Andy Gavin's Blog, page 171
March 18, 2012
San Fran – Nopalito
Restaurant: Nopalito
Location: 306 Broderick Street. San Francisco, CA 94117. 415-437-0303
Date: February 11, 2012
Cuisine: Mexican
Rating: Best Mexican I've been too since I was in Mexico
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Continuing our San Francisco adventures, we met up with my college roommate and his family at a Mexican place in his neighborhood. This trendy — and hence crowded — little spot served up some of the best Mexican I've had since my wife and I used to frequent a favorite high end resort in Cabo.
The bustling kitchen.
The lunch menu.
"Hibiscus-Valencia Orange."
"Ginger-Lemonade." I love good lemonade and this one was pretty awesome, with a spicy ginger finish like Jamaican ginger beer.
My son got the straight up cheese quesadilla. Notice the small hand grab.
"Totopos con Chile. Tortilla chips, salsa de arbol, cotija cheese, crema and lime." Thick homemade chips with a good bit of spice and tangy limeness. Real good. Not real light.
"Naranjas con Chile, limón y Queso. Salad of cara cara oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, pickled red onions, chile, lime and queso fresco." Very nice zesty fresh flavors.
"Ceviche verde de Pescado. Marinated fish, lime, tomatillo, jalapeño, cilantro, avocado and tortilla chips." Again, reminiscent of my Cabo vacations.
"Taquitos de Papas adobadas. Crispy rolled tortillas, potatoes in New Mexico chile adobo, onion, guacamole, crema, queso fresco and salsa brava." Yum yum. Fried is always tasty. As straightforward as the toppings are, they were incredibly fresh.
"Tamal empipianado rojo con Puerco. Corn masa, pork stewed in dried chilies, sunflower & seasame seeds, tomato, spices and queso cotija." I'm a sucker for the sweet corny taste of a good tamale.
"Quesadilla roja con Chicharrón. Mulato chile-corn tortilla, crispy pork belly, salsa cascabel, jack cheese, queso fresco, onion and cilantro." Very interesting jazzed up quesadilla.
"Quesadilla de Primavera. Corn tortilla, asparagus, mushroom, spinach, quesillo, queso fresco, spring onion, cilantro, and salsa de chile puya." Good, but not as good as the pork one.
"Empanada con Deshebrada de res. Fried masa pastry, grass-fed beef, tomato, jalapeño, cabbage, avocado, queso fresco and salsa frita de guajillo." Also really tasty.
Some almond balls to finish things off.
While not light, this was a very zesty meal — and despite the large number of Mexican places in LA I don't know any that use ingredients this fresh or bring to bear such a modern and sophisticated palette.
For more San Francisco dining reviews click here.
March 16, 2012
PostDesk Interview
Andy Gavin reflects and looks back on Crash Bandicoot, and Naughty Dog – calling Crash '…the really hot girlfriend that you dumped because of an important at the time argument'. He also offers some interesting perspectives on the games industry, drawing from his experiences – finally going on to tell us more about what he's doing now, as a novelist – and how creating worlds has always been one of his great passions.
We interviewed Andy Gavin, the co-founder of Naughty Dog (with Jason Rubin) and creator of Crash Bandicoot. We asked Andy how he got in to the industry, about the inspirations, motives and ideologies behind Crash Bandicoot – one of the games industries seminal characters, and on on what makes a good videogame character. He also told us about the entirely different culture and ethos he built up at Naughty Dog – which meant putting the player first. We also asked him to reflect on his successes and 'failures' at Naughty Dog, about what he thinks of the company now and about his future plans. Today, Andy has turned his attention to writing – and is now an established novelist – so we also asked him about what he's reading, and what he's working on right now.
Just some of the highlights from this in-depth interview…
"Jason and I wanted to take Donkey Kong Country style gameplay and make it 3D. We called it the "Sonic's Ass" game."
"We wanted to do what Sega had done with the hedgehog and Warner Bros had done with the Tasmanian Devil and find some kind of animal that was cute, real, and no one really knew about… …we loved the word bandicoot."
"I'm sure the games are still widely played, probably more than any other PS1 franchise."
"Crash is a little like the really hot girlfriend that you dumped because of an important at the time argument. Then, years later when you run into her, find she's a hooker with a crack problem'… 'Naughty Dog on the other hand is the kid that grew up, got straight A's at Harvard, then founded an internet company and made a fortune. Plus they still come home for the holidays and send Mom flowers on Valentine's day."
"My writing fulfils a very similar creative outlet, namely building worlds."
"I don't think the future [of games] will be better graphics – it's not important any more. Part of it will be new business models of allowing certain aspects for free and charging for others. Making this all work in a way that doesn't destabilise game balance will be a challenge" …"new ways of paying will have a huge effect on the structure of games"
"One of the biggest was difficulties in integrating with radically different corporate cultures after acquisition… Jason and I always put customer and innovation first trying to do ambitious projectswith a very high level of execution. Sort of an Apple (with Jobs) model. Not all companies run this way. There are other models like "rip off the other guy cheaper." This is valid, but we just never thought that way."
"Creating worlds and stories has always been one of my great passions. I've been doing it my entire life. With novels it's very intimate and you have nearly infinite control"
What inspired you to start Naughty Dog – how did you get in to the games industry?
In the 1970s I was hugely into fantasy novels, fantasy role playing games, and early video games. When I first encountered a computer it was only natural that I tried to make games. Back then, unless you knew how to program, computers were pretty much good for a blinking cursor. Then about two years into my programming career I met Jason Rubin. My programs were better than anyone our age, and his art skills (particularly on the computer) were better than anyone else's. It was a match made in heaven and we started working on games together. In those early days we called the company JAM Software, but we renamed it to Naughty Dog around 1985.
"Jason and I wanted to take Donkey Kong Country style gameplay and make it 3D. We called it the "Sonic's Ass" game."
What were the aims behind Crash Bandicoot – what was the brief? Was it to create a character to compete with Sonic and Mario, and to create a mascot character for Sony – or something more?
Yep. At that time character action was one of the most popular genres, and one of our favorites. Jason and I wanted to take Donkey Kong Country style gameplay and make it 3D. We called it the "Sonic's Ass" game. And it was born from the question: what would a 3D platformer be like? Well, we thought, you'd spend a lot of time looking at "Sonic's Ass." Aside from the difficulties of identifying with a character only viewed in posterior, it seemed cool. Although we worried about the camera, dizziness, and the player's ability to judge. When it seemed likely that Sony didn't have a mascot character of their own we jumped on that too. Essentially we planed for Crash to become exactly what it did – but the fact that we were successful still stuns me.
We wanted to do what Sega had done with the hedgehog and Warner Bros had done with the Tasmanian Devil and find some kind of animal that was cute, real, and no one really knew about… …we loved the word bandicoot."
What was the inspiration behind Crash Bandicoot – where did the concept come from?
We wanted to do what Sega had done with the hedgehog and Warner Bros had done with the Tasmanian Devil and find some kind of animal that was cute, real, and no one really knew about. We bought a copy of Tasmanian Mammals – a field guide and flipped through. The Wombat, Potoroo, and Bandicoot fit the bill. We loved the word bandicoot. Personality-wise we felt he should be goofy and fun loving, and never talk.
What was the symbolism and ideology behind the mannerisms, attitude and behaviour you gave Crash Bandicoot?
As the machine didn't really have the power to pull off giving Crash a voice that wasn't lame, we needed to use animation to draw in the player emotionally. This jived with one of our main design goals, which was to make the animation better than had ever been seen in a game before. We wanted at least Looney Tunes level quality, if not Disney level. Animation is an emotional language and our top flight cartoon character designers showed us how to convey the whole range of human motion in the exaggerated vocabulary of traditional animation.
What was the reasoning behind the colours you gave Crash Bandicoot?
Simple, Crash needed to pop against the background so you could see him easily. Since he lived in a natural world of greens and grays orange was the hottest and most complementary colour. Real animals want to blend. Cartoons want to pop.
Crash Bandicoot is of a few games which has a real cultural impact and it's created an extremely loyal group of superfans – a fan community which is still going strong, producing fan art, writing 'fan fictions' – some devoting much of their life to a character you created. What are your feelings about being behind a cultural icon?
It's amazing that this happened and I feel very gratified to be a part of it. I chalk up one of the main reasons the game was successful to the character's iconic quality. Crash is a sort of every-creature. While he has his goofy side, his natural enthusiasm and willingness to rebound from any upset (literally) make him highly endearing.
Crash Bandicoot Fan Art is very popular – this piece is by 'ZoDy' on an online community for artists called DeviantArt
Could you share any interesting facts or 'secrets' about Crash Bandicoot that even the biggest superfans may not know?
The original Crash Bandicoot has an entire extra level on the disk that is not accessible without a cheat device. It's called Slippery Climb and was a monstrously big and difficult "climb on the rainy castle wall" level. It was cut because it was too hard and we didn't have time to balance it properly.
What makes a good videogame character?
Video game characters aren't especially subtle, but they are appealing. They need to be visually distinctive, with clear expression of personality traits. Visually, Crash is orange, big head, and gloves. Then on the personality side, playful, resilient, not the brightest bulb, but willing to go the extra mile.
Would you say that seminal 'mascot' characters like Crash, Sonic, and Mario are playing a less important or significant role in the games industry? Why do you think it might be the case?
It does seem that as games become more realistic they have less distinctive characters. Many current console games now are essentially military. The badass space marine is iconic, but not really distinctive. What makes one different from another?
"I'm sure the games are still widely played, probably more than any other PS1 franchise."
Some say that Crash 'failed to innovate' over the years 'rendering the character useless' – what would you say to that?
It's not fair of me to comment on the non Naughty Dog games. I feel that our four Crash games innovated relative to the speed of release (1996, '97, '98, '99). We tried to really pack tons of new stuff into every successive game while keeping the best of the old. Fans knew that with our games they would really get their money's worth. They voted with their wallets in huge numbers, and I'm sure the games are still widely played, probably more than any other PS1 franchise.
How much would you credit the sophistication of Naughty Dog technology to your background in LISP at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory?
I was always a technically ambitious programmer, but MIT and the addition of Dave Baggett to our team really helped us up the ante. Dave and I fed off each other, each convincing the other that the next impossible thing was possible. But Mark Cerny also played no small role in this ambition. While he only coded a guest module or two in each game he's brilliant and he really pushed Dave and I to rise to the next level.
Why did you decide to leave Naughty Dog 2004?
This is a complicated question and there are several answers. A) My contract was up and to stay (on terms I wanted) I would have had to haggle out a new one (boring). B) I was burnt out after over ten years of 90-110 hour work weeks. C) And most important, we had been training our top guys (Evan Wells, Stephen White, and Christophe Balestra) to run full game teams. They were ready.
Since handing over the reins, are you happy with how Crash Bandicoot has developed over the years?
Crash is a little like the really hot girlfriend that you dumped because of an important at the time argument. Then, years later when you run into her, find she's a hooker with a crack problem.
What do you think of the company now? Is it how you visualised it would be?
Naughty Dog on the other hand is the kid that grew up, got straight A's at Harvard, then founded an internet company and made a fortune. Plus they still come home for the holidays and send Mom flowers on Valentine's day.
Would you ever consider returning to the company?
I still have tons of friends there. I just dropped by the other day and I had a rush of nostalgia for all the excitement and the sense of being part of something huge. But Evan and Christophe have things totally under control. More than that, they keep the ship running better than ever. So they don't need another officer at the helm.
My writing fulfils a very similar creative outlet, namely building worlds.
Do you think you'll ever return to the gaming industry as a whole – or even create another video game?
It's hard to say. My writing fulfils a very similar creative outlet, namely building worlds. There are still games I crave making (achem… fantasy games). Really I'd love to build the most incredible MMO ever (I'm a huge WOW and Diablo fan) but then I think about the $150 million budget, the six year development plan, and the 200 person team…
What are the biggest changes you've seen in the gaming industry throughout your career?
Ha. I can't even begin to answer that. My career started when the Atari 2600 was king and continues to modern console games, iPhone, and Facebook games. But the really big thing that is changing is the move away from the packaged goods model where a complete game is sold for $40-70. Download only games with subscription and micro transaction models will soon be the norm.
What do you make of the games currently being released now, …including Uncharted – Drake's Deception? What do you make of console gaming as it is today …and the games you find most interesting right now?
UC3 is a blast, I love it. I still love fantasy games. My favorites this year, having finally quite WOW (again, for now), are UC3 and Dark Souls. I really want to play Skyrim too, which I'm sure I'll love. I got it release day too, but I had one novel to finish editing and a second to publish – I didn't dare put it in the machine.
Zoë Ainscough couldn't recommend Uncharted 3 enough in a review which appeared recently on PostDesk Gaming
"I don't think the future [of games] will be better graphics – it's not important any more. Part of it will be new business models of allowing certain aspects for free and charging for others. Making this all work in a way that doesn't destabilize game balance will be a challenge" …"new ways of paying will have a huge effect on the structure of games"
What do you feel the future of gaming will be – and how is it going to develop over the next few years? Will it rely on enhancements in technology – or are you seeing other trends?
I don't think it will be better and better graphics. That will happen to some extent, but it's not important anymore. Part of it will be new business models of allowing certain aspects for free and charging for others. Making this all work in a way that doesn't destabilize game balance will be a challenge. Integration of even more elaborate social structure is another trend. I think that in the next few years we will actually start to see less of the incredibly expensive monolithic console games. As disks go away new ways of paying are going to rear their heads and this will have a huge effect on the structure of games.
Is this forming the basis for the future of gaming?
Across your entire career to date, what achievements are you most proud of? What was your biggest success?
#1 is founding Naughty Dog and establishing in it a kind of corporate culture and ethos that puts the player first. Really NDI is all about providing good value to the player. Value in games is wow factor, fun, novelty, and a polished entertainment experience that minimizes frustration. I'm also proud individually of each of my "projects." This includes all thirteen major games I wrote, Flektor, my compilers, both my novels, and even my website:http://all-things-andy-gavin.com .
One of the biggest was difficulties in integrating with radically different corporate cultures after acquisition… Jason and I always put customer and innovation first trying to do ambitious projects with a very high level of execution. Sort of an Apple (with Jobs) model. Not all companies run this way. There are other models like "rip off the other guy cheaper." This is valid, but we just never thought that way.
What has been the biggest 'failure' that you've had to overcome in your career?
I don't have what I consider any serious failures. More a lot of "lessons" of various degrees of severity. One of the biggest was difficulties in integrating with radically different corporate cultures after acquisition. Hint this had nothing to do with Naughty Dog or Sony which went great. Jason and I always put customer and innovation first trying to do ambitious projects with a very high level of execution. Sort of an Apple (with Jobs) model. Not all companies run this way. There are other models like "rip off the other guy cheaper." This is valid, but we just never thought that way.
Has being a novelist always been an ambition of yours?
I've been an avid reader my whole life (over 10,000 novels and who knows how many non-fiction volumes). Mostly fantasy, horror, historical or science fiction. In high school, I won several national literary awards for my short stories and I was an editor and contributor to our high school literary magazine. In college, despite being a diehard science guy, I took creative writing classes (sometimes I was the only guy) and submitted stories to Science Fiction and Fantasy magazines (not that they ever bought any!). I wrote the stories for some of our games (don't judge my novels by that, in the old days games couldn't afford real stories). But the insane work output needed for Playstation games didn't leave me the time to write and so it was with considerable zeal that I turned to it seriously two and a half years ago.
"My first novel, The Darkening Dream, was just published. You can find out all about it at the-darkening-dream.com and it's for sale now."
Tell us about your new books – and what are you working on right now?
I have three books in various stages of production. My first novel, The Darkening Dream, was just published. You can find out all about it athttp://the-darkening-dream.com and it's for sale now. This is a fast paced historical fantasy about a bunch of teens who try to stop some really creepy supernatural chaps from maiming, killing, and destroying the world. The teens get in over their heads. Really over their heads. All of the magic (and there's a lot) is based on real historical occult, which makes it much creepier than the made up stuff – because truth is stranger than fiction. My second book, Untimed, is a YA time travel novel about the crazy adventures of a boy no one remembers, who falls through a hole in time and finds himself lost in the past. It's really slick, funny, and fast paced. I just finished editing it and am now figuring out who I want to publish it. Then I'm supposed to be writing my third novel, but instead I'm answering interview questions and learning how to layout a print ready file. J
What are you reading right now?
Julian, by Gore Vidal. This is a historical bestseller from the 60s about Julian the Apostate who is a really interesting Roman Emperor from late antiquity. It's part of a particular a branch of investigation for my new novel. All of my books involve history in some way. One of my ambitions is to show that history doesn't have to be boring, quite the contrary. Untimed bounces through four centuries and it's lightning paced.
"Creating worlds and stories has always been one of my great passions. I've been doing it my entire life. With novels it's very intimate and you have nearly infinite control"
What are your plans and ambitions for the future?
In the short run (2012) I'd like to finish two more novels (gulp) and turn The Darkening Dream and Untimed into bestsellers. The writing part of being a writer is really fun and creative – although way more work than I imagined, and I imagined a lot. Creating worlds and stories has always been one of my great passions. I've been doing it my entire life. With novels it's very intimate and you have nearly infinite control. There are limitations of the medium, POV, etc., but there are few technical tradeoffs and no budgets or meetings. Only time and imagination limit what you can do. This is why, despite the profusion of all sorts of fantastic new mediums, novels are still one of the beststorytelling devices. Most games are more about gameplay and fun than story – even if Uncharted has been changing that. Long form television (like high budget cable shows) is also very good now. I love HBO and Showtime dramas. They sport some of the best writing in film or television today. Film is really too short for in depth characterization, although the best of them rise above this limitation.
You can find more on Andy Gavin's writing at andy-gavin-author.com, on his first novel at the-darkening-dream.com, and the second novel atuntimed-novel.com. The Darkening Dream is available on Amazon Kindle for $4.99 at Amazon.com and for £3.27 at Amazon.co.uk. [Prices correct at time of going to press]
The Darkening Dream is an "ominous vision and the discovery of a gruesome corpse lead Sarah Engelmann into a terrifying encounter with the supernatural in 1913 Salem, Massachusetts. With help from Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant, Sarah sets out to track the evil to its source,never guessing that she will take on a conspiracy involving not only a 900-year vampire, but also a demon-loving Puritan warlock, disgruntled Egyptian gods, and an immortal sorcerer, all on a quest to recover the holy trumpet of the Archangel Gabriel.Relying on the wisdom of an elderly vampire hunter, Sarah's rabbi father, and her own disturbing visions, Sarah must fight a millennia-old battle between unspeakable forces, where the ultimate prize might be herself".
This article was originally published here on PostDesk.
March 14, 2012
More Special Prize Winners!
The second round of the crazy Naughty Dark Contest now has three special prize winners! Unfortunately, my broken wrist has slowed down my mailing speed, but I'm finally getting some of this off my plate. The winners are:
Tyson Cleary of Tasmania
and
Rob Larkin from Newcastle
and
Robert Sebo from Torino
For more info on the contest, a detailed list of prizes and rules can be found here!
The prizes are below:
A signed copy of Crash 2
CTR: The Music CD
And a poster
Thank you all immeasurably!
It's also worth noting that this has made the virtual hat for the second round even more lucrative for the rest of you. Due to their prize winning each first round ticket is worth at least a 2% chance of winning a prize now — and if someone else claims a special prize, it could be even greater. So read up on the rules and participate.
Start by purchasing The Darkening Dream!
March 13, 2012
Untimed – Meet the Tocks
I finished the line editing on my second novel, Untimed, last December, but that doesn't mean the work is really over. On one front, it's out to various agents and editors, but on the other I'm working on spit and polish.
I had it professionally proofread and just finished going over all those little fixes. This is just an extra step to make sure it's as free of errors as possible and that the comma, hyphen, and spelling niceties are as consistent as possible. And apparently I don't like commas half as well as I should.
But far more exciting is that I'm having the book illustrated! I know it's relatively rare to illustrate novels, but I love art and believe — well done — that it really adds to the overall experience. Working with the agent who represented the awesome cover artist for The Darkening Dream, I found a talented illustrator named Dave Phillips (his website is here and some portfolio samples here). He has a real knack for character (see this for example) and knows how to capture lifelike personality in his figures. Over the last few weeks we've been developing character designs and now the first (more or less) finished image.
To the right, our hero Charlie (in front), confronts the mysterious Tick-Tock, a rapier-wielding clockwork man who serves as the only link to Charlie's missing father.
But Tick-Tocks are full of surprises, including the ability to punch holes in time!
Two free Naughty Dark tickets to the first reader who guesses the exact physical location of the scene (reply in comments here). You must not be one of my beta readers or one of their relatives. Hint: "Ghost H…"
March 12, 2012
San Fran – RN74
Restaurant: RN74
Location: 301 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Tel: 415.543.7474
Date: February 10, 2012
Cuisine: American
Rating: Good, but not spectacular
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I really wanted to go to Michael Mina's front line restaurant but given the presence of my three year-old son his more casual bistro seemed a wiser choice.
The decor is casual, chic, and modern. This is part of the new wave of post recession more "pubby" fine dining.
Le menu.
"Cauliflower and sea urchin soup. Crispy-poached egg, fava beans, parsley root, tarragon."
In French style, in soup is poured in table-side.
"Ahi Tuna Cru. Fallot mustard, french pickle relish, breakfast radishes, watercress."
"Roasted beets. Hawaiian hearts of palm, winter citrus, savory almond brittle."
"Cascade mountain artic char. Spatzle, black trumpet mushrooms, brussels sprouts, whole grain mustard."
"brussels sprouts."
"Grilled mediterranean sea bass. Steamed mussels, prawns, chickpea panisse, lobster-blood orange bouillabaisse."
The sauce is added after. This is really a form of deconstructed bouillabaisse, not being a proper soup. Personally, I prefer le classique. This was fine but it tasted rather of "grill" and I prefer tomato and garlic!
Some pleasant complementary cookies. Almond cakey things.
Overall, this was a solid meal, but nothing blew me away. Execution was fine, and call me jaded (a word coming from the Norse for a broken-down old nag), but I was a little bored.
March 10, 2012
Game of Thrones – The More You Love
As we close in on Season 2, HBO has released more trailer goodness (3/10/12). This is one of the best yet, featuring all sorts of footage from the new season, and cut into a more comprehensible story arc.
March 9, 2012
Going Indie
A nice post on one author's journey toward Indie Publishing.
My experience in 2009 was a lot worse than I originally expected. From what I can tell, a literary agent is a great job for a person who lacks social skills. If you're an agent who's any good (good enough that people have heard of you) then you get way more queries than you can handle. Most of them you probably wish would just go away. Some of them, certainly, break the rules. And there are lots of rules. Don't send anything unsolicited. Don't send an attachment. Don't send me anything in the mail. Don't call me. If I do decide to represent you, I will do it how I want and when I want. And my personal favorite: Don't waste my time.
March 7, 2012
Food as Art: Dark Illuminated Forest
About a year ago I came across online a chef named Roberto Cortez who hosts periodic themed modernist dinners. Looking at Roberto's work (visible on his blog) it was instantly obvious that his visual style and presentation were out of this world. They exhibit a standout playfulness and creativity well in advance of even top restaurants. But what you can't tell from pictures is how does it taste! Any which way, I was dying to find out. I emailed, and finally, this winter, the opportunity came. March 5, 2012.
Even with founding Foodie Club partner Erick out of town for business, this could not be missed.
To ruin the suspense: what followed was one of the best meals I've ever had. And, you, my readers, know I had a lot!
Roberto doesn't just put on a dinner, he stages an event, a kind of modernist play for the senses. This one, part of the CR8 series, was called Dark Illuminated Forest and it has a wintery theme befitting the season. Food, drink, music, and ambiance all help create the evening.
Roberto chose a midtown gallery space for this particular event. And above you see several of us gathering in the back patio prior to the meal. Another interesting element is that there is a single table for ten, composed of three different parties mixed together. Everyone who comes to an event like this is a foodie and so part of the fun is meeting and socializing with new people. In this way it's a bit similar to the experience at Jose Andres' É — but Roberto takes it to a whole new level.
First he whipped up — literally — a specialty cocktail.
The base is fresh winter melon, compressed to bring out the flavor with a bit of cream and of course some booze. The top is a white foam of St Germain with a bit of chili.
The result was a wonderful blend of flavor and texture. The top velvety soft, the body intense and refreshing, with a pleasant burn on the finish. Really quite spectacular.
We move inside to the forest. The table has been set with a smoldering centerpiece of salt, bark, and flame. Paper walls cordon off the open gallery space to make it more intimate.
Above hangs part of the "forest" – painted by Roberto himself.
Each course featured unusual modernist silverware which was often amusing and conversation worthy, if not always totally practical.
As the candles melted, the flame began to sputter amongst the salt. This caused tiny volcano-like explosions, pops, and crackles. Advice: don't pour water on burning salt, big flame results.
Our host introduced each course — then he was back behind the curtain whipping up the good stuff.
2007 Montenidoli "Carato" Vernaccia di San Gigmignano
The current release is, yes, five years old from the first Vernaccia to be aged in Barrique from a fine selection of free run grape musts, one can taste and feel the Leroy influence here. Deep minerality floated in creamy clouds. Grandiose, wild, and important. Here's a pic of where this wine comes from. I discovered it last summer while Eating Italy.
This is a BYOB event for the most part. I brought a box of wine and another guest brought some too. Roberto opened various bottles to match — like this complex floral white from my cellar.
Liquid Moules Frites
With this post I'm experimenting with audio descriptors. Most are recordings of Roberto, but this one is me. Click the play button to listen.
In any case, this dish is an amuse that riffs on "moules frites" the mussels and fries. The spoon contains beer gelee. There is a fried mussel and the shot is a potato soup tasting like… fries. Other than the oddity of the bitter beer goo, it tasted superb, particularly the "fries."
The gluttons.
Leftover Christmas Garden
Roberto had a vision to create a dish out of the remains of his Christmas tree. The green oil is actually a resiny pine oil distilled from the tree, then there's an arugula granite, and pears done 3 ways. As fruit leather, straight up and as a chip. But the best is that white blob, a mousse made from Brillat-savarin cheese. The cheese was mind blowing and the overall combination of flavors and textures truly startling. Really, quite divine.
Roberto speaks:
Faux Stout
It looks like a Guiness, but no, it's truffle soup with foamy maple syrup on top! And even better, it tastes amazing!
Instead of wine the next dish was accompanied by this unique Belgian beer. It has a soft bubbly strawberry soda like flavor.
And a cool drinking spoon.
Duchesses' Noodle
The beer was specifically chosen to pair with this fois gras dish. Noodles of liver are matched with sphereized dark cherries, anise, tarragon, mushrooms, and a crunchy powder. The dish was slightly reminiscent of the frozen fois noodles I had in Madrid.
My cellar isn't deep in California wine but I do like this sophisticated 2000 Neiman Cabernet. It's very Bordeaux-like even down to the lead pencil nose.
Earth's Deep Perfumes
This has two components. The 1st, served in this glass-like "spoon," is a savory broth of mushrooms. You just have to be careful when you put it down.
The 2nd part, is this risotto. And it was the best dish of the evening, which is saying a lot. Creamy rice is paired with a Syrah coffee reduction. There's something crunchy in there to adding yet another delicious textural component. Utterly, totally, mind blowing.
Roberto on this dish:
Thunder in the East
Here, Roberto makes a sort of Japanese and Chinese surf and turf. Chinese congee (rice porridge), the Christmas tree oil, Chinese style pork belly, are paired with exotic shrimp. Lots of subtle savory flavors.
Parker 96 for this boutique Spanish blockbuster. The 2008 Ultreia De Valtuille received the same elevage as its less expensive sibling. To say that has more of everything is a gross understatement. The complex aromatics leap from the glass; on the palate the wine is dense, rich, and velvety, and it gives true meaning to the expression "iron fist in a velvet glove". It is an extraordinary effort that should drink well for 10-15 years, probably longer.
Bovine Symphony #8
Classical pairing with novel technique. Succulent sous-vide beef short rib with polenta mousse and a soft blue cheese ice cream with a bit of zest. Heavy. Delicious.
Parker gives the 2005 Doisy Daene 91 points. I found it to be very pleasant sauterne, in the lighter style, but well-balanced with nice floral notes.
LAs first Snowball
Yes, it looks a bit like a hostess snowball, but that's about where the similarity ends. You can never go wrong with coconut and kafir lime, plus the textures were really interesting. Even the sprigs of dill and the pomegranate seeds worked. Roberto has an incredible knack for pairings.
A shot glass from the dessert wine in the magic egg — inside is the caramel sauce for the next dish. he is
Xocolatl 2012
Of course there would have to be a chocolate dish. You have to listen to the recording to discover all the random items in here, but unsurprisingly, given Roberto's track record so far,they blend superbly. I particularly enjoyed the caramel with popcorn flavors.
I had high hopes for this meal, but on all levels the results were truly outstanding. The most similar meal I've had was this one at 2-star Calima in Spain — but the overall experience of Dark Illuminated Forest took everything to the next level. Roberto told us that many of these dishes were cooked for the 1st time this night. He didn't even give them a test run. That he can just taste them in his head. The man is like a Toscanini of food. It's mind-boggling. Every single dish worked. Some were a bit better of course, but all were great. They show technical virtuosity, but more importantly, they show his incredible talent for predicting the nature of sensory experience. Like a Mozart symphony, the notes were all harmonious. Really, Food as Art.
March 5, 2012
Story of a Girl
Title: Story of a Girl
Author: Sara Zarr
Genre: YA contemporary
Length: 192 pages, 43k words
Read: March 4, 2012
Summary: Great little character study
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Nominally, this is an issue novel, about a 15 year-old girl dealing with the fallout of having slept with a guy when she was thirteen. But really it's just a well written and well characterized slice of teen life story — reminiscent even of something like Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes.
The prose is first rate. Told in first person past, the narrator's voice is pitch perfect. Funny, poignant, honest, all without being forced. And the characters are all great. The don't feel like they exist to serve the plot. They exist as people exist. This was just a great little read — a kind of quick escape into someone else's head. It felt effortless, but I know it wasn't. The basic three act structure is there. Girl has a problem — and not really the external one she thinks she has — but instead a need for internal change. She messes up, comes to crisis, and grows.
A simple formula. But everything is in the execution.
March 4, 2012
Julian – The End of an Era
Title: Julian
Author: Gore Vidal
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 502 pages
Read: January 24 – March 3, 2012
Summary: Impressive portrait of a complex man and time
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This excellent novel was a bestseller in the 1960s and that in of itself is a sad testament to the intellectual decline of the American reader. Its subject, a novelized biography of the fourth century Roman Emperor Julian, is one that would have today's Harry Potter, Twilight, and Da Vinci Code reader scratching his head. You're probably even asking yourself, who is Julian? And why should I care?
Julian was the nephew of Constantine the Great and one of history's most peculiar figures. An intellectual, a general, a nerd, a statesman, and the last Hellenistic Roman Emperor. And most of you probably don't know what I mean by this. Known as The Apostate he fought a brief and probably hopeless rearguard action against the church's infiltration of the western mind. His world, described by Vidal with sensitivity and detail, is the final phase of antiquity. A world in transition. The cosmopolitan and immensely polyglot empire of the Romans was turning a corner, stagnating, ossifying, shrinking, transforming itself into the dark ages of the second half of the first millennium.
With this book Vidal pulls off a bit of a magic trick. He makes a gripping and compelling read out of a story that is dominated by esoteric theological argument — and does so without unnecessarily burdening the narrative. It feels very natural and in period. But that is no easy task because this is such a complex period and so unknown to the typical reader. This isn't the Rome of Gladiator — although similarities linger — but one where Milan and Constantinople are capitals and gladatorial contests have given way to squabbles amongst Bishops. We get a clear sense of the often accidental nature of power and the importance of luck in history, both good and bad. But most importantly Julian himself feels human, even modern, as do the pair of scholar-friends who co-write his narrative. As distant as this time and place is, we are reminded that people haven't changed. And so the sad hopelessness of Julian's quest to save Western culture from the grasping fingers of the church feels all the more poignant!
