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I very much enjoyed hosting alongside busboy, especially in the Restaurant Life Forum. One of the highlights of my many wonderful interpersonal experiences drawn from eGullet was the time my wife and I had lunch with Charles and his lovely wife at Vidalia in D.C. Both are completely charming. Charles, I hope to continue to see you around here and over meals in your new, civilian capacity!

That is an interesting aspect of the ICC that may not be very well known - each visiting presenting chef is paired with a local NYC host chef. This can be particularly useful when a visiting chef has a lot to do to prepare for their presentation. In this case Butron was paired with Laiskonis. Last year Oriol Balaguer was paired with Johnny Iuzzini. They try to pair similar disciplines and chefs with similar outlooks.

Thanks, Ted. Credit must go to my son, who proved to be a superb transcriber. In addition Tona did another fine job translating. I was able to follow most of what Butron said in Spanish and Tona nailed it.

For more information on the classes referred to by Jordi Butron, click here.

Brilliant report, Bryan. Thanks. I'm hoping to get there myself in early November.

Jordi Butron continued... Step 3 of 3 is plating. How will one arrange the elements on the plate? According to Butron, the store pastry chef has a good system. Butron answered some questions from the audience:

Jordi Butron continued... Step 2 of 3 is technique - wholly technique. Today there many books that talk about technique. According to Butron, they all talk about technique as the subject, with not a whole lot about flavor. He asked, "are we interested in flavor in the end?" and answered, "I think so, so why is there so much talk about technique and not flavor?" Butron offered a theory: to be continued...

Jordi Butron continued... Butron continued his presentation stating, "when trying to come up with a dessert in Espai Sucre we always follow a methodology because i have found that my students like it when i present something that is very orderly." Step 1 of 3: choose ingredients. Before choosing ingredients, one must already have a broad knowledge of what’s available, and a sort of flavor library stored through tasting and archiving. It is built by eating at places, tasting things, going to schools and is something that must be constantly active. To Butron it is important "to take into account that the ingredients are alive, and not monochromatic" and that "they have degrees and subtleties that allow them to be combined." When he chooses an ingredient, he tries to look at it using a two-fold manner. The first is looking at the characteristics, and the second is by looking at the things that it is usually paired with, or "references." He used raspberry as an example: characteristics are acidic, sweet, floral and a granular texture. Its references are other berries, dairy, chocolate, spices and herbs. Butron said, to be continued...

It certainly is good to see the blog back. I am very much looking forward to the restaurant when it comes to fruition.

Congratulations to Chef Sean Brock on winning the Food Network's "Next Great Chef" on Food Network Challenge, which aired last night.

Indeed! ← Thanks, Renn & Ted. I'm sorry for the lapse, but I have spent the last few days getting new content and before that I have been quite busy at work. I will try to get back on track soon.

Jordi Butron - The New Language of Restaurant Pastry Jordi Butron of the Sweet and Savory restaurant, Espai Sucre in Barcelona talked about the current infancy of restaurant related pastry. His research has determined that prior to the mid 1980'2 restaurant pastry existed on carts while savory dishes were plated. The ant is the symbol of Espai Sucre. Butron talked about the differences between restaurant and store pastry, a subject about which he considers himself "obsessed." His restaurant has been open approximately nine years. Butron's differences between restaurant {rp) and store pastry (sp): 1 - the main difference is that in rp the palate of flavors that you can use is infinitely greater. Butron didn't know about the pastry chefs in the US but in Europe sp'sl seem to be more timid. According to Butron in a restaurant the first priority is flavor. Why flavor? He emphasized flavor, because in store pastries there are some decorative elements that make sense in that setting, but less so in a restaurant setting. 2 - Sugars monopoly has ended. "Enough of abusing the levels of sweetness," he said. Sugar is in essence a flavor enhancer, but if used excessively it takes over the palate. Sugar has to play a part in rp but it should be used in combination with the other 5 key taste sensations. 3 - "Holy tradition" - Butron, stated "obviously in the store they still employ old traditions and in restaurants it seems that they flaut those a little bit, but that is not the case at espaisucre. where they start all courses from scratch." He said, they teach the basics to the new students, then progress until they reach the epitome of modern technology. He sees year after year many students come and eager to start experimenting with the new without knowing about the old, and he believes that is a mistake. Tradition has to be respected, but not just imitated. According to Butron, "we must take from tradition that which is good and appropriate for our courses." 4 - Plating. There is usually some talk about flavor, but a lot about technique, but there is very little talk about plating. Butron said, "I’ve never seen a book that includes as part of its content a section that goes in depth about plating, and I wonder if you all think about that when you are plating a dish, or are you just thinking that it is a good-looking, pretty dish." He added, "why is plating important to me? Because the final flavor will be a factor of how i organize the elements on the plate. I started off by saying that flavor is #1 but plating as it pertains to flavor also has to be a priority. It is a variable that manipulates flavor. " 5 - The immediacy - RP's can make things to order and put them on the plate, which will offer greater freedom. SP's do not always have great access to such things. Butron said, "don’t let me tell you that rp is superior to that in a store, bc thats not what I mean. I am aware that the mother of rp is sp, but what i try to do is glean from sp and apply it to rp. Obviously in a store you lack the sense that things are being done to order." 6 - The notable interplay that exists between the savory kitchen and pastry - Butron said, "I remember working as a pastry chef in a restaurant and as I was trying out different ice creams and things, the chef came by to see what I was working on. I was making something that he might like, and he tried it and took it to use in one of his savory dishes." Some of the things that have reinvigorated pastry have found their way into savory cooking. 7 - The fact that an entire discourse has been elaborated beneath a pastry dish, the dish becomes more complex. to be continued...

I was underwhelmed by August. What about Bayona?

There is a difference between "molecular gastronomy" and tecnoemotional cooking. Molecular gastronomy, the science behind cooking is interested in that for its own sake. Tecnoemotional cooking is interested in science and technology, but as a means to achieve particular effects. The response of the diner is important. Emotion is key, something apparent when dining at the restaurants of the top practitioners of the style. What separates tecnoemocional cuisine from its earlier cousin, is its reliance on technology to achieve the effects the chef is looking for. Heston Blumenthal's "Perfect Christmas" is a perfect example of this.

Not yet for me.

A restaurant would be great. It has been too long since I have had Shola's cooking.

I couldn't pass up a visit to catch Audrey Saunders in action, though I would have loved to spend more time there learning from her about her favorite alcohol, "Gin...The Other White Meat" Her workshop included a blind tasting of four gins as well as discussions of their various styles and uses. She compared the relative merits of gin to vodka in cocktails.

I next took a quick peak at "The Zen of Modern Pastry: Aesthetics, Texture and Flavor" with Uyen Nguyen of Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas. The emphasis of the workshop was in using various garnishes such as fruit to embellish and finish plating a dish of which the principle elements must remain the focus.

I don't think it is quite the same thing. While there were a number of stars there, there wasn't any clear or undisputed leader or set of leaders that assumed a different mantle that covered them more completely as there is with the example of tecnoemocional.

The reasons I can virtually guarantee it are (1) the fact that "molecular gastronomy" already has plenty of traction (it's much more difficult to replace an entrenched designation than it is to come up with a new one for something new); (2) the simple fact that the word "technoemotional" does not trip easily from the tongue (consider that we're having enough trouble getting world leaders to correctly pronounce "nuclear"); (3) it seems highly likely that plenty of chefs working in this style won't like the word "technoemotional" any more than they like "molecular gastronomy," further hindering any possibility this new designation has at replacing the current one; and (4) while certain infulential "movement" chefs are currently using the term, this doesn't seem like a group that is exactly known for tenacity when it comes to terminology, which makes me wonder what term they might prefer in 2010.. I mean... it's possible we'll all be saying things like, "the technoemotional cuisine of Ferran Adria" three years from now. But, if I were a betting man, I'd put pretty heavy odds on "technoemotional" seeming like a silly affectation when we look back in 2011. What's the Spanish word for it? I'd give that much better odds of sticking around in the English-speaking world (after all, "nouvelle cuisine" works much better than "new cooking"). ← The Spanish word is not that much different - tecnoemocional - simply rolls off the tongue more smoothly with somewhat different accenting.

Sam, I know that you know a lot about many different things as well as a lot about food and you are a very adept cook. I certainly would not question your opinion as regards questions or styles of mixology or music, but I am curious as to how you can "virtually guarantee" that the term will never catch on? The term describes a very specific cuisine and approach to it. Technoemotional, is, as Pau Arenós, the person who coined it and defined it wrote, a definite heir to "nouvelle" cuisine, however, it is distinct from it. This is, in fact, the first term, that has garnered the approval of perhaps, the defining chef of the movement, Ferran Adria, as well as many, if not all of the chefs covered under its umbrella including Grant Achatz, Rene Redzepi, Heston Blumenthal, Joan Roca (all from personal communication) and others. I would think that whether or not the term "catches on" will depend to a great degree as to whether or not they and other chefs like them fully adopt it. If they do indeed use it to describe themselves, others will follow. For more detail on the term and its origins as well as its relation to Nouvelle Cuisine see here.

Molecular gastronomy does have a nice ring to it. It just doesn't accurately describe the cooking style that it has been applied to. As a description of what some food scientists do in their labs which is what This meant it for, it works better. As art movements mature and people have had a chance to digest them somewhat, they tend to become easier to categorize, thus the advent of the term technoemotional, which does indeed sound better in its riginal Spanish.

While I liked Cochon, I think it's not as good as Herbsaint (which you also have planned, right?). Since you want to go to the Pere Marquette for a julep, why not go before dinner and eat at Mila? It'll save a lot of travel, as well. And if Chris is at the bar, you'll have better drinks there than at Carousel, which is fun, but doesn't have great cocktails. ← I liked Cochon a lot, but Mila is a rare bird, a truly modern restaurant with a strong sense of terroir. I think Janet's recommendation is a good one. If you prefer the more rustic, you can always do Cochon over Herbsaint. BTW, Cochon has some pretty good cocktails too. The bottom line, is that there is so much good food in New Orleans that it is hard to go wrong within the parameters that you have set.

I'm not an expert on the subject but I hate to see your post just sitting there unanswered so... It's just cooking. The additives are ingredients in an expanded pantry. Take them away and Heston Blumenthal, Grant Achatz, Ferran Adria, etc. would still be great chefs. I picture them going "I want to thicken this jaboticaba puree a bit without having to heat it, somebody toss me the ultratex" not "I really want ultratex to be on the menu, let's find a way to get it in there". Using what they have to work with to make their food what they want it to be. That's what they do. That's cooking. Doesn't need a buzzword. ← Very, very nice synopsis - one of the best I've seen. I'll add that few, if any, of the chefs generally considered the icons of "Molecular Gastronomy" like the term as it is applied to them. While they feel that science is a useful adjunct in the kitchen, they do not do things at the molecular level. A term that many prefer is "Technoemotional cooking" as it incorporates the technological innovation enjoyed by many as well as a common emphasis on searching for an emotional component of their food.

I believe that he is generally there by 5 or 6PM.