I purchased a copy of Ferran Adrià’s “A Day at elBulli” today, although I wondered if I even had any business doing so. After all, Catalonia’s famed elBulli restaurant is at the epicenter of the molecular gastronomy movement, and Adrià’s culinary techniques often employ chemicals and equipment that would be very difficult to turn up, even in the most well-stocked kitchen. Liquid nitrogen? Surgical tubing? Sous vide rigs? I consider myself pretty far ahead of the curve, especially when it comes to culinary gadgetry, but I certainly don’t have any of these items at home. And who [... read more ...]
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The Culinary Timeline is a side-project that I've been working on since October. I'm hoping to have most of it complete by the end of January, with any luck. Until then, updates around here will be weekly, rather than twice weekly. Do stay tuned. • • •
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I don’t know much about Jack Kleinberg, but I found these images while reminiscing over Gene’s Po-Boy the other day. From the date of his work, I assume that Kleinberg relocated to Los Angeles after Hurricane Katrina. I find it strangely fascinating that one of Kleinberg’s Los Angeles subjects is Tito’s Tacos, which was one of my guiltiest pleasures as an Angelino. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though Kleinberg has an official site for his work, but he does have a gallery, if you click here. Although Tito’s and Gene’s are nearly 2,000 miles apart, [... read more ...] I’ve always admired the famous “Hot Dog” painting by Roy Lichtenstein. Even though the hot dog itself resembles a logo more than anything edible, I can appreciate the fact that Lichtenstein makes the hot dog appear to glisten and shine. In that sense, the painting is very appealing from a “theoretical taste” standpoint, as if the hot dog was freshly prepared and incredibly succulent. As cartoonish as it looks, it does seem delicious. The colors of the painting are striking: ketchup red and mustard yellow. I wonder if this was largely a coincidence, or if [... read more ...] Somehow, I stumbled upon the “Will Paint for Food” project that has been happening since 2006 in Providence, RI. The artist providing the work behind this fund-raiser is Shawn Kenney, who creates some captivating food-related paintings. Most of these paintings are very small, usually just 4×6 inches, and are composed of acrylic on panel. Kenney paints one of these small pieces each day, as a warm-up to more serious work. I find that rate of output amazing, especially since many of these paintings really do capture the essence of their subjects with just a few [... read more ...] They say that the famous sauce at Bud’s Broiler is some simple ratio of cane syrup and Heinz chili sauce. From what I remember, it sounded plausible, but who knows, really? The original Bud’s Broiler — and the only location that I have ever visited — opened in 1952 on City Park Avenue. I used to stop here after my day shifts at K-Paul’s. Coincidentally, this photo was taken right about that time, in 2004. Stare at this picture and imagine the potent smell of a charcoal grill in the air. Ah, that’s more like [... read more ...] In the context of Napa wineries, the term “cult following” usually conjures up images of those boutique Cabernet producers with outrageously high prices: Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Bryant Family, and all the rest. But another Napa winery has developed a different type of cult following for its unique architectural design. Constructed by Austrian painter and sculptor Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the tasting room at Quixote Winery draws scores of visitors each year (many with little interest in wine) who schedule tasting appointments simply to admire Hundertwasser’s avant garde craftmanship. Quixote is the vision of long-time Napa vintner Carl Doumani, [... read more ...] I’ve poached a painting by Alexandre Hogue — titled “Mother Earth Laid Bare” (1938) — for one of my headers. I admire the painting’s symbolic, agrarian themes and its Art Deco influences. Hogue was an American Regionalist who painted images of the Southwest, including many Dust Bowl-era landscapes.
Sharing is caring… “One piece, or one order?” This is the question you will continually have to answer at Good Luck Dim Sum in San Francisco, at least until you begin to address this query preemptively. The stoic lady behind the counter is all business, and once you finally become more specific with your ordering, the next question you will continually have to field is, “What else?” Perhaps there is something subliminal at work here, but that second question is the tricky one. For me, it somehow implied that maybe I should be ordering something else, and so I happened [... read more ...] Dale Chihuly is having an exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco from June 13 to September 28. I have been waiting for this exhibition since reading about it a few months ago. It should be amazing. I actually first heard about Chihuly when I visited Pine Ridge Winery a couple years ago — one of his famous glass sculptures adorns their dining room. Chihuly is probably the premiere glass artist in America today. He makes some incredible designs that almost don’t seem possible. Really stunning stuff, to say the least. The de [... read more ...] |
 
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© 2012 The Accidental Wino |
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