When chef Bernard Loiseau bought the restaurant-hotel La Cote d'Or in Burgundy, he vowed to make it a gastronomic paradise. More than a decade later, his famed restaurant has become one of the fewer than 20 restaurants that the Michelin Guide recommends with two stars. Photos.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The Michelin Guide's annual ratings of the restaurants of France occupy a place as august in gourmet annals as the pronouncements of the Academie Francaise on the French language are for the literati. The guide's secret surveillance and standards of perfection denied its highest ratings to most of the 10,772 restaurants and hotels it listed in 1992, with only 19 awarded its coveted three stars. One of these was Bernard Loiseau's La Cote d'Or, in the Burgundian town of Saulieu. How this perfection-mad chef set out to win his stars is described by Fortune correspondent Echikson, who spent a year in Loiseau's kitchen and on buying trips with his staff. The book is not so much about food as about "a country trying to maintain and improve upon its traditions" in a time of global homogenization that, some fear, may mean the end of the great French cuisine. Echikson details the tireless searches through the Burgundian countryside for perfect native cheeses, breads, wines, snails, jams and vegetables, and such critical decisions as whether to use Greek frogs' legs or Spanish tomatoes. Here is an exuberant portrait of a still vibrant art in which perfection, not money, is the motivating force for an array of obsessed and inspired individuals. Bon appetit!
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
What does it mean to receive a three-star restaurant rating in the Michelin Guide? To Bernard Loiseau, chef-owner of La Co{"}te d'Or in Saulieu, France, it means everything. His bid for the third star is the story behind veteran journalist Echikson's 12-month account of this famed Burgundy restaurant. Loiseau's entire staff is mobilized to improve its offerings and seek out the best. Senior waiter Eric scouts for the finest goat cheese and Epoisses, wine steward Lyonel Leconte studies day and night for the Best Young Sommelier Award, and the chef himself (with wife Dominique) secures a $3 million expansion loan, again based on projected revenues a third Michelin star will generate. Characters are well described, even engaging, and readers are quickly spellbound by the frenetic pace and intrigue that mark a successful restaurant. All this flurry in pursuit of fame and fortune in the food world--to be enjoyed for a mere $200 per person. Barbara Jacobs
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a real page-turner for foodies,
By Rebibo (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Burgundy Stars: A Year in the Life of a Great French Restaurant (Hardcover)
Echikson does a great job profiling all the players-with Loiseau as his "mad bird" at the center-and the teamwork and total devotion it took to acquire all the "right stuff" to earn three stars. It's an engrossing behind-the-scenes story for any serious or not-so-serious gourmand. Also lovely photographs enhance the text.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sloppy, lazy, insipid,
By Ronald Holden "The Cornichon" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Burgundy Stars: A Year in the Life of a Great French Restaurant (Hardcover)
How can Echikson--let alone his publisher--make so many mistakes? Starting with the French word for "intern," "stagiaire." Echikson misspells it "stagaire" at least a dozen times. He calls Robert Parker an editor of Wine Spectator; in fact, he's the founder of the rival publication, The Wine Advocate.
The book is rife with stupid mistakes but guilty of one giant one: though it's about Bernard Loiseau's obsessive quest for a third Michelin star, Echikson never once gives the reader the slightest hint of how Loiseau translates his ambition into the food he serves. Sure, there are endless scenes of Loiseau in search of ingredients, meeting with architects, etc., but nothing to make the reader TASTE the result. Why not watch Loiseau actually cook something, describe how something is transformed in the kitchen, show what makes the difference between a two-star and a three-star meal. Instead, all we get is posturing. The worst part is that Echikson's limited portrait of Loiseau only deepens the mystery of his suicide ...
3.0 out of 5 stars
pastry student,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Burgundy Stars: A Year in the Life of a Great French Restaurant (Hardcover)
Educational book! Was told by the best Pastry Chef to read this book. It has a lot of history if you are going to be in the field. Enjoy!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
