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Are sardines the only canned seafood that improve with aging?

Touché, Vserna. But from your comment above I am led to believe that all canned things improve with time, and yet I am pretty sure that, as with wine, the rising curve surely reaches a peak and then starts to descend. Please enlighten me: after how many years of aging does a sardine start to develop rancid flavours? And how does a sardine age differently than, say, oysters? And must they be kept at wine-cellar-like conditions, or is a hot kitchen pantry just as well? What if you inject different gases into the tin to tweek the aging process? Are you sure the French know all there is to know about this? Are you sure Ferran won't surprise you with a new take on this (and other) subjects? . . . . . I saw Jose Andres's program on Madrid Fusión. He mentioned canning and the study of the processes of what happens once the food has been canned as an area where many things were still unaddress. Of course, it's not that they don't know that certain products taste better over time when canned, but what they suggest studying is why that happens as the first step to master and taking advantage of that.

It's an inscription based event with an attendance limit, first come first served. I guess you can get more info at Madrid Fusion site.

On the whole, I enjoyed more the meal I had in 2004 than last year's, but I wouldn't characterize any of the dishes as something that may be linked with processed food. Other than the obvious link that almost all kinds of cooking involves processing food. Adrià makes use of seasonal products, something which can be easily confirmed looking at the menus in their books. He also told us in the Q&A we had in December 2004 that the vast majority of the ingredients they use travel no more than 100 kilometers to elBulli.

He's undoubtedly catering an old clientele. In these days of SMS jargon, assuming that your audience can interpret the subtleties introduced by quotes is, to say the least, an exercise of naivety.

Alex Ureña's new restaurant is already being discussed at: Ureña

I don't disagree with you, John, but to me the importance of this manifesto compared with the books already written by Ferran and elBulli's team is little. It has the value of presenting a good summary of their philosophy, which of course can't be neglected.

I'm not sure if the scope of this manifesto goes beyond Adria's work or not. To me, it sounds more like a description of his philosophy than a call to others to join him in this hypervanguard movement.

I recently got a Testo 826 T4, and so far so good, but it's an instant read thermometer.

This kind of general discussion about wine would be better placed in the Wine forum.

I tend to agree with you in this regard, anyavon. I'd say that RGS's influence has much more weight among chefs than among patrons, the Basque Country being an exception to that. His ability to arrange a congress which has achieved an important reputation internationally can't also be disminished, no matter how much or less we like other aspects of his role as critic.

Yes, I got that. What I don't get is what that has to do with the composition of the customers of their restaurants. And what has to do with my points, while we're at it. I'm not questioning the importance of Michelin for the restaurants since it brings them good money coming from foreigners visitors. I'm just saying that is not a guide that is commonly used by locals. I believe we're drifting off topic. After all, the thread was about RGS and his guide.

I can't speak for Arzak other than a simple eye check. Santi Santamaría said that half his clientele comes from Catalonia, around 20% or so from the rest of Spain and the rest from abroad. Let's take Can Roca: its survival depends on the locals. Not many people travel to Girona in the winter months. That also explains why it gives the superb value for your money. (Pitu Roca dixit)

I did. Two mentions of Mugaritz, August 2003 in what is known as the article on Adrià by Lubow despite its title and two paragraphs by Bruni in September this year. In the same article, Bruni writes that he's never been to San Sebastián. I hope the main source of Mugaritz's revenues wasn't based in the crowds drawn in by the NYT. Luiz, if you want to make this a conversation between you and Victor, I suggest you use email or PM. Otherwise, this is a topic which is open to all our members. Because the US market is an important one for wine exports and Parker a prescriptor in that market? Certainly, not because Parker is well known by the drinkers or Castillo de San Diego or Marqués de Cáceres.

Luiz, no matter how much coverage the new Michelin stars get every year, the fact is that the inmense majority of the locals who go to the restaurants don't know about the Michelin. That's not the case with travelers coming from abroad, as it's been discussed in this forum in a number of times. What you say about the NYT is simply not right. The NYT published its famous article on Adria when he was considered the best chef in the world already and was being impossible to book a table in his restaurant for years. I'm not aware of any important appearance of Aduriz in the Times. To know which places are worth the visit in Spain, you have to use the local guides --written by local critics--, RGS for a certain type of cuisine or the Guia Campsa which I particularly prefer. Or this forum, of course.

Well, usually is the one who makes the point who carries the burden of fact checking, Luiz. I simply was intending to provide some accuracy regarding what is printed and what is online. Knowing the role that RGS plays as a critic, I find the argument that he's trying to justify himself because his ratings and Michelin's differ in Mugaritz quite weak: he's too proud and there's ample difference between his judgments and Michelin's (simply take a look to the three star segment). An explanation that I'd find more reasonable is that he's justifying himself to the chefs who has downgraded. I guess it's difficult to downgrade and invite as speakers to Lo Mejor congress to the same people.

I'm not a huge fan of RGS. Actually, I'm not his fan at all for a number of reasons. But if my memory doesn't fail, I believe the text written online in here says exactly the same as the printed guide.

Well, that's a valid position. Perhaps you could give us some insight about the reasons why? IMHO Rafael Garcia Santos' guide has many shortcomings, but at least you always know in which direction the wind is blowing, whereas Michelin has a factor of randomness (why this restaurant has a star and this other which is equal or better doesn't?) that, honestly, I can't interpret. For instance, I don't pay any attention to what RGS has to say about Zalacaín or Hispania, but you know how he will react to certain type of cuisine. At least until this year.

This is what I would do: a) Have a meal, preferably lunch in a table by the window, at Martín Berasategui. A 15' ride by car from San Sebastian, a taxi will cost you around 15€. b) Have a roasted turbot at Elkano (Getaria). Drive by the seaside. c) Have a steak with piquillo peppers at Casa Nicolás (Tolosa). For the rest of the meals, follow the pintxos path. Take a look at: Pensiones con encanto

Good for Antojo and its chef and owner, César! And for La Broche too, of course. I was there just ten days ago and I had an excellent dinner. The interior decor of Lágrimas Negras could be worth the award, but the lack of glasses with their proper stem . . .

What about hypervanguard?

It's been used before and to me sounds better than avant-garde does. I read it for the first time in one of Steingarten's post in the Alinea Thread and I've adopted it since, but a search in the forums reveals that it was used back in 2003 by the Gault Millau magazine referring to some recipes: Avant Garde cooking and elBulli

Avant garde cuisine as we know it starts in Spain and probably in the world with Adrià. Juan Mari Arzak and his contemporaries who created the Nueva Cocina Vasca (New Basque Cuisine) over 25 years ago reinterpreted the Nouvelle Cuisine that the French masters were doing (the influence of Bocuse, Guerard and Bras in this development can hardly be overrated). With her daughter Elena playing a more important role in Arzak's kitchen, more hypermodern dishes started to appear in their restaurant not many years ago. Regarding Berasategui, I'd say he's closer to Santi Santamaría than he is to Adrià. Joan Roca was a disciple of Adrià who has matured enough to develop a style of his own. So from my point of view, at least in Spain, it's Adrià and the second wave formed by people who's been working for him.

I feel that This is more influential than McGee (though this is, of course, debatable): a) Hypermodernism is a European born trend and This is closer to the leaders of this movement. b) I think This not only explains the scientific mechanisms that occurs in "normal" cooking processes but also looks at new techniques and methods. For instance, Adrià said in the Q&A we had with him that it was This who first used liquid nitrogen to cook something back in ¡1996! Of course, that's my interpretation of influential, that is, influencing in avant-garde or hypermodern cuisine. I believe it's the opposite if we speak of disemination of their work among the general public: On Food and Cooking is by large the reference text.

I don't think there's any dispute between This and Adrià's, neither in the theoretical field or in the relationship among them.