Molecular Gastronomy

One of elBulli's desserts, Thaw 2005, made from pine nuts and pine cones

Molecular gastronomy uses avant-garde cooking techniques and equipment to transform flavors and presentations. Examples include deconstructions, foams and "caviars" composed of reductions that have been converted via calcium baths into textural dollops with tapioca-like consistency. Learn more about the chefs and restaurants merging science with the culinary arts.

AnQi Gourmet Bistro by Crustacean, one of the Top 10 Molecular Gastronomy Restaurants in the United States

FOOD WIZARDRY AT WORK
Experience the best of this exciting epicurean frontier at the
Top 10 Molecular Gastronomy Restaurants in the U.S.

More Restaurants Specializing in Molecular Cuisine:

United States:
Atelier Crenn (San Francisco, CA)
The Bazaar by José Andrés (Beverly Hills, CA)
Cyrus (Healdsburg, CA)
Commonwealth (San Francisco, CA)
The Edge Restaurant & Lounge (Temecula, CA)
Eleven Madison Park (New York, NY)
iNG (Chicago, IL)
June (Peoria, IL)
Makoto (Bal Harbour, FL)
Perbacco (New York, NY)

International:
Ame (Toronto, Canada)
Chez Lena et Memile (Paris, France)
Colborne Lane (Toronto, Canada)
elBulli (Girona, Spain) 8/11 now closed
The Fat Duck (Berkshire, England)
Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
Renoir (Montreal, Canada)
Viajante (London, England)

Tricks of the Molecular Trade:

My Life as a (Molecular) Blog: Alain Gayot Offers a Look into a Food Science Lab

Get a glimpse of "Top Chef" Winner Michael Voltaggio's Molecular Dishes

Find out why Alinea is "Unlike Any Other Restaurant"

Read about a memorable meal at L2O in Chicago

View photos from the opening of The Bazaar by José Andrés and a tour of the SLS at Beverly Hills

Of Stars and Tripes: The True Story of Nouvelle Cuisine

The Definition of Nouvelle Cuisine from Larousse Gastronomique

An Evening at elBulli

Extreme Cuisine - Meet the New Culinary Vanguard

Try Molecular Cuisine in Your Home Kitchen with Ferran Adrià's Texturas product line

Love it or Loathe it? Chefs & Writers Speak Out:

André Gayot asks is this "The End of Culinary Alchemy?" after a health scare at The Fat Duck in England

Is Modern Gastronomy Off Course? Frédy Girardet's Critique

Dr. Faust in the Kitchen: Spanish chef Santi Santamaria Shuns the Use of Chemical Additives

Adrià's Audacity: Culinary Genius or Gastronomic Dead End?

Share your Thoughts about Molecular Gastronomy in our Forum

Books to Guide & Inspire Your Own Kitchen Experiments:

Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food

The Alinea Cookbook

A Day at elBulli: An Insight into the Ideas, Methods and Creativity of Ferran Adrià

The French Laundry Cookbook

Wild Sweets Chocolate: Savory, Sweet, Bites, Drinks

Where to Buy the Gadgets:

Epicure Imports (Warehouse in North Hollywood, CA, open to the public semi-annually, 818-985-9800)

Le Sanctuaire (Online retail outlet, with by-appointment-only showroom located in San Francisco, CA, 949-331-3727)

Trufflina (Online source for molecular gastronomy ingredients and spherification supplies, 650-485-3663)

PBLS070710

(Updated: 01/13/12 BLS)

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Subscribe to receive the 2012 edition of our annual restaurant issue, and check out our current Top 40 U.S. Restaurant selections, and more!