I went all-out with modern techniques last night for dinner with some friends -- my very first efforts with sous vide, NO2 siphons, sodium alginate, methyl cellulose and tapioca maltodextrin. Menu: Gin Fizz "frozen caliente" Kir Moleculaire Olive spheres Shrimp chorizo Mozzarella spheres filled with warm tomato 48-hour short ribs with dashi-braised daikon Warm vanilla ice cream with Nutella and caramel powders Cold espresso espuma The Kir, olive spheres and espresso espuma were only so-so; I need to work on my technique. Everything else was out-of-this-world excellent! Thanks go out to El Bulli, Momofuku and all the good folks at egullet for inspiration and wisdom! Some photos below...