iheartoffal

I think Colicchio said it best in regards to Stephen: all style and no substance. Completely soulless. He certainly has some technique under his belt and an artistic eye, but I seriously doubt he's ever used either for anything more than a pedantic display.

What I meant is that, with the given that the food is excellent at particular restaurant, I'm less likely to focus on the service...even less so on the decor. I didn't mean that service or decor shouldn't factor into one's evaluation of a place. It's just that--based on reviews I've read here and elsewhere--some people seem to be offended, even traumatized by the decor at Urena, so much so that it's ruined an otherwise good meal for them. It just makes no sense to me.

I've heard that if you actually succeed in opening the blue door, your dinner is free.

Going through Open Table, there are a LOT of 10pm spots for four-tops available all through the month of May. It's suprising, because last time I tried getting a reservation online (roughly a year ago) there was nothing--at all.

Why are people so caught up on the decor? When I go out to eat, my primary concern is the food on the plate...everything else (including the service most of the time) is just peripheral. If I'm enjoying my food and the company, I probably won't even notice the room at all, unless it's decorated with pictures of roadkill and lit with strobe lights. I keep reading reviews by people who say that the ambience ruined the meal for them. I'd expect that from people who don't go out to eat for the food, but not from people on here.

For once Mr. Bruni and I are in agreement. A few small touches to the interior will certainly help the restaurant's outlook , but one can and should look past the decor when the kitchen is operating a level as high a level as it is. Perhaps it's just me, but I would eat Alex's food even if he was operating out of a broom closet at a Comfort Inn.

Stopped in for an early dinner/late lunch/horrifyingly late breakfast this afternoon. Had a nice marinated-grilled vegetable sandwich...they weren't able to heat it up in the press for some reason, but it was still quite good served chilled. Very fresh and flavorful. I also had the richest chocolate tart...ever. I've since had a hard time negotiating the whole standing-up process. It was that rich.

That's 17 dishes we know of from well known restaurants. My question is: if this guy is willing to copy immediately recognizable dishes from world-famous restaurants with no apparent compunction, then how many dishes did he take from restaurants we've never heard of? I think we might be looking at more than "a few notes in a symphony".

Saying that replicating these dishes verbatim and then adding them to your menu (for profit, I might add) is the first step in an evolution would be like if I were to re-record Miles's Davis' 'Kind of Blue' note for note, retitle it "Sort of Blue", make no reference to the original composer, turn around and sell it for a profit, and later claim that it was just part of my evolution as a musician.

I went recently and was completely underwhelmed. The much vaunted spaetzle and sweetbread dish was oversalted with no contrast in flavor or texture from any of the components. The foie gras terrine wasn't half bad, but then again, it's hard to ruin foie (for me, anyway). Everything else was inoffensive at best. I probably won't go back either, unless of course someone else is paying.

I know several people who have gone to 71 lately, and it's been a love it or hate it thing in all cases. The ones who had a bad experience also had completely different dishes than I had. Perhaps I just got lucky, but still, it was a damn good meal.

I did have the tasting, but with a couple of extra courses. Really? My souces told me saturday was the last day. Hmm, perhaps I'll be able to get there again.

I finally made it to 71cff tonight. Man, am I pissed! No, it's not the food, the service, or the ambience. It's the fact that I waited until three days before it closes forever to enjoy a meal there. The food was was mostly sensational...at worst it was just very good. Standouts were a coddled egg with uni, pickeled shallots, maple syrup, creme fraiche, and pedro ximinez; a confit of foie gras with bbq'd unagi, brioche croutons, and almond milk foam; and a roasted sea bass with thai lobster bisque, cilantro, coconut, and bananas. It was so good that I feel like breaking something. Maybe the whole closing thing is just a cruel joke.

I stumbled across a blog authored by the chef(s) there awhile back. It looked like they were doing some pretty interesting stuff. But yeah, that was the first I'd heard of Animal Farm selling butter to anyone but Keller.

I second that. That goes for the "molecular" gastronomy debate as well. I group food into two categories: food I like, and food I don't like. I wish more people would do the same and stop worrying about labels and provenance.

Complaints about about service are understandable, but I think you may have gone a little too far by identifying her like that.

So here's what we had at Ureña's last Friday. As much as each dish deserves a full paragraph, I won't go into too much detail because I'd be at this all night. We received two different tasting menus which they were also kind enough to print up for us at the end of the meal--thankfully, because my note taking ceased to be legible or coherent after awhile. Amuse: Boquerones with quince paste and (some sort of soft spanish cheese whose name I couldn't make out) Perfect way to kick off the meal. This one little bite nearly knocked me out of my seat. The quince paste accented the natural flavor of the boquerones while the cheese added perfect richness. First Course: "Ostra Escabeche" Marinated oyters, saimfaina brunoise, oyster juice gelee The saimfaina brunoise was described as being similar in composition to ratatouille, but without eggplant. One of the better oyster dishes I've had in that the garnishes enhanced the natural flavor of the oysters and didn't impede them. It was a theme that was recurrent throughout the meal. Second Course: "Dos Crudos " House smoked tuna, shrimp marinated in lemon juice, pearl onions and green olives The raw, marinated shrimp was stuffed and presented atop the razor thin slice of smoked tuna. This was delicious, but there was a bit too much acidity in play from the lemon juice for my palette. Third Courses: "Mar y Montaña" Serrano ham, shrimp, roasted apples Perfect. The seranno ham and shrimp were formed into a terrine and sliced, which made for an interesting play in flavor and textures. Overall, the dish displayed saltiness, sweetness and acidity in perfect harmony. "Baccalao" Salt cod mousse, flake cod, pickeled onions, potato confit Good, but not one of my favorites. My friend had had baccaloa before and said this was a great take on it, however. Fourth Courses: "Vieiras Asados" Nantucket bay scallops, parsnip puree, chorizo sauce, Avruga caviar I had never heard of Avruga caviar, and honestly I had dismissed it as a typo (believing it was supposed to be Sevruga) until I looked it up. Apparently it's a sturgeon caviar alternative harvested from the common herring. Obviously I didn't detect a difference in flavor from traditional sturgeon caviar or else I wouldn't have thought it a typo. Interesting. Anyway, the dish again displayed a masterful sense of balance with the parsnip adding to the scallops' natural sweetness and the chorizo sauce adding a hint of saltiness and heat. Ensalada de Raya Poached Skate, confit of peruvian purple potatoes, meyer lemon sauce I didn't get to try much of this one as we forgot to switch dishes. Ah well. Fifth Courses: "Bogavante" Steamed Lobster, pickled rhubarb, salsify and vanilla puree This was off the charts delicious and one of the standouts of the meal. "Flétan" Roasted Atlantic Halibut, yellow beets, spinach, red wine and beet reduction I thought this dish would be overly sweet, but the addition of the red wine kept the sweetness in check and added just enough acidity. Sixth Courses: "Pollo en Dos Texturas" Braised chicken breast, confit of thigh, artichoke puree, caramelized leeks, foie gras foam This dish was definitely more of a showcase in texture than in flavor, at least to my palette. Just a bit too subtle after bold flavor of the lobster dish. I probably would have enjoyed this more on its own. "Cerdo Brasiado" Braised pork belly, granny smith apple puree, star anise scented sauce Another show stopper. Pure luxury. Seventh Course: "Costillas de Cordero" Rack of lamb, cashew puree, swiss chard, black trumpet mushroom A very earthy preparation that let the lamb's flavor come through. Desserts: "Sorbet de Eneldo" Dill Yogurt Sorbet, lemon curd, lemon sugar Normally I'm not a big fan of dill, but it was offset adequately by the lemon curd and the flavors actually worked together quite nicely. A nice little palette cleanser overall. "Chocolate con Mostasa" Chocolate pudding and mustard foam Mustard seems to be making quite a few pastry appearances lately. I didn't think I would like this, but the acrid mustard flavor really did go well with the chocolate. The key was to get the right proportion in each spoonful. "Remolacha con Chocolate" Beet panna cotta, chocolate sauce, sour cream ice cream, chocolate cookie crumble, orange sugar salt Incredible. It takes a deft hand to make such a motley list of components come together in harmony, but that they did. I thought the orange sugar salt was a brilliant idea. I've seen infused salts and infused sugars, but never together like this. It really tied everything on the plate together. In summation, it was a very uplifting meal. To be honest, like most people, I was expecting a more "molecular" bent to the proceedings, but that was not the case here. There was no theater or gimmickry at all; only bright, clean, balanced flavors. I am aware that some modern techniques were used, but they certainly didn't upstage the food. My meal came about halfway through their second week in operation...usually not the most auspicious time for any restaurant. You certainly wouldn't have been able to tell from the food. Some people have complained that the service is still getting its bearings, and that may be so, but I thought the staff did a great job. And yeah, the lighting was a tad bright, but it wasn't offensively bright as some people have claimed. The one funny thing was the front door, which closed with a resounding "thud" whenever it was used, causing everyone to look up from their meals. At the end of the meal, chef Alex and chef Stabynski came to the table to say hi. Talk about an unexpected honor! Two very cool, very down to earth people. I also got to meet the general manager, who was as gracious a host as you could ask for. I'm excited to see how this restaurant evolves, and I enthusiastically recommmend it to anyone.

Just got back from Urena. Wow. WOW. We had two different tasting menus which they were kind enough to print out for us at the end, so I'll be sure to post some of the highlights. For right now, though, I'm too full to type much.

I've certainly had savory dishes before where chocolate was among the ingredients, but I've never had anything where it was paired so directly as it was with the chorizo. Perhaps that's why it came as such a suprise. I'm used to seeing it in the context of items like mole, where it's with a malange of different ingredients and it's presence is a little more subtle.

Tia Pol rocks! Every single dish out of the ten or so I tried last time I went was extraordinary, including one dish consisting of thinly sliced chorizo on slices of baguette with bitter chocolate. Chocolate and chorizo...whoda thunk it?

I was always under the assumption that the quotations made the food taste better...

I had a feeling...

One thing is for certain...do NOT move to Washington Heights. There is nothing here. Well, except for this one place that sells good baklava.

Hmm.... Edit: I had a humorous photo comparisson up, but I remember there being rules against possibly copyrighted photos. Go here and scroll down through the comments and look for the comparisson between Rachel Ray standing next to Mario Batali and a certain scene from Return of the Jedi.

Were dogs in sweaters the inspiration for your grapefruit in grapefruit pre-dessert?