Hi rxmitch! I also was able to visit the Miami Officine Gullo showroom while on a trip to the East Coast (I'm on the West Coast-nothing here yet, but I've heard plans are in the works for a showroom out here!). Ricardo was amazingly kind and met us on his day off (I felt so guilty!!)-the only time during our very brief visit that I could meet with him. I'm also totally smitten with the pasta steamer option (it seems to do several things which is great!) as well as the plancha and french top. The company offers to help with our kitchen design plan, which I'm hoping to be able to do as soon as we settle on exactly where our new kitchen will be in the remodel plans (grr...sigh..). rxmitch, which type of stove/range are you looking at? I'm probably going to get the Pro line, as the burners on the other model seem rather small for what I need, and the depth is better, but the DH isn't super keen on the fact that the Pro line has burners that either are always on or that you have to light to use (the user has either option). One of my big concerns is that the pictures show ovens with pretty window doors, but I was told that these weren't available here. At the price they ask, I want to know why, since these are custom made stoves. Second, I had asked about a light inside the oven and was told over the phone that that could happen, but when I came to the showroom, it seemed like this was a no-go. Was this your experience? Aside from this, the stoves were WAY better made and easier to clean (stuff can go in the dishwasher!) than a La Cornue, and the ovens came in many sizes , colors, and configurations. They were gorgeous and functional beyond belief, and built like tanks. It's my understanding that they make wooden as well as metal cabinets. On a side note, the Fhiaba refrigerators that they sell are also amazing-I had the chance to see them in person while in New York. Not sure if the "branded" Officine Gullo version is way more expensive, but the "regular" version comes in a little less than a Sub Zero. The convert freezer to frig function is pretty cool, as is the stainless interior.Anybody else have one of these? I'd love some input.

jlangfo, We have a french blue Volnay (the one described by Patrick) and love it. The oven is smaller than conventional U.S. ovens but it has not limited our cooking ability at all. In fact, our prior range was a very old 1950s GE Stratliner that also had small ovens and I realized I much prefer them over conventional sized ovens. They hold the heat better, cook food faster and I personally haven't not found their size limiting - we cooked an 18lb turkey last fall just after we got it. The Volnay also holds half sheet pans comfortably. We have a second oven (a Gagg Combi-Steam oven) and that oven is smaller and the combination works great for us. I looked at the CornuFe and Chateau briefly, but quickly preferred the look, quality and feel of the Lacanche. We chose the 5 burner-gas top and an electric oven (5k burner; 15k burner, 18k burner and two 10k burners). We hardly ever use the 18k burner, just when canning or boiling a pot of water - it's a LOT of power. The warming cupboard is a nice bonus and gets used a lot in the fall/winter. Lacanche has a program if you don't live near a vendor where they can sometimes match you up with a current owner to visit their range in their home. We live in Seattle where Lacanche is based so didn't do this (I test cooked at their headquarters) but many buyers have found this very helpful. I'd do it all over again if I had the choice. My favorite pic (sorry for those who have seen it for the upteenth time!)

I had a similar dilemma as you and went with the Bluestar. We have a 136 year old Victorian and just renovated the kitchen. I was dead set against a stainless range as I felt it wouldn't work with the look of the house. I knew that the cooking capabilities of the Bluestar were far superior but was thinking I'd go with asthetics over function. I was in love with the look of the La Cornue Cornufe ranges and was convinced these were what would work best. I had a hard time finding a place that had the Albertine in person but finally found one. Once I saw the quality of the product I was very disappointed. In person it looked fake and poorly made. I never had the opportunity to cook with the Cornufe Albertine so can't speak to that. I'm sure it would be as good as most high end professional ranges. I will say I love my Bluestar and am so happy I went this route. In the end it looks great in my kitchen and doesn't feel out of place. Because Bluestar ranges are so bare bones it works. The cast iron burners feel old and as they've been there for quite some time. My cabinetry and hardware all were designed to look like they'd always been there. My refrigerator and dishwasher are fully integrated so there's not a lot of stainless showing (only range and wall oven/microwave). If you haven't seen the Albertine in person, I'd suggest you find it and decide for yourself. I love cooking on my Bluestar (2 1/2 months so far) and know, for me, it was the right decision. Best of luck to you.

" Because all you non pros say it's ok, then that must mean it's ok? As opposed to listening to the Pros on this forum or doing your own research by asking in the appliance forum?" Wait, what makes someone a non pro vs one of the "Pros on this forum" and is that different from having PRO under your picture? Only one person with PRO under their picture has answered here. It is actually their "pros" telling them it is OK. Are you saying that "non pros" giving their subjective opinion is somehow invalid? Are you saying if you are a "Pro on this forum", whatever that means, your word is infallible? I think no matter who you profess to be, you have to make a case for what you are saying. If I were doing this now, I would have a few questions myself. It's a lot of money especially if you have to install makeup air. There are a lot of ways to calculate how much ventilation is needed but how are these ways and numbers validated? I think this is the thread mentioned above that has the comments by kaseki(no PRO under his picture). He references certain people that have worked in this field. https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5161173/hood-faq#n=21 "Any ventilation hood over 400 CFM requires MUA. Your locally adopted amendments to code can be stricter, but not more lenient." Some codes, ours in particular, call for it at 600 CFM, so you really have to see if it is required in your location and what the requirements are. This is our code. Not everyone needs the motorized version. I don't think makeup air was required when I put my fan in, at least none of the inspectors said anything. I have not had any issues anywhere or blow back from the wood stove. We have a lot of open areas in our house. I do think I have naturally supplied makeup air with a gravity damper. ;-)) It is also close to the furnace. We went to a restaurant recently with no makeup air and a giant hood. I could not pull the door open, until my husband pulled on it too and we broke the suction. Not good!