Market Street Kitchen - had dinner recently. They advertise that the new Chef is Matt Taylor who is from Noca and Michael Mina Nob Hill in LV. I have dined at both of these places many times and can say that the food at MSK is nowhere near the level of either of these. We had dbl Pork Chop, best entree, Niman Ranch Pork. Grits and kimchee served with Pork was good. Asked for some more grits to finish, and was served a portion of bland, unseasoned grits and charged $7 for the xtra. Orecchiette pasta was good flavor and texture but needs more rapini. Rotisserie chicken was dry and bland, tasted like it was cooked the day before and reheated. Dessert was a chocolate cake, small dry half cupcake portion, with two thick gloppy sauces smeared unattractively on the plate. Poor execution and not worth the $9 charge. I think it nice that they have experienced chefs like Robert McGrath and Matt Taylor associated with this restaurant, however neither of them were cooking during my visit, and the kitchen staff clearly has not been trained to prepare the food properly. Also noted was no visible presence of any manager. MSK tells a good story but it was amateur hour on the night I was there. No reason to return.

+1 for Mastros, great service and food. Cafe Bink has been a huge disappointment both times I was there. Terrible, inept service, long waits for food, really bad both times. Tiny portions of preciously arranged, mediocre, bland food. Have been to Binkley's and enjoyed it, hard to believe that Cafe Bink is under same owner/management. Can't imagine what is going on at Cafe Bink but no reason to go here.

Bouley lunch last week, second visit, DB was indeed cooking. Fantastic meal, lots of extras, stunning technique and lux ingredients in every dish. My favorite place for lunch in Manhattan.

was at Dominique Ansel last week, wow everything was great as you described...nice kouign amann. Nice neighborhood and seating in the back. IMHO the Macaroons were much better than Payard. Bouchon was good as always, daughter loves the "larger" sized macaroons at Bouchon.

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Funny thing is, nostalgia is a seductive liar. For me, many of the hottest restaurants of the past, are not nearly as interesting or good as what is offered today.
I have watched the local dining scene evolve and greatly improve over the last 5 years.
The quality of ingredients, and the skill set of the culinary workforce is unsurpassed. Change is a good thing, it brings in new ideas and POV.... "you can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time".

was there in October, big disappointment. The smoked Meat did not have much flavor, the restaurant was very dirty and unpleasant.

+1 for Bourbon Steak...2 visits and always good

We really enjoyed The Parlour Pizzeria. Great appetizers and salads, very creative and using fresh seasonal ingredients. Pizzas (crust) were cooked spot on, again with well crafted, unusual combinations of fresh ingredients. Been to many of the others mentioned and Parlour is top of my list.

M. Le Squer prepares your meal:
http://www.youtube.com/user/wbpstarscom#p/u/19/5ViT_jzxcxM
http://www.youtube.com/user/wbpstarsc...

Thanks for your detailed review of The Modern, we are heading there this weekend

Bourbon Steak is tops no contest ...been there many times and always great

Thanks to all for outstanding information.
One last question:
do you eat these cheeses (epoisse, vacherin, comte) with any particular type of bread or cracker? or just straight up with a spoon like pudding?
I will be in town next week MTW and looking forward to cheese tasting...anyone interested in joining lmk...thanks

Thanks to all for the great info....DLC what is the price range for Epoisse and Comte in Paris? Is it priced by the Euro/kg ? I see a small round of Epoisse selling at Whole Foods in US for around $35 US . I'm coming over next week.

Curious about the protocols for purchasing cheese in Paris Shops like Cantin or Dubois. I love cheese, don't know that much about it, and have never purchased at a Cheese Shop in Paris.
Is the "sampling" of cheese customary before purchasing, as it is done in some US shops? Will the Vacherin Mont d'Or be in season in early October? I am also interested in Epoisse and Comte. Is it possible to purchase small amounts of these cheeses? Is there a minimum to purchase ie. 100g? Thanks in advance for feedback and advice.

We went to both JG Steak and Bourbon Steak this year for restaurant week. My opinion is that Bourbon Steak is in a league of its own. The quality of the ingredients, skillfull preparation, excellent service and ambiance all add up to great experience and value. Service miss fires at JG Steak, and quality of ingredients is not in same league as Bourbon Steak.

hey man the '60s weren't all bad....we had a blast on the left coast !

how is the foie gras prepared at Dumonet ?

Tony and Eric Ripert visit places below, also nice segments with Joel Robuchon

La Quincave
Frenchie
Le Tete Dans Les Olives
Je Thé...me
Les Cocottes de Christian Constant
Le Comptoir
Le Chateaubriand
Le Jeu de Quilles
Marie-Anne Cantin
L’Atelier

Hugo Desnoyer Boucherie
Les Papillons
Marx Food Lab

this is a joke no?

Best Restaurant in Phoenix is NOCA....,,great food and service.

Michael Mina American Fish at City Center

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Michael Mina Restaurant
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

to upgrade an electric cooktop in areas of no natural gas..., , install an "Inductuction Cooktop". Induction cooking is now "de rigueur" in top restaurants....precision cooking, more efficient method of cooking...very clean sealed cooking surface.

agree 100% with shortstop. I have been twice and it has been a great party each time. The fun, friendly service, the suprises, and the desserts are over the top.

I really enjoyed George Blanc's Le Splindide in Lyon...you are also close to legendary dining Roanne, Vonnas, Collonges, and Mionnay...

thanks for recs...I plan on trying Red Kimchi this weekend. Are there any menu items in particular that you recommended, or do not recommend ordering?

Can anyone recommend really good Korean restaurants in Phoenix? ...I am new to Korean cuisine would like to try it.

I tried to go to Maxim today (Sunday), but appears they are closed today,,no one answered when I called in. Does anyone know the hours of operation for Maxim?...thanks

Just noticed that Troigros have updated and redesigned their website. Very nice with many beautiful and historic photographs....definitely worth a look
http://www.troisgros.com/

hmmm.....next visit I suggest that you leave the Peugeot at home, and drive the Bentley