Jiko-Filet with Mac and cheese is off the menu.

[TinkerBelle_325]

First thing, my friend Jaclyn dined at Jiko last night and confirmed that you can still order the mac & cheese as a side, and you can sub it for any side with any dish.

Peter, while I'd quibble with your choices as examples of creative chefs....If I were the Chef, however, I wouldn't be long for staying somewhere that stifles my creativity.

JMO,
Brad

I can't help addressing these two points....Wolfgang Puck is one of the most creative and visionary chefs in America. He created the entire concept of the "gourmet" pizza. The California Pizza Kitchen founders will readily admit that Wolfgang was their inspiration for the chain. He also created the "chinese chicken salad" that every chain in America attempts to copy.

Bobby Flay is an Iron Chef....he can pull together 5 exceptionally creative dishes in 60-75 minutes with an unknown and often challenging ingredient.

I could go on here but I wont. These chefs are creative but they know when you market something as "signature" you don't change it!

For a WDW example, look at the California Grill. They have won countless awards and have been operating for 15 years under numerous different executive chef's direction and yet...they still have a few "signature" items that never leave: the sonoma goat cheese ravioli, the four cheese flatbread, the pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta and the valhrona chocolate cake.

Does this compromise the seasonality of the menu? No way! I can honestly say that the CG menu has been different each and every time I have dined there with the exception of the signature dishes.

 

[snykymom]

Point taken, but if I'd mentioned local chefs no one would know whom I'm talking about.

WDW has indeed had trouble keeping the best chef's that have passed through because of the strangle hold on their creativity. This isn't what I was attempting to point out.

I agree that any chef worth his salt should ALWAYS be pushing the envelope but I disagree that all items must always be changed. Paul Prudhomme certainly wasn't going to take blackend redfish off of his menu was he? I can't imagine Artist Point without cedar plank Salmon or Flying Fish without the Char-crusted NY strip. Keeping the true signature items in no way would or should compromise a chef's creativity though and it will keep regulars coming back. I'm talking about real signature items that DO bring people back and in this case I'm not sure the mac'n'cheese meets that criteria but interestingly this is the second time Jiko has done this. Their original signature (now long gone) was the monk fish, removed due to environmental issues, so they say.

I was merely debating the chef's MUST change the menu constantly suggestion or the 'nothing is sacred' postulation.

OK, I was apparently the one who started this debate. But let me point out that I never said that the chef MUST change the menu constantly. I simply said that I would not boycott a restaurant with a creative chef, even if the signature dish were removed from the menu (which is what people here are talking about doing).

I can't help addressing these two points....Wolfgang Puck is one of the most creative and visionary chefs in America. He created the entire concept of the "gourmet" pizza. The California Pizza Kitchen founders will readily admit that Wolfgang was their inspiration for the chain. He also created the "chinese chicken salad" that every chain in America attempts to copy.

Bobby Flay is an Iron Chef....he can pull together 5 exceptionally creative dishes in 60-75 minutes with an unknown and often challenging ingredient.

I could go on here but I wont. These chefs are creative but they know when you market something as "signature" you don't change it!

For a WDW example, look at the California Grill. They have won countless awards and have been operating for 15 years under numerous different executive chef's direction and yet...they still have a few "signature" items that never leave: the sonoma goat cheese ravioli, the four cheese flatbread, the pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta and the valhrona chocolate cake.

Does this compromise the seasonality of the menu? No way! I can honestly say that the CG menu has been different each and every time I have dined there with the exception of the signature dishes.

Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay now have "chain" restaurants (as does Todd English and a couple others mentioned). "Chains" don't change. They are no longer in the kitchen at many (or even any) of their restaurants. Do you think they may have done things differently when they actually cooked at their restaurants? (And when Todd English was in the kitchen at the original Olivia's, his menu did change.)

I can guarantee you that things at their restaurants were handled differently before they were famous, when they actually were hands-on in the kitchen.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

snykymom,

Clearly, you didn't read all of what I wrote.

I said that signature dishes should not change. Restaurant and chefs choose to market a dish as signature and it should stay that way.

I never said that menus shouldn't change. In fact, chefs can even rotate signature dishes on and off the menu (as happens at Victoria and Albert's all the time). The point is, signature implies that the dish has been finessed to a point where it no longer needs to be changed.

I also pointed out that California Grill has an incredible seasonal menu. It can change from night to night, week to week. However, it does have several notable, signature dishes.

I know those chefs have chain restaurants, but I also gave an example of a non-chain (California Grill).

The flaw in your argument is that I am not talking about their fame, or their chain restaurants, I am talking about what the definition of a "signature dish" is. To me, signature implies a dish that has been finely tuned and is representative of the chef and the restaurant.

OK, I was apparently the one who started this debate. But let me point out that I never said that the chef MUST change the menu constantly. I simply said that I would not boycott a restaurant with a creative chef, even if the signature dish were removed from the menu (which is what people here are talking about doing).


Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay now have "chain" restaurants (as does Todd English and a couple others mentioned). "Chains" don't change. They are no longer in the kitchen at many (or even any) of their restaurants. Do you think they may have done things differently when they actually cooked at their restaurants? (And when Todd English was in the kitchen at the original Olivia's, his menu did change.)

I can guarantee you that things at their restaurants were handled differently before they were famous, when they actually were hands-on in the kitchen.

 

[Piglet54]

The Cucumber, Tomato, and Red Onion Salad is gone too. ::::sigh::::

 

[Sweet Melissa]

The Cucumber, Tomato, and Red Onion Salad is gone too. ::::sigh::::

That sounds like a seasonal salad, though. It or something like it may be back next summer.

 

[psac]

I agree on the signiature dishes. At Marc Forgione in NY (he's a contestent on Next Iron Chef now), they change their menu daily, and even just have a "sample" menu on the website because it is always so different. BUT, the "chicken under brick" is his signiature (he made something like it on NIC) and it is ALWAYS on the menu.

 

[Colleen27]

The Cucumber, Tomato, and Red Onion Salad is gone too. ::::sigh::::

That sounds like a seasonal salad, though. It or something like it may be back next summer.

Yeah, that wasn't on the menu when we were there in December so I'd guess it is seasonal. That's one of the things that is so nice about the signature menus - they change to take advantage of the things that are fresh and available at various times of year.

 

[thumper*]

I haven't read all post so sorry if this is a duplicate. Dined at Jiko twice during our Sept vacation. They change the menu often and I wouldn't be surprised if the fillet shows back up.

Fillets are usually my my choice on a menu but I will say that I prefered Jiko's Maize crusted Halibut over their Fillet and I never choose fish over beef.....the Halibut was that good.

I will be posting a review of our second dining experience at Jiko later next week. Our first dining experience there was after our sunset safari for details on that scrumptous dinner read my TR posted in my siggy.

 

[smidgy]

That's who I am!!
Our canteen is always trying new things and somehow tilapia found it's way on the menu. Far as I know, nobody ever gets it! We did have a good fish sandwich at one time---
Oh--I'm in Post 7012, New Freedom Pa. Vietnam vet, 1968-1969.

Post 1307.Elgin, IL women's Auxillary, joined under my dad.. Navy, WW2.

thank you for your service!!!!!!

 

[Bummbok]

We ate there 3 days ago and I can confirm you can still get the mac n cheese, buts it's a side dish (on my plate it was plated to the side of the steak as opposed to underneath the steak). They have also done a pretty big overhall of the dessert menu there too. I was looking forward to doughnuts and coffee ice cream and it was no longer there.