snackfile

Great Tastes: High End Extravagence at Joël Robuchon Las Vegas

I’ve often felt that the true test of a restaurant’s design is not so much how the space looks but how you feel sitting in it. While a great meal these days still means good food and fine wine, today more than ever, it may be comfort food or fusion cuisine served in an environment filled with denim and sneakers. So the million-­dollar question for the adventurous chef is, Can you create a high-end tour de force that will nonetheless be appealing in a casual world?

The very elegant and very French Joël Robuchon, at the MGM Grand, rises to this challenge. Here amid the Vegas bustle, French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon has channeled the élan of 1930s Paris. Once you step inside the restaurant’s five rooms, which are adorned with rich fabrics and crystal chandeliers, and its whimsical indoor garden, the clanging of the slot machines outside is silenced. Suddenly you’re in an apartment on Avenue Foch.

To soak up the full degustation menu, you’ll have to set aside several hours, but the time flies by. The service is impeccable, with waiters seamlessly orchestrating a parade of up to sixteen courses. And yet the verve of dining is not lost here; laughter is not frowned upon. Those hours give you the chance to sample signature dishes of the man dubbed the Chef of the Century by the Gault Millau restaurant guide, the guy who picked up Michelin stars in Paris as though he were plucking grapes off a vine and who has recently done the same in Las Vegas, overseeing the city’s only three-Michelin-starred restaurant. Among the classics Robuchon imported from the Continent to the American desert are gelée de caviar, raviolis de langoustines and pintade rôtie, the latter paired with his famous purée de pommes de terre. You’ll also have an opportunity to try his new dishes, which are influenced by Japan (grilled Kobe beef with watercress tempura) and by contemporary notions of simplicity. Even the plates themselves have been custom designed for the dishes they contain (like a conical glass bowl hovering above dry ice and carrying amuse-bouches).

If all this seems improbable for a casino eatery, remember that Joël Robuchon’s level of extravagance (1.5 staff members to every diner, two dozen kinds of bread made daily, products flown in from around the globe) could be possible only on a Sin City budget. And as is appropriate for this town, Joël Robuchon is not solemn and Sunday best; it’s joie de vivre in a party dress. 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 702-891-1111; mgmgrand.com/dining.

Originally published in Town & Country Travel Spring 2008

Introducing the African Brasserie

The latest venture of chef Marcus Samuelsson, Merkato 55 -an "African brasserie" - is slated to open at the end of this week in the meatpacking district.

Merkato means "market" in Italian, and Mr. Samuelsson said the restaurant was designed to recall the kaleidoscopic energy of Africa's largest outdoor market, Addis Merkato in Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa.

The fare, however, isn't focused entirely on the cuisine of any one country. Instead, Mr. Samuelsson, who was born in Ethiopia and adopted at age 3 by a Swedish family, decided to offer a diverse sampling of dishes from throughout the continent, and elsewhere. The African flavors and traditions will be filtered through the chef's classical training and New York perspective.

While African cuisine may sound exotic, Merkato 55 diners will find recognizable ingredients and dishes, such as hummus, chutney, and couscous. "We eat the same things in Africa due to history," Mr. Samuelsson said. "Indian, Portuguese, French, Malaysian — everyone was there and had influence."

Merkato 55 is an extension of his James Beard award-winning 2006 cookbook, "The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa (Wiley), Mr. Samuelsson said. "I worked on it for almost 10 years and the journey in that got me to so many things," he said. "There are not a lot of African restaurants and in a city like New York with so much culture, we should have it." The dinner menu will feature small plates such as callaloo, a vibrant green soup typically from Trinidad and Tobago made with a base of water spinach and shellfish broth, with smoked eel and cashews — as well as large plates such as snapper in banana leaves with chermoula, a North African seafood and fish marinade of lemon, garlic, and spices. The "In a Pot" section of the menu features dishes such as chicken doro wat, a classic Ethiopian dish of chicken stewed with onions, ginger, garlic, and spices served in a cast-iron pot. The traditional injera bread, made with teff flour that accompanies the dish is baked daily for the restaurant by an Ethiopian woman in Harlem. Desserts such as lassies and koeksisters, or African doughnuts, complete the menu.

For the interior of the restaurant, Mr. Samuelsson worked with the Dutch architect Menno Schmitz to create a space that is an abstract interpretation of the continent on which he was born. Walking through the two-story, 150-seat restaurant, Mr. Samuelsson pointed out the warm earth tones of reds, browns and yellows in the African fabrics; the exposed wood, and the large portraits of faces of men and women depicted on murals and sheer curtains. "You see all these different people in the markets and on the street," he said. "This is what it is like there."

To continue reading go to The New York Sun.

Chefs' Christmas Menus

Adults look forward to Christmas, often more for the food than for the gifts. While Thanksgiving menus are generally similar for most New Yorkers - turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie - Christmas menus are unique, inspired by family memories, many originating from points outside of the city. Three local chefs share their favorite recipes for the holiday.

LAURENT TOURONDEL: MOM'S BLACK & WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

For chef Laurent Tourondel of the BLT restaurant group, there are two reasons to eat cake on December 25. Not only is it Christmas; it's also Mr. Tourondel's birthday. As a result, his parents gave him the middle name Noël. "Well, it was either that or Jesus," Mr. Tourondel said, with a laugh.

When he was growing up in France's Auvergne region, Christmas Eve dinner was always a family affair. His father made a civet de liève, or hare stew, starting to prepare it days in advance. His mother made the traditional bouche de Noël , or yule log-shaped cake, and a black and white chocolate birthday cake. "I was an only child, and a little bit an enfant terrible," Mr. Tourondel said. "But it was always a big party, much better than just a birthday."

JODY WILLIAMS: MOLASSES TAFFY

"It was the only time of the year she would ever cook," chef Jody Williams said, referring to her mother on Christmas. "Otherwise it was a lot of TV dinners." Her mother's specialty was sweets, making copious amounts of candies, fudge, cookies, and cakes. One of Ms. Williams's favorite childhood memories is of sitting around the kitchen table with her two sisters, pulling taffy with buttered hands. Regardless of how many confections they created in their Northern California home, "It'd all be gone by the New Year." Ms. Williams of Morandi (211 Waverly Place, between Charles and Perry streets, 212-627-7575) recalled.

To continue reading go to The New York Sun.

Chefs Last Suppers

For his last meal on earth, French chef Jacques Pépin would choose crunchy baguettes and Béylon oysters. And chef Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 on the Lower East Side would opt for a "screaming rare" cheeseburger topped with a fried egg, while chef Laurent Tourondel of BLT fame would eat a classic, glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Messrs. Pépin, Dufresne, and Tourondel are among 50 of the world's preeminent chefs - 22 of them have New York restaurants - whose interviews and portraits are featured in "My Last Supper" (Bloomsbury, 224 pages, $39.95), a new coffee-table book by photographer Melanie Dunea. Ms. Dunea asks each of her subjects the same six questions about their ideal last meal. The book includes an introduction by chef Anthony Bourdain of Brasserie Les Halles.

The surprisingly intimate interviews are accompanied by photographs as varied and personal as the cuisines of the chefs. Mr. Bourdain is nude with a beef bone and a cigarette, Prune's Gabrielle Hamilton is breast-feeding, and the Japanese chef Masa Takayama is surrounded by four men dressed in Chasidic garb. Root vegetables, salmon, and pasta, respectively, make for fanciful headwear in the case of superstars Mario Batalli, Marcus Samuelsson, and Lidia Bastianich.

to continue reading to go The New York Sun.

Where Food Is on the Marquee

Anticipating new eateries from name brand chefs is exciting, but don't jump to dial the reservation lines just yet. Fall openings are often delayed - and it could be months before the tables are actually set. Food-related fall events, by contrast, are almost always a sure thing since venues are reserved, tickets sold, and experts secured months in advance. Here is a roundup of some of the season's tastiest happenings.

Gourmet Institute

One weekend a year, the editors and staff of Gourmet magazine, including editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl and the publication's executive chef, Sara Moulton, turn their offices into classrooms for the "Gourmet Institute." Now in its fifth year, the Institute offers a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes of culinary publishing. Participants, who customize their own programs, can tour the recipe test kitchen, learn about food photography, and take part in wine tastings. Star chefs who have graced Gourmet's pages, such as Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, Masaharu Morimoto of the Food Network's "Iron Chef" program, and Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, will be on hand to cook and host events for participants. The program fee includes eight seminars over two days; breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and a Saturday night dinner at Aureole, the Grill Room at the Four Seasons, or Le Bernardin. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels.

Friday, October 19-Sunday, October 21, 4 Times Square, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, among other venues, $1,395. For more information, or to register, visit www.gourmetinstitute.com.

Cook. Eat. Drink. Live.

This first-of-its-kind-tasting, purchasing, and educational food and drink show, Cook. Eat. Drink. Live., promises to be the "ultimate luxury epicurean weekend" for both culinary professionals and amateur foodies alike. The schedule includes demonstrations by celebrity chefs such as alumni of Bravo's "Top Chef" program, Ilan Hall and Sam Talbot, and by Gotham's top restaurant chefs, including Brad Farmerie of Public, and Amanda Freitag of Gusto. There will also be opportunities to sample wines and spirits from around the world, and seminars on sushi-making, and caviar tasting. Younger visitors can develop their palates at the Children's Pavilion, where there will be cooking demonstrations targeted at the elementary school set. The Make-A-Wish Foundation will receive 5% of proceeds from the sales of tickets. Discounts are available for food industry professionals.

Thursday, October 25-Saturday, October 27, Pier 94, Twelfth Avenue at 55th Street, $325 a day, $625 for the weekend. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.247365nyc.com.

Le Città del Tartufo - The Truffle Towns of Italy

If you like white truffles - and really, who doesn't? - you may want to put the James Beard Foundation gala on your calendar. Chefs from Italy's truffle Meccas (Alberto Bettini from Amerigo 1934 in Savigno, Bruno Cingolani from Dulcis Vitis Ristorante in Alba, and Flavio Faedi from Granaro del Monte in Norcia) will fly in to cook with 25 pounds of the precious tubers specially imported for the truffle-centric menu. The evening includes a live auction, and it's hard to guess which will be more expensive: the first-class Italian truffle-hunting trip for six, or the private luncheon at Rao's?

Thursday, November 8, Guastavino's, 409 E. 59th St., between First and York avenues, $1,000 for James Beard members, $1,250 for nonmembers. For tickets, call 212-627-2308, or visit www.jamesbeard.org.

To continue reading go to The New York Sun.

Cordial Invitations

Several years into a cocktail renaissance, house-made specialty drinks and artisan liqueurs are no longer trends; these days, they are the standard.

Like their culinary counterparts, "bar chefs" are striving to devise new and innovative recipes. In that vein, an owner and the head mixologist at the year-old Devin Tavern (363 Greenwich St., between Harrison and Franklin streets, 212-334-7337), Michael Waterhouse, will this week unveil his "Cordial Box of Liquid Truffles."

While most flavored alcohols are infused -for example, vanilla beans are placed in a bottle of vodka for a set period of time - Mr. Waterhouse has taken a different approach: cold fusion. Fruit-infused liqueurs and chocolates are blended together, placed in the freezer and then strained - not once, but three times over the course of several days - to perfect the flavor and texture. The alcohol keeps the mixture from freezing, and the cold prevents fermentation.

Devin Tavern is now serving up six varieties of its liquid truffles. The Rum Banana, made with milk chocolate, is the softest of the bunch. In a glass, it resembles melted ice cream: smooth, viscous and opaque, with a slice of caramelized banana perched on the rim. First you taste the banana, then the chocolate, and at the end the burn of the alcohol. The sweetness is well balanced without being cloying. It's surprising that there is so much flavor in something cold, as lower temperatures tend to dull things. Any sommelier will tell you chilling wine will mask its impurities.

Three of the cordials are made with bittersweet chocolate, giving deeper flavor to the Gin Strawberry, the Rum Raspberry (topped with a swirl of raspberry cream), and the Rum Orange - the latter two taste most like eating truffles. The Gin Strawberry is a touch thinner and less fragrant, owing to the use of fresh strawberries and straight gin, rather than a fruit infusion.

To continue reading go to The New York Sun.

From Dishwasher to Pasta Expert

A Voce Restaurant serves about 100 pounds of fresh pasta each week. But as with most Italian restaurants in New York City, the penne, spaghetti, and ravioli are not made by Italian grandmothers or celebrity chefs. They are made by a little-known force of dishwashers and porters turned pastamasters.

At A Voce, the much-lauded pasta is made in-house by Jose Guermos, a prep cook who has become an expert in handmade pasta under the watchful eye of chef Andrew Carmellini. "There are prepguy dynasties in the city," Mr. Carmellini said, while sipping an espresso on the terrace of A Voce. He recalled the Vargas dynasty in the 1980s and '90s, when 10 family members worked at Lespinasse, Le Cirque, and Aureole. "Chefs keep them a secret, because you don't want someone to find out about them and steal them."

In 1999, Mr. Guermos was dishwasher at Café Boulud, where Mr. Carmellini was chef de cuisine. Pasta became increasingly popular on the menu, and Mr. Carmellini asked if Mr. Guermos wanted to learn to make it. "I had no cooking experience before," Mr. Guermos said. "But I said ‘I'll try.'"

To continue reading go to The New York Sun.

TV Dinners

Chef Anne Burrell has a solid résumé, with time spent in the kitchens of Felidia, Savoy, Italian Wine Merchants, and a stint as an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. If her name isn't familiar, however, you might recognize her shock of white-blond hair as belonging to one of Mario Batali's sous chefs on the television show "Iron Chef."

Now Ms. Burrell is opening her first restaurant, Centro Vinoteca (74 Seventh Ave. South, 212-376-7470). "The show helped me get the job, and I'm happy to take that," she said recently. "It will get people in the door, but it's my responsibility to keep them there." The restaurant, which she hopes will be open at the end of June, is owned by restaurateur Sasha Muniak, who also owns the popular Greenwich Village spots Gusto and Mangia.

A young chef opening a first restaurant always garners some attention, particularly if the chef comes from a good pedigree. But Ms. Burrell's television celebrity means she is being watched even more carefully.

She might want to get advice from Harold Dieterle, the winner of the first installment of the cooking reality show "Top Chef." As a sous chef at the Harrison, Mr. Dieterle had hoped to open a small restaurant where he could cook his brand of American cuisine with a little Asian flair. He said he participated in "Top Chef " to give himself an advantage. "The p.r. power of chefs like Bobby [Flay], Tom [Colicchio], and Mario [ Batali] is amazing. They're talented, and as soon as they open it's a zoo," he said while filleting fish on a recent afternoon in the kitchen of his new restaurant, Perilla (9 Jones St., 212-929-6868).

The power of the " Iron Chef" has made Ms. Burrell's Centro Vinoteca a subject of restaurantworld speculation since last year. The opening has been delayed about six months because of a misplaced Consolidated Edison transformer and the difficulty of dealing with construction in a landmarked space. In the meantime, she has been cooking at home with her sous chef, perfecting her "creative authentic Italian" menu, which includes dishes such as ricotta sformato with raw artichoke and Parmigiano salad, and lamb Bolognese with crispy gnocchi and fried onions. The Italian wine menu will offer more than 200 labels affordably priced, featuring boutique producers, and more than 25 wines by quartino. The kitchen will serve dinner seven nights a week, with the goal of eventually opening at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and closing at 2 a.m.

The two-story, 90-seat space has been designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen with large windows and hardwood floors. At night the white brick walls will reflect light from1960s glass chandeliers and sconces. "It's Italian," Ms. Burrell said, "but it's toned down on the rustic, and toned down on the super-style." She said she will cook in the open kitchen. "I love talking to people, I'm very social, and I've always worked in front of people."

To continue reading go to The New York Sun.

A Bubbly Treat

Next time you're relaxing in Central Park and are a bit peckish, consider a snack from a cart. Leave the green, cross Columbus Circle, and head up to the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. There you'll find the ne plus ultra snack: the Champagne cart. It rolled into the lobby bar recently to offer guests an indulgent summer treat.

The cart offers Dom Pérignon and Krug Champagnes, selections that are not available on the regular wine list. Before the cork is popped, the waiter adds a spoonful of "Mandarin purée" to the glass, a fresh-fruit concoction prepared by the chef at Asiate, Nori Sugi. "I think people like mimosas, so I made something a little bit sweeter, but with an Oriental flavor," Mr. Sugi said.

The purée is a blend of fresh calamansi (an Asian lime) and Mandarin orange. "The chef's touch is the saffron," Mr. Sugi said. "It makes it a little savory and gives it color." The marigold-colored liquid is served in a Champagne flute on a silver tray accompanied by bamboo skewers of fresh berries and a silver dish of dried exotic fruits.

Champagne seems to whet the appetite, so a terrine of lobster and white asparagus arrives moments later.

To continue reading, go to The New York Sun.

The Science of Happy Hour Revealed

Drink: Spirits rising in New Orleans
If the sound of a cocktail shaker mid-rhumba is music to your ears, or if you break out in a cold sweat at the mere sight of a swizzle stick, you'll want to attend Tales of the Cocktail, five days of cocktail-mixing demos, food tastings, dinner pairings, and happy hours all devoted to the fine art of the cocktail. The event takes place in New Orleans' French Quarter July 18-22 and includes lots of notables, among them Queer Eye's Ted Allen and Dale "King Cocktail" DeGroff. Get your tickets soon, so you don't have to crash the party. Order online or call (504) 343-4285.

Eat: Chicago's most-coveted dinner reservation
One of the hardest dinner reservations to get right now is for the tiny restaurant Schwa in Chicago's Wicker Park. Chef Michael Carlson is gaining national attention not only for his cuisine but for the conceptual experience of dining here. There is no wait staff (diners are served by the chefs), no host or hostess, and no sommelier. The experience is meant to focus on the cuisine, which uses seasonal organic ingredients to update dishes that blend American, French, and Italian influences. Call at least two months in advance, but not during dinner hours -- there's no reservationist either.

Shop: San Francisco's playground for chefs
San Franciscans who love cookbooks, utensils, and high-end culinary gadgetry should hightail it to Le Sanctuaire, a super-amazing emporium for all the above and more. You can find just about anything here, from exotic Indonesian spices to $2,500 Nenox chefs knives. The brains behind the operation is Jing Tio, whose original outpost in Santa Monica has made him a household name among top toques. Our favorite items in Tio's new San Francisco showroom are the dishes created by chefs for their own restaurants, like the "Faces" line from chef Ferran Adria of El Bulli, in Spain. 315 Sutter Street, 5th floor. (415) 986-4216.

Stay: The best in Bourdeaux
Wine lovers planning a first trip to Bordeaux might be surprised by the chilly exclusivity of it all. Wineries here don't have the same rules of access as those Stateside. Access in Bordeaux is often limited to professionals only. Not so at Cordeillan-Bages, located in the heart of Pauillac. Here, you'll find splendid accommodations in a 28-room manse and a stellar restaurant helmed by Thierry Marx. The wine program Bordeaux Saveurs organizes visits, classes, and access to special events like the music and wine festival and this summer's concerts at Chateau d'Yquem, in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux.

Made to Order: New York's best cup of coffee
Most java joints pride themselves on their ability to make really fussy coffee drinks with generally unpronounceable names, but at Café Grumpy, in New York's Chelsea, it's all about the beauty of the humble drip. You pick your beans, they're ground to order, and then brewed in the "Clover," a state-of-the-art machine created in Seattle, the coffee capital of America. The Clover's vacuum-press technology allows a fine grind to infuse with ultra-hot water for 40 seconds. Et voila! The perfect cup. The bean menu changes monthly. Prices start at a modest $1.75 but can rocket to $9 for a limited-edition bean like the El Salvadorian Aida's Reserve.

Originally published on Fodor's.