traveller1959

Every few years we spoil ourselves with eating in a restaurant that has been awarded three stars (rosettes) in the Red Michelin Guide.

Over the years, we noticed changes in style (and size of portions) from traditional grande cuisine over nouvelle cuisine, new regionalism, cross-over to molecular cuisine.

We are interested in your experiences with top-notch restaurants. How was it? What are the latest trends?

Here our recent experience with a 3-star-dinner:

Last weekend, we had the following menu:

1. Smoked almonds
2. Lardo sticks
3. Crispy rolls with Chorizo-Mousse
4. Jelly of tomato jus with Büsum shrimps
5. Micropizza with tomato and pesto
6. Sardine with guacamole on fried bread
7. Molecular sphere of olive
8. Pea soup with mint air
9. Cornet with yellow fin, caviar from flying fish and wasabi air
10. poached salmon, coated with fried glass noodles, with cilantro and soy sauce
11. Rolls of smoked salmon, stuffed with smoked eel foam, with oyster tartare
12. Salmon tartare with algae brittle, sweet peas and and grapefruit air
13. Crab with raw scallop, asparagus salad, algae brittle, citrus vinaigrette with mirin, citrus air
14. Foie gras with green pepper, sangria jelly, foie gras ice cream
15. Baked prawn with morels, green asparagus in vin jaune stock with tapioca perls
16. Sea bass with parmesan raviolis, baby artichoke and spinach in Jabugo-Belotta ham stock
17. Sorbet of apple, wasabi and sake
18. Grilled fillet of lamb with mustard and condiments in simple lamb stock, thickened with olive oil, with legumes from Provence, fried zucchini flower, eggplant caviar, white beans and mashed potatoes
19. Hard cheeses vintage 2005
20. Rhubarb streusel with milk foam
21. Rhubarb caramel with mascarpone foam and ginger stick
22. ginger ice cream with fried rhubarb
23. Croustillant and canache of Valrhona-Café-Couverture mit maracuja and cocoa bean ice cream

Needless to say, it was a fantastic dining experience. Dinner lasted for 5 1/2 hours.

Service and ambiance were unbeatable, thanks to the charming hostess Yildiz Bau. Note: no dresscode, open collars and jeans were fine for gentlemen.

Price was 125 Euros per person, with wines (we had one bottle per person, including a bottle of Champagne as apéritif), waters, coffees we ended at 188 Euros per person.

The restaurant was Victor's Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Berg in Perl-Nennig, Germany (Christian Bau).

http://www.victors-gourmet.de/englisch/index.php

Dukey

Why don't you tell us WHICH of those rather interesting (in some cases) taste combinations did you think were/are really worthwhile and which were more like bizarre fashion statements paraded down a runway.

Dukey

BTW, I am always amused at the new terms conjured up for some foods such as tapioca "perls" and "molecular sphere"...these folks should definitely be in politics or perhaps real estate.

bilboburgler

I guess I tend to note the errors rather than either the bill or the good things.

Of the things I dislike are
cold food
wines where the second bottle is a different year or not the same taste or an error
Wines where the wine waiter says things like "you cannot have a Chablis before a Suavignon Blanc"
Waiters who bang the back of your chair because they squeezed too many tables in (still I'm only banned from one on this account)
3 stars that take too many bookings and so make you wait for each dish
waiters who forget which customer ordered which meal( I kid you not) and finally the silver service when the waiters lift the silver dishes off all at the same time so the cold food can be seen in all its awefulness. Still I guess I've only refused to pay on two occasions so far

On the positive side I like those 2 and 3 stars who don't muck about with the food. I have noticed that there is more and more of this type coming up as freshness and skill in balancing taste is beginning to push back the "boil down the muck left at the bottom of the pan" brigade who dominated in the 80s.

Never been to a cross-over type 3 star but I guess they exist (fortunatly nowhere I go)

bilboburgler

By cross over I mean the likes oof Prawn in beef gravy or the like

thit_cho

Reminds me of my meal at The Fat Duck, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, principally because the meal was so odd; it seemed as if the chef was trying to show off with strange combinations and chemistry experiments than with meals.

I have been to several Michelin 3-star restaurants, my favorites being Taillevant (although I think its since been downgraded to 2 stars); Arzak (San Sebastian); and Enoteca Pinchiorri (Florence).

I've also been to Paul Bocuse (the longest tenured 3-star), and it was more theme park than restaurant.

I also at Zalacain (Madrid) when it had three stars and I didn't see what the fuss was about -- good meal, but understandable to me why its been downgraded to one star.

RufusTFirefly

Our experiences have always been excellent. BUT we often have meals at non-starred restaurants that are not any less excellent and cost MUCH less. The main differences are usually things like not having silverware changed after each dish and more refined service.

walkinaround

>>>>>>
new terms conjured up for some foods such as tapioca "perls""...these folks should definitely be in politics or perhaps real estate.
>>>>>

asians have been referring to tapioca as pearl for ages....and certainly not to refer to anything nouveau. unless i'm misunderstanding the point of your post (the spelling of perl??), it sounds like you don't get out much.

NeoPatrick

Speaking of those new terms, "foam" is one of my favorites. We all know that foam is essentially nothing but a lot of air. And now they've added "pea soup with mint AIR" -- it's air, folks, how exotic is that?

Sorry, but put some good old fashioned whipped cream on MY rhubarb streusel, and let some bloke who wants to pay triple have my share of the milk foam.

Meanwhile the words of Julia Child always ring out to me when I read posts like this. "Anyone can create some exotic new dish using lots of odd combinations of ingredients, but only a great chef knows how to properly roast a chicken."

I guess in my younger, more affluent, and pre-retirement years, things like that impressed me and I spend my share of money on some pretty famous, expensive, and well regarded multi starred places. But when it all comes down to it, the meals I remember the most in my travels over the years were some pretty simple but special ones. Like the bouillabaise sitting on the coast near Marseille, or the rabbit in mustard in a cave dining room in Chinon, or mussels and frites in the shadow of the Brugges clock tower.

Dukey

I am delighted to have been informed of what Asians have been calling food for centuries and I do wish that made it taste great or worth of added expense.

Now, back to my ORIGINAL request of having the OP give us some insight as to what was good on this menu and what wasn't and if the "ages old" monikers improved the taste or not.

traveller1959

You got my typo: must be "tapioca pearls"! I know from my childhood that tapioca pearls (or however you might call it in English - I tried to translate from German) used to be pretty common in puddings.

I must say, this was my first experience with molecular cuisine and, yes, it can create some special sensations from the combination of taste and texture. The ingredients of molecular cuisine are used to transform an aroma into another state of matter - and it works quite well.

The sphere of olive was outstanding - highly concentrated olive taste in a kind of blister thats bursts on the tongue, releasing an even higher concentration of the aroma. It was probably the best item of the menu.

And "air" is different from "foam" - foam (traditionally created with beaten egg whites and/or whipped cream) has much more substance. The "air" is a tasty nothing - really good.

Otherwise, the cuisine was mainly traditional - only a few elements of molecular cuisine. I understand that Ferran Adria or Juan Amador create complete menus with molecular methods.

traveller1959

Dukey:

Everything was good, no exception. The only item which I did not eat was the cheese (because I do not like cheese at all).

We especially liked the combination - some dishes were very traditional, others highly innovative, some were just simple, others highly complex.

E.g. sardine with guacamole on fried bread - you can easily prepare this by yourself. Might be an idea for a hors d'oevre for your next party.

Or foie gras with sangria jelly - might be an alternative to the usual Sauternes jelly, not at all difficult to prepare by yourself.

travelgourmet

With regard to trends:
1) The molecular gastronomy crowd seems to really be the "in" thing now. I'm not sure I want to eat that sort of food every day, but it is interesting every once in a while. When done right, it can really make you think.

2) Thankfully, dress codes seem to be fewer and farther between. I have no interest in wearing a jacket and tie to go out to dinner. I want to be comfortable.

3) The service, as well, can be more friendly and less grandiose. At some places, friendly may mean a drop in service, but at the top-tier, I think it works well.

ekscrunchy

Speaking of three stars, Alsatian Chef Paul Haeberlin, whose restaurant in Illhaeusern held 3 stars since 1967, died last weekend:




http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/wo...ref=obituaries

traveller1959

ekscrunchy:
I am sorry for Paul Haeberlin. The Auberge d'Ill was my first 3-star-experience back in 1990 - we had lunch there with our twin boys in high chairs.

tavelgourmet:
You took the words right out of my mouth. A top-notch restaurant is neither stiff nor posh, but the service people are friendly and knowledgable and somehow on the same intellectual and cultural level as the patrons (like young people, who are still students, in one's own family). And boy, how did I enjoy having a 5 1/2-hour dinner on a warm evening without wearing a tie!

plambers

the only 3 star we have eaten is was L'Astrance in Paris. It was an amazing tasting menu paired w/ wine. Service was impeccable and knowledgable. I believe 12-15 courses were served-some were surprises that they were thinking of adding so they didnt' tell us what they were but rather asked us to guess or identify flavors etc which was alot of fun. It was an evening and meal to remember.

ComfyShoes

Traveller1959, Did you eat all 23 entries you listed? Whew!!

Molecular cuisine is an often confused terminology. Sometimes my wife tells me that I might qualify as a molecular chef. As it is unintentional on my part , I always have to tell her that I am happy just being the mercurial one.

chartley

A number of years ago, we stayed in Illhausern on a tour of Eastern Germany and Alsace. I looked at the menu of the Auberge d'Ill and realised that it would provide an interesting but expensive place to eat that evening.

Fortunately, almost directly opposite, was a small bar with restaurant. We had a delightful meal there, surrounded by local people, and at a modest price. I think that the husband cooked while the wife served. It was typically French, informal but of high quality. The only disappointment was that, in the middle of the asparagus season, their delivery had not arrived.

JulieVikmanis

In praise of Paul Haeberlin and Auberge de L'Ille--this was one of our very favorite 3 star restaurants, because it was itself but got to be a 3 star by being the best it could be, not by following the trends. The Haeberlins (Paul's son has been in charge of the cooking duties for sometime) are modest, friendly people who have built a wonderful restaurant by still serving the local clientele. We were there for lunch on a Sunday and it was apparent that many of the guests were local and had probably eaten many meals there on Sundays over the years. They could do so both because farming in that area is a pretty lucrative profession, but also because the prices never went as sky high as other 3 star restaurants. I believe it's generally regarded as the least expensive 3 star. At the end of a meal, Paul Haeberlin did not walk among the tables waiting for the parishoners to kiss his ring, but rather stood by the door to bid them a pleasant day and let them know that he hoped they'd enjoyed themselves. That's hospitality, not showmanship.

JulieVikmanis

This discussion (and especially the remarks by NeoPatrick) got me to recollecting a piece I prepared following a melt down over a couple of 3 star meals at Troisgros and Marc Meneau a couple of years ago. I dusted it off and present it as part of this interesting discussion.

From my first trip to Europe over 30 years ago I have been a pursuer of gustatorial delights. I remember my first really eye-opening European meal--chateaubriand on an enormous silver platter surrounded by a della robbia presentation of colorful vegetables with a gravy boat of sauce to accompany at the Tyrol hotel restaurant in Innsbruck. I was hooked. That was in the late 70's.
Since then I have eaten at some of the really great european restaurants and followed with interest the rise and fall of chefs and the award and taking away of Michelin stars. I have also watched the trend toward ever more "artistry" and chemistry in food preparation and presentation--the Adria/ El Bulli phenomenon.
Within, however, the last 5 years or so I began finding myself drawn increasingly away from the upscale, Michelin starred dining experience to the old-fashioned bistro experience, probably best presented by Robert and Barbara Hamburger in their guide entitled "Bistros of Paris" (and in the posts of Maurice Naughton on Chowhound and Opinionated About.) All of this came to a head for me in two recent trips.

We reserved months in advance for dining at the three-starred Troisgros in Roanne and at L'Esperence (Marc Meneau) in St. Pere sous Vezelay. We spent over 1300 euros for two for mini-lunch, dinner and a room at Troisgros--more than we had spent for 6 nights and two lovely dinners at a charming B & B in the Dordogne just previous. The place was lovely and the food, of course, excellent but just not off the charts as you would expect for that kind of money and that much difference from the other experience.

We had followed Marc Meneau at L'Esperence from 1 to 2 to 3, back to 2 and then back up to 3 stars and remembered several wonderful meals there including the best single dish of my life--his fois gras croquettes, a kind of signature dish that is still on the menu. On this most recent visit, however, things were not so perfect as I had recalled. While amuses and starters were excellent, mains of fish and chicken were either tasteless or overly cute and dessert was a spun sugar nightmare that was almost comical.
The bill for our stay at Meneau's was proportionately less than at Troisgros--nearly 1600 euros but for 4 rather than for 2 people and included two rooms one at 220 and another at 120 (neither what I would call very good) plus 4 breakfasts--at 25 per person. However, between food and wine it amounted to just a little less than 300 euros per person. For that you should expect beautiful memories--as you used to get--not just another meal with lots of show but not much go.

After that meal my husband and I agreed that we were pretty much sworn off of Michelin 3 star experiences but posited that 2 star dinners might provide the old wonder without the new monetary misery. Enter Jacques Thorel of Auberge Bretonne in La Roche-Bernard, Brittany.
We ordered from the carte rather than the menu since the waitress informed us that it had more traditional items while le menu was more inventive. Nonetheless we were started with no less than 8 amuses all lined up in their various presentations on a variety of multi-shaped plates and glasses, all at once. The effect was either sublime or ridiculous depending upon your point of view. Coming off my experiences with Meneau, I decided on ridiculous.
It was as if the place were in some kind of unseen contest with other two star/aspiring 3 star restaurants to see who could provide the most edgy "stuff" in the most eye-popping way. Don't get me wrong, some of the food was very tasty, but the total effect was off-putting and I felt like a pawn in some kind of game that really had no consideration for my interests as a diner.
I could check my notes for what else we had but the most memorable main dish was my husband's lobster--an architectural masterpiece with part of the shell mounted atop the rest of it but at base merely a lobster with a bit of mashed potoato along for the ride at a cost of 90 euros. So much for two starred restaurants as an affordable alternative to three stars.

Our faith was restored, however, at the one star level where we found either places content with their lot in life and doing very well, thank you, or aspiring but not yet confident enough to charge too much for their aspirations. L'Ecusson in Beaune provided modern, edgy cuisine in a lovely modern setting with real warmth in the service at a reasonable rate. Stephane Derbaud in Dijon with relatively modern decor and starters and solid, more traditional mains provided a well-rounded experience and excellent wines for a mere 500 euros for 4. We also had an excellent bistro meal with wonderful creamy sauced Bresse chicken at the tried and true Le Francais in Bourg-en-Bresse.

Both Michelin-starred restaurants and I have changed a lot since I first began eating memorable meals in Europe. The awe is gone even as the chefs seem to work harder and harder (and sometimes sillier and sillier) to achieve it. I'm done with three stars and now even two stars. I'm sticking with one stars, unrated places and bistros recommended by people I know to enjoy good food without so much fanfare.
I wonder if I've matured in my tastes or just gotten nostalgic for the good old days. My next foodie goal is L'Ami Louis in Paris. Calvin Trillin did a fantastic piece on it for one of the food magazines a while ago and it sounds like my kind of place--great food, pretty robust, pretty old-fashioned and highly convivial. I think this is what my husband has always hoped I'd settle down to.
Since writing the above, a couple of years ago, I’ve had many wonderful bistro meals (sad to say our experience at L’Ami Louis was not one of them) but I’ve also had a good three star meal—at the Auberge de L’Ille where they still cook specialities of the region and charge reasonable rates and take real care of their diners—and some good one star and even a good two star meal—several at Atelier Joel Robuchon, where they offer trendy food in a trendy setting but with real taste. So I’m not completely and forever off two and three star dining, but I’m certainly more inclined to bistro dining and expect to remain so.