thelastsupper

MsRamsey- that was delightful, astonishing and I don't really have any other words for it. I want to ask more about it, but I like to think it descended on me out of nowhere for some good deed I did and then forgot . . . And I am rather confused by the choice of words in the poem too: kind of redundant. I don't know about the paella recipe, but the "poem" is certainly awful (in a good way). Whoever wrote the poem sounds like he was making fun of Jorge Guillén.

You see? Everyone love's DeLaurenti's!

It's true . . . since James Cook went down cheese in Seattle just isn't quite the same. . . But DeLaurenti's in the Pike Place Market is quite formidable in many ways, albeit somewhat expensive. They have a terriffic great cheese and wine selection, along with numerous Italian, Spanish and French imported food items.

I don't disagree with the position held by Matthew Grant and Chef/writer Spencer. When I go out to a restaurant to dine I want the food to taste good. I think the main sticking point of the argument lies in Matthew's being burned: I felt the same way about Commerç 24. But I don't think that Abellan has much concern about what he's doing other than becoming the darling of Barcelona's beautiful people. I was suggesting that perhaps El Bulli is seeking a redefinition of the idea of "restaurant" or "dining," one that reevaluates the common building blocks by which we understand and "own" our cuisine. This is what I meant by formal elements. Certainly taste is one of these elements, but tastes can be manipulated (and made strange) by changing the expected structure of the dish. I was curious at Matthew's reactions to the "tricks" on the menu. The transformations or instructions seemed to grate on his nerves. As I read it, the wine service seemed insufferable, as did the lack of good flavor. But the new flavors that Matthew enjoyed were presented in new forms also, which didn't seem to bother him, for example: "brioche pasta." I was hoping for a more in-depth description/discussion of the formal elements of the meal. I was also curious about what he thought about the idea of the restaurant as a "sham" or a new form itself . . . we already know that Spencer doesn't like foam, that isn't going anywhere else-- I don't push an idea of "truth." It doesn't seem that LML does either. Consequently, my idea of art is much more mutable than you might suspect. As ballast/regime mentioned in his careful post earlier in the thread, many artists do not believe in the idea of art as a dead thing. Art is married with life and with craft, be it banal or sublime, momentary or meditative. Matthew's Bulli experience is over, but that doesn't mean his reflections upon it have to be. And dialogue about those reflections. That is what this board is all about, right?

He isn't the only chef that controls the experience of eating, obviously. But he is one of the most aware of the uses and limits of that control. If you have a cold and cannot taste correctly, a great portion of your dining experience is removed. It is not necessary to be but to deny that level of involvement is to excuse yourself from what may be the underlying point of the meal.I think most people know that they will be participating in an "experiment" when they make reservations at El Bulli. That is part of its gimmick: it is sensational; it is play; it is theatre. Check out the website-- words like: "magic," "singular/unique." People know they will be sucking through straws and eating eggs wrapped in caramel and being tricked. And if they don't, as you claim, who cares? El Bulli instantly fills up for its entire season, and will for quite a long time. This spirit of experimentation, new formalism, design and sensationalism is very much in the Catalan tradition. Look at Dalí, at Miró, at Gaudi. They did things very differently from anyone else in their line of craft. They broke the rules and people were upset. In retrospect is their work "painting" or "architecture?" Probably, but their aims were new, you needed new tools to understand the work on the aritst's terms. Is the Casa Batlló really an apartment building anymore? Casa Batlló It has rooms and furniture and people can live there, so, yes, but is that all? To deny certain of its formal elements, its innovations, its monstrosity would be to simplify and dull its maker's intention. I am sure there are people who walk past it everyday on their way to work and don't give it a thought. You could too. But if you made a trip specifically to experience Gaudí on his own terms, it would be foolish and limiting to overlook what he was doing. And I'm sorry, cooking is always theatre. Particularly restaurant cooking.

Marmitako? I am surprised that you enjoyed your meal considering your response to El Bulli. I remember being disappointed that the primary flavors of the amazing ingredients had been masked by their complements: the mint yogurt muddying the lamb, the soy/ginger on a cube of bonito, an enormous pile of microplaned reggiano and a slick of balsamic syrup on incredible anchovies, etc. I remember thinking each dish as a mockery/grotesque version of an ethnic cuisine. I will have to dig out my notes.

Adriá isn't really concerned with the "restaurant biz" anymore. El Bulli certainly isn't wanting for customers. I have the idea that Adriá is attempting (and succeeding at) something that has stepped outside of the traditional culinary understandings of "craft" or "technique." --Almost as though he has seized the (rather alchemical) metaphor of cooking as transformation or transmutation and is using the dining room, the restaurant, the meal as setting for an exploration of the act of transformation: the relationship between manipulator and manipulated, with the viewer/spectator/diner as interpreter of the manipulated object (in this case, food, especially traditional Spanish/Catalan understandings of what food is or signifies--). That said, I think Matthew Grant does well to criticize the formal aspects of the meal, or at least that he calls them to attention (even if by cynicism). Flavor is certainly a formal aspect and can be evaluated, but these evaluations will certainly vary person to person as has been noted. I suspect, as perhaps LML does, that Matthew has dismissed too readily his own questions such as: why call a trick with bean sprouts a 'false chip'? Why add numerous steps to eat what turns out essentially to be crunchy peanut butter on toast? Again all formal aspects: why did A. make these choices? What doe he accomplish by making the person paying for the meal become aware of the fact that he is being manipulated (or even duped)? I wonder if this is not what the meal is "about," these questions. I am reminded of Brecht's development of "alienation" techniques within the theater. For example, a mother is weeping onstage, the audience is moved by her situation. A mime sneaks up behind her on the stage, aping her grief grotesquely and mocking the audience. Quite suddenly the spectator is put into a very uncomfortable situation with the confrontation that the "mother" is simply an actress, the emotion is "faked," the mime is responsible for this unveiling, etc. Maybe not directly applicable, but I think it may illuminate the idea that people do not necessarily seek the pleasurable or harmonious. Dissonance usually has its reasons.

I think it's fine to post if you are in the industry, just take extra care to make your points clear. It's easy to misread without specifics. The more specific, the more people can understand and value (or disregard) your opinion.

Examples are always more helpful and credible than blank statements, no? In what way is the food at Seastar insipid?

Not to praise the Stranger's food writing, or pan it for that matter-- but come on . . . A sauce is too sweet, meat is tasteless: these aren't things that take special skill or experience to see. Also, you can be an excellent diner without writing about what you eat for a living. Just look at this board. I doubt the folk at the Stranger have an aversion to sauce. Sauce done badly on the other hand is (if not a crime--) exceedingly unpleasant. More bad sauce=more unpleasantness (more crime!). I wonder if the wine dinners are more carefully executed than meals in the dining room?

vserna-- If you could, what is the catalan/castilian name for pig chin? I've been trying to remember . . .

That seems a bit reactionary. I might reconsider.

It won't be dried out. It will be suberb. Anything braised that long will be pretty good if you understand what braising's about I think. There's a Basque tuna stew called Marmitako that I love-- it has red pepper, potato, tomato, and tuna cooked through. Really good stuff, provided your sequencing's right.

Just ask them not to do any rolls. I don't see much of a problem. You probably won't get as much, but from what I've had there and what it sounds like you are ready for that shouldn't be a problem. . .

Prosecco and Reggiano is good too.

Nell's should be good. I was there last week and the 25 dollar menu looked quite interesting. Kohlrabi soup and skate wing! Let us know how it worked out.

The place isn't empty. There is another little sandwich shop in there, I thought . . .?

Hooray. Looks fine, fine. Nonstick works but I have never needed it-- if it sticks, you haven't added enough olive oil. I ate in a restaurant in Barcelona that had a specific type of very old wood burning stoves (of only three left anywhere). The cook was the only one around who knew how to work the thing. He had a strange way of making his tortilla that involved throwing hot oil around the edge of the cooking eggs to set it more quickly. The finished product was much lighter in texture than others I've eaten, with a softer interior. I had a fantastic, smoky escalivada there also.

I am glad that you enjoyed yourself at Tango NSM. Aside from being annoyed at spelling errors on the menu (ie "Hongoes") I could only describe the place as wildly uneven. I have been several times in the past month to take advantage of the 1/2 price wine list on Monday nights. The first time I was surprised at how much the food had improved since the last time I'd been. The Lamb dish was tasty: seared loin, a venison sausage (somewhat dry) and a heap of black-eyed peas. The same dish one week later was completely uninteresting, dry and bland. I like their "Blanco y Rojo" however, just arugula, white anchovies, tomato and onion. But then I like white anchovies in most forms. I still think the food has nothing to do with Spanish food except the names on the menu. I would give it that mysterious term, "New American." They do have a great little wine list. And I will eat just about anything with a nice Rioja.

I have always had excellent service at Le Gourmand-- personable and casual, but quite capable. I confess that I haven't been there for at least a year-- though I am surprised to hear that your mains were blah . . .That's unfortunate.

I don't think that the beeswax is used to prevent sticking necessarily-- rather to help it get the proper color before the inside overcooks. It also imparts flavor and helps give the cannele a little crunch.

I have only seen the beeswax method. And it was melted by a torch (which helped the overall color of the canneles). I was in Bordeaux and the Périgord this summer and of all the ones I sampled, all had flecks of vanilla. Yum. Fill them full (or as full as you had them to get them barely puffed, rather) and let the beeswax take care of the color! Maybe.

The way that I learned how to make it is take a mess of onions and potatoes. Waxy Yukon Golds are a good match for Spanish potatoes used in tortilla. Russets don't taste right texturally, but they would be okay. Dice the onions. Peel the potatoes, cut the in half, then into sixths lengthwise (depending on the size of the potatoes). Then slice thinly. Heat up quite a bit of olive oil and sautée the onions and potatoes until completely soft. Do not brown. (I always add a lot of chopped garlic to the pan as well, but many don't. It's not necessarily traditional, but it's damn good and you can find versions with garlic.) Meanwhile crack the number of eggs that you want into a large bowl (Think omelets to determine how many eggs you want to use. I usually do a batch of twelve eggs. Also- you don't want more eggs than potato/onion mass, they should be approximately the same.). The eggs should be room temperature. The "technique" / secret is to add the sautéed mass (still warm) to the eggs and let them sit. I have known Spanish cooks who let the eggs sit (room temp) for hours. For the squeamish a half hour is probably fine to let the flavor of the onion (and garlic) permeate the eggs. Salt is the other important thing. Add more than you think. These things eat up a lot of salt and the Spanish palate is accustomed to more salt than Americans. Heat a good amount of olive oil in a pan (you want the bottom of the pan to have a fairly generous coating). Heavy cast iron skillets would work well, but may be difficult to invert. Add the egg mixture to the hot oil. You can play with thicknesses here. Some prefer a very thick tortilla and some like them thinner. If your eggs are deep in the pan, you may want to toss the thing in the oven to set the middle. Otherwise, lift the sides to slip the uncooked egg underneath (sort of cheating for purists) and let cook on medium to medium low heat. When the middle is nearly set, set a plate on top of the pan and invert. Wipe the pan out, add more oil and slide the tortilla back in to finish cooking. Remove and cool. Yum. Sorry for the sloppy recipe. If something is unclear, just ask about it and I will try to clarify. This brings back memories of a tortilla I had at Cal Pep in Barcelona this summer. It had chorizo and was still warm with cold aiolli ove the top. Surely one of the best things I've eaten.

Pooling eggs refers to the number of eggs that can be stored together after cracking them. The more there are, the greater the chance of contamination.

I think that Canal will still be under the same management, just a different menu/name.