As much as I enjoy working with my hands and creating my own dishes, I also spend a good deal of my time outside the kitchen thinking about food. And eating!
As a chef, one often needs external stimuli to keep the juices flowing, or sometimes just to avoid "burning out". And it doesn't always have to come from a book or a magazine, or even another chef. Sometimes art, or architecture, or even music can spark an idea.
And of course, even the best of us need solid references, whether we're trying to recall a simple dough formula or when we're dealing with highly technical issues and ingredients.
Below is a short list of many great places to eat, read, learn, relax, or just plain get inspired...
Restaurants, Chefs, Idols, Mentors, and Friends
Alinea, Chicago
Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
El Bulli, Rosas
FIG, Charleston
Clio, Boston
Pearl, Nantucket
Tailor, NYC
WD-50, NYC
Lola, Cleveland
Corton, NYC
Manresa, Los Gatos
A Steady Diet of Blogs
News, Dicussion, and Reference
Gourmet(regular posts by meand Eric Ripert)
Gourmet Sleuth(excellent measurement conversions)
Photography
Shimon and Tammar('out-take' images from the On the Line shoot)
Le Bernardin and Beyond
Blue, Grand Cayman
Westend, Washington DC
10 Arts, Philadelphia
Random Audio Rotation (February 2009)
Eric's Trip, Love Tara
Death Cab For Cutie, Narrow Stairs
Recently Pulled From the Shelves (February 2009)
Julie and Julia, Julie Powell
