smash's Profile
Molecular gastronomy in Bay area?
It depends on how you define molecular gastronomy. If you include sous vide (which often does get lumped in with it), then many high-end restaurants are doing it, including the French Laundry, Luce, Manresa, eVe, Baumé, and my house. I've heard that Coi does, but I've not been there.
For spherification and other encapsulation, I know that it can be found at Baumé, eVe, and Manresa.
I've not kept track of foams and excessive emulsifications.
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Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030
The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
eVe
1960 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Baumé
201 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Has anyone used the buddha's hand fruit?
I have now made two batches of BH marmalade. I did not add juice (except for 2 tsp. of lemon juice for a little more brightness and acidity to help it set); the boiling water was enough liquid. For one batch I added some Campari, and for the other batch, I added some Amaretto.
Molecular Gastronomy Resto Opening in Palo Alto- Baumé
We just had a delightful dinner at Baumé. I did not take notes, so I don't remember course details. They give the option of 5 ($78), 10 ($108), or 15 ($158) courses. The server described the 5-course as more conventional, the 10 as having more molecular gastronomy (MG) methods, and the 15 as a combination, plus more desserts.
We opted for the 10 course, and also had a bottle of Page Mill 2007 Merlot.
While the MG was used in many dishes, it was always an excellent addition to a complex dish. For example, a perfectly cooked asparagus spear had asparagus purée and spherified hollandaise, as well as several other components. A few dishes and a cocktail included passionfruit caviar, always to good effect. Each dish was complex, and was composed of elements reflecting lots of work and attention for flavor and texture. The 62°C egg was topped with a dry sherry foam that complemented it perfectly, and also included a small medly of flavorful mushrooms. The sous vide fillet was accompanied by a wonderful citrus vinaigrette and a precious onion tart. The foie gras was a play with pineapple and vanilla, and was probably my favorite dish. Each dish was a work of art, both in visual appeal and in flavor.
Baumé is not as much theater or as innovative as El Bulli or the Fat Duck, but it is not trying to be. Many of the dishes would hold up well in comparison.
Service was well paced and friendly. They gladly answered our many detailed questions about methods and ingredients. They were happy to let us have a look in the kitchen, and we had the chance to chat with chef Chemel, who was happy and excited.
There is no question that the price is high, but it is a special occasion restaurant, and is not out of line with restaurants of similar level. It was clear that every ingredient was of top quality, and much work went into each plate. I just would have liked to have had slightly larger portions; I walked away satisfied, but not full.
We will go back for special occasions.
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Baumé
201 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Has anyone used the buddha's hand fruit?
We grow Buddha Hand, and I've made Buddhacello. I separated the zest from the pith and infused them separately (to see how the pith portion tasted) in Everclear for a long time. The pith infusion tasted good, so I combined them. The resulting Buddhacello is flowery and wonderful. The next time, I'll just grate up the whole hand, and not worry about limiting it to the zest.
After infusing, I took the left-over pulps (both zest and pith) and pureed them. I pressed out any remaining alcohol for the Buddhacello , and use the pulp for other things, like a marmalade or to add a citrus note to baking, salsas, sauces, etc.
Mack's Smoked Barbecue - San Carlos - ?
Mack's BBQ in San Carlos got featured a while back, so I checked it out.
Most reviews lauded the pulled pork, but the first time I visited, they were out, so I had the brisket sandwich. Before I remembered to request sauce on the side, they had sauced it up. I was able to tease out some unsauced chopped brisket. It had a fair smoke ring, but very little flavor, either meat or smoke. The meat was moist and tender, but had less taste than Arby's meat. There was some evidence of a conventional rub, but it did not seem to penetrate the meat very well. The sauce was conventional sweet & tangy, with evident molasses; it was not bad, just nothing special. This was put into a flavorless long bun which brought nothing to the party except physical support. There were no other additions to the sandwich like onions or pickles. As I've always said, the sauce is there to cover up mistakes, and the mistake in this case is that they forgot to put in flavor. The cole slaw was a standard creamy confetti style, fresh but a little insipid. The combo comes with cornbread muffin; this was just slightly sweet and non-offensive. They do have a good selection of bottled beverages.
No one available was able to tell me about the wood or smoking methods (or they chose not to), but there was no smoke smell evident in the place.
I went back today for a pulled pork sandwich, and stopped the squirting of the sauce in time. The pork was tender, but, again, had very little flavor. Hard to tell that it was once pig. The sauce was required to give some flavor. The potato salad was eggy, but, again, rather conventional. They were out of links, so I did not get to try one, and I see no reason to try going back for another attempt.
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Mack's BBQ
1754 Laurel St, San Carlos, CA 94070
Has the Hacienda in El Paso closed?
OK, so a year and a half late, but, Yes, Amigos is very good. Several old staff from the good, old Hacienda.
Fresh Olives to Cure
Steve, do you have any idea what type of olive trees they are? I live nearby and am going to try curing some.
