109 replies to this topic

[Chambolle]

Okay, just finished lunch.

Neva, check. L'Auberge du 15, check. Verjus, not open yet.

Hey guys ! My NetFood queue is quenched but my appetite isn't.

What gives ? What am I going to do for dinner tonight ? And I gotta eat tomorrow.

Hey Mouthfuls Nation, come on, get to work. Throw Chambo a bone. He'll fetch.

[voyager]

Okay, just finished lunch.

Neva, check. L'Auberge du 15, check.

Don't quite understand. Did you actually try these places or are they just bien noté?

[Chambolle]

I tried them. Chambo doesn't mess around. I'm a high productivity sort of guy.

My NetFood queue is still empty. Tomorrow's lunch is rapidly approaching. Not to mention dinner.

Emergency ! Emergency ! Help !!

Tonight I was forced to dine at a place for 50% off, grace a lafourchette.com.

[Nancy S.]

I tried them. Chambo doesn't mess around. I'm a high productivity sort of guy.

My NetFood queue is still empty. Tomorrow's lunch is rapidly approaching. Not to mention dinner.

Emergency ! Emergency ! Help !!

Tonight I was forced to dine at a place for 50% off, grace a lafourchette.com.

I'm a creature of habit. I like what I like, and I like to return. I like to be treated as if a restaurant were my house or, preferably, my home. I don't seek variety; instead, I need reliability. So, as much as I would like to be helpful, since I've been helped by your reports, I have no details to offer. Nevertheless, I eagerly await your future soliloquies.

[FoodDabbler]

like to be treated as if a restaurant were my house or, preferably, my home.

As a curiosity, have you tried eating at home? I'm told it feels just like home.

[Chambolle]

I like what I like, and I like to return.

I return everywhere I go if it is even remotely worthy and I am still in the geography. I consider myself a patron of the arts.


Off-topic. Snagged from another thread ...

I'm in deep reporting debt.

You are?

My debt kicks your debt's ass !

I'm in debtor's prison right now and I don't know if I'll be able to eat my way out.

I'm more levered than Lehman at its peak.

I still got Aida to report on from way back in June . I got Les Tablettes de JL Nomicos from back then too, not to mention a gazillion others. Someone's breathing down my neck about wedding wines. I'm way too lazy to correct a bunch of nonsense about PC operating systems. I got a month backlog of current Paris insanity that I'm thinking of turning into a short novel and feature film. I got a ton of hypertension-inducing religious and political threads that are all written up in my head and ready to go just as soon as mouthfuls middle management passes some new legislation to open the floodgates to that sort of stuff (hey ADMINS: can we hold a referendum on this politico-religio question shortly? shouldn't we at least give it a try? i can't foresee any problems and it could help me with my future political aspirations).

But that's not even the half of it.

I still got a Moby Dick-lengthed amount of posts about the best month in Nantucket - August peak season.

You know how come I never posted about (non-Hurricane) August ACK adventures and why I never finished that Chambo and the Three Chambolles story? None of you are going to believe this, but here goes ... I was trying to sell a cable network on a reality TV series on the concept. The concept was me, Chambo. The summer show would have been called "Chambo - The Man from Nantucket" and we would have started filming in 2012. They wanted a detailed sample outline of the concept in advance. I said I'd do better than that. I'd write it all up on mouthfuls. Negotiations continued throughout. I had to play hardball with these Hollywood pricks as they weren't giving me a big enough piece of the action. I was forced to string out the content. Finally, I cut them off at the balls. No more content for them until they sign on the dotted line. I broke off negotiations with them.

Why all the effort, you ask? Chambo's not just another pretty face. Chambo has a long term vision. Like Ronnie before him, Chambo is going to get his magical mug on the silver screen, entertain the masses, smoothly switch to politcs, become the Leader of the Free World and get America working again. Granted, it's a slightly aggressive goal, but I can already see it in my mind's eye. We might try again next year on that Nantucket thang, but next year is a long time away.

Anyway, I got better ideas to jumpstart my takeover of the planet.

I'm pursuing another concept right now where I can demonstrate my international experience.

It's called "An American in (and outside of) Paris".

Wish me luck !

[Nancy S.]

like to be treated as if a restaurant were my house or, preferably, my home.

As a curiosity, have you tried eating at home? I'm told it feels just like home.

That was a bit of a joke, given the Agape Substance thread.

[FoodDabbler]

like to be treated as if a restaurant were my house or, preferably, my home.

As a curiosity, have you tried eating at home? I'm told it feels just like home.

That was a bit of a joke, given the Agape Substance thread.

I wasn't being serious either. Seriously.

[voyager]

Have you tried Cobea? Check out here the newest project of chef Philippe Belissent who garnered ink at le Restaurant of l’Hotel. Neither have I.

[Chambolle]

Juan has been excited about Verjus for a bit now. Maybe I should pop in on him and see what the latest is re it's opening date.

I did. It's opening later this week. I'll be there by this time next week.

Juan gave me a good long, low-down on the joint. Small plates / wine bar on one floor. He said he tasted everything from the menu and he's happy with the offerings. The Hidden Kitchen folks are doing their thing on the floor above. And it sounds like there is a floor above that that is not being used at the moment. Not totally clear, though.


Gosh, this NetFood site has pretty minimal content. Rancho, you got it streaming pretty darn good over there at NetFlix compared with what I'm dealing with over here at NetFood. I'm going to be eating those reruns soon.

[voyager]

I'd not snivel to Uncle Gordo until I'd fulfilled my end of the quid pro quo. You tell us only that you have checked out the addresses that we've tossed to you, but given us zilch in return. It's going to get a lot quieter on this thread. Bon Appetit, luv.

[Chambolle]

luv.

He luvs me, Rancho ! He luvs me

I'd not snivel to Uncle Gordo 2. until I'd fulfilled my end of the quid pro quo. You tell us only that you have checked out the addresses that we've tossed to you, 1. but given us zilch in return.

1. Zilch ? Zilch !!

Foodwise, my MaSa lunch kicks your L'Auberge lunch's butt. L'Auberge was good, but Masa was better. Both require a full description to better understand what they are. L'Auberge could shine at dinner though. Zilch, eh? (Okay, so MaSa happened to be completely empty when I had lunch there. Big deal. They just opened. "Hey Chambo, you say completely empty, but you always exaggerate, so please tell us how many other customers were lunching with you when you main course arrived?" Ummmmmmm, hmmmmm, okay you got me - Zilch ! )

My Pottoka lunch and dinner were as good as or better than Nancy's Neva's lunch. Zilch? Zilch eh ??

You think it's easy finding a decent, friendly, fun weekend brunch in Paris with an excellent cappuccino? I'm ready to listen to your ideas. Zilch? Zilch?? Zilch???

You count funny.


2. What haven't I fulfilled? Re-read the quid pro quo. I was up front about my intentions. Have you all come thru in a big way yet? Not at all clear. Hence, I have been going above and beyond the call of duty, but that's just the kind of guy that I am.

I've decided to withhold all France Info until you fine people start coming thru in a big way.

And you Americans, you all want instant gratification.



That's the problem with your culture. Grow up and be more like Old Europe.

[voyager]

My evaluation of your participation was based on your lack of description. I don't know your experience or your palate. So only if you describe food and service can I calibrate your input. One man's "fabulous" is another's "huh?". Without detail, we're all just blowing smoke.

Another problem in our exchange is that you do lunch and we don't, so our experiences don't equate.
While lunch is usually a far better buy, it doesn't fit into our schedule. Conversely, it's a shame that you can't experience the evening menu at some of these places since it is most often many cuts above their lunch offerings.

[Nancy S.]

My evaluation of your participation was based on your lack of description. I don't know your experience or your palate. So only if you describe food and service can I calibrate your input. One man's "fabulous" is another's "huh?". Without detail, we're all just blowing smoke.

Another problem in our exchange is that you do lunch and we don't, so our experiences don't equate.
While lunch is usually a far better buy, it doesn't fit into our schedule. Conversely, it's a shame that you can't experience the evening menu at some of these places since it is most often many cuts above their lunch offerings.

Likewise for me: I also only eat dinner, and, in my experience, both working in kitchens and dining around the globe, the lunch is often not comparable to dinner.

[Chambolle]

I attempt to do lunch AND dinner everywhere I go. I usually try to start with lunch. Not always, but usually. Pottoka was an exception, for example. But think about it. It makes a lot of sense.

Neva's dinner menu IS the lunch menu. I was told that there is absolutely no difference between lunch and dinner there. Zilch. No specials, no ardoise. That's what I was told. I asked various questions in an attempt to verify that. I said goodbye to the chef (part owner) on the way out.

Pottoka's dinner menu IS the lunch menu. At lunch, they have a cheapo offering. I skipped it because I don't like tete de veau. I don't like any tete de veau, meme la tete de Pugin. At dinner, they have a few specials on a small blackboard. Their specials are 50% to 100% more than the price of their normal main courses. These specials are pretty darn good, too. The chef (part owner) here bounces back and forth between his restaurants. He was not in the kitchen for my dinner nor for my lunch.

La carte a l'Auberge du 15 is identical for both lunch and dinner. In addition, they offer a cheapo lunch. I'm not positive if they also do le menu degustation at lunch. My guess would be yes. L'Auberge is seriously copieux. I saw the plates being served. There was no way in the world I was going to eat that much for my late lunch, especially when I had dinner plans. (Did you ever wonder why Chambo looks so darn good in a bathing suit ? ) My cheapo lunch left me stuffed. Over-stuffed. I said goodbye to the chef on the way out. He cooks at lunch.

In my limited experience (3 lunches, 2 dinners), Saturne is a better food experience at lunch. Sven was there cooking every time I visited. It's pretty obvious to see him with that open kitchen.

Regarding these places, it should be pretty clear that I'm not on the same page as you guys re dinner being better than lunch. It depends. And if you never eat lunch at these places, how can you have any idea ?

Further, I thought I was clear elsewhere. I said I'm going back to L'Auberge for dinner. My instincts tell me that it could be very very good.

Chambo blowing smoke ? The chances of that is zero.

Chambo has given plenty of descriptions before. You are either with me or you're ... ... I meant to say that you have plenty of my material out there to calibrate yourself against my taste and your likes and preferences. If you want more details, you are simply going to have to wait and be patient. And hope Chambo doesn't lose interest or get sidetracked or has to play hardball with his negotiating partners again ...

I gotta split this second. Off to the gym. Expecting people chez Chambo for a cocktail. Then off to dinner. Septime, ce soir.

eta: Septime is the poster child for a lunch being inferior to the dinner. Fine, that's Septime. I'm dining there.