The most beautiful cookbook ever created?

 food  No Responses »
Oct 162008
 

Alinea cookbook
Today, I received my copy of the Alinea cookbook by Grant Achatz. Mr. Achatz may currently be the most innovative chef in the United States, if not the world. The New Yorker wrote an in-depth profile of him in its innovation issue, and there is no question that his life makes for a compelling story even if you do not find his food intriguing.

I have not had the opportunity of dining at Alinea. Not only is it very expensive and difficult to get into, but also it is located in Chicago. However, there is no question that his cookbook is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen.

The food at Alinea could be described as “molecular gastronomy.” But I believe that does a disservice to the food. Cooks throughout time have always been willing to work with new equipment and “exotic” ingredients, and Mr. Achatz is no exception. From a first glance, the most difficult elements of the Alinea cookbook for the home cook are not the generally unavailable ingredients or the unfamiliar equipment, but the intricate nature of the recipes. Just flipping through the book shows recipes that are composed of six or seven sub-recipes before a final assembly step. This goes far beyond the many layered approach of French sauces.

The Alinea cookbook is beautiful. I pre-ordered the cookbook through the Alinea Mosaic website; the pre-orders generated the funds to allow the bood to be produced. As an added bonus, the pre-ordered cookbooks are signed and numbered.

Here are a couple of quick snapshots of the new cookbook.
Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook Alinea cookbook
I have not cooked anything from the Alinea cookbook yet, but I am looking forward to trying one or two recipes. (It would be like playing a round of golf after receiving instructions from Tiger Woods.) Regardless if my attempts to cook anything from the Alinea cookbook are successful, I’m looking forward to reading Alinea at Home, a blog by Carol Blymire. Ms. Blymire’s last project was cooking every recipe in the French Laundry cookbook, which she documented at French Laundry at Home. She just finished her last recipe from that cookbook, the Cornets signature dish.

If you get a chance, definitely check out this cookbook.

Finally, in the it’s a small world category, one of the essays at the start of the book is by Mark McClusky. We worked together when he was at Sports Illustrated several years ago.

 Posted by at 12:37 am

Dogmatic first thoughts

 food, New York  No Responses »
Oct 162008
 

Dogmatic store front
This past Monday, Dogmatic, street vendor turned fast food restaurant, opened on 17th Street in the former Mandler’s space off of Union Square. Mandler’s was a fast food store that served high end sausages, fries, and beers. Unfortunately, their food did not match their aspirations, the store always looked dirty, and the prices were a bit too high. Dogmatic is a new sausage store billing themselves as the “Gourmet Sausage System.” And they don’t disappoint.

The sausages at Dogmatic are served with a variety of sauces, but their bread steals the show. Rather than a standard hot dog bun, or even a fancy Chicago-style poppy-seed roll, Dogmatic uses French bread-style loaves. Each loaf is cut in half and shoved on a spike. The spike has two functions: it warms the bread and makes a nice receptacle for the sausage and sauce. I’ve tried a couple of sausage so far; my favorite combination is the beef sausage with the truffle-Gruyere sauce. (Don’t spill the sauce on your shirt–it is embarrassing, especially when your coworkers don’t tell you that you’ve spilled and you walk around all day with a splotch of Gruyere on your shirt like a nimrod.)

Dogmatic costs more than your typical dirty water dog stand–a sausage costs around $4.50. However, compared with nearby Chop’t (salad for $12), or other restaurants (sushi for $15), Dogmatic is a bargain. And I think the bread alone is worth the cost. Also, vegetarians (and those of us who have had their fill of sausage) have a very nice option: Dogmatic prepares grilled asparagus as a sausage substitute.

If you are in the neighborhood and want a quick bite to eat, Dogmatic is worth visiting.
Dogmatic store front
(Dogmatic sausage with horseradish mustard sauce: if you love strong mustard and horseradish, you will love this sauce. For everyone else, it might be a bit too strong.)

 Posted by at 12:17 am

Boating and hiking

 friends, nature, New York, river  No Responses »
Oct 142008
 

Last weekend, I rode on a yacht, had food poisoning, and climbed Anthony’s Nose.

I took Friday, October 3rd off to sail around the New York Classic Week Regatta, a schooner race around New York Harbor. Anne, Ginny, and I met at Chelsea Piers to board the yacht Manhattan. We paced most of the race to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and then made our way up the East River before heading back to the finish line at the Hudson. There was a bit of extra time, so we continued up the Hudson to see the Intrepid before returning to dock.

The day was overcast, but it was still pleasant outside and we all had a great time. We were supplied with a brunch of waffles, quiche, ham, salmon, and bagels; not to mention a fully stocked bar.

New York Classic Week
New York Classic Week
New York Classic Week
The Pride of Baltimore

New York Classic Week
New York harbor is a working harbor, and the sailboats navigated along large container vessels and barges.

New York Classic Week
New York Classic Week
Turning at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Anne and Ginny at New York Classic Week
Anne and Ginny

Anne and Ginny at New York Classic Week
The Manhattan was comfortable, fast, and fun. It’s worth looking into if you want a pleasant cruise around the city.

New York Waterfalls
The New York City Waterfalls. The project just finished this past weekend. We were able to get very close to the falls.

Intrepid Museum
The day before our ride, the Intrepid returned to its permanent berth.

Manhattan
The view of Manhattan from the middle of New York harbor.

Unfortunately, several hours into the ride, I started to become sick. I was still fatigued and weak after the ride, and took a nap when I went home. I woke up shaking several hours later and realized that I had food poisoning. I don’t think it was from the food on the ship since no one was ill; I think it was from my breakfast at a coffee shop or my lunch the day before. The details are a bit gross, but the good news is that my fever broke that night at 3 am, and by the end of Saturday I was in good shape.

So on Sunday, I went up along the Hudson to visit my friend Phil at his house in Garrison. Anne, Mary, Phil, and I started out the day by climbing Anthony’s Nose, a peak overlooking Bear Mountain. We climbed the mountain fairly quickly; it’s a fairly easy, but steep, climb with a beautiful view.

Phil and Mary at the peak of Anthony's Nose.
Phil and Mary at the peak of Anthony’s Nose.

Bear Mountain Bridge from Anthony's Nose
Bear Mountain Bridge

Sam Greenfield overlooking Bear Mountain Bridge from Anthony's Nose
Me (Sam Greenfield) overlooking Bear Mountain Bridge from Anthony’s Nose

Anne, Sam, Mary, and Phil at Anthony's Nose
Anne, me, Mary, and Phil

Climbing down the mountain, I saw many weird looking mushrooms. I would have taken more pictures, but I didn’t want to keep everyone waiting.

Mushroom in Garrison, NY near Anthony's Nose
Mushroom in Garrison, NY near Anthony's Nose
Mushroom in Garrison, NY near Anthony's Nose

I didn’t do as much this past weekend, but I did walk down to Brooklyn Bridge Park with a friend of mine. It was a clear, warm day.
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge

I finished up the weekend playing with my camera. I want to work with the strobe to see if I can capture better images of water droplets.
Stream of Water
Water drops

 Posted by at 6:47 pm

Very strange television advertisement

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Oct 042008
 

This afternoon, I saw an advertisement for Verizon Fios. My building is wired for Fios, but the last time I checked they were only offering high-speed internet service–not television. I saw the number on the screen, 1-888-818-FIOS, and decided to give them a call. (Once they offer television service I am definitely signing up.)

The phone was picked up by an electronic system, and asked if I was calling about my current phone number. Of course, they automatically detected my cell number and read it back. I said no, since I was going to call about Fios. They then asked me what number I was calling about, or if I wanted to speak with an operator. When I said, “Fios,” they said they had no one I could talk to right now, and the automatic system hung up.

This is what I don’t get: why would a major corporation pay for a national advertising campaign on television, and then not have their call centers staffed when the advertising campaign was running? It seems like a waste of money to me.

It’s a double-whammy for them. I really want this service, and even if it weren’t offered in my building right now, I would be willing to sign up for the service ahead of time. The more I try and get shot down for trying to give them money, the less inclined I am to sign up for Fios.

 Posted by at 5:58 pm
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