A headache and leftovers. If it sounds like last night was a lot of fun, then you would be correct.
Knife maker extraordinaire Bob Kramer was delivering a new custom knife to a customer and thought it would be fun to get the Jet City Gastrophysics crew together and make up a little meal. We were up for it and invited them down to Gastrophysics Labs for an impromptu meal. The customer? Matt Rudofker, the sous chef of Momofuku Ssäm Bar. The meal? Whatever was found at the market. Yeah, let’s do this.
We haven’t been posting too much over here lately, but it’s summertime and we’ve been busy. Scott just finished a stage at Modernist Cuisine’s Cooking Lab, and Eric’s been working 16 hour days at Blueacre, now that he’s the sous chef. I’ve got my own things going on as well, and now that the sun is finally out in full force around here, we keep finding excuses to be outside instead of inside. But we still manage to hang out now and again.
THAT’S CHEF GRANT ACHATZ!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MET HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JETHRO HAD HIM SIGN A BOOK FOR ME BEFORE I WENT TO NOMA (CLICK)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE TOLD ME AND LUKE (FROM FRESH BISTRO) THAT WE COULD COME TO ALINEA TO WORK FOR A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our own Eric Rivera and his wife Mindy left early this morning for Copenhagen, where Eric will do a 10 day stage at Noma, the best restaurant on Earth. Not bad for someone still in culinary school! We wish you all the best, Eric, and can’t wait to hear all about it!
Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas of Chicago’s Alinea, named the best restaurant in the country, dropped by Seattle last week to promote their new book Life, on the Line. Scott, aka Seattle Food Geek, was scheduled to do the interview but could not make it. I was asked to fill in for him. Due to my complete lack of experience and professionalism, a freewheeling conversation ensued, and we discussed everything from their book, hunting, and music to their newest projects about to launch in Chicago: a restaurant called Next, and its companion bar, Aviary.
Nick Kokonas: So, Jethro’s not a food writer, he’s subbing for a food writer. Grant Achatz: Thank god. NK: So you know what that means? Actual intelligent questions that we haven’t had. So, any questions you don’t want to answer, just say “fuck you”, and whatever. NK: You’re going to get like, twelve “fuck you’s”. GA: Ah, come on… NK to GA: By the way, I finally read that interview. Joe Satriani? That’s where you went with that? GA: The guy can play guitar, man. NK: Yeah, in ’84.
A little over a year ago I did a post on knives after Bob Tate came to my culinary school to do a talk (here is the original post…click). My friend, Jethro (click), knows Bob Tate and offered to get our little group of gastronauts together to go see the art of knife sharpening up close and personal.
I still use Bob’s tips to this day and it was really amazing to be invited into his home where he does the knife sharpening and has honed his own skills. He trained under Bob Kramer who has his own signature series for Shun so it was honor just to be around Mr. Tate to at least get a glimpse into the mastery that is knife sharpening.
We each brought a knife for Bob to sharpen for us…… Seriously Jethro…..a pink knife?!?!?! Uh….. Anyway, Scott brought his shiny Shun knife (middle) and I brought my money maker Mercer knife (right) for a little honing and sharpening action.
Bob showed us a few new projects he was up to and how he can create serrated knives and even sharpen them. It was amazing to watch him take a $2 knife and turn it into something usable and extremely sharp…..Eric “likes” the degree of sharpness.
I have a really weird attachment to my knife. It’s not expensive or special but it’s been along for the ride while I’ve moved through and cut thousands of things with it. When I first started using it I had no idea what I was doing…..it was too big……it was heavy…..it wasn’t my 7 inch santoku that I was used to using. I stuck with it and now I treat it like a really great friend of mine. I sharpen it myself because I don’t trust anyone else to even touch it but when I was in the home of Bob Tate I let him have it……I guess it’s kind of like dropping your kid off at a baby sitter…..weird stuff.
Bob sharpened up the pink knife and while I saw him doing it I noticed how he moved the knife over the belt gently. He asked me not to film his finishing process and not really talk about it since it was something he had learned from Bob Kramer and it really is the difference from him doing something amazing or just entrusting your knife to that random clerk at that one store with the French name downtown.
He finishes and tests every knife by doing the newspaper test.
That folks, is the sharpest pink knife in the world!!!! He finished Scott’s knife and my knife and it was like picking up your dog from the groomer….looks new….smells nice (what?)……knife is all excited to cut stuff……
Look at that shiny new edge.
No matter where I go, where I cook, or what knife I buy, Bob Tate is my knife sharpening guy.
Jet City Gastrophysics 