Menu from the Copacabana Nightclub, 1950 UPDATE: To
go to my web site, in which I will update food
&
travel information and help link readers to other first-rate travel
& food sites, click on: home page IN
THIS ISSUE Grande
Cuisine at Grandes Hotels in Paris: The Crillon and The Ritz by John Mariani NEW
YORK CORNER: Montebello by
John Mariani QUICK BYTES G rand C uisine at G rand H otels in Paris
"W hen
I had money," said Ernest Hemingway, "I went to the Crillon," and
the
deluxe hotel--currently the only grand
palais
still in French hands--is mentioned in several of
his works, including "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." It
was at the famous Long Bar here that Jake Barnes was stood up by Lady
Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway also loved
The Ritz, which, while on
assignment in 1944 for Collier's,
he and a group of G.I.s "liberated" by clearing out a pocket of German
soldiers, celebrating the event by ordering 50
Martinis.
I honestly have no favorite, for the two hotels have different styles, the Ritz's more effusive, the Hotel Crillon's more refined. Both have restaurants of extraordinary quality, and, while dining at either Les Ambassadeurs at the Crillon (10 Place de la Concorde; 1-44-71-1616) or L'Espadon at The Ritz (15 Place Vendôme; 1-43-16-3030) can be among the most expensive nights out in Paris, I truly think they deliver on all accounts, from decor and service to exquisite cuisine of a kind not easy to find in France anymore. Hemingway at The Ritz Les Ambassadeurs, once a 17th century ballroom, is certainly one of the most dazzling dining rooms in the City of The room now seems warmer than it used to and more intimate, despite extraordinary expanses of variously colored marble, gold Baccarat chandeliers, and huge mirrors that create the illusion of Versailles-like spaciousness. Since bringing in Chef Jean-François Piège last year, Les Ambassadeurs has garnered two Michelin stars, and I imagine he'll have three before long. The meal I enjoyed here was not only glorious in the indulgent way that grand luxe dining should be but in stylistic innovations Piège of a kind I haven't seen much of in Paris recently. Along with Le Cinq at the George V Four Seasons, the Dining Room at the Meurice, Alain Ducasse at the Plaza-Athenée, and L'Espadon at the Ritz, Les Ambassadeurs shows that this level of cooking and service is now more likely to be found at a hotel than in a free-standing restaurant. Witness Alain Senderens this month throwing in the towel on his posh three-star dining at Lucas Carton because such extravagance is impossible to mount without the benefaction of a supportive hotel that doesn't mind losing money on its restaurant as long as it brings prestige. Piège is from southeastern France, believing he'd grow up to be a gardener, and I'm sure he would have been an exceptional one. Instead he turned culinary, working in Courchevel and on the Riviera, then a stint at the Crillon with former chef Pierre Constant, next at Louis XV in Monaco, then as chef de cuisine at the Plaza-Athenée. Now at Les Ambassadeurs he is clearly defining his own character and style, and in so doing, has crafted a smaller menu than any of his colleagues. It is also uniquely drawn up each day and presented on a wooden paddle. Meanwhile sommelier David Biraud maintains the Crillon's extraordinary cellar. Having once been a chef himself, he seems particularly attuned to the way food and wine interact on the palate. Patrice Willems is the new maître d'hôtel, and his mission has been clearly defined to erase all Gallic hauteur from the service at Les Ambassadeurs. Dinner began like a glorious breakfast, with an egg shell inside of which was an uncooked yolk literally showered with black truffles. Salt butter was also truffled. There was then a "variation of tastes and textures": mine was leeks in a vinaigrette, a spiced bouillon, and flamiche; my wife's was scallops with celery and black truffles. (Piège happily will do an entire meal based on truffles, if you wish, for 180€ [$220], with service and tax included.) Osietra caviar followed with a nage corsée and sweet, tempura-fried langoustines and cream of langoustines' essence, an absolutely stunning rendering of simple, if expensive, ingredients. Volaille de Bresse--the famous tasty chicken of Bresse--was set atop a form of French "spaghetti carbonara," which itself has eggs in its preparation--a little gastro-joke. For the meat course I had excellent riblets of baby lamb from Limousin, with sweet peppers and Tome cheese, while my wife thoroughly enjoyed some of the finest turbot we've ever tasted, served simply with sea salt and lentils. For dessert there was a kind of deluxe "Eskimo Pie," transcendent passion fruit ice cream in a chocolate-coffee wrapper, and a lovely dish of wild strawberries with rose glace and strawberry sauce. Not a single dish was strained nor garnished into gaudy silliness. The ingredients were all the finest and their essential flavors kept intact, and textures matter very much in Piège's cooking. I expect that he will be one of the true young powerhouse chefs in the years to come in Paris. With a 32-page wine list, there is little anyone could possibly want to drink that is not available at Les Ambassadeurs. There are four bins of Clos de la Roche, five vintages of Romanée-St.-Vivant, a very big selection of Pommards, a good number of Rhône varietals, even California's cultish Harlan Estate, which I've never seen in Paris except here. First courses at Les Ambassaduers run 65€ to 75€ ($80-$91), and main courses 65€ to 115€ ($80-$140). The chef at the Ritz—only the ninth since the hotel opened--is an Alsatian named Michel Roth, 46, appointed in 2001 and holder of the prestigious title Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and laureate of the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition. His résumé includes positions at illustrious restaurants like Au Crocodile, Auberge de l'Îll in Alsace and Ledoyen in Paris. With 80 people in his brigade, Roth is resolute in upholding the grand luxe traditions established by the Ritz’s first chef, Auguste Escoffier, while bringing them into line with modern culinary concepts and techniques. Pastry is handled by Eddie Benghanem, who employs a glacier, a chocolatier, and a bakery staff of eight. The main dining room at The Ritz is named, curiously, L’Espadon (below, right)--"The Swordfish"--still with its original blue-sky-and-white-cloud ceiling framed by carved ivory and gold-flecked woodwork and set with mirrors and arched windows. It is at its most beautiful, I think, during the day, when the Paris sunlight glows throughout the colorful, high-ceilinged Beaux Arts room, reflecting onto the Louis XV-style furniture, One might begin at L'Espadon with a "trilogy" of langoustines with crunchy vegetables and peppered olive oil, or a fricassée of the sweetest white and green asparagus of the season, or a cup of chilled mushroom cream soup with luscious sautéed duck foie gras and spices. Modernity is well exhibited in dishes like Roth's marinated grilled tuna with artichokes drizzled with a Caesar-style dressing, and in his marvelous scallops with black truffles (below). Red mullet, juicy and not in the slightest fishy, is roasted to give it a slight crispiness to the skin, accompanied by herbed calamari and sweet peppers. If you are in the mood for fine French Provençal beef, here it comes as a pan-fried filet mignon with meat from the shoulder tucked into a crust of brioche pastry. The cheese cart is superlative, and for dessert, simply pay heed to the season--right now in summer there's a poached peach with hibiscus and raspberry infusion, coconut and litchi sorbet. Then again, to appreciate the classic balance of the Ritz, there is a traditional chocolate soufflé that is ethereally light but decadently rich, withSicily pistachio ice cream. And for those who have forgotten the charms of a napoleon of fragile millefeuille puff pastry, The Ritz's is a small masterpiece. Chief sommelier Frederic Cornation is the proud overseer of one of Paris's deepest cellars, a 53-page list as rich in bottlings of Burgundy and Bordeaux as it is with fresh, new regional wines. There are seven pages of Champagnes and sparkling wines, 8 vintages of Château d'Yquem, 11 of Latour, 12 each of Margaux, Cheval Blanc, and Corton-Charlemagne, a substantial Alsace selection, and some of the best labels out of California, including Ridge By the way, smoking--allelujah!--is not
allowed in the dining rooms of
Les Ambassadeurs and L'Espadon, further proof that Paris and Parisians
are not fighting what is inevitable at a time when smoking no longer
carries the cachet of sophistication it once did.
NEW YORK CORNER by John Mariani Montebello 120 East 56th Street 212-753-1447 www.montebellonyc.com I'm eating as fast as I can. But even I can't
get to every restaurant, everywhere, even in New York. So for 15
years the charms of Montebello passed me by until a friend told me
about this very friendly ristorante
on East 56th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues. Joseph
and Chef Daniel Bozic have apparently never wavered in their belief
that good food and wine, prepared with integrity and consistency, along
with an enthusiasm for every guest's presence is sufficient to sustain
one's success, and they are absolutely right. Montebello has a
very faithful and fervent clientele for both lunch and dinner, and all
are welcomed by the Bozics with respect and a sure knowledge of what
they expect.
Montebello is a particular kind of Italian restaurant, whose setting and menu have achieved a classic New York styl back in the '80s--soft lighting, misty murals, white tablecloths, and candlelight, with food that stays with traditional favorites rendered impeccably, both by virtue of Chef Daniel's refined taste and fifteen years of perfecting each dish. The wine list is substantial, with 160 selections, and menu prices are far from the most expensive in town. Appetizers run $8-$12, pastas (full portions) $18-$21, and entrees $18-$32, with a sought-after prix fixe lunch at $20.12. Look at the photos of the food: Simple, basic good cooking of good ingredients. If you are even the slightest bit hungry, you know this is what you feel like eating. You might begin with pan-seared jumbo scallops in a delicious sauce of brandy, saffron and herbs, or a carpaccio of beef with baby arugula, shaved parmigiano, lemon and olive oil. Octopus salad with steamed potato, red onions, capers, olive oil and lemon is as tender and as evocative of the sea as any in New York, and that old misunderstood standby, eggplant parmigiana, is as full of flavor as it's supposed to be. All it takes is first-rate, ripe tomatoes, sweet eggplant, and fresh basil, just as the scallops must be creamy, the beef of impeccable quality, and the olive oil the best available. For pastas, I hardly know where to start. If you want a stuffed pasta, go with the veal ravioli in a herbed tomato-veal sauce (right). If, as I do, you cannot resist gnocchi, have the lovely spinach-ricotta dumplings in a creamy truffle sauce. Pici are hand-rolled little pasta nubbins served with ricotta and a lamb ragù, while perfectly al dente rigatoni is abundant with eggplant, tomato, basil, and diced mozzarella. My favorite main course at Montebello is the whole fish, branzino or orata, roasted with rosemary and shallots in a garlic sauce, its meat flaked from the bone and suffused with flavor. Sautéed sole is given a benediction of fresh thyme and served with artichokes in a lemon-white wine sauce. For meat dishes, I recommend the massive veal chop (left) with a salsa verde or the vitello alla milanese, lightly breaded and sautéed crisp on the outside and succulent within, topped (if you like) with arugula, red onions, and cherry tomatoes. Pork tenderloin comes grilled with a deeply satisfying barolo and balsamic reduction, with bitter-salty spinach. Desserts are the usual Italian confections, as good as most, if no better--cheesecake, crème caramel, tiramisù and so on. Montebello is undoubtedly a throwback, which is another word for classic, of which New York still has many such enduring restaurants, thank heavens. It is the kind of place where, when you think about, you get hungry for your favorite dishes. And it's the kind of restaurant where, if you haven't been there for a few years, the Bozics will remember you, where you sat, and probably ask you if you've lost weight. Montebello does just about everything right and won't stop doing so for years to come.
QUEEN
ELIZABETH SAID THE SAME
THING AS "From our first
flimsy dime
store glitter tiaras, we've moved up the
royal chain to real rhinestones and even a working tiara that doubles
as a sun visor. Someday, we're gonna have tiaras bedecked with
cubic zirconias (but only if lots of people buy this book, so spread
the word.) Believe us, everything looks and tastes better when
you're wearing a tiara." --Karen Adler and Judith Fertig (right), The BBQ Queens Big
Book of Barbecue.
OUR CHANGING TIMES: Icons of Great Hamburger Ads Clara Peller selling Wendy's Hamburgers, 1984 Paris Hilton selling Carl's Jr. Hamburgers, 2005 QUICK BYTES * Each
Tues.-Thurs. from now to September, Gabrielle
in
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* From July 12-Sept. 18 in * On July 18 Allied Domecq Wines USA and El Meson restaurant in * From July 21-23 in Lenox, * On July 19, the Dining Room at Woodlands will host its next monthly “Wines of the World” wine tasting and paring dinner. The theme of July’s event is “Travel in * MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher:
John Mariani. Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani, Naomi
Kooker, Kirsten Skogerson, Edward Brivio, Mort
Hochstein, Suzanne Wright. Contributing
Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery, Bobby Pirillo. Technical
Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
Any of John Mariani's books below
may be ordered from amazon.com by clicking on the cover image.
|