If there's room, I would like to go. Sign up Cinny's Mom as well for Feb. 27th. Sounds great.

[size=9]Edited to account for numerous typos and incoherency.[/size]

It's been a while since I've posted on LTH, but I'm a huge beet fan and if I'm not intruding on a group of people who are all friends, I'd love to RSVP. Forgive me if it's understood or I missed it, but what is the location of this event? Thanks!

Once you join the board you officially become a friend. So, welcome friend.

The dinner is to be at:

Moto
945 W Fulton Market
312-491-0058

Any chance of firming up the price? I gotta start saving:)

I had meant to call on Friday, but I'll call on Tuesday to get the price and to insure that they can handle two dozen.

Gary, is there room for one more? While my previous Moto experience left me less than delghted (more pizzazz than deliciousness), I love beets and Homaro's creativity and downright adventurousness. Plus, did I say I love beets?

If there is still room, my husband and I would be interested in joining this event, but if not we completely understand.

Thanks,
Susan

We are currently at our limit for our dinner for the private dining room at Moto, although it is possible that some space might open up.

It is also possible - indeed, likely - that some people will need to cancel. So if you are interested and are not on the list (see page one), let me know. I am keeping a waiting list. If you know that you will need to cancel, let me know as soon as possible.

Gary, the Bride wishes to join me. I hope you can find a way to accomadate us, for I do not wish to miss it, but I fear for my little cocoon of wedded bliss if I were to go without her...

I also have two friends who would like to come. Please add them to the waiting list.

Thanks

Please add Mrs. Johnny and I to the waiting list.
If needed, I can give you the top-secret number to the exclusive LTH hotline hidden within our bunker.

Just to remind everyone on the guest list that the Moto dinner will be this Tuesday, February 27th at 7:30. Let me know if you can't make it, since there are still people on the waiting list.

I definitely plan to be there. Can't wait!

Hi Gary-

Could you be so kind as to add me to the waiting list?? I wish I would have gotten on board earlier--I work a block away!

Take Care,

Margo
(Epoisses)

T minus 9 hours and counting!

It's over. Four and a half hours of great company, joy, and another remarkable LTH experience.

Tomorrow appears the photos and the narratives.

But tonight thank you Team Cantu for a very special evening. Beets forever.

Can't wait!

GAF wrote:Tomorrow appears the photos and the narratives.

Tomorrow? Pfft. My ladylove may turn into a pumpkin at midnight, but I suffer no such affliction.

Given the hour, however, I'll stay light on the commentary for the time being. But here's a quick rundown of the menu for reference. I usually post smaller images with links so as to not abuse people, but I suspect the occasion calls for the full 600 pixels worth of width. If it's too much, just let me know and I'll replace with the standard click-to-enlarge variety.



Library of Martinis
Nothing special in way of the drinks, just a fun delivery system for an array of libations. In case it isn't clear from the photo, there are eight eyedroppers filled with various drinks on ice. You pick one up and squeeze the contents into your mouth. This wasn't part of the menu, but enough folks tried it that I opted to include it here.



The First Tease
The first dish to hit the table was a tease, as it was actually the third course. A frozen beet octahedron, inspired by Michelango's method of casting bronze, was left to slowly decay while we worked on the first few dishes.



The Menu
In typical Cantu fashion, edible, and affixed to a cracker, accompanied by a dipping sauce the nature of which I'm afraid I missed. Creamy and tasty.



BEET MAKI & miso
The first official course was the maki prepared for Iron Chef, containing rice, nori, a healthy dose of miso mayonnaise and golden beets, wrapped in edible paper printed with images of maki. It would make any Japanese traditionalist cringe (and even some non-traditionalists), but setting aside any preconceived notions of what maki should be, I enjoyed it a little more than I'd like to admit. It was exceptionally creamy and very sweet and had absolutely nothing to do with sushi bar simplicity and elegance, and I knew I was being bought, but... well... I could've pounded five or six of these, easy.



BEET with borscht
The second course was a two part dish. On the left, a sort of light, airy, frozen beet fluff. Very mild in flavor, more textural than anything. On the right, a really nicely spiced, intense warm beet borscht with chunks of beet and a tiny dollop of sour cream. I'm not sure what the left lent to the dish other than an opportunity to present something funky, but the borscht was really delicious. Was this on the IC episode? It's been too long since I watched it.



HOT & SOUR with beet juice
By this time, our octahedrons (is that the plural of octahedron?) had melted and collapsed into a slushy pile which, when mixed around a bit, created the third course, a slushy cold "hot and sour" soup with beet greens and bacon. I use quotation marks because, frankly, I don't see any connection to hot & sour soup other than the fact that they're both liquds in bowls that you eat with a spoon, but that said this was probably my favorite dish of the evening. Something about the beet and bacon, even in a cold context, worked beautifully. Fun and unique and really delicious. This was on the IC episode, except with the balloon-formed spheres instead of the octahedrons.



BEET, monkfish & raccoon
Though I was not present at the first LTH Moto dinner, I understand this was a raccoon reprise, as it were. Working from the bottom to the top, first there were crispy toasted beet macaroni (something along the lines of Rice Krispies, but crunchier), a white cheddar sauce, a pile of tender strands of raccoon meat that had also been treated with beet, two pieces of battered and fried monkfish, and finally some white truffle powder. It had a certain snacky feel, almost upscale junkfood-ish. Definitely enjoyable, and I got to add a new critter to my list, which is always a bonus.



BLOODSHOT surf & turf
Another IC dish. Very simply prepared chunks of fish (the variety escapes me) and ribeye atop crispy rice noodles, upon which a beet and saffron jus is poured. Though tasty, I thought this one was a little too simple. It helped that the fish and beef were a couple of perfectly prepared pieces of protein, but I thought the dish was missing a little oomph.



The Second Tease
Wahey, another octahedron! This time with a drizzle of something. Another tease to gently disintegrate while we work on desserts.



OAXACAN chocolate & citrus
A smudge of barely sweetened chocolate mousse, with a couple bits of beet and three accompanying squirts... lemon, lime and chocolate. All of the sweetness was in the eyedroppers, so both elements definitely needed to work in concert. It was a fun dish, and though I know the fellas over at Schwa are also working this combo right now, I'm still not sold on chocolate and beets as a pairing. I feel like they need something else to marry them... what that something is, I have no idea.



ORANGE & BEET with tasty pudding
The second dessert had a number of components, and my memory of the details is fuzzy so take the description with a grain of salt. Nearest the camera was an orange concoction that fell somewhere between custard and gelee in terms of consistency, but it was tart and tasty. Then you see some bits of golden beet, and more of the custard/gelee with a beet powder dusted packing peanut. Past that was a small pool of lime mascarpone that had been kicked up a touch with serrano, and finally a sesame chocolate pudding that was closer to a wet mousse in texture. Delicious across the board, especially the pudding that lived up to its name... the sesame flavor was full-on, and that was fine by me. My only complaint would be the packing peanut. I thought it was a fun idea, but not terribly enjoyable to eat past the novelty factor.



PYRAMID OF BEET, yogurt & yuzu
Where the first octahedron of beet melted away to reveal beet greens and bacon, the second octahedron of beet melted away to reveal... a sphere of beet! Also frozen, this inner beet geometry was yuzu-fied and maintained its icy texture while the outer octahedron melted around it to create the soup. Drizzled on top was the yogurt. It was really very nice and refreshing... a great finish. Though I couldn't help but feel we'd seen this presentation somewhere before.

All in all, an awful lot of fun and a great opportunity to have (most of) an Iron Chef menu. Great to meet everybody, many thanks to Gary for making the arrangements, and also to the Moto staff and Chef Cantu for being such enthusiastic hosts. Glad I was there. In parting, I'll leave you with one more shot, taken in the kitchen... notice anything special?


No peeking at the image name... that's cheating!!!

Dominic-

Great pics, per usual. I believe the "surf" in the surf and turf was sea bass. I loved that dish, although it was very simple. It intensified once the meat juices hit the broth at the bottom of the plate.

Very fun. One of the best parts was putting on the goggles, going into the kitchen and watching the lasers in action.

Great pix, Dom.

One of the things I found so interesting was Chef Cantu's futurevision. This guy ain't just cooking beets:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebm2PKbo_08

(my first video upload - please be kind)

Hawaiian seabass: Hapu`upu`u

question, what constituted the fried mac in the monkfish/'coon parfait?

last nite i dreamt i was chased by one of the guys in suits/headsets cuz i short paid the bill

TonyC wrote:question, what constituted the fried mac in the monkfish/'coon parfait?

I thought it was just macaroni that he'd crispified and seasoned with a little beet, but I could be mistaken.

My thanks to Gary from both the Bride and yours truly for arranging this excellent meal. It also was fun to meet a whole new group of LTH'ers, and see some like Tony (and more than a few others) that I had not seen for too long.

This was my second trip to Moto, and I admit I enjoyed the beet dinner a whole lot more than my first visit which seemed very long on gee whiz and not long enough on deliciousness. But I did go back. Cause that first meal was nothing if not thought provoking. Watching the evolution of Moto is fun.

There still were dishes like the Bloodshot Surf 'n Turf with the rods and cones in a pool of beet blood in an eye-shaped bowl that work a lot better for me as conceptual art than food, but the fact that I am still going, "Aha, I see now" about more layers of the visual pun (pun intended and well deserved) does count for something.

The wine pairings were masterful, and it was interesting to hear Matthew say out loud what I had surmised about wine selection at Moto, and at Trio too, back in the day - they choose slightly sweet, "judiciously oaked" lighter wines.

Last time I was there, they served the Claret in a glass with lasered vanilla smoke, which had a great nose and good smokiness to complement the barbecue course. This time the Claret was served in a glass with lasered orange essence (I think) smoke, which added nothing to the Bloodshot (see above), the smoke detracted from the wine for me, and I got nothing from the orange. So that did not work, either, but it is pretty clear they are okay with pushing the limits and failing at times. And I support that.

For a cocktail I had the Bacon Martini - bacon-infused vodka with apple juice, brown sugar and cheese and bacon stuffed olives. Hey, I had to order it. No, I did not like it that much - too sweet for me. Could have made a meal on the olives, though, and I think the bacon-infused vodka has possibilities - but something less sweet, maybe a Bacon Bloody Mary?

Having the chefs come out to share info about the dishes and the IC experience added a lot for me, and Homero sharing his vision(s) took it all to another plane. Better living through food physics and chemistry!

Great time for me. Thanks again Gary.

Friends,

I received the following from Team Cantu via email, and I thought I should share (my guess it goes to all those who reserve, but it still sounds interesting):

Chef Homaro Cantu, Owner Joseph De Vito and the entire staff at moto restaurant thank you for being our guests. We sincerely appreciate your business and it is our pleasure and privilege to have you in our dining room. We look forward to seeing you again in the very near future.

As a token of our appreciation, Chef Homaro Cantu and Pastry Chef Ben Roche have provided you with a Post-modern recipe for your enjoyment and intrigue. We remind you to take the appropriate precautions when trying the recipe at home.

Tomato Salsa Jelly
By Chef Homaro Cantu and Pastry Chef Ben Roche
moto, Chicago
http://www.motorestaurant.com

8 roma tomato, quartered
1 jalapeno, halved & with seeds removed
½ to ¾ medium onion, quartered
1 clove garlic
6 2-gram sheets gelatin, per 2 cups strained liquid (note: gelatin can be held in cold water overnight,
or soaked 20 minutes before use)
Lime juice to taste
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak gelatin in cold water.
Juice all vegetables through electric juicer (a blender on low speed can substitute).
Add a generous pinch of salt and stir.
Let mixture sit for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
Strain juice mixture through a coffee filter or fine strainer.
Let sit until fully drained and liquid is clear (overnight is best).
Season clear liquid to taste with lime juice and additional salt.
Strain once more through another coffee filter.
Measure liquid to the nearest cup, reserving excess juice for other recipes.
Heat ¼ cup of juice until hot to the touch.
Add gelatin to hot juice and stir to dissolve, and then add to remainder of juice.
Allow to chill in refrigerator approximately 3 hours.
Cut into shapes or mash into "salsa" consistency with fork.
Serve chilled with tortilla chips and margaritas.

********
I was particularly impressed with the greater attention given to taste, particularly the monkfish/raccoon parfait and the hot-and-sour soup, which for me were the two stellar dishes of the night. I was also suitably impressed by the silky smooth borscht and by the wine pairings, and the congenialilty of the staff.

dicksond wrote:they choose slightly sweet, "judiciously oaked" lighter wines.

I believe the phrase he used was "responsibly oaked", which I correct only because it was funny

Dom and Tom-- Thanks for posting! Though I was not able to attend due to illness, my vicarious pleasure in your postings makes up for it. I guess I will just have to treat myself to a return visit to Moto soon.

Not a whole lot to add to what's been said except, "Wow!" We had a wonderful time; between meeting, greeting and, of course, eating (oh, and drinking), it was an evening to remember. Chef Cantu and his entire staff were exceedingly generous with their time; sharing ideas, concepts, behind-the-scenes stories.... A truly unique opportunity. Thanks so much to GAF for coming up with the idea and for doing such a wonderful job organizing and hosting!

The Lovely Dining Companion talked me into this one and am I glad she did. It was an absolutely fascinating dinner; we only wish we could have done it on a weekend with no need to get up again the next day. Since the food has been fairly represented, we thought we'd add a few pics of the attendees at our end of the table.


epoisses, mhl, and TonyC (and portion of fiance)


The Lovely Donna and Evil Ronnie


jygach, Cynthia, and epoisses


GAF and mhl


This would be a Class 4 laser; are you wearing your goggles?


What is that on the wall, between the mad scientists?


As anyone who was there will attest, when Chef Cantu visited, he couldn't stand still. It was fascinating to listen to him talk--I've rarely heard someone so full of ideas that they came bubbling out at every opportunity. So excited is he by what he does that he simply can't stand still. Not for a second. Although I did manage to capture some nice stills of him, this struck me, of all of the pictures, the most representative one I could possibly get of him that evening!

Nothing to add except my thanks to GAF.

My praise for Moto and my appreciation of the delightful group echo what has already been said.

I'm a bit late in posting my thanks and reactions to the special Moto beet dinner, but it would be downright churlish of me to not express my appreciation for the evening.

First, my appreciation for the food. I went into Moto more than a bit of a skeptic, expecting a meal that was more gimmick than flavor, but I walked out a fan. The transmogrifcations and science lab toys were all great fun, but the food was downright interesting and in of itself often very successful. Very full of flavor, flavors well and tastily mixed.

- The opening and closing cold soup/dessert were an eyeful [I was teased mercilessly by nr706 for the unsightly way my dishes melted... ]; I thought the beet/yuzu/yogurt worked well as a sorbet [but maybe the 'hot and sour' cold soup could have used a bit more zing in the flavors... not that the bacon wasn't a nice addition].

- The borscht was richly flavorful, period, best I've ever had, and I found the beet/cream slice a good companion/contrast piece.

- The fact that we had an annivesary racoon course was a hoot, and I haven't been able to stop wondering how one achieves puffed macaroni [and with cheese powder to make it tastier, kind of like re-dehydrating Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, except that it tastes good].

-The other deserts were wonderful, my favorite being the orange gel/beet/chocolate-sesame pudding course [I even liked the packing peanut, but I'm still waiting to hear back from the FDA], and I did enjoy my time with the flavor tubes and chocolate.

[Don't think I'm not going to steal that 'tube martini' idea for a future dinner party, by the way.]

What stood out for me with the wine pairings was how wonderful the aroma of all of the wines was. I'm not usually one to linger over the nose of a wine [perhaps I should branch out beyond three-buck chuck....] but each wine served was a treat to the nose as well as the rest of the palate, and I thought gave yet more dimension to the courses.

Seeing the kitchen was a big part of the show; I was astonished how quiet and calm it was. [Evil Ronnie claims that all of his kitchens are that quiet, too, but there was something, um, Evil about his demeanor that made me doubt him. Greatly.]

And then there was the extreme enthusiasm of Chef Cantu his own self. I thought he genuinely enjoyed talking to an audience hanging on his every word. I wish he'd told us a bit more about the dinner we were eating, altho I guess the other chefs filled us in pretty well on the courses as they came out. He was so enthusiastic about some of his culinary ad/ventures that I almost thought he was going to offer us a stock prospectus at some point. Come to think of it, maybe that wouldn't have been a bad thing. I'll bet an investment in Homaru Cantu's inventiveness would do vastly better than most of my IRAs.

Sincere thanks to Gary for arranging the dinner for us. I don't know when I would have gotten to Moto otherwise, but the prospect of being part of a special dinner was nearly irresistable, and I'm glad I ignored that last little bit of internal resistance and enjoyed a fine dinner.

Giovanna

One quick postscript:

Hi,

I have my cracker with the menu printed on it. It's next home will be the Chicago History Museum, where the other LTHforum menu resides.

Regards,