The Carillon Restaurant - Austin, TX

Posted by Kurt


I took a quick trip to Austin this month for a family vacation, and I flew in a night before everyone else, so I made plans with a friend to try a restaurant that used a little more molecular gastronomy than my family members would enjoy.  It turns out that I gave my friend the wrong date (by three months, ouch - I originally said I’d be in town in December and didn’t catch the typo and made all the rest of the plans with “We have reservations for the 21st at 8:30!” I am an idiot.), so I waited by myself for a few minutes debating between eating alone or going to bed early after a long day of travel.  I decided to stick around and enjoy the 6-course tasting menu, and I’m so happy that I did.

wd-50, NYC

Posted by Kurt

I have been fascinated by the idea of molecular gastronomy for a few years now, ever since I started watching Top Chef.  The basic idea of the cuisine is to apply scientific principles to the art of cooking in order to make food better, and chefs who explore molecular gastronomy tend to like creating playful dishes with high-quality ingredients presented in challenging ways.  Wylie Dufresne, one of the leaders in the movement, has been on Top Chef many times as a guest judge, and he’s also competed in Top Chef Masters, and when I learned that he has a restaurant in NYC (wd-50), I knew that I wanted an excuse to go there.  Yesterday, I turned thirty, and I invited three friends to take a road trip with me for what turned out to be the best meal of my life.