When Did Fine Dining Involve Chocolate-Sprayed Moss? - No. 182
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Before it was elitist, fine dining’s roots were in the home. Plus Michel Guérard's tomato sauce to spoon over crusty bread, simmered white beans, or grilled chicken, to bring some life to winter.
Haute cuisine doesn't do it for me. Too over the top and too expensive. Full agreement here about women in the home kitchen. Went out to lunch last week and ordered a braised duck dish with grand Marnier. My comment to my husband, "My duck is so much better". He agreed. It set us back $47. What that meal confirmed to me is that taking the time to cook it at home is worth the effort. Thanks for the great post.
YES. Yes to all of it. The exploitation is horrific. Here in the US, when we had (expensive) dinner at Famous Culinary Academy, I learned from chatting with the students who worked in the restaurant as servers that this was a required "class" for them all, even those who weren't going into restaurant work. This "class" was five days a week, from 2 pm to 11 pm. The school even stole the students' tips for "scholarships"., i.e. discounts from the obscene sums charged. Never again. I upped my cooking skills during the pandemic's height, we became locavores, eating seasonally, and we seldom eat out anymore. So much more I could say, but won't, except this: Go, Anne. What a fabulous piece.
Wonderful post. All of the talk about Noma has led to some interesting conversations at our house this past week. We rarely eat in restaurants anymore. Even before Covid, most restaurant meals left us thinking about how many groceries we could have bought with that money. Celebratory meals in our family now usually involve a really nice bottle of red wine, a good steak , a salad made with local greens, good bread and a piece of very good blue cheese.
I live in Minneapolis and there is a farm hydroponically growing a variety of greens year round in green houses. They deliver them to my door every week. A bakery has opened up a few blocks away from us that has outstanding bagels and bread. Yes, this is more expensive than your average supermarket greens and bagels - but these are the people I want to be supporting and where I want to spend my food dollars.
I live in an area of CA well known for Michelin starred restaurants…I’m always amazed at how many months ahead they are booked (according to friends in the local scene); even if I could afford it I just couldn’t spend hundreds of dollars per plate on the “experience”. Most of them claim to source from local producers, and hopefully the culture of high egos, misogyny, and mistreatment of employees doesn’t take place. I can’t speak to that.
Our treats are local Thai and Mexican food places!!
I don't have enough words to thank you for this article. It was exceptional. I have always been particularly annoyed at reality competitive cooking shows, when chefs are employed in restaurants, and yet they cook steak overdone or raw, and so forth. Yet the ordinary housewife to is expected to have every food item served perfectly, and ready at the same time. What is wrong with this picture? Bless you for pointing out this ridiculously unjust expectation and ignored comparison. Brilliant writing!
Thanks for expressing so eloquently what I’ve been feeling since I heard about Noma’s closing. While fascinated with the perfectionism of the restaurant’s concept and the meticulously curated oddities on the plate, it always seemed, as you said, to have no relevance to experiences and aspirations of a home cook. Tomato Sauce Vierge, on the other hand, has enormous relevance. Can’t wait to give it a try!
I too have eaten in the rarified air of some of what are known as “the best” restaurants. A few WERE memorable but many not so. When asked, “Where is the best restaurant in your town?” My reply is always “my house.” One friend said to me that there was never a bad meal here. My son grew up cooking and baking right next to me and now his house, like mine when he was growing up, is known as “the food house” where there is never a bad meal and friends are always welcome. I’ll take that over chocolate moss any day!
My fav recipe comes from Sunday at Lucques cookbook by Suzanne Goin. It is a winner. If you can't find the recipe, I'll happily share it. On the wine. We live in central CA and Paso Robles vintners make some great wine. To pay a corkage on top of the cost of the wine is so expensive that we only order by the glass now. The restaurants are blowing it with expensive corkage fees. We have one restaurant that is insane busy because there is no corkage fee. And, incidentally, there are only one or two wineries here that don't charge for tastings. One is Tobin James Winery. They have purportedly the largest wine club in the country. 20,000 plus members. And they define their business not as a wine business but as a hospitality business. Brilliant.
Sundays at Lucques cookbook by Suzanne Goins is my go to braised duck recipe. It is fabulous. Not difficult. And worth the time!! If you can't the recipe, I'm happy to share! And I agree with you re: wine. We live on the central coast of CA and Paso Robles is a hop, skip, and a jump away.
If there's a James Beard Award for feature article writing, I submit this issue of BTL!
Haute cuisine doesn't do it for me. Too over the top and too expensive. Full agreement here about women in the home kitchen. Went out to lunch last week and ordered a braised duck dish with grand Marnier. My comment to my husband, "My duck is so much better". He agreed. It set us back $47. What that meal confirmed to me is that taking the time to cook it at home is worth the effort. Thanks for the great post.
YES. Yes to all of it. The exploitation is horrific. Here in the US, when we had (expensive) dinner at Famous Culinary Academy, I learned from chatting with the students who worked in the restaurant as servers that this was a required "class" for them all, even those who weren't going into restaurant work. This "class" was five days a week, from 2 pm to 11 pm. The school even stole the students' tips for "scholarships"., i.e. discounts from the obscene sums charged. Never again. I upped my cooking skills during the pandemic's height, we became locavores, eating seasonally, and we seldom eat out anymore. So much more I could say, but won't, except this: Go, Anne. What a fabulous piece.
Wonderful post. All of the talk about Noma has led to some interesting conversations at our house this past week. We rarely eat in restaurants anymore. Even before Covid, most restaurant meals left us thinking about how many groceries we could have bought with that money. Celebratory meals in our family now usually involve a really nice bottle of red wine, a good steak , a salad made with local greens, good bread and a piece of very good blue cheese.
I live in Minneapolis and there is a farm hydroponically growing a variety of greens year round in green houses. They deliver them to my door every week. A bakery has opened up a few blocks away from us that has outstanding bagels and bread. Yes, this is more expensive than your average supermarket greens and bagels - but these are the people I want to be supporting and where I want to spend my food dollars.
All I can say is right on - to this entire post!
I live in an area of CA well known for Michelin starred restaurants…I’m always amazed at how many months ahead they are booked (according to friends in the local scene); even if I could afford it I just couldn’t spend hundreds of dollars per plate on the “experience”. Most of them claim to source from local producers, and hopefully the culture of high egos, misogyny, and mistreatment of employees doesn’t take place. I can’t speak to that.
Our treats are local Thai and Mexican food places!!
I don't have enough words to thank you for this article. It was exceptional. I have always been particularly annoyed at reality competitive cooking shows, when chefs are employed in restaurants, and yet they cook steak overdone or raw, and so forth. Yet the ordinary housewife to is expected to have every food item served perfectly, and ready at the same time. What is wrong with this picture? Bless you for pointing out this ridiculously unjust expectation and ignored comparison. Brilliant writing!
Thanks for expressing so eloquently what I’ve been feeling since I heard about Noma’s closing. While fascinated with the perfectionism of the restaurant’s concept and the meticulously curated oddities on the plate, it always seemed, as you said, to have no relevance to experiences and aspirations of a home cook. Tomato Sauce Vierge, on the other hand, has enormous relevance. Can’t wait to give it a try!
I too have eaten in the rarified air of some of what are known as “the best” restaurants. A few WERE memorable but many not so. When asked, “Where is the best restaurant in your town?” My reply is always “my house.” One friend said to me that there was never a bad meal here. My son grew up cooking and baking right next to me and now his house, like mine when he was growing up, is known as “the food house” where there is never a bad meal and friends are always welcome. I’ll take that over chocolate moss any day!
What a simple sauce which can can dress up any meal.
We have a restaurant gift certificate we haven’t used in 6 months because we keep thinking of home meals we’d rather make ourselves!
Anne, not related to fine dining, but just after reading this great piece, I read this article on NYT and it reminded me of your approach! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/dining/instant-pudding-mix-desserts.html?smid=url-share
And now I will go watch Ratatouille again and savor every entertaining minute! Thanks, Anne!
Absolutely loved reading this on my lunch break
My fav recipe comes from Sunday at Lucques cookbook by Suzanne Goin. It is a winner. If you can't find the recipe, I'll happily share it. On the wine. We live in central CA and Paso Robles vintners make some great wine. To pay a corkage on top of the cost of the wine is so expensive that we only order by the glass now. The restaurants are blowing it with expensive corkage fees. We have one restaurant that is insane busy because there is no corkage fee. And, incidentally, there are only one or two wineries here that don't charge for tastings. One is Tobin James Winery. They have purportedly the largest wine club in the country. 20,000 plus members. And they define their business not as a wine business but as a hospitality business. Brilliant.
Sundays at Lucques cookbook by Suzanne Goins is my go to braised duck recipe. It is fabulous. Not difficult. And worth the time!! If you can't the recipe, I'm happy to share! And I agree with you re: wine. We live on the central coast of CA and Paso Robles is a hop, skip, and a jump away.