Spring

I haven't yet put my name on socks and t-shirts, although that is sure to come very soon...

Better still... We've got our own CHAMPAGNE.

A brut, grand cru, blanc de blancs (that's 100% Chardonnay) from R and L Legras in Chouilly.

At 29 euros a bottle it's a steal. We've got cold bottles at the restaurant.

The case of six is 160 euros.

Like the available seats, they won't last long.

Call to reserve your bottles for Christmas, New Years or any old Monday afternoon.

They're silver and shiney and as Fernanda says 'Super-Sonico'

I'm looking for a new waitress. Some experience and papers required.
Elisa is leaving us soon for her new adventures in the fashion world. I'm sure she will be a big success... We'll miss her.

Velouté de Chataigne et Racine de Persil

Pied de Cochon, Noix de Saint Jacques a la Pomme Vert, en Salade

Pigeon, Purée de Carotte Legere, Compoté de Lievre, Choux de Bruxelles Glacés au Balsamique

Chocolate, Potiron, Poire

And in English (that is assuming that what I just wrote was actually french....):

Parsley Root and Chestnut Soup
Pig's Feet, Scallops and Green Apple
Pigeon, Carrot Purée, Wilde Hare, Brussels Sprouts Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar
Chocolat, Squash, Pear


More news...

We've started work on a book. The pictures are looking very good and the work is fun.
We are hopefully going to Japan in the spring. Why not
Look for a new website soon featuring SPRING TV.

Things are going. We've had some great reviews recently, but more importantly, the customers seem to be satisfied. We've had some strange reviews, too. I try not to look at them, but can't help it.

Oh yeah. We've stopped taking reservations. No tables available until January.

I've been busy posting all the articles and stuff and have probably neglected to offer any real news and little to do with food. Technically i'm still on vacation, but this is really just code for 'the restaurant is closed, but there is still a lot to do'.

As part of the post vacation reopening festivities,

SPRING WILL OPEN FOR LUNCH ON *most* THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS

Of course, you'll still have to reserve your seat, because space is very limited.

I had tried this before, but it turned out to be too much to do alone. As some of you know, Cameron made lunch possible on some Thursdays, but soon i'll have a permanent cooking partner. She's part of Spring's latest surprise. Of course, Elisa will be with us too... until she finds a job and the beginning of her career as a fashion designer.

This week, The Cook (you'll know her name soon enough, one thing at a time...) and I will be traveling to Bruges for a little pre 'war' pow wow. Traveling, even if only a couple of hours by train, helps to stimulate ideas, change old habits and recharge... The idea is that Spring will be even better than it was before.

REMINDER:
Many of you have left me messages and reservation requests by way of the the 'comments' at the bottom of each post. Remember that unless you leave your email or contact information in the message, I can't get back to you!

Thank you Financial Times. You're the best.

迷倒米其林察访员的小饭馆

作者：英国《金融时报》撰稿人 安•莫里森(Ann Morrison)
2007年8月14日 星期二

春
天(Spring)可不是一家普通的巴黎餐厅。它仅有16个座位，只提供每天一换的无选择菜单，禁止抽烟，坐落在不那么精致的第9区。餐厅老板兼经理今年29岁，他负责购买原料，安排座位预定，掌勺，开酒瓶以及和顾客聊天。令人最诧异的是：他是一个来自芝加哥的美国人。他的名字叫做丹尼尔•罗斯(Daniel Rose)，而法国最为苛刻的美食（餐厅）评论家都喜欢他。

费加罗报(Le Figaro)娱乐增刊Figaroscope颇具影响力的评论家在去年10月春年餐厅开业后几星期，就给予了这家餐厅最高的3颗心评级。当时，一个米其林 (Michelin)察访员来做一个初步匿名品尝，结果他最后跑到厨房去和罗斯作陪，并帮他上菜。（通常，服务工作是由一个年轻的时装专业女学生来完成的。）

几个月前的一天晚上，我和我丈夫唐(Don)和几个朋友一起去了那里。那个米其林的人就在里面，和一个同事以及他们的妻子坐在旁边的桌子。两位男士当时已将春天餐厅列为2007年米其林指南(2007 Michelin Guide)的“Bib Gourmand”，即物美价廉的餐厅。在春天餐厅，四道菜的价格为36欧元。罗斯说：“能让米其林的察访员在休息日来我的餐厅，是目前对我最好的赞誉。”


也许他们到“春天”来是因为“春天”非常有家的感觉——在那里，食物、美酒和交谈比见到名人、高效服务和传送带（工业化）食品准备更为重要。不管你在这家简约而现代的餐厅中哪一个位置，基本都能在开发型的功能厨房中看到罗斯。他在准备第一道菜（恰到好处的山萝卜蛋黄酱浇绿芦笋）时，表现得井井有条，最后在盘子上点缀了很多的橙子和柠檬片。

第二道菜是另一个开胃菜，幼嫩的扇贝配沙司，沙司中有甜菜根，细香葱，柑橘果和细碎的可可豆。罗斯随后解释说“甜菜根有着一种泥土的芬芳，和可可豆很好地搭配在了一起。”这些原料和扇贝在一起是相得益彰。

虽然人们都在晚上8点至8点45分到来，但到现在为止所有人都在同一时间享用同一道菜。这对于“一人忙“（Figaroscope专用短语）而言会容易些，但实际上罗斯总让所有事看起来很简单。对于主菜，他预先剔除了珠鸡骨，备用——放在一层绿蚕豆上，配以萝卜、欧芹、薄荷、山萝卜和鸡汤。原来那个米其林公司的人会时不时地和罗斯聊各种有关饮食的事，还和蔼可亲地重复着自己端盘子的经历。


从iPod传来的轻柔爵士乐，一直是罗斯厨房中的唯一陪伴，但现在音乐已被柜台这边欢乐的谈笑声掩盖。甜点上的有点慢——准备16碟巧克力慕思、红橙皮、鲜奶油和烤杏仁要花些时间。但没人抱怨：这是个聚会。此外，在我们的Riedel玻璃杯中还有些葡萄酒（来自薄若莱(Beaujolais)的2004年Morgon红酒）。（而我们的白葡萄酒是卢瓦尔(Loire)2005年的Quincy，早就喝完了。）

罗斯现在能轻松地与客人打成一片，还会讲述他如何来到巴黎（在美国大学(American University)上学），了解关于饮食的知识（“我攒下了自己所有的钱，这样我就能到外面吃东西”）。毕业后，他参加了里昂的保罗－博古兹烹饪学校(Institut Paul Bocuse)，之后又跟着布列塔尼、危地马拉、意大利和美国的厨师学习。回到巴黎，他在著名的H?tel Meurice宾馆干了3个月，之后准备开家自己的餐厅。“我听到所有那些厨师都在抱怨人事问题、糟糕的配料、没法赚到足够多的钱，而我摆脱了所有我无法控制的东西，”罗斯说，“除了烹饪，那就是我从他们身上学到的东西。”

朋友们帮他找了个店面，他买了下来，重新翻新装修。如果你也非常想干同样的事，那就读读罗斯的博客，其中详细表述了装修中遇到的难处和工期延误情况。这个网站还包括菜单、假日快照、菜品照片和罗斯从酒窖楼梯上严重摔伤后，他肩膀的X光片。

在博客和谈话中，罗斯经常想起他周二到周五的工作是多么辛苦（尽管他确实找了几个人帮忙）。但他在不断增加员工：目前，春天餐厅在周四和周五也供应午餐（三道菜27欧元），罗斯在周六讲授烹饪课。他还做一些电视节目。但他并没有完全满足：“我还没有做出我想要的食物，”他说，“但鉴于我只有两只手，而且每天就那么多时间，我在做我能做出的最好的食物。”

迄今为止，他的进展如此迅速，对此他感到惊讶吗？ “是的，”他迅速回答，“我认为法国人将我变成了热爱他们东西的人——他们的文化、语言和食物。这里有很好的环境，来这里享受欢乐时光的人所涵盖的范围宽得令人难以置信。”如果你愿意，那就帮忙端盘子吧。

罗斯的博客：

www.springparis.blogspot.com
春天餐厅，28 rue de la Tour d'Auvergne，75009，巴黎。

电话：+33-1-4596 0572

译者/何黎

《生活时尚》

阅读本文章英文,请点击 An American chef takes a bow in Paris

未经英国《金融时报》书面许可，对于英国《金融时报》拥有版权和/或其他知识产权的任何内容，任何人不得复制、转载、摘编或在非FT中文网（或：英国《金融时报》中文网）所属的服务器上做镜像或以其他任何方式进行使用。已经英国《金融时报》授权使用作品的，应在授权范围内使用。

The original can be seen here.

While flying from New York to Chicago, I found this in the Financial Times.
Apparently the same article made its way to a Brazilian newspaper. Someone sent it to me in Portuguese.

That's fun.

An American chef takes a bow in Paris by Ann Morrison
Published: July 28 2007 02:22 | Last updated: July 28 2007 02:22

Spring is not your average Parisian restaurant. It seats only 16, serves just one no-options menu that changes every day, forbids smoking and is located in the less-than-chic 9th arrondissement. It is owned and run by a 29-year-old who buys the food, takes the reservations, does the cooking, opens the wine and chats up the customers. Most surprising: he is an American, from Chicago. His name is Daniel Rose, and France’s toughest restaurant critics love him.

The influential reviewers at Figaroscope, the entertainment supplement of the daily newspaper Le Figaro, gave Spring a three-hearts rating, its highest, within weeks of the restaurant’s opening last October. When a lone Michelin inspector came by for a preliminary and anonymous tasting, he ended up keeping Rose company in the kitchen and helping him serve. (The waiting job is usually done by a young woman, a fashion student.)

My husband Don and I were there one night a few months ago with a couple of friends, and the Michelin man was back, sitting at the next table with one of his colleagues and both their wives. The men had already put Spring into the 2007 Michelin Guide as “Bib Gourmand”, a restaurant that represents good food at moderate prices. In Spring’s case, it is four courses for €36. “To have the Michelin inspectors come to my restaurant on their day off,” says Rose, “is the best accolade yet.”

Maybe they came because Spring is a lot like home – a place where food, wine and conversation are more important than celebrity sightings, quick-step service and conveyor-belt preparations. You can watch Rose work in his open, functional kitchen from just about any place in the sparely contemporary restaurant. He is methodical as he arranges the first course of perfectly done green asparagus with chervil remoulade, generously dusting the plate with freshly grated orange and lemon peel.

The second course is another appetiser, quickly seared scallops with a sauce of beets, chives, citrus and tiny bits of cocoa beans. “There’s an earthiness about beets that somehow goes with cocoa,” Rose explains later. And with the scallops.

Though people have drifted in between 8pm and 8.45, by now everyone is eating the same course at the same time. That should make things easier for the “one-man chaud” (Figaroscope’s phrase) but, in fact, Rose makes everything look easy. For the main course, he has boned the pintade in advance, and it is ready to roll – on a layer of green broad beans, with radish, parsley, mint, chervil and chicken stock. The original Michelin man, who has been chatting to Rose off and on throughout the meal, amiably repeats his plate-carrying role.

The soft jazz from the iPod that has been Rose’s only company in the kitchen is now drowned out by happy talk on our side of the counter. Dessert is slowly on its way – it takes time to arrange 16 plates of chocolate mousse, blood-orange peel, whipped cream and toasted almonds. But no one is complaining: this is a party. Besides, we still had some wine (Morgon 2004, a red from Beaujolais) left in our Riedel glasses. (Our white, a 2005 Quincy from the Loire, was long gone.)

Rose is now free to mingle and to talk about how he came to Paris (to study at the American University) and to learn about food (“I saved all my money so I could go out to eat”). After university, he enrolled in the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, then went on to study under chefs in Brittany, Guatemala, Italy and the US. Back in Paris, after three months at the famed Hôtel Meurice, he set out to open his own restaurant. “I heard all those great chefs complaining about personnel, poor ingredients, not making enough money, and I got rid of all the things I couldn’t control,” says Rose. “In addition to cooking, that’s something else I learned from them.”

Friends helped him find a vacant restaurant space at 28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne, which he bought, gutted and renovated. If you are at all tempted to do the same, read Rose’s blog, www.springparis.blogspot.com, which details construction disasters and delays. The website also includes menus, vacation snapshots, food photos and X-rays of Rose’s shoulder after a bad fall down the cellar stairs.

On the blog and in conversation, Rose often reflects on how hard his Tuesday-through-Friday work is (though he does bring in a couple of people to help). But he keeps adding to his labours: Spring is now open for lunch, on Thursdays and Fridays (€27 for three courses), and Rose gives cooking classes on Saturdays. He is also doing a bit of television work. But he is not completely content: “I am not yet making the food I want to make,” he says. “But I am making the best food I can, given the limitations of my two hands and the hours in the day.”

Is he surprised that he has come so far so fast? “Yeah,” is the quick reply. “I think the French see in me someone who loves their stuff – the culture, the language, the food. And this is a good environment where an incredibly wide range of people can come and have a good time.” And, if so inclined, help pass the plates.

Spring, 28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne, 75009 Paris. Tel: +33-1-4596 0572

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Elisa stopped to take pictures of everything. Frequently it is was our reflection in bits of Manhattan.










Paris is pretty, but makes New York seem like the center of the universe. Things are happening and the energy is great. People are friendly and helpful and there are more than enough things to eat. Not long after the restaurant opened, I promised Elisa that I would take her to New York as part of her bonus. Those of you who know her know also that she is an important part of why Spring stays open and I stay sane. She more than earned her trip to New York and I had fun accompanying her (and her 6 cameras).

All the photos are hers.

Thanks to Jason and Angela for their hospitality and for introducing me to some of their very interesting friends. Jason was always on my short list of people to be stuck on a desert island with. He will be very glad to know that Angela would be more than welcome too.

We've made it to London!

On July 22 Spring is going to New York to scope out the scene, eat, and visit some old friends. This means Spring will be closed from July 19 until sometime in August. There are already some reservations in September so i'll have to be back from vacation by then...

I wonder if we shouldn't be going to Japan instead. They've got a thing for Spring. Notice Cameron's elbow in picture 4. Next time we'll get his head in there, too.



I've continued to have a lot of interesting customers. Things are still going very well... Summer has been cold and rainy here in Paris. Hard to get excited about summery foods.

Elisa graduated from fashion school. School's out forever!

Here we are in the Nouvel Observateur's guide to the 400 coolest places to eat, drink, dance, sleep, etc. in Paris.



This is craziness, but i'm rolling with it...

Look out for new things happening at Spring this Fall.
Spring doesn't last forever...
The idea is to make our customers even happier.

I've been busy.

You'll see what I'm talking about if you watch M6 on Sunday night at 20h10

I also did another TV gig connected to the new movie Ratatouille.... No idea when it is coming out but it was a lot of fun. I never want to see another snail again. I think I went through 36 dozen snails during a one day shoot.

At the same time I was being distracted by M6 and Disney, Alan Richman from Bon Appetit was here visiting. I don't really remember what happened during those five days, except for a bad lunch I made for him. My cooking was more than off that week... I guess I am learning the limits of working on only a few hours of sleep a night. The restaurant seems to me to be very fragile and any break from the normal routine screws everything up.

Here are some pictures of our night out... While I am on my own in this restaurant thing I am not alone. I have some great assistants and friends... Cameron is a cook.
Todd makes movies (and loves to peel brussel sprouts) and Elisa is the next Karl Lagerfeld (only prettier) and she is a damn good waitress. She is also an angel for putting up with me.

We started at the Alzaco in the 9th around the corner from Spring. Klaus got us good and greased up with some Rieslings and the rest (blood sausage terrine, real lard from a real farmer's pig, a killer flammenkuchen, and some really funny jokes). We then set off to Le Troquet in the 15th to eat at the restaurant of a chef I cooked with during the M6 shoot. Quality bistrot stuff... The best part (apart from Alan trying to marry Elisa with promises of money and NY city restaurant recommendations) was that one of my favorite clients was sitting at a nearby table. I thought he only left his coat and scarf on in my restaurant. I was wrong. God bless Mr. D'Arvieux and his lovely family.


In other news... I've had more press Japan, Spain... and was again nominated as best new restaurant in Paris... Funny how I'm still the new restaurant. 'New' must mean something different in this town...

The wine list has been evolving with the help of David Witter....
Look out for a new Pommerol from Bouley, a Maranges from Pagnotta, and an Irancy from Stephen Podor.
I am discovering Bourgogne and enjoying it...

I also had a pleasant visit from Rupert Birch of Domaine La Brillane (near Aix)... Good stuff. Fun (!) to drink.
Check out Domaine de La Brillane

En fin! The seasons are changing. It is officially Spring at Spring and the Asparagus have arrived.
I found these at the market on Sunday morning... My favorite vegetable ladies were making fun of me for arriving so early. It was about 5:30am and they figured out very quickly that it was the end of Saturday night rather than the beginning of Sunday morning.

Just returned from a long weekend in Madrid. Lots of good things to eat and drink.
The idea was to give my shoulder a rest, but I'm not sure it had the desired effect.
Thanks to Santiago and his band of merry Colombians for keeping me properly in and out of trouble.

Just as a reminder to everyone... I make one menu a night and I don't have anything else to serve you if you don't eat something or other on the menu... I try to tell everyone this by telephone, and everyone says 'Ok, no problem... we eat everything' Until they arrive to find pork or clams or lamb or foie gras for dinner that night!

I would love to be able to accomodate everyone's likes and dislikes, but it isn't possible. Spring is not for everyone, so skip it if you really don't eat 'everything'!

I like to take requests, and with enough time in advance I MAY be able to arrange something for you. Nothing is guaranteed... Octopus is not the same price or quality from one week to the next so I may not be able to honor your request. The idea is to offer you the best of the market, so you'll just have to roll with it...

A reminder: I'll serve you your own bottle of wine for a 'droit de bouchon' of 12 euros. The price is reduced for each consecutive bottle. We have good things to drink, but if you only like your Petrus, or only drink bordeaux then you may be disappointed by the wines I like.

Velouté sans creme de Choufleur, Jus de Pigeon

Foie Gras, Pomme Roti a la Vanille, Huile de Noix

Gigot d'Agneau, Purée de Carotte Aerienne, Menthe/Olive/Pain d'Hier, Jus

Tarte au Chocolate, Orange Sanguine, Basilic

Oops. I fell (again) on the stairs leading to the basement... The first time I just bruised some ribs. This time it seems I royaly screwed up my shoulder. I've been working on morphine for the last week and only ten days later am I starting to be able to use my right arm. Everything takes twice as long and certain things are out of of the question. Butchering is impossible. So is rolling over when I'm trying to sleep.

It seems to be getting better.

Valentines day was rough for obvious reasons.

At least now I know I can do this with one arm tied behind my back.

The two very pretty medical students at the ER seemed to think that there was no obvious fracture.

Have a look for yourself.

Happy Customers

I've been thinking about cooking classes in the restaurant for some time but only in the last month or so have I had the time to put things in place.

This Saturday was a sort of afternoon 'Gourmande' with a lamb (at the clients request). Last week it was a whole sea bass and four different preparations. The courses follow the Spring format:

1 Daniel enjoys himself
2 The Customer enjoys themselves
3 The food is simple
4 Good price/quality ratio

Rack of lamb
1 Roasted whole with fresh herbs and garlic
2 with an Almond, Mint and Lemon crust

Lamb Ribs
1 Braised with Carrots and Oignons 'Classic'
2 Braised with Carrots and Oignons 'Derivation', Calamata Olives and Mint

Sides and other things:

Roasted Tomatoes with Ginger
Carrot Cream with Cumin
Potatos, turned, roasted and cooked in Olive oil 'facon Alonso'
Garlic Purée

Thanks for the pictures Karl and Andrea... Good souvenirs of a nice afternoon.

Le Figaro


A Nous Paris


Pariscope


I also heard a rumor about something in Femina... Anyone seen it?

Eeek! I've had so many phone calls I don't know quite how to handle them all.... The best time to get in touch with me directly and not leave a message is from 17h to 19h30 Tuesday through Friday at 01 45 96 05 72.

I'm doing my best to accomodate everyone... Thank you for your patience.

Yeah, I know it is upside down, but what's the difference?

Soupe de Broccoli/ Menthe
Salade de Avocat, Huile de Noix Grillé
Pigeon, Endive Meuniere
Tarte au Chocolat, Creme Coco, Pamplemouse

Every dish had something completely new for me. I'm trying to keep myself on my toes.
I'll try to start taking pictures...

Apparently there was some more press in the Pariscope and A Nous Paris this week...
If anyone has any extra copies, I would love to see them!

I returned from Chicago with good memories and a bad case of jet lag... I'm not sure I ever adjusted to the hour. I didn't do very much cooking, but did manage to put a little something together for New Years eve with not so old, old friends Una and Scott. I ended up falling asleep on the floor for the last hour or so of 2006. A fitting end. Who knew lobsters make you sleepy like some kind of post Thanksgiving turkey tryptophane trip?

Here are some pictures that I had not had the time to sift through... Thanks for being good clients. You know who you are!

Someone is being nice to me again.
Last on the list, but hey... still on the list.

Best of 2006 du Figaroscope
Meilleure surprise : Et dans mon Coeur il y a…
Meilleure table d’affaires : Pétrus
Meilleur canaille : Ribouldingue
Meilleur marin : 35° Ouest
Meilleur Italien : Mori Venice Bar
Meilleure nuit : Black Calavados
Meilleur grand style : La Grande Cascade
Meilleure annexe de grand chef : Sensing
Meilleure curiosité : Ozu
Meilleur bistrot : Le Chateaubriand
Meilleure table d’hôtel : L’Orenoc
Meilleur couscous : Gourbi Palace
Meilleure pizza : San
Meilleur terroir : Le Bascou
Meilleur come-back : Le Caméléon
Meilleure renaissance : Drouant
Meilleure reprise : La Gazetta
Meilleur branché : Hôtel Amour
Meilleure table de musée : Les Ombres
Meilleur improbable : Spring

Tonight's menu

Soupe de Potiron/Foie Gras (can't help it... people like it!)
Calamar/Chorizo/Pomme Verte
Magret de Canard/Puree d'Amande
Chocolat et Cie

Great crowd tonight. I shared my almond puree recipe with some guy who came into the kitchen to get it...
Tomorrow night is the last night before two weeks of vacation... Every other person in France gets 5 weeks a year (and more) and I see little reason why I shouldn't partake in another of a long line of pleasant French traditions.

A TV crew came by on Tuesday night to do an interview and a short report for CANAL+. Nice group and enjoyed talking with them the other night.

I had the wife of a very famous food celebrity in last night for dinner. I won't tell you who, but as with all my clients I was glad that she left happy.

Check out this email. That's cool. I haven't even had a chance to look at the calender 2007 yet, but of course I will arrange a place for them...

Hi Daniel

We’ve been enjoying your blog in distant Tasmania and would like to make a reservation for a meal at Spring when we’re in Paris next April.

Would it be possible to reserve a table for dinner on Wednesday 11 April at 8pm?

Kind regards

Sue Dyson

Hobart, Tasmania

Australia

I'm sorry it has been a while since my last post.... The restaurant is frequently full and time for other stuff is in short supply. I started taking some pictures of things happening at Spring. There have been several photographers who have come by to take their own pictures and I have been meeting some interesting people (Aya Ito, Joe Ray, Jacqueline Freidrich come to mind, but there are many others).

Wednesday Night's Menu

Soupe de Potiron au Foie Gras Mariné Cru
Salade d'Espadon (Sauce Atitlan- Citron Vert, Concombre, Chorizo, Ananas)
Pigeon, Celeri Rave aux Epinards, Carottes Jaunes
Comme une Poire Belle Helene

Here are some of the pictures from the last several weeks...
Alain taking pictures of a bowl of soup.
Salade de Cuisse de Canard aux Pommes/ Duck thigh and Apple Salad
igeons!

Saturday Night's menu

Soupe de Potiron/Point de Fricassé de Pintade au Curry
Sardines Marinees a la Pomme Verte/Chips Patate Douce, Panais
Canette Roti 'Scallywagger'/Sauce Apicius/Navet Cru/Puree d'Amandes
Tarte au Chocolat/Confit de Potimarron

I was quite pleased. I usually don't roast whole Cannettes because it can be a bit risky.
Classic and I was pleased. Several details to change for next time, but very good.
The Sardines were very fresh... They did all the work for me.
The Soupe garnished with the pintade was making me hungry all night... Unfortunately I only had a enough for the 16 that reserved for dinner last night.

Saturday nights are strange. 12 of 16 seemed to be very happy. 2 were in the wrong place (didn't know about the fixed menu- even though I try to tell everyone when they reserve) and one couple was probably expecting 3 star michelin and not three hearts or whatever they had seen in the Figaroscope. Had a visit from a wine writer/researcher/drinker/journalist and her friend. She brought her own wine which I found to be a good set up. I was pleased with her take on my food. Something like 'sophisticated and comforting' but maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention.
Another cook and ex-associate of Inaki A. came to dinner and I think he was pleased. Hard to know. I'm both happy and terrified to serve other cooks. The table of four noted the contact info for the Chiroulet chosen by Cedric. Very enthusiastic (apparently excellent with the cannette). There was also a birthday dinner that ended with the girlfriend giving a cookbook to her boyfriend (and me serving a 5th course of toasted bread and the cannette's sauce, tableside).

The photographer from L'Express came to take pictures. Very nice and professional. Hope nothing was sticking out of my nose (can that be airbrushed?). Ha ha

The journalist from L'Express came on Friday morning for a quick interview. I think he got his story, but I hope it doesn't raise my guest's expectations too high. It still a small restaurant with a 4 course menu at 36 euros... Parking is difficult, there is no valet... etc.

Thanks to Martine for her hard work and her nervous calm.
Thanks to David for his work and company this week. Indispensable.

Bed time can wait for a quick Michelin Guide story. I've done some crazy things and not always on purpose, but this still makes me laugh out loud.

Last week a young man reserved a table for himself. Never thought for a moment he was a critic or anything of the sort. The guy looked so not like what one expect...

I chatted with him during dinner and he revealed that he worked in a hotel at the Place Vendome... So he is a curious 'confrere', a professional and he was alone... I lent the guy my newspape... I invite him 'into' the kitchen for the company (and because I thought he might enjoy it). He was happy, I was happy... things were cooking. I told him I thought the two gentlemen at the table next to his were probably from a guide or something. He smiled and of course now I know why. He was the Michelin Man!

Kudos to Michelin for some major CIA undercover discretion. The guy was a gentleman and revealed himself a few days later... He came to the door of the restaurant... I thought 'Great! This time he'll bring his girlfriend. I'm glad he liked it.') He wasn't there to make a reservation but to reveal his true identity...

I would have liked some time to put things in order before the critics arrived... Oh well, have to work with what i've got.

Happy and terrified at the same time. Not so many weeks ago I wasn't sure who would come to the restaurant.

Happy Thanksgiving. I'm one lucky guy.

I guess things are going well.

Here is a latest review. Although I 'outed' Mr. Talbott (his own words) I honestly didn't do anything special for them. I still have no idea who Felice is and the other guy with her... Sophie Brissaud introduced herself and in anycase I was pleased to have them as customers. They were different than other 'critics' (they seemed to be 'out to dinner', enjoying each other's company and having a good time)... for me anyone who pays for a meal in my restaurant is a critic...

8.5 Spring, 28, rue de la Tour d’Auvergne in the 9th, 01.45.96.05.72, open only for dinner, everyday but Sunday, which opened to a three-heart welcome from Emmanuel Rubin in Figaroscope and a rave review in Le Fooding, has an American (gasp) chef, Daniel Rose, of all things, who does everything from take your reservation to cook to say goodbye. OK, everyone knows I pride myself on not being recognized and not taking free meals, but Daniel “outed” me as a sat down (although the reservations were made by my cohost Felice in her name) and so anything I/we say is suspect, although (1) we paid, (2) he didn’t recognize Felice or the other more famous food celebrity we were there with and (3) there is no way in a tiny place of 16 covers he can change the way he cooks. It’s a set 4-course 36 € menu that varies according to the market. The night we went we had an amuse gueule of rillettes that were simply the best. The accompanying bread (4 types if I counted correctly) from next door, not figuratively – literally – was very, very good. The 1st starter was a carrot soup with shredded veal knuckle (jarré) - - terrific. The 2nd entrée was a salmon cru lightly marinated, with olive oil and juliened apple (? Granny) and currents and pesto drops – terrific, or did I say that before? Then we had the pigeon that was – you knew this was coming - perfectly cooked – raw inside, toasty and caramelized outside with a sweet but not too sweet sauce, on top of smashed potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. The dessert was a spectacular chocolate cake with drizzle and cherry confiture (I broke my no chocolate after 3 PM rule to have a teeny bite) but I loved my substitute cheese. We had a marvelous Fronton which a relative from Toulouse supplies. As one of our foursome, no mean slouch, remarked on exiting – that’s the best meal I’ve had this year. Could well be, even though we’ve got a month left. I feel rather sad about writing up what I believe Margaret Pilgrim calls “a secret place,” but the truth will out; the night before the Figaroscope review appeared, he was packed with all French locals; suddenly he got folks (Parisien, bien sur) from all over; and soon, after the Michelin + Lebey and others report in on their meals last & this week, it’ll be the Yanks. Sorry Daniel. Truly. Moral = occasionally, Figaroscope, Le Fooding, Michelin + Lebey all get it right together. Bill = 194 € for four.

I'm still not exactly sure who they are... Names, nationalities, etc... no problem, but who they work for, how they make a living (or is this simply a hobby?) I have no idea.

As a reminder to all of you wanna be critics out there... Sorry, no freebies... Except for my wife and my mother... et encore.

The latest project is an internal organisation... Try to get a better result and save a bit of time. Work In Progress, toujours.

The link to the original article is here:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=95913

Time for sleeping.

Thanks to the Figaroscope, and the Fooding I've been too busy to update the blog.

I was pleased with the review and have been overwhelmed by telephone calls since then.
Very good for business... I had imagined a very long period of calm before things started rolling. Even in my imagination I had not imagined weeks quite like the one I just had.
Four weeks in and most nights I am full. So much for a soft start.

People seem to be pleased, which is encouraging. That's the point, after all...
I've got more to do than time to do it, but things are on the right track.
I will be closed 2 days a week instead of one... I need to rest... Most importantly, I need time to be inspired, see other things, and have some new ideas. Either Monday or Saturday has to go... I would be very pleased to do away with Saturday, but won't decide until next week...

A reminder that i'm not really like a regular restaurant... Reservations are essential as I do my shopping and cooking especially for you. The idea of having something fresh everyday doesn't work so well if the food is waiting around a few days before it finds its customer... For this to work properly, please reserve in advance so I can take especially good care of you.

The Figaroscope printed a very nice article about Spring last week. With only sixteen seats the place is full and I'm still stuck on the Spring diet- short for 'no time to eat'

I found some yellow carrots at the market the other day. Had some excellent clients tonight who came all they way from the other side of Paris to have dinner at Spring.

TO BED!!!

The link to the fooding does not work because there is something wrong with their site. What luck!
Here is the blurb-


06-11-2006 - LA BONNE NOUVELLE : "DANIEL PEND SA CRÉMAILLÈRE"

C'est l'histoire du tout jeune Daniel Rose, originaire de Chicago, venu à Paris pour étudier la philo à l'Université Américaine, avenue Bosquet. Comme Daniel habite au-dessus du Violon d'Ingres, fatalement, il découvre la cuisine en entendant Christian Constant manoeuvrer sa brigade en gueulant. Allez savoir pourquoi, toujours est-il que ça lui donne envie. Daniel se renseigne et hop on le retrouve chez Bocuse, chez Alléno… Puis en Italie. Puis dans le IXe arrondissement, à sillonner le quartier avec le camarade Aizpitarte (Le Chateaubriand) pour trouver l'adresse qui lui convient. Octobre 2006, il trouve et ouvre son Spring, en lieu et place du Coup de Fouet. Alors on appelle pour réserver une table, et là, le garçon suraimable nous demande au téléphone si on aime le lapin, parce que sinon il peut faire autre chose... Va pour le lapin, et direction la rue de la Tour d’Auvergne. Où, dans son une pièce-cuisine avec comptoir, entre un I-Pod et des enceintes, Daniel bidouille, traficote, arrange, sous nos yeux, calmement, méthodiquement, tout seul, les assiettes d'un menu unique conçu le matin même, au gré des ses envies, au marché de la Place des Fêtes. Ce soir-là, l'envie était classique : velouté de potiron, salade de perdreau au foie gras et pommes vertes, sauté de lapin aux girolles (qu'il a donc commencé à préparer la veille) et gâteau au chocolat. Très simple, très bien fait, plein de sincérité et de promesses. Le vin de la soirée ? Un sympathique sauvignon gros marseng VDP des côtes de Gascogne, domaine de Joÿ en 2005, pioché dans une courte carte où tout faisait envie. Surtout le rully Quatre Vents 2005 de Michel Briday… Déjà une bonne raison de revenir.
Menu unique à 36 €.

Elvira Masson - photo : E.M

Spring, 28, rue de La Tour d'Auvergne, 75009 Paris. T 01 45 96 05 72. Ouvert au dîner du lundi au samedi et parfois au déjeuner.
http://www.springparis.blogspot.com/

I'm online somewhere other than my own blog!

http://lefooding.com/actualite-123.htm

Back to work.

Yeow.

Last night's braised porc was an instant classic. Slightly sweet and gingery... I was very pleased. The sauce was dark and rich and simple... A puree of celeri that was silky smooth and a julienne of green apple. It was all spot on. The technique of making things that I would like to eat seems to be working...

I had never thought about critics and journalists until the other day... I don't know how I feel about it, but they make me nervous... I'm going to just keep doing what I have been doing (most people seem very satisfied). I've already had repeat customers and have had the pleasure of meeting lots of nice people. Apparently I've already had some journalists in the restaurant... Hope they liked it. There was a women named Elvira in the restaurant taking pictures on Thursday (unusual for the French). I wonder what that was about. I didn't ask or think it unusual at the time, I'll have to google her. Last name may have been Mason or Masson.

Sure enough... Works for le Fooding... As for all my customers... I hope she liked it. I do remember that she left a lot of food on her plate. She didn't like it? She had a big lunch? I'm very curious about it, but trying not to let it bug me. Evidently not working very well.

The hardest part about having a restaurant with an open kitchen and working alone is that I can't hide! For the moment this means that the food is probably much more classic than I had anticipated... I'm not ready to take bigger risks with the food. It is already a risk to try to 'create' new dishes everyday. There is certainly no time to 'invent' new techniques and no possibility for errors...

Last night I overheard the word 'salty' while I was serving another table... Of course, I interpreted this to mean that his salad (Rabbit with Olives from Lucques) was overseasoned... For a moment I was a wreck... I hesitated... I re-tasted... Seemed all right... Then I asked. Of course it was the opposite... He was happy to have a properly seasoned salad! I better learn how to better filter the signals and comments of the client or I will surely drive myself crazy!

The Menu from Friday October 3

Soupe de Potiron Persil/Parmesan

Salade de Lapin, Olives de Luques, Clementine

Palette Braisée, Celeri, Pomme Verte

Tarte Chocolat 'Alain Chapel', Potimarron Confit, Lait Cardamome

Looking forward to a day off. I love to work (even washing the floor is great- because it is my floor?...), but I am finding that time and a good night's sleep is the most important ingredient that allows me to be succesfully creative.

Potiron/Foie Gras

Rouleau Cepe/Chataigne/Pomme

Cuisse de Lapin/Legumes Rotis/Celeri

Gateau Noix/Potimarron Confit/Creme/Feve Cacao

Monday night is not the most obvious night to be open, but my theory about the quality of weeknight diners remains intact.

There is some sort of innate class in going out to dinner on a monday night.

Nice meeting Estelle and Nicolas and a few others who stopped by.

Monday night dinner

Salade de Poulpe (Froide) et Pomme de Terre Grenaille (Tiede)

Salade de Perdrix, Oranges, Radis, Olives (not everyone likes poulpe)

Foie Gras Mariné a la Vanille, Salade de Raisins et Raisins Secs

Pintade en robe de Blettes, Puree d'Amandes

Poire Poché, Noix/Caramel au Beurre salé/ Chocolat Pur

Spring has Sprung.

Tonight was our second night...
First for the good stuff...

We had a 'star studded' clientele last night and the food was fit for the affaire.

Tuesday's Menu:

Potiron, Girolle
Squash, Girolle

Foie Gras/Vanille/Raisin, Noix
Foie Gras/Vanilla/Grapes , Nuts
Pintade, Compote de Cepes, Blettes
Guinea Hen, Porcini compote, Blettes
Chocolate, Orange, Basilic

Special thanks to Jean Francois and his friends for animating Tuesday night. We're working out the kinks, but I would say things are going prettty well.

I will start taking pictures soon. I'm happy with the food. I'll need some time to get organized but it already feels like a real restaurant. Marinated Foie Gras in Vanilla... That may become a classic. Tuesday's Foie Gras was already a classic (with cocoa beans..) , but the technique is more time consuming and not as pretty...

I am already enjoying the ability to 'improvise' a bit. Having fun, needing sleep.

Check out the comments in yesterday's post... I think Babette's cake is on its way to becoming a Spring classic.

Onward and upward!

One day before the opening the refrigerators have stopped working and the electrician knocked over a shelf full of my nicest Reidel wine glasses! After delays in the construction and other hiccups this is painful. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

We will be open soon!

Hard to type with fingers crossed.

Velouté de Pomme de Terre, Poulpe/Orange/Olive
Potato Velouté, Octopus/Orange/Olive

Foie Gras, Betterave Crue, Feve de Cacao
Foie Gras, Raw Beets, Cocoa Bean

Agneau Fermier Roti, Girolles/Abricot, Purée d'Amandes
Farm Raised Lamb, Wild Mushrooms/Apricot, Almond Purée

Poire/Chocolat/Cardamome
Pear/Chocolate/Cardamom

Just a few days ago Spring looked like this


There was even time to play in the boxes... Thing's have changed. Time has become more precious than foie gras. The next restaurant I open will be on Venus. One day on Venus takes 243 Earth days- which would leave me just enough time to get ready for 'tomorrow'.

This morning at 7am the market was just starting to buzz... That gave me enough energy to get through the day. The right inspiration for Spring's first dinner. Simple but good. Basics first. Good products properly cooked and seasoned carefully. With the bases covered, there is just enough room for creativity.

Spring had its first night test run... 15 friends of friends of friends...

The kitchen equipment still isn't installed, but i made do with what was available.

Frankly, I think it went very well. A special thanks to Jean Michel and Patrick (Les Radis Roses). I'm not sure I could have arrived here without them. For this night in particular a special thanks to Cassandra, Julien, and Juliette. Always important.

The menu...

Veloute de Pomme de Terre, condiment Poulpe, Orange, Olive

Foie Gras, Salade de Betterave Crue, Feve de Cacao

Agneau Fermier Roti, Puree d'Amandes, Girolles/Abricot

Poire Confit, Chocolat dense, Lait Tiede/Cardamome Verte












Spring's first Stagiaire



More soon.

No, not the longest construction project ever. But not too far from it... I think I may have seen a gray hair this morning. Bonjour!

I won't start about how crazy this country is, but when everyone told me how much trouble it would be I maybe should have listened a little more carefully.

Learning to be patient is harder than opening a restaurant.

Let's hope I still remember how to cook.

I'm doing my best to be patient while they finish up the restaurant. Once the thing is finished there is still a lot to do, but I can't start until the restaurant is ready to be a restaurant. Despite major progress, it is still a construction site. I've almost lost it, so distraction is a good thing at this point. Ricardo and Stella helped make it easier by getting me hooked on Zuppe Inglese and some Sardinian wines with funny grape varieties (Monica and Neragus). Although Neragus sounds like the name of a Russian soviet-era attack submarine, it is actually a simple and delicious grape variety from Sardinia and the white wine it makes was very good.

Using sausage he brought back from Sardinia he made a simple tomato sauce (oignon, vernaccia, sausage, tomato pulp- also from Sardinia) with some tiny little gnochetti colored with safran. As usual, simple and delicious.

Zuppe Inglese is a cousin to Tiramisu. The coffee is replaced by Alkermes which is a neutral alcohol flavored with Alkermes berries and spices. The mascarpone and egg whites of a traditional Tiramisu are replaced by a slightly lemon flavored pastry cream. Chocolate chips in between the layers balance the texture. Using the tiramisu technique: dunking cookie, layering cream and coating with cocoa powder- the dessert is fairly simple to make. I brought some home for Alice. She hated it. Be careful who you serve it to. The taste is particular and for those who like it, particularly delicious.

This seems to be taking forever. In another week or so I'm sure I will have forgotten all about how frustrating construction can be.

In the meanwhile, I received a comment on the blog from a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous:

"As a neighbour, I think removing the old facade (which was nice and semt to be in a good-state) is a bit sad, as it gets rid of the traditional look we still find in this area. We find in the rounding streets plenty of restaurants with modern style but still old-style facades that look nice. I hope the new one will have as much style as the previous one..." August 23, 2006

I'm glad the neighbors are keeping an eye on us and I wonder what he/she thinks of what we've done with the place. I have a feeling that they won't be too happy. We seem to see things quite differently: "Nice and in a good state" and "traditional" vs. dialipidated (see photos in post titled 'Rotten Wood') and shabby.

Although I can't respond directly to my neighbor (they wished to remain anonymous) I would like to reassure them that the decision to create something contemporary was not taken lightly. Having fallen in love with Paris for it's architecture as a student here many years ago (long before I ever became a cook!), I am well aware of the need to preserve certain elements of this city's past. The original plan was to save the frame of the old facade and replace it with a slightly smaller version of the windows you see now. Unfortunately the more we dug the more we found the thing in a less than desireable condition. Nothing was straight and the wood was rotten. From a commercial point of few, the facade was so charming that most people who walk by the restaurant now can't even remember what was there before. "Wasn't there a horrendous 1960s hair salon here before..."
Next to the restaurant, however, is a very charming facade that must be at least 100 years old and in relatively good condition. It is in desperate need of a lifting, but it is very remarkable and well proportioned. I happen to think that the contemporary facade that we built helps bring out all the goodness of our neighbors facade, as well as the rest of the building which was recently renovated and looking very classy.

Getting the restaurant put together seems to be taking longer than it should, but we are really only a few weeks off schedule. Frustrating more than anything else, there are still several construction things that need to be done before I can open. In the meantime, the refrigerators and the counter tops were installed (all but the white granite). The bathroom floor tiling was completed. The 'garden' and the front steps were added. On the construction side, things are moving along- not as fast as I would like, but probably not far from the best that could be asked for.

I have found everything except for plates and silverware, but this doesn't have me too worried. I am building some plates out of solid maple. They should make an appearance on the first menu (with oysters or mussels?).

The wine list is coming together. David Witter has devoted a lot of energy to creating something coherent and delicious. It is a good mix of geography, styles, cepages, and producers. There are several things that were suggested by Alice's brother-in-law. Of course, a good wine list is never 'finished', but it is a good base from which to get started. Prices are intentionally reasonable, even if the word on the street is that expensive wine lists = chic. We have tried hard to find good things for between 20 and 30 euros. Why spend so much energy on making good food at a reasonable price if the customer feels 'pinched' when it comes to ordering wine?

More soon. I think I will be ready to start cooking in another week or so!

Although Spring isn't quite finished yet, I recently used the space to host one of David Witter's wine appreciation classes. The wines were great and I enjoyed meeting all of the guests. Some were enjoying their vacation in Paris (from Ottawa and Wisconsin!) and others are 'expatriates' living here in Paris. A great mix of people.

The corks weren't the only things unscrewed at Spring that night. The restaurant had just been painted a day or so before and nothing apart from the lights and the doors had been installed. Chantier chic.

This is what we tasted in this order:

Vin de Savoie, Chardonnay, Domaine de Mejane 2004
Quincy, Domaine Mardon, 2005
Gewurtztraminer, Pierre Sparr, Reserve, 2004
Hautes-Cotes de Beaune, Domaine Labry, 2003
Fronsac, Clos Lague, 1999
Cahors, Chateau Lamartine, Cuvee Particuliere 2002

There will be other wine events at Spring, so keep your eyes out for updates about other David Witter/Spring collaborations.






The next morning the guys went right back to work trying to get Spring open before Autumn...

Every year in a town near my mother-in-law's house on the coast there is a sardine festival the second weekend in August. For all of you who think the French are uber-sophisticated, arrogantly civilized, and snooty you might want to catch Sardine Fest 2007 at la Turballe. This is dirty and delicious, and a great reminder that the rest of France is very far from Paris.
This is actually my second Sardine Festival.






They had basically turned the fishery docks into a giant sardine barbecue coliseum.

Our friends Stella and Ricardo were there, too.
Curiously, Ricardo is from Sardinia. There is probably a joke in there somewhere.

Here is the menu:
Plate of Sardines 5€
Salty,crispy, and fresh.

Sardine Soup 1,50€
"Sardine Soup!?" Yes! And it is delicious. Not nearly as strong as you might imagine.


The default beverage is authentic Cider from Brittany. 5€ a bottle. Plastic cups included.




See you next year.

One of the greatest advantages and disadvantages of living in France is the particularly French relationship to vacations and holidays. Frankly, it drives me a little crazy. Everyone employed in France has the right to 5 weeks of vacation a year. In addition to these weeks there are 11 bank holiday during which everything closes and nobody goes to work. That makes nearly seven weeks of vacation a year. Today, August 15, is one of those days and this year it falls on a Tuesday. Alice's office is closed on Tuesday and because so many people are out of town already, her company decided to sacrifice Monday as well, a sort of gift to the employees, resulting in a an instant four day weekend. The advantage of this system is a lot of vacation time. The downside for certain businesses is that it is one less day to be open to make money, and anyone who has things to get done has one less day to do them in a country where everyone already always has some excuse for not getting things done today.

As a business owner I have to pay my employees for more than five weeks of doing nothing (which strikes me as partiularly unamerican). At least 9 days out of the year, Paris is empty and regular business rythyms are screwed up as everyone leaves on vacation for the long weekends.

Instead of fighting a war that can't be won, I have decided to embrace all these days off, vacations, long weekends and the like. This weekend (Friday through Wednesday!) we headed off for the coast to spend some time with Alice's family. Back at the restaurant, the facade was going up more slowly than anticipated so it is probably best that I leave anyway. They don't need my help and being there will probably leave me a bit nervous. When I get back in a day or so, some progress should have been made and I will have barely felt it.

The sea air always does some good. Sole so fresh that it won't be edible until the following day does not hurt either. We ate the crabs for dinner and let the sole soften up for lunch today. We also went to Sardine Fest 2006 which will surely be its own blog entry.

Sunday afternoon, my brother-in-law Cedric organized an informal wine tasting. He is a bit of a wine buff and makes perfums for a living. He has a particularly good nose and a good eye for quality and good prices. He is a native of Toulouse and his father (now retired) was a very successful butcher. He knows the wines from the southwest as well as anyone, but he his palette extends to every corner of France and into Spain.

Some of these wines are made by his friends (one ex-girlfriend!) and he knows them 'by heart'.

Our friends Ricardo and Stella (he is Italian from Sardinia and she is Greek from I don't know where in Greece) also were there for the fun part. Very valuable opinions.

Here is what he brought to taste:

Whites:

Domaine de Joy 2005
Sauvignon Gros Manseng
Gaec Gessler et Fils 32110 Panjas
Excellent nose. No wonder the perfume guy likes it. Balanced, not too dry.


Domaine Piaugier
Sablet 2004
Cotes de Rhone Villages
Marc Autran
40% Grenache, 30% Clairette, 20% Viognier, 10% Roussanne


Chiroulet
Cuvee Soleil d'Automne 2004 (Moelleux)
Cotes de Gascogne (near Madiran)
Famille Fezas
Excellent with the Foie Gras from Cedric's mother.

Reds:
Domaine Ribonnet
Cabirol 2001
100% Merlot


Domaine Ribonnet
Clement Ader 1999
Vin de Pay Conté Toulosan
Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc, Merlot


Chiroulet
Vin Pay de Gascogne 2004
This one was a favorite. Ricardo says it will be nice with cepes (porcinis).


Chateau Coutinel
AOC Fronton 2003
Famille Arbeau
82370 Labastide Saint Pierre
Something like a Bordeau. Spice, clove
Very good.


La Desirade 2003
Cotes de Roussillon Villages
66460 Maury
A little too early in the season for this one, but it will be great with hunted game that will be coming later. For the price and otherwise, this one was excellent.

Kouign Amann is a traditional dessert from Brittany. Another pleasant way to enjoy butter and sugar.

Ahh. That is satisfying. Today Jerome and Cesar took off the old facade and will put up the new one tomorrow. Quite dramatic and maybe a little traumatic ("Uh, I just bought that..."). The view from the kitchen is now as spectacular as can be hoped from a first floor store front in a lost bit of an unknow corner of Paris. The view from the sidewalk looking in, however, will be spectacular by any standards.

The day finished with dinner and an impromptu wine tasting with David Witter. Smart and generous mixed with 25+ years in the wine business (and undoubtedly more in the business of enjoying wine), David makes tasting wines very accesible and pleasant.
The wines were from a nearby 'cave' that came recommended to me a few years ago by one of the ladies at the Librairie Gourmand (75005) and has had some significant press attention. The wines are all 'natural' or certified organic which seems to be a bit a la mode, but tastes pretty good, so a la mode is ok this once.

From the 'cave' Chapeau Melon (rue Rebeval 75019) I particularly enjoyed 'Le Vou' 2004 Domaine Phillippe Tessier 'Vin de pays du Jardin de la France' (Cheverny 41700). At 9,50€ TTC it was not a super bargain, but very enjoyable anyway. David supplied a Chardonnay from Savoie Domaine de Méjane by Jean Georges Henriquet (Saint Jean de la Porte 73250). Very good rapport qualité/prix at 5,50€ TTC.

Because a picture is worth at least a thousand words and it is way past my bedtime...

Recently, Alice and I spent a Saturday night in Rouen. There was a special 'light' show at the church in the center of town. Some of Monet's paintings were projected onto the front of the church.



We always appreciate getting out of Paris and Rouen is charming. Much of it was destroyed by allied bombers during the last (!?) world war, but it still retains some of its old medieval bits. Although Rouen was the site of one of the most famous barbecues in history (Joan of Arc was roasted there in 1431) there was not an ounce of cole slaw to be found. While walking around town we found other interesting treats like this crepe cake. I'm not sure if it is good or not (not good looking enough for me to buy a slice), but I have never seen anything like it.


Alice's friend Jerome showed us some of the by products of his family's once a year pig slaying get together. The idea is that the whole family gets together and slaughters a pig and then transforms it into all sorts of yummy things. They grill the ribs straight away, the hams get cured, the intestines and blood become boudin, the liver becomes terrine, the feet get pickled... What you should know is that Jerome is not the son of a farmer. They just like doing this and it tastes good. They even tin their own patés and 'fritons'. Fritons are essentially all the little bits left on the bones that get scraped off and canned in fat. Next year i'll try to be there to take pictures. I find this 'ritual' fascinating, although maybe this is just because I grew up in a world where meat comes wrapped in plastic and labeled with a bar code.
Jerome's pork product pig parts packaging is much prettier.

From the moment I woke up this morning this day had something special going for it- and to top it off, Alice is in the kitchen cooking dinner. The greatest treat for a cook is when someone who loves the cook does the cooking.

I set out early to meet Paola and Jerome so that I could see the facade under construction. I'm interested as much in the process as seeing the end result so I went to visit Jerome's parents' backyard which has been turned into a workshop. 25 minutes of back seat Vespa-ing (Vesping?) we arrive in front of a cute suburban house with a half underground garage overflowing with everything. There is stuff everywhere. Chairs, trailers, metal beams, arc welders, firewood, mountain bike bits and pieces, copper pipes... I think I see a kitchen sink.



Although very simple and almost invisible, the facade is a work of art. It looks like it was built by someone and that someone enjoyed himself. It will be sanded smooth and left in a 'natural' state ('varnished' to protect from rusting).


For the first time in many months and under very particular circumstances I had a coffee after five in the evening. I only occasionally drink coffee in the morning so I'm probably looking at a very long night. In any case, I made a valuable contact (although she contacted me) and I am impressed with Victoria's knowledge and seemingly unlimited energy. Among other things, I was reminded that Paris can be full of pleasant surprises! I was also reminded that someone other than my mother is reading the blog. Better run a spell check.

Today I stuffed a chicken for no particular reason.
Removing all the bones makes it much easier to serve once it is cooked.
The poor thing was stuffed with baby spinach, coppa, dried apricots, roasted yellow pepper and oven dried tomatoes. Once boneless, I marinated the chicken in olive oil, black pepper, lemon zests, fresh rosemary and a little bit of white wine. I stuffed it and baked it until it was done at 190°C.



The 'jus' was particularly good. Must be the combination of the sweet apricots, the 'salty' coppa, and the always naturally yummy 'jus' from a properly roasted chicken.

This is the sort of food I will serve at lunch.

Today I went with Paola the Architecta to an 'atelier' in the heart of Paris where the leather cushions for the banquettes are being sewn. It would have been a great picture, but Mr. Song was particularly sensitive about being photographed (although he had no problem filming us from a security camera posted outside his unmarked door). Mr Song and Paola spent a few minutes working out the details- each in there own version of french. The only words I understood were 'touk- touk'. which was easy to decifer accompanied by the classic two-fingered scissor geste. Next to a pile of reasonably well made leather purses, rolls of uncut leather and the buzz of sewing machines and chinese chit chat chatter I got the first glimpse of Spring's custom cushions. Comfort is expensive, but your butts are worth it. There are four or five people working in the appartment and it smells like new leather shoes and egg rolls.

In the last week a lot of things have been finished, but nothing particularly photogenic. There were prices to negotiate, tile to track down, details to determine (wood, paints, etc.), money to launder, and checks to sign. 95° heat made me rethink the question of installing air conditioning. It didn't take long, although I needed to check the money situation. Comfort is expensive.

Jerome and his gun.

Alice went to the market and took this photo. She is talented.


I had a quick visit from some cousins who are on a tour of europe. This was what I prepared for our picnic.


Alice made dessert (and she took the picture). She is talented.

Now that the demolition is finished, I spend less time in the restaurant. I am really only needed to sign checks and make decisions, which is much more interesting than breaking big things into small things and putting the small things into sacks. We've set up camp in the café across the street. From here I can watch the parade of portuguese plumbers as they go about their business. The demolition was one thing, but now it is time to let the professionals to their work. While I was out fishing crabs, the electrician apparently came by to do his thing. This is an apparent improvement on what was before, but I will wait to see something that looks familiar (like a lightswitch) before I thank him for his good work.

The hot water heater was moved to the basement and the support for the ceiling was put in place.`

Paula, Jerome and I discussed some of the details concerning paint and furniture (custom designed by them) before Jerome went to the hospital to have an iron splinter removed from his eye. While tears poured from behind his sunglasses, he mumbled something about wearing safety goggles and gloves and ear protection...

I spent more time walking home today than actually working at the restaurant. I stopped to investigate buying a small truck/scooter thing to do my grocery shopping. I think I may have a lead on a used one. Although it is no Sophie (my first and last car in France) it has its own charm and eye catching qualities.




This is what I saw on my walk home. I also stopped again for Indian food and a mango lassi (to go). The guy wasn't keen on my taking pictures, so I made him take it.

Contrary to popular belief I did not spend Bastille Day reenacting the storming of the Bastille. It was too hot for that and we were at the ocean, near Nantes. The weather was perfect. Typical Brittany- the Hydrangeas were in full bloom.

Although I am always on the lookout for something revolutionary, it was decided instead that I go fishing.

It was a pleasant surprise, actually. I rolled out of bed at 9:30 and on the way to a cup of coffee on the porch my mother-in-law's neighbor arrived to take my brother-in-law and his friend fishing. No time for coffee, we set off for our three hour tour.
Still half asleep we boarded his small sailboat and set off to pick up the traps he set the night before. Having once been an avid sailor I immediately found my place at the helm and maneuvered the boat to the two bouys indicating the location of the traps.



A modest catch of a few different species of crab (tourteau, etrilles) and some starfish.


They made an excellent lunch.


And best of all we got to share it with some very special people.


Little Jules was happy to see that for once he wasn't the only one wearing a bib.

Spring, more than anything else, is a restaurant conceived to offer the very best cuisine at a price that remains accessible. Each day, we will create a 4 course menu with seasonal products from the market for less than 40 euros. We serve you directly from the open kitchen. From day to day the menu will change slightly and from week to week the menu will go through important evolutions. Each course will be based on a single product.

It might look something like this:

July 9, 2006

ecrevisses/peche/verveine

tomate verte en beignet

lapin roti/girolles/abricot

cerises/cannelle


this time, in english:

crawfish/peach/verveine

fried green tomatos

roasted rabbit/girolles/apricot

cherries/cinnamon

In the summer I like to drink white wine, so i'm certain to make menus geared more toward whites or lighter reds. This one definitely has me thinking white for the first two courses. Something crisp, clean and simple. A red for the rabbit (but really for the Girolles)- maybe Bergerac, Fronsac, Mercurey... A glass will do. Something sweet for the cherries and cinnamon- Rasteau, Beaumes de Venise...

When the restaurant opens, the daily blog will essentially be that day's menu... A log of our efforts.

The next to last truckload of debris was taken away... Cesar is still scraping and Jerome began construction. Destruction appears to be over for the moment.

I left the scene of the crime friday so i could go to the bank. The scene of another set of crimes. Tweedle dee and...
They have invented all sorts of sinister ways to collect money from my doing business, in addition to the high rate of interest they offered me on the loan. I suppose I wouldn't be so bothered if they were actually providing some sort of service. I'm not whining about paying the bank money, but they should at least make me feel like I am buying a service from them in return. Instead they offer me gifts and talk about their vacation time. Here is an example of one of the 'perks' of doing business with Societe Generale.

Save me.
The bankers themselves are nice, but they don't seem to understand the effort involved in running a small business. Too busy counting the days until their next vacation, filling out piles of paperwork, and pecking up something or other on the computer with one finger- like a Gendarme.

The best thing that happened friday had little to do with the restaurant.
My friends Cassandra and Julien left their baby at our house for the night. We had fun baby sitting. Juliette is an easy baby. We laughed a lot. Alice and I are glad that someone thinks we are responsible enough to watch their kid!

She took some pictures of herself.



Saturday will be a day off. Instead of Mass on sunday as usual, Jerome will go back to work.

Today the walk home was more interesting than the work. Today I found a freezer in the basement full of spoiled meat (50 lbs!). How does frozen meat spoil? One possibility is that it was already spoiled before it was frozen. More likely, the temperature of the freezer fluctuated allowing the stuff to defrost, refreeze, etc. It doesn't really matter, but it does lend credibility to the french health inspector forbidding restaurants from freezing fresh produce (with the exception of certain dessert preparations). The stuff was frozen solid and green. Bon Appetit.

We have found all sorts of stuff in the basement and today I threw it all out.
This is a picture of the pile of rotting wood shelves that I demolished. I washed the walls with a disinfectant and anti fungal something or other that had lots of warnings on the side. The more warnings, the better it usually works. This is the only time when something 'TOXIQUE' belongs in a kitchen.

I washed a deep fryer that still had dirty grease in it. I'm not an archaeologist, but judging from the stuff growing on it, I would say it hadn't been used for at least a year. I find it hard to believe that some people are warning me about the wrath of the health inspector and the fact that I may or may not be installing non-slip floors. This place was recently serving food to innocent people and had passed a health inspection. I'm sure the food was good, but there is no way it wasn't crawling with bacteria.

When I bought the place I knew it needed a good clean-up, but I had never imagined anything quite like this. Yeeow.

These are things I saw on my way home.
The nearest metro is ANVERS, near the foot of Sacre Coeur. My friends Patrick and Jean Michel have a restaurant between Spring and the metro. Jean Michel was enjoying a cigarette outside. More about Jean Michel, Patrick and their restaurant Radis Roses later. It is good to have friends in the neighborhood. They run a tight ship and they are full of practical restaurant running advice.

Near China town I saw something peculiar for sale. I decided not to buy it. I don't know what it actually is, but it certainly looks like what it looks like.

Yummy.

Tomorrow's breakfast. I haven't yet acquired the taste for the 'continental breakfast'. I like it, I just don't have the time to prepare it as I'm running out the door. I've been skipping breakfast for a long time. I think cooks are notorious for what they feed themselves. No illusions here. Don't think that I actually cook for myself at home. Tonight Alice made a salad that went great with the hummous left over from yesterday. Sometimes I like to eat for dinner the same thing I have for breakfast. It's fast and easy and reminds me of all the really good, authentic things there are to eat in France.

Demolition is like cooking: anyone who wants to can do it. Having the right tools also helps. I spent a few hours hammering away at the last bits of tile with a hand held jackhammer. Like an obsessed dentist I chipped and scratched away at the tiles and remaining grout until everything was clean. That was satisfying.

I am beginning to see why Jerome and Paola keep chanting a mantra about how it is better to break everything and start over than to re-cover, fix, renovate. It is just like cooking. The time spent fixing up a screwed up dish inevitably ends with something mediocre and worst of all, time consuming. When a chef yells at a cook to re-make a dish it starts from the beginning. When a chef yells at a cook to replate a dish you have to get a new plate and re-dress it carefully. The result of moving things around or nudging things into place never looks quite right.

No nudging here.
New plate.

After a few hours of jackhammering I walked home and stopped for indian food (and a mango lassi, to go). 75 degrees and sunny. The walk home is nice and I stopped in the Buttes Chaumont to enjoy the evening light and to untangle myself. Tonight is the soccer game France vs. Portugal.

The big mess is necessary to create something fun and functional. The restaurant will have a kitchen in direct contact with the dining room (eating in the kitchen or cooking in the dining room?). The 3d image makes it all look a bit cold and modern. This is only to give you an idea of the space, the layout and the open front windows.

This was a scribble I sent to the architect detailing how I saw the kitchen set-up.

The first thing I did after buying the restaurant was to break everything into a gazillion little pieces. The restaurant that I bought will look nothing like the restaurant I will open at the end of the summer (InshaAllah). Shh! Don't tell the bank! The only thing that won't change is the size (280 sq ft/27m2). With the help of a sledgehammer, the architect (in this case Paola, the Architecta, and her husband Jerome, and two guys named Cesar) reduced everything to 4 truckloads of dust and debris. I kicked in a few good whacks (for therapy's sake) and took great pleasure in smashing everything but the windows. "Don't worry", I was told, "that will come later."

The space is nearly empty (no walls, no toilet, no tile on the walls). Any equipment you see in the photo will all be replaced by new stuff. There is a basement accessible through a trap door in the floor that will also be renovated. It will serve as a wine cellar and will house some of the refrigerator motors, a hot water heater, some storage refrigerators and a freezer.



The space is small and exactly what I need. There isn't enough space to store things in the refrigerator so we will have to go to the market often. The menu will change nearly every day and will be based on what we find fresh at the market. 'We' will be myself and my buddy Adwait.

I met Adwait in Lyon a few years ago at cooking school. This is Adwait getting married a few weeks ago.
His wife is charming and sweet and we think she'll like moving to Paris from India. More on Adwait later. In addition to being a nice guy, Adwait was the first in his class at the Institut Bocuse in Lyon. I'm surprised he wants to work with me. I dropped out and went to cook on that wood burning stove mentioned in the last post.

Paola and Jerome have been helping me out ever since I tried to buy another restaurant in the Marais last November. The space was considerably different, but some of the work we did concerning the open kitchen applies to this space and the concept in general hasn't changed. Jerome is basically a Mr. Fixit and has proven to be quite a Mr. Breakitintoagazillionpieces, too. We all seem to get along quite well and the two of them understand what I am looking for. Their tendency to be late is balanced (until now, at least) by their good taste, sense of humor, and endless ideas. Paola is from Argentina and Jerome is French. In addition to being an architect and a builder they also (until recently?) had a business building/designing/selling chairs. Check it out at http://www.sudestada-design.com/. In a former life not so many years ago, Jerome built and designed mountain bikes. He lived in England for a while and has a frighteningly authentic English accent. Paola is five months pregnant. It doesn't seem to be slowing her down.

We have worked two full days smashing stuff to bits and hauling it off to the dump. It should be finished tomorrow, which puts us a few days ahead of schedule. Paola has assured me that we will quickly lose these days to some setback or another. The work is scheduled to take 6 weeks.

Today I met some of the neighbors. Alice came by after work and we walked home, stopping for some Indian food and ordering a mango lassi to share on the walk home.

I haven't quite figured out how to work this blog thing, so in addition to watching the restaurant evolve, I assure you the blog will be renovated.

I should have started this blog a while ago. Like many things I should have already done, my wife has told me several times that I ought to start writing (my mother, too, by the way). She reassures me that I will inevitably agree that I should have done as she said a while ago. 'Inevitable' indeed. No surprises- once again she is right.

Opening a restaurant in Paris has been in the works for at least a year and a half. In December 2005 I quit my job as a cook at the prestigious Hotel Meurice in Paris to try to make it on my own. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I probably still don't.

If you want to consider the time I spent learning to cook as the real beginning of the story, things go back to 2000 when I graduated from the American University of Paris, heading to Lyon to learn to cook at the Institut Bocuse (at the time it had a different name- the sign of a quality institution).
Since then I have done a lot of things in order to satisfy my curiosity about this cooking thing. I wasn't sure that I wanted to do this professionally (and I'm still not so sure), but I am in deep enough now to want to take it to its natural end. After having worked all over France, drinking wine with great chefs before the Sunday morning service, serving Presidents (Chile, Guatemala), ex PMs (France) and Kings (Belgium, Sweden, Saudi Arabia), making my fair share of amateur mistakes (sugar and salt look surprisingly similar), and meeeting all sorts of interesting people (the DC connection, clients at Hotel Atitlan, Drew Nieporent, "Lechuga", Levy VPs...) the time has come to move on. Apart from keeping a steady job for more than a year or so, there are very few things I haven't done in the kitchen. I've been everything from the intern to the chef and now it is time to have a place of my own. I was once the dishwasher for the American candidate of the Bocuse d'or (http://www.bocusedor.com/2007/). Paul Bocuse thoughtfully sent me a signed book that skillfully omits the word dishwasher...

They don't call him "Chef" for nothing.

Working in Guatemala was a riot. I bought my produce from a 5 foot tall farmer named Manuel.
I baked my own bread.
And I was sometimes spotted dancing in the kitchen.
One of my favorite guys was my sous-chef, Flavio. In addition to being a real joker he had so many children he couldn't get them all in the same photo. He gave me these two pictures as a souvenir of my time as chef at the Hotel Aititlan.

www.hotelatitlan.com




What kind of a cook are you?

I'm a cook. I learned from people who learned directly from some of the greatest french chefs who trace their origins to Fernand Point. I learned in France so the technique is decidedly french. I'm glad I learned authentic techniques and I am also fully aware that there is a lot more out there. Italian food mystifies me. I eat lots of Chinese and Indian and Moroccan. Unlike the French, I don't think french is the best- it is just what I learned and what I do. I don't do gadgets or liquid nitrogen. I do markets and kitchen gardens... I spent a year cooking on a coal burning stove in Brittany which was important (not seeming so at the time), but I also appreciate the sous vide stuff I learned at the Hotel Meurice.

Why France?

I came here 8 years ago to finish my studies at the American University of Paris thinking it would be an easy way to get a degree and have lots of fun, too. It turned out to be easy because I was having fun, but not as 'effortless' as I had hoped. As a student I learned to eat and drink... Then I learned to cook here. It makes sense to study here. Cooking in France is codified and organized and accessible.

I stay in France for the quality and abundance of products as well as the quality and abundance of potential customers that are susceptible to appreciating what I might do with them.

The greatest thing about being a cook is that I am constantly learning new stuff. I've learned a lot of things (cooking and other) from lots of people. For someone as curious as me, this is a hundred different good things: satisfying, exciting, and humbling top the list.