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I presume this question is best asked here rather than on the Food Lab thread? As an espresso enthusiast, life-long coffee drinker and lover of all things related to the humble bean, I've been consistently disappointed in the coffee and espresso/cappuccino offerings proffered in most restaurants. Although my high end dining experience is extremely limited, feedback from fellow coffee lovers who've dined far and wide at all levels of the culinary spectrum seems to concur: it's tough to find an exemplary cup of coffee in restaurants and nearly impossible to get truly good espresso (kudos to Gramercy Tavern in NYC for the Yauco Selecto coffee I had when dining there - best cup I've ever had in a restaurant). Does the Alinea team have specific plans to ensure consistency and excellence on this small but crucial detail of the dining experience? This of course includes not only the choice of roaster/bean supplier, the type of beans or blends... brewing equipment used... grinding gear... process control. Please share with us all the great news about how good your coffee and especially espresso will be and why so I can begin making my Chicago travel plans

http://www.egf.ccip.fr/# I ran across this and thought that fellow francophones might be interested. Herme has teamed up with Ferrandi to deliver Pro Courses by "authorised" pastry chefs. The courses are 5 days and cost 1800 Euros. Regards

Perhaps a more interesting question than the issue of reservations related to El Bulli is the guesswork that can go into figuring out what is in store for the diner in terms of Adria's newest compositions. Adria is quite unique in the sense that he does not repeat dishes from one year to the next and his evolution is marked more by discontinuities than continuities. If his presentation on monday at the gastronomical congress is any guide, I can venture to state that Adria's interest in "texture" has become his overriding concern rather than an element of the larger equation. He is now interested in coming up with a comprehensive classification for all thickeners, emulsifiers and jelling agents known to mankind. He classifies these products in terms of their origin: animal based, plant based, chemical, etc. He is very much interested in textural contrasts of liquid centers and hard edges and I suspect he will push the agenda this year further away from an emphasis on ingredients and taste towards experimentation with textural contrasts. The ingredients he starts with are important to him to the extent that they do not get in the way of textural concerns. In this sense, quoting ltx about the primacy of infusions to Aduriz(Mugarritz)--she says that Aduriz often starts out with concocting an infusion and then tackles the issue of what will go best wiith it--, Adria will start out with textural contrasts and their progression and will concoct a meal around it. Personally I do not believe that the relative historical merit of this new school--whose proponents came together in the gastronomical congress in Donostia organized by Garcia Santos--will be decided soon. To the converts, it is the most exciting thing going on in the world and if Adria is the king, Adoriz is the crown prince. The amount of applause that accompanied Adria's foray into the stage has been unknown and unheralded in history and brings to mind charismatic leaders and their followers. At the same time it is clear that Adria is a very hard worker and he works his sous chefs literally to death(a friend who interviewed Adoriz reported that, while apprenticing at El Bulli, Adoriz, when he woke could not tell for a moment whether he had finished his daily chores or whether he had just woken up from a dream about them). It is also ironic that, perhaps unbeknownst to the converts of the new religion(actually Garcia Santos should be called the high priest), we are coming to a full circle since the days of the onset of nouvelle cuisine. That is, as the same friend who interviewed Adoriz neatly summed up, nouvelle cuisine was a reaction against oversaucing and relegating the natural product and the ingredient to the secondary status. Now, with all the textural experiments and the application of science and molecular biology to cooking and the newly acquired status of infusions, one wonders if the quality of the "ingredient" is not taking a back stage once again. But then, given all the environmental problems and the scarcity of natural products, perhaps the new phenomenon is a historical necessity even though it is not perceived by its converts in these terms.

Gourmandbooks, publisher of the English and Spanish editions of Oscar Caballero's Text and pretext in Textures. elBulli, Soler & Adrià in context has kindly consented to post an excerpt of its first chapter, a breath taking chronology, here on eGullet.org. Stay tuned for the review of Text and pretext in Textures. elBulli, Soler & Adrià in context here on eGullet.org later in the week. "Our dream is to make something magical using the original taste of the product. You can criticise us for many things, but it is clear that our only obsession is to ensure that our dishes have a truly identifiable taste" Ferrán Adrià Third Era Honoured by the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy and by the press, but penniless, Soler and Adrià became Soler & Adrià, a company that first of all bought the goodwill, then the walls, they built a kitchen like no other even forced the boundaries to be changed just so Cala Montjoi could be reviewed in a French eating guide (19/20 in the Gault-Millau France 93). In 1997, the third Michelin star. It was the decade of the foaming canister, of the founding book, the creative section would soon be an independent workshop, and the cuisine is an explosion of fused and contrasting textures and of pure and rigorous invention. And in the summer of 1992, an exceptional notary, Joël Robuchon, gave it his seal of approval: with great praise, he would proclaim Adrià his heir. 1990 Juli Soler, best restaurant manager in Spain, again according to the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy. Innovation: traditional stew but cooked to order. Given Marketta Schilling's decision to take a back seat, Adrià and Soler, who had been building the restaurant's culinary philosophy since 1985, decided to jump in the deep end. They set up the el Bulli as a company and began to pour money into restoring the terrace, improving the building, providing a car park. The Table of Associations. All the products on one sheet of paper, the cooking techniques on another, vinaigrettes on a third, emulsions on a fourth, herbs and spices. They come up with combinations and then they try them out. "As long as you are harsh on yourself, you do not look for gimmicks and you know the repertoire thoroughly, the system is irrefutable." They planned to build a new kitchen, as the existing one was small -around 80m2- especially given the duo's gastronomic ambitions. But two people with such clear ideas cannot entrust the task to the first architect that comes along, even if he were brilliant – the Catalonia of Gaudí, of Puig i Cadafalch, of Tusquets and Bohigas, of Bofill, is brimming with architectural genius. It would take them three full years to carry out the research and actually build it. Just as the case with their dishes, Adrià and Soler were the brains behind the operation. "There was total involvement. No financial considerations - that is why you have to be the bosses -, no ratios, no financial objectives. Just to come up with the kitchen of your dreams. Think of every aspect of the kitchen including the stove. And then see it materialise before you." A crazy undertaking, doomed to failure according to the experts. However, in a world that always promises the worst, but does not know how to foresee stock market crashes, glory always favours the mad. At the end of the path, where patience - and living like a Franciscan monk - was one of the keys to the exploit, "our friends would find money and glory", as would be said in a BD (Bulli Dessein)... Adrià to the El Correo Español, a Spanish newspaper, on the 9-3-90: "The French chefs are to cooking what the American players are to basketball" [...] "I am against new things when the person trying them does not know the great dishes along History. My advice to new chefs: before inventing new dishes, learn the classical recipes by heart" el Bulli was noted for its dessert trolley, but the evolution of the savoury dishes, undertaken since 1983, would lead to desserts being served on a plate from 1990 onwards, which were also integrated into the menu and which would banish the dessert trolley for ever (see 1992), however excellent it was. Or is it that there is simply a high demand for a set, all-inclusive menu, which gives a meal unity? The Adriàs began to combine savoury with sweet tastes -saffron in 1990, basil and thyme three years later. With After 8 years of on-the-job training, the person who would become a key element in the team arrived on the scene: Marc Cuspinera Viñas, born in Barcelona on 15th May 1969, with a dual edged, savoury/sweet background, whose literary vein would quickly become apparent when the team was writing their first book. November: Ferrán Adrià was in a fruit juice bar. After he had finished his drink, he noticed the foam that remained in the glass. He said to himself: "that's what I want!" The following year, in Barcelona, when he was at the home of a sculptor, a friend of his, [who would later design the emblematic bull's head on the table in the new Cala Montjoi kitchen], Ferrán would try using an air pump, "but the only thing I achieve was to turn the walls tomato red." What about a soda siphon? "It seemed dangerous and my commis chefs took two paces backwards when I began my experiments." 1991 In March, Eduard Bosch Maurell, born in Girona, Catalonia, 8th April 1970, becomes chef de partie- with all the makings of a great future, A delightful dish: the Almond and truffle terrine with a baby cuttlefish kebab. The elBulli Tapitas (small tapas) would be born: an appetiser on the menu. Grilled vegetables with crispy Iberian ham and truffles. Adrià jellifies the molluscs, thoroughly explores the cooking times (always overcooked, in Spain, the clam family nearly always used to end up as a chewy cliché); preserved in oil; turned to spoons and bowls - neither the service nor the cutting should disturb the textures and temperatures -; he created new terrines. First contribution, the textures. "I began to work with gelatines. Instead of thickening the soups with flour, butter or corn flour, I used gelatine." Memory of the first emotions, after 1985: savoury surprises continued to be turned out, but the guests seemed to be rather tired by the time they arrived at the desserts. And there was therefore the normal deficit of pastry cooks: what was the use point of killing yourself over your work, when after 20 savoury dishes, the client couldn't eat another thing? Was that the reason why the youngest Adrià put so much passion into promoting desserts? Or rather was it the result working all the sections of the restaurant and both brothers being intelligent enough not to be involved in a fratricidal war (Spain had already seen enough blood!), was it to be savoury or sweet? What seemed to be a mere quip of the elder of the Adriàs ("my cooking is strange? And the doe with cranberries and chestnut purée?") would reflect a sort of a cross-over/fusion. In return, the savoury chefs allowed their dessert colleagues to use tools that had previously been exclusively reserved for them, such as the meat slice used to cut ham and other charcuteries - for example, to make crêpes out of thin slices of melon. Understanding the sea: the world of molluscs. Albert Adrià joined the dessert section, where some à la carte dishes coexisted with the dessert trolley, which would have a huge impact on the whole restaurant. It would mean the symbiosis of two cuisines between 1991 -1992 [They were already talking about a sweet carpaccio around 1990]. Contrasting temperatures, textures. An important moment: the first jellies. 1992 Surprise in the microcosm: elBulli got rid of its dessert trolley, which was praised everywhere. For the bullimen ideology is stronger than financial motivation. Using Michel Trama's technique, a wave of fruit slices and caramelised vegetables. A king prawn carpaccio with cèps which would also become emblematic. Savoury granités. New serving methods. This year would see the development of the desserts menu and by means of one of the three techniques used to create the elBulli dishes, that of Adaptation, inaugurated in 1991 with the revamping of Mel i Mató - a traditional dessert made with honey and fresh cheese. At the same time, caramel or marmalades (lemon, tomato), and even custard, were found in savoury dishes (1992-93). Rice pudding, custard slice and other terms from the world of desserts invaded the savoury sector. Fruits became starters, fully-fledged dishes; and it then seemed even logical when vanilla was used in savoury dishes the year after. First savoury granités, as well. The Chinese porcelain dish was adopted to take the sizzle of the salamander to the table. No need for baking, and no decorations. First caramelisations. Ferrán Adrià, best Spanish chef - by the Spanish Gastronomy Academy. Creation of the Menestra en Textures. Menestra is a Basque dish (from Navarra, the purists would say), similar to mixed vegetables and eaten throughout Spain. [in one of the Adrià versions, vintage 94: two pieces of avocado, framed by a tomato purée, sweet corn mouse, cauliflower mousse and basil jelly. A quenelle of fresh almond ice-cream, a spoonful of peach granité and a bouquet of beetroot mousse, topped with basil and fresh almonds]. Back to the future - for the Spaniards, a landmark. The first research phase, which focused mainly on tapas, is well and truly over. Adrià and Soler are working like crazy on their first book. All clients are important, of course. Yet, this year would be the first time that a superstar would visit the bullimen, who would later become their French lawyer: Joël Robuchon. 1993 The 325m2 kitchen, the brainchild of Soler and Adrià helped along by the technical advice of a freshly graduated architect, Dolors Andreu, rose up from the rocks. 245m2 dug out of the rock of the former garden are added to the 80m2 of the original kitchen, covered with gravel and soil, the outside blends into the garden. And the large windows display the kitchen and fill it with light - and bring to life the two sculptures by Xavier Medina Campeny, one of which, the bull's head embedded in the wooden table in the passageway, would become internationally renown. Gas banished, the stoves (Thirode) are electric. José García and Quimet Casademunt designed the lighting, the hot air heating and the air-conditioning systems. The separate pastry section has the same feeling as the passageway - with its wooden table and its own sculpture. Fridges for each section and an independent cold chamber. The prep section and kitchen are separated from the main kitchen by a double pass door. Finally, the wine serving area is built into a module, where the finishing touch is a bar. Both the original furniture and the finishing touches are made out of the local stone. Corn mousse in a glass ["Why a glass? there were moulds, but I wasn't interested in them at all. I wanted the glass as a concept and I filled a glass with my liquid mousse"]. There were already sweet tartlets and sweet involtini. Cold jellies, new soups, new sauces First deal out of the restaurant: purchasing a historic hotel-restaurant, the Mas Pau, next to Figueres, that was so dear to Dalí, and at about 30km from elBulli, which looses the chef, Xavier Sacristà, and the restaurant manager, Toni Gerez, partners in the new company which they would run and then end up later being the sole owners. In the brand new elBulli kitchen, Sacristà, who has barely had time to get it dirty, is replaced in June, by a sensational duo: Marc Cuspinera, chef and Eduard Bosch, sous-chef. On 18-11, launch of the El Bulli book at the restaurant Dim Sum, at the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya. El sabor del Mediterrani /The Flavour of the Mediterranean, Ed Empúries, written by Ferrán Adrià. Published in Spanish, Catalán and German. Commotion in the Spanish restaurant world. After reading the book, creative young chefs spring up like all over the place. 1994 Brand new concept: in the same way as there are fish and meat sections, elBulli creates a New Dish Development section , with two part-time chefs. Corn ravioli, predecessor of the liquid croquette, in a porcelain spoon. A wonder - long and difficult to prepare - very easy to eat. The savoury sorbets soon arrive. "This is not an invention, but the creation and launch of a concept." On one fine day, another foaming canister, the one intended for Chantilly cream, caught the stubborn Ferrán's attention in the corner where it had been left by nearly two generations of chefs . The senses as a starting point for creativity. Ferrán Adrià claims to then be acting "more as a client than as a chef": cooking seen by the chef from the dining room. Hence his following obsession with flavours. Albert Adrià comes up with new simplicities: frosted fruit kebabs, made using pieces of mango, strawberry, raspberry, bound together with basil leaves, dipped in softly-whipped egg whites, coated in sugar, left in the oven at 100ºC for one hour, or he mixes 150g of condensed milk and 20g of flour, drizzles the mixture into slices on a tray, decorates them with coffee grains and bakes them at 180ºC for 7’... New sashimi's (tuna with cherries). Changes in the structure of the dishes : what is a sauce? A soup? An evolving concept. The focus is more on creating techniques and concepts than dishes. In other words, the first omelette was a step forwards, omelettes are only declinations. March 26th: Ferrán Adrià takes the Chantilly canister to make foams without butter and without reproach. "My first attempt was a jellied consommé and I could have shouted Eureka!: it has emulsified. How was I going to thicken the foam? The answer was to use gelatine to give body to the fruit or vegetable juices." Conclusion: "anything that can be used to make a mousse can be turned into a foam. And above all, the tastes are respected as there is no fat, cream or butter." But "don't get it wrong, jellies should not be confused, i.e. they're gelatines used as a preparation or there is the gelatine used our way which allows us to experiment with thickness and textures." Which gelatine? "I usually use fish-based sheets of gelatine. They melt perfectly in your mouth and they are not lumpy." Destroying their appeal? They had got rid of the famous dessert trolley two years earlier and the Ferrán/Albert Adrià smooth fusion of savoury and sweet is under way. They swear that one day - maybe in 2004 - they will completely get rid of desserts. Is that the right way to express it? Or rather: They will seek a meal in harmony from the first to the last mouthful. A period of tapas creativity begins and will continue until it is embodied in the Tapiplatos, a portmanteau word and yet, what is more Spanish than this common ground between the dish and its ideal mock-up?. In the period 1991-94, there was rice-pudding ice cream, asparagus and truffle Irish coffee (served in a frozen glass with cold truffles, then the warm asparagus soup and topped with a slice o f black truffle); short crust Parmesan tart with onion, bacon and herb salad; jellied date mussels with cold fennel soup; mató - Catalan soft cheese coated with chives and poppy seeds, fresh tomatoes and marinated anchovies; warm mató with caviar and beetroot sorbet; Cala Montjoi sea urchins in cèp jelly; truffle mousse and jelly, fresh pasta and Iberian ham salad; caviar in apple jelly served in a porcelain spoon; cuttlefish with marrow (stuffed with a mixture of beef marrow, sorrel and mushrooms; served with a piece of toast with slices of grilled marrow, slivers of parmesan and finely - diced sorrel); asparagus in cèp involtini... Fruit flooded the savoury section -cf. Saint-Jacques scallops with red currents and extra virgin olive oil; warm foie gras with mango: chopped brains and prawn with a tomato gratin and a hint of mint ... Other dishes: clam chop suey; warm brie with shellfish; dishes that are normally associated with desserts served as main courses; fusions. First degustation menu. Concept: “Just like tapas, in the elBulli Menu, how you eat it is as important as what you eat. The new ravioli Working hard on foams. First work on what they will later call The savory/iced world. A world where the frontiers are set between the 1992 granité and the 1994 sorbets. From a menu served in 1994, but where the vintages of the creations are mixed: rock mussels in fennel jelly, vanilla potato, lemon shellfish and apple salad; brain and caviar carpaccio with beetroot salad, sweet corn mousse-truffle juice and foie gras mousse and a very African lamb fillet à l’orange, orange blossom and cinnamon… The highlight of this menu: Marrow with Caviar: a 40g piece of marrow, lightly floured, then grilled. Finished with 10g of caviar on top – sea-salt out-of-this-world – and a cauliflower purée on one side, for bitterness. Soler and Adrià buy the bricks and mortar and found their company, elBulli SL. Expansive: it would lead to the setting up of the Mas Pau hotel and restaurant; the Talaia restaurant in Barcelona (with a bulliman, Carles Abellán, as manager and Adrià/Soler in an advisory role, Talaia would become a breeding ground for talent: Sergi Arola, Marc Singland, Oriol Balaguer would get their hands dirty there) and elBullicatering, with the beginnings of the workshop in the Acuario - Barcelona's Aquarium. El Bulli. El sabor del Mediterrani, best cookery book according to the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy. Also awarded the National Book Prize the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government). Spectacular start for elBullicatering, in the business of organising banquets: 3,200 guests at Girona enjoyed a elBulli-style menu. And just like at elBulli, without waiting between dishes. Change of tide from the savoury world to the sweet world and vice-versa. In 1992 and 1993 Albert Adrià, became the boss of the sugar cuisine - a term used to replace the obsolete term of patisserie- and along with his brother develops the idea of a menu where determining savoury and sweet and even the crossing of codes by both parties, is more and more difficult. They already have a name Mundo Helado (Frozen World), for this world that breaks down the barriers delimiting the savoury, the sweet, and the garnish ... F o r example, a Mango sorbet with warm duck foie gras. The first savoury Pralines come this year, with the pine nut praline, which would lead to a brainwave a year later, in 1995 with the deconstruction of Catalan spinach. So much fruit? In the starters, in the savoury dishes - melon, mango, peaches, litchis, red currants, kumquats, blood oranges, apples, grapes, pears - "is more due to their acidity than to their sweet giving properties." [Therefore, the acidiTrend before the letter]. More brutal was the resurgence of dairy produced by way of yoghurts, cheese but also brie, cream and lots of Parmesan and mozzarella - which would mark by their presence the advent in the kitchen of the Danone generation. [Attention! we are not advertising here, we are alluding to Daniel Carasso, the short man from Barcelona of 1907, called Danone in the restaurant, and whose father, distant ancestor of Adrià and company, at one time proclaimed to be the elixir of life of the Bulgarians and the nick name of his son. Older tradition and more of a southern one - rose water and orange water added to savoury dishes. Without the author knowing if it was a prior project, the surprising way the kitchen and dining room were linked would end up with both ends of the table de la passe becoming cluttered. Perhaps that the restaurant was different in every way paradoxically led to the smoothing out of internal differences, the chefs working all sections of the restaurant, as and when required. Hence, power struggles are over. Like cooks, things change Meals would conclude with soups that were more or less sweet Such as pineapple soup in I994, which was also the year of the first siphon foam in the sweet world, coconut and woodland strawberry soup, and the transfusion from savoury to sweet with beetroot, fennel, melanosporum truffle, fresh almonds, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, avocados, olive oil... Do you like your menestra sweet or savoury? who cares! elBulli who revamped a savoury menestra in 1992, would make a new sweet one. The '94 menu boasted: avocado sorbet and sunflower seeds, lobster salad and poultry confit; 15g of caviar in a bowl filled with a fresh almond foam; warm foie gras with a mango sorbet, chicory and vinegar - a neo Catalan wine vinegar (cabernet sauvignon), matured in barrels for 18 months -, Chinese noodles and shellfish with Soya; fish in Romesco sauce and fromage frais (this is a delightful traditional Catalan sauce made simply by mashing tomatoes, garlic, hazelnuts, grilled bread, the pulp of a dried pepper and pepper) shoulder of rabbit in salmorejo (marinade from the Canaries comprised of garlic , rock salt , pepper, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, white wine, olive oil and pimentón - the Spanish for paprika - ...) Feel a shiver down your spine? Mango sorbet and duck foie gras - cold going savoury, this being typical of the desserts. The same year the saga continues with a sorbet of rice pudding, parmesan, truffle, tomato, and basil. And one with avocado gratin with sunflower seeds. 1995 Deconstruction resulting first in curried chicken and Cuban style rice. Height of the trend and of this type of cuisine. The research continues though, and the cooks and researchers impassioned about the possibilities of aroma/smell in cooking. Savoury ices. Tools such as baby bottles, used for controlling sauces and foaming canisters come into the kitchen for everyone to use; the chrome pan and the salamander are used more and more as well as the stove and oven by tefal not to mention the new, more powerful freezers - sashimi octopus would hence find a place on the menu, with its wonderful tenderness and texture (and perhaps would be free of undesirable hosts/preserving agents such as anisaki). Used routinely was the licuadora (liquidiser) And the vacuum packing machine. But perhaps the most significant event was the way techniques changed across the board around about 1995 from the desserts to the snacks which kick off the meal. Hence, crunchy snacks named Crunch of honey and maní. But the year 95 is also fruitful: "we used the magic crack of caramel in savoury dishes", remembers Albert, which gave us potatoes with honey. And the next year saw the arrival of the Apple and Pacharán soup (a typically Basque eau-de-vie) and basil fromage frais. Mediterranean Gamba with Parmesan. Albert Adrià, already 25, banishes excessive sugar usage in his section; from now on whipped cream would be used, W.C in elBulli language, to prepare a crème anglaise. After and for a string of years from 1991 until 1995, I served a cold soup of lychees and fennel granité, a coconut mousse with red berries, mango and cocoa tuiles (thin biscuits), mandarin granité, rose and cinnamon mousse, a sweet with Cointreau with a chocolate sorbet, creamed coconut banana chocolate with curry, a sweet with chocolate, apples and jasmine ... The first Tubos (tubes with a liquid filling): with a chocolate and cocoa sabayon. A must - chocolate in different textures with apricot, a direct product of his work on textures which had already given the Menestra and the declinations of Tomato and Pine apple. Marc Puig-Pey i Boher (born in Barcelona on the 1Oth December 1972) became pastry chef. The guides give: 9.5/10 (Gourmetour) and 9.75/10 (García Santos), and this is after being awarded a 2nd Michelin star and 4 chef's hats and a Spanish 19/20 in the GaultMillau France guide which makes Cala Montjoi a French cove. ("It's not for us to sing our praises but what a great idea we had in 1993 to change the boundary to include elBulli early on when it had 2 chefs' hats, a fantastic restaurant that attracts gourmets from all over the world..."). Unsuspectingly, Gault and Millau adopt the approach of Ferrán Adrià after the Maximin stand (maximalist maxims which would maximise creativity in the kitchen) of not copying: "... And this cuisine which is revolutionising Catalan gastronomy and leads it to unprecedented refinements without betraying its spirit does not owe anything to anybody.., You will look in vain for the slightest trace of copying..." 1996 Born the Moluscada, a plate of shellfish cooked and textured differently embodying a new dimension in the gastronomy of fruits de mer and containing fruit from the tree as well as fish from the sea. Year of caramelisation Minimalism is reflected in mouthful sizes. Snacks -before tapas on the menu-, inspired by snacking common in the towns and even at motorway stops. Carpaccio of cray-fish. A new caramelising technique. Before opening, 180 trainees would do three-day training courses, nearly all of them professionals... Best restaurant of the year in the guide Gourmetour. Dinner at the Savoy (London) as part of a special tasting of wines from Marqués de Riscal -featuring, for example a bottle from 1871 In the elitist Lo mejor de la gastronomía (García Santos) elBulli is always primus inter pares with 9.75/10. Roses included again in the GaultMillau France guide giving 4 chefs' hats again and 19/20. El Bulli obtains the third Michelin star. Golden Key from the monthly magazine Gault-Millau. Program on the restaurant by the American channel PBS. Features with other starred European chefs in a film made in Crillon (Paris) in tribute to the American chef and columnist Pierre Franeys. In Barcelona, the meals of elBullicatering for 150/800 guests will be the gastronomic novelty of the year. Whilst the declination of a product was born in the desserts' section -pineapple in textures - it is in the savoury section too now with a tomato in textures. [This is the period in which some clients criticise a definite omnipresence of sugar]. Cornets are used for Cornet of bread with morsels of Roquefort and passion fruit and a Banana kebab with underside of tuna. The birth of the pre-dessert. The first is Tarte Tatin with apples and duck foie gras. Adaptations of some productions unique to Ice-cream makers, like chocolate covered lollies - the author gets emotional at this point. Most significantly, The Parmesan Corte would be born (usually a soft ice-cream between to types of crunchy rectangles) My particular fad: two crunchy wafers with Parmesan enclosing a Parmesan ice-cream. Its first declination was also unforgettable: Corte with foie gras whose ice-cream is with duck foie gras and whose oblongs are Pain d'épices (traditionally bread with honey and mixed spices). Birth of a new technique, termed encerradito (a thin caramel wrap) which would lay the foundations for the laying of the revolutionary Oeuf de caille caramélisé (Caramelised quail's egg) The dessert of the year was without doubt the mind-blowing Assiette des épices (plate of spices). Also, first deconstruction in the sweet department with the elBulli version of the pseudo traditional Tiramisú -as you already know, a dessert invented in Italy with bits of everything in the 1960's because teenagers were no longer eating dessert. First sweet Encerradito (with mascarpone). 1997 The cheese trolley is phased out. Another future great enters by the famous little door by the name of Oriol Castro Forns (Barcelona: 23-3-74), who had studied for six years then worked i n some very good Spanish restaurants not to mention Paco Torreblanca's worshipped patisserie Totel, situated in Elda, Alicante. He becomes the chef of a very elBulli section - the warm starters section. In 1996 he had already done patisserie training there, and at the end of the season, he would be given a position in the creative section. And he remains there until the present day. Albert Raurich Foyo - future chef - trains there (another star studded career?) (Barcelona; 14-7-1970), future chef. Marc Cuspinera's time is spent running the Creative section with Albert Adrià and leaves the elBulli chef role to Edouard Bosch, who is in time replaced by Rafael Morales. In the snacks section of the Menu, Corte with Parmesan ice makes its debut appearance. Pistachulines are created. The first one with pistachios. This is the year of Provocation (the smoke foam) and it's at this time that professionals in the industry begin to take sides, indignant reactions on the one side and fervent support on the other. The Spanish microcosm becomes divided - those for and those against. This means war? To make life more difficult elBulli would make the menu as practically the only option. La Vanguardia, Paris, 30-3: "Ferrán Adrià, the chef of elBulli , goes on television with Robuchon." Los secretos de elBulli (The Secrets of El Bulli; published by Altaya) by Ferrán Adrià - is sold even at bookstalls - and marks the start of a collection of Great Gastronomic works. It quickly sells more than 60 000 copies. Perhaps for the first time in a clear prose (text edited by Josep Mª Pinto) this cheap book with popular ambition describes, by way of the menu, the work of a well-known chef whose cooking is theoretically complex. Here are 4 extracts: "In brief, being avantgarde means to be before your time. Paradoxically, only time will tell whether you were or weren't." "When there is nothing to show for a relentless day's work creation seems to have escaped us. The act of creating should be regarded similarly, planning with a cool head. In my case creativity is just one of the many factors in my job. When I am struck by a new idea I take it as a gift, but I do not forget that it's also the natural consequence of a piece of work. And I try not to give the idea more attention than it deserves." "In the popular melon and Parma ham dish, the contrast of the sweet and savoury elements is no greater than in any of my dishes." "I have a game readers can play. In the following pages there are two very similar animals. 'Which would you like on your plate?' you turn the page and you see a spider crab and opposite on the odd page you see a spider." A tapa: small parcel of squid and coconut with soya, ginger and mint. The Escoffier foundation - the foundation that led him to hear the maxim of Maximin, invites Ferrán Adrià, already Líder Máxino, to give a lesson. The joining of the sections is plain to see. Not only would there be a sweet aubergine ravioli and a savoury ravioli in an aubergine soup, but also two versions of a beetroot ravioli. [a successful experiment but without a future? the liquid biscuit, in a cornet.] Third Michelin star 1998 The creative section becomes elBullitaller. Mastery of agar-agar enables the chefs to do better work with cold gelatine dishes and above all leads them to discover warm gelatines. Birth of the warm gelatine (apple gelatine with Roquefort). "The first workshop had dreamy views in a corner of the Barcelona Aquarium - elBullicatering had its headquarters there too - overlooked the Mediterranean sea but it is fairly bare- one table, 4 books and two exercise books, a chair for Oriol and another one for me" recalls Albert Adrià. First Synergy menu "until this point everything was themed: clouds, gelatines... but after consulted customers it became clear that this approach was a bit tired. So then we decided to try with creations from different years - thus creating a kind of synergy." "Adrià thinks that creativity is not in combining a variety of elements, even if they surprise and clash, but that it is expressed by way of a new concept, new structure or new technique. [...] His foams for example that do not contain egg whites or cream. He adds to a foaming canister a purée or a fruit sauce, with a tiny amount of gelatine. He siphons and it thickens giving the most natural of mousses possible that is above all more flavoursome than the classic version. At El Bulli it's the cuisine that runs the show." Rafael García Santos. Lo mejor de la gastronomía española 1998. Flicking through the García Santos '98 I came across a selection of the best new creations of the year, featuring, besides elBulli's small parcels of cuttlefish, a Gazpacho granité cucumber jus and crunchy Iberian ham (Las Rejas), tears of petit pois barnacles in jelly toffee with salted butter with Petit Pois (Martín Berasategui), Arzak's infusion of cod and natural tomatoes, it's potatoes with whipped cream and its cream of txangurro with tarragon liquorice, Zuberoa's small bowl of creamed rice infused with lemon and cinnamon and in Relais & Châteaux San Román de Escalante's, "exquisite" Croustillant de Torta del Casar, a great Spanish cheese, coconut and chocolate. As these are starred restaurants (Arzak being the eldest of the Spanish restaurants with three stars), the gastronomy is guaranteed to be high-class The García Santos guide thus acknowledges the avant-garde trend. A very silly question - Could a cuisine - like that of the Spanish chefs, whose mark was a product and routine and clever tricks designed to hide shortcomings be hoisted up to such levels of creativity without elBulli?. At Cala Montjoi, it's the year of the first versions of the cereal based commercial snacks, and others stave off the hunger at motorway bar restaurants, "inspiration is found in life insists Ferrán Adrià- and travelling gives you greater inspiration ..." (In the elBulli spirit snacks and petits fours are ¡Hola! and ¡Adiós! i.e. "welcome" for the snacks and "see you soon" on for the petits fours - "the aim is to relax the customer"). The partnership with the monthly magazine Woman, starts, which is a kind of Catalan Biba with three pages each month dedicated at first to recipes and after elBullitaller is established the focus is shifted to chefs tricks, cooking techniques and tools. "The readers asked for cookery lessons, and as we do not like the word lessons we prefer to talk about a cookery handbook." Reader's words: These women can be delighted because everything is clear, easy to grasp - making some tasks easier - there are not 30 cooks at every Woman reader's home. Woman supplement 70 new and light dishes for the summer plus an insight into the cold cuisine of Ferrán Adrià, which anyone can reproduce. Great discoveries in the kitchen aids department. First there's the Paco Jet, which, in conjunction with the Thermomix ("the best mixer in the world" according to Adrià who is obsessed with textures) would become the main vehicle for research as well as for cooking and finishing touches. Contract with Casino de Madrid - formerly one of the most elitist of circles - to showcase El Bulli cooking in the restaurant. The relationship between cooking and management is excellent (the chef Paco Roncero would hone is craft through being in regular contact with Adrià), and this would lead to the idea to set up a subsidiary of elBullicatering there. On July 19th the Magazine -one of the Sunday supplements of the daily La Vanguardia, selling more than 400 000 copies- gives nine pages of its ideas section to elBulli's foams. Unprecedented recipes, but nevertheless popular enough to be put out as they are. A profusion of foams flavoured with Catalan cream, beetroot with yoghurt, raspberries and pistachios; raspberry in puff-pastry, piña colada; tomato salad with a blood orange foam This one's a masterpiece: Meringued clams with sea water foam! there is also an oyster version. And the taste on the palette really is that of the sea, which is I suppose not that surprising given you are dining in a cove, although ... In October, triumph in Italy after a demonstration in the tasting room of Slow Food. Publication of The desserts of elBulli, by Albert Adrià (published by Empúries). Desserts are (from then on) a lot more than just recipes - they're a concept. There is a blurring of codes with savoury entering the sweet section and vice-versa - he remarks, "the patissier of a restaurant must be like a chef whilst the chef must learn techniques from the patissier" One term to define the new order would be "dessert cooking" The book (dedicated "to my brother Ferrán") names Michel Guérard as a pioneer and its a duo which would establish a chef and patissier partnership which would lead to the creation of a chef's school and the one that would train Maximin and Torres. Despite the book's high price tag, 7000 copies are sold on pre-order. Soon after it would be picked out as the best book in the world for desserts at the Gastronomic book fair of Perigord in November 1998. The Bullithèque that would give the elbullibooks thus starts to take shape. Conversely, I don't know if I know myself in cooking to write about it... Soler is a publisher/printer, Ferrán a collection manager/proof-reader, and I assure you that as authors and art directors are as marvellous as they were running elBulli. 18-12. Nit del Turisme (Tourism evening 1,500 guests), elBulli catering serves, with an unusual schedule, a mushroom escabèche with lobster; empedrat of monkfish (a typical salad with catjang beans, onion and tomato); Catalan shepherd's pie, savoury nougat. The shepherd's pie is sensational. First a stew of ox tail and then ten or so chefs with a piping bag would crown the dish with the foam of pureed potato. Vinçon, a shop oriented towards designer objects and El Corte Inglés, the Selfridges of Spain, would lap up every last drop... The foaming canister is revisited, sold with recipes signed by Ferrán Adrià, and becomes a popular Christmas present. Making their debut in 1998 garrapiñados and pralines (sugar coatings ans nougats) Many discoveries in 1998-2002 including Maldon salt, fried sweet corn, wasabi, tartufo bianco, sunflower seeds, tomato seeds, tamarind paste and green pineapple. "Wait", he cries, end of 1998, "get Silvia in" [Fernández Castro; Roses; 2-6-71] and she takes care of the daily running of the restaurant from then on. 1999 On May 17th, only demonstration of El Bulli's cooking in Paris, at the Maison de la Catalogne, under the auspices of Gosset champagne. The very recent revolution that is the warm jelly crosses code becoming the cold dessert Red fruit quince with curdled milk. Although created in 1997 the pre-desserts were not made a fixed feature of the menus until 1999, with creations of the previous year included such as Sorbet of grilled sweetcorn and Roquefort sorbet with a hot apple/lemon jelly. 1999-2001 Between 1999 and 2001 kitchen equipment, namely the Paco Jet and also the humble cheese grater (as discovered in a humble American shop), the mandolin, and the boleador magique - tool for making balls of fruit or vegetables also cross over to the desserts' section. Temperature wise, hot foams appear at the end of the menu in 1999 with Hot foam of dark chocolate and Campari and Hot foam of white chocolate and coffee with lychee sorbet. Meanwhile, the first workshop, the one set up in the Acuario of Barcelona dedicated in 1999 to intensive use of the Paco Jet discovers a problem that turns out to be profitable. "While making some sorbets, a sort of ice powder was produced. The combination of excess cold and a high fat content prevented the sorbet from forming, whilst the friction of the blades left frozen micro particles. It was a texture that we had never come across. It widened our vision for future of desserts. First a process was devised to reproduce the fault, and the second stage - the launch of the dish - was very successful. It was called Polvo Helado (iced powder) and it was just that". First cold agar-agar gelatine with the first discovery consommé tagliatelle. Copyright © Gourmandbooks, Inversiones Rabelais, sl, 2004, Pintor Rosales 36 -8º A, 28008 Madrid

Someone the other day was telling me about a 'culinary scientist' called Herve Thys. Apparently Pierre Herme used to consult him for a while (but not anymore) plus other patissiers and chefs. He sounds really fascinating. I tried googling him but didn't come up with much. Any of you France based chef types know more of him? He's in the Heston Blumenthal mode (but pre HB I gather) of researching the scientific basis of why some things work and others don't, as well as coming up with brilliant new ideas e.g. recommends to patissiers ways of preparing mille feuilles so they don't go soggy etc. Are there other food scientists in France? Is this a big thing over here?

Sorry if i've missed this somewhere, but was wondering if anyone was going to this event? Store Event Where: Washington, DC Event: An evening with Thomas Keller Date: 11/17/04 Time: 7pm-9pm Cost: $35.00/person Contact: (202) 237-0375 Details: Join America's Top Chef, Thomas Keller, owner of The French Laundry in Yountville, Bouchon in Yountville, and Per Se in New York City for a reception and book signing to benefit the National Capitol Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food. Thomas will be joined by Bouchon’s executive chef, Jeff Cerciello, to discuss classic bistro dishes from their new book, Bouchon. Chef Jeff Heineman of the Grapeseed American Bistro and Wine Bar will prepare the evening’s food; wine will be provided by Michel-Schlumberger. Book signings are limited to books purchased at Sur La Table. Please bring your receipt for books purchased prior to the event. Ticket sales will benefit the AIWF.

I am now in Italy where I stumbled upon a book written by Herve This. I know you know who he is!!! My version is in Italian, a bit difficult for me to read, but I get the main drift. What are your opinions about This?? Have you worked with him before?? Are there subjects that you and he view diferently?? Please Explain! Grazie again! Ore

Thanks for participating in this Q&A. There's been considerable interest in low-temperature cooking in vacuum-packed plastic bags ("sous vide") here on eGullet. Here is a representative topic. I have a couple of questions and concerns: It's been stated that the temperatures need to be maintained within a very narrow range. I purchased an immersion recirculating heater, intended for laboratory water bath use, that is claimed to be accurate to 0.5 °C. If a recipe calls for the use of a commercial steam ("combi") oven, am I right to assume that my water bath will produce similar results if set to the same temperature? In other words, will the temperature-transfer characteristics of a water bath produce the same results as a steam oven? Also, just how critical is the temperature tolerance? I have a vague, fuzzy mental image of protein molecules behaving differently at low temperatures compared to more conventional cooking techniques. Does a small change in temperature really affect the texture of the food to such a great extent? Some of the temperatures used are much lower than conventional cookery. Sealing the food inside the plastic bag supposedly protects against contamination, but what about anaerobic bacteria? Does the vacuum-sealing process actually increase the chance of developing botulism? How great is the increased risk of cooking at low temperatures for extended times? I've seen techniques that call for cooking times as long as 36 hours. I'm not squeamish about raw or rare foods - I enjoy eating sushi, sashimi, and steak tartar when I trust the cleanliness of the source. I'm not too keen on poisoning myself or my friends.... Sorry to be so long-winded. I really appreciate the input of people who have the discipline to research the scientific aspects of food. Thanks again for joining us here on eGullet.

It’s the first day of cooking in Alinea's Food Lab and the mood is relaxed. We’re in a residential kitchen but there’s nothing ordinary about it. Chef Grant, along with sous chefs John Peters and Curtis Duffy are setting up. The sight of the 3 steady pros, each in their chef’s whites, working away, does not match this domestic space. Nor does the intimidating display of industrial tools lined up on the counters. While the traditional elements are here in this suburban kitchen: oven, cooktop, sink, so too are the tools of modern restaurant cookery: pacojet, cryovac machine, paint stripping heat gun…wait, a paint stripping heat gun? In the physical realm, the Food Lab is a tangible space where the conventional and the unconventional are melded together in the quest for new culinary territory. With Alinea’s construction under way, the team must be resourceful. This meant that renting a space large enough to house both the office and the kitchen aspects of the food lab was out of the question. The decision was made to take over a large office space for the research and administrative aspects of Alinea and transform a residential kitchen into the Lab. Achatz and the team would work three days per week at the office researching all aspects of gastronomy and brainstorming new dishes, while managing the project as a whole. The remaining time would be spent in the kitchen executing the ideas formulated at the office. “At first I thought separating the two would be problematic,” says Grant “but in the end we are finding it very productive. It allows us to really focus on the tasks at hand, and also immerse ourselves in the environment conducive to each discipline.” The menus for opening night—containing as many as 50 never-before-served dishes--must be conceived, designed, tested and perfected. The Alinea team does not want to fly without a net on opening night. On a more abstract level, the Food Lab is simply the series of processes that continually loop in the minds of Chef Grant and his team. While there is no single conduit by which prospective menus--and the dishes which comprise them--arrive at Alinea, virtually all of them start in Chef Grant's imagination and eventually take form after brainstorming sessions between the Chef and his team. Menus are charted, based on the seasonality of their respective components, and the details of each dish are then laid out on paper, computer or both and brought to the kitchen for development. In this regard, the Food Lab provides something very special to the Chef and his team. “We consider the food lab a luxury,” says Grant. Once Alinea is open and the restaurant’s daily operations are consuming up to 16 hours of each day, time for such creative planning (aka play) will be scarce. Building a library of concepts, ideas and plans for future menus now will be extraordinarily valuable in the future. Otherwise, such planning sessions will have to take place in the 17th and 18th hours of future workdays, as they did when the Chef and his team were at Trio. Today, several projects are planned and the Chefs dig into their preparations as soon as their equipment setup is complete… Poached Broccoli Stem with wild Coho roe, crispy bread, grapefruit Stem cooked sous vide (butter, salt, granulated cane juice) Machine-sliced thin bread Dairyless grapefruit “pudding” Dried Crème Brulee Caramel orb shell made with bubble maker and heat gun Powdered interior made with dried butterfat, egg yolks, powdered sugar & vanilla PB&J Peeled grapes on the stem Peanut butter coating Wrap in brioche Broil Micro-grated, roasted peanuts Instant Tropical Pudding Freeze Dried Powders of coconut, pineapple, banana Young coconut water spiked with rum Muscovado Sugar Cilantro Candied Chili Jamaican Peppercorn Vanilla Bean The steps required to comprise each dish are, as one might imagine, intricate and numerous. For the Poached Broccoli Stem, Chef Grant begins by separating the broccoli stems from the florets. The stems are stripped of their fibrous exteriors and pared down until they are uniform in size. Grant comments on the use of the second hand part of the vegetable: “This dish started with the roe. Every year we receive the most amazing Brook Trout Roe from Steve Stallard, my friend and owner of Blis. Typically, we serve the eggs with an element of sweetness. I find it goes very well with the ultra fresh salinity of the week-old roe. This time around we wanted to take a savory approach so I began looking into complimenting flavors in the vegetal category. About the same time, our group had a discussion about secondary parts of vegetables and the stem of broccoli came up. I had a past experience with the stem and found it to be very reminiscent of cabbage. Knowing that cabbage and caviar are essentially a classic pairing, I felt confident that we could work the dish out. Now I'm struggling to decide if this is a broccoli dish or in fact a roe dish, I think they really battle for the top position and that helps makes the dish very complex." Chef Grant processing the broccoli The stems are placed in a polyethylene bag, along with butter, salt and granulated cane juice. The bag is sealed with a cryovac machine The sealed stems are placed in a 170 degree F water to cook, sous vide, until extremely tender; about three hours Broccoli stems after cooking The crisp bread element is fabricated via the use of an industrial deli slicer. Chef Grant then brushes the sectioned pieces of poached broccoli stem with eggwash, affixes them to the thin planks of brioche and places them in a fry pan with butter. Grant's mise...not your ordinary cutting board Poached Broccoli Stem and Crisp Bread cooking Ready for plating A bright green broccoli puree is made with a vita-prep blender. Here, Chef Grant "mohawks" it onto china given to him by Thomas Keller Smoked Coho roe has arrived via Fed-Ex, courtesy of Steve Stallard Chef Grant devises a plating scheme for the Poached Broccoli Stem while Curtis looks on Chef Grant ponders one potential plating of the dish. He called this incarnation 'predictable' and started over. Another plating idea. This version is garnished with broccoli petals and ultra-thin slices of connected grapefruit pulp cells. The yellow petals are stand-ins for what will ultimately be broccoli blossoms Grant is still displeased at the dish's appearance. "The dish tastes as I envisioned it....texturally complex, with the crispness of the bread, the soft elements of the floret puree and stem, and the pop of the eggs. The buttery richness from the bread gives the stem the flavor of the melted cabbage I loved at the [French] Laundry. And the hot and cold contrasts from the roe and broccoli …I like it…..I just don’t like the way it looks.” Another attempt and the group agrees, it is better but not “the one.” The use of the thinly sliced cross sections of peeled grapefruit energizes the group. In the next rendition, they make small packets with the ultra thinly-sliced grapefruit containing the roe... A third plating configuration for Poached Broccoli Stems; this one featuring the packets of roe wrapped in ultra thin sheets of grapefruit pulp cells At this point the team decides to move on and come back to it next week. After some conversation they decide that in the final dish, broccoli will appear in at least 5 forms: poached stems, floret puree, some raw form of the stem, the tiny individual sprouts of broccoli florets, and the blooms. Grant feels that Poached Broccoli Stem could be ready for service, although he still envisions some changes for the dish that will make it even more emblematic of his personal style. “Our dishes continue to evolve after they hit the menu. It is important for us to get to know them better before we can clearly see their weaknesses.” The thought for the dried crème brulee originated over a year ago when a regular customer jokingly asked for a crème brulee for dessert. “He said it as joke, I took it as a challenge,” says Grant. "Of course, we never intended to give him a regular crème brulee.” The team tried various techniques to create the powder-filled caramel bubble while at Trio to no avail. An acceptable filling for the Dried Crème Brulee has been developed by the Chef and his team but several different methods, attempted today, to create the orb from caramelized sugar have been less than 100% successful. Caramel blob awaiting formation. Chef Curtis kept this pliable by leaving it in a low oven throughout the day Chef Grant’s initial idea to use a metal bubble ring and heat gun (normally used for stripping paint) to form the bubbles does not work as hoped. Attempts to fashion them by hand also come up short. Says Grant, “At Trio we tried a hair-dryer. When Martin told me about these heat guns which get up to 900 degrees F, I thought we had it for sure. If it was easy everyone would do it I guess.” Eventually, Alinea partner Nick Kokonas garners the task’s best result by positioning a small, warm blob of sugar onto the end of a drinking straw and blowing into the other end. The results are promising. Curtis suggests using a sugar pump to inflate the orbs. That adjustment will be attempted on another day. “We intentionally position whimsical bite in the amuse slot, it tends to break the ice and make people laugh. It is a deliberate attempt to craft the experience by positioning the courses in a very pre-meditated order. A great deal of thought goes into the order of the courses, a misalignment may really take away from the meal as a whole.” For PB&J, the grapes are peeled while still on the vine and then dipped into unsweetened peanut butter. They are allowed to set–up, and then they are wrapped with a thin sheet of bread and lightly toasted. When the peeled grapes warm, they become so soft they mimic jelly. The composition is strangely unfamiliar in appearance but instantly reminiscent on the palate. PB&J is, according to Grant, virtually ready for service. There are a couple of aesthetic elements, which need minor tweaks but the Chef feels very good about today’s prototype. Chef John peels grapes while still on their stems Peeled grapes on their stems with peanut butter coating Chef Grant studies the completed PB&J in the Crucial Detail designed piece PB&J Often, creative impulses come by way of Alinea’s special purveyors. “Terra Spice’s support over the past couple of years has been unprecedented, and it has accelerated with the start of the food lab,” says Grant. “It is great to have relationships with people that think like we do, it can make the creative process so much easier. Often Phil, our contact at Terra, would come into the kitchen at Trio and encourage us to try and stump him on obscure ingredients. We always lost, but not from lack of trying. He even brought in two live chufa plants into the kitchen one day.” The relationship has developed and Terra team has really made an effort to not only search out products that the chefs ask for but also keep an eye out for new ingredients and innovations. In August, Phil brought by some samples of products that he thought the Alinea team might be interested in trying. Phil of Terra Spice showing the team some samples Coconut powder and other samples Grant recalls “the most surprising item to me was the dried coconut powder. When I put a spoonful in my mouth I could not believe the intense flavor and instant creamy texture, it was awesome.” That was the inspiration for what is now Instant Tropical Pudding. The guest is presented with a glass filled with dried ingredients. A member of the service team pours a measured amount of coconut water into the glass and instructs the guest to stir the pudding until a creamy consistency is formed. The rum-spiked coconut water being added to the powders At the end of the day, the Chefs assess their overall effort as having gone “fairly well.” It’s a mixed bag of results. Clearly, the fact that things have not gone perfectly on Day 1 has not dampened anyone’s spirits. The team has purposely attempted dishes of varying degrees of difficultly in order to maximize their productivity. Says Grant, “Making a bubble of caramel filled with powder…I have devoted the better part of fifteen years to this craft, I have trained with the best chefs alive. I have a good grasp of known technique. The lab's purpose is to create technique based on our vision. Sometimes we will succeed, and sometimes we will fail, but trying is what make us who we are." The team's measured evaluations of their day’s work reflect that philosophy. According to Chef Grant, “The purpose of the lab is to create the un-creatable. I know the level at which we can cook. I know the level of technique we already possess. What I am interested in is what we don't know...making a daydream reality.” With little more than 100 days on the calendar between now and Alinea’s opening, the Chef and his team will have their work cut out for them. =R= A special thanks to eGullet member yellow truffle, who contributed greatly to this piece

Admin: An archive of previous discussion on wd-50 may be found here. Has anyone visited WD-50 recently? Wylie had a table at the Time Out New York tasting two weeks ago and it was delicious! He was also very friendly. Has anyone had a recent experience they'd like to share? I'm thinking of making a reservation for next month.

Fax or email NOW. NO phone calls. The fax number is 972150717. The country code for Spain is 34. The email address is bulli@elbulli.com. Luis Garcia - the maitre d'hotel - and the one man solely responsible for The Book - officially starts the reservations tomorrow - October 15th. But I know for a fact that he's already started looking at the requests - we road tripped together down to an El Bulli chef's wedding Sunday morning. He had over 300 thousand requests last year for eight thousand places. Good luck.

I have been reading with interest about Heston Blumenthal's adventures in the field of Molecular Gastronamy. It seems fascinating that all types of ingredients are compatable even though they may seem to have absolutely no 'traditional' links. The use of garnish to embelish a drink, even though the scent provided is not present in the drink, is not a new idea (Mai Tai's & Sprigs of mint come to mind). But has anyone taken it to its logical conclusion and placed all of the modifying agents to a base spirit in the garnish? I heard of a mintless Julep which had a veritable forest of sprigs as a garnish for example. The other part of the top class molecular gastronomics which intregues me is the apparent depth of scientific analysis that goes into the creation of dishes. Is this information easily accessed or do you have to have a friendly molecular biologist handy? Could Molecular Mixology be a success? Cheers Ian

Any body have or use gellan and to what result akwa

On 'Richard and Judy' Wednesday evening Heston showed off two new ideas. The first was for the diner to wear earphones with microphone attached so as to experience the crunch of the food all the better. His idea was that it would be only used on one course. The second was fruit placed in a container with dry ice and then sealed for some time (up to 2 hours). The fruit, grapes, bananas, apples absorbed carbon dioxide and became efervescent when eaten. Richard and Judy found the fruit a fantastic experience but the earphones were just interesting.

I haven't been to the Brickskeller in years, but have tilted many a bottle in times past. Has anyone been here recently? Also, with such a large list of beers, is freshness ever an issue for the more obscure choices? Cheers (for real!), Rocks. P.S. Anyone tried the mussels? :-)

Well, there I was pushing my cart around the Mega Commercial in León and what should I spot but a bottle with Ferran Adria's photo on the label hanging round its neck. Or a series of bottles of flavored olive oil produced by the firm Borges. So seven bucks later, I am the proud owner of 200ml of chile and cardamom flavored oil. The web page suggests I try it over spinach. All in the interests of culinary research! I'll be curious to see how they sell, Rachel

I have to say designing the Alinea kitchen has been one of the most exciting experiences thus far in the opening of this restaurant. I have been fortunate to have been “raised” in some of the best kitchens in the country. When I arrived at the French Laundry in August 1996 the “new kitchen” had just been completed. Often times you would hear the man talk about the good old days of cooking on a residential range with only one refrigerator and warped out sauté pans with wiggly handles. When I started about 50% of the custom stainless steel was in place. The walls smooth with tile and carpet on the floors. I recall the feeling of anxiety when working for fear that I would dirty up the kitchen, not a common concern for most cooks in commercial kitchens. The French Laundry kitchen didn’t stop, it continued to evolve over the four years I was there. I vividly remember the addition of the custom fish/canapé stainless unit. Allowing the poissonier to keep his mise en place in beautiful 1/9 pan rails instead of the ice cube filled fish lugs. Each advancement in technology and ergonomics made the kitchen a more efficient and exacting machine. When I returned to the Laundry this past July for the 10th anniversary I was shocked that it had metomorphisized once again. The butcher room was now a sea of custom stainless steel low boys, the pot sink area was expanded, the walk-in moved, and an office added to the corner of the kitchen. The kitchen as I left it in June of 2001 was beautiful and extremely functional, of course it is even more so now. It is the relentless pursuit of detail and concise thought that allows the French Laundry kitchen to be one of the best for cooks to execute their craft…..16 hours a day. This was good motivation. When it came time to design my kitchen I drew on experiences at Trio, TFL and other kitchens I was familiar with to define the positives and negatives of those designs. We were faced with a 21x 44' rectangle. This space would not allow for my original kitchen design idea of four islands postioned throughout the kitchen, but ultimately gave way for the current design which I think is actually better than the original. But most the important aspect in shaping the final design was the cuisine. Due to the nature of food that we produce a typical layout with common equipment standards and dimensions do not work. Here is where the team drew on our experiences from Trio. By looking at the techniques we utilized we came to several conclusions. 1. A conventional range was not our main heat source. We do need the flat tops and some open burners for applications such as braising and limited stock work. But our overall use of this piece of equipment is somewhat low. Given that we wanted four open burners and two flat tops with two ovens I began to source out a reliable unit. We settled on the Molteni G230. 2. Upon analyzing our other heat source needs we decided to place a large focus on induction. By utilizing portable induction burners we are allowed the flexibility to give as much power as needed to a specific station in the kitchen. Obviously induction’s radiant heat is very low, and this allows us to keep the temperature in the kitchen reasonable, yet the power is quite high. 31,000 BTU's of highly controlable heat. But the main reason for choosing this flexible source of heat is the fact that each chef typically employed at least four different cooking applications on a given night. This huge flux in technique and the realization that the menu would change entirely in 8 weeks time meant that we had to design a kitchen that could evolve on a nightly basis. And last, we are very specific with temperatures; induction makes it easier for us to hold a liquid at a predetermined temperature for long periods of time without fluctuation. They operate between 85 and 500 degrees farenheit. We did a great deal of research on the different producers of induction and favored Cooktek. The fact that they are the only U.S manufacturer of commercial induction cooking equipment and located in Chicago made the decision easier. Their innovative approach to induction may prove to be even more exciting as we are already talking about new product development in the future. 3. a. The complexity of the presentations and a la minute plate-ups of the food require a great deal of surface area devoted to plating. This was one of the most critical factors in determining the basic shape of the kitchen. The size of some of today's popular plates, the amount detail in each composition, coupled with the fact that producing tasting menus vs. ala carte means sometimes large waves of same dish pick ups made it necessary for us to have over 44' of linear plating surface. b. Virtually nothing goes vertical above the 36” counter top in the space. All food, plates, equipment, and dry good storage are contained by under counter units. There are a few exceptions such as the infrared salamanders, the three-door refrigerator, and the hood. This allows all the cooks a clear line of communication between each other and the front staff. It allows me an easy sight line to survey the entire kitchen’s progress with a quick glance. Given these two points it seemed obvious that we needed to combine the two and create custom pieces that would fulfill both needs. Large spans of plating surfaces with all food and equipment storage below. As you can see we ended up with two 22’ long units. Each function as a pass and under counter storage. The building is 21’ wide wall to wall. This allowed us just enough space to create two lines on each exterior wall with their passes forming a 60” corridor for the pick up of plates and finishing of dishes. 4. We decided to add a station to the kitchen. At Trio we had five including: a. pastry b. cold garde manger c. hot garde manger d. fish e. meat Now that we had more space, and the ability to give each station multiple heat sources regardless of their location in the kitchen, we could spread the workload even further. We also realized it doesn’t make much sense to identify each station by classic French Bragade terms. A saucier did not solely cook meat with classic techniques and prepare various traditional stocks and sauces…in fact quite the opposite. This holds true with most of the stations, with the exception of pastry, but even they will have very unconventional techniques, menu placement and involvement in the kitchen systems. We will add a station that will be responsible for a large majority of the one-bite courses both sweet and savory. 5.Given the size constraints of the building we realized a walk-in would not be possible in the kitchen. If we were to have one it would be in the basement. Having experienced this at Trio we decided to design the kitchen without a walk-in, making up for the space in various lowboy locations and a three-door reach-in. I experienced the walk-in less environment when I worked at Charlie Trotter’s. It is certainly different, but as with most things if done properly it provides a very efficient environment. It works best in situations where fresh products are brought in daily for that days use. And prevents ordering in large quantities. It also provides us with very specific units to house different items. We will utilize the 3-door refrigerator to store the majority of the vegetables and herbs along with some staple mise en place, and items that cannot be made in very small quantities like stocks. Raw meat will have it’s own lowboys as well as fish, dairy, and all frozen products. 6. At Trio we found ourselves using the salamander a great deal. It is very useful for melting sugar, bringing on transparent qualities in things like fat and cheese, cooking items intensely on only one side, and it is a highly controllable non-direct heat source. Due to the air gap between the foodstuff and the heat elements the cook can control the degree of heat applied to the dish based on the technique he is using. It becomes a very versatile tool in the modern kitchen, so much so that we will install three Sodir infrared salamanders. Again, this is to insure that all the cooks have access to all of the techniques in the kitchen. As I said before it is important for our cooks to be able to sauté, simmer, poach, fry, grill, salamander, and freeze at the same time and sometimes for the same dish. We have a few unusual pieces of equipment in the kitchen; the most is probably a centrifuge. A few months ago Nick and I were driving home from a design meeting and ended up talking about signature dishes and menu repetition. Of course the black truffle explosion came up and he asked if I would have it on the menu at Alinea. I replied a firm no, but shortly thereafter said I would enjoy updating it. We threw around some tongue and cheek ideas like White Truffle Implosion, and Truffle Explosion 2005….I said it was a goal of mine to make a frozen ball with a liquid center….but then dismissed it as nearly impossible. Within a few minutes he said …”I got it…we need a centrifuge” His explanation was simple, place the desired liquid in a spherical mold and place on the centrifuge…place the whole thing in the freezer. Within days he had one in the test kitchen. I guess this is better suited for the kitchen lab topic that we will be starting in a few weeks… We are working on a upload of the kitchen blueprints. When those post I plan on going into more detail about certian aspects of the design. Doing so now would be pointless as the viewer does not have a reference point.

Has anyone seen the October issue of Bon Appetit? DC's own Jose Andres was named Chef of the Year. Previous winners include Thomas Keller, certainly not bad company to keep. It seems to me that this recognition is a great thing, not just for Jose, but for DC restaurants as well.

As I mentioned before the idea to name a restaurant Alinea was born nearly three years ago. During a post-service meeting the group was discussing symbolism, and how we could apply it to signify our cuisine. One of the chefs went home and did some thorough research on the subject, returning the next day with the symbol you see above. I liked it, and after he read me the definition I knew eventually I would use that symbol and name as the identity for my restaurant. As the project came to fruition I discussed the facets with Martin and asked him what aspects he would be interested in working on. The identity of the restaurant was one of them. At this point we had been working together for one year and I felt very comfortable with Martin’s knowledge of my cuisine. He had eaten at Trio and was obviously very active in the development of dishes through the service pieces. It was my desire to produce an image that would translate the philosophy and very meaning of the restaurant we were creating. That being said I felt Martin's understanding of the goal would make him the perfect person to realize it graphically. I have culled various conversations amongst myself, Martin and Nick during the process of developing the identity. They will appear in quotes as well as commentary from each of us now. I have also inserted images of concepts we have had along the way. These do not represent the final identity of Alinea, it in fact is still being worked on and we will add updates as the project matures. These images are however in chronological order to better show the evolution of the process. I the initial stages I was naive about the complexity of creating an identity, especially this one. I thought it would be very easy, we already had a symbol… but that in fact is where it got difficult. The existing symbol bore no relation to Alinea the restaurant. It had definitive meaning, which is why it was chosen to begin with, but the image did not convey the essence of the restaurant. In fact after looking at several restaurants logos I became even more at a loss as to what a logo is. Does the logo define the identity of the restaurant? Does the restaurant give meaning to the logo? Does it matter? The more I became aware of symbolism the more I realized most businesses take it for granted. Martin: “Logo is not an identity and identity is not a logo, identity is a message, emotion, impression, reflecting the essence. It is not just a piece of information, it’s a living, breathing organism, a creature.” As you can see from the samples above I was very fixed on the literal shape of the original symbol. Martin improved its asethetic but we decided it still didn’t project Alinea, as we knew it. Nick: "Ok. So when is a logo a symbol... when does it become identity, and what are the limitations of that representation? I contend two things... first, that there is a nearly infinite variety of shapes and forms that the Alinea can take and still be recognized by "family resemblance" --- for example, how does a toddler know that an 'a' is an 'a' is an 'A" is an italic a, an a of a different font etc. In fact, one could argue, no two a's are exactly alike and yet they convey the same meaning. So, I would say that we could stretch, manipulate, and otherwise change a traditional Alinea into something that would only be vaguely recognizable but still honor that and have enough family resemblance to be a brother or a distant cousin of that simple traditional Alinea." It is sometimes difficult for chefs to analyze their work and even to understand it fully…it comes so naturally it’s hard to pinpoint…let alone describe in a philosophic visual language. However, it seemed like this is what we needed to move forward with this project. The next round continued on a very literal representation of the message I was trying to convey to Martin. The symbol superimposed onto a plate. Although visually appealing we felt it carried unnecessary information (the plate) and lacked the complete understanding of Alinea. It became apparent that in order to create a logo that expressed the personality of the restaurant the way we wanted it to, much more thought was required. Martin: “I have eaten your food and that is perhaps the best way you can articulate your vision. But I would like you to try articulating your concept for Alinea verbally or graphically. Try to articulate attributes (there is room for some poetry and metaphor here). What is Alinea’s purpose, where does it stand in relationship to everything surrounding it? What sets it apart from other restaurants that will make people come and appreciate it?” This proved to be very difficult for me personally. I felt at times the appropriate language did not exist to describe the definitions of what Alinea will meant to me… through the food, atmosphere, the overall experience that will be created. Describe the emotional state of excitement, intrigue, and happiness with out getting out the thesaurus and using more words…words are inefficient..they don’t work. The cuisine I can describe. Several adjectives were thrown around, from the literal “I think the logo should be crisp…our presentations are very crisp”…to the more philosophical…creative, contemporary, avant garde. All of this seemed to be helping. Not only was Martin gaining a better perspective on how I think but also I was learning a great deal by studying myself. Martin: "I know we did brush upon this but I don’t think we really got beyond vague, non-descriptive terms. Is the fact that the cuisine is cutting edge sufficient as a restaurant concept? What I see as my contribution, is aiding in finding the visual means (and executing them) for articulating that vision, but the vision has to be communicated by non-visual means first." Here are some samples of concepts from round three. As we moved forward the concepts became more complex. Not the symbols per se but their relation to the fonts, their positioning to express lightness, and some of the superimposing. It is clear that this round was the result of me repeating the need to project modernity. Although we all viewed this as a giant step forward the conclusion was drawn that the symbols captured forward thinking, but left the viewer feeling slightly cold. It was the essence of several of the objectives but was still missing something as a whole. In an email conversation I had with Nick he said the following that really made me understand what we were trying to accomplish.. Nick: “To me, identity occurs when there exists a unique set of facts. Facts in the sense of points of note that are real, concrete, and unique. When a particular arrangement happens of these facts -- a unique pattern of them -- you have an identity. You don't create that at all... it happens all the time, every time. If it is recognizable, it is an identity. We will create an identity for Alinea by default and it will be far more than the logo, the menu, or anything else... it will be as Martin said the grouping of all of these things.” We knew we wanted a manipulated version of the classic symbol that was our own. So we started ripping the experience apart in order to apply the core meaning to the symbol visually. This would not only show a state of evolution but help personalize the symbol...aligning the experience of Alinea with that of the symbol's definition. Martin’s comments below became particularly valuable… "To me, the contrast between a tasting menu and entree is in that sense minimal, it is not a question of choices, the difference is in the wealth of the experience. Where the tasting menu is a journey and the entree is a place. You can experience the exact same place in different ways just by reorganizing the journey. That’s what I find interesting. The restaurant is somewhere where you go to experience the journey, this restaurant at least. That is a part of what the identity should convey. Motion I think is important to convey, define wealth without using a shortcut or an attribute of wealth (which will be misleading). A wealth of experience opposed to a wealth in material. And still make it understandable to the audience, at least to some degree. I think the ripple effect is symbolic of the experience the restaurant should offer - it is not a static idea, it is intended to change and grow, the ripples are symbolic of an action exponentially growing on its own. All the restaurants seem to try to simplify the message. But what I think is attractive about the experience is the change, the motion, action. How do you define something which in essence is an evolution?" In reaction to this dialog Martin submitted round four. Here is a sampling below: After seeing the concepts of motion I knew we were on the right track. It was exactly the visual cue I was looking for to explain the constant state of evolution the Alinea team pocesses. It adds great aesthetic appeal and gives the identity a high level of complexity. For the next round I wanted to incorporate the symbol in manipulated way. I liked this symbol from the previous round and Martin and I discussed applying movement to it. It was just as Nick had said weeks earier...It is a far cry from the original symbol but it still carries the meaning of it, and communicates Alinea very well through its form. Then next round followed: After this round Nick and I agreed that we felt the symbol itself needed more depth.... Nick: ".....to use some difference in tones on some of the Alinea's to give them depth -- in the curvature -- etc. For example, if that new age logo that Martin presented had some gray tones in it so that the roundness had depth, that would be a good thing -- and make it more sophisticated I think. I agreed and asked Martin specifically to comment on extruding.. “As I mentioned I would like to see some more depth or dimension applied to the symbol..... You mentioned not liking the weighted look and said that you didn’t feel it applied to our cuisine...could you explain that?” Martin: "What I see as symbolizing your work is motion, transformation, lightness, whimsy and intrigue. Not materiality. Anything extruded, suggesting volume, feels to me as heavy, immobile, lacking all of the above. It doesn't combine well for that reason. Depth and dimension don't necessarily have to translate into a volumetric illusion. A feather slowly swaying as it falls expresses lightness, grace, symbolizes the travels of the bird; but a feather on a hat is a decoration, a dead relic of a bird, a trophy. Definition and material presence defy intrigue there. And I feel in a similar way in regards to your identity. Volumetric illusion quantifies something that in my eyes is not quantifiable in your case. We are talking about a state of mind, not a material state. When I said I felt strongly about 6_2_3 and 6_2_5 it was because, besides being visually interesting, what happens there conveys what I believe we're trying to say the best of all the work we have done to this point. While there is a symbol of a material object - a plate - it doesn't pretend to be a plate, it remains a symbol." I preferred showing vertical motion as opposed to horizontal so Martin retooled the one of the concepts to show this. I really like the results. He also included a variation of 6_2_3 that I felt strongly about as well. At this point I felt like the process had come to point a strong confidence that we were getting close to the final concept. I asked Martin to comment on color. In a conversation with Nick he mentioned how difficult it is to view the images in black and white. I agreed and suggested it really isn’t a true representation of the existing personality that each concept is displaying. On Aug 20, 2004, at 11:27 AM, grant achatz wrote: What is your suggestion for colors? Do you feel the color of the cards etc..need to be the same as the colors in the restaurant? I like a cloudy clear vellum as the base with the symbol in black it’s blur various shades of gray and the font a stainless. Thoughts? Grant. His reply: "Color is a very important factor and we will deal with it more in depth once we have a more definite direction as far as the symbol goes. Perhaps you could think about and write your thoughts on the significance of colors and your personal preferences. I don't think the colors need to be really reflected in or a reflection of the restaurant's interior." this email followed shortly after.. "As a next step for the process of introducing color into the identity process and understanding your color preference that goes beyond the logo, I would like you to send me a selection of photos (regardless of the subject) that you find attractive color-wise. I can analyze the spectrum and send you back color schemes to look at. For example below are 16 color combinations derived from the photos we took at Trio of the tripod, squid and an antenna (obviously, they're rather monotone). Generally, this is a good way to find a fairly harmonious color combination. If you could find some images you like, it would help me see your real color preferences, most people don't think about the colors much, especially not about color juxtaposition. This is one of the ways to expose it." That just about catches us up to the present state of identity. The manipulations on the symbol reflected below are the latest attempt to manipulate the symbol to our satisfaction. I suspect another round from Martin very soon adressing some thoughts we had last week. The Alinea identity is not yet complete. We will add to this topic as we conceptulize more. I suspect there is enough material here to create a good conversation about identity in general and specifically Alinea's identity evolution.

Just went to Niagara Falls today and visited a couple of Niagara on the Lake wineries too. Had no idea which ones were good when going. So was just wondering what are everyone's favourite wineries for the Niagara region?

Hi All, We hope that you are enjoying The Alinea Project. The Alinea Project is intended to provide a rare and uniquely interactive view of the behind-the-scenes elements of opening a restaurant--a restaurant which will push the very definition of what a restaurant is. A few logistical notes... For now, only Chef Grant and his team will have the ability to start threads. Once they start a thread, eGullet members will have an opportunity to respond with applicable follow-up questions. A 'general discussion' thread has been created to accomodate all other discussion of The Alinea Project and its tangents. Some questions presented in this forum will be answered therein, some will be split into topics of their own and some, due to time constraints, may not be addressed at all. Please, let's keep personal matters, resume requests and commercial offers out of the mix here. While we understand the genuine enthusiasm and sincerity behind such posts, for the benefit of the forum as a whole, they should not be made here. Such matters are best presented directly to the Alinea team. Please use the email link at Alinea's web site for any such inquiries. Thanks and please, enjoy the ride. =R=

In November of 2002 I decided to pursue the development of service ware to support the cuisine we were producing. This process was initiated by one dish; we wanted to present a frozen sucker of unusual flavors. The making of the actual dish seemed easy…basically pick a flavor. But finding the appropriate holder proved very difficult. It was this difficulty that forced us to entertain the thought of building are own. I contacted over 30 designers via email explaining my desire to produce service pieces based on function as the priority as opposed to aesthetics. Pieces would be built around the food, supporting the dish based on its characteristics. Of the 30 designers I contacted only one replied, Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail. We bounced emails back and forth for a period of time, as we got to know each other’s desire to be involved in this collaboration the process developed into more than just a holder for a frozen sucker. As you can see Martin proposed several solutions before we settled on the final form. He suggested that the sphere of ice had enough strength to support three pivoting legs. The legs would become the holder, and when squeezed they would collapse to form the utensil from which the pop would be eaten. We realized that the service of food has remained basically the same for the last 200 years. Looking at how cuisine had developed in the last ten years it became obvious that the need to support the food functionally and emotionally was crucial to the success of the cuisine itself. The involvement of the serving pieces and actual eating utensils plays an enormous role in the emotions that guests can experience while dining. The pieces can add humor, surprise, intrigue, excitement and even a sense of intimidation to the meal. When these emotions are triggered, it leaves a very personal stamp on the experience based on the individual’s reactions. I realized the synergy of food and the serving pieces helps the chef convey the message to the guest. A personalized emotional experience is created, solidifying a meal into a form of art. As food has advanced in technique it has at times become more difficult to serve. For example we wanted to create palate cleanser that was a single bite of intensely flavored ice. I wanted the food to quickly melt on the palate as opposed to the normal sorbet course. We created an ice chip the size of a half dollar and about 3 mm thick. This rapid dissolving is the essence of a palate cleanser…if its purpose is to refresh do you really want multiple bites? One bite…an intense clearing that lacks time and monotony is what we decided this course should be. The problem was finding something that we could serve this very thin ice chip on. This led to the creation of the eye. Of course sight is essential to conveying emotion and in all of the pieces developed we look at the aesthetic value. But in some cases the final form is very dramatic. This is the case of the squid. Upon the creation of the Tempura Shrimp cranberry, preserved lemon, vanilla fragrance we found it necessary to present the composition in an upright position. This would give the guest a visual cue as to how to eat the dish, lowering the end into their mouth while keeping the vanilla bean vertical. Since the dish was tempura fried it was necessary to provide air circulation to avoid steam from softening the exterior. All of these attributes lead to the design of a very dramatic piece that executes the function but also adds a high level of visual appeal. During the course of developing these pieces we made conscious efforts to create pieces that would change the mechanics of eating. The repetition of lifting a piece of silverware to ones mouth seemed unnecessary in some cases, and this thought lead Martin to the antenna concept. The goal was to eliminate the need for a plate and utensils with the exception of the skewer itself. It becomes the only vehicle in the process of preparation, serving, and consumption of the course. Additionally it controls the way the three different components of the dish hit the palate due to their position on the skewer. This helps us achieve complexity in flavor and texture. After several discussions about serving pieces and what we were trying to achieve, Martin approached me with a concept that involved hiding the food. This had been done before; we have all experience the dramatic lifting of a cloche…revealing the food underneath. But what about taking that a step further? Hold the surprise of what was “underneath” until it was on the guest’s palate. We have been working on the pouch since March. This service piece could help us provide a great sense of excitement and intrigue when a given course is served. This concept has not yet been completed. As you can see we started with a few approaches and it has evolved into something quite different. The bow was designed specifically to hang foodstuffs that had characteristics of lightness, motion, and delicacy. Rather than lie a thinly sliced piece of cured duck breast or a piece of savory vegetable leather on a plate, we could give the food dimension.... and encourage movement by creating a piece that swayed slightly when transported and placed on the table. It has become quite typical in high-end restaurants to serve small bites on spoons propped up on folded napkins. I wanted to create a plate that would support the spoon from the bowl not the handle. When Martin presented me with images of the antiplate I knew it was perfect. The simplicity and scale of the piece draws attention to the food and at the same time makes it very easy for the guest to pick up the utensil. I am going to hold this image back for a period, we will insert it later. We have more pieces in development, as they mature I will add them to this thread.

Moderator Note...this question has been split off from the general discussion thread so that it can be addressed specifically. I had a question that I think goes more to the practical aspects of starting ANY restaurant, but which I think may also raise interesting questions about THIS one in particular. As a disclaimer, I understand that much of the answer may be 'confidential' so don't be afraid to say "none of your beeswax." And feel free to answer as generally or specifically as you'd like. How does one go about arranging financing for such an operation? What percentage is your 'own' money and how much is outside equity and how much is financed? How did you did you decide on the needed amount of start-up capital? Did you form a close-corporation or is it a partnership? Who did you look to for financing? Is it people you know and are close to or did you go through an organization that matches investors to projects? Do they (the investors) have any input on the creative process or did they hand over money and say "go to it" no strings attached? How does this project differ from other, more "conventional," restaurant start-ups? Like I said, I know this a fairly confidential-type question, but for many of us who are outsiders to the process these are questions that you never see answered. But if I were considering opening a restaurant (which I'm not) I would definitely want to know before I ever even started. I guess I wanted to start this thread at the very beginning of the project because I know at this point the project has been on-going for a few months now, so I wanted to try to catch up to 'where we are today.' ps. good luck, this project sound phenomenal and I'm looking forward to seeing what the food lab churns out? Is there a plan for pictures of the results??

Fellow members of eGullet, it is with great pleasure that we launch this forum. Here is where we will discuss our continuing coverage of Alinea, as it progresses to its opening in early 2005. We hope you enjoy the coverage and please...let's discuss =R=

Sometime this week, at an undisclosed location in the city of Chicago, Chef Grant Achatz begins the next leg of his journey to open his new restaurant, Alinea. Grant will christen the 'food lab' where the menu for Alinea will be developed. eGullet will be trailing Grant and his team throughout the process -- not just in the food lab but through every facet of the launch. Over the next six months, we will follow the Alinea team as they discover, develop, design and execute their plan. We'll document behind-the-scenes communications, forwarded directly to us by the Alinea team. We will be on the scene, bringing regular updates to the eGullet community. And Grant will join us in this special Alinea forum to discuss the process of opening Alinea. eGullet members will have the opportunity to ask Grant, and several other members of the Alinea team, questions about the development of the restaurant. A Perfect Pairing? By the time he was 12 years old, Grant Achatz knew that he would someday run his own restaurant. The story of Alinea is the story of Grant's personal development as a chef and a leader. Grant was brought up in a restaurant family. He bypassed a college education in favor of culinary school, after which he ascended rapidly to the position of sous chef for Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Yountville, California. In 2001, Grant took the helm of Trio in Evanston, Illinois, which had previously turned out such noted chefs as Gale Gand, Rick Tramanto (Tru) and Shawn McClain (Spring, Green Zebra). In 2003 Grant won the James Beard Foundation's "Rising Star Chef" award, and other prestigious awards followed. By 2004, Grant was recognized as one of the most influential and unique voices on the international culinary scene. In January 2004, Grant met Nick Kokonas, a successful entrepreneur who was so obsessed with haute cuisine that he had traveled the world in search of it. After globe-trekking specifically to eat at such culinary meccas as Alfonso 1890, Taillevent, Arpège, Arzak, and the French Laundry, Nick was in near disbelief when he realized that the "best food in the world was 10 minutes from my house." Nick had not previously consideredbacking a restaurant, even though he has both relatives and friends in the industry. But in Grant, he saw an opportunity to help create something great. Through Grant's cuisine, a bond formed between the two men. So inspired was Nick by Grant's culinary ideas that he returned to Trio almost monthly. Finally, he challenged two of his friends, one from New York and the other from San Francisco, to fly to Chicago and experience Trio. He wanted to prove definitively to his skeptical, coastal buddies that Trio was the best and most important restaurant in the country, assuring them that "if the meal at Trio isn't the best meal you've ever had, I'll pay for your meals and your flights." Nick won his bet: his friends were blown away. Later that night, after service, Grant joined Nick and his guests at their table. The men chatted about a variety of topics and in the '14 wines' haze of the late evening, they discussed Blue Trout and Black Truffles: The Peregrinations of an Epicure, Joseph Wechsberg's gastronomic memoir. The next day, Grant emailed Nick to ask again about the title of the book they had discussed. Not only did Nick remind him, but, within a few days, sent Grant a copy of Wechsberg's book. A friendship was born. Shortly thereafter, Grant sentNick his business plan for Alinea, sending an email after evening service. By the following morning Nick had read it and replied with his own enthusiastic amendments. With a burgeoning friendship already in place, trust developing between the two men and proof they could work together crystallizing before their eyes, it became clear that they would become a team. Says Grant, "I think most people, in a lot of ways, look for themselves in other people in order to match with and I think to a large degree, the reason why we get along so well is that our personalities align very well." Nick felt the same way. "It's one of those situations where everything just lined up right. I had the interest, I'd started a number of different businesses and I felt like it would be an opportunity to work with someone who I'd get along with very well. I wouldn't want to build a restaurant just to build a restaurant and I doubt I'll ever develop some other restaurant. I think this is the right situation at the right time." Grant adds, "I think we're both very driven and passionate people. So for me, it was about finding someone I could trust, someone that I knew was going to think like me, be as motivated or more motivated than me. Those things were very, very important--and something I hadn't seen--or something I didn't believe in--that I saw in Nick." Nick continues, "I think a lot people come to a chef with their pre-existing vision of the restaurant they want to build. I didn't even want to build a restaurant before I saw his vision, so it wasn't like I was saying 'I'm building this restaurant and I want you to be my chef' -- it was more like 'I think you should build a restaurant, what can I do to help you build it?'" Grant would have the additional supportive backing he'd need and Nick would have another venture -- and one he solidly believed in -- in which to direct his business acumen. It's All About The Container Anyone who's eaten Grant's cuisine at Trio knows that he is intensely concerned with food and the optimal ways to prepare and serve it. His dishes innovate in flavor; they challenge, tease and delight the senses. But Grant is also driven to innovate in service and technique, constantly seeking new vehicles to deliver sensations to the diner. He works closely with a trusted collaborator, Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail in San Diego, CA to create original service pieces for many of his dishes. And as Grant has searched for additional ways to expand the continuity of the dining experience, it has become clear to him that it starts before the diner even gets to the restaurant's front door. According to Grant, "You can pull it back as far as you want. The experience is going to start before someone even picks up the phone to make a reservation to this restaurant. It's going to be about their perceptions; why are they picking up the phone to make a reservation? What did they see? What did they read? What's leading them up to that point? They call to make a reservation, that's another experience. The drive to get to this neighborhood is another experience. The minute they open their door and take one step out of their car, now they're surrounded by another experience." Advancing the functional elements of how food is served is an innate part of the cooking process for Grant, who seeks to render the traditional boundaries of dining obsolete. When asked what he will be able to accomplish at Alinea that he couldn't accomplish at Trio, Grant says, "the obvious is to create the container in which we create the experience. I think that's the very exciting thing for me that I've never been able to have a part in." For Grant, a restaurant's physical space represents the ultimate container and the ultimate personal challenge. The result should break new ground in the world of fine dining. Grant and Nick are intense and competitive. In both their minds, "crafting a complete experience" is the primary focus of Alinea. According to Nick, "the whole idea is to produce an experience where the food lines up with the décor, which lines up with the flow through the restaurant and from the moment you get, literally, to the front door of the place and you walk in, your experience should mirror in some respects--and complement in others--the whole process you're going to go through when you start eating." Grant takes it a step further. "It's about having a central beacon from which everything else emanates and therefore, it's seamless. The whole experience is crafted on one finite point and if everything emanates from that point, then there's no chance that the experience can be interrupted." The search for Alinea's space further reflects not only their shared philosophy but also their separate intensities. Says Nick, "One of the things we felt really strongly about, and we both came to it, was that we wanted it to be a 'stand alone' building because if you're in something else you can't help but take on some of that identity. And it's really difficult to find the right size building in the right kind of location, with the right kind of construction that was suitable for the identity of Alinea." Nick and Grant drove down every street within a chosen geographical band, armed with a giant map and a set of green, yellow and red markers. Once they had found a set of acceptable streets, they asked a realtor to show them every space available on them. "Once we did find the building," says Grant, "whichever space we would have chosen, we would have analyzed and considered each different aspect to provoke a certain emotion, a very controlled emotion depending on how we wanted it arranged. But I also think that we wanted the neighborhood to feel a certain way, the street to feel a certain way. Is it like Michigan Avenue where I have people 4-deep, walking straight down the sidewalk, non-stop, all day and all night or is it more of a tranquil environment outside? All those things were spinning around and once you identify the golden egg, then you have to go find it." While they would probably never admit it, each innovation, each step they take together in building their venture serves as yet another a opportunity for the Alinea team to challenge the restaurant's competitors. Their attention to all the details provides countless opportunities to distinguish Alinea from other restaurants. Here the two men can share in the creation, combining their diverse skills and experiences into a unified and shared vision. Alinea will be their baby. They want it to be the best --not just the best food -- but the best everything. They even want the experience of calling for a reservation to be a memorable one. The Path From Here In that spirit, the Alinea food lab opens this week. Grant refuses to promote even one of his legendary creations to 'signature dish' status. Instead of populating Alinea's menu with previous favorites from Trio or 'trial' dishes that have been only roughly tested, Grant and his team will take six months to devise, develop and perfect the dishes and delivery modes that will appear on Alinea's opening menu. When the idea of maintaining a kitchen staff for six months before the restaurant's opening was presented to its investors, in spite of the additional expense, "it seemed like a no-brainer" according to Nick. Grant is an equity partner--a true chef/owner--in the venture and there is a solid consensus among all the backers about the priority of his vision. * * * * * In addition to being one of today's foremost chefs and culinary innovators, Grant Achatz is a long-time member of eGullet, and a lively, provocative contributor to our discussion forums. Read his March, 2003 eGullet Q&A here. Photos courtesy Alinea eGullet member, yellow_truffle, also contributed to this report