thomas keller

Sweet Thanksgiving Offerings From Bouchon Bakery

Filed under: Dining

You can slave over a hot stove at Thanksgiving or, if you are in New York City, you can let Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery pick up some of the slack. This year they are offering pies, cookies and more. There are turkey-shaped versions of the TKO cookies, one of Thomas Keller's favorite snacks with a chocolate sable dough and a sweet white chocolate ganache filling ($3 each) and fall leaf cookies, house made speculoos cookies finished with a yogurt glaze and shaped as a leaf (3 per bag/$9.50).

For cupcake aficionados there is the pilgrim hat cupcake, an upside down pumpkin spice cupcake filled with cream cheese, enrobed with fondant and festively decorated with a gold buckle and mini marzipan corn ($5.75 each). Pumpkin brioche are available for $3.25 each.And of course, there are pies. Bouchon has bourbon pecan pies, apple pies with oat streusel and the classic pumpkin pie, shown above. Each 8-inch pie is $30. All orders must be placed by 5:00pm on Monday, November 22rd and can be picked up on November 24th from 10am – 8pm or on November 25th at 8:30am, 10:30am, & 11:30am. Orders can be made via phone, email or in person.

Tags: bouchon, bouchon bakery, CookieSales, cupcake, pies in jars, pies to order, thanksgiving dinner, thomas keller

The French Laundry Wins the Luxist Award for Best Domestic Restaurant

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Few fine restaurants boast a past as sordid as The French Laundry. Even so, the Yountville, Calif. eatery is consistently rated among the world's best, and is the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice winner in the best fine domestic dining category.

In the late 1880s, the building that currently contains the three Michelin star French Laundry was a humble saloon. When a town ordinance mandated that no alcohol be served within two miles of Yountville, the building was converted first into a brothel, then to a French steam laundry by the 1920s. In 1974, the town's mayor bought the laundry and converted it into a restaurant; twenty years later it was purchased by current owner and chef Thomas Keller.

Gallery: The French Laundry

Tags: awards-main, best domestic restaurant, best restaurant, luxist-awards, michelin, michelin guide, michelin stars, Napa Valley, The French Laundry, thomas keller, winners-fine-dining, Yountville

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Thomas Keller Partners With BMW

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Cars & Autos

We've seen plenty of luxury car makers hook up with hotels to provide fleets for guests but the partnership between famous chef Thomas Keller and BMW is a bit of a surprise. Bloomberg reports that BMW will offer the use of an ActiveHybrid 7 sedan for select customers at the French Laundry as part of the restaurant's concierge service. The idea behind the collaboration is that Keller's restaurants including Per Se in New York City and the French Laundry in Yountville, California are a luxury experience as is the new BMW which has a suggested retail price of over $100,000. It's not a totally disingenuous partnership, Keller does happen to be a long-time fan of the brand and is the driver of a 5-Series wagon.

Tags: bmw, french laundry, per se, per se restaurant, thomas keller

Calistoga Ranch's Exclusive Napa Valley Getaway Package

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas, Wine

Calistoga Ranch offers the Ultimate Napa Valley Weekend

Looking for the ultimate getaway in Napa Valley? Auberge Resorts' Calistoga Ranch, the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Green Spa has created the "Ultimate Napa Valley Weekend," a two-night, "ultimate" fantasy weekend that includes the best and most iconic experiences that Napa Valley has to offer.

The package includes a highly coveted reservation for two and special menu paired with some of Napa's best wines at Chef Thomas Keller's world-famous French Laundry. Guests will also receive treatments at Calistoga Ranch's Bathhouse Spa, recently named as one of the country's top spas by Conde Nast Traveler. Guests will be treated to a private tour and tasting by chauffeured town car which will take them to three exclusive Napa Valley cult wineries including Far Niente (a Luxist Awards' nominee for best wine), Vineyard 29 and Chappellet.

Accommodations are in a luxurious one-bedroom Spa Lodge, featuring 1,200 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space, including a master suite with an outdoor shower and private garden, indoor and outdoor living rooms with fireplaces and a private hot tub.

Gallery: More from the Calistoga Ranch

Guests who book the "Ultimate Napa Valley Weekend" will also receive a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the world-famous To Kalon winery and a special French Laundry Welcome Amenity.

The "Ultimate Napa Valley Weekend" package is priced at $4,495 per couple (subject to change and availability, excluding taxes, gratuities and alcohol). The package is only available August 27-29, 2010.

For more information or to make a reservation, call (707) 254-2800 or visit www.calistogaranch.com.

Tags: awards-main, calistoga ranch, Chappellet, Far Niente, French Laundry, luxist-awards, napa valley, resorts, spa, thomas keller, To Kalon, Vineyard 29

James Beard Award Winners 2010: Marea, Daniel, Craft and French Laundry

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

It's no surprise that New York and Napa Valley restaurants dominated the top spots at Monday night's James Beard Awards held at Lincoln Center. Foodies of every stripe -- from Food Network stars to French Laundry chefs -- were in attendance at the black-tie event. A red carpet was even set up in the new courtyard outside Avery Fisher Hall so the truly food-obsessed could catch a glimpse of chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Lidia Bastianich and Alton Brown, the evenings co-hosts. (Pictured above is Brown, JBF president Susan Ungaro, Bastianich and Ted Allen arriving on the red carpet.)

The big awards of the evening went to New York's Marea for Best New Restaurant; Tom Colicchio of the Craft restaurants (and a regular "Top Chef" judge) won the Outstanding Chef Award; Daniel Boulud won the Outstanding Restaurant Award for Daniel, another New York restaurant; the Outstanding Pastry Chef award went to Nichole Plue of Redd in Napa Valley; and Timothy Hollingsworth of Napa's famous The French Laundry, won the Rising Star Chef of the Year Award.

Backstage, talk turned to to food trends -- something fine-dining chefs don't look kindly on -- and the seemingly omnipresent locavore movement. And we even found out where these top chefs are excited to eat.

Tags: ad hoc at home, AdHocAtHome, best new chef new york, best restaurant in the world, best restaurants, BestNewChefNewYork, BestRestaurantInTheWorld, BestRestaurants, CA, chopped, daniel boulud, daniel humm, DanielBoulud, DanielHumm, eleven madison park, ElevenMadisonPark, james beard award winner, james beard awards, james beard awards 2010, james beard foundation, JamesBeardAwards2010, JamesBeardAwardWinner, marea, noma copenhagen, NomaCopenhagen, per se, PerSe, s. pelligrino awards, S.PelligrinoAwards, ted allen, TedAllen, The French Laundry, TheFrenchLaundry, thomas keller, ThomasKeller, top chef, TopChef, Yountville

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A Taste of Jazz at the Time Warner Center

by Amy Cortese (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

Last June, a bunch of the nation's mayors got together and declared April 9, 2010 Jazz Day. April is already Jazz Appreciation Month (you knew that, right?), but the mayors designated a special day to encourage jazz related activities and programming.

Apparently, the folks at New York's Time Warner Center got the memo. On the first ever Jazz Day this Friday, the center's renowned chefs will come together to serve up a feast inspired by Bebop, swing and New Orleans jazz, and the cities that made them famous.

Called A Taste of Jazz, the evening will feature dishes from some of the hardest to get tables in town: Masa Takayama's (Masa) Jazzy Duck – marinated duck with foie gras inside of a mooshu skin, and Missy Robbins' (A Voce) Citrus Cured Sardines and Fennel, an homage to her hometown of Chicago. Michael Lomonaco (Porter House Steak) will cook up a NY strip steak and NY cheesecake, while Landmarc chef Marc Murphy explores his French roots with New Orleans-style shrimp gumbo. Thomas Keller's Bouchon bakery will contribute sourdough Parker House rolls filled with single origin chocolate custard.

That's just a taste of A Taste. There will also be slow smoked ribs with molasses bourbon BBQ sauce; 3 cheese mac & cheese, collard green quiche with lardon and micro kale, and more -- not to mention Bourbon-mint Iced Tea Bebops.

What about the jazz you ask? Leave that to the capable hands of Walter Blanding, saxophonist for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who will be leading a septet in jazz standards.

Blanding will also discuss his selections and perhaps tell a jazz tale or two. He might, for example, tell the story behind "A Train," the famous composition by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, which was inspired by the directions given to Strayhorn for his first meeting with Ellington.

Here are the deets for all you cats:

Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle, 2nd floor
Friday, April 9
6:30 - 9:00 pm
Tickets are available for $85 at www.circleoftaste.com
Directions: Take a taxi to 59th Street, Columbus Circle. Or better yet, Take the A train.

Tags: a taste of jazz, bouchon, jazz, jazz day, jazz events, jazz month, lincoln center, Masa, Michael Lomonaco, music, new york city jazz, thomas keller, walter blanding

Celebrity Chefs To Convene In Aspen For The Food & Wine Classic

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

If David Kiley's comprehensive look at pig dinners got your mouth watering, you need to book tickets for the 28th annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen on June 18-20, 2010. The event will feature demonstrations and seminars with chefs such as Jacques Pepin, David Chang, Giada DeLaurentiis, Michael Symon, and Thomas Keller. Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons will cook delicious meals, as well as hosting a Classic Quickfire with Top Chef season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio competing against Top Chef Masters season 1 winner Rick Bayless.

New to the festival are chefs Tim Love and Art Smith and wine expert Paul Greico. The American Express Trade program will host trade-only power lunches with David Chang, Morimoto, among other greats. And for pig lovers there is The Grand Cochon event, featuring ten chefs who will create their best pork dishes at the Hotel Jerome. Tickets for the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen are $1,185. FOOD & WINE will donate 2% of the proceeds from every Classic ticket to Grow for Good ,FOOD & WINE's national initiative dedicated to supporting local farms and encouraging sustainable agriculture.

To do even more for Grow for Good you can opt for a Grow for Good pass at $3,100 per pass. Along with all the regular pass benefits, each Grow for Good Pass will include a $1,000 donation to the Grow for Good Campaign out of each pass price, an invitation to the Classic Welcome Reception held Thursday, June 17th, a ticket to FOOD & WINE's Best New Chefs dinner held Saturday, June 19th, a one-time pass to the Classic Green Room, the VIP Gifting Suite, having your name listed on the Green donors page in Tasting Notes, the Classic event program and VIP access to seminars and Grand Tastings.

Tags: david chang, food and wine, GiadaDeLaurentiis, jacques pepin, mario batali, michael symon, rick bayless, thomas keller, Tom Colicchio

D'Artagnan Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary with a 32 Star Progressive Dinner

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

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.

Tags: 25th anniversary, 25thAnniversary, Armagnac, celebrity chef, celebrity chefs, CelebrityChef, CelebrityChefs, Daniel Boulud, DanielBoulud, DArtagnan, Eric Ripert, EricRipert, fine dining, FineDining, french food, FrenchFood, new york restaurants, NewYorkRestaurants, thomas keller, ThomasKeller

Fast Food Deluxe: Bouchon Offers Black Truffle French Fries

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

It's black truffle season and Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Yountville is celebrating with a tasting menu and the return of a delicious favorite Bouchon's black truffle French fries. The classic French fries are tossed with chopped fresh black truffles, fleur de sel and truffled clarified butter and are offered separately or as a supplement to selected menu items.

The Perigord tasting menu is a three-course prix-fixe option that includes a complimentary Terrine de Joue de Porc amuse-bouche and selection of mignardise. Shaved black truffles will be available for each course and special wine pairings designed to enhance each dish will also be offered. The menu includes gooseneck stuffed with black truffle sausage, creamy polenta, sauce Périgourdine, cassoulet of rabbit leg confit, foie gras, tarbais beans, matignon of garden vegetables and rabbit jus and baked Cabécou wrapped in puff pastry with truffle-prune jam. It costs $70 per person and accompanying wine selections will be available for $40 per person. Shaved black truffles will be offered supplementary for $15-$20 per course and the black truffle French fries will be available for $17 or as an accompaniment to selected menu items for $14. The special fries are available through January.

Tags: black truffles, BlackTruffles, bouchon, thomas keller, ThomasKeller, trufffles

Bouchon Beverly Hills To Open Soon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The ramp up has begin for the long-anticipated opening of Chef Thomas Keller's first Los Angeles restaurant, Bouchon in Beverly Hills. Chef Keller now has a total of seven Michelin stars to his credit (three for The French Laundry in Yountville, California, three for Per Se in New York City and one for Bouchon in Yountville). Bouchon in Beverly Hills will feature classic bistro favorites and seasonal offerings as well as a raw bar featuring a wide array of oysters on the half-shell from both the west and east coasts. Bouchon in Beverly Hills will open on November 18, 2009 in the Beverly Hills Gardens building located at 235 North Cañon Drive and is already accepting reservations.

Bar Bouchon, a French wine bar with an extensive wines-by-the-glass selection and small plate offerings will open in mid December 2009 and will be located on the first floor of the restaurant. The restaurant's small plates menu will feature a variety of both classic and seasonal potted foods, salads, charcuterie, cheeses, tartines, sandwiches, caviar and desserts. Vin de Carafe, a Bouchon wine program that brings recognition to local vintners will feature unique selections to showcase wine producers in Southern California. Each exclusive selection is blended specially for the restaurant one barrel at a time to showcase the distinct personality and flavors of the featured winemaker.

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Tags: bouchon, bouchon beverly hills, BouchonBeverlyHills, retaurant, thomas keller, ThomasKeller

Celebrating Gascony At Bouchon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Bouchon in Yountville, California has announced the latest installment of their innovative France tasting menu. The menu available now celebrates the classic dishes of the Gascony region. The three-course prix-fixe option is also available with special wine pairings. Situated in France's rural Southwest region, Gascony is home to such prized delicacies as Foie Gras and Armagnac. The menu includes seared foie gras and duck confit rillettes with caramelized pears, Swiss chard and chestnut puree; braised pork shank with red wine braised cabbage, pruneaux d'Agen, watercress leaves and young turnips with Armagnac-pork jus; and roasted apples with crispy phyllo and whipped crème fraiche.

Bouchon Yountville's Chef de Cuisine Philip Tessier created the concept and vision of the regional menus. Each pays homage to the most treasured dishes of the featured locality, showcasing traditional techniques and flavors. Bouchon Yountville is open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:30am until 12:30am. The Gascony regional menu will be available as a 3-course prix-fixe option for $60 per person and accompanying wine selections will be available for $35 per person. This menu is only available until October 25. For more information or to make a reservation, please call 707-944-8037.

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Tags: bouchon, food, french food, FrenchFood, gascony, thomas keller, ThomasKeller, yountville

New Food And Wine Options At Bouchon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

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.

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Tags: bouchon, fine dining, FineDining, food, thomas keller, ThomasKeller

Thomas Keller Book Signing For Under Pressure

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Books

Chef Thomas Keller will be having his first ever Las Vegas book signing later this month. Keller, considered one of America's best chefs, will be at Bouchon at the Venetian, from 6-7:15pm on June 16. The event will start with a brief question and answer session. Under Pressure, Keller's latest cookbook is dedicated to the science of cooking sous vide, a technique used in all of Chef Keller's restaurants. Copies of "Under Pressure" will be available for purchase the day of the event for $75 plus tax. Keller's other titles including "The French Laundry" and "Bouchon" will also be available for $50 each plus tax (they're available online for less but how many chances do you get to meet Keller?). Like his other books, "Under Pressure" is for those home cooks looking for a real challenge and a chance to cook high-end restaurant fare in their own kitchens. Interested parties may RSVP for Chef Keller's event at Bouchon by contacting Annie Kang Drachen at akangdrachen@bouchonbistro.com.

Tags: bouchon, cookbook, las vegas, LasVegas, thomas keller, ThomasKeller

A Delicious Spring Bonnet at Bouchon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Nearly too cute to eat, this Spring Bonnet Cake is a Mother's Day offering being sold at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in New York City. The bonnet cake comes in two flavors lemon cake with fresh blueberry compote and almond Streusel and a vanilla angel cake with fruits of the forest and almond Streusel. Individual cakes are $9 each.

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Tags: bouchon bakery, BouchonBakery, cake, mothers day, MothersDay, sweets, thomas keller, ThomasKeller

Per Se Offers A La Carte Dining

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

At the start of March, one of New York City's priciest restaurant's Masa dropped its menu price. It's a good time to eat in New York City for less because, as the Wall Street Journal reports, another of the city's premier dining destinations, Thomas Keller's New York restaurant, Per Se is introducing an à la carte menu. Since the restaurant opened, Per Se has only offered two multi-course dinner tasting menus at $275 a pop.

The à la carte menu which is served only in the restaurant's lounge, lets customers sample a few of the famed chef's dishes. You don't even have to make a reservation months in advance, you can simply walk in. The menu changes nightly and includes items that are part of the tasting menu served in the dining room. Of course you'll still be spending quite a bit, wine and cocktails start in the $15 to $20 range and most dishes are around $30 to $40.

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Tags: fine dining, FineDining, new york city, NewYorkCity, per se, PerSe, thomas keller, ThomasKeller