Bob Macdonald - Knives on the Cutting Edge: The Great Chefs Dining Revolution

Praise for
KNIVES ON THE CUTTING EDGE

Holding this book you may be asking why Bob Macdonald? Ive never heard of this guy? Well, let me tell you that very few people on earth have the comparative experience that Bob has. Putting serious food into perspective necessitates a complete and total comprehensive understanding of the way the world of fine dining works; it requires a serious palate, an educated approach, a personal connection to food and a globalist sensibility. Bob has all that and more. He has dined everywhere, supported real dining and the chefs who make it possible for decades, and is so well-versed that when I needed someone to support me and my efforts to better understand that world Bob was the first one I turned to. Why Bob? Because in a world of poseurs he is the real deal.

Andrew Zimmern, the host and creator of the Travel Channels Bizarre Foods America, Bizarre World and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

This lover of our art presents what we, actors of the gastronomy, will never be able to see: An in-depth experience of the upscale world of international cooking around the world, and way above that, a vision for tomorrow.

Michel Bras and family, Michelin three-star chef, Bras (Laguiole, France)

An extraordinary journey through time and gourmandise narrated by a gourmet and gourmand This book recounts with passion the last two decades, which makes me want to rush into these restaurants.

Pascal Barbot, Michelin three-star chef, LAstrance (Paris)

Mr. Macdonald invites us on a wonderful journey from table to table. He sends us his passion for creation and tradition. There is love in what he does.

Michel Troisgros, Michelin three-star chef, La Maison Troisgros (Roanne, France)

Bob and Sue have reflected in this substantial work two decades of shared passion throughout the most sought after and diverse dining locales in Europe.

Juan Mari & Elena Arzak, Michelin three-star chefs, Arzak (San Sebastian, Spain)

Through extensive firsthand experience over the course of so many years, Bob and Sue have gathered invaluable reflections on the evolution of fine dining. In Knives on the Cutting Edge, they explore the most spectacular restaurants around the world, giving us a thoughtful look into the way we eat today.

Daniel Humm, Michelin three-star chef, Eleven Madison Park (New York City)

Knives on the Cutting Edge

BOB MACDONALD

SCARLETTA PRESS MINNEAPOLIS

Copyright January 2012 Bob Macdonald

Published by Scarletta Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, write to Scarletta Press, 10 South Fifth Street #1105, Minneapolis, MN 55402, U.S.A., www.scarlettapress.com.

This book is a work of personal insights. Any opinions stated within are purely those of the author, and not necessarily shared by Scarletta Press. To the best of our knowledge, all names, places, restaurants, and ingredients have been spelled correctly. Any inaccuracies should be reported to Scarletta Press.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Macdonald, Bob

Knives on the cutting edge : the great chefs dining revolution / by Bob Macdonald, Jr.

p.cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9830219-9-5

1. Cooking. 2. CooksEurope. 3. CooksUnited States. 4. Restaurants. 5. Wine and wine making. 6. Natural foods. I. Title.

TX651.M324 2012

641.5dc23

2011053388

Editor: Lisa Wagner

Production Management: Mighty Media

Cover Design: Anders Hanson

Interior Design: Chris Long

Publicity: Desiree Bussiere,

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Dedication

To my wife Sue who shared these wonderful experiences with me, and to my two sons Scott and Todd who keep me grounded.

WE LOVE CHEFS. NOT ONLY ARE THEY THE TRUE ARTISTS OF the current generation, but their creativity and intelligence can provide a dining experience that is, for many of us, the best kind of entertainment. Chefs do not choose an easy lifestyle. Acquiring the proper cooking techniques to become great chefs takes years of working for more experienced chefs who are talented and willing enough to teach them. The newfound and growing respect for chefs in the United States is resulting from the more interesting menus they are developing, as well as their abilities to successfully promote their profession and their own reputations.

Dining is such a personal experience that critics and chefs can vary widely about what they believe is great. Chefs today cannot rest on their laurels but must continue to meet increasingly high standards of excellence; in more difficult times, tremendous pressures exist on chefs at the high-end to remain economically viablewhich can mean doing more with less.

Food has become truly international. Asian flavors and cooking techniques are being adopted worldwide, and sophisticated American chefs are taking their place alongside even the greatest European chefs as masters of their trade. The Michelin Red Guides, which have been the standard for recognizing the greatest restaurants, has expanded the countries for which it provides annual ratings to include America and Asia. At the same time, diners are becoming much more interested in selecting their restaurants by the creativity and personality of the chef, and the concept of a celebrity chef is being reinforced through highly visible television shows and best-selling cookbooks.

Never have we had so many interesting dining choices. Comfort food at reasonable prices is now being cooked and offered by many classically trained chefs. Great gourmet cooking has become readily accessible to many more people in the United Stateswithout having to travel to Europe. More chefs are deconstructing food with experimental offerings and cooking techniques that test our knowledge and senses about how food should taste and in what forms food should be served. It is enormously satisfying to participate in a dining revolution that is redefining the entire paradigm of how and what we eat.

This ongoing evolution of hearty comfort food, thoughtful gourmet cooking with finesse, and deconstructed food presented through new textures and unusual flavor combinations (powders, gelatins, foams, frozen foams [air], purees, and ice creams), reflects the desire of chefs to offer uniquely satisfying food experiences in ways that leave their individual signatures. Street food with its spicy flavors has now moved from fast-food menus into mainstream gourmet cooking as diners increasingly crave hotter flavors. It seems that all aspects of the dining spectrum are in continuous evolution and flux, which dedicated eaters find quite exciting.

The sous vide utilize a slow-cooked vacuum concept to provide amazingly tender textures and more concentrated flavors. Liquid nitrogen is being used to reconstruct food ingredients and products into new forms that stimulate our thinking and test the boundaries of creative food preparation. Grilling and cooking in wood-burning and tandoori ovens, smokers, and a la plancha offer other creative and satisfying ways of preparing meat, fish, and vegetables.

Most serious food people grow up in households that put a strong emphasis on tasteful, well-prepared meals and, most importantly, expose them as children to a wide variety of food experiences so they learn to eat everything. My wife Sue and I both had mothers who were excellent cooks so we regularly had delicious comfort food for our meals at home. We started our married life in the late 1960s in New York City where we both developed a love for great food. We would save our money to splurge on memorable lunches at Lutece, and sample a wide range of ethnic restaurants such as Casa Brasil, which introduced us to exotic dishes like Brazilian feijoada (pigs ear stew).