Baby steps, as they say: We often start slow, serving a new course to one or two tables a night. This allows us to get to know the nuances of the course from the operational standpoint. It is one thing to have a neat idea and make it once to prove it can be done. It is entirely another to produce the dish under strict time parameters and in the environment of busy restaurant while serving it to an audience that is unpredictable.
For instance, the introduction of the Hot Potato--Cold Potato back in October 2006 was comical. Inside a palm-sized paraffin wax bowl is a cold truffle-potato soup, suspended on a pin elevated above the bowl include: a hot potato sphere, Parmesan, butter, chive , and black truffle. The guest must pick the tiny bowl up and remove the pin, which releases the garnishes into the soup combining the contrasting tempertures just before eating. The bowls proved to be so difficult for the front of the house team to transport that we could only manage to get a handful to the table per service.
Once they did arrive, how in the world do we explain such a course to diners that had no background knowledge of the concept? The wax bowls were spilled, people crushed them in their hands, and even tried to eat them before we acclimated ourselves to the required systems making the dish a success. And ultimately have the ability to serve it to every person...every night. I won't even mention the pains the first cook that was responsible for making 100 tiny wax bowls a night went through.
[Curator's note: The author asked me to attest to the workability of the soup, which I've had. Like most everything at Alinea, it's an initially disorienting surprise, like a flash-card roller coaster: You brace yourself, it happens with a wild whoosh, and then--it was so good you want to do it all over again, right now. But, trained at the French Laundry, Grant is too clever; it's on to the next.]
At one point shortly after the dish first was served we had a guests write the restaurant in fury stating that we ruined their anniversary because they did not have the chance to eat the Hot Potato-Cold Potato they saw served to the table next to them.
What is the responsibility of the restaurant?
In the case of the mat plate there are certain material and operational obstacles we have not yet been able to overcome that limit the number we do execute in a given night. So far we have only been able to find the silicone in widths of 40 inches; while this will cover most of our tables, many are table are 48 inches square and a few are 60 inches round, making it impossible to offer this concept to people seated on them.
Since we introduced the idea, more than three weeks ago, we have pregressively been able to produce more each night. We think we have a source for larger sheets of silicone that will make it possible to accomplish it on all of our table sizes.
But an even more interesting problem has arisen from this concept...one that cannot be fixed by silicone dimensions or the acclimation of operations. Going beyond the idea of envy from lack of receiving an object is that of absence of access. Not a matter of if a guest gets the mat plate, but WHO plates it?
Is a course plated on the mat plate by me worth more than the exact same dish presented by the chef de cuisine or a sous chef?
What is the responsibility of the chef?
To be continued...
PAGES: 1 2
SHOP THE ATLANTIC FOOD MARKETPLACE
Subscribe to Atlantic Food
The flip-side, however, is that if you're a course behind the table near you that you're watching, you spend more time thinking about what's coming next than what you're currently enjoying. And, if you see the same routine at every table, it kind of deflates the uniqueness of the experience don't you think?
By the way, we had "hot potato / cold potato" in April 2006... (and we also haven't had a more memorable dining experience since). Thanks!
You know, I've had that experience (not at your restaurant) of seeing other tables comped stuff or getting extra courses. In general I could care less, but the one instance where I saw it going on at several tables around me, while our waiter was treating us quite rudely, and that certainly pissed me off.
But what you describe, where you've already created the Tour menu and you have are occasionally testing a dish on a few select customers, big deal. I think if someone asks you could just tell them that "we are just testing this new dish, so it isn't going to every table tonight", and that should be enough! If 20-30 of your dishes isn't enough to satisfy both their brain and belly, I think they need to get over it.
I guess the Greatest Recession since the Great Depression was over when patrons could afford to be upset with a delivery of a dish. How silly and frivolous! Or, may be she felt empathy for the little crabs.
Capitalism makes spoiled brats of us all.
I'm, I guess, a target consumer for the various upper-market restaurants being discussed. I've been to Per Se in my hometown NYC exactly 5 times, I took the unique trip to Alinea for my 30th birthday, I sign for a El Bulli reservation yearly, and my brother surprised me with a trip to the French Laundry for my batchelor party.
I have to admit, I stopped going to Per Se after I read a "review" from some precious food blogger that detailed all of the extra courses they were sent and how great the experience was, and, when I asked how much extra they paid for an experience that sounded substantially more enjoyable than what I'd describe as my previous meal there, which was, honestly, really good, but pedestrian compared to the outrageous treatment of the entitled, I found out that all they did was contact someone (who?) at the restaurant and say that they were coming and they were from whatever foodblogger blog they blogged from, and they paid list. Yeah, I felt I got fair value from my $ there, but if they can pull a profit charging both of us list, but providing me less, I'm not going till the service levels are equalized, or randomized (like Grant says here)
So yes, if I ever find out I'll be in Chicago again I'll be on the phone to Alinea, but Per Se, (and, not to single them out, the majority of NYC fine dining, except for Ko, which, to the best of my knowledge, doesen't super soigné anyone) has seen the last of me. I guess I'm not pushy enough to demand extra treatment for free on pain of not returning, so instead I'll just not return.