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One interesting observation is that it would seem that in your mussel dish, "salt" was substituted for "earth." I wonder if it was truly different or if they simply renamed the earth distillate secondary to a relatively chilly reception. I liked it. I too loved the lactic dessert. It was a symphony of white that showed off the complexity and deliciousness of sheep's milk.

I just got a copy of the book and am looking forward to reading it and trying out the recipes. I know Nancy from having taken a culinary trip to Spain with her. She is a pure delight - knowledgeable and witty. Her experience throughout the Mediterranean is extensive. This should be a fine book. As for the Regional cooking Projects it is simply a matter of someone taking the time to start them.

Looks like a great product. That was a whole class that I avoided except for chocolate and ice creams, which I dabbled in It wasn't that those products weren't attractive. I just needed to keep my caloric intake under a modicum of control.

Based on your comments I spent some time on the internet and found Coosemans Boston, http://www.coosemansboston.com/ , carries both the sechuan buttons and Sakura cress from koppert cress, http://www.koppertcress.nl/index.php?PageID=508 . Although this is at the wholesale market area in Chelsea, MA, they sell to walk ins. Got back a couple of hours ago and must say I cannot wait for this weekend. I have electrified may tastebuds already with a quick mixed sechuan apple sorbet (apple soda, buttons and liquid nitrogen, I work in a biotech company) and cannot wait to try some more things with them. ← Cool. The buttons are one of the most stimulating things I have ever eaten. Did anyone else try your sorbet? What kind of reactions did you elicit? Another cool thing I tried that slipped my mind earlier was grilled Haloumi Cheese from Cypress. This was very good. I would think that it would be more popular here in the US than it apparently is. I wonder if its relative obscurity is due to lack of availability or lack of familiarity. Of course, those two things can go hand in hand.

Absolutely everything in life including staying home and doing absolutely nothing has risk. I do my best to limit risk, but also compare it to the potential benefit. I consider pleasure a benefit. As such I eat raw seafood and plenty of other "dangerous" things. I try to limit the risk, by having some idea of the provenance of what I eat. I try to limit eating southeast Asian farmed shrimp, not so much because of any specific health risk associated with it, but because I think it is rarely a good product - at least not compared to reasonably fresh wild or other farm-raised shrimp. Not all farms are created equal. I also like most of the more unusual items at sushi counters.

I tried Argan oil for the first time last week at the NYC Fancy Foods Show. It good, different and interesting. Was it so good that I would pay a premium for it? No, but I would have it again. If having it again in a way that made me appreciate it even more, then perhaps I would consider a premium. The source of the product is indeed odd, but it does not appear to be dangerous. The lack of danger can not be said about another premium food - blowfish.

I'm looking forward to seeing it! Do you have any links to more information? I couldn't find anything on the PBS website. ← Sorry, Jeff. No links at this point. I got the info via personal communication. I'm sure that there will be some more forthcoming in the not too distant future though.

If they are busy with rapid turnover and the food is hot and looked good, I would try it.

I recall John's review from when he first posted it. He doesn't rave like that often. I have a few questions for you. First, how long will you be in NYC and Chicago? What are you looking for in a meal? Are you looking for something totally different from what you do or are you looking to stay in a comfort zone? Alinea in Chicago is a must. Like BryanZ, Alinea is my favorite restaurant in the US. It is also a favorite of people who like Vanguardist cooking and those who don't. If you do, then WD-50 in NYC is a must. If you don't and your time is limited, you might go elsewhere. I love it. It is by far the most "creative" restaurant in NYC and one of the most in the US. Another restaurant that tends to wow both Vanguardistas and not is Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It is modern cooking with pristine ingredients. Based on my interpretation of John's write-up of Spring, I suspect that it is stylistically similar to your own. It might be an interesting comparison for you. I'll respond more depending on your answers.

Beautifully done, Fanny. Thanks for the treat. Your photos are stellar. I too am looking forward to further installments.

There's always The Wine Clip.

Thanks for the offer. New Mexican green chilies are a wonderful ingredient.

I would love to know of a good mail order source.

Just out of curiosity, what was the impetus for this experiment?

In one sense he qualifies, but does the fact that neither you nor I remember his name disqualify him at the moment ?

Wow, what a project, Judith. I am very excited for you! Can you share details on the kitchen plans? What equipment do you plan on having and using? Would also be interested in a little more menu detail when you are able. Buona fortuna!

Bourdain may be the most famous of all, but is he still cooking?

I think Thomas Keller can be included, especially after Ratatouille.

Iron Chef Morimoto.

This was very similar to an egg that I had at Blue Hill at Stone Barns this past spring. There the egg was cooked sous vide to reach a consistency at which the white was fully cooked, but the higher-temperature coagulating yolk was still soft and runny. It was then coated with tempura batter and quickly fried to attain and exterior crispness. Though the technique at Farmhouse may or may not have been the same, the result was reminiscent of BH@SB. The final texture is that of a not fully hard boiled egg with a crisp exterior coating. Delicious.

Seriously. You honestly believe the best fish and chips in the world is made in some suburb of Detroit? ← I don't know about the place in question, but the concept may not be quite as outlandish as it first appears on the surface. Fish fries apparently are a major midwestern tradition. The Sept. 2006 edition of Saveur has as its cover article a story on "the meal that made Milwaukee famous" - the Friday night fish fry. Having just returned from a brief weekend visit to Ann Arbor, I would have liked to have tried the restaurant for myself. From my own perspective, Detroit and the surrounding area may have perfectly fine food and I know that Ann Arbor has at least some very good food, but I don't see the area as a prime food destination. That is different from a destination that has good food or even V4 good food. The difference is a food destination has V4 good food that one can not really find elsewhere. As excellent as Zingerman's and Eve in A2 are, food of those stripes and quality can be found elsewhere. The whole point of Zingerman's Roadhouse is that it reproduces V4 good American regional Cooking with excellent product mostly sourced locally. Earlier in the week in NYC I had some Japanese ramen the likes of which I have never had anywhere else. It is the availability of food like that that makes NYC a food destination and a great food city. There are not many other cities in the country that really fit that description IMO. Chicago, S.F., L.A., and D.C. clearly do and Philly certainly does when Shola is cooking there. Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle and Santa Fe can have arguments made for them as can a few Texas cities, while perhaps there are a handful of additional cities on the verge. Ultimately, I'm not sure that it is critical for a city or an area to be a great restaurant town so long as there is sufficient V4 good food.

Despite having noshed all day on various Zingerman's products, my son and I had an excellent meal at Eve the Restaurant this past Bastille Day. My camera was not functioning, but highlights included the Moroccan Seared Scallops, Red Beer Shrimp, Thai Chicken Dumplings, Inspired Nachos, Smoked Cod Ceviche, Soft Shell Crabs with Southwestern Flavors, Pulled Pork with Asian Spices and for dessert, a wonderful liquid white chocolate with whipped cream and gelatos. The room was lovely and service very pleasant and efficient. Chef Aranoff is quite talented with her output laden with rich, bold flavors. The restaurant is absolutely worth a visit when in A2.

Had a quick visit to Ann Arbor this weekend to continue my eldest son's college search with UofM definitely on his radar. Of course we had to hit Zingerman's and we did - completing the Tour de Food (how appropriate for July and Bastille Day weekend) in under 24 hours. We started Friday night, July 13th (yes, Friday the 13th) by driving directly to the Roadhouse from the Detroit airport. Upon entering the parking lot, we were first greete by sight of the Zingerman's Roadshow. We had an 8PM reservation and fortunately we did as the place was hopping. Some shots of the open kitchen in action while we were waiting for our table. Taking photos was welcomed and encouraged by the friendly staff. It was such a lovely evening that we chose to sit outside. The first person to come by our table to explain the menu, etc. was Ari Weinzweig himself. He couldn't have been nicer and more personable. While I wouldn't have been surprised by his presence at the restaurant, I was surprised by the degree of hands-on involvement he has in the FOH - not just with us, but throughout the restaurant. The menu encompasses much of the best of traditional regional American cooking and was quite difficult to choose from. Our waitress made it easy by providing us with tastes of various menu items such as the pulled Texas cabrito (awesome, rich, not-too-sweet flavor), South Carolina corn grits with Vermont cheddar and the regular mac and cheese (good and rich) in addition to what we did order. I had a cocktail of a Ramos Gin Fizz that was nicely done. We started with some fried Wisconsin cheese curds (when near Rome...) and Virginia crab cakes both of which were hearty and delicious. The crab cakes had little filler and good crab flavor, something often missing with imported canned crabmeat. Unfortunately, at this point my camera started acting up and I didn't get any more decent food photos. For our main courses, my son had top round sliced over mashed potatoes with shiitake mushrooms, biscuits and gravy. I had hand caught Red Snapper from the West Indies with a pungent vegetable sauce, grilled summer vegetables and heirloom Carolina gold rice. Both dishes were hearty and delicious. I have to add some words about the breads and butter. We were served two kinds of bread, that were hot, crisply and supremely delicious. One was sourdough baguette, but the real star was the Roadhouse Rye, which is one of the finest breads that I have ever eaten. It was so good that even with all the food coming to us we asked for more. For dessert we had their famous nutmeg donuts and traditional pound cake with beautiful berries and whipped cream. While the food is not cheap, the quality is definitely there and in my estimation more than worth the tariff. They use top quality ingredients that combined with fine execution makes for a superb if not haute meal. That combined with the outstanding, friendly service goes a long way to explain the success of not only this restaurant, but the entire Zingerman's line. The next morning we shared a breakfast bagel sandwich at the deli and that afternoon also visited the Creamery and Bakehouse. I left the store and the nearby farmer's market having bought plenty. Could I have spent less elsewhere for the same stuff? Undoubtedly, but not likely under one roof and not with such pleasant help and not with such a willingness to let the customer sample all their products. I can categorically state that should my son wind up attending UofM, all of Zingerman's will become a regular destination for us. Hell, it might even if he doesn't wind up there!

Did they card you?

Assuming that there was something to attract me to the restaurant to begin with, I would do the same. This is a frequent problem where I live that has bedeviled some of the best new restaurants. Aside from the possibility of the restaurant not being financially viable, the one thing I would worry about would be freshness and quality of product. If that can be maintained then the restaurant should ultimately be fine if the underlying cooking is good and the restaurant provides value. Good luck!