jkahn

i apologize for my lack of posting gentelmen. i sent out my official press release today which explains my future plans, in order to put to bed any speculation as to my reasoning. i have resigned from varietal restaurant, and i am moving to california to put together my own project. i cannot disclose any further information at this time, but i will try to keep everyone up-to-date on any advancements or new developments. my reason for leaving varietal in no way had anything to do with any of the reviews. this is a decision which i've been contemplating for quite sometime, and the reviews just came out at a coincidental time. for the record, i really wasn't upset by bruni or platt's review. in fact, i was more confused than anything. he didn't really remark whether he like or disliked the desserts, he more so just explained what they were and didn't dissect the dishes like he normally does. if he didn't like them, i would be okay with that, but i would have appreciated some sort of explanation. in any event, thank any and all of you who have been very supportive of me over the last few months. and i really appreciate those of you who made it out to the restaurant to experience what we do. we were always excited to have egulleteers in the restaurant. though i am leaving new york, i will certainly miss it. there is a wealth of talent here, and those who live here are very fortunate. i am slipping under the radar for a while, but i can assure you that i will not fade away, and i will resurface in the future with something extraordinary. thank you, jordan kahn.

sneakeater, i just wanted to first say thank you for the kind words and also for coming by the restaurant to see us. it's always a great personal pleasure of mine to "feed" egulleteers. i also wanted to apologize for the duration of time you waited for your dessert. this is by no means an excuse, and should not happen under any circumstances, however, that particular night our POS (that's the name, i'm not saying piece of shit) computer system went down, and many tickets and orders were lost all night long. i again am so sorry that you were on the receiving end of this dilemma, and it is a major detail that has been corrected, and i can assure you will not happen again. i would love for you to come back and see us, and have desserts the way in which they were intended. also, just to clarify... the sauce on the wolfberry dish is ketjap manis, which is southeast asian condiment made from soy sauce, licorice, star anise, and molasses. thanks and sorry again. j.

sorry about the communications error on our part. that has been fixed. we have a reservationist, and the website is in the works, but will certainly take a little while longer. we officially opened last wednesday and so far the all of the feedback is very positive. docsconz actually came in to eat on saturaday night, and it was a great pleasure to serve him. people are receiving the desserts very well. our best seller actually is the chocolate and mushroom, which is a surprise i think. i encourage everyone to stop by if they can, as i am very excited to share my work with savy, critical new yorkers ( i mean that as a compliment for all you yankees). we have already had people who've eaten at the restaurant, make another reservation to come back just for the desserts. so again, we are really happy and grateful that people are diggin' our art. if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask me anything, and i'll try to address them in detail. j.

Alex is a remarkably skilled pastry chef, no doubt, but this remark strikes me as an unnecessary potshot at some of your other contemporaries. Care to elaborate? ← i'm sorry, i guess you misunderstood me. (it's hard to emphasize certain words when you're typing, thus giving a statement an entirely different meaning). i certainly did not mean that other pastry chefs in the city don't deserve their reputation. i really can't say for any of them except for the chefs i've worked with. alex stupak and sebastian rouxel i've worked with, and i can tell you that although both are very different stylistically, they both work tremendously hard and continue to push themselves everyday. sorry if i ruffled some feathers, it was certainly unintentional.

thank you all fo a lively and informative discuission. i must depart. thanks doc for notifying me of this. good luck paul, keep in touch. let me know if you need anything. jordan.

When I said something like this, Fat Guy (at least I think it was Fat Guy) responded by asking, "Then what about Papillon?" So I guess now I'll add the question, "Then what about Papillon?" ← papillon as far as i know, was an existing restaurant, and paul took it over. i think from the beginning, the restaurant was not designed for the ambitious food that paul was exploring. naturally the whole scene was not very cohesive, and i think that that greatly contributed to it's downfall. ← papillon was a great little restaurant,the restaurant didnot close, I moved on to persue other oppertunities,the owners decided to change the concept after I left thats it. ← thanks for clearing that up paul. see, it's all silly rumors in this city. you always need to go to the source. sorry about the misinfo.

When I said something like this, Fat Guy (at least I think it was Fat Guy) responded by asking, "Then what about Papillon?" So I guess now I'll add the question, "Then what about Papillon?" ← papillon as far as i know, was an existing restaurant, and paul took it over. i think from the beginning, the restaurant was not designed for the ambitious food that paul was exploring. naturally the whole scene was not very cohesive, and i think that that greatly contributed to it's downfall.

personally, i think that chicago is not what everyone thinks it is in regards to food. grant is doing extremely well for many reasons, a big one being that he's marketed very well. articles written about him offer a sort of a provocative/mystical approach, leaving a lot to the imagination. naturally, people are drawn to it. homaru is the same, however i don't think moto is as successful of a restaurant as many new yorkers think. quite simply, new york is the most culturally diverse city in the country, and certainly one of the most in the world... chicago? mmm... not so much. i think that we have an advantage in new york, as we have sort of a "it happened here first" perspective. so for those that think that alinea, or moto, or el bulli wouldn't work in new york, i strongly disagree. however with like anything else, all elements have to be factored in ie: clientel, price point, location, etc. as far as spain is concerned, spaniards are extremely nationalistic. and since the big modern "boom," food movement in spain, i think that they are encouraging all of there chefs. we are decidedly more cynical in this country.. myself included. you know, like when a chef in charleston starts using sodium alginate, you raise your brow to it and think, "why?" but in spain, they think, "what? another modern restaurant? hurray? anything that keeps people saying that we're superior to france now in gastronomy" (i was sort of joking a little bit). i mean, ferran adria is like emeril lagasse over there. and how many americans know who he is? not many, really.

The most recent posts have been very interesting, etc., but WOW - very philosophical! So I'll keep my post simple and reiterate Akwa's question, above, and add something to it. Do you agree with those that say that New York is not nearly as receptive than, say, Chicago or San Sebastian to chefs like you, who explore the boundaries of taste and texture, take sound and smell into consideration when creating a dish, etc (the so-called hypermodernists)? Even though you do say that the food you were serving at Gilt "was not strange or weird in any way", do you fear that, when you open your own place, newyorkers will not give you the enthusiastic welcome that Grant Achatz or Homaro Cantu, for example, got in Chicago? ← i'm very interested to hear paul's reply to this post, because i think a lot of new yorkers have a skewed vision of chicago's food scene. having just spent the last year there, i might be able to shed some light on this subject as well. also, having tasted paul's food for the first time not long ago, i definitely don't see how new yorkers can be so jaded when it comes to paul liebrandts cuisine, but not when it comes to will goldfarb's? i think that new yorker's are extremely receptive to great and modern food, however you have to consider what was the typical diner like at gilt? wealthy upper east siders. of course there not going to like paul's vantage, they want food like that of aureole. so i just think that paul got a bad rap there, because he was cooking for the wrong clientel. i mean come on, it's the new york palace hotel, and the food was at new york palace hotel prices. as soon as paul gets his own venture, and does it his way, in his style, in a not-so-upper-east-side-location, he's going to fly. and he and i have discussed his plans, and i think he's going to try to open a place that's more approachable, slightly more casual, but still serious, and a bit more cost conscious for diners. i for one am very excited to see what transpires. j.

. we're not quite open yet. we just passed our fire dept inspection today. we're shooting to open around november 15th. the restaurant is located in chelsea at 138 W 25 st, between 6th and 7th. there's a big poster in the window, you can't miss it. anyone, is free to stop by and get a quick tour if they want, we're there everyday. we're going to seat about 50 people. there's a lounge in the front, as well as a 30 foot tasting bar with about 75 wines by the glass. there will be a champagne cart for the dining room, with about 7 or 8 different grower champages to choose from. the elements of the restaurant are dark wood, metal, and lots of glass installations. let me know if you need more info. thanks, jordan. ← Good Luck Chef, I will be living in chelsea 2 days a week starting november 1st. Not haven had the opportunity to try Alinea, I am looking foward to trying your stuff. I had one of stupaks desserts last week at the bar, delicious. ← great, so that means you'll be coming in to eat 2 days a week yeah? i'm glad that you like alex's stuff. he's definitely one of the more talented pastry chefs in the city. there are many pastry chefs here in new york, who are getting lots of press and who have great reputations, but few who can actually back it up like alex can. also, you'll be able to come in to varietal and order just a dessert tasting if you wish... at the bar or in the dining room. hope to see you soon, j.

. we're not quite open yet. we just passed our fire dept inspection today. we're shooting to open around november 15th. the restaurant is located in chelsea at 138 W 25 st, between 6th and 7th. there's a big poster in the window, you can't miss it. anyone, is free to stop by and get a quick tour if they want, we're there everyday. we're going to seat about 50 people. there's a lounge in the front, as well as a 30 foot tasting bar with about 75 wines by the glass. there will be a champagne cart for the dining room, with about 7 or 8 different grower champages to choose from. the elements of the restaurant are dark wood, metal, and lots of glass installations. let me know if you need more info. thanks, jordan.

thanks, i will update any new info about the restaurant as things develop, as far as opening, press releases, website, etc. j. ← jordan... i was wondering if you will be serving the "coffee and doughnuts". ps. "i never had a chance to say thank you"! ← sorry.. the C & D is a thomas keller signature dish. they're very good, however my style is a little different. ps. you're welcome. ← jordan the correct response is... "and you'll never have to!" ← damnit! you're right. and i'm such a huge batman fan too! i can't believe i missed that one. thanks for calling me out mugsy. j.

thanks, i will update any new info about the restaurant as things develop, as far as opening, press releases, website, etc. j. ← jordan... i was wondering if you will be serving the "coffee and doughnuts". ps. "i never had a chance to say thank you"! ← sorry.. the C & D is a thomas keller signature dish. they're very good, however my style is a little different. ps. you're welcome.

thanks, i will update any new info about the restaurant as things develop, as far as opening, press releases, website, etc. j.

i realize that this is a thread about paul, so i'll be brief. i'm jordan, and i'm the pastry chef at a new restaurant opening in late november called varietal. i'm formerly of alinea, per se, and the french laundry. paul and i are good friends, and he asked me to do the demo and the dinner at butter with him. if anyone wants to discuss this further, i suggest we start a new thread. thanks, jordan. ← Thanks Jordan for the explanation and welcome to eGullet! Best of luck in your new endeavor! ← thanks doc, we've met before at alinea, but i'm sure you were too "food drunk" to remember. great pics by the way, as always. hope you'll come to the new place and check it out when it opens, i'd be honored to have you. ← I am looking forward to it! ← Here is a photo of Alex Stupak and Jordan Kahn in action working together at Alinea last spring. I can't believe that both of these tremendous pastry chefs wound up in NYC at the same time. I must repeat myself that the concentration of pastry wizardry in NYC right now is astounding and that was before I realized that Jordan is there as well! Can any other city in the world boast of this concentration of talented and creative young chefs in the Pastry Arts? Perhaps Barcelona or Paris, but where else if even those places? ← your support is ever inspiring doc... thanks. a great addition to a lot of the pastry talent currently in new york is the relationships. the fact that all of these pastry chefs are all located in one place, but most are good friends. alex and i are very close friends, and i think our relationship helps to keep us moving in a forward direction, knowing that we can count on each other for inspiration and knowledge. thanks again for all of you guys' support. J.

yeah, i'll be in new york for a while. thanks for the support.

yeah, alex and i actually drove here together in a uhaul truck. i'm excited about the medlar dish, as we have a grower from a farm upstate that's growing some for us. we'll be able to get them fresh, as well as dried on the tree... sort of like a date. the savory chef's name is ed witt. he's formerly the chef at il bucco, but his track record is from daniel, jardiniere, rubicon, etc... our styles are somewhat different, but it was the owners idea to bring two different styles together in this modern restaurant setting. sort of a 'one-two punch'. thanks. j

i appreciate your interest. just to clarify, the paco jet and the "liquid sable" demos were separate. they asked me to demo how to use a paco jet just minutes before i went on stage. i don't want to give too much away as far as my menu items for varietal, but i will make mention of a few dishes that i feel are provocative. my style is very abstract and modern. i worked with alex stupak at alinea, and together we discovered many avenues and applications for using gums. now, certainly wylie and alex are probably the most knowledgeable chefs in the country in using hydrocolloids, however i would say that i am pretty well versed myself. i try to explore a more "artistic" approach to my food. i use a lot of savory elements in my desserts, however i feel that because i have a classical pastry background (the fench laundry, per se), i would say that i integrate savory ingredients with a more identifiable perception of dessert. in other words, a savory ingredient doesn't taste out of place. i try to be very concious to the fact that i want people to recognize it as dessert and they wouldn't think of it as anything else. i have begun a dessert series of dishes that are inspired by various paintings of different artists that i admire. only one of these will appear on the menu at a time, but it will change periodically. the first is a dessert inspired by a painting by an artist named laurie maitland. she has a painting series that is very abstract called "symphony in red and khaki." though the purpose is not to replicate a work of art as a dessert, but one that is merely inspired by the colors and emotions of the painting. a brief menu preview... concord grape - eggplant - orange blossom medlar - ube - lilac - sake red pepper - passion fruit - cashew celery root - cocoa nib - yogurt - muscovado sugar - wood lime - cherry - tonka bean - soybean - broken macaroons Inspired by the painting “symphony in red and khaki” by laurie maitland Absynthe - matcha - ricotta - mint - black sesame - liquid sable sweet potato - picholine olive - yogurt - yuzu lychee - rose - serrano ham - vanilla i would be happy to address any comments or questions about these dishes, but i want to leave them somewhat ambiguous in hopes to entice you to come and eat at the restaurant. as far as the restaurant itself, it's called Varietal. it's a wine themed, fine dining establishment located on 25 st between 6th and 7th in chelsea. we will have a tasting bar featuring 75 wines by the glass, as well as a separate dining room, where we will focus on tasting structured menus. we are looking to open in mid november. thanks, jordan.

i realize that this is a thread about paul, so i'll be brief. i'm jordan, and i'm the pastry chef at a new restaurant opening in late november called varietal. i'm formerly of alinea, per se, and the french laundry. paul and i are good friends, and he asked me to do the demo and the dinner at butter with him. if anyone wants to discuss this further, i suggest we start a new thread. thanks, jordan. ← Thanks Jordan for the explanation and welcome to eGullet! Best of luck in your new endeavor! ← thanks doc, we've met before at alinea, but i'm sure you were too "food drunk" to remember. great pics by the way, as always. hope you'll come to the new place and check it out when it opens, i'd be honored to have you.

i'm not the pastry chef at butter, just to clear up any confusion. paul and i are good friends and he asked me to do the dinner and demo with him. i am currently the pastry chef at a new restaurant opening in chelsea this november called Varietal. i am formerly of alinea, per se, and the french laundry. my food will take an abstract, artistic approach to "modern/avant guarde" cuisine. if anyone wishes to discuss this further, i suggest we start a new thread. thanks, jordan.

i realize that this is a thread about paul, so i'll be brief. i'm jordan, and i'm the pastry chef at a new restaurant opening in late november called varietal. i'm formerly of alinea, per se, and the french laundry. paul and i are good friends, and he asked me to do the demo and the dinner at butter with him. if anyone wants to discuss this further, i suggest we start a new thread. thanks, jordan.