Chefs/Restaurants Archives - Page 49 of 55

French Bistro Lunch, Happy Bastille Day!

Allard Restaurant has been serving traditional old-time bistro fare on the Left Bank since the 1930’s. Once, one of the greatest gourmet restaurants in Paris, the menu doesn’t change, except for daily specials and it is as good ever. On our trip to Paris, we thoroughly enjoyed eating at some of the modern cutting-edge restaurants, but it was also a treat to dine on the classic bistro foods including escargots, frisée lardons salad, filet de beouf, gratin dauphinois, duck with olives, and roasted Bresse chicken with potatoes at Allard. The place is lively, authentic, well-worn and legendary! The old-fashioned décor, especially the zinc bar once a gathering spot for celebrities, is especially charming.

Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on July 14th. It is called Fête Nationale in official parlance, or more commonly le quatorze juillet. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

from wikipedia

Alas, no room for cheese or dessert, for dinner will be at Pierre Gagnaire.

Owner and pooch leave Allard quite satisfied…

Happy Bastille Day!

V – Le Cinq

Overlooking the hotel’s marble courtyard and garden, Le Cinq restaurant is tastefully fine and luxurious, dressed in grey and gold. The tablecloths, china and silver were all created specifically for this legendary hotel built in 1928.

The menu draws upon classic French culinary techniques and also embraces newer, lighter cooking styles, incorporating the freshest regional ingredients.

Welcome to Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris! Come walk with us as we arrive at Le Galerie.

Our perfect, intuitive service began when we were led, not to our table, but to sit and relax on couches and comfy chairs in the reception area. Champagne started to flow and little cloth baskets of fried calamari and shrimp appeared. Before the baskets were empty, another would arrive, so we only nibbled on the morsels when hot.

Don, and Kristy with her personalized menu, “Happy Birthday Kristy”

Les Fleurs

Fleur de Four Seasons George V

One can smell flowers upon entering the hotel. The bold floral statements set against classic architecture create a look that is the signature of Four Seasons Hotel George V Artistic Director, Jeffrey Leatham.

Jeff Leatham dresses the grande dame of avenue George V in an abundance of fresh blooms. Nine thousand are shipped in from the Netherlands each week!

LE CINQ

Table d’hôte

After enjoying our Champagne, we are escorted to our table for eight which is separated from the main restaurant room by an amazing arrangement of Jeff Leatham’s flowers. On the table, the hydrangea centerpieces with scattered white rose petals were breathtaking.

The china is gorgeous. The woman with angel cameo in the center of the platter mirrors the large medallions on the walls of the elegant dining room.

amuse-bouche

les vins

Champagne Diebolt Vallois Blanc de Blanc

Puligny Montrachet 2006 Domaine Carillon

Vosne-Romanée 2006 Domaine David Duband

Riesling Lieser, Niederberg Helden Spatlese 2004, Weingut Schloss Lieser

entrée
morilles et asperges d’Argenteuil

Morel mushrooms and white asparagus,

Creamy risotto Acquerello with Méréville watercress,

Gravy juice / St Yrieix bacon, delicate licorice

foie gras de canard des Landes

Fresh duck foie gras from the Landes region,

roasted with black Sarawak pepper, braised rhubarb

Gariguette strawberries with elderberry juice

poularde de Bresse

Farm hen from the Bresse region “Excellence Miéral”

Served in a casserole dish with verbena / candied lemon baby carrots

With fresh curcuma / slow simmered sorrel

salades de saison mélangées

Seasonal green salad with truffled vinaigrette

sélection de nos Maîtres fromagers

Pierre Sauvager and his delightfully convivial team provided the most impeccable, flawless service. Merci beaucoup Pierre!

Under the direction of:

Eric Briffard, Chef des Cuisines

Thierry Hamon, Chef Sommelier

Eric Beaumard, Directeur de Restaurant

les desserts

le gâteau d’anniversaire

Joyeux anniversaire dear Kristy!

le chariot de desserts

mignardise

Dessert heaven began with a red fruit Vacherin with tangy lemon meringue, and the wild strawberries in crystallized verbena candied rhubarb, a unique intriguing basil verrine, and many more! Next came Kristy’s birthday cake, a chocolate napoleon George V style. We all agreed that this was the most extraordinary birthday cake. After that, the dessert cart arrived, with a dizzying assortment of small sweet bites, and a necessary espresso.

un petit cadeau

Additionally, we were each given a box of candies to take with us. I brought mine home with me, and reminisced about the most exquisite dining experience ever while I savored these candies days later in Los Angeles. I will not soon forget the powerful aroma of strawberries wafting from the foie gras course, nor the heady bouquet of truffles emanating from what looked to be a simple green salad, and was anything but. This entire meal was masterful…

A most sincere and heartfelt thank you to Don, le frère le plus généreux au monde, the most generous brother in the world, for hosting this grand luxe experience. And to my dear sister-in-law, I’m so glad I could join you in Paris to help celebrate your 40th! Love you both.

LE CINQ

une légende parisienne

Ladurée

Kir Royale et Macarons

I am the proud owner of some absolutely darling watercolor paintings by very talented artist, Carol Gillott. You can visit her at Paris Breakfasts blog, she paints Paris dreams! A couple of my treasured original paintings are impressions of Ladurée, so of course on our trip to Paris last week, we had to stop in. Trouble is, however, this was not really a tea drinking crowd.

My brother Don and his best friend Jack

Tea?

Maybe next trip…

Imagine our delight that late Monday morning as we walked into Ladurée to find Le Bar! A toast to Kristy’s 40th birthday with Kir Royale!

Cell phones were ringing. “Meet us at Le Bar at Ladurée!” Within the hour all 8 members of our party were at Le Bar. The atmosphere is so very fabulous and fun, and the bartenders could not have been more engaging.

What vacations are all about! Dessert and Champagne to start the day. This is the famous Ispahan Verrine with flavors of raspberry, lychee, and rose.

Oh you must try the Chocolate Verrine too!

Of course we had to do a little shopping. Ladurée’s mascot looks a lot like my Wilson, don’t you think?

Wilson The One-Eyed Boston Terrier

(visit some of his adventures here)

Macaron Heaven

Le Petit Déjeuner

On the day of our departure Susan and I had a later flight, so we returned to Ladurée for breakfast. My omelette a la truffe noire…stuffed with shaved black truffles.

The most perfect rolls and jauntiest wrapped butter to accompany le omelette…

And dreamy coffee service…

Breakfast: simple and oh so sublime.

75 Avenue des Champs-Elysées

Paris

Let’s meet again at Ladurée!

Side note: I flew to Paris on Air France. My thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones of those who flew on Flight 447. May those travelers Rest In Peace.

Gordita de Langosta y Mas!

Gordita de Langosta

Lobster with Soft Handmade Tortilla

Maine Lobster, Sweet Corn Polenta, Arugula

Chile & Cilantro Oils

My dear friend of three decades, Rob Fischer, has opened another restaurant! If you’ve been to Palo Alto, you probably have had the best burger and milkshake of your life at the The Creamery, a classic and delicious American diner. In February Rob opened Reposado, fine Mexican cooking in an awesome space on Hamilton Avenue where the the atmosphere is fabulous, fun, and energized. If you find yourself in Palo Alto, California, definitely visit REPOSADO RESTAURANT, say hello to Rob and tell him Lori Lynn sent you!

UPDATE: I just spoke with Rob. Mention Lori Lynn’s blog and he will be more than happy to serve you a complimentary appetizer with your meal! YAY! Oh, definitely take him up on this!

The Best-You’ve-Ever-Had Handmade Corn Tortillas

Cooked to Order on the Comal

Trio of Corn Dishes

Crema de Elote

Cream of Sweet Corn Soup

Fire Roasted Poblano Chile, Habanero Oil

Elote Asado

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Lime Butter, Crema, Cotija Cheese

and

Creamy Sweet Corn with Pasilla Chile Rajas

Huachinango Asado

Achiote & Citrus Marinated Red Snapper

Jicama Mango Pico de Gallo, Green Rice

Tamalitos

Two Handmade Tamales

Chicken Tamal & Salsa Verde

Mushroom Tamal & Guajillo Salsa

Refried Beans

Carne a la Parilla

Adobo Marinate Skirt Steak

Creamy Sweet Corn, Black Bean Quesadilla

What are you drinking?

Handcrafted Margaritas.

Premier Tequila Library.

Their motto: Eat. Drink. Relax.

Commissioned Paintings

By Fine Artist Miguel Cortez, a native of Guanajuato, Mexico

Flan de Coco

Raisin Apple Compote

Taquitos de Almendra

Almond Wafers with Papaya Crema Fresca, Tropical Fruit Salsa

Coconut Tapioca Foam, Mango Sorbet

I spy frijoles…Remember My Legume Love Affair! Por favor, join in the fun and contribute a tasty legume-centric dish to this global event for the month of May. Please visit THIS POST for details!

L2O

Sublime:

tending to inspire awe

usually because of elevated quality

or transcendent excellence

Our favorite beginning…

Billecart-Salmon Rosé

Spiegelau Champagne Saucer

Spiegelau, my new favorite stemware.

Elegant. Brilliant. Gorgeous.

Attention to detail.

Butter dish. It glows?

Bread & Butter

All made in-house.

Smoked Salmon, Earl Grey, Ginger Noodle

Shimaaji, Red Miso, Radish, Soy Salt

Shimaaji is one of the chef’s favorite fish. It is a young yellowtail with a high fat content and a mild sweet flavor.

In addition to falling in love with the stemware, we were also smitten with the dinnerware. German artisan Stefanie Hering founded Hering Berlin “The Language of Porcelain” in 1992. She works with the purest form of porcelain called bisque. Hering Berlin is porcelain of extreme volume, some of the pieces have a stacked look (see photo above), some with rims of great width and at the same time very thin. Laurent Gras chose Hering Berlin pattern “Puls” for the gorgeous way it frames the food.

The Raw fish courses are genius, but if that is not your cup of tea, not to worry, you can begin with this lovely salad. The menu is divided into three groups, Raw, Warm, and Main. There is also a tasting menu.

So, the occasion was my birthday, and my brother and sister-in-law treated me to this over-the-top dinner at Laurent Gras’ fabulous L2O restaurant located in the Belden Stratford Hotel in Chicago. The room was stunning, the service impeccable, and the food was everything you’ve heard, and more. I read an article in Food & Wine a while ago, they joked that the French-born chef’s name translates to “Fat Larry” and that he was an avid cyclist who says, “Cooking is also and endurance sport…”

Chablis Premier Cru Monts Mains 2002 from the domaine of Francois Raveneau epitomizes Chablis’ steely magnificence. One of the few producers to neither fine nor filter the wines, this wine is an elegant reflection of the terrior. We were fortunate to enjoy this extraordinarily complex, sophisticated wine with our first courses. A special thanks to sommelier Chantelle Pabros.