Alex and Aki, Ideas in Food

[dagordon]

Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas and Food are now near Philly -- they have set up a cutting-edge workshop is in Levittown, PA.

Web site:

http://www.ideasinfood.com/

Blog:

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/

They're actually doing a dinner this Saturday, September 12, and their Levittown workshop. But for all of their talents in the kitchen, they kind of suck at the PR. It's easy to miss the thread on their blog announcing the dinner:

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2009/08/september-12-2009.html

Word is that they have 4 seats still open. Figured all of you might be interested.

Oh, recent Citypaper article about them: http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2009/08/27/ideas-in-food-ice-cream

[percyn]

I'd be there if I wasn't going to the shore this weekend.

Based on their blog and a StudioKitchen collaboration dinner, I certainly want to have an opportunity to try their new place out.

[docsconz]

I wish that I could be there. In lieu of the canceled dinner at SK this past Friday night, we spent the evening with A&A. If you haven't tried their cooking and have the opportunity to do so, you must! Their workshop is very charming, too.

[dagordon]

I figured I'd write about the last Ideas in Food / StudioKitchen in this thread, as this one was at Alex and Aki's place.

Well, that reminds me that I never wrote about the dinner on Sept 12! It was fantastic, and I'll post a menu shortly.

We were at the Saturday (Oct 3) dinner. The following pictures are from Shola's blog, and they're from the Friday dinner, but with a couple of small exceptions they're faithful to what we had.

Hiramasa

broken french breakfast radishes, crab applesauce

Peanut Pumpkin

roasting jus, harbourne blue (it's doña engracia cheese in the pic form the first night, I think)

Matsutake Mushrooms and Bartlett Pears

Chestnut Soup

gala apples, bacon bits

Warm Hiramasa

vadouvan, eggplant

Russet Potato Gnocchi

parsley, tender garlic, powdered raclette

Twice Cooked Scallop

chorizo, black cabbage, beef fat consomme

Whey Poached Beef Strip Loin

braised shank, red cabbage: minced and pureed

Adelegger 17 Month

yellow tomato jam

Apple Pie and Coffee

There was not a weak dish in this lineup; my least favorite was probably the Peanut Pumpkin, and it was merely delicious. The Matsutakes, the Chestnut Soup, the Gnocchi, the Scallop, the Beef, and the "Apple Pie and Coffee" were to my tastes the standouts -- flawless, and some of the most memorable dishes I've had anywhere in recent memory. In particular, this was the first grass-feed beef I've had that I've actually liked (and, in fact, it was outstanding, though how much of this was due to the quality of the product itself and how much was due to the royal treatment it got is unclear to me). With all due respect to Shola's photo skills, IMHO the picture of the beef dish doesn't nearly do it justice.

The "Apple Pie and Coffee" -- what a way to end the meal. The ice cream tasted more like apple pie than any apple pie I've ever had. It was almost spooky. This was one of the most memorable desserts I've had, anywhere, ever.

This dinner was a lot of fun, both in terms of food (and wine) and company.

[mrbigjas]

i loved that scallop. i get so tired of seared/raw scallops; the double cooking was exactly what i'm looking for.

and i couldn't get over the flavor of the beef. so much of what is associated with great beef flavor is the salty/charred outside, and this had almost none of it, and yet it came through in spades.

the hiramasa and eggplant dish was a standout as well.

[tim e]

Ideas in Food will cook at Blackfish in Conshohocken on Monday, November 2. From the Blackfish mailing list:

Please come and join us at Blackfish Restaurant for our guest Chef's Tasting Menu from Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa from "Ideas In Food" on Monday November 2nd 2009 starting at 6.00PM. It will be a 7 courses tasting menu for $85.00 per person (not including tax and gratuity).

Please call for reservation : 610.397.0888 (Reservations are not available online).

Edited to add:

The menu's been posted on their blog.

Edited October 9, 2009 by tim e (log)

[twodogs]

wanted to say a few seats are still available for next monday's dinner at blackfish restaurant where we are cooking with Chip and his team

A

[tim e]

Alex, the dinner at Blackfish was outstanding. It was my wife's birthday so the meal was extra special, and we enjoyed meeting you.

All of the courses were great, but we particularly enjoyed the smoked pumpkin ice cream with roe, the risotto, the chestnut tortellini in the scallop course and the powdered Pierre Robert.

The 2004 Domaine Barmes-Buecher Tokay Pinot Gris Rosenberg Silicis, procured from Moore Brothers, paired well with all of the savory courses (and was gone by the time the cheese course arrived).

We also sat next to Nick, aka Foodie at Fifteen -- it was fun to meet him and talk with him with throughout the meal.