Awww man, if I'm ever in that area, I'm eating there -- I don't care how much it costs. I've only been to one Thomas Keller restaurant (Bouchon in Vegas) and it was phenomenally good.

Wow! That's basically exactly how it reads in the book. If I ever get the old: "you have a week to live." That's where I'll spend it.

OK, while I don't like the style of restaurant dining that has minuscule servings of dishes such that you are forever hungry, I guess the number of courses here would make up for it somewhat.

I hate to think how much this would cost though. Oh... I just found out $240 for nine tiny courses.

I won't say I wouldn't like to try this, but I can also say that there are other dining experiences I might like to spend $240 a head on... I mean... wow... half a grand for two people... WOW!

Another thing that I find really amusing is Anthony Bourdain is a heavy smoker... which kills your sense of taste and smell... and yet he's a chef and here, food critic to some degree. I find it hard to take advice from someone who knowingly kills off the main senses required to cook and enjoy food.

After I finish my Ph.D., I promised myself the reward of eating a special celebratory meal at the French Laundry.

I've already enjoyed a fabulous meal once at The Herbfarm Very delicious. And the many tiny courses do not leave you hungry. If anything, they satisfy unlike any "supersized" meal you get in the restaurants who attempt to convince you that what you're eating is "food."

>> ^Trancecoach:And the many tiny courses do not leave you hungry. If anything, they satisfy unlike any "supersized" meal you get in the restaurants who attempt to convince you that what you're eating is "food."


Yeah, I can see how many little dishes can do wonders, and I've never been a fan of the 'uber huge' portion places, but then there is always a place for a nice sized, steaming bowl of paella or other such dish.

I can indeed see the attraction in dining in a place like this, and would love the idea that all decisions are made for me by people who know better as to what drinks and foods go best with each other.

But $240 per head. I had a hard time paying that much for us as a couple a while back, let alone per head.

If I become uber rich and am in the Napa Valley again, I'll definitely go there.

You know... IF I become rich... and just happen to be in California...

The theory behind the tasting menu lies in the observation that after about 3 or 4 bites of something, you can't taste it properly anymore. If you've ever tried seasoning a soup and it wasn't right so you added something, but it still wasn't right so you added a bit more, and so on, for more than a few times, you'll discover that suddenly after about 3 or 4 times... you can't taste it anymore. All the subtlety is gone. Your senses are immune to all but the most drastic adjustments.

So, if this is the case then any more than a few bites and all the extra effort that you spent making something the absolute best possible flavour has gone to waste. If you serve portions that are larger, the nuance, the elegance, the speciality is gone.

Instead of wasting your effort and your guests' time, why not give them only these first few almost excruciatingly exquisite bites?

The upshot of this is that you can set up a flow, a poetry, almost a storyline of flavours as the meal progresses. A tasting menu is very similar to a DJ set. Any half decent DJ can create a set that flows, but the very best create a journey that his audience will never forget. The best chef's tasting menu should be the same.

Just to let you know, I've never created more than 9 courses for a menu, but I feel like I have at least a rudimentary idea of the concepts. Certainly in a broad sense anyway. I hope to be able to try 24 at Alinea or the French Laundry or 31 at El Bulli sometime. I'm sure that an experience like that would help my career greatly.

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