This looks amazing doesn't it?! As a confirmed Francofile, foodie, food blogger, and world traveler, this photo signals "good food", "cheeses they hand picked", and possibly a really great restaurant experience in the restaurant that harbors this lovely "cheese cellar".
Ok, so here is what I learned. I swooned at seeing this cheese cellar at a restaurant in NYC. I made a point of returning soon thereafter for a meal. And I was really really disappointed. What happened?
I don't honestly know. I really don't want to tell you the name of the restaurant, but those of you who have been there will recognize it.
It had a menu to die for it you are yearning for a French brasserie menu in NYC. It was so perfect. All the dishes you would find on a brasserie menu in France.
So I ordered the Fish Soup (Soupe de Poissson). I shared a Cheese Fondue with my darling dining companion. We split other dishes. And with increasing dismay, we slogged our way through stuff that was boring, just not right, and plain not right.
Lesson to me: when I travel, even to a city I know like the back of my hand, ALWAYS read Yelp, Urbanspoon, and yes, even Zagat. Take the advice and real-time counsel of others into account.
We are now a circle of connectied palates traveling the globe sharing our experiences and our mistakes. No longer do we either read a guru, or follow blindly a guide, or even a celebrity. Why? Because now we can tap into real time minute by minute analysis from day to day and diner to diner and traveler to traveler. We feed each other information that is spot on because we expect the same back.
So my beloved and yearned for Soupe de Poissson? It was just awful. Red. Shouldn't be red but it was. Tasted like tomato paste. Ugh. And the yearned for Cheese Fondue allegedly made with real Gruyere? Oh, well, it was something like a balance between white processed cheese and maybe one slice of swiss thrown in and melted. Shame. I won't be going back anytime soon. That is, unless a Yelper or fellow blogger signal that it is time to go back.
Yelp + Urbanspoon are good for N.American travel, but you're outa luck once you bounce overseas. Tripadvisor's reasonably reliable if you're ok with trusted old restaurants in the midrange (not quite so hot for cutting edge eats or top shelf dining).
If it helps, I posted our "mental checklist" for choosing a restaurant when travelling over @ http://www.jetsetwhitetrash.com/how-to-pick-a-restaurant-when-travelling/ ... bit tongue-in-cheek but serves us well ;)
Posted by: Jet Set | 01/28/2012 at 11:23 AM