fine dining

Benoit New York, the highly acclaimed French bistro that is part of the Alain Ducasse restaurant empire, is offering fresh black Périgord truffles throughout the month of February. The truffles can be shaved over any dish offered on the menu that features classic French bistro cuisine for a supplemental cost of $9 for 5 grams, which is the actual cost to the restaurant. The truffle pairing will be available through the end of February.

Benoit Executive Chef Philippe Bertineau suggests enjoying the truffle garnish atop a selection of dishes. In addition to the Maine Lobster Salad and Tarte Flambée, the truffle shavings work well with the Filet Mignon and Hand-chopped Beef Tartare.

"One of the dishes I recommended serving with truffles is our Seasonal Local Vegetable Cookpot," says Chef Philippe Bertineau told Luxist. "The Cookpot is an oven-to-table porcelain dish that Alain Ducasse created with designer Pierre Tachon specifically for cooking and serving vegetables. It's a modern adaptation of the traditional cooking pot used in France's rural regions, and all of Chef Ducasse's restaurants around the world offer a seasonal vegetable Cookpot dish that's composed of local vegetables."

"For the Cookpot at Benoit, we wanted to create a vegetarian dish using root vegetables---our version includes parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sunchokes, rutabaga, celery root, butternut squash and chestnuts layered over a mushroom duxelles and finished with fresh black truffle," adds Chef Bertineau, the former Executive Chef of Balthazar who joined Benoit in October. "All of the vegetables are cooked together and served in the Cookpot, and it's a wonderful dish for the wintertime."

Strip House, the famed New York steakhouse that opened in 2000 on East 12th Street just off of Fifth Avenue, is the winner of the Luxsit Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Steakhouse.

The restaurant's name is a double entendre that relates to both the delectable strip steaks as well as its seductive, yet sophisticated decor. The interior was designed by David Rockwell and offers a clubby yet striking atmosphere with deep red leather booths. The walls are adorned with black and white images of women that pays homage to the female form. The collection was photographed by Studio Manasse in Vienna in the early 1900's.

Often talent run in families. In French cuisine, Sebastien Robuchon, nephew of Joël Robuchon, continues the tradition of spreading fine French food to the world, he recently finished up his first year running the kitchens at Pantai Lima Estate, Bali. Sebastien Robuchon spent his apprenticeship working at his uncle's side. Robuchon specializes in French cooking and "cuisine actuelle", as well as contemporary Asian fusion. During his first year at Pantai Lima, Robuchon created, inter alia, "tarte au chocolat", the famous chocolate tart that is now his signature dish, mushroom cappuccino and also his own version of the Nasi Goreng, a famous Indonesian dish.

Pantai Lima is an estate of super luxury villas built right on the Bali beachfront at Pererenan, a small community a short drive north of Seminyak. There are five different luxury villas each with its own style and own gardens and pools. Rates start at $1,500 a night with a two-night minimum.

Calling all fans of vintage Hollywood, classic Broadway and early 20th century literature: New York's Algonquin Hotel is in the midst of a special vintage menu that's actually well worth the price.

The Algonquin Hotel is best known for its place in 1920s literature -- it's where the "vicious circle", which included Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley used to meet to trade barbs and match wits. It's a terrific, if pricey, place for drinks in midtown when you want a literary vibe. The hotel has teamed up with publisher HarperCollins, which has just released a vintage cookbook called Specialties de la Maison, which gathered together recipes from celebs ranging from Tallulah Bankhead, Noel Coward, Christian Dior, Eleanor Roosevelt and others. The cookbook was a fundraiser for the now defunct group American Friends of France, an organization started by Anne Morgan (daughter of J.P.), a francophile who was horrified by the toll of war on France after World War I, and who used her extensive social connections to gather the recipes. The book jacket was designed by Clement Hurd, who illustrated the children's classic Goodnight Moon.

Chicago-based chef Grant Achatz of Alinea has always done things a little differently. To announce his latest venture he and business partner Nick Kokonas created a video trailer for the Next Restaurant and a cocktail lounge called Aviary, both of which will open in Chicago this fall. The trailer evokes old fashioned news reels. A map emerges and a first stop, "Paris 1912" is revealed. Just when you start to imagine Achatz's version of classic French cuisine the video darts to a new destination, Hong Kong 2036. Yes, Next will be serving food from the future. A hovercraft takes off from 2036 and turns back into a plane zipping over to Sicily 1949. What on earth is going on here? Then the concept is revealed: four menus per year from great moments in culinary history - or the future.

The trailer ends with the curious message that "tickets (yes, tickets)" will go on sale soon. The NY Times Diners Journal blog resports that anyone who wants to eat at Next will buy their time slot in advance. Prices will be lower for off-peak hours and will vary depending on the menu. Prices will run $45 to $75 for a five- or six-course meal with wine and beverage pairings starting at $25. There will even be season tickets available. No tickets will be required at Aviary, the bar, which will mimic a bit of whatever is happening over at Next with cocktails that resonate with the theme of the moment.

The models may be dieting during New York Fashion Week but not everyone else is and Armani Ristorante has rolled out a new bar menu to entice those looking for a quick delicious nibble. Prices range from $8 (which gets you some house made ice cream or sorbet) to $28 for Misto alla Griglia-- grilled lamb chop, beef filet, veal filet, Cornish hen and selected vegetables in extra virgin olive oil. More adventurous palates might opt for Polpettine di Cinghiale alla Cacciatora-- wild boar "meatballs" , vegetable-mushroom sauce served with baby arugula and radicchio ($22) but there is also a vegetarian lasanga for those of a less carnivorous nature.

The restaurant continues to offer an international selection of fine wines by the bottle and by the glass, as well as an innovative array of cocktails including Il Diavolo made with tequila reposado, cassis, splash of lemon juice and topped with ginger ale as well as the Armani Martini, a blend of fresh orange juice, white rum, triple sec served with an orange slice. Armani / Ristorante 5th Avenue is open for lunch and dinner daily until 11 p.m. Monday - Saturday and until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

True foodies think nothing of spending exorbitant sums on their passion. Fine wines, and four star meals, often in foreign countries, are their version of luxury. The names they drop are not Prada or Manolo but Keller and Ripert. Twenty-five years ago Ariane Daguin from France and her partner George Faisan started D'Artagnan. It was really the first company to focus on providing consumers in the United States with food products from Ariane's native region of France, Gascony. It has become the premier supplier of specialty food products from the foie gras to truffles to high end American restaurants and gourmet shops.

This February the company celebrates its 25th anniversary with a week long celebration in New York starting on February 17, 2010. The highlight of the festivities is a "32 Star Progressive Dinner" on Saturday February 21rst. The special event features celebrated chefs from the Gascon region of France in various four star kitchens around Manhattan. The evening kicks off with cocktails at 5pm after which the participants will board the "Armagnac-fueled" bus to experience each course at a different 4 star restaurant.

Participating chefs include:

• Daniel Boulud with Jean-Marie Gautier, M.O.F. of Hotel du Palais, Biarritz
• Jean-Georges Vongeritchen with Michel Trama of Aubergade, Puymirol
• Daniel Humm with Jacques & Laurent Pourcel of Le Jardin des Sens, Montpellier
• Thomas Keller with Hélène Darroze of Restaurant Hélène Darroze, Paris
• Eric Ripert with Thierry Marx of Cordeillan-Bages, Pauillac and Philippe Urraca, M.O.F.

The above list is just for the main course! There are others chefs cooking their native cuisine for the other courses. Wines from top producers including Chateau Lynch Bages will be featured and Trou Gascon Armagnac will be served on the bus between courses.

The finale occurs at Le Bernadin where all the chefs will celebrate after dessert. Seating is limited and costs $600 per person for the evening.

Eric Ripert, the chef/owner of the New York restaurant Le Bernardin, along with his wine director Aldo Sohm, has introduced the Avec Eric Perfect Pairings wine club.

Ripert is the host of a new show for PBS, Avec Eric, in which he explores his own vision of why we cook and where he finds his inspiration. Sohm, who oversees Le Bernardin's wine collection of over 15,000 bottles, recently received the 2009 James Beard Award for "Outstanding Wine Service" and was named "Best Sommelier in the World" in 2008 by the Worldwide Sommelier Association. Sohm is the first representative from America to win this title. Le Bernardin holds three stars from the Michelin Guide ,and has maintained its four-star rating from The New York Times for over 20 years.

In an interesting twist, the wines were picked with specific recipes from the chef in mind. Each month, Ripert and Sohm choose two bottles of wine for their members with the intention of pairing them with recipes inspired by his new series. The members will receive the recipes, as well as the wines, in addition to detailed tasting notes written by Sohm. Members also gain access to monthly online videos of the duo explaining each pairing. The wines are a mixed selection of reds, whites and sparkling chosen to complement the proposed dishes.

Ripert feels strongly that great food does not need to be complicated or intimidating for the home chef. Each show starts out with a trip to a vineyard, farm or four-star kitchen but finishes with the chef in his home kitchen demonstrating recipes for the home cook and enjoying the perfect glass of wine to accompany his meal. A Votre Sante!

Foie gras (pronounced ˈfwä-ˈgrä, French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened, typically through gavage (force-feeding) corn. It is a delicacy in French cuisine. Foie gras' flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of a regular duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into mousse, parfait, or pâté, and often is served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak.

France is the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China. Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial and considered by some to be cruel. A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force feeding or the sale of foie gras.

Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, the global restaurant company by the renowned chef and his business partner Phil Suarez, has announced their first restaurant in Hawaii. The Kaua'i Grill will open at The St. Regis Resort Princeville at the start of November. The grill is the resort's signature restaurant and has stunning views of Hanalei Bay through panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. Chef Vongerichten and his team have created a menu that will utilize the freshest fish and ingredients indigenous to the islands while adapting recipes and culinary techniques to showcase the chef's unique approach.

The interior will be done in shades of cocoa, ruby, and bronze with zebra wood. The spiraling lit fabric ceiling evokes the shape of a nautilus shell. Cascading from the center of the ceiling is a hand-crafted fiber optic and ruby glass hibiscus chandelier. The restaurant will be open for dinner nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. for resort guests as well as the public.

Today, Michelin released The Michelin Guide 2010 New York City Restaurants, with five establishments receiving three stars, its highest rating. The top rated restaurants include Daniel, Jean Georges (above), Le Bernardin, Masa and Per Se.

There were six restaurants earning two stars and 44 restaurants that earned one star. Three stars represents "exception cuisine, worth a special journey" while two stars is for "excellent cuisine, worth a detour". One star, which is still an excellent rating, is defined as "a very good restaurant in its category".

To rate restaurants and hotels around the world, Michelin employs a rigorous selection process that is applied independently and consistently. Indeed, in each of the 23 countries where it inspects restaurants and hotels, the selections are made by anonymous, professional inspectors who are Michelin employees. The inspectors pay all their bills in full.

While the Michelin Guide is known around the world for its famous stars, these restaurant account for just 10% of the selection in the New York City guide. The guide also includes a wide diversity of establishments, and includes small restaurants that offer a high-quality dining experience at an affordable price.

One useful section features "Inspectors' Favorites for Good Value", including a total of 85 affordable restaurants that offer two dishes, and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. There is also a list of 109 restaurants selected by its experts that offer a meal under $25.

"The Michelin Guide has long been respected and the stars are what people love to talk about in the culinary world," says Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guides. "But the Guide is so much more. It's filled with a year's worth of notes from the team of inspectors who set out to ensure the Michelin Guide provides an excellent mix of what readers truly want--a wonderful dining recommendation from trusted experts."

The Michelin Guide New York City 2010 is the fifth edition since Michelin began reviewing restaurants in New York. Its cover price is $17.95.

The lack of interest in fine dining has doomed the fancy fare in Tucson. The Arizona Daily Star reports that Tucson's only five-diamond restaurant, the upscale Ventana Room at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, has closed. The restaurant had closed for the summer as it usually does but now won't reopen. The resort's public relations director said that people prefer the gourmet comfort food to dress-up dining. The elegant restaurant was on the top floor of the hotel. Earlier this year prices were reduced and the requirement that gentlemen wear coats was dropped but it was not enough to stop diners from migrating to the more casual dining experiences available at the resort.

The Ventana Room served entrees including seared New England diver scallops with salsify and artichoke barigoule, Alaskan black cod with caramelized green apple, parsnip puree and currant balsamic reduction and Australian Wagyu beef tenderloin with Tohono O'odham white tepary beans and pomegranate port reduction. The Ventana room space will be converted to high-end meeting and banquet space for parties and special events. There is now only one five-diamond restaurant open in Arizona, Kai, at the Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona.

Lovers of food and wine hardly need a reason to head to Yountville, California to eat at Thomas Keller's Bouchon but I'm going to give you a couple anyway, starting with the new Provence tasting menu. The Provence regional tasting menu will be available as a three-course prix-fixe option (accented by amuse-bouches and mignardise courses) beginning August 4th through August 9th. The menu showcases traditional flavors and dishes including Filet de Rouget en Escabèche which is a chilled rouget accompanied with garden radishes, artichokes, navel orange, pickled garlic, piquillo peppers and parsley; a traditional Bouillabaisse with monkfish, shrimp, crab and mussels; and peach clafoutis with lavender honey, and house made toasted almond ice cream. The prix-fixe menu is $60 per person

Bouchon is also showcasing local wineries through the Vin de Carafe wine offerings which feature unique selections specially crafted for Bouchon one single barrel at a time by Napa Valley winemakers.Each new installment will feature a different vintner, including both a red and white offering. Vin de Carafe is available by the glass or en carafe for the table to enjoy and will be an ongoing addition to the restaurant's customary wine list. The first selections include the 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay from Jason Kesner and the 2007 Coombsville Cabernet from Andy Erickson and Annie Favia. Vin de Carafe selections are available by the glass for $8 or en carafe with prices ranging from $25-$50. For more information or to make a reservation, call 707-944-8037.

Care for a little alfresco dining? A pair of New Hampshire and Maine farms along with four award-winning chefs combine for one fabulous evening that includes a four-course meal and event held in the fields of Weston's Farm on the Saco River. August 29th is the date for the Second Annual "Fields on the Saco", an event that offers up the best of the season's harvest in a lavish feast for 100 under tents set up in the field. The menu will be accompanied by paired wines and Maine Cold River Vodka and will be presented by Chef Bryant Alden of the Chef's Market in North Conway, Executive Chef Brad Southwick of the White Mountain Hotel and Resort, Chef Jonathan Spak, co-owner of the Oxford House Inn, and Chef Jim Harrison of the Flatbread Company.

Hors d'oeuvres will include sweet corn fritters and scallops wrapped in pancetta with an Amaretto reduction. The meal begins with an appetizer of roulade of pork gratin with braised baby beets and butternut-apple coulis. The salad is baby spinach with grilled peaches and goat cheese with a maple pecan apple cider vinaigrette. The entree will be a mixed grill of tournedos of beef, lamb sausage, and chicken kebob with summer vegetables on a potato nest. The meal finished up with a blueberry polenta pound cake with honey and chevre semifreddo.

The event actually begins at 1 p.m. in the afternoon and includes far more than the dinner. There are guided farm tours, farm stores showcasing foods, flowers and local products. Cold River Vodka and complimentary wines will be offered with live music provided by Jazz Meisters and a "wet art" auction (wet art refers to paintings created on site). Winners of the Art-A-Ron-Dack Chair judging will be auctioned, offering bidders the chance to take home a unique chair and artwork combined. A Border Collie exhibition at Nerefield Farm on East Conway Road and a bonfire will round out the schedule. Each person attending the dinner will take home a beautiful Lead Wine Glass by Cristal d'Arques of France and a gift bag. Tickets are $125 each and the event will be limited to 100 people. Info on ordering tickets can be found on the Mount Washington Valley website.

One of Boston's more elegant dining institutions has become as victim of the economic slump. Aujourd'hui, the fine dining restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston will close at the end of June, leaving the more casual Bristol Lounge as the hotel's main dining option. The beautiful, if slightly staid, Aujourd'hui space will be reconfigured for use as a private function venue. The Boston Herald quotes Four Seasons Hotel Boston public relations director Kristan Fletcher as saying that Aujourd'hui's formal (and expensive) style doesn't fit with the way people are dining today.

The restaurant overlooking Boston Garden opened in 1985. It served refined French cuisine and offered tasting menus and elaborate desserts as well as putting on a spectacular Sunday brunch that included a raw bar.

UPDATE: As Aqualung pointed out in the comments, another fine restaurant in Boston, Great Bay in the Hotel Commonwealth is also closing.