see my 3/3/13 reply.(alt.)

Birthday brunch - Exec. chef Rachel Klein's menu sounds fascinating, but unfortunately she was not there today. Sitting in chef David went so heavy on the cumin we had to send back the egg white frittata. The shakshouk was way overspiced, so was disappointing as well. Just our luck to be there on the wrong day. Ambiance and service were excellent. I'd go again to try the interesting recipes, but would call first to verify who's cooking.

We also lunched there shortly after visiting Turkey, and found it rather authentic. Interesting menu, though limited. I was able to indulge an acquired taste for sour cherry juice, which I found addicting, though they didn't have the ubiquitous pomegranate/ orange juice one finds there.

Thanks for the tip. Worth a trip across the river for that duck. Eggplant / garlic sauce appetizer was tasty, as well.

BBQ News! Yippee!
Brothers opened again in New Windsor/ Vails Gate last month, and is better than ever. Wings are the best, with ribs not far behind. Even better than Billy Joe's Ribworks down by the Hudson waterfront, (but they have beef, too). and Barnstormer in Highland Falls on 9W. The Bros. tell me they plan to offer big beef ribs soon. Prices up a bit (were low before), but so is quality. Haven't tried Roundup on Rte. 9, Cold Spring, yet.

Update! Just back from Cape Town, where I found DV Artisanal Chocolates -"from bean to bar". Rivals or surpasses Cluizel for richness and silkiness. Worth checking out their website.

Did your tour several years ago, and decided to visit Achaval- Ferrer, Bressia, Luca, and Escorihuela-Gascon (the latter to eat at Francis Mallman's 1884 for lunch, where he was manning the huge grill). We booked a driver (Pedro Queroga (sp?) thru The Vines of Mendoza. He was very knowledgeable, and had a big new car. I forget the cost (?$100), but he was worth it. Told him where we wanted to go, and in what order. These vineyards were great choices. The best Malbec, to our surprise, was the Luca ($70), followed by Bressia's Conjuro. Achaval- Ferrer's Finca Altamira was excellent, but not at twice the price, and the Gascon was quite serviceable at $10.
With your experience, you may not need the high end tasting at Vines of Mendoza, which didn't include these vineyards, and wasn't as good quality as these wines, but is worthwhile for a novice.
Mendoza is much closer to Stellenbosch quality than Pomerol/ St. Emilion, but worth the visit.
Argentina's a great country to visit. Hope you'll have time for Iguazu Falls, Bariloche, Perito Moreno glacier, and maybe even Ushuaia, for a Beagle dark beer. The tango palaces of BsAs are fun, and after a steak at Las Lilas, you must try the molecular Vineria de Gualtiero Bolivar. My only disappointment was the Teatro Colon, after a 10 year renovation.

Just tried a Mast Bros. Madagascar, and am quite unimpressed. Tastes quite bitter, way too much salt, and vastly overpriced. Doesn't compare to Michel Cluizel, available at Zabar's. Even the Scharffenberger (owned by Hershey) at Whole Foods is superior. Anyone tried Tcho from SF?

An interesting small but tastefully furnished place to try is La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar. I read that the chef trained in molecular cuisine with Ferran Adria (of the famed El Bulli in Spain). The 14 course tasting menu with a selection of wines runs about $100US, (as compared to over $500 in Spain). I'm not going to explain the menu, and doubt that I could, but IMHO about 1/3 was mind boggling, 1/3 just good, and 1/3 not that impressive. Well, it's not El Bulli or Per Se in NYC, but at least you don't have to reserve a year in advance (yet).

I tried the rib eye at La Cabrera, Las Nazarenas, La Brigada and Cabana Las Lilas. The latter was the only one with no gristle, but that's just my experience. Who cares if tourists like the place? I'm one.
Wanted to try lunch at El Obrero, but after 45 min. the taxi driver gave up, so we wound up at La Munich in Recoleta. Not great, but food was well made despite huge diner-like menu.
Steak surfeit? Try Dora on Reconquista (Microcenter) for fish as fresh as you'll get in town.

One nice thing about these posts is that there is always something to learn. In my case, if it helps someone to know they should verify beforehand the omakase cost, my post will have been worthwhile. It would be nice to know what amrx paid, as he had the same experience at Roppongi Jiro.

I was in Kanazawa, Kyoto and Kurashiki 3 weeks ago, and would like to recommend the Miyoshian in Kenrokuen (Kanazawa), if you're in the area, and Ryokan Kurashiki for traditional dining (hope the attached menu is legible). In Kyoto, I can't recommend either Minokochi Honten Takeshigero or Ashiya Steak Gero, regrettably. While the service was outstanding, having the chef cook bamboo shoots and beans for us seemed rather unimaginative even for traditional kaiseki. In the Ashiya, the cook waved a steak before us, saying it was Kobe, but not what cut. It tasted like an ordinary round, not even a filet. Absolutely no comparison to the unbelievable melt-in your-mouth Hidagyu we'd had in Takayama. I don't remember the name, but if you go down Honmachi dori from the Naka bridge, it's on your right just before Hirokoji dori. Lunch only (closos at 5).
The half hour wait looking at photos of Bill Clinton didn't do much for me, either. Call me picky.

I was in Kanazawa, Kyoto and Kurashiki 3 weeks ago, and would like to recommend the Miyoshian in Kenrokuen (Kanazawa), if you're in the area, and Ryokan Kurashiki for traditional dining (hope the attached menu is legible). In Kyoto, I can't recommend either Minocochi Honten Takeshigero or Ashiya Steak Gero, regrettably. While the service was outstanding, having the chef cook bamboo shoots and beans for us seemed rather unimaginative even for traditional kaiseki. In the Ashiya, the cook waved a steak before us, saying it was Kobe, but not what cut. It tasted like an ordinary round, not even a filet. Absolutely no comparison to the unbelievable melt-in your-mouth Hidagyu we'd had in Takayama. The half hour wait looking at photos of Bill Clinton didn't do much for me, either.
Whoops- didn't realize this thread is a year old. Guess I'll re-post it elsewhere.

Thanks for the Lupicia suggestion--nice one. Great link, too. My RyuGin photos aren't ready yet, but there they are!
Getting back to the thread, I also answered Four Seasons query of May 9 (see above).

No a la carte. Based on my photos, 4 or 5 sashimi, 9 or 10 sushi, 1 delicious tamago, nearly on par with Mizutani's. I don't mean to put S. Jiro food quality down in any way, but note AMRX concurs.

Amrx, you didn't say when you were there, but 2 wks. ago RyuGin was only offering a single menu at 23k yen and, while I found the look, smell and taste of everything to be superb, I did not get the molecular items and foie gras described in the Chowhound review, nor did I get the mango, peach and strawberry teas until I discreetly inquired whether they still offered them. What was your experience like?
I plan to attach photos after I convert them from NEF files.

I asked the hotel concierge to make reservations at all 4 by phone 1 mo. prior to my arrival in Japan. Admittedly, I only specified time and # persons. I assumed the price range based on other peoples writeups (see 4 seasons/ tokyo sushi/ chowhound, for example) and website, if any.

My situation, too, until 2 weeks ago. I can highly recommend Ginza Kyubei and Sushi Mizutani. You can't get Ginza Sukiyabashi Jiro unless you speak Japanese, and the Roppongi branch was excessively pricey at $100pp more than the others. I'd strongly suggest RyuGin (Roppongi) for a modern kaiseki like no other.

I ate dinner there (Roppongi Jiro) last week of April. Also Kyubei, RyuGin, and Mizutani. Food and yenwise, I would rank Jiro last among these admittedly great choices, and wish I could have tried Ginza branch. Total cost with 180ml daiginjyo sake 34,400 yen (Jiro), 24,000 (Kyubei, RyuGin), 20,000 (Mizutani). I questioned the bill, but chef suddenly forgot how to speak English. RyuGin, also in Roppongi, is in a class of its own!
Suggest you check out Exile Kiss' blog and review of Mizutani.