Louisa Chu

It was Piège who created the langoustine caviar dish - and most of the signature dishes during his tenure at ADPA.

And even curiouser, Mario Batali actually performed "Le Quattro Stagioni dalla Cucina Futurismo" in Chicago earlier this year. http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/blogs/fo...ome_chefs_.html

Actually Luis told me it is best to include your desired dates and number in your party. http://www.movable-feast.com/2004/10/how_to_get_a_re.html http://www.movable-feast.com/2005/10/el_bulli_reserv.html

You're so welcome Simon. I was wondering if you were re-wiring an outlet. (BTW it's 240UK/120US - roughly - depending on if your neighbor is shaving. )

Only model TM 21 is available new in the US - it's $970 plus $50 shipping via UPS - about £520.

Your fromage-dealing French neighbor friend is partially right - if you do freeze it the best way to store it is to vacuum seal it first and then freeze. Otherwise, cheese should best be stored unwrapped in a dark, cool place.

Gilles Choukroun was there today. http://www.gilleschoukroun.com/pages/articles/articles.php Flora Mikula will be there 15 March at 13h.

No wood board - end or edge grain (or bamboo for that matter, which is actually a grass, but also needs oiling) should feel wet. Mineral oil is a fast drying oil - it will quickly feel dry to the touch. A truly dried out board will look and feel like dry chapped hands. Wood boards only need a light even coating of mineral oil, best applied with a rag (old t-shirt or kitchen towel - not terry, too absorbent - don't use paper either, it shreds).

A gen-u-ine Chicago replication of a New York replication of a Paris brasserie (which some say originated in Strasbourg - but don't tell the New Yorkers).

You need to wait for your gram scale. There is no way to accurately measure 1.5 g of sodium alginate (average for 500 g of a liquid base ingredient) by volume. You may also need sodium citrate because of the acidity of ponzu.

Bryan - Le Violon did change but just last year (I do think it's fancier than what you're looking for too). Thatta boy - going for the Parisian fourthmeal! Chez Denise does have smaller steaks for one - and if that's the only time you can get there, sure it's worth it - you probably don't need the reservation at that hour but make it anyway - they'll take it. (And at that hour you have a better chance of talking them into letting you down in the cellar - look for the skulls towards the back.)

Le Bistro Paul Bert is a hipster bistro - Le Violon d'Ingres, now an upscale bistro - and Chez l'Ami Jean, a modern Basque bistro. Chez Denise is a hardcore quintessential Parisian bistro-bistro. It's crowded, smoky, loud, serves Flintstonian steaks with sides of bone marrow, platters of frites, and red wine from a barrel. It's not gastronomic cuisine but I'm very fond of the place.

But it will be an Atelier and those are far more Asian - plus use "local" ingredients.

Yes, big props to Rene G - the man is fearless - I suspect he worked black ops (culinary division).

yellow truffle, you have got to get out of the North Side every once in a while. There are other restaurants besides Alinea. Check out the dense threads on LTH for Chicago's Southwest Side Big Baby - as well as Northwest Indiana's crispy-edged griddle-fried burgers - plus Milwaukee's butter burgers.

I've had chocolate caviar at an Herve This molecular gastronomy seminar in Paris made with a chocolate soup - chocolate and water - and sodium alginate in calcium chloride so it does work fine. Texturas' Gluco is still awaiting FDA approval in the US - along with Malto, Crumiel, and Fizzy. They should be available soon - through Koerner and La Tienda.

That's the part that they don't mention. Does a decent home freezer qualify? ← A decent home freezer does work just fine - and actually probably better than some restaurant freezers that get a lot of traffic. The beakers are supposed to freeze through at -4F - and a home freezer should be around 0F - put the beakers on on the bottom and they do work fine. And if you have a Costco-esque chest freezer, all the better. A shameless plug warning - but of interest to us here - I just tested the Pacojet for my CHOW product review column next week. This week it was sous-vide. Bryan, great work you're doing - in and out of the kitchen.

doc - it was so good to finally meet you in person! I've had Fergus Henderson's crispy pigtail and roasted marrow bone - with the essential parsley salad, Tony's infamous Death Row Meal. When you fall savagely on those delicious, truly primal cuts, you wonder far at the back of your mind why people need to be convinced this stuff is so good. I was at the offal discussion too and later did Chris Cosentino's tripe hands-on. He made his fantastic signature Shaved Marinated Tripe Salad with New Potatoes and Parsley - the recipe is on his terrific site, Offal Good. Being Chinese and working in France I've eaten a lot of tripe in various forms, but Chris introduced something new to me: organic, unbleached tripe. Did you know that tripe is actually bleached in bleach - like as in Clorox bleach? Chris's tripe dish had a delicate aroma yet deep flavor - with that distinctive silky and gelatinous crunch.

They've giving away free copies of Tony's Nasty Bits. Get in on it quick 'cause you know it ain't gonna last. http://livetastefully.msn.com/Article1.asp...mbassador1.aspx

Is that 124F?

FN has definitely been straying into food entertainment. I guess it's successful for them, but I find myself only watching a handful of shows. jgm: do you have a link to the web site announcing the show? ← Here's the link to the site: Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie - it launches September 22. I worked on the France and Chicago shoots - and MobyP on the UK shoot.

Great theatre, too. Of all the crazy cutlery and crockery at El Bulli, it was those foam fast-food containers that got me smiling the most. ← Digijam - good to know - that might save on service pieces in the future. And thanks for posting the link to the recipe - it is the same as used in the restaurant.

Sort of touching on both these issues, Adria's frozen parmesan air is pretty damn good. The mouthfeel from the cheese fat balances out the ice crystals pretty well. (It is quick to collapse as it warms, so needs to be served in its chilled container/glass or on a pre-frozen plate, though.) The recipe is here at Texturas - it's basically just cheese, water and lecithin. Whether you'd need a stronger emulsifer for higher fat mixes, or how the fat would affect an additional foaming products like Versa Whip I don't know. ← The parmesan air - frozen in styrofoam containers in a blast chiller - produces excellent results.

I just got the news from Zero Point Zero that the Bourdain in Beirut episode will get a special repeat airing on TLC this Wednesday, August 29, at 10/9C. And on a lighter note, Miami Ink will feature Tony getting a skull tattoo on his chest tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 28, at 10/9C.