Opinionated About Dining

Members Raves, Pans, and Notable Comments

Danube, Lupa, Landmarc, Second Avenue Deli, Shake Shack, Lumiere, Le Troquet, Cafe Boulud (West Palm Beach), Emeril's, Gautreau's, Bastide, Manresa, Chez Panisse, Lampreia, Michiaki, Christopher's, Locanda Locatelli, Deya, The River Café, Anthony's of Leeds, The Box Tree, Ume No Hana, Shima's, Aquitaine Bis ....continue reading Raves, Pans and Notable Comments

                                                                           

                                                                                                   

Shaved Bottarga over a Salad of Shaved Japanese Radishes, Peaches, Ruby Grapefruit, Meyer lemon, Olives, Olive Oil and a sprig of Dill at Lampreia; Chorizo Cream, Balsamic, Macadamia Nuts, Onion Ice, and Cornichon Ice at Bastide ;Tempura Sea Urchin at Manresa; Tofu Dengaku, Green Tea, and Yuzu at Ume No Hana

Opinion: Tasting Menu Struggles: When the Diner and the Kitchen are at Odds Over the Menu

I’m a big proponent of tasting menus. They are the best vehicle for a chef to demonstrate his artistry, while allowing the diner an opportunity to sample many different dishes. Tasting menus also eliminate the possibility that certain dishes will become boring after more than a few bites. But a tasting menu isn’t the right choice in every situation. Some restaurants don’t offer tasting menus because their cuisine isn’t conducive to being served in small portions. Then there are instances when diners find themselves at odds with the way the chef wants to express his cuisine. But all things being equal, I opt for the tasting menu about 80 percent of the time. Unfortunately, there are times when uttering those two magic words, “tasting menu,” leads to a battle with the kitchen over who controls the meal....continue reading Tasting Menu Struggles

Wines This Month - 1924 Huet Vouvray Haut Lieu; 1979 Bollinger Champagne RD; 1979 Trimbach Clos St. Hune; 1983 August Clape Cornas; 1985 Lafite-Rothschild; 1985 Roumier Bonnes Mares; 1988 Palmer; 1988 Reichsgraf von Kesselstat Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese; 1989 Meo-Camuzet Corton; 1989 Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet Vergers; 1990 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann; 1991 Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne; 1993 Lamarche Grands-Echezeaux; 1996 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elizabeth Rose; 2001 Nigl Sauvignon Blanc Reserve; 2002 Ramonet Bourgogne; 2002 Domaine Richaud Cote de Rhones "Les Garriques"; Pierre Gimonet Blanc de Blancs NV...continue reading Wines this Month

Coming May 4th: Reviews of Michel Bras, Chez Michel, La Chamarre, Five Meals in San Francisco in a day and a half, A Taste of Chinatown and more

Don't Forget: Steve Plotnicki's Guide to Dining and to join Opinionated About Dining Discussion Forums today

Week Ending April 17, 2005

New York Dining - Per Se, Craft, Annisa, Komegashi Reconstruction Cuisine, Salute ... continue

                                                                              

   

          

Miami Formal Dining - Mosaico, Nobu, Chispa, Tuscan Steak ... continue

                      

                                                                                          

       

What Danny Meyer Said - His response to last week's opinion article, "Restaurants Are a Service Business." And what the OA members have to say about Meyer's response. Dear Steve, My colleague Michelle Lehmann shared your ... continue

                                                                                          

Plotnicki Recommends: Bittman Takes on America's Chefs - I don't often like food programs on TV, but while channel surfing Sunday afternoon I came upon the first episode of this series on my local PBS station. It was one of the best TV food shows I have seen in a long time. In this week's episode ... continue

                                                                                 

Amazing Dining Story of the Week - How One Restaurant "Split the Difference" When Two Couples Wanted Different Tasting Menus ... continue

Great Dishes Gallery

      

                   

                                    

Coming April 27: Member Raves and Pans of Locanda Locatelli, Lampeira, Lumiere, Manresa, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Shanghai restaurants, and much more; Opinion: "Tasting Menus and Who Should Control Them, the Chef or the Diner," by Steve Plotnicki

Coming May 4: Steve P reviews Craftbar, Michael Mina, Tartare, Gary Danko, Michel Bras

Coming in May: reviews of El Bulli, Raco de con Fabes, El Cellar de can Roca, Hispaniola, Alinea, and more

And don't forget Plotnicki's Guide to Dining and the Opinionated About Dining discussion forums

Week ending April 3, 2005

Starting today, I will be posting a digest of my new reviews every other Wednesday. To read the extended reviews and see more photos, just click on the "continue" link at the bottom of this post, and then click on the name of the individual restaurant on the review page. For an explanation of how the ratings work, scroll down to the introduction of my guide to dining. Here's the report for the week ending April 3, 2005.

New York Dining - Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Prune, Tabla, Wolfgang's Steakhouse, Kabab Café

           

                        

Miami Casual Dining - Joe's Stone Crabs, Hiro's Yakko-San, Graziano's Parilla Argentina, Versailles, Latin American Cafeteria, Puerto Sagua, Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House (Boca Raton) 

                                             

          

Chef's Gallery

                                                                     

                                                                

Great Dishes Gallery

                                                            

Wines - 1964 Latour; 1989 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Goldert VT; 1990 Andre Brunel "Les Cailloux" Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Centenaire; 1990 Krug; 1990 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl V.T.; 1991 Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeot; 1993 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederich Emile; 1996 Dom Perignon; 2000 Sandrone Barolo La Vigne

Coming April 20: Per Se, Annisa, Craft, Devi and Miami Formal Dining.