O BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) uma das soluções para a mobilidade sustentável precisa de várias integrações para ter viabilidade. “Além de um trabalho conjunto entre o operador, o fornecedor e o gestor, é preciso que o sistema ofereça informações claras aos usuários sobre o trajeto e horários e utilize a opção do pré-pagamento das passagens”, destacou Gustavo Rossi Nogueira, especialista em sistema BRT da área de Marketing de Produto Ônibus da Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, durante a Convenção Mobilidade Sustentável na Renovação Urbana, organizada pela Michelin e pela CTS (Centro de Transporte Sustentável), que acontece hoje no Rio de Janeiro.

O sistema BRT é considerado um projeto bastante viável para o setor de transporte, pois tem capacidade para 43 mil passageiros por hora e pode ser implantado com maior rapidez. O seu custo é avaliado em US$ 10 milhões, segundo Nogueira. “Em relação ao sistema ferroviário, que exige aporte de US$ 40 milhões para ser implementado, ainda é mais barato”, comparou o engenheiro da Mercedes-Benz.

Para facilitar a capacitação de recursos pelo setor de transporte, o Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Social (BNDES) já estuda formas para facilitar o acesso ao crédito, com o alongamento do prazo de financiamento. “O prazo que antes era de 10 anos já subiu para 15 anos e, agora, o banco avalia a possibilidade de esticar o tempo de financiamento para 30 anos e destinar o recurso para melhorar a infraestrutura e a inovação”, afirmou Charles Marot, gerente do departamento de Desenvolvimento Urbano do BNDES. Ele informou que no início de 2010 o banco fechará um convênio com a Agência Nacional de Transportes (ANTP).

“É preciso fomentar a participação do setor privado nos investimentos, tendo em vista a escassez de recursos públicos. Também é necessário melhorar a gestão dos sistemas de transporte urbano e metropolitano”, destacou Marot.

Carlos André Rodrigues, gerente de Produto em Saneamento e Infraestrutura Urbana da Caixa Econômica Federal, comentou que o financiamento para o setor público continua sob as regras de contingenciamento de crédito estabelecido pelo Conselho Monetário Nacional (CMN) por meio da Resolução 2827. “O PAC abriu recursos para habitação e saneamento ambiental e isso implica na necessidade de liberar recursos para a mobilidade urbana”, disse Rodrigues.

Veja esta e outras notícias sobre a Convenção Mobilidade Sustentável na Renovação Urbana, que acontece hoje e amanhã, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, no site
www.riomobilidadesustentavel.com.br/pt/salaimprensa.asp

A preocupação com o aquecimento global é um assunto que preocupa todos os segmentos da economia mundial. Mas é o setor de transporte que exige um olhar mais atento, segundo Susana Kahn Ribeiro, secretária de Mudanças Climáticas do Ministério do Meio Ambiente. “Fora o desmatamento, o setor de transporte é o que emite maior índice de poluentes na atmosfera”, declarou Susana Kahn, durante a Convenção Mobilidade Sustentável na Renovação Urbana, organizada pela Michelin e pela CTS (Centro de Transporte Sustentável), que acontece hoje no Rio de Janeiro.

Segundo a secretária do Ministério do Meio Ambiente, para evitar que a temperatura do planeta ultrapasse em mais 2 graus até o final deste século, o que poderá acarretar sérias consequências como as rupturas climáticas, é preciso uma ação rápida, com o engajamento de todos os países. “Hoje estamos emitindo cerca de 45 bilhões de toneladas de CO2 por ano”, alertou Susana Kahn. “Se nada for feito chegaremos em 2030 com uma concentração de 70 bilhões de toneladas de CO2, um volume que elevará em mais 2 graus a temperatura do planeta”.

Susana Kahn destacou que os países desenvolvidos devem reduzir de 25% a 40% as emissões de poluentes em 2020 em relação a 1990 e os países em desenvolvimento precisam diminuir o ritmo de crescimento de suas emissões. “Para estabilizar em até 450 ppm (considerado um índice de segurança) a concentração de CO2 no planeta é preciso reduzir substancialmente as emissões até 2020, pois quanto mais tarde começarmos a controlar o nível de emissões maior terá que ser o esforço no futuro, além de se ter um custo mais elevado”, disse.

Segundo a secretária do Ministério do Meio Ambiente, o setor de transporte pode contribuir para este esforço, com medidas tecnológicas e com foco no veículo e no combustível. “A questão não é saber como as pessoas vão se locomover no futuro. O uso do automóvel precisa ser mais bem equacionado. Esse é o desafio”, completou.

Veja esta e outras notícias sobre a Convenção Mobilidade Sustentável na Renovação Urbana, que acontece em 25 e 26 de novembro, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, no site
www.riomobilidadesustentavel.com.br/pt/salaimprensa.asp

La guia Roja del Michelin ha salido i la gastronomía catalana fue sin duda la gran triunfadora de la noche. Se llevó una constelación de estrellas y no perdió ninguna.

Los hermanos Roca (Joan, Josep y Jordi), que regentan el restarurante Celler de Can Roca, celebran entrar en el club de los tres estrellas Michelín /   Agustí Encesa

“Han sido días en los que la sensibilidad estaba a flor de piel –afirmaba Joan Roca– días en que todo ha sido exagerado. Hemos recibido tantas muestras de cariño y admiración que hoy me siento inmensamente feliz tanto por el premio al trabajo que hacemos los tres hermanos como por todas las personas que durante tanto tiempo han pedido este reconocimiento que llega en un año para nosotros inolvidable”.

Además de las tres de Can Roca, le cayó la segunda al Lasarte del hotel Condes de Barcelona, a cargo de Martin Berasategui, y al Les Cols, en Olot (Girona).

Con una estrella fueron premiados el Enoteca del hotel Arts, regentado por Paco Pérez; el Bo.Tic, en Corsà (Girona); la Fonda Xesc, en Gombrèn (Girona) y el Torreó de l Índa, en Xerta (Tarragona). El catalán Ramon Freixa ganó su primera estrella en su nuevo restaurante de Madrid. En el resto de España se llevaron dos estrellas el madrileño La Terraza del Casino, del chef Paco Roncero y asesorado por Adrià (que suma ya siete) y Casa Marcial, en Arriondas (Asturias).

***  - 3 estrellas 2010 Michelin – 3 stars 2010 Michelin – 3 étoiles Michelin 2010:

Akelarre de Subijana  - Arzak de Juan Mari Arzak en San Sebastián; Martín Berasategui , de Berasategui en Lasarte - El Bulli de Adrià en Roses - Can Fabes de Santi Santamaría en Sant Celoni – Sant Pau de Carme Ruscalleda de Sant Pol de Mar – El Celler de Can Roca en Girona .

Con la nueva máxima puntuación para El Celler de Can Roca España pasa a tener siete triestrellados, desempatado ahora con cuatro catalanes y tres vascos. Como dice Adrià, “hace mucho que es un tres estrellas”. Premiar a los Roca es premiar a una de las familias más queridas en el entorno gastronómico. “No sé cómo somos –confesaba anoche Joan–. Pero sé que la gente nos quiere. Quizá porque crecimos en un barrio obrero, en una casa humilde de las afueras de Girona y no hemos olvidado nunca quiénes somos ni de dónde venimos”.

Viva España, Visca Catalunya i Viva la gastronomia !

IVO

Una buona, anzi ottima, notizia arriva dopo quella meno buona di ieri: i fratelli Roca di Girona con il loro Celler ottengono finalmente (era ora) la terza stella Michelin. Andai la prima volta a cena dai Roca 9 anni or sono, con Bob e Giorgio, e fu già allora un’esperienza memorabile. Sono molto felice per loro.

Tra gli altri risultati spagnoli spiccano: la seconda stella a Casa Marcial di Arriondas (Asturias), al Lasarte de Barcelona (ma come: lo chef è andato via mesi fa!), La terraza del Casino (Madrid), e Les Cols (Olot). La perde invece il Tristán, di Portals Nous (Mallorca).

Ottengono la prima Etxebarri, il mitico asador di Axpe (Vizcaya), che di stelle ne meriterebbe un firmamento, l’Enoteca dell’Hotel Arts de Barcelona, L’Estación di Cambre (A Coruña), M.B. di Guía de Isora (Tenerife), Bo.Tic di Corça (Girona), Julio Fontanar dels Alforíns (Valencia), La Fonda Xesc Gombrèn (Girona), Cocinandos a León, La Broche (Madrid), Diverxo (Madrid), Kabuki Wellington (Madrid), Ramón Freixa (Madrid), As Garzas a Malpica (A Coruña), La Cabaña de la Finca Buenavista (Murcia), Alejandro di Roquetas del Mar (Almería), Torreó de L’India de Xerta (Tarragona).

Perdono la stella il Kursaal de San Sebastián, Il Gallery Arts & Food de Gijón, Lillas Pastia di Huesca, il Chaflán de Madrid, il Solar de Puebla di Santa Cruz De Bezana (Cantabria), il Read’s di Santa María del Camí, (Mallorca), la Taberna de Rotilio di Sanxenxo (Pontevedra) e Alejandro del Toro (Valencia).

Hoy hemos tenido buenas noticias para la Restauración de León, ya que uno de los restaurante de nuestra ciudad ha sido galardonado con el premio más alto, una estrella Michelín. Felicidades a Yolanda y a Juanjo por ese honor y por estar entre los grandes cocineros de España.

FELICIDADES COCINANDOS

Ja, da var vi halvveis i uka. Og det er kort vei til helgen Det er deilig. Da skal det pyntes til jul og julegavene skal kjøpes inn. Blir godt å bli ferdig med dem

I dag har jeg lagt vekk en søple sekk med jakker vi ikke bruker, er det mulig å ha så mye shit? Men gangen ble endelig oversiktlig igjen

Nå sitter jeg her å surfer på nettet, og burde egentlig bruke tiden Kristian sover på til noe fornuftig. Men når man føler seg som denne karen her:

Da har man ikke lyst til å gjøre så mye. Og regnet høljer ned ute i dag også, og da blir man SUR Men men… Dette er listen jeg skal gjennom føre i dag: (stryker ut etter som det blir gjort)

* Rydde spisestua

* Putte vasken i tørketrommelen

* Sette på ny vask

* Vaske kjøkkenet

* Rydde på badet

* Re opp sengen

* Rydde videre i gangen

Oggi è stata presentata la Michelin 2010. Ci saranno osservazioni e commenti vari. Ne faccio solo uno.

Ho guardato la pagina 995, Siena, e sono rimasto di stucco scoprendo che è stata tolta la stella a Lopriore. Per me uno dei migliori cuochi del mondo.

Autogol. Un minuto di silenzio.
Viva Il Canto!

1st Course: Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad
Daniel, New York

I was young, both figuratively and literally, the first time I ate at Daniel. That was five years ago.

My friend and I were treated like the dishwasher’s stepchildren.

I exaggerate, of course. But Daniel was clearly a place for fancy pants that I’ll never get to wear.

Service aside, Daniel’s food wasn’t very memorable. I mean, for the small hill of cash we laid down, we shouldn’t have walked out of the restaurant with holes in our stomachs. Hue and I walked back up to his place on 85th and stopped in at the Hot ‘n Crusty for some giant, fresh-out-of the oven cookies for a satisfying midnight snack.

2nd Course: Butter-Poached Abalone
Daniel, New York

I still have my menu from that night.  Hue and I saw upwards of ten plates between the two of us, and all I remember was the gingerbread-crusted terrine of foie gras and a lovely duo of beef (which, if I’m not mistaken, is a standard menu item).

Older and just a smidge wiser (cynical?), I figured it was time for me to give Daniel another chance. I borrowed my mother’s birthday as an excuse.

My reservation and dinner-planning with the staff got off to somewhat of a rocky start. Thankfully, those issues were resolved in due course.

And our dinner, too, launched on a wobbly foot.

Daniel, New York

Judging by our 10-minute wait with no water, no bread, and barely a greeting, the kitchen and the front of the house (or at least the captains) seemed to be in the weeds.

Water arrived. We waited.

Another ten minutes later, our menus arrived. Thankfully, they matched the menus posted online, which helped expedite the ordering process.*

Service smoothed out after that first half hour, though pacing with the first two courses was noticeably stretched.

We ordered the 3-course prix fixe ($105) and supplemented two dishes apiece. We also selected from the cheese cart (normally a $24/$31 supplement, this course was taken off our bill for reasons not explained to us). And the kitchen sent out an extra dessert.

CLICK HERE to see all of the photos from this meal. Or, click on the course titles for the individual photos.

-

Amuse Bouche
Salted Cod with Squash
Squash Puree with Aged Balsamico
Kabocha Squash with Candied Prosciutto

1st Course
Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad
Celery, Walnut Oil, and Granny Smith Sauce.

Olive Oil-Poached Cod “En Salade”
Artichoke Purée, Anise Hyssop Dressing, Lemon Zest.

2nd Course
Maine Sea Scallop “Rosette”
Fennel Marmalade, Orange, Saffron Velouté

Butter-Poached Abalone
Yellow Curry Braised Greens, Crispy Rice, Chayote.

3rd Course
Turbot Baked on Himalayan Salt
Root Vegetables, Ommegang Abbey Ale and Gingerbread Sauce.

Slow-Baked Dover Sole with Smoked Peppers
Fall Squash, Barberries, Brown Butter Chicken Jus.

4th Course
Foie Gras-Stuffed Scottish Grouse
Celery, Caramelized Salsify, Beets, Walnut-Calvados Jus.

Wild Scottish Hare a la Royale
Porcini Marmalade, Sunchoke, Chestnuts. ($11 supplement)

5th Course
A selection from the cheese cart.

6th Course
Roasted Black Mission Figs
Caramelized Walnuts, Sheep’s Yogurt Sorbet.

Sake-Glazed Plums
Almond Biscuit, Orange Mousse, Mirabelle Sorbet.

Madeleines

Petits Fours

-

Amuse Bouche: Salted Cod with Squash
Daniel, New York

Jean-François Bruel has been with Daniel Boulud since 2001, when he started as a sous chef at Cafe Boulud under Andrew Carmellini. In that same year, Bruel moved on to open db bistro modern as the chef de cuisine. After three years there, he moved up to the flagship, where he has since earned the title of Executive Chef.

For the most part, Bruel’s cooking is good. But it’s not exciting.

More problematic, some of it isn’t properly executed.

3rd Course: Slow-Baked Dover Sole
Daniel, New York

My mother’s “Slow-Baked Dover Sole” – mistakenly served to me – was overcooked.

I had Dover sole prepared almost identically (with different accompaniments) at Alex at the Wynn earlier this summer.

Whereas Alex’s rolled cigar of fish was evenly and completely coated with a crisp, golden nut crust, the one at Daniel was largely denuded of its crust, a fragment of which clung to one side.  (A simple exercise: compare the Alex version to the Daniel version.)  Whereas the sole at Alex was delicate and fine, the exposed surface of the fish at Daniel had clearly been exposed to too much heat, or had sat under a salamander for too long – it was tough and a touch dry.

4th Course: Wild Scottish Hare a la Royale
Daniel, New York

Reminiscent of cream of mushroom soup, the rich, stew-like mix consisting of porcini mushrooms and chunks of the darker and tougher cuts of hare meat in my highly anticipated “Wild Scottish Hare à la Royale” was unnecessarily over-salted.  That stew was sandwiched between two discs of pasta – an open raviolo of sorts – and topped by two medallions of loin meat, brunoise of sunchoke, shaved porcini, a roasted shallot, and slab bacon. The carefully assembled stack, surrounded by a moat of civet sauce,** was barely recognizable as my beloved lievre à la royale. Like many of Bruel’s plates, it was overwrought.

The plating style at Daniel is incredibly intricate. The number of components and minute garnishes tweezered onto each plate boggles the mind. Micro herbs balance, just so. A dab of something here and a brunoise of another thing over there. A dash of powder on the side. And sauce – don’t forget the sauce – is drizzled table-side around it all.  I got tired just looking at it all.

4th Course: Foie Gras-Stuffed Scottish Grouse
Daniel, New York

There’s no doubt that Bruel’s technique is quite impressive.  His checkered terrine of foie gras (a signature Daniel dish that I happened to first encounter at the James Beard Awards a couple of years ago) is exemplary of his skills as a classically trained chef.  But one wonders if time would be better spent focusing on perfecting a fewer number of elements.

The excessively fussy plating aside, the majority of our meal was quite good.

The “Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad,” which featured two cannelloni made with tissue-thin green apple shavings and stuffed with a lightly dressed crab salad, was refreshing. It was my mother’s favorite dish.

1st Course: Olive Oil-Poached Cod “En Salade”"
Daniel, New York

The daringly under-cooked scallopine of cod in my “Olive Oil-Poached Cod ‘En Salade’” were exquisite.  Tender as the day is long, they melted in the mouth.  I was initially taken aback by the tepid temperature. I was expecting it to be warm.  But after a couple of bites, it became very clear that this temperature was absolutely correct.  The very essence of Provence, the fish was dressed with a fragrant anise-hyssop dressing shot through with lemon and just a touch of heat.

The “Foie Gras-Stuffed Scottish Grouse” was excellent as well. There wasn’t much foie gras, but this grouse didn’t need it – it was tender, juicy, and robust.

If there was one knock out dish, it was the “Turbot Baked on Himalayan Salt.”  The baking process had miraculously coaxed out the gelatinous quality of the fish, rendering the two, flat filets extremely delicate, almost custard like.

3rd Course: Turbot Baked on Himalayan Salt
Daniel, New York

Though the servers had inadvertently swapped my fish with my mother’s, they failed to swap the sauces.  So, although the turbot was supposed to come with an ale and gingerbread sauce, it got the brown butter chicken jus. It was a pretty fantastic mistake. That delicious sauce tied the fish and the assorted root vegetables (salsify, parsnip, etc.) up in a tidy, comforting, and homey bundle of flavors.

That ale and gingerbread sauce, unintentionally poured over the sole, went well with the squash-heavy theme (pumpkin, kabocha, etc.) in that dish as well.  In an unexpectedly delicious way, it was like eating a savory pumpkin pie.

2nd Course: Maine Sea Scallop “Rosette”
Daniel, New York

The hiccups with our fish and meat courses aside, our second course presented the least compelling dishes. Both the “Maine Sea Scallop ‘Rosette’” and the “Butter-Poached Abalone” were overwhelmed by their sauces, which were applied in thick order.

While the saffron velouté was delicious, together with the thick layer of fennel marmalade underneath the thin slices of scallops, it completely obscured the character of all else.

The beefy flavor of the abalone managed to barrel through its rich blanket of curry cream. But the star in this dish – served in an abalone shell – was the underlying bed of tender braised greens.  Though it wasn’t necessarily tough, the abalone could have been a touch more tender.  If there were crispy rice and chayote in this dish (as the menu indicated), I certainly overlooked them.

Cheese
Daniel, New York

You’d never know we were mending a broken economy by the way the restaurant looked.  Both the lounge and dining room were packed.  And although a few tables in the dining room sat empty between services, their reservations arrived promptly to fill them back up.

Service wasn’t as brusque as last time.  But it was a touch aloof – unintentionally smug?  And I’m still having problems understanding the waitstaff’s version of English.  At least this time, it was categorically franglais, which I can understand.  I have no idea what kind of English was being spoken last time.

Daniel, New York

A brief word on the new interior design: His name is Adam Tihany, and he likes circles.  Lots of them.

Daniel, when I last left it, was choked with red velvet. Now it’s etched and hung with circles. If I thought that light fixtures at Jean Georges looked like a flying saucer convention, the mother ship hovers over Daniel’s dining room.  Its spiraled sister holds court over the new Aureole.

I can’t say I like what Mr. Tihany did with Daniel.  While he certainly succeeded in modernizing the interior, I can’t say I think he improved it.  He certainly didn’t simplify it.  The dining room is fraught with discordant colors and shapes.  The “centerpiece” that sits against the back wall (you face it as you walk into the dining room) – a shelf of flower vases and decorative glassware – looks like my desk after I’ve tried to tidy it: organized chaos.

The layout of the room really hasn’t changed much. I would like to think they’ve removed some tables.  But I can’t be sure.  All I know is that I would not want to sit anywhere on the balcony west of the entrance to the dining room.

Cheese Cart
Daniel, New York

The tables along the western balustrade – though framed by a stunning, floor-to-ceiling wine rack encased in glass – seemed to be the landing strip for the kitchen. That corridor also seemed to be quite narrow – making accessibility for the cheese cart questionable.

For diners seated in the sunken center area of the dining room, the cheese cart is manually lowered (and lifted) by two servers.

The cheese selection at Daniel is quite solid. Mostly imported and dominated by French cheeses, it’s definitely one of the finest carts in New York City.  We selected four French – two tommes, a Comté, a soft l’Abbaye de Tamié – and one Italian cheese, the Brunet.***

6th Course: Sake-Glazed Plums
Daniel, New York

Our desserts were very good.

Although Dominique Ansel’s pastries are every bit as carefully constructed as his counterpart’s savory dishes, they don’t seem nearly as busy.  His plating is clean and crisp, and so are the flavors.  The various components all work toward one unifying flavor profile.

My “Roasted Black Mission Figs,” glazed with red wine and garnished with caramelized walnuts, was dark and serious whilst my mother’s “Sake-Glazed Plums,” with a bright mirabelle sorbet and airy orange mousse, was lighthearted and refreshing.  Very different from each other, both were very good.

6th Course: Roasted Black Mission Figs
Daniel, New York

The kitchen also sent out a bonus chocolate dessert as a birthday gift for my mother.  It was very well-made, but no more or less than just another chocolate dessert.

Based on my two visits, I simply don’t understand how Jean-Luc Naret’s underlings could possibly have visited eight times and deemed Daniel worthy of three stars.  According to Naret, “When you arrive at three stars, [the restaurant] must be excellent all the time.”

I’ve been to Daniel twice, and neither experience would I categorize as excellent.

This last visit was a touch better if only because the service was a little warmer. But it was far from perfect.

Petits Fours
Daniel, New York

Mistakes like inadvertently swapped dishes (worse, sauces!) shouldn’t happen at the three-star level.  At a large eight-top next to us, servers tried to  put down desserts with no silverware.  The desserts retreated – not all the way to the kitchen, but rather to the side, ice creams amelting – while back waitstaff scrounged for utensils.  And when we left the restaurant – albeit late (but by no means last) – we found a group of servers sitting in the lounge shooting the breeze with each other.  One of them, a notably young gent who had greeted us when we arrived, had the decency to stand up and bid us good-bye.

Service aside, the food wasn’t uniformly excellent.  Their bread could be warmer, or at least not cold.  Not that I expect there to be a bread oven on the lower shelf of the cheese cart, but it always makes me die a little on the inside when I see pre-sliced bread being kept and served from there. They might want to check the cooking of their sole and the seasoning in their lievre. And to be quite honest, I was a little surprised to see two of our amuse bouches recycled onto the sole dish.  Delicious, sure, but a bit unimaginative.

Perhaps not wiser, I’m reassured that I am older and still cynical.  Oh, and few hundred dollars lighter.

Daniel
Executive Chef Daniel Boulud
Chef de Cuisine Jean Francois Bruell
60 East 65th Street
New York, New York 10065
212.288.0033

*** Michelin

Warm Madeleines
Daniel, New York

* In addition to the menus posted online, there is an additional list of “daily specials” offered at the table.  Among the dishes that night was a smoked salmon first course and a couple of white truffle offerings (supplements offered in various amounts).

** Although traditionally, civet sauce for lievre a la royale is made from the blood of the jugged hare, its importation is prohibited by the clean freaks in our government.  For various reasons, it’s nearly impossible for the restaurant to obtain.  Besides, it doesn’t make the smoothest sauce.  As I surmised (confirmed with the server), Daniel uses pig’s blood instead of hare’s blood, which easier to obtain and results in a smoother product. When I first asked our server, he seemed hesitant to admit it.  But once I reassured him that I was quite comfortable with that concept, he seemed almost overjoyed to tell me I was right.

*** The cheeses were fine, but the Brunet was exceptional; it was my favorite.v

Dom w Burgundii na sprzedaż, cena okazyjna

Marc Atkins, brytyjski fotograf, autor zdjęć do albumu Warszawa, wystawił na sprzedaż swój dom w Burgundii. Więcej informacji i zdjęcia pod adresem www.forsalehousefrance.com

Restauracja Amber Room, Pałacyk Sobańskich, Aleje Ujazdowskie

Restauracja niegdyś przeznaczona tylko dla członków Polskiej Rady Biznesu jest obecnie otwarta dla szerokiej publiczności. Szef kuchni, Wojciech Modest Amaro, terminował u Ferrana Adrii i jako bodaj jedyny w Warszawie uprawia na poważnie kuchnię molekularną. Podczas niedawnej degustacji zaprezentował przegrzebki podane z kalafiorem, przyrządzonym na trzy sposoby, foie gras z buraczanym musem/sorbetem, nie wiem dokładnie, co to było, ale pyszne, krem z selera z jabłkowym kawiorem i ,,sferycznym raviolo”, również jabłkowym (zjawiskowy), oraz pieczoną w niskiej temperaturze przepiórkę z mini-kopytkami i zielonym groszkiem (obranym), która sprawiła mi dogłębną satysfakcję. Na deser był kozi sernik i leśne owoce, zmrożone przy stole ciekłym azotem, wszystko razem wyśmienite. Amaro nie ukrywa, że chce zdobyć gwiazdkę w przewodniku Michelina. Sądzę, że mu się taka gwiazdka należy, inna sprawa, czy ją dostanie, lecz nie to jest najważniejsze. Ważne jest to, ze póki jej nie dostanie, będzie stawał na głowie, żeby ją zdobyć. A ceny nie są wygórowane. Jak najprędzej przybywajcie…

Trufle w Rubikonie, Wróbla 3/5

W zasłużonej dla warszawskiej kultury gastronomicznej restauracji Rubikon są i będą do wyczerpania zapasów białe trufle piemonckie. Ze specjalnego menu truflowego próbowałem carpaccia z sarny oraz agnolotti z grana padano, oba dania proste i pyszne. Trufle są ucierane na tarce przy stole. Kosztują 18 złotych za gram (dwa gramy to już całkiem sporo jak na jeden talerz). Dolcetto i barbera od Russo celująco zdały truflowy egzamin. Zapas trufli nie jest duży, więc jak najprędzej przybywajcie…

Restaurant Nuance, in Duffel, krijgt van Le Guide Michelin een eerste ster. Nuance wordt ook getipt voor een tweede ster, volgend jaar. Ook La Luna van chef Dirk De Koninck krijgt een ster.

Onze recensie van Nuance lees je hier.
Recensie De Pastorale.
Recensie Dôme.
Recensie De Godevaart.

De Belgische Michelin-sterren 2009:

Alle sterrenrestaurants, Het Nieuwsblad, 23.11.2009.

Drie sterren

Brugge : De Karmeliet
Kruishoutem : Hof van Cleve

Twee sterren

Brugge – Dudzele : Danny Horseele
Brugge – Sint-Michiels : Hertog Jan (Nieuw)
Brussel : Sea Grill
Brussel : Comme Chez Soi
Éghezée – Noville-sur-Mehaigne : L’Air du Temps
Ellezelles : Château du Mylord (Nieuw)
Ieper – Elverdinge : Hostellerie St-Nicolas
Mol : ‘t Zilte
Opglabbeek : Slagmolen (Nieuw)
De Panne : Hostellerie Le Fox
Profondeville – Arbre : L’Eau Vive (Nieuw)
Reet : Pastorale
Tongeren – Vliermaal : Clos St. Denis

Een ster

Aalst : ‘t Overhamme
Antwerpen : ’t Fornuis
Antwerpen : Dôme
Antwerpen : La Luna (Nieuw)
Antwerpen – Boechout : De Schone van Boskoop
Antwerpen – Stabroek : De Koopvaardij
Barvaux : Le Cor de Chasse
Beaumont – Solre-St-Géry
Hostellerie Le Prieuré Saint-Géry
Berlaar : Het Land (Nieuw)
Berlare – Donk : Lijsterbes
Blankenberge : Philippe Nuyens
Blaregnies : Les Gourmands (Nieuw)
Bornem : Eyckerhof
Braine-l’Alleud : Jacques Marit
Brugge – centre/centrum : Den Gouden Harynck
Brugge – centre/centrum : Aneth
Brugge – centre/centrum : Sans Cravate
Brugge – Sint-Andries : Herborist
Brugge – Sint-Kruis : De Jonkman
Brugge – Zedelgem : Ter Leepe (Nieuw)
Brussel : L’Écailler du Palais Royal
Brussel – Tercamerenbos : La Truffe Noire (Nieuw)
Brussel – Anderlecht : La Paix
Brussel – Ganshoren : Bruneau
Brussel – Ganshoren : San Daniele
Brussel – Elsene : Marie
Brussel – Elsene : Bistrot du Mail
Brussel – Schaarbeek : Senza Nome
Brussel – Ukkel : Le Chalet de la Forêt
Brussel – Ukkel : Bon-Bon
Brussel – Ukkel : Le Passage
Brussel – Groot-Bijgaarden : Michel
Brussel – Huizingen : Terborght
Brussel – Strombeek-Bever : ‘t Stoveke
Charleroi – Montigny-le-Tilleul : L’Éveil des sens
Deerlijk : Marcus
Dendermonde : ‘t Truffeltje
Dendermonde : Fleur Sur L’Eau (Nieuw)
Dilsen : Hostellerie Vivendum
Dinant – Sorinnes : Hostellerie Gilain
Dranouter : In de Wulf
Duffel : Nuance (Nieuw)
Elewijt : Kasteel Diependael
Fauvillers : Le Château de Strainchamps
Gent : Jan Van den Bon
Gent : C. Jean
Haaltert : Apriori
Haasdonk : Clandestino
Hasselt : Aan Tafel bij Luc Bellings
Hasselt – Lummen : Hoeve St-Paul
Heure : Le Fou est belge
Hulshout : Hof ter Hulst
Huy : Li Cwerneu (Nieuw)
Izegem : La Durée
Kasterlee – Lichtaart : De Pastorie (Nieuw)
Keerbergen : The Paddock
Knokke-Heist – Albertstrand : Jardin Tropical
Knokke-Heist – Duinbergen : Sel Gris
Knokke-Heist – Heist : Bartholomeus
Knokke-Heist – Het Zoute : De Oosthoek
Kruishoutem – Wannegem-Lede : ’t Huis van Lede
Lavaux-Sainte-Anne : Lemonnier
Leuven – Heverlee : Arenberg
Leuven – Heverlee : Couvert couvert
Luik : Héliport
Mechelen : D’Hoogh
Mechelen : Folliez
Namen : Cuisinémoi
Namen : La Bergerie
Namen – Temploux : l’Essentiel (Nieuw)
Ninove : Hof ter Eycken
Noirefontaine : Auberge du Moulin Hideux
Paliseul : Au Gastronome
Pepinster : Hostellerie Lafarque
Pepinster – Wegnez : Hostellerie du Postay
Perwez : La Frairie
Reninge : ’t Convent
Roeselare : Bistro Novo
Sankt-Vith : Zur Post
Sint-Martens-Latem – Deurle : Orangerie
Soheit-Tinlot : Le Coq aux Champs
Tongeren : Magis (Nieuw)
Virton – Torgny : Auberge de la Grappe d’Or
Vrasene : Herbert Robbrecht
Waregem : ‘t Oud Konijntje
Zolder – Bolderberg : Prêt-à-Goûter (Nieuw)

A fabricante de pneus francesa Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin vai construir uma nova fábrica no Brasil, ao custo de centenas de milhões de dólares, informou o executivo-chefe da empresa, Michel Rollier, ao jornal francês La Tribune. A fábrica será construída em Resende, perto do Rio de Janeiro, e começará a produção em 2013, disse ele ao jornal.

Segundo Rollier, a fábrica permitirá que a Michelin “triplique sua capacidade” na região.

Ele também informou que a Michelin planejava um “projeto de investimento avaliado em US$ 800 milhões” para uma das fábricas da empresa na China.

Rollier disse a uma rádio francesa que a empresa tem agora como alvo o Brasil, a China e a Índia, prevendo que os mercados em países ocidentais não terão crescimento substancial.

A Michelin iniciou sua presença no Brasil em 1927, com um escritório comercial em São Paulo, e instalou a primeira fábrica em 1979, no Rio de Janeiro, para produção de pneus para caminhões e ônibus, segundo informações no site da Michelin Brasil. As informações são da Dow Jones.

I stop off for two nights in Avignon en route for the Côte d’Azur. It’s a long journey from Annecy, made all the longer by the cancellation of my planned train and thus a hiccup in subsequent connection. I begin to suspect reverse culture shock following Japan. There’s a connection I’m told twice doesn’t exist, but as the train pulls out of the relevant station, I can see it announced on the board. A three and a half hour journey takes seven. Oh well, the scenery is pleasant enough from Annecy down into Grenoble. Mountains, oh how pretty, then shanty towns around the edge of underpasses, people living in sheds, crap estates, actual France, not the picture postcard.

Avignon itself seems built in two parts. There’s the old walled part of the city and then there’s what is beyond it. I don’t enter the beyond during those two days. I go to the Palais des Papes, wander up and around Rocher des Domes, go for lunch at Le Grand Café. I’m not sure this is the place that my friends in Haute-Savoie referred to, they suggested going for lunch in a place inside a modern art gallery. Is this it? Probably not.

My great pleasure upon sitting down is that I’m facing a large portrait photograph of Romane Bohringer. Now, Romane and myself have something of a history. Not an actual history, a quite imagined history. Romane first came to my attention in 1992  with Les Nuits Fauves, one of the first French films that had HIV/AIDS as a central theme. The subject matter was quite French, the chief protagonist (played by writer/director Cyril Collard who died of an AIDS-related condition in ‘93) was apparently torn between his gay and straight natures as well as his irrepressible desires. Not to mention his impending death. Basically, it meant for most of the film he shagged whomever he wanted and didn’t take any responsibility for how his actions might affect others, in particular the entirely passionate and smitten Romane.

It’s alright for some, I possibly thought, here I am in bleak loveless London, whereas in an imagined France a man can act like an utter bastard and have no problem finding women of such calibre. Years passed and Romane would pop up in other French films from time to time. Since these were blissful times before the internet saturated us with information, when facts about French actresses were dependent on magazine and newspaper articles (and you might well miss an issue and the relevant mention), I knew very little about her.

Romane’s star was possibly most ascendant in the UK around the time of L’appartement in ‘96, a film in which Vincent Cassel makes the idiotic mistake of choosing Monica Bellucci over Romane Bohringer. Oh, but Monica Bellucci, you say… I imagine a life with Monica would be very demanding. Aside from maintaining her in the custom to which she is accustomed, every single day of life would mark some slight decline in her appearance. Let’s face it, she looks great (a supermarket melon perfection) but her acting isn’t up to much. Whereas Romane seem to me to be much more of an artist, she worked with Peter Brook at a young age and, what I’m quite fond of, is that she has some mole on the side of her nose that has remained throughout her career, unlike the airbrushed lad’s mag perfection of Bellucci.

My idealised attachment with Romane was at its strongest around this time. I was living in the countryside in Japan and the local video shop had a surprisingly well-stocked back catalogue of French cinema. Rural isolation encouraged a quite wholesome and teenage fascination with Romane and eventually I wrote a short story on my return to London in which she played the role of a guardian angel, whilst the main story was about a resurrected Mithraic cult that was attempting to gain absolute power. I haven’t read it in ages, if you’re lucky, which might not be that much, it would probably read like Dan Brown reworking Iain Sinclair.

So, trying to get back to food here, as I sat down opposite the photo of Romane, I was reminded of all this. Romane and myself started with a simple olive tart and then treated outselves to an ox-cheek daube. It’s possibly a bit ambitious, I think, we’re (no, hang on, I am…) booked in for dinner in the hotel restaurant. But ox-cheek daube is one of the few French dishes I cook with any regularity and I’m keen to gauge my efforts against this local version. Well, the restaurant’s is good, but my mine is better. Phew. I don’t grudge the dish we’re eating though. It’s quite delicious and everything is swimming along with a 50cl carafe of local Côtes du Rhône.

Romane doesn’t say much. She looks great though. She’s been positioned next to another portrait of Catherine Deneuve. There’s a contrast. The restaurant is fairly quiet, some 70’s French hits play in the background, the waiting staff are fairly underemployed, there’s a relaxed laziness to the place, although I presume it would be quite busy in the summer months outside. Romane particularly appreciates dessert. I’m fond of women who eat food and she wolfs down the rest while my attention is distracted by an outburst of birdsong. I take my coffee out on the terrace.

I wander back towards the hotel, buy a winter cap, three books (the catalogue for the 1992 Fassbinder werkschau, an anthology of Bizarre – a review produced the Collège de ‘Pataphysique in the 50’s and 60’s – and the French translation of Yumeno Kyusaku’s classic Dogra Magra. Back at the hotel, I snooze off and wake up to a retrospective on tv of Marina Abramovic. I must be in France, I think, to be watching this at 4pm. I loll around, take another walk and pop into second-hand bookshop where I pick up two English books: one about Victorian women travellers and the other what appears to be a small selection of writings about Beau Brummel. I can read that over dinner I think…

Dinner is at La Vieille Fontaine where the chef is Bruno d’Angelis. I look for hotels when I’m in England, there’s an inclusive offer of dinner in the online package. Oh, why not, I think. I don’t often stay in fancy hotels, I don’t want more than a clean room, a bath and an internet connection. Bruno has his star. I am only realising now on searching that in fact this is the restaurant where Keith Floyd lunches (and then snoozes) in the recent Keith Allen documentary!

I’m feeling a bit jaded myself after lunch. Dinner should probably be a cheese sandwich and an early night. Instead, I’ve a four course seasonal mushroom tasting menu. Here’s what I ate:

Well, that’s no good, you say. I have to squint quite severely to read a word of that. It’s not a consciously bad photo. It is a photo I take as I’m standing waiting for a taxi to take me to the station the following morning. Like the other photos in this entry, it’s taken with a slightly aged mobile phone at all of 2.0 megapixels. But then, given my comments before, I wonder whether there isn’t a space left for “bad” photography when it comes to food, or perhaps no photography at all. But then, surely the writing needs to be up to par, make the food come alive. My notes of the evening don’t really help here. They are mostly concerned with:

1. Disappointment over Brummel book. It occurs to me upon reading that Brummel didn’t spend his time in Paris buying automobiles. The book in question, whilst enjoyable in its own ephemeral way, is a 1930’s guide to Paris for rich Americans with pertinent suggestions as to where they should spend there dollars on perfumes, shirts, hats and such. It’s not enough of a book to sustain me through dinner. The only available conversation in the otherwise empty restaurant is in Danish from the couple sat next to me. She dissects her lobster with the enthusiasms of a forensic gynaecologist.

2. The chairs. Chairs that are neither high-backed or armchairs. Narrow enough to grasp you around the waist, arms not quite high enough to rest your limbs upon, but quite capable of crushing your jacket. Brummel wouldn’t approve. You try leaning back, no, not much support there. They probably cost a bit. They prevent any form of relaxation. Or escape.

3. Darkness. The restaurant is excessively dark. There’s a chandelier that could be turned on but isn’t. How much of this darkness is because of Europe’s recent proscription on incandescent lightbulbs? A dimming of the day. A vision of our own decline. Time, gentlemen please…

4. The food is good, but for a mushroom themed menu, I’d like to see more mushrooms! At €90, there seems to be a need to tick certain ingredients to justify the price. In order: mushroom themselves, scallops, lobster, beef. I’d have preferred to eat rare and expensive mushrooms and forget about the rest. The scallops remind me just how badly they were cooked at Chez Didi, the tisane des carapaces with the lobster is rather astonishing, but I’m not sure it’s exactly food. The one thing that I don’t like is the jus au Merlot with the beef. It’s reduced beyond necessity, or more pertinently, beyond the point where it’s enjoyable to eat, rather than just admire as a potential oil painting medium.

When I get to my friends the next day, he asks about the meal. In conversational shorthand, I say that it was like an expensive call-girl. You could admire the technical prowess, the sheen of the stockings, the scent, the bag of tricks and moves designed to get the punter off just enough to get them keen to pay for extras. But, as I said, sometimes you probably really want Cheeky Mary down by the harbour. She has a humanity to her I couldn’t grasp in this meal. No kissing. Catherine Deneuve, possibly. Had I not eaten a large lunch earlier in the day, it probably would have sat better with me. The meal concluded, I walked upstairs to my room and lay down on the bed where I passed a fairly sleepless night, digesting, digesting…

It’s the sort of restaurant I can remember visiting with my father during childhood. We’d go on these family holidays to France that would often include a few meals at places that he’d chosen from a French Michelin guide. I don’t remember enjoying them then. The ghost of my father haunts me vaguely at such times and he certainly inhabits me when I look at myself in the mirror. Not so much the face, the stomach, whether larger or smaller. Just as I watched his girth expand and contract many times over the years.

At around 4am, I awake to an overly long psychedelic sequence in a Western called Blueberry (with Vincent Cassel, natch) and make a spectacular and profound evacuation. I feel much better after that.

When I get home to the UK, there’s an email from Lastminute.com. Here’s the picture:

What on earth is that? They look like wind-up false teeth. They march across the plate, snap at your fingers, extrude a beetroot maw. Turn up the saturation. Only £19. Where are we eating? It’s a michelin star place, lower case, you get food that looks, well, it looks very clever. It’s £19. Do you want to go or not? Well, what’s it all about? It’s fucking michelin star, what more do you need to know? That means it’s proper. I don’t know, I quite fancied the Turkish down the road. What is your problem? Thierry Henry doesn’t eat at the Turkish, Peaches Geldof doesn’t eat at the Turkish. They eat michelin star. Do they? Yes and it’s only £19. It’s also very pink. Come on, £19! What can you get at the Turkish for that? Well, a meal for two for a start. Or, you could have the mixed grill and a couple of beers. But I don’t see how anyone ever manages the mixed grill, it’s enough meat for a family of four. There’s a photo of Patsy out of EastEnders. She must have eaten there. And Martin Jol. They’re friendly in there, they even know our names now. That time we forgot the wallet, they let us come back and pay the next day. Still gave us baklava to take home. Do they do baklava at michelin star? They do petty fours, which are a bit like chocolates, except they’re not always. Not always like chocolates? Yes, they’re like dreams and aspirations spun from sugar and culinary talent that tell us that we have arrived. Where have we arrived? We have arrived in the world and are here and looking at people and people are looking at us and all is well with ourselves reflecting through and around other people. Blimey. And so on.

Michelin & Cie намерен вдвое увеличить свои мощности по производству в России шин для легковых автомобилей, – сообщил сегодня, 19 ноября, агентству Bloomberg генеральный менеджер Michelin в РФ Эрика Фейди.

Michelin увеличит мощности по выпуску легковых шин своего подмосковного завода в Давыдове до 4 млн в год и откроет центр продажи шин для грузовых автомобилей. Это должно стать первым шагом к запуску в РФ производства компании по восстановлению грузовых покрышек. Эрик Фрейди пояснил, что российским производителям грузовиков нужны более современные шины, чем те, что выпускаются в России. Компания ожидает начала роста авторынка РФ в следующем году.
Источник:  ИА LADAONLINE

]]> http://desdelaazotea.com/2009/11/18/mi-mundo/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:06:02 +0000 rafa http://desdelaazotea.com/2009/11/18/mi-mundo/

Cada uno tenemos nuestros mundos, distintas maneras de vivirlos, de interpretarlos, de leerlos, y eso es lo que hemos propuesto a distintos personajes de la sociedad vinculados a Navarra, para una campaña de nuestro cliente Diario de Navarra, uno de los 10 periódicos de información general más leídos en España; el objetivo, captar a un público de entre 25 y 45 años, y convertirlos en lectores y compradores.

Es un hecho que los jóvenes cada vez leen menos, y compran menos los periódicos, y en todo caso, los leen a través de Internet. En mi caso, no existe mañana sin desayuno con periódico; se trata de una costumbre adquirida desde pequeño, que se ha convertido en necesidad… y en placer. ¡Viva el periódico en papel!

La campaña a la que aludimos consta de gráficas en prensa y exterior, además de una customización del Diario de Navarra con diseño de una portada y formatos novedosos con los personajes elegidos rompiendo las noticias, comentándolas… siempre, desde su perspectiva, desde su mundo: Koldo Rodero, cocinero del restaurante del mismo nombre, con una estrella Michelin. Andrea Barnó, campeona de Europa de balonmano. Alberto Undiano Mallenco, árbitro internacional de 1ª división. Iñaki Lázcoz, pintor, y Karlota Laspalas, diseñadora de moda.

Tokyo now has the most Michelin three-star restaurants, overtaking Paris as the world’s culinary capital, says the authoritative food guide…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: trip to japan. For a different topic see great corn recipes. The blog is also related to: japan+narita.

Tokyo now has the most Michelin three-star restaurants, overtaking Paris as the world’s culinary capital, says the authoritative food guide…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: flight heathrow. For a different topic see ham recipes. The blog is also related to: malaysia airport.

Tokyo now has the most Michelin three-star restaurants, overtaking Paris as the world’s culinary capital, says the authoritative food guide…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. The blog is also related to: food.