Every month, our Food Editor Nicole Douillet shares her top headlines from the world of food and wine. In this edition, she’s sharing the news you need to know in the world of fine dining this June. Curious about the big events in the world of food and drink this month? Click here. And for the latest in restaurant tech, click here.
news to know in the world of fine dining this June
1. Michelin Guide for Los Angeles
This year, Michelin is coming out with a new California Michelin guide, which means that the San Francisco bay area will no longer have it’s own guide, but it also means that LA will be included for the first time since Michelin’s LA guide was discontinued 10 years ago. The tire company released its Bib Gourmand ratings for California at the end of May, and will release the star ratings on June 4, 2019.
The new Michelin Guide California debuts in June 2019. Courtesy Photo.
2. Truffle Farm Treasure
A couple in Australia recently discovered that buried in the soil on their farm about an hour Southeast of Melbourne was ripe with truffles. The couple, who moved from England to Australia, had never seen a truffle before they found them buried near the hazelnut trees on their property. Now, the couple harvests white and black truffles for about six weeks across July and August each year, selling some to restaurants and gourmet shops in Melbourne and Sydney and giving the rest away to friends for free. Talk about friends with benefits!
Truffles at Harrods Food Hall in London. Photo Credit: Dandelion Chandelier.
3. Eater pans the new Estiatorio Milos in Hudson Yards
Ryan Sutton wrote a scathing review of the newly opened Estiatorio Milos in Hudson Yards for the blog Eater. It’s not often that reviewers give such terrible reviews.
Estiatorio Milos at Hudson Yards. Photo Credit: Eater New York.
It brings to mind Pete Wells’ review of Guy Fieri’s now-shuddered Times Square restaurant for the New York Times. If you haven’t read it, you should. And count the number of periods Wells used. It’s as much of a lesson in writing as it is in where not to eat in Midtown.
Sutton’s biggest issue with this location of Estiatorio Milos are the prices, although he wasn’t impressed with the quality of the food either. He recounts ordering a lobster pasta for which he was charged $189. This was after a starter of two langoustines for $87. And neither dish was particularly good. There were also discrepancies in how much a server quoted him a certain item weighed before he ordered it and how much his bill said it weighed. There was a half pound difference, which meant an extra $28 on the bill.
Sutton had much more complimentary things to say about Estiatorio Milos’ sister restaurant at Hudson Yards, Milos Wine Bar. So if you’re feeling like Greek food on your next trip to Hudson Yards, I’d go there.
Milos Wine Bar at Hudson Yards. Photo Credit: Eater New York.
4. Get your roasted crickets here
The London outlets of Abokado will begin carrying roasted crickets this week. The crunchy crickets from Eat Grub, a London-based startup, will be offered as toppings for salads, poke bowls, and hotpots, and will also be sold as a bagged snack. Insects have long been been touted as a sustainable food source, packed with protein, fats, minerals, and amino acids. Eat Grub’s insect products are currently being sold in 700 stores across Europe, and come in a variety of flavors such as smoky BBQ and sweet chili lime. We’ll see if this trend makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean.
Abokado London’s New Insect Toppings. Photo Credit: Eater London.
5. Leonardo Da Vinci, Culinary Genius
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci. He has long been celebrated for his art and inventions, but not many people know about his love of cooking, nor of his contributions to the culinary world.
For example, Da Vinci is considered the inventor of “aquarosa” or rosewater, which is now used in cooking, medicine, and cosmetics. It’s said that he was inspired by kitchen appliances found in most kitchens today, such as pepper grinders and corkscrews. There is one story of Da Vinci cooking for his Prince, and disappointing the Prince by preparing anchovies served on lettuce. Although the dish disappointed the Prince, its simple preparation makes Da Vinci a pioneer in culinary minimalism.
The Leonardo Da Vinci Statue Near Rome’s Da Vinci Airport. Courtesy Photo.
To honor this lesser known-side of Leonardo Da Vinci, Rome’s airport – the Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci – hosted an exclusive cooking show featuring two of Rome’s Michelin-starred chefs. In the boarding area for international flights, each chef honored the genius by preparing dishes inspired by his inventions. One dish was pasta with a rosewater and lemon sauce and the other was a seafood dish with shellfish, herbs and fermented Kombu. That must have eased the stresses of air travel at least a little bit for the lucky travelers who were there.
Rome Airport Da Vinci Cooking Show 2019. Courtesy Photo.
That’s it. That’s the top news to know in the world of fine dining this June. You’re good to go – have a great month.
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Nicole Douillet is a Wall Street executive and lifelong lover of food and drink. She is currently the Food Editor of Dandelion Chandelier, and a senior advisor to several fintech companies. Nicole serves on the Advisory Council for Action Against Hunger | ACF International. She is a former junior Olympic skier, serial restaurant regular, and two-time chili cook-off champion. She lives with her wife and two little ones in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where her kids’ favorite neighborhood restaurant is Lilia. Nicole is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
Join our community
For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter. And see luxury in a new light.