Bold tastes and textures

[Wilfrid]

I have eaten at your restaurant several times, and enjoyed the food very much. I associate your cuisine with delicacy and subtlety - the poached duck breast, the slow-cooked fish filets, the velvety saucing.

But I am left wondering about more powerful flavors and more challenging textures. Is there a danger that cuisine in New York, at your high level, could become over-refined? Or are those considerations out of place when it comes to your style of cooking? Or am I overlooking all kinds of smokiness, spiciness, crunchiness and chewiness on your menu?

Thanks.

[bluehill]

Thank you for the kind words. Is there a danger of over refinement? And if I understand your question correctly, you're wondering if refinement and bold flavors and textures can coexist on one table.

This is very difficult to answer because you've touched on my culinary insecurity (one of many). I wonder often if my food is a bit flat, and if I couldn't put a bit more spice and punch in some dishes. The truth is I don't know how, not well anyway, and I admire chefs who can strike with every bite.

But are we in danger of over refinement? I doubt that. Blue Hill is a particular cuisine, and the range of tastes are less dramatic than others, but it seems to me there is something to celebrate there as long as you can vary your dining experiences in other restaurants.

What I hear you saying is that your experience here has made you appreciate our cooking for it's subtlety, which is a great compliment to me, maybe the greatest, and I guess I would caution against equating that with over refinement.