It’s been an incredibly busy day for Grant Achatz, so instead of kicking out three or four separate posts, which we easily could have done, we decided to gather them all up here for you.
• First, the official website for Achatz’s memoir, Life, On the Line, was launched. Beside some excerpts and links to pre-order the book, there are a whole bunch of free goodies, including a series of videos of Grant Achatz and coauthor Nick Kokonas discussing some of the more scandalous parts of the book. The Charlie Trotter segment is not to be missed. We also love the slideshow of photographs showcasing a very, very young Achatz. [Gachatz/Twitter]
• Second, a tweet last night from Achatz shows that his new restaurant, Next, may be closer to opening than we originally thought. He wrote, “1st practice runs 4 Aviary & Next tomorrow. Things r shaping up nicely. Pretty exciting.” [Gachatz/Twitter]
• Third, we knew that Achatz had a way with designing his menu, but this is still really cool. Saveur just put together a gallery called “From Paper to Plate: Recipe Sketches from Alinea and Le Bernardin,” which features a collection of drawings from Achatz and Eric Ripert. Want to see what “Pineapple Chip with Freeze-Dried Cherries, Powdered Ham and Cloves” looked like before it appeared on the menu? Here’s your chance. [Saveur]
• Forth, if you enjoyed that picture of Oeufs Benedictine as much as we did, then you’ll appreciate the latest proposed dish for Next. This one is foie gras a la strasbourgeoise, which is number 3495 in your copy of Escoffier’s Complete Guide to Modern Cookery. In the words of David Beran, the chef de cuisine at Next, it “features foie gras cooked inside brioche, with apricot jam.” Nice. [Dcberan/Twitter]
