docsconz

While I was being a little facetious, what else is there along the lines of TWC?

Nice idea, but I too am concerned about the logistics.

This complex is starting to sound like Time -Warner Southwest. The nearby Chelsea Market is like Whole Foods. Now all they need is an upscale mall.

That seems to me an awfully ungenerous reading of what has been posted here. People are simply rooting for a well regarded chef who's had some hard knocks in the past. I would think, until demonstrated otherwise, that the people who are predicting and/or hoping that Gilt will receive 3 stars, also believe (based on whatever information they have at their disposal) that those stars will be deserved. I do not believe that anyone here is rooting for Gilt to receive unwarranted acclaim. ← Well said, Mark. I hope it has a good review, gets high stars and lives up to them because I want another restaurant in NYC that deserves them.

Sous vide is relatively old hat in France, and perhaps in Spain. It has been adopted late in the US haute kitchens because of its connotation of "boil in bag" meal and it's spread slowly for the same reason. For all that, much of the early use of this technique, (and it was promoted by some top haute cuisine chefs including Daniel Boulud) was in catering. Bux, I don't think that you said anything really any different than I did here, the key word in both my post and yours being "relatively". Again, this is not really different than what I said, although Adria is clearly not the only one using these techniques. The majority of these chefs appear to be concentrated in Catalunya and the Basque Country. Adria clearly is the most visible of these chefs and the most publicized. There certainly isn't a rule that someone who has worked in Adria's kitchen needs to follow his style and techniques, however, the fact that he did and brought along an alumna from WD-50 as pastry chef made that a reasonable assumption.

As the chef is the owner, it is hard to believe he had no part in the PR presentation. ← to be fair, I think they probably mentioned his brief stint at El Bulli in a press release and Time Out or someone probably jumped on that part. I certainly hope he wasn't trying to play that up because it's not that kind of restaurant. ← This topic has been informative in a number of ways - clearing this up being one of them.

Nice report and pics as usual, Eliot. What was the topping on the danish?

Certainly people use oil containers and filter paper, although I haven't seen any of the coagulants that you write of. Then again, we do very little deep-frying in our kitchen so it is not a big problem in my household.

My goodness, I almost took a bite out of my screen!

Actually, most of the very best dining experiences I have had have included significant interaction with the chef, although perhaps not to the degree one has at SK. When I was talking about my best dining experiences I was certainly including restaurant experiences, but they are not limited to those. Some of my best dining experiences have also occurred in people's homes, including my good friend Joseph B.'s. In all cases the food was exceptional, but it was that combined with a relaxed conviviality that makes a dining event truly special. It is not simply one thing, but a confluence of elements that elevate a dining experience to true greatness.

I would certainly add the original Bouley and Chantarelle to the original Tribeca Restaurant scene as far as establishing the area. Morre importantly than the restaurants though IMO for the upscale development of that area was its repuattion as an artist community. The same can be said of the LES and Soho and Greenwich Village before them. This has also been happening in Dumbo in Brooklyn. The artists have generally come first, found cheap, plentiful space and made it cool. The upscale restaurants followed in fairly short order, but I would say the art came first. I don't see that happening in MePa. The other problem with MePa is the relatively poor distribution of public transportation in that area. One generally needs to cab it or drive there. Most people from within the City will likely cab it, but the subways as egalatarian as they are, may still attract some upscale diners to more transportation friendly areas. My second job ever was as a valet at The Olde Homestead when MePa really was The Meat-Packing District and The Olde Homestead was considered the classiest joint in the area - by far!

A friend of mine has a converted biodiesel car. He gets his fuel for free from a local restaurant who used to pay $100/month to have the used oil removed and disposed of. It's a nice win-win situation.

It is precisely because of the apparent quality of the food, comradery, intimacy and conviviality that I am so excited to be going there. In my experience all the best meals that I have had have one this in common. They provide great food in an atmosphere of excitement and joy. Nothing can kill a great meal more quickly than to be with someone or someones who not only don't share in the excitement, b ut who obviously would prefer to be elsewhere. It seems to me that the raves for the food are deserved at least by what I can see here. It also seems to me that one of the reasons that the food is able to ellicit those raves is because the atmosphere and the group dynamics allow it.

Fascinating information, Patrick. That 40% of the population is potentially susceptible is both reassuring and frightening. It is reassuring that not everyone may be susceptible, but frightening that so many may be.

This may very well do well financially simply because of the Batali name. I was expecting so much from this place. My initial impressions expressed above were certainly negative, but based on a very limited and early introduction. I was hopeful that some of the problems would have been improved upon and maybe they were, but not enough to re-ignite my interest in dining there - at least not yet.

I tought sous vide was a very old technique I was in Spain and France this past Sep. A lot of restaurants are doing a lot of modern cooking with traditional methods. I'm not sure if using a machine makes one cutting edge ← I didn't say that traditional methods are not used in modern cooking in Europe or elsewhere. Of course they are. They remain the underpinning of cooking, however, in addition to them many restaurants and this is particularly true in Spain are utilizing many new techniques or adapting techniques from other areas into their cooking. As for sous vide, sure it has been around for some time, primarily with industrial food applications. It is only relatively recently that it has been used for haute cuisine, but the technique for that use has certainly spread rapidly. I believe that the technique is very common in Europe now and increasingly so in the US and is even being found in home kitchens. I mentioned sous vide as an example of a technique that in my experience most kitchens interested in "cutting edge" techniques are using even if that technique is now somewhat mainstream. In any case, in Europe and North America the vast majority of restaurants, haute cuisine or otherwise, remain traditional. Hypermodern cooking remains a very small minority of restaurant output. Given how much is made of Urena's having worked at El Bulli, it stands to reason that he may have been influenced by the techniques and approach to food used there. If he has rejected that influence (I am not saying that he has) then why continue making the association?

See here for another thread on this.

Cauliflower ice cream?

I had placed an order from Browne Trading for various seafood items for this weekend and asked for some of these beauties. Unfortunately and for some reason they were not included in the order when it arrived.

Those Kettle chips are apparently only available through the website for $9.95 for a five-pack of five different flavors - all new and "limited". In adition UPS ground shipping is $6.95. Fairly pricey, BWTH I ordered them anyway! My curiosity has a tendency to get the best of me.

The Pisa to Florence train service is fine, even on a Sunday. However, if you are staying in Prato, why not fly to Bologna and get the Florence train from there (it stops at Prato just before Florence)? Tends to be cheaper than Pisa, too (and also spend some time in Bologna itself if you can). ← On the whole Bologna is a more interesting city than Pisa IMO, especially gastronomically. This is a good suggestion.

Ok, looking at the photo more closely I see there isn't any rice. I think my imagination was playing tricks on me.

shime saba = sushi grade pickled mackerel. ← Thank you. I assume that was mixed with rice and ? and lay underneath the sorbet and the caviar?

What is "Shima Saba"?

I don't think anyone is dragging anyone else or anything through the mud here. Actually I think Raji was asking about a questionable situation in a very nice way. I know I would have been upset, but now I have learned a something and due to the explanations provided I may not totally lose it should I experience the same problem either at The Modern or elsewhere