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| American Dream Cuisine™ |
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| Restaurant: Caviar Bar & Restaurant |
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| St.
Petersburg - Russia |
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Society - World Level
Perfection
December - 2005 |
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6 Stars
& 7 Stripes
Cuisine & Service |
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The Ultimate
Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes™ |
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Walking into the Caviar Bar for our much anticipated
cuisine review of Executive Chef Dominique Ferchaud's 'nouvelle cuisine' was
accompanied by the powerful allure of 'déjà vu'. During the
previous night's deep and restful sleep, a recurring dream conjured up visions
of opulence and regal majesty reminiscent of the long ago period of Czarist
times. The central figure in my dream seemed destined to successfully offer up
creative and tasty cuisine in an atmosphere only a Royal Family could
appreciate. I tried looking around inconspicuously in every direction as we
entered this dream world in order to validate my vivid recollections of the
previous night. "It was here. . . !" I mumbled hoping all the while that
someone would thankfully agree. It was Arno our photographer who cast a
controlled glance back at me while shaking his head in disbelief. "Why are you
talking to yourself?" he whispered as we were being shown to our table. Rather
than answer Arno, I simply smiled reassuringly at our Maitre D' Dimitri as he
held the chair while waiting for me to be seated.
"It was here," I said
again, this time to Arno, ". . this is the place in my dream last night!" Arno
still shaking his head quickly buried himself in the menu that was just handed
to him. As attentive servers graciously placed napkins on our laps, I made
mental notes of how elegant all the tables in the restaurant looked with
candles lit and condiments perfectly aligned. I took some time as I listen
intently to the three-piece ensemble performing selections of seemingly
world-class Russian opera arias. It all fit nicely into my notion of the
previous night's surreal event and I became more and more convinced that we
were now in for a remarkable experience at the hands of Master Chef Dominique
Ferchaud. It was an icy cold bottle of homemade Russian vodka flavored with
exotic fruits that brought me out of my dream and into the present. Quick
reactions by Dimitri anticipated the next move and before Arno could grab the
bottle, he poured a small shot for me all the while still in doubt of my sanity
and repeating "You need this" several times as if it were our secrete mantra.
There were of course other choices as the Russian mind is not satisfied with
mediocrity and so were placed several additional ornately 'etched' crystal
decanters filled with various types of vodka. My personal favorite
notwithstanding the exotic fruit flavored selection that brought me out of my
dream, was vodka laced with garlic. It goes without saying that I especially
liked the 'health' benefits of garlic and began to pay tribute to the
incredible medicinal properties. |
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| Four types of house made
breads including ciabatta and whole grain, were placed on the table along with
very creamy butter in the shape of billiard balls and flavored with paprika,
garlic and dill. I made it a point to continue looking around all the while
absorbing the ambiance that indirect lighting creates in well placed locations.
Menus were removed as Dimitri approached the table to announce the arrival of
the 'Amuse Bouche' as a sort of greetings from the kitchen of Chef Ferchaud and
his capable team. This is always a pleasant way of 'setting the stage' and
teasing the palate into anticipating good things to come. The opening salvo was
the Chilled Fish Soup with Coconut & Coriander topped with Crispy
Shrimp, reflecting Chef Ferchaud's mastery of a real Russian tradition of
soup-making influenced by years spent in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and
the Caribbean. |
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| We also had the pleasure of sampling Kamchatka Crab
Meat with Baltic Smoked Salmon served with Seaweed & Olive Oil
Dressing. It is unique in flavor and texture with a resemblance to very
meaty lobster although this particular preparation paired with smoked salmon
over seaweed brought out the delicate nature to its fullest potential. A bottle
of Sancerre Henri Bourgeois, 2001 worked well to compliment the seafood
with an enchanting crisp, fresh medium body, alive with citrus peel and floral
notes. |
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Our impression at this stage
was elevated by the continued attention to detail of the cuisine and impeccable
service provided by Dimitri and his staff. In fact, our suspicions were
confirmed during dinner after I dropped my napkin while making my way to the
washroom and it was immediately replaced upon my return, fresh and folded on my
lap. Plates were cleared with white gloves and preparations were in swing for
the intermezzo of Plum & Armagnac Sorbet. Needless to say, Dimitri
had a very good memory about our experience at the first cuisine review. We had
noted that the sorbet served with Pernod was 'a little overpowering' and
dutifully provided only a few drops of 18-year-old Armagnac to flavor the
otherwise refreshing sorbet, thereby making a marked improvement over the last
attempt. |
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| After the intermezzo, one of the most important events
of any review, we were sufficiently rested and prepared for the entrée.
Grilled
Veal Filet with Artichoke Confit, Candied Shallot and Garlic with Thyme in a
Winter Truffle Sauce
(Please take a closer look) arrived in
front of me as I continued sipping the never-ending flow of Russian Standard
Vodka. Although vodka in Russian culture is held in high regard, it has become
apparent that the taste for good European wines has increased in recent years
and the Caviar Bar provides a top shelf collection assembled after years of
research and collection. An appropriate bottle of Château de
Marsannay, 2000 Les Clos de Jeu offered up a terrific sense of satisfaction
and structure, which allowed it to support the meat dish without overpowering
it. At first whiff it produced red fruits of raspberry and cherry along with a
light smoky oak on the palate. Once swirled along the edges of the tongue,
distinct earthiness and fine tannins unite in elegant fashion. |
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| Our second entrée of
Roasted Angus Beef Tenderloin with Seared Spinach and Mushrooms, Potato
Millefeuille in Rosemary & Port Wine Sauce caused quite a stir at our
table. Here we were in Russia being catered to by an accomplished French master
chef and we are looking at his interpretation of an American icon, the Black
Angus beef. Chef Ferchaud's rendition decidedly exceeded our expectations in
every respect. The beef was perfectly 'rose pink' in the center after I
purposely sliced down the middle with my butter knife. The aroma of the earthy
chanterelles lying over the seared spinach reminded me that we were in the
presence of greatness in the making. It seemed the perfect harmony for mind and
body. |
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| Ever present Dimitri scurried around our table at
times filling our glasses, at times instructing his team as to the precise
moments of when to interact with us in some productive way. Plates were cleared
along with all silverware as the table was being crumbed and prepared for the
final course. New utensils were replaced from a napkin-lined plate with white
gloves and tea or coffee was offered. Russians pride themselves on their long
history of tea drinking although I thought the coffee to be intense and
flavorful in keeping with the great roasts of Western European coffee houses.
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We were now presented with a
dessert of Roasted Pineapple with Chocolate Gingerbread and Strawberry
Cappuccino with Grand Marnier. There before us came a very creative
tempting ensemble of shapes, textures and distinct flavors arranged in artful
fashion just begging to be sampled. All in all dessert seemed rather complete
until Dimitri returned with a bottle of Calvados XO. As he poured the
powerful liquid into our brandy snifters, we relished the pure clean very
Cognac-like aroma and upon sipping noticed how smooth and peppery it was on our
palates. I couldn't think of a better way to match the roasted tropical fruit
over zesty chocolate gingerbread. Talk about chcocolate... |
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| All NEW are Ferchaud Chocolates; Executive
Chef and Chocolatier Dominique Ferchaud is producing the finest hand created
'Made in Russia' confections imparting chocolate lovers with his treat from
every part of the world. Ferchaud has raised the bar on the meaning of 'Swiss'
chocolate artistry. The Grand Hotel Europe's Confectionery is a chocolate
lover's heaven! They offer a diversity of mouth-watering dark and milk
chocolates, dreadfully sinful truffles, and fabulous fudges. All chocolates are
handmade, hand filled, and hand finished. It was rather recently that Ferchaud
and GM Noll came up with the idea of producing a world chocolate brand
producing superb chocolates in creative, deliberately delicate forms like
Butterflies. The only suggesting I have for the master chocolatier is to
present his rather dark delicacies on a
light
color laced plate. I am certain my wife would have experienced the great
death by chocolate if she had been able to join me. |
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| “Ferchaud’s dedication to excellence is prevailing, once
again.” ~ TB |
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| Ferchaud's Chocolates
are just asking for comparison with Godiva, Neuchatel or Lindt. While
Ferchaud's Butterflies are artfully irreplaceable to eat he is retaining the
essential fundamental chocolate flavors that often get lost with these types of
delicate creations. The packaging alone will excite not only those that are
guests at Grand Hotel Europe, as I can see a line of chocolate addicts filing
out of the door once the message has gone out. Russia is now open for true
gourmet chocolate business. We were the first to see and taste the finished
products. The elegant packaging is putting this high-society confection
over the edge! I am honored. |
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| “A
Chocolate Star is born!” ~ TB |
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Please take a closer
look |
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| "Onward and upward" I heard Arno say as he moved from
the table toward the Lobby and Piano Bar. It was the seductive sounds of live
piano and violin music beckoning us sit for a while and absorb the provocative
performance of the alluring ensemble. It was time to give thanks to Chef
Dominique Ferchaud and his competent team along with Maitre D' Dimitri and all
our servers, especially Victor who quietly performed his duties unobtrusively
and efficiently. |
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by
Thorsten Buehrmann & Arno Goudschaal
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme,
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2006 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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