"grant achatz" news and stories

CORRECTION: Achatz Not Opening Molecular Bar Called 'Boom'

The Chicago bar scene is about to get a little more creative.

Grant Achatz, the chef behind Chicago's award-winning molecular gastronomy restaurant Alinea, is opening a bar -- Boom -- that will turn the classic cocktail on its head, Eater National reported.

Achatz told the Wall Street Journal that Boom will be a stand-alone cocktail bar where food will come second to drinks.

"Liquid nitrogen, dry ice, tapiocas, foam cotton candy, it's endless," Achatz told the Journal. "Not that I am bored here, but it's opening up new possibilities. I would love the opportunity to sit down at a bar and say I am going to have an alcohol tasting menu."

For example, Achatz has re-imagined the Sazerac, a classic cocktail made from whiskey, bitters and sugar. In Achatz's version, the bitters is made into "pudding dots" and the "whiskey is transformed into gelée," the Journal reported.

Tweezers. They're not just for plucking your eyebrows or removing splinters anymore.

In some of the country's hottest kitchens, chefs are turning to the tiny tongs -- the medical variety used by doctors in the operating room -- to put delicate finishing touches on dishes that mere fingers would surely bungle, the New York Times reported.

"I was using tweezers to handle a thin stream of strawberry purée frozen with liquid nitrogen because if you touch it, it falls apart," Grant Achatz, the chef at Alinea, a high-end restaurant in Chicago, told the Times. "Tweezers allow boundary-pushing with scale and texture."

Not sure which new cookbooks are worth investing in this year? Take the guesswork out of your decision and follow along with food52's Tournament of Cookbooks. The competition -- run by this new home-cooking Web site's founders (former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser and food writer Merrill Stubbs) -- pits 16 of this year's best books against each other, to be cooked from and judged by 17 venerable chefs and food writers.

Tournament rounds will play out over the course of 4 weeks, with a decision announced every weekday beginning Wednesday. For the first challenge in the bracket, "My New Orleans," by John Besh was bested by "Real Cajun," by Donald Link, as judged by Daniel Patteron. The winning book will take home the first Piglet trophy and be feted at the Astor Center in New York City on Nov. 9, 2009.

After the jump, see list of the cookbooks and judges in play. ...

Won't mid-week lunches pack so much more panache if a star chef like Alice Waters, Grant Achatz, Tom Colicchio or Mario Batali has a hand in 'em? You'll still have to make your own PB&J, but now you can tote it along in celeb-stamped style with a one-of-a-kind lunchbox decorated by your favorite chef.

"The Lunchbox Auction presented by Gourmet which benefits hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa, kicks off live on the World Wide Web at www.thelunchboxauction.org on Thursday, December 11th at midnight and continues through Thursday, December 18th at noon. Almost 100 celebrities from film, television, fashion, art, music and the culinary world have united to remind us that food matters and that hunger is an on-going problem.

Each lunchbox reflects the personal style and individual flair of the person designing the box and no two lunchboxes are alike. Collectors will find that each box is signed and numbered, and some will even contain hidden surprises inside. The collectible lunchboxes make a great gift for the holidays!"

I've already been outbid on Grant Achatz's stainless steel and tension wire armature, and Ruth Reichl's epicurean treasure trove, yet still hold out hope for Michel Richard's mustard-gilded, postprandial bonescape. Mostly because I'd have a chance to say "mustard-gilded" all the darned time -- for charity.

[via: thelunchboxauction.org]

For your ever-so-gently-surreal Thanksgiving viewing pleasure, Alinea's Grant Achatz breaks down and sous vides a turkey -- just like Grandma used to. No vacuum sealer or immersion circulator needed. Sadly, there's no nitrogen-blasted green bean casserole or marshmallow and yam alginate spheres on the menu this time, but hey -- there's always Christmas.

Watch Part 2 -- Sous Vide Stuffing and Deep-Fried Bourbon Pumpkin Pie on a Flaming Cinnamon Stick on YouTube and sign up for free recipes at alinea-mosaic.com.