docsconz

It is not open yet, but hopefully will be open by then. I am eagerly awaiting it based upon his previous work at Eartha's. Springwater Bistro and Chez Sophie remain excellent options. Another favorite of mine is Beekman Street Bistro for seasonal, local (mostly and more than any other Saratoga restaurant) American fare. Karavalli is an excellent choice for upscale Indian.

Pacojet, the device that revolutionized ice cream for the restaurant industry sponsored a recipe competition that culminated in a cook-off at the ICC. Entries were submitted with the top three recipes in two different categories - sweet and savory - selected and the entrants brought to the ICC in NYC. The winner of each category as selected by the judges at the ICC would win a Pacojet. The judges: Katsuya Fukushima, Johnny Iuzzini, David Arnold, Jordan Kahn, Michael Laiskonis and Paul Liebrandt

What he said. As in, I was about to type exactly the same thing....bit of a mind reader, Docsconz? ← The difference is that you are living it!

When I first saw the topic, Salts: Aging, Brining and Flavoring for David Burke's presentation, my first thought was that maybe this was a presentation that I could miss. I'm glad I didn't follow my first thought as this was absolutely fascinating and delicious! I have not yet had the pleasure of dining at one of Chef Burke's restaurants and the night before was the first time I had ever tried anything that he has cooked when I had the luxurious Wagyu beef and langoustine dish at the Starchef's dinner. Nevertheless, I have read much about Chef Burke, especially his fascination and abilities with meat. If you haven't already read it, Turning the Tables: Restaurants From the Inside Out by Steven Shaw has a great chapter on Burke's creation of the "Bronx Chop." An excerpt containing the most relevant part can be found here. This presentation only reinforced in my mind why David Burke has a reputation as one of the most thoughtful and creative chefs around on this most primal culinary ingredient. Salt, in particular, pink Himalayan salt, is an integral component of Chef Burke's meat cookery. He has built an aging room out o blocks of this salt, in which he ages cuts of prime beef for up to 80 days. Chef Burke showed examples of dry vs wet-aged beef as well as samples of variously aged meats from his salt room. Unlike conventionally dry-aged meats that get covered with various molds during the aging process, even the 80 day aged beef was pristine in appearance leaving little to waste. The salt acts as a barrier to microbe growth and affords an extra element of humidity control. I did say the presentation was delicious. That is because Chef Burke cooked samples of these steaks in front of the audience... ...and provided samples to taste. Chef Burke's knowledge of meat and his creativity certainly does not stop with steak. He also prepared a "Lobster Steak," a decadent looking dish a recipe for which can be found in the Congress program. Alas, I did not stay for this part as I went to see the Pacojet Competition...

Thanks, Judith. The thing is that I have barely touched upon he sights, sounds and insights that were part of this great event. I don't think it is possible for this one person to truly do it justice. There is still plenty to come!

To me a successful restaurant is one that has been profitable long enough to return the initial investment and some additional profit while also making food they can be proud of. The last part is necessary for a business definition, but I think important for one's internal sense of success.

Tabla is good, but it is not an Indian restaurant. It is a restaurant with Indian influences. EMP is considered by many as one of the very finest restaurants in NYC right now. Just out of curiosity, you seem to be concentrating on Danny Meyer restaurants - any particular reason? I'm not arguing against them, just curious.

Thanks, John. Well done satire, as rare as it is, can be a marvel. Less than well-done often reflects poorly on the writer. Too bad for Mr. Millau.

George Mendes waiting to set up for David Burke's presentation, Salts: Aging, Brining and Flavoring

How about John Lanchester's A Debt to Pleasure? I wouldn't displace any books here given the context of this thread, but I think it provides an answer to your question.

I learned an important lesson from my father when he taught me, "Anything in moderation." It is not just the duration of life that is important, but the quality. If you like meat and have the wherewithal, eat meat. If you like it and don't have the wherewithal, eat it when you can. If you don't like it, don't eat it. Life is already too short with too many other things that can cut it even shorter to worry about it.

You are off to a great start. It is a place that until now I really haven't considered visiting, but sounds great. If you can, please provide an on-going chronicle. Even if the replies are sparse, that doesn't mean that no one is reading it.

We sampled chef Yamamoto's extraordinary talents in May 2006 in a Barcelona suburb at a new Japanese restaurant, Matsui.The talent of this chef was and is extraordinary. Chef Yamamoto presented an exceptionlal contemporary menu; it was, seemingly, a thank you to Ferran and Andoni who had visited his Tokyo restaurant in 2005. This remarkable Tokyo chef delivered a sensational updated, contemporary Japanese menu. It was for us a most memorable culinary experience. Yamamoto was a reluctant chef, in embracing his most enthusiastic supporters. At the end of this extraordinary dining event, we had the opportunity to personally engage with the chef and his staff. What a miraculous shift occurred; the chef and staff became recipients of the overwhelming affection and approval that every diner experienced. It was then and remains an exceptional dining experience. it was also an emotionally satisfying moment in time. We are forever indebted to Chef Aduriz's invitation. What a gift to us. The current references to this chefs abilities are justly warranted. He represents a new Japanese culinary viewpoint. We will never forget his dining experience. Judith Gebhart ← Judith, that sounds like it must have been an absolutely marvelous experience on so many levels. Thanks for sharing! I will have much more on Chef Yamamoto and Chef Aduriz soon. As for Andoni Luis Aduriz, I have yet to have the pleasure of dining at Mugaritz, but I have come to be a great fan of Chef Aduriz as a person. ← Dear Doc; Your observations about Chef Andoni are on target. We regard him not only an exceptional chef in today's world but an amazing human being. We cannot speak more highly of him in any capacity. There are few young people in the world with such a great heart, humanity and culinary talent. He is very very special. Judith Gebhart ← Indeed.

The title of Seiji Yamamoto's presentation was Chateau RyuGin: Reshaping Classic japanese Cuisine. After his video demonstrations he began he proceeded to do a live demonstration of his dish, Chateau RyuGin. Yamamoto, who works strictly with seasonal ingredients offers a technology driven cuisine with a playful edge. This dish, a clam and beet soup garnished with Szechuan leaves and sea urchin, provided a prime example of that as well as highlighting Yamamoto's interest in all facets of wine. The initial step of the process was to take a long, whiplike burdock root and cut it into 6x2cm pieces. One of these pieces is taken for each dish and turned to the shape of a wine-cork. This cork-like burdock root is then branded with a hot iron to leave a logo as with a regular wine-cork. After the "cork" is cooked in dashi with fresh ginger one flat side is dipped in port and Tasmanian berries to stain it. eGullet Society member Michael Harlan Turkell taking photos behind Chef Yamamoto's assistant. The soup is made by frying potatoes in walnut oil before smoking them with walnut chips; simmering clams with kombu, water and sake then separating the meat when they open; pureeing beets with the smoked potatoes, clams and clam juice. To begin assembly, sea urchin is placed in a martini glass. The soup is poured into a wine bottled labeled for the occasion and "corked." At service, the wine bottle is uncorked and the "wine" is poured over the sea urchin that has been garnished also with Szechuan leaves, edible flowers and chives. Chef Yamamoto presenting his finished dish. 1970 is the year of Chef Yamamoto's birth.

Last year, the first Chef Demonstration after the Keynote Address belonged to Albert Adria. As would be expected, that was an amazing entree into the full schedule of Chefs' Demonstrations for the remainder of that Congress. This year's post-keynote demonstration was no less fascinating, coming from Chef Seiji Yamamoto of Tokyo's Ryugin Restaurant. Prior to engaging in his live demo, Chef Yamamoto showed video and photos of the preparation of several techniques used at his restaurant. The first was the technique that they devised to debone the delicious but ultra-boney hamo fish or pike eel. In order to get an accurate sense of the placement of the myriad of bones located throughout the soft tissue of this fish, they took one down to a local hospital and put it through a CT scanner. He then showed a video of the knife technique that they subsequently used as well as the rest of the preparation for this dish. At Ryugin, Chef Yamamoto silk screens sauces onto plates and is particularly noted for silk-screening newspaper reviews of his restaurant! The next dish demo'ed via video was a reconstructed apple, for which he took apart an apple and along with other ingredients transformed it into several different texture components and then literally reconstructed the dessert into the form of an apple. While the description of the ingredients and the techniques used were such that the flavor would be delicious, the artistry involved was absolutely mind-blowing. What is pictured on the screen that appears to be a perfect apple is the reconstruction. Unfortunately, I was so mesmerized by what I was watching, I didn't write down any details of the technique. The next technique demonstrated on-screen was use of the Magiquoal, an amazing refrigeration device that keeps liquid at sub-freezing temperatures in such a way that it remains in the liquid state until perturbed - at which point it instantly freezes.There is a brief video demonstration in the link above, though the site is in Japanese. The possibilities shown by Chef Yamamoto are truly amazing and had the audience buzzing. Chef Yamamoto's live demonstration will be continued in a separate post.

Waiting in the wings

Rudolph Chelminski's The Perfectionist about Bernard Loiseau, though relatively recent aswell, could also be a candidate.

At the Starchefs Congress, David Kamp recommended that all young chefs read Jacques Pepin's The Apprentice. He said that it would help give them some perspective in this immediate result oriented world.

...David Kamp author of The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution, a book about the coming of age of food in the United States spoke on The Evolution of an American Cuisine. He spoke on the pivotal roles of Alice Waters and others that led to today's heightened food consciousness in this country. Though the food industry has suffered some growing pains in recent years, Kamp remains optimistic about its future in the United States. He indicates that issues raised like bans on foie gras and transfats as well as the emergence of the celebrity chef phenomenon all indicate thought and a growing sophistication in the way the U.S. approaches food. This is a country that now cares and takes food seriously. While he applauds the increased sophistication of the nation's artisanal farms, the importance of sustainability and good nutrition, he said that ultimately food is about pleasure and that in order to promote those values, ultimately chefs while respecting those values, should "sell the pleasure, not the virtue." One problem he sees in the current state of culinaria in this country is a general impatience to go right to the top. Students graduate from culinary school and expect to immediately become the next Food Network star or run their own restaurant and get frustrated when that doesn't happen right away. He suggested that all young chefs read Jacque Pepin's The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen to gain perspective. Though he endorsed the trend to "local and seasonal" ingredients, he acknowledged that a full commitment to that ethic was neither possible nor desirable, stating that we "won't ever reach the point where we close the border to other foods." When asked about certain popular foods of the past, he said, "if you can find terrapin, maybe it will make a comeback." Terrapin was so popular at the turn of the twentieth century that the population was so ravaged that it was severely reduced and has yet to make a significant comeback. From his perspective, though, the only ingredients that are "off the table" for human consumption looking into the future are "endangered species and human flesh." Though not with the earthy humor of last year's Keynote speaker, Tony Bourdain, Kamp's talk was thoughtful, provocative and entertaining in its own right, providing a superb introduction to the main body of the Congress.

Just a note to say that eG Forums topics like this one wouldn't be possible without the financial support of the Society's sponsors and donors. As a member of this non-profit organization, your contributions pay for forum upkeep, the eG scholarship fund, and many exciting Society projects in the works. I know I speak on behalf of all of us in eG Society management and volunteer staff in saying thank you for your support! If you're not yet a donor, there are many ways to contribute. Click here for a list of ten ways that you can help the Society. Now back to the report -- and thanks!

Starchefs ICC Day Two: September 17, 2007 Antoinette Bruno, the CEO and Editor-in-chief of Starchefs.com, as she did last year, gave an opening welcome address on the first full day of the International Chefs Congress. She opened by reminiscing about what was happening in the American culinary world twelve years ago as Starchefs was born. At the time there was little to no talk about Spain and its cooking in the US. French was the prevailing cuisine and Asian Fusion was hot. Obviously, though French and Asian cuisines remain important elements in the culinary firmament, much has changed and opened up. Over those twelve years a truly global culinary world has evolved that has brought along with it a wide range of ingredients. The theme and special focus of this Congress was Ingredients: Conceptualization and Cooking Though subject to many techniques, the ingredient is the backbone of every dish. The Starchefs Trend Report, culled from a survey of professional Fine Dining chefs by Starchefs was delivered by Ms. Bruno. She provided interesting data on the demographics of Starchefs audience, both on the internet and at the Congress. She noted that 6% of respondents don't have a mixology program at their restaurants and therefore "over half...are missing an easy way to increase (the) bottom line!" Revenue has increased secondary to increasing menu prices. 34% of entrées or ten percent more than in 2006 are now priced between $25-33, while there has been a 20% increase in the number of chefs charging over $34 per entrée (14%). Bruno noted that 2006-2007 has been an important one in the pastry world with more and more pastry chefs blurring the lines between savory and sweet. Looking at ingredients, Bruno noted that 65% of chefs focus on local and seasonal, which remains the same as it was in 2006.. 56% of all chefs are using more than half of their produce in a seasonal fashion and 333% are sourcing more than half of their produce locally. Of note, new to the exhibitors this year and consistent with this trend was the presence of Farm to Chef Express from Washington County in Upstate New York that markets top quality, artisanal farm product directly to NYC restaurants. Approximately the same number of chefs (about 20%) are using innovative equipment and techniques in their cooking as last year. For the second year in a row, Bruno noted that South America is the region the majority of respondents think will continue to exert the most influence over the culinary world for the near future. based upon my own growing experience and interest in the various cuisines of latin America, I am not one to disagree. Bruno questioned a growing disconnect between more sophisticated expectations of the dining public as a whole and the role and nature of government with relation to the food industry as exemplified by bans on foie gras and transfats. She finished with an introduction of the Congress Keynote Speaker...

Cheese is just a way of manipulating milk so that it can be preserved and enhanced. While I certainly enjoy and in many if not most cases, prefer cheeses without added ingredients, I see nothing inherently wrong with enhancing it however the cheesemaker sees fit so that a good product ensues. The art of cooking is combining ingredients to achieve something delicious. So long as the cheese tastes good, I don't really care what has been added to it. Whether I will prefer it to other cheeses depends upon the other cheeses. One of my absolute favorite cheeses right now is Truffle Tremor from Cypress Grove. The combination provides true synergy.

Thanks, Johnny. The dish sounds and looks great. I wish I could have been there to try it. Then again, as a Mets fan it is probably just as well that I am nowhere near Philly at the moment!

Looks like it was a great meal at a great price. Johnny, what does the term "albufera" signify for the cod. I know the Albufera just south of Valencia is the major rice growing area of Spain.

The day that we see dim sum in commercials aimed at kids is the day that kids will in general start preferring dim sum to Mcd's. Fortunately, many outgrow that and move on.