Molecular Gastronomy at Nana in Dallas

Chef Anthony Bomaci of Nana is a whirling dervish.

In response to some of my earlier posts about molecular gastronomy, some commentators noted Anthony Bombaci at Nana Restaurant at the Hilton Anatole Hotel is also using MG techniques in some of his cooking. I had to investigate.

I checked the Nana website. No mention of molecular gastronomy. I walked into the north lobby of the hotel and looked at the menu. No mention of molecular gastronomy. Finally, I got hold of the man himself, who confirmed that there was lots of molecular gastronomy going on at Nana. In fact, he has been doing it there since he arrived in 2006. Some of the techniques he transferred from his previous gig at The Ritz Carlton in Barcelona (where he was Executive Chef at Enoteca Bombaci and Executive Chef at The Newport Room). Other dishes he added while in Dallas. This may make him the longest-serving professional practitioner of the school in the Dallas area.

Like most MG chefs, he hates the term molecular gastronomy. However, until someone comes up with something more palatable the world is stuck with chemist Hervé This’ unlovely sobriquet. More important, is where MG fits into his cooking philosophy. To Bombaci, MG is just another set of techniques. As such, it is judged by the same criteria as more conventional techniques. He uses each when it produces the best tastes and textures in the dish and for some things there are tastes and textures that can be made with MG that cannot be made as well or at all using other methods.

If you have been to Nana over the last four years you have tasted the results. In these three videos he takes a lot of the mystery out of MG by demonstrating three dishes, all of which are used at the restaurant. JUMP FOR FREE MOVIES! Continue reading "Molecular Gastronomy at Nana in Dallas"