after dinner sneeze

t says:  g and I will breaking from blogging for a few weeks as the holidays come around.  We’ll return soon!  In the meantime, contemplate Philly Mag’s bit about “12 Restaurants Trends that Need to Die“.  Some of his/her stances I can agree with (I don’t order lobster mac-n-cheese.  I don’t order crabcakes) … but there’s a lot I don’t.

1)  I think the Philly needs more chocolate in savory dishes for the precise reason that “you have to be a certified genius to make chocolate work in a savory dish” – if they don’t keep trying, then how will they get ever accomplish genius?

2)  Dude better step off of the hamachi crudo (otherwise g might “call in a favor” if you know what I mean … a and v do …).  While I agree that I’ll leave it to Asian (read: Japanese) restaurants to serve it plain/clean, there are times when I like a little pizazz added to my raw fish, which is what I look to all those non-Asian restaurants for.  I mean – do you think I’m going to walk up into Zama and be like, “yea – could you put some citrus on my sushi?”.  Nope.

3)  Finally: regarding sous-vide.  I disagree with the author whole-heartedly.  It’s a manner of cooking that can yield excellent results when done properly.  Who cares if it’s a fad now?  If that’s how the chefs cook the meat, then that’s how they cook it – whadya want?  And does it really matter that it’s being used despite the fact that it’s “been around forever”?  So has using ovens but you don’t see anyone throwing a tantrum when they see “roasted” on the menu, do you?  Finally, is the author implying that he/she is “over” sous-vide because that’s soooo “last year” and that he/she is just too cool for school?  … get over yourself … go home and cook with some lasers or something.

Oh … and bacon … don’t mess with bacon …