North America | Happy Noms

Chicago: Next: El Bulli (May 2012)

May 27, 2012 Victor Leave a comment

Authors: Victor and Karen
Restaurant: Next Restaurant (El Bulli Menu)
Exec Chefs: Grant Achatz and Dave Beran
Consultant for the meal: Ferran Adrià

Date: May 27, 2012

Victor’s thoughts on the meal:
-This meal was one of the most thought-provoking meals of my life. Kudos to Ferran Adrià for these dishes he has created throughout his time at El Bulli, and kudos to Grant Achatz for recreating them at Next.
-Taste-wise, not every course was as delicious as the courses in, for instance, Per Se would be, but it was just such an experience to see these different textures and flavors utilized together.
-It was the first time I encountered “air”, smoke foam, and a hollow globe made of gorgonzola cheese, and I don’t think I’ll forget that experience.

Meal background:
-This meal was basically a tribute to Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli; Grant Achatz wanted to faithfully recreate a meal that featured different courses El Bulli has served throughout the years, and Ferran Adrià served as a consultant to help him accomplish this.
-Next Restaurant utilizes a ticketing system, and you had to pretty much buy your reservation “tickets” weeks before at a set time. (Tickets generally sold out within 30 minutes.)
-Next: El Bulli ran from February 8 to May 27. I GOT REALLY LUCKY; I managed to get two seats through a friend’s friend on the very last day!

Click to see the pictures!

Categories: Chicago, Eating, North America Tags: alinea, chicago, dave beran, el bulli, ferran adria, food, grant achatz, next restaurant

NYC: Daniel (Apr. 2012)

April 25, 2012 Victor 1 comment

Author: Victor
Restaurant: Daniel
Exec Chef: Daniel Boulud

Date: April 25, 2012

The food’s great, but the lighting… not so much. As a result of this terrible lighting (and my really bad iPhone camera skills at this time), most of my photos are terrible :(.

Food:

Amuse-Bouche:
Left: Smoked salmon.
Middle: Puree of turnip.
Right: Turnip and shrimp.

1. (Victor)
Duck Roulade.

1. (Ken)
Foie Gras Terrine.

2. (Victor)
Red Mullet, two ways.

2. (Ken)
Smoked Sturgeon with Northern Lights Caviar. Purple Potato, Horseradish Cream, and Majii Salad.

3. (Victor)
Florida Frog Leg Fricassee with Asparagus. Crispy Lollipops with Shallot Confit, Nettle-Green Peppercorn Jus.

3. (Ken)
Soft-shell Crab.

4.
Cedar-wrapped Red King Salmon with Stuffed Morels.

5.
Squab Breast and Leg.

6. (Victor)
Wagyu Tenderloin, Short Rib, and some stuff I forgot.

6. (Ken)
Tasting of Veal. Sweetbread, Tenderloin, and Cheek.

7.
A few different cheeses. Bleu is at the far right.

Victor: I forgot the other cheeses, and I also forgot to take a picture at the beginning :(.

8. (Victor)
Raspberry Almond Sable. Creme Fraiche Parfait and Yuzu Sorbet.

Dessert #1!

8. (Ken)
Strawberry Granite. Creme dAnjou, Sacristain, and Szechuan Pepper Sorbet.

Dessert #1!

9. (Victor)
Gianduja Chocolate Crisp. Praline Mousse and Milk Chocolate Sorbet.

Dessert #2!

9. (Ken)
Warm Guanaja Chocolate Coulant. Liquid Caramel, Fleur de Sel, and Milk Sorbet.

Dessert #2!

Mignardises:
-Macarons
-Chocolates
-Pâtes de fruits

Victor: I don’t have a picture, unfortunately :(. From what I remember, those were the mignardises.

Categories: Eating, New York City, North America Tags: boulud, daniel, food, french, michelin, new york city

LA Kaiseki/Sushi: Urasawa (Nov. 2010): Chris’s Birthday

November 26, 2010 Victor 1 comment

Author: Victor
Restaurant: Urasawa
Chef: Hiroyuki Urasawa

Date: November 26, 2010

Restaurant Info:
-This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in the US. Hiro’s SUPER friendly, and he even drinks with you! (Actually, he might be my favorite just because he drinks with you hahaha.)
-Hiro used to be Masa Takayama’s apprentice. I actually would rather eat at Urasawa than Masa. The food at Masa was a bit better, but the experience at Urasawa is just so much better. The restaurant Masa felt kind of cold and clinical, and Masa himself wasn’t THAT warm (at least not nearly as much as Hiro is!).

Meal Info:
-I wrote down what each course was several months after eating here, so I might have a few things wrong. Nevertheless, I tried to refrain from naming something if I wasn’t s ure.
–I missed at least three courses. You can see pictures of what these courses would look like in my 2nd Urasawa post, though!
#4: An “ice block” course that has three kinds of sashimi (toro, red snapper, and skipjack or amberjack) as well as wasabi, seaweed, daikon, and red ginger. (Course #4 in the 2nd Urasawa post)
#5: A course that consists of a spoonful of a wagyu-and-caviar-mix and a pickled bell pepper on the side that you’re supposed to eat after. (Course #5 in the 2nd Urasawa post)
#25: Afternoon tea. (Course #29 in the 2nd Urasawa post)