The desire to surpass what has been done previously can be a slippery slope to pretentious concoctions. American cuisine is VERY young, it has no cultural foundation upon which to rest when compared to the French so things like plated desserts can quickly get out of control before drawing back to centre again. The woman who did the interview did say they were seeing a trend away from art and back to food, comfort desserts foods . He's not in the food business anymore. Thats the danger.
Celebrity chefs are a French concoction, once again.
I knew it was possible to brush a simple syrup on baked items, place them in the oven and force the syrup to crystalise into a frosted look but couldn't figga out how they did it with truffles. Heres what you might try, take some fondant, simmer til it starts to to turn clear , let cool a couple of minutes then strain into a spraygun cup . Looking through the door into the kitchen you could see the chef, cigarette hanging from his mouth putting out the best food I ever ate. I only remember dessert, a rasp ice that was almost black as coal and intense tasting. Thank god the French will always be there for a reality check.