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| American Dream Cuisine™ |
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| Restaurant: L'Europe |
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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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It would be a night to remember! Not just for the
excitement and high energy that a Tina Turner concert creates before curtain
call; nor for the whispered rumors of Bill Clinton arriving for a book signing;
nor for the fact that Mikhail Gorbachev actually accepted an invitation to dine
with the GM of Grand Hotel Europe, Tomas Noll and his wife. Yet still, this
would be a night to remember!
GM Thomas Noll and Executive Chef de Cuisine
Dominique Ferchaud have pulled out all the stops. There would be nothing left
to chance; attention to every detail would be impressed upon each one of their
well-respected and capable staff. Our dining arrangements for this evening were
to be held in the impeccable surroundings of the Restaurant L'Europe under the
watchful eye of Maitre D' Dimitri and his proficient servers all dressed in
formal black attire.
Our greeting at the L'Europe entrance was the
respectful and personal handshake of immediate recognition, reflecting the
precise, meticulous nature of our gracious restaurant master of ceremony. The
enduring sounds of a quartet singing a classical selection and supported by
violin and piano accompanied us to our special table decked out with fresh
flowers. As a matter of fact, there were fresh flowers everywhere, all
organized and arranged by the Grand Hotel's in-house florists. Dimitri, who is
a member of the famed La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs sees to it that
every guest at the restaurant receives the highest possible level of
unobtrusive service available. It is also apparent that he must work closely
with Master Chef de Cuisine Dominique Ferchaud in the presentation of his
powerfully creative cuisine. |
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“Dimitri, who is a member of the famed La Chaîne des
Rôtisseurs sees to it that every guest at
the restaurant receives the
highest possible level of unobtrusive service available.” ~ TB |
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| Immediately upon being seated
a toast was proposed with several fluted glasses of precious Tattinger
Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc. This powerful yet dense multilayered
well-balanced bubbly offered an abundance of white fruits, tangy green apple
and a deliciously long finish. It was the perfect representation for this
moment of gratitude and enjoyment. A white-gloved server named Anton approached
pushing a large garadon filled with an abundance of assorted house-baked
breads. We were asked to choose, but that was almost impossible with baguettes,
rolls and other shapes made from pumpernickel, rye and other whole grains
overflowing from the wagon. Butter was another dilemma but this time we tried
all three types including dill and garlic, fiery red paprika and natural
unsalted. |
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| Preparations complete, it was now time for Executive
Chef Ferchaud to begin his performance with the first order of business
introducing us to Kamchatka Crab & Vitelottes Potatoes, Boquet of Green
Leaves, Basil Oil & Balsamic Vinegar. At first glance you wonder what
the purple stuff is under the delicate crabmeat but upon tasting you realize
that they are purple Peruvian potatoes, shredded and prepared simply with basil
oil and balsamic vinegar. A finer combination of colors, shapes and taste may
be hard to find as this proved to qualify as original art. |
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| “A finer combination of colors, shapes and taste may be hard to
find as this proved to qualify as original art.” ~ TB |
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| This was followed by
Warm Boston Lobster with Artichoke confit and Citrus White Wine Butter
sauce brought from the kitchen completely out of the shell and arranged in
such a way that appeared three dimensional. It was a superb representation of a
New England (Massachusetts, US) favorite, actually bursting with sweetness and
not chewy at all. All along we were fortunate to have had the 1995 Sauvignon
Blanc, Blue Grove Hill, South Africa as our recommended wine selection and
it proved to compliment the shellfish in a way that brought out their fresh
ocean flavors in a big way. |
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“It
was a superb representation of a New England favorite, actually
bursting
with sweetness and not chewy at all.” ~ TB |
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| Our specialty for the evening so far appeared to dwell
on seafood, so in keeping with that theme Chef Ferchaud impressed us with his
rendition of the ~ 'King of All Fish' ~ Grilled Filet of Turbot with Seared
Fennel & Tomato Purée and Coriander Oil. Anton, our server,
smiled as he poured another taste of the Sauvignon Blanc seemingly aware of its
auspicious affect on this special fish. |
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| We relished the floral
quality of the aroma and savored the golden citrus and honeydew melon found
while swirling the wine over the palate. An intermezzo was next on the agenda
and it was to be Lemon Sorbet with Beetroot & Vodka, an inexplicable
combination forcing us to admire the blood-red effect of the beetroot on the
rest of the sorbet. Vodka, the far from trivial ingredient in Russian culture
is omnipresent in all shapes and forms and this intermezzo was yet another way
to show its versatility. |
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| Our next course appeared to break ranks with the rest
of the menu and came to us in the form of Roasted Rack of Lamb with Parmesan
and Paprika Crust, Potato with Sun Dried Tomato & Olive with Port Wine
Sauce. Rack of lamb must be carefully roasted in order not to dry out the
meat; therefore it is imperative that the rack be 'encased' by some sort of
crust to preserve moisture. |
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Chef Ferchaud's use of his
savory mixture proved effective in moisture control although a bit overwhelming
to the taste buds. "A little less parmesan" I mentioned to Arno feeling a
little guilty as I finished off the last tasty morsel. This time a very fine
bottle of 1997 Capanelle Solare, Italy served as the appropriate wine
paring for the rack of lamb. Ruby red in color, it conjured up visions of the
beetroot sorbet although I must say, that is where the similarity ended.
Capanelle Solare smoothly flowed over our palates with minimal effort imparting
such subtle hints of dark red forest fruits reminding us of raspberries and
blackberries. A slight tannin finish worked to lightly cleanse the palate in
preparation for the next sip of this medium bodied treasure. |
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| Plates were dutifully cleared all the while overseen
by the watchful eyes of Dimitri as he choreographed each magic moment. It is
obvious that the feeling of cooperation amongst the restaurant and kitchen
teams reflected a greater importance that the management of the Grand Hotel
Europe under the guidance of GM Noll has placed on their overall goals of
complete guest satisfaction. |
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| We were now ready for the
final course of tea, coffee and petit fours to accompany the chef's creation of
Chestnut "Mont Blanc", Pineapple Cappuccino with Rum. My secrete passion
is desserts and at first glance I just wanted to say 'wow' but could only mange
a smile. After tasting the chestnut crème my smile turned into a
vocalization of pleasure through various ummm's and ahhh's as each bite was
processed. |
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| Over coffee, we talked to Executive Chef Dominique who
purposely came out of his domain to see how we liked his artistry. We discussed
his organizational skills and how difficult it is to run an operation with a
team of 35 chefs and 17 stewards. Chef Ferchaud's goal is to maintain the
highest standards in terms of quality and service by leading, motivating and
developing his staff's innate talents. His leadership skills had been honed
throughout his career with positions in England, France, Anguilla, New York,
Abu Dhabi and Lebanon some of which included Michelin Star establishments where
he furthered his global expertise. |
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Dominique Ferchaud &
Thorsten Buehrmann |
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His most recent
accomplishment with the Valhrona Chocolate Training, in Tain L'hermitage,
France with Mr. Mickael Loonis shows that his desire for self-improvement
continues even after many years of experience. This acquired expertise has
successfully led to a new profit center for the Grand Hotel Europe and much
deserved notoriety. It was equally refreshing to find out that every
high-energy personality has his down time to relax and forget about the
business and Chef Ferchaud enjoys scuba diving and underwater digital
photography. It's no wonder some of his culinary works of art reflect the
tropical colors and natural free forms of the environment beneath the seas.
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| Just when we thought that it couldn't get better then
that, shielded from the winter temperatures in these cozy warm halls, we were
asked to put on our coats and follow the Executive Assistant Manager i/c of
Food & Beverage Christian Sack for a drink outside. Did he say outside? We
were lead through the heavy main entrance door and stepped out on the light
filled walk way to the 'Ice Bar'. People were lined up in warming clothes; some
wore fur coats and furry hats and gloves. While this seemed embellished to us
at first, we changed our mind after some time at the bar amongst the joyous
crowd. The iced sidewalk bar has no doors, anyone can walk up and order a stiff
Grand Exclusive Vodka, some served in a glass of molded ice... |
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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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