I love restaurant experiences – not just good food, but experiences – things we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. I’m fortunate enough to have two upcoming trips where I can share these experiences with others. Here’s a couple of trips coming up this fall that I’d love to share with you if you’re going to these conferences:
SQLSaturday New York City August 4 – My second-favorite restaurant in the world is Wylie Dufresne’s WD-50. This Top Chef Masters contestant specializes in molecular gastronomy, the science of cooking food. No, not cooking – cooking as a science. This year, he threw a hand grenade into his fantastic menu to start over from scratch, and I can’t wait to see the results. Join me on Saturday evening after a long day of SQL learnin’ as we plow through the 13-course tasting menu. It’s about $300 per person including the wine pairings and tip. Links: New York Times – Yelp – Molecular gastronomy at Wikipedia – Wylie Dufresne’s TED Talk (skip to 2 minutes 30 seconds in, and remember that he’s a cook, not a speaker)
DevConnections Las Vegas Oct 29-Nov 1 – My very favorite restaurant is é by josé andrés. Like Wylie, he’s also into molecular gastronomy, but this restaurant takes the experience thing up to the max. It’s an intimate 8-seat curved bar that puts you right next to the chefs. They craft surprising dishes right in front of you, explain it, and take delight in your reactions. They only do 2 seatings per night, and each service involves dozens of courses with amazing drink pairings. The tasting menu changes without warning, but reading the recent Yelp reviews will give you an idea of the whimsical ideas. It’s about $400 per person including the drink pairings and tip. I’m thinking we’ll get together Tuesday night, but I have to be a little more flexible on this one since there’s only 16 people served per night, and these seats go fast. Links: Yelp – Photos of the Food
Want to join me? Leave a comment below to show others who they’ll be dining with, and email me at BrentO@BrentOzar.com with your contact info. I’ll coordinate reservations – these places only take reservations 30 days in advance, so I’ll need a final count then.