Review of my Paris local, before bistro was named world’s 11th best restaurant

I wrote this review of Le Chateaubriand for bloomberg in Feb 2007. Back then it was not yet the world’s 11th best restaurant, but merely the local bistro, albeit a magical one, in my Paris neighbourhood. The only thing “11th” about it was the arrondissement. [Read more...]

Bistro steak with Béarnaise sauce

steak in skilletParisian bistro chefs invariably prefer the sizzling sear of a frypan to that of a charcoal or wood-fired grill for their steaks. They’re after the reddish sheen mastered by chef Thierry Laurent at the marvelous Le Bistrot Paul Bert. To ensure your steaks have that same caramelised lustre without a burned pan-fried bistro steakor blackened taste, be sure to:

• First warm the steaks to room temperature.
• Use a nonstick skillet so not much oil and butter are required.
• Use an oil with a high smoke point, such as soybean (soya), grapeseed, peanut (groundnut) or canola (rapeseed).
• Add the butter to the pan just before the steaks, not giving it time to brown. [Read more...]