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| St.
Petersburg - Russia |
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Society - World
Level Perfection
April - 2008 |
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6 Stars
& 7 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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| Stepping into the
L'Europe
Restaurant at the Grand Hotel Europe from the outside evokes a sort of
throwback to the “Golden century in Russian Culture”. A live music
ensemble plays nearby on a stage with Mozart-like swiftness as if playing a
concert at the Royal Court of Catherine the Great. But why should I be
surprised? That is the way Russians are: never content with half-measures while
sometimes given to the occasional excess. In gastronomy, for several centuries
Russians led a sedate, measured lifestyle in a rhythm all their own. It was
when they started experimenting with the things that make French cuisine so
famous, that they began to pursue their own innovations with the additions of
traditional Russian spices thereby enriching Russian cookery. The good thing
about the
L'Europe
Restaurant is that you can depend on their blending of Russian and French
cooking styles as well as their consistency, quality and originality. Their
steadfast team of
Executive
Sous Chef Yoann Bernard and his mentor
Executive
Chef de Cuisine Dominique Ferchaud, provide the incredible impetus to act
as a driving force and trend setter in the St. Petersburg culinary scene. The
arena was set for a remarkable performance in a venue as ornate as an 18th
century concert hall complete with a musical as well as culinary stage. Once
again we experienced the confident and determined service of
Maitre
d' Dmitry Zakharchenko as he helped us enjoy the fruits of his Chefs'
creations. |
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| A bread wagon appeared just as soon as we were seated
and a white-gloved server offered us a dizzying array of fresh baked grains. We
looked all around us to see others who were seated nearby seemingly happy and
relaxed listening to soothing sonatas while dining.
Chef
Yoann sent out a Scallop Ceviche with Blood Orange and Sevruga
Caviar for the first course. The combination of a raw scallops and citrus
acts to 'cook' the shellfish by the action of the orange's acid while offering
a slightly salty nutty aftertaste from the rich Sevruga caviar. “What is
needed here” began
Dmitry
as he brought us our wine pairing, “is a bone-dry, fruity Alsatian
Riesling to compliment the subtle flavors of the scallop.” With that he
poured a Riesling Tradition Hugel, AOC 2002 Alsace, which we felt fit
the bill. |
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| Another noteworthy appetizer
turned out to be the unusual looking Sevruga Caviar Egg in Egg, which of
course was as delicate as its play on words alluded. Luscious miniature
pearl-grey translucent balls with a smooth almost buttery flavor and texture,
truly the most gorgeous caviar sitting inside of another much larger egg, this
one softly scrambled and reinserted in the shell. It was paired with a small
shot of Russian Standard Vodka Imperia, eight times distilled with
glacial water from the north of Russia. It was smooth, clear and clean tasting
even complimenting the caviar in a most elegant way. |
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| Clearly, this was shaping up to be a special evening
as the next course of Lobster Cappuccino with Asian Emulsion was placed
in front of us. The meat of the claw was deftly removed without showing any
damage and placed over Asian style foam. It was tender without being chewy and
offered a spike of ginger laced into the foam thereby waking up the inherent
but subdued flavor of the Lobster. This, together with a bottle of Beringer
Fume Blanc, 2004 Napa Valley, California proved to be the right
combination. A certain grassiness emerges from this sauvignon blanc varietal as
well as a pleasant touch of smoke and tobacco. Another entrée of
Grilled Tuna with Vegetable Basquaise, slices of Parmesean and pistachio
sauce came to us garnet red in color since it was perfectly cooked to reveal
its sushi-like interior. A wine pairing of Chassagne Montrachet, Premier Cru
Morqeot Vincent Giardin 2004, a delightful Chardonnay from Burgundy that
was expressively oaky but with a clean tannic finish. |
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| Finally for the dessert course a tropical Lime
Crème Brulee with Pineapple Salsa and Coconut Sorbet, a notoriously
creamy, citrusy custard with a burnt sugar topping and side of chopped
pineapple complimented with the exotic cool flavors of coconut sorbet. Louis
Guntrum Eiswein 2003, Germany provided the natural sweetness to the dessert
with its golden color, rich taste, character and noble complex concentrated
appeal. The evening events were almost complete when suddenly an incredibly
detailed Chocolate Piano with assorted chocolates was delivered from
Chef
Dominique Ferchaud's chocolate workshop. Such craftsmanship is not seen
often but Grand Hotel Europe and L'Europe Restaurant feature Chef Dominique's
work on a regular basis. All this adds up to a very special dining experience
not to be missed if you are traveling to St. Petersburg sometime in the near
future. |
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by
Thorsten Buehrmann & Edmund Buehrmann
Editor: John
Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2008 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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