3 posts tagged “restaurants”

http://aswelikeit.vox.com/
Cuisine=*(0-20) Ambiance=!(0-5) Price=$(Simple-Full)
Approximate Price per person excluding tax, beverage + tip=$. Simple=appetizer + main course; full= best available multi-course meal.

As We Like It has been serving the gastronomically enlightened community since 1989.

    London, England

     Gordon Ramsay *(19.5) !(4.5) $(125-185) Tel.=020-7352-4441 Fax=020-7352-3334, www.gordonramsay.com, 68 Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HP, Mon.-Fri.: Lunch=12-2:30 PM, Dinner=6:30-11:00PM.
    We loved his New York (Michelin 2-star rated) restaurant so much, that we had to dine at this venue, his Michelin 3-star rated crown jewel on his home turf. And we were not disappointed. Exquisite preparations of prime ingredients were served flawlessly in elegant dishes with regal tableware. Scrumptious starters included: ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon poached in a light bisque; quail and foie gras pithivier with wild mushrooms; butter-poached Scottish lobster tail with chestnut lasagne, trompettes de la mort, baby spinach and black truffles; sautéed foie gras with roasted veal sweetbreads; and pressed foie gras with confit chicken and Périgord truffles. Main courses were “to die for”, each dish delicately balanced to showcase the ingredients in perfect harmony: roasted fillet of line-caught turbot with langoustines, linguine and wild mushrooms; pan-fried, line-caught sea bass with steamed charlotte potatoes, cucumber, oyster beignet and caviar velouté; oven-roasted Bresse pigeon with grilled polenta, crispy lardons, braised shallots, baby golden beetroot and date sauce; Cornish lamb with confit shoulder, provençale vegetables, baby spinach and thyme jus; and roasted saddle of Highland venison with roasted pumpkin and quince. Next came a perfectly aged selection of cheeses, followed by our favorite dessert, and one that makes the trip to London or New York worthwhile, caramelised tarte Tatin of apples with vanilla ice cream (for two). The encyclopedic wine list contained the following selections that complemented dinner exquisitely: Bollinger Champagne ($105.), P. Pernot Puligny Montrachet ($105) and a Corton Bressande ($150). Call 2 months in advance between 10:00 AM and 3:30 PM to book a table, and be prepared to leave your credit card information (a good way to prevent no-shows), which will not be charged if you cancel properly. For those of you wishing for a less expensive way to share in the Gordom Ramsay experience, he operates these other London restaurants: Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s (Michelin 1-star), Boxwood Cafe, Maze (Michelin 1-star), Maze Grill, Foxtrot Oscar (bistro), Murano, York & Albany and 3 pubs (The Narrow, The Devonshire and the Warrington). It seems that you can spend a week and a half dining in different Gordon Ramsay places with varied styles and prices. We look forward to trying them all.

     Brasserie Roux in the Sofitel Hotel *(17) !(3.5) $(30-65) Tel.=(0)20 7747 2200, http://www.sofitelstjames.com/brasserieroux/brasserieroux.html, 8 Pall Mall, Daily= 6:30 AM-11.30 PM.
     This one hundred-seat restaurant offers classic French brasserie cuisine in an atmosphere of informal elegance. With its long hours, it is available whenever people are interested in eating. We enjoyed the French onion soup, pike quenelle with Nantua sauce, duck foie gras with fig chutney, organic Scottish salmon with smoked salmon, spit-roasted free range chicken, pot au feu and roasted woodcock with wild mushrooms. Save room for desserts of: creme caramel a l’orange or rum baba with caramelized pineapple. An appropriate wine list exists, and service is attentive.

     The Wolseley *(15) !(3.5) $(15-68) Tel.=020-7499-6996, 160 Piccadilly, Mon-Fri.=7:00 AM-Midnight, Sat.=8:00 AM-Midnight, Sun.=8:00 AM-11:00 PM.
     They offer a lunch and dinner menu as well as menus in the Grand Café tradition at different times throughout the day including breakfast, morning pastries, afternoon tea and an all day menu with sandwiches, salads, crustacea and plats du jour. It’s such a popular place, that we were only able to book a fine English breakfast there on one occasion; they were fully booked otherwise. The rather formal, elegant setting contrasts with the slow, inefficient service. Looks like a fun place for high tea, but we couldn’t get reservations, even with a week’s notice.

      Richoux *(14.5) !(3.5) $(15-50) Tel.=0207-493-2204, 172 Piccadilly, Mon.-Fri.=8:00 AM-11:00 PM, Sat.= till 11:30 PM, Sun.=9:00 AM-11:00 PM.
     The Richoux team runs 4 restaurants in London, but this location was around the corner from our lodgings, and it proved a reliable place for delicious English breakfasts with pancakes, eggs any fashion, sausage, meaty bacon, beans and black pudding. Lunch proved popular with spaghetti carbonara, curried chicken and risotto with chicken. Pick some delicious patisseries from the front counter to enjoy with your coffee. You don’t need to reserve, they alway seem to be able to seat you, even if there is a queue. The English equivalent of a brasserie decor make for a pleasant atmosphere.

    Yauatcha *(17.5) !(3) $(24-75) Tel.=020 7494 8888, www.yauatcha.com, 15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho W1F 0DL, Mon.-Sat.=12:00 Noon-11:45 PM, Sun. till 10:30 PM.
     This is part luxury dim sum restaurant and part tea-house with a French-Oriental patisserie counter. Unlike in California, the dishes don’t come around on a tray or cart, but you order them directly from the menu, along with the rest of the primarily Cantonese courses. And also unlike California, the servers are not of oriental origin, but rather attractive, young people who seem like they’re waiting for a Hollywood producer to discover them. The dim sum is first class with some modern variations, and it deserves its Michelin 1-star rating. We loved several variations of dumplings, pork rolls, venison puffs, smoked duck with Chinese pancakes, pot stickers, noodle dishes and selections from the upstairs pastry counter. The choice location to sit is downstairs with glass sparkly “stars” shining from the walls and ceiling and a huge fish tank over the bar.

      Locanda Locatelli *(18.5) !(3.5) $(34-89) Tel.=0207-935-9088, www.locanalocatelli.com, 8 Seymour St., W1H 7JZ,  Lunch=12:00-3:00 daily, Dinner from 6:45 PM nightly.
     This delightful, Michelin 1-star rated restaurant nicely satisfied our desire for a special Italian-London dinner in an elegant, contemporary setting. Hearty soups included a vegetable-packed minestrone and a superb tortellini in brodo. House-made pastas were combined with perfect complements in the pappardelle with wild boar ragu and the tagliatelle with kid goat ragu. Quail risotto with grana padano cheese was another of our favorites, as was their preparation of kid goat with roasted vegetables. Leave room for scrumptious desserts of: tiramisu; apple tart with chocolate chip ice cream; savarin with coconut ice cream and pineapple; montebianco (moscovado sponge, vanilla whipped cream and chestnut ice cream); and tasting of “Amedei” chocolates. The service was top notch, as was their wonderful wine selection from which we enjoyed a 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Vigneti In Pora Produttori Del Barbaresco ($135) and a 2004 Barolo Bussia, Prunotto ($135).

      Le Cafe Anglais *(15.5) !(2.5) $(35-74) Tel.=020-7721-1415, www.lecafeanglais.co.uk, 8 Porchester Gardens, Bayswater, W2 4DB, Open daily= 12-3.30 PM, 6.30-11.30PM.
     This transformation of a second floor McDonalds branch into a British brasserie has its plusses (decent grilled halibut and chocolate soufflé) and minuses (inedible foie gras terrine and inefficient service). The oysters were good, and the chicken liver flan was enjoyable. Chicken with garlic and rosemary was just okay, as was the rack of lamb with rosemary, garlic and tarbais beans. A custard tart with prunes was pleasant, as was the pear belle Helene. There is a reasonably priced, appropriate wine selection from which we chose Louis Roederer brut Champagne NV ($100) and 2003 Patrick Jasmin Cote Roti ($100); they were a fine accompaniment to dinner. The restaurant is located in an interesting, commercial, multi-ethnic neighborhood.

      Wild Honey *(17) !(3) $(41-66) Tel.=020-7758-9160, http://www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk, 12 St. George St., W1S 2FB, Lunch daily from 12:00 noon, Dinner from 6:00 PM nightly.
     This Michelin 1-star rated restaurant specializes in serving fresh seasonal produce at reasonable prices in an oak-panelled, old English atmosphere. We savored the soup of potato, organic hen’s egg and radish shoots. Ravioli of English veal, butternut squash and fresh sheep ricotta was stellar, but the chicken and duck terrine was less successful. A warm salad of winter vegetables with olive oil and rosemary highlighted their fresh, seasonal produce claim-to-fame. They certainly did a fine job with the grilled beef rib (for 2 persons) garnished with Anna potatoes. Roast young chicken and traditional Marseille-style bouillabaisse were well prepared. There was a properly aged cheese course to precede scrumptious desserts of: vanilla cheesecake with Yorkshire rhubarb; “pain perdu” (French toast) with apples and golden sultanas; warm chocolate soup with milk ice cream; and their namesake wild honey ice cream with crushed honeycomb. We chose a Billecart Salmon brut reserve NV ($80) and a 2001 Chateau Batailley, grand cru classé, Pauillac ($105.) from the well-selected, well-priced wine list.

      The Capital Restaurant in the Capital Hotel *(18.5) !(4) $(75-105) Tel.=(0)20-7589-5171, http://www.capitalhotel.co.uk/restaurantbar.html,  22 BASIL STREET, LONDON SW3 1AT, Lunch and dinner daily as well as afternoon tea from 3-5:30 PM.
     We had dined here 10 years ago and remarked about an inattentive sommelier, but on this visit the sommelier was omnipresent and the other servers should have been more attentive. They deserve their Michelin 2-star rating for their fine food preparation combining English ingredients with superb French technique in a relatively formal atmosphere. Start with  the crab lasagne with langoustine cappuccino, or the pan-fried foie gras with rhubarb, or even a warm quail salad. That will get you ready for the fine entrees of: Grilled turbot with mushroom ravioli; saddle of rabbit ‘Provençale’, seared calamari and tomato risotto; Pigeon “d’Anjou” with garniture ‘Grand -Mère’; or fillet of lamb with cumin jus and spicy couscous. Intrigueing desserts included: iced coffee parfait with warm chocolate fondant; cheesecake with orange caramel and caramelized hazelnut ice cream; litchi baba with coconut sorbet and exotic foam; and vanilla pearls with roasted banana, rum pannacotta and mango sorbet. The international wine list is quite extensive and expensive.

      Le Cafe du Jardin *(15) !(3) $(35-55) Tel.=020-7836-8769, Fax=020-7836-4123, http://www.lecafedujardin.com/, 28 Wellington St., Covent Garden, WC2E 7BD,  Daily=12:00 Noon-12:00 Midnight.
     Convenient to the Opera, this informal venue is fine for any time of the day for a simply prepared meal. The downstairs room is quieter for visiting with friends, but upstairs is more lively. Start with a warm salad of ham hock with a soft-poached free range egg, or deep fried crab cake with spring onion risotto, or even crayfish risotto with caramelised red onions and shaved parmesan. Interesting entrees included: beef Bourguignon with smoked bacon and cauliflower puree; char-grilled rib eye of Scotch beef with pommes frites, grilled tomato, mushrooms and béarnaise sauce; rare-grilled fillet of ostrich with sauted new potatoes and red peppers, mushroom duxelle and a port reduction; and crispy skin fillet of sea bass with caramelised fennel and brown butter. Pleasant desserts included: lemon tart, chocolate tart, fruit crumble, chocolate mousse and sticky toffee pudding. Service was adequate, as was their wine list from which we chose a Chablis 1er Cru Vau Ligneau (Domaine Thierry Hamelin) 2006 ($54) and a Chateau Lucas (Lussac, St. Emilion) 2004 ($45).
 

      Arlington House  Tel.=011-44-207-629-0021 from USA, 25 Arlington St. off Piccadilly.
     We find this small building of flats in the Mayfair District to be a great location just down the block from the Ritz Hotel. There was always a taxi available when we needed one, and it’s only 2 blocks from the Green Park Underground tube station. The flats range from 1-3 bedrooms, and prices/availability vary with the season. Reservations can be made through regentsuites.com with a USA telephone=1-800-513-0010; they are also a good source of flats in other areas of London.

http://aswelikeit.vox.com/
Cuisine=*(0-20) Ambiance=!(0-5) Price=$(Simple-Full)
Approximate Price per person excluding tax, beverage + tip=$. Simple=appetizer + main course; full= best available multi-course meal.

As We Like It has been serving the gastronomically enlightened community since 1989.

    Las Vegas, NV

     Picasso at the Bellagio Hotel *(19.5) !(5) $(95-140) Tel.=866-259-7111 or 702-693-7223, 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Dinner Wed.-Mon.=6:00-9:30 PM.
    One of the best restaurants in the world, this 2-star Michelin rated venue is definitely deserving of a third star. While other Las Vegas chefs originate menus and oversee operations, Julian Serrano is working hard in the restaurant to turn out fabulous dinners almost every night. The menu degustation began with a striking arrangement amuse bouche with Scottish smoked salmon, potato leek soup and golden osetra caviar. Maine lobster salad with apple-Champagne vinaigrette was ambrosia, and the langoustine salad with roasted zucchini, crispy artichoke, tomato confit and piquillo pepper vinaigrette was awsome. Pan seared U-10 scallop with cream of carrot and ginger was exciting. A memorable Kobe beef filet mignon with potatoes mousseline and seasonal vegetables can’t be beat. A well aged cheese selection preceded exciting desserts of warm chocolate fondant with chocolate caramel ice cream and warm apricot strudel with mirabelle plum parfait and apricot chamomile sorbet. We chose fabulous bottles (2000 Henri Clerc Bienvenue-Batard Montrachet and 1990 Chateau Pichon Longueville Lalande, Pauillac) from their outstanding, but reasonable, wine list. Knowledgeable, attentive service, museum quality picasso paintings, elegant table settings and a view of the fountains and the Eiffel Tower complete the picture for a perfect dinner.

     Bouchon *(17.5) !(3.5) $(35-83) Tel.=702-414-6200, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Breakfast daily= 7:00-10:30 AM, Dinner nightly 5:00-10:30 PM. Brunch Sat,-Sun.= 8:00-2:00.
     They have recreated the perfect Paris Brasserie in Las Vegas, as well as its sister venue in Yountville. The raw bar is terrific, as are their rillettes, quiche, soups and salads. We loved their coq au vin, grouper and duck breast, and the kids were happy with the macaroni. Save room for desserts of bouchon chocolate cakes, pot de creme, doughnuts, profiterolles, creme brulee and chocolate mousse. A very appropriate wine list included the delicious Morey Meursault Perrieres at $199.00.

     B and B  in the Venetian Hotel*(13.5) !(3) $(35-105) Tel.=702-266-9977, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S.,  Dinner 5-11:00 PM nightly.
     As you walk past the gondoliers in this recreation of Venice, you look forward to a decent Italian meal from experienced restauranteurs Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich. The dining room is attractive enough, but the inept servers had difficulty in even getting bread to the table, no less attending to the sophisticated menu that is presented. Minestrone soup is adequate as are their pastas (beef cheek ravioli and pappardelle Bolognese) and entrees (grilled quail, squab and veal chop), but we didn’t bother staying for dessert. There is a decent wine selection and an efficient sommelier.

Cuisine=*(0-20) Ambiance=!(0-5) Price=$(Simple-Full)
Approximate Price per person excluding tax, beverage + tip=$. Simple=appetizer + main course; full= best available multi-course meal.

As We Like It has been serving the gastronomically enlightened community since 1989.

    Yountville

    Ad Hoc *(18) !(3) $(48) Tel.=707-944-2487, Fax=707-944-2275 www.adhocrestaurant.com.  6476 Washington St.  Dinner every night 5:00-9:00 P.M.
    A super concept, well executed with reasonable prices is what makes Thomas Keller’s latest adventure in casual dining such a draw. Each night features only one 4-course set menu served family style for the table. Get the daily menu directly from their web site or have them e-mail you each day, and if it looks appealing: go for it. The dining room has a contemporary feel with comfortable chairs and  shiny steel-top tables that can  double as mirrors. Fresh Bouchon Bakery bread is a nice added touch. Our first course consisted of  a huge portion of perfectly cooked haricots verts with thinly sliced potatoes, toasted walnuts, shaved radishes, chopped shallots and a delicate sherry vinaigrette served in a large, oval casserole dish. Next came the “sea & mountain” course that was served in 2 separate hot casserole dishes; one contained delectable roasted monkfish with melted leeks and good-to-the-last-drop tomato-based romanesco sauce, while the other had moist, flavorful pan-seared  poussin (chicken) with a nice texture complement of rice seasoned with too much saffron. Carr Valley Cheese Company’s toothsome cave-aged Marisa sheep’s milk cheese from Wisconsin was accompanied by wonderful toasted Marcona almonds and fabulous Marshall’s Farm honey for course #3.   A great finishing touch consisted of Spanish style churros served with a delicious vanilla cream sauce and a rich chocolate sauce that was unfortunately overly spiced for our tastes. They have an appropriately selected wine list with a $20.00 corkage fee; we enjoyed a 1998 E. Sauzet Puligny Montrachet les Perrieres with dinner. Service is  welcoming, professional and efficient.