With Michelin coming to Chicago, I thought it would be great to see one of the standard bearers of 3 star dining. Today and in future weeks I'll have some guest posts; one friend is building a food truck in KC. This week my good friend David was good enough to recap his experience at Michel Bras. David was part of the group I vacationed with in August and lives in Paris. I've known him since our days in college and we've found food to be a further topic of fun.
Michel Bras for me is the "Father of Modern Plating." Ferran Adria in Spain may have changed food molecularly but Bras made plating food in to an art! I still have the first book he did, "essential cuisine." I hope you enjoy the post and the pictures.
Michel Bras - David
There are many culinary pilgrimages in France, but few have more panoramic views of mountains and valleys than Bras in Laguiole. This isolated "Eden of Food" is 60 kilometers from the nearest airport and personally took us 2 hours of driving from our vacation home. Considering the location, it's best to stay the night and savor the experience than worry about traveling after dinner. It was with this backdrop in the Aubrac region that our culinary journey took place.
Upon our arrival for dinner, we were seated in a lounge to enjoy an aperitif and several amuse bouche. Most of the family ordered fruit or vegetable juices preferring to save themselves for wine at dinner, while I couldn't resist a glass of wine infused with orange peel. In the lounge we were able to, peruse the menu and bible size wine list. The first tastes of amuse bouche were presented, a perfectly cut egg shell with a sumptuous soft-boiled egg and other goodies inside served with a slice of country bread (Coque-Mouillettes). This was followed by slices of a potato-like tart. (Excuse me for the lack of description, but getting this all down in French and thinking about it in English is just too challenging!) While we enjoyed our "apero," the order was taken. We were escorted to the dining room, the inner sanctum of the temple itself.
The dining room was beautiful with stunning views over the valley. The tables are spaced and separated so you almost feel as if there is no one else in the restaurant. Once we sat down, we discovered an assortment of "bread sheets." My first thought is they may have been a mere decoration but after that fleeting moment we began to taste and enjoy how delicious and delicate they were. More bread came out, with the opening overture of water, butter and the first pours of the wine. We decided to trust the sommelier 100% and go with his choices to pair with our meal. With such a complex menu, we felt the sommelier's choice would be our best bet.
The meal began with yet another amuse bouche. This table amuse was served per couple on six individual serving spoons. The first course and probably "the" signature dish of Michel Bras - le gargouillou de jeunes legumes; grains & herbes, lait de poule a la noisette. Basically one hell of a salad with literally over 50, maybe even 100 different ingredients. This was by far one of the most creative dishes I've seen and has inspired many other 3 star chefs in France and beyond. The plating was a work of art not only for the palate but for the eyes.
Our next course we enjoyed a fish - le loup juste etuve sur un ecrase de celeri rave; comme une remoulade moutarde/anchois, des pistils de fleurs. A beautiful, flavorful dish featuring European Bass sitting atop celery root with a mustard, anchovy sauce and flower stems. It's hard to describe how delicate and delicious it was.
Next on the menu, always a personal favorite, Duck Foie Gras - le foie gras de canard poele, rafraichi de concombre; orge perlee; lassi au fenouil, houttuynia & touche de citron. It was refreshing and creative to see sauteed foie gras paired with something other than a fruit. The subtlety of the cucumber allowed for the foie gras to shine in its own right - probably my second favorite after the "salad".
I don't really know how to describe this next course - l'oignon dit de florence cuit longuement, croutee aux truffes; aestivum & melanosporum. Two different types of truffles with a slow cooked onion, doesn't sound very majestic. But anything with a truffle crust usually does the trick for my tastebuds.
We're about half way through, if you can believe it. At this point in the dinner we've had two different types of white wine. Progressing to the red which accompanied the duckling - la canette rotie sur os sur un jus au limequat; kasha, chicorees padona & cannelle de magelan - not even sure I can translate that for you, but if you like duck than you will be blown away by this. The pic truely speaks a thousand words.
Now, my favorite part of any elegant meal is the cheese. I usually love the cheese course in three star restaurants because they source only the best. I don't know if it was the region, my one month long over-indulgence on cheese or just food fatigue, but I wasn't blown away by the selection. Don't get me wrong, it was good, just not stunning compared to my expectations.
After the cheese, we had our first dessert. Yes, first! Le biscuit tiede coulant aux fruits rouges: creme glacee a la fleur de reine des pres & un jus au miel. Otherwise known as a warm biscuit like cake with a red fruit sauce oozing out from the inside and topped, a flower ice-cream and a drop of honey -- excellent and the best of the desserts in my opinion.
To be honest, I actually didn't feel like eating anymore and that's a strange feeling because you aren't supposed to feel that way. Even with the enormity of a degustation menu, the chef is supposed to have you leaving with just a slightly full feeling. I was ready to burst! But, you only go to these places on special occasions, so despite my gut-feeling there was no stopping me.
The second dessert, which I can't really describe completely, were two dishes of flowery something. First, la peche confite au caramel, glacee au lait; capucine; feuille & fleur. A roasted, caramelized peach with milk ice cream and flowers. Second, the flower of the day, la corolle d'hemerocalle garnie d'une mousse a la verveine citronnellle tout l'abricot hargrant. A flower with a mousse of verbena-citronella - Hard to evaluate these two - either I didn't care anymore, or they were just an after-thought considering the intensity of the rest of the meal.
Finally the final dessert, the last act of the night! Looking back this was a fun night. The servers roll out a cart with mini ice-cream cones, 5 pots of different sorbet and other ingredients to be mixed in - canailleries: des cornets garnis au gre de nos envies - let your mind imagine what it was in the pictures. They were good, but I can't remember at this point the flavors. The wine was kicking in right about now.
I would bet if we ordered coffee we would have had a few additional mignardises. Honestly, no one at the table could take anymore food or drink. A shame if you ask me as I love nothing more than to eat.
Of the three 3 star restaurants I had the chance to dine in this summer, Bras is among the best. The execution, the location, the service were all world class. I'd make the pilgrimage to Laguiole again in a heartbeat. The only thing I would do different - how to make it to the coffee!
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Thanks for letting me post Joe - if anyone wants to look at the complete set of photos, I uploaded them to Picasa - resolution should be better. http://picasaweb.google.com/davidbizer/Bras?feat=directlink