GITA

The culinary spell check will also have future versions as they expand the words. For those who like the blog, The Specials is another editorial area, located in The Library section. Today, there is a small story on Julia Child's role as a spy for the CIA, which was announced recently.

Also...Yesterday, GigaChef put up the first “Kitchen Spanish” talking dictionary on their website in their Library section. If it interests you, there were a few interesting reactions: 1) Cunning Linguists: New “Kitchen Dictionary” Helps You Yell At Spanish-Speaking Restaurant Workers: http://guanabee.com/2008/08/new-kitchen-di...y-helps-y-1.php 2) Dept. of Uncomfortable Conversations: GigaChef’s “Kitchen Spanish” Dictionary http://www.phoodie.info/2008/08/14/dept-of...ish-dictionary/

I’m working (PR) with GigaChef.com, which launched in June – it’s was created by super-chefs, who have been working in kitchens and consulting for all kinds of operations for their entire careers, and they are still cooking! The site is for culinary professionals and offers quite a lot. The idea was that culinarians need the tools and resources that are within the site, but have had to pay for them or have to navigate through the mass clutter of the internet, without being certain that they can trust the information. So far, it’s a very extensive site that took about 2 years to build before in launched in June. People who have been using it are continuously finding new capabilities and resources that they didn’t know were there. Some cool components of the site off-hand are: Professional recipe template, storage, emailing, downloading and sharing A recipe bank of professional-level recipes to copy to your account and edit if you wish Professional networking – like a myspace or a facebook, except most of the users are wearing toques and profile questions are mostly about favorite ingredients and cookbooks. The Pass, which is a blog by professionals for professionals If you’ve ever seen culinary-industry resumes, you’ll understand that the resume builder in the career section is a great tool – it pulls directly from your profile information and then you can edit and save multiple copies to your account, for the future. The photography is really beautiful and artistic, the main site photos are by renowned food photographer, Peter Pioppo – there is a visual gallery in The Library section for those who want to browse through gorgeous shots of food – they can be downloaded too. There’s a free, downloadable culinary spell check for PC’s or Apple computers so you can finally spell hors d’oeuvres correctly. Oh and there’s a vendor section that will continue to grow – it’s a directory of vendors that can be sorted alphabetically or by region and users can also store their own vendors in this section, creating a virtual rolodex.

Here's the link: http://www.devour.tv/video/list/showid/69 The show is about 30 minutes long.

Also on the foodie list might be the Kampuchea Num Pang (Sandwich): Homemade Pork Pate & Headcheese Terrine - delish. FYI- Ratha Chau is chef/owner and the other little white guy in the kitchen, Scott Burnett, is his partner and co-executive chef.

I should have added that it is now Kampuchea Restaurant.

Ratha's publicist here - I wanted to note that although Kampuchea had originally been a "noodle bar," Ratha is in the process of changing the name since his menu has evolved to having only 1/5 noodle dishes.

I have experienced the new menu under Chef Esnault. I should explain that as I work with ADNY professionally, my comments may be considered biased. I urge everyone else to check it out. It's quite different and we've been getting excellent feedback.

Alain Ducasse announced in April that Tony Esnault has been named the new Executive Chef of ADNY. Chef Esnault comes to Alain Ducasse at the Essex House from his most recent position as Chef de Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton, Boston. He worked for Alain Ducasse previously, from 1996 to 1999, at the renowned Louis XV Alain Ducasse Restaurant in Monte Carlo. In collaboration with Alain Ducasse, Chef Esnault demonstrates his culinary philosophy, expertise and interpretation of summer with his debut menu at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. Chef Esnault’s dishes illustrate his respect for the integrity of quality ingredients in their most natural state through his characteristically light and delicate fare. He juxtaposes contrasting textures and crafts his dishes carefully to accentuate the flavor of each ingredient in a manner that allows for their true character to speak most clearly. “I have known Tony Esnault for nearly 10 years and have always been highly impressed with his culinary talents and utmost professionalism,” commented M. Ducasse on the new appointment. “We have been looking for the right opportunity to bring him back to the Alain Ducasse family and we feel he is the perfect person to further my vision for New York as Executive Chef.” Tony Esnault brings a wealth of culinary experience and talent to his new position at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, including having successfully reinvented The Ritz Carlton Boston’s “The Dining Room” since its reopening in 2002. He was also voted Best Hotel Chef of America by the James Beard Foundation in 2004 and garnered four Mobil Stars in 2005 and four AAA Diamonds in 2004, among a host of other accolades. “I’m thrilled at the chance to work again with Alain Ducasse and am truly honored to be at such a wonderful restaurant,” said the 33-year-old Esnault. The Summer Menu: CAVIAR Iranian osetra caviar by “Caviar Russe” blinis, toast, fingerling potato, crème fraîche APPETIZER Selected garden vegetables, crisp and tender, crushed herbs Frog legs "meunières", delicate velouté, parsley/watercress coulis Duck foie gras terrine, white peach medley, toasted brioche Chilled steamed langoustine, fresh almond milk, cucumber, celery and radish with golden Iranian osetra caviar FISH Wild Alaskan salmon lightly poached, baby leeks, brocoletti, "nage vinaigrette" Maine Lobster, “haricots verts”, sugar snap and English peas ”en blanquette " Line-caught bass, razor and Manila clams, peekytoe crabmeat, shellfish emulsion Dover sole, braised rainbow Swiss chard, capers/lemon condiment Barramundi, yellow/candy beets, fresh hearts of palm Turbot cooked slowly, celery raw and fondant, citrus marmalade MEAT Squab breast, glazed radish, artichoke pairing, salmis jus Milk fed veal, oven roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, natural jus Lamb loin "au sautoir", baby spring vegetables, refreshed with mint Aged Ribeye of Black Angus, shallots, Boston bibb lettuce, panisses, sabayon Blue foot chicken, crayfish fricassee, wild mushroom and asparagus DESSERTS Passion fruit soufflé, coconut / banana / lime sorbet Baba, rum of your choice, Monte-Carlo Style Peach tart, verbena custard, red currant sorbet Chocolate / raspberries for the contrast lovers Strawberry / rhubarb "millefeuille", vanilla ice-cream TASTING MENU Selected garden vegetables, crisp and tender, crushed herbs Chilled steamed langoustine, fresh almond milk, cucumber, celery and radish Seared duck foie gras, rhubarb confit and roasted mango, tangy sauce Line -caught bass, razor and Manila clams, peekytoe crabmeat, shellfish emulsion Milk fed veal, oven roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, natural jus Cheese, perfectly matured Fine lemon mousse in a crunchy layered, grapefruit sorbet, zest juice