Homaro Cantu, executive chef of Chicago's Moto restaurant, isn't afraid to try new things -- and neither are his patrons.
From maple squash cake to a lychee rigatoni fruit plate, Cantu's concoctions are entirely inventive. Like many of his contemporaries--including Wylie Dufresne at New York's WD-50 and Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck in Bray, England--Cantu, a self-proclaimed gadgets geek who, in his spare time, reconstructs electrical equipment like combustible engines and remote-controlled cars, pays close attention to the science of cooking to create food that people have to "see to believe."
For example, one dish requires the use of liquid nitrogen to create an illusion of melting cheese out of grated mango. And many of Cantu’s courses are prepared with a Class IV Laser, which cooks the food at record speeds. Of course, Cantu's main objective is still superior taste. But why all the hullabaloo for a few savory bites? Are diners more obsessed with presentation than palettes these days?
In a way, yes. Cantu says diners are bored with run-of-the-mill meals. And according to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), he's right.
"There are not only a greater number of restaurants [than previously recorded,] but a greater diversification of the kind of restaurant cuisines as well as specialized concepts,” says Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research and information services. Next year, the NRA is forecasting restaurant industry sales to continue their upward trend and reach $537 billion dollars nationwide, up 5% from 2006.
With increased competition, chefs are finding that "concept" dining is yet another way to spice things up (pun intended).
At Brussels-based Dinner In The Sky, tables are suspended in midair by a crane.
Forget the off-kilter entrees; Paris' Dans Le Noir leaves its patrons literally in the dark. Run by a primarily blind and visual-impaired staff, founders Edouard de Broglie and Etienne Boisrond believe that the act of consuming food becomes more satisfying when you're relying on any other sense than sight--now taste, smell and touch can have their moment in the spotlight. The concept was such a success that Broglie and Boisrond recently opened outposts in both London and Moscow.
And chef Ferran Adrià Acosta, who runs El Bulli in Roses on the Costa Brava, Spain, is so dedicated to culinary perfection that the restaurant remains open only from April to September, leaving six months for Adrià to fine tune his 30-course tasting menu in his laboratory, "El Tower." His strategy has paid off--this year, El Bulli was named the number one restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine.
Riehle says the methods of chefs like Acosta and more recently, Cantu, have been embraced because restaurant patrons, particularly in the U.S., are more educated about food and therefore less afraid to try new things. In other words, more adventurous palettes allow for more adventurous dishes.
“Basically, any good cook is part chemist, part artisan,” he remarks. “The knowledge base of both of those components is substantially higher now than any other point in time. It allows this specialization of knowledge not only to be executed but to be executed on a profitable basis.”
Of course, sometimes high-concept dining misses the mark. At the now-defunct Cafe Ke'ilu in Tel Aviv, Israel, people paid $5 to "make believe" they were eating. It, understandably, fell short when diners tired of leaving hungry.
As for Cantu, he plans to use his specialized knowledge for than just the Moto menu--expect to see many of his patent-pending products at a grocery near you in the future. “We are going to be launching products left and right that are going to hit your shelves,” he says.
Bray, England
The current tasting menu at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck includes nitro-green tea and lime mousse (shown here) as well as snail porridge, salmon poached with licorice and mango and Douglas fir puree. Blumenthal’s latest book, In Search of Perfection, inspired a television series of the same name currently airing on Britain’s BBC 2.
New York
While patrons work their way through the tasting menu at this Japanese restaurant, servers dressed as ninjas perform magic alongside their tables. Expect to spend quite a bit on the sushi--but realize you’re really paying for the entertainment.
Paris
London
Moscow
Dans Le Noir founders Edouard de Broglie and Etienne Boisrond believe that the act of consuming food becomes more satisfying when you're relying on senses other than sight, and they hired a primarily blind and visually-impaired staff to prove their point. Does the food at Dans Le Noir really taste all the better for it? Book a table at one of their three locations--Paris, London or Moscow--to find out.
New York
Chef Wylie Dufresne cut his teeth at Jean Georges as sous chef and then at Prime in The Bellagio, Las Vegas, as chef de cuisine before opening WD-50 in New York City’s Lower East Side. His dishes, such as butternut squash sorbet with coffee soil and basil (shown here), are adventurous. And at $105, the nine-course tasting menu is one of the most reasonably priced in the city.
Costa Brava, Spain
El Bulli's head chef Ferran Adrià Acosta is a scientist with the passion of an artisan. That's why Acosta closes for six months every year to dream up all sorts of new and nearly unbelievable dishes (such as the artful beet-based sorbet shown here) in his "El Tower" laboratory. El Bulli’s dynamic menu earned it the title of 2006’s Number One Restaurant in the World, according to Restaurant magazine.
Chicago
From edible menus (above right) to patent-pending edible advertisements (the details of which are being kept under wraps), chef Homaro Cantu is taking the science of cooking to another level at culinary laboratory Moto. The “nachos and cheese” dish (left) is actually more sweet than savory: the “tortilla chips” are a mix of Mexican sweet corn and flan, the “ground beef” is a grainy Mexican chocolate and the “Monterey jack” is grated Mexican mango spiked with liquid nitrogen that allows it to melt when sprinkled on your plate.
India; Malaysia; Singapore; Perth, Australia
The typical Indian fare at this restaurant isn’t shocking, but your bill may come as a bit of a surprise. The Annalakshmi mission is "eat as you like and pay as you feel," which means there are no set menu prices. One dollar or $100--it’s your choice. You might be inclined to leave a hefty tip for the staff, however--they’re employed on a volunteer basis only.
Brussels, Belgium
Call it a floating restaurant if you will--patrons who dine at Dinner in the Sky are suspended by a crane in midair while feasting on the executive chef’s specialized gourmet menu. Based in Brussels, Dinner in the Sky now brings its table to cities throughout Europe.
Bradenton, Fla.
Chunk of Skunk? Road Toad Al A Mode? Yes, these are some of the offerings on the road grill menu at the Linger Lodge Restaurant. If you’d rather refrain from snacking on snake or sparrow, there’s a traditional menu with classic southern favorites such as Good Ol' Fashioned Catfish and Old-Florida-Style Fried Chicken.
Sverige, Sweden
The main restaurant of the famed Ice Hotel chain is, oddly enough, not made of ice. But they do serve meals on plates made from the ice of the Torne River, which borders Sweden and Finland. Elk and reindeer appear frequently on the restaurant’s winter menu.
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