Joy and Disappointment at Moto

I had dinner at Moto last night, and it was a splendid experience. I will note, for those who haven’t been there before, that its Fulton Market location is a bit of a surprise the first time you see it: loading docks, trucks, warehouses, and then a restaurant pops into view—though the restaurant one sees is probably just past Moto, which keeps a lower profile. But the valet shared by the two restaurants has clearly become used to this, and will approach, flagging you, to find out where you want to go. After he takes your car, you approach the glass doors at 945 and enter the chic, narrow, cleanly designed space that is Moto.

Having worried about traffic (I was coming from the suburbs and have gotten trapped before), I actually arrived 50 minutes early, so I sat at the minimalist bar, with its hidden liquor, and ordered a delightfully refreshing white peach sangria. Sure, it’s a girly drink, but I’m a girl, so it’s okay. The sangria was mighty tasty and garnished with wine-soaked chunks of donut peaches (or Saturn peaches, if you prefer), which are just about my favorite fruit in the universe, so I was quite happy. Things were a bit slow, so I was able to chat with the charming staff, including bartender Mike Ryan, who had invented the drink I was enjoying. (Another staff member quickly mentioned that Mike had appeared in a NYTimes article about the resatuarant, which I checked out when I got home.) I did learn that Mike is not a permanent bartender, but that everyone is a cook and they just cycle through the jobs, to keep everyone thinking. He added that working at Moto was the best job he’d ever had. Though he was the only one to speak these words to me, I had the feeling by the end of the evening that everyone else felt pretty much the same.

When my friends arrived, we were shown to our seats and were presented with the menu, which doubled as an amuse bouche. I’ve heard much talk about the edible menu, and I’m guessing Chef Cantu has worked on it, because ours was quite tasty, though it was particularly nice paired with the intensely flavored, garam-masala spiced lentils that came with it. This was paired with a cucumber consommé with pepper and a touch of yogurt. I hadn’t even started the meal, and I was already delighted. The mind games had begun.

The first course of our ten-course meal (you can choose 5, 10, or the Grand Tasting, which ranges from 16 to 20 courses) was Vietnamese hot and sour soup. This was tasty, with a nice bite, a back-note of fish sauce, and flavorful micro-greens, but here, it was the gee-whiz factor that was the star. The hot base broth is brought out in white porcelain bowls, then the greens and “egg drops” are introduced, a ladleful at a time, from a small copper pot. These additional ingredients have been treated with liquid nitrogen, and when they hit the hot broth, there is an explosion of cold fog that boils out of the bowls and over the table. When you touch your bowl, you find it is still warm, despite the cold air pouring out of it. It’s just plain fun.

The next course was a crispy diver scallop with vanilla-scented sunchoke purée and carbonated fruit. I’d read about the carbonated fruit, but it really is carbonated, and it made us all laugh with delight. The tempura around the scallop was perhaps a tad too crispy, and the scallop was rather mashed by the time I forced my way through the crust—but that’s probably what I get for using the side of my fork instead of a knife. But it was perfectly cooked, and the combination of flavors was pleasing.

Then came one of my “highlight” dishes—the handful of dishes I can still taste and will probably smile about for quite some time. It was butter-poached Russian king crab (and how can anything poached in butter be really bad), which was served with (artfully arranged) coconut powder, passionfruit noodle, buttered-popcorn purée, and shizu. Wow. The crab was perfect, the popcorn purée tasted exactly like really buttery popcorn, the coconut powder was cool and sweet, and while everything was tasty separately, together, they were sensational.

Peas and carrots were the surprising palate cleanser. Sweet peas and gingered carrots were puréed, rolled into tiny balls slightly smaller than peas, and frozen in liquid nitrogen, to create a not-too-sweet, flavorful, very cold veggie sorbet. Huge fun, sort of a magic trick for the eyes and palate.

Next was surf and turf with M.C.Escher. To be more accurate, it should have been sky and sea, as that is both what the plate held and the subject of the Escher painting reproduced on edible, seaweed-flavored paper. Ducks changed to fish, and vice versa, in the Escher image, and on the plate, swordfish, a smoked mussel, and chanterelles shared space with duck confit and powdered duck fat. The two duck items were the evening’s next big WOW for me. The swordfish was delicious, but was overshadowed, for me, by the gigantic flavor of the duck confit and the delightful, melty, rich, smoky, very ducky flavor of the powdered fat. I told the waiter I wanted a bag to take home to put on popcorn. (And later, when the woman at the table next to us actually left her duck confit virtually untouched, I actually blurted out, “she can’t send the duck back,” which fortunately made the people at the table laugh.)

The next Wow was the next dish—a dish so big on fragrance that I could tell exactly when everyone else in the restaurant was served this course. It was a few slices of exquisitely rare, perfectly seared rib eye on a small mound of mustard-braised cabbage, all surrounded by a broad swirl of kielbasa purée (BIG kielbasa taste—even the German friend in my party was mightily impressed). Oh my, but this was good. Each component was a wow on its own, but the three things combined were unbelievable. I’d like two more servings to go, please.

The chef’s version of mac and cheese was another of the more playful dishes. This was the beginning of the transition into the dessert courses. Ranged along the long, thin plate were a small stack of penne-like lychee noodles (the “mac”); a “fruit salad” of red and white beets, raspberries, and Tibetan goji berries; and a flower-like explosion of rice paper flavored with huckleberry seated in a pool of white chocolate and French cheese. It was sweet, surprising, and simply great, especially when you scooped a bit of the cheese up with the “mac.”

Because I am a massive fan of truffles (black or white), I had hoped that the “truffle” item on the menu would bring me a sampling of my favorite fungus, but it turned out they were speaking of candy truffles. However, the playfulness made my disappointment short lived. There was a picture of cotton candy on another edible sheet, this one the flavor, not too surprisingly, of cotton candy. On top of it was a white chocolate truffle with a center of liquid cotton candy (definitely eat it in one bite). Fun and sweet. I prefer “real” chocolate to white chocolate, but I was still entertained.

Graham cracker foam with parsnip ice cream was fun. I wasn’t too surprised to find parsnip in a sweet role, as I’d had parsnip cake in Newfoundland a few months back, but it was a nice complement to the sweet, intensely graham-flavored, almost pudding-like foam.

The final dessert was another playful deception. It was explained that pastry chef Ben Roche loves nachos, so he had created what truly looked like nachos, but was in fact a pleasant, amusing, not-too-sweet confection. The base was candied tortillas. This was topped with a “guacamole” made of kiwi fruit, a dab of crème fraiche, and shredded mango ice cream, which really looked like a pile of shredded cheddar.

The wine list was nice, and while my friend who had taken a cab opted for the 7-wine pairings, I had only three wines, having already gotten a head start with the sangria. Unfortunately, even this was to prove enough to have dulled my senses, leading to the night’s big disappointment. Because our enthusiasm had been so over-the-top, because I was writing down everything that was said or served to me, and because I had mentioned LTH Forum as the place I’d heard of Moto, our charming and delightful waitress, Amy, said that we had been invited to tour the kitchen. Yahoo. The kitchen is in the basement so, we made our way past the vat of nitrogen and down the steep, red-painted, metal stairs to the bustling kitchen. I was scanning the room intently, looking for the tell-tale bit of embroidery on the chef’s jacket that would indicate whether or not Chef Cantu was still in the room. They were in the process of breaking down for the night, so the room was very noisy, and it was hard to hear what our guide, Trevor, was saying. A couple of young men approached us, and I heard the introduction of “This (bang, clatter) Omar (clang) and Ben.” My heart sank. I had no idea what Chef Cantu looked like, but there was no indication that this was him—no embroidered name, as I have seen on virtually every other executive chef I’ve ever met. Now, if I hadn’t had so much wine, I might have actually thought to ask Trevor to repeat the barely audible introduction, but I was working at hiding my disappointment, and smiled and shook hands with the two men, and asked Ben if he was the Ben they had mentioned as the pastry chef, and he said “yes.” I complimented him on the dessert nachos. The other young man said something about, “saying hello to LTH,” and then he vanished. As we turned to leave, one of my friends said, “I couldn’t hear a thing Trevor said, but I’ve seen a photo of the chef before, and that looked like him.” I was stunned. Why hadn’t I asked Trevor to repeat himself. (Of course, it’s probably showing my age that I would have expected an executive chef to be introduced by his last name —Chef Cantu—because this just isn’t that kind of place.) I turned around, but the chef was gone, probably wondering why he’d bothered inviting us to come downstairs.

Here, I’d planned all sorts of wonderful, gushy things to say about my favorite dishes, and about his brilliance—and the fact that, since I’d seen him writing backwards on the LTHForum site, I was certain he was qualified for Mensa, as only terribly bright people even think about writing backwards, and I completely missed my chance. I hope that, if anyone in the forum knows Chef Cantu, he or she will pass along my high opinion of him—and my apologies for not recognizing him. (In all fairness, there is no photo on the Moto web site, which I had checked before going.) I will be back. And I will also be writing an article (due in a few hours, so I need to sign off from here and get to work), in which I hope to at least let others know of my regard for Moto, even though I missed my chance to tell the chef.

Re Fulton: there's more there than meets the eye. You were a short distance from many noteworthy places discussed here, from Peoria Packing and Grant Park Packing to Follia and Rushmore to many art galleries and night clubs, and then there's everything on Randolph.

If you want some pictures of Chef Cantu, check out the May issue of FastCompany magazine - he's the subject of the cover article.

Great write-up and glad to hear about the wonderful meal. I find amazing both the number of creative ways Chef Cantu has found to introduce his food and the taste of the food.

To help you out, here is a picture I found on the web of Chef Cantu.

Thanks for the picture, BR. Yep, that's the guy I didn't get to flatter. Sigh.

And thanks for the info on Fulton, JeffB. It's just that, for someone driving from the suburbs, when you come around the corner, you don't feel like you're in a very promising place. As I inched along in my car, the valet actually came out and waved to me, then came and asked where I was going, so apparently, I'm not the only person who has been made doubtful by the surroundings. But it sounds like Fulton Market might be worth exploring more fully at another time.

Thanks for the wonderful write up.

If you really feel bad, you could write a thank you letter to the chef and staff.

Cynthia-

Thanks for the vicarious thrills. I guess it's time for me to go back to Moto!
As I recall, the curb did not look too accessible for a person on crutches though. What do you think?

Josephine wrote:Cynthia-

Thanks for the vicarious thrills. I guess it's time for me to go back to Moto!
As I recall, the curb did not look too accessible for a person on crutches though. What do you think?

Can you do stairs? There are three stairs almost in front of the restaurant. (Because otherwise, the curb is about a three-foot drop.) The curb is also less deep at the corner, but then you have half a block to walk. If you can manage three not very wide stairs, it should be doable -- but my impression is that, if you phone them, they care enough that someone will go out and check the actual width of the stairs, to let you know.

And how's that leg doing?

A short flight of stairs for me-- but no wine flight! Thanks for the details, Cynthia. Somehow I knew you would understand. . . Mine's getting better, I hope you are mending as well. And, no doubt Chef Cantu's creations had a healing effect. (I am perfectly serious about that, by the way.)

Darren72 wrote:Thanks for the wonderful write up.

If you really feel bad, you could write a thank you letter to the chef and staff.

You can also PM him here, if he has not already PM'ed you. Seems a nice guy. When we went on a Friday we did not get the kitchen tour, sad to say. And I never did write that up, both because it would have taken a lot of time, and because my tone would have been a lot less positive than yours Cynthia. And I think one should definitely go to Moto for a lot of reasons - including the fact that it is a unique experience - so I did not want to discourage people.

But I cannot say my meal was that tasty. And the one memory I will carry away from it, aside from the laser-burnt vanilla to infuse my wine glass, will be the course I call Exxon Valdez - little fried lumps of squid, if I recall, floating in a pool of squid-ink colored sour cream. An oil spill with miscellaneous detritus floating in it. Quite striking, really, and I will remember it for a long time.

For all you Moto/Cantu fans, here's some kitchen footage from the restaurant, in 4 clips:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=ACA742DDD335D936

The quality suffered cuz of YouTube but if you click the little button that makes it smaller it looks better

bnowell, those videos are really fantastic! How long were you hanging out in the kitchen?

gleam wrote:bnowell, those videos are really fantastic! How long were you hanging out in the kitchen?

Actually I've never been to Moto-just walked by it once. I was given this footage by a Columbia MFA student. I posted about it a while back here

It was fun watching the videos. I missed being able to smell the food, however.

Josephine wrote:A short flight of stairs for me-- but no wine flight! Thanks for the details, Cynthia. Somehow I knew you would understand. . . Mine's getting better, I hope you are mending as well. And, no doubt Chef Cantu's creations had a healing effect. (I am perfectly serious about that, by the way.)

My break is less broke now, and I'm glad to hear your break is getting better.

And as for being serious about healing effects, I took the comment seriously. They have shown conclusively that if something tastes good, it boosts your immune system. If that's the case, the meal I had at Moto should keep me healthy for a year.

dicksond wrote:
You can also PM him here, if he has not already PM'ed you. Seems a nice guy.

I took your advice. It took me a while to find a post, so I could access a PM button, but the note has gone out. I haven't heard back yet, but am hoping for forgiveness. If not, I'll just have someone else make the reservations next time.

I feel I owe it to Chef Cantu to note that he did, in fact, respond to the PM, and was most gracious. So dicksond's assessment that he's a nice guy is quite accurate, I'm glad to say. Good food doesn't require a friendly chef, but I feel the dining experience is always enhanced by one.

Let me echo Cynthia in so many ways, and first of all, wow!

Ended up with matinée tickets for Barber of Seville today (sadly, the understudy had to fill in for Figaro and he was clearly an understudy, plus the d'apres Magritte staging was, um, fey, but the rest of the cast was excellent and it is a rousing good Opera) and since the brother was in town it seemed like a 5pm dinner at Moto was in order.

Fun, theater, music, entertainment times 2.

If you had asked me, I would have guessed the Lyric would outdo Moto, but I was wrong.

Wow.

Tonight Cantu, or his kitchen crew if he was not in residence (did not ask) was as good as anyone and any place I have dined. That has not been the case for me before - I love Moto for the overall experience, the theatrical and intellectual aspects of it, plus the food ain't bad, but as I have said before Moto for me was never the most delicious food or the best food, but it almost always was the most memorable food. Not so today and I think this may indicate a new phase.

We started with a couple of the cocktails - chorizo margarita: smoky, strong and entirely satisfying, a definite step up from the bacon martini at the beet diner (too sweet), plus a lemon drop which offered a great, real lemon jolt in the drink and the agar-coated lemon head (if not as sweet) at the bottom. Fine cocktails.

On to the 10-courser. The GTM is too much of a commitment, and the 5-courser is just a quickie, so the 10-course is my choice.

The menu was on a sweet flatbread served with a champagne swoosh, a bit of pineapple in a champagne pepper creme fraiche, and a candied, champagne gelee. By far, by very far the best amuse/menu I have had at Moto, sweet, light, crispy, deep flavors (pineapple, creme fraiche and pepper was great but the champagne swoosh was delectable). This menu is a visual puzzle that you have to work through. The staff seemed a little apologetic about that, but it set the tone and amused us as we enjoyed our cocktails.

Mediterranean notions next. Grilled, spiced octopus legs served with an herbed sauce and nitrogen frozen chips. Hot octopus nachos on frozen chips? The octopus combined saltiness and earthiness; the warmth contrasted with the frozen chips (this theme was repeated in a number of courses this night). This also suggested a bit of a difference from previous meals at Moto as well - the focus was as much on flavor, how it fit together and contrasted, as it was on the conceptual aspect of each dish. In the past I have felt that the food often started as a concept and then the actual execution was worked around the concept with the flavor seeming to take a back seat at times, if you will; this night I did not feel that at all. Food, flavor, concept all came together.

The next dish was a liquid Greek salad in a tiny bowl. Taken in one gulp I got an evolving medley of flavors - it started with cucumber, but then olive, greens, and it kept going with new layers for minutes after finishing it. This one did not work as well for me as most of the other dishes - some part of the extraction process for the essences left what seemed like a waxy taste in there detracting from an otherwise amazing and long-lived cascade of flavor.

The next dish, nitro pineapple, returned to the hot and cold, sweet and salty theme. Grilled (?), spiced chunks of pineapple served on a nitrogen-chilled grate along with a crisped fillet of fish with a salty rub. There is something I love about grilled or smoked pineapple that I have not yet been able to recreate at home. I think this was served with two sauces - one a creamy, bacony sauce and the other herbed with a touch of sweetness. The fish was perfectly cooked, with a crisp exterior and tender interior.

BBQ Pork and Baked Beans was a tender, smoky slice of rubbed shoulder with noodles of frozen baked bean essence that melted into the meat as time passed and a side of sweet and savory greens. In the past this probably would have been the dish served with the laser-smoked wine, but the laser was not in service this night - another change for the better for me as the smoked laser flavors overwhelmed the wine - I liked the smoke, but not what it did to the wine.

Pasta and Quail was the newest variation of the puffed pasta, cheese and protein dish that has been on the menu on and off for some time. I found the quail a bit salty, though it was a logical progression from the rubbed, crispy fish and the rubbed, smoky pork in the two previous courses. In addition to the freeze-dried cheese there was an intense truffle flavor, and the mix of cheese crumbles, salty chewy quail and crispy macaroni were enjoyable, but on balance the saltiness of the quail made this the least of the meat courses for me. It shared many of the same notes as the macaroni, beet, cheese and raccoon dish from the beet dinner, but was not as good.

Thin-sliced beef on cubes of hash brown and eggs florentine came next - Prime with Potato on the menu. The tiny cube of egg with its spinach filling was charming, like a Thorn room, but it also tasted very good. Simpler and cuter than the previous three courses, this was the steak and potato course with nothing challenging in the flavors, just delicious.

Finally on to the sweet courses. Fruit & bubbles was a massive chip of peachiness (it looked like a cabbage leaf on the plate) sheltering a sweet peach slice, some cheese with white chocolate, and carbonated grapes. This course did not completely work for me - again some component had a slightly chemical taste that detracted from the whole. The cheese and chocolate was good, and the carbonated grapes were intense, continuing to develop and intensify as it was savored, so I think this one has some potential, but it needs some refinement.

Grapefruit brulee was next. This was a spoonful of a nouveau ravioli - intense grapefruit essence encased in another sort of edible gel sitting in a pile of pulled grapefruit (okay, what do you call the individual pieces that compose a section of a citrus fruit, you know the things you would get if you pulled the section apart so gently that the walls held up and contained the juice?). a small coconut crisp was on the side.

A pair of popcorn balls followed - white truffles with little bits of crispy popcorn, I think, surrounding a liquid popcorn center. The white chocolate and essence of popcorn worked very well, but there also was a world of textures, a crispiness like a popcorn ball, that seemed to explode in my mouth and head. I have no idea how this was achieved, but it was a very auditory experience.

S'mores finished things - a crisp chocolate meringue (in texture anyway) with a liquid graham cracker center under a marshmallow foam, matched with something like a frozen essence of chocolate and graham cracker on the other end of the plate, pulled together by the meandering thread of marshmallow foam.

I did not take notes, so I probably got some details wrong, and we did have a fair amount to drink. But I took this away - it was a delicious and audacious meal prepared by a very strong kitchen.

For those keeping score - 11 courses, 8 unabashedly delicious, three misses, but all had fascinating components and even those misses were clearly working on and working towards something new and interesting. That makes it a great meal in my book.

One last, miscellaneous observation. At some point during the meal it struck me that these temples of molecular cuisine trying to challenge and redefine what and how we think of food most often aspire to emulate the most banal and comforting of foods. Greek Salad, Pork and Beans, Mac 'n Cheese, S'mores, among other dishes in our ten courses. Some dishes offered challenging flavors, but a lot of dishes offered flavor profiles that would not have challenged the average 8 year-old if they could get past the construction and presentation. Yet another way that Moto encourages us to play with our food. Or maybe it is all part of Homaro's grand plan to revolutionize school cafeterias through food technology?

I forgot one last dish - we each received a cigarette with our coffee. In a red plastic ashtray there was a cigarette (a straw cookie, chocolate-filled, colored to for the cigarette look), with a puff of smoke at the tip (meringue) and a pile of ashes under the tip (crushed, toasted sesame seeds I believe). The smoke and ashes were more convincing than the cigarette itself, but the whole was amusing and tasty - a suitable conclusion to the evening.

Great stuff. This has me even more excited for my dinner at Moto tomorrow night.

On this observation:

dicksond wrote:One last, miscellaneous observation. At some point during the meal it struck me that these temples of molecular cuisine trying to challenge and redefine what and how we think of food most often aspire to emulate the most banal and comforting of foods. Greek Salad, Pork and Beans, Mac 'n Cheese, S'mores, among other dishes in our ten courses. Some dishes offered challenging flavors, but a lot of dishes offered flavor profiles that would not have challenged the average 8 year-old if they could get past the construction and presentation.

I agree. I think it goes back to the Thomas Keller school of thought of food evoking memories and how that enhances the dining experience (I love how this played into the climax of Ratatouille). You see it in Keller's food (salmon coronets invoking ice cream cones, "mac & cheese", "peas & carrots") and that influence also shows in Achatz's food. I think Moto is equally successful in using this "emotional" connection as part of the total package.

dicksond wrote:
(okay, what do you call the individual pieces that compose a section of a citrus fruit, you know the things you would get if you pulled the section apart so gently that the walls held up and contained the juice?).

vesicles

We had a fantastic dinner at Moto last night. We did the GTM, so a course by course account isn't going to happen, but here are a few of my thoughts:

- Service was much better than the last time I was there. We only had one dietary restriction, and they actually paid attention to it (unlike last time).

- I thought the menu overall was a bit on the sweet side. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think I would have liked more varied flavor profiles

- My favorite course was a "loaded baked potato gnocchi" in a cheese consume. The gnocchi were really light, but still had a bit of a crisp on the outside. The cheese consume was also tasty. According to the chef de cuisine Chris, the consume is prepared using a classical French technique that involves steeping the rinds of whatever cheese is on hand and adding salt and white wine vinegar.

- Pork was well represented in the savory portion of the menu, figuring prominently in 3 dishes (a baked apple filled with applewood smoked bacon, a pork shoulder with collard greens, baked bean noodles, and corn bread puree, and a white truffle creme brulee with a bacon biscuit).

- At no point did I feel like taste was sacrificed in favor of technique. Sure, there's liquid nitrogen, liquefied solids, hollow spheres, an anti-griddle, etc. But each technique was used to a logical end. It definitely was not "science for the sake of science". As dicksond mentioned, many of dishes evoke the more familiar, maybe a comfort food from our past. But the fun of Moto is seeing these things re imagined and reinvented. Why shouldn't we eat with aromatic filled utensils? Why shouldn't liquid nitrogen be an essential ingredient in a dish? Who says biscotti and coffee should be eaten as a solid biscotti and a liquid coffee? That's the fun of Moto. It challenges, but it also entertains and satisfies.

Cynthia wrote:

dicksond wrote:
(okay, what do you call the individual pieces that compose a section of a citrus fruit, you know the things you would get if you pulled the section apart so gently that the walls held up and contained the juice?).

vesicles

I think "segment" would suffice. Although vesicle could lead us to one of my favorite-to-say words, "Golgi apparatus," or better "endoplasmic reticulum."

Sassafrass!

-ramon

Ramon wrote:

Cynthia wrote:
vesicles

I think "segment" would suffice. Although vesicle could lead us to one of my favorite-to-say words, "Golgi apparatus," or better "endoplasmic reticulum."

Sassafrass!

-ramon

No, it was a lot smaller than a segment, and I think Cynthia has it right - vesicle it is.

jesteinf wrote:- Service was much better than the last time I was there. We only had one dietary restriction, and they actually paid attention to it (unlike last time).

Did you notice that the service appeared to be choreographed this time? It started with the water and most food or beverage was served simultaneously by two servers to two diners (we were a party of three so the effect was a bit diluted). It was most noticeable when pouring water for the first time as two people arrived with water bottles, stopped for a moment then began pouring and finished pouring together. There is a certain tradition of delivering the main course covered and then removing the covers all at once with a flourish, but this went way beyond that. It was two servers every time, doing the exact same thing at the same time.

Sort of silly in a way, but pleasant enough. It made me chuckle to picture them practicing pouring water in synch, but I have always appreciated the theatricality of the place.

Just went to Moto last night and had the 10-course: it was a mixed bag for me. There were some that I really loved, and others that I enjoyed the concept but when it came really down to it as a dish and my palatte just didn't quite do it for me. As you'll soon see though, there was definitely one presentation that left me surprised and I'm still talking about it... and yes, I just had to share with you as well. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Edible Menu:



Ten:

Greek Salad


Greek Salad, again


Nitro pineapple


BBQ pork and baked beans (as others have already stated, delicious: my favorite of the night). The smear is the cornbread, the *noodle* is the baked bean.


Pasta and quail (essentially the take on mac and cheese)


Braised duck- the "Roadkill" dish: notice the splatter of beet, the yellow dotted lines of the road, the rice crispy maggots...



Fruit & bubbles, I think this was called: cheese (the flake) and chocolate (the smear).


Grapefruit (a take on gin and tonic lies within the gelatinous ball)


Popcorn Ball


S'mores

pechnmew wrote:Braised duck- the "Roadkill" dish: notice the splatter of beet, the yellow dotted lines of the road, the rice crispy maggots...

I've never been that big on presentation, and I love this place to death, but if I were confronted with this plate, I would have to swallow hard and take a deep breath before continuing.

I'll file this under the Dada school of the food arts.

Ok, moto is just overrated. have been to Alinea, and loved it, so we do appreciate fernan-adria-inspired gastro-science. The problem with moto ws the food just didnt' taste good. Yeah, i love the menu coming printed on paper attached to a cracker. but the cracker wasn't a good one. I love the idea of a decondstructed liquified "pizza and caeser salad" but the pizza tasted like chef boy-ar-dee pasta from the can, and the salad just was watery green lettuce flavored. If you're going to wow me with phenomenal constructions, they also have to be FOOD and taste amazing. Be wary, and don't get overwhelmed by the smoke and mirrors that you forget your tastebuds. Oh, and also, too many desserty items, like the whole last ten on the grand tasting, plus some in the middle. How about savory...

For savory, try the ten course. One of the best meals in my life:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... light=moto

Everything tasted good. Drink pairings were awe-inspiring. Service magnificent. I think the GTM may have been overkill for the experience you were seeking.

Pechnmew - I am so glad the Sineann stood out for you! I've been a big fan for a couple years now. If you plan to visit Sineann you should plan to call ahead to make sure Peter Rosback (the owner) is around and available. I don't believe they do tastings like one would see in Sonoma/Napa/McMinnville.

Visit their website at www.sineann.com for contact information. I believe Cream Wine in Chicago is their Illinois distributor so perhaps there is Sineann on teh shelf at Sam's, Binny's or elsewhere.

Sineann is a very low volume, but very high quality, producer that sources fruit from many different vineyards in and out of Oregon. In fact, when I tried to visit in March 2008, Peter was in New Zealand picking fruit for their next bottling of SavBlanc.

Enjoy!
Davooda

jcmchi wrote: I love the idea of a decondstructed liquified "pizza and caeser salad" but the pizza tasted like chef boy-ar-dee pasta from the can, and the salad just was watery green lettuce flavored.

jcmchi, when were you there? I'm fairly sure there was nothing like pizza or caesar salad on any of the menus when we were there on the 30th. I think your review would have more context if we knew when you ate there.

I hope to write up a fuller review at some point, with special reference to the fun we had with their non-alcoholic drinks, but until then, let me add to the praise. We had a blast! Terrific service (and clearly choreographed), a lovely room, and food that is always entertaining and frequently wonderful. There are clearly some great cooks behind all the fun and games.