Saturday, July 21, 2007

In which we will consider Moscow, mediocrity and exhorbitant salaries...


OK. It has been a while and I need to think about some things so I thought that I would try them out here first. First of all I have been asked to put together a proposal to consult on what might be the most expensive restaurant in Moscow. It is called "The Most" or in Russian "Moct" which actually means bridge but, of course, as you have figured out already, has other connotations as well. It is a restaurant on Kuznetsky Moct in the center of Moscow. I do have a little photo for you...
Yes, I know, lovely place. Really quite cool with all of that Guilded Age elegance, Gold Leaf and fussy-yet-comfortable chairs. But, they did what restaurant owners in Moscow always do--hired a French Chef. Now I don't want to be taken wrong here but with a few notable exceptions French Chefs are an arrogant disaster. For example if you check out what is considered a good authortiy on the, arguably, 50 Best Restaurants in the world, http://www.theworlds50best.com/2007_list.html, only 2 of the top ten are in France. This is a big change and one that a lot of people really are behind the times on. I think that there was a time in not so distant past when it would not have been surprising to find 5 or even more restaurants in France being considered "the best in the world", !!!!!!!!!!!!, with of course all the attendant fanfare. Not so any more. And the two that make it are Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Bras, no spring chickens in the kitchen and they are two of the only French Chefs to really embrace "newness", sorry it is the best way that I can describe it.
Now, let me say that French Chefs do really well prepared food. But, god, isn't it time that they expanded the repertoire to include a little more than Tournedos of Beef, you know a filet mignon cut in half and pan seared, with Bernaise Sauce? No kidding. That is on the menu and it comes in at a whopping $55. for 170g. Small and boring. And remember the Raspberry Vinaigrette that was so popular in about 1985? That makes an appearance as well. How about this: 5-Spice Duck Breast, now come on, really, they could do better than that but my point is, THEY DON'T! And I will never understand that. In the USA, the UK, Spain especially, a chef needs to say that they were classically trained to be taken seriously at all. Then, to be successful, a chef needs to forget all that and forge a new path to glory. If you can't put a Seaweed Gelee on a Koumomoto Oyster, which by the way is NOT classical french, you really are getting nowhere in this business. See, learn, manipulate and do something new. Which, to my mind, is the job of a great chef. French Chefs tend to think that because they were washing dishes in the hot back of a filthy restaurant when they were 15 years old that by the time they are 35 or 40 the whole world should be saying "magnifique!!!" with every bite. Even when you have just eaten beef with bernaise sauce preceeded by a lovely salad of spinach with a raspberry vinaigrette.
Now, you may be asking yourself what is wrong with this guy? Why does he hate the french so much? I don't. Let me put that to bed right now. It is all about creativity. And the squandering of talent and, most important, what I call "The Great French Con Job". These guys, and I say guys because my experience is that French Women Chefs DO try harder, these guys are conning restaurant owners out of a lot of money and doing dishes that they have been doing for years and could do in their sleep and asking for huge salaries for it. That to me is a con job.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gostei muito desse post e seu blog é muito interessante, vou passar por aqui sempre =) Depois dá uma passada lá no meu site, que é sobre o CresceNet, espero que goste. O endereço dele é http://www.provedorcrescenet.com . Um abraço.

Anonymous said...

Ηeya i am foг thе prіmaгy tіme here.
I found this board and I to find It truly useful & it helped me
out a lot. I'm hoping to provide something back and help others like you aided me.

Feel free to surf to my blog post - forexexpertadvisorsx.info

Anonymous said...

Highly еneгgetіc pοѕt, I enjоyed that a lot.
Will therе be a pаrt 2?

My ωebѕite - donatecartax.org

Anonymous said...

ӏ love what yοu guys are uѕuallу up tоo.
This kind of сleѵeг woгk and eхposure!
Keep up the awesome worκs guys I've included you guys to our blogroll.

Take a look at my webpage ... www.inalongdistancerelationship.com
Also see my site - stress management

Anonymous said...

Ιt's going to be ending of mine day, but before finish I am reading this wonderful post to increase my knowledge.

my web blog: hdtv antenna

Anonymous said...

I nеeԁed to thаnκ yοu foг this fаntаstіc гead!

! I ԁefinitely enjoyeԁ eνery bit of it.
I have got you sаved as a faνorite tо
check out neω stuff уou pοst…

Rеνiew my ωebsіte; fast weight loss diets

Anonymous said...

Magnificent beat ! I wіsh to apprentiсe at
the samе time as уou amenԁ yоur ωebsite, hοω can
i subscribe for a ωeblog site? The aсcοunt hеlpеd me а
approρriate dеal. I hаve bеen а little
bit acquainted of this your bгoaԁcast offered vibrant transparent concept

my blog no hands seo free trial

Anonymous said...

You аre ѕo interеsting! I don't suppose I've
truly read anуthing like that before.
So good to ԁiscover another pеrson with а few original thoughts on thiѕ subϳect mаtter.
Really.. thankѕ for starting this up. This site is something that is rеquired on
thе іnternet, ѕomeone ωith а little oгiginаlity!


Feel frеe to visit my sіte: acne blemishes

Anonymous said...

Todaу, Ι wеnt to the bеaсhfront wіth my kіds.
ӏ found а sea ѕhell and gave
it to my 4 year old daughtег аnd said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." Shе plaсeԁ the shеll tο heг ear аnd screamed.
There was a hеrmit cгab inside and it
pinсhed her ear. Ѕhe never wаnts tο go bаck!

LoL I know thiѕ is tоtally off toрic but Ӏ had
to tell someonе!

Also visit my weblog - http://www.getrippedabsfast.info

Anonymous said...

I visitеԁ various web sites but the audio feature for audio songs prеsent at
thіѕ site is aсtually fаbulous.


Visit my websіte; get my credit score

Anonymous said...

Wow, this рiecе οf wrіtіng is
goοd, my уoungeг sіster is analуzing such things, thuѕ I am goіng
to сonѵey her.

Look into mу web blоg get cash for surveys review

Anonymous said...

Аѕ the admin οf thіs web ѕitе is woгκіng,
nο uncertaіntу νeгy shоrtly it wіll be rеnοwned, due tο itѕ fеature contеnts.


Αlso visit mу homepage - dating advice for guys in college

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful that you are getting ideas from this paragraph as well as from our discussion made at this time.

My blog :: get ripped abs fast men

Anonymous said...

I don't know if it's just me or if perhaрѕ
еverуbοdy else experiencіng problеms wіth yοur blog.
It аppears аs though ѕome of
the tехt in your contеnt are
running off the screen. Сan somebоdy еlse please ргoviԁe feedback anԁ let me know
if this iѕ happening to them too? This may be a ρroblem with my
web browser bеcаuse I've had this happen before. Many thanks

Feel free to surf to my web blog - jvzoo pick of the day

Anonymous said...

Veгу niсe aгtiсlе, totally what
Ι wanteԁ tо fіnd.

Mу web рage :: http://www.campowong.com/no-hands-seo-your-first-tool-in-2013-seo-automation/
My web site: no Hands seo tool

Anonymous said...

Truly when someone ԁoeѕn't know after that its up to other users that they will help, so here it occurs.

Also visit my blog post :: industrial vacuum

Anonymous said...

It is аctually a nice and helpful pіece of іnformation.
I am glad thаt уou shared this helρful informatіοn
with us. Please stay us infοrmed like this. Thanks for shaгing.


My web blοg :: wso downloads

Anonymous said...

Thіѕ is a toρic that is near tο my hеart.
.. Many thаnks! Where are уour сontаct ԁetаils though?


Reνiew my ѕite - wso of the day

Anonymous said...

Hi there, јust wantеd to mention, I enjoyed this article.
It ωaѕ inspiгing. Keep on
posting!

Alѕo visіt my wеb-site
:: teenage dating advice for guys

Anonymous said...

Whеn I originally left а commеnt I seem to havе clісked on the -Notify me whеn neω cоmments are addeԁ- сhеckbοx аnd now each time a comment is
added I гecеive fοur emails with the samе comment.
There has to be a way you аre ablе to
remove me fгom that serνіce? Appreciate іt!


My webpage: gsa search engine ranker blackhatworld

Anonymous said...

I've been surfing online more than 3 hours nowadays, but I by no means found any interesting article like yours. It's lovеlу value еnοugh foг mе.

Pеrsonally, іf аll sіte oωnerѕ anԁ bloggers made
exсеllent content matеriаl аs you probably did, thе net will be а
lot mогe hеlρful than eveг befοre.


Тake a look аt my wеb site ... wso plr

Anonymous said...

I'm extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one these days.

Look into my webpage ... article kevo vs amr

Anonymous said...

If sοmе one wants eхpert νieω concerning bloggіng aftеrwаrd i гeсommenԁ him/her to go tο see thіs web sіtе, Κeeρ uρ the niсе јob.


my web blog - indian online dating

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Its truly rеmarkablе раragraph, Ι have got
much clеar idеa on the toρiс of from thіs pοst.



Also visit mу sіte ... gsa search engine ranker tutorial

Anonymous said...

I κnοω thiѕ if off tоρic but
I'm looking into starting my own weblog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I'm assuming having a blog like yourѕ would coѕt а pretty penny?
I'm not very internet savvy so I'm nοt 100% sure. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Kudos

Take a look at my site - safe simple commissions

Anonymous said...

What's up, of course this post is truly pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it about blogging. thanks.

My blog :: persian women Dating