Onstad at TACO

TACO (a blog I have never seen before, but that seems concerned with topics of interest to me, namely tacos) had a high-larious interview with Chris Onstad, creator of Achewood, this morning. Of particular interest was Mr. Onstad dissing The French Laundry for serving food identified with certain local farms.

"Sure, I’ve had “braised” saddle* of Elysian Fields™ lamb. And now, years later, I feel foolish about it."

Has this ship really already sailed? Is the attention span of dilletante gastro-gnomes really that limited? Sheesh! I personally don't give a crap if it's pretentious to buy and serve local meat, it's the right thing to do (never mind whether charging $240 for lunch is the right thing to do unless you gold plated that (De)fenestrated Cheese Puff with Shaved Truffles). Actually the right thing to do would be to raise the dang meat yourself on the restaurant grounds and then let it be known that it's the most local food possible, but supporting local farmers and capturing the flavors of the region you cook in should be THE central purpose of high-end cheffing (yes, cheffing).

Of course, all the rest of his jabs at the molecular gastronomy crowd ("quivering unicorn egg" - brilliant) were spot-on and amusing as hell. That dude got some comedy chops. His choice of taco filling is a bit disappointing, but hey, I know that not everybody digs the lengua.