docsconz

Fascinating. Nice work,a s usual, YT. I'm looking forward to the presentation of the actual meal.

Bummer! This is another place that I didn't get to in time. Johnny Mac is doing some of the more interesting preparations out there. I look forward to checking out where he ends up next.

Mustard braised rutebega scooped with a mellon baller.

Farmhouse is scheduled to open for the season tonight. Chef Kevin London and FOH Manager Kim Feeney, who are together the reason and basis for Farmhouse were married last weekend!

I must say that is a particularly delicious sounding menu and I tend not to put too much stock into menu descriptions.

That will be great fun. Alex and Aki and Sean have been online collaborators for some time. I can only imagine some wild and wonderful things coming out of that.

It is certainly important to distinguish between San Jose and Cabo San Lucas, a problem we encountered as well! Those pizze don't look half bad. The fishing in Cabo is great. Most hotels or restaurants will also prepare the fish for you for a nominal charge depending on what one orders with it.

I love the continual creativity as well. That is what makes Alinea special and one of only a handful of restaurants in the world that do so while managing to maintain the utmost in quality. With that as the basis for the restaurant, I also enjoy coming back to a few standards like the Hot Potato, Cold Potato and Black Truffle Explosion during the course of a meal there. They provide context and backbone for the invention.

Wow, I can't believe that this is the first post on McCrady's, Sean Brock's restaurant in Charleston. Thanks for doing it, Caroline. This restaurant has garnered enough of a national and a growing international reputation that one would have thought that it would have been written about on here before now. It has been quite some time since I have been to the Low Country, but this restaurant has certainly been enticing me to go, all the more now.

Thank you, Helen. I believe that you can understand why some back-up of your assertions were warranted. For a variety of reasons, the biggest being its apparent impracticality, I can't believe that this kind of process is in widespread commercial use. If it is in use at all, it strikes me as an abomination. It would not surprise me though that it might have been studied and explored, as despicable as that might be.

With some chianti and favas?

Somehow I missed a photo of the wine poured for the Wagyu, Alain Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin "Mes Favorites" 2001. It must have been the cocktails, wine and food catching up to me. Another Achatz Signature... Black Truffle Explosion, romaine, parmesan ...and deservedly so. Alban Vineyards, "Alban Estate" Grenache, Edna Valley 2005 This was another one-course wine for... Lamb, mushroom, red wine, diverse embellishments This was clearly the most complex dish of the evening, diverse embellishments indeed! Though it was the headliner, the lamb was only a small element of the entire dish with the beet raviolo every bit as significant. While the dish could easily have been cacophonous and generally would be in lesser hands, here it all worked together very well as each element played off the next. I could not begin to list or describe all the various ingredients in this dish! The next pairing was perhaps the most unique of the evening as it led into the last of the "savory" courses, which was really a transition course... Franis Darroze "Reserve Speciale" Bas Armagnac Squab, chocolate, blueberry, hazelnut Truly a transitional course, this dish was equally at home as a savory or a dessert, albeit one that was not overly sweet. The pairing with the Armagnac was superb. This was a daring dish that to my palate succeeded. I suspect that it may be controversial to sweet or savory purists or traditionalists, however. Another Achatz classic... Bacon, butterscotch, apple, thyme ...that also blurs the sweet/savory divide. The meal began dissolving more overtly into the sweet realm, though not quite completely with... Strawberry, violet, nicoise olive This bite was layered with the various elements one transitioning to the next. Hans Nittnaus Beerenauslese "Cuvée Premium", Neusiedlersee Austria 2003 Clearly sweet... Persimmon, carrot, red curry, spice strip ...too sweet for me, this was one of my least favorite plates of the evening, but then I am not a huge persimmon fan. Dry Shot, pineapple, rum, cilantro An adult version of the old powdered sugar in a straw, this dish was fun while also testing my dexterity and sobriety. The last of the pours... Rare Wine Co./Vinhos Barbeito "New York Malmsey" Special Reserve Madeira Chocolate, egg, pomelo, smoke This was my favorite of the pure desserts. I call it pure, despite it still incorporating a few savory elements. It again incorporated a variety of flavors and textures. As the birthday boy, I received an extra course which ws not listed on my menu and therefore does not here have an official title. Birthday Cake Within the chocolate orb, exposed by the warm cream lay a small piece of cake! We finished with the classic Sweet Potato, bourbon, tempura, cinnamon incense served on the smoldering cinnamon stick, which went unphotographed by me. It ws nearly two AM by the time we left. We had arrived at 8PM. We were the last guests to leave. On our way out, we saw Chef Achatz sitting at a table in the downstairs dining room going over some notes as he was preparing for the unveiling of Mosaic scheduled for later that day. He looked well although understandably a bit tired given his consistently long hours made longer by deadlines for the website and the book. Nevertheless he looked light years better than the last time I had seen him at the Starchefs ICC in New York in September. He really is a marvel. Along with his energy and all he has been through, to continue to function creatively the way he has and does is simply superhuman. Despite the much noted taste deficits he has endured, the creative spark continues to fire off amazing dishes, begging the analogy to Beethoven composing the masterpieces he did despite his loss of hearing. Fortunately, Chef Achatz has been slowly regaining his taste sense with hopes for a full recovery. For his sake, that can't come soon enugh so that he can truly enjoy the fruits of his own labor. Thanks for reading and for your patience!

...and given that that was Kentucky Derby day, I have come to the home stretch... Another killer bite... Honeydew, Benton's ham, pine, mastic Pine and mastic have become vogue ingredients in recent years. I think much of that has to do with Chef Achatz, who has been at the forefront of using those ingredients. Nobody in my experience has done it better than he. Our next wine: Di Giovanna "Gerbino" Rosato di Nerello Mascalese, Sicily 2006 It didn't occur to me until I started writing this since I didn't really note the winery's name at the time, but my Sicilian grandmother's last name was Di Giovanna. Perhaps I am related? This wine was a one-off as it was served only with the next course... Lobster, peas, ramps, mint vapor Although my plate was a bit salty, the flavors in this dish shone with Achatz once again showing that he is a master with the role of scent in taste. The dish was served with a textural contrast lobster "cracker" with a pea shoot. The centerpieces were ready for service: Wagyu Beef, black truffle, potato, Blis Elixir More magic. more coming soon...

Doc-thank you for presenting us with another one of your fine reports. Your photos are always delicious. Tell me a bit more about how the "hot" and "cold" potatoes were prepared. Secondly, can you tell me more about the butter in this dish--what temperature was the butter and was it salted butter? Do you know the source for the butters that they use at Alinea? It would be interesting to note whether they import their butters or use butters from one of the local dairies in the Midwest. Thanks, dr. ← Thank you, David. The recipe for this dish is available on the Mosaic website. I do not know the provenance of their butter, but according to the recipe the butter is unsalted and very cold. A piece of it is on a pin with the hot potato, truffle, chive, parmesan chunk and sea salt. The hot potato along with the other pin contents are released into the cold potato soup as the pin is removed from the paraffin bowl. The "hot" potato are potato balls tht were cooked in hot clarified butter. The potato soup is made with black truffle juice, white truffle oil, potatoes, heavy cream and salt. This is very much an ingredient driven dish, where the technique actually appears relatively simple. It certainly is heavenly.

Lovely looking meal. The shrimp "steak" looks particularly good. My experience fo the food in Los Cabos was that it was indeed very good with Mexican influences prepared in styles more International than Mexican as one might expect in a resort oriented area. If one is looking for terroir inspired Mexican cooking other places (non-resort) in Mexico are far superior, however, for modern cooking in an international style, this area is quite fine. Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to more.

Bummer, that means we'll have to pay for it again!

...now back to the task at hand... The following dish was interesting in that i took an ingredient adored by many, but generally not considered something to be featured at a fine dining restaurant and featured it nevertheless... Chicken Skin, truffle, corn and thyme As one would expect, it was crunchy, but not in a way that one gets from crisped chicken skin from a well roasted chicken. It was more like from fried chicken though this was in no way greasy. This struck me as a tongue-in-cheek play on a Chicken McNugget which is the kind of pun I see or expect more from Moto or WD-50, though those restaurants tend to really play up their culinary reference puns much more than Chef Achatz does. Though not my favorite of the evening, this was one of the most thought provoking dishes of the evening for me. The next dish (still with the Reisling) made me marvel anew at the technical skills present in the kitchen. Deceptively minimalist in appearance, Mango, soy, foie gras could not be easy to make - at least not so perfectly. It was reminiscent of a filled tuile cookie, but with mango as the "cookie" and foie gras with soy as the oh so decadent filling. Rhubarb, ginger, basil This was one of my favorites as it was much more than a great palate cleanser. The ball was a liquid center sphere served with the very useful instruction "to eat in in one bite" something I should have paid a little more attention to! The midpoint of the meal continued with another light, fun palate re-invigorator Transparency of raspberry, rose petal, yogurt, The centerpieces were brought out one per person and placed towards the center of the table forming a ring of flags much like one might see in a plaza of a diplomatic area of a capitol city. The appearance was also reminiscent of a feathered arrow with the point embedded in the base. Another wine was poured Eric Texir Condrieu "Janrode", N. Rhone 2006. Did I mention that I think that what I think is perhaps Chef Achatz' particular brilliance is his ability to pair non-intuitive ingredients to incredible effect? The next dish was a prime example: Fava Beans, lavender, banana, pecorino Unbelievable. This amazing dish comes from exactly what tradition? To those who say that all worthwhile combinations in the culinary world have already been invented, this dish is proof otherwise! This dish alone made the trip worthwhile. The centerpiece begins to thaw. more to come...

The only other restaurant that I have experienced that I can say has matched Alinea for pairings is Citronelle in D.C.. That being said, one thing that makes Alinea that much more special is that the food is very difficult to match with wines. The pairings are not necessarily intuitive and by definition are not classic, as there really isn't a point of comparison given the combinations on the plate that Chef Achatz comes up with. I'm not so sure that all the wines, as wonderful as they are paired with Chef Achatz' dishes, would be quite as wonderful in a different context. That is not to say that the wines are not excellent on their own, but that the elevation is really one of synergy as both the dish and the wine benefit by the pairing. Thus some of the wines may appear less stellar in a different context. This is what great wine service is supposed to do. ← Great reviews doc.....look forward to you checking out our place some day ← Thanks and ditto.

That sentence may be one of the most alarming sentences that I've read in a long time! Do you know how widespread this practice is? The more I read about modern farm practices, the more I lean towards vegatarianism. I'm finding it harder and harder to justify eating meat when I know this kind of crap goes on... ← These allegations are pretty strong, especially without presentation of any supporting evidence. However, assuming that they are valid and true that in some parts of the world, practices like these are done, that is all the more reason to know the source of your food regardless of whether it is meat or vegetable. Where I live, I have not seen any evidence of this kind of practice, but should it actually occur as alleged, that would indeed be deplorable. Helen, what evidence do you have to support your assertion?

I haven't used this particular Oxo product so can't comment on your conclusion, however, the words "badly designed" and Oxo are not typically used to describe the same item. Ny most recent Oxo purchase is the shrimp deveiner, which works beautifully and is actually better than others I've used, which is saying something about such a simple device.

The only other restaurant that I have experienced that I can say has matched Alinea for pairings is Citronelle in D.C.. That being said, one thing that makes Alinea that much more special is that the food is very difficult to match with wines. The pairings are not necessarily intuitive and by definition are not classic, as there really isn't a point of comparison given the combinations on the plate that Chef Achatz comes up with. I'm not so sure that all the wines, as wonderful as they are paired with Chef Achatz' dishes, would be quite as wonderful in a different context. That is not to say that the wines are not excellent on their own, but that the elevation is really one of synergy as both the dish and the wine benefit by the pairing. Thus some of the wines may appear less stellar in a different context. This is what great wine service is supposed to do.

John. Thanx for sharing. Can't wait for more. Interested in the centerpiece item. Was there one? Interesting that you mentioned signature dish. I don't think that ever changed since it was first introduced. Solid. ← There was no centerpiece at the beginning of the meal. That came a while later. The interesting thing about the signature pieces is that the concept of Alinea is somewhat antithetical to a non-changing dish or set of dishes. From the New Yorker article referenced above comes: While I love the fact that Alinea is always evolving, it would be total shame if some particularly wonderful dishes or even any of them were permanently retired. One thing that is always different even when serving some of the "signatures" is their particular place or context within a meal.

There was indeed bread service with specific breads paired with particular courses or sets of courses. Being that there was so much food, I really didn't concentrate on the bread, though. I believe Ronnie took photos of the bread and he may have a better handle on that. While the bread service was very good, in my mind it doesn't really add enough to the Alinea experience and takes gastric room away from all the other amazing dishes.

I don't really recall the details of the almond dish besides the fact that it didn't particularly register in a positive fashion with me - at least not compared to the other dishes. Sorry. As for the lemongrass, it was pinned to a wooden pedestal with a very thin, barely visible pin.

...more... All wines from Australia and New Zealand come from grapes that originated elsewhere. One I wasn't previously aware of being grown in Australia is the verdelho grape (verdejo in Spanish). The next couple of courses were served with Fonthill "Sea Air" Verdelho, McLaren Vale, S. Australia 2006.. Ice Fish, shellfish, horseradish, parsley To be honest, I did not find this dish to be particularly memorable. Green Almond, sweet, hot, sour, salty I guess I am simply not a big fan of green almonds as this was perhaps my least favorite dish of the evening. I also did not particularly enjoy the green almond dish I had last year on my birthday at elBulli. I wouldn't say that either dish was bad, but then again, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about them either. Short Rib, Guiness, peanut, fried broccoli Back on track. The last dish and the next were served with Paolo Bea Montefalco Riserva "Pipparello", Umbria 2003. Though Alinea was designed and generally is everchanging, Grant Achatz has developed and maintains a few signature dishes. This is one: Hot Potato, cold potato, black truffle, butter What can I say? This has always been and probably always will be awesome. Carrot, smoked paprika, orange Excellent balance and flavor. The next wine: Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spätlese, Herrmann Donnhoff, Nahe 2006 The next dish: Pork Belly, smoked paprika, polenta, pickled vegetables One of our party noted that our pedestals were empty and informed our waiter. He corrected the "mistake" by bringing full pedestals for our dining pleasure. These were gooood! This was a large meal, so I will take another hiatus before continuing at a later time...