263542 Fri Nov 14 16:45:21 -0800 2003 22 26 International 0 1392031 I just came back from a great trip to Paris. My first night was at Lucas Carton and my first visit there since Jerome Moreau has left to go to the Bristol. I am happy to say that while I miss Jerome the dining room is being run as professional as ever. This has to be the best service staff in Paris on a whole. The amuse was Champagne Vranken Demoiselle - Cuvée 21 served first to a frothy and creamy chicken broth with thaï spices. The ginger and lemon grass really got the saliva running and match the champagne beautifully. I wish they sold the Vranken in Sweden because it is one of the best apertif champagne I have every had. I honestly think I prefered it to the Dom Perignon I was soon to have the same night. The next amuse was a ravioli filled with scallops and a buttery sauce with crisp green apples. Again the saliva faucet was turned on at full power and wonderful with the Champagne. I chose to eat the Prestige Menu with wines which at 500€ was expensive but probably about 150€ cheaper than order the same courses and wines ala carte. This was new at LC since in the past the menus at dinner have not been that much of a price break. The first course was Osetra caviar served with Cevennes onion that had been baked in clay. First they onion was presented whole fresh out of the oven still in the clay. Then it came back blended with the caviar and served on three oriental soups spoons and topped with a little pistachio. This was to match the wine, a Dom Perignon 95 that had a nice roasted nut nose. I was a little afraid of this since I usually find caviar very fishy and harsh. This was more like butter. The caviar was luke warm from being mixed with the diced up onion and maybe is was the soft, sweet onion that brought a balance to the caviar that made it to my liking. I think this dish also shows the genius of Senderens cooking. Only three ingredients, caviar, onions and pistachios. A unique preparation and a great well thought out wine to match (although I really found I liked the tartness of the Vranken more then the depth of the Dom, maybe the Dom should have another 5 years to get to its best). It also set the tone for the rest of the meal, decadence. Next was polenta with white truffles with 1990 Corton Charlemagne - Domaine Bonneau du Martray. Again the dish is simple. Creamy polenta, five slices of white truffle (what an AROMA!!!!) and a quail's egg. But what depth of flavor. Pure luxury in all senses (the sound comes from the "ahs" you make yourself after each fork!!! The wine worked well but again may have been a little young to show it true potential, but this is a great burgandy and had the right acidity to cleanse the palate after each bite and prepare it for the next wave. Again, my one word is decadent. Here it took a break from the set menu and added in a Foie Gras with exotic fruits. It was the only dish I had had before and I wanted to eat it again since it was so great last time and has not been on the menu for a while (they have had trouble finding the right wine to match). It is a great and again simple dish. Pan fried foie gras and exotic fruits like mangos, papaya, passionfruit. The wine was Late Harvest 1997 Gewurztraminer - Domaine Trimbach. I do not usually like Gewurtz but I remembered loving it with this dish a few years ago (but that was a different Gewurtz). Well I loved it again. I also asked for a sample of Chateau Grillet Viognier they had open to test with this dish. I was thinking the flowery, exotic Grillet could with the exotic fruits. And I love Viognier and Grillet. Well, I hate to say I left the glass full minus one sip. This wine, which is a great wine I love did not work at all with this dish. Instead I finished the Gewurtz plus the free refill (a great thing about LC wines by the glass is EVERYONE gets free refills!) even though it is a wine I normally do not enjoy. Now we are back on the regular menu. Saddle of hare with Szechuan pepper and cacao and a sauce with Italian cherry juice. A sweet brioche with cherries, topped with corn and mustard. Wine, 1983 Graham Vintage Port. The hare was perfectly cooked, very tender and tasty. The sauce and powdered cacao on the side match the full, rich Port perfectly. And the alcohol of the port matched up to the strong flavors and aroma of the dish. But the most interesting part of this was the way the hare was sliced. The saddle was like one long small fillet, about the size of a small lamb fillet. It was slided vertically into two sliced with the crust against the plate and the pink inside of the fillet looking up at you. I was told that they had tried cutting the hare both into two long pieces and into several round ones. In the test tasting they found the hare tasted more "elegant" when cut into the long pieces. But they had no idea why. They wondered if it had to do the the way the muscles fibers ran along the fillet. Well I could not compare since I only had the long version. But the next day I thought a lot about the concept. And I think no matter how they serve it when you cut it into pieces to put in your mouth you get basically the same pieces. Could it matter which way you sliced first? But then I realized they served they way they did when you cut a slice to put in you mouth your fork goes into the inside (ie part of fillet that did not have contact with the frypan) and the part that hits your tougue first is the part that was in contact with the frypan and has the spices "burnt" into it and shows the full malliard effect (carmelization). When served the other way your fork would probably go into the top of a round slice that had not had pan contact but under that, (except for the two end pieces) is another unexposed area. The pan contact parts are around the edges. So it is pure meat that hits your tongue first (plus sauce) and the crust hits the taste buds as you start chewing. I wonder if there are any food scientist out there who could comment on my theory as to how there could by a difference in taste based on how the meat was cut and served. Finally dessert was a medley of quince (sort of like a cross between apple and pear I think). A poached version with cinnamon, an oven baked with orange peel and crystalized in ginger ice cream. The wine was a Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 1998 - István Szepsy. I was told this is a very small producer working in traditional manners. Great wine, great dessert with a fine variety of flavors and textures and a perfect end to a decandant evening. I can still highly recommend a visit to LC to anyone that can spend a lot of money, enjoys combining great wine with great classic cooking with minor twists, understands and appreciate great raw ingredients and loves being pampered by friendly informed service. And does not mind sitting close to others, because you do this at LC and many guests end up talking to the guests next to them about how much they are enjoying their food. LC is decandent and fun! Fri Nov 14 16:45:21 -0800 2003 0 mdibiaso 1 1392033 Thanks for that wonderful report :) I have never sampled that foie dish, but have wondered about the sweetness of its wine match and its fruit accompaniments on more than one occasion. L-C is also very visually satisfying a restaurant, and, as mentioned above, has wonderful dining room service teams. Do you smoke cigars? :) (Another great part of L-C) Fri Nov 14 17:43:20 -0800 2003 1392031 0 cabrales 2 1392038 Yes the room is beautiful. No I do not smoke at all so I usually sit near the window farthest from the kitchen which is non-smoking. But I know Senderens loves to match cigarrs with food and drink. Fri Nov 14 22:14:27 -0800 2003 1392033 0 mdibiaso 3 1392040 Oh, I forgot to ask you -- do you know how people (including people who don't live in Paris) are admitted to Le Cercle? Have you ever been up there (I have not)? :0 Fri Nov 14 22:24:52 -0800 2003 1392038 0 cabrales 4 1392052 I asked about applying once and got an invitation sent home but I believe it was 500€ a year just to be a member so I never did apply. I only get to the restaurant 2-3 times a year and would rather spend it downstairs. If it was free I would love to go and have a drink at the bar. I have never seen it but been told the food is more traditional than fancy, sort of good home cooking. Sat Nov 15 05:58:19 -0800 2003 1392040 0 mdibiaso 5 1392072 Are you aware of whether sponsorship/recommendations from French parties or existing Le Cercle members are required? Sat Nov 15 21:00:23 -0800 2003 1392052 0 cabrales 6 1392087 It says it is required but my guess is that recommendation from an employee is enough. It was for me, and with the times being what they are I am sure they are not going to be strict for good customers that are willing to pay 500€ a year (I am pretty sure it was per year but this was 3 years ago so I could be wrong). Mon Nov 17 04:50:50 -0800 2003 1392072 0 mdibiaso 1 1392046 As suggested by mdibiaso's report, diners at L-C should be alert to which aperatif they select. It determines their two amuses (these are slightly more substantial than the typical amuse at Paris three-stars). Here's an indicative list (available from the L-C website, which is updated with some regularity): -- If you order, Champagne Vranken Demoiselle - Cuvée 21, you might get, as described by midbiaso: (1) Chicken broth with thaï spices and citronella, served with its crunchy wing tip and (2) Ravioli of baby scallops served with a butter sauce flavoured with Granny Smith apple and raisin -- Manzanilla Finos dry sherry from Sanlucar de Barrameda: (1) Warm belon oysters with roasted hazelnuts, served with shavings of Iberio Bellota ham and (2) Baby squids and tentacles in ink sauce, red pepper with olive oil from the Ligurie region -- 10 Year Old Scotch Whisky Ardbeg: Roast gambas with crispy bacon chips and Skewer of smoked salmon, sesame seeds and orange zest -- Champagne Dom Pérignon 1995, might result in: Carpaccio and tartare of scallops with pistachios and freshly ground green coffee beans and Steamed scallop with a soya sauce -- I don't know what you get if you don't order an aperatif. I assume there would still be amuses, given the quality of the restaurant :) Fri Nov 14 23:38:48 -0800 2003 1392031 0 cabrales 2 1392051 You can actually ask for the aperativ menu and it lists the 4 aperatifs and there matched amuses. I saw one couple that did not order an apertiv and they got the ones that go with the Vranken champagne. I recommend asked for the list as they do change frequently. Sat Nov 15 05:55:14 -0800 2003 1392046 0 mdibiaso 2 1392064 There is another amuse of polenta flavored with ginger and served with a steamed crayfish that a large percentage of customers end up receiving, usually around 1/3rd of customers during the dinner service, which is slightly greater than those who receive the chicken broth amuse. Unfortunately I don't know how the pairings work. The chipiron (squid) amuse is only served at lunch as well. The body is quickly sauteed and the tentacles are floured and fried. Plated with the ink sauce, tomato confits, spicy basil oil, chives and white beans if my memory serves me correctly. Sat Nov 15 17:16:08 -0800 2003 1392046 0 oscubic 1 1392059 i enjoyed reading your report.actually i had lunch at L-C 2 weeks ago.i had sherry with the corresponding amuse bouche ,described by calabres.it was pleasant.my entree was the classic dish foie gras wrapped with cabbage.this was an outstanding preparation.every bite was succullent and went very well with the jurancon,balancing the richness of foie gras with its sweetness and acidity . the main plat was lamb with eggplant.thin lamb fillet was wrapped around the eggplant therefore it came as a cylinder.this type of presentation seems like a current fade in paris.the taste was pleasant,nothing special.i drank pibaron 1993.a bit oaky with good fruit,very nice. the refills were only 1/2 a glass.there is no refill if a few bites are left. dessert was a respectable mille feuilles overall it was a very pleasant lunch.the belle epoque room is beautiful.the service professional but not warm.i had a feeling that it went with how much you were spending Sat Nov 15 13:08:17 -0800 2003 1392031 0 pierre 2 1392071 You likely had had the "business lunch", which I also had recently. I also chose the lamb as the app dish. (0) Champagne, Cuvée Dom Pérignon Vintage 1995 (Fameuse cuvée de prestige de belle fraîcheur, aux notes d'amandes, pistaches et agrumes), Emincé d'avocat et tourteaux aux épices thaï. (Pricing 31 euros – an excellent price, with a small refill; cuisine as part of business lunch for a very bargain 76 euros) Capuccino d'asperges vertes de la Durance, au lait d'amande, pistaches au sucre. This was a wonderful dish. Served in the same dish that I’ve had for other soup based amuses, with a huge perimenter area and a very small indented circular area in the center. In the lower portion of this small little indentation was a relatively thick veloute of (green) asparagus was at the bottom, and was accessed only after a foamy (nice, not over-foamed) layer of almond milk was accessed. Quite milky and wonderful in taste. On top of the almond milk foam were (1) small bits of pistachios, and (2) very interestingly, thin juliennes of what I believe were the exterior of uncooked green asparagus, which gave them a texture that was reminiscent of the outside of zuchini and gave them a nice not too-asparagus taste. A delicious, refreshing dish, with the almond milk being the part I liked best. At the side of the dish, and adhering quite strongly to it, was a crystalized pistachio bit that conveyed strong textures. A nice beginning, with respect to this second amuse. (1) Trevallon Blanc 1997 (22 euro) [White wine from close to Aix-en-Provence] Gambas dorées aux graine de sésame, guacamole épicée et jus de papaye. Browned king prawns with sesame seeds, spiced guacamole and papaya juice. This was a dish I found a bit aggressive, for my own tastes. Three medium sized prawns are deshelled until the tail and perched with their backs on the plate, in a brown circular base of guacamole. The prawns were not cooked in the most pristine way that I would have imagined, but they were nice. The guacamole definitely carried a bit of heat to them (pimento something), and the spice I tasted mostly evidently were probably lemongrass (??) and definitely ginger (confirmed with the staff), which I could discern in tiny little pockets. The guacamole was quite complex, although its texture was quite smooth and like certain other nicely prepared guacamole. Next to this central composition was a large scattering in a “ringed” formation (loose) of very spicy tasting dried cumin (perhaps pimento or something like that had been added, or perhaps it was just the drying effects with respect to the cumin). The cumin was not as poor in a dish as I generally tend to think of the spice. Anyhow, protruding from the guacamole were 3-4 long tuiles that had more cumin on them. The tuiles themselves were slightly sugary, causing the sugar/spice juxtaposition. An unduly convoluted dish, for my tastes. An alright, but not particularly memorable, wine pairing (although the price was very reasonable, I vaguely recall). (2) Chateauneuf du Pape, Chateau de Beaucastel 1994 (31 euro) Selle d'agneau cuite dans sa panoufle, aux aubergines, en caviar à la coriandre, rôties au massala et grillées au thym frais et à l'huile d'olive. Saddle of lamb roasted in "panoufle", eggplant caviar with coriander, roasted with massala and grilled with fresh thyme and olive oil Two thick pieces of saddle of lamb, with good fattiness; slightly browned on the outside. Really tender meat, with a hint of pink, but quite cooked through. Overall saucing were dabs of jus, with little portions of basil oil (green in color). Quite good. The three aubergine construction was interesting. From left: (1) a whole roasted small purple aubergine end section, that was soft of supple and might have had coconut milk connotations (likely not) – grilled, (2) a tuile of aubergine that looked better than it conferred taste, and (3) a cross-section large slice of aubergine (grilled, with criss-cross markings) that had a caviar of aubergines on top and a basil leaf on top. Interesting, and tasty in the case of item (1) of the aubergine portion. Nice Chateauneuf du Pape with this – less red fruit than the younger versions of the wine I have sampled, and a good match for the lamb. (3) Champagne Gosset, Grand Rosé (Produit à Aÿ, au coeur des meilleurs terroirs à Pinot noir de Champagne, ce rosé à la bulle très crémeuse est gorgé d'arômes de fruits rouges. Spéculos à la framboise, échaudée de framboises dans leur jus, fine dentelle à la framboise, glace au caillé de brebis), avec, son milk-shake à "notre façon”. Champagne Gosset, Grand Rosé (Produced in Aÿ, in the heart of the best soils of Pinot Noir from Champagne, this rosé with a creamy bubble is gorged with red fruit flavours), 25 euros, Raspberry Spéculos, scalded raspberries in their juice, fine lace with raspberry, ice-cream of curdled ewe's milk, with its milk-shake. This was a very visually appealing dessert, with a long translucent glass plate (curved in its horizontal dimension) carrying many components. First, a mass of rasberries marinated in a very light raspberry coulis-type sauce. Very nice, and my favorite part of the dish (natural). Then, a quenelle of fromage blanc ice cream that was appropriate. An undulating beautifully blush-colored tuile (deep blush). And finally, a lengthy rectangle with rasberries on top (in slices). I did not particularly focus on this final component of the dish. A very nice dessert. Wonderfully complemented by the color, and the taste, of the Gosset rose, although I personally would have picked a Dom Ruinart or Ruinart rose (but that’s subjective). There is a martini glass with a sort of milk shake concoction in light pink. It’s more like a creme/foam item, and has less differentiation than a milk shake’s different components. There was single raspberry in the middle of the top of the martini glass. Sat Nov 15 20:59:02 -0800 2003 1392059 0 cabrales 1 1392066 Are you sure there weren't more things on the caviar? In addition to the onion and pistachio there should have been minced hard egg yolk and white, as well a tiny bit of clementine zest. To be honest there are only a few tables that order the caviar per week, and the plating of it is a bit awkward and rushed so some things occasionally get left off. I am glad you enjoyed your meal at LC and your theory on slicing does sound plausible. I might venture that the round slices may dissipate heat more quickly and thus the texture may change and aromas might not be as pronounced. All speculation of course, I'm just trying to picture it in my head. Sat Nov 15 17:31:53 -0800 2003 1392031 0 oscubic 2 1392069 I've taken in the same dish, and there was no minced hard egg yolk and white, nor clementine zest, that I could discern. And I was taking notice. :) I really liked the way the quail yolk was partially underneath one of the truffle slices. Sat Nov 15 20:50:00 -0800 2003 1392066 0 cabrales 3 1392074 I did not notice the egg or clementine zest either. Could be the preperation has changed as well, I have seen that many many times over the years I have gone to LC. The lobster with vanilla for example used to be an appertizer with a minimum of two people rather than the main course it is today. And since the caviar was part of the tasting menu it was being served at many tables so I hope they were not taking short cuts. As far as Le Cercle goes it says on the application that you need a sponsor, I put down Jerome Moreau when I applied. But again when I was accepted (and it was not until then you heard about the 500€ per year fee) I decided not to join. Cabrales, you could easily mention to one of the servers (they should know you by now) that you want to join and ask if they would sponsor you. I am sure that would work fine if you want to join. It seems like you get to Paris often enough to take advantage! Sun Nov 16 05:12:36 -0800 2003 1392069 0 mdibiaso 4 1392078 Several questions, from these wonderfully informative sources re: L-C: -- Does the sponsor have to be an L-C employee or existing Le Cercle member? Can the sponsor be a person known in the Paris restaurant community? -- Is the 500 euro fee a one-time fee, or per year? -- What privileges were described to you? From my photos of the white truffle with polenta dish I sampled: There were 5 or 6 round-shaped, large slices of white truffles. Diameter was about 80% of the length of my pinky, for each slice. They were positioned along the edges of the polenta (which was also round in general shape). There was also a large slice in the middle of the polenta (same size as the other slices). Slightly underneath the middle truffle slice and on top of the polenta was the yellow of a quail yolk, almost peeking out from underneath the middle slice. Along the edge of the polenta, between each pair of white truffle slice was a green leaf or green pureed item. Then, regularly-sized smaller cubes/bits of truffle along the very edge of the plate (where the polenta had ended). There were also smaller bits of truffle inside the polenta. Polenta is at a warm temperature, slightly cooler than I had anticipated, but in hindsight appropriate to highlight the truffle sensations. Polenta is more refined than any other polenta I have had. Smaller "grains" than most, and slightly creamier than most. Below polenta are 4-5 fairly uniform in size green leaves. Also nice was a bit of possibly olive or other neutral oil below these leaves. Love the quail yolk, which adds oiliness (together with the oil beneath the leaves supporting the polenta). As previously described, this was paired with Corton Charlemagne. :) Sooo yummy. I had the signature dish lobster with vanilla as the main course afterwards. :) Sun Nov 16 13:33:40 -0800 2003 1392074 0 cabrales 5 1392089 Your description of the polenta is exactly as I remember it, big slices of truffle, that wonderful egg. But I do not remember the green leaf. Could be because I was not really taking notes I was too buzy enjoying the dish. And I agree the polenta had very small grains. It made me wonder where he finds it because I think it helped avoid the pastelike feeling some polenta can get. when it is too moist. And this version was extremely moist and creamy! Looking forward to your post after you have visited. Mon Nov 17 04:58:04 -0800 2003 1392078 0 mdibiaso 2 1392073 oscubic -- You appear to have worked at L-C. I have heard that Le Cercle has its own separate kitchen. Could you provide as much information as practicable on Le Cercle, including application requirements? Also, how frequently (I believe it's every month, for a few days) does Chef Senderens assist Les Trois Domes and visit Lyons? Sun Nov 16 00:21:55 -0800 2003 1392066 0 cabrales 3 1392076 Yes it's true that the upstairs has its own separate kitchen, although the pastry side downstairs cooks for both. I honestly don't know that much about what goes on there except that some of the staff upstairs come down to borrow equipment from pastry side occasionally and that they don't appear as fatigued and stressed as their downstairs brethen. As far as applying goes, your guess is probably as good as mine...money and/or connections, like most exclusive organizations? I don't have much insight into Chef Senderens' working habits. While I was there he was fairly busy promoting his new line of frozen food so he only appeared in the LC kitchen once every few weeks. Definitely not like a Thomas Keller whom one can spot daily walking from FL to Bouchon and the bakery overseeing everything. But Senderens is getting on in years now and has the personnel to keep the day to day things running without his presence, so I certainly don't hold it against him. Sun Nov 16 10:05:12 -0800 2003 1392073 0 oscubic 1 1392091 Thanks again for a fantastic report. I have been planning to go to LC for quite a while now but my girlfriend is not a big fan of wine so it seems slightly redundant to go with her. How much are the average wine pairings suggested if you do mind my asking? I am trying to persuade a friend to go but he is concerned about cost. I presume you agree it would be a little wasteful to go to LC and not take advantage of the wine pairing options? Mon Nov 17 05:17:22 -0800 2003 1392031 0 DEM 2 1392093 The wines run from 30 to 100€ a serving (again free refills) with most between 30-50. Going to LC and not having wine is in my opinion almost a waste of time and money, the whole experience is centered around the matchings. Mon Nov 17 05:25:35 -0800 2003 1392091 0 mdibiaso 3 1392111 I agree with mdibiaso's estimate. As background, the different appetizers (and also the different mains) vary significantly with respect to their combined cost with the wine. That's because the dish prices vary considerably within a given category (e.g., main courses), as do the wine prices. So, a very inexpensive (on a relative basis) main combination (on a per person basis) is the Canard Apicius with its pairing of two Banyuls. A more expensive pairing is the lobster with vanilla, paired with Corton Charlemagne. I would say, a la carte, a dinner at Lucas-Carton with wine pairing would run 350-550 euros. However, the lunch is 76 or 78 euros for three courses (the dishes), and the wine pairings there would yield a total cost of very roughly 175-275 euros. Again, estimates of cost are very difficult to provide. Mon Nov 17 14:03:24 -0800 2003 1392093 0 cabrales 4 1392128 Sorry, the lobster with vanilla is not paired with Corton Charlemagne. I only realized that upon re-reading my prior post. Mon Nov 17 23:18:58 -0800 2003 1392111 0 cabrales