BryanZ

I'm so sad you brought this to my attention. There's no conceivable way I can scrounge up at least a grand, as much as I really really really really really want to own a PacoJet. Anyone want to give me a loan?

The above post should be considered the gospel for steaks done sous vide.

I have two meals to spare over the holday weekend. One will be at Del Posto only to judge its quality for myself. This Modern vs. Country debate is somewhat skewed because it will be with my family and for a birthday, thus shading toward a more classically elegant and sedate experience. Decisions, decisions.

There's also a thread around here on fluid gels, which I believe is what you're looking for. I'm interested to know what you're planning on doing.

I'd like to ask how many people who own the book have made the croquetas. Personally I love the bechamel filling and have found others that do, too. But other people have been turned off by the somewhat unfamiliar texture. I grew up thinking croquetas were based on creamy pureed potatoes but many Spanish croquetas aren't made in this way. My croquetas are largely similar in texture to ones I've had in decent Spanish restaurants so I'm not sure it's a matter of deficient technique. Has anyone else had a similar experience of diners not being accustomed bechamel filled croqs?

Which should I go to? The Modern has more interesting food. Country is more classically elegant. I've been the the Bar Room numerous times but never the dining room. Country might offer a better overall "fine dining" experience. I'd be ordering the cheaper tasting menu at The Modern vs. the four-course prix fixe at Country. I've read both applicable threads on eG. Opinions?

Although more than one poster complained that the portion sizes on the prix fixe at EMP were inadequate, so that the prix fixe (as opposed to the tasting menus) was insufficient as a meal. I never could understand people's complaining about a three-course prix fixe, BTW. How many times do you not order an appetizer, a main course, and dessert at a "fine" restaurant? (And, to be tendentious, I personally think that people who don't order dessert when they eat out should.) ← Some family members of mine were at EMP a couple days ago and ordered the prix fixe and loved it. They said the amount of food was more than adequate when I brought up the purported small portion sizes. If anything, they more than make up for it with extra courses. I've only done lunches and a tasting menu so I can't directly speak to the size of the three-course meal. The place is awesome though.

Well, Bruni certainly loves the place. The four-course "club" menu for $60 sounds interesting for a cheaper introduction to the Atelier. I wish I knew what was on it.

That upsets me because I really hate ordering a la carte but really liked the dynamic yet simplified food the one time I went there. I envision a $65 four or five-course meal. If it had something like that, it'd be on my short list.

Does this place offer any sort of short tasting menu yet?

Dude, you have eyes like a hawk. That is indeed the Aerogarden in the wine glass. I'm off this weekend and am going back home for a couple meals in New York and some much-needed rest. Hopefully things will remain busy (but not too busy), as I constantly strive to improve upon the quality of this venture. I have another VIP party (though in all honesty, everyone is a VIP ) next week. Maybe I'll be able to restock the pantry with some items easier found at home.

I've had a difficult time getting a reso at Minibar. I tried this summer and couldn't swing the day trip from Jersey based on the dates they had available. Then they closed for a while toward the end of summer; it was unfortunate. These pictures really make me want to go. They do love those spherications, though. I'm also quite amused by the El Bulli spoon in one of Chinorlz pictures.

This is a very interesting assertion. Since the topic of this thread is so broad I don't feel like exploring it further is necessarily "off-topic." I haven't eaten at Moto (but I do stalk the food) and have eaten at both Alinea and wd-50. I would say without a doubt that wd-50 is more whimsical than the two Chicago restaurants, but to say it's more progressive is, well, interesting. While Alinea and Moto both fit into the traditional fine dining mold more than wd-50 that alone doesn't make wd-50 more progressive. Opinions? Disagreements?

There are indeed threads on eG discussing a host of modern techniques. eG has probably the internet's best guide to sous vide cookery and decent threads on experimentation with alginate/CaCl, N20 foams, Activa, and various gelling agents. You just have to look around. A lot.

I literally just finished washing dishes. My youthful exuberance is done for the night; I'm quite tired. Seriously though it was a pleasure to cook for Varmint et al. Each party brings a different vibe and Varmint's was no different. Varmint's comments were some of the most valuable feedback I've encountered so far. Aside from some bonehead service mistakes on my part (the kind that I'm apt to complain about) I think everything went well. I will let Varmint report further. As an aside, I'm not sure how healthy it is to have both cook and diner posting the same forum, but for now I'll run with it. If it seems too weird I'll just take a couple steps back. Again, it was great to meet Varmint and I think him for his patronage.

Front of house? ← It's funny that FOH was mentioned. I saw some of their stuff at a trade show and was intrigued because it seemed cheap and relatively innovative shape-wise. They have a minimum order amount of $300 though, which doesn't really work for my needs. To further complicate matters they sent me all kinds of literature but no pricing list, even after two requeusts. So far I'm kind of disappointed with them. I also know the Thomas Keller's line has some really great shapes but they, too, are rather expensive. Maybe I'll ask for some plates for Christmas or something. I will look into Rhubarb. Thanks.

How have I missed this thread? A great read throughout. Vadouvan does some truly exemplary and inspirational things. With that said I've been on the look out for plates like this forever. Are they Bernardaud? Does anyone know of a dealer or manufacturer where I can get something similar for less?

That's my kind of cooking.

But I have, and they're not bad. I'm aprehensive to serve a dish like that for two reasons. First, it's such a Wylie-classic that I'd feel like I was plagirizing even if I did give him due credit. Second, my only uses of Activa so far have been very subtle. I'm not sure I'm ready or have the confidence to do a more Activa-centered dish mainly because they can be kind of "weird." An idea is born. Thank you.

This is largely what I've been doing. In attempts to try new things I'm building menus around things I know are largely tried and true and am playing a bit more with other courses. My overall lack of creativity and free time, however, makes this difficult. I'm sad I wasn't invited. This is an excellent point, one that I realize more and more each day. With that said, however, it also might impede (but not downright prevent) creativity. There's a fine line to be struck for sure. As an aside,, I'm beginning to find that much of my food, at least in theory, is like that of minibar, just on a much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much lower (read: subterranean) plane. At least I think it tastes good. I'm looking forward to cooking for Varmint this weekend. I wasn't sure if he wanted to make that information public knowledge before the meal, but now that he has I can share the processes behind Z Kitchen. My previous meals have been more "private" for other reasons, thus preventing me from talking about or documenting them in much length.

That's a pretty sick trip.

You're looking at the thread, my friend. Here you'll find nathanm's infamously helpful time/temp/thickness charts and a collection of recipes. On eBay anything is possible.

It's been a long and crazy week, but I'm quite pleased with how things are going. I've done two dinners since my last post and both went quite well. I don't have pictures myself but images from the meals are bound to show up sometime in the coming weeks Once I get a hold of them, I'll try to post them or link to them. It's quite interesting that each party brings its own vibe to the meal. As much as the food (attempts) to take center stage, it's ultimately the diners that set the pace and feel for the evening. I think that everyone has really enjoyed the food and the experience so that is encouraging. My favorite part of all the meals is sitting down and chatting with my guests afterwards. I hope that aspect of this endeavour continues. From the technical standpoint, preparing these meals is taking way too much time. I'm not good enough to cram all the cooking into a couple hours, so I end up spending a good chunk of time the night before prepping, and spread out the actual cooking over the entire day. This is not productive and being unproductive is not a good thing. It's also worth noting that I'm almost scared to push the flavor boundaries further than I have so far. Right now I'm only using modern techniques but haven't gotten that far out there flavor-wise. As I'm talking to people after the meals most of them say they'd rather I not "go further." As a result of this I'm less willing to take risks. Is this a common problem among people who cook for new guests? At home I'm willing to try anything since I don't care if it ends up not-that-good, but I'm afraid to do that here. Since I don't have the time or resources to experiment extensively on my own, this presents itself as a minor hurdle that I need to find some way to overcome.

Strange. I tried calling from a Cingular phone and got the same thing.

Amen.