docsconz

Welcome to NYC, Wendy! How did it compare to Arzak?

How long did it take to set up? Ours hadn't set after being refrigerated overnight.

Sounds like market forces at work!

On the off chance they don't, perhaps you should send a letter.

It is interesting that the cheese Adria chooses to feature in so many ways is Parmigiano.

Back when I was heavily buying wine I used Winedbid a fair amount. It was (and probably still is) a good site. My answers are in reference to my experience with them. Yes. The lots came when they were supposed to. The were shipped well protected and efficiently. Yes. Everything was spelled out clearly. This was expensive enough, however, to necessitate taking into account during the bidding. The good part was that one could take it into account. Absolutely. This was a major advantage of the site since one could focus on particular areas of interest with ease. Yas. See above. Not really.

That really is strange whether the oysters were considered an amuse or a course. I don't think it is justifiable.

If that was the price of the meal I had there, it was an absolute bargain.

Thank you Chloroplastik for your information. It is nice to have you on eGullet. It seems that many of Adria's titles are wordplays or evocations rather than literal descriptions. How does "Tierra 2005" fit into that if it does? In other words how does the dish reflect its name? It is not clear to me from your description the way that "Oyster with its Pearl" was.

It is precisely to combat the erosion of small artisanal food production across Europe and eleswhere that The Slow Food Movement was born. To say that the marketplace will sort everything out based on demand is too simple. This may work for products with wide distribution in which availability and price are not limiting. I'm not so sure that this applies equally well to small production economies. The very act of transforming these products into "competitive" mass market products often ruins them. An example of this to me is Stonyfield Farms yoghurt. The need for consistency of product across the market tends to result in a more innocuous and less interesting product. Smaller producers with a bit of marketing savvy and connections can and many do overcome this. That this is true is a testament to the interest and desire that is out there for these products if they can be had. All of the above is not to say that the demise of every product that goes to the grave with its producer is tragic

Just another mineral in the profile. I thought the point of most of these bottled waters were their idiosyncratic mineral profiles that give them their distinctive characters, otherwise we should all be drinking distilled water.

I would agree that those behaviors are appalling and below the level of what this restaurant can and should be. Hopefully, it was simply an aberration and not indicative of a more general trend. Of course, that doesn't improve your experience. Was there no mention of the tasting menu (and price) on the printed menu? Even if they prefer to not divulge the specific courses they should provide the details re: number of courses and price.

Could it be the 1970's wine tastings all over again? New York water is good water. I never bother with bottled water when dining in a NYC restaurant. I am amazed at how fast the bottled drinking water industry has grown in the US especially with such innocuous brands as Dasani and others. It is a testament to the powers of marketing.

I can't compare the menu to last year or any other year, but it all looks so very enticing. I am sure that the final dishes will have no resemblance in structure at all to my preconceptions as the "oyster with its pearl" described above can attest. A few of the dishes I think I can picture such as the "oreo", but others I have absolutely no clue, such as "Tierra 2005". This will be fun.

I saw the film Friday night. It was provocative, but clearly was made with a specific slant and therefore more than a bit propagandaist. I found myself reacting against the film even though I largely support many of its points. I felt that it really attempted (and succeeded at)character assassination. Did they really need to show the reaction to Robert Parker's dog passing gas? I agree with the comments above about the camera work. I got the impression that many of he interviews were filmed with subjects unaware they were being filmed or the editing specifically looked for spots when people were their most vulnerable. I did not get this sense with Michel Rolland, though. He just seemed to be really arrogant.

It really is a toss-up, but if I had to choose, I would choose Abac. Both are good examples of La Nueva Cucina. I need to go to Cinc Sentits again as I was not in good shape when I tried it previously. I was already quite full and unable to really enjoy it. That restaurant also fits your criteria as do numerous others that I haven't been to. You really are not likely to go wrong at any of them, but based on my experience so far I would probably recommend Abac most highly.

It is not necessarily a question of whether people want to consume them. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to be able to consume them. This is not necessarily the product of the market economy, but of regulation, that is at best debatable for its benefits. As for the EC standards they may be "evil", but are they really "necessary"?

Artisanal.com is carrying a nice valdeon at the moment.

I'd love to see her give some examples of stores properly baiting their customers. ← At least something is using bait. We know it wasn't used on the salmon!

I have had an excellent meal at Alkimia, but it was a year and a half ago. I enjoyed Abac more, however.

Unfortunately I cannot provide prices as my meals at Can Fabes and Sant Pau were included in the cost of my trip and I was a guest at Aligue. My visit to Hispania was too long ago and my memory of that detail too spotty to provide worthwhile information. While none of these places are cheap, each provided very worthwhile meals. Can Fabes and Sant Pau are right up there with the best meals I have ever had. The likelihood that they or Aligue were overpriced is extremely slim. I'm afraid that does not help with figuring a budget.

This is not clear. How did Trotter come in the way of you having it elsewhere. In fact, one of the criticisms against Trotter earlier in this thread was that he served foie gras at the charity dinner. This was false. When it was clarified, it was obvious that he did not stand in the way of either the diners having foie gras when they expect it or in the way of chefs who saw it as a way to express their culinary prowess. I do not comprehend how and where this misunderstanding that Trotter is personally looking forward to banish foie gras from the foie gras loving public's plate occured. It is also a fact that the legislation to ban foie gras consumption/possession was discussed in the papers before the article 'Liver and let live' by Mark Caro in the Chicago Tribune was published. Trotter's public statement was coaxed out by a reporter and how does all this translate into Chef Trotter taking away your right to enjoy foie gras? ← If I am wrong about Chef Trotter, I will gladly adjust my view of him and his establishment. Whether or not he was reacting to what Chef Tramonto had to say, his words were inflammatory and serve to support the cause of Group "C". I would like nothing better than for Chef Trotter to say that while he does not personally endorse foie gras, he does not support either the activists violently opposed to it or the political banning of it. The only time I endorse temporary banning of a food product is if the continued exploitation of that product is likely to result in the extinction or severe weakening of a species, in which case the product would likely be lost forever. Products that are potentially personally harmful such as raw milk cheese should not be banned, but should come with major warning labels. Buyer Beware.

You mean Group C? Actually I mean group "A" is stressing the argument that what group "C" is doing is violent, confrontational and anti-choice. This should be bringing them in line with Group "B" as you suggest by emphasizing the similar concerns. By alienation of Group "B" by Group "A", I suppose you mean that group "A" should not criticize Group "B"'s philosophical anti-foie tendencies. I presume that this would apply both to you as well as Chef Trotter? I have no problem that Chef Trotter prefers to not make or serve foie gras in his establishments. I do have a problem when his advocacy extends to denouncing other chefs who do not share his opinion and when his publicly expressed opinion is used to support anti-choice legislation. I do not have a problem with you, Chef Trotter or anyone else expressing your opinions against foie gras here or anywhere else. The difference is that Chef Trotter has restaurants that I can choose to patronize or not. As I would advise people who are opposed to foie gras to vote with their pocketbooks, so will I. So long as I have a choice I will patronize restaurants and chefs who use foie gras responsibly whether or not I choose to order it. I will not avoid chefs or restaurants who do not use it so long as they do not stand in the way of my ability to have it elsewhere. Chef Trotter does not seems to conform to either and so I will cast my vote accordingly.

Your logic here is good, however, I don't really agree with your conclusions. camp "A" is in fact doing the very thing you suggest by stressing the violent, confrontational, anti-choice tactics espoused by the most ardent anti-foie gras activists. If someone doesn't like foie gras they are free to not order it or go to restaurants that don't serve it. It is when they trample upon my right to eat it that I get upset. It is certainly possible to have a fine dining experience without foie gras.I do it frequently. I don't believe that is the point of the discussion. I believe in humane and ethical animal husbandry. I prefer to patronize establishments that care where their product comes from and how it was raised. I would not knowingly buy from a producer that raised the foie gras ducks inhumanely. My understanding and belief is that though it is certainly possible that these ducks can and sometimes are treated inhumanely, the process is not inherently so. I have a much greater problem with industrial chicken, hog and cattle farms.

I am glad that I wasn't planningon going to Trotter's when I am in Chicago next month. I don't believe I will venture into one of his restaurants again, although my previous meal at Charlie Trotter's was superb and one of the better dining experiences I've had. If he doesn't want to serve foie gras in his restaurant , fine. I can respect that, but I don't respect the rest of his polemic. That Chicago would even consider banning it is absurd, but then stranger things have happened.