Quest for the Best

SOMETHING TO FOOD ABOUT

Roots Musician Questlove is constantly traveling, and discovering new foods, new tastes and new cultures on the road.  After a pilgrimage to eat at Jiro's restaurant (Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame), his Instagram account blew up.   This food dialogue and frenzy inspired him to write this book.   Questlove interviewed ten of the best, most innovative chefs across the United States.   

Dave Beran, Chicago, talks about how they came up with the concept of Next, where every three months, they reinvent themselves.  I tried to get a reservation when Next first opened, so reading about how and why he wanted to do this after Alinea was the "next" best thing.   Ludo Lefebvre, Los Angeles, shares why he opted to do popups after working in very high end restaurants serving the one percent.  While I was able to eat at L'Orangerie and Bastide once each to celebrate a special occasion (Table 14!, Ludo exclaimed when I told him), I am so grateful that he is serving delicious food at a lower price point.  He proves that you can still show off your best with a menu priced at $35 instead of $195.  Ryan Roadhouse, Portland, discusses how they channeled novels or shows like Haruki Murakami and Twin Peaks to create inspired, delicious menus.  

The section on Donald Link was also one of my favorites because I fell in love with his Herbsaint at first bite, and once on a short trip, ate there several nights in a row!   I used to as send anyone bound to N'awlins to that restaurant, and they would always thank me profusely later.  

I recognized most of the chefs interviewed, and thank Questlove for introducing me to the ones I hadn't.  There's only one woman chef interviewed, Dominque Crenn in San Francisco, and she's one of only two women in the U.S. with two Michelin stars.  She says food is art, and her brush is her knife.  A friend's all-time favorite restaurant is Zahav, and keeps urging me to fly into Philly just to dine there. so I enjoyed learning more about Michael Solomonov and his five restaurants.  Daniel Humm talks about how Miles Davis was instrumental in how he and his partner Will Guidara re-invented Eleven Madison Park in New York.  Jesse Griffiths, Austin, loves to hunt, and shares how hunting makes you more mindful about what you eat.  Daniel Patterson, San Francisco, wants to give people real food at fast food prices. 

Something to Food About opens and closes with Nathan Myhrvold of Modernist Cuisine, in Seattle. Questlove visits Myhrvold and is treated to a 13 course eye-opening, palate popping meal.  The science, history, art and magic that you find in food is in this book.   The photography looks more like museum quality art than mouthwatering dishes in a recipe book.  It forces you to stop and reflect.  

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.