L’Astrance

I feel I made a huge mistake in the way I ordered at L’Astrance in that I ordered the dejeuner [lunch] menu instead of the full Surprise menu. Other tables who had ordered the surprise menu were getting the mushroom/foie dish that I loved the last time as a first course. Instead the dejeuner menu started with a scallop dish. Of course, I begged for the foie millefeuille, but they would not do the dish we wanted because they felt it would destroy the balance of the menu. They did have a surprise for us later.

Beautiful flowers on the table set the scene.

Amuse #1 – A thick slice of brioche with butter and Parmesan fondant.

Amuse #2:

Cauliflower mousse with mustard yogurt and spicy milk flavored with a Spanish spice…very nice.

1st course:

Scallops in a vegetable consommé with edible flowers, carrots and herbs. This was a delicious, subtle, balanced and all together a perfect dish.  Even John the hot scallop hater liked the dish once he decided to treat the scallops like matzoh balls and cut them up in tiny pieces.  He fooled himself into liking a hot scallop dish–oh the power of his weak mind!

2nd course:

Caramelized cod, cockles in the shell with green and white asparagus, olive oil, sweet pepper and cumin.  What I love about Chef Barbot’s cuisine is his less is more approach, especially after the Gagnaire mish-mash more is more approach the night before.  Barbot allows each of his ingredients to shine. There are no muddled flavors.

3rd course:

Christophe knew that I was very unhappy that I did not order the larger menu and missed out on the foie millefeuille. He more than made up for it with this dish.  It was created at the moment and supposedly had never been served before…it was delicious.

Pan -fried foie gras with white beans and a deep fried lettuce leaf.  There is no way to convey how perfect a match this was…the beans added perfect accompanying flavor to the perfectly cooked foie…it was spectacular.

4th course:

We were given sharp knives.  We knew meat was coming.   We asked if we should have a couple of glasses of red wine to go with the meat.  They assured us that the very good Chabis we had ordered would go just fine.

Veal with salsify and veal jus.  This was the weakest dish of the meal.  It was just a hunk of meat.  We think if we had ordered red wine, they would have come up with a more significant and more flavorful meat dish.

L’Astrance is big on pairing of wine and food; what you are drinking dictates your menu.

Desserts:

1. lemon grass/pepper sorbet–quite hot and it certainly woke up the palate.

2. coffee sorbet

3. sabayon with a swirl of chocolate

4. molded coffee mousse

Wine:

2004 Chablis [John can’t find his note on who the wine maker was].

The wine worked very well for the first courses.  We should have ordered at least a ½ bottle of red or better yet have gone with the wine pairing.

Summary:

The first time we went to L’Astrance some years ago it was a very “hot” 2 star and a very hard reservation because there are very few seats.  It is now 3 stars and even more difficult to get a reservation. The first time all John wanted to do was get out of there.  The food was really idiosyncratic and difficult to understand. We went back in 2006 after they received the 3rd star…I had to push John very hard to have lunch there.  We both loved it. In spite of my misguided ordering, we absolutely enjoyed this lunch.

Auberge de I’ll

The room has been completely redone [Feb. ’06]. The furniture including very well designed custom gueredon’s, new chairs and new fabrics make it a much lighter, more contemporary room.

We know how massive the portion size is at Auberge de I’ll, so we went to the one for 2 plan

Amuse # 1:
a. Smoked salmon on 1″ thick toast
b. Madeline of ????
c. Crisp of ???

On this trip it has been incredibly difficult to pin down the servers to take a minute to clearly explain in either French or English or both what the amuse dish is.

Butter:
The butter was from Bordier in St. Malo–delicious.

Amuse # 2:
Scallop and leek terrine with a red beet mousse, truffle sauce and a waffle potato chip–absolutely delicious.

1st course:
A mosaic of Goose foie gras–the bottom layer a crisp of some sort, then a layer of terrine, a layer of mousse and topped with Sauterne gelee. Underneath the mosaic was a strip of reduced Arabian coffee [moka] sauce. To the side was a confit of white grapes and in a small rye crisp, shaped like a small bowl, a small salad. A real winner!!

2nd course:
Pan fried European bass in a nage of seaweed. The nage was made much like a traditional Japanese broth using long slimy green seaweed instead of dried nori [seaweed]. Next to the fish was a cut up maki roll with nori, Japanese rice and warm tiny cut up vegetables. The dish was a real surprise. You would never have seen a dish like this in an Alsatian restaurant, particularly Auberge de I’ll, 5 years ago. The skin on the sea bass was crisp and perfect. A total winner!!

3rd course:
A ragout of green asparagus with huge pieces of lobster meat plus an entire lobster claw with fresh morels and “vin jaune”. The sauce was ultra rich and the lobster perfect but it was just “too much.” This was more traditional Alsatian food and very heavy after the other dishes. It was executed perfectly, but my personal preference leans toward lighter dishes.

4th course:
Roasted breast of pigeon from Mieral, confit of Pigeon and pea mousse in a deep fried crust topped with a carrot. The whole thing sat on top of some small green peas flavored with mint. Salmis sauce mirrored the plate.

We decided that France must hibernate during the summer. The goal is to eat huge amounts of food during the winter months in order to survive the summer. The pigeon dish was excellent, but again, very rich.

5th course:
Small plate of cheese

6th course:
Dessert–something in puff pastry with a caramel sauce.

7th course:
Mignardises

Wines:
Serge Dubs, the head sommelier at Auberge de I’ll is one of the most famous masters of wine in Europe. He has even designed all of the wine glasses at the restaurant. The cellar is massive.

Serge recommended two Alsatian wines.
1999 Riesling Schlumberger Kitterle Grand Cru–excellent, everything that Alsatian Riesling is all about–bright, flinty, astringent in a positive way. Perfect with the early dishes.

2001 Pinot Noir, Hugel Jubilee–Serge was proud of this Pinot from Alsace. John found it lean, thin and certainly not comparable to good Burgundy.

Summary:
The best way to describe our visit to Auberge de I’ll and Hotel des Berges is tradition meets innovation. The dining room is beautiful. The people, especially Serge Dubs and Marco, are great. The accommodation is excellent. It is a beautiful place that should not be missed, if you are in the area.

Georges Blanc

Georges Blanc is a restaurant and hotel that we have been to many times, but not so in recent years. Our plan was to have a light lunch and and a special ordered Bresse chicken dinner.

We had requested the same room [# 27] that we have enjoyed at Georges Blanc on several other visits.  It was nice to see that it is just as we remembered.

Lunch:

Of course, who can resist starting the day with a coupe de champagne.

Amuse:

1. Spicy tomato soup with paprika and 1/8” dice of cucumber at the bottom.

2.  A slice of foie gras pate on a spoon.

3.  A frog’s leg done tempura style, on a spoon.

Mains:

John—Vonnas Pancakes—Crepe Parmentiere with wild salmon, caviar, and lemon-shallot butter sauce. This is a classic recipe from Georges Blanc’s grandmother and a favorite of my husband.  It has been some time since John has had this dish.  His response “Wow!  No wonder I like it!  Perfect!”

For the cooks in the crowd—the recipe:

http://home.discovery.com/fansites/greatchefs/recipes/appetizer/wopanbla.html

 

Me: Frog’s legs sautéed in a traditional parsley butter, garlic sauce “comme en dombes”.  The frog’s legs are served in 2 servings so the second serving does not get cold.

 

The first time I had this dish at Georges Blanc as a very naïve American I insisted that they must have made a mistake when they brought the second serving…the answer “Non Madame, this is your required second serving” and of course I devoured every bite as I did on this day 15 years later.

 

Dinner at Georges Blanc:

Initially, we were presented with the same amuse that we received at lunch.   But, almost before we recognized that the amuses were identical, the maitre d’ noticed and quickly took the plates away.   No way would he have us served the same thing twice!

Amuse:

Foie gras on toast with a smoked salmon “rose”—delicious.

1^st course:

Frog’s leg meat [no bones] with ¼” dice of artichoke hearts in a basil/parsley sauce.  4 tender inner artichoke leaves surrounded the plate and some crispy basil covered the mound of frog’s leg meat and artichoke.   Who would have ever thought that artichoke would marry so well with frog’s legs?   Delicious and different!

Close-up

2^nd course:

We had pre-ordered the Poularde de Bresse cuitre en croute.   It can only be had as a pre-ordered dish at least 48 hours in advance.  Most people don’t know of this dish and order the classic Bresse Chicken G-7 that is on the regular menu. Personally, I thinks it is a horrible dish—a beautiful breast of Bresse chicken drowned in a cream sauce.

The Bresse Chicken we ordered is cooked in a pastry shell and it is wonderful.   It is first presented whole, the crust itself is a work of art that would make any pastry chef proud.

The chicken is not returned to the kitchen.  Instead the Maitre d’ [probably the only one who remembers how to do it, since it is served so seldom] prepares the dish table side.

 

First the top of the pastry case is cut and removed.

Then the chicken is picked up by a prong, tail end down, and all of the juices from the chicken run into the removed top crust.

 

Next the chicken is carved tableside – another work of art.

The chicken breast is plated with vegetables [asparagus, broccoli, potatoes and a couple of slices of black truffles].

 

Then there is the second service—the legs are served with a salad sauced with the jus from the chicken that also include the sautéed chicken giblets..

 

Absolutely delicious and classic Burgundian cuisine.

No fromage, no mignardises – this is a very filling dish.

 

Wines:

Lunch—2002 G. Muscovack, Pernand-Vergelesses—held up very well to both the frog’s legs and the pancakes.

Dinner—350 ml, 2004 Michel Forest, Pouilly fuisse “Les Crays”

1997 Vosne Romanee Beaux Monts, D. Grizot—excellent with the Chicken—full bodied and still young.

 

Summary:

Sometimes you can go home again…

We were worried that Georges Blanc would let us down as it had been so many years since we had been back.  We visited with Georges Blanc who looks great at around 66.  We seem to remember discussing birthdays when he and John were both in their 40s. His son is running things along with a daughter in law.

Bottom line – This is not cutting edge cuisine and you have to “know” what to order. But it is excellent food, representative of the region with attentive and gracious service.

Cote St. Jacques

Sometimes you can’t go home again.  Unfortunately, this is the case with Cote St. Jacques.  We had not been in years [about 15].  We were interested to see what had gone on here because they originally had 3 stars when we visited, then lost one star and now are back to 3 stars.

There used to be a tunnel under the road connecting the then main building and restaurant with the rooms overlooking the river. Now there is a fancy spa and the restaurant is over on the room side.

The rooms are a lovely as ever with a beautiful view of the Yonne River.  No. 21 our favorite from the past is large and very comfortable.

We were shown to the lounge for our coupe de champagne and amuses.  This is a good system in France where you order food and wine while having an apertif.   It gives them time to get your meal organized.  Sometimes it doesn’t work out so well…read on.

Amuse:

1. jambonette of frog’s legs

2. quail egg [hard boiled] with [not sure?]sometimes the servers rattle things off too fast and we miss it.

3. smoked salmon stuffed with a small shrimp [crevette grise] mousse.

4.  a triangular shape mound of cream of Roquefort.

Some of these descriptions leave a lot to be desired. The service was quick and perfunctory.  It only got worse.

The usual procedure is to order both your menu and wine in the lounge.  We ordered our menu, but no sommelier showed up.   We finally asked to be escorted to our table.

Then we waited! No sommelier, no wine list for at least 10 minutes.  Finally a wine list and another 15 minute wait to place our wine order.  Then another 15 minute wait to finally get the wine to the table.  45 minutes of nothing – no food, no wine, no nothing.

The Meal:

Everything was ordered 1 for 2.  The a la carte portions that we saw on other tables were huge with huge euro price tags.

1^st course:

Coquillage-razor clams—tiny pieces of razor clams [about 1/8” slices] done in a sea foam broth with bits of chives. Excellent!

2^nd course:

Oyster terrine encased in a shallot red wine gelee, served with julienne of endive, broccoli flower with a touch of fleur de sel and chicory.  I thought the gelee was a bit too hardened into a crust on the edges and “fought” with the oysters.  John liked this dish more than I did.

3^rd course:

Lightly smoked sea bass with oscetra caviar crème sauce—this is a Cote St. Jacques classic.  It shows its age—very rich, very dated.  It should be retired to the great recipe book in the sky.  Classics like Oysters and Pearls [French Laundry], Arpege Egg, Bra’s Gargouillou, Marcon’s lentil ragout, Jean George’s Foie Gras Brulee deserve to be long- lasting, but the sea bass at Cote St. Jacques doesn’t make the cut in 2008.

4^th course:

Quail egg in Uni shells. The uni was from the Atlantic, the quail eggs were either poached or lightly boiled. The yolk was runny [no help with description from the server, this was “dump and run” 3 star service] and there was some type of foam [mystery foam].  The dish was quite delicious.

5^th course:

Hereford Beef Ribsteak with Macaroni with foie gras and truffle stuffing, confit of baby turnips.

The beef was presented whole in the pan and returned to the kitchen for plating.  The biggest disappointment was the macaroni.  We had visions of L’Ambroisie’s macaroni that stand like little soldiers on the plate.  Cote St. Jacque presented a gluey mess of congealed noodles with zero taste of truffles and the foie was “missing in action”.  The beef itself was good.  The red wine reduction a classic done well.  Looking at our photo of the dish the baby turnips don’t seem to be apparent, but I could be wrong.  There is a mound of some sort of veggies.  .

 

 

The service was so horrible and perfunctory that we could have been eating at a truck stop.

Wines:

2002 Chablis Chappelot, Raveneau—classic flavor, bright, flinty, excellent finish.  A good companion to the early dishes.

2006 Bertange Vougeot Le Village—not real big, but enjoyable.  It is really hard picking at these exchange rates.  A 50 Euro bottle is $ 80.00—bad news!!!

Summary:

Our rating was that Cote St. Jacques should have remained a 2 star or been reduced to a 1 star.  A very over priced, badly presented meal with a few good tastes, but not even in the same world with the 3 stars we had just experienced in Paris. Listing the “truck stop” with Arpege, Guy Savoy or Ledoyen is neither right nor fair to the diner who is relying on Michelin for guidance.

 

We were very disappointed.

L’Ambroisie

Madame Pacaud, the chef’s wife, who sort of knows us by sight, but who had never interacted with us, made a real fuss.  We became fast friends, talking a mixture of French and English–girl stuff–purses, shoes, clothes, etc.  We even set up a plan to help each other’s language skills by telephoning each other and then talking 5 minutes of French and 5 minutes of English.  What a way to make a friend and learn a language.

Amuse:

1.  Gougeres–

2.  Smoked salmon with crème fraiche with dill and a lattice of shoestring potatoes on top. Sounds simple, but the quality of the salmon was superb.  This was an incredible piece of marinated, lightly smoked Scottish salmon.

1st course:

1 for 2–duck foie gras with a coating of aspic.  A log of celeriac remoulade topped with a black truffle was at the 12 o’clock position.  At 9:00 o’clock a terrine of black truffles and as best as I can read my notes, a marmalade of celeriac.  The foie was ethereal, luscious, and just perfect.

 

 

2nd course:

The feuillete de truffe fraiche “bel humeur”  was on the menu. I really wanted to try it, but after a long discussion with Madame Pacaud and much vacillation, I decided to order the Poulette de Bresse rotie au beurre de truffe, charlotte de pomme de terre.  The chicken is presented whole with glistening skin in a shiny copper pan.  It is then taken back to the kitchen for plating.

A gorgeous breast with black truffle butter underneath the skin is presented with rich chicken jus.  In addition, a part of the drumstick plus a vegetable [ignored in the notes–all focus was on the chicken!!] with bits of black truffle.

 

 

On the side a layered charlotte of potatoes studded with black truffles and surrounded by black truffle slices.   The truffles were full of flavor and bouquet…wow!! Double wow!!!  Decadent, delicious and disastrously expensive…the most costly individual dish of the trip–and somehow we could rationalize a “worth it”–no possible way but you only live once…could not afford to live twice at these prices.

 

After you consume the first service a second serving of the thigh and a small salad just rounds things out and makes you appreciate the quality of the dish all the more.  You could really eat this dish as leftovers for a week and love it.

Wine:

We had two glasses each of the Roderer non-vintage champagne to accompany the amuse and first dish…nice but nothing special.

 

2002 Echezeaux Pierre Andre–good but not great and very expensive for what it was. Burgundy was the best choice with the chicken, no question, but this one was only a fair representative of our favorite wine.   Too bad, but even when I extended the Euro level it was hard to find really excellent wine that we could afford…too bad, but thank goodness we still have some really good wines in our cellar.

Summary:

You would think with only two real dishes and 2 amuses that I would really devour everything. But, my stomach was still not 100%. John devoured everything on his plate.

 

But, I was not about to be cheated out of 100% value for all those Euros and besides we had gone to Hediard [the high end “deli”] to see if we could pack a lunch for the plane–it was so expensive even for good ham that we walked out.   So in spite of the French tradition and prejudice against “Doggie Bags”  I did the “no-no” and got the remaining breast of chicken to have on the plane in lieu of Continental’s airline poison.

We knew we had 12 hours to Houston with the torture chamber seats and then a layover of 2+ hours and 3.5 hours in coach on the way to LAX.  Why not plan for a really good meal???? I found fresh baguettes in the President’s Club at CDG  and then made the most delicious chicken and truffle sandwiches you can imagine –a real delight on the way home after a great trip.