What new places were you interested in? I didn't really see anything new as far as SF goes. Also think it's weak that Volt is on there.

I felt all the nominations were safe with the exception of Flour + Water.

I hear Gary Danko isn't all that.

Anyone know a place in SF that does something crazy unique when it's your birthday? One of the guys in my WonderCon crew has his b-day on April 3rd & we are looking for some place awesome to take him.

Asia SF

Ha!

a true sf experience

Fuck. Those pastrami sandwiches look good.
Will let you know if it's the best in the city.

Joe is it true that you wait there part time?

Joe....next time you're in LA visit Langer's for a pastrami.

Noted.

Amy,
Does he drink? Suppenkuche as far as food and giant glass beer boots is the choice for some friends. Not super unique but worth checking out.

Supperclub is well.. Something else. Look it up if you've never been. Unique for sure.

If I think of more I'll post.

best pastrami in LA is Johnny's in West LA. c'mon Henry..!

oh hell no!!!! When I was dating my wife she lived a few minutes away from Johnnie's so I know that place well. It isn't even in the same league as Langer's. You and Joe need to get down here and I'll help you understand what I'm talking about. Johnnie's is like bologna while Langer's is like a USDA Prime Ribeye.

oh, snap. i've never been to Langer's so that must be some pretty damn good pastrami. i'm gonna take you up on that offer soon...

oh, snap. i've never been to Langer's so that must be some pretty damn good pastrami. i'm gonna take you up on that offer soon...

We need to start an SB eating club. Stomach Krew.

For the most part, the challenge of the FL cookbook isn't that the recipes are all that difficult, it's that getting the high quality ingredients isn't easy without Keller's resources. I don't think he expected anyone to become a competitor by using the book, he just wanted to extend his core philosophy to the home kitchen. He's playing humble, but he makes a point when he says "if you have better ingredients than me, you can be a better cook than me." It's actually usable if you want to commit to the projects, and you'll learn stuff that you can incorporate into everyday cooking. By contrast, his Sous Vide book is really more for professional chefs. I'm not even bothering with that one.

Speaking of which, I wouldn't recommend the Alinea cookbook unless you want to be blown away by what's possible and by Achatz' artistry. It's coffee table all the way. You'd have to invest in all sorts of chemicals and equipment to accomplish one-tenth of what's in there, and even then, each dish is actually more like twelve dishes prepared separately and then assembled like a work of art. It's beautiful but impractical. I'm fascinated by molecular gastronomy but after doing a few "magic tricks" in the kitchen, gave up on doing it at home. On the other hand, this brave lady is giving it a go. She already cooked her way through the entire FL book. Dang.

I picked up "A Day at El Bulli" as soon as it was released, but right off the bat in the book, Adrià says "most of the people who read this book will never dine at El Bulli." Oh well a guy can dream. Alex have you seen Bourdain's DVD about his visit there? It's great. He starts out as a total skeptic and ends up a convert.

If you had your own foodie show, I think the challenge would be to be as much fun as Bourdain, but not to emulate Bourdain (or for that matter, his kinda-sorta copycat Zimmern.) It'd be difficult to keep offering funny-but-harsh reviews without either being banned or receiving extra-special treatment by restaurants. I've heard that Michael Bauer's photograph is posted in some Bay Area kitchens so that the staff will know if he's there for a review. Same was true in NYC with Bruni. Actually being treated like royalty wouldn't be such a bad thing...

I'd be happy to make that lemon tart for some S7 event or whatever. Having an excuse helps.

Sorry this is veering way off the original topic. Maybe we should start another one for general food talk.

Some very intense knowledge in this thread... I'll have to keep up with it. Had a very nice dinner at El Bulli - and several at French Laundry and Per Se. Per Se surprised as not being a simple rehash of Yountville. I like Bazaar. Haven't been to Gary Danko in a few years... hope it's keeping up. I liked lunch at RN74, and the dinner scene @ 54 Mint.

Ran into Alice Waters today, which was fun and unexpected.