JodyS

It's definitely better than most, though I still prefer the density of H-D by a fairly wide margin.

I got it on sale, cheaper than I could find anywhere else. It took quite a while of saving for me to get enough to order it on the sale (I started well before the books were released). If I cancel with B&N, I don't know how much longer I would have to save up to get it. Graduate student budget makes me deal with B&N, I guess. cheaper than the $460 on amazon? what did you pay if you don't mind my asking?

That sucks. They printed 6000 copies in first run and at last update 7600 had been sold. Not sure what the right strat is but my order is with amazon. They'll ship copies out based on order placed. The good news is a lot of corrections have been made for the 2nd printing. Still, it's going to be a long wait. That said, I thought they were supposed to begin shipping in june and not july. I hope i'm right and you're wrong... I need to shop around for some equipment in the meantime. Not sure if i'll get an immersion circulator or a SVS, for one. And I don't know what vacuum sealer to get! If only vacuum chambers were a bit less money hehe.

Well, after some internal debate as to whether or not I really wanted to spend over $500 on a cookbook, I decided to pull the trigger. I'd never heard of Nathan Myrhvold before, but after hearing about the book, reading up on him a bit, and watching a few videos, I was sold. Guys like him come along once in a generation, in my opinion. There are lots of really smart people with phds around, but the enthusiasm and skill with which he shares his knowledge is unusual (I have seen a copy). There's another physicist I can think of that shared a similar trait and his name was Richard Feynman. He's actually got a published book called "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out." Myhrvold's got that same spirit. Those of you that aren't physicists or didn't spend any time studying physics probably don't understand the meaning of such a complement. Feynman set that standard for physics education with his Lectures on Physics for decades. Oh and he won a Nobel prize, worked on the Manhattan Project, and did lots of other crazy stuff. His books are well worth reading for pure entertainment; I've found myself actually laughing quite frequently while reading them. And don't worry, they're not actual science books, for the most part. Some videos of a different set of lectures have been posted on Microsoft's site, for those that are interested. Anyway, I'm looking forward to receiving my copy when the 2nd printing finally begins shipment. Thanks for all your effort, Nathan.

That's exactly what I do. It's too beautiful to bring int he kitchen. I'm an ambitious amateur chef. I just started a few months ago but I have the following in my collection: Mastering the art of french cooking(child), the essentials of classic italian cooking (hazan), Bouchon and The French Laundry Cookbook, Amuse-Bouche, Sauces:classic and contemporary sauce making (Peterson),Culinary Artistry,Joy of Cooking, and La Varenne Pratique. They're all fantastic books with the exception of The Joy of Cooking, which I find completely boring. La Varenne is an excellent technique book. The KEller books are not only beautiful, but very well written and full of little things that will help you refine your cooking. Sauces is excellent. Culinary Artistry isn't a cookbook but it has tons of useful info for the serious home chef. I cook most often from Bouchon, Mastering, and classic italian. The FLC is for special dates ;p

This is definitely true. I also own Bouchon and it's great for day-to-day fare. I loved the bit on glazing root vegetables. I've got the technique down perfectly and they always taste delicious. I researched and bought 9 cookbooks when I started cooking but Keller's are my favorite.

That's both interesting and depressing. So restaurants just use it so they can have white truffles in the name of their dish, even though the black is better in this case? I suppose it's not surprising at $30-40, but you'd think there would be $100+ per bottle authentic stuff as well.

White truffles and black are quite different though. I can't imagine how they'd both taste the same. The aroma of fresh white truffles can fill a room whereas the same can not be said for black. Are they really chemically flavored? If so, that's a bummer. Regardless, i've never cooked with this stuff before and I'd love to hear any insights the more experienced might have. Leslie, believe it or not i've never been to the Jean-Talon market; I thought it was mainly fruits and vegetables. I just started cooking a couple of months ago but I'm really getting in to it. I guess it's finally time to check it out. I'll be keeping an eye out for authentic balsamic vinegar as well. I didn't even know the grocery store stuff was fake until I started reading Keller's books, which are both fantastic btw. I eat out at good restaurants quite often so I'm quite surprised I've never had the real stuff and am looking forward to it. Incidentally, is age of big importance? Will I notice a difference between 10, 20, 100 yr. old? I appreciate the responses.

Hi, I just picked up a copy of The French Laundry and I was hoping someone could tell me where to look for white truffle oil, either in Montreal or on the internet. Brand suggestions would be appreciated as well, since I know very little at this point about how to go about choosing one. I've being doing a little reading and like anything else, it seems that some oils are better than others. I'm sure this has to do with the manner in which the oil is infused. If anyone can explain it to me, I'd love to know.

So you'd be the asian fellow then? I never got your name.. I actually ate at Bronte this past Saturday night (Nov 26th-the mid-20s guy seated in the center of the room with a girl). I ordered the Chablis but it was out and so I went with the Cote-du-Rhone based on your comments; it was very good. Actually, the whole evening was a terrific experience. I'm curious about the tasting menu though because all I saw was an à la carte menu. Is it something you do off and on, or do you have to ask for it? I'd be very interested in it for the future... Btw those cocktails you serve that are topped with champagne are fantastic. Any chance you'd pm me how to make them at home? And anyone can answer this, when do restaurants tend to put out their NY's menu and start taking reservations? I'm wavering between Toqué and Bronte, although leaning towards Bronte.. Anyway, I just wanted to pipe-in and say that Bronte is now my favorite restaurant in the city. It has a wonderfully warm atmosphere that makes it perfect for dates, and the service was both excellent and very friendly. All of the waiters that served us were fantastic.

I'm so glad I read this thread. It's been recommended to me more than a few times by people that swear by it... I think the people that like these types of restaurants are the ones that are too scared to experiment with new food. At those prices, there are a million better choices in montreal, as I keep telling people.