Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Game-Changing Cookbook


Nathan Myhrvold's 2,400-page 'Modernist Cuisine' upends everything you thought you knew about cooking

Here's the recipe for the most astonishing cookbook of our time: Take one multimillionaire computer genius, a team of 36 researchers, chefs and editors and a laboratory specially built for cooking experiments. After nearly four years of obsessive research, assemble 2,400 pages of results into a 47-pound, six-volume collection that costs $625 and requires four pounds of ink to print.

To call inventor Nathan Myhrvold's "Modernist Cuisine: The Art & Science of Cooking," on sale next month, a "cookbook" is akin to calling James Joyce's "Ulysses" "a story." The book is a large-scale investigation into the math, science and physics behind cooking tasks from making juicy and crisp beer-can chicken to coating a foie-gras bonbon in sour cherry gel. There is precedent in this genre—science writer Harold McGee has published popular books explaining kitchen science, and chefs Thomas Keller and Ferran AdriĆ  have written about sous vide and other techniques of avant-garde gastronomy—but nothing reaches the scope and magnitude of Mr. Myhrvold's book. While it will likely appeal to professional chefs, within its pages are insights that even the humblest home cooks can use to improve their meals. The book puts traditional cooking wisdom under scientific scrutiny, destroying old assumptions and creating new cooking approaches.

The man behind the tome is a former chief technology officer for Microsoft and an inventor of hundreds of patents (he invented an electromagnetic car engine and is seeking a patent for his French fries treated with starch and placed in an ultrasonic bath). Though many of Mr. Myhrvold's 51 years have been devoted to math and science—by the age of 23, he held two master's degrees and a doctorate in mathematical physics from Princeton—in the 1990s, his passion for food began to loom large. First, he got deeply into barbecue (he was on the "team of the year" at the Memphis World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in 1991), and then moved onto haute cuisine.

"My career at Microsoft really was getting in the way of my cooking," said Mr. Myhrvold. After leaving Microsoft in 1999, he launched Intellectual Ventures, an invention and patent firm, and in 2007, with help from two young, scientifically-minded chefs, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet, he began work on the book. When publishers balked over the size and scope of the project, Mr. Myhrvold said, he ditched the conventional route and decided to self-publish through his publishing company, the Cooking Lab.
Among the book's revelations: Expensive pots and pans are a waste of money. Organic food is no healthier than non-organic. Black coffee cools off faster than coffee with cream.

http://modernistcuisine.com/

Monday, February 14, 2011

Tower Bridge Bistro in Sacramento

Dining at the Tower Bridge Bistro was literally, one of the best restaurant experiences we've had in Sacramento.  My wife and I really enjoy dining out and it's not often we find a place  like Tower Bridge Bistro that has all the best qualities and attributes of a great restaurant  working together so very well.   (Ambiance, Service, Food).

It was easy to maneuver our way to the restaurant from 50 to J street, to 3rd, then down Capital Mall, with a quick left into the Embassy Suites just before Tower Bridge.  Parking became immediately convenient with onsite valet parking. The restaurant is located inside an Embassy Suites and this hotel chain really knows how to wow its customers with an inviting great lobby that not only has fine art, sculptures and beautiful architectural views, but also many conveniences  and amenities for the hotel guests as well.

The location and views from Tower Bridge Bistro are outstanding as they are located near old town Sacramento,  on the river directly adjacent to the famous Tower Bridge.  Inside, the decor is very classy with fine woods and stone work thru out.  Beautiful views from nearly every table are afforded by the floor to ceiling glass walls that look out to river and the bridge.  We can't wait to go back during the summer to dine on their outdoor patio.

We were greeted and seated immediately and met by our waiter David, who proved to be a very knowledgeable and gracious gentleman who made our dining experience all the better with his culinary knowledge, fast service and excellent recommendations including wine pairings.

After ordering some wine and perusing the menu we decided on a few items and entree's to share together so we could get a good sampling of what Tower Bridge Bistro had to offer.

The French onion soup, the roasted quail and spinach salad, the scallop and shrimp appetizers , the seared duck breast and beef tenderloin entree's and even the decadent chocolate mousse dessert that we tried were all prepared to perfection,  and exceeded our expectations.  All the ingredients were fresh and colorful and the sauces and sides were well thought out and worked very well together.  Everything we tasted was  top notch.  Our compliments to the chef!  We cannot say enough how excellent all the food was that we were served.

I highly recommend trying the scallops appetizer, the French onion soup, and the beef tenderloin, but really, no matter what you order, I am sure it will taste great.  

To summarize our experience at the Tower Bridge Bistro:  the location is great, the ambiance fantastic, service excellent  and the food outstanding.

We have found a new favorite restaurant in Sacramento and we plan to go back often.