Nouvelle cuisine...what's the deal?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

I had a nouvelle cuisine meal in December at the best hotel in Oklahoma City, the Skirvin.

Mashed potatoes with truffles in them. Blech. Couldn't eat 'em.

Grilled salmon with alleged "Candied sweet potatoes". I was expecting a side dish.

There were a couple of tiny wedges of sweet potato with a bit of green stuff around them. Nowhere near the size of a side dish.

I had to ask for bread. I had a real problem with this meal. The menu was quite limited and the chef must have a rigid idea of what proper food consists of. I could not get any regular American food.

It must be like what Moe the bartender said about Postmodernism: "Weird for da sake of weird."

I was totally baffled and did not get anywhere near enough to eat.


I can't believe that anybody thinks this is edible food.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. anybody? any input?

[Suich]

2. Park Avenue Grill? (I Googled it.)

Sounds like you had the Juniper Smoked Salmon and the Crushed Truffle Potatoes w/ white truffle oil and garlic.

It looks like a nice place to eat, if the pics are true. Maybe go to some place not quite as fancy ($25 salmon and $5 potatoes) if you're really hungry.

I don't eat out much myself because I can't see paying the prices!

[alphafemale]

5. Well that's actually cheaper than I would have expected given the description. nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. Yep. That's the place.

The chef is named Christopher Pope.

I would love to ask him why I couldn't get any REAL FOOD.

For that kind of money I expect something like a prime rib that melts in your mouth. Or a superlative filet of excellent fish. I personally like red snapper.

And SIDE VEGGIES not contaminated by truffles.

GAKK!! Chokes me just thinking about the taste.

I also had a meal like this at one of the Art Institutes (the places that advertise heavily for their art, video and chef schools, and will let you sell your soul into eternity for student loans).

I had a stomach ache, had a bad taste in my mouth and that icky feeling in the pit of my stomach, couldn't eat most of it, and hubby had a stomach ache too. His was worse. When we got home he had to use the facilities, to say it politely. Urgently. Example: they put licorice liqueur (YUCKO) on a perfectly nice fruit compote. Weird for da sake of weird.

[Suich]

8. If you want to find someplace else to eat, or go,

Redditt is pretty helpful:

http://www.reddit.com/r/okc

[SwampG8r]

3. i apologize

as a chef i apologize for whoever formed that menu
sometimes people get carried away and yes it is wierd for wierdness sake
i stay away from the french
you can find the mother dish for most french dishes soewhere on a good italian menu
especially nothern italian
the sad part is people who dont really think a lot will convince themselves it was fabulous

[alphafemale]

6. I want to try to get into Husk in Charleston one of these days.

Heard about it?

Apparently it is a new look at Southern cooking and everything served is local within a 50 mile radius or something and the pork is from a special breed of pigs raised near-wild.

A little pricey but not too bad.

The chef also has another restaurant which is one of those crazy pricey aspic of avocado type places. Which if I had $200 to spend on morsels and then another $20 to spend on a pizza so I could actually EAT?

[alphafemale]

4. Stay away from anyplace with the word infusion on the menu

It does seem like the higher the ticket price for the meal....the smaller the portions become.

At some upper end places they are placing some slivers of truffle infused ice on your tongue that melt instantly and passing some vapors of wet hay under your nose for $599.

[T_i_B]

9. I'm suprised that anyone still does Nouvelle Cuisine

Is the chef stuck in a 1980's timewarp?

The basic principle of Nouvelle Cuissine always appears to be "the more you pay, the less you get".

[REP]

10. Nouvelle cuisine? Did you time-travel to the 80s?