A Matter of Taste
Encyclopedia
A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt is a documentary that follows the career of chef
Paul Liebrandt over the course of a decade in New York City
. Directed by Sally Rowe, it premiered on HBO on June 13, 2011.
as "a dump". Grimes still awarded the restaurant two stars and called Liebrandt "enormously talented". The owners of Papillon decide that they will make more money as a neighborhood restaurant, serving bistro fare. Liebrandt is shown three months later, plating hamburgers and pretending to fall asleep. He complains that preparing the bistro food is making him brain dead, and he tries to entertain himself by arranging french frie tastings. He decides to leave the restaurant, and the owners wish him well.
Without a restaurant, Liebrandt turns to food consulting. He creates his own company and takes on jobs like designing gourmet marshmallows. Eventually, he returns to a restaurant with the launch of Gilt at the New York Palace Hotel
. His hopes are high for a prolonged return to the kitchen, but the Times has a new restaurant critic, Frank Bruni
, who prefers comfort food to high cuisine. Bruni appears on camera to describe the star system which is used in Times reviews. Bruni only bestows two stars on Gilt, citing the empty virtuosity of the dishes. At the same time, the owners of Gilt had begun to make menu demands on Liebrandt, such as larger portions. Shortly after Bruni's review, Liebrandt is fired.
The chef returns to consulting, and he is seen designing cocktails like a vodka tonic encapsulated in flavorless gum like El Bulli's
liquid olive. His hiatus from the kitchen is ended by Drew Nieporent
, the successful restaurateur behind Nobu. Nieporent wants to remake his first restaurant, Montrachet, in Tribeca. He hires Liebrandt on the basis of verbal recommendations from other people in the industry. The restaurant is renamed Corton
, and the final section of the film shows the relentless demands of preparing for the opening.
Liebrandt claims he is working 20-hour days, while his staff works 18. He is shown overseeing the menu development, the training of the kitchen staff, the architectural plans, and even the lighting. While demanding and precise, he also remains upbeat and calm. Even when he threatens to drive the heads of two cooks through a wall if they ever mess up a dish again, he never appears completely unhinged. He states that his only goal for the restaurant is one Michelin star in its first year.
In the run up to the opening, the film edits together more and more of Liebrandt's comments about Bruni, turning him into a de facto antagonist. As the chef prepares his dishes, he jokes that they will "go over Bruni's head". When he is reviewing the menu, with dishes like White Onion Consommé, he asks his marketing director if it is full of dishes that only foodies
will want to order. She believes that it is, but she encourages Liebrandt by suggesting that the culinary spectrum in New York had veered so far towards Bruni's beloved comfort food, that Corton will be a welcome difference.
When the restaurant opens, it receives rave reviews across the board. The staff eagerly await Bruni's arrival and easily see through the aliases he uses for his reservations. He makes three visits to the restaurant, and the staff describe his demeanor and relay some of the tricks he employs, such as dropping a towel on the floor of the restroom at the beginning of his meal. At the end of the meal, he returns to see if it has been picked up. Bruni emails to fact check his review, and he has thirteen questions about the menu. Liebrandt sees this as an ominous sign.
However, Bruni's review is glowing. He says on camera that he felt Liebrandt's cuisine had matured to a point where he could restrain his excessive impulses and just deliver sophisticated dishes that did not try to impress the diner. He bestows three stars on Corton, and the staff goes out to celebrate. A closing title card reveals that the restaurant went on to receive two Michelin stars.
The film was edited as a class project of The Edit Center. The film was screened at SXSW Film Festival, Full Frame, Newport Beach Film Festival
and Tribeca Film Festival
.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
Paul Liebrandt over the course of a decade in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Directed by Sally Rowe, it premiered on HBO on June 13, 2011.
Synopsis
The film follows the career of Paul Liebrandt as a British chef in post-9/11 New York City. In 2002, at Papillon, he is serving sophisticated cuisine which is out of place with the restaurant's decor, which is described by former New York Times critic William GrimesWilliam Grimes (author)
William 'Biff' Grimes is a former magazine writer, culture reporter, theater columnist, restaurant critic, book reviewer and a current obituary writer for The New York Times...
as "a dump". Grimes still awarded the restaurant two stars and called Liebrandt "enormously talented". The owners of Papillon decide that they will make more money as a neighborhood restaurant, serving bistro fare. Liebrandt is shown three months later, plating hamburgers and pretending to fall asleep. He complains that preparing the bistro food is making him brain dead, and he tries to entertain himself by arranging french frie tastings. He decides to leave the restaurant, and the owners wish him well.
Without a restaurant, Liebrandt turns to food consulting. He creates his own company and takes on jobs like designing gourmet marshmallows. Eventually, he returns to a restaurant with the launch of Gilt at the New York Palace Hotel
The New York Palace Hotel
The New York Palace blends the historic landmark Villard Mansion with a modern 55-story tower. Located at the center of Manhattan in Midtown at the corner of 50th Street and Madison Avenue, it is directly across the street from St Patrick's Cathedral, and a short walk from Rockefeller Center and...
. His hopes are high for a prolonged return to the kitchen, but the Times has a new restaurant critic, Frank Bruni
Frank Bruni
Frank Anthony Bruni is an American journalist. He was the chief restaurant critic of The New York Times, a position he held from 2004 to 2009. In May 2011, he became the first openly gay Op-Ed columnist of The New York Times....
, who prefers comfort food to high cuisine. Bruni appears on camera to describe the star system which is used in Times reviews. Bruni only bestows two stars on Gilt, citing the empty virtuosity of the dishes. At the same time, the owners of Gilt had begun to make menu demands on Liebrandt, such as larger portions. Shortly after Bruni's review, Liebrandt is fired.
The chef returns to consulting, and he is seen designing cocktails like a vodka tonic encapsulated in flavorless gum like El Bulli's
El Bulli
elBulli was a Michelin 3-star restaurant near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by chef Ferran Adrià. The small restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on Catalonia's Costa Brava, and has been described as "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet" and does a great...
liquid olive. His hiatus from the kitchen is ended by Drew Nieporent
Drew Nieporent
Drew Nieporent is a New York City restaurateur. His company Myriad Restaurant Group owns and operates numerous restaurants, many of which are known for their celebrity clientele, and in some cases celebrity co-owners. Many are known for their difficulty in obtaining reservations...
, the successful restaurateur behind Nobu. Nieporent wants to remake his first restaurant, Montrachet, in Tribeca. He hires Liebrandt on the basis of verbal recommendations from other people in the industry. The restaurant is renamed Corton
Corton (restaurant)
Corton is a New York City restaurant run by chef Paul Liebrandt and restaurateur Drew Nieporent, located in Tribeca. It opened on the site of Montrachet, a restaurant Nieporent had opened in 1985. It holds two stars in the New York City Michelin Guide....
, and the final section of the film shows the relentless demands of preparing for the opening.
Liebrandt claims he is working 20-hour days, while his staff works 18. He is shown overseeing the menu development, the training of the kitchen staff, the architectural plans, and even the lighting. While demanding and precise, he also remains upbeat and calm. Even when he threatens to drive the heads of two cooks through a wall if they ever mess up a dish again, he never appears completely unhinged. He states that his only goal for the restaurant is one Michelin star in its first year.
In the run up to the opening, the film edits together more and more of Liebrandt's comments about Bruni, turning him into a de facto antagonist. As the chef prepares his dishes, he jokes that they will "go over Bruni's head". When he is reviewing the menu, with dishes like White Onion Consommé, he asks his marketing director if it is full of dishes that only foodies
Foodie
Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.- Distinguished from gourmet :...
will want to order. She believes that it is, but she encourages Liebrandt by suggesting that the culinary spectrum in New York had veered so far towards Bruni's beloved comfort food, that Corton will be a welcome difference.
When the restaurant opens, it receives rave reviews across the board. The staff eagerly await Bruni's arrival and easily see through the aliases he uses for his reservations. He makes three visits to the restaurant, and the staff describe his demeanor and relay some of the tricks he employs, such as dropping a towel on the floor of the restroom at the beginning of his meal. At the end of the meal, he returns to see if it has been picked up. Bruni emails to fact check his review, and he has thirteen questions about the menu. Liebrandt sees this as an ominous sign.
However, Bruni's review is glowing. He says on camera that he felt Liebrandt's cuisine had matured to a point where he could restrain his excessive impulses and just deliver sophisticated dishes that did not try to impress the diner. He bestows three stars on Corton, and the staff goes out to celebrate. A closing title card reveals that the restaurant went on to receive two Michelin stars.
History
Sally Rowe, a script supervisor for The Chappelle Show, ate at Atlas in 2000, when Paul Liebrandt was the chef. She was enamored with the food that she ate and befriended Liebrandt. Originally, she shot several chefs at work, but only Liebrandt's cuisine popped onscreen. Another advantage was his youth, which allowed her to follow the development of his career.The film was edited as a class project of The Edit Center. The film was screened at SXSW Film Festival, Full Frame, Newport Beach Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....
and Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.