Chrono-cuisine: What is NEXT?

jesteinf wrote:According to The New York Times, Next's first menu will be Paris, 1912. Not surprising given the introduction of Escoffier dishes to Alinea's menu over the last year or so.

The discussion of Grant Achatz's plans for Next (coupled with the video trailer) - hoping to serve food from Paris in 1912, Sicily in 1949, etc. - reminded me that chefs are searching for the "next new thing," as evidenced by Ferran Adria's decision to shutter his molecular restaurant to decide what to do next. We have seen nouvelle cuisine, fusion cuisine, molecular cuisine, architectural cuisine, locavore cuisine, but what is next. Perhaps what is next is historical cuisine - chrono-cuisine (chronological cuisine) in which chefs explicitly draw inspiration from historical/chronological moments, trying to recreate how communities used to eat - another attempt to discover authenticity, coupled with the possibility of cuisines to undercover new ways of thinking.

Is Next - looking back to look forward - the next new thing? Back to the future. There are a few restaurants that do this, such as one in Venice (Bistrot de Venise) which cooks in the Venetian style of the 1500s, so such chronological play is not entirely new, but it is certainly intriguing. The idea of chefs and culinary historians collaborating in the kitchen is intriguing, if not frightening (but in a good way)!

Fingers crossed for 9th century Baghdadi court cuisine, featuring galangal and fermented, salted wheat juice.

Really though, this sounds very interesting. I've always been interested in time travel. Who hasn't tried to build a time machine at some point in their youth?

Heston Blumenthal has been running a series in the UK called "Heston's Feasts" employing a similar approach. Last year he did a Roman, Tudor, Victorian and Medieval menu. Of course he "modernized" the menus but he does a lot of historical background on the era. This year he's doing more thematic Feasts but sticking to the appropriate timeframes, Charlie's Chocolate Factory (60's), Titanic (Edwardian - Lawrence of Arabia, Scott of the Antarctic), Gothic (Frankenstein, Dracula Victorian).

I guess that these chefs have traded their microscope for a time machine. Bravo H.G. Wells.

I guess that these chefs have traded their microscope for a time machine. Bravo H.G. Wells.

Not so fast. I just gave it a re-read and it says "evocations" of the era (not re-creations) so it may be that he was watching the Blumenthal series as well (and "borrowing" the concept).

Achatz started off teaching Science (Alinea) and is moving on to History (Next). Others dabble in Philosophy (sustainable/vegan/etc.). I wonder if anyone will try Gym?

And those underground supper clubs are pure Sociology.

GAF wrote:Perhaps what is next is historical cuisine - chrono-cuisine (chronological cuisine) in which chefs explicitly draw inspiration from historical/chronological moments, trying to recreate how communities used to eat - another attempt to discover authenticity, coupled with the possibility of cuisines to undercover new ways of thinking.

The idea of chefs and culinary historians collaborating in the kitchen is intriguing, if not frightening (but in a good way)!

I agree with you, GAF, that the search for authenticity is part of this interesting movement, although, ultimately, that attitude is a little condescending towards the past--people in the past were purer, more "natural," less aware, less conscious and thus more sincere and "authentic." We'll see if the historians really join the chefs in the planning of these menus. That said, I am as interested as anyone in trying out a meal from another place and era. Remember comic Stephen Wright's line? "I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time.' So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance."

Habibi wrote:Fingers crossed for 9th century Baghdadi court cuisine, featuring galangal and fermented, salted wheat juice.

Thanks for posting this link--I enjoyed the article and would also love to try the royal Baghdadi food of the 9th century.

GAF wrote:Perhaps what is next is historical cuisine - chrono-cuisine (chronological cuisine) in which chefs explicitly draw inspiration from historical/chronological moments, trying to recreate how communities used to eat - another attempt to discover authenticity, coupled with the possibility of cuisines to undercover new ways of thinking.

I wonder if portion sizes will be historically accurate at Next and any other restaurants that'll pick up chrono-cuisine.*

*"Last Supper Helpings Have Grown"

Habibi wrote:Fingers crossed for 9th century Baghdadi court cuisine, featuring galangal and fermented, salted wheat juice.

Really though, this sounds very interesting. I've always been interested in time travel. Who hasn't tried to build a time machine at some point in their youth?

I just hope it doesn't feature 1st century Herod Antipas' cuisne, especially with Salome dancing.

An interesting article in the New York Times this week talked about how Manna - yup, that manna, the kind from Heaven - is become part of the stock in trade (the mise en place) of some New York chefs (notable Paul Liebrandt of Corton. While there are several types of manna, manna is the dried sap extruded from plants extruded from holes made by bugs or "a honeydew excreted by bugs." So far as I know this trend has not come to Chicago yet, but perhaps we can expect that one of the explorations of Next and Grant Achatz will be "Holy Land, 3500 B.C."

History is the new authenticity.

"Ancient Manna on Modern Menus" by David Arnold

Wikipedia article on Manna

Apparently the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville in partnership with the Land Trust of Tennessee will be planting and serving vegetables that were grown in the 19th Century in Tennessee. This historic cuisine will be available in the hotel dining room.

The inspiration for Next came from a very simple place.

I have been fortunate to cook casual meals at my home alongside Grant and other chefs at Alinea -- Dave Beran, Alex Stupak (now at WD50)... and am always surprised that when we cook up a French or Italian meal -- guess what, it's pretty damn good! Of course I shouldn't be surprised. But it's so good that I often thought about opening a French restaurant.... Grant doing traditional food, perfectly. Doesn't really exist in Chicago anymore, arguably -- there are modern interpretations, but nothing heavy and creamy and great anymore. Then 5 months later we would make some Italian and I would think, hey let's do Italian. Grant would reply, "yeah, we could do that. But at some point it would become kinda boring."

So eventually we hit on it -- we needed a restaurant that would serve fantastic food but always pose the challenge to the chef's of "what's next". Thus the name.

Grant came up with the time element. Paris, 1912 let's you know that we aren't going to shy away from some heavier preparations for that menu. It is also a critical time in Paris after the flooding of the Seine a few years earlier... I don't want to give away the menu, but that's the idea.

Ultimately it should be fun for both the patrons and the cooks and staff... and that keeps a place vibrant and relevant.

I think it is that the time element that will be the "Next New Thing," as "molecular" seems to be winding down, incorporated into general modern cooking.

I wish you great success with Next.

Any chance you could do Chicago 1890s, a la Prairie Avenue?

A wonderful idea. I'd love to see menus from historic Chicago, maybe even from particular restaurants. An homage to Louis Szathmary I'm sure would be warmly welcomed.

The old Cottage restaurant used to do historic theme dinners from time to time. I attended one of the Titanic nights.

Having experienced Alinea for the first time recently, I would sum up the experience as this:

Dinner at Alinea a dizzying array of cleverly engineered, skillfully executed surprises that engage all of the senses and taste receptors.

I could dissect each and every course but if I did, I would be focusing on just the food. To me, the Alinea experience is obviously partly about the food but is mostly about individual moments made possible by well-thought-out ideas that are meant to provide the diner with a holistic food experience. By holistic I mean that their goal is for you to not only taste the food but to understand it within certain contexts. These moments of "understanding," these tasting vignettes are like a series of surprises. An individual dish and the overall experience itself is kind of like a Russian nesting doll in form and function.

I think that Next will be a unique but tangential articulation of Alinea's way of creating a surprise through it's holistic approach to food experiences. The idea of a restaurant that offers a different menu based on a different cuisine from different eras throughout the year is surprising in theory and a surprise to any diner who will experience each stage. When I think of chefs and their restaurants I think about what is they are trying to accomplish with their concept. When I see that a chef is wanting to expand their concept, do more things, it becomes an interesting study in what that chef and their operation are passionate about. I believe that this chef and this operation is passionate about creating surprising moments through food.

The New York Times has an article today about the London Chef Silvena Rowe, the author of Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume and soon to be chef at the May Fair Hotel, where she will cooking Ottoman Cuisine (or at least food inspired by the Ottoman Empire). Is Constantinople 1453 Next?

A London Chef Looks to a Different East

From Chicagoist : Gin and Tonic a la Achatz

The plans for Next and the Aviary, Grant Achatz's new projects, are moving along. Alinea Chef de Cuisine Dave Beran has been tapped to handle the duties at Next, with Chef de Tournant Craig Schoettler handling the goings-on at the Aviary.

Go to the link for the video of chef and his G&T, I haven't watched it yet, but will when I get off of work.

SSDD

I love these "brainstorming" videos from Achatz and crew.

There is a restaurant in San Francisco (Saison - high concept establishment) in which the chef Joshua Skenes attempts to "leverage primitive techniques like ember and ash cooking." Can we imagine that Achatz will attempt at Next "Paleolithic Kenya 2,000,000 BC"?

It’s Paris 1950, but it’s at Chalkboard not Next, and it’s not a “pop-up” but a “takeover.”

Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant at London's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has just opened (his first London restaurant) and it is fully engaged with chrono-cuisine, although it is not copies of original recipes, but inspirations in Blumenthal's style.

Starters
Meat Fruit (c 1500)
Mandarin, Chicken liver parfait and grilled bread

Savory Porridge (c. 1600)
Cod Cheeks, Pickled Beetroot, Garlic, and Fennel

Main courses
Beef Royal (c. 1720)
Slow-cooked short rib of angus, smoked anchovy and onion puree, ox tongue

Spiced pigeon (c. 1780)
Ale and artichokes (Did the Brits have artichokes?)

Dessert
Tipsy Cake (c. 1810)
Spit Roast Pineapple

Brown Bread Ice Cream (c. 1830)
Salted Butter Caramel Malted Yeast Syrup

Mark Hix of The Independent says it was his best meal in two years.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/hestons-new-restaurant-served-the-best-food-ive-had-in-two-years-2202600.html

Matthew Fort of the Guardian is similarly enthusiastic.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/02/restaurant-review-dinner-heston-blumenthal

For photos and a positive review see:

http://winkypedia.net/2011/02/02/dinner-by-heston-blumenthal-ancient-british-cuisine-with-a-magical-modern-touch/

Of course, some of the buzz in the blogosphere has been negative, but is anyone surprised by that? And they could be right. But all the reviews that I have checked out have been very positive.

I have also heard whispers that some chefs now wish to recreate Escoffier's recipes.

Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant at London's Mandarin Oriental Hotel has just opened (his first London restaurant) and it is fully engaged with chrono-cuisine, although it is not copies of original recipes, but inspirations in Blumenthal's style.

Starters
Meat Fruit (c 1500)
Mandarin, Chicken liver parfait and grilled bread

Blumenthal demonstrated the meat fruit on his "Feasts" series. It looked pretty amazing.

A Chicago chrono-y question. Years ago .... would be around '93 or so, I was living in CT but came to Chicago for business and a colleague took us to Zinfandel where we had a very good meal. I remember it quite clearly since the menu featured based on historic American recipes ... for example a barbecue type sauce from the 1800s. It was my first exposure to "American" food that was on a par with the better places in NYC which were still heavily French. Ring any bells? and can we claim a Chicago heritage for all this chrono-ista trend?

Siun wrote:A Chicago chrono-y question. Years ago .... would be around '93 or so, I was living in CT but came to Chicago for business and a colleague took us to Zinfandel where we had a very good meal. I remember it quite clearly since the menu featured based on historic American recipes ... for example a barbecue type sauce from the 1800s. It was my first exposure to "American" food that was on a par with the better places in NYC which were still heavily French. Ring any bells? and can we claim a Chicago heritage for all this chrono-ista trend?

Can't speak for the chrono trend but Zinfandel was Susan and Drew Goss' restaurant prior to West Town Tavern. Best as I can recall, Zinfandel was similiarly focused on "American" cuisine. No recollection of any focus on time periods.

I just came across an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, entitled "East Like a Caveman: Paleo Diet Stresses Meat, Fruit, Veggies - no processed food." (See http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/16/DDP91IAJM5.DTL)

Although I had not been aware of this mega-chrono-cuisine trend, it apparently has been around since the 1970s, as Wikipedia points out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet. According to Wiki: "The paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils."

This being Northern California the article suggests (I kid you not): Crab and Avocado Ceviche; Chinese Chicken Salad with Cilantro, Red Onion, Chili and Mango; Seared Arctic Char; Duck a l'orange, Cashew Cheesecake; and Wine.

I can just imagine lounging in loincloths, sampling ceviche, searing char, and sipping an earthy Pinot. Now that's Slow Food.

The leader of the Paleo-Diet Cooking class is Chris LaLanne, the grandnephew of Jack.

Chicago Mag preview of hors d'oeuvres at Next

Puppy wrote:Chicago Mag preview of hors d'oeuvres at Next

Wake me up for Shanghai 1935.