Chez Christine: Michelin-Rated Restaurants

Michelin-Rated Restaurants

April 22, 2006

List of Stars

12 Michelin stars in 24 days

Bon appétit!

Apr 22, 2006 4:07:38 AM | Eating Out - Other, Eating Out - Paris, Food - General, Michelin-Rated Restaurants, Paris, Travel

April 13, 2006

Stars in My Eyes

12, that's right, 12 Michelin stars in the space of 24 days.

To break it down even further, 3 three-star restaurants in one week.

And I only pay for one. Hopefully my waistline doesn't pay for it either.

How did this happen?

Stay tuned!

Bon appétit!

Apr 13, 2006 1:39:56 PM | Eating Out - Other, Eating Out - Paris, Michelin-Rated Restaurants, Paris, Travel

April 07, 2006

How ironic that exactly a week before my dates with 9 6 Michelin stars, I contract food poisoning. Where did I catch if from? I have my theories, but no solid evidence toward any one restaurant / meal.

Luckily, I think it was fairly mild. Just needed to sleep. And sleep. And sleep. I slept 12 hours straight last night, not to mention another 8 hours worth of dozing during the afternoon / early evening.

I even missed my first practical class due to sickness. But the thought of making a lobster sauce that was half butter made my stomach do somersaults. Not to mention risotto that had enormous amounts of butter. Or a fennel puree that had butter, cream and vanilla! Combine all three together you and get one giant knob of butter clogging more arteries.

So it's probably just as well that I missed that practical. Better to save my stomach (not to mention excess calories) for the excitement of next week.

Where am I going? Stay tuned to find out!

Bon appétit!

Apr 7, 2006 1:40:16 AM | Le Cordon Bleu - Life & Lessons, Michelin-Rated Restaurants, Musings, Paris

December 20, 2005

6 Days on the Line

Mango with Pastry Cream on a Sable,
Passion Fruit Coulis, Sorbet in a Chocolate Cup

It's hard to encapsulate a one-week internship into a single post. I've been sifting the experience in my mind the past few days, taking advantage of the fact that my life suddenly seems to have calmed down after a week of craziness.

Jacques Cagna turned out to be a great learning experience, both in what I got to do and my departing impressions of the restaurant business. The kitchen was tiny, but the staff was dedicated.

They were gracious about letting me taste and try things: extra morsels went to me, pots of sauces were mine for the tasting, I could ask all the questions I wanted. In other words, they spoiled me: the extra plated foie gras, an apple blossom with caramel and cinnamon ice cream, the sesame amuse bouche, seared scallops, escargots in fingerling potatoes, seared rock shrimp, roasted duck, guinea fowl, and the list goes on and on...all for me!

But work came first. And let me tell you, I didn't stop working:

Day 1 (Monday): Cleaned giant boxes of mushrooms, watched the service, helped clear the pass (they use a dumbwaiter because the dining room is upstairs), garnished a few things, mainly salads. Tried to stay out of the way and was unsuccessful no matter where I stood.

It was a full service that night, and I made one slight mistake sending up some dishes too early. I thought I was being punished when the chef had me cleaning walls and floors a few minutes later, but realized that the service was over and everyone was breaking the kitchen down. One of the sous chefs took pity on me and I never had to do that task again- probably because I had no clue how to do it well. Forced to wear a toque for the first time- it's uncomfortable! Known as "Mademoiselle."

Day 2: Prepared escargots appetizers, started helping in service again. Summoned downstairs to help the patisserie chefs make apple roses. Ended up making 45 apple roses. Told pastry chefs I wasn't learning pastry at school, and they were surprised that my blossoms turned out well. Funny guys who liked to practice English on me. I loved the quiet atmosphere of the pastry kitchen, but missed the hustle and bustle of the line. Still known as "Mademoiselle."

Apple Rose with Caramel Sauce
(served with Cinnamon Ice Cream)

Day 3: Finished and wrapped 4 trays of foie gras terrines, made phyllo shells. Helped on the line for the first time, next to Bala, the fish sous chef. Learned how to plate scallops and move things onto the pass/salamander. "Mademoiselle" with Christine sprinkled in.

Day 4: Finally was entrusted with working on the stove itself. Grilled scallops all night and assisted sous chef with plating. Table of 11! Scrubbed the grill, washed pans, learned to take the heat. Fingers definitely got singed. They know my name now!

Day 5: Full service, but a friend from school was working on the line that night, so I worked the pass instead and helped with plating. Ended the night plating desserts, using piping bags and squeeze bottles, but shied away from making quenelles of ice cream. It seemed too perishable a product for me to attempt plating during a busy service. I got the traditional French greeting of bisous on the cheek from one of the sous chefs. Yes, I think I've made it!

Day 6 (Saturday): Atmosphere of the kitchen was different- it was going to be a crazy night and everyone knew it. Staff meal was a mere 10 minutes, everyone was hard at work and moving very quickly. I got to kill and poach lobsters (snap!), learned how to make quenelles of tomato confit for the escargots, plated lobsters, grilled scallops, scaled a gigantic fish, and ran up and down the stairs with needed ingredients.

Table of 14 tonight- all hell broke loose for awhile. Sauces spilled over, chefs were moving at warp speed. But the rhythm was there, and we finished with nary a plate sent back.

Ended the night helping patisserie chefs plate desserts again, then the head chef was nice enough to open a bottle of rosé champagne for us to unwind after the preceding pandemonium. I felt at home in the kitchen, showed the chef's cute daughter what I did, and even endured playful yanks of my ponytail. Left with a feeling that I'd helped accomplish something huge, but also amazed that people could do this day in and day out.

Other interesting things:
- Staff meals ranged from hot dogs and gyros to delicious choucroute and platters of extra desserts. I liked the simplicity and the civilized ritual of all the chefs sitting together for a meal before working. Not sure if it was for chefs only- the dining room staff ate separately and the dishwashers never ate with us.

- French language skills can improve drastically when placed in stressful situations.

- Exhausted after a full service doesn't quite encapsulate how tired you are. No wonder so many chefs are alcoholics and smokers. My feet hurt and my back ached.

- Remember that not all kitchens are like this one- the people and the hierarchy can be much more difficult. I was lucky to have enjoyed myself, plenty of people have hated where they staged at.

I plan to go back in January and see if I can fit 2-3 nights / week into my schedule. The experience was invaluable, I'm comfortable there, I loved the camaraderie, and I still have much to learn. But doing this for a living, permanently? The adrenaline rush was great, but I don't think I can make a lifestyle out of it.

Still, it's a nice change from the corporate world: nobody was complaining, backstabbing, or gossiping about the other departments. Even the dishwasher helped during peak periods to get the soups and appetizers out. This kind of relationship between staff is so much nicer!

I apologize for the lack of pictures. It's a given that things were moving too fast during service for photo ops. The few that I do have are of desserts- enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Dec 20, 2005 6:12:26 AM | Eating Out - Paris, Food - General, Internships, Le Cordon Bleu - Life & Lessons, Michelin-Rated Restaurants, Musings

December 17, 2005

Live to Cook, Cook to Live

Thus endeth my first stage.

I still have 10 fingers intact, some slightly burned, but none cut.

My French has improved slightly.

My ponytail was playfully yanked a few times.

French chefs and cooks can be devilishly charming.

I plan to sleep for 12 hours straight.
<<A daily routine of: Juggling 4 hours of intensive French classes + afternoons/evenings in a kitchen not much larger than my bedroom + being sick most of the week= feeling like a Metro train with 15 cars ran me over.>>

But I survived and I *think* I can cook with the big boys, given enough time. I'm not sure if it's a career for me though - it's grueling and very thankless. But my admiration for those who persevere and thrive in the restaurant business has tripled. I salute you!

More details to come, but for now, just let me sleep...

Bon appétit!

Dec 17, 2005 3:49:08 PM | Le Cordon Bleu - Life & Lessons, Michelin-Rated Restaurants, Musings

November 18, 2005

Lucky at Le Cinq

It almost seems fitting that my first meal in a Michelin-starred restaurant was in one with three. That's right, I just skipped over 1 & 2 stars and headed straight for the top. Maybe it's to coincide with my change in address, now that I've moved from suburbia 15ème to the bustling 9ème next to the Opera Garnier?

Lest you think that I somehow won the lottery and sleep on piles of money, I am still the same student-on-a-student-budget. The new digs? Pure luck. The meal of a lifetime? Generous friends visiting Paris for the first time.

Le Cinq is headed by Chef Phillipe Legendre and received its 3-star designation in 2003, barely 3 years after opening. I marveled at the beautiful flower arrangements in the hotel lobby as we headed towards the restaurant. We were greeted by staff at every turn, gracious and inviting.

It helps that your friends work for the Four Seasons. 8PM reservation at a prime table- I felt like a princess, especially when they brought a little footstool for my purse. Pretentious? Perhaps, but a girl needs to be spoiled once in awhile.

When eating at establishments like this, I love eating with people who are as adventurous and carefree as I am. We headed straight for the last page and decided on the gourmet tasting menu, my style of ordering. How perfect that it is now truffle season- almost every dish featured the heavenly fungus.

Paired with a 1997 white Bordeaux, the food was outstanding. The stand-outs included the scallop carpaccio, sparkling flavors and a texture that melted in your mouth. The poached leeks were served on a porous plate, with a light sauce poured over. When you finished the leeks, the top plate was removed to reveal a small dish of consommé underneath. Consommé flavored with truffles that made their way through the porous holes. I take back every negative thing I've ever said about consommé.

After two desserts, another trolley rolled by with sweets for the picking. I selected some gelées to balance out the 4 chocolate desserts I had just eaten. Somehow I don't think they helped reduce the total calorie count for the evening.

And the service? No silverware was left unchanged, no glass left unfilled, no request refused. I somehow wheedled my way into a kitchen tour, seeing the cavernous yet oddly silent kitchen. Past the cold pastry room, past the chef marking the sous vide bags, past the dessert station where the last of the desserts were being plated. Then it was into the tiny elevator to go into the wine cave, 50,000 beautiful bottles in a cave made of the same stones as the Arc du Triumphe.

In my purse sits the business card of the HR director in charge of stages (internships) at Le Cinq. Hopefully my luck continues and I can do a stage in this magnificent kitchen. Is there an expiration date on luck though? My email yesterday contained a confirmation for El Bulli in April!

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Degustation
The Gourmet Tasting Menu

Glass of Champagne