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[equap]

good. just more proof that McDonald's better than this shit.

 

[Barrett2]

Id' love to go to a place like this someday; something of this caliber.

 

[entremet]

Id' love to go to a place like this someday; something of this caliber.

Aren't you in New York? You can try Per Se. Or one of the French four starred restaurants--Daniel, Jean Georges, and Le Bernandin.

 

[Technosteve]

Aren't you in New York? You can try Per Se. Or one of the French four starred restaurants--Daniel, Jean Georges, and Le Bernandin.

but not as cheap =D

 

[Gallbaro]

but not as cheap =D

I routinely go to a one star, and the lunch menu is literally ten times cheaper than the evening menu and since I go there so much, they will serve me the dinner menu at lunch.

 

[captscience]

Terrible news. My meal there was an incredible experience.

I'm still alive for this year's lottery though. Fingers crossed!

It's particularly surprising they were operating at such a loss considering that most of the cooks worked there for little to no pay.

 

[Big-E]

I am a gourmand and have eaten at some great restaurants though his never really interest me. Guy is almost more of a chemist than a chef and I dont really have an interest in eating some really tasty jello.

 

[Barrett2]

Aren't you in New York? You can try Per Se. Or one of the French four starred restaurants--Daniel, Jean Georges, and Le Bernandin.

I just looked up Per Se, it sounds amazing. My 30th birthday is coming up in April, that might be a cool thing to do for the evening.

 

[captscience]

I just looked up Per Se, it sounds amazing. My 30th birthday is coming up in April, that might be a cool thing to do for the evening.

I did Per Se for my 30th. It was fantastic.

If you're interested in avant garde cooking similar to El Bulli, check out WD-50.
It's not at the caliber of cooking as Per Se or the other heavy hitters but it is consistently inventive and interesting.

I'd also highly recommend Eleven Madison Park. Food that's pretty much as good as Per Se for half the cost.

 

[Davidion]

Is Alinea known nationally? I go to a tapas place across the street every now and then. I knew it had quite the reputation here in Chicago, but it looks so unassuming from the outside.

It's a destination for foodies here in NYC. Believe me, it's known.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Any significant differences between Per Se and FL? They supposedly serve the same thing, but most people who've gone to both seem to give the nod to FL.

 

[Vyer]

A combination of impeccably sourced high-end ingredients and cutting edge culinary techniques. You won't find anything like a simple, unadorned steak at El Bulli or any restaurant of its caliber. $300 at El Bulli would get you close to 30 intricate, painstakingly assembled courses, not just a piece of steak. In that kind of price range, most of the best 3 Michelin starred restaurants will be pulling out all the stops; culinary fireworks with multiple courses, amuse bouches, petit fours/mignardises, and bread service is pretty much de rigueur.

A blog's detailed report of a meal at El Bulli:
http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2009/08/dinner_at_el_bu.html

Anthony Bourdain's Food Network program on El Bulli and Ferran Adrià:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BD8B7vz2_E

This is pretty awesome actually. If I was going to pay 300 for a meal, this better be what I would experience. Impressive.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

This is pretty awesome actually. If I was going to pay 300 for a meal, this better be what I would experience. Impressive.

It's pretty much what you'll get at any of the high-end restaurants around the world, except not nearly as many courses (but enough to get you full by the end).

 

[Vyer]

It's pretty much what you'll get at any of the high-end restaurants around the world, except not nearly as many courses (but enough to get you full by the end).

The multitude of courses is what I think really makes it look like a unique experience.

 

[Meier]

It's a destination for foodies here in NYC. Believe me, it's known.

Chicago cuisine is pretty impressive by all accounts. I never go anywhere expensive but I'm sure it would be fun!

 

[scorcho]

I did Per Se for my 30th. It was fantastic.

If you're interested in avant garde cooking similar to El Bulli, check out WD-50.
It's not at the caliber of cooking as Per Se or the other heavy hitters but it is consistently inventive and interesting.

I'd also highly recommend Eleven Madison Park. Food that's pretty much as good as Per Se for half the cost.

have reservations for WD-50 tonight! well, that is if the gf doesn't have family plans to take care of.

and i'll second the nod to Eleven Madison Park - took the lady there for her bday and was greatly impressed by the service and food.

Chicago cuisine is pretty impressive by all accounts. I never go anywhere expensive but I'm sure it would be fun!

indeed! i thought Avec was a bit underwhelming, but every other place I tried was fantastic (Graham Elliot and both Bayless joints)

 

[Nex Superne]

but not as cheap =D

Actually, Le Bernardin and Jean Georges, both 3 Michelin starred restaurants in NYC, have great lunch deals. Le Bernardin probably has the single best lunch in NYC: $69 for three courses, with an amazing lunch menu that is virtually identical to the more expensive dinner menu. Jean Georges has an even more inexpensive lunch: $29 for two courses, $14.50 for each additional course, and $8 for a two-part dessert. Amuse bouches and petit fours are provided at both places, and both are better than Eleven Madison Park IMO.

I am a gourmand and have eaten at some great restaurants though his never really interest me. Guy is almost more of a chemist than a chef and I dont really have an interest in eating some really tasty jello.

There's no problem with liking traditional cuisine more than avant-garde cuisine (in fact, most people probably do), but that's not describing El Bulli fairly in the slightest.

Any significant differences between Per Se and FL? They supposedly serve the same thing, but most people who've gone to both seem to give the nod to FL.

Directly from Thomas Keller: "The cuisine here at Per Se is identical to the French Laundry philosophically. What that means is that it's really about two things; it's about product and about execution." The main difference between the two is setting. FL will always have that special, idealized countryside/wine country setting along with an adjacent garden. On the other hand, Per Se has a more urban feel with a grander, more spacious dining room complete with a fourth floor view of Columbus Circle and Central Park. I think people will generally be more enchanted by FL's setting. However, Per Se has the clear advantage in two areas: a la carte dining is available in the spacious lounge area, which is a great way to try some Per Se/FL dishes on a budget, and their private dining rooms are far more extensive and impressive than FL's.

FWIW, the best dishes I had at Per Se were slightly better than the ones I had at FL.

indeed! i thought Avec was a bit underwhelming, but every other place I tried was fantastic (Graham Elliot and both Bayless joints)

I actually loved Avec and thought it was an incredible value, but I was less than thrilled with Topolobampo. Frontera Grill was great though.

 

[J. M. Romeo]

Now Adriá says that the US paper misquoted him. A dialectic confusion

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/02/13/barcelona/1266087064.html (in Spanish)

I really don't understand this kind of business, spending such a huge fucking amount of money in food that weird and strange.
Somebody should get me a reservation there so I can go, sample it and come back.

 

[commish]

Aren't you in New York? You can try Per Se. Or one of the French four starred restaurants--Daniel, Jean Georges, and Le Bernandin.

I've eaten at all of those places, and if you like seafood, Le Bernardin is the best. Otherwise, Jean Georges gets my vote. The others are good, obviously, but LB and JG were a bit above.

 

[entremet]

I should've tried Eleven Madison Park before the Bruni four star review. It's impossible to get a table there now. This is expected though.

 

[Nex Superne]

I've eaten at all of those places, and if you like seafood, Le Bernardin is the best. Otherwise, Jean Georges gets my vote. The others are good, obviously, but LB and JG were a bit above.

Agreed. Le Bernardin is the most consistently outstanding restaurant in NYC; a record 24 years holding the New York Times 4 star rating and it just doesn't falter. It's easily my favorite restaurant and the last five meals I've had there were all extraordinary. Jean Georges is another favorite.

I should've tried Eleven Madison Park before the Bruni four star review. It's impossible to get a table there now. This is expected though.

Nowadays, trying for a weekday lunch is your best bet (great deal too). However, if you try far enough in advance for dinner, it doesn't seem any harder to reserve than Le Bernardin, Jean Georges, Daniel etc.

 

[8bit]

Disappointing as I failed to secure a booking this year even though I was quick off the mark and open, and next year's booking's will be a lottery. I did manage to get to The Fat Duck last year though, so second best isn't too bad.

 

[Dizzan]

Damn this was on my bucket list. I went to Tetsuya's last year and that was unbelievable. Want to go to fat duck at the end of next year.

 

[Phobophile]

Hatty told Matty about a thing she saw:
had two big horns and a wolly Jaw.

El Bulli
El Bulli


El Bulli

:lol :lol

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Now Adriá says that the US paper misquoted him. A dialectic confusion

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/02/13/barcelona/1266087064.html (in Spanish)

I really don't understand this kind of business, spending such a huge fucking amount of money in food that weird and strange.
Somebody should get me a reservation there so I can go, sample it and come back.

If you have to think with that attitude then you probably would not understand the food if they served it to you anyway.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

If you have to think with that attitude then you probably would not understand the food if they served it to you anyway.

People should just go read through the French Laundry thread (all of it, not just skim the first couple of posts), this whole argument's been done over there and it would just save time.

 

[J. M. Romeo]

If you have to think with that attitude then you probably would not understand the food if they served it to you anyway.

So you won't take me there so I can be educated? I will pay for the cab ride, and I like giving hugs, I also own a microwave oven.

 

[-NeoTB1-]

Ignorant shit? It's not like he was saying El Bulli was total shit since he hadn't heard of it. I'm sure it was a wonderful restaurant, but until now I'd never heard of the place either.

This. Some people get offended over nothing.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

So you won't take me there so I can be educated? I will pay for the cab ride, and I like giving hugs, I also own a microwave oven.

why should someone else have to pay so you don't have to be ignorant of the food scene. Government paying for your real education is one thing but this is something that you have to want to experience for yourself.

Why would you expect anyone to want to pay to convince you that their opinion is right. If you want to try some high end restaurant to know what the fuss is about you can do it yourself. I'd gladly take myself to enjoy the once in a lifetime experience, I wouldn't need to convince anyone else that it is.

 

[J. M. Romeo]

why should someone else have to pay so you don't have to be ignorant of the food scene. Government paying for your real education is one thing but this is something that you have to want to experience for yourself.

Why would you expect anyone to want to pay to convince you that their opinion is right. If you want to try some high end restaurant to know what the fuss is about you can do it yourself. I'd gladly take myself to enjoy the once in a lifetime experience, I wouldn't need to convince anyone else that it is.

Hahaha yeah man, you tell'em!

But seriously now (and I will only get serious for one paragraph, given the deep relevance of the subject matter), such an extremely decadent thing deserves the light treatment, man. Looks like my post needed some huge sarcasm tags or something like that. Or maybe you've just had a shit day and that's why you are saying things such as "you probably won't understand the food if they served it to you anyway".

That parmegiano glass shard looked interesting though. If only they had them in stores.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Looks like my post needed some huge sarcasm tags or something like that.

Considering it didn't seem at all like sarcasm, that may be a good option for you in the future. ;P

 

[J. M. Romeo]

Considering it didn't seem at all like sarcasm, that may be a good option for you in the future. ;P

It's all about the deadpan, my man. People around me either get used to it or tell me to go fuck myself because I threw a slight against their preferred way of enjoying pudding with liquid nitrogen.

Maybe that's why I have so few friends and why I live with so many cats.

It's a shame that most of you guys are probably not fluent in Spanish, because the comments in that elmundo.es article that I linked are hilarious. Mostly people telling how the shitty bar right by their workplaces do a spanish omelette and fried eggs that are leagues above the minimalist avant garde horseshit with funky sauces that El Bulli serves.

And they mean it, too.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

It's all about the deadpan, my man. People around me either get used to it or tell me to go fuck myself because I threw a slight against their preferred way of enjoying pudding with liquid nitrogen.

You're no Astrolad, but keep working at it.

 

[Nex Superne]

It's a shame that most of you guys are probably not fluent in Spanish, because the comments in that elmundo.es article that I linked are hilarious. Mostly people telling how the shitty bar right by their workplaces do a spanish omelette and fried eggs that are leagues above the minimalist avant garde horseshit with funky sauces that El Bulli serves.

And they mean it, too.

El Bulli and Ferran Adrià have plenty of detractors, especially outside of the restaurant industry. They tend to get pretty mean too. :lol

 

[J. M. Romeo]

You're no Astrolad, but keep working at it.

I'm not quite familiar with this Astrolad person (I remember his avatar of a peacefully cute chick, though) but thanks for the words of encouragement.

Anyway, I can understand where all this "fuck this avant garde stuff a good steak is where it's at" people is coming from. That's a lot of money (and worse, a huge ass waiting list) for such a strange meal. I like to imagine what will happen if one of those patrons happened to stumble upon a particular type of food -prawns, for example- that he utterly disliked. How do you say "sorry, I really don't wanna eat this" there?

El Bulli and Ferran Adrià have plenty of detractors, especially outside of the restaurant industry. They tend to get pretty mean too. :lol

Well, if he is being called "the number one" of anything, there will be people talking mess about him. I like to take this things more casually, since I don't have any personal stakes in there. I find that it's best to save your mean parts for situations that truly deserve it.

 

[victreeb3l]

Wait, let me get this straight.

High end restaurant that charges mad money for their food that has a waiting list of thousands of people and constant stream of customers close down because of financial problems?

What?

 

[J. M. Romeo]

Wait, let me get this straight.

High end restaurant that charges mad money for their food that has a waiting list of thousands of people and constant stream of customers close down because of financial problems?

What?

It's only open like half a year, only for dinners and there's a kitchen with 50 dudes working for 25ish patrons. It's probably a very strange place to be. From the videos that I've seen recently (my first actual exposure to what happens in that place) it looks more like a guided visit to a museum.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Anyway, I can understand where all this "fuck this avant garde stuff a good steak is where it's at" people is coming from. That's a lot of money (and worse, a huge ass waiting list) for such a strange meal.

The best analogy is spending a couple of bucks for an album of a musical artist compared to spending a few hundred dollars for concert tickets of said artist. It's not just about the food, experience and atmosphere is a big part of high-end restaurants.

 

[~Kinggi~]

As a big fan of eating at good restaurants i am saddened by this news. Even more sad is this is the first i an hearing of the "world's best restaurant".

 

[J. M. Romeo]

The best analogy is spending a couple of bucks for an album of a musical artist compared to spending a few hundred dollars for concert tickets of said artist. It's not just about the food, experience and atmosphere is a big part of high-end restaurants.

I like to think about this in the way that I am picky and snobbish as fuck with all things audio and video in my house, choosing plasma over LCD, placing white diode lights behind the TV to compensate the colour temperature, getting a kickass sound system, spending hours configuring all of that shit, buying blurays, preferring PC games so I can up the resolution over their console counterparts, spending time calibrating my TV so that my movie collection looks better, and then going to my mother's place and seeing a SCART 4:3 signal stretched to 16:9, washed contrast, shitty sound and a lamp right next to the display causing a huge amount of glare.

I care, she obviously doesn't, and we are both right. And the world is such a better place for that.

I don't really like food that much, for a variety of reasons. I don't think I could ever enjoy one of these places. The day that "all your nutrients for the day in a single pill" arrives, I will be happy.

 

[Nex Superne]

I don't really like food that much, for a variety of reasons. I don't think I could ever enjoy one of these places. The day that "all your nutrients for the day in a single pill" arrives, I will be happy.

You live in the land of jamón ibérico de bellota. Blasphemy!

 

[J. M. Romeo]

You live in the land of jamón ibérico de bellota. Blasphemy!

Jamón fucking rules, but I have a small history with a certain eating disorder, so the fact that it's greasy and delicious definitely doesn't help.

 

[captscience]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but..

My girlfriend just got a reservation!!!! Wooo!!!!!!

It'll be my second time too