The French Laundry Staff Taunts Per Se's With Videoconferencing, Vegetables

CNET has a pretty great slideshow of the all the different technology used in the kitchen of Thomas Keller's New York City restaurant Per Se, including the sous vide and vacuum packing systems, the refrigerator temperature monitoring station, induction burners, and the Fresh Nordaq water filtering system.

It also includes the famed videoconferencing system that connects the NYC restaurant to The French Laundry in California. Ostensibly designed so "both restaurants can see what the others are working on, and so they can greet each other," that's not all it's good for.

Apparently the staff in California uses it to "taunt their New York City colleagues with the fresh vegetables from the French Laundry's large outdoor garden and greenhouse." So in the middle of winter the California chefs wave around things like tomatoes, going, "Neener-neener, stay local New York!" People in California are such jerks.

· Backstage at America's best restaurants (photos) [CNET]
· All Thomas Keller Coverage on Eater [-E-]