Seaquam 
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
 | | 02-18-2004 02:57 PM |
| I've had 12 and 14 course tasting menus (though not on a daily basis, of course) and while I mainly enjoyed them, they approach overkill for me. About 6 well-chosen courses maximizes my gastronomic pleasure, I think, esp. if matched well with wine. A friend sent me the following link for a 30 course, 5.5 hour meal at the famous El Bulli restaurant in Spain. Although I guess it's the meal of a lifetime, I'm not sure whether it would be more enjoyable or more tiring for me. 30 course meal at El Bulli | | |
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ojeffso
warren, new jersey
Wine Lover
Posts: 4877
| | 12-03-2003 05:41 PM |
| monday night
1999 terrabianca. excellent
last night
1981 chateau gruaud larose. i have never been a big fan of gl. wine was mostly oak and tannins with black currant coming through the nose after an hour of air. a good wine, but that's all. | | | |
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Corkage
Grape Puncher
Posts: 975
| | 02-18-2004 03:31 PM |
| I'd say overkill, regardless of how small the portions are. I couldn't (wouldn't want to) do 30 different tapas. Our 5-6 course tastings go 4+ hours anyways at a leisurely pace. | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13768
| | 02-18-2004 04:02 PM |
| I think Joe H., of Chowhound.com fame, actually went there and had this meal. Maybe it wasn't 30 courses, but it was a huge amount.
Man, It'd take 12-15 hours to do all that. | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
VinoCellar.com Extraordinaire
Posts: 30914
| | 02-18-2004 05:25 PM |
| It sounds more like a marathon than anything else. It's the 5.5 hours that would get to me. I would need to get up every hour and walk up and down the aisles.
The courses, I am sure, were very small. I wonder how many different wines they had. Did I miss that in the article?
There is only one comment really that pertains: Buuuuuuuuurp!
Oh yeah... I wonder what course they were eating when they were talking about eating RAW LIVER in Nigeria. | | | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 02-18-2004 05:30 PM |
| I'd dine at El Bulli in a heartbeat and the more courses the merrier. "Air" courses don't take up much room after all. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
VinoCellar.com Extraordinaire
Posts: 30914
| | 02-18-2004 05:34 PM |
| Obleas de frambuesa Raspberry "communion wafers". That shouldn't count as a whole course  | | | |
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JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5206
| | 02-18-2004 05:43 PM |
| El Bulli is definitely on my list of "must" pilgrimages. And since I doubt I'd get there twice, I wouldn't care if they served me 100 courses of foam. As long as it wasn't made by Gillette. | | | Beta testing a new signature. | |
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Seaquam
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1141
| | 02-18-2004 05:46 PM |
| David, the wines were... Quote:
Robert started the meal with a Cava but then selected three white Burgundies, to be served in order of increasing power. The three selections, a 1997 Beaune "Greves" from Bernard Darviot; the 1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Demoiselles" of Guy Amiot, and the 1997 Meursault 1er Cru from Madame Bize-Leroy in magnum were all highly pleasing and fairly priced. We followed on with a red from the Ribero del Duero and a complimentary bottle of Cava.
Easy to miss that the way the article was formatted. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
VinoCellar.com Extraordinaire
Posts: 30914
| | 02-18-2004 05:52 PM |
| So they didn't get 30 different wines. How disappointing | | | |
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skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
| | 02-18-2004 06:49 PM |
| I'm so there. | | | |
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Doc
London, UK
Grape Puncher
Posts: 750
| | 02-18-2004 07:07 PM |
| I'm up for it although 5 hours doesn't sound long enough, regardless of the size or type of course.
Doc | | | |
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skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
| | 02-18-2004 07:08 PM |
| I'd hate to be the dishwasher at a place like this.... | | | |
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JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5206
| | 02-18-2004 07:09 PM |
| 5 hours=300 minutes. That's about 1 bite/course every 10 minutes. Frankly, after reading the menu, I'd be surprised if you didn't walk away from the table hungry, as some of those "bites" have little or no substance. But out of 30 courses, the only one that didn't thrill me was rabbit brains. | | | Beta testing a new signature. | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts: 8568
| | 02-18-2004 07:15 PM |
| Deep fried rabbit brains are pretty good - don't miss them if they are on the menu at Delfina. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
VinoCellar.com Extraordinaire
Posts: 30914
| | 02-18-2004 08:10 PM |
| They taste like chicken  | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2098
| | 02-18-2004 08:22 PM |
| And don't forget to have a wafer thin mint, Mr. Creosote!  | | | |
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DdB
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1452
| | 02-18-2004 09:39 PM |
| I need another bucket... | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13768
| | 02-19-2004 01:38 AM |
| Quote:
Deep fried rabbit brains are pretty good - don't miss them if they are on the menu at Delfina.
But I might get Mad Rabbit disease!  | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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kpak
Alaska
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3109
| | 02-19-2004 01:58 AM |
| Quote:
But I might get Mad Rabbit disease!
it's called kwazy wabbit disease... | | | In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is
.ps - friends don't let friends eat farmed salmon. | |
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