Dinner, deconstructed

Anyone who enjoys the finer things in life knows that with the proper expertise, creativity and a commitment to excellence, the most practical of things can be raised to the level of art. Think couture clothes, Architectural Digest houses and gourmet cuisine.

Chef Ferran Adriá of the now-shuttered Spain restaurant El Bulli has been one of the world’s leaders in innovative fine contemporary cuisine. Adriá opened El Bulli only six months of the year and spent the other half in the kitchen experimenting with new ways to present food that would surprise and enthrall diners.

Adriá is credited with being a forerunner in the molecular gastronomy movement, experimental cuisine that utilizes science and modern equipment to "deconstruct" food into unlikely forms such as foam, liquid, gel and caviarlike spheres. The techniques intensify flavors and allow chefs to present dishes in creative ways.

Adriá’s success was such that by the time El Bulli closed its doors in July, the restaurant had long topped "best restaurant" lists across the globe and was receiving 2 million reservation requests annually.

Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Academy of Arts is screening "El Bulli: Cooking in Progress," a documentary that chronicles all the toil and inspiration that comprised Adriá’s culinary magic. The film follows Adriá and his staff as they slice and purée, taste and smell, argue and scold, and meticulously document and ponder seemingly endless preparations of ingredients.

On Saturday evening, the screening will be preceded by a gourmet bento inspired by El Bulli and prepared by EAT Catering & Café chefs David Passanisi and Dirk Thomas.

(The event has sold out, but tickets are still available for the other screenings. EAT Café caters El-Bulli style dishes upon request and is planning a fall equinox El Bulli-inspired 24-course menu in late September.)

While to some molecular gastronomy might seem odd, Passanisi and Thomas are betting that their bentos will turn on audiences to El Bulli-style cuisine. The duo are using ingredients familiar to Hawaii folk to illustrate the wonders of the techniques.

The lineup: Spam "musubi" terrine; Parmesan Tagliatelle with Kunia tomato jelly and Nalo basil; Kahuku sweet corn panna cotta with bacon crumbs and Parmesan "air"; "gyro" of shaved lamb, Kahuku grape tomato, pita crisp and tzatziki sphere; Prosciutto San Danielle with organic olive oil spread and melon "caviar"; seared Kulana Farms Big Island sirloin with Asian pear and shoyu "pudding"; Concord grape "sponge" with "faux" gras terrine; Tapioca su da with Café du Monde "caviar"; and Rum & Coke cake with sweet crème and Coca-Cola sheets.

"We’re trying to pay homage to Ferran Adriá in a way that involves local flavors," says Passanisi. "I didn’t want to go too far away, so we’re showcasing things people are comfortable eating."

Having a special menu is especially fitting for this film, says academy film curator Gina Caruso.

"It’s really great to have food to go along with this film, and this is not just food, but ‘art’ food," Caruso says. "This is a great stepping-off point to viewing the film."

IN FACT, Adriá refers to his food as avant-garde art and frowns upon calling the cooking approach molecular gastronomy. He prefers "deconstruction," and this is the term Passanisi uses.

"Deconstruction is more like baking, in a sense," says Passanisi. "It must be exact in terms of measurements, temperature and timing."

Deconstruction also utilizes natural additives that thicken, freeze and liquify food.

The gyro dish, for instance, features tzatziki sauce encased in a gel exterior, created using an algae-based additive and a technique called "spherification." Other ingredients transformed with spherification include the "caviar" in the prosciutto and Café du Monde dishes.

The olive oil in the prosciutto will be turned into a spread with the aid of some glycerol.

Passanisi says he’ll be working with a kitchen staff of seven or eight. He can start today on prepping such things as sauces, but a lot of the work for the 220-plus bentos will need to be done right before serving, he says.

"We’ll need to finish the garnishes, like the foams and the Parmesan air, on site," he says. "Stuff like the caviars must be done that day or they will solidify."

Lesa Griffith, the academy’s director of communication, has more than one reason to welcome the efforts of Passanisi and Thomas. The food is certainly an ambitious, exciting addition to the screening, she says.

But Griffith is also author of the popular foodie blog Eatizen Jane, and she’s eager to see — and taste — what the chefs will come up with.

"It’s super-exciting. I’m looking forward to see how David interprets musubi as a terrine," she says. "Even though this stuff isn’t quite as ‘mad laboratory’ as El Bulli, he’s using high-level methods that take … a lot of TLC to get it done.

"David’s taking the food from prosaic to delicious. Coca-Cola sheets sounds quite disgusting, but he’ll turn it into something delicious, I know. Half the fun of this kind of food is in the description of it.

"You ask, ‘What does that mean?’ Then you get a great little surprise on your plate."

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EAT Catering & Café, at Gentry Pacific Design Center, 560 N. Nimitz Highway, is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Call 538-0597 or visit www.eathonolulu.com.