bedeviled mojo slop

Today was my first day at ReallyReallySmall Co (RRSC).

I now work in the video game industry.

After 10 years and 4 months, today was my last day at ReallyReallyBig Co (RRBC).

During that time, I've read some boring goodbye e-mails. Not one to leave without imparting a bit of humor on my now ex co-workers, I signed off (after the boring stuff) with the following:

I will have to defer any “words of wisdom” to those of one Eric Cartman (yes ... of South Park):

“Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake. BEEFCAKE!”

<smiley-face/>

There are only a few things you need to know if you want to eat at Momofuku Ko.

1. Reservations are made online. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. The system is free.
2. Reservations are for 1, 2, or 4 people.
3. Reservations are booked a week in advance.

Aside from that, if you get a reservation (once the reservation system opens at 10 AM, all the next week's reservations are gone within 20-40 seconds) , I think you'll enjoy yourself.

They've been open about 3 weeks now and although the menu hasn't changed too much since they opened (1, 2), it's still an interesting mix of dishes. Here is my Momofuku Ko photoset.

Another thing you should know about eating at Momofuku Ko is that you're there for the food. You're in a chef's kitchen. The chefs are busy preparing your food, so don't expect a lot of back-and-forth chit-chat. They're there to cook ... you're there to eat.

And ... the seats that they have around the kitchen are hard and have no back, so it'd be entirely uncomfortable for more than a 2 hour meal. Again, you're there for the food.

For me, the 7 PM reservation was ideal. By that time, the chefs are cooking away, and they're getting into their groove. Food is cooked, food is plated, food is served. Lather, rinse, repeat. It's great if you want to see how a kitchen operates.

There were a few chefs observing that evening. My guess is that they were in training. The most memorable quips from Chef Chang's #2 during my meal were, "This is not that hard. I'm not going to explain it again." and "Well, that's a service. You can hang out or you can head out. What do you think?" The chef observing whom that question was directed to decided to hang out. I think that was the smarter choice.

If it's your thing, they offer a wine pairing (though there were a couple of Sake pairings thrown into the mix). Their wine menu comes to you in a Moleskine Notebook. Honestly, if you're going to have a couple of glasses of wine, you might as well not even open up the notebook and hand it right back to the hostess, telling her, "I'll have the wine pairing." That's what I did.

Sit up straight, eat your food, go home happy. Such is Momofuku Ko.

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Scientists create world's blackest black v. Crayola Emo

I'm suspect that science can create a blacker black than "Tears of Midnight".

Taos Ski Valley opens to snowboarders on March 19, 2008.

That leaves Mad River Glen, VT, Alta, UT, and Deer Valley, UT that still do not allow snowboarding at their resorts to preserve the "skiing experience". Pffft, whateva.

Burton is offering up $5,000 per resort poaching. Check that site!

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I had dinner this past weekend at Asiate. Excellent food.

Sorry, no signed menu although I did get to go back and talk to the chef for a bit after dinner.

And here's my big gripe about the entire evening. This restaurant has a 4 star rating from the Mobil Travel Guide for 2007. So, tell me again why they let people wearing jeans into the restaurant? The fact that you're in a hotel is no excuse. It's the Mandarin freaking Oriental hotel. If you can stay at this hotel, you can afford a decent pant, shirt, and jacket. If their dress code says "Smart Elegant" for dinner, they sure as hell don't enforce it!

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Gothic Raggedy Ann and Andy Rag Dolls

A resulting IM exchange with a friend went as follows:

Friend: Those look a lot happier than the depths of my soul.
Me: I would've preferred the fabric in raven's feather black, but I guess midnight black is OK.
Friend: Midnight black sucks. It's like the sun to me.

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I laughed ... hard ... at both of these.

Wiimo from HijiNKS ENSUE

Crayola Emo - "Tears of Midnight", "Raven Feathers", "Light Sux".

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Had a wonderful dinner at wd~50 in New York City. Here's the wd~50 photo set of their tasting menu.

I should highlight one dish that was particularly amusing. Pizza pebbles. So at dinner I'm saying, "I don't want to insult the chef at all, but this tastes exactly like pizza combos." In talking with our waitress, Abigail, after the course about how fun that dish was, she says, "It reminds me of pizza combos." ZOMG!!1! That was good for a laugh. She also asked if the photos were going to end up on a blog (+1 for progressive wait-staff). I had told her they'd definitely be up on Flickr. So, Abigail, if you're reading this, thanks for a great evening.

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Ingredients:

• 5/8 Vodka
• 2/8 Mescal
• 1/8 Bossa Nova Açai Juice

Mix. Shake. Enjoy!

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I had a wonderful birthday dinner at Per Se.

In the spring of 2004, PER SE opened in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle in New York. With it, Thomas Keller brought his distinctive hands-on approach from Napa Valley's THE FRENCH LAUNDRY to New York, reflecting his intense focus on detail that extends to cuisine, presentation, mood and surroundings.

...

The dining room holds just 15 tables and boasts spectacular views of Central Park. There's also a salon, bar, wine cellar, a private room for 10 and another that accommodates up to 60 guests.

You can "live" the meal on my Flickr photoset for Per Se.

In my wine pairing, the wine that stood out was the Twenty-Two Syrah. Tragic and touching at the same time.

After dinner our table got a tour of the kitchen and got to speak to some of the chefs responsible for the night's culinary creations. Interesting note, Per Se has a live video feed of the French Laundry kitchen and vice-versa.

Oh, if you do happen to get the Pol Roger champagne with your wine pairing and the staff tells you how it was the favorite champagne of Sir Winston Churchill, it's probably because my dad talked with the staff at length about that particular fact. We did notice the staff describe the champagne this way to the table next to ours.

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It's official. Summer is over.

Issues of Transworld Snowboarding have started to arrive. MDP's Picture This is now shipping (already placed an order).

That is all.

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I know I'm way late in posting, but I had Easter dinner at Alinea. Here's a photo of the 24 course tour menu (with wine pairings, natch) for that evening.

I got to go back into the kitchen and talk to Chef Achatz for a few minutes. Funny story ... the staff at Alinea had their Christmas party at Spring, where I had eaten the night before. That was good for a laugh!

If you can, I highly recommend Alinea. They kind of served Jöel Robuchon their asses on a pillow ... a lavender scented pillow (course 7 at Alinea).

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Here's a nice summer drink I concocted.

Ingredients:

• Absolut Citron
• Lemonade
• Splash of Triple Sec
• Splash of Cointreau
• Dash of Sweetened Lime Juice

Shake well with a lot of ice so it's real cold. After pouring, drop in a single drop of green food coloring and "Watch drink get mad!!!"

The key is having the drink real cold so that the food coloring creates these green "veins" in the drink that slowly dissipate and take over the entire mixture.

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I present to you, Black Sheep.

An experiment in genetic engineering turns harmless sheep into blood-thirsty killers that terrorize a sprawling New Zealand farm.

You can watch the trailer. Or not. I'm pretty sure I know what went on in the scene where Henry walks in on Angus (wearing no pants, exhaling smoke from a cigarette, with a sheep in the corner) and asks, "What are you doing in here?" Guaranteed most of the theater patrons watching this film will be asking themselves the same question!

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