I had a rocky start on my way to 'Alchemy of Taste and Smell' in New York, last Saturday.
The train left without me, then I had to catch a bus which got stuck in traffic.
All this meant I did not make it to Astor Center until 1:30 PM, halfway through the Harold McGee session.
I made up for what I lost with what followed, the Daniel and Johnny Show. The calm more cerebral Daniel Patterson alongside the ebullient, fun and spontaneous Johnny Iuzzini took us through a journey in 6 dishes.
Smelling your food before you taste it was strongly recommended.
Rather than serve a laundry list of specs and kitchen talk I will try to give you a feel for what took place in that hour.
Daniel started with the Oyster Teaser (below). Greens, not the sea beans, had a crunchiness to them. Slight saltiness brought the ocean.
Then came a Spoonful of Beets garnished with some edible flower. My memory is playing tricks on me as to what it was.
Third was a Jasmine and Concord Grapes bubble by Johnny Iuzzini who confessed to being a Concord grapes fanatic. He blames it on growing up in upstate New York.
Johnny then took us along for a ride with his Hay Ice Cream, nuttiness, smoky, delicious.
Next was the mini Ganache Log which offered a myriad of flavors and textures from the ganache itself to the surprisingly strong finish courtesy of magic dust underneath it.
Last came a duo, Chocolate with elderflower and Tobacco bonbon.
Along the way Daniel and Johnny pointed that beyond the aromatics of each ingredient, food is linked to emotions. As we move along in life we build a taste memory. Any dish can trigger different reactions and they think everyone has the right to their opinion rather than fall for bland conformism.
Some food cravings, potato chips for example they noted, are created by habit, having grown up with them.