Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Visit from Friends
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Going Dutch
Back from The Netherlands and getting ready to resume restaurant service. As you may or may not know, the restaurant closed for part of December and most of January for an annual break, and simultaneously, to allow for significant modifications and improvements to be made to the restaurant. It is no secret here that amongst the many ambitions of this restaurant is the coveted third Michelin star, awarded to only the most premier restaurants, the pinnacle of achievement (if thats how you take your coffee so-to-speak).
Friday, January 8, 2010
In the year two thousand...
Bonbons- Tomato, Dark Cocoa Olive Oil, Mandarin, Passionfruit White Chocolate
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Xmas in Gizpucoa
So Christmas is here, and I’ve made a quick movie with some of the pictures Ive taken over the first few weeks (and, eek, months here). Life is pretty copasetic, but becoming increasingly more challenging as I am now working on the first course station. As you may have noticed or for that matter will continue to notice, I don’t have any photos from the kitchen of any of the prep, the service, or the food. This is prohibited. Actually, I kinda like that because you can’t totally live vicariously through ones documentation of this experience, you really need to come here and see it for yourself. Also, I am working on a guest blog for John Sconzo, the whom the food world more affectionately knows as Docsconz (docsconz.typepad.com).
After we closed for our final night of service, we spent the next day completely breaking down the kitchen so that it could be refitted and repaired during the closure. Things get painted, broken stuff fixed, yadda yadda yadda. It was a bittersweet experience because for several of the guys it was there last day there, and the culmination of the day was this graduation like group huddle where the departing received their letters of recommendation and well wishes from the team. There are no words to describe it because its such an unprecedented feeling to be connected so closely with people for such a short period of time and then separated. But life moves quickly here, and people too, so I digress.
It’s gotten cold, we wont divulge too much into that because frankly, it makes shiver just thinking about it. My Spanish is getting better, like a d-minus now, but nonetheless an improvement. The other day I was playfully poking fun with one of the sous chefs in production when I realized I was fully conversing in somewhat discernible Castellano. Maybe four months more will be enough time to figure this out.
I’ve lost a little bit of weight, and grown my beard back and earned myself (amongst a few others) one fun nickname: Chuck Norris. We’ve had a great time with the old Chuck Norris jokes too. For example, did you know that if you have five dollars, and Chuck Norris has five dollars, he has more money than you? Or that Chuck Norris was once bitten by a Rattlesnake while hiking, and after six hours of excruciating pain, the Rattlesnake died? It is a great new, never ending source of entertainment.
I have pretty much the next month off. I am going to stay here and do Xmas dinner with everyone here, and then possibly/probably go to Barcelona for New Years Eve.
After that, it’s up in the air. I have been beating around a bunch of ideas, but the most viable and crazy right now that I am actually considering is getting a general train pass for Spain and France, getting on a train with no specified destination and just traveling about. I have some friends from here scattered about the country, but honestly I will probably just go somewhere and try to find cheap pensions to stay in, and move about. It’s not a natural inclination for me, to travel in such an arbitrary style but it could be a lot of fun, so who knows, maybe Ill make a go of it.
Anywho, 2010 will only bring greater challenges, and Im grateful for this. So, when you’re watching the ole ball drop back in New York, just remember that Im six hours a head of you, and therefore, hopefully asleep…
Cheers, Merry Christmas/Happy Hannukah/Wonderful Festivus…
































