“…paradoxically, tourists empty a place by their presence. They turn (a city) into a spectacle without depth.” – Peter Ackroyd
Year: 2011
Paul Liebrandt at CORTON
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Paul Liebrandt, the enfant terrible of New York’s haute cuisine scene got his close-up on an HBO special earlier this summer. If you’re a fan of high-flying French food, molecular gastronomy, or great restaurant cooking (and restaurant gossip in general), you owe it to yourself to watch this documentary — filmed over an eight year span of his (still young) career.
Having eaten Liebrandt’s food several times in a couple of venues over that time span, we were fascinated by what makes him tick. Liebrandt is arguably, one of the most artistic/creative chefs in the world (chocolate covered scallops anyone?). We at ELV enjoyed the documentary and really enjoyed dinner at Corton last month.
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(Why wouldn’t we? He’s an acolyte of Pierre Gagnaire, and Gagnaire-ean touches abounded on the menu.)
ELV’s Usual Friday Libations
ELV’s had a tough week. And by “tough” he means working on his tan, enduring the heat, and dealing with all those pesky bill collectors….reason enough to crack these open* on a humid, lazy Friday, wouldn’t you agree?
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* We’re kidding of course. Drinking red wine of this caliber in Vegas in August makes about as much sense as having a weenie roast on your roof at noon. Truth be told, we lose our craving for vin rouge in late May and don’t recover it until early October. Not everyone feels this way, as the above panoply of trophy wines demonstrates. They come from a collector who had them shipped to Comme Ça for a private dinner there a few weeks ago. Go figure.