Comments on: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (NYC) – Midtown Michelin Meal

By: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (London) | tasty bits

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (London) | tasty bits — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:15:26 +0000

[...] Not everyone is thrilled with what Joe Robuchon is doing with his haute chain. Many people say the Paris location in particular isn’t up to the task . I visited the L’Atelier in London a while ago and thought both the food and the concept are fantastic. [...]

By: H. Alexander Talbot

H. Alexander Talbot — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:01:16 +0000

if you want a meal of all shots, we are game.

at least a meal served all in shot glasses.

By: ChuckEats

ChuckEats — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:21:40 +0000

Misha – thanks for the advice on the DB burger – i suppose i’ll wait til i read something good again.

Luxeat – it’s like going to a major metropolitan city and shopping at the same old stores – prada, gucci, this, and that. What’s the point of traveling when everything is the same? I’m sure the future will give us both “chains” and local spots but it’s disheartening, from an epicurean POV, to see chefs more interested in empires than perfection.

By: Luxeat

Luxeat — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:56:24 +0000

Its funny, because today i read that Helene Darroze is opening her restaurant in London http://francoissimon.typepad.fr/simonsays/2008/03/helene-darroze.html and i was thinking that the international restaurants scene is getting boring as you will find the same restaurants of the same chefs all around the world! Robuchon is the best example…

Anyway,great review.Its true that Robuchon restaurants are not worth a special trip, but some of his dishes (like langoustine or entrecote with potato puree) do make me happy

Aiste

By: Misha

Misha — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:46:02 +0000

I’ve heard reports that the L’Ateliers vary in quality somewhat across locales. The menus and techniques seem consistent, but you simply cannot rely on the quality of the ingredients to be equal everywhere. My meal at L’Atelier in London was exceptional. A friend that tried it in Vegas had more to say about the price than the food.

The DB Bistro burger is a complete waste of time, by the way. I was very disappointed. The sirloin just mashes fois gras and short ribs into a sticky paste with barely discernible taste. I suspect the biggest problem is that depending on how hurried the kitchen is they cut the patty too soon; it promptly gets dry and cooks fois gras to chopped liver consistency at the same time. I would have preferred a deconstructed version of same much more, but thats not the Boulud domain.