High Tech Food For The Sake Of High Tech Food
from the yeah,-but-how-does-it-taste? dept
In a story that reads like an April Fool’s joke, the NY Times is talking about a restaurant in Chicago where the chef seems to spend much of his time trying to figure out ever more bizarre ways to use technology as part of the food and dining experience. This includes “sushi” that is printed on edible paper using an inkjet printer — which can be a full dish or part of a (literally) edible menu. He’s also trying to buy a powerful laser to cook things in an inside out way (seared tuna where the inside is cooked and the outside is raw, or bread where the crust is in the middle and the doughy part is on the outside). Other ideas include figuring out ways to make food levitate. All of this isn’t exactly cheap, of course. A meal at his restaurant supposedly runs $240 per person — and there doesn’t seem to be much of an indication as to how good any of the food actually tastes. However, you get the feeling that people aren’t going so much for the taste, as the bizarre surreal experience.
Comments on “High Tech Food For The Sake Of High Tech Food”
Pongashi
There is a forgotten technology of the 1960s, when street vendors in Japan would have this machine that would crank up dry rice to extremely high atmospheric pressures, until they exploded in a chain reaction into a popcorn-like candy. It was really loud, like guns going off. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same idea resurfaces.
Geeky Food
I live in the Chicago area. ALthough I haven’t eaten at this restuarant, Moto, but there have been a couple segments on local TV shows about the place. I’ve also read a couple of reviews.
The cost of the meals varies from about $60 for the 5 course dinner to around $250 for the 18-20 course extravagansa.
They use all kinds of techniques that are not seen in most kitchens, such as using liquid nitrogen, vacum cooking, dry ice, etc.
Reviews are mixed about the taste quality of the end result. Although they tend to get good scores for originality and presentation.