Luxeat

Blue Ribbon Bakery

Blue Ribbon restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn is like a little empire.There are 5 restaurants  in total : 3 American-International and two sushi. Despite of the rapid expansion,  food and  quality of products is the center for this company and that is the reason why the restaurants are always full.
Blue Ribbon Bakery 's menu in  the West village is pretty extensive where you can find anything starting from "French onion soup" to "NY strip steak" or "Barbecue Shrimp New Orleans Style".

Obviously, I didn't know what to choose, so I went for the most American dish(as i am here!) - "Hamburger with cheddar cheese". I liked it as the burger was  thin and there was plenty of salad. Sometimes its a real pleasure to eat a good burger!

The diversity of restaurants in London

What i love about London is the diversity of restaurants it has... Indian,French,Lebanese, Italian,Japanese , you name it... And, different from some other capitals, "the world" cuisines restaurants quality is very high.
Some food images form my last trip...

Delicious "moules au vin blanc" served in Coco Momo, a  gastro pub in Marylebone.(Coco Momo, 79 Marylebone High Street,London,W1)

Lupa, New York

Simplicity and authenticity is the secret ingredient in Italian cooking and Mario Batali knows that. The famous Babbo  and it's little sister Lupa are the restaurants that every good food lover should try. The Italian cusine made my Mario is something totally different and unique.
As I've said ,simplicity is the key in Italian cooking and  the prove is Del Posto ,the venture of  the same Mario Batali, which is one step too far. To be frank, i don't think that Italian cuisine and high gastronomy go togather. But, well, its just my opinion.
Back to Lupa, i had there my lunch yesterday and it was simply delicious. The tratoria is  not quite Italian, but Roman which makes it really unique in New York. And the main reason why you keep returning to Lupa is not even the originality of the dishes but the freshest products... In the images...

Nobu's Black Cod Index

In the image : Black Cod with Miso Sauce taken in Nobu Berkeley, London.

Nobu’s food is something I am never tired of. Out of 16 locations around the world I have dined in 9 of them (5 of which in the United States ).« Black cod with miso sauce » - Nobu’s  signature  and most popular dish which also happens to be my favorite is identical everywhere , but costs everywhere differently. Small prices differences is normal  considering that economies vary and finally it’s the free decision of each restaurant owner how to price their goods.
But during my last trip in London I found the price of the black cod dramatically different. I dined two nights in Nobu : in Nobu Metropolitan  and in the newly opened Nobu Berkeley (which design, I must say, is amazing ) and  the black cod with miso sauce costs £ 24 in both restaurants.
If we take the USD as a reference currency (21/02/07 exchange rates), here are the rough prices of black cod with miso sauce in some of the Nobus worldwide.

• USA: $20 (I have been in most of Nobu locations in the USA and the black cod costs the same )

• Tokyo $24.8 (3000 Yen)

• Hong Kong $34 (HKD 268)

• London $46.9 (£ 24)

The Tea Time in Brown's Hotel

I simply loved my tea time! Brown's Hotel is famous for its tea time,so even if you are a guest of the hotel, you should better make a reservation. In the image below: tea sandwiches, cakes , scones and home made jams. The scones were freshly baked and still warm. Literally melting in your  mouth...  Quel bonheur!

My favorite puppy

 

My favorite creature in the world- the four year old Maltese puppy- enjoying (almost) her meal in a certain restaurant, in a certain city...(The dogs are not accepted there, so i will rather not disclose the name ....)

L'Os à Moelle

If you search for French gastronomy for small prices, L'Os à Moelle (3,rue Vasco de Gama,75015,tel 01 45 57 27 27)is where you should be heading. The obligatory menu costs  €38  and contains 4 courses, cheese, plus dessert.  By no means the food is not "cheap" though... The products quality is amazing and the chef , Thierry Faucher has learnt the art of cooking in the two Michelin stars "Ambassadeurs "(hotel Crillon)... So you can be sure that you will eat good...

The obligatory menu is the reason why i will probably not be coming back soon though... The service was very nice and sincere, but there was kind of factory spirit where everybody had to choose 4 dishes from not so generous menu... (Every time,you have to choose from three choices and sometimes, you take a dish just because the menu has 4 course...) Also, the tables are almost  one on another, so get ready to sit very close to your neighbours, no mattter you like them or not!

Olivia in the Printemps brasserie

There is nothing more sincere than the glance of a puppy asking for food... The image of Olivia(the lovely dog of Margarita).She is a professional food "asker"!

La Villa du Havre

No other restaurant in France is rated as controversially as  La Villa du Havre . On one hand, it  has only one Michelin star and that has been going on for a while already, on the other hand, Gault Millau guide (which is as reputable as the Guide Rouge, but not as present internationally) gives 18/20, a top rating. To give an idea what Gault Millau ratings mean, some other restaurants that have 18/20 in 2007 are "Le Grand Vefour ", "Le Maurice",or "Le Louis 15- Alain Ducasse"...  Moreover,the only restaurant that has 20/20 is "La Maison de Marc Veyrat" and it has been a historical award as no other restaurant in France has ever got 20/20...

So the ratings of the guides do seem weird from the first sight... Especially that i have been following the cooking of  Jean-Luc Tartarin since few years and there is some force that does make me to come back.... Basically, every time i go to Deauville for a weekend, i go to La Villa du Havre...
This is what i did this weekend and one more time didn't regret my choice... Located in a villa like house, the restaurant is a charming place to be. The rooms are decorated with surrealistic paintings and sculpures...
The menus change very often and even if i wouldn't dare to call it "the softer version of El Bulli", i would defititely describe Jean-Luc Tartarin's cooking very creative and sometimes even mad.

The gorgeous food of Deauville

Turbotin (small turbot) as seen in the Deauville's fish market( Place du Marché). Images from trateur "Le Breton" , voted as " le meilleur ouvrier de France". ( 1 Place Morny,Deauville).