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Wylie Dufresne studied philosophy before going to culinary school, worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten for many years and opened wd~50 on Clinton Street on the Lower East Side in 2003. The name is his initials plus the street number.
The food there was modernist but never solemn. Deep-fried mayonnaise in cubes. Noodles made entirely from prawns. Everything bagel-flavoured ice cream served with smoked salmon. Technically, it was on a level with anything in Europe, but it was obviously more fun.
Dufresne is also the chef who, more than anyone else, brought transglutaminase into restaurant kitchens, the enzyme that binds proteins together and is colloquially known as meat glue. It was what held the prawn noodles together.
The restaurant closed in 2014 after eleven years. He then opened a doughnut shop in Brooklyn, which is a career turn you have to respect.
The book is written with Peter Meehan, the same man who did Momofuku, and was published under Anthony Bourdain's own imprint. For anyone who thought Adrià became too big and too institutional, there is still Dufresne.
Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 352
Language: English
First published: 2017
