Romera serves "leek infused water" and pond run off in latest example of scientific cooking done wrong.

I've been skeptical of scientific cooking for a while now but in light of the recent proclamation of El Bulli as the best restaurant in the world (I'm not a millionaire so I couldn't get a table) it seems to have gained some popular credence and of course imitators. One such place seems to be Romera, owned by Spanish Doctor/Chef Miguel Snachez Romera, which serves what they call Aqua Gourmond with each of their 11 courses. This is basically flavored water, but not the 50 cent endorsed vitaminy kind. No these are "the latest innovation in high cuisine, ingredient-driven waters that compliment the flavors and aromatic properties of each dish," according to the website. For example one course is complimented by a potato leek infused water. NY times food columnist Frank Bruni simply calls them "pond runoff." A prime example of too much fuss and not enough substance, do you really think your diners are going to be so impressed by the high concept of herb water (every course comes with an index card explaining the philosophy of the dish) that they're going to forget it tastes like shit?

California D Bags ban Foie Gras

Oh California, liberal enough to protect its farm animals from French people but not pass gay marriage. It was recently brought to my attention that the state of California is banning the sale and production of one of the most sacred of French delicacies, foie gras. The law, which goes into effect in 8 months, has been met with applause from animal rights activists, who argue that the process involved in fattening the duck livers is inhumane (it is), and meet with groans from foodies and Frenchies who argue that the stuff tastes really good (it does). For my readers who are not familiar with the process of making Foie Gras allow me to explain. A duck or goose, being a migratory bird, has an incredible capacity to gain weight. The bird is force fed (although not always)by tube, a diet of boiled corn and fat. This diet contributes significant fat deposits in the liver, which is then cut out of the slaughtered bird and slow cooked traditionally with a little bit of brandy or in a variety of other ways. I can describe to you how foie gras is prepared but I can't really tell you how it tastes, except to say that no food which I've eaten so few times has left such an impression on me. You can tell from the title of this post that I oppose the law, but unlike others who oppose the ban I don't deny that this process is inhumane. Below is a link to a New York times article which better outlines some viewpoints of people against the ban but basically many of them argue that the birds actually enjoy being fed, or at least don't mind it too much. I can't really tell myself that a bird enjoys getting a tube shoved down its throat so it can eat many times more what it would eat in nature, just like I don't think the lobsters most of us boil with no problem aren't in pain the whole time they're clawing at the side of the pot. The issue these foods raise is how cruel are we willing to be to animals to create something so delicious. Somehow I live with myself eating both lobster and foie gras. People tend to come up with excuses to justify cruel methods, like lobsters primitive neural systems can't feel pain (they sure act like they are in pain). I don't come up with excuses for eating these dishes. self indulgence plays a big part in my love of these foods, but there is a sharing aspect to it. I want other people to experience the joys of eating the dishes like soft foie gras confit served with apple purée,brioche croutons and cipollini onions. Chefs like Thomas Keller (who serves the afore mentioned dish at Per Se) bust out the goods when they prepare a dish like foie gras. There is an incredible respect in the food world for the animals we kill in elaborate ways. This sounds paradoxical, but anyone who has seen the preparation that goes into a foie gras dish can't deny the amount of care with which it is made. By banning Foie Gras you are essentially banning the one of the highest forms of expression for an art. Maybe not everyone can live with themselves eating foie gras, but we should at least have the choice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/us/in-california-going-all-out-to-bid-adieu-to-foie-gras.html?ref=dining

Dog Food

I've ranted on this before but the NY times ran a recent article on people cooking for their dogs which reignited my hate for overzealous dog owners. I have a dog which I love, she sleeps on my bed, she is allowed on the couch, she goes out three times a day. But as much as I love my dog I have seen her do such adorable things as eat trash, eat plastic toys, and best of all eat her own shit. Which is why I will never cook for my dog and neither should you, it is not only time consuming and unnecessary it is insulting to the human race. The women in the NYtimes article actually had the nerve to feed her dog free range chicken. The only way my dog will ever touch a free range chicken is if she kills it herself or it falls off our dining room table. First, an animal that is content to eat shit does not care weather its chicken is free range or not. Second, have any of you ever actually watched a dog eat? They barley even chew they just wolf down whatever slop you put in their bowl like you've been starving them for weeks. Good food deserves to be savored and appreciated. Some owners try and argue that in fact dogs do appreciate their food more then we think. One friend told me he once watched a dog eat so fast it barfed into its bowl then continued eating through the vomit, I guess that's appreciation. The human equivalent would be if I liked my steak so much going down I decided to send it back up so I could eat it all over again as a smoothie. Nutrition wise dog food is actually better for your dog because its, you guessed it, made for dogs. I don't even have to look this fact up, I just need to look around at all the healthy dog food feed canines running around the world to know that somehow without roast organic chicken millions of tail wagging fuckers have lived for thousands of years. I mentioned before that feeding your dog cooked food was insulting to the human race and that's because there are people around the world eating trash who would much rather have the chicken you cook for your dog. If you find yourself eying up your dog's food saying "that could be tasty," you've gone too far.

Here is a dog video for shits and giggles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyyKlNptQwc

Julia's Alright

So the holidays are over and by far the best meal I had was a little chicken dish that came out of that book known as "The Art of French Cooking" by a certain Julia Child. Now I've never really been into Julia Child, at least not since she became chick flick material, but after this meal I leafed through her cook book and she gets the ODR seal of approval. Lines like "boil chicken in melted butter," and "beat six eggs into cake mix" remind me of a time when people weren't afraid of what they ate. I don't think Mrs Childs could get away with writing such a book in today's world, what with all the calorie counters and diet freaks. Sure if the world ate like Julia Child cooked we may all be a little rounder, Julia was pretty dam round herself, she was also dam happy.

Happy Holidays form ODR

Its Christmas time people. The time of the year when families get together, the time of year when Jews and Chinese immigrants rekindle their secret yearly alliance to eat at each others restaurants when everything else is closed. Whatever you may be celebrating this season, ODR hopes your holiday is filled with good food you didn't pay for. Enjoy this link to GQ's guide to holiday entertaining, which should make you semi literate in champagne (which I was not considering It doesn't come in boxes), and this awesome picture.

GQ guide to New Years entertaining

ODR WINS FIRST AWARD

Well the competition was stiff but ODR beat out a crowded field for the "Most Misogynistic Blog Having to do With Food and Drink" award given by The United Feminist Front. Such excellent posts as ODR's Drinking for 15 year olds, as well as my post on how to take advantage of under eating women to fill your own stomach, were sited as fine examples of sexist blogging at its best. In an award ceremony hosted by Kanye West and interrupted by me I thanked my mom for inspiring my dickyness with her in your face feminism. Love you Mom!

Cheers!

Hatties is for Lovers

Sooner or later I'm going to have to accept that I don't live in New York City anymore and start talking about restaurants which are near me. So for my first review Saratoga Springs Ol' Dirty would like to talk about Hattie's Restaurant. The other day a girl was talking to me about what her and her bf/hookup/whatever you kids call it these days were planning on doing that night. As I pretended to listen she started to talk about which restaurant they should go to, which got my attention. Without hesitation I mentioned Hattie's. After a short pause she said "isn't that a Chicken place?" When I told her it mainly was she responded "I can't look sexy eating fried Chicken, its not date food" The first thing I thought was I would never date this girl she hates fried chicken, and second I thought she could actually look pretty sexy eating fried chicken. The truth is I have been around Downtown Saratoga eating out. I went to Max London's, I went to the Adelhpi, I went to Ravenous. Your going to get the most satisfaction for your dollar at Hattie's eating fried chicken with your hands. And its not even like Hattie's is some chicken joint like this girl was making it seem, its a well run restaurant with an upscale atmosphere. I've never stuffed my face with chicken in such a classy environment, I felt like the clothes I was spilling grease on weren't expensive enough (a lot of this probably has to do with the fact that it was race season and the crowd was upscale). Don't think Hattie's is unfriendly though simply because it is well decorated, the waitresses were more then willing to explain the menu items which only a regular or a southerner would know. The massive chef was even walking around talking to diners (note that if your fried chicken chef is fat its a good thing). I later found out that the chef, whose name is Jasper Alexander even gained his credentials at NYC restaurants like Gotham Bar and Grill, and Gramercy Tavern, which satisfied the NYC snob side of me. Of course the atmosphere and the staff wouldn't matter if the food was bad. The Hattie's chicken recipe was brought from the South by Hattie Gray in 1938, and I doubt it has changed much since. The chicken is no frills, moist on the inside, flaky on the outside. When we are talking about American fried chicken the only really important thing is the balance between moist and crisp and Hattie's handles the balance beautifully. There are no revolutionary seasonings or sauces its just good fundamental chicken. Pair the chicken with a side like coleslaw and mashed potatoes. Obviously there is more on the menu then chicken but in my opinion going to Hattie's for anything but chicken is like watching a porno movie for the acting. No matter what you get your going to leave stuffed and satisfied and maybe even...sexy?