Delta Business Elite Flat-Bed Seats Review

As I recently traveled on the Frankfurt - New York JFK route with Delta, I have to share my impressions of Delta's Business Elite Flat-Bed seats. As you can see above this relatively new seat uses the "pod" design and does provide the passenger with a very wide armrest which is large enough to leave your food tray should you feel the need to get up while in the middle of your meal.

You will aslo find a regular power source as well as a USB port which should be plenty enough to charge your electronic devices while aboard. The In Flight Entertainment (IFE) system is a pleasure to use as the user interface is very responsive (compared to Air France's extremely slow IFE where there's almost a second lag after each press of a button).

Behold The NiederBurger

Not content with being the hypest food in France at the moment, the burger is also subject to various Alsatian takes on its recipe.

The French love to do things differently (is that the reason why Steve Jobs would very often refer to France in his keynotes?) and the Alsatian people take pride in setting themselves apart from France. You might ask yourself if that is a good thing in the realm of burgerness and here I come to give you the ultimate answer (which differs from 42): IT IS A GOOD THING.

I had the extreme pleasure of sampling two different Alsatian burgers in less than a week and can only conclude that although they both strayed away from the Classic Burger that I love, they were both excellent and very original. The former is featured in my previous blog post here while the latter is the subject of the post you are reading now (isn't that logic?).

I loved the idea of creating a very tasty and juicy burger using a custom-baked pretzel and crusty and thick patty. The result was absolutely great and I can only advise every single one of you to pay a visit to l'Atelier du Sommelier in Niederbronn-les-Bains (Alsace, France) to try other delicacies (I'm not 100% sure they have the burger on their menu so call in advance should you wish to sample it).

And of course to set things right, my delicious burger was preceded by a fantastic and genuine Caesar salad (in the American sense of the term, not the usual French interpretation of the Caesar salad):

The Alsatian Burger is Here

Though it may not be the corner stone of any nutritious breakfast, the Alsatian Burger featured at La Tocante Restaurant in Vendenheim is a delightful combination that has to be had! The idea here is to replace the bun with potato pancakes (or "Grumbeerekiechle" as they call them in Alsace) and serve ketchup on the side. The closest idea that comes to mind is, of course, KFC's Double Down sandwich.

As for the meat in my burger, it was not only perfectly cooked but juicy and tasty as well. Moreover, the cheese melted to perfection definitely added a plus to the cheeseburgerness factor of the whole thing:

1741 Restaurant Review (Strasbourg, France)

1741 is the much hyped restaurant that recently opened in Strasbourg. Since everybody's talking about it, I had to review it and let me tell you right away: I was not disappointed.

First of all, the setting is absolutely stunning. The place is decorated with great taste and everything in this restaurant is about details. The staff is extremely professional and nice. The ubiquitous Hermès chinaware is just something that you wouldn't expect to see anywhere even in the most expensive restaurant in the world.

1741 consists of 4 floors amongst which the third one is a slightly more casual one which only serves a "surprise" menu prepared right next to you in the open kitchen located on the same floor.

1741 is, in my opinion, the restaurant that Strasbourg was lacking. It made me feel I was away from my hometown and eating at the trendiest place in New York City. There is no question as to if you should try it or not if you live in Strasbourg. So, here are some pictures of the exquisite food served there:

Well it started off with an excellent chip Pizza (who doesn't love chips and who doesn't love pizza?):

Followed by a cloud of morels & chive (Yummy):

Le Camion Qui Fume - Food Truck - Paris

Making a close to perfect burger requires two major skills: humility and method. Kristin Frederick (pictured above), the chef behind "Le Camion Qui Fume" (The Smoking Truck), is gifted with both.

Humility is essential when it comes to burgers because no matter how talented a chef you are, you have to recognize that the best burger can only be a classic burger. It is thus essential to feature it in your menu no matter how fancy, smart or inventive you think you are.

Fine Food Up In The Air

As much as I like to criticize France, I must admit that no other airline, in my experience, serves better food in business class than Air France. Admittedly, my French taste buds might be biased but still, any serious frequent flyer should at least give AF a chance! The food almost makes up for the hassle associated with flying AF. Well, that's at least what I told myself up in the air while enjoying my meals, just until I reached my final destination, only to realize that my checked-in bags hadn't made it all the way to Brazil. Fortunately, this came as no surprise to me as I am quite used to this as a top-tier AF frequent flyer!
Anyway, as to the pictures above:
1) Starters: Foie Gras & Salmon with Nicolas Feuillate Blanc de Blancs Champagne: awesome!
2) Entree: Beef Fillet with Bearnaise sauce: the meat was delicious though a bit overcooked.
Cheese: well, you just gotta love it!
3) Dessert: Speculos flavored ice cream & grapes. Coffee. I'm still waiting to be served the Pear Eau-de-Vie that I ordered (and was not offered as it unfortunately is the case too often with AF). I'm confident AF planned to serve it upon the delivery of my bags at my in-laws in 3 to 4 days!
4) 2nd meal: Grisons meat for starters, Beef as main course and Orange for dessert. Once again, a very good meal though my meat was once again a bit overcooked.

Food For Thought

Inspiration refill:

Who Can Name The Bigger Number?

Beavers will never look the same to me!

The Structural Antagonism Between Oral Pleasure And Health

As disappointing as this may sound to the reader, this post is not about oral sex but rather surprisingly about food (another form of oral pleasure). Has it ever occurred to you that most pleasurable food or dishes are usually not good for your health? Whether it is cholesterol-filled tasty sauce or rich nutrients, experiencing fine food at its climax is usually associated with the intrinsic notion of putting our health in a transient state of jeopardy. Refusing to acknowledge this fact can result in an increased risk of cardiovascular or metabolic diseases and hence premature death.

This leads to a rather profound question. Is our world or universe structured in a way that pleasure has to be linked with guilt or danger? Or do we, as human beings, find pleasure in risky behaviors? Should we see in this realization the essence of God or merely the perverted nature of our condition struggling to disavow the castration perpetuated by religion or education? Do we have to sin to experience transient happiness followed by prolonged guilt? Or was our universe so ill-conceived that most good things are bad for us?

The Case For Food Perversion

I am surprised to see that the concept of Food Perversion is not widely accepted for it is a growing concern for health authorities worldwide. Originating in the structural disavowal of health and nutrition concepts, people suffering from this condition (referred to food perverts in this post) are unable to experience satisfactory gustative pleasure in the absence of their fetish. The most common fetish associated with food perversion is hamburger or melted cheddar cheese. Food perverts will typically only eat meals consisting of hamburgers or anything associated with a melted cheddar cheese sauce. They need to be treated because their condition is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic complications. So let's all raise our voices for food perversion awareness!

Do Potatoes Make Sense?

I recently learned about a new dish called "Potatoes". The way I understand it is that in order to make so-called "Potatoes", one has to stick a lot of French fries together and then wrap them in a brown film so that it makes an ovoid shape. I am outraged by this practice. How could anyone be so senseless and cruel as to use such a beautiful and natural product as fries or cheese fries, strip them of their cheese and stick them together in this manner? In addition, I can't even fathom how disgusting this must taste. It certainly can't be as good as fries which are know to be the second best thing ever just right next to hamburgers. So, if you see potatoes (they should look like the picture below), just run for your life!

The Beauty Of Food Porn

I love to take pictures of food in the wild, i.e. without too much preparation or emphasis on perfection. That is the way it should be done for Beauty lies in the moment. To me, pictures of food surrounded by crumbs on a dirty plate are no more than an attempt at capturing the true essence of what we are as intelligent beings. This food, whether it be hamburgers or cheeseburgers (both being the essential bricks of matter in our universe), ends up in our cells and eventually becomes us. My pictures might be shocking and even qualify as "Food Porn" but they are real. So, if you continue to read this blog, consider this post as a warning and expect a lot more of those in the future.

Restaurant R - Strasbourg (France)

This restraurant has been opened for more than 4 years but we hadn't eaten there for at least 2 years. We used to very much like it but did not feel we were treated right on our last visit there 2 years ago.

We, however, decided to give it another try yesterday evening!

This 2 floor restaurant used to seat guests dining there on the upper level but apparently they don't anymore as there are, now, dining tables on the ground level. We started our evening with a drink at the bar and I was disappointed with the bartender that, obviously, was clueless when I ordered a "Grey Goose Dry Martini without Vermouth, shaken, with olives". He started pouring Grey Goose Vodka in a shaker than proceeded to add Vermouth (I managed to stop him right before he was about to pour it in the shaker). He then asked me: "you don't want any Vermouth ?" I replied that was what I meant when I said "without Vermouth" when I ordered. I went on, talking to my wife, and realized too late he was pouring Gin in the shaker that already contained Grey Goose Vodka. I mentioned the fact that I did not want any Gin. He then, reluctantly, started over. He poured Grey Goose Vodka in a shaker, shook the mix, and poured everything in a regular (non-Martini) glass with the ice cubes. It took a lot of energy on my part to explain AGAIN what I was expecting. I, hopefully, managed to have my drink in the end!

As our last bad experience there 2 years ago involved dry Martinis, I can only come to the conclusion that nothing has changed! I, however, was not expecting them to have a proper trained bartended there so I decided to erase this unfortunate start from my memory!

So let's talk about dinner!

We ordered their 9-course Kaiseki dinner with a bottle of red wine that we really like (2004 "The Footbolt" Shiraz). The Maitre D' right away mentioned that he thought this wine would not go well with the food we had ordered. I insisted because my wife and I knew that wine and had no problem combining it to our order. We were, then, informed that they actually did not have any left! The Maitre D', however, brought us a bottle of Australian Shiraz that we liked.

Food was good. I would say that some dishes are not subtle enough but overall, we ate well.

The setting was beautiful. So we can say that we spent a nice evening.

We were disappointed to learn that they don't accept American Express cards though!

All in all, we might go back there but I doubt it will be very soon!

GoH Restaurant - Sofitel Hotel - Strasbourg

This restaurant has been opened for a year. Its opening followed the end of the very much needed renovation that this Hotel has undergone.

I must say we were absolutely stunned with the setting.

The Sofitel Hotel in Strasbourg is really a great place. The contemporary design made us feel we were on vacation!

As we started our evening with drinks at their "Le Link" bar, we were, also, happily surprised to find there a trained bartender that fixed me a great Grey Groose Martini! A perfect start for a nice evening!

The food at the restaurant was very good! I had "Foie Gras" followed by a piece of lamb that was perfectly cooked!

They have a great selection of wines and carry foreign wines along with French wines.

Our friends and I shared a bottle of Monbazillac with our starters and we, then, ordered a bottle of 2004 "The FootBolt" Shiraz from Australia. Both wines were great and we were very pleased with our experience there!

We will go back!

http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/gb/sof/0568/fiche_restaurant.shtml

Umami Restaurant - Strasbourg (France)

My wife and I went to this relatively new restaurant in Strasbourg a few weeks ago and we were absolutely delighted with our dinner. We chose the tasting menu that comes with 4 glasses of wines. The combination of the wines and the inventive food was a must-go experience!

We'll definitely go back!


http://www.restaurant-umami.com/

Au Crocodile Restaurant - Strasbourg (France)

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of having dinner at the 2-star Michelin Restaurant "Au Crocodile" in Strasbourg. This restaurant had formerly 3 stars but has had only 2 for a few years.

I called to book a table 2 days in advance for a friday evening and was happily suprised to learn that they still had an available table. I mentioned over the phone that we had a gift certificate for a dinner for 2 (drinks included).

When we got there, we were disappointed to see that our table was not in the main (& beautiful) room but rather in a more simple and small room.

There were mostly young people seating in this room with a menu on each table which cover stated the menu they had chosen. I thought it was not a very nice & discreet idea since we could read that the people sitting in the table next to ours were having the promotional menu for young people. Who needs to know what people sitting at a different table have ordered or what their budget is ?

Anyway, service was not really up to par with the place. At the end of dinner, as we were the only ones remaining on our side of the room, there was no one to wait on our table and we basically had to wait 5 minutes to order another bottle of water.

The staff was, however, very nice when available.

As for the food, I must say that I had heard many people complaining about this place in the past months. We, on the other hand, were absolutely amazed with what we ate and must say the food was excellent.

I would still say without a doubt that "L'Arnsbourg" (Baerenthal) restaurant is better than "Au Crocodile". But the latter is without a doubt the best restaurant in Strasbourg.

Note: For an updated review of this restaurant, click here.

My Trip To Sao Paulo

Here I am posting on my blog from Brazil! This has been a very tiring trip!

Our first flight of the day was a domestic one to Paris-CDG where we were supposed to have a little more than an hour to enjoy the AF Business Class lounge before boarding our second flight to Sao Paulo (GRU).

It unfortunately didn't work out that way as our first flight was delayed and took off 1 hr 1/2 later than scheduled. This meant that, eventhough we were met by a car at the exit of our first flight, we still had to rush through terminals in order to make it on time!

We hopefully made it and eventhough our journey did not start off where it should have (AF Business Class Lounge), we did enjoy our flight.

Let me emphasize the fact that I have always been amazed by the quality of the food in business class aboard AF! My "foie gras" was very good. I then had some lamb which was almost perfectly prepared and followed by a nice selection of cheese! I also had good wines and champagne, as well as a pear "eau-de-vie" with my coffee!

A very nice meal which, in my experience, exceeds by far what I have eaten in Business Class aboard other carriers.

Our second meal was only ok though so not worth writing about!

After more than 11 hours in the air, we finally landed in GRU, only to find out that one of our bags hadn't arrived! This is the third time for me this year and a bit too much in my opinion, particularly considering it was on business class flights and that I am a Flying Blue Platinum member... The one bag that arrived hadn't been tagged with a priority label meant for business class passengers. This happens very often with Air France and is very annoying to say the least. How can they advertise benefits that they don't actually enforce?

Tapas Molecular Bar At The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Tokyo

My recent post about "L'Arnsbourg" brought back memories from my dining experience in Tokyo last March at the Tapas Molecular Bar which is located at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Tokyo.
It was a wonderful molecular dining experience with an impressive selection of small dishes. The Foie Gras cappuccino was wonderful. We also had carrot caviar and spaghettis made of Parmesan cheese.

We had the opportunity to taste the "miracle fruit" for dessert and it was a very intriguing experience!

A must-eat if you're in Tokyo!

L'Arnsbourg - Baerenthal (France)

My wife and I went to "L'Arnsbourg" yesterday evening to have dinner with our friends Bob & Franny.
We had a wonderful time and probably one of the best food experiences in our lives.

I will never forget the mustard ice-cream wrapped in crispy red cabbage as well as the potatoes & truffles cappuccino. The "solette" was absolutely delightful and so was the duck Foie Gras.
We had about 20 different dishes from their tasting menu and would recommend this place to anyone looking for creative food!

L'Arnsbourg does deserve its 3 Michelin stars!

http://www.arnsbourg.com/

Restaurants I like In Miami, Fl.

On a slightly lighter note, here's a list of great restaurants that I like in South Beach Miami:

- Sushi Samba: http://www.sushisamba.com/
- Vix Restaurant @ Victor Hotel
- Nobu @ The Shore Club
- The Blue Door @ Delano Hotel
- O Asian Grill
- Quattro
- Social @ Sagamore Hotel
- Barton G
- The Restaurant @ The Setai

My favorite hotel in Miami is definitely The Delano. Last month, my family and I stayed at The Setai & The Delano. The Delano is way cooler and has such a cool vibe...