Look what I caught in my dragnet of foodie stalkerdom today:
During the development process for Alinea, apparently those affiliated with the restaurant tracked their progress on the forums of eGullet.org, a "society for culinary arts and letters."
Incidentally, eGullet.org is a handy web-site for those interested in food. Lots of varying topics are covered including a whole backlog of Q&A sessions with heavyweights of the food world.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Yet more favorite words
attitudinal
aviatrix
bracken
caipirinha
catachresis
chiasmus
copacetic
Delafield
examined
flibbertigibbet
gullywasher
hydrophilic
hyperphasia
Kenosha
lackadaisical
mellifluous
Okeefenokee (swamp on the Georgia-Florida border)
praeteritio
viscera
Waukesha
Wedgwood
aviatrix
bracken
caipirinha
catachresis
chiasmus
copacetic
Delafield
examined
flibbertigibbet
gullywasher
hydrophilic
hyperphasia
Kenosha
lackadaisical
mellifluous
Okeefenokee (swamp on the Georgia-Florida border)
praeteritio
viscera
Waukesha
Wedgwood
Thursday, March 22, 2007
salon.com-published eulogy for Iris Chang
I'm not sure what exactly is making me think of Iris Chang today, but I am thinking of her nevertheless. Here's an article/eulogy written for her on Salon.com that I found today.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Gentleman
I'm a fan of manners. I love and constantly refer to Emily Post's Etiquette although I won't put it on my favorite book lists for fear of looking pretentious or putting a spotlight on any faux pas I may be unwittingly committing. Here's an article that was recently posted on the Details/GQ web-site pertaining to the state of the modern gentleman.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Alinea breathes
Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Alinea is serving up some of the best food in the nation, according to Gourmet magazine who ranked the restaurant #1 in America this past fall. Chef-Owner Grant Achatz (pronounced ACK-etz) opened Alinea in 2005 after serving as chef at Trio, in Evanston. Alinea is known for Achatz's creative food presentation and preparation (most often classified under the somewhat controversial term "molecular gastronomy") and, if you believe the reviews, the restaurant also appears to be gaining a reputation for its comfortable chairs, which come in handy for those 5-hour-long tasting menus.
Why am I so fascinated with Alinea rather than the handful of other restaurants focusing on molecular gastronomy, such as Avenues and Moto (both of Chicago) and the mother of all molecular gastronomy restaurants, Ferran Andrià's El Bulli in Spain? My curiosity was initially piqued because Alinea is situated in the one neighborhood in Chicago with which I am the most familiar. After further delving into its creation story, I learned that the restaurant is making a laudable effort to be food-centric - Alinea's décor is reported to be sleekly and chic-ly muted in order to better showcase the food, and after all, the food is why you're there. I dig that the chef-owner is bright and young (about 30 now) but does not appear to be aggressively pushing the envelope for the pushing's sake. Achatz has been well-trained by the Culinary Institute of America and by chefs who are mainstays of the restaurant scene (he worked under Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and briefly worked with Charlie Trotter). Achatz is certainly plating up cutting-edge preparations using cutting-edge technology (induction cooking surfaces, PolyScience's Anti-Griddle, and carefully calibrated water-bath machines for sous-vide methods), but he seems to want to keep the taste of the food at the front of his creative endeavor. From my reading, although Chef Achatz's supporting staff is predominantly male, the kitchen seems to be quiet and efficient, distinguished from the noisy male bravado that characterizes many a restaurant kitchen (a fact or suspicion that has given me pause when considering cooking as a career). I particularly like the fact that one of the sous chefs got a BS from the U of I - in an engineering field, no less (a far more employable degree than my own French BA). This too makes the thought of working in a kitchen more accessible to me - if a guy with an engineering degree would freely choose cooking over engineering, why should I be so hesitant? I've always been a little afraid that if I were to really pursue my interest in working in a kitchen I would be disappointed by the lack of opportunities to engage my intellect. Alinea appears to be a place where being smart would be an asset and would be a trait shared by most of the people working the line.
So I want to eat at Alinea, but perhaps more telling is the fact that I want to work at Alinea. I suppose it should trouble me that Alinea receives 50 résumés per month (with a 98% turn-down rate), but I am not discouraged. I'm just happy that a restaurant exists out there that seems to suit me and I'm happy that not all restaurant kitchens are full of attitudes that would make me uncomfortable. For now, its existence is enough. Alinea's name derivation comes from the typographical symbol that signals the beginning of a new paragraph, the beginning of a new idea. And with that understated but graceful rendering of its corner-turning outlook, as well as that very outlook itself, Alinea inspires me in that word's literal sense of "breathing into": Alinea breathes life into a dream.
A few of my favorite links for more information about Alinea:
- Alinea's page of press clippings
- Food-writer Michael Ruhlman's blog summary of his 03/04/07 interview with Grant Achatz at the Steppenwolf theater
- Chicagoist.com 03/01/07 interview with Grant Achatz
- NYTimes 02/28/07 article on the dearth of women in "molecular gastronomy" kitchens, mentioning a female chef in Alinea's kitchen
- Chicagoist.com 01/22/07 pictorial
- Metromix 08/18/05 review
- NPR's 08/14/05 interview with Grant Achatz
- random blog-type entry on one foodie's visits to Alinea, complete with pictures
- FoodTV Canada's profile of Alinea, including a link to a recipe
Why am I so fascinated with Alinea rather than the handful of other restaurants focusing on molecular gastronomy, such as Avenues and Moto (both of Chicago) and the mother of all molecular gastronomy restaurants, Ferran Andrià's El Bulli in Spain? My curiosity was initially piqued because Alinea is situated in the one neighborhood in Chicago with which I am the most familiar. After further delving into its creation story, I learned that the restaurant is making a laudable effort to be food-centric - Alinea's décor is reported to be sleekly and chic-ly muted in order to better showcase the food, and after all, the food is why you're there. I dig that the chef-owner is bright and young (about 30 now) but does not appear to be aggressively pushing the envelope for the pushing's sake. Achatz has been well-trained by the Culinary Institute of America and by chefs who are mainstays of the restaurant scene (he worked under Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and briefly worked with Charlie Trotter). Achatz is certainly plating up cutting-edge preparations using cutting-edge technology (induction cooking surfaces, PolyScience's Anti-Griddle, and carefully calibrated water-bath machines for sous-vide methods), but he seems to want to keep the taste of the food at the front of his creative endeavor. From my reading, although Chef Achatz's supporting staff is predominantly male, the kitchen seems to be quiet and efficient, distinguished from the noisy male bravado that characterizes many a restaurant kitchen (a fact or suspicion that has given me pause when considering cooking as a career). I particularly like the fact that one of the sous chefs got a BS from the U of I - in an engineering field, no less (a far more employable degree than my own French BA). This too makes the thought of working in a kitchen more accessible to me - if a guy with an engineering degree would freely choose cooking over engineering, why should I be so hesitant? I've always been a little afraid that if I were to really pursue my interest in working in a kitchen I would be disappointed by the lack of opportunities to engage my intellect. Alinea appears to be a place where being smart would be an asset and would be a trait shared by most of the people working the line.
So I want to eat at Alinea, but perhaps more telling is the fact that I want to work at Alinea. I suppose it should trouble me that Alinea receives 50 résumés per month (with a 98% turn-down rate), but I am not discouraged. I'm just happy that a restaurant exists out there that seems to suit me and I'm happy that not all restaurant kitchens are full of attitudes that would make me uncomfortable. For now, its existence is enough. Alinea's name derivation comes from the typographical symbol that signals the beginning of a new paragraph, the beginning of a new idea. And with that understated but graceful rendering of its corner-turning outlook, as well as that very outlook itself, Alinea inspires me in that word's literal sense of "breathing into": Alinea breathes life into a dream.
A few of my favorite links for more information about Alinea:
- Alinea's page of press clippings
- Food-writer Michael Ruhlman's blog summary of his 03/04/07 interview with Grant Achatz at the Steppenwolf theater
- Chicagoist.com 03/01/07 interview with Grant Achatz
- NYTimes 02/28/07 article on the dearth of women in "molecular gastronomy" kitchens, mentioning a female chef in Alinea's kitchen
- Chicagoist.com 01/22/07 pictorial
- Metromix 08/18/05 review
- NPR's 08/14/05 interview with Grant Achatz
- random blog-type entry on one foodie's visits to Alinea, complete with pictures
- FoodTV Canada's profile of Alinea, including a link to a recipe
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Success/Foiled Again
Success!: I came up with a recipe for salad dressing last night that tastes an awful lot like the vinaigrette I had in Paris.
Foiled Again!: I can't use iTunes on my computer anymore.
I shoulda been an intelligence officer: Recent events seem to indicate that I can successfully identify some related people by the shape of their hands.
Foiled Again!: I can't use iTunes on my computer anymore.
I shoulda been an intelligence officer: Recent events seem to indicate that I can successfully identify some related people by the shape of their hands.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Dan would Rather that you read
On Wednesday, I saw Dan Rather speak on campus. What can I say, I'm a sucker for an older guy who uses expressions like "they beat him like a rented mule" and "we used to say if a frog had side pockets, he'd carry a handgun." Good ol' southerners with colorful vernacular.
Anyway, the first part of his speech was disappointingly standard, trite. Follow your dreams, yadda yadda.
He did say a few things that were of interest to me. When asked to comment on the current state of having (too?) many choices for sources of media content, Dan Rather said that while the internet can offer many good things and be a good tool, he still prefers to read the news. Newspapers, news magazines, etc. And he also said it's a good idea to read a book once in a while. (Amen!) In fact, he considers it part of a citizen's duty to read (about the news or whatever else). Also, he reminded the audience not to get too attached to one source of news - he recommends getting your news from multiple sources so that you're not letting yourself just hear what you want to be told so that you can hear many different viewpoints and evaluate them for yourself.
Also relevant was his encouragement to not act on fear, saying that this generation worried him because he noticed an increased tendency to respond to fear where previous generations had not. 9/11 is one obvious cause for this new response to fear and Mr. Rather offered that the response might be justified, but just be aware of people manipulating you via fear. Being a very fearful person from time to time, I could stand to take that advice.
Anyway, the first part of his speech was disappointingly standard, trite. Follow your dreams, yadda yadda.
He did say a few things that were of interest to me. When asked to comment on the current state of having (too?) many choices for sources of media content, Dan Rather said that while the internet can offer many good things and be a good tool, he still prefers to read the news. Newspapers, news magazines, etc. And he also said it's a good idea to read a book once in a while. (Amen!) In fact, he considers it part of a citizen's duty to read (about the news or whatever else). Also, he reminded the audience not to get too attached to one source of news - he recommends getting your news from multiple sources so that you're not letting yourself just hear what you want to be told so that you can hear many different viewpoints and evaluate them for yourself.
Also relevant was his encouragement to not act on fear, saying that this generation worried him because he noticed an increased tendency to respond to fear where previous generations had not. 9/11 is one obvious cause for this new response to fear and Mr. Rather offered that the response might be justified, but just be aware of people manipulating you via fear. Being a very fearful person from time to time, I could stand to take that advice.
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