at p.m., with chef Mathieu waiting for us Jeffrey, however, was nowhere to be seen, though he had warned me that he might be a bit late due to an important meeting Ed phoned up his assistant Evidently, his important meeting was in his bed with Sky King, his dog, but not to worry—his jacket was on, and he was hard at work on his shoelaces Meanwhile, Mathieu informed us that he’d dropped half of the first sample on the floor, meaning that for that batch, we’d only be tasting one pie, not two Not to worry Even Tesla must have dropped a few coils in his day, right? My perfectly orchestrated plans were beginning to slip, but a glass of Brachetto and a small plate of fingerling potatoes tossed with anchovies and olives helped me pull my senses back into focus Key to a Good Tasting #5: Watch Out for Palate Fatigue As soon as Mr Steingarten arrived, fresh from his nap, I turned to Mathieu and gave him the go-ahead Within three minutes, the first leopard-spotted, tender-crisp beauty was on the table Eight pizzas among six people is a lot to consume in a single sitting, even for epic eaters like our humble tasting panel, and there was no way the pizzas in the latter half of the tasting were going to get a fair shake Ideally, we’d have each taster taste samples in a different order That way, one would be starting with number one, another with number six, another with number three, and so on, hopefully evening out the playing field But given that the pizzas had to be baked one at a time, this was simply not possible So we did the next best thing: one pie out of each batch of two was eaten straight out of the oven and the second one was saved until all eight were on the table That way, we could go back and retaste to ensure that our original thoughts were sound, and we could taste all eight side by side Sparkling water and wine were provided (the latter after much deliberation) in order to rinse our mouths between bites Key to a Good Tasting #6: Taste Tasting is different from eating I often get asked, “How can you review a restaurant fairly or how can you say one product is better than another? Doesn’t it depend on how hungry you are at the time?” And, indeed, mood and appetite can have a powerful effect on how much you enjoy eating a particular food at any one time But the goal of analytical tasting is to assess qualities of the food beyond your gut reaction of whether it’s good or bad With pizza, for example, I start by taking a slice from each pie with an across-pie-average of charring, bubbles, sauce, and cheese I then bite just the tip, noting the pressure of the crust on my lower teeth to gauge its degree of crispness As I pull the slice away from my mouth, applying just a bare soupỗon of torque, I judge the effort it takes for the dough to tear (In this case, Pizza #5 was clearly tougher than the rest, I thought triumphantly—one must never talk to his fellow tasters during a blind tasting lest your opinion influence those of others—so it must certainly be one of those highmineral samples.) After carefully working my way up the side of each slice, I evaluate the cornicione (the raised rim of the pizza) It’s ... those of others—so it must certainly be one of those highmineral samples .) After carefully working my way up the side of each slice, I evaluate the cornicione (the raised rim of the pizza) It’s... charring, bubbles, sauce, and cheese I then bite just the tip, noting the pressure of the crust on my lower teeth to gauge its degree of crispness As I pull the slice away from my mouth, applying just a bare soupỗon of... product is better than another? Doesn’t it depend on how hungry you are at the time?” And, indeed, mood and appetite can have a powerful effect on how much you enjoy eating a particular food at