docsconz

Elliot, the kinderegg, if I remember correctly contained a light foam, but I will have to check my notes. While they were akin to the Arpege egg, they are not quite the same thing. I'm not sure what a Burrmixer is, but the relatively inexpensive fish tank pump gave him the effect that he was looking for - very large bubbles as opposed to a fine foam.

Not sure I agree with that in its entirety Doc. Some wines just won't work with or without food. From years and years of drinking wine (a lot, I might add ), I have found that some, albeit a small number, of wines just don't cut it. If those wines are added to a restaurant wine list (and especially one named after the best wine grapes in the world), then there's a problem - and that's not fun at all. It seems at that point a restaurant just wants to say I have this wine that no one else has. Well, my answer would be - maybe there's a good reason for that. ← Rich, I don't disagree with you in general here, but as far as the wine list at varietal is concerned, I didn't have a problem with it and thought it was fine for having been open four days. Are all their wines interesting and excellent? Maybe, maybe not, but despite my years of drinking wine and maybe because of them I have experienced some very pleasant matching surprises in the past.

Not to go too much further of-topic, but with chocolate and moles, I agree with JohnL. Chocolate in mole poblano when used most effectively is an integral but not necessarily identifiable part of the sauce. To bring this back on-topic, that is exactly what Jordan Kahn does with his desserts. The disparate parts form a unified and generally amazing whole. The ingredients are not strewn willy-nilly on the plate nor are they combined without significant thought. Unfortunately, the chocolate-mole question is about all I agree with JohnL in this particular phase of the discussion. Sure, it wasn't an official review, but it is just as or potentially even more damaging than an official review. As for "reading into" what he wrote - we all do that to varying degrees to whatever we read as we interpret the words on the paper. You may take the view that he was using "weird" in a neutral way and didn't mean anything derogatory, but I think that view would be naive, something I do not believe you are. As to why his credibility should not be questioned - I have to seriously doubt the credibility of someone who claims to be so inexperienced with these ingredients (at least the tonka beans). If he said that he doesn't like them and never has no matter how many times he's tried them and that in addition he was concerned about their potential health effects I would not have been nearly as irritated by the piece as I have been. He is a professional restaurant critic eating regularly at some of the best restaurants in the world and is inexperienced with this? I'm sorry, but that does make me question his qualifications for reviewing this restaurant professionally. If he is competent and gives it a por review that would be acceptable, but to damn it with faint praise as he did based on his apparent ignorance is bad journalism IMO. As for the other questions, John, that you wish to talk about - fine, they are fair game though I don't think that he did anything to improve the discussion.

...and that is supposed to give him a pass?

It is in fact his use of the word "weird" and its denigrating connotation with the way he used it that makes me think he has no business in the food journalism business. I suppose that he could be seen as representing the "common man", but that is condescendng and stereotypical in its own right.

I am sure that you are right, but his picking on Jordan Kahn and his new restaurant is somewhat disingenuous. If he doesn't like that style of dessert fine - it is not for everyone, but Jordan's work is outstanding in the genre and in a class with Mason, Stupack, Goldfarb and others working in that vein. My issue is not that he didn't like it, but the very poor way he assassinated it or at leat attempted to.

First, there is no indication in the piece that Cuozzo does not personally know what these items are. He is making a point--that most diners do not know what they are. In fact, more would know them as hen of the woods though I would posit that the vast majority of diners would not even know hen of the woods. By the way bet even most gourmands don't know they are also known as "grifola frondosa." Cuozzo is not wring solely for a tiny group of gourmands or foodies. The Post and the Times are not The Art of Eating. Second, attempting to discredit Cuozzo via his credentials (knowledge) still ignores any larger points he is making. Those remain valid and largely ignored. Third, Cuozzo and his arguments entered this thread as they apply to the restaurant in question--Varietal. The fact is, as I noted, the main courses at varietal are not particularly avant garde but the desert menu most certainly is (or at least it is anything but conventional). Most of Cuozzo's questions are focused on the deserts. (and the wine list, he could have used more examples than the one offered). ← Your questions and what Cuozzo wrote are two completely different things. His language is not meant to question in any constructive way - his argument was that the ingredients used are "weird" as in why would anyone ver care to eat things like these, of which he focused primarily on tonka beans, an ingredient he apparently was unfamiliar with before his visit to Varietal. Funny thing is, this is an ingredient that has been used in a number of high end, creative restaurants both here in NYC, the US and abroad. I first came across them at Can Roca in Spain. I have subsequently had them at several restaurants in NYC and in the US. Though not ubiquitous, they have been used mostly by creative pastry chefs and do require a deft hand (and an open mind by the diner). That he has never experienced them in his 8 years of professional restaurant criticism makes me question either his veracity or the level of his experience with this style of dining. A particular ingredient may or may not work in particular dishes or in particular hands, but his attitude displayed in this article onnotes a disdain for anything unusual or "weird." As for denigrating the wine list, unless one has experienced the wines with the food (especially in a creative restaurant), it is my experience that it is difficult to really have an idea as to how well the wines will work and whether the list is well constructed or not. I agree that obscurity for its own sake is not a particular benefit, but if the obscure wines do in fact work well with the cuisine, it adds an additional element of fun, especially if the wines are priced reasonably and fairly. He has and is entitled to his opinion with how well the combinations on either end of the kitchen work. One thing that this article told me is that I can rely on his palate and my own as being in disagreement. If I really cared about his writing I would go back to see what other restaurants he panned and why to find some that I might like.

Not being you makes it a bit harder to gauge your preferences and what would be particularly exciting for you. All of the restaurants mentioned above are great and have their unique elements. If you really enjoy hypermodern cuisine then between the two restaurants you mentioned I would choose Moto. It also has the advantage of novlety that may be particularly useful for a solo diner. If you are more "traditional" than Trotter's would probably be the better choice. My favorite restaurant in the country is Alinea. A good friend (a wpman) dined there solo last year and absolutely loved it. My opinion is that the servie at Alinea is second to none.She was treated very well. Schwa is great, but a disadvantage for a solo diner is no wine program. Obviously that is less of an issue if that doesn't make any difference to you. With a few or more people it is more practical to bring wine, making that potentially an advantage of the restaurant. Another option to consider as a solo diner is sitting at the kitchen bar at Avenues. The additional entertainment factor compliments the excellent food. Chicago is a wonderful food town. Enjoy!

Thanks for the report, Rogelio. It sounds as if the concept of sustainability is gaining steam and importance. That this is receiving such consideration at Madrid Fusion, a conference noted mostly for its emphasis on innovation is significant indeed. Bravo!

I agree with your assessment. If Cuozzo has never heard of tonka beans before or several of the other ingredients he mentioned, I wonder where he has been and what he has been eating? That is one of the most ridiculously biased and ill-informed pieces of food journalism that I have ever read.

Once again extremely well done report! The food looks simply delicious. Do you know where "Bobo Farms" is? That is where the foie gras is from, no?

You are really whetting my appetite. I have a reservation for Huaca Pucllana and am eagerly awaiting it. It comes the night before we leave or home. Cuy is something I will definitely have to try. I would also like to try the meat of at least one of the Andean camelids.

Thanks for the report. I am anxiously awaiting more as Peru is my next culinary adventure.

These last two reports surprise me. Though I have never eaten at the restaurant, I have eaten some of his food and met the man. My impressions are counter to what the reports have described. I am certainly not in a position to contradict or question the reports though. I am merely surprised.

Ah, market economics or supply and demand. They will either find that enough people will still go and find it of sufficient value or they will find that too many of their customers were like you and put off by the price increase. If the former they will be lucky and successful. If the latter they will either have to drop their prices back down or go out of business. The risk of raising prices is that they may find that even if they drop back down, they may have lost too many customers to be successful. On the other hand, the restaurant business is such a tough business that if they can make a go of it at the higher prices, power to them.

If that was for "just an ordinary birthday", I'm not sure I have the capability of imagining what you might do for a "special" one. Nice.

I received my copy of the book. For those who are fans of Aki and Alex's work in Ideas in Food, their incredible blog (and if you are not yet - you should be), the book is a great resource and adjunct to the blog. It is not a cookbook, nor does it present more than a rudimentary menu-like description of the various dishes. However, it does provide an arms-length photo record of their creations with the wonderful food photography that has become one of their hallmarks as well as a record with which one can refer to the blog for more detail on the specific dishes. The soft-cover edition, though well-done, is not of the quality of a top-flight professional publisher, which makes it all the more charming and when Aki and Alex are published by one of the major Art-House Food Publishers (I have no doubt that they eventually will be) all the more memorable.

Certainly a birthday meal to remember! I too am curious as to how the coffee and garlic jelly turned out. Was this a "big one" or just a run-of-the-mill birthday?

I am not aware of any solid scientific evidence to support this. assuming that he is correct about the hormonal effects of soy (a large assumption), there might be a theoretical basis for his statements, but I don't believe that there is anything more than that.

No loss. It was good the first season it opened and has gone steadily downhill since. ← While it wasn't a favorite of mine, it was one of the first to set the tone for an upscale dining scene in Saratoga at least in this iteration of the city.

43 Phila a relatively long-time Saratoga restaurant has closed. I am not sure why.

Vintage New York does and is allowed to. They're able to operate under a different set of regulations, because all the wines they sell are produced within the state. Also, there are several places that integrate wine shops with food shops pretty closely, though they're technically two different stores. Visit Stew Leonard's in Yonkers to see this arrangement in action. ← Another example of this that does a very nice job is Putnam Wine and Putnam Market on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. I don't have anything else to add to the superb advice offered here. The most important things are to know the wines, know your customers and know how to get to know your customers.

Nice perspective.

No advances that I am aware of. The real uses are few, but I love them for what i described. In fact, there really is no substitute for that particular dish. Fresh and frozen are ok, but the dish is different and not quite as satisfying.

Hardly! Basic egg poaching requires keeping an eye on the time for many individual eggs. While that is not necessarily the most difficult chore, setting the eggs to cook to a specific temperature with which the timing does not need to be precise after a certain period is even easier and can be cooked to the exact degree of doneness with great consistency. It is the consistency that is the real value of sous vide .