Word: adria
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Ferran Adria, of course, is not just any cook. He is the chef of elBulli, the globally celebrated restaurant about two hours outside Barcelona for which patrons can wait years to secure a reservation - 2 million requests are fielded each year for 8,000 spots. And he's here because he's been hailed as the father of "molecular gastronomy" (a term that does not appeal to him), having invented the technique of reducing foods to their essence, and then transforming the form in which they're presented - flavored foams and the like - techniques now common in high-end restaurants...
...Adria began his presentation with a brief film that offered a visual approximation of the experience of dining at El Bulli, and then, as his friend, Harvard microbiology professor Roberto Kolter translated, the Catalan chef launched into an entertaining and impressive discussion of the science of his cuisine. He focused on his discovery of new textures - particularly the magical uses of hydrocolloids and liquid nitrogen to give foods shapes they'd never assume without the intervention of innovative physics. The crowd exhaled collective "aaaahs" as if they could almost taste the bejeweled concoctions being assembled on video before them - perfect...
Many in the audience left bearing copies of Adria's new book, A Day at elBulli, not cheap at $49.95. Others had brought with them the even heavier volumes of his earlier cookbooks ($400 a pop) to be signed. One young man wanted Adria's autograph on the handle of a kitchen knife (the blade was safely wrapped in plastic); a woman left a sample of her porcini sauce for Adria's kitchen to experiment with. (Adria's wife Isabel worried about flying the tiny vial of liquid back to Spain). A couple of people on line for autographs whispered...
Asked about the difficulties of dining at elBulli, Adria looked sad. The nature of his cooking, he explained, and the quality of both the dishes and the dining experience, meant that only about 40 guests a night could be accommodated during the six months the restaurant was open each year...
...dinner did not disappoint. To start off, David Myers of Sona in Los Angeles concocted a reception of duck confit eggrolls topped with lime pickle aioli and peekytoe crab beignets, all washed down with Dom Perignon Brut 1999. Then came the main courses. Adria prepared Ostras Con Pistachio Verde y Citricos (oysters with green pistachios and citrus; Wakada presented Ravioli of Asahi Crab with Crab Terrine and Finger Lime; Daniel Boulud (of Restaurant Daniel in New York City) produced Wild Scottish Grouse with Sarawak Pepper Cromesquis; and Thomas Keller came out with Four Story Hill Farm Cuisse de Poularde with...