Cuisine:

• French
• Contemporary
• Others

Baumé Description:
Ultimate precision may be what guides chef Bruno Chemel at Baumé, his first solo project since departing from Chez TJ, but the result is thankfully more akin to an Impressionist painting than, say, a geometric shape. His palette each night is a list of ingredients (the "main ideas" for each entrée) that surface in the diners' choice of a five-, ten-, or 15-course tasting menu. A "62-degree egg" (slow-cooked chicken egg), for instance, might be served on a bed of sweet English pea purée with morels and dry vermouth foam. Chemel's passion for molecular gastronomy translates into various foams and "caviars," reductions converted via calcium baths into textural dollops with tapioca-like consistency. Egg caviars that accompany plump spears of asparagus (when in season) appear dry but burst with yolk as they hit the tongue. Though earnest in his food chemist role, some of Chemel's dishes are head-scratchers, such as the lavender foam in liquid nitrogen that one must chew. The only notable result is diners spewing smoke through their nostrils like dragons. The soothing dining room seats a scant 32 and exudes a Zen-like atmosphere. Wines are primarily Pinots and Chardonnays and are a mix of sophisticated selections from France and California.


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