and toasted tableside. This is inventive stuff, folks.
Japanese Dumplings in Peruvian Guacamole
Pure Japanese Sushi
But sometimes with crispy Plantain Straws
Or with Peruvian Quinoa
I love grilled octopus but have never had it with dollops of purple potato puree.
Japanese Octopus with Peruvian Purple Potato Purée
Lobster ceviche, “cooked” in fresh-squeezed key lime juice, teemed with hunks of claw meat, “Nikkei-ized” with cubes of sweet potato and yellow tomatoes.
TRADITO is the name of Nikkei Sashimi – the difference being that the Peruvian sauce is a little spicy and the dish is often topped with salty purple potato chips.
Japanese Sashimi
Nikkei Sashimi with Purple Potato Chips
Nikkei Tataki with Passion Fruit
Chotto-Matte devotes an entire section of the menu to tempura and pulls it off with a delicate hand. Crispy soft-shell crab was sitting atop what I think is called “yum yum” sauce: mayonnaise spiked with paprika, sugar and garlic. I don’t think “yum yum” sauce is Japanese or Peruvian or Nikkei. It sounds sort of like something I’d have on a potato hot dish at a church supper in Alabama. But DAMN, IT WAS GOOD with the tempura crab.
Japanese Miso Glazed Local Fish
Soft Shell Crab Tempura in Yum Yum Sauce
Maine Lobsters play a significant role here. One was paired with vegetable tempura. Another came on a bed of Japanese fried rice laced with Peruvian sweet potatoes, jalapeno peppers and deep-fried giant corn kernels, each the size of my thumb nail (these are also offered as a side dish).
Peruvian Lobster paired with Vegetable Tempura
Nikkei ... Local Lobster with Fried Rice
Chicken with Peruvian Potatoes & Japanese Ginger
Bento Boxes with Peruvian Stuff
Giant Peruvian Corn Kernels
Be sure to try the pork belly with orange peel, cilantro and a seven-spice mixture called Shichimi-Togarashi.
Peruvian Pork Belly with Ginger
It’s impressive how naturally the Japanese and Peruvian flavor profiles marry up, but the cuisines haven’t achieved total union just yet. Neither Chotto-Matte or any other restaurant that I know of offers a Nikkei rendition of CUY – the rodent (a guinea pig to be precise) commonly hawked in Lima food stalls. It’s typically grilled with its feet, tiny claws and teeth intact.
Cuy ... (Guinea Pig) ... Peruvian National Dish
However, those of you out there who may just have a hankering for something unusual to eat, let not your heart be troubled – for with three days advance notice, CHINO LATINO will come to your rescue. We sell three to four cuy a month (Really, I ain’t lyin’) and THEY’RE DELICIOUS.
Parasole’s culinary folks have made countless dining trips to
major capitals around the world and have found as much inspiration in New York
as anywhere on the planet. Over 30 years ago, MANNY’S was birthed after dining
at SPARK’S, THE PALM and KEEN’S CHOP HOUSE, all in the Big Apple.
Subsequent trips included PETER LUGER STEAKHOUSE in Brooklyn – clearly
a bucket-list restaurant for steak lovers, and for good reason. This place was
different.
132 Years Old ... Brooklyn
With spare finishes, weathered and worn wooden floors, and an
absence of crisp linen tablecloths like you’ll find at Sparks, Peter Luger kept
the focus on the steak. The servers were all men, seasoned and gruff, but in an
amusing sort of way.
The top of the top
Best steak in the world
Thirty years ago, the restaurant was dubbed “The Best Steakhouse
in the World.“ USA Today
crowned it, “The Best Steak in America.”
Since then, Peter Luger’s primacy in the steakhouse world has
largely gone unchallenged – until recently, when New York Times
restaurant critic Pete Wells surprised the nation by dropping a ZERO-STAR
review on this national institution…this Holy Grail of Steakdom. Foul!
Sacrilege!
Enter Pete Wells ... Restaurant Critic
From guess where ...
Cried the loyalists
You can't criticize the holy grail of Steakhouses
Jay Rayner, critic for the Guardian newspaper in London may
have been the stalking-horse of restaurant reviewers when, a few years back, he
panned LE CINQ at the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris. His takedown generated
a hue and cry from readers, especially the French, who probably felt that an
English critic had no standing to critique a temple of haute cuisine. The
review generated a spike in Guardian readership, however. The paper’s
daily circulation averages about 130,000, and a typical Rayner review gets
70,000 views (100,000 is extraordinary for him). But his crucifixion of Le Cinq
pulled in an astonishing 2.2 million readers – a record for the Guardian.
But ... There is precedent ... Jay Rayner
Of the London Newspaper
Murdered the precious Le Cinq in Paris
That's an understatement!
It was violent indeed
For demolishing one of the most revered of the city’s extravagant
restaurants, Rayner was accused of transparently attempting to boost his own profile
in order to ensure job security amid the tide of declining circulation at the
paper.
Back home, Wells’ headline read, ”PETER LUGER USED TO
SIZZLE. NOW IT SPUTTERS.” The New
York Times doesn’t report page views, but you can bet Wells’ readership
spiked with this review.
October 2019 Headline
Here’s what I think.
Back in 1968, the Times’ restaurant critic, Craig
Claiborne, awarded Peter Luger a whopping four stars. Nearly 30 years later, in
1995, Ruth Reichl gave it three stars – still a fantastic rating – albeit with
faint praise that “I even liked the fact that steak is the only good thing on
the menu.” (Wince!). Then in 2007, Frank Bruni further downgraded the
steakhouse to two stars (“Very Good”), writing that, “Luger has cause to blush,
not to gloat.“ Bruni continues …..
Back to Peter Luger
Craig Claiborne gave em 4 stars ... 50 years ago
25 years ago - Ruth Reichl took em down to 3 stars
In 1995 Frank Bruni took away another star
They check all the steakhouse boxes
Nobody goes to Peter Luger for Sole
“I’ve loved it for a long time – the steak is as good as it gets –
but it needs to give me more reasons to return, among them less dismissive
service.“
So in October, Pete Wells stepped in.
And two months ago Pete Wells took all the stars away ... Zero!
“I don’t remember when the doubts
began, but they grew over time.”
“Diners aren’t greeted at the
door. They are processed.”
“A kind word or a reassuring smile
would help.”
“The management seems to go out of its
way to make things inconvenient.”
“The shrimp cocktail tasted like cold
latex dipped in ketchup and horseradish…fortified by corn syrup.”
"Shrimp Cocktail tasted like cold latex" Pete Wells, NY Times
“Caesar Salad [had] croutons straight
out of the bag.”
"Croutons right out of the bag" Pete Wells, NY Times
“The German Fried potatoes used to be
brown and crunchy. Now they are dingy, gray and sometimes cold. I look
forward to them the way I look forward to finding a new, irregularly shaped mole.”
"Fried Potatoes ... Dingy, gray & sometimes cold" Pete Wells, NY Times
On a recent visit with seven or eight Parasole colleagues, we found
ourselves deeply disappointed in Peter Luger.
Even pissed at it. Oh hell, ESPECIALLY PISSED.
It used to be that a visit to Peter Luger was an affirmation of
life itself; the headiest of indulgences, an experience to treasure. This time,
we were treated with indifference by an unfriendly host, and with arrogance by our
server, who used every tool short of a cattle prod to rush – and I mean RUSH –
us through dinner.
He opened by saying, “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do here.
Two porterhouses for four. Four Caesar Salads. Four sliced tomato and onion
salads (at $19.95 a pop).” And then, without a word, he walked away from our
table and directly into the kitchen.
I get curtness in a NY steakhouse. I appreciate a bit of endearing
gruffness. It’s local flavor and appropriate in this genre of restaurant. But
there was nothing charming, witty, clever, campy or theatrical about the way we
were treated.
Servers once endearing gruffness exuded
Seconds – really, just seconds – later, our salads were plunked
down at the table. And before we were even finished with them, our steak
arrived. The service gave new meaning to the word “rushed” – and to the
word, “screwed.”
However the Strudel remains good
We were in and out in 45 minutes!!!
Oh, and did I mention that Peter Luger is a cash-only restaurant?
Just one more “F you” to the customer.
Bring cash ... Lots of it.
At Manny’s, we are positively obsessive about giving our guests a
satisfying, memorable, extraordinary experience. And while we see our dining
room populated with “suits” and other folks who can easily afford the tab, we
never lose sight of the fact that there are also a bunch of people who have had
to SAVE UP to dine at Manny’s for this special night. This isn’t their only
visit of the year; it’s the only visit of their life. Peter Luger seems to have
forgotten that. Or they just don’t give a shit.
Critics of Wells’ review harp that he is doing exactly what Jay
Rayner’s accusers were carping about – using his perch to boost his own
personal profile and to increases his job security at the paper.
HOOEY!!! This needed to happen.
So, Peter Luger: The heard truth is that Pete Wells is absolutely
right. The sacred cow needed to be slain.
But this "Sacred Cow" needed to be slain
Let’s hope Luger can get its act together and restore its
priorities – the first of which is THE GUEST.
W.T.F.
PHIL
P.S. BTW, our steak was as great as ever. It was just the attitude and service that were rancid.
On our trips to London, Joanne and I always stay in
Mayfair, near Hyde Park, where it’s so easy – and such a pleasure – to visit
the charming neighborhoods nearby…Marylebone, Chelsea, Belgravia (actually,
Belgravia isn’t so charming these days; a huge portion of it has been purchased
by asset-parking absentee oligarchs, making for a lovely, but rather barren
area).
As we become more familiar with the city, however, we
frequently venture out to neighborhoods and restaurants that don’t always
appear in the tour guides. It can take some effort, and more than a few pounds,
to get there by taxi, but in our
experience the rewards far outweigh the disappointments.
An easy place to start might be Spitalfields,
populated by a preponderance of urban hipsters in slinky jeans, sipping flat
whites. The neighborhood’s commercial centerpiece, the relatively new Market, boasts
loads of tony and quirky independent retail, hundreds of food stalls and
several good sit-down restaurant choices. BTW, the Market is totally covered,
so don’t let rain deter a visit.
Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields ... Urban Hipsters
Sipping Flat Whites
A couple of our favorite restaurants are nearby, including
GALVIN La CHAPELLE and ST. JOHN BREAD AND WINE, Fergus Henderson’s legendary snout-to-tail
spot where two years ago our culinarily adventurous 12-year-old grandson
eagerly downed a plate of veal kidneys, as well as a dish of lamb testicles.
The kidneys came with mustard sauce; the testicles came with bragging rights.
A favorite in Spitalfields ...
Galvin la Chapelle
Inasmuch as Spitalfields was once a rundown part of
town that has since become achingly cool and trendy, nearby Shoretitch is
emerging from a neglected inner city neighborhood into an area of artists and
musicians…many with gritty, bushy beards.
And then there is Shoreditch
Shoreditch ... Artists & Musicians
A little gritty ... But up & coming
Since rents in Shoreditch are still relatively
affordable, the area has become a target-rich environment for ambitious
restaurateurs.
This is where, on our recent October visit, Joanne and
I dined at our new favorite London restaurant. Residing above a former strip
club (now called The Smoking Goat), BRAT is not easy to find. The entrance is
simply an unmarked doorway on Red Church street. After entering, you climb a
narrow, steep staircase and suddenly find yourself in a lively dining room dominated
by an open kitchen where sparkling embers fly from burning coals. Before you’ve
even reached your semi-communal table, a deep charcoal aroma has your mouth
watering.
Ground Floor ... The Smoking Goat Upstairs ... Brat
Brat entrance on Red Church Street
Up a steep & narrow dreary staircase
And into
A roaring kitchen
Grilled meats & fish ...
Semi-communal seating
(I can help you here: If, like me, you are not fan of
community seating…then request a deuce table. Numbers 40, 50, 60 and 70 are all
anchored against the wall).
Our table on the left ... #40
Hard at work at table #40
Bratt is the brainchild of Tomos Parry, a chef who
earned his first Michelin star at Kitty Fischer’s in Shepherd’s Market. Parry
serves up a menu that celebrates his Welsh heritage by way of Basque peasant
cookery, with hefty primal grilled meats being the focus.
A culinary marriage of Welsh & Basque
Okay, this may not be to your liking (it certainly
wasn’t to Joanne’s), but the first in our series of smoky revelations was a
small loaf of grilled bread, pillowy like PITTSBURGH BLUE’S, drowned in butter,
and draped with salty anchovies. I ate the whole thing.
Grilled bread ... Butter & more butter, salt and anchovies
The grilled bread was followed with selections from
the menu – Small Bites, Starters, and Grilled Meats – all meant for sharing.
First came a trio of little toast “soldiers”
topped with a piping of smoked cod roe and micro greens. But the standout was an
order of chopped egg salad of all thing. This benign-sounding dish turned out
to be dense molasses-laced grainy toast topped with scrambled eggs….warm, loose
and with cozy softness. On top were paper-thin shavings of bottarga (mullet
roe). The dish was so delicious and appeared to be so simple that after
returning to Minneapolis I decided to treat Joanne and make it as an appetizer
for a romantic dinner at home one night (it’s light enough that it won’t impede
our athletic lovemaking). It seemed easy enough to recreate, but it turned out
to be a massive disappointment and the evening ended badly. Joanne can be so
strict and unforgiving.
Smoked Cod piped on to toast "Soldiers"
Scrambled Eggs ... Soft & warm with shaving of bottarga
Cockles seem to be the new clams in Europe and London.
So we shared an order in light broth with crispy chicken livers and fat slices
of grilled sopping toast. YOWZA !!!!
Steamed Cockles with Chicken Livers
I’ll pause here in mid-meal and attempt to describe
the Brat DNA that was coming over me. I recall saying to Joanne, “I don’t
know if this is the wine talking….but I think we need another bottle of wine.”
Jay Rayner, food critic of the London Guardian,
said it so well: “Some of the dishes that Tomos Perry cooks at Brat are simplicity
itself….and some are simply perfect.”
As I sat in the tasty, sort of shabby-chic dining room
that evening, I remembered what the Michelin Guide said about the restaurant:
“You just don’t eat at Brat. You tuck in. There is something very joyful
about this place.”
There is something joyful about Brat
My observation about cool restaurants like Brat? Some
are contrived, phony; they try too hard. But being cool is about NOT TRYING to
be cool. Brat knows that.
Onward to the main event! (We skipped salads.)
I, of course, had to have the Beef Chop – all
blackened fat and pink meat resting in its juices – especially when I heard
that their beef comes from DAIRY COWS – old dairy cows, in fact. This is
unheard of at serious meat restaurants (although a dairy cow steak did, very
briefly, appear on the first dinner menu at Tullibee restaurant in Minneapolis’
Hewing hotel). Old dairy cows are typically destined to become dog food. However,
our server tempered the thought by telling us that they are finished with grain
during the last couple months of their long life.
How was it? Actually, pretty good. Intense beefy
flavor. A little chewy. And delightfully smoky.
Was it MANNY’S? No. But I’d certainly order it again.
Beef Chop from a Jersey Dairy Cow??!!??
Mutton Chop ... Not baby lamb ... Mutton!
Which I had ... And loved
Joanne surprised me and had the RED MULLET. Mullet has
always seemed too oily and fishy for my taste, but in this case it was
perfectly grilled and had the crispiest of skin.
Grilled Red Mullet ... Crispy skin
I’ve never thought that side dishes were compelling. Good?
Yes. Must orders? Not so much. I just can’t imagine anybody saying, “Boy, I
can’t wait to get back to Cheesecake Factory for those green beans.”
However, there might be a few exceptions at Brat,
which serves smoked new potatoes in a pool of butter about an inch deep. Holy
heart attack!
The best ... Smoked Potatoes drowned in butter
Ditto for Parry’s wild mushrooms, which come in a
whopping bowl of salty melted butter loaded to the brim with chanterelles and
porcinis, crowned by a big, soft poached duck egg.
Not to be missed ... Chantrelles & Porcini Mushrooms with a Duck Egg
Now, about the name: Brat. It apparently derives from
an old English slang term for turbot. And grilled whole turbot is indeed the defining
dish of Brat. Slow-cooked over indirect heat and spritzed from time to time
with vinegar, it arrives at the table blistered and golden. You can order it in
two sizes, priced at 55 and 70 pounds.
Grilled Whole Turbot
Blistered & Golden ... For 2 ... $65 u.s.d.
And finally, your two satisfied pigs seated at table
#40 gorped out on dessert. Joanne swooned over an insanely good rice pudding
that contained at least five pounds of sugar and just under a gallon of clotted
cream.
Rice Pudding ... Rich, Rich, Rich!
I had a wedge of warm “burnt cheesecake,” served straight
from the wood-burning oven with poached rhubarb providing a counterpoint to the
rich creaminess.
Burnt Cheesecake
With Rhubarb & Clotted Cream
If you choose to go, YOU WILL NEED A RESERVATION!
And if there are just two of you and you’d prefer to dine un-communally,
request the aforementioned tables 40, 50, 60 or 70. That will make you sound
like a regular – and perhaps give you a leg up on securing a booking.
As Michelin said – and now I say – “There is
something joyful about Brat.”
I’ll just never quite understand how Welsh and Basque
cuisines became joined at the hip. But then again, with food this good, who
gives a damn?
A short while ago, I came upon an
article in New York magazine entitled, “The Slowest Food.” It was all about snails, or as the French say, escargot.
The point that the piece was making is
that, for whatever reason, snails have suddenly become very popular. Perhaps, they state, it’s because they
have become an “ICON of the SLOW FOOD movement.” Or maybe it’s the “obsession with adventurous eating
among fashionable foodies.”
So I decided to drill down into my
flirtation and affairs over the years with the rubbery little cornuaspersum…the snail.
Their origin as a food is presumed to
be Italian, at around the time of the height of the Roman Empire. But in all my trips to Italy, I just
don’t recall ever eating them (I don’t even know that I’d recognize the Italian
word for snail). I do recall enjoying them on numerous,
numerous occasions in France, however.
For some reason, over the centuries,
they seemed to have migrated to France either deliberately or accidentally… and in a BIG WAY. Escargot farms are prolific there, especially in Burgundy.
Snail Farms ... France
The farming methods are unique. Newly hatched snails thrive on green leafy plants and
grasses that grow between rows of tilted weathered boards to which they
eventually “barnacle” themselves while they mature. At the time they are harvested, they
are removed from their shells and “flash-boiled” to remove toxins and any other
impurities. Next they’re cooked in vats of aromatic “court-bouillon” before being canned
and ready for distribution. (Very,
very few restaurants use snails fresh off the boards.)
Farm raised
They start out on greenery
They migrate from grasses to weathered boards
Harvest time
And ultimately to the canneries
By far, the world’s most popular (and many would argue, the
most delicious) snail dish is ESCARGOT BOURGUIGNON (obviously created in
Burgundy). The snails, put back into their shells,
are tightly packed to the brim of the shell with high-fat butter, laced with loads of chopped fresh garlic, shallots and parsley. The resulting dish coming out of the
oven is frothing in hot melted garlic butter anxiously awaiting a warm, crusty
hunk of sopping bread. In my opinion, the hot butter-soaked sopping bread is equally as good as the
snails themselves….maybe better. And I do
not think that I am alone with that opinion.
The French Classic ... Escargot Bourguignon
The garlicky butter sauce ... Yum!
This iconic French appetizer comes with a
pesky little spring-loaded pair of tongs specially designed to grab and hold the shell in place
while the snail is being carefully filched out with a tiny two-pronged fork. A word of caution: Once you have secured
the shell, DO NOT squeeze the tongs again without thinking first. Due to the spring-loading, the result could be a butter-loaded snail shell missile flying across the
table and on to a dining companion’s lap.
Tricky Escargot utensils
Spring loaded tongs hold the shell
But adventuresome chefs around the world,
not content with tradition, are experimenting with new and inventive interpretations of snail
dishes – delicious iterations that Joanne and I
have enjoyed immensely during our travels.
To name a few: Snails stuffed into tiny
ceramic cups at LA COTE BASQUE in New York; DANIEL BOULUD’s snails soaked in Persillade butter (Italian parsley chives, almond
flour and cayenne) served with potato croquettes to soak up the melted butter
(I much prefer a warm baguette); VOL AU VENT, a larger pastry shell filled with
goat cheese, mushrooms and other good stuff; escargot deep-fried or roasted in
a whole onion; escargot soufflé at LE RECAMIER in Paris; snails with bresola, shallots, mushrooms and rich
Bordelaise sauce atop creamy polenta at LE NOTRE in Paris; escargot incorporated into a salad with grilled
lettuce, baby onions, mushrooms and pickled carrots at DINNER BY HESTON
BLUMENTHAL in London; snails masquerading as LASAGNA; and again in London at
SCOTT’S, where they’re prepared with monkfish cheeks and sinus-clearing garlic
toast.
In little ceramic cups at Le Cote Basque ... NYC
Delicious in puff pastry shells
Daniel Boulud ... Persille Garlic Sauce & Potato Croquetes
Vol au Vent ... In a pastry shell with goat cheese
Even deep fried
Or in a whole onion "bowl"
Snails, Shallots & Mushrooms atop soft polenta
Escargot Salad at Heston Blumenthal's in London
Escargot Lasagna anyone?
At Scott's in London with Monkfish cheeks
Escargot Souffle at Le Recamier ... Paris
However, Joanne has NEVER HAD A SNAIL
FACIAL.
Even facials ...
Now, what I’ve been talking about are
LAND SNAILS. BUT….
…there are also varieties of SEA SNAILS, of which we sampled more than our fair
share while in Nice and Barcelona last summer.
Not all snails are edible, but those that are suitable for consumption include: “knobbed whelks” (kind of like baby conch shells); “lighting
snails,” served in a heaping platter at our favorite restaurant in Barcelona, BOTAFUMERIO; and another breed of sea
snails are “whelks,” which are a frequent guest on those impressive seafood towers in Parisian brasseries.
But what about sea snails ... ?
A platter of Sea Snails at Botafumeiro ... Barcelona
These are a different bread called Whelks
We enjoyed sea snails served warm with a garlicky butter
dipping sauce, but most often they were served cold on crushed ice with homemade mayo – a welcome treat for us with the record-setting heat wave in
Nice.
Sometimes served hot ...
But usually on ice with home-made mayo
And then there are the tiny, and I mean TINY, but delicious
PERIWINKLES, so small that you release them from their shells with a needle.
The tiny Periwinkle
You can "down" a lot of'em
But…..ONLY PARISIANS WOULD THINK OF THIS…..
A somewhat dreary but nevertheless
delightful little restaurant that is DEDICATED to the snail. The name? You guessed it: L’ESCARGOT. It’s located not far from Les Halles, on Rue Montorgueil. And while you’ll find steak frites and French onion soup on the menu, no one comes for that.
They’re here for the snails – Escargot Bourguignon, of course, but also Truffle Butter Escargot and Foie Gras Escargot.
Joanne back in Paris
At L'Escargot ... Guess their specialty
You guessed right ...
A sort of dreary dining room
But ... Their Escargot trump everything
Get a half dozen for yourself or a
dozen to share, or order 36 for the table. The good news: You can mix ‘em up. On our last visit, they were about one euro each – pretty darn good for
Paris!
Get a dozen to share
Or 36 for the table ... About 1 euro each
However, if you are not traveling to Paris anytime
soon, there’s no need to despair. Help is at hand and nearby. Escargot Bourguignon is
always on the menu at SALUT (and with warm, crusty sopping bread).
MANEKI-NEKO, a Japanese term, refers to the cat with the waving
paw that’s so often seen near the entry of many Asian businesses….particularly
restaurants. MANEKI-NEKO loosely translates as meaning GOOD FORTUNE
or LUCKY CAT. If the left hand is waving…it means good luck for
BUSINESS. If it’s the right hand beckoning, that means good luck with
money for your family and household.
Maneki-Neko
Lucky Cat
Enter British rock-star celebrity chef, writer, critic and TV
personality….GORDON RAMSAY.
British Chef Gordon Ramsay
Now Joanne and I over the years have been universally pleased
with all of his London restaurants beginning with his Michelin 3 starred early
success on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. A few years later we had the
pleasure of dining at his restaurant housed in CLARIDGE’S HOTEL in
Mayfair. Then ten years ago he opened MAZE also in Mayfair.
MAZE, a small plate sharing restaurant, proved to be a “target rich” venue for
several visits by our PARASOLE CULINARY teams over the past decade. Ramsay
never had trouble plating up beautifully crafted and eye-popping dishes like
the LOBSTER and LEMONGRASS RISOTTO illustrated below.
His Michelin 3 Star on Royal Hospital Rd.
Still going strong
In Claridge's Hotel
Stunning
And in Mayfair for 10 years
Maze ... Lemongrass Risotto
Carpaccio - Beautiful small plates
And so it is, that after a ten year run, that he “folded his
tent” at MAZE.
That’s where the cat comes in. His new place,
LUCKY CAT, is a small plate PAN JAPANESE-ISH venue, that debuted last summer in
the same spot as MAZE on Grosvenor Square.
And now, Replacing Maze ...
Japanese ... Good fortune
It seemed to me that LUCKY CAT, being Asian, he took a bold,
risky and “gutty” step in that immediate neighborhood because just a few short
blocks away are already two knock-out ASIAN restaurants….BOTH MICHELIN
STARRED. One is UMU….on Bruton Place…. Chic and high
fashioned AUTHENTIC JAPANESE cuisine. The other, just down the street, is
KAI…..a favorite of Joanne and mine…..”little plates of loveliness” that lean
CHINESE with subtle MALAYSIAN influences. But then,
what the hell do I know ?
More is better luck
But ... Within a couple of blocks
Umu ... Serious competition
Michelin 2 Star Japanese ... Gorgeous
Umu ... Lobster & Caviar
Just down the block
Elegant Pan Asian ... Kai
A favorite ... Wasabi Shrimp
Well, I do know this. LUCKY CAT is good looking and very
well “put-together”. Jet black is the “mother color” and the space is very,
very dark indeed…..a sort of “shadowy aesthetic”. Little bespoke gold
ceramic LUCKY CATS are everywhere….300 of ‘em….all cleverly positioned.
In a press release, Ramsay stated that the space is dark to prevent
photography. Good luck with that.
But back to the Cat
Dark & Sultry
A shadowy aesthetic
LUCKY CAT apparently was inspired by the EATING and DRINKING
CLUBS and JAZZ DENS of the 1930’s that thrived in Tokyo and other Asian
capitals. Does anybody alive remember these ????
And 300 bespoke lucky cats
Chef's table & sushi bar
Being Gordon Ramsay fans, Joanne and I went to LUCKY CAT last
month on a rainy Tuesday night in London. The sultry dark space
immediately felt cozy to our damp and chilled bodies as we were seated at a
oversized sized deuce.
Smart White Geisha cocktail
I should pause here to tell you that prior to our visit to LUCKY
CAT, we had read the reviews in THE GUARDIAN and other London publications as
well. They were not good.
Grace Dent of THE GUARDIAN stated that the restaurant was too
loud and waits between courses were way too long. She opined that the
DUCK LEG was sticky and fatty.
Service was chaotic. And saying that the prices were so
high that you “could wave goodbye to next month’s car payment”.
George Reynolds of the London Eater stated “It’s been a tough
week for cats”. Restaurant critic Fay Maschler and Reynolds both
scratched their heads in wonderment of why the DUCK LEG is crusted in BONITO
FLAKES….giving it a fishy flavor. Reynolds, continuing his harsh
review, citing that even a dead cat will “BOUNCE” if it falls from a great
height. “But, this feline in question just continues to free fall”.
So, fore-warned is fore-armed. Knowing all of this, Joanne
and I “soldiered-on” and proceeded to work our way through the menu in
spite of our waiter who knew PRACTICALLY NOTHING about the menu content and
ABSOLUTEL NOTHING about the wine list. Even though the delivery of
our selections was out-of-sync….long gaps in delivery and then two or three
dishes all at once, the food certainly had glimpses of the Ramsay touch…..full
flavored, colorful and frequently clever. We especially enjoyed the
smallish CHAR-SIU PORK CHOP with NASHI PEAR as well as the previously mentioned
DUCK LEG (which is actually for do-it-yourself BAO BUNS).
Sushi of course
Sesame Prawn Toast ... All small plates
Crispy Tofu & Avocado Bao Buns
Very attractive - Mini Lamb Chops ... $33 USD
Dumplings ... 15 BPS ... About $20 USD
Orkney Scallop with Sweet Corn Hot Sauce
Smoked Miso Salmon ... About 3 ounces ... $33 USD
Char Siu Pork Chop
Duck Leg Bao Buns ... $35 USD ... YIKES!
It's Do-It-Yourself
But …..what we especially DID NOT ENJOY was the NOISE
LEVEL. Our oversized deuce table proved to be too big and Joanne
and I literally could not hear a single word the other said. My guess is
that the decibel level was somewhere between a LIVE ROCK CONCERT and a 757
taking off from Heathrow.
What we also did not enjoy were the EYE-WATERING PRICES.
Yes, I am aware that this is the most expensive neighborhood in London and
consequently the rents are in the stratosphere. But this is a SMALL
PLATE RESTAURANT with scaled back portions. Most plates are about 7
inches in diameter. So when two tiny (albeit delicious) lamb chops
cost $ 33 usd and a small single duck leg is $ 35 usd and a Negroni is $
21….well….
How about a $21 Negroni???
I feel that if members of the British Royal Monarchy had dined here, I can say as Jay Rayner of the Gaurdian once said….”I, too, have been ROYALLY SCREWED”.
If the British Royal Monarchy have been to Lucky Cat ...