[H. du Bois]

I'm not a big television watcher, but I happened to stumble upon this episode unexpectedly last evening, and I was quite impressed. I like Bourdain as an author very much (I still remember reading his New Yorker article that started it all when I was on the subway, and the OMIGOD moment I experienced there). I've not been terribly impressed thus far with what little I'd seen of him on television, though - his Food Channel Show reduced him from a lively, irreverent and intelligent presence to their usual dumbed-down-crap-for-the-masses fare. But last night's show let him be himself, and I was hooked. I've had the same scepticism that Bourdain had about Adria from what I've read of him, and seeing Bourdain's open but sceptical approach to this method of preparing food was exactly what the world needed. That he was won over by the experience of consuming it says everything. Great show.

[judiu]

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

[Claudia Greco]

judiu, on Jul 4 2006, 09:02 PM, said:

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

For those interested in the original documentary Tony undewrote and produced on Ferran, El Bulli and and Adria's "taller", here's the DVD. The Food Network refused to produce it for him as part of A Cook's Tour, so Tony took his "pirate crew" (who eventually became Zero Point Zero) and shot it themselves - out of Tony's pocket. It's about time we all got a chance to see this:

http://www.ecookbooks.com/index.html

[C_Ruark]

Claudia Greco, on Jul 5 2006, 10:26 AM, said:

judiu, on Jul 4 2006, 09:02 PM, said:

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

For those interested in the original documentary Tony undewrote and produced on Ferran, El Bulli and and Adria's "taller", here's the DVD. The Food Network refused to produce it for him as part of A Cook's Tour, so Tony took his "pirate crew" (who eventually became Zero Point Zero) and shot it themselves - out of Tony's pocket. It's about time we all got a chance to see this:

http://www.ecookbooks.com/index.html

Is there an alt link or POS? Maybe I'm hitting it at the wrong time of day, but the refuses to load up.

~ C

[Bill Miller]

judiu, on Jul 4 2006, 08:02 PM, said:

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

Where is this place? Someone tried to auction a reservation on e Bay starting at $1000.

[Brioche57]

Try this!

Decoding Adrian Ferria DVD

[divalasvegas]

Bill Miller, on Jul 5 2006, 02:01 PM, said:

judiu, on Jul 4 2006, 08:02 PM, said:

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

Where is this place? Someone tried to auction a reservation on e Bay starting at $1000.

Actually there's a thread on the "auction" here: CLICK!

[Claudia Greco]

divalasvegas, on Jul 5 2006, 04:13 PM, said:

Bill Miller, on Jul 5 2006, 02:01 PM, said:

judiu, on Jul 4 2006, 08:02 PM, said:

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

Where is this place? Someone tried to auction a reservation on e Bay starting at $1000.

Actually there's a thread on the "auction" here: CLICK!

I thought a 32-course tasting menu would HAVE to start at $1,000, minimum, considering there are 55 chefs - for a 55-seat restaurant, if I heard Tony correctly. The fact that it's somewhat cheaper is amazing - and somewhat gratifying. Now you just need to get a reservation (assuming you didn't win the auction), tack on the airfare, book some digs - but anyone of us would do it! Hey, just remember that AB produced the original show on his own dime, just so the rest of us could get a grasp on what Ferran is all about. Thanks, AB!

[divalasvegas]

Claudia Greco, on Jul 5 2006, 03:32 PM, said:

divalasvegas, on Jul 5 2006, 04:13 PM, said:

Bill Miller, on Jul 5 2006, 02:01 PM, said:

judiu, on Jul 4 2006, 08:02 PM, said:

I have been fascinated by what I know of El Bulli, which is very little, but this show dragged me into the mainstream of the restaurant and sort of threw it in my face.
Amazing! I know I'll never get there, but I can dream..

Where is this place? Someone tried to auction a reservation on e Bay starting at $1000.

Actually there's a thread on the "auction" here: CLICK!

I thought a 32-course tasting menu would HAVE to start at $1,000, minimum, considering there are 55 chefs - for a 55-seat restaurant, if I heard Tony correctly. The fact that it's somewhat cheaper is amazing - and somewhat gratifying. Now you just need to get a reservation (assuming you didn't win the auction), tack on the airfare, book some digs - but anyone of us would do it! Hey, just remember that AB produced the original show on his own dime, just so the rest of us could get a grasp on what Ferran is all about. Thanks, AB!

Just to be clear, the auction for $1,000.00 was for a reservation at El Bulli and did not include the cost of the meal itself (about a little over $200, US) Specifically, three guys (con artists?) were auctioning on Ebay a spot at their table for the pleasure of dining with them. As I understand it, Ferran Adria does not charge for reservations, which made this whole thing quite unethical. BTW, there were no takers.

[Kevin72]

Oh man. Loved it. Loved how basically 3/4ths of the episode was just eating the meal itself. And yet one of my favorite parts was the visit to Jamonissimo.

[Claudia Greco]

[/quote]

Just to be clear, the auction for $1,000.00 was for a reservation at El Bulli and did not include the cost of the meal itself (about a little over $200, US) Specifically, three guys (con artists?) were auctioning on Ebay a spot at their table for the pleasure of dining with them. As I understand it, Ferran Adria does not charge for reservations, which made this whole thing quite unethical. BTW, there were no takers.

[/quote]Right, I got that - I just meant that had EL BULLI been charging $1,000 for their 32-course meal, it didn't seem to me to be out of line (by NY prices). And, yes, I'd rather spend $200 for the meal plus the airfare, hotel, etc., and eat by myself than nosh with those insufferable p_____s auctioning off the two seats at their table. For $1,000, they would have to have a lot more interesting (and less pretentious) people at tableside. Like, say - Tony! Ruhlmann! Batali! Jason and the other eGulleteers! Nari and the rest of Zero Point Zero! (Of course, any auction that those chefs would ever agree to would probably be for charity or some other good cause, and would have a hell of a lot higher starting bid for any one of them!) As stated previously, anyone who describes themselves by their occupation and then expects to charge someone for the "pleasure" of dining with them is pretentious and self-important in the extreme. Hedge fund managers? Do you know how many hedge fund managers there are in spitting distance of where I'm sitting? Errrrrrggghhhh! (Wish I could get the little green nauseous "emoticon" to pop up here . . . .)

[divalasvegas]

Errrrrrggghhhh is right Claudia. Actually I don't think there is an emoticon or words profane enough to properly reflect what these three cretins were trying pull. And definitely what Ferran Adria should be charging for the experience probably ought to be closer to $1,000 than $200 but shhh, don't tell him that!

[VenerableBede]

divalasvegas, on Jul 5 2006, 03:20 PM, said:

Actually I don't think there is an emoticon or words profane enough to properly reflect what these three cretins were trying pull. 

comic book guy once lamented that same thing. . .

the episode was fantastic. and the people up-thread were correct- tony acts completely different than in no reservations. it felt like tony was there doing research and to find out what was going on. however, and i'm sure we all have this same nagging thought, that it would be great to hear or read more about it. the section on french laundry, i thought, was just as lacking. i want tony to be more philosophical about these dinners. but, i think he's getting there in some of the no reservations episodes.

[C_Ruark]

Brioche57, on Jul 5 2006, 02:13 PM, said:

Try this!

Decoding Adrian Ferria DVD

Thanks much!!! That worked.

Skinless ravioli?... ... ... wow.

~ C

This post has been edited by C_Ruark: 06 July 2006 - 05:59 AM

[brooklyncook]

Managed to get home from vacation just in time to catch DFA -- wonderful episode.

I was amazed by the "lab," and even moreso by the meal.

I've said it to other folks, and I'll say it again: No Reservations is consistently good viewing.

[eje]

Has anyone seen both the DVD and the broadcast of "Decoding Ferran Adria"?

Did they have to cut anything for commercials?

~Erik

This post has been edited by eje: 07 July 2006 - 09:52 AM

[=Mark]

divalasvegas, on Jul 5 2006, 03:44 PM, said:

Just to be clear, the auction for $1,000.00 was for a reservation at El Bulli and did not include the cost of the meal itself (about a little over $200, US) Specifically, three guys (con artists?) were auctioning on Ebay a spot at their table for the pleasure of dining with them.  As I understand it, Ferran Adria does not charge for reservations, which made this whole thing quite unethical.  BTW, there were no takers.

I'm curious as to what exactly is "Unethical" about this. Nobody is being forced to do or buy anything. Looks to be capitalism in it's purest form. The fact that there were no takers just reinforces this.

[rcianci]

eje, on Jul 7 2006, 09:51 AM, said:

Has anyone seen both the DVD and the broadcast of "Decoding Ferran Adria"?

Did they have to cut anything for commercials?

~Erik

I have a copy of the Canadian Food Network version of the show. One difference I noticed between my copy and the Discovery Travel broadcast was that in the latter one of Albert Adria's experiments was cut from the Taller sequence. I decided to buy the DVD from Zero Point Zero because I realized my copy of the Canadian Food TV broadcast probably contains cuts as well.

This post has been edited by rcianci: 09 July 2006 - 06:41 AM

[zilla369]

Seems like some folks may not know about eG's already extensive coverage of Chef Adria and El Bulli from a couple years back. You can start here, the intro to a Q&A with Adria from 2004. That thread has embedded links from other Adria threads on eG, as well.

And now ... back to No Reservations! I noticed Miami is tomorrow night's repeat. I didn't see that one before.

[hungryCAT]

I missed the FL episode the first time around, too.
Can't wait to catch it tomorrow!

[jsmeeker]

Does anyone know when Travel Channel will re-air "Decoding Ferran Adria"? I have a season pass for "No Reservations" on my TiVo, but it didn't pick up this episode since it was a "special" as opposed to a regular episode of "No Reservations".

I suppose I can set wish list for "Ferran Adria" or something like that.

[cowpati]

jsmeeker, on Jul 9 2006, 01:24 PM, said:

Does anyone know when Travel Channel will re-air "Decoding Ferran Adria"?    I have a season pass for "No Reservations" on my TiVo, but it didn't pick up this episode since it was a "special" as opposed to a regular episode of "No Reservations".

I suppose I can set wish list for "Ferran Adria" or something like that.

There is a book out (2006) by a bourdain called 'decoding ferran adria'. i haven't seen this mentioned here in the forum, but it is listed on the net. i suppose it is in book stores, too. should be an interesting read, no doubt.

[cowpati]

hungryCAT, on Jul 9 2006, 01:24 PM, said:

I missed the FL episode the first time around, too.
Can't wait to catch it tomorrow!

the florida episode was great. i liked the hammock scenes.

[zoe b]

yeah, the FL episode was great--he found places I didn't know about--that Conch place in Key West, for example.

It's so great to have my kind of food tourism validated--the years of forcing family and friends to go to strange little shacks and stores to find and eat weird stuff--someone else is doing it and they even have a TV show .....

didn't i read somewhere that he goes to NJ in one episode? can't wait for that.

[phlox]

cowpati, on Jul 12 2006, 02:21 AM, said:

jsmeeker, on Jul 9 2006, 01:24 PM, said:

Does anyone know when Travel Channel will re-air "Decoding Ferran Adria"?     I have a season pass for "No Reservations" on my TiVo, but it didn't pick up this episode since it was a "special" as opposed to a regular episode of "No Reservations".

I suppose I can set wish list for "Ferran Adria" or something like that.

There is a book out (2006) by a bourdain called 'decoding ferran adria'. i haven't seen this mentioned here in the forum, but it is listed on the net. i suppose it is in book stores, too. should be an interesting read, no doubt.

Only the DVD is listed on amazon. Where is this book?

[rose_ayn]

phlox, on Jul 12 2006, 10:17 AM, said:

[quote=cowpati,Jul 12 2006, 02:21 AM
There is a book out (2006) by a bourdain called 'decoding ferran adria'. i haven't seen this mentioned here in the forum, but it is listed on the net. i suppose it is in book stores, too. should be an interesting read, no doubt.

Only the DVD is listed on amazon. Where is this book?

No book as far I can see. There are a couple of online sites that seem to classify to DVD has a hardcover book. That might explain the mix up.

I doubt a book on this subject would have gone unnoticed in this group for very long.

[bourdain]

There is no book. For accomanying prose see chapter in Nasty Bits on my time with Ferran at El Bulli. It covers much the same ground as the DVD.

In other news, we are currently shooting an episode of NR in Lebanon--and it should be video gold. Those kookie-krazy kids from Hezbollah were popping off their weapons today(shooting in the air, I gather)--and Israel has been bombing and mobilizing a division in the South with reported land and sea strikes... (See today's news--and quotes from Israeli PM). While the party continues in Beirut--there's a lot of concern that the Israelis will follow up with strikes on infrastructure (like the power grid). And we were due to head to the Bekka Valley tomorrow.
BTW..this town is Party Central!

[Kevin72]

I see your timing is as always uncanny. Be careful, though.

Duh.

[Claudia Greco]

bourdain, on Jul 12 2006, 12:46 PM, said:

There is no book. For accomanying prose see chapter in Nasty Bits on my time with Ferran at El Bulli. It covers much the same ground as the DVD.

In other news, we are currently shooting an episode of NR in Lebanon--and it should be video gold. Those kookie-krazy kids from Hezbollah were popping off their weapons today(shooting in the air, I gather)--and Israel has been bombing and mobilizing a division in the South with reported land and sea strikes... (See today's news--and quotes from Israeli PM). While the party continues in Beirut--there's a lot of concern that the Israelis will follow up  with strikes on infrastructure (like the power grid). And we were due to head to the Bekka Valley tomorrow.
BTW..this town is Party Central!

Sounds almost as much fun as your sojourn among the Cambodian party animals, when you had a gun pointed at you. I think you know how to avoid THAT kind of trouble - just try not to get kidnapped. You and your crew would certainly be worth as much to them as any other journalist, missionary, diplomat or relief worker. We'll start working on the ransom money now, in case the Travel Channel won't pony up (!)

[Beto]

Beirut huh? Keep your freaking head down.