Currant American Brasserie reminds me of one of my ex-girlfriends. She cleaned up really well and looked great in eveningwear but was even more attractive in old jeans and with her hair down. Currant (140 W. Broadway, Downtown) has an elegant look, somewhere between a fine-dining … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Café Chloe is timeless in its own way
Bistro-inspired as its menu may be, Café Chloe is not precisely a bistro. As popular as it is with the lunchtime business crowd, it is not now, never was and never will be a contemporary answer to late 1980s Dobson's. Its iconoclastic, hip atmosphere, nods to locavorism and … [Read more...]
THE WORLD FARE: Hillcrest’s Au Revoir is excellent, but inconsistent
Hillcrest's Au Revoir Bistro looks every bit the French Bistro. From the window trimmings painted in white to the large chalkboard with daily specials (sometimes written in French sanstranslation), there's a distinctly Parisian look and feel to the place. It's cozy and quaint, … [Read more...]
NOUVELLE CUISINE: Terrine of Celeriac, Carrots and Gai Lan with Sauce Ravigotte
“Nouvelle cuisine was so specifically French that it was, and still is, misunderstood in the rest of the world. You have to be dominated by Escoffier before rejecting him becomes meaningful.” Mark Kurlansky, “Choice Cuts” (2002) "Nouvelle cuisine was nothing on the plate, but … [Read more...]
SAN DIEGO: Pan Roasted Baby Baguetta with Blood Orange Beurre Blanc and Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes
For as long as I can remember – and far longer than that – one of the most important lifestyle differences between Europe and the United States is the way that we shop for the night’s dinner. America is the land of the Supermarket. If we didn’t invent it, we certainly … [Read more...]