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If you, like us, are currently obsessed with all things Grant Achatz and Alinea (we are still holding out for Grant to become our gChat buddy), you'll be psyched to take a look at this report from a recent NYC panel discussion with Achatz and Nathan Myhrvold (former CIO of Microsoft, current extremely wealthy dude with an insanely sci-fi kitchen) about the future of food.

Among other things:

Asked whether OCD plays a part in the success of his kitchen and other successful high end kitchens, Chef G thought about it momentarily and said, "Um...yeah..."

• a great discussion on Chicago's role as the home of the development of American cuisine, rather than NYC or San Fran [eat it, MP:SF!]

• Chef G saying he hears how a lot of New Yorkers are reluctant to try [New York restaurant] WD-50 cuisine, but he would love to open up a restaurant in NYC if the public would come and eat there. Later on, someone in the crowd (might have been Tim Zagat) goes, "Oh we would go! Don't you worry! You come to NYC and we'll go to your restaurant!"

And we can add another checkmark to our Nick Kokonas, Master Of The Internet file: Nick appears in the background of the first picture in the entry, and because he is aware of every blog about Alinea, Grant, or himself even before the blogger has written it, he left a comment noting his presence. [Hi Nick! How was your Halloween? Your hair is so long now!]

Achatz and Myhrvold With A Hint of Reichl, Steingarten, and the Zagats [Jersey Diner, via]
Alinea [MenuPages]
Alinea [Official Site]
wd-50 [MenuPages]
wd-50 [Official Site]

[Photo via Jersey Diner]