docsconz

As I hadn't had lunch and was starving and thirsty, I only caught glimpses of the afternoon program which included Carme Ruscalleda and Paul Pairet talking about their successful experiences operating restaurants in Asia during a presentation entitled, Travelling Chefs: a creative look at when East meets West. Ruscalleda is the first 3 starred female Michelin chef in Spain for her restaurant Sant Pau. She also operates a sister restaurant in Japan and splits her time between both places. Carme Ruscalleda Paul Pairet, chef of Jade on 36 at the Hotel Shangri-la in Shanghai, demonstrated a playful sense of creativity and discussed his experiences working in the East. As I got carried away upstairs in the Trade Show, I also caugt only a glimpse of another presention I very much wished to see, Maria Carmen and Lola Velez from La Sirena Restaurant in La Petrer in Alicante. Ignacio Medina with Lola and Maria Carmen Velez The Velez sisters and Braulio Simancas, a young chef from El Silbo Gomero on the island of Tenerife discussed Magic sauces using Olive Oil: the latest in mojos (sauces) aliolis (garlic mayonnaises). Unfortunately, I was unable to return in time to catch any of this no doubt excellent set of demonstrations.

Maria José San Roman is widely considered as perhaps the foremost culinary authority on saffron in Spain, which given the prominence and importance of this element in Spanish cooking, also certainly means one of the foremost authorities in the world. Her topic entitled, "Saffron in technicolor: new techniques" was proof. San Roman started studying saffron in depth at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. Saffron, as a spice has been around for a long time. Although it is cultivated in various parts of the world, there really is only one variety of crocus used for the saffron spice - the crocus sativus. The majority of the world's saffron is harvested in Iran. The quality of the saffron depends more on its handling than it does its place of origin. This applies to its handling after harvest as well as during its processing. Saffron is best used as early as possible as it loses pungency with time. Some techniques for extending shelf life include keeping it in an airtight, light-free container and perhaps freezing it. The older it gets, however, the less effective it is. The useful properties of saffron are derived from a number of chemicals. The color comes from a carotenoid, crocin, while the scent and flavor characteristics come from picrocrocin and safranal. Most recipes that involve saffron are highly subjective, referring to "a pinch" or "threads" here or there , not providing sufficient detail while calling for much more saffron thn is necessary. During her studies, San Roman discovered that saffron's qualities are best utilized when extracted in solution prior to use. By first grinding it and then putting the saffron into solution either in water, oil or fat, various properties can be extracted, quantified and used as appropriate and desired. For an interesting look at Maria José San Roman's approach to saffron, see Peter Kaminsky's article in the New York Times from this past May. 4 grams of saffron is infused in one liter of water. each 250ml makes for one dose of the saffron infusion. For her demonstration, San Roman created several dishes employing various elements of saffron. To demonstrate the spice's ability to impart color as well as flavor she used an aliquot of saffron infusion to make a rice with snails. To achieve optimal color saturation without overwhelming the dish with the flavors of saffron, she uses 3 s50 ml doses for her aliquot. Different solution strengths of saffron Adding the saffron solution to the pan of rice Saffron rice with snails. She also used saffron in a vinaigrette for a seafood salad. In this case, the saffron was not used to add color. Aroma and flavor was the singular purpose for saffron here. Seafood Salad with Saffron vinaigrette The vinegar, infused with saffron, did not take up any of the color of the saffron. She also demonstrated other ways to use saffron such as by infusing it in honey. Saffron infused honey

Unfortunately, due to a need to attend to some administrative items, I missed what undoubtedly was a very interesting presentation from Oriol Rovira of Els Casals in Catalunya entitled "Rural Refinement: the rural chf in the 21st Century." Given that I live in a relatively rural area, this was a topic of particular interest to me especially as it was from a chef of whom I have heard some very good words. From what I am able to discern from materials provided by the conference Rovira's presentation centered upon the sourcing of local, quality produce, much of which is grown directly by and for the restaurant so it can be harvested and used at the optimal time. That being the case, Rovira and his hotel/restaurant are not so locally chauvinistic that they totally avoid quality products from elsewhere. Though the bulk of their bounty comes from their own fields, streams and forests, they are also quick to use quality products from other locations such as Iberian ham from Extremadura. This type of product-driven restaurant has become quite prominent and popular in the United States as evidenced by such internationally known restaurants as Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns, David Kinch's Manresa and Sean Brock's McCrady's and perhaps the less well-known, but still excellent Farmhouse at Top of the World in my backyard of Lake George, N.Y. Each of these restaurants places a premium on top-quality, home-grown produce where the chef, in addition to preparing the food is directly involved with the farming as well.

Iñaki Aizpitarte, a Basque chef working in Paris at the restaurant Le Chateubriand followed Peña's lead in discussing his bistronomic experience. At his restaurant he serves a lunch menu for €14. The price balloons all the way up to €40 for dinner though. For Aizpitarte, the goal is not Michelin stars, but to create a dynamic cuisine based on inspiration from home and family recipes that is accessible to the world. His dishes are clearly dynamic with an underlying visual beauty. No doubt delicious, they bear no resemblance to recipes from my home and family! Sparkling oyster dressed with red fruits "Bow and arrow" of a giant macaroni with cigalita Five Radish Salad Morcilla (blood sausage) transformed into a chocolate dessert with mandarin Aizpitarte answering questions from the audience and Pau Arenós and Juanma Bellver

José Carlos Capel, the founder of Madrid Fusión provided introductory remarks before introducing the two principle moderators of the event, prominent Spanish culinary journalists Ignacio Medina and Juanma Bellver. The introductions proceeded quickly into the first demonstration of the conference entitled, Barcelona-Paris: Bistronomic-Bistronomie. Inexpensive bistros: low cost haute cuisine. This is a topic not unknown to members of the egullet Society, discussed under the moniker of "New Paradigm." As evidenced by this presentation, the "haut-cheap" phenomenon is apparently a global one encompassing some of the world's finest culinary cities and some of the best young culinary talent. The first presenter was Rafa Peña, the young chef-owner of Barcelona's Gresca. Chef Peña preparing a dish with host Pau Arenós looking on from the podium. At Gresca, Chef Peña focuses on making and selling high quality, inexpensive food, offering a three course lunch menu for €18. He does this by eschewing expensive product, instead using high quality local product procured in Barcelona's markets. For his demonstration he prepared a set of dishes from his menu from the previous week. One ingredient he focused on was the humble egg. Though ubiquitous, when handled well, it is a magic ingredient that helps allow for fine dining at a reduced cost. He also uses a number of vegetables, less expensive seafood such as mackeral and cheaper cuts of meat. He takes Ferran Adria's advice that "a good sardine is better than a not so good lobster" to heart and makes the best of what he can procure for a reasonable price. peña eschews garnish on his plates, stating that he wishes the diner "to eat the dish as a whole." Peña working with his pastry chef wife and business partner, Mireia Navarro. Egg Soufflé This egg dish was constructed by separating the white from the yolk, whipping the whites, wrapping it in film while placing the yolk back into the center, then cooking at 70ºC. Lacquered pork cheeks with bread and tomato. Inspired by the ubiquitous in Catalunya, " Pa amb Tomiquet" or "Tomato Toast", he has deconstructed that and added slow braised pork. Particularly notable about the dish is the economy used as Peña uses leftover bread crumbs mixed with otherwise discarded tomato parts by combining them with a thermomix. Peas with cod. Dried cod is one of the more expensive items he uses despite its history as a common food. This dish combines two basically simple ingredients to complete a tasty whole. Mackerel flavored with thyme Mackerel is an inexpensive fish that when handled well is delicious. For this preparation he finishes it with heat from a blow torch and serves it over a pepper and vegetable escalibada. Roquefort biscuit with lychees and apple. The presentation was completed with this dish, a dessert combining sweet and savory elements in an original way.

Before the spring of 2003, I was a food and wine enthusiast like many others with a passion for travel, dining and fine wine. It was at that time due to an inopportune respiratory illness before a planned trip to SARS-filled China, that I discovered and became involved in eGullet, an episode of serendipity that changed my life and proved that the internet is indeed a land of opportunity. Over time, as a result of my involvement with this organization and the connections I have made through it, I have had the good fortune to develop a deep interest in culinaria into a true avocation. The result is that I have been conferred with press credentials for such culinary events as The Starchefs International Chefs Congress, The NY Fancy Foods Show and now the 2008 Madrid Fusión, something I would never have dreamed of five years ago. Though I am no more than a competent home cook, events like the Starchefs Congresses, the CIA's World of Flavors programs and Madrid Fusión, intrigue me because of the confluence of incredible creativity, especially in an area that appeals to me perhaps more than any other creative endeavor - the culinary arts. I relish the creative give and take that these programs foster as well as the opportunity to improve my personal understanding of what these creative icons are accomplishing. It doesn't hurt, either that these events often afford an opportunity to nourish the gustatory senses as well as the intellect and the soul! I arrived in Madrid on Sunday morning, taking the day to recover and re-orient myself to a city that I had not seen in person since 1974. Helping me do that was none other than eGullet Society member, Rogelio, who took me on a walking tour through old Madrid with stops for tapas before culminating in a fabulous lunch at Asturianos, however, that is material for another discussion. The rest of the day, I spent acclimating to the time change. The following morning I spent walking around Madrid taking in Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofia Museum and walking through the Retiro Park before taking the efficient and clean Metro to the Palacio Municipal de Congresos in northeastern Madrid where the conference would be held. Madrid Fusión is a large conference with a lot of coordination involved. Over 4100 people were involved with the event as either guests, speakers, journalists or staff. Speakers, mostly chefs, numbered 54. There were 140 members of the international press and over 500 from Spain, who provided daily newspaper and television coverage of the event. Given the complexity of the event and my relative inexperience as a first time participant, check-in to obtain my credentials prior to the 3:30 PM start time proved hectic and somewhat chaotic, although I did manage to complete the process and obtain a simultaneous translation transmitter/headphone set prior to the delayed start of the program. This year's Conference was billed as Gastronomy, Internet and New Technologies. Indeed there was a focus on these elements, where in years past according to what experienced Fusion goers told me, there had been none. Indeed, one would think that this would be a natural topic for this conference that celebrates all that is new and inventive in the world of food. Unfortunately, these elements when presented conflicted with other presentations and demonstrations and my involvement with these was minimal. Hopefully, others who were involved can relay their experiences here. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will do my best to convey a sense of what transpired at the conference as well as the flavor of the event.

Ever since I had a few wonderful meals at Amma when Hemant Mathur and Suvir Saran were there, I had been wanting to dine at Devi once they opened that restaurant, but for various reasons I could never quite work it out. I planned to come into NYC for a quick visit yesterday to get a travel visa for an upcoming trip to India, so I figured, when would be a better or more appropriate time to go to Devi? I rounded up my good friend, JosephB, who also wanted to go to Devi and made a reservation. In the meantime, I found out that a wonderful chef I know from Alicante, Spain, Maria Jose San Roman, would be in town with her husband, so I asked them to join us. In a nutshell, I encountered food very much like the great food I had at Amma, but in a nicer environment, although i liked the ambiance at Amma as well. My only complaint was that the lighting was not conducive to non-flash photography. We tried a variety of dishes. Everything was delicious. The hallmark spices were well-balanced and not over-powering, providing fragrant, complex flavors that meshed beautifully with the underlying ingredients. Even the heat, while present, was enough to enhance the dishes while maintaining the underlying flavor integrity. A particular highlight iwas perhaps the most succulent halibut - the Bombay-Style Tandoori Halibut with bottle masala, cconut rice and spicy slaw - I have ever eaten. The fish, cooked through, remained perfectly moist. The spice was enough to add distinct flavor without surrendering the subtle flavor of the fish. Another highlight was the Tandoor-Grilled Lamb Chops with sweet & sour pear chutney and spiced potatoes. The lamb from Washington, County NY, was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The yogurt marinade produced a wonderful silken texture that married well with the spices used to produce marvelously flavored and textured morsels of meat. Of course, the crispy okra, the manchurian cauliflower, Spinach and goat cheese parathas, lotus seeds and lentils were all superb as well. The desserts excelled too, especially the kulfi and mango cheesecake. The only element that was relatively disappointing was the Jumbo Prawn balchao. The treatment was perfectly fine. The prawn itself, however, held little inherent shrimp flavor. The size of the prawn was impressive, but my guests are used to perhaps the finest shrimp in the world, those of Denía and Palamós from Spain's Mediterranean coast. In light of that comparison, I would agree that the underlying product was inferior. I would love to see and taste what Chef Mathur could do with fresh Denía prawns! Of course, sourcing good quality Denía prawns in NYC is next to impossible or at least would be at an affordable price. What might be a good compromise, though, would be to use smaller, but tastier wild Gulf shrimp. The downside would be that the shrimp would not be as visually impressive as the colossal ones used. We had a bottle of 2005 La Crema Pinot Noir that worked well with the food. The service was attentive, efficient and professional. As I get ready to travel to India, Devi will be my benchmark for comparison. I am quite happy that this restaurant did not stay permanently closed after last fall's closure scare.

I should have put 2&2 together. Pat Sheldon had mentioned the event to me previously (BTW, her summer farmstand in Salem, NY has to be amongst the very best around). I was in town for the afternoon and had lunch with friends at Devi. Two of my friends, a chef from Spain and her husband, was going to the event afterwards as a guest of Peter Kaminsky. While I couldn't have stayed for more than a few minutes as I had to drive home, it would have been fun to stop in, say hello and check out the facility. As an aside, grass-fed beef is an acquired taste. I now prefer it to corn-fed.

I couldn't disagree more... A train-wreck of a meal -- actually, quite possibly one of the worst I have had in months. Shocking compared to the Canteen meal I had on Friday evening (which I need to get written up). With Canteen a third the price for three courses with wine pairings, I was completely blown away by Canteen as being what Chez Panisse is thought of by most people. ← While we don't entirely share the same opinion about MM, we do about Canteen - a true jewel. The impression I have at MM that seems to be supported by your report is that one must be careful (or more likely lucky) when ordering anything other than dessert. I may not have been thrilled with my savory plates at MM, but they were good and not the abominations that you portrayed from yours. My dining companions plates were markedly better than my own. The combination of reports may indicate a greater degree of inconsistency than may be desired in a restaurant of that level.

To add $0.02 to the discussion, I think so much depends on what one considers romantic. For Old World elegance, I don't think the DR @ the RC can be beat - at least not in my SF experience. If that is not one's definition of romantic, then other places would be better. Canteen is intimate with great food, albeit without the traditional trappings of elegance. Chez Panisse had excellent food, though in no way did I find it romantic. MM does not have quite the old World Charm of the DR @ the RC, but it is elegant and the food good. Except for dessert, I wasn't crazy about what I had ordered, though other dishes at the table were quite good. Ame is sleek and modern with very good Asian accented cuisine. If one has a preference for Japanese inflected cuisine, that would be my suggestion. Coi is intimate and refined with perhaps the most creative cuisine in San Francisco if not the Bay Area. Chef Patterson was the only American to present a demonstration at the recently concluded Madrid Fusion. Gary Danko is up there in the elegance department, though it has been quite awhile since I've been - same for La Folie. I have never been to Quince, Fleur de Lis, or the other restaurants mentioned.

from Time Out - Chicago:

So much to eat and so little time. Unfortunately, I can not comment from personal experience vis-a-vis El Capricho's beef or Madrid's position within Spain's beef hierarchy, but I did have some cecina from Valles del Esla last Sunday at Asturianos that was amazingly delicious with wonderful silken texture. It was served with olive oil poured on top of the thinly sliced meat. Before the article mentioned above, I did not give much thought to eating Spanish beef, though I regret not having had the opportunity this week to try any of the steak places mentioned in this discussion. I am afraid that I will have to leave that for my next visit. Victor, have you been to El Capricho and had any of their special oxen steaks? If so, what are your thoughts relative to the quality of the meat irrespective of gender and work history?

Madrid Fusion 2008 is now history. It has been a whirlwind with much going on and little sleep. I will start getting my thoughts together about all that I experienced and will start putting them down along with a few photos after I return home and find the necessary time. In a nutshell, the three most significant aspects to me were the combined expressed wisdom of Arzak, Subijana and Adria, the official coming out party for the new generation of creative Scandinavian chefs led by Rene Redzepi of Copenhagen's Noma and the emergence of a project to codify a history of western fine dining along with a ten-point analysis and definition of the vanguardist style of cooking called "Techno-emotional cuisine", both by the writer and thinker, Pau Arenos. The latter project was offered with a spirited round-table discussion that included eGullet Society member Victor de la Serna along with other international luminaries and audience members such as Ferran Adria, Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, Aduriz, Italy's Davide Scabin amongst a number of others.

There is a point of demagogy and need of recognition in Adrià's claim for freedom after last year's attack by Santamaría. ← No doubt that was Ferran's response to Santi's statements last year,which is why I mentioned it even if he did not specifically refer to it.

It as an amazing morning at Madrid Fusion ith preesentations by Michel Troigros and others that I shall discuss at another time, but the morning belonged to Ferran Adria who had a triumphant return to the Madrid Fusion stage. This as his first opportunity here after Santi Santamaria´s finish to last year´s program. To Adria´s credit, he refused to get caught up in the fray, instead calling for freedom for all chefs to do what they want in their own kitchens. This received a very enthusiastic response from the adoring audience who hung on his every word. After that the bulk of his presentation involved various techniques from the 2007 season.

The best part is that it should be a win-win-win situation as Chef Bowles will be in his own restaurant will full control (presumably), Avenues will be getting someone with a great background that should keep the restaurant at the forefront of the dining scene and Chicago adds to its fine restaurant arsenal.

I think that we will really get to see Chef Bowles' creativity shine. Best wishes chef!

Madrid Fusion is now underway. This is the first day of what promises to be a jam-packed 4 days of food and information. It is a large event and is taking some getting used to, but I plan to write a report with ongoing highlights if I can manage it and a more detailed repoort with impressions and photos later on. The first presentation was one on ¨bistronomics¨or what is otherwise know in these forums as ¨the new restaurant paradigm¨ of top quality, alta cocina preparation of good, but generally inexpensive products for an inexpensive price at an informal and generally small restaurant. The presenters included Rafa Peña of restaurante Gresca in Barcelona who has a prix fixe meal of 18Euros and Iñaki Aizpitarte of Restaurant Le Chateaubriand in Paris, who offers an even less expensive menu at 15 Euros. The dishes they prepared looked beautiful and appetizing. I hope to follow with photos soon.

Restaurant details, please.

But you are only talking of openings. What about established restaurants that continue to be go-to places? With that I would say the epicenter continues to be around Columbus Circle or the Union Square area. NYC is much more than a certain demographic.

Outside of professional restaurant reviewers I don't know too many "professional" diners. As much as I might wish that I did, I don't get paid to dine out, so that certainly makes me an amateur, though I consider myself a reasonably experienced one. Besides. I don't really care if the diners are amateurs so long as the BOH and FOH are not.

Good article. This gives a sense as to who is cooking there and what they are doing. I wish I could go more frequently.

That's good. I particularly like the iknife!

It looks to be a pretty good site - not just a rehash of the magazine. I agree that the best part is the inclusion of episodes of Diary of a Foodie. All of Season One is available there for viewing.

Given that Madrid Fusión starts on Monday, many chefs will be out of Barcelona for that event. I expect the quality of the food will still be excellent, but if it is important to you that the chef be in-house, i suggest concentrating those restaurants over the weekend.