Between absurdity and evolution

There is a certain Top Chef contestant, fond of mollecular gastronomy, who has a show on Netflix. He said something profound, providing the inspiration for this post:

So, this is the table where I'm supposed to serve the anti-gravity pizza?

I understand that sometimes, cranberry beans are just not enough.

Not to your liking?

Or that sometimes, you want more than pretty, tasty, at-their-peak-in-August tomatoes, properly confit-ified.

Just admit it -- you want to dive face -first into them

I understand that a restaurant's evolution typically means following trends; that the words and principles organic and sustainable are now givens. But how does a chef, or even a lil' ol' cook, know when they're being truly cutting edge, or whether they're in the process of digging themselves so far into a fadhole they won't be able to climb out? How does a restaurant evolve and stick around?

Could it be that food forming, foams and hovering pizzas will make 2012 issues of Art Culinaire look really hilarious?

This entry wasn't written by a bitter, California cook. Sous vide, foams and food forms are popular for a reason -- because when these techniques are applied correctly, they provide a tasty, enjoyable dining experience. Let's first examine the villainous espuma. Its presentation purposes freak me out a little, because it eventually starts to decay into a slimy texture that is... well... something I'd rather not have on my food. But from the taste bud's perspective, foams should be a treat. They should provide more dimension to the dish (taste, texture, mouthfeel), and capture the very essence of whatever ingredient the foam is made out of. Sous vide cooking provides meat with a wholly unique texture -- one student described sous vide Salmon as "warm sashimi." It's something I happen to like, a lot. 

But there's little reason for us produce lovers to be scared by machines and hydrocolloids. No chef will be able to work with a tomato in March and produce the best tomato dish, ever; if your purveyor provides you with terrible beef, you will not be able to sous vide it into the best beef dish possible. The best product can live without immersion circulators, anti-griddles and gelatin, but the niftiest of gadgets, compounds and synthetic emulsifiers can't truly make a chef happy without the best product.

The chefs who are currently innovating in this city, successfully moving beyond the jargon of organic, seasonal and sustainable truly understand this concept. Take a look at Dominque Crenn's current menu, and you'll find it loaded with the proper Summer goodness: blackberries, huckleberries, melon, tomatoes. And it's okay to do more with delicious product -- gorgeous product that will definitely be seasonal, and all the better if farmed without pesticides, or raised without growth hormones.  

For now, I'm happy to devote myself to truly understanding those basics that all chefs respect, inside and out. One step at a time.

More to come.