ThatGrrl

I don't know. I quite enjoyed his getting a properly made Sazerac thrown in his face! Nice that he obviously was a good enough sport about it to approve the script, but I still laughed my ass off thinking about how many takes they went through to get the perfect shot.

Ah. I was taking it completely in the possessive form. My apologies!

Like the author of that piece, I would swear I go through that exact set of circumstances with alarming frequency. Immediately visible on the front page (including non-flash version with mobile phone detection): Hours (including specification by day of the week; say "closed Sunday" if closed and don't assume we'll figure that out) Reservation policy/dress code (if jacket is required, for example) Address Special parking requirements, if any (I don't want my car towed) Phone number Fine to have a click away: HTML menu and something like Google maps linked from the address. I don't need a lot from a restaurant website. I generally am going to look at Zagats, Yelp and the local newspapers for reviews, so linking to reviews (while nice) isn't necessarily needed; after all, no restaurant is going to post the negative reviews. Chef bio would actually be more interesting to me than the reviews, but that's just a "nice to have." Flash-heavy slideshows with music? Just make my blood boil. A simple photo of the exterior of the restaurant (which helps me identify it as I'm driving by) is also nice. If restaurants insist on having a "pretty" website (and I do understand why), I'd rather it be based upon a stylish picture of the restaurant (which does have some use to the consumer) than via a flash-y carnival of noisy, slow-loading features.

While I agree that we really have to wait for someone from Cooks Source to go public as to their side of the story in order to really know what is going on, I do find a few things interesting: (1) the original recounting of the story doesn't seem to be anything other than a reasoned, "here's the story" account asking for a very modest apology/minimal payment for use; (2)there do appear to be many other examples of material lifted from a good number of other sources without permission or attribution; and (3) the magazine has clearly suffered a huge blow in both business reputation and general credibility which will most assuredly hit their bottom line in terms of advertising, so why no public reply if this is all one huge misunderstanding? Suspending judgment, but all things considered, this really does not look good for them. Does anyone else find it difficult to resist putting an apostrophe in the magazine's name? For all their claims of editing prowess, it does make "Cooks Source" the most ironic name possible.

Bayliss enthusiastically embraced the use of nitrogen in creating avocado ice cream. Use of the sous vide isn't the only way to judge a chef's openness to use of relatively new food technology. And, as chrisamirault stated, final round isn't the time to go too far beyond what your core skills are (knowing what the stakes are and how some of those newer styles have been harshly judged in the past).

True, but it's hard to see how centering your buffet around a raw bar was going to get you a win. It doesn't really show off any cooking skills. ← Now that is completely true. You'd think that the words "but you didn't cook anything" would be burned into the brains of anyone who has ever watched this show. Cold, uncooked items don't impress the judges. I just think that he could have gotten to the core of the issue with a more direct question. "What is your favorite recipe in my repertoire?" That answer can't be faked. Instead, it came off sounding more "Do you know who I am?" than "Are you familiar with my cooking?" Obviously, I wasn't in his head. It was just a bit off-putting. Maybe it was his tone. I really had zero issues with his other tests. It was simply the name thing.

While I have the utmost respect for Chiarello, I found the "Do you know my last name? Say it." portion of the job interview a bit off-putting. Does he honestly think anyone there doesn't know who he is? And does pronouncing his name correctly make you a better chef? No. It only feeds his ego. That part grated. How about asking something you DO need to know? Based on the outcome of the episode, I'd suggest, "What is your favorite rustic Italian dish?" or "What Italian dish do you feel you really cook well?" I'm glad to see Keller and Bayliss in at the end. Sorry to see Lo go. Seems to me she bore the brunt of the the last minute changes much more so than the other contestants.

Ever since I ate in a Madrid restaurant with a Ferran Adria created menu and chefs trained by him, years back, I've been wanting to go to Minibar. That meal in Spain made me an absolute nut over molecular gastronomy. I love that Tony has a passion for that type of food. "Decoding Ferran Adria" was so much fun! And certainly the time he spent with Ferran's brother on the show was wonderful. Jose Andres segment on Monday is super funny. And watch for when Jose smooshes Tony's face into a box of peaches at the farmer's market, insisting that he REALLY smell the peaches. Heh. Think I'm going to hit Eden Center earlier in the day before Minibar (also in the DC show to air on Monday). It looks absolutely amazing! I'll just have to make sure I have room for dinner later.

Watch for Minibar to be featured on Tony Bourdain's "No Reservations" DC episode. First airs on the Travel Channel at 10 p.m. (eastern) on Monday, Jan. 19. Jose Andres also shows Tony around a local farmer's market. In other news, after having tried for weeks to score weekend reservations, I somehow managed to get them for the 6 p.m. seating on Valentine's Day! Figured it's going to be way more difficult to get them, after Tony's show airs, so I needed to get off my butt and finally start dialing. I feel incredibly lucky. Just an update to the reservation procedures mentioned above. Call at 10 a.m. a month to the day before you want your reservation (not 9 a.m., as stated above; and I mean call at 10 a.m. eastern time). So, for reservations on Valentine's Day, I called 10 a.m. today, January 14. Closed Sunday and Monday. Seatings at both 6 and 8:30 p.m. Only 6 seats available, per seating. If my experience in trying to get Friday or Saturday reservations is any indication of what to expect normally for weekend reservations, expect to do a lot of redialing. If you get the voicemail message, hang up immediately; Minibar does not take reservations by voicemail or internet. On the two occasions I got through and spoke to a human, I was placed second on the waiting list after getting through at 10:05 a.m. for a Friday, but managed to get the last two seats for a Saturday at 10:10 a.m. Probably a number of people asked for 4-person reservations for the Friday where I was waitlisted. But the point is, they fill up early. Just keep dialing!

OMG. I feel like one of the luckiest people on the planet. This coming Monday, when Tony's DC show airs, it features Jose Andres' molecular gastronomy 6-seat restaurant inside a restaurant, Minibar. I've been trying for weeks to get weekend reservations there. I just know it's going to be impossible to get in for ages, after the show airs. There are only 2 seatings, so only 12 seats available in a given night. Today, I scored 2 seats for Valentine's Day. Woo hoo!!!!! I'll bring a camera and let people know when food porn is available. I'll probably post it in the Minibar thread in the DC restaurants location. Really liked the Venice show. Any place that encourages drinking and tapas for breakfast is okay by me!

Weird. I tried doing this last night and was also able to watch the DC episode On Demand. Wonder why it's available? Good show, though. Anything involving Jose Andres and Minibar is automatically going to give me a happy!

Word to the Island of the Creepy Dolls. I sort of wish they'd used that time on something else. Sure, it's interesting (and better than another "we tried fishing, but all we got was this stunt fish" sequence), but I'm thinking there was something out there which might have been better. I will say that I'm at least happy that we missed the worst of the bullfighting. The selective shots skipped the worst of the gore (while at least capturing the bull's one nice shot at the matador). I absolutely want to visit the breakfast restaurant. That place looked amazing. I certainly wouldn't be able to put away as much food as they managed to eat, but I'd give it the old college try!

Mas is certainly a favorite of mine. Be aware that it can get really crowded with a long wait for a table, especially on weekends and during good weather. However, it's worth the wait! Love the prawns in sea salt with garlic aoli, dates in applewood smoked bacon and broccolini. Zocalo is a wonderful alternative. Specializes in South American food (lots of wonderful fish dishes as well as a super steak with polenta "frites"). The tuna tartare (pictured in the post above) is a must! Excellent wine list specializing in South America. Continental Divide (very small restaurant, Santa Fe style Mexican) is super as well. I love the chicken enchiladas (served with rice, beans and a pumpkin muffin) and the Thai burrito (chicken and crunchy veggies with peanut sauce). The red and blue nachos (goat cheese with red/blue spiced chips and salsa) are a great starter.

New shows start tonight with a return episode to Mexico. Rest of the season: Venice, Washington, D.C., the Azores, Chicago, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

Having grown up on the east coast, I wouldn't exactly say that I was surprised that there is such a great variety and mix of foods on the islands, but rather that I simply had never thought about it. It does make complete "Duh" sense. I'd just never considered it. So, in that sense, I learned something. Wish I were in a tiki bar, drinking something with 3 rums and an umbrella in it...

Well, he did cook for "royalty" in that RenFair challenge.

Try here.

What's worse is that within the pictures on the Travel Channel, for this episode, Tony remarks that they serve the bread in bedpans. Either I missed that during the show, or this is information that I didn't need, anyway. Eww.

That molecular gastronomy Singapore restaurant (Aurum) was...bizarre. I completely agree with Anthony's dinner companion who stated that a restaurant which so pointedly highlights death and disease, by having patrons dine in wheelchairs, isn't likely to be terribly popular with the average person in that culture. Given how much Tony loved his meal at El Bulli, and respects Ferran Adria, the fact that he found so many of the items at that restaurant to be unpalatable really doesn't speak well of the place. Nice that he gave the place props for being experimental and taking a risk, but I certainly wouldn't eat there based upon what I saw. Now, the red dye #5 marrow meal with flesh-eating crabs? THAT I'd like to try! I'd also book the Hyatt and eat at the restaurant. Who knew?

I loved the son, hiding in his shirt. Heh. Never really felt the need to go to Cleveland, before. Now? Definitely. Sure, the food looked amazing. But the world's largest used bookstore, located in a retired Twinkie plant? Just. Awesome.

While I agree that Tony went after some awfully low-hanging fruit, at least someone said something about that monstrosity. Anything that can make him feel sorry for Rachel Ray clearly has a lot wrong with it.

I saw them using the emptied ostrich eggs as drinking utensils, later in the show. You'd have had to crack the egg, to get it out, if you roasted it, making the shell unusable later.

In his Salon.com piece, Tony described his meal by stating, "On the first day of filming, we'd had a sensational early lunch of hummus, kibbe, stewed lamb and yogurt at Le Chef, a local, family-style joint in a charming neighborhood." At the Washington Post Q & A, he additionally mentions "arak" having been on the table. If any of that helps at all. I think the arak was actually the ouzo-like drink they had, so that probably doesn't add anything for me to say. Might have simply been their way of serving yogurt, you saw. Maybe Tony will look in on the forum and answer you more specifically.

Amazing show in Beirut. The mix of emotions which Tony was able to convey, throughout the show was just so gut-wrenchingly real. From the sorrow of watching a beautiful city crumble before your eyes to the shame of knowing you are watching from the relative comfort and safety of a luxurious hotel pool. And certainly the immense gratitude for being one of the lucky ones who remains safe and has the chance to leave it all behind. The tact with which he was able to criticize the US response, the carefully controlled anger...wow. And the amazing feeling of relief at being in the capable hands of the Marines. Fantastic. There was something about Tony seeking out the kitchen for comfort, familiarity and let's face it, something to keep him busy and his mind occupied. Cooking has to be one of the best things to do, when your world is spinning away from you. A way to take control over a little piece of it, bend it to your will and produce more comfort for others. The world seems a little more normal, when viewed from the kitchen, no matter what is going on outside. Great show, beginning to end.

I'll make it easy. The foie gras rant is here. Tony replies below. Look for the reply that begins, "Jesus, Ruhlman!! Is this what happens when you forget to take your lithium?" Ruhlman's account of Tony's 50th is here.