|
I really enjoyed Mourad too. Exceeded my expectations in every dimension.
My new 'go to' recommendation for people visiting SFO that want an M* experience but not necessarily at M* prices. |
Originally Posted by CappuccinoAddict
(Post 29945644)
I really don't think losing the third star had anything to do with service. I understand that it's difficult not to subconsciously factor that in but I do give the Michelin inspectors credit enough to parse out service versus food! I also wanted to chime in that I had a marvelous meal at 3-starred Maaemo in Oslo. Probably one of my top 3 meals ever, and this was my 18th 3-star restaurant. The signature dish of oyster crème with dill emulsion and caviar might be the best thing I've ever eaten. I also loved the sour cream with reindeer heart; chicken skin tartlet with mahogany clam, truffle seaweed, and celeriac; and crab dumplings (with leek as the dumpling) with a leek and scallop roe sauce! Wine pairings were wonderful, as well, including a 2004 Volnay 1er Cru. |
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 29946302)
More details to come, but had meals this past week in San Francisco/Oakland at: 2* Commis: a cool space but with an underwhelming overall dinner experience. A few dishes that left us confused. An overcooked sea bass course that I sent back, replaced with excellent example. Cold and detached service overall. Felt more like 1*. Wouldn’t jump to return. We all were disappointed. |
Just finished my weekend of eating in Chicago --
Oriole -- service was great, but food was really disappointing. Portions are incredibly tiny to the point my husband and I were contemplating getting a burger at Au Cheval afterwards. Most dishes tasted over salted. 2nd course was a nigiri sushi with a uni gunkan, and the rice base used tasted like undercooked uncle Ben's with no vinegar flavor whatsoever. Another memorably bad course was a piece of king crab leg the size of a thumbnail, accompanied with a dollop of super salty hoisin sauce. Maybe it was an off night? I just can't imagine how this place got 2 michelin stars. Alinea -- went in with relatively low expectations and were blown away! Easily top 5 best meals of all time. It was definitely fun and gimmicky, but the gimmicks did not take away from the quality of the ingredients and cooking. Great service and wine selections as well. Would definitely go back again next time we're in Chicago. Roister -- solid spot for bunch! Really enjoyed the fried chicken sandwich, very juicy crispy and flavorful. |
Originally Posted by United747
(Post 29947476)
I get it that Michelin says that service doesn’t play into their ratings. But I don’t really believe that! And I’ve thought that Daniel and Jean-Georges were the two weakest NYC 3*, mainly based on their service. |
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 29949121)
Just finished my weekend of eating in Chicago --
Oriole -- service was great, but food was really disappointing. Portions are incredibly tiny to the point my husband and I were contemplating getting a burger at Au Cheval afterwards. Most dishes tasted over salted. 2nd course was a nigiri sushi with a uni gunkan, and the rice base used tasted like undercooked uncle Ben's with no vinegar flavor whatsoever. Another memorably bad course was a piece of king crab leg the size of a thumbnail, accompanied with a dollop of super salty hoisin sauce. Maybe it was an off night? I just can't imagine how this place got 2 michelin stars. Alinea -- went in with relatively low expectations and were blown away! Easily top 5 best meals of all time. It was definitely fun and gimmicky, but the gimmicks did not take away from the quality of the ingredients and cooking. Great service and wine selections as well. Would definitely go back again next time we're in Chicago. Roister -- solid spot for bunch! Really enjoyed the fried chicken sandwich, very juicy crispy and flavorful. |
I was very surprised too! We actually had higher hope for Oriole than Alinea after reading reviews, and we generally like the style of food served at Oriole. Our menu was about 13-14 courses total, with 4 of them being desserts, and the rest were mostly 1-2 biters. The ingredients used were definitely very high quality, but we thought they were mostly poorly executed compared to restaurants of similar caliber.
Another sign that there wasn't enough food -- everyone around us who got the wine pairing was leaving behind about half of each pour untouched!
Originally Posted by CappuccinoAddict
(Post 29954844)
Wow, that is very surprising but good to know about Oriole. I've only ever seen rave reviews, akin to Grace when it opened. Oriole has been oft-discussed as being in contention for a 3rd star. Even after the 18 courses you were hungry? That's a problem! |
Casa Coppelle in Rome
Last week, we had dinner at Casa Coppelle, 1-Michelin star in Rome.
Food & service were solid. Highlights were the rack of lamb and the deconstructed tiramisu. https://www.instagram.com/casacoppelle/?hl=en Some pictures below: https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9216c174ea.jpg Menu --- https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bf0a956eba.jpg Dining room in the back --- https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1186ee7a0a.jpg Cod "chaud froid" served with aubergines caviar, pesto cream, mediterranean jelly & cherry tomatoes air --- https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e42b78144b.jpg -Pecorino crusted sea bass filet with zucchini cream on beetroot nage -Mix smoked herbs flavoured lamb carré and vegetables panaché -Ratatouille --- https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...13db0a7f8b.jpg Tiramisù Casa Coppelle style |
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 29949121)
Alinea -- went in with relatively low expectations and were blown away! Easily top 5 best meals of all time. It was definitely fun and gimmicky, but the gimmicks did not take away from the quality of the ingredients and cooking. Great service and wine selections as well. Would definitely go back again next time we're in Chicago.
Completely agree! Curious as to what are your top 5-10 best meals of all time? |
I'm sure I'm forgetting some good meals, but these are the ones jumping out at me at the moment -- (in the general category of fine dining) Chef's table @ BF, Rokkan (tokyo), Kashiwaya (osaka), Elkano, Pierluigi, Gui Yu Shan Fang (hangzhou), Passage 53, Tickets, Alinea. These were all very memorable, and I'd return to all of them in a heartbeat.
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 29956649)
^^^ Completely agree! Curious as to what are your top 5-10 best meals of all time? |
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 29956751)
I'm sure I'm forgetting some good meals, but these are the ones jumping out at me at the moment -- (in the general category of fine dining) Chef's table @ BF, Rokkan (tokyo), Kashiwaya (osaka), Elkano, Pierluigi, Gui Yu Shan Fang (hangzhou), Passage 53, Tickets, Alinea. These were all very memorable, and I'd return to all of them in a heartbeat.
My all time favorites includes Alinea (Chicago), Saison & Benu (San Francisco), Manresa (Los Gatos), Noma & Geranium (Copenhagen), Guy Savoy (Paris), Amber (Hong Kong), Cyrus (Healdsburg, now closed), Central (Lima), MAP Cafe (Cusco, special Cena del Oro), Saam at the Bazaar by Jose Andres Beverly Hills, Kitcho (Kyoto), The Test Kitchen (Cape Town), Narisawa (Tokyo)...and Table 55 at the St Regis New York. |
Awesome list [MENTION=680784]bhrubin[/MENTION]! It's been too long since I've eaten on the west coast, planning a visit to SF/Napa Valley next spring, both Saison and Benu are definitely on my list! And likely also Auberge and Meadowood?
On a side note -- Seems like Tokyo's dining scene has gotten crazy hot since my last visit. Tried to book Yoshitake, Sawada, and Arai for either lunch or dinner over a couple of days, and were told they have all been booked up the day the seats were released. Slow dialers at the Pen concierge haha! Although even the non-starred sushiyas are superb, so I'm not terribly sad, but wow it was never this tough before.
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 29956798)
Thanks for your list of all time faves, [MENTION=843457]jbeans[/MENTION]! My all time favorites includes Alinea (Chicago), Saison & Benu (San Francisco), Manresa (Los Gatos), Noma & Geranium (Copenhagen), Guy Savoy (Paris), Amber (Hong Kong), Cyrus (Healdsburg, now closed), Central (Lima), MAP Cafe (Cusco, special Cena del Oro), Saam at the Bazaar by Jose Andres Beverly Hills, Kitcho (Kyoto), The Test Kitchen (Cape Town), Narisawa (Tokyo)...and Table 55 at the St Regis New York. |
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 29958015)
Awesome list [MENTION=680784]bhrubin[/MENTION]! It's been too long since I've eaten on the west coast, planning a visit to SF/Napa Valley next spring, both Saison and Benu are definitely on my list! And likely also Auberge and Meadowood?
On a side note -- Seems like Tokyo's dining scene has gotten crazy hot since my last visit. Tried to book Yoshitake, Sawada, and Arai for either lunch or dinner over a couple of days, and were told they have all been booked up the day the seats were released. Slow dialers at the Pen concierge haha! Although even the non-starred sushiyas are superb, so I'm not terribly sad, but wow it was never this tough before. The concierge team at the Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho arranged Yoshitake, Sawada, and Narisawa for us without any problem—though we did arrive the day after Golden Week ended. The concierge team at the Suiran Kyoto arranged Kitcho as well as Wa Yamamura, both 3* (the former the most pricey in Japan, the latter the cheapest at $56). The concierge team at RC Kyoto took a little hand holding at first but arranged Gion Sasaki and Nakamura for us. The concierge team at StR Osaka arranged 3* Hajime (incredible food but terrible service) and 2* Aragawa in Kobe for us. Just plan in advance as much as possible. |
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 29949121)
Just finished my weekend of eating in Chicago --
Oriole -- service was great, but food was really disappointing. Portions are incredibly tiny to the point my husband and I were contemplating getting a burger at Au Cheval afterwards. Most dishes tasted over salted. 2nd course was a nigiri sushi with a uni gunkan, and the rice base used tasted like undercooked uncle Ben's with no vinegar flavor whatsoever. Another memorably bad course was a piece of king crab leg the size of a thumbnail, accompanied with a dollop of super salty hoisin sauce. Maybe it was an off night? I just can't imagine how this place got 2 michelin stars. Alinea -- went in with relatively low expectations and were blown away! Easily top 5 best meals of all time. It was definitely fun and gimmicky, but the gimmicks did not take away from the quality of the ingredients and cooking. Great service and wine selections as well. Would definitely go back again next time we're in Chicago. Roister -- solid spot for bunch! Really enjoyed the fried chicken sandwich, very juicy crispy and flavorful. I'm not surprised at all that Alinea is in your top 5. Regardless of where a restaurant or chef is ranked, I was convinced after meeting Grant and Nick that they would close down before they ever let the quality of the food or experience slip. |
Very lucky! Pen concierge called on July 1st when the Aug seats were released and had no luck. Ah well what can you do. We're heading up to Sapporo after, and were able to get a seating at Hanakoji Sawada (3* kaiseki), and pending a res at Miyakawa (newly minted 3* sushiya). :)
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 29958447)
We just returned from Japan in May, coincidentally. Had dinner at Yoshitake and lunch at Sawada. Yoshitake probably is one of our best dinners, too. Remiss yet again.
The concierge team at the Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho arranged Yoshitake, Sawada, and Narisawa for us without any problem—though we did arrive the day after Golden Week ended. The concierge team at the Suiran Kyoto arranged Kitcho as well as Wa Yamamura, both 3* (the former the most pricey in Japan, the latter the cheapest at $56). The concierge team at RC Kyoto took a little hand holding at first but arranged Gion Sasaki and Nakamura for us. The concierge team at StR Osaka arranged 3* Hajime (incredible food but terrible service) and 2* Aragawa in Kobe for us. Just plan in advance as much as possible. |
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