Luxeat

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, NY

Still having my fresh memories of my recent dinner in La Table de Joel Robuchon in Paris (16th) i was very interested to see how his New York branch has evaluated. Especially, that the only time i dined in L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in NY (Four Seasons hotel )was more than perfection . To be honest, this time i expected something  a little less memorable as normally supervising restaurants all over the world (like Joel Robuchon does) shouldn't help with the quality. But i was once again amazed about the capabilities of this chef. He is able to reinvent and propose something new year after year ( and i have been familiar with his cooking since he opened his L'Atelier in Paris) and the food doesn't get less creative or less delicious. The choices on the menu were almost completely different than in La Table de Joel Robuchon in Paris, which was a very nice surprise.

Le Bernardin, NY

I thought i should give a second chance to this 3 Michelin stars seafood restaurant,even if my first time there was very disappointing. I told to myself i would choose other dishes which would prove my initital judgements were wrong. Unfortunately, after my dinner in Le Bernardin last Friday, i stand for every word i said about this restaurant before . Le Bernardin would never get even 2 Michelin stars if it were located in France. But i guess being a French chef in New York makes miracles... The dinner was not bad,i would even say "decent", but when you know how high this restaurant is rated by all the guides you  start wondering what is so special about Le Bernardin...

As last time we took the three course menu for $107 . My first dish was "Wild Alaskan and smoked salmon,apple, celery and baby watercress jalapeno emulsion". The acidity was interesting aspect of the dish but the strong "smokiness " of the salmon didn't do the justice to other products. In my humble opinion it  was too predictable...

 

The best burger in Manhattan

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, it is the best burger in NY i have ever ate. Not that i don't adore the decadent DB Burger with black truffles and foie gras,but the burger in Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien hotel brings your taste senses to another level. The eatery is located in the high end Midtown West hotel, but the place itself is almost "underground". You pass by the fancy lobby and you appear in a tiny and very simple  place full of people waiting to bite into those mouth watering burgers. You order your burger ($6.50 , cash only ), your wait a few minutes, then your name is called and here you have it, the best burger in Manhattan.The bun is so soft  it is almost melting in your mouth, fresh and crunchy lettuce, thin slices of tomatoes and onions. If you love burgers as i do and you have a little of imagination, i think you got the idea!

Hachis parmentier from Apicius

Hachis parmentier is as a rustic dish.Mashed potatoes with minced beef baked in the oven (sometimes topped with cheese) make perfect comfort food for cold winter nights. But the hachis parmentier created by Jean Pierre Vigato from Apicius in Paris is not rustic at all. Jean Pierre Vigato redefines the every day's food and offers the most gastronomic hachis parmentier you could imagine. Smooth and melting in your mouth potatoes purée, mixed with minced queue de boeuf ("beef tail", it tastes better than it sounds :)) and fresh black truffles. In a way, the hachis parmentier from Apicius is a simple dish, but it is far from ordinary...

L'Avenue by David Desseaux (Moscow)

The artists in the kitchen :David Desseaux (right) and David Hemmerlé

Since the fall of Soviet Union Moscow has become a paradise market for luxury goods producers. You just have to walk in the center near the Red Square and Bolshoi Theater and you will see luxury shops on almost every corner. And its not only because the Russian ( at least in the big cities) economy is soaring, it is also because Russians love only the newest, the most fashionable and the most luxurious things.

The Moscow restaurants scene has been influenced by similar trends.I have been travelling to the Russian capital for 6 years now and have witnessed how the restaurants culture has been changing and developing. If in 2001 you could count  good restaurants on the fingers of one hand, now the choice is huge.With the choice came the quality. Before, an extravagant ambiance was winning against the quality of food. But during the recent years rich Moscovites have become more and more educated in food and now they want both, chic and modern ambiance as well as fresh and delicious food.  I have posted about some of the best Moscow restaurants like Nedalny Vostok ,Pushkin Café or Vogue Café before, but this time i discovered something that i particularly loved - the cooking of David Desseaux, a mixture of the traditional Russian ingredients and the French gastronomy.