VeryApe77
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Posts posted by VeryApe77
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I forget how I was introduced to it, but I'm a big fan of the Dos Hermanos blog. I don't know anything about the bloke(s?) who write it, but it's funny and - as a Londoner living abroad - gives a great feel for the dining scene in London at the moment.
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Making a trip to Blackbird this weekend, is there a flagship item(e.g. oysters and pearls, tuna napoleon "nicoise", zuni roast chicken) I should try?I realize the chef is pretty in tune with the seasons but surely there is something he's known for.
Others may want to chime in here, but I'd say the dish most closely associated with Kahan is his braised pork belly.
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ronnie: I just heard this on thursday.....it was a from some one who has been dealing with Rick for several years...not saying it may the most reliable source, just saying it was said. Source also said pump room is planning on closing soon.
Very interesting. I've no reason to doubt you -- and things do tend to change very rapidly in the restaurant world. I guess we'll just have to wait and see unless someone else has some credible info to add. That Pump Room news is completely new to me but again, nothing would surprise me and it would hardly be a shock. I think my parents took me there for my graduation dinner from junior high. That was in 1977 and I think it was past its prime then.
=R=
Last time I heard, Tramonto was acting as consultant at the new Pump Room (it's changing owners) but wasn't moving on from Tru. Maybe things have changed, who knows?
Article here
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It's not, joesan, though you can't buy it directly from elBulli book's site if you live in the States or Canada. As docsconz wrote, if you follow the "Comprar" link it'll get you to a different page where you can see the available languages for El Bulli 1994-1997.
Any idea when you will be able to get this in the USA?
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...also, and this was very exciting to a food geek like myself, the man himself, Ferran Adria, was in the house and seated just a couple tables away from us. It was very cool to see him there. He was very business-like, took lots of notes, etc. He definitely seemed to be enjoying himself.
Again, more menu details to follow.
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Ronnie, the Adria sighting must have been pretty exciting! I read (in the Time Out Chicago article about Madrid Fusion) that he was heading to Chicago in March, but I wasn't sure if it was 100% on.
Apart from Alinea and Moto, I wonder which other spots he is hitting?
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What is fish maw?
It's the gas bladder (also called the swim bladder) of the fish - no idea what type of fish is normally used though! There is a Thai restaurant here in Chicago that has a Fish Maw salad on the Thai menu that is one of the best things I have ever tasted!
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They had a song called Egg Man too. It can be found on Paul's Boutique - it's the song that samples 'Superfly'. It's about throwing eggs at people, a recurring theme in their work.
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I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but in his "real" job (as opposed to his TV job) Gordy has mentored quite a few female chefs (Angela Hartnett being the obvious example) and has said in interviews that he is always glad to see women working as professional chefs. His comments obviously weren't aimed at chefs, but at young home cooks.
I'm not standing up for the guys comment, but he obviously doesn't have a problem with female chefs.
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Has this been posted here yet - I didn't see it.
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Interview with Emeril from today's 'Day to Day' NPR here - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4965420
He mainly talks about his new book, but touches on some of the stuff he has being doing since Katrina hit. Doesn't really go into very much detail though. He certainly doesn't answer any of the questions raised in the thead, or in the Times-Picayune articles (not that he is asked the questions in the first place.)
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Was Tony really writing an article about Vegas restaurants? For who? Is it out yet?
It's in this months (or was it last months?) issue of Gourmet. The one with Emeril on the front cover.
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The other day a French chef that I know who is well connected with a few of the top French chefs in NY was ranting and raving about how he would never read Kitchen Confidential because this Anthony Bourdain person was a nobody. I told him he should read the book and then make a judgment. I said, who cares if he didn't work for Guérard, he spoke for the corps de ballet of the kitchen, not the principal dancers.
When Kitchen Confidential came out, a lot of people were saying exactly what that French chef was saying. I clearly recall arguing that the book was not about offending his fellow chefs or destroying the local scene and profession (as they were claiming) as much as telling it like it was.
Today some of those very people not only love the book, but are friends with Bourdain. And let's not forget even Amanda Hesser, who was so critical of AB when KC came out, now dines with the man.
All this to say, the Psaltis thing will blow over. The boy can cook circles around everyone who has posted critically on this thread. I don’t see any of them opening restaurants or cooking in the lousy Beard kitchen. You don't earn Ducasse's respect for nothing. I don’t care how he cooked at some freebie function for food writers. The man has worked his ass off. Let's give him that.
And as for the people who claim this book is poorly written, I’ll tell you, I have had to review several food personality and restaurant critic memoirs (including one written by a critical poster on this thread) and we’re -- usually -- not talking Proust there either.
I don't really understand this Bourdain comparison. Bourdain surely never won anyone over because it turned out he could cook. He won people over because it turned out that he was a very good writer (with a good ear for kitchen patois) and he had a very likable sense of humor and self-depreciation (none of these things applies to Psaltis). He also was never claiming to be a world-class chef and basically dropped out of being a full-time chef to become a writer/media figure, whereas Psaltis is obviously still doing the chef thing (or hoping to). I don't see how the two situations match up at all.
Psaltis may well end up a great chef (I haven't eaten his food, although I have heard very dreary things about Country thus far), but I don't think anyone is going to change their mind about the book...we'll see about the chef thing.
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Almost 50,000 hits and almost 400 posts - what more publicity could a food book author have hoped for on eGullet?
I think we made the book a success beyond its author's wildest dreams.
But this goes back to the question "is all publicity good publicity?" A LOT of the afore-mentioned 400 posts have been beating DP up, calling his integrity into question and, now, suggesting that he isn't actually a very good chef. And now his restaurant is open, I get the impression that people are lining up to bash that too.
But maybe thats what he was hoping would happen?
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I think it's quite possible to enjoy Rakoff's piece (and yes, I have read it) and also appricate and understand Alice Water's work. Being able to laugh at yourself is not a bad thing, in my opinion.
However, I thought the PBS 'American Masters' show about Alice Waters was about 10 times as funny as Rakkof's piece (the bit with Peter Sellar's and the two tomatoes was one of the funniest things I have seen this year).
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I'm curious ...
Who's gone out and bought "Seasoning of a Chef" as a direct result of reading this thread? Just a quick show of hands please?
The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. - Oscar Wilde
A.
I have read the book but didn't buy it. I found myself in downtown Chicago with a couple of hours to kill (my better half was doing some shopping with visiting family members) so I read it in Borders. I started reading to see if I was interested in purchasing it. After a few chapters I realized that I had no interest in owning the book whatsoever, but figured I may as well finish it seeing as I had the time...
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I just finished this book, and searched egullet to see if there was a discussion...WOW! It's like reading the book that nobody read, and then not seeing the movie based on same that was a blockbuster...read the book, people!
it's amazing the slap or whatever got this much attention here on egullet...there is SO much more to dislike about this contrived, whiney, legend in his own world author...I was actually grateful that I was just reading an account of his life, as opposed to being a part of all his negative views and energy....event the first chapters whcih could have made him likeable..he was judgemental and full of himself even then.
I am really glad that this guy is not my friend. I imagine that he is part of a circle of people who don't have an authentic, true bone in their body. He is a very contrived character.
Now, I might also point out that he might not be this way in real life..but someone should have warned him that he was going to appear this way in his book.
To summarize, i can't say I don't like DP, but I certainly don't like the DP in SOAC.
Good summary - I felt exactly the same way after reading the book. He across a bit like Elizabeth Wurtzel or someone like that - a somewhat delusional brat. There seem to be a lot of memoirs being published at the moment by self-pitying privileged young people who seem to view their life as being a lot more compelling and full of fascinating moments then it actually is.
I wish him all the best, as I don't know him and imagine he's really not all that bad a guy, but it's not difficult him to imagine him joining Rocco DiSpirtio in the "It's too bad, they had talent" club in a couple of years time.
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I hope Keller comes out and says, "You know, my walk-in might have been disorganized. It happens. I can't be everywhere at once. Doug was a good cook. It didn’t work out here at The Laundry, but I wish him all the best." Even if he wants to skin the guy like a rabbit, that's the answer he should give.
I get the impression that Keller is going to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing. Which is probably the most sensible thing to do for a number of reasons.
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Who comes out looking good here (other than eGullet, that is)? And what does that say?
I think everyone involved ends up looking a bit silly, to be honest.
I will say that this whole thing is much more entertaining then the actual book though...
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Don't mean to be contrary but I didn't find the mentioning of ethnicity in SOAC anymore of a slur on the cooks then I found almost a whole chapter about the merits of Latin American cooks in either Kitchen Confidential or ACT.
The difference, to my mind, is that the chapter in KC is really praising the Latin American cooks as being the oil that makes most restaurant kitchens in NYC run - he is putting them forward as being great cooks.
Whereas, to Psaltis, they are not cooks at all, simply "workers" who are "happy just to have a job".
When I read Psaltis' book last week, that part really did stand out to me as being a bit iffy....
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I loved the meals I have had at Bhabi's but haven't been there for a while...I hear that he has expanded the restaurant so that it now seats a lot more people. Whether or not this effects the food/service remains to be seen...I'd give it a go for sure though.
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I received my copy of John D. Folse's "Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cooking" last night. I had ordered it 2 and a half weeks ago, and as you can imagine, reading it last night was a bit of a strange experience. However, I can truly say that it one of the most magnificent books on anything that I have ever seen ($50 honestly seems like a bargain - it is so much more then a cookbook). I spent many hours poring over it (and barely made a mark) and it really hit home for me what a truly unique food culture exists in NO and LA. Something as deeply entrenched as that does not disappear. I can't wait to return.
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My wife and I split a pairing with the tour. It was perfect. I strongly feel that this is the way to go at this restaurant if at all possible.
We did this as well, and I agree that it is the way to go. We did a flight each when we did the TDF at Trio and, frankly, we were a little bit overly "relaxed" (ahem) by the end of the meal. We split the pairing at Alinea and it was perfect. The staff did not seem to mind at all.
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As I don't think anyone else has pointed it out yet, I thought I should mention that there was an interview with Grant Achatz on All Things Considered this weekend. Not a ground-breaking piece, but a good listen all the same.
Link here
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But generally, I was pretty unimpressed. Vague, amorphous, random, too much focus on the cult of Bourdain, not enough on Iceland. At this point I'm only watching because I liked Cook's Tour so much and I keep hoping for more bits like that. If I didn't know Tony's work at all, I probably wouldn't tune in again after these first two episodes.
I agree. I'm a big Bourdain fan, but have found the show so far to be pretty uninteresting - it all seems far too staged. I had problems with a lot of the second season of A Cooks Tour, as it seemed to have to have far too many obviously scripted, "zany" sections. I always assumed that this stuff was forced on him by the Food Network and was hoping that this new show would be a lot more raw, focusing on the real excitement of travel. No such luck - so far, it's even worse then the last season of A Cook's Tour. It seems to lack any kind of spontaneity at all.
If other people enjoy it, great. It just seems a little bit bland and cheesy to me. Not two words I would thought I would ever associate with Bourdain. The scripted "humour" seems to be the main focus of the show, and, well, it just isn't that funny to me.
I often think of Bourdain as the Iggy Pop of the kitchen. If 'Kitchen Confidential' was his 'Raw Power', I guess this is his 'Blah Blah Blah'. I suppose everyone has to lose their edge eventually, and with a following as sycophantic as Bourdain's, I guess this was inevitable (why make a real effort to live up to past glories when your fans will treat anything you do as genius?) One less TV show to watch, I suppose....
(PDX) Happy Hour - MERGED
in Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Dining
Posted · Edited by VeryApe77 (log)
I really enjoy the HH at Biwa - you have to sit at the Bar to get the HH menu, but it's available at all times, which is nice. I prefer to sit at the bar there anyway...
Along with Pok Pok/WSL, probably my favourite restaurant in Portland at the moment...