I’m not going any place that has 60 cameras to spy on customers. It’s creepy. Are all restaurants like that now?
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Doesn’t phase me. I still enjoy French Laundry, despite its CCTV system.
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It comes down to intent. I think there’s a pretty big distinction between the French Laundry’s management keeping an eye on where their guests are at, course-wise, vs the asshole owner of APL monitoring his knife inventory.
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Lots of CCTV cameras can help service. The owner, chef, or manager can keep an eye on things while doing office tasks, or even from home. Probably you’ve eaten at lots of restaurants with them without realizing it.
This
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If the asshole owner wasn’t monitoring his knives I’m pretty sure there is a contingent of asshole customers who would be stealing them, which is why we can’t have nice things.
It’s his choice to put his “crown jewels” out there, but why all the trouble? Ego? This thing with the knives - is it worth it?
I gotta wonder if it might be easier to just apply a deposit per knife per tab. As long as all knives are accounted for at the end, deposit is removed. It ain’t perfect, but it sure is far less imposing, sends the message and easier on the overhead.
Sounds about right. If I wanted fancy steak knives, I’d much rather have something like these: https://en.laguiole-attitude.com/laguiole-handmade-cutleryknives-wood-or-horn/416-luxury-boxed-set-of-6-olive-wood-knives-made-the-old-3700562707825.html
I remember seeing that beautiful giant rib Lang used to make at Daisy Mae’s on TV once, and really wanting to try it. But now, I find his whole attitude about his precious crappy knives so off-putting, that even if that rib were still available, I wouldn’t want it. He’s not getting a nickel of my money, ever.
Blade collectors aren’t exactly salivating over APL’s knife. Come to think of it, customers aren’t exactly salivating over his food, either.
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I get my knives and swords from this guy
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You said it, as usual. I was watching an episode of Chef’s Table. During this beautiful piece on the Buddhist nun, Jeong Kwan, APL strangely kept coming to mind. Then I heard the narrators say “This is not ego food” and “We are tempted to cook with the ego”… There it is.
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you nailed it, he’s basically made throwing knives for use in a steakhouse.
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And I, from this guy (Yoshihara Yoshindo):
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Those actually look comfortable to hold, they’re more like unergonomic, unbalanced knife blanks.
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Nun Jeong Kwan, I would love to taste her food.
Even in Koreatown and all of Greater LA, there is no one doing Korean temple food. Some of the mountains in Korea have unique vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, roots, gourds, etc specific to the region.
Interestingly her food doesn’t have aromatics like garlic. If I do get a chance to go to Korea, that is the first place I want to eat. I hear from other Koreans that some of the food here in Southern California is just as good as Korea.
(Garlic is thought to be a libido booster)
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I learned something new everyday!
Kinda embarrassed I didn’t know who he was and had to look it up. I am kinda of Miyamoto Musashi obsessive now.
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One of my hobbies is collecting Japanese blades from both Japanese smiths and non-Japanese smiths forging in the Japanese tradition. The Yoshihara school is currently one of the most visible/notable in the sword arts world to both aficianados as well as the public at large.
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