Nibbles And Bits

Tasting menus have graced Manhattan tables for the last ten years. Many famous ones specialize in just this , giving customers a soupcon of their favorite dishes and flavors. Tasting or sampler dishes are a great way of finding out a restaurant's best dishes .It's also a neat way of broadening one's palate , enjoying a host of different flavors and textures.

It was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.The section's main editor, Pete Wells, wrote about it and the epidemic copying now all around the US,There are even some New York City restaurants such as Atera and Blanca that serve noting but the tasting menus. Some other trendier ones as in San Francisco's Saison, diners receive chef Joshua Skenes techniques that involve dry aging, curing, fermenting, curing and grilling over fire.Unfortunately tasting tables comes with a few  caveats. One is they;re darned expensive. New York's Brooklyn fare charges $225 dollars.Another warning is that they're length affairs taking two to three hours. This is fine if you're with a good party of fellow foodies..This is serious eating. Another problem is that they don't give out that appealing fresh bread most restaurants such as Momufuko Ko and Blanca.

Chefs also have a few  problems with tasting tables and samplers. One, they can't tell what dishes are popular. Usually a clean plate or a barely nibbled on appetizer, dinner or dessert can tell the restaurants' cooks what's liked  and what's hated.Because there's only a nibble placed on a dish, the whole thing is eaten up. Also they can;t come out and ask a completely stuffed customer "How was everything?" Not after three hours of scarfing down a dozen appetizers, mini meals and spoonfuls of dessert.There's also the headache of figuring out how to keep morsel sized portions from cooling down so quick. A regular sized portion will retain the oven's heat.A smaller one will not,.

Yet , despite it all, tasting menus are hot amongst foodies who have the time and money to spend . They may be responsible for the next trend. Sampling may be hitting restaurants all around the country and with that more palates will be broadened.