Wylie Dufresne's New York molecular gastronomy restaurant wd~50 to close

Pioneering Manhattan Michelin-starred restaurant wd~50 from molecular gastronomy chef Wylie Dufresne is apparently set to close after 11 years.

Dufresne tweeted yesterday that 30 November will be the site's "final night of service", and told his followers to "watch this space". He has not tweeted since, despite receiving almost 300 retweets.

The chef is well-known in the US for spearheading the molecular gastronomy trend: the kind of precise, scientific-based cooking often associated in the UK with Fat Duck chef Heston Blumenthal. The two are said to have discussed different techniques, and it is thought that Blumenthal introduced Wylie to gellan, a key ingredient in his signature deep-fried mayonnaise.

Dufresne opened the 65-seat wd~50 in 2003, and serves dinner from Wednesday to Sunday.

Dishes currently on its tasting menus (of which there are two) include sea scallop with coffee, cauliflower and orange; charred chicken liver with Szechuan pepper, injera and melon; cured duck breast with curds and whey, sweet potato and rice noodles, pear sorbet; and Ovaltine cake with cardamom and sheep's milk.

His signature dishes include a deconstructed tongue sandwich with cubed, breadcrumbed and fried mayonnaise.

Dufresne is also a popular television chef, having taken part in a number of American cooking series. He also took part in the UK broadcast of the BBC's MasterChef in 2011, eventually going on teach the competition winner.

Dufresne's intentions for the restaurant or the 50 Clinton Street site are so far not known.

The scientific American, Wylie Dufresne >>