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eG Foodblog: HhLodesign - On Food and Architecture


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Holy cow, all that shopping and prep then no customers?  That's really rough.  Can you say more about the lecithin froth?  Just stir some into the raw juice, heat it, or what?

I am so making those sand dollars!

I put in 1% by weight of Lecithin to the raw juice and mixed it with the Bamix. When they are plating the dishes, they hit the surface of the liquid with the Bamix. It mixes air into the liquid and creates large amounts of foam on top. Then they just scoop the foam onto the plate.

Carrot Foam

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Celery Foam

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[...]I don't get why vegetarians eat the "fake meat" products. I find it unnessesary.[...]

I'm a bit surprised you feel that way, because there is some terrific mock-meat in traditional cooking for Chinese Buddhists. You don't enjoy any of those mock-meats from time to time?

[Edited to eliminate a portion I thought better of.]

I'm just not a fan of "mock" anything. Goes to the whole design philosophy of celebrating the material or ingredient.

I should also add that Aaron and Stacy have really broadened my horizens in terms of vegetarian cuisine.Carmelita in Seattle is one of my favorite restaurants and they only do vegetarian. I'm also dying to try The Green Zebra in Chicago. Anyone been? I've had some exceptional meals that have been strictly vegetarian that I may not have even tried had I not met these two great people. Thanks guys!

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My favorite films about food:

Babette's Feast - A classic. It truely displays the joys that a great meal can bring. Both in the cooking and eating of it.

Big Night - This is the one I appreciate most as an architect. The first scene sets the scene perfectly. "But, she already has a starch!, maybe I should make for her also a side of mashed potatoes!" To me the film is about the struggle to stay true to your art in the face of a mass audience that does not underestand or appreciate your work. The chef must hold to his principles knowing that there are people who "get it." Again, the cream always rises to the top. BTW, anyone else see the parallel between Big night and the Apple / Microsoft rivalry? Huge souless place across the street (Pasqual's) doing derrivitive product and huge business, while the artisans on our side of the street are struggling. The final omelet making scene (one unbroken shot) when the brothers make up is one of the best final shots in all of film.  I love that film!

Dinner Rush - One night in a Tribecca Italian restaurant. The father who opened the place is transitioning it to his son. Dad just wants his peppers and onions, while son is doing haute cuisine, (or the hollywood take on it; that lobster thing he did looked ridiculous!) I've never worked in a New York restaurant before, but it seems to capture the atmosphere pretty well.

Tampopo - The search for the perfect bowl of ramen. My favorite is the opening scene when the "master" is teaching his student the proper tecnique for eating ramen.

Eat Drink Man Women - A moving story by Ang Lee about a father and a chef who is losing his sense of taste. Drawing parallels, I think, between his sense of control and connection with his daughters. The cooking scenes are really well done.

What's Cooking - From the director of Bend it Like Beckham. It's about four different families celebrating Thanksgiving in Los Angeles; vietnamese, black, jewish, and mexican. This film very effectively highlights the cultural similarities and diffences between four seemingly distinct cultures in suburban LA. Very well done.

Goodfellas - OK, its not a food film; but that shot of cutting garlic with the razor blade so that it melts right into the pan....That's pure cinema magic!

What am I missing?

The only one on your list I haven't seen is Dinner Rush. I agree with Babette's Feast, Tampopo, Eat Drink Man Woman (my personal favorite) and Big Night. What I think you're missing is Like Water for Chocolate.

Fascinating blog, btw.

Dear Food: I hate myself for loving you.

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The only one on your list I haven't seen is Dinner Rush. I agree with Babette's Feast, Tampopo, Eat Drink Man Woman (my personal favorite) and Big Night. What I think you're missing is Like Water for Chocolate.

Add: "Eat This New York".

Dave

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Henry - I've been reading your blog with mouth agape! I find myself with thoughts I've never had before, such as: "I must remodel my kitchen" and "how soon before I can go to Seattle to check out Salumi?". I feel like I'm losing my mind!

I adore modern architecture, and am brought back to my university courses when I read your views on the philosophys of architects and chefs. By the way, it would be a dream for me to spend a day working in one of these kitchens; often when I enter a restaurant I have a secret wish that I could just go hang out in the kitchen rather than sitting at the table to eat.

I am also fascinated by how fully you seem to be living your life, of course through extraordinary food experiences, but more importantly with good friends. It all comes down to the people, doesn't it?

Thanks for the list of food movies; ironically my sweetie and I just watched "Big Night" tonight - it was his first time. You are so bang-on with pointing out the final scene when they prepare the omelet - I said to my husband that it's impossible to stay angry with loved ones for too long, for a meal is always in the future; in the end it is food that reunites us. :smile:

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mercy. I swear to god the mistral pics make me want to tell -CENSORED- where to go....If only people understood the magic they produce in that kitchen. Little known fact, folks: You can pay -CENSORED- but nothing on earth can make food taste better than when the cooks who prepared it for you are as happy and fulfilled in what they do as Charles and William. Period. Dining public, start demanding that your chefs play stickball (or World of Warcraft) for a half hour before service!! We can change the world!!!!

Alright, Henry. Your fear-mongering has won this round, but you can't stop me from reckless acts of honesty forever!!!

edited due to entirely reasonable paranoia-

and a 7:30am phone call from a blogger who will remain anonymous.

Party on, Garth. :wink:

Edited by skye (log)

don't get me wet

or else the bandages will all come off

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[...]I don't get why vegetarians eat the "fake meat" products. I find it unnessesary.[...]

I'm a bit surprised you feel that way, because there is some terrific mock-meat in traditional cooking for Chinese Buddhists. You don't enjoy any of those mock-meats from time to time?

[Edited to eliminate a portion I thought better of.]

I'm just not a fan of "mock" anything. Goes to the whole design philosophy of celebrating the material or ingredient.

Hmm...I am not a fan of the Western "mock meat" products, like the veggie burgers and the veggie sausages. Schneider's was at my university giving out mock beef and mock chicken packages two years ago and I took some out of morbid curiousity. The chemical SMELL when I was cooking them was horrendous! It didn't smell like food at all!!! :wacko:

However, I do love the Chinese mock-meat "fried gluten" stuff. I don't think of it as meat, but as any side dish.

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Oleana is one of our favorite restaurants in Boston.  My daughter was in grad school at Harvard & whenever we visited her, we went to Oleana, including the day she graduated!  Ana Sortun is very innovative & we highly recommend Oleana.

Ask your daughter about the Scorpion Bowl at the Hong Kong! That's I place I plan on returning to this next trip out.

She admitted to quaffing a few but most remembers the place for the salsa nights (??) ...

The Hong Kong, of course, is a Harvard (Square) institution.

The crowd that frequented it tended to be a little more New England preppy than the classmates I hung out with in my undergrad days.

But it hasn't changed one whit, God bless it.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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for binge drinking:

[...]

Allston/Brighton (the neighborhoods-there's this joint called Silhouette in Brighton...)

I went back to the Silhouette after an absence of some 20-plus years when I went back for my 25th college reunion last June, and damned if one of the patrons didn't recognize me! (So did the bartender, the next night, at a reunion kick-off party at which she was a server.) I used to live right around the corner from the place, on Quint Avenue. I got a few columns for the neighborhood weekly (the now-defunct Allston-Brighten (Citizen) Item) out of that place.

FWIW: The Silhouette--now with a separate room for the dart boards--is on Brighton Avenue in Allston. At the corner of Allston Street, IIRC.

--Sandy, momentarily mourning the fact that, just like Charlie, the Watertown trolley will never return

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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This is one blog I will really miss when it's over. Henry, it's been such a pleasure to meet you and be introduced to your life. If living well is the best revenge, you seem to have all your vendettas covered. :laugh:

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Henry,

I love, love, love this blog. You have a passion and enthusiasm for life that shines through in all your interests - be they food, friendship, or architecture. It's been a true adventure reading this. I cannot wait to see Seattle and experience myself the world you've introduced me to.

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The Last Dinner!

The story (as I know it) is that a Microsoft exec was dining at the sushi bar at Matsuhisa in LA. Tatsu Nishino was his sushi chef. He enjoyed his meal so much, that he made Tatsu an offer he couldn't refuse, " Come to Seattle and I'll back you in a restaurant venture." The rest, as they say, is history.

We were doing the "exclusive omakase" tonight. "A two hour dining experience offering the best of what Nishino has to offer," our server told us. Aaron and Stacy were joining us as well, They were getting the vegetarian exclusive omakase as well. I was curious to see what they could do with multiple vegetarian courses.

Our first course came right away.

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It was kind of a sampler platter of amuses. Monkfish liver on a cucumber slice, ameabi with wasabi aioli and tomato, sockeye salmon with shiso, escolar with avocado, and hamachi with jalapeno. My favorite were the monkfish liver and Hammachi avocado. great texture combinations on the liver. I've never had raw fish with jalapeno. They go great together!

Veg.

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Grilled mountain potato, spinach with sesame seeds, seaweed and sweet miso.

2. Kampachi with ponzu and (I think) shredded daikon.

I forgot to take a picture of this one. Sorry!

The Kampachi was sliced super thin, 4 slices per dish. Each slice had a splash of ponzu and a small hill of daikon. Very refreshing.

Veg.

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Tofu, avocado, and yuzu sauce.

3. Seared tuna with foie gras, shitakes and red wine reduction.

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This was my favorite course! You'd think that the foie would overpower the taste of the tuna, but it didn't. They used such a small peice of foie, they flavors were perfectly balanced. I'm gonna try and make this at home!

Veg.

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Mushroom asparagus salad with yuzu dressing.

4. Albacore salad with fried lotus root and red onion soy dressing

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Another light, refreshing dish. This is what I love about Japanese food. You never feel like you're eating too much. Even when you are!

Veg.

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Baby Bok Choy with ginger garlic dressing.

5. Ginger crab cakes with pineapple relish and napa cabbage slaw.

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This was probabely the least extraordinary dish. Everyone has crab cakes on the menu in Seattle. These were as good as some of the best, but nothing exceptional. I think I'm just bored with crab cakes.

Veg.

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Grilled Mytake mushrooms with seven pepper salad.

6. Tempura. Oyster, Shiso leaf, and Mytake mushroom

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That shiso leaf was amazing. thinness of the leaf gave it a gret crunchiness, like a potato chip.

Veg.

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Broiled eggplant with sweet miso sauce, lotus root, and pickled bean sprouts.

7. Curried halibut cheeks with swiss chard and cilantro aioli.

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this is one of my favorite dishes on the regular menu. I think Tatsu remembered this fact and sent this out as our main course. Nothing like the weak imitation I attempted on tuesday.

Veg.

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Kinoko mushroom with kinoko tofu, kinoko seaweed broth, kombu seaweed and mushrooms.

8. Sushi

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Spanish Mackerel, Otoro (fatty tuna), Anago (Sea eel), and Madison Park Roll (crab, shrimp, salmon, wrapped in an egg crepe)

The spanish mackerel was my favorite. It had just a touch of raw ginger on it. Nice flavor combo.

The otoro was amazing. Needless to say, all the fish was as fresh as can be. I didn't care for the roll. To many flavors and none were distinct.

Veg.

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Broccoli, Sprouts with ume paste, grilled asparagus, and cucumber rolls.

I tried a roll. eh.

Dessert. tempura banana.

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This is one of my favorite desserts in Seattle. Its all about contrast, both in texture and tempurature. The Ice cream is cold and soft, while the banana is crispy and hot. They intermingle in your mouth to create a perfect pairing.

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Rasberry, mango, and shiso sorbet. The shiso was so subtle yet distinctive. Very original.

We closed the place down.

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I was exhausted, but the night would roll on!

The guys at Mistral wanted to celebrate the last night of my blog (amongst other things). I met them just as they were finishing up dinner service. around midnight. We went striaght to Marjorei for some Champagne.

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The guys in the kitchen whipped us up some pizzas.

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Phil

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Todd

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Pizza and Champagne, a perfect combination.

We ended the night (and started the morning) back at Mistral.

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things got a little crazy.

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including a 4am phone call to NY (7am) to a chef who shall remain anonymous.

I got to bed around 5:30am.

Next week I rest!

Edited by hhlodesign (log)
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Thanks to everyone who has commented and made this experience such a pleasure!

As fun as this week was for me, it will be a pleasure to get back to eating normally again. I think I've had more tasting menus in this past week, than in the last 6 months. One cannot feast everyday, but one can sure try! It's going to be lots of fruits and salads for me next week.

Note: I did not step on a scale all week (on purpose.) I just weighed myself and was surprised to learn that I only gained 2 pounds! gotta keep up the nightly runinig regimen.

In reading through my own blog, I've come to realize that food, for me, seems to be more about the total experience, than the food itself. All of my most memorable food moments revolve around not only great food but great company and settings as well.

One of them doesn't even involve eating. It was walking around Florence at night with the girl of my dreams (at the time.) The chrismas lights were all over the streets, and the smell of steet vendors roasting chestnuts filled the air. The girl may be gone, but I'll always remember that smell of chestnuts!

I think its so important in my life to be surrounded with a great family and wonderful friends to share my food experiences with.

Thanks for listening!

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[...]things got a little crazy.

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:laugh: Has she seen the photo yet?

including a 4am phone call to NY (7am) to a chef who shall remain anonymous.[...]

Was s/he mentioned somewhere in this blog? :wink:

Enjoy your rest!

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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I can't believe you went out for pizza after the omakase! You take glutony to a whole new level.

The mushroom asparagus salad was the favorite of the veggie courses.

I ate none!

Well..I took a bite of one slice.

Yeah. Right.

[bart Simpson]Ididn'tdoit.Youdidn'tseemedoit.Youcan'tblameme.[/bart Simpson]

Henry, definitely Sweet Sixteen, maybe Elite Eight. Your blog, that is. :biggrin:

Thank you for sharing your life, introducing us to your friends and revealing your passions for architecture & food!!

Russell J. Wong aka "rjwong"

Food and I, we go way back ...

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I don't know how you managed to eat so much this week, dear, but I'm grateful to you for taking a week for the team here on eGullet! Now, whenever I see your posts, I'll have a face and the feeling of your personality to put to your name, and I'm glad to have the chance to follow you and learn a bit about your life, aside from the amazing meals! Thank you. My wish for you is that you'll have many, many more wonderful "chestnuts filling the air" (to paraphrase) moments ahead.

More Than Salt

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Cure Cutaneous Lymphoma

Join the DarkSide---------------------------> DarkSide Member #006-03-09-06

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Laughing uncontrollably!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mistral: putting the jagermeister back in fine dining!!!!

those are my boys.

Why didn't we blog Walla Walla? Gerald, you've got some explaining to do!!

don't get me wet

or else the bandages will all come off

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I'm vicariously exhilarated, exhausted and over-fed. Muchfun! You done super good, sir. Thank you very much for this blog.

"You dont know everything in the world! You just know how to read!" -an ah-hah! moment for 6-yr old Miss O.

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Monkfish liver, otoro, and mountain potato are some of my favourites as well! Thank you SO much for those pictures!

And thank-you also for giving us a glimpse of your (very enviable) life this week.

I scored reservations last night at The French Laundry and I'm most likely going to take the Greyhound first to Seattle before my flight sometime in the next two weeks. It looks like Salumi or Monsoon is in my near future after all! :wub:

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Monkfish liver, otoro, and mountain potato are some of my favourites as well! Thank you SO much for those pictures!

And thank-you also for giving us a glimpse of your (very enviable) life this week.

I scored reservations last night at The French Laundry and I'm most likely going to take the Greyhound first to Seattle before my flight sometime in the next two weeks. It looks like Salumi or Monsoon is in my near future after all!  :wub:

The Laundry! Wow! Let me know if you need a date! :wink:

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