rmillman

It was Alan working the pass and the plates our night at Petrus. Very talented.

a place to shop http://www.vertdabsinthe.com a place to drink http://www.cantada.net/

I found it very nice to have different presentations at each course. It seemed like the Sous was really trying to complement what Chef had clearly laid out as a planed progression of flavors. I wonder if he would have been able to do it if Chef was there (I am sorry but I cannot remember his name). When my wife and I eat at places that have only a single set tasting, we always ask if something like this is possible so that we can get a wider range of flavors and combinations for our enjoyment, somethimes it is a "yes, we would love to, others are less able to meet this request due to the contraints of the kitchen (no issue either, we just really enjoy all levels of dining). BTW, our meal at Fat Duck this trip was very much enjoyed and I cannot thank them enough for squeezing us in based on a late cancellation. The profiles of each of the courses was well thought out and the protein components of each dish was done to perfection.

My wife is from Shanghai and we travel their twice a year from Boston. We also love cutting edge food and were at El Bulli the same night as you last year. I second Jade. Chef Pairet is really creative, uses xanthum and the like but with restraint. When you reserve, mention you are a food lover and ask for a window table. Also Whompoa is a very impressive spin on Shanghainese food. JG is great and up to JG standards world wide but nothing you would not find elsewhere. We had only an ok meal at t8 but if you have an extra night it is worth a try since the chef is really trying (get a reservation for the tasting). We have been unerwhellmed by the other places on the bund (m, laris and sens and bund) and tend to end up in one of several cantonese "its alive" restaurants where you pick everything from tanks and cages so you know it is as fresh as it gets. Other musts are: xiao long bao http://shanghaiist.com/2005/09/02/eat_me_yangs_fr.php Crayfish, steamed fresh and a beer: http://shanghaiist.com/2006/06/28/map_to_crayfish.php Shanghai has a large open fish market (Tongjuan road) in Puxi where you can find row after row of amazing things and have them cooked onb the spot. It is in an area most Shanghainese do not go to but worth a trip for at least crabs and razor clams. It is in the process of being relocate and the new area (or even the old) may be checking out. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2008-08/...ent_6972360.htm

We ate at Petrus last March after eating at Fat Duck and St. John. We had two dinner tasting menus but asked the kitchen if they could vary any of the platings/courses so we could try a larger variety. They delivered with one set being the menu as listed and the other being the same main ingrediant but presented differently. It was done very well with flavors and temps of dishes being spot on (turnde out Marcus was not even in the kitchen and his sous was in charge). One dish with scallops and white chocolate was an magical pairing.

In Boston, on Charles Street there are two really good stores: the one closer to the t stop (it may be charles street liquor) has the violet, pine and other interesting things.

When I do steaks now: I always do a sous vide first step. I do it different than when I am doing a peice of meat when the goal is to render out collagen (where I use close to or my finish temp for 36+ hours). For steaks, I use a bath at 65C and bring to an internal or 53-57 depending on degree on internal doneness i want (8-15min depending on steak and starting temp). I remove it from my bath, rinse the bag in cold water, rest it in the bag for 5 min and then chill on ice in bag. When I want to finish, I remove it from the bag, pat it dry, salt it and either sear on a HOT pan or prefered on a HOT charcoal grill (www.korin.com). Comes out perfect every time.

Try a home made gravity bong (or a nicer manufactured glass one). It gives you better control over the smoke and the amount you add to a dish.

We did CR/CF/EB and many Barcelona places last year and I would say Can Fabes was spot on in every aspect and I would go back without question. This left me with a terroir feeling its best. Can Roca was very good, many dishes to smile at, with many things being molecularized but not overly so. However, it did not sing Catalonia to me like Can Fabes did.

We just returned from a similar trip: some thoughts and comments We had trouble thinking about a lunch at >100E so we did dinner at Mugaritz, Arzak and Akelare and did the bar crawl for dinner. In general we liked this ince we finished eating at 1-2am. However, Mugaritz and Akalera have wonderful rooms and the view at Akelare looks to be wonderful which we missed at night. Akelara: my favorite. the combination fo the terroir of the ingrediants, technique and flavors were spot on. For the bar crawl, either look at whats laid out, bite and run or ask for the menu since most have many good things cooked to order. We took everyone recommendations from the various threads, tried everything we could (trying to limit ourself to Spain on 15,000 calories a day) and would agree with most recommendations. It all ends up in a blur but first I would recommend brushing up on Spainish food lingo since many places speak little to no English. Astelana: three words, foie ala plancha Alona Berri: try most everything from the menu and on the recommendation board Txepela: there display food looks bad (maybe beacues it is plastic) but do not let that stop you from ordering all things anchoives. La Cuchara De San Telmo: offal of all kinds A Fuegro Nero: nicer bar with less classical items but very good. Wine: plenty and reasonable but most places will pour a house wine unless you ask (and many have very noce by the glass selections). At Arzak, we had a wine from Bierzo (it was a special selection from Peique). This wine was the best we had on this trip. The Bierzo DO is starting to get hot and this wine shows why.

Slower shorter people make a good canary when it comes to CO. I have one of these and the smaller ceramic Konro. I tried using the smaller one without hood but did not like even the minimal amount of smoke it put out even with the korin charcoal. If I use them indoors now it is on the stove top with the hood on.

I met Brad Buckley of The Abolone Farm Inc (www.abalonefarm.com). He was out in Boston at the Seafood Show and we met him at Clio when they were having an abalone tasting menu featuring his product. Brad lives at the farm and is committed to bringing great product to market that has been raised using ecologically sound practises (the farm has been in busines for forty years). Short story is, the product is great, I have steaks and live ones meetng me in San Diego for a dinner party that he shipped today and the price is reasonable considering the level of memories it brings to us old time Californias who remember near limitless takes during shore dives. I will post some pictures after the feast.

I love my Japanese knifes and use as a daily knife a ZDP-189 from japanesechefsknife and for more special occasions an Itou knife I got from them as well. As an alternative that has a more western hand feel but with Japanese steel I picked up a Henckels Twin Cermax M66 which is performing very well.

Ron Cooper at Del Maguey (http://www.mezcal.com/) is the place for all things mezcal. He has worked hard to ensure product certification etc. I like the tobala the best.

What are the general hours of the pintxos places? Can you get good bites 12-14? There have been suggestions to do sit down lunches and then the pintxos crawl later? We are going to be in San Sebastian mid March and will be doing the triology of Mugaritz, Arzak and Akelarre.

We were in SF two weeks ago. Second (or third) the Incanto suggestion. We also had a great meal at Spruce. Also check out www.nvwe.com for wine and the farmers market at the Ferry Building (great cheeses and local bites for lunch grazing). Robert

Make sure you have a bunny already dressed: not good for the camera otherwise

Fomaggio has a branch in the South end as well. Already mentioned are the farmers market: I use the one in Copley Square Tuesday and Fridays (spring-fall). Sea-to-you for sushi quality fish as well as some of the other sellers at the Boston Fish Market (limited hours for retail).

I have ordered from Snake River: good meat, niicely cryoed and shipped. I think the meat quality at Morgan Ranch is a little better. Another domestic supplier that has good product is Yama beef (http://www.yama-beef.com/home.htm): a little pricier than Morgan Ranch (which is my first choice for mid marble quality). 1800 Kobe has sent me the best meat by far: you pay for it but for the occassional knock your socks off and impress your guests, it cannot be beat. I have gotten great pork from caw caw recently as well (a friend of mine has a whole jowl curing now).

I have degassed the solutions. I do it by letting them sit over night in fridge. I also removed all impurities from the raspberry juice. I basically have two completely see through liquids. Alginate + Sodium Citrate / Raspberry with Calcium Lactate Gluconate. I am making the spheres by injecting them into the Alginate bath under the surface. When i was dropping them from above. Only the lower part would submerge. I would end up with half spheres. Another note. The longer they sit in the alginate, the spheres start to leak raspberry juice. I knows these things are very exact. I feel like I am so close. Today I am acquiring some xanthan gum and see if this also makes the raspberry juice more viscous as per Chef T's suggestion a few pages back. Thank You ← Do you have a vacuum or a aspirator? when things float, I have found it to be either too much solids (not likely if you have a clear solution) or too much gas (overnight does not always work). Ph should not have a effect on solution density. If you are doing reverse, then another thing to look at is decreasing your alginate concentration in the bath.

Do you degas your solutions / When things disolve in a bath I have found it to be caused by too much trapped air in the solution you are piping into the bath.

Whole Foods Boston has cleaned for 4.99/lb. Had them three ways last night: in a matsutake broth, heated on a hot salt brick, and quick saute with pre-fried garlic.

1) Whampoa Club, Jade and Jean-Georges 2) The fish market in Shanghai (many places have a place where the seafood you buy is cooked) 3) more information at www.shanghaiist.com

It is my understanding that the bellota will not be available until july next year and that the current iberico are pigs that were only partly feed acorns: http://www.tienda.com/jamon/jamon_iberico.html Even at this, I wonder if what Fermin will send will be "grand reserve" with extra year of aging or just the standard (still knocks my socks off) bellota.

Wow: The people at JCK are amazing. I saw this thread, read the post that JCK had them back in stock, ordered it that day it it showed up today in Boston: sent from Japan. I would highly recommend this seller and the knife . . . UMG, it is crazy sharp and has a great hand feel.