Trio restaurant, Evanston

[RyneSchraw]

Maybe the first question to ask is: "Can a region define a personality?" If so, it's probably the case that personality can define regionalism. Is Adria sui generis? Or is he a product of the restless inventiveness and striving that has gripped Spain in the past couple of decades, as it has modernized at breakneck speed? I tend to think the latter: I have no doubt he is a unique and brilliant individual, but I see him as a product of a regional culture. On the one hand, I can't see an Adria emerging in France. Gagnaire, for all his brilliance, is a different phenomenon. On the other hand, I'm ashamed that no Adria emerged first in the United States, because I think the Adria personality is clearly compatible with the American spirit. But I suppose at the fine-dining level we were too firmly in the grips of French culinary tradition for it to happen, and we were also limited by the palates of American consumers. Trio is likely to be, as an academic matter, a pivotal restaurant in United States culinary history. Thus, how it defines itself is particularly important. It may be a unique opportunity to say that France is the past, and something else is the future.

Oops! I read Steven's point about Adrià wrong the first time around (it's always amusing to go back and read one's own posts a few days later, especially if they were typed up at 2 am.) Anyhow, it makes much better sense now ...sorry.

As to Adrià being a product of the Costa Brava region in Spain, I think it's almost more a matter of him being supported by that region. There are definitely a lot of Spanish influences in the food he does and he is frequently compared (creatively) to Spanish artist Salvador Dali, who I think lived 30 or so minutes from where el Bulli is located, but I think it more comes down to the fact that Adrià couldn't have done what he has if he had been doing it out of France in the late '80s/early '90s. At that point his style of cooking was entirely unique and he was the only one doing anything close to it, so it had to be somewhat isolated from the mainstream of fine dining (which was of course French then, and still French now). As to whether a lot of that creativity was fueled on by his location and environment, I'd be curious to find out...maybe this is touched on in the el Bulli 1998-2002 book, because all I really have read is that he started washing dishes so he could continue to hang around the beach and drink beer and eventually moved into the kitchen with no previous interest in food at all, and here he is today, completely self-taught and doing, well, what he does... And even after the inevitable happened -- the success and influence of Adrià's style causing it to spread into the mainstream and to other chefs and other restaurants around the world, with Adrià himself playing a huge part in that by being so open about sharing his knowlege -- he continues to move forward and maintain a style that is uniquely his, while also inspiring a lot of young chefs to go on after their stages or meals at el Bulli and do something that is uniquely theirs. Maybe this is Adrià's real genius and what makes him so exceptional, rather than any of his individual technical breakthroughs? I really can't say...still need to eat there, or at least see the cookbook and new menus (which will hopefully will be on eGullet shortly after the place reopens this year...) Either way, in these cases I think it is true that it is the personality of the chef that defines regionalism (although it does seem hard to call it that, since we aren't talking concrete regions anymore.) Instead of the specific dishes or ingredients of a certain location, we are really talking about a specific mindset here, which is why in the end "avant-garde" is so much more fitting than, say, French or Spanish.

Edited March 21, 2003 by RyneSchraw (log)

[ballast_regime]

from the looks of it, there are geographical and cultural pockets of the culinary avant garde dispersed all over this planet at ostensibly random points: barcelona, the american midwest, with single restaurants dotting major cities. as a nascent movement, i see a lot of similarities between these individuals and/or institutions. ferran adria, along with his many disciples in barcelona, is certainly at the forefront of this culinary revolution. there additionally exists people like kenneth oringer, paul liebrandt, pierre gagnaire, grant achatz, heston blumenthal, roxanne klein, wylie dufresne, and a handful of others that embrace such a forward-thinking outlook to whatever degree (e.g., the boys at blue hill, michel bras, marc veyrat, charlie trotter, or perhaps alain passard). there are some similarities between every name mentioned: they tend to defy traditional techniques, either by inventing a new lexicon (adria) or by melding old and new (trotter, aduriz, arzak); conventional wisdom is chucked out the window concerning the dining experience (liebrandt), if only slightly modified (achatz); and there seems to be the underlying motivation that what they are doing is something completely different, something fresh and never-seen-before.

i don't know what the future holds for this burgeoning movement, since there are not a lot of outlets for each of the participants to share their ideas. (international meetings for the world of molecular gastronomy have provided common stomping grounds.) there will always be that loose network that has been in place for centuries: word-of-mouth, friend-of-a-friend, person-to-person exchanges, but these types of interactions are limited and piecemeal. newer means of communication have provided more expedient ways of bringing people together; we're using one this very minute. i suspect that despite whatever category this movement uses to pigeonhole itself with, it might always (and sadly) remain a subculture, as fat guy has pointed out, since most people's eating habits in industrialized countries are defined by corporate food industries that rely on monocrop agroexports and the prepackaging of flavored, rarely nutritive "foods."

there is cause for hope, and it's found in many fledgling movements: slow foods, the culinary avant garde, community-based agriculture, and the network of concerned people that type furiously every day about culinary inanities. my hope is that people like chef achatz can gather enough critical mass to cast a long enough shadow so future generations will be influenced to eat smartly, healthily, sustainably, and perhaps radically.

i think everybody's thoughts on this topic have been very insightful and refreshing.

ian lowe

ballast/regime

[Fat Guy]

there are geographical and cultural pockets of the culinary avant garde dispersed all over this planet at ostensibly random points

There has been some interesting media coverage recently about the slow recognition, over the years, that many of the best medical specialists and facilities -- especially when it comes to newer, high-tech procedures -- are no longer in the major cities that have traditionally dominated medicine. I think we may be seeing something similar going on with avant garde cuisine. Yes, Pierre Gagnaire and Phillipe Conticini are working out of Paris. But the seemingly random non-Paris non-New-York examples are the ones that I find interesting. Perhaps this is just the natural progression of things, and the seeming randomness can be explained mostly by what those locations are not: the usual suspects.

[Michael Laiskonis]

That was a great post Ian. I'm not sure whether you were referring to the "networking" of the dining public, or chefs, but I was actually struggling to adaquately pose a similar question while the Achatz Q&A was still active... In what ways are chefs at this level of development communicating with one another?

There are, of course the conventional methods of interaction- the opportunities to meet and cook with other chefs at numerous events around the country (and, of course, the world), sending young cooks to do "stages", and simply getting out and eating in these restaurants. The more I progress in my own thinking, the more "awareness" I gain, I just don't have much use for the traditional food media any more. Its coverage of such chefs is, at best, merely anecdotal and out of date, and at worst, mocking and trivial. And that is why I'm so drawn in and inspired by the idea of eGullet. This site (and I hope more will follow) has a unique opportunity to revolutionize, in some small way, not only the communication between chefs, but also the cultivation of and rapport with the dining public.

The idea of chefs networking and the exchange of ideas is one that increasingly interests me. And more so, considering, as Fat Guy noted, that "innovation" is no longer confined to established culinary scenes. However pretentious one finds the manifestos of groups like akwa, I think such interaction and mutual inspiration is crucial to the development of young chefs and the cuisine they produce now, and in the future. Only so many ideas can come from within.

Grant, if you're reading, in what ways are you talking with other chefs, and do you see potential in such exchanges and collaborations? Is there any interest for the American or international "avant garde" version of the "Bande a Bocuse" or "Groupe des Huit"?

[Jonathan Day]

I found the first part of Ian's post convincing, indeed inspiring.

Then I struggled with the second part, because at least part of the avant garde movement has resulted from increasingly global access to new ingredients, and, more important, new ideas.

The good news in globalisation for slow foods and community agriculture may be that small producers will find demand for their products that didn't exist before. I have persuaded a couple of London shops to import Italian foods (pane carasau, bottarga, etc.) which they never believed would be taken up by customers; they now do a moderate trade in these products.

But I don't see that Trio, for example, limits itself to community agriculture, even though Grant has clearly forged important relationships with small producers.

Perhaps more to the point, this cooking is not really about nutrition (though it does satisfy basic hungers). "Nobody goes to Trio because they are hungry", said Grant, early in the dialogue. I would imagine the same holds for el Bulli.

[wingding]

I'm not convinced that the world could live healthy on a steady diet of gelee' noodles,foam,etc.I'm thinking of 'space food' and c-rations.Many of the chefs mentioned make conceptual food.They deconstruct a traditional dish,apply new techniques,make us think different...but people dine out for many different reasons.If you're in the mood for an 'experience',you go to El Bulli[just jump on a plane,what the hell].But on a day to day basis,people are looking to satisfy more basic needs when they go out to eat.Some of the techniques filter down,get passed on,and absorbed into the mainstream.But like conceptual art,there's a limited audience who understands or cares about[or can afford]this stuff.

[Jonathan Day]

For me a big part of the value of "conceptual food" is that it has given me fresh eyes for the foods I choose every day, the foods that are at least as much about satisfying the body as they are the intellect. Once you've had Blumenthal's red cabbage gaspacho with grain mustard ice cream, or Chibois's mushroom salad with potato ice cream, it's hard to look at red cabbage or potatoes in quite the same way.

Blumenthal may be unusual in this group that he seems to do "comfort food" as well as "conceptual food". Snail porridge with ham, yes; but also pot roasted best end of pork with a macaroni gratin that isn't conceptually unusual, just entirely delicious. Or perhaps not so unusual, thinking of Trio's "root beer" flavoured short ribs.

[tan319]

However pretentious one finds the manifestos of groups like akwa, I think such interaction and mutual inspiration is crucial to the development of young chefs and the cuisine they produce now, and in the future. Only so many ideas can come from within.

I dig 'AKWA'

Kind of like 'The X-MEN' of 'AG' cooking!

[chefg]

Grant, if you're reading, in what ways are you talking with other chefs, and do you see potential in such exchanges and collaborations? Is there any interest for the American or international "avant garde" version of the "Bande a Bocuse" or "Groupe des Huit"?

My personal exposure to other chefs is very limited outside dinning in their restaurants. We are open to stages at Trio to a degree, and I pursue stages for the other chefs in the kitchen at restaurants I feel will inspire. The idea of a group of chefs conferencing to discuss new ideas and philosophy is ideal, but highly unlikely. With the exception being a forum like egullet. The competitive nature of the business, time restraints, and ego would seemingly crush any attempt to form a union. It could possibly be harmful to creativity, as new techniques, pairings, and thought processes would become a common denominator for many chefs, making it difficult to form a personal style, and unique experiences. A world of cloned chefs and restaurants? It would take a very special group of peers to execute summits like this, unless the issues at hand were less creative driven and focused more towards issues. Supporting small farmers, taking stances against or for certain practices, operational mechanics etc...

[chefg]

.  i suspect that despite whatever category this movement uses to pigeonhole itself with, it might always (and sadly) remain a subculture,

I feel the high end dinning segment is already in subculture status. Instead of looking at the forward thinking movement as microculture, I see it as the rejuvenation of the high end dinning subculture.

[Steve Plotnicki]

What makes the movement truly global isn't that the chefs are dotted everywhere, or that the ingredients come from all over the world, what the chefs who are part of the movement have accomplished is that they have not excluded any cooking technique no matter where in the globe it originates. You can go have a meal at Trio, and for example, in your 22 courses you might have foods that are roasted, sauteed, broiled, grilled, shabu shabu, from a tandoor, wood burning pizza oven, baked like a luau, and anything else you can think of. It is one of the great things about the movement.

As to the status of high end dining, being the marketing guy that I am, it surprises me that so few chefs copy some of the great dishes out of the current high emd dining movement. The "upper middle" is very far behind in adapting, and that is because the class of people that patronize those restaurants are very far behind. But you would think the restaurants would implement some of the dishes slowly. I'm going to open a restaurant called Tribute and serve all the best dishes of the movement.

[Michael Laiskonis]

I'm going to open a restaurant called Tribute...

Sorry, Steve. That one's taken!

[pixelchef]

You could always spell it with some newschool funk.. like.. Tribyewt, or something.

[estufarian]

I'm going to open a restaurant called Tribute and serve all the best dishes of the movement.

You're not alone.

See 'elBullihotel' near Seville that is the first of a chain of '5 or 6 hotels' (not all in Spain) that (will) 'reproduce some of the best recipes created by the El Bulli restaurant team'. The article I read (in SpainGourmeTour) specifically mentioned Gaudi-style red mullet (1982), Breaded sardines with deconstructed picada sauce (2000), Basil-Aromatized lobster gazpacho (1989) and Bresse pigeon with blackberries and anis-flavored salad (1997).

[RyneSchraw]

I took my mom to Trio last Sunday night for an excellent meal at 6:00 p.m. It was the first time since last July that I'd started the meal in the dining room before the sun had set, and a dim blue-grey light came in through the front windows and mixed with the warmth of the dining room, which was the first reminder of the night that the days are getting longer and that spring is right around the corner. I sat facing my mom and the wall, so my principal view of the night was one of the huge cognac-dyed mylar sheets by artist Pavel Kraus (owner Henry Adaniya's brother-in-law) that are never boring to look at and fit in, alongside the food, perfectly in the otherwise calm dining room. In fact the artwork, at times, doesn't just work with the food, but also seems to resemble it perfectly and possibly be the inspiration for the way it is presented (see below for an example). However this connection between food + art is never loudly announced or shoved in your face at Trio, but rather just left in the air for the guest to figure out. For example, not once during the night did any of the staff come up to me to ask if my "dish tasted like the color yellow," or whether it "tasted like paint" for that matter, or whatever they are doing at the other places.

Pavel Kraus piece

Maine Diver Scallop with Orange Rind Vapor

And about that food...

There was no way I was going to get my mom to go for the TDF, as that would have required sitting in a chair and without a cigarette for a couple more hours than she would have liked, so we decided to go with the 4-course tasting menu a few extras added on. Of the 10 different courses brought to the table, the only repeats were the amuse, the intermezzo, and the ending lassi. The fact that this occured, after having gotten 18 new courses in the kitchen three weeks before, really amazed me. Here is how the meal went (please feel free to ask if you have any questions):

“Caramel Popcorn” amuse

Salad of Razor Clam Chowder - A deconstructed clam chowder turned into a salad. It was served chilled with the little slices of razor clams, whitewater littleneck clams, chilled potato, Vermouth-thyme gelée cubes, and finally a single, large oyster cracker that had to be cracked open to sauce the dish. My mom and I both loved the floralness and freshness the Vermouth-thyme cubes added to the sweetness of the razor clams. It was cool to see a traditionally thick, warm, and hearty soup served in a refreshing way for springtime. Also, when I asked whether the sauce was frozen or made solid somehow, before they put it inside the huge puff of an oyster cracker, one of the servers told me instead how they use hypodermic needles to inject it inside. But he then added how Chef Achatz wanted me to believe he baked the cracker around it, anyway.

CHILLED PURÉE of ENGLISH PEA SOUP eucalyptus ice cubes, pepino melon, meyer lemon - A very cool soup, literally. Served in a bowl, with all the soup held up in a large glass cylinder; the cylinder is removed and the soup pours out. Again, both of us loved this soup, but especially the freshness of it. The floralness of the eucalyptus sorbet, with the sweetness of the melon, and the tartness of the Meyer lemon (1/2 lemon, 1/2 orange cross, that really tasted more like a lemon here, but has an orangy nose and can be eaten like an orange) gave this dish an incredibly refreshing feel to it. You could literally taste spring in the air.

SESAME TEMPURA of JOHN DORY bananna, wild mushrooms, fenugreek - Incredible fish course. Provided my two favorite elements that go with fish: crispiness and sweetness. The sesame tempura batter gave an initial crunch and nuttiness, with the tenderness of the John Dory, a delicious, spiny, olived colored fish with a black spot on it's side, providing contrast. It took me a few bites before the banana hit and the sweetness with the texture of the fish went out very mellow.

BREAST of WHITE PEKIN DUCK lavender, rhubarb, foie gras - We ordered this course special from the 8-course menu as an extra, and I'm very glad we did. You start by eating a waffer-thin lavender lozenge, resting all the way at the right-end of the plate with some lavender flowers, which had a very sweet and mellow floralness and continued on with the theme of spring blossoms thoughout the meal. My mom really loved this part of the dish. We were both surpised at how the duck was served, looking almost more like lamb with a pinkish color, rather than the expected somewhat greasy chicken-like appearance (my only idea of duck before this). It was served on a bed of red-wine candied rhubarb with a little bit of duck confit and a few thick slices of extremely fresh, chilled foie gras au torchon on opposite sides on the plate. The duck was excellent, very tender, but my favorite part was taking a little piece of the candied rhubarb and popping it in my mouth with an entire slice of foie. Can't go wrong with that...

ELYSIAN FIELDS FARM LAMB artichokes, carrot purée, smoked paprika aroma - Big chop of Elysian Field's Farm Lamb served with the bone. A dab of carrot purée, artichoke hearts, and some yellow carrots to go with it and on the right side were a few slices from the loin of the lamb with crushed toasted almonds on top that had been poached sous-vide and were medium-rare all the way through. And then the smoked paprika, very fragrant stuff, much more so than what I have at home, was poured over a couple of hot rocks in a little bowl on the plate. Very good preperation of the lamb-- I really like when they pair it with root vegetables to provide contrast with the texture of the lamb and to add a bit of sweetness.

Artisan and Fermier Cheeses - Seasonal Fruits and Candied Nuts - Clochette, Erhaki, Piave Vecchio, and Bleu d'Basque served with strawberry, kumquat, apple, and candied walnuts. My mom ordered a glass of 1995 Oremus Tokaji (5 puttonyos) since she loves the stuff, and I though it paired really well with the sheep's milk cheeses from the Pyrénées-- the Erhaki and Bleu d'Basque. They have a great cheese program at Trio, and I'd definitely recommend not overlooking it.

SHERRY VINEGAR SORBET basil consommé, mandarins - Very interesting, even though I'd had it before. The kitchen is able to get the most creative with the little courses and it reallt shows here. The sherry vinegar definitely cleared the palate and the basil consommé and mandarins together were very enjoyable. My mom was amazed at the idea of using basil this way.

We each got different desserts and then switched halfway through...

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE haas avacado, cilantro, corriander - Incredibly creative dessert. The pineapple upside down cake with a warm slice of roasted pineapple on top was delicious, but the really amazing thing was the cilantro frozen yogurt surrounded by haas avacado purée. There were also little discs of cilantro gelée. All in all, an awesome use of savory spices in a sweet course, and just a very neat dessert to have.

TRIO TARTE TATIN porter ice cream, winter fruit compote, chèvre anglaise - Another upside down dessert by definition. Winter fruit was rasins and prunes and was very sweet and tasty, Madeira-caramel sauce, and porter ice cream was probably our favorite part. Haven't had a chance to really try any porters (dark brown beer made by blending a mild ale, brown ale and stale ale), and I thought the ice cream tasted almost like a rum. And the chèvre anglaise (like a cream anglaise, but with goat cheese), which was left in a bowl to be poured over the dish by the dinner, was ethereal and very creamy indeed.

PASSIONFRUIT LASSI cumin foam - Traditional Indian dessert made with mango and yogurt, but here it was made with passionfruit with a spicy cumin foam on top. I'm a big fan of passionfruit and the warmth and kick of the cumin foam provided a nice balance to the coolness and tropical flavor of the lassi.

Edited April 2, 2003 by RyneSchraw (log)

[tammylc]

Another great report! I have _got_ to get back to Trio!

[awbrig]

Thanks Ryne! How did Mother enjoy it?

[RyneSchraw]

She loved it! I think she worries beforehand that she won't like or get certain things, but in reality some of her favorites were the most "out-there" ones: lavender lozenger, basil comsommé and cilantro frozen yogurt to name a few. I've heard her on the phone a few times since Sunday telling people about these things. On the other hand, I don't think I could ever go with my dad..he's too cynical about high-end food and way too picky of an eater to bring to this kind of place. So you definitely have to pick the right kind of audience to go with.

Edited April 2, 2003 by RyneSchraw (log)

[Rhea_S]

Delicious report as always. I think Trio has become my favourite restaurant based solely on your reviews (sorry A.W.)

[pixelchef]

Delicious report as always. I think Trio has become my favourite restaurant based solely on your reviews (sorry A.W.)

I agree with you. You're a great ambassador for Trio, Ryne. You sure you aren't accepting kickbacks from Grant on the side? ;)

[lizziee]

This is a question that Chef Grant posed at the end of one of his Q and A.

"When diners patron restaurants at the high end, with high price tags, do they expect expensive ingredients? When you dine at The French Laundry, Trotter's, Daniel and so on do you expect, or even demand luxury ingredients? Would you be dissappointed if caviar, truffles, foie were not present on their menus? The key questions for me is what is innovation worth? What is the value for creativity, if it does not utilize the luxury ingredients? At Trio we present osetra, foie, and truffles in new and unusual ways, but what if we didn't use those products? Could we charge the same amount for our tasting menu?"

Chef:

For me, creativity is the only value. It is not luxury ingredients which seduce or entice me. It is the creativity of the chef that is worth more than the ingredient.

The dishes that stand out in my memory have nothing to do with the cost of the ingredient. The first time I tasted frogs legs at Veau d'Or, Michel Richard's katafi shrimp, Ambrosie's eggs mollet, Gagnaire's ode to vegetables, Blanc's Poulet Bresse, Adria's "brioche soup", Marcon's lamb, Troisgros' Duck, Trama's Pot au feu and on and on and on.

For me, great cuisine has nothing to do with luxury ingredients. It only has to do with the chef's vision, statement and execution and for that there is no price.

Edited April 4, 2003 by lizziee (log)

[nightscotsman]

I mostly agree. Although I admit to a tiny thrill when served an expensive, rare ingredient (oooh, look at all the truffles!), I find that I'm more interested in a chef that is creative enough to make me see a more common ingredient in a whole new light. I'm impressed by the skill it takes to turn say, parsnips or apples into a luxury ingredient. The luxury is in the intense flavor, complexity (or pure simplicity), texture, aroma, and unexpected combination, and tasting the ingredient "again, for the very first time".

[awbrig]

Im greatly looking forward to dining @ Trio next Thursday for my first time. Ill be dining with our own Trio expert, Ryne Schraw!

We'll be sure to give you all the proper report. (With pictures of course! )

Edited April 10, 2003 by awbrig (log)

[Steve Klc]

Brig--will a chaperone come along?

[awbrig]

Brig--will a chaperone come along?

????