Some dudes have all the luck.
Well, not luck exactly. Talent, persistence, connections�all came into play in awarding (and award it seems) local wunderkind Jason Dady a dinner reservation at fabled El Bullà in
Adriá's claim to considerable fame is his cutting-edge espousal of molecular gastronomy, that branch of contemporary cuisine that has some chefs foaming, flash-freezing and faking just about every ingredient once held sacrosanct by traditional cooks. (And other chefs just plain foamingâ??at the mouth.) Pellets of frozen foie gras as a flavoring kick to bouillon? White garlic and almond sorbet? (It sounds like a white gazpacho with a PhD.) A dish called “leche electrica”?
The sci-fi food turned out by Adriá has nevertheless generated a legion of admirers and disciples, both in
Dady, who has already shown a weakness for such culinary wizardry by beginning to use liquid nitrogen in some of his cooking, will be dining at El Bullà on July 22, and though it would be unseemly to Tweet from the table, we expect to hear a blow-by-blow recap shortly thereafter. Fortunatelyâ??for balance if nothing elseâ??he will also be traveling to
As a further antidote to the buzz and brouhaha surrounding Adriá and Arzak, another Spanish pilgrimage might be consideredâ??if it isn't already. (Hey, Dady will already be in the â??hood, relatively speaking.) In a tiny basque village in the mountains near Bilbao, the shy but immensely talented chef Victor Arguinzoniz holds forth in what must seem like a monastery compared to Adria's laboratory, yet, ironically, he has been dubbed “the Ferran Adriá of the hearth” by the Spanish food pressâ??a designation he apparently scoffs at. But grilling, mostly on devices of his own invention, is indeed his specialty. He even grills caviarâ??gently, we trust.
I'd plead with Dady to take me with him, but he already has his staff offering to sell their souls (and their ridesâ??which may be equally important) to go along. So we'll have to wait for reactions. Caution, Jason: this may require yet another new restaurant on your part. Just sayingâ?¦