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Thursday, 23 July 2009

My favourite Tables and chefs of the world

I love food. Great Great food. All kind of food, all kind of cuisines. I am gathering here a listing of my personal top favourite the restaurants I had the divine priviledge to try throughout the years and numerous travels. There's no particular order in this listening (I love them all!)

CANADA
-Araxi, Whistler, BC http://www.araxi.com/
-C restaurant, Vancouver,BC http://www.crestaurant.com/
-Chef Susur Lee's restaurants:
-Madeline's 601 King Street W, Toronto, 416.603.2205
http://www.susur.com (used to be awesome around 2000-2003. Less stellar since)
-Eigensinn Farm, 449357 10th Concession, Singhampton (Toronto) 519-922-3128
-L'eau à la Bouche, Ste-Adèle
-Restaurant Le St-Augustin, 15196 St Augustin, Saint-Augustin-Deux-Montagnes 450-475-8290 (Chef Jean-Paul Giroux)..should be at St-Augustin-de-Mirabel. Dinner Wednesday to Sunday
-Toqué, 900 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle 514-499-2084 http://www.restaurant-toque.com
-Cosmopolitain, Laval, QC (Among the Best breakfasts ever!)

AROUND THE WORLD
-Pierre Gagnaire, France http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com
-Noma, Denmark (Chef René Redzepi), http://www.noma.dk/
-Fat Duck, UK (Chef Heston Blumenthal) http://www.fatduck.co.uk/
-El Bulli, Spain (Chef Ferran Adria), http://www.elbulli.com/
OTHER GREAT CHEFS

-Craig Shelton (Folks, Is he still around? I know he sold the Ryland Inn a long time ago, then nada...??). Drop me some news of him if you know about his whereabouts...this genius has to go back to where he belongs: the kitchen!!
http://www.culinarymedianetwork.com/craig-shelton/
http://www.greatchefs.com/craig-shelton/
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_n9_v27/ai_13522373/
100 BEST RESTAURANTS (2008)
===========================
1 El Bulli, Spain (=)
2 The Fat Duck, U.K. (=)
3 Noma, Denmark (+7)
4 Mugaritz, Spain (=)
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+21)
6 Per Se, U.S. (=)
7 Bras, France (=)
8 Arzak, Spain (=)
9 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-6)
10 Alinea, U.S. (+11)
11 L’Astrance, France (=)
12 The French Laundry U.S. (-7)
13 Osteria Francescana, Italy (New Entry)
14 St. John, U.K. (+2)
15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (+5)
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+11)
17 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-8)
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-4)
19 Jean Georges, U.S. (-2)
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (New Entry)
21 Chez Dominique, Finland (+18)
22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (+21)
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (+12)
24 D.O.M., Brazil (+16)
25 Vendome, Germany (+9)
26 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+2)
27 Masa, U.S., (Re-entry)
28 Gambero Rosso, Italy (-16)
29 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+13)
30 Steirereck, Austria (New Entry)
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (New Entry)
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden (+16)
33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (-4)
34 Nobu U.K. (-4)
35 Mirazur, France (New Entry)
36 Hakkasan, U.K. (-17)
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+13)
38 La Colombe, South Africa (Re-entry)
39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain (+5)
40 Le Chateaubriand, France (New Entry)
41 Daniel, U.S. (=)
42 Combal Zero, Italy (Re-entry)
43 Le Louis XV, France (-28)
44 Tantris, Germany (+3)
45 Iggy’s, Singapore (New Entry)
46 Quay, Australia (New Entry)
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France (-2)
48 Dal Pescatore, Italy (-25)
49 Le Calandre, Italy (-13)
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (New Entry)

51 Zuma, China
52 Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, U.K.
53 Spondi, Greece
54 L’Arpege, France
55 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, China
56 Hibiscus, U.K.
57 Aqua, Germany
58 Le Gavroche, U.K.
59 Chez Panisse, U.S.
60 Les Amis, Singapore
61 El Poblet, Spain
62 Maison Pic, France
63 Cafe Pushkin, Russia
64 Le Meurice, France
65 Bukhara, India
66 Varvari, Russia
67 Schauenstein, Germany
68 RyuGin, Japan
69 La Maison Troisgros, France
70 Wasabi, India
71 The River Cafe, U.K.
72 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy
73 Le Cinq, France
74 Allegro, Czech Republic
75 Quintessence, Japan
76 Restaurant Dieter Mueller, Germany
77 Geranium, Denmark
78 Caprice, China
79 Jardines, South Africa
80 Amador, Germany
81 Biko, Mexico
82 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon U.S
83 Fasano, Brazil
84 Mozaic, Bali
85 Obauer, Austria
86 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France
87 L’Ambroisie, France
88 Maison Boulud, China
89 De Librije, Netherlands
90 Babbo, U.S.
91 Maze, U.K.
92 Zuma, U.K.
93 Manresa, U.S.
94 Pier, Australia
95 De Karmeliet, Belgium
96 Aubergine, South Africa
97 Bo Innovation, China
98 Rust en Vrede, South Africa
99 Del Posto U.S.
100 Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, UAE

Tuesday, 21 July 2009

North Americans prefer white male employees over women or minorities

Lol..At my work, the big news this morning was about this:
http://news.guelphmercury.com/Wire/News_Wire/National/article/511065 aka North Americans prefer white male employees over women or minorities....
Well, there is no surprise here: the average joe has always had a petty mind / the average people think small and pursue lifetime's lowlife achievements. When your lifetime state of mind comes down to choices as petty as color or sex differenciation, there's not much to think of you...

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

My favourite authors

My favourite authors:
-Oscar Wilde
-Chateaubriand

Wednesday, 06 May 2009

Smart? Intelligent? ... oh really??

If there's a word that I have learned to mock at, it's that laughable one: I*N*T*E*L*L*I*G*E*N*T with it's various flavors (smart, bright and so on). It has got to be one of the most overestimated --- and more accurately --- misunderstood word. First, you are intelligent or not ... relatively to a specific situation or subjective opinion. One will find you not intelligent because you could not understand the basics of what he masters very well...but that doesn't mean you are not intelligent when put before a situation you master very well. I usually see people known to be very smart, but when you look closely, they just happen to master what they have been doing for years. Rfaol! Simply that.

I had that friend who was notorious for his smartness and to be honest, I strongly believe he is one of the smartest cookies one would run into since he has outlooks on life that are very strategical and deeply thought. Not a long time ago, he came to me with one of the most stupid comments I ever heard: he told me that there was no way that someone at the head of a country would be dumb or else he would not have reached such high level of responsability. He added that

Thursday, 30 April 2009

CAT, MY SACRED ANIMAL...

Pique Assiette: The cobra is sacred to Indians. The cat is sacred to you.
What makes the cat your most sacred animal?
Sony: Well, lots of great things I am fond of -> it's natural eternal charm,
charisma and grace, attaching attitude, embedded independence ;p
Pique Assiette: but lack of intelligence ..
Sony: Are you kidding me? What's not intelligent with a cat?
Pique Assiette: It barely does anything apart laming and eating.
Sony: Well, I was not expecting a pet to work and achieve what most humans do...
Pique Assiette: No, but take a dog for ie -> it can protect you, run with you in a park
and so on...
Sony: To each animal it's role. Take a bird...it does not run with you nor protects you. And if you think it is not smart because it supposedly has a small brain, think twice ->
how many humans are able to create something as sophisticated as a nest?? I had once a pal who hated cats because he found them to be useless/borying, but he had a ...rabbit ... as as a pet! Rfaol! I guess the guy had no clue of what "useless" meant

http://www.catspictures.net/2008/12/cute-cat-pictures.html