Vent: Saw a new 'chef's table' menu in Denver that was all foam and no flavor

I was at a place called The Aviary last weekend, and their tasting menu had six courses where three were just flavored air. The scallop dish was completely lost under a mountain of lemon verbena foam. When did plating become more important than the actual food? Has anyone else run into this trend where you are?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiesingh1mo ago

Yeah, that whole foam thing. I was reading an article about how a lot of these fancy techniques came from a few big name chefs in the early 2000s, and now every new place feels like they have to copy it to seem high end. It's like the trick became the whole point, and they forgot you're supposed to enjoy eating it. Your beetroot foam story sounds exactly right, just a weird texture with no taste to back it up. Makes me miss a place that just cooks a really good piece of fish without hiding it.

reese_bell14d ago

Actually, jamiesingh, some foam is good.

ivan821mo ago

I read a food critic's piece last year that called this "culinary theater." He said some kitchens are now designing dishes for Instagram first, and the actual eating experience comes second. Your scallop story is a perfect example of that. It's frustrating when you're paying for a meal and leave feeling like you ate a science project. I had a similar beetroot foam that tasted like wet paper.