259862 Sun Jan 14 19:57:40 -0800 2001 9 26 International 0 1373581 Any good? There was a New York Times article on the chef last spring. Sun Jan 14 19:57:40 -0800 2001 0 Helen 1 1373602 I haven't personaly, but I know a man who has. He has a high regard for Heston Blumenthal, the chef there, and says that the food is not as weird tasting as it sounds. He thinks that to some extent, odd combinations are downplayed on the plate eg, there is virtually no smoked eel in a terrine of foie gras and smoked eel so what you get is simply a fantastic terrine of foie gras. Without doubt, The Fat Duck is the restaurant of the moment, getting very high marks from Matthew Fort in The Guardian newspaper and chef of the year from The Good Food Guide. Link: http://www.alynes.freeserve.co.uk Tue Jan 16 14:43:44 -0800 2001 1373581 0 Andy Lynes 2 1373604 Of course, if he serves a terrine of eel and foie gras, he's basically just imitating the great San Sebastian restaurant Akelarre, whose famous invention it is. I haven't been to the Fat Duck either, although I have been to the Fatty Ox Duck Eating House in Singapore. Does that count? Tue Jan 16 15:37:38 -0800 2001 1373602 0 Pepper 3 1375056 I have eaten there. Great fun. Paper thin, dried red peppers and tobacco smoked chocolates. Very brave and well executed stuff. The finest treatment of scallops I've ever scoffed I'm off to Madrid next weekend. I'd be most grateful for restaurant tips. At the momment La Terraza Del Casino is top of the list due to the Chef's reputation at El Bulli. I went to Spoon+ at the Sanderson Hotel in London to sample some Ducasse magic, howerver I suspect that all he did was put his name to the menu. Something I'd think twice about doing. Wouldn't like to make the same mistake in Madrid. Zalacaín looks great if a little stuffy. Advise please. Thu Jul 26 17:08:55 -0700 2001 1373604 0 Luke Winter 1 1373677 Yep - been there several times (and recently asked to go there for my birthday so, yes, I do like it). Some of the combos do SOUND strange but they taste awfully good. They do sort of an upscale sausage and mash that is terrific and they have a dessert that a cold caramel blob (for want of a better description) with peanut ice cream that really sounds odd but tastes wonderful. There's an appetizer of layers of flakey pastry, smoked salmon (I think), fois gras, pesto - yes, truly odd but yummy. So don't mind the wierd combos, get eating. Oh, but bring MONEY, anything in Bray is NOT cheap. The Bucks Belly, PAS Wines Wed Jan 24 04:40:23 -0800 2001 1373581 0 PAS Wines 1 1374033 I've eaten at the fat duck a number of times. each time i come away thinking- "that was the most memorable meal I've ever had" Heston Blumenthal (the chef) has taken the art and science of cooking to a new level, he's probably the most talented chef on the planet. The creativity of his dishes, the world class wine list, and the ambiance of a beautiful historic building in a picture postcard part of England makes a visit to the Fat Duck a must. Mon Feb 26 19:07:29 -0800 2001 1373581 0 Nigel Nugent 1 1374054 cc: The Good Food Guide Michelin Guides International The Fat Duck is restaurant that has gained an enormous reputation in recent years. I have eaten there several times. Nigel Nugent has said on this board that Blumenthal is probably the best chef on the planet, and it is comments like this especially by the British press that have prompted me to post this message. I collect cook-books and my hobby is eating in Michelin starred restaurants in Europe. It is for this reason that I must point out that Blumenthal's reputation is largely undeserved, as many of his dishes have simply been taken from other, better restaurants. His canneloni of cuttlefish is from El Bulli is Girona, as are many more of his garnishes and taste combinations. Anyone who is familiar with Michel Bras' cooking will feel a sense of deja-vu when dining at the Fat Duck. The terrine of foie gras and smoked eel is a famous starter from Martin Berasategui in San Sebatian. And the much praised peanut caramel is a dessert from Olivier Roellinger. Plagiarism is not a crime in the restaurant business, but unreserved praise and Michelin stars for copying other people should be. It is a sad comment on the insular state of the British restaurant scene that neither food journalists nor food guides are able to police this kind of bad practice. So it is well to bear in mind that the Fat Duck's reputation and high prices are founded on both the customer's ignorance, and the chef's lack of scruples when taking credit for that which is not his own. Therefore instead of saying that Blumenthal is the best chef on the planet perhaps Nigel Nugent should say that the best chefs on the planet are the ones that Blumenthal is copying. Thu Mar 01 03:32:42 -0800 2001 1373581 0 Michael Lewis 2 1374056 "the Fat Duck's reputation and high prices are founded on both the customer's ignorance, and the chef's lack of scruples when taking credit for that which is not his own." Whilst I bow to your impressive knowledge of European eateries, surely a chef's reputation rests on his interpretation and execution of dishes, rather than simply their origin? Sure, if Heston Blumenthal was merely passing-off inferior verbatim copies of other's signature dishes, then you'd be right to question his talent, creativity, and scruples. But is this really the case? Chefs 'borrow' from one another all the time, dishes develop and take on new and sometimes unexpected dimensions in the hands of others. Maybe if Blumenthal was asked where a certain dish came from, he'd acknowledge that the basic idea may have come from elsewhere, and then proceed to explain how and why he's done it differently. Andy - perhaps you could question him about it at dinner tonight? Look forward to hearing what you make of the place. Thu Mar 01 10:22:27 -0800 2001 1374054 0 Jon Mitchell 3 1374059 You are absolutely right when you say that chefs 'borrow' from one another all the time, and when it is the mediocre 'borrowing' from the unimaginative, who in turn 'borrowed' from Holiday Inn in Chester, it does not matter. But it does matter when high prices and gushing praise are brought into the equation. On the continent it is expected that a young chef who does a 'stage' in one of the great restaurants will return to his home town and start by imitating his teacher. This is a fair exchange for having spent six months or a year peeling vegetables and ceaslessly cleaning the kitchen of his mentor. But apart from imitation he always acknowledges this contribution, as it allows him the opportunity to bask in the reflected glory of his master. This also happens in Britain, but unfortunately not enough. The incestuous and introspective nature of the British restaurant world reminds me of the tale of 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. The difference is that there are now lots of emperors who pay stratospherically high prices for plagiarised dishes, and fawn over their creators like puppy dogs. Sadly it comes down to ignorance. This is not meant to be a personal attack on the Fat Duck, but Blumenthal's profile is so high that I feel something should be said. It just is not acceptable to take dishes from other better restaurants and pretend that you created them, and the whole 'scientific' approach behind them. Credit, only, where credit is due. Fri Mar 02 03:46:27 -0800 2001 1374056 0 Michael Lewis 1 1374078 I would like to think that the hotly tipped Fat Duck didn't recieve a second Michelin star because the Michelin Guide has finally started to view its operation as truly international and is applying the same criteria to British restaurants as it does to the rest of Europe. Copying El Bulli doesn't earn you a second Michelin star. Should it even earn you one? Mon Mar 05 10:54:17 -0800 2001 1373581 0 Michael Lewis