AEK

I had it at the old Bouley. I haven't seen the menu from the new version yet so I'm not sure if they still have it, though maybe they serve it at lunch (if I remember correctly, I read something that said they were keeping some of the classic dishes around at lunch).

Chatham Cod w/ Truffled Dashi at Bouley

The 'pocket version' of the Ducasse Dessert and Pastry Encyclopedia.

I can't imagine Trabocchi would stick around to do private parties. Or, would he? Either way, I'm sure I'll never find out what that would mean. ← Trabocchi won't be sticking around. From Bruni's blog post:

Target has decent stainless steel stockpots in their 'chefmate' line. I think a 16 qt one is about 40 bucks.

I saw them in the freezer case at a Super H Mart. I think the recipe would work just as well with trotters if you can't find tails though.

That is the correct answer. It is an amazing book. I love the precise instructions for cooking vegetables and fruits sous-vide. As for using liquids without a chamber vacuum pre freezing them works very well in most situations. Today I plan to cook artichokes, quince and potatoes using Keller's temp and timing. As for complaints about his use of metric measurements What could be more accurate? I would be happy if I never saw another "cup" measure again. ← I agree with both of you. Although he doesn't modify recipes to make them easier to do at home, a there's a lot of information that one could easily use at home. Before reading the book I wasn't aware of the importance of chilling things after searing, so I will definitely be keeping that in mind, and I also like the idea of the herb sachet. Freezing works very well for liquids if you do it in a relatively flat container. I took a crack at the pigtails yesterday, and they came out pretty well, even with a foodsaver. Here are the tails in the bag before cooking... And the finished dish; The tail and the dressing are really good and relatively easy to make. I'll probably make more after I use up the ones that I froze.

At lunch they do serve the full menu (including the gourmand) at the bar.

They're run by the same group (along with Yakitori Tory's and Abburiya Kinnosuke). I believe the menus are pretty similar between Torys, Totto, and Soba Totto (which has additional Soba items).

Momofukus Casa Mono Perry St Totto Upstairs Shake Shack

I think I used reduced mushroom stock instead of truffle juice and oyster mushrooms instead of the sliced truffles.

I haven't received the book yet, but dabbled with some of it when the mosaic came out during the summer. I think the 'Hot Potato' dish is a pretty good one to start with. It's not too hard and its really delicious, even with the truffles substituted out.

A gift certificate that can be used at any of the properties in the Relais and Chateaux chain.

This is my understanding as well, though I believe J-G-V brought it to NYC. His technique may be somewhat different than Bras's too. ← This is what I thought as well. I know for sure that the Bras version is made by surrounding a frozen ganache with the cake batter, and I think that JGVs is just underbaked.

No, Per Se's New York Magazine rating -- given to it by the same critic who gave Ko four stars out of five -- is four out of five. ← I think Platt switched to his 5-star system after he rated Per Se...

The new location for Bouley and his Japanese project.

The topic seemed to somewhat move towards 'professionalism' and I was responding to David Ross's comments below. Though anger and swearing may be distinct, they are similar enough responses that they can be grouped together in this conversation, and I would venture to guess often accompany each other. I won't directly quote it, but in the Ramsay biography I mentioned, there is a story where Robuchon throws a plate of ravioli and hits Ramsay in the head, and another Robuchon throws a roasting pan at someone and breaks the front of an oven over a messed up meat dish. He also talks about the bollockings that follow and I believe Ripert talks about Robuchon taking a liking to him and not cursing him out like he did to the other cooks. So I was just bringing this as an example of how a 3-star kitchen isn't necessarily " efficient and professional without displays of anger or profanity".

Sorry for not being clear. I actually mean that Robuchon at Jamin had a reputation for losing his temper and throwing/slamming things and swearing. So in that case at least, 'professionalism' is not necessarily higher at higher level restaurants. I don't have time right now to figure out egullets rules for posting snippets from published information, but off the top of my head I know there are discussions of Robuchons anger/temper issues in Ripert/Ruhlman-A Return to Cooking and also Gordon Ramsay's autobiography. I think they also talk about it on some of the old Japanese Iron Chef episodes.

Chris you've presented an interesting comparison-is the tone in Keller's French Laundry kitchen different, quieter and more "professional" than the kitchen at Bob's Taco's? I can't provide anyone with a factual report that might answer your question, but based on my unscientific experiences, I have found that top, "Top Chef" level kitchens are a workplace that is efficient and professional without displays of anger or profanity. These are not kitchens that I would describe as calm or unhurried-stress and a sense of urgency is pretty much a given in the kitchen. It would be interesting to pose your questions to Chef Keller or Chef Robuchon to see what their expectations are for decorum in their kitchens. ← When Robuchon was actually cooking he epitomized most of what you say doesn't belong in top level kitchens.

There's a 7:15 also.

Eater.com claims that public opening is 3/12 with F and F next week and that the Reso system will be entirely automated as reported earlier.

I'd like to mention Le Sanctuaire here. Their spices are of great quality, and some are actually pretty good values. Iranian saffron is 52/oz and Piment d'Espellette is cheaper than most places. Their prices on food chemicals are quite good as well.

Consider moving Gramercy Tavern to a weekday so you can eat in the dining room. The Tavern Room is good, but the main dining room probably fits the purpose of your trip a little bit better (plus its about the same price at lunch). Getting a reservation early in the week shouldn't be to big of a problem. I was there today and it was only about half full.

http://heartbrandbeef.com/shop/ This is probably where Heritage Foods is sourcing it from. They have a wider selection than I saw on the Heritage Foods site, but that could change. I've ordered it once before and thought it was good but not great. Heartbrand does have very reasonable shipping rates though, so I'll probably end up trying it again.

On short notice, your best bet for Per Se is to call the day before or day of and see if they can fit you in on a cancellation. A lot of people have had pretty good luck doing this, and as a solo diner there you will probably be treated better.