Celeb Chefs and Self-Important Foodies (or why I stay in)

[paulraphael]

I suspect if I lived someplace that was much different from NYC, I'd be less excited to eat out. Here there's so much competition that you can find interesting food at many many price points. And the higher end places cook in styles that are generally unreasonable to cook at home (not impossible, but really hard ... multiple courses where each plate has multiple components, each component multiple ingredients and techniques, etc. etc... it's why at per se there are as many cooks as diners).

I don't go out as often as I did when there was more money in my pockets, but when I go now it's for fun, pleasure, and also the learning experience. Three things that are hard to find out of the house in the land of applebees.

Celebrity chefs? Some earned their celebrity with great food, others not. Some kept producing good food, others didn't. I don't think it's possible to generalize.

KC, Le Bernardin gets its seafood from many sources. But you're right, most of them do not sell to retailers at all. I can sometimes get fish that's almost as nice as what they get, but not quite. Last night's black bass came pretty close.

[martin]

I'm not necessarily a big celebrity chef guy, but I love celebrity trainers. For example, I think Jillian Michaels is an awesome example. I just caught her show, Losing It With Jillian Michaels the other day, and I thought it was great! She really emphasizes what we need to do in order to lose weight and eat healthy, so I'm a big fan.

[kscottcraig]

I hear you. Self-important "foodies" can get a little wierd. I'm a professional chef in a great establishment and I see it all the time. A couple days ago a "foodie" accosted me complaining about having iceburg lettuce (mixed with endive) on display rather than leafy greens. I explained that lots of folks enjoy iceburg, including myself and it has become pretty popular again. She acted as if it were an epiphany, then commented that she was happy to see I've included a "fromage" course on an upcoming menu. Seriously, "fromage"? I'm not French, we aren't in France. Am I supposed to be impressed? What would she think if she saw me after work at the bar enjoying a Fat Tire and a chili-fromage dog? I'm sure she wouldn't be as quick to feel a need to pull out foodie-speak.

What ticks me off about the restaurant reviews is that it seems the subjectivity of what we do is lost on these critics. What one person likes, another may hate. That's just the way it works. If critcs simply focused on the fundamentals of the cookery, the seasonality and quality of the ingredients and the thinking behind the flavor combinations then we'd all be better off.

That's my soapbox.

Scott
http://www.ifyoucanstandtheheat.blogspot.com

[Mingooch]

If I want great food, I cook. It is always done the way I like and spiced to my taste. If I want easy and less work, I eat out. If I want to impress with the food I cook. If I want to impress by spending money, I eat out.

[NJGaijin]

If I want great food, I cook. It is always done the way I like and spiced to my taste. If I want easy and less work, I eat out. If I want to impress with the food I cook. If I want to impress by spending money, I eat out.

+1.
Any cuisine and its related ingredients and techniques that I feel cofortable with I can produce at home with results equal or better than most commercial restaurants. When outside my comfort zone, I'll spend the money and let the pros do it!

For instance, I can buy some really good fish in NYC, cut it precisely, cook rice perfectly in my fuzzy logic rice cooker, use the best shoyu and prepared wasabi I can buy, and have a totally satisfying plate of sushi & sashimi. HOWEVER...

I had lunch yesterday with my wife at Sushi Zen in Manhattan. Most of the fish was flown in fresh that morning from not only Japan but other places around the globe, they used 3 different kinds of rice, the wasabi was freshly grated on a sharkskin grater,they had 30 different sauce preperations at hand, and Suzuki-san created dazzling plate presentations. Was it better than my stuff? Only by light years.

Does it make me feel bad about my own efforts? Not at all. Cause I know he can't make an heirloom tomato ragu as good as me! ;-)

[kostantinos]

When it comes to food it all depends on your location ... There are a lot of mediocre restaurants out there ... I mean really a lot of them... They fill the corners of busy plazas and intersections ,the ground floors of hotels , even nice lots with unique locations... On the other hand there are a few restaurants that rise to the top for one reason or another and these special restaurants are the reason discriminating individuals still eat food in restaurants..

As far as food critics are concerned for the most part, a good percentage of them are just hobbyists that luck, money ,circumstances and or other reasons have enabled them to find themselves in the unique position of judging.. Are they all bad ? No ... But of course i remain sceptic when i read a review especially in a small town like mine trying to figure how impartial it can be and what can be considered culinary provocation...Its amusing though to say at least...

Lets not fool ourselves ... A good percentage of people has lost faith in Dinning because of the crap that is being served ... If its not the crap on the plate is the crap on the waiters face , the managers attitude , the all smiles and chewing gum cheerleading hostess and the bombshell bartender that oh -so- cant make drinks right ... The few restaurants that do make it right though and sacrifice the time, resources, training, hiring , buying and selling all the right stuff are still out there...

Celebrity chefs are celebrity chefs , it is what it is... People that cook for a living can spot a freaking poser from far away ... At the end they come and go , ephemera just like fashion , so terrible that it has to change every 6 months...

As far as NYC goes i cant wait to visit ... Corton and Aldea are in my future, especially if the money is right.... You cant replicate freaking Paul Liebrandt mad genius's intepretations of food ... Oh and if you are in the city and you can afford it you must visit Marea and try their pasta... Ridiculously Phenomenal...