Edward Lee Plans Escape From Escoffier

"You don't necessarily have to have seafood before, you know, quail … [or] a salad course before your meat course," Edward Lee told Eater when asked about the chef/owner's plans to restructure the menu at his flagship restaurant, 610 Magnolia. Exploring how to move tasting menus away from the traditional "Escoffier" model, Lee observed that "very few chefs cook like that anymore, so why are we adhering to these old notions of progressions of textures and flavors when we no longer adhere to these textures and flavors?" The idea of a new kind of menu has "probably been brewing in my head for the past two years at least," Lee said, and added "anything can happen" as he works out how he wants to go beyond Escoffier. A special Wine Studio dinner on January 31 will advance the process. While the menu is still in progress, Lee says he's almost certain one dish will be "beef carpaccio served on top of a bourbon barrel stave"—but when diners will be served this course is still very much up in the air.
· 610 Magnolia [Official Site]
· All Eater Edward Lee Coverage [~ELOU~]