ASM NY

Not sure how Alinea does it, if it's any help, the French Laundry cookbook mentions they make powders by setting pulp or puree of different fruits/vegetables above ovens until it's dry. For the home, he suggests using the microwave in low/medium power and checking constantly and then using a coffee or spice grinder. I imagine a dehidrator would probably do the job, and then you would just use the grinder.

I also love La Reserve, I would recommend however to go for lunch instead of dinner. I found the ambiance to be a lot more laid back and the view is beautiful if you ask to be seated next to the windows.

Jeffrey Steingarten wrote a short article about Morimoto in this month's Vogue. In all fairness, the article focuses more on Ando's architecture than on the food at Morimoto, still the article is overall very positive on the restaurant. I can't remember when I last read an article by Steingarten that focused solely on one restaurant and its virtues.

Of the Mexican foods, I think Yucatan has some of the most flavorful and contrasting flavors. For some of the classic Yucatan dishes: Sopa de Lima Papadzules Panuchos (try the shark if you can) Pollo Oriental Cochinita Pibil Pheasant just to name a few

I went to Devi for the first time last night, and I can only say that I am very disappointed. I can totally see what the vision is regarding the use of non-Indian ingredients and techniques, but in my opinion, it misses the mark completely. I would consider a place like Tamarind better than Devi (not that I love Tamarind). All said and done, I would take the neighborhood Baluchi's to my experience at Devi. We started with a trio of samosas and the manchurian cauliflower. The trio of samosas was "ok", but certainly not better than what I have had elsewhere, or in any restaurant in Curry Hill. The manchurian cauliflower was, in my opinion, very poor. Slightly breaded cauliflower, fried, and a tomato sauce that tasted like it came from a heinz ketchup bottle. When I sent it back, the waiter noted that that was their signature dish. My response was that if THIS was their signature dish, that it spoke very poorly about the restaurant (I have tried it elsewhere and am a fan of the dish). I returned it and went with the tandoori chicken stuffed with lamb. It was ok. For main courses we had the halibut (fish of the day) and the beef curry (first time I see beef in an Indian restaurant). The beef curry was actually very good, no complaints there. The halibut was too salty and overcooked. For desserts, we had the kulfi and the banana "sundae". The kulfi itself was not bad, but it came in a citrus sauce that didn't work well with the kulfi. The banana sundae was not bad at all. I can totally see what Devi tries to accomplish, and it saddens me that it doesn't, I really did want to like the place and went in with high expectations. Based on my experience, I couldn't say it's one of the best Indian restaurants in the city, I couldn't even say that it's a good Indian restaurant at all. I don't see myself going back.

Thanks Arley, yes I have heard and read good things about LBdSA and very much want to go there. The thing that's making us think twice is the logistics on how to get 8 people from the marina to Grasse. Are public cabs freely available? Do we take the train? From the miniature maps I'm working with I can't work out whether Grasse is closer to Cannes or Nice. But I will certainly make an effort to visit the Musee de l'Art Cullinaire. Hadn't heard about it before. The "crew" are all foodies so I don't expect anyone to veto this suggestion. Thanks. ← There are plenty of taxis, but they are very very expensive. You can take the train, but what I would suggest is a call to the restaurant and find out what they suggest. It is closer to Cannes, just further away from the sea.

For a fine meal, I would recommend La Bastide de St. Antoine in Grasse, I have had some of the best meals of my life in that place (not cheap). I liked it more than the Louis XV, found it to be more laid back. Especially if you can go there for lunch, it's much more affordable, and if you can secure a table in the garden, it's just a great experience. Not sure if this will "fit" the entire crew you are going with, but a place worth visiting in my opinion is Le Musee de l'Art Culinaire which is in Villeneuve-Loubet, just west of Nice. It's Escoffier's childhood home, and it became a museum in 1966.

Doc, This has been an awesome post! Thanks for sharing. Going back to your comment on seafood and La Merced. Growing up in Mexico City, I just grew up with the assumption that seafood in markets/supermarkets was supposed to smell fishy. It completely threw me off when I visited markets in Europe and in the US where this smell was not present.

Any idea when you will be able to get this in the USA? ← Try these guys...they might have it Kitchen Arts and Letters

Great review FG. Not sure if you have been to Devi, but would be curious how you think they compare.

The actual quote was: "for me, Andoni Luis Aduriz is the future of Spanish cooking." ← Thank you for the accurate quote which I couldn't recall. Most appreciative ASM, NY. Could you offer Alberto's complete quote and date it? Thanks so much. Judith Gebhart ← The place I read it was in the New York Times Magazine article: "The Nueva Nouvelle Cuisine, How Spain Became the New France" by Arthur Lubow, dated August 10, 2003. It reads:

The actual quote was: "for me, Andoni Luis Aduriz is the future of Spanish cooking."

That's right, which is the reason less restaurants are serving foam, and more are serving "air". But you gotta be very quick, it doesn't last long.

I am still very puzzled why you would leave such a tip...

It's actually very simple. You prepare the foam in the same way you would prepare the cold foam, just stick it in a warm water bath until right before serving. Do not expose the canister to a direct flame.

They look great chef! Looks to me like the much talked about Calcium Chloride/Sodium Alginate combo... is it?

I completely agree on both accounts. I am not saying they should change their menu, or have a different tasting. Peter Luger has made a name for itself by serving outstanding porterhouse steaks, not for being creative or innovative in any way. When I first visited Nobu, I was under the impression that the place was "hot" not only because of the high quality food, but because it was at the forefront of the "fusion" cuisine, offering new and creative dishes. For them to not have evolved further, is somewhat surprising.

What really strikes me is that even the tasting menu hasn't really evolved over the last 10 years. I have been to Nobu many times over the past decade, and while they clearly have developed a good formula that makes them good money, one would think that a tasting menu would show a little bit of change over time. Nobu became the destination that it is because it used to offer very innovative, creative, high quality food. Now every single restaurant carries the black cod with miso... The main question is: can a restaurant whose claim to fame was creativity (remember when "fusion" was new?), just stop creating new dishes? Based on nobu, one would think it can.

I am sure that you will find another thread with more info, but here's my two cents: Not a huge fan of white truffle oil as it's usually a lot of chemicals and peels, not truffle per se. I have had better luck with truffle butter. It's a little more expensive, but in my opinion gives a more authentic aroma. As for brands and sources, I would say Urbani. One place I have found to be a good source for truffle-related products at D'Artagnan.

Another note on elBulli's tuilles. They create them from boiled pureed vegetables (beet, carrot) mixed with sugar, glucose and Isomalt. Then create a fine sheet of the mixture and shape once it's dried in the oven. They are a bit on the sweet side of course, but this technique could potentially combine well with other savory elements.

I had no idea they were working on a 2005 volume. I recently obtained the 2003-2004 and they are absolutely awesome. I am puzzled on how they could top this latest effort. I am not surprised that they are going for the 2003-2004 translations first (as opposed to the 1983-1993. I am under the impression that the reception on the first volume has been lukewarm compared to the others.

I find the concept to be similar, but a few differences. While R4D is definetly more creative, I don't think their desserts are necessarily over the top. While Chikalicious has a "bar" and a few tables. R4D is one long bar. At Chikalicious, you get an amuse and petit fours, and pick a choice of dessert. At R4D each of the dessert options is a "set" of 4 dessert items or so. (you can also order a "glass" of dessert, which is only 1 item). If you go by yourself, the variety of the things you would probably try would be similar. If you go in a group, you could probably get to try a lot more different things at R4D. From a service standpoint, I find the service at both places to be very good and friendly. At R4D however, I found the staff more approachable and social. We spoke for a while with Will and our waitress. Much more in line with what you'd expect from your bartender! Chikalicious opens in the afternoon and on weekends, while R4D opens nights and closes on Sundays. Chikalicious lends itself as a good place to go for dessert on a Sunday after lunch. R4D is more of a place for dessert on a weeknight or saturday night. On the same note, R4D serves cocktails and feels more like a fun bar (darker, music). Personally R4D is more my type of place (although I do wish they opened earlier on weekends). I have only been to R4D once, but I did enjoy the food and the ambiance more than Chikalicious. Don't get me wrong, I have been to Chikalicious many times and enjoy their desserts.

I for one thought he was kidding when he offered me some!!! Happy to hear there is a "dealer" in these substances around here... Will have to score some soon! Jokes aside, I think it's a nice gesture to hook people up with these items that are very hard to find. It might be a little off-topic, but for those wondering, Calcium Chloride is indeed the chemical used to melt snow. It is used however, in the food industry as well. (I would be very careful about using the one they use for the snow in the kitchen). You have to make sure to get "food grade" CaCl. More recently it has become more popular thanks to the good people at elBulli. Adria was working on his "liquid ravioli", which is basically a self enclosed "liquid sphere" of a juice/puree. Sodium Alginate and Calcium Chloride react with each other. So if for example one mixes the alginate with apple juice and then this is poured into a solution of Calcium Chloride the drops of apple juice will react with the solution and create a membrane around themselves, thereby effectively enclosing the liquid in itself. There is a recipe for Adria's apple caviar at the starchef's website here and the mango ravioli here. Will currently prepares these with mango in his "Voyage to India" dish, and both flavor and textures are outstanding. That alone is worth the trip.

For those interested in the actual recipe for the tongue/fied mayo as well as an interesting quick Q&A with WD you can find them at the starchef's website here.

Of course!!! Not to mention the cigarette smoke... although that is changing much to the dismay of some locals.