hapacooking

23 Heirloom plants all doing very well. Mostly exotic Black tomatoes, yesterday's fruit count 145! First Harvest Today! Pimento de Pardron chile 10 plants, first harvest was two weeks ago New Mexico Big Jim Chiles are slower, no fruit yet Serrano, Yellow Bell amd Poblanos all doing okay no fruit yet Arugula - abundant No apricots this year because of the rain I think Lemons are abundant I also tried to grow Wasabi this year, its a bit difficult to grow but I am making moderate progress. Radishes, onion, corn, carrots all doing fantastic. Cucumbers are flowering. Chives, thyme,, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, sage, cilantro, basil, dill and parsley all growing like mad Strawberries and blackberries are abundant, Raspberries and Blueberries are not doing very well this year Have fun.

Gary Danko Myth La Toque French Laundry Chez Panisse

Nope. It looked seared although the waiter kept telling me it was smoked. It came with beets and apple. It was much darker in color and thinner. Did it look like this? u.e. ←

Was this the Mesquite-grilled foie? If so, it's hard to imagine it overcooked. Dry? I'm not doubting you, but I'm just having a hard time imagining dry cold foie gras. Now warm foie gras, I've had dry before - I think because they sauteed/grilled all of the fat out of it and all that was left were the liver solids.

Here are a few details of our experience. It was our 5th anniversary and tried to make the best of the dinner even though there were many other mis-steps throughout the night. My Wife's Arpege egg amuse bouche was fantastic as usual; mine had an abundance of salt to the point that it was inedible. My wife didn’t believe me until she tasted it and spit it out into her napkin. On a side note the dish should probably be retired since it’s been around way too long on the menu. The Parmesan chorro amuse bouche looked yummy but were so oily that an awful greasy taste overpowered this otherwise delicate treat. Next I had the risotto with pork jowls. Although it had potential and was by far the best dish of the evening, there was a bone or some other hard substance in the dish which I bit down on and almost chipped my tooth. My wife had the Foie, which tasted great but was overcooked. Not sure why it was so dry if it was smoked but it was very dry in the middle. She didn’t finish the dish and my wife loves Foie. Next I had the slow cooked Monkfish, interesting dish with caramelized fennel but was boring with very little flavor. The table next to us observed our displeasure with the dish, and commented that they didn’t like it either. The entrees were a disaster. The roast sucking pig was dry and had very little taste. Dry-bland would have been a great description. I had the Beef Bavvette, again someone in the kitchen over salted it to the point that it couldn't eat it. I am not one to complain but was going to tell the waiter about over salting of the Beef dish. Unfortunately, he was overly distracted with the first-timer diners at the table next to us explaining the history of Chef Kinch and offering them a tour of the kitchen. He disappeared only to return with our bill. During the meal, instead of asking how our dinner was, the waiter, out of no where began telling us that he used to work at the Plum Horse (a great little restaurant in Saratoga) and why he moved to Manresa and also some story about his brother. Not sure why he had to come to our table, out of the blue, and make this announcement. Very Puzzling. The bread service kept bring us more bread even though we told him that we didn’t want any more bread and the obvious pile of un-eaten bread already on our bread plate. As I mentioned, we have eaten here five times prior and every time walked out “stunned” on how great the experience was. We have always referred to Manresa as the French Laundry of the South Bay but this experience have left us “stunned” for a much different reason. Since we love this restaurant, I am sure we will be back since it literally down the street from us but I think we will probably wait for a while until the bad taste leaves us. no pun intended. Disappointing news, indeed. However, I'd appreciate knowing, when you have the time and are willing, the details. What exactly what went wrong? You used some pretty strong descripitions. u.e. ←

We just ate at Manresa for the 6th time and I must confess that it was surprisingly disappointing. I have always held Manresa in the highest regards in both innovative and outstanding cuisine but Friday's visit will keep us away for a while. The service was amateuristic at best and the food, although somewhat adventurous, was not tasty and in fact some of the dishes were inedible. At first we thought that maybe we were spoiled from our recent trip to El Bulli and San Sebastian but as the meal progressed, we discovered that other neighboring diners (who also have eaten there in the past) had similar criticism of the food and service. I am sure all restaurants have an “off-night” and unfortunately we experienced it on Friday.

Yes the chapter on Grant is a great read. On a side note, Discovery Channel in Canada aired a show about a trip to Alinea and the kitchen. Lots of technique info. http://www.exn.ca/news/video/exn2006/04/18...cookscience.asx Also the Food Channel Canada recently aired "The Art of Alinea" but like the Bourdain visit to El Bulli episode, we probably wont see it in the US.

I have also been looking out for this for a while.

Looks like after Stephen got canned he stop paying his godaddy.com hosting fee

From a local who has eaten there numerous times, it is great for out-of-town guests who want to try something different and might be afraid to try vietnamese food. Ever since they moved from the Mission to the Ferry building, the food has become less intense (not that it was ever really intense) and the dining room reminds me of a cheap cafeteria with service that caters to the Fisherman's Wharf clientele. The charm and flavor of the Slanted Door when it was in the Mission was fantastic but since they moved it fails to deliver on the hype.

In anticipation of my 10-day gastronomic tour of northern Spain in early April, I found Gastrochick's review of both Arzak and Mugaritz very interesting and helpful. Thank you. Since Mugaritz is our last night in Spain. we will see how cerebral we want to go at that point on our trip. Judith, I have a PDF of the NYT article if you want it. Let me know.

If anyone has this book, I would love to hear your thoughts about it. or if anyone knows of a review online that would be great also.

I live in San Francisco and I see that all of the restaurants mentioned here on eGullet are always the most popular ones but there are also many fantastic restaurants that never get mentioned for some odd reason. It's really peculiar how the very same Barcelona restaurants get mentioned and scrutinized over and over again on eGullet - and some others never appear. To my taste, for instance, Àbac is clearly better than any of the above. Yet it's very seldom mentioned here. Curious. ← ←

Thanks for the input. I will surely take your suggestion. Maybe I will change Alkimia to Abac. Does Abac have a web site? I have been searching but havent found one. It's really peculiar how the very same Barcelona restaurants get mentioned and scrutinized over and over again on eGullet - and some others never appear. To my taste, for instance, Àbac is clearly better than any of the above. Yet it's very seldom mentioned here. Curious. ←

Thanks for the reply. I will definately try Alona Berri. This is a gastronomic tour of northern Spain, Cal Pep, Alkimia, Comerc24, El Bulli, Rafas, Arzak, Akellare, Mugaritz and Cinc Sentits. I tried to fit Can Fabes into my schedule but it is tough. I will have a full trip report when I get back.

Thanks I will add that one to my list

Thanks for the info. What about Monday, are most of them open for diner??

Thanks for your reply but I have already done an exhaustive search and I cannot seem to find any info regarding opening times/days for Pintxos bars in San Sebastian. None of the links that you listed provide any info either.

In planning my trip to Barcelona/Costa Brava/San Sebastian in March/April, it became painfully obvious that many gastronomic restaurants are closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Are the pintxos bars in San Sebastian also closed on these days? How about tapas bars in Barcelona do they follow this tradition? Is there a list of the hours for pintxos bars in San Sebastian and Barcelona?

After an outstanding mealin November at Alinea and a tour of the kitchen, the food was very inspirational. When is the cookbook going to be published?

Here are a few that I bought in 2005, some which have already been covered. Boulevard - Nancy Oakes Fantastic book. I have tried three recipes and they were all huge successes The Cook's Book - Jill Norman One of the best DK books ever published. Every recipe I tried has worked without a flaw Roy's Fish and Seafood - Roy Yamaguchi Although it repeats a few recipes from his other two books, most are new and wonderful. Its a keeper. Crisp pan-fried ono with yuzu-soy vinaigrette - Delightful! Seared black peppercorn and herb crusted ahi with maui-onion cognac sauce- to die for On the Chile Trail - Coyote Joe Simple Tex-mex recipes but with a flair- The Assorted Wild Mushroom and Poblano Chile Reduction sauce had everyone dipping their prime rib in it. The Pork, Peppers and Pineapple Skewer with Sonoran Ponzu was also very good Tapas - A taste of America- Jose Andres Havent cooked anything out of it yet, but I am going to try this weekend. Everything looks great Build a better burger - James McNair Not another burger book. Except this one has some killer recipes all taken from Sutter Homes awards over the past 15 years. Everything I tried so far has been new and different The New Southwest Cookbook - Carolyn Niethammer A collection of recipes from many restaurants throughout the southwest. Not that I need another SW cookbook, but SW is my personal favorite style and this books brings a bunch of new and exciting recipes. Chicken with Huitlacoche and pineapple salsa was outstanding. Also the garlic-sauteed lobster medallions with corn blinis and ancho creme fraiche was a bit complicated but well worth it. Santa Fe Kitchens - Museum of New Mexico Foundation Just released and I just picked up my copy. I will be cooking out of this for the holidays. Beautiful cookbook with lots of wonderful NM photos and paintings. Great Gift Idea Charcuterrie - Ruhlman and Polcyn Not much to add to the thread already here. I just received my pink salt today and I plan on making bacon next week.

Thanks. Yes I heard it wasnt a culinary destination but the sights I heard are very nice.. Yes, I have. Suggestions? Skip it. At least, from a gastronomic point of view, I'd say. ←

Bux, Thanks for the reply and tips. I was thinking of maybe taking three days to travel from Roses to San Sebsatian. Do you think that may be too aggressive? I realize that this part of thge trip will not be the culinary highlight of the trip but hopefully we will be able to find a few places along the way that will satisfy our palate. Have you ever ventured into Andorra? Any suggestions? Thanks

In anticipation of my trip to El Bulli, I was looking into driving from Costa Brava to San Sebastian through the southern side of the Pyrenees and was wondering if anyone has hints or experiences to share. Suggested places to stay, eat, route, and how long it may take would be helpful.

I use the peppercorns for a few of my favorite szechuan dishes, Peppery-numb chicken, Tangerine peel chicken, Chile-pepper chicken, and a great stir-fried asparagus dish. Most of these dishes are variations upon the basic theme of dishes from Irene Kuo's book.