Vino Voices Special Edition: "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" by Apple TV—Episode 6

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" by Apple TV

This Special Edition Vino Voices post is one of seven that will take place while episodes from the series "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2" from Apple TV are released.

I was fortunate enough to be provided with advanced screenings of this series and have been watching them during past weeks. Episode 6 premiers today on Apple TV. Below is a brief overview.

"Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars - Season 2"

Episode Six: Michelin is like the girlfriend you can never get

Restaurants & Locations:

Adam Albin in Stockholm, Sweden. Their previous restaurant (which they closed) had one Michelin star; they are opening a new restaurant and aiming for two stars.

Ekstedt in Stockholm. This restaurant has had one Michelin star since 2013, and is now aiming for two.

Tensions/Conflict: Adam Albin is opening their restaurant only 52 days before the Michelin ceremony. Can their staff be working with optimal coordination by then? Ekstedt needs a new dish to catch the attention of Michelin inspectors—can reindeer from Lapland, 600 miles to the north, do that? Chef Ekstedt visits to find out.

Quotations:

Chef Adam Dahlberg: "If it was just about making great food, that would be easy. I would say it's more about what happens in the dining room, in the service."

Chef Albin Wessman: "We are putting basically everything on the line to step up to two star level from the beginning. It's crazy, just crazy."

Chef Niklas Ekstedt: "All the techniques that we use are all just ancient techniques. On the left hand side we have our cast iron stove, approximately one hundred years old. It's complete madness. It's so dumb. We don't even have electricity when we heat the place. I do make it difficult for myself. I mean I think that's why you're here. And I think that's why my restaurant is full every night."

Anonymous Michelin Inspectors: "We're looking for personality. Does the chef have something to say? What is the chef trying to create, and of course—there's no perfect formula."

"Great service is very hard. I've been to two, three star restaurants that have spilled entire glasses of wine on me. Finding objects in food. Mistakes happen. Restaurants are run by human beings, not robots. The question is—is this mistake systemic? Is this happening to other tables? Is this happening on a regular basis, and if that is the case—now we have a bigger problem."

Narrator/Host Jesse Burgess: "Copenhagen is the epicenter of Michelin star dining in the Nordics. But they're looking over their shoulder, because the Swedish capital—Stockholm—is catching up. Fast."

Culinary Highlights:

Adam Albin—Caviar sorbet served with sun choked miso and flavored with roasted coffee.

Ekstedt—Blueberry tartlet lined with reindeer bone marrow emulsion, smoked reindeer tartare and fresh sorrel leaves on top.

Local Quirks:

Adam Albin—A 'champagne trolley' is wheeled before diners so they can choose what they like.

Ekstedt—Chef Niklas Ekstedt had his own television cooking show when he was 24 years old; he also runs his kitchen without electricity or gas.

Vino Voices

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