Luxeat

"Ispahan" everything

Pierre Hermé shop on rue Bonaparte, 26/02/10 Paris..

 

Foie gras - Pedro Ximenez by Javier Lopez

Foie gras/ Fruit bread sandwich / Truffle / Morel / Pedro Ximenez Xeres(© Javier Lopez)

The best chef in Lithuania is not at all a Lithuanian but a Spaniard.Javier Lopez has not only brought some Barcelona sunshine to the gray sky of Vilnius but has also set high gastronomic standards through his work in La Provence and Domm. Javier Lopez is a true artist and you can see that from the recipe Javier has agreed to share with Luxeat's The Chefs Lab.

Le Meurice

Le Meurice (3*) 228 rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris - 01 44 58 10 10

Chef: Yannick Alléno

Have I been there before? Yes 

Ambiance and service: Typical Parisian "hôtel palace" atmosphere,quite formal service.

Food? To be honest with you, not as good as when I was there two years ago. I have an impression that the restaurant made a choice to "play safe" rather than evolve.  But decide for yourself! The pictures are after the jump...

Jean Georges

Jean Georges (3*) 1 Central Park West, New York - 212 299-3900

Chef: Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Ambiance and service: "Manhattan chic" ,professional yet invisible service.

Food?  Well,I've written about Jean Georges before - i am still puzzled how come it has such high ratings everywhere. It is among "30 most Important U.S. restaurants" in OAD guide, 28 /30 in Zagat,is among The Worlds 50 Best and it has 3 Michelin stars. 3 Michelin stars literally mean "worth a special" journey. Yes, for me Jean Georges is worth a special journey from downtown Manhattan, but not from further.

"Gremillon" pigeon in wasabi crust by Bruno Menard

"Gremillon" pigeon in wasabi crust with ginger oil juice, potato crisp and roasted mushrooms (© Bruno Menard)

Introducing The Chefs Lab, a new category on Luxeat that will feature recipes by some of the most talented chefs. The first chef- Bruno Menard (3 Michelin stars) from L'Osier in Tokyo.He kindly agreed to share his recipe and answer a few questions. Bruno Menard's cooking is a rare combination even for a three Michelin stars restaurant- creative yet delicious.

Soto

I am jealous of all the great sushi restaurants you can find in Manhattan. In that sense, Europe is sad (i know, i am repeating myself ;)) - the fish quality is  bad most of the times , the sushi masters (or those pretending to be sushi masters) don't slice fish as carefully and the big cities are infested with sushi belts chains that mostly serve farmed salmon and some kind of tuna on balls of cold,boiled rice. Anyway, Manhattan has Sushi Yasuda,Kuruma Zushi ,Masa, Masa Bar (the list could go on) and now Soto ( 357 6th avenue, Manhattan, tel. 212 414 3088) . As far as i understand this place was opened in 2007 by a Japanese chef Sotohiro Kosugi who before that worked in Atlanta for ten years.

Katz's Delicatessen

Katz's Delicatessen is not only a pastrami institution, it's part of New York history. If you visit New York, you must go there the same as you must eat a buttery croissant when in Paris or a spicy currywurst when in Berlin. The question is, is it worth a return?  Yesterday it was my first time in Katz's and i must say i was disappointed. I ordered the famous pastrami sandwich with some pickles on the side. First, it is extremely impractical to eat, so you end up eating the pastrami slices with fingers. Second,the bread becomes soggy very quickly.(and who likes soggy bread?) Finally, i think Katz's pastrami is only good when it's warm, as when it gets cold, it becomes tasteless. I know many people looove Katz's Delicatessen, but  for me this Lower East Side "institution" is not worth a return.