Bistrot Ari & David Christmas Menus

I'm digging them up and posting them here, in reverse order. That means this year's our 7th annual, like Manou!

Christmas 2009

Champagne

Greek Pissaladiere

Jowl Bacon, Kimchi Apple & Maple Labneh

Mackerel, Rhubarb Compote, Horseradish

Tuna Tartare & Wasabi Ice Cream

Lemon Chitarra & Prawn Brains

Skate Wing & Crushed Crab Potatoes

Curry Mussel Musclade

Parmesan Polenta & Truffled Brandade de Morue

Pan-Fried Foie Gras & Caramelized Leeks

Celeriac, Radish, Pomegranate & Truffle

Slow-Cooked Pig Cheek Ravioli

Melon Granita & Basil Soup

Goose & Hay, Prune & Chestnut Stuffing

Dill, Tarragon, Mint & Mixed Leaves

Caerphilly, Michelle's Oat Biscuits, Red Pepper Chutney

Zabaione da Felice

Coffee/Digestif & Jule's Truffles

Christmas 2008

Champagne Cocktail

Carrot & Lemongrass Shot

Wild Icelandic Salmon & Celeri Remoulade

Scallop & Morcilla w/ Jerusalem Artichoke Mash

Bacon, Trotter & Prune on Foie Gras Toast

Cod Cheeks with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Beetroot Gazpacho & Avocado Sorbet

Pheasant Saltimbocca & Confit w/ Vacherin Potatoes

Mac & Truffle Cheese

Oxtail & Quail Egg on Toast

Bouillabaisse David

Mango Carpaccio

Canon of Lamb & Yam

Treacle Tart with Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream

Coffee & Shortbread

Digestif

Christmas 2007

Waterloos & Champagne

Hapsburg Beet & Date Caviar

Thoroddsson-Caught Salmon w/Horseradish Cream

Coquilles St Jacques Nobu Style

Marrow & Herb Salad on Toast

Shroom Stroganoff

Fancy Cream of Corn, Burnt Nut Oil

Foie Gras Bonbon

Helix Pomatia Mar & Montunya

Home-Made Fontina & Porcini Cappelletti, Sirloin Brodo

Pepper-Crusted Black Cod with Teriyaki Reduction

Ice-Cold Cavaillon Carpaccio

18 Hour Beef with 2 Anti-Cuchos

Salad Exotique Redux

Bruno's Surprise

Roasted Vanilla-Infused Pineapple, Citrus Mascarpone

Stilton & Port

Coffee, Fresh Mint Tea

Macaroons

Digestif

Christmas 2005

Cocktails

Sevruga Caviar Versailles Style

Chestnut-Wild Mushroom Veloute w/Horseradish Marscapone & Hazelnut Oil

Dressed Kamchatka Crab & Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Tuna Ribbons, Radish & Aromatic Chili Oil from the Bund

Pan-Fried Baby Red Mullet with Umeboshi Plum Cream

Red Grape & Lime Slush

Truffled Bacalao Raviolini in Broth

Heston's Snail Porridge

Cucumber Tarragon Salad Kazakh Style

Basil Lemongrass Soda

Smoked Puffin & Duck with Persimmon Jelly

Oxtail Tatin with Coffee Tomato Confit

Icelandic Meatballs with Rhubarb Chutney

Daylesford Penyston Cheese & Yuzu Salad

Bitter Chocolate Ice Cream Catalonia Style

Cafe, The, Infusion

Digestif

Christmas 2003

Beet Tartare

Potato Ravioli

Ricotta Chili Bomb

Scallop & Cauliflower in Caper-Raisin Sauce

Surf & Turf Bouchee a la Reine with Pernod Cream

Celeriac Parmentier with Foie Gras, Truffle, Sweet Gnocchi

Petits Haricots Verts Salad with Laguiole

Loup de Mer Madagascan Vanilla Essence

Mango Mambo de Tito Puente

Saltimbocca Polynesienne

Mixed Herb Salad

Selection of English Cheeses

Choco-Coffee Parfait

Cafe, The, Infusion

Petits Fours

Digestives

Salmon Tartare Nicoise

Although there isn't anything particularly Nicoise about this--the salmon for one--the recipe is a hand me down from the chef at Flaveur, one of Nice's coolest restos. Chef worked at Sketches in London prior to opening Flaveur, and rather understatedly claimed that former boss Pierre Gagnaire was "a very good chef".

top quality salmon filet

coarse sea salt

baby scallions

fresh coriander

juice of lime

zest of lime

soy sauce

EVOO

black radish (sliced thinly thru mandolin)

fennel shoots

1. coat salmon with salt, let sit for 10-15 minutes, rinse off and pat dry
2. chop salmon into small cubes
3. add juice of lime
4. mix in finely chopped scallions, coriander
5. add zest, few drops of soy sauce, EVOO
6. dress radish with EVOO and salt
7. mound up the tartare, dress with fennel shoots, adjoin with a few slices of radish

Mackerel Rillettes & Toasted Sesame

One of Keisuke Matshushima's appetizers. He calls for 100g of butter; I think we can get away with 50g-75g.

1 liter of home-made veggie stock

300g mackerel

100g best quality Normandy butter

30g of white sesame

1. cook the mackerel in stock very delicately
2. drain fish, blend with butter until nice paste
3. pan fry sesame seeds until just golden, add in
4. serve on a spoon or cracker

Cote d'Azur Resto Picks

The concentration of young, inspired and modern cooking is to be found in Nice. I only ate at a handful of these places but have ranked them based on feedback & insights from others.

1. La Part des Anges: a wine store with a few tables set haphazardly and a tiny kitchen in the back. An amazing concept and surprising we don't see it more often.
2. Flaveur: ex-Sketches/Gagnaire chef doing modern twists with Provence ingredients
3. Le Bistrot d'Antoine: a delicious bistrot with an animated and caring patron; his first day back from vaca he was making a large bowl of champagne sangria for all. The best tomato salad I've had, no menus just chalk boards. Lots of positive vibes, happy employees.
4. Keisuke Matsushima: a young Japanese chef of 32 who has already made a name for himself his six years in Nice, his chosen second home after Tokyo. Nationwide fame already, with new opening in Tokyo recently and one planned for Paris. He's had a star for about three years, with more to come. A rising name on the haute cuisine scene.
5. Chez Pipo: home of the adopted local dish, la socca Nicoise. An institution.
6. Le Safari: an institution with a perfect view on the market. Ari's favorite, although he tells me that he's "lazy" in Nice.
7. Don Camillo: an up an comer, Gault Millaut is hinting at bigger and better things for chef Marc Laville.
8. African Queen (Beaulieu-sur-Mer): very casual, port-side dining. Truffle pizza is the signature dish.

Cold Carrot Soup, Pink Grapefruit & Hazelnuts

Noticed this on the Arbutus menu today so I asked the waiter for some info. Sounds like it could be really delicious.

organic carrots

single cream to taste

quality chicken stock

quality firm green olives (pitted and quartered)

pink grapefruit membrane, segmented and quartered

hazelnuts, toasted

subtle baby herbs (tarragon, cerfeuil)

EVOO

S&P

1. slice carrots in a mandolin with EVOO, S&P
2. place in tray in oven, cook until soft
3. put in blender with warm stock & cream
4. blend until very smooth--make sure not a potage!
5. put through fine sieve twice
6. put in fridge until well chilled, season to taste
7. pour in bowl, add the grapefruit, hazelnuts and olives, all in view (rather than submerged)
8. put a pinch of herbs in the middle

Wine Notes

Toby Kwan, aka Chinovino in the wine trade, provides the following color in response to my question on tannins, more specifically when is too much or too little tannin good? What kind of dishes are tannic wines good with? I personally have a bias against tannins given my preference for lighter, fresher wines although there are some nice tannic cabernet francs from the Loire which come across as light wines.

"I prefer tannin to be generally not too noticeable, but lurking in the background to provide some grip. Tannin is pretty bad for fish (brings out the fishiness) and too much tannin numbs the taste buds, so it’s not good for lighter tasting foods. Some people may differ, but I also don’t like tannic wine with cheese. So for me, the question is the other way around, i.e. when to have more tannin in a wine. Tannins works well with high protein meat (i.e. dark meat), as meat proteins soften the perception of tannins in the mouth. Grilled meats, too, are good, as tannins are usually present in red wine with a perception of toastiness or smokiness (from the oak barrels). One of the most problematic wines for food pairing based on my palate is over-oaked white wine (usually new world chardonnay) with lots of tannins. Too overpowering for seafood, too weak for red meat, you can only really pair them with poultry or woody-tasting vegetables like artichokes, preferably grilled.

Fatty dishes need either a “fat” wine (with lots of body) or conversely a wine with pronounced acidity (not unlike how oil & vinegar can go better together than on their own). Personally I don’t think alcohol is the big issue for fatty dishes, rather I think wines with too much perceptible alcohol interferes with the food tasting (again, numbs the taste buds). Yes, it’s true that alcohol is more perceptible in younger wine which has yet to gain complexity or mellowness."

Paris Bistrot Picks (regularly updated)

A bistrot is one of my favorite things in the world, aside from a nice trattoria. Since I frequently get the question about my favorite Paris bistrots, I thought I'd lay it all out here.

1. La Grille (10th): kind of a tired looking place but very special. Great turbot (faux) grille with beurre blanc nantais, before which you can have their salade aux lardons. Been around forever--well deserved retirement imminent, so catch them while you can!
2. Le Violon d'Ingres (7th): one of my old favorites but has gotten lots of coverage. Very good, the king of basque cuisine christian constant. The pan fried cod with almond crust and capers is excellent. If you're lucky, the cote de veau with morilles will be on the menu too. Or you can lunch at his Cocottes next door if too pricey (he's got two other eateries on the same street!).
3. Auberge Pyrenees Cevennes (11th): the patronne belongs in a circus, she is an absolute maniac (as is her chef husband). Previously a basque bistrot although patronne from lyon so dishes from both regions on offer. Can't go wrong with the cassoulet, raie aux capres. They have a nice light, chilled alsacian pinot noir too.
4. Benoit (4th): although a tourist magnet, will always love it. One of my first bistrot experiences. It has a star, is a Ducasse property, so even if there are lots of Rosbifs and Y Yanks, the food still has to be up to snuff. Favorite is the standard saumon et pomme a l'huile.
5. L'Ami Jean (7th): great Basque and rustic ambiance.
6. Le Comptoir de Relais (6th): worth a lunch--a bit touristy but food good, relaxed, and excellent location on busy odeon area sidewalk where you could sit for hours-has gotten lots of coverage, chef hails from King Constant's kitchen.
7. Gaya (6th): this is Pierre Gagnaire's relaxed bistrot. Ground floor looks like a spaceship but upstairs a bit more conventional. Very delicate, light cuisine. You sense this is an important outlet for the chef as everything is fresh and unfussy.
8. Le Baratin (20th): I love this place, a great vibe, no menu just blackboard, with a grandma plying the stoves in the back. Also very local, and a bit of a hike but worth it.
9. 153 Grenelle (7th): an up and comer. The caramelized foie gras with leek vinaigrette was very memorable.
10. Le Square Trousseau (12th): spacious & airy, with a lovely terrace that gives onto a residential square. Good quality simple fare; what makes the place unusual is that it seems to be run by a lot of young people and has a fresh vibe about it, with not a mustached waiter in sight.
11. L'Ober Sale (11th): was so happy to find this place; sous-chef from Villaret up the street. Small and cozy, youngish crowd. Home-made confitures on the faux-zinc bar. My fish was a little overcooked the one time I've been, but my appetizer was spot on (slow-cooked rolled pork belly).
12. Le Repaire de Cartouche (11th): also well known but seriously good flavors at work. Off the Bastille in a nice split wing bistrot--make sure you sit on the side with the bar.
13. Chardenoux (11th): beautifully re-done and recently taken over by a new team, this is one of Paris' most classic bistrots; attention to quality, a great terrace on a quiet street for summer days.
14. Le Chateaubriand (11th): a bit too hip for its own good, but slick modern/rustic venue; and unusual in that it is a fixed tasting menu --for one and all. I think the chef thinks he's better than he actually is-- going out on the creative limb-- but interesting concepts nevertheless.
15. Spring (9th): I've not eaten here but included it anyway as the young American chef is the talk of the town.
16. La Table d'Eugene (18th): down the street from my aunt's. No ambiance but refined, and extremely local!!