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Perhaps I am mistaken, but the impression I got was that the strip loin was wagyu while the short rib was true Kobe.

Thanks, Peter. Unfortunately, the pancreas was removed with the stomach and the intestines and I didn't think to look for it. The leg is cooking right now. I hope I do it justice.

Great photos and report. This restaurant is also on my get-to short list. Denmark/Sweden and japan are the three countries that I have not yet been to that I most want to go to for culinary explorations. I would love to put this into an itinerary that would include Noma, Mathias Dahlgren and a few others.

Thank you, Rona, for this wonderful report. Ryugin is one of the restaurants highest on my list to get to. It has been there ever since I met Chef Yamamoto in NYC and saw his fascinating presentation that included the hamo, the apple, the Chateau Ryugin and a few other things.

Diaphragm The sweetbreads piqued my appetite so I continued with a simple and quick approach trimming the membrane from around the muscle tissue of the diaphragm. This left two distinct cuts of meat - the hangar(onglet) and the skirt. Dissecting them from the liver, heart and lungs as I did gave me a new understanding of their anatomical relationship and origin. I did the hangar first. After I salt and peppered it, I cooked it quickly in a cast iron pan with some butter. I shared this with my son. Once again, I squeezed on a little key lime juice. The flavor was sensational. My experience with hangar steak from veal or beef is that while tasty, it can be fairly tough and chewy. Not so for this. The small size of this cut literally afforded just a taste, but what a taste! The skirt steak was long and narrow. I cut it in two and cooked it exactly as I had done for the hangar. Once again, this provided an extraordinary taste that was a clear example of great product making for a great meal. I am in the process of cooking one of the legs for tonight's dinner.

Sweetbreads If it wasn't for this bit of wisdom from Jon Tseng back in 2005, I would have gone through the whole rigamarole of soaking and compressing, etc, the sweetbreads I had from the lamb. As that post states, that was not necessary. This was a young lamb with correspondingly small organs including the thymus. For an old, but interesting discussion specific to lamb sweetbreads see here. I took the four pieces of thymus that I had, salt and peppered them, dredged them through cake flour and quickly sauteed them in some duck fat that I still had sitting in a pan from this morning's eggs. They did not need to have any membranes removed. They were done quickly. I added a squeeze of key lime juice to them and though I was tempted to horde them for myself, I shared them with my wife and son. To put it simply, I'm not sure that I've ever eaten anything more delicious.

David, you bring to mind an interesting thought about "soul." My postulate is that Las Vegas as a culinary destination lacks soul because it has no particular identity. I would agree that the cooking of individual chefs and restaurants in Las Vegas may indeed have soul in that they are cooking with passion. Your presentations are certainly giving credence to the latter half of that thought.

This is the offal that I retained. From top left clockwise, the diaphragm, which includes hangar and skirt steaks, liver. thoracic contents including heart, lungs and trachea, thymus (sweetbreads) and kidneys. This is the thymus of our animal. We also received the thymus from someone else's lamb who didn't want it. The heart with the pericardial membrane removed. It is sitting on top of the lungs. At the International Chefs Congress a couple of years ago, Fergus Henderson, Tony Bourdain and Chris Cosentino held a panel on using offal. They talked of using every part of the animal, but the one part I remember as being particularly difficult to use was the lungs. Unless I get a really good idea from here or elsewhere for using the lungs and the trachea, they will, unfortunately, probably go to waste.

That is certainly a reasonable alternative for the very small farmer. It probably doesn't work so well for even medium sized operations since it is fairly labor and time intensive. I will eat some of it fresh and freeze the rest. I did in fact just prepare a few choice items upon which I will report shortly as I upload the photos. I did keep the heart and will probably grill it later tonight. The meat was put in a vat of fresh, cold water to rinse it and cool it off. It was placed in the water as it was butchered.

David, thanks for another outstanding report. I am very much vicariously enjoying your experience. Each of those dinners looked enticing in their own right. Addressing the issue of "soul" and Bryan Ogden's comments, I would say that to a great extent they make my point rather than prove it. Sure, a number of ingredients are grown locally, but so many others are other trucked in from L.A., Phoenix or elsewhere. There is very little that really speaks "of the area." There is no Las Vegas terroir to speak of. I know that they use top notch ingredients, imported from near or far and even some that may very well be grown and raised locally. However, even those ingredients raised in the environs of Las Vegas originated elsewhere and are used to speak to cuisines that have been developed elsewhere. There may come a day (and given the talent level cooking in LV it may be sooner rather than later) that Las Vegas becomes a leader in the culinary world rather than a place taking ideas, produce and talent from elsewhere to produce high quality reproductions of much of the world's best food. Until that really starts happening I will still consider the culinary landscape of Las Vegas as lacking "soul" despite my own enjoyment of what I have eaten there as well as your superb chronicling of your culinary explorations. This subtopic and my position in it does nothing to diminish my enjoyment of your presentation and my envy of your experience. My thesis is not intended to denigrate the individual accomplishments of any of the chefs, cooks and restauranteurs doing what they do in Las Vegas, many of whom do truly outstanding work as you have been so ably reporting. Rather, it is the aggregate sense of the value of that accumulation in the grand scheme of the culinary firmament.

When it comes to interviews, I think it is perfectly reasonable to have the interviewee confirm the accuracy of what was said, especially if there is any question in the writer's mind. I have been interviewed too many times or had quotes mangled by reporters through telephone or verbal contact, that I no longer answer questions unless my response can be in the written form and I have a record of it. It seems to me, Chufi, that if this is something you feel compelled to write about, you should write about it truthfully. That doesn't mean that you need be snide or unkind. If I'm writing about a restaurant meal, I tend to not mention a one-time meal that is mediocre unless I am in disagreement with prevailing attitudes, such as when I wrote that I was not overly impressed with Momofuko Ssam Bar last year or if expectations for a restaurant are particularly high. I do mention it if there is something egregious about the meal, service or experience. In either case, I try not to be mean-spirited about it.

Santamaria has certainly brought attention to himself with his latest diatribe. He has, however, received a number of rebuttals in the Spanish media from various chefs organizations as well as scientists. I'm not sure what he is basing his claims on, but I have not seen or heard much support for them from the scientific community. While I am not asserting cause and effect, it is ironic that a number of travelmates along with myself got sick within a day after an otherwise wonderful meal at Can Fabes.

Thank you for the thoughtful responses for what is an emotional situation when one doesn't deal with it everyday. Nibor, the lamb did twitch a bit while it took its last, agonal respirations through its severed trachea. Fortunately, this was brief, in fact briefer than I would have expected. It was, I imagine, about as stress-free for the animal as i imagine it could be. Unfortunately, it is too late for me to get the tongue, but should I do this again, I will be sure to keep that as well as a few other choice items. As for preparing the meat, I believe that I will prepare some of it this weekend, probably Monday for Memorial Day. I will probably cook one of the legs simply in a CVAP to a temp of about 130F, then apply salt, pepper and a little olive oil before finishing it on a charcoal grill. A friend was telling me earlier about a calf they had that was destined for their family table. To remind themselves of its ultimate fate, they named it "Schnitzel." That must be another whole level of emotional involvement, when one slaughters an animal that one has raised for oneself.

The lamb was a female. I actually have a number of the organs. I will have to go through them to see what I actually have. What I specifically wanted were the sweetbreads, though I have never prepared them myself. I also got them from one of the other lambs that was slaughtered today. Unfortunately, they are only enough for a taste.

My son just asked me if it was difficult to watch. Once the deed was done, no. The hardest part was seeing the lamb, alive one minute then not the next. After that, I was able to detach myself and view the butchering clinically. I felt some interesting emotions. I'm glad I did it. Interestingly, my friend's family has become quite inured to the process. His wife, a former vegetarian, said that eating meat is a lot easier for her knowing how it was raised.

I am happy to eat offal, but am not particularly experienced in preparing it. In addition, the brain, in particular is not something the rest of my family would likely eat. To be honest, I didn't even think of the tongue.

Meat. Many of us eat it. Most of those who eat it, adore it. Most of those who adore it probably prefer to have their meat neatly packaged and disembodied. Though I live in an area with great farms and buy most of my meats locally either at the farms themselves or more commonly at the Farmers' Market, I have never previously bought a live animal for the express purpose of sacrificing that specific one for the sustenance of myself, my family and our guests. Rob Connolly (aka gfron1) described his experiences with goats and bison here.. Today, I had and took the opportunity to do just that. One of my professional colleagues has a farm that he runs with his family. They raise goats, sheep, chickens, guinea fowl and horses and sell all but the horses for meat as well as using the animals and their products for their own needs. Because the farm is a small one and not geared for a large commercial operation, most of their customers have come to them via word-of-mouth. While I was there, a Bulgarian family drove up from Queens to purchase a lamb like I did. They had previously purchased a newborn lamb at Easter and have now come back for more. They sell the animals live and then as a courtesy dispatch the animal and butcher it on the spot, a courtesy that I availed myself of. This was the group of lambs from whence mine was culled. I believe that it is hypocritical to eat meat and not acknowledge how the meat was obtained. In addition, I prefer to know that the animal was raised well and slaughtered in as humane a fashion as possible. There is no better way, as unpleasant as it may be, to ascertain that, than to visit the farm and witness the animal's sacrifice directly. The following photos are indeed graphic. They pull no punches in witnessing the death of this young animal that was bred and raised for this purpose. I cannot say that the experience was one that I enjoyed, though I came away with a greater respect for the animals and the farmers who raise them as well as those who slaughter them humanely and efficiently. These animals are raised in a situation as well as any animal could wish. I hope to demonstrate by these photos the respectful, humane and efficient process of preparing my lamb for the table and the sustenance of my family. The lamb standing in the back of the pen was the one I had purchased. She was a bit jittery as two of her siblings had already met their fates earlier in the morning. At this point, I was feeling sad for the lamb, but I fortified my resolve knowing the benefits it would provide for me and my family and that this was indeed the very part of the process I was there to be part of. It is a strange feeling to have such a direct contact with one's food. The lamb, approximately two months old, weighed 35 pounds. We agreed on a price of $3/pound for the animal. Because, it was sold live to me, I could then butcher it for my personal use and consumption. With the help of another farmer, who is teaching my colleague to slaughter and butcher his animals, the process continued. The animal was quickly taken from the sling scale and hung by her rear legs upside-down. Without wasting any time, the farmer slit the lamb's throat, allowing it to bleed out very quickly while denying oxygenated blood to the brain. The lamb was dead within seconds. I was shocked at how quickly and efficiently this process happened. This next step was entirely unexpected by me. The farmer slight the skin around one of the lamb's rear ankles and placed an air compressor tube subcutaneously through the slit, pumping air into the space, thus separating the pelt from the body. He began the process of skinning the animal at one of the forelegs. He worked quickly and methodically using a very sharp knife. He returned to the hind legs, while also separating the tail from the rest of the carcass. The remainder of the pelt was removed easily. With the severing of the head, the animal was completely skinned. Unfortunately, the process for tanning the hide is not a straightforward one, with facilities for doing so scarce in the area. The skinned carcass. The next step was to slit the belly to remove the internal organs. These, including the thymus were set aside and saved. I will use the sweetbreads, liver and kidneys. The carcass was completely slit down the front through the sternum. A small chainsaw was used to split the carcass down the vertebrae. The carcass was split into halves. The halves were further cut into smaller pieces. Since the lamb was young and fairly small, I kept the pieces larger, with each rack kept whole as well as the legs. I packed the meat into a cooler to bring home. Some of it I plan on eating this weekend. The rest will be frozen. While this is not the most pleasant process to witness, it is reality and a significant part of life, not generally experienced by many in our culture. I am happy that it was done quickly and efficiently. I hope that we can do the lamb justice when we prepare it for our consumption.

I don't have anything to add about the honey, but I would love to hear about your meal at Ryugin.

I don't think that it is a gag. If it is, I don't really get the joke. The stainless steel made me think of being in a diner and the back elevation allows for the cilantro to be up near where its scent can be picked up easily, however, I suspect that they came across these items and felt that they would make pretty cool presentation plates, which they do. I agree that there is not enough obvious explanation to think that they were specifically designed for that or other dishes.

Neither of us have yet to eat at L2O. You may be right that ultimately the comparison to either Le Bernardin or Alinea is a weak one, but I still don't understand why you would say so at this point.

Thanx John. The meal was fantastic. Amazing looking meal! Though not a clone, the influence of Alinea appears to permeate this restaurant. From what I saw and read, this restaurant appears to be a must on my next Chicago visit, which can't come too soon. John, before you come to Chicago, try Le Bernardin. I would be interested to hear about the differences and similarities. Although it has been awhile, I have been to Le Bernardin several times. Why this comparison? When I think of seafood, French, and in the U.S., Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin comes to mind. I would, IMHO, probably find this to be more of a direct correlation, than Alinea. ← Doh, the seafood predominance of L2O passed me by. It was the style of the restaurant rather than the source of the principle proteins that caught my attention at first. I'm not sure why the comparison would be inadequate or inappropriate, U.E. Maybe the comparison is not valid, but I don't see why it can not be made.

I just ordered my fastpass. I will be coming down with my son for Saturday. I figured one pass will be enough between us, as we'll use it for the more crowded venues. Some of the discussions look pretty interesting too.

Susan put a lot of herself into the eGullet Society, much more than meets the eye, which is considerable in its own right. Her administrative work will be missed. Thanks for all you have done, Susan.

Chufi, by the time you are in Phoenix, molto e's restaurant, Noca, should be open and in full gear. I have seen some preliminary menus. Given Eliot's interest in great food, I have no doubt that he and chef Chris Curtiss will be putting some outstanding food on their tables. It should be opening sometime in June. Pheonix is home to a lot of excellent food. Binkley's and See Saw are two other outstanding restaurants. You will have options for plenty of great Southwestern cuisine elsewhere on your trip, so I wouldn't worry too much about having to get your fill of that in the Phoenix area. Santa Fe also has some great food, though it has been too long for me to reliably give recommendations. As for Coyote Cafe, I have had very mixed experiences there over the years, with my more recent experiences being less exciting than earlier ones quite some time ago. I wouldn't be surprised if it has been revitalized, but it would not necessarily be my first choice upon a return to Santa Fe.

Thanx John. The meal was fantastic. Amazing looking meal! Though not a clone, the influence of Alinea appears to permeate this restaurant. From what I saw and read, this restaurant appears to be a must on my next Chicago visit, which can't come too soon. John, before you come to Chicago, try Le Bernardin. I would be interested to hear about the differences and similarities. ← Although it has been awhile, I have been to Le Bernardin several times. Why this comparison?