Comments to comments

I've received several nice comments and e-mails regarding my last entry, which I hope people will continue to read and ponder. Among them, Chris wrote his confidence about Thomas Keller's ability to sustain the high standards for which he has become famous. To clarify my point of view, I do not believe Keller will lose considerable quality by expanding his restaurant mini-empire. What I most fret about is his foray into frozen food territory, and his motives for which remain unclear. To me loyal Keller fans don't deserve that. His food is in a league of its own; reportedly even down-home Ad Hoc is several steps above the rest, and with frozen, it is impossible, impossible, I repeat, to offer consumers the same caliber of food served at his restaurants. Why settle for less?

Chris also made a good point about Keller's sous chefs--Corey Lee and Jonathan Benno, to name two, are holding their spectacular own when the man himself is not present. Chris' argument is that my experience shouldn't be marred by the fact that Keller's not the one cooking in the back, but for me, a chronic obsessor about culinary things and cheffing, the whole point of going to TFL is to dine with the stigma of being in Keller's precious flagship with HIM there. But oh well. Such is life: full of disappointments.

*By the way, in this article from Bloomberg a couple weeks back, Mimi Sheraton's earlier comment on Bouchon Bistro being "jam-packed and wildly noisy" is completely ridiculous. It's a bistro, for goodness' sake.

Please, continue to leave your thoughts!

Comments

[Chris]

Some great news to share, we once again retained three michelin stars at Per se. And TK was in the kitchen! I myself agree with the ideal that it would be a true gastronomic experice if Thomas was actually expediting your food. The times I have eaten at TFl, I was lucky enough to experience it. Keep blogging and keep eating!

p.s.- if you ever do venture to Canteen, I used to live down the street. Order the Chupacabra- scrambled eggs, over chorizo and black beans. Perfect after a rough night! cheers.

[Paul]

Here is a quote from Gordon Ramsay, whom I believe you have already expressed you distaste for in a previous post. However, perhaps it is a glimpse into the mindset of these chefs who operate large restaurant empires. Its a response you would expect from Ramsay to a Japanese reporter who asked him how Ramsay could call this "his restaurant" when he would be thousands of miles away.

“That’s a nice Armani suit you’re wearing,” Ramsay replied. “Did you check Giorgio f**king stitched it himself?”

Now despite what you think of Ramsay's language or behavior, a chef with as many stars as he has (he just earned another two for his first foray into the US market in NY) does not get there on his own and you cannot argue with his success. He has "homegrown" talent at his numerous global outposts and they know how exacting his standards are.

Now, admittedly, I know far less about food and the inner workings of a kitchen than Chris, but one cannot fault these chefs for promoting from within and trusting their staff. This, to me, is the epitome of loyalty and getting the best out of your staff. I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said, but maybe one should reserve judgment until one is able to eat at one of Keller's restaurants. Keller or no Keller. Maybe one could be lucky enough to have both as a basis of comparison.

I'm almost certain I know who Chris is so I'll just say this, if I were able to snag the one reservation at Per Se that is available to the public at large, I would be confident that people like him are in the kitchen working under not only Keller's exacting standards, but his (their) own personal standards as well. If you can't cut it on the line under pressure, I think the closest you'll get to Keller's kitchen is going to be on a tour after dinner.

By the way, Anthony Bourdain has also written about this somewhere. I think it is in his latest book "The Nasty Bits" which is a collection of a bunch of his articles that he has written for magazines and the like around the world. Again, some may not like him, but the piece is well written (much better than I can express, at least). I believe one of the subjects is Mario Batali and his expansive restaurant empire.

Anyway, sorry for going on a rant of my own. I'm not even sure that I made one point in the whole thing. And congrats to Chris on the *** at Per Se...any word on the rating at the Dining Room and when are we going to Chicago?