A Curve ball: to greed and stress

About a Curve Ball and Episode 1

For me, one meal of the day … dinner should at least be sacred. I love my dinners, I love to sum up the day with myself, people I love and some I like. This is the daily break to relax and destress … get back to the core of things.

The daily meals play a very central role in the Catholic lifestyle that one can still find in Italy, where families still eat together … in some cases, even two times a day. This tradition should be sacred in my book and worthy of religious veneration. This is one of the most important pillars in these countries, Italy and Spain, but not so much in France these days.

Now, we mainly have one meal left to relax and get back in touch with our true values – the long lunch or the evening dinner.

The modern-day restaurants in Burgundy are slowly but surely killing this daily treasure with greed and speed.

But let’s be positive for a moment … there are still many good things to enjoy in the Burgundian food scene, as the traditions still are quite firmly rooted in original Catholic values.

One of the things I love about Burgundy is the tradition and community spirit that I see especially in the smaller villages. But even this is getting weaker as we speak.

It is sadly dying out, even in a village like Nuits-Saint-Georges. Dying out with the local butcher. It has now been almost 10 years since the great butcher Vié closed in Nuits-Saint-Georges … I still remember the beauty of the shop and can still feel the sensation of the veal chops on my palate. Now, we are lucky to have the Friday market instills hope of great quality – hopefully, people here will value this enough to keep it around for good.

Today, restaurateurs are not always in their kitchens. In some establishments, the restaurant is sold in two seatings: one from 07:00 – 8:30 and then at 8:30 – 10 …. all moving away from the personal link to the guests and the local community.

In Nuits-Saint-Georges, we all know the restaurateurs and all the restaurateurs know each other from the talk on the street … this is a strong bond tying the city together.

One of the restaurants I frequent quite often is located in Beaune. The owner, Benito Pastramo, is often away as he also runs a pizza joint in Dijon. Then, he leaves the restaurant to his busboy Rattitelli who runs the floor in this local Brasserie, La Puitan. Sadly, the busboy has neither the personality nor the talent to create a place with even a remotely pleasant atmosphere … greed and speed seem to be the name of the game … and it’s killing the joyful peace of my dining experience.

Food is not bad at La Putain, but having a stupid waiter asking questions from the moment I enter the place to when I leave … frustrated, earlier than necessary … I don’t like this, and I certainly don’t need this!

I don’t like time limits when I am not working, I work to avoid these. I arrive and eat and can stay until the restaurant closes. If not … I am not really interested if the restaurant is not tremendously good. And let’s be honest, restaurants are rarely worth even a detour in Burgundy – so just give me some good simple food served at my pace – thanks …

I don’t want annoying questions regarding the progress of my dinner. Expect me to sit until you close the Restaurant – So don’t ask!

I don’t really want a lot of questions … is it good? .. happy? I chose your restaurant … I must somehow have confidence in what you are doing. It is a simple dinner, not Nobel prize material.

And lastly, I rarely use the sommelier, as I normally know what I want. I have been tasting Burgundies at a high level for 30 years … so I really don’t need the advice of the busboy Rattitelli or even his boss Pastramo …

If I need suggestions, I will ask … if in doubt … I will ask …. it is very simple. If I know a very good sommelier well, I will sometimes enter into a dialogue … but in general, I eat to relax and enjoy and not to talk shop … or work.

Same with food … don’t explain how it is made … I will ask if I want to know. But please aside from the above “allergies” always ask about these when I order …

I don’t react well to octopussy ink … and believe me it will not look as nice as the decor of your restaurant.

Please … I love the relaxed and stressless moments I could have in restaurants of the past … before 5 courses of unnecessary complexity … Just give me one or two lovely dishes to end and summarize the day with me, family or friends.

And while you are at it, remember one nice rule – max three main ingredients on the plate … this is what most chefs can and should manage.

I am really that simple

If you like Ferme de la Ruchotte they can manage a full pull lunch with 4-6 servings – be my guest and I will be yours … this is rare in these days and times. But in essence what cooking and a restaurant visit should be about … a relaxed enjoyment.

about a Curve Ball

• A Curve ball: to greed and stress September 12, 2024
• A Curve Ball: to the Burgundy strip August 29, 2024
• Episode 2: a Curve Ball to the 2024 vintage August 22, 2024
• a Curve Ball in Burgundy … August 22, 2024

A Curve Ball is made by Steen Öhman – the Winehog … Copyright, All Rights Reserved © Winehog 1989 – 2024