Sous Vide and Shaved Chests

Caught a piece at sacbee.com today about the revamping of Lounge on 20. Apparently they’re revamping the menu, going all molecular gastronomy on us, and changing the name to Lounge 2.0. Also, they’re redecorating.

Three things: 1) Molecular gastronomy? Really? My personal opinion is that the MG movement will never quite catch on with Californians becase we’re too close to the source. Basically, we’re living on top of the greatest agricultural land in the world, and turning our native products into foams and bricks and pebbles, delicious as they may be, seems somewhat against the Cali aesthetic.

2) No one goes to a nightclub to eat. Just ask the Haines brothers.

3) I’m not calling anyone out here, I’m just as guilty of this as anyone. But can we, the food writers of NorCal and the world declare a moritorium on the word “concept”? As in “Wolfgang Puck’s new dining concept a hit with Ugandans.” It sounds like we’re talking about dining as if it were a technological innovation. It strips the soul and earthiness out of it. (Then again, I guess if you’re referring to a molecular dining concept, it might be appropriate.)

I’m just not convinced that any more people will go to Lounge on 20 as long as the exisiting Lounge on 20 customers continue to populate it.