docsconz

David, I am enjoying this blog very much. I must commiserate with you about the tupperware pieces that come out at night. We are constantly losing either the lid or the bowl. Looking forward to some LV talk as well.

Intriguing report, Rogelio. I would not say that the food you showed wouldn't be surprising in San Francisco or New York. It appears to be a very unique and individual style, though that is not to say that it would be out of place in either of those cities. perhaps the restaurant that I am most reminded of is Ame in San Francisco, though that has more of a specifically Japanese emphasis. What is interesting here, though is the overt influence of Chinese cuisine. It has been said that Japan and Spain are natural allies when it comes to cuisine as there are many similarities between the two culinary cultures. I'm not aware of the same degree of relationship between Spanish and Chinese culinary cultures. This appears to blend those two along with some Japanese into an interesting combination. On a separate note, when is Arcurio supposed to arrive in Madrid or has he already?

I would suggest buying the El Bulli 2003-2004 book. That should help immensely. The 2005 book should be good as well.

Very good news, indeed. Thanks for passing it along.

If there is a "new" paradigm in restaurant dining, I thinkthis article by Frank Bruni captures it. For those Momofuku fans, it is, indeed, in the thick of it.

I have come to know that the photos on the wall were taken by Kim Feeley, the Manager of the restaurant and principle farmer at their farm. The photos were taken at their farm as well as another that she previously worked at.

There is a horse meat stall in El Mercado central in Valencia. I don't know anything else about it though.

Farmhouse at Top of the World 441 Lockhart Mountain Road Lake George, NY 12845 (518) 668 3000 Open Wed.-Sunday, lunch and dinner. The sky was blue. The water was another shade of blue and the vegetation was composed of various shades of green along with the varied colors of the many flowers across the grounds. As the name implies, the restaurant is located on the top of a mountain, that happens to have one of the very best views overlooking the southern end of Lake George in the southeastern Adirondacks. The restaurant is associated with Top of the World Golf Resort and also with a B&B in the same locale. I am not sure of the business arrangement, but the restaurant is run by a young couple, Kim Feeney and Chef Kevin London. Although they do source seafood from Hawaii and Alaska, the restaurant's emphasis is on seasonal local produce and artisanal products. Over 70% of their produce comes from their own farm. The bulk if not all of their meats and cheeses are sourced locally from such farms as Flying Pigs Farm, the Garden of Spices, Nettle Meadow and Dancing Ewe Farm amongst others. Rockhill bakehouse provides their bread. While getting there from points other than the immediate Lake George area may not be as easy as some places that are located in town or off the highway, the end results are exquisitely worth it. The Farmhouse. The restaurant itself looks out from the opposite side of the building. Located on this side is a golf pro shop. The room is spacious and commodious. Displayed on the walls are excellent farm photos. These are some of the finest farm photos I've seen, though I am not sure who the photographer is. Strawberry Margarita. this house special cocktail consisted of Jose Cuervo tequila, fresh strawberries from their farm and black pepper. It was delicious. An amuse of Potato-Leek Soup, superbly done. Dancing Ewe Farm Ricotta, strawberries, honey and spring herbs. I had heard about Dancing Ewe Farm Ricotta recently and based on what I had heard I had been wanting to try it, so when I saw it on the menu I went for it. Dancing Ewe Farm is located in Granville, NY and despite the farm's name, at the moment their product including this ricotta is made from cow's rather than ewe's milk. The milk is derived from a herd of 25 Jersey cows. The cheese is sold by Murray's in NYC and served at a number of NYC restaurants including Per Se, who uses the ricotta in their agnolotti. This particular dish, given the trend of the blurring of lines between savory and sweet courses would have been equally appropriate for dessert, though it worked quite nicely as an appetizer. The cheese was beautifully smooth and delicious. The honey provided a bit of sweetness that was complemented by the strawberries and contrasted by the clean flavors of the spring herbs that included celery leaves, mint and sage amongst others. Red Ace Beet Soup with hazelnuts, balsamic and McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil Neither my wife nor I have ever tasted a better beet soup, cold like this or otherwise. The soup was all about balance and texture. The rich sweetness of the mildly cream-laced soup was balanced by the acidity of the balsamic and the mild bitterness of the oil and the hazelnuts, which also provided textural contrast and depth. Braised bacon, spaetzle, chiogga beets and Nettle Meadow fromage blanc Another marvelous dish, I was confused at first when it was brought to the table as no fromage blanc was apparent. The dish was delicious regardless, but I enquired about the seemingly missing ingredient out of curiosity. It turns out that the cheese was incorporated into the spaetzle. The spaetzle itsleef reminded me of a breakfast cereal at it was toasted and crisped. Along with the braised Flying Pigs farm pork belly, I felt like this would be an ideal breakfast treat! Once again, the contrasts and balance of this dish were very well put together. The crispness of the spaetzle was balanced by the soft unctuousness of the rich pork belly, while the inherent sweetness of the beets and the umami of the pork was countered by an aggressive garlic aoili. Garden of Spices Guinea Hen, spring broccoli, greenhouse scallions, Israeli cous cous. The guinea hen was moist inside, crisp outside and delicious. The broccoli was cooked perfectly with just enough grill char to give it additional flavor and complexity, while the cous cous filled the dish and provided oral comfort. Flying Pigs farm pork three ways, hand cut whole wheat pasta, baby carrots, salsa verde I have long been a fan of Flying Pigs Farm and their pork. The pork here was delicious as expected with the three ways consisting of pulled braised shoulder, grilled leg, and guanciale. As excellent as the dish was, this was perhaps the one dish that suffered slightly from a mild imbalance as my wife and I both felt that the vinegar component could have been a little less assertive. The wine list, though small was interesting and fairly priced with some gems to be found. I could not pass up a 2003 Coulee de la Serrant from Nicolas Joly at $95. It was delicious. The Joly was the most expensive white on the list and the second most expensive wine. The principle menu. The dessert menu. We had the Yogurt Panna Cotta with the Rhubarb Granita. The granita was refreshing, while the panna cotta was satisfying and delicious. I haven't been this excited about a restaurant in the lake George area since Chef Matthew Secich left The Inn at Erlowest a couple of years ago. While not the most easily accessible restaurant, it is worth the journey not only from Lake George, but in my opinion from the entire Adirondacks and Capitol Region. The restaurant that this one most closely resembles in my experience is Blue Hill at Stone Barns. While not nearly as refined as that citadel, the approaches are quite similar. Anyone who is a fan of that restaurant or Chez Panisse in California would IMO enjoy this as well.

Best of luck on your endeavor. For those who may be looking into such a trip in the near future, the CIA's World of Flavors Travel program has a trip to Thailand. While I haven't been on that trip, I can vouch for the overall quality of their trips. Their contacts are great and their ability to put together an outstanding trip culinarily and otherwise makes me think that this would be a wonderful one as well.

I just finished an advance of Trevor Corson's "The Zen of Fish," (he also did "Secret Life of Lobsters") which is about the evolution of sushi, and he spends some time on that very topic but it's got more of a California slant to it. I don't remember much attention (if any) paid to Maine in that regard. It's a solid book. Divided roughly into thirds, he follows a class of budding sushi chefs a la Ruhlman, talks about various species of fish as well as history. He covers a lot of ground. I won't be surprised if it ends up on some short lists at the end of the year. It comes out in June. ← Anyone have any thoughts about which book is the better?

I didn't think so, but one never knows The timing was quite coincidental though. That is a particular shame for that restaurant as the space and the food are all very photogenic.

Thanks. That tends to mirror my own port preferences, although I tend to prefer Fonseca to Taylor.

I am so jealous of all of you who attended Shola's dinner at "M". Any opportunity for a Shola meal is a great opportunity. As always, the food looked exquisite.

I can't say that I have ever felt rushed at top restaurants either in the US or Europe.. The pinnacle of service to me is elBulli. In the US it is Alinea, which was not far behind.

Getting closer. From Grub Street:

Thanks, Dale. What has your favorite been?

I will probably be able to do a day and a half - most likely Sunday and part of Monday. Beanie, thanks for your thoughtful recommendations. Are there any specific producers that you consider "must" visits?

My favorite dishes was Odran and Alsos, follow by your favorite Unda. As you, I found Aprillis the least interesting. It was not possible to make photos. I was told this was recent decision because one person, used his photos of a meal at L'Esguard, for is own profit. Regards Paulo Rodrigues ← I hope they were not referring to my photos! Seriously, I would be very curious to hear the story. I suppose that they could be referring to the photos that I posted here, but I certainly didn't derive any financial profit from them. In any case, that is unfortunate news.

it is a unique experience. I expect that you will enjoy it. While I am not sure that it would be the kind of restaurant that I would want (or could afford) to go to every week, it would be a treat to go to every now and again. ← I went to L'Esguard last week. The menu was exactly the same and I agree with doc., in most of it's comments. This was one of my best meals ever. IMHO, this meal was better than other recent experiences at Can Roca, Fat Duck, Pierre Gagnaire and Mugaritz. I did not went to El Bulli recently. I can not compare it with L'Esguard. I have a booking for Alinea end of July. I'm very curious about it... ← Paulo, I'm glad that you enjoyed L'Esguard. What did you not agree with? I expect that you will enjoy Alinea as well even though the approach of each restaurant is very different.

I never made it to his Atelier or his shop, but I did try the Panettone. It was incorporated into a dessert at El Poblet. Actually, the dessert was built around it. It was in fact delicious. As for whether or not they are worth it, that depends on so many personal factors. I'm glad that I had some and would love to do so again - depending on the cost. If the price is not a major issue, I would suggest trying it as it is a signature creation of one of Spain's culinary greats.

Having been on a trip with Marilyn, I have no doubt that it will be of the highest order. If that one doesn't work out, she has others with Rick Bayless and Ricardo Muñoz. I can certainly understand the specific desire to learn from Diana Kennedy though. Marilyn is also branching out to Spain with a trip to the Basque Country planned for next fall.

Robyn, if you had to pick one favorite dish from your trip, what would it have been?

A couple of clarifications. The "salty catanias" are walnuts dipped in walnut praline and coated with cocoa powder. The pineapple "fries" are pineapple cut into the shape of "fries" then freeze dried .

Excellent overall post, Robyn, but I must quibble on one point. If I am not mistaken, the price at Per Se is inclusive of service.

You make excellent points and may have hit upon something. The value of the internet in general though is not necessarily the opinion of any particular individual as that is still pretty subjective, but the general sense one can get over a range of opinions. Individual opinions are good in so far as they are calibratable to one's own tastes and experiences. The best of the critics are such not necessarily because their taste is superior, but because they are able to convey their positions accurately and clearly and one can get a good sense of the food and a restaurant through the critic's experience.