docsconz

I use Open table all the time. It is rare that I can not get a reservation I want that way. The only tables I have had trouble with are those in places like The French laundry or Per Se. I think it works great. I also believe that one is not fully anonymous on OT.

When I found out that Daniel Patterson would be presenting at Madrid Fusion 2008 in January, Coi (pronounced to rhyme with the French word for me - moi and not "coy" as I had previously thought) moved from a list of possible restaurants to visit during my brief business trip to San Francisco to one I had to visit. Carolyn's report above presents an accurate representation of the ambiance and decor as well as the food styling, which is definitely Japanese/zen influenced with a French foundation but with a unique hand. The front room is all warm and fuzzy. We waited for a great, old friend who lives in Oakland and was my best man at my wedding. Once he arrived we sat over a drink and traded updates until his guest arrived. We opted for the full tasting menu. Sunchoke Walnut soup along with Rapini and Sunchoke Salad - our amuse. The sunchoke in both preparations was the predominant note, but well balanced by the other elements of the preparations. Valencia Orange Green Olive Sorbet, Pink Peppercorn, Litsea Cubeba. The instructions and sensations were very similar to what Carolyn described above in her first official course. This was unusual, but very enjoyable. It reminded me of the scent pillow at Alinea and the perfume desserts at Can Roca, though I have only heard of the latter. Kampachi Sashimi, white soy, yuzu, shichimi togarashi Simple and delicious secondary to great product and balance. Little Farm Heirloom Potatoes, McEvoy olive oil, sel gris, chicories I was beginning to feel that I was at Blue Hill at Stone Barns West and that is not a bad thing. Charred Eggplant, Piquillo Peppers, cumin, cilantro My wife's dish - she loved it. Smoked Artisan Foie Gras terrine, elderberry-sweet vermouth sauce, pickled fennel, grains of paradise - perfectly fine foie gras terrine, though not memorable over a host of other top foie gras terrines. Oxheart Carrots and young artichokes braised in our butter, green cardamom, flowering cilantro Silky and delicious without being overly sweet. Delicata Squash-brioche Pudding, pine nuts, shiso leaf and bud, szechuan pepper oil This was the dish of the evening, subtle, delicate, delicious with a hint of spice and perfectly balanced with great textural contrast - spectacular flavor and execution. Hokkaido Scallop Grilled on the Plancha, braised and grilled cabbage, bacon, crimson gold crab apple superb. Whole Wheat pasta handkerchief, ricotta, chanterelles, full belly almonds, nettles My wife's dish in lieu of the scallop. I was tempted, but couldn't forgo the scallop. She liked it. Anderson Ranch Lamb Loin and Shoulder, la tercera fresh cannellini beans, roasted tokyo turnips, dino kale, sage This dish ws good, but relatively the most disappointing of the evening for me. I would have liked my lamb a touch more rare, but I am splitting hairs and looking for something to criticize. If this was my most disappointing course, and it was, then I Had an outstanding meal, and I did. Guffanti Moncensio, comice pear-endive salad, honey vinaigrette Nicely affineured cheese and a good accompaniment - satisfying. Dessert amuse a carbonated smooth beverage, but I don't recall the specifics and it is not listed on the menu. Caramelized Apple farm Newtown Pippin, thyme, westcombe cheddar ice cream - a reworking of a classic apple pie combination that continued the zen minimalist aesthetic of the meal - very nice. Michel Cluizel Chocolate ganache, hazelnut, huckleberry, tarragon Delicious even for a filled belly. Post Dessert We emptied the restaurant. here is a view of the dining room after all the patrons but ourselves and another couple left. The restaurant was full all evening, but the service was not in the least rushed even as they tolerated us waiting for the last of our party for a half hour. Daniel Patterson came from the kitchen once and spoke briefly with some people known to him though he clearly looked to be uncomfortable in that situation. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet him, though I would have liked to. The meal was truly elegant and sophisticated in a very understated way. I would be very happy to return.

Ah, sounds like a variation on the theme. The personalities involved are just as important as the kind of eaters the individuals are.

It really depends on the people involved and how important food is to the omnivore. Fortunately for me, my wife is as adventurous an eater as I am though perhaps not quite as passionate about it. I have a willing companion (most of the time) for my indulgences. I don't think I would last in a relationship in which that were not the case.

Elena Arzak of Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastien, Spain spoke on Recent Restaurante Arzak Experiments. Expanding upon the work done by Joan Roca of Can Roca in Gerona distilling "earth", Arzak and her team are exploring ways of their own using the essence of "terroir". The technique that they are experimenting the most recently with is freeze-drying with the lyophilizer their current favorite piece of equipment. They use it to freeze-dry various ingredients and transform them into powders, which are subsequently used to season dishes. They are seasoning various ingredients with freeze-dried powders of the same ingredient to add intensity of flavor. For the demonstration, Elena Arzak and her assistant, Igor Zalakain demonstrated the use of these techniques and ingredients with a dish, Squid "Begi Haundi," in Abstract, an interpretation of a traditional Basque dish. To make the squid powder, the squid was first cooked in olive oil then placed in the lyophilizer for forty hours before being pulverized into a fine powder. This was done prior to the demo. Earth Sauce was painted onto the plate with a roller. The sauce was made by cooking composted earth with onion, mushrooms, water and squid trimmings, then pureeing and straining the mixture before final seasoning. Grilled squid was plated and seasoned with powdered squid and drizzled with parsley sauce and more earth sauce. The parsley sauce was made by combining earth sauce with dried orange peel, mushroom powder, parsley and olive oil. Several other dishes were made by Arzak and Zalakain including one with cod and another with squab and purple potatoes. Unfortunately, I do not recall the details of the dishes. Tona Palomino of WD-50 translated for Chef Arzak as he did for Andoni Luis Aduriz

Shannon Bennett awaiting his turn for the stage

Nothing comes without a cost. The price i paid for the opportunity to interview Dan Barber was to miss most of the presentation by Brazil's Alex Atala of Restaurant D.O.M. in Sao Paolo, entitled Welcome to the Jungle: Amazon-Inspired Cuisine. Atala addressed his theory of cooking which was influenced by the work The raw and the Cooked by the Belgian anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. Strauss, who spent time studying in Brazil much as Atala studied in Belgium, stressed that the transition from wild to cultural beings was due to man's domination of fire. The progression from raw to fire to cooked is completed according to Lévi-Strauss by the full-circle effect of rottenness. Atala added to Lévi-Strauss's scheme by adding a "northern" point for "toasted" for things added directly to fire and achieving an element of bitterness. This was in coordination with the "eastern" point of the schema - "cooked" representing sweet and the "southern "rotten" representing acid. Between these "cardinal points" lie continuums between the central fire to each outward point. Arising from this schema, Atala has developed a chart of static and dynamic flavors. While Atala's culinary philosophy is quite interesting (he gave out a small book to the audience), the ingredients coming out of Brazil and South America, especially from the Amazon region are really causing excitement and caused my some angst as I missed out on the samples of tucupi, a broth made from a variety of yucca that is elemental to Amazonian diets. Atala is one of the leading lights in bringing out ingredients from the Amazon. At the end of his presentation, Atala spoke with and signed copies of his book for a fascinated crowd.

Although he subsequently regretted the decision, under the circumstances it was a very reasonable one for Grant Achatz to make when he bowed out of his demonstration for the Starchefs ICC. Very, very few people could step into that replacement role and still have the audience excited. Fortunately, for Starchefs, Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns is one of them. Locally grown and chef grown and raised produce have become buzzwords and a hot trend, but few if anyone in this country do it with as much aplomb and finesse as Barber, who described his approach in his demonstration, From Plate to Farm. Barber described the relationship between the farm at Stone barns and the restaurant. They are actually separate entities although there is a large inter-relationship between the two. The restaurant doesn't get produce from the farm for free or even at a discount. The restaurant actually pays market price for the produce. The advantage, barber and the restaurant do have though is they can raise the animals aby the standards they prefer and grow the vegetables they want the way they want them. barber used lamb husbandry as a prime example of how they prefer to raise the animals that they source for meat. They have very exacting standards for getting the lambs to feed on the right grass to make them most flavorful determined by how they rotate through their fields. He prefers that thier lamb has grass-feeding behind them as he feels it makes them more flavorful. Barber's team passed out some vegetables amongst the audience and cooked others. He also described some of the inter-relationships between various products from the farm and how they are used in the restaurant. Honey produced from the bees that work the farm provided a great example of this inter-relationship and the usefulness and desirability of various by-products. I had the opportunity to interview Chef Barber after his demonstration so as to elaborate on some of his themes. I hope to publish that here on the eGullet Forums sometime after I am done with this chronicle.

Since meeting at the 2006 Starchefs International Chefs Congress and again this year at the Fancy Foods Show in NYC I have developed a friendly acquaintance with the wife of Erik Cosselmon, the Executive Che of Kokkari. Not having previously been aware of the restaurant I researched it here and elsewhere and determined that it would be a fun place to visit when in San Francisco as well as a cuisine that I am not overly familiar with. Having made arrangements for dinner through my friend, my wife and I as well as one of my work associates and his wife arrived for dinner at Kokkari this past Monday evening. I was surprised at the size of the restaurant as well as how busy it was for a Monday night. Unfortunately, Chef Cosselmon was in NYC on a research trip the week we were in San Francisco, so I did not get a chance to meet him. We were well taken care of nevertheless and given a table between the two main rooms. We perused the menus, but knowing that they were expecting us, we decided to let the chef cook for us and send out what the kitchen thought was best. needless to say, we received a great sampling of a variety of wonderful food. We were started with a variety of meze and appetizers. Taramosalata, Tzattziki and Melitzanosalata with housemade grilled pita. Dolmathes - grape leaves stuffed with rice, currants and pine nuts. Persimmon with Greek cheese, almonds and purslane - this tasty dish was not on the menu. Oktapodaki tou Yiorgou - grilled octopus with lemon, oregano and olive oil was melt-in your mouth tender. I would have been quite happy with just this. Aginares Souvlaki - grilled artichokes & eggplant skewer with house-made Greek yogurt - I have had grilled eggplant before, but never grilled artichokes -delicious. The yogurt was a wonderful accompaniment. Katsikaki Yuvetsi - stewed napa valley goat with orzo, tomato, spices, artichoke and feta was a consensus favorite of the table with its heady aromatics and satisfying meatiness. Our timing was good as this was the last serving of this dish of the season. It will next be on the menu with goat in the spring. The food (and wine) kept coming. We opted to go Greek with the wines as well as the food and not being particularly knowledgeable about Greek wines, we left the choices to the sommelier. We were glad we did as the wines that were selected worked very nicely with the food. We started with a white, Gerovassiliou, Malagousia 2006, from Thessalonoki that was crisp and light and followed with a red also from Geravassilliou, Avaton 2004 from Epanomi. This was highly tannic, but mellowed nicely with the first bites of the red meats we were served. On to the mains: Kokoretsi - spring lamb organ meats that included heart, liver, kidneys and shoulder with a lemon-oregano vinaigrette was not universally adored around the table as one of my dining companions has an aversion to liver (other than from duck). He did enjoy the heart though. I had no such qualms with any of it. Thalasina Scharas Yia Dio - Seafood grill with whole bronzino, Hawaiian prawns and PEI mussels - the piéce de resistance. The prawns were farm-raised in Hawaii were particularly sweet and succulent. The sweetness was supposedly due to feeding of papaya in the ponds in which the prawns were raised. I have no idea if the prawns eat the papaya directly or if they feed on other organisms that feed on the papaya. I do know that they were sweet, expertly grilled and delicious. The mussels were large and perfectly cooked. Alas, I did not get even a half-way decent close-up photo of the bronzino. Arnisia Paidakia - grilled lamb chops with lemon-oregano vinaigrette & Kokkari potatoes. The potatoes, finished in the fryer were crisp outside and soft and fluffy within. By this time (actually well before) we were totally stuffed much like the dolmas that we ate earlier in the meal. ...still, we had to find some room for dessert... Yiaourti Granita - yogurt sorbet with strawberry granita and mint syrup - the perfect refresher after this large and delicious meal. Baklava- Can a Greek meal be finished without baklava? This was one of the better renditions I've had as it was not overly sweet. Galaktoboureko - traditional semolina custard in filo with quince and pistachio ice cream - yum Greek coffee - my wife had a serving. I tasted it. I loved the flavor though it was a bit too sweet for my taste. A few photos of the kitchen and the restaurant: A few comments about the restaurant and our experience: We clearly had a special experience - in fact when we asked for our check there was none. We were fully comped for this meal despite our protestations. I would have happily paid for this wonderful experience. Our principle server, Maxwell, has been with the restaurant since just after its inception. His knowledge of the food and his enthusiasm showed it. He was superb. The sommelier, Dimitri, was also outstanding and very helpful. Mario, the chef on duty and his crew did great work. Though our treatment was no doubt special, it did not appear that anyone else in the restaurant was suffering. The service around us also appeared to be involved and attentive and the food as appetizing as what we were served. We almost literally rolled out of the restaurant, but given that it was a beautiful night and we desperately needed exercise, we walked back to our hotel, the Clift, near Union Square.

Has anyone who has been rejected so far sent their reply as late as the 15th? I sent mine on the 15th and have not yet heard. My fingers are crossed, big time. ← I suspect the timing has something to do with the date the requests were submitted as they are probably getting to each request in the order in which they received. At this point, especially for those sent in later, I would suggest that no news is not bad news but wouldn't get too excited either way just yet. Given the even fewer spots available this year due to the restaurants change in scheduling and its unprecedented even for elBulli amount of publicity, I can only imagine that requests are even more voluminous than ever. Nevertheless, good luck to all those who remain in the running!

Did you read my recent experience of The Dining Room at the Ritz here? Definitely one star and quite far from two... Concur on the rest of your sentiments except Zuni -- it really is hit-and-miss with my last two visits more on the miss... A little more consistency is needed there but Incanto is a great shining star in this city. ← My recent experience this past week at TDR@TRC was quite positive. I will be reporting it shortly. I haven't been to Zuni enough to have a strong opinion on it, though my one brief experience was positive. I think the omission is particularly notable given its relative fame and stature. I agree about Incanto deserving more than what Michelin bestowed. It should have at least received a bib gourmand if not a star.

Have there really been no reports on Michael Mina in 3 years? I went during a recent trip to San Francisco for a medical meeting. It is interesting to read the above comments and see how the restaurant has and has not changed. My party and I found the restaurant to be quite comfortable with superb, smooth, unobtrusive but extremely competent service. It did not seem too loud at all. The ordering options included a Three Course Prix Fixe at $98 with supplements for specific dishes, or a six course seasonal tasting menu for $135 (Vegetarian Menu also available). For the three course menu, options consisted of Mina's signature "Trio" plates or one-plate "classic" preparations. Since the tasting menu requires the participation of the table and at least one person was not interested in doing so, we opted for the three course prix fixe. To be honest, I was not quite s thrilled with my first two courses as my dining companions were with theirs. Although I took photos of my plates and not theirs, theirs did look more enticing. The place setting has not changed. Trio of Amuses based on corn - corn fritter, butter-braised lobster with polenta and corn chowder. Each was delicious and more sophisticated than the simple descriptions belie. For me, these were the highlight of the savory portion of the meal. Galapagos Shrimp - Heirloom Tomatoes ($10 supplement) "A la Plancha, Castel Vetrano Olives, Sylvetta" - this was the most disappointing dish of the meal for me as it was quite simply very bland. Ironically, this was the preparation that inspired me to order the dish. "Butter Poached, Basil Pasta, Elephant Garlic" - novel preparation of very familiar flavors, this was very nicely done and my favorite of this trio. "'Po Boy' Tempura, Remoulade, Espalette pepper" - the most surprisingly delicious of the trio, was a nice take on a familiar dish. The Galapagos shrimp was good, though it paled in comparison to other regional shrimp varieties I have had. It certainly was not worth the supplement. My curiosity got the better of me as I would not have ordered it if I wasn't curious about the Galapagos aspect of its origin. Heirloom tomatoes turned out to play a very minor supporting role in this cast. My dining partners had "Jackfish Trio - 'Konichiwa'" which consisted of hamachi tartare with uni aioli, radish and Persian mint; Bleufin toro with rice cracker, Asian greens and yzu vinaigrette; and albacore tataki with tempura maitake, edamame and marinated mushrooms and "Devils Gulch Rabbit - Summer peppers" which consisted of leg roulade with tarragon mustard and piccalilli; leg confit with chorizo and pimentons de Padrón; and loin with pole beans and sweet pepper relish. They were each very satisfied with their dishes. My main course was "Grilled hawaiian Walu - Relish Trio." Watermelon Relish, lemon cucumber and cilantro vinaigrette - this was tasty with good balance of the elemental flavors. Hass avocado puree with Braised radish and pickled green papaya - this was perhaps my favorite of the trio. (Yes, this and the preceding dish are in fact different preparations.) Brentwood corn, jicama and huitlacoche coulis - this was the reason I ordered this dish, however, the flavors lacked intensity or at least the intensity that I expected from it. Overall this dish was good, albeit without any real zing on the palate. My dining partners had "Elysian Fields Farm Lamb loin - Ratatouille" which appeared to be a lamb lover's dream. The meat looked great. I avoided this course because I am not a big fan of eggplant and despite how much I enjoyed the movie, this didn't excite me - until i saw the plate on the table. My wife ordered another dish that I had considered - "'Three Little Pigs' - loin, belly and rib" - also delicious and superior to my own dish. The wine list was beautiful and as expensive as it was expansive. We settled on a relatively reasonable JEAN-MARIE FOURRIER ‘GOULOTS’ 1ER CRU 2002 from Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy for $185. Dessert was the highlight of the meal for me. While one of my dining companions was particularly and to her surprise enamored by the devil's food, kalamata olive combination in one of her Chocolate dessert trios, I very much enjoyed my "Breakfast" trio. "Yogurt Mousse, lemon cake and poppy seed granola" - the style of all three plates, though still original in their fruition clearly and understandably were influenced by Pastry Chef Bill Corbett's stint as pastry sous chef under Sam Mason at WD-50. I also had the chance to sample Chef Corbett's excellent work at Dona in NYC before it closed. In any case this was fun and delicious. "Cereal Ice Cream, huckleberry, cornflake" - if this does not transport an American adult back to childhood, nothing will. "French Toast, maple custard, yali pear" - The epitome of comfort food. Though I could have ordered better (though it shouldn't have mattered what I ordered if it is on the menu), our overall experience at Michael Mina was quite positive. I believe the restaurant despite my lackluster savory courses, most likely is deserving of its two stars from Michelin. If I were to return, I would like to sample the tasting menu and/or some of the "classic" plates. I apologize for the relatively poor quality of some of the photos as the light was rather scarce in the restaurant, making it quite difficult to shoot close-ups without flash.

One star for The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton and not two? I would have liked to see Canteen get at least a Bib Gourmand if not a star. Also conspicuous by absence are Incanto and Zuni Cafe.

George Mendes and Alex Ureña

Dani Garcia's assistants backstage working on "liquid gold"

My favorite of their cheeses is the one with epazote. While they do great work, ironically I am not a fan of their mozzarellas,

Shannon Bennett of Vue de Monde in Melbourne, Australia and his assistant in the backstage prep kitchen Mixing things up.

Congress participants taking five

Dan Barber and George Mendes Dan Barber and Farmer Lee Jones of The Chefs Garden

I think Aduriz' "Vanity" is designed to be playful - poking fun at the concept by showing something all puffed up and full of air without a lot of "substance" behind it. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't taste good or ultimately is meant to disappoint. I do think it is meant to be delicious, albeit clever. It certainly looked delicious to me. Even something that is full of "vanity" may still have something good about it.

More behind the scenes: Elena Arzak being interviewed

Seiji Yamamoto, Gualtiero Marchesi and Jose Andres Andoni Luis Aduriz and Grant Achatz

The list so far is a small one. My suspicion is that a lot of worthy candidates simply have not yet been nominated. One must be a Slow Food member in order to submit a nomination, which is then considered by a committee.

Great report, Klary. It was good to see the food of Erba Luna as well as everything else. I am pretty much overdue for a return to Italy.

Great report, Rogelio. It has now been 5 years since I have been to Sicily (because I have been going to Spain so much ) so your account and photos brought back some good memories. I had a great family reunion meal at Ai Caiscinari, brought there by my Palermitani cousins five generations removed. I think I went to La Foglia in Ortygia. If it is the place I am thinking of I had a good,meal in a funky, off-beat setting. Things can change. Unfortunately, I never got to Catania, as we were blocked by the eruption of Mt. Etna. I would love to return someday.