bourdain

Prep absolutely everything you can--as far along as you can-- elsewhere. You should have as much fully prepped stuff as possible. It's very tight in there. And bring a seasoned crew.

Bar Jamon did an event/reception thing for Adria and Arzak when they were in town--so I'm guessing they feel pretty confident about getting it right. Looking forward to going to both places.

Nicely said.

I suspect that this will be the prevailing attitude as the issue, increasingly, comes up for votes around the country and the world. Foie gras is for a few rich people--so who cares? It IS--on its face--a tough thing to defend. Try to picture any self-interested public figure essentially saying, " Cruelty to animals? Force feeding cute little ducks (or geese)--for an elitist gourmet treat? I'm FOR IT!" Not likely to happen. The production of foie gras is already illegal in Australia and New Zealand (countries which pride themselves on their food scene). I don't know what the UK situation is--but suspect that the current is headed in a direction similar to Sonoma. No big deal? That a vital culinary tradition--central to French cuisine--dating back to Roman times is imperilled? As goes California--often goes the rest. (As I have found everytime I each for my smokes at a saloon in NYC. ) On a more close to home note, you might cast your eyes up to the D'Artagnan ad at top of page--a business BUILT on foie gras production and related products. If, for instance, D'Artagnan can't sell foie gras and foie gras products, the potential ripple effects on the viability of the rest of their line could be extremely destructive to both the company--and to the many, many restaurants who depend on them. At the very least, chefs from Gascony will be less inclined, I would think, to relocate to a place where they have to cook with one arm tied behind their backs. Our pates and terrines at Les Halles will become a lot less interesting. Products that emanate from foie gras production--ie" magret, legs for confit, duck bones, duck blood, duck giblets, duck rilette could be harder--and more exepensive to find. (As these--in the Hudson Valley anyway) are by-products of animals bred specifically for foie gras. It IS a big deal.

Hot on the heels of the shameful "Manrique Episode", where Aqua chef Laurent Manrique's business and car were vandalized--and his family threatened--by animal rights "activists" (See angry editorial in December FOOD ARTS), Sonoma County is said to be considering measures to outlaw all foie gras production AND SALE. Is this true? And will it pass? ( I'm hearing that it will.) Nice timing. With industry heavy hitters Traci Des Jardins and Charlie Trotter already having cravenly abandoned their peers--and the centuries old tradition they came up from--by loudly and sanctimoniously removing it from their menus, this could well be the first warning shot of the Final Struggle . So enjoy your foie now, fellow Americans. It could all be over soon.

" Held back"? "Held back"? Truly one of the sillier posts.

NOSE TO TAIL--by Fergus Henderson Coming soon in new US and UK editions. (Ecco US..Bloomsbury UK)

Impeccably fresh fish in pristine condition--cut by a trained and sensitive craftsman. High quality rice, cooked perfectly--by similarly dedicated veteran rice-maker. High quality seaweed (if a nori roll) . The price/quality variables on seaweed are astounding. FRESH wasabi, grated to order. Not that pre-made paste from a tube. Or the powder. Variety. Properly formed rice. (Always to order, of course). Rice still slightly warm and almost crumbly. NOT packed too tight. Proper temperature of the fish. NOT too cold. Should be almost room temperature. Cold Japanese beer--or good sake. Good uni. Good unagi. Tuna you want to take a wallet-sized photo of.

I always recommend a curved butcher's scimitar. Its menacing shape and size seem to have a discouraging effect on potential opponents. My one experience yanking one out of my kit (against multiple aggressors) ended in a grudging--but injury-free--detente. Sometimes it's good to be a chef. You can carry knives everywhere.

Now, when they're weakened...attack!

I'm with busboy. More cats in the temple! In fact, the sheer pomposity of some the reactions to adrober's initial post only inspires to bring the whole temple down. And c'mon--the bathroom protocol at CT: " Just point me at the fucking bathroom, dipshit! Whaddya wanna do? Hold my dick while I piss? And yes--I KNOW what to do with the towels!" I don't know about you--but I find that kind of faux-obsequious pretentiousness off-putting. Is that kind of nonsense supposed to make diners (especially new ones) more comfortable? Many might not want to clue the entire dining room every time they have to evacuate. And keep your hands off my napkin while you're at it. I think I can figure out where it goes. CT is, without question, I think, one of the best and most important restaurants in the country. But a raw, unsolicited, first-person account like adrober's points up some serious issues about the future of fine dining . If your restaurant denies me salt and pepper--or a cocktail ("dulls the palate") for instance, I can well imagine the ensuing boiling rage and bile skewing my estimation of the food on its merits. We do ourselves and our shared obsession no favors by so readily dismissing both poster and post.

I too was underwhelmed by the CT experience. Does that mean that I have to "learn how to enjoy" it? I await your instructions.

Adria, at all times, serves dishes that he believes to be--in the traditional sense of the word--"good". At the same time, the El Bulli mantra is to "never repeat", to always seek new ways to do things, to find new ways to delight. Almost all the dishes I had at El Bulli were takes--or expressions of traditional concepts, done in surprising or startling new ways. Most of the time, it worked--often brilliantly. Other times, ( "cherries in fondant"--actually cherries slathered in Iberico ham fat) not. Adria likes to use the example of Iberico ham as an example of "good" transformation--an example of "processed" food being "better" than it was in original form. ("Jamon is "better" than raw pork). He's not looking to get people to eat the inedible--through guile or chemistry. He IS looking to find new ways to treat food he sees as overlooked or undervalued. An example being the peach. At the Taller, I watched him experimenting--again and again--with slicing and caramelizing peach slices in such a way as to mimic a pan-seared tranche of foie gas. The idea being that the customer might approach the finished dish (when perfected) with the same high expectations as for foie. Adria is asking Big, difficult questions--of himself, of his customers, of chefs in general. But I think--and this is my own opinion--that what he's really trying to do is use ever means available to reinvent (as if for the first time) something as simple as a peach or an egg. Or, as he told me, sitting over a plate of impeccably fresh, tiny, simply cooked sea cucumbers (espardenyas?) at Rafa's; "THIS is what I want. This is what we are trying to do at El Bulli. To remind us of Rafa's." He took particular pride at dinner serving a dish made entirely from the meat, shell, and guts of a fresh ecrivisse-no other ingredient--an attempt to "get" the experience of sucking the head of a really fresh crayfish (as at Rafa's). So, in a sense, he is genuinely trying to play God. If he could "make" an apple, I am sure he would--and I see nothing wrong with that. That he--unlike any before him I'm aware of--is trying--and in such a heartfelt way-- is admirable. Few others who are toiling in the same fields have succeeded. It's very dangerous ground. As Eric Ripert said, "There's only room in this world for one Ferran Adria, maybe two. NOT three or four." I found it particularly interesting--and very telling--that on a recent trip to Paris, both newer, trendy restaurants I ate at were shamelessly duping some of his older concepts. The most telling detail about the Adrias is Ferran's choice of favorite eateries: a ham shop in Barcelona where they serve simple, unadorned plates of sliced jamon--and cans of tuna and clams--and a simple grill-in-olive-oil-and-salt joint in Roses. Alberto, his brother is enthralled by a sushi place down the street from the lab--and claims to find much inspiration there. The "lab" aspect of what they do has been, I think, overstated (by me among others) BEFORE we actually ate at El Bulli. It is, I found, damn near useless to try and talk about Adria until you've experienced what he does first hand. The disconnect between how the food "sounds' when described and even "looks" is considerable. The efforts of his imitators are--sadly--more often than not--unencouraging. But There are very good reasons why El Bull is the number One destination for travelling chefs. While easy to dismiss in principle--it's not so easy when you've eaten there.

Portugese Kale (and Chorizo) Soup Soup de Poisson with rouille, crouton and parmegan garnish Potato Leek New England Clam Chowder Any Thai soup Any Vietnamese soup

650,000 is what I heard.

Just read Rick "BK" Bayless's response. It strikes me as a pretty weak-ass justification for a fait-accompli--remarkable only for its stunningly egocentric world view and lame logic. My take on Burger King--and its indistinguishable brethren over at Ronald's is this: They suck. They're bad for America. They're bad for the world. They're ultimately about dumbing down the whole concept of the meal, standardization and consistency over quality, narcotizing and brand-imprinting children, removing the whole concept of skilled labor from food preparation and selling Super-Sized soft drinks to fat kids. They can sell all the damn salads and hi-concept "healthy" sandwiches they want--they know full well that they'll get 'em on the other end-meaning a mile-high vat of soda (the moneymaker). In Bayless's full throated defense of a kinder, gentler, more sensitive Burger King, he ignores the the fact that their very structures are a blight--that no one--particularly Bayless I'd guess--would want to live next to one. They make neighborhoods UGLY and same-looking. But then, apparently, BK is "okay" for lower income people--for people who can't afford to eat at his places... As he points out, 70 percent of the population already eat there--and at similar operations--once a week--so fuck 'em. Why fight 'em when you can join 'em.? Bullshit, I say. You fight the enemy. You attack them. You use your bully pulpit--and whatever reputation you have to coerce, seduce, or shame people into changing their chosen eatery. Fast food--and cheap food--as Bayless should know better than anyone--can be GOOD food. He's been making a fortune off it for years. Nothing is faster, cheaper and better than a freshly made taco, a bowl of posole, a tamale--made by an independent operator. While freshly made tortillas and good quality salsa verde may be expensive exotica to Chicago's dining public, they're everyday fare to millions of poor Mexicans. Why not promote quickly served, cheap, good, freshly made Mexican food (or pho, or kebab or any of the other of the world's great street foods)--and support those who'd care to try establishing such operations, rather than helping the Evil Empire to endure. Free commercial appearances promoting say--relaxed immigration laws--and low-interest loans for start up indie one chef/one dish outlets, tax credits for same. The Newman Salads and the Bayless Strategy are the defensive moves of an industry who, for the first time, are beginning to show weakness. Mickey D was having real problems which it shrewdly responded to (damn!). BK is clearly looking worriedly into the future and doing the same. With distant rumbles of litigation against them, shrinking market share, increasing ill will abroad (as emblems of American Evil), these crap merchants were actually, for one glorious moment, looking vulnerable. Time, one would think, for all right thinking people like Bayless to pile on, to vilify, to insult, to mock, to rejoice. Instead, Bayless, comfortable in his belief that stupid people will eat at these places no matter what he does, decides to give them a helping hand--add a little legitimacy and credibility to an industry that should have exactly none. It is an extraordinarily cynical position. And giving small farmers the loot so you can buy more organic micro-greens for restaurants that BK customers will doubtfully ever be able to afford mitigates not at all. I'm not saying, by the way, that the Good Guys will ever WIN this war. I'm just saying that no self respecting chef or citizen of the world should stop TRYING. Bayless has thrown in the towel--and it's smeared with bogus BBQ sauce.

I don't know if I like the bash-the-bag plan. Too much possibility of tragicomic mishap (bag ruptures--spraying mouse brains and fur in every direction--not to mention the "only winged him" factor--in which the mouse, bleeding heavily from the head, runs straight into the house..or simply goes airborne. I'm thinking FLUSH. Drowning has good word-of-mouth as preferred means of death.

Cat's ain't too quick about finishing the job either. In fact they LIKE prolonging the end. I'm with you, though, Elyse. Nothing worse than seeing an animal in pain. (Well maybe watching Kylie Monogue) It's just tough finishing them off. Our gorgeous, statuesque hostess used to unhesitantly drive her heel down onto them (ex Norwegian army)without blinking--eager to put the critters out of their misery--and untroubled by the disturbing crunch. It doesn't come that easily to me. What's your preferred method of termination?

Mouse traps and poison may be inhumane but serving your guests mouse crap and mouse dander is--on the ethical scale--somewhat worse. I mean--the mouse is IN YOUR STOVE! Those are NOT currants getting piled up inside there. Bring in a cat (an outside contractor) if you have any moral problems. Then let "nature" take its course. But kill the fucker. NOW. Anyone who is seriously concerned about animal cruelty when you're talking about a prodigiously crap-producing rodent commingling with your FOOD ? Stop by the restaurant on my corner and adopt a few pets.

I had a motherfuckin geule de bois that morning--you can be sure, chef. Et merci--pour les mots genereux--et pour des repas extraordinaires!

LOVE nasi lemak! Want some now!

I AM a motherfucking hustler--but I'm selling a product I have a reasonable degree of confidence in--myself--and the stuff I like to do, the things I'm genuinely passionate about and curious about. FN has been kind enough--or foolish enough--whatever you might think--to enable that. I'm sitting in Kuala Lumpur at the moment--and it's NOT an unpleasant task, I can assure you . I LIKE it here. I very likely will say so--in print or on TV at some point. That's a little different than hawking gristle sandwiches--after a career condemning them.You will notice that I have endorsed absolutely NO products--though the opportunity has presented itself a number of times. It's NOT a matter of ethics, really. I'd sell out if I could. I just don't want to have to look at my stupid face in the bathroom mirror and see a salesman for fucking Coors or Immodium. I've done enought things I'm ashamed about in my life--and I know what that feels like.As far as "jumping at the chance" to join up with Food Net? Yeah..Sure..okay. Fair statement. When you see me doing a stand-up cooking show with a stupid smile stitched across my yap--barking "Don't Eat Fish On Monday Kids!" every ten minutes--or oohing and ahhing over what is obviously sludge on some Cincinnati On Four Dollars A Day, feel free to piss on me from a great height.

I prefer the jelly donuts--or the plain glazed--but the cream-filled was, I believe, their signature.

Love the quotes. Bayless sounds like a once-fine actor explaining their imminent appearance in a Rob Schneider film. " A wonderful opportunity to stretch.... the director is great...Rob's a HUGE talent...."

I think one of Molly O' Neill's singular strengths--and a constant advantage over her peers--is that she used to be a line cook. In Provincetown . At the "Dreadnaught" ( aka The Flagship) no less. (as opposed to dabbling around Cordon Bleu). She's the real thing. I particularly enjoyed her account of her fast rise in the kitchen--due to the fact that she was often the only one sober enough to keep slinging food. I just read the Peter Manso book "Ptown" and its got a fairly concise account of those days--including extensive account of Flagship (and Ciro and Sal's) owner Ciro Cozzi's rise and fall. Anyone who suspected that the Ptown stuff in KC was exaggerated will find plenty of evidence to the contrary. I'd love to see a memoir of those years from O Neill. In fact, I'd like to see a whole helluva lot more from O Neill in general. She's terrific. She makes her successors at the mag --and much of the food press look like chum by comparison.