you know, when i watch your videos, you always have this semi serious tone and face when judging the food, but when you were eating the bbq bare handed, you had this childlike happiness on your face. its great man.
The way he looked up and back in is like getting the Christmas present you most wanted that your parents kept on saying was too much to get. The absolute joy mixed with disbelief that your dreams actually came true 😂
Whenever I feel like this concept might get old and that it will be an overload of fancy food you break it up by telling some stories of your trip or the staff or the owner. Love seeing your videos develop and good job keeping them both informative and entertaining
Just want to say that I like the way that you don't try to hide your wealth but also don't flex it so upfront. It is grounded. You enjoy nice things but are immensely appreciative and also have a certain humility and respect for the work of others. It isn't "This isnt good," but rather, "it isn't to my tastes."
Highly amusing that the 3* Atelier Crenn receives a decidely subdued "meh", yet Busters gets a "F*cking Amazing". Maybe a side project of "Alexander Does BBQ"?
One of your Best Alexander ! The BBQ at the end.... "it was fucking good" Spoken like a true American ! Enjoy the rest of your stay here. I'm in Santa Cruz, just below San Francisco. I've visited several of these restaurants. We've got it good here in 'Northern California', we really do. Thank you for highlighting this ! Subscribed for a couple of years, bell rung, and ... Enjoy !
I love your honest, professional, but also genuine tone to all of these videos. No hyperbolic statements, a real interest in the places you go, and an unpretentious attitude towards these fancy looking dishes. Thank you for making these videos, looking forward to even more!
Yes I saw that too, as a european I will never understand this tip and extras culture.. btw, I saw there was a 20% service included what does that actually mean? does it mean the staff gets automatically 20% and you dont have to tip?
This is one of my favorite videos in a while. The sharp criticisms that Alexander had combined with the gentle praises really brought home the idea that Alexander really is doing his best to review restaurants impartially. I also really love how the video is extended with food that is not *just* from the Michelin star restaurants. Seeing the food from the airplane and the BBQ at the end of the video was fantastic. Also that ending is amazing. Keep it up, I am excited to see the rest of the videos from California!
The professional reviewers I've found online are nothing but gushes of wonderment, but when I found actual customers, many of their reviews matched yours. The only "wonderment" in several reviews was that the restaurant had 3 stars. No dairy, and pescatarian only. To an outsider, like myself, this would seem like climbing Everest (even more so than normal) to get 3 stars.
Your comment about Busters while wearing normal civvies put a big smile on my face. I like 3 star Michelin restaurants as much as the next foodie, but all that fancy food can get oddly monotonous after a while (both eating and watching). Would be great if you added restaurants that had Michelin potential or just very popular comfort food (as long as it was high quality). The research may be tougher and different but I think it would add variety to your videography. Also, you could do themed shows like your favorite steakhouse(s) in NY, Tapas in Barcelona, Teppanyaki in Tokyo - maybe even compare 2 of the best on the same show. As you know in every great food city there are dozens of great restaurants that do not have a Michelin star. I think viewers would be interested. I know I would be.
Some of the techniques on display here are extraordinary - those cauliflower gold plated leaves... incredible. Thanks for bringing us on the journey. Looking forward to this California series - TFL was the restaurant that got me into fine dining, so looking forward to that one in particular.
The entire reservation at Atelier Crenn is prepaid on Tock, hence the deduction there. Same at Alinea for instance, or for The Fat Duck over here in the UK (also using Tock).
Yes, they charge you ahead for each diner + 20% gratuity. You have the option to select your wine/drink pairings when you book online as well, or defer until your actual dinner. Also, you can not change date/time. You would have to sell/transfer the reservation via Tock. [This would strictly be for exactly what you paid for, can not charge an additional fee. You would have to do that via some other method outside of Tock.]
I like to think of my self as an open minded person, but the dish at 9:00 being presented as "a seascape" is a very, very big stretch. Literally nothing in this dish makes me think of the sea - mayyyybe the buckwheat as sand.
@@lordmaster5522 Manresa and Coi both closed. Meadowoods closed because it burnt down in the Glass Forest fire but is supposed to eventually reopen. Saison is no longer 3 stars.
I believe they are just like preferences in different styles of music. Some like country, some pop, and others classical. Each fanbase have radically different cultures, but they're all enjoyers of music. Same with food. Some prefer their own local cuisines and mores and then decide to dip their feet into different styles. There is no better or worse. They all have beauty in their own ways. 😊
All kinds of dining has the capacity to be a great time. Also note, the price of BBQ had inflated dramatically over the last few years (in Texas at least), so it’s not always a cheap meal anymore. Go look at the BBQ subreddit and you’ll see the price inflation. And $1500 for fine dining is very uncommon-Alex just buys the highest-end wines that are available to him at any moment. The menu at Disfrutar, for instance, is currently $315, and that’s even after a recent price increase.
@@MrWhangdoodles agree, there's definitely room for both. I visit Michelin-starred restaurants as a bit of a hobby (though Idon't really spend as much as Alexander because I don't take the wine pairing) but every now and again all I really want is a plate of egg and chips! Good food done well is a treat, however much it costs.
I don’t think it’s a lack of sophistication. Some people just love the novelty, creativity and complexity that comes with these kind of restaurants. However Alexander proves that you are not wrong. He love that BBQ too!
After watching your old videos too, I really appreciate how you present the wine and service along with the food, and not clumped together at the end. It really only makes sense and is the way to go. These videos are what makes the channel great.
I don’t always agree with specific focus points in Alex’s videos but that’s because we expect a different experience from our dinner. But I do appreciate and respect Alex expertise and opinion very much
@@snoopycs1102 by giving his opinion, his engaging movement in the channel, already 3 replies, this helps the channel grow and to be recommended to more people, so most likely Alexander and his team do care.
…stumbling on here has been such a treat. Your take on the finer things is quite candid yet ideally structured, I find very refreshing as too is the lovely pastry chef. I just love how you presented your experience at Atelier Crenn, oh the soirée of the staff is maddening but oh so American (Native of the Bay Area). In 2012 I had my folks have their 45th anniversary there and had emailed the staff regarding my father’s health and if they can arrange any non alcoholic pairings. They quickly replied and with no hesitation did a superb job. And Miss Crenn herself met them. So I sent her a thank you card with an an Oregon Pinot Noir from my friends Winery. She sent me an invite with my folks to her new Bistro Petit Crenn in 2015 and went in Nov and it was amazing. I sent her more wine as a late Xmas Gift of gratitude for giving my family a memorable evening with Dad for on Christmas Eve he passed. She is an amazing person and glad she is doing great but hot dang the total bill is far from my last visit with Mom in 2018
I don't understand why all these upmarket restaurants seem to copy each other in terms of food size and presentation. Who is the original daddy who invented this whole experience that they are all copying, a sort of Disney land for food.
Love the production, editing and story telling. Alex can also provide comprehensive reviews, be super professional in his analysis and yet still show his personality and 'fun' side when he needs. One of my favourite channels by far, which I've been following since 10k subscribers.
You should have been in a Michelin that is in Europe in order for godson to have a champagne for his celebration! It's disappointing to be an adult(damn US) at a Michelin and to drink a juice pairing....
My family and I had a similar experience at Atelier Crenn. It was good, as expected from a 3 Michelin star restaurant, but a bit underwhelming. No dish really wowed us. The deserts were also the best part of our meal though.
When the food presented looks nothing like anything you have ever seen or tasted before you know you're in a Michelin star restaurant.😅 btw,serving mackerel as a main fish course,probably one of the cheapest fish you can buy out there is unforgivable on a menu costing $475 per head excluding wine and service charge but especially so in a 3* Michelin one! It looks like when it comes to serving just a plain piece of fish without giving it the Michelin star treatment so that it ended up looking nothing like a fish dish, the chef seemed to have run out of ideas.... I mean that mackerel grilled over charcoal with a green sauce and a slice of orange is something that even I could have rustled up without much difficulty!😅
God, not jealous. Annoying staff, ridiculous food, enough wine to float a boat, lol. Complex dishes for the sake of complexity and even this guy didn’t like half the food.
Alexander, you're on point about the service being lacking. Having dined in many Michelin Star establishments in Europe and in the United States, it just feels like the United States tends to have a much more mechanical style of service with more room for the service team to express their individual prejudices and attitudes - maybe it's a cultural/social thing. For example, your ethnicity, age, etc. are from my experience as being on the younger side of your average fine dining guest and being of Asian descent, are somewhat factored in and sometimes staff/chefs will act less friendly/hospitable to you based on some of those factors it seems. Three star restaurants in the U.S. don't have as much room for error like what I've previously described, but I've had some horrible experiences at many one and two-starred establishments where if the service is bad and you give a lower tip than what was customary, the staff would bat you with an side-eye or give you an cold attitude/demeanor, and at best the service in the U.S. is just professional and mechanical with little room for dialogue or conversation with the service team like what you experienced at Atelier Crenn. Although I haven't personally been to Atelier Crenn, the service is quite similar to that of Quince in my opinion, although everybody was respectful even if there wasn't much flavor to the service. I've found the best service I've probably had was at Thomas Keller's Per Se, and at Single Thread Farms. Meanwhile in Europe, almost all of the establishments I visited were not only professional but had flair to their service, which really made it stand out.
Good read. Having only been to European Michelin starred restaurants, the service is almost always great and tailor made to the table. Usually they start out formal and with every interaction they know how to cater a little bit more to the overall feel of the table and even communicate that piece of knowledge to the rest of the staff.
@@robdielemans9189 Exactly! I'm glad we feel the same way! In my experience European head chefs will also oftentimes even come out of the kitchen and have a chat with all the guests dining one by one and have some conversations on the food, and even ask for some constructive criticisms. Combined with what you said as well about how the entire service staff in Europe is well versed and well communicated, I think this level of professionalism and hospitality is something that the U.S. fine dining establishments could learn from as well.
@@Joe_Ingles the attitude "overly polite but with a blatant lack of empathy" is what I've heard about US services. Not surprising that it extends to Michelin star restaurants as well.
I too found the staff obnoxious with walking around the restaurant non stop. I have never seen this before and it’s certainly out of place. But, the real gross thing for this upscale restaurant was the bug crawling on the table at 5:10 time stamp just above the greens. Did it walk out of your salad? I would have been so grossed out.
When I add 1 plus 1 together I guess Alexander's restaurant is more of a hobby for him. His money comes from somewhere else. And evidently he has loads of it.
The food at Crenn seemed to put presentation and story over flavor. Sad.. but no surprise. Also unsurprising was that a roadside BBQ place put a huge smile on your face. Masculine food > Feminine food.
this is not his job, this is his hobby. He doesn't say how but he made a ton of money way before starting the channel (don't get me wrong, good for him!)
I have seen a few other review of LC and I don’t know how they still hold 3 stars always seems to fall short and the menu lacks any kind of substance and direction
The format of these videos is incredible. Its Chefs Table quality but more personable. Love the history lessons / location introductions and the honest reviews. Look forward to more videos.
@@Rejistania haha yeah no worries. Anytime I have had California wine it just seems to not excite my palate as wines from other regions do. I am very particular to wines from Italy. I am not saying that California produces bad wine but I have had better from other parts of the world. I have had a riesling from Australia that I enjoyed more than any riesling I have had from California. I have had many wines from California as I live close. Just my opinion. Again I am definitely not saying that California doesn’t produce some good wines.
The hovering servers would have stressed me out too. Such a simple thing that people need to take notice of and inform them to be less like bee's buzzing around a honeypot and more like butterflies waiting to land softly...
100% agree about Atelier Crenn! One of the most expensive 3 Star Michelin restaurants in CA ($526 with tax and tip, not including beverages) and arguably the most meh-overthought and robotic. Beautiful presentation but lacking flavor. It doesn’t hold a candle to TFL which is warm, approachable, and steeped in history yet pushes the culinary experience forward.
I've heard from a lot of people that Atelier Crenn has become a prime example of a 3* that simply isn't worth the money, no way is that tasting menu worth $400+. A lot of SF places seem to take the mickey these days.
Nice one your video and impressions gave me the same feelings you explained . Just back from Barcelona where i visited a non stars restaurant and a high level rated restaurant and honestly the non stars restaurant was for me the better one . Grts
This is literally free consultation I wonder if any of these chefs or owners watch these videos for tips for continual improvement? On a separate note I love the thoughtfulness in these videos and the specificity with regards to what you like and how to improve some stuff. I wonder if you could do a video on 1,2 and 3 michellin star restaurants in the same type of cuisine or region to see the difference in what you get per michellin star
Great review Alex, you are really at the forefront on this platform when it comes to give great insights of high-end restaurants 👏 Keep up the fantastic job you and the team are doing 👍
@@couloir1 once was in Netherlands in 1, 2, and 3 star Michelin Restaurants and the expirience was the best in the 1 star restaurant and the worst in the 3 star restaurant. It is not very consistent.
@@couloir1 there was a difference in quality. It wasn't like "it didn't meet expectation". I think the 3-star restaurant had better quality in the past and the guides are reluctant to remove stars, while the 1-star didn't serve local ingredients which tends to influence the rating. Maybe we had bias towards different cuisines but wine pairing in the 3-star were also lacking.
Amazingly creative food. But maybe I'm not in the mood today. My friend made a paella in the garden today and it is simple and very good. I'm just probably not in the mood today since it was a sunday with dogs, kids and friends. Something simple is sometimes better.
I'm interested in fine dining, I like the craftsmanship that go into the whole industry. However, I notice some of these dishes do not look appetizing, and I might consider them inedible, because of texture or whatever, something I wouldn't want to finish. I know this if frowned upon in fine dining. I'm wondering do you eat, or finish everything they put in front of you?
Imagine taking your son on a 5 luxury restaurant tour for his birthday - and also turning that into a tax writeoff because of your youtube channel. Both a great dad and a great man of fiscal planning.
I was a chef at Noma in 2014 so I'm used to alot in terms of fine dining. But walking around in circles to check on the guests!??!!?!?! WTF WHERE THEY THINKING!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!?!!? A goddamn kindergarden has more elegant and dicreet attentiveness. Blown away to by that descision to be honest.
