Ferran Adria's comment about Chicago blows my mind

Ferran Adria calls us the "hot city for gastronomy". This should make us Chicago foodies very proud!

Here's the complete Chicago tribune article on the 20th anniversary dinner at Charlie Trotter's last night.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/ ... 4701.story

I-pods at the dinner table? Thats a bit much.

Everything else sounded like perfection.

JLenart wrote:I-pods at the dinner table? Thats a bit much.

Is it really that different from a restaurant playing music through a standard speaker system? Or is that the point?

I'm trying to be a little provocative, of course. I almost vowed not to return to Schwa after my first visit and couldn't hear the conversation at the table over the very loud (and awful) music in the dining room.

The sound from the IPOD isnt music per se - it is sounds of the sea (waves, seagulls etc...) to complement his dish which looks like a beach with foam...

It is a current dish at The Fat Duck.

And this Blumenthal dish is perhaps the most annoying restaurant experience that I have had in a long time, sitting there with an iPod by my side (see my post on The Fat Duck: The World's Two Best Restaurants?). The dish is pretentious and smug (see the photos). The dish would have been striking by itself, although not among the best dishes of the day. The Fat Duck does serve some remarkable. transcendent food, but they can be too full of themselves - or at least too full of something. We need cooks, not conceptual artistes.

Darren72 wrote:

JLenart wrote:I-pods at the dinner table? Thats a bit much.

Is it really that different from a restaurant playing music through a standard speaker system? Or is that the point?

I'm trying to be a little provocative, of course. I almost vowed not to return to Schwa after my first visit and couldn't hear the conversation at the table over the very loud (and awful) music in the dining room.

Actually yes it is quite different. To me at least, dining is a shared experience. "Here, plug this into your ears" takes away from that. At Schwa I never experienced what you have. but what I'm getting at is that sending out and I-Pod is at least a bit pretensious.

I have to say that the music at Schwa was the best I've heard in a restaurant, low end or high end, for many years.

Different strokes.

gleam wrote:I have to say that the music at Schwa was the best I've heard in a restaurant, low end or high end, for many years.

Different strokes.

Was the music at Schwa via personal, force-fed I-Pods? I don't think the music at Schwa is the issue.

I remember reading GAF's Fat Duck review awhile back, and the thing that stuck out to me was the absurdity of someone plugging an I-Pod into someone's ears to "hear" the sea/make the dining experience, dude, into a multi-sensory experience, mate.

JLenart wrote:

Darren72 wrote:

JLenart wrote:I-pods at the dinner table? Thats a bit much.

Is it really that different from a restaurant playing music through a standard speaker system? Or is that the point?

I'm trying to be a little provocative, of course. I almost vowed not to return to Schwa after my first visit and couldn't hear the conversation at the table over the very loud (and awful) music in the dining room.

Actually yes it is quite different. To me at least, dining is a shared experience. "Here, plug this into your ears" takes away from that. At Schwa I never experienced what you have. but what I'm getting at is that sending out and I-Pod is at least a bit pretensious.

Yes, I understand the difference too. Like I said, I was trying to be provocative and it wasn't meant as a serious question. Clearly, eating with an ipod takes much away from the experience of dining with others. I wouldn't want to do it. But I am sure others may appreciate it more than me. Sorry if I didn't make my true intentions abundantly clear and unwittingly began what promises to be among the most senseless discussions on the boards tonight.

The first time I was at Schwa, shortly after they opened, rap music was blasting so loud that I couldn't think. Eventually they turned it down. Every time I've been back the choice of music was much more my style and at a much more agreeable volume level.

"Different strokes."

You don't say?

Darren72 wrote:

JLenart wrote:

Darren72 wrote:

JLenart wrote:I-pods at the dinner table? Thats a bit much.

Is it really that different from a restaurant playing music through a standard speaker system? Or is that the point?

I'm trying to be a little provocative, of course. I almost vowed not to return to Schwa after my first visit and couldn't hear the conversation at the table over the very loud (and awful) music in the dining room.

Actually yes it is quite different. To me at least, dining is a shared experience. "Here, plug this into your ears" takes away from that. At Schwa I never experienced what you have. but what I'm getting at is that sending out and I-Pod is at least a bit pretensious.

Yes, I understand the difference too. Like I said, I was trying to be provocative and it wasn't meant as a serious question. Clearly, eating with an ipod takes much away from the experience of dining with others. I wouldn't want to do it. But I am sure others may appreciate it more than me. Sorry if I didn't make my true intentions abundantly clear and unwittingly began what promises to be among the most senseless discussions on the boards tonight.

No, no, your intentions were quite clear to me. I was just following through with my thoughts too, and didn't mean to come off as arguementitive.

aschie30 wrote:

gleam wrote:I have to say that the music at Schwa was the best I've heard in a restaurant, low end or high end, for many years.

Different strokes.

Was the music at Schwa via personal, force-fed I-Pods? I don't think the music at Schwa is the issue.

I remember reading GAF's Fat Duck review awhile back, and the thing that stuck out to me was the absurdity of someone plugging an I-Pod into someone's ears to "hear" the sea/make the dining experience, dude, into a multi-sensory experience, mate.

I was responding to Darren, not JLenart. My apologies if that wasn't clear.

gleam wrote:

aschie30 wrote:

gleam wrote:I have to say that the music at Schwa was the best I've heard in a restaurant, low end or high end, for many years.

Different strokes.

Was the music at Schwa via personal, force-fed I-Pods? I don't think the music at Schwa is the issue.

I remember reading GAF's Fat Duck review awhile back, and the thing that stuck out to me was the absurdity of someone plugging an I-Pod into someone's ears to "hear" the sea/make the dining experience, dude, into a multi-sensory experience, mate.

I was responding to Darren, not JLenart. My apologies if that wasn't clear.

DOH! Guess the coffee hadn't kicked in yet.