Restaurant & Dining Reviews- The Raving Palate

The Raving Palate is an organization of restauranteurs & dining connoisseurs reviewing on dining experiences at upscale restaurants throughout California and the United States.

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2012 Chicago Bib Gourmands Announced!

Chicago, have you dined at a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant recently? Today, we’re thrilled to announce the...

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It’s time for THE GRUB STREET FOOD FESTIVAL MENU! WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!!!

CUPCAKES:

Chicken n’Waffles: Vanilla “Waffle” cake, vanilla...

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quay, sydney

you know how excited some people get when their chosen troupe of athletic professionals achieves some form of triumphant gain? well,...

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Prune stuffed gnocchi @ Park No 9, Boston

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Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.

Marcel Boulestin

Definitions: sous·vide [soo VEED]

French for "under vacuum"
a technique pioneered in Europe where ingredients are combined in vacuum-packed pouches, cooked under a vacuum, then chilled.
most often by hotels, restaurants and caterers, though it's expected to become increasingly available in supermarkets

Fleur de Lys - San Francisco, CA

Restaurant: Fleur de Lys - San Francisco, CA

Address: 777 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 673-7779
Website

Food: French
Attended: Dinner
Decor/Ambiance: Antique French
Cost: $$$
Rave Factor: 5 Stars

Service: 4/4 Food: 4/4 Presentation: 4/4 Concept: 3/4 Value: 3/4

This dining experience was top notch in delivering great and attentive service, innovative flavors and textures, and amazing meal presentations. It proved that it was worthy of being a Michelin star restaurant. Everything from the amuse bouche to the dessert had either, or both, new and creative flavor profiles and concepts. The dishes were very well-balanced and the presentation was always appealing.

Review: The decor of the restaurant was very French-antique with red/gold/brown fabric lining the ceiling and draping the walls. The lighting was very dim, which made for a romantic setting. Our reservation was at 5pm so the noise level was just perfect if someone were to go there for a date.

Definitions: consommé [KON-suh-may, kon-suh-MAY]

clarified meat or fish broth
a soup or sauce base served either hot or cold
the flavor of a consommé can be enhanced through a reduction to half the volume

The Raving Palate Michelin Guide Drawing

Starting today, The Raving Palate is hosting a drawing as a “thank-you” to our social media fans and followers. Announced on our Facebook Page and tweeted through twitter, The Raving Palate is celebrating the start of Top Chef’s 9th Season in November and the closing of 2011 by giving away a copy of the Michelin Guide to a lucky fan through our social media channels.

An early “New Years’ Resolution” of sorts, we’ve decided one of our goals for 2012 is inviting others to experience the very best of the culinary world. From now until the end of November, we’re encouraging current fans and followers to invite family, friends and colleagues to become fans of The Raving Palate as each fan will be automatically entered into the drawing.*

…there were only a couple people who’d been cooking on TV before that, and certainly chefs in restaurants were always kept hidden behind the kitchen door. You didn’t know who the chef was. In a famous restaurant, you were more likely to know who the maître d’ was than the chef. That’s really changed now, and we have Wolfgang Puck to thank for that.

Rick Bayless, Chef and Owner of Frontera Fresco Restaurant @Rick_Bayless

I love the culture of grilling. It creates an atmosphere that is festive but casual.

Bobby Flay, Chef and Restauranteur @bflay

A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that’s when cuisine is truly exciting.

Charlie Trotter, Chef and Restauranteur @CTrotters

I liked the energy of cooking, the action, the camaraderie. I often compare the kitchen to sports and compare the chef to a coach. There are a lot of similarities to it.

Todd English, Celebrity Chef, Restauranteur, and Author @ChefToddEnglish

Le Bernardin, Social Media, & the Bigger Picture

Earlier today, Chef Eric Ripert posted an article to Facebook describing a recent interview with CNBC regarding the role social media has had on business for Le Bernardin in New York. In the article, Chef Ripert points to social media as a source of recent success, saying:

“we have a much wider audience being aware of what Le Bernardin is, and we attract a young clientele […] a young clientele seems to be suffering less from the economic downturn. We see that at the restaurant and it is making us very successful.”

But Le Barnardin doesn’t appear to be the only restaurant that is reaping the rewards of staying closely connected with its guests through social media. In our own experience, in the times when The Raving Palate has reached out to restaurants prior to a visit, we’ve generally received very quick responses. Being proactive and responsive helps set a positive first impression and can make a guest more comfortable making future reservations while delayed or unanswered responses can have the opposite effect.