food | Happy Noms

LA: Mélisse (June 2012): “Foie for All”

June 6, 2012 Victor Leave a comment

Author: Victor
Restaurant: Mélisse
Exec Chef: Josiah Citrin

Date: June 6, 2012

Notes:
-California’s foie-gras ban went into effect on July 1, 2012, and I was going to go to Asia for a month in a few days after this meal, so I decided that I should at least get some foie gras in California while I still had the chance.
-The theme of the entire menu was foie gras; it was basically one of many restaurants’ ways of saying “screw you” to those who fought to get it banned.

Click to see the pictures!

Categories: Eating, Los Angeles, North America Tags: food, josiah citrin, los angeles, melisse, michelin

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.