docsconz

Excellent interview, Eliot. You did a great job of illustrating the man and his restaurants. You have certainly piqued my interest in getting there even more than it already was. Any thoughts on therestaurants evolution now that Guy Savoy has also opened a place in LV? Has that upped the ante even more? Has it effected Robuchon at all?

Where are you located and what kind of access do you have to quality Mexican ingredients?

This is an interesting question. I personally like restaurants that change/alter at least part of their menu frequently for the reason you mentioned, yet there are a number of restaurants at the very high end that apparently do not alter their menus very frequently at all, but appear not to suffer from that. The Fat Duck, although I have never been, is one that I hear hasn't changed its menu to any significant degree in some time. That would not be a problem for me since at best I would only be likely to get there very infrequently. It is a double-edge sword though. Some people like the comfort of always being able to order their favorite dishes, while others such as myself love exploring new creations.

Somehow, it had not occurred to me that gazpacho would require superior EVOO. Why is that? Not that I use crap olive oil in mine (I don't ever buy crap olive oil), but I think of the vinegar and vegetables as the important components of the gazpacho--not the oil. ← Superior oil makes all the difference with a good gazpacho so long as all the other ingredients are superior as well. While top-flight Spanish oil is as good as any, I have made and eaten great gazpachos made with other oils as well. While the final flavor may be subtly different it remains delicious.

I had sushi for dinner last night None of it was right off the boat.

Ronnie, you're a star!

Regardless of the temperature it is cooked to pork containing trichinella is safe (at least from that) after three days of deep freeze. I think most people who still prefer pork well-done is because of long-standing tradition. The tradition was based on a valid point back in the day, but that point is no longer valid today unless one is eating unfrozen, undercooked pork from an unknown source. Personally, I am more concerned about eating too-fresh, never-frozen sushi.

While the car would be sperfluous, don't forget the islands such as Capri and Ischia. Naples is definitely a must. I absolutely suggest Agriturismo Seliano as a wonderful base for the area around Paestum. The mozzarella di bufala and other bufala products are superb and the palce is warm and wonderful.

I love Spanish olive oils, but as long as good oils are used I think one will still get great results with non-Spanish olive oils. They may make the final dish taste slightly different, but can anyone really say that good Italian oils, for example, wouldn't work? I like to have good Spanish oils in my pantry, but I wouldn't not make any of these dishes if I didn't have any.

Russ, what do you mean by "tough nuts"? I never had the pleasure (I think) of having drank any of them. Do you think they were (relatively) worth what he was charging for them? How did they compare to other of the california Cult wines?

I think it would beneficial for both the readership and the staff of Alinea to hear Jason articulate exactly what his preconceived notions where, and why they existed. What media outlets contributed to them? ← Grant, I think primarily it was the fact that I felt that there was a level of weirdness about the special serving peices which I could not fathom being an important element of the dishes, and that if you just look at pictures of the food without actually eating them, it all just looks like strangely presented stuff rather than "food". Mind you I also had the same thoughts about Ferran Adria's cuisine, but after having your tasting, I may very well be able to accept it and even want to go dine there now -- although your cuisine is even more perciveably food-like than his. I think you said the most extreme dish you made was the "virtual" shrimp cocktail served in an atomizer, which is the sort of thing (in level of weirdness) he does all the time. I think what is important to understand (and as I said to you afterwards) is that if you just took your food and put them on regular round plates like many fine dining establishments do, you would loose the "interactive" element of the cuisine. For example, the langoustine tempura dish needs that upright wire spider in order for the vanilla bean it's stuck on to be grabbed by the diner (so he can drop it, "V" lizard-man like, like a live mouse into his mouth) and it really shows off the dish. Another example would be the one suspended on a long wire where you have to bend over and grab the morsel in your mouth -- if you had to use a fork that dish certainly wouldn't be as fun. So many of your dishes are "interactive" in nature -- you just sort of have to throw out all your pre-conceived baggage about what constitutes the dining experience and embrace the fun and the flavors themselves, none of which are "weird". They're pure and evoke basic food and flavor memories. I still feel the plating presentations themselves are very unorthodox, but it makes you appreciate the dishes more. ← Jason, I think you nailed what makes this restaurant great. While ChefG's flavors and dishes are not "weird" or "uncomfortable" they are original with deliciously unique combinations. There is nothing done here solely for shock value even if the combination of food and serving pieces are original and quite unlike other restaurants. Perhaps that is what Richman meant when he called Chef G's food "safe"?

Al Brounstein died on June 25th at the age of 86. He established Diamond Creek Vineyards in Napa valley in 1968. His first vintage was 1972. His NYT obit. Any reminescences on the man or thoughts on his wines and what they started?

Thanks for the advice. i will have to check for myself. I have some Monbousquet amongst others. I haven't tried one in a while.

Excellent photos, Jason! I am looking forward to seeing them again here with commentary as well as the podcast. No wonder you were so full though with all that bread too.

No way anyone was going hungry with that menu! Nice wine pairings too (as usual). I particularly think the pairing of the pineau with the corn would have been exceptional.

Hrrrmph! I am looking forward to the details. All of them.

Spectacular report, Corinna! I believe you nailed the various aspects of El Bulli that make it so wonderful. It is amazing that they can approach food the way they do and be so great and so comfortable and unpretentious at the same time. Your menu looked sensational.

I won't feel guilty when I go back if I am lucky enough to do so. I think having a sense of the restaurant's evolution is part of its allure. The snapshot in time is great, but I really want to get a sense of it over time. I think that is a very important element for this restaurant more than almost any other. Alinea in Chicago is another that fits into that mold. These are things that appear to set them apart from The Fat Duck, which apparently, for better or worse, does not change its menu very often.

Use them as you would chicken eggs (e.g. omelets, fried, poached, scrambled etc.) They are a little bit richer than good quality chicken eggs. Now goose eggs are on another level completely. They are indeed rich.

Thanks for the report, Joe. I don't see the food suffering although I wouldn't be surprised by a few glitches here and there as they get used to their new SOA kitchen. Ultimately, I expect the food to be even better and more interesting than before. I think the real question will be service in the larger space. It is notoriously difficult around here to get and retain top-notch servers. In the smaller location that was never much of an issue. It will be interesting to see how well they cope here. If anyone can do it I suspect they can, however.

Excellent report, Tamzen. Thank you. Your response was very similar to my own last year. Through your post I could relive a lot of the magic I felt then.

The diner is most definitely closed. I haven't yet been to the new location although I hope to go soon. when I do I will post photos.

I will be looking forward to reading your impressions, Pete. I hope that the restaurant has ironed out its kinks.

The thing about BU is that it is not in the least pretentious. It serves very good food at a reasonable price. it is a bonus when DB himself is cooking, not necessarily because the food is better, but because of the evident TLC.

Thanks for the report. I would have gone with the soft-shell crab also even though I love scallops as well. soft-shells are so seasonal I gobble them up whenever I am presented with a good opportunity.