Thursday, October 4, 2012

Finest Binge: Summary

Across 5 meals comprising significant critical acclaim across two cities, I was exposed to a broad range of ingredients, flavors, techniques, dining rooms and service.  I learned a lot about all of these elements and of my belief of what makes a meal great.  I tried to avoid comparisons across these restaurants in individual post, as each dinner certainly deserves space for its story & experience.  This post is the opposite; this post will compare everything experienced in this week of great eating.

It's hard to pinpoint which meal was "the best."  Marea was hearty & satisfying; Bon Soiree was creative & stunningly well-executed; Next's el Bulli was clever, and enjoyably hands-on; The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare was a spectacle of precision applied to perfect ingredients.  I give the edge to el Bulli for its interactivity & historical significance.  The friend who was with me for the week preferred Bon Soiree.  I'd gladly have any of these meals again (including Eleven Madison Park, though I won't be funding their chance at redemption).

Most impressive was Bon Soiree.  I might be biased by the BYO aspect & enjoyable bottles I took, but to have that meal outperform EMP, challenge Next's el Bulli menu for overall quality, and come with such a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere made a great experience.

Most memorable dishes: composed duck plate & the raw ingredients from Chef's Table (along with the spectacle of caviar scooping); pheasant dish with a chocolate-influenced sauce at EMP; pasta dishes at Marea; motoyaki, duck, "Chocolate 8 ways" at Bonsoiree; rabbit & shrimp dishes at Next.  These have all hung in my mind as standards for great dishes.

The lasting impression of those dishes, meals, and varied formats have been implanted in my mind and compared against all fine dining meals since then.  It's been over 6 months now, and the memories are still vivid.  This week will always stick with me as an educational experience and surely formative on all future food experiences.