I enjoyed my vicarious taste. And actually, the amount of funds
expended isn't all that much more than what I used to drop at

I write the reports for me and my failing memory.
I post them because others might take some
enjoyment from them. I used to post on the flyer
sites, Milepoint, MoreMiles, or Flyertalk, but
in addition to the people who expressed enjoyment
there were bunches who had the pictures or it
didn't happen reaction (either "he's making it
up" or "how does he deserve these good things,"
both manifestations of envy, a deadly sin) and
others with the "so what's the big deal, I did
that last week" reaction (attitudes of unbearable
blasitude, which isn't a deadly sin but maybe
ought to be elevated to that status).

Pierre Lepage's.

Yeah, but Pierre was a greedy bastard, unlike
Hong Kong businessmen, who will give you the
shirt off their back. [jk] Actually, it's that
customers seek out good value within the
context of the market environment, and with
over 60 Michelin-starred places in Hong Kong
proper and about 20 more within an hour in
Macau or Shenzen, plus hundreds of Bib
Gourmand and Plate places, plus hundreds more
of undiscovered or whispered-about ones,
competition for those diner dollars is fierce.

He was awarded one star by Anne Hardy's "Where to Eat in Canada" but
that's not in the same league as a Michelin star. (She awarded 3
stars to a total of 26 places in Canada last year.) He was also

Put it this way. If there were only one or
two in the country, that would impart
precious little information. The Boston Globe
used to give stars, and only two restaurants
ever got 5 - one was Madeleine Kamman's
pretentiously named Modern Gourmet, and the
other was Hostellerie Bressane, which was in
upstate New York, and why it was even reviewed
in the Boston paper is a mystery. At the time,
Bonnie's buddy Gail was the food editor, and
she hated restaurant reviews and refused to
do any, so the jobs were assigned to younger
persons of more unbridled enthusiasms. In
essence, it was a 4-star system with two
egregiouses.

given a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for his wine cellar
which placed him in the top 1% of all the licenced restaurants in
North America. (Again, Michelin is about 100 times choosier.)

There are no Michelin red guides for Canada
mostly because there isn't demand for one -
the tourist base is too small and the country
is too big. It doesn't mean that Pied du Cochon
wouldn't deserve a star. I've eaten at half a
dozen places in Montreal and a couple in Vancs
that would get one or at least a Plate or a Bib
if the inspectors came by (nothing so far in
Toronto, mostly because I have not seen anything
in Toronto I liked, from the architecture to the
people).

Chicken With Raisins
categories: France, New York, Boston, poultry, main
servings: 4

1/2 c black raisins
1/2 c brandy
1 chicken, cut in 8 pieces
3 Tb walnut oil
salt and ground black pepper
1/4 c minced shallots
3/4 c verjus
2 Tb glace de viande or de volaille
- sub packaged roasted chicken base
3 Tb creme fraiche

Place raisins in a bowl, add brandy and set aside
to plump overnight or for at least 8 hr.

Dry chicken pieces. Heat oil in a saute pan on
medium-high, add chicken, skin side down, season,
and sear until golden brown, 6 to 8 min. Turn
pieces and brown second side. Scatter shallots
over chicken. Add verjus to the pan, cover,
reduce heat to low and cook 15 to 20 min, basting
chicken once, until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken to a dish and cover to keep warm.

Add raisins with their brandy to the pan, bring
to a simmer for 2 min, then add glace de viande
and creme fraiche. Cook for several min, until
the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.

Return chicken to the pan, baste with the sauce,
then transfer the contents of the pan to a warm
rimmed platter and serve.

New York Times, adapted from Madeleine Kamman
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)