Great Food A Millennial Perspective

Tomato Sorbet

2009-08-09T23:35:00.001-05:00

Once again tomatoes were the main ingredient in my latest experiment. Tomatoes are very sweet which make it a great ingredient to put into a sorbet.

For the final plating I had three main items I used. Two of the items contained tomatoes and the other was a baked item. The recipes for all three of the ideas came from Johnny Iuzzini’s cookbook Dessert Fourplay.

The tomato sorbet was an excellent piece to the plate. The only problem I had with it was the sweetness factor. A single scoop of the sorbet was delicious but it’s not something you would sit down and eat a pint of.

The roasted tomatoes were a very interesting item to put on a dessert. At first I was skeptical it would work with the dish, but in the end I was rather pleased. When you first bite down on the roasted tomato is explodes in your mouth. The tomatoes were tossed in honey, olive oil and salt, and then roasted for two hours and fifteen minutes at one hundred and seventy five degrees (convection).

In my opinion the streusel played a major part in the overall dish. The streusel was sweet with a nice almond taste. The sorbet and streusel together were absolutely amazing. The sweetness of the streusel cut through the sorbet, therefore affecting the whole dish.

The recipe calls for almond flour which is rather expensive and hard to find. To make your own almond flour just put some sliced almonds in the food processor. The secret to making almond flour is not heating the almonds up, unless you want almond butter. So hit the pulse button for around five seconds and then let it stand for thirty seconds and repeat until the mixture is a fine powdery consistency.

This experiment uses an ingredient most people wouldn’t associate with dessert but it works rather well.

Sweet Tomato Sorbet, Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Streusel, Basil

Sweet Tomato Sorbet, Cylinder of Streusel, Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Basil

Sweet Tomato Sorbet, Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Streusel, Basil

Tomato Sauce

2009-08-03T22:15:00.006-05:00

As with the strawberries, tomatoes are in abundance around my house. So with my next few experiments I decided to use homegrown tomatoes as the base.

Last September I bought Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Cookbook. I made the tomato sauce back then so I decided to do it again. When I made it the first time I didn’t use an immersion blender at the end, causing it to be slightly chunky. So this time I let it cool down, then used the immersion blender to finely purée the sauce.

The recipe itself is rather simple. The only challenge would be if you don’t know what a Bouquet garni is. The process for making one is rather simple; just get your parsley, thyme and basil. Cut a little kitchen twine and tie the twine around the herbs, that’s it.

A lot of magazines and Food Network shows tell you to put sugar in tomato sauce. In my opinion, that’s absolute crap unless your goal is to make Chef Boyardee. Tomatoes are naturally sweet and will take care of the sauce themselves.

The recipe suggested cooking the sauce for thirty to forty five minutes. In reality it took exactly one hour for the sauce to obtain the right flavor. If you would only cook it for thirty minutes the sauce wouldn’t mature and it probably wouldn’t taste very good.

Recipe

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced finely
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 pounds sweet, ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Bouquet garmi of parsley, thyme and basil springs

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and add the herb springs, bundled together with kitchen twine.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the flame to low. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes; it will thicken as it cooks. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Taste for salt and adjust. For a refined sauce, pass through a food mill or purée in a blender.

Chopped Tomatoes, Bouquet garni, Minced Garlic, Salt

Strawberries

2009-08-02T12:41:00.009-05:00

This time of year many foods we have an abundance of, like strawberries. Strawberries are the perfect treat, sweet and juicy but yet good for you. Cooking seasonally also shows that you can change with whatever ingredients you have.

For my last experiment I decided to do a plate comprised of five components. Three of the items contained strawberries but in the final plating’s strawberries didn’t dominant the dish. The ideas and recipes for the ice cream, leather, shortbread and whipped cream came from Johnny Iuzzini’s recent cookbook Dessert Fourplay. The idea for the strawberry and rhubarb pâte de fruit came from the site Tartelette.

Upon making the pâte de fruit, I had one main problem, I couldn’t find liquid pectin. At first I thought of using Gelatin but then decided that wouldn’t work. So finally I went to the store and bought dry pectin, thinking I could convert it into liquid pectin. I mixed the whole box of dry pectin with ¾ cup water and brought it to a boil over medium heat. This worked and I added two tablespoons of the liquid to the pâte de fruit.

The shortbreads turned out perfectly. In the final plate the shortbreads played a big role, which I was surprised by. In the recipe it said the cooking time would be around four to five minutes but in reality mine took around ten minutes to achieve the golden brown color.

Possibly the best part of the dish was the strawberry ice cream. Previously in my ice cream making experiments I’d used stabilizers but this one turned out perfectly without any stabilizer. Johnny Iuzzini also uses an immersion blender right before you put the mixture into the ice cream maker which I greatly like. It makes the ice cream slightly lighter and much easier to scoop.

The strawberry leather was very unique. The texture resembled a fruit rollup but had the taste of strawberry jam. The recipe called for lavender, which would’ve added a sweet aroma but I decided to opt out on it. The leather took around six hours at one hundred and twenty five degrees (convection) to complete.

Together all the components of the dish faired nicely with each other. At first glance I thought some might clash but I was wrong.

Leather Strawberry Cylinder, Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream,Strawberry and Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit, Shortbread, Strawberry Ice Cream, Micro Mint

Strawberry Ice Cream, Shortbread,Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream,Strawberry Leather,Slice of Strawberry and Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit, Micro Mint

Leather Strawberry Roll,Shortbread, Strawberry Ice Cream, Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream, Strawberry and Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit, Mint

Chicago

2009-07-30T19:00:00.000-05:00

This summer has been very chaotic for me, between football and Houlihans it hasn’t left much time for blogging. Now though since I have more time I will return to making my mad creations.

A few weeks ago I took a short trip to Chicago. Chicago has an array of talent from street vendors selling hot dogs to Charlie Trotters famous restaurant. With only a few days in such a big city I had to pick carefully where I wanted to eat.

Upon first arriving in Chicago I drove to the notoriously famous Hot Doug’s. The restaurant is located in the city’s Avondale neighborhood. They serve everything from the traditional Chicago dog, to more exotic items such as the foie gras dog. In 2006 Hot Doug’s appeared in the news due to its use of foie gras. Chicago banned the use of foie gras from 2006 to 2008, saying it was animal cruelty. During this time Hot Doug’s was fined two hundred and fifty dollars and thirty pounds of foie gras was confiscated from the restaurant. The ban was repealed in May of 2008 and the foie gras dog was brought back onto the menu.

When I was driving up, I saw a line that was almost a mile long. At first I didn’t connect it with Hot Doug’s but soon found out it was the line to get in. After seeing it on Anthony Bourdain and having to wait almost a year, I didn’t get to eat a hot dog from Hot Doug’s.

For dinner I decided to go to Café Ba-Ba-Reeba. They specialize in tapas which are small plates. I greatly enjoy eating this way because you experience so many different flavors. Through the course of dinner I ordered around six plates. This is more than a normal amount ordered but that’s the great thing about tapas or small plates, there aren’t any rules.

Although my visit to Chicago was short, I saw many great ideas.

Passion Fruit Granité

2009-06-29T20:50:00.000-05:00

Passion Fruit Granite, what is it? Basically it’s a sorbet that was never put in a batch freezer. All you have to do is freeze the mixture and rake often during the freezing process, to produce large pieces of ice.

Most people do not know or have never seen a passion fruit. A passion fruit is primarily comprised of a juice that tastes similar to grapefruit juice and the rest of it is seeds. To properly cut one you cut the fruit in half then run the juice through a fine mesh sieve to retrieve all the seeds.

For the final plate we saved the shell and served the granite on top of it with a mint leaf. The dessert is rather simple to make but it tastes remarkable.

Basil Infused Olive Oil Ice Cream

2009-06-21T19:30:00.000-05:00

Olives were the base of recent dessert. The dessert was comprised of basil infused olive oil ice cream, a Mediterranean olive tuile and a variety of fruits. Once again I came up with a variety of plating options for the final product.

The ideas for both recipes came from Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernadin in New York City. While making the items I changed the recipes several times to modify the end product. Usually I follow recipes pretty tight but these two were great base recipes that allowed for personal interpretation.

The olive oil ice cream was good but if I make it again I’ll reduce the amount of fromage Blanc to make the frozen product a little more malleable.

The ice cream had two main flavors, olive oil and basil. The recipe called for two hundred grams of olive oil, which could overpower the basil flavor if the extra virgin olive oil has a strong flavor, which mine did. So I decided to only use sixty five grams of olive oil. This is one reason why it’s always a good idea to taste your recipe before dumping an ingredient completely in.

The olive tuile turned out perfectly in the end. I used kalamata olives in the tuile giving it a darker color. To get the tuile to turn thinner and somewhat transparent, I had to add three times the amount of glucose syrup that it called for in the original recipe.

For the final plating I formed a few of the tuile’s into miniature “taco shells” and “cannoli’s”. Then I diced up some strawberries and mango to put in the “tacos”. To finish the plate off I put a blueberry leaf on the plate.

With a few minor changes I could see this plate becoming great.

Black Olive “Taco” Tuile

Strawberries, Mango, Basil, Olive Oil Infused Fromage Blanc Ice Cream, Mango Purée

Fromage Blanc Ice Cream Infused with Basil & Olive Oil

Mediterranean Olive “Cannoli”, Strawberries, Mango, Dark Cherries, Julienne of Basil.

Fruit Compote with Mango Coulis

Olive Oil Infused Fromage Blanc Ice Cream, Mediterranean Olive Tuile with Orange Zest, Basil

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates

2009-06-20T13:05:00.001-05:00

Christopher Elbow landed his first cooking job in 1992 at the Lincoln Country Club. After graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1996 he returned to Kansas City to head Shiraz Restaurant. After moving to Las Vegas shortly, he once again returned to Kansas City. After accepting executive pastry chef at the American Restaurant, he began to perfect his chocolate-making skills. In January 2009 Food & Wine ranked Elbow number one on their top ten chocolates.

While visiting Elbow’s store in Kansas City I decided to buy a few different chocolates. I bought the following five chocolates: Venezuelan Dark, Tanzanie, Strawberry-Balsamic Caramel, Bourbon Pecan and Yuzu. All the chocolates were excellent, each with their own unique flavor.

I think the chocolates would make an excellent dessert with a little port. So I placed the five chocolates on a long plate along a side of ten year Tawny Port. It’s a rather simple idea but I think people would connect with it.

Strawberry Shortcake Redefined

2009-06-10T20:13:00.004-05:00

Strawberry shortcake, a tradition in many households but today my strawberry shortcake is new and refined.

When I think of tradition strawberry shortcake, I think of a dry heavy dessert. The base or the shortcake of my dessert was a classic French madeleine from my corn sorbet experiment. The madeleine was perfect for this scenario, cakey but still light.

The strawberry flavor really came through nicely on the final dish. After finishing with the strawberry foam, I shot the final bit into a few molds and threw them in the freezer. The final product was very light yet tasty. To finish the plate off I quartered some strawberries and put whipped cream on top.

This is truly the new way to serve “strawberry shortcake.” Not to heavy yet you still get the rich powerful flavors of the dessert.

Strawberry Shortcake

Frozen Strawberry Foam, Madeleine's, Sweetened Whipped Cream, Fresh Strawberries

Cornography

2009-06-09T21:29:00.010-05:00

Corn sorbet and classic madeleines was my last experiment. While working with these two things I came up with a few different plating options. Each was very different and I ended up with many great ideas for the future.

The idea for the corn sorbet came from Michael Laiskonis and his workbook site but the classic madeleines recipe came out of the famous Larousse Gastronomique. Once the components of a dish are made then I get to come up with the different plating options, which is always interesting.

Both the corn sorbet and the madeleines turned out nicely. The sorbet was slightly lighter than my previous experiment with balsamic vinegar ice cream but that is expected. The sorbet had an interesting flavor to it. The sweetness of the corn came through nicely but I think I lost a lot of the flavor straining it, but it is a necessary process.

The madeleines were perfect, moist and cakey in the interior and somewhat crisp on the exterior. The first madeleines I buttered the molds like stated in the recipe and the edges of the madeleines were golden brown in color, but I only baked them for fifteen minutes instead of the recommended twenty-five minutes.

The first presentation was quite simple, a quenelle scoop of corn sorbet, a madeleine and a single blackberry. After this, I experimented with making an ice cream sandwich of sorts and it turned out better than I had imagined.

During this experiment I got to experience making madeleines and I started to compare the similarities between making sorbets and ice creams. Hopefully throughout the summer I continue to perfect my ice cream and sorbet making skills.

Recipe

Classic Madeleines

Melt 100g (4 oz, ½ cup) butter without allowing it to become hot. Butter a tray of madeleine moulds with 20g (3/4 oz, 1 ½ tablespoons) butter. Put the juice of half a lemon in a bowl with a pinch of salt, 125g (4 ½ oz, scant 2/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar, 3 eggs, and an extra egg yolk. Mix well together with a wooden spatula and then sprinkle in 125g (4 ½ oz, scant 1 ¼ cups) sifted flour and mix till the mixture is smooth; finally add the melted butter. Spoon the mixture into the moulds but do not fill more than two-thirds full. Bake in the oven at 180 C (350 F, gas 4) for about 15 minutes. Turn out the madeleines and leave to cool on a wire tray. Before serving, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Churning in the ice cream maker

Sweet Corn Sorbet, Madeleines, Fresh Blackberries, Caramel

Sweet Corn Sorbet, Madeleines, Fresh Blackberries

Sweet Corn Sorbet, Madeleines, Fresh Blackberries, Caramel

Frozen Flavors

2009-06-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Balsamic vinegar ice cream, strawberry foam and a vanilla olive oil parfait. Most people would be turned off by these three things combined but I found it rather intriguing.

On my first attempt of ever making ice cream I was really pleased. The balsamic vinegar came through but wasn’t overpowering, just like I’d hoped. The recipe used nonfat dry milk, glucose powder and ice cream stabilizer. Getting slightly into molecular gastronomy, that many people are completely opposed to.

The strawberry foam was quick and very simple. It was a great component to the dish with a sweet flavor similar to a strawberry smoothie. Later on I can see myself substituting the strawberries with other fruits, creating new foams. Although foam has been used for many applications, I think it gives the plate a new look.

The vanilla olive oil parfait was good but missing something. The parfait resembles a mousse which makes it challenging for the extra virgin olive oil to come through. I think using unfiltered olive oil will give me the flavor I’m looking for. Texture wise, it held up nicely but once it started to heat up the gelatin almost made it rubbery.

As Michael Laiskonis states the vanilla olive oil parfait perfects the combo of balsamic vinegar ice cream and strawberry foam.

A few days ago I visited Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates in Kansas City. While I was there I purchased pate de fruit of raspberry to go on the final dish. The raspberry worked rather well in the final dish giving it another sweet component.

Churning in the ice cream maker

Aged Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream, Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait, Strawberry Foam, Reduced Balsamic Glaze, Mint, Christopher Elbow Raspberry Gelee

Aged Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberries, Mint, Strawberry Foam, Crushed Biscotti’s

Cylinder of Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait, Aged Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberries, Strawberry Foam, Reduced Balsamic Glaze

Vanilla Olive Oil Parfait Embedded With Strawberries, Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream, Strawberry Foam, Mint

Johnsonville Sausages

2009-06-02T20:45:00.001-05:00

Established in 1945 by Ralph F. and Alice B. Stayer, Johnsonville Sausages still holds strong today. From bratwursts to sausage patties their products are always excellent.

Recently Johnsonville Sausages contacted me because they saw my blog. A few weeks later I received a complementary apron, with my blogs name on it, in the mail.

Marketing wise, it is really smart on their behalf because I’m the next generation of consumers. Many people overlook millennial marketing but I think it’s absolutely huge and Johnsonville Sausages does too.

A few nights ago I bought a pack of bratwursts and threw them on the grill. The one in the picture is perfection, juicy and wonderfully caramelized.

Croque-Monsieur

2009-05-26T19:15:00.005-05:00

A croque-monsieur is typically hot ham and cheese served on bread. The sandwich originated in France as a fast food snack served in cafés. The first time I ever saw it in a restaurant was at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco.

So as my first experiment during the summer, I made a croque-monsieur with a twist. The sandwich consisted of ganache, peanut caramel and bananas. I got the idea from Michael Laiskonis’s Workbook site recipe.

First I made the peanut caramel which consisted of sugar, glucose syrup, heavy cream, milk couverture and peanuts. This particular recipe taught me how to make caramel from scratch which I’d never done before. Then I made the ganache which consisted of heavy cream, glucose syrup, dark chocolate and butter.

The construction is rather simple. Bread, spread with ganache, layered with bananas and then another layer of peanut caramel. Then quickly sauté in a non-stick pan and if desired put on the grill for grill marks.

The sandwich was absolutely fabulous. At eight centimeters it was the perfect size to accommodate its rich flavors. Upon cutting the sandwich the chocolate ever so slightly oozed out of the sandwich, giving you that cheese feel of a tradition croque-monsieur.

This will be a perfect pair to a dish later on, possibly with a critic sorbet and a banana parfait.

Recipes

Peanut Caramel

Yield: approximately 1500g

300g granulated sugar
125g glucose syrup
375g heavy cream (35%), warm
200g milk couverture, chopped
600g roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

1. Combine sugar and glucose in a heavy, non-reactive saucepan and cook to a medium dark caramel.
2. Remove from heat and deglaze with a portion of the warm cream. Add remaining cream and cook until caramelized sugar has dissolved and mixture is homogenous. Final amount of caramel should measure approximately 675g.
3. Combine couverture and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour the hot caramel into the bowl. Stirring to combine completely. Ensuring all chocolate is melted and thoroughly incorporated.
4. Pour into Silpat-lined frame or other form; allow to set at room temperature or under refrigeration.

Ganache

Yield: approximately 235g

100g heavy cream (35% fat)
15g glucose syrup
110g dark chocolate couverture (55-61%), chopped
10g unsalted butter, softened

1. In a saucepan, combine cream and glucose. Bring to a boil.
2. Place couverture in a large bowl and gradually pour hot cream over it, stirring to emulsify.
3. Allow to cool to 35ºC/95ºF before incorporating butter. Further emulsify with immersion blender, if necessary.

Croque-Monsieur

Yield: 4 servings

200g peanut caramel
8 slices brioche, or good-quality white bread, crusts removed (8cm square by 1cm thick)
dark chocolate ganache, as needed
2 bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
Maldon sea salt
unsalted butter, softened, as needed
Confectioner’s sugar, as needed

1. Place the peanut caramel between two sheets of plastic film and roll to a thin, uniform thickness. Briefly chill for ten minutes, or until the caramel is firm enough to cut into four 8cm squares. Reserve.
2. Arrange the bread onto a work surface; spread one side of each with room temperature chocolate ganache. Sprinkle with a few grains of the sea salt, if desired.
2. Divide the banana among each of the slices. Place a slab of the peanut caramel onto four of the slices. Close the sandwiches, wrap tightly, and refrigerate (The sandwiches can be assembled to this point up to two hours in advance of serving).
3. Spread the softened butter onto both sides of each sandwich.
4. Place each sandwich on to a clean, hot grill. After about ten seconds, turn each at a 90º angle to create grill marks. After another ten seconds, carefully flip and continue to cook an additional 30 seconds. Alternatively, cook the sandwiches in a non-stick sauté pan until golden brown on each side.
5. To serve, slice the sandwiches in half on the diagonal, and then in half again. Arrange on a plate, dust with confectioner’s sugar, and serve immediately.

Summer

2009-05-21T21:27:00.003-05:00

As summer approaches I’m starting to imagine the possibilities it brings. Hopefully I’ll learn something new every day. Whether it’s making ice cream or experimenting with things from our garden. No longer will I be pressured for time, everyday will be the weekend, until August seventeenth.

During the last few months I’ve been reading Workbook daily, operated by Michael Laiskonis. Michael Laiskonis is the Executive Pastry Chef at Le Bernadin. He daily experiments with new possibilities such as, trimoline or ice cream stabilizer. His work in Molecular Gastronomy has shown on Le Bernadin’s dessert menu.

Reading through his work majorly influenced me. I thought to myself, “Laiskonis’s ideas are superb, but are in reach of my cooking ability.” Now with five hundred plus pages of ideas, I plan on cooking frequently. Another influential book is Larousse Gastronomique, which is about recipes from all over the world. I look forward to posting this summer.

Chives

2009-05-16T10:30:00.004-05:00

Chives, related to green onions and scallions are the smallest species in the onion family. Native to Europe, Asia and North America, they have been used many different ways over the years.

The chive is a bulb forming perennial plant, soft in texture prior to the blooming of the flowers. Standing at thirty to fifty centimeters tall, the leaves are completely hollow inside. Once bloomed, the flowers are star shaped with a light purple hue. Chives also have insect repelling properties which can be used to control pests in your garden.

Chives are grown for their leaves, which are used for culinary purposes. They provide a somewhat mild flavor and are found most popularly on fish, potatoes and soups. The flowers can also be used to garnish a dish but are a rare oddity.

The medical purposes of chives are similar to garlic. They are shown to lower blood pressure and are rich in vitamins A and C. As chives are served in small quantities, negative effects are rarely encountered.

Chives thrive in well drained soil and can be grown from seed and mature in summer. Typically, they need to be kept moist and be at a temperature of fifteen to twenty degrees Celsius. Where I live, chives die back to the underground bulbs in winter, with the new leaves appearing in early spring. Usage of chives date back five thousand years ago.

As chives are an abundant herb, they are seen in many dishes. While at Le Bernadin in New York City they served shaved chives with tuna, foie gras, toasted baguette and extra virgin olive oil. While I start to experiment with making ice cream I could see a chive ice cream in the future.

On The Line

2009-05-15T23:34:00.007-05:00

On The Line, written by Eric Ripert is by far one of the best books on the market. Anyone in the restaurant business should spend some time and read this book. It explains in details, everything from the history, to the kitchen, to the business.

In January 1986 Gilbert and Maguy Le Coze opened Le Bernadin at its present location. By April of that year they had four stars in the New York Times, a restaurant first. During January 1994 Gilbert unexpectedly died leaving Maguy leaning on the young executive chef, Eric Ripert, who had worked there for three years.

The restaurant today is very different then it was fifteen years ago. Few people after the first course remember that they are in a fifty story building.

Every minute from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. is precise in the kitchen. Every dish that goes out is inspected by the sous-chef or the chef at the pass. Every plate is tasted and the temperature is checked with a metal skewer.

The one true star at Le Bernadin is the fish. Justo Thomas the fish butcher transforms eight hundred to a thousand pounds of fresh fish into perfect filets daily. Alone it takes him six hours but whenever he goes on vacation it takes two guys twice as long.

The porter Fernando Uruchima spends eleven hours a day making sure all the deliveries have been received and counted. Once done he puts everything away, from locking up the truffles to checking every light bulb in the dining room. Without this special thirty-four year old man the restaurant could not and would not operate properly.

Le Bernadin wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for Michael Laiskonis. He is the executive pastry chef and works in a ten by fourteen foot patch in the bustling kitchen. Everything in his pastry kitchen is precisely organized, even the squeeze bottles of sauces and syrups. Laiskonis is constantly trying to push the boundaries of his predecessors. Everyday around three o’clock, he begins experimenting with new ingredients and techniques.

If you have been a recipient of the “egg” than consider yourself special. After creation, it quickly became Laiskonis’s special. Only making around ninety a day, the “egg” is comprised of: milk chocolate crème brûlée, liquid caramel, caramel foam, two drops of maple syrup and a few flakes of Maldon sea salt.

The maître d’ Ben Chekroun has welcomed diners since 1993. He is responsible for the front of the house, as well as for who staffs it. A meal at Le Bernadin is usually so relaxed and gracious; it’s hard to imagine the military precision with which the dining room is run. With one hundred and thirty eight people they are promoting that experience.

Many don’t know, but Le Bernadin has a second location, Les Salons. Les Salons is directly above Le Bernadin. Everything is exactly the same from the uniforms to the kitchen, just downsized. It’s used mainly for business-get-togethers but not always.

On The Line without a doubt shows what it takes to run a restaurant of this caliber. The book highlights all positions because everyone is equally vital in their operation.

Blueberries

2009-05-10T14:47:00.003-05:00

Every year I get excited when we start to plant food in the garden. Recently we choose to plant blueberries. Blueberries are very sweet when properly ripened and grow abundantly in North America. I think it’s amazing to grow organic products right in your own backyard. It just goes to show you don’t have to use chemicals to get something to turn out great.

Blueberries are flowering plants with a flared crown at the end. Blueberries are one of the few things native to North America. Native Americans used the berries, leaves and roots for medical purposes. The fruit was also commonly used for fabric dyes in clothing.

During the growing process they are pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple and finally indigo upon ripening. The bushes typically bear fruit from May through June but peaks in July, which is National Blueberry Month. Blueberries used to be picked by hand until the invention of the blueberry rake by Abijah Tabbutt of Maine in 1822. The blueberry is Maine’s state berry, where twenty five percent of blueberries come from every year.

I can’t wait till they’re ready for picking, then I can experiment with them.

The Devil in the Kitchen

2009-05-01T22:33:00.006-05:00

Finally, I’ve finished yet another great book. The Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White was such a learning opportunity. You don’t realize how much one has accomplished in a lifetime until you’ve read their biography.

White didn’t have formal training of any kind; he just started working in kitchens as a teenager. His first kitchen adventure was Hotel St. George under Stephan Wilkinson. At first he had no interest in food but just saw it as a job. Next he would work for Albert Roux, Raymond Blanc and Pierre Koffman all culinary giants of the time. Here he would gain the experience and confidence, to one day open his own restaurants.

After opening famous Harvey’s and winning two Michelin stars he turned to Restaurant Marco Pierre White at the Hyde Park Hotel. After much hard work he would come to win three Michelin stars in Restaurant Marco Pierre White. After winning three Michelin stars he decided his race was not yet finished. He became obsessed to win Michelin couverts or “knives and forks.” They are awarded for pleasantness, luxury, aesthetics and ambience. Finally The Oak Room in London’s Meridien Hotel would take him there.

After working in kitchens for twenty one year’s, Marco Pierre White hung up the apron. Several factors contributed to his retirement but the primary one was to spend more time with his wife Mati and at the time his two kids, Luciano and Marco. After learning so much from Albert Roux they finally ended their relationship in the late nineties. Albert had intentionally not given Chef of the Year to Marco Pierre White saying it would be bad for the industry.

Only if there were more chefs like Marco Pierre White in the business. The man sacrificed every moment of his life for twenty one years. Most cooks will be lucky if they’re half as good as him but we can all try.

Light Tent

2009-04-26T10:38:00.005-05:00

I believe photography is a major key to website success. Photographs are the key to triggering viewer’s attention, thus keeping them on your site. Once a site has great photographs and great writing they are set for success. The tools that help are light tents and great photographic equipment.

A light tent is basically a huge diffuser for light. Have you ever wondered how people get that floating effect? I’ve had so much fun with mine I decided to put a tutorial up on how to make it.

Supplies

- A Large Square Box
- White Muslin Fabric
- Masking Tape
- Glue Stick
- Four Sheets White Bristol Board
- Ruler
- Tape Ruler
- Knife
- Scissors
- Sharpe
- Two Halogen Lights

The Process

1. Grab the box, tape ruler and Sharpe marker. Measure two inches from the side of the box marking multiple points. Once you’re finished connect the points with your ruler, creating a square two inches for the actual edge. Do this to all four sides leaving the top and bottom intact.
2. With your knife cut out the four inner squares you just made in step one. Once you’ve completed this cut off the top of the box but keep the bottom intact.
3. Now grab the Bristol board and make lines every two inches eight times. After completing this you should have eight rows length wise on the Bristol board. Proceed to cutting out the eight strips of board, depending on the size of your box you make have to repeat this.
4. Grab the glue stick and glue the strips of paper inside the box. Make sure the entire interior is covered, with no brown box exposed.
5. Get another piece of Bristol board and cut so the width is the same as the inside of the box.
6. Place the Bristol board inside of the box to where it curves at the bottom. Avoid creasing as it can show up in photos. If it’s not long enough you may have to glue two pieces of Bristol board together. Cut off any excess paper that is sticking out the top.
7. Cut the Muslin fabric where it will cover the sides, back and top of the box. If you make four separate cuts it will work out better.
8. Pull the fabric tight over the cut out holes and tape it down using the masking tape. Make sure the fabric is very tight avoiding unwanted shadows. Make sure you don’t cover the hole that is facing the background.

The light tent is now complete. If you don’t already own Halogen lights then you can purchase them at the hardware store. Once you have the two lights ready plug them in, be cautious because the lights get extremely warm. Position the box in the middle of the two with the two lights on the side pointing towards the background.

Camera Settings

Once the light box is complete, you’re far from getting fantastic photographs. So much of photography is the settings you choose. If you ever want constant results you should learn how to shoot in Manual mode, this takes a lot of practice though. Shooting on a tripod is highly recommended since shutter times may be long, so consider using the timer or a wireless remote. Another thing to think about is purchasing a speed flash.

Strawberry

1/10 sec., F8, Exp. +1.7, Iso 100, WB Incandescent, RAW

Class Ring

1/10 sec., F8, Exp. +1.7, Iso 100, WB Incandescent, RAW

Adobe Light Room 2

Editing Software

Grand Central Market

2009-04-21T20:47:00.010-05:00

While walking through Grand Central Terminal in New York City, I stumbled upon Grand Central Market. The whole place is lively with crowds of vibrant people.

Grand Central Terminal officially opened on Sunday, February 2, 1913. One hundred and fifty thousand people showed up although construction was not yet entirely complete. The one hundred foot wide by six hundred and fifty foot long structure, rivaled the Eiffel Tower for the most dramatic engineering achievement of the nineteenth century. The most prominent feature was undoubtedly its enormous train shed. The terminal began restoration in 1996 and was finished on October 1, 1998.

The market is full of different vendors offering anything from truffle honey to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. The venders include:

- Ceriello Fine Foods
- Corrado Bread & Pastry
- Dishes at Home
- Greenwich Produce
- Koglin German Hams
- Li-Lac Chocolates
- Murray’s Cheese
- Murray’s Real Salami
- Oren’s Daily Roast
- Penzey’s Spices
- Pescatore Seafood Company
- Wild Edibles
- Zaro’s Bread Basket

Although there were many things to buy, I only bought the truffle honey from Murray’s Cheese. As I mentioned before the honey was very fragrant and was a great match with prosciutto and blue Montagnolo. The atmosphere is laid back and prices are very reasonable.

Shatto Butter

2009-04-15T22:00:00.002-05:00

Shatto Milk Company is a small dairy farm located north of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The Shatto family has been farming for more than one hundred years. Nearly sixty years ago they began a dairy farm. In June of 2003 the family began processing their own milk, right on the farm.

Shatto Milk Company is constantly striving to make a quality product. The company has adopted the motto, “Milk at its Finest,” which suits it rather well. All the milk sold comes from cows with no rbST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH).

The farm uses Holstein cows which generally produce more milk than cream. The entire milking herd consists of a slim one hundred and twenty cows. The cows are milked daily and generally produce six to seven gallons.

Shatto Milk Company uses glass bottles to package their milk products. The farm insists there are four reasons to use glass:

- Glass bottles keep the milk colder
- Environmentally friendly
- Glass imparts no foreign odor or flavor
- Glass bottles are notable in history for containing farm fresh milk

The Shatto Milk Company offers twenty six different products, from milk to butter to ice cream. All of these wonderful products are made in house. One can tell the milk is fresh. While pouring it has a creamy characteristic, unlike the cheap crap. The butter is natural tasting, none of those fake flavorings. This is where quality takes first place.

If you enjoy quality food products, then this is your cup of milk. In the near future I’m hoping to take a tour of the farm and further get to know Leroy Shatto.

db bistro moderne

2009-04-09T21:34:00.012-05:00

Db bistro moderne is the ideal casual bistro. The kitchen uses quality ingredients with solid cooking techniques. Daniel Boulud is the chef and owner of seven award winning restaurants and the Feast and Fêtes Catering Company. In Manhattan, New York Daniel Boulud’s restaurants are Daniel, Café Boulud, db bistro moderne and Bar Boulud.

Daniel Boulud was born March 25, 1955 in Saint-Pierre de Chandieu, France. At fifteen years old, Daniel Boulud earned his first professional recognition: He was a finalist in France’s competition for Best Culinary Apprentice. Boulud worked in France under Roger Vergé, Georges Blanc and Michel Guérard and later in Copenhagen.

The service is tremendous. Everyone knows the whole menu front to back and around again. Something that stuck out in my mind was the iced tea. Many flavors were available, which most restaurants don’t offer. For lunch we chose to do the two course menu. You either get to pick an appetizer and an entrée or an entrée and a dessert. I like this because not everyone wants the same exact thing.

The entire meal was exceptional from the perfectly cooked organic chicken to the sacred db burger. The db burger is basically food for the gods. Boulud’s $32.00 burger is stuffed with braised short ribs, foie gras and black truffle. The burger is served on a homemade toasted parmesan and poppy seed bun. If you’re a big spender, there’s the db burger royale with 10 grams of shaved truffles for $75.00 or the db burger double truffle with 20 grams of truffles for $150.00.

The burger was quite a challenge to eat, even for my large mouth. Normal people would probably use a fork but I dove in with my hands. All the different flavors are bold but together make a great combination.

The desserts were very creative. All had extraordinary flavors and the presentations were simple. The kitchen staff focused on flavor and left out the flair. My favorite dessert was the banana chocolate beignet with peanut ice cream. The bananas were slowly roasted and the ice cream was a perfect counterpart. It reminded me of Elvis’s banana and peanut butter sandwich.

After eating at Daniel, I had many expectations for db bistro. I also wanted to see how Daniel Boulud would go from both ends of the scale. Db bistro lived up to Boulud’s expectations and was overall just a meal.

Bacon Veiled Salmon

Baby Carrots, Turnips, Fingerling Potatoes, Riesling Veloute

Organic Chicken Breast «Grand-Mere»

Pomme Cocotte, Bacon, Button Mushrooms, Spinach

The Orignal db Burger

Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short Ribs Foie Gras and Black Truffle, Served on a Parmesan Bun, Pommes Frites

db Burger Condiments

Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise

Chocolate Coffee Mille Feuille

Mocha Mousse, Chocolate Crémeux, Hazelnut Ice Cream

Meyer Lemon Tart

Poppy Seed Crust, Pomegranate Sorbet

Banana Chocolate Beignet

Slow Roasted Banana, Chocolate Shavings, Peanut Ice Cream

Exterior

Carnegie Delicatessen

2009-04-02T23:10:00.007-05:00

Carnegie Deli is possibly the best deli in the United States. Everything is absolutely massive from the sacred pickles to the one pound pieces of cheese cake. The staff feels if you can finish your meal, they did something wrong.

Carnegie Deli was opened in 1937 adjacent to Carnegie Hall. The restaurant offers pastrami, corned beef and other sandwiches all of which are at least one pound. The delicatessen also offers traditional Jewish fare such as matzah ball soup, potato pancakes, chopped chicken liver and smoked salmon.

The atmosphere of the place is very weird. The seating is like nothing I’ve ever experienced while dining out before. It was elbow to elbow seating down long tables, almost like being in elementary school again. At first glance you’d think the servers were absolutely rude, but the delicatessen is trying to give the customer the feel of traditional New Yorkers. To top it all off, the walls are completely covered with autographed pictures of celebrities who have eaten there.

The corn beef was probably the best I’ve ever had. It was made perfectly and served with fresh sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a side of Thousand Island dressing. After the pickles, corn beef sandwich and French fries though, I sadly had no room for dessert. Maybe next time.

Pickles

Reuben

Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese and Sauerkraut

Chopped Liver

Lettuce, Tomato

Cholesterol Free French Fries

The Kitchen

Exterior

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

2009-04-01T22:05:00.002-05:00

Recently I’ve been reading a lot. I believe reading literature is the key to success in life. The one who reads the most should have the greatest knowledge on that subject. The latest book I’ve read was Cod: A Biography of the Fish That changed the World. It’s written by Mark Kurlansky who has written many other books including, Salt: A World History.

Many don’t realize what their eating has dated back centuries, changing the world. Cod was a key success in developing many countries. One country we all know is America, which I live in. Cod used to be the poor man’s food but because of over fishing it’s now quite expensive. Something that was a major help in fishing was salting the fish, hence salt cod.

From early fishing records cod has been a popular catch. It’s rather easy once caught because it doesn’t fight back. Cod has been located all over the world from the Black sea, to Iceland, to Newfoundland (currently Canada). It played a huge role in traveling the sea because once salted it held for long periods of time. Cod was also what many slaves ate in the Caribbean and the Americas. This is way people from this region like the lesser quality piece of codfish.

No one ever thought cod could be overfished. Many people had the mindset there were infinite amounts of this species. Though once catches started declining this concept was shortly brought up. Shortly after, many countries started to put limits on how close you could fish to their shore. Finally in 1977 most countries had two hundred mile limit zones.

Overfishing is greatly due to the trawler. A trawler is a rather large ship that drags nets behind it. The boats catch everything in their paths, including fish fisherman didn’t want. This method also contributed to other species extinctions. Another problem was high demand. When you constantly fish, the population doesn’t have a chance to regenerate.

I wish there were books like Cod: A Biography of the Fish That changed the World on every ingredient. Then again not everything changed the world this dramatically. Everyone should read this book to further their knowledge on what really changed our world.

Larousse At Home

2009-03-30T18:30:00.009-05:00

While reading Larousse I’ve found many interesting recipes. With a few ideas I decided to do a three course dinner for my parents last week. The first course was all me but the last two were from Larousse Gastronomique. The menu:

First Course

Prosciutto di San Daniele with Blue Montagnolo; Truffle Honey, Baguette Bread

Second Course

Beefsteaks à l’ andalouse; Pan Jus with Sherry, Tomato, Parsley

Third Course

Le jeu de pommes; Organic Honey, Calvados, Lemon Juice

Larousse Gastronomique Recipes

Beefsteaks à l’ andalouse

Soften 50 g (2 oz) chopped onion and a chopped garlic clove in butter. Add salt and pepper. Mix with 400 g (14 oz, 2 cups) minced (ground) beef and form into 4 rounds. Coat these with flour and cook in oil. Sauté 4 large tomato halves in oil and place a cooked steak on each. Arrange them on a plate with a rice pilaf in the centre (optional). Deglaze the cooking juices of the steaks with ½ dl (2-3 tablespoons) sherry. Reduce, add some butter, and pour the sauce over the steaks.

Le jeu de pommes

Make a fine pastry by mixing in the blender 200 g (7 oz, generous 1 ½ cups) flour, 140 g (5 oz, 2/3 cup) rather firm butter, a pinch of salt, 8 g (1/4 oz, 1 teaspoon) sugar, and a little olive oil. Incorporate 1 dl (6 tablespoons, scant ½ cup) water and rotate a few times in the food processer (the particles of butter should still be visible). Remove the dough and roll it out finely; cut out 16 circles approximately 12 cm (5 in) in diameter using a pastry (cookie) cutter. Place them on nonstick baking sheets, cover them with very thin slices of apple, brush with 50 g (2 oz, ¼ cup) melted butter, and sprinkle lightly with caster (superfine) sugar. Bake in a hot oven at 220 C (425 F, gas 7) for 15 minutes.

Turn each tartlet over on the baking sheet using a spatula and dust the reverse side with icing (confectioners’) sugar. Put the tartlets under the grill (broiler). As it caramelizes, the sugar forms a glossy crackly film. Leave to cool for 15 minutes. Take 4 dessert plates and place 4 tartlets on top of each other on each plate (apples upwards). Just before serving, cover each jeu de pommes with 1 tablespoon warmed honey and sprinkle with a little calvados and a few drops of lemon juice. This dessert may be accompanied by a lemon sorbet.

Prosciutto di San Daniele with Blue Montagnolo

Truffle Honey, Baguette Bread

Beefsteaks à l’ andalouse

Pan Jus with Sherry, Tomato, Parsley

Le jeu de pommes

Organic Honey, Calvados, Lemon Juice, Ice Cream

Jean Georges

2009-03-28T16:06:00.015-05:00

Jean Georges was absolutely mind blowing; it eliminates thick sauces and embraces oils and broths, preferring their lightness. Jean Georges opened in 1997 inside the Trump International Hotel. The restaurant earned a four star review from The New York Times within three months of opening.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten was born in 1956 in Alsace, France. Vongerichten’s earliest family memories are about food. The Vongerichten home was centered on the kitchen, where each day his mother and grandmother would prepare lunch, for fifty employees in the family-owned business. Vongerichten began his training as an apprentice to Chef Paul Haeberlin. He went on to work with the top chefs in France including Louis Outhier at L ‘Oasis in the south of France.

From 1980 to 1985 Vongerichten opened ten restaurants around the world, including one at the Meridien Hotel in Singapore. He arrived in the United States in 1985, opening Lafayette restaurant in Boston. Then in 1991, Vongerichten moved to New York opening his bistro called JoJo. Since, Vongerichten has opened Jean Georges, Vong, The Mercer Kitchen, Spice Market and Perry Street; all located in New York City.

Teaming up with Starwood Hotels and a private equity firm behind Outback Steakhouse, Jean-Georges Vongerichten plans to open fifty new restaurants in five years. Dishes for these restaurants are drawn from a master list of three thousand recipes, though each location tries to incorporate local tastes. The question is can Vongerichten conquer the world without losing quality?

Jean Georges definitely earned three Michelin Stars. I visited Jean Georges for lunch and the experience stuck out in my mind. Every aspect from the view to the chairs was the highest quality. The chairs were like sitting on a cloud. Not to mention the ingredients are the best money can buy.

All the dishes were perfectly executed and portion size was perfect. At first the dishes looked small but through perfect timing, you’re full at the end. We choose to do the two plates with a choice of dessert. In reality though, with the Amuse-Bouche and the Mignardises it was five courses. The Amuse-Bouche was a fritter with a truffle emulsion and a squash soup. The flavors were very distinct and it seemed to almost cleanse your pallet.

My two favorite dishes were the Pan Roasted Sweetbreads and the Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs. The Sweet Potato Raviolis were light and super sweet which was a perfect side to the Pan Roasted Sweet Breads and truffle Vinaigrette. The Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs were so tender and the Apple-Jalapeño Purée was sweet with a little spice.

The executive pastry chef at Jean Georges is Johnny Iuzzini. Iuzzini’s interest in pastry began at seventeen when he started working at The River Café in Brooklyn, New York. As Iuzzini’s fascination with pastry grew he began to learn the techniques of tempering chocolate from Eric Gouteyron. After graduating the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Iuzzini joined the pastry team of the original Daniel. After training several years under Daniel Boulud and traveling overseas, Iuzzini was named Executive Pastry Chef of Jean Georges in May of 2002.

The dessert selection was very interesting. You either picked winter, caramel, chocolate or apple. In every category there were three desserts, you get them all. I picked the chocolate category and was very impressed. The chocolate cake had a warm runny center and was delicious with the Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. The Warm Chocolate Gnocchi was also very interesting though. The Mignardises were excellent, but my favorite was the homemade marshmallows. There were three varieties; banana, strawberry and vanilla.

In a nutshell Jean Georges is by far the best place I’ve ever eaten for lunch. They serve high quality food for a reasonable price and service is off the wall. Everyone obviously wants to be there and is well informed, about what’s going on.

Amuse-Bouche

Fritter with Truffle Emulsion, Squash Soup

Pan Roasted Sweetbreads

Sweet Potato Raviolis, Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Goat Cheese Royale

Roasted Beet Marmalade and Crusted Pistachios

Japanese Snapper Carpaccio

Crystalized Ginger, White Radish and Olive Oil

Soy Glazed Beef Short Ribs

Apple-Jalapeño Purée and Rosemary Crumbs

Roasted Veal

Quince-Pineapple Compote and Roquefort

Red Snapper Crusted with Nuts and Seeds

Sweet and Sour Jus

Chocolate

Jean Georges' Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Warm Chocolate Gnocchi, Grapefruit, Gianduja, Basil

Winter

Cranberry Parfait, Walnut Nougatine, Soft Vanilla Meringue, Cinnamon Doughnut, Prune-Armagnac Jam

Caramel

Chocolate Pop, Coffee-Caradamon Ice Cream, Caramel Curd, Dehydrated Sponge, Roasted Pineapple Sorbet

Truffle Honey

2009-03-27T21:30:00.000-05:00

Truffle Honey, for those with a sweet tooth. While visiting Grand Central Market in New York City I stumbled upon the truffle honey. The honey is made by Valley Produce Company and is a product of Australia.

While cooking a three course dinner I applied the truffle honey. For the first course I did Prosciutto di San Daniele with Blue Montagnolo; truffle honey and Baguette Bread. The honey was unfiltered, causing it to be grainy. Taste wise it was sweet but didn’t overpower the dish. Upon opening the jar you could smell the aroma of the infused truffles.

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca

2009-03-25T21:40:00.022-05:00

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, the upbeat neighborhood bistro located in Greenwich Village. Greenwich Village resembles parts of San Francisco. It’s kind of a funky little neighborhood with few to none skyscrapers. The moment you walk into Babbo you hear the loud music and instantly get that bistro feel.

Mario Batali was born on September 9, 1960 in Yakima, Washington. Batali moved to Spain with his family in 1975 and returned to the United States in 1978 to attend Rutgers University. After graduating Rutgers in 1982 he went to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. During college, Batali started working as a dishwasher at Stuff Yer Face restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Batali quickly moved up from dishwasher to pizza man.

After working in many more restaurants, including Kings Road, Chelsea under Marco Pierre White he moved to the Northern Italian village of Borgo Capanne. Here he apprenticed in the kitchen at La Volta, where he sought to master a traditional style of Italian cooking. In 1993 Mario Batali opened his first restaurant, Po with Steven Crane but sold Po in September 2000. In 1998 Batali and Joseph Bastianich, son of Lidia Bastianich, opened Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca was awarded one Michelin star upon opening. Since Batali and Joseph have opened eleven hotspots in the United States.

While at Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca I personally met Mario Batali. This was a very cool experience for me. After talking to Batali for a minute or so he said, “he had to go make sure the kitchen wasn’t burning down” and then left. I was hoping to get a picture with Mario Batali but once Marco Pierre White walked in I knew this would be impossible. Marco Pierre White is currently in New York City filming The Chopping Block, airing on NBC. Mario Batali worked under Marco Pierre White in the 1980’s.

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca was truly a delight. Everything was outstanding from the Marinated Chick Pea Bruschetta to the extravagant coffee service. I really enjoyed the Armandino’s Salumi with Lamb Prosciutto. Armandino’s Salumi is owned by Armandino Batali out of Seattle, Washington. The Salumi was so rich and flavorful and the great bread was a perfect pair. The duck though may have been my favorite dish. The duck was cooked to absolute perfection and the citrus taste of the kumquat vinaigrette was tasted in every bite. The duck was atop the Babbo Pancetta which was a perfect match for the plate.

Desserts were excellent and the perfect size. Not to mention the coffee service was also pretty impressive though. With coffee you got a box with a variety of condiments. My favorite dessert was the Zeppoline alla Napolitana with Cinnamon Cream, Warm Chocolate and Raspberry Jam. The donuts were light and fluffy, which I prefer over compact gut buster donuts. Sprinkled over the top was powdered sugar which made it almost like a funnel cake.

Service was outstanding in all areas, though one part stuck out in my mind. The Matrie’d or probably any front of the house manager comes to take your dessert order. I like this, a lot. To many times in restaurants you have a problem or complaint about the meal but never see anyone besides your server. This seems important to me, because it’s a final check to see if everything was to your liking. I’d never thought of this before but as a person in the restaurant industry, I like it.

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca was outstanding. I’d never eaten at Mario Batali’s restaurants but now I see what the entire rave is about, and to top it off I got Mario Batali and yes he was wearing pink clogs.

Amuse-Bouche

Marinated Chick Pea Bruschetta

Braised Fennel Salad

Pears, Gorgonzola Piccante and Cherry Vinaigrette

Winter Vegetable Salad

Goat’s Milk Ricotta and Pumpkin Seed Oil

Roasted Beet Tartare

Chianti Vinegar and Ricotta Salata

Marinated Fresh Sardines

Caramelized Fennel and Lobster Oil

Armandino’s Salumi

Hot Sopressata and Lamb Prosciutto

Pig Foot “Milanese”

Rice Beans and Arugula

Wild Striped Bass

“Passato di Zucca” and Chorizo Vinaigrette

Gnocchi

Braised Oxtail

Duck

Five Lillies, Babbo Pancetta and Kumquat Vinaigrette

Coffee Service

Sugars

“Zeppoline alla Napolitana”

Cinnamon Cream, Warm Chocolate and Raspberry Jam

Lemon Crostata

Lemon Straciatella Gelato

Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo

Mignardises

Biscotti and Cookies

Exterior

Per Se Kitchen Tour

2009-03-21T13:00:00.003-05:00

Thomas Keller could be considered the King of the restaurant industry. Yet even with his success he still doesn’t wake up and say I’ve arrived. Once a person says this they are done and need to get out of the business. From The French Laundry in Yountville, California to Per Se in New York City quality doesn’t change. Both of these restaurants have received three Michelin stars and if there were four they would receive that.

Thomas Keller was born October 14, 1955 at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. Keller’s father, Edward, was a Marine drill instructor and his mother, Betty, was a restaurateur. During his teenage summers, he worked at the Palm Beach Yacht Club, first as a dishwasher and quickly moving up to cook. One summer he was discovered by Roland Henin and under Henin’s study learned the fundamentals of classical French Cooking. After working in many more restaurants including apprenticeships in Paris, he opened The French Laundry in 1994.

While walking to lunch at Jean George I saw a sign to Per Se. I went inside and looked around in amazement. The Matrie’d approached me and asked if I needed any help. I told him unfortunately I couldn’t eat their but asked if I could go on a kitchen tour. He told me to come back at four o’clock when the kitchen wouldn’t be so busy.

After eating a delicious lunch at Jean George I went back to Per Se. Sitting in the lounge at Per Se waiting for the kitchen tour was like waiting for Christmas morning. When we went in the kitchen everyone was hard at work preparing for the dinner pop. We were shown around the whole kitchen and the private dining room. Just being there you gave you a feeling of importance, from the five stars on the ceiling to the team of disciplined cooks. Anthony Bourdain had spoken of this long dark hallway leading from the kitchen to the dining room. The purpose of this supposed hallway was to distress the servers before entering the dining room. Guess what, I got to walk down this hallway, so it’s really there.

The restaurant is just so clean and fresh feeling. Everyone is absolutely working their tail off, putting their all into every dish. I could see why someone would want to dine at this sacred facility.

Entrance

Kitchen Shots

Columbus Circle

Le Bernadin

2009-03-19T17:30:00.000-05:00

Le Bernadin is easily one of the best restaurants in Manhattan, New York. It is run by Chef Eric Ripert and his strong staff of chefs. Eric Ripert has been the chef since 1994.

Eric Ripert was born in Antibes, France in 1965. At a young age Ripert learned to cook from his grandmother. As a young boy his family moved to Andorra but Chef Eric Ripert returned to France to attend culinary school at Perpignan. In 1982 Ripert moved to Paris where he worked at La Tour d’ Argent, a famous restaurant more the four hundred years old. In 1985 Eric Ripert left to fulfill his service in the military.

After serving in the military Ripert moved to the United States in 1989 and was hired as a sous chef in the Watergate Hotel’s Jean Louis Restaurant. In 1995, one year after Ripert was named executive chef at Le Bernadin, the restaurant received a four star rating from the New York Times. Le Bernadin was awarded three Michelin stars in 2006 for excellence in cuisine. They were one of three New York City restaurants to be awarded three Michelin stars in 2008.

The restaurant was well deserving of the three Michelin stars it received. While on a kitchen tour the Matrie’d said they get all the fish flown in every morning. This makes sense though because Le Bernadin is strictly a seafood concept. Also all sauces are poured tableside and every dish they present is well explained before you eat.

The service was phenomenal. All the servers knew exactly how every dish had been prepared and the instant you needed something they were at your side. The bread service was exceptional, with six different varieties for everyone’s taste.

While on the kitchen tour I noticed blue tape on a huge white board. The Matrie’d explained that this is how they kept every table on track. Basically there were numbers all over the board with four boxes next to them. Each box represented what course that specific table was on. So let’s say table one finished their first course then the first box next to table one gets scribbled out.

All the food was stupendous. Everything was so fresh with excellent simplicity. We chose to do the four course menu. I really liked the way this menu was set up. For dinner you got to choose three courses and one dessert. The three courses were Almost Raw, Barely Touched and Lightly Cooked. Within these three sections there were thirty five choices. I enjoy this so much more than your classic eight course set menus because there’s something for everyone on this menu.

Honestly I’ve never eaten better fish than what I had at Le Bernadin. Every course the fish was cooked to the perfect temperature. The Amuse-Bouche was Sweet Maine Shrimp with black truffle oil and celery foam. The shrimp was very tender and almost melted in your mouth. I really enjoyed the tuna with the Foie Gras in the middle. The tuna also had baby chives and extra virgin olive oil which gave it a sweet sensation. For my third course I ordered the codfish. Currently I’m reading, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, so this seemed appropriate. The cod was baked and just flaked apart and the sauces had rich flavors.

The desserts were absolutely delicious, each with their own flavors. All the desserts were so light and innovative. In too many restaurants desserts are like a final bomb going into your stomach but these were light with strong flavors. I really enjoyed the Chocolate-Sweet Potato. I have never had the chocolate and sweet potato flavors combined but if was very interesting. Though my favorite dessert was the Panna Cotta, it seemed so refreshing and the strong lemon flavor was a definite turn on.

Instead of getting three desserts like we ordered, six came out to the table. Michael Laiskonis, The Executive Pastry Chef, was so kind to send an extra three to the table. Michael Laiskonis is known for his exquisite dessert performances. As a child Laiskonis lived in Michigan and went to Wayne State University to train in the visual arts. While in college Laiskonis started baking at a friend’s bakery with no culinary degree. After working at Emily’s in Northville, Michigan and Tribune Restaurant he was appointed Executive Pastry Chef at Le Bernadin in 2004.

Laiskonis also has two wonderful blogs, workbook and Michael Laiskonis Notes From The Kitchen. I follow both these blogs everyday and I’m always in aw while looking at them. I especially like Workbook because he includes recipes and formulas to everything.

Everyone at Le Bernadin appeared to love what they do. This is very important while working anywhere because then you put your all into it. Hopefully I can one day work in a restaurant of this caliber with just great people, like Michael Laiskonis and Eric Ripert.

Pastry Kitchen

Executive Pastry Chef- Michael Laiskonis

Amuse-Bouche

Sweet Maine Shrimp, Black Truffle Oil, Celery Foam

Salmon

Organic Scottish and Smoked Salmon; Apple, Celery and Baby Watercress; Jalapeño Emulsion

Kampachi

Kampachi Tartare; Cucumber; Pineapple - Citrus Vinaigrette

Tuna

Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfish, Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette, Shaved Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Crab

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Peekytoe Crab; Black Truffle Sauce

Escolar

White Tuna Poached in Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Sea Beans and Potato Crips; Light Red Wine Béarnaise

Mackerel

Seared Spanish Macherel; Parmesan Crisp and Sun-Dried Tomato; Black Olive Oil

Codfish

Baked Codfish; Green Mango Salad; Red Lentil Stew; Yogurt Sauce

Surf and Turf

Escolar and Seared Kobe Beef; Sea Bean Salad and Eggplant Fries; Mr. Kaufman's Pesto and Anchovy Sauce

Red Snapper

Bread Crusted Red Snapper; Zucchini - Mint and Coriander Compote in a rich Citrus Broth

"The Egg"

Milk Chocolate Pot de Crème, Caramel Foam, Maple Syrup, A Pinch of Maldon Sea Salt

Hazelnut

Gianduja Cream, Oregon Hazelnuts, Honey, Banana, Brown Butter Ice Cream

Chocolate-Sweet Potato

Dark Amedei Chocolate Ganache, Sweet Potato Pearls and Sorbet, Pistachio, Palm Sugar, Vanilla Salt

Chestnut

Frozen Chestnut Parfait, Biscuit & Wafer; Mandarin Coulis, Coconut Sorbet

Panna Cotta

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta, Pomegranate Pearls and Sorbet, Lemon Cream Orange Peel, Mint

Carrot

Rum Scented Carrot Cake, Golden Raisins, Sicillian Pistachio, Condensed Milk Ice Cream

Sorbet

Pineapple Buttermilk, Coconut, Mandarin

Petit Fours

Marco Pierre White

2009-03-18T23:27:00.001-05:00

While at Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca at I got to meet Mario Batali. Then thirty minutes later I see this guy come in with crazy hair. I’m like there’s Marco Pierre White. Mario Batali and Marco were having a business meeting in the basement of Babbo. This was a really cool experience to get to meet Mario Batali and see Marco Pierre White.

Marco Pierre White was born on December 11, 1961. He is known for having a creative and innovative view on contemporary international cuisine. White is also known for his quick temper and his exceptional skills as a chef.

After leaving Allerton High School in Leeds without any qualifications, White decided to train as a chef. Arriving in London at sixteen years old and £7.36, a box of books, and a bag of clothes, he began his classical training as a commis under Albert Roux and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche.

By the age of 33, White had become the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars (until 2002). During his career in the kitchen, Marco Pierre White regularly ejected patrons from his restaurant if he took their comments with offense. Once a young chef at White’s restaurant, Harvey’s, complained of heat in the kitchen and had his chef’s jacket and trousers cut open by White with a knife.

Marco Pierre White was the head chef for the television show series, Hell’s Kitchen. When asked in April 2007 if he’d be following Gordon Ramsay’s approach White said “I want my emphasis to be on the food and the kitchens rather than the swearing.” In March 2008 it was announced White would be the host to the American version of The Chopping Block. The shows first show was last week and it’s about two teams of four couples running neighboring restaurants in Manhattan, New York.

Marco Pierre White has also written many books but his newest book is: The Devil in the Kitchen.

Daniel

2009-03-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

Daniel in my opinion is as close to a perfect meal as a person can produce. Daniel Boulud is the chef and owner of seven award winning restaurants and the Feast and Fêtes Catering Company. In Manhattan, New York Daniel Boulud’s restaurants are Daniel, Café Boulud, db bistro moderne and Bar Boulud.

Daniel Boulud was born March 25, 1955 in Saint-Pierre de Chandieu, France. At fifteen years old, Daniel Boulud earned his first professional recognition: He was a finalist in France’s competition for Best Culinary Apprentice. Boulud worked in France under Roger Vergé, Georges Blanc and Michel Guérard and later in Copenhagen.

Daniel has been named one of the ten best restaurants in the world by the International Herald Tribune. From my experience at Daniel this award is well deserved. The service at Daniel you can’t even describe in words. All the servers are perfectly synchronized and it’s not like they have to try and do this, it just comes naturally. At So many fine dining restaurants the servers try so hard to be perfect and it causes a really rigid environment. Any time you thought you might need something a server had already anticipated it.

It’s easy to see why Daniel was awarded two Michelin stars. Every part of the meal from the service to the preparation techniques are perfect. First of you get the complementary Amuse-Bouche and Mignardises just to push you over the edge. The main entrées have the sauces poured over them table side. I liked this part though; the servers brought out all the dishes with domes on them. It was almost like Christmas because you had to wait to see your food.

For dinner we chose to do the Six Course Burgundy Tasting Menu. Though I can’t drink, so I just had the six courses which actually became like ten, when it was all said and done. The great thing about this prefix menu is there were two choices for each section. I like this format though because everyone doesn’t have to eat the same thing at the table.

The food was indescribable in words. Every dish had so many bold flavors you just had to slow down and think about all the work that went into it. The Amuse-Bouche was fantastic, the smoked trout just melted in your mouth and the crab was also very good. The Foie Gras Terrine with the Marcona almond crust was delicious. The Foie Gras was served with bread service and the kumquats were the perfect pair to the dish. The Paprika Crusted Maine Lobster Tail was spectacular. The lobster was accompanied by a broccoli purée, which I’d never thought about before but it was very good. The lobster literally tasted like macaroni and cheese, which I couldn’t figure out.

The post meal service was just the right size. The warm petite madeleines were very good and had powdered sugar sprinkled over them. The one bite confections were all very different. From the coconut cream pie to the lemon meringue pie they are had very independent flavors.

At the end of the meal the Matrie’d asked me if I would like to go on a Kitchen tour. Of course I said yes and we got to go see the Kitchen. During the meal I had noticed so many employees in the restaurant, so I asked him how many they had working at once. He told me every night they have around twenty five cooks and eighty people in the front of the house. This explains why they have such extravagant service. A really cool thing about the kitchen is there is an office sitting about 30 feet in the air and you can observe the whole kitchen from there. I hope in the near future I get to dine at Daniel again.

Choux

Black olive paste

Amuse-Bouche

Shrimp

Amuse-Bouche

Smoked trout, crab

Foie Gras Terrine with Marcona Almond

Kumquat-Date Napoléon, Mâche Salad, Asian Pear

Pâté of Squab and Foie Gras

Sicilian Pistachios, Blood Orange Chutney, Lillet Gelée

Duo of Hamachi

"En Tartare" with Romaine Lettuce, Wasabi Tandoori Spices with Pickled Onions, Black Sesame Tuile

Maine Peekytoe Crab

Honeycrisp Apple, Celery Créme Fraîche, Hearts of Palm

Paprika Crusted Maine Lobster Tail

Broccolini, Pine Nut Gremolata, Piquillo Coulis

Beaufort Ravioli with Green Peppercorn

Black Trumpet, Brussels Sprouts, Speck Ham

Crispy Salmon with Tarragon Cream

Daikon Sauerkraut, Salsify, Smoked Bacon

Black Sea Bass with Syrah Sauce

Leek Royale, "Pommes Lyonnaise"

Duo of Dry Aged Black Angus Beef

Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Sunchokes, Seared Rib Eye with Hazelnut-Potato Croquette

Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Chop

Ras el Hanout, Chickpea Panisses "Cannelloni" of Braised Shoulder, Bulgur and Apricot

Tainori Chocolate Dacquoise with Rice Crispy

Lemon Curd, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Cilantro Poached Pineapple with Coconut

Lime-Rum Gelée, Pina Colada Sorbet

Chocolate Brownie

Coffee Ice Cream

Mignardises

Warm Petite Madeleines, Powdered Sugar

Mignardises

Assorted One Bite Confections

Kitchen

Exterior Views

New York Adventure

2009-03-11T20:42:00.001-05:00

Time to start doing the stomach exercises again. During the next week I’ll be eating in the finest restaurants in New York City. This involves taking pictures, stealing menus, taking notes and hopefully getting to take kitchen tours. Finally it’s here though, after great controversy of picking where to eat, we have all of our reservations.

At least once a year we try and go on one big research and development trip. Last year we went to San Francisco and I pulled many things out of that. It was the first time I started to really appreciate food. I’m really looking forward to New York though because now I work as a pantry cook and I’m becoming more fascinated with food.

We picked the following restaurants because these particular chefs aren’t just great today; they’ve evolved over the revolutions of food. I plan on going to the following restaurants.

· Daniel Boulud- Daniel, db bistro moderne
· Eric Ripert- Le Bernadin
· Jean-Georges Vongerichten- Jean Georges
· Mario Batali- Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria

Working In A Kitchen

2009-03-03T20:30:00.003-06:00

Working in a restaurant is a weird thing. At one moment you’re calm and working in the prep kitchen and the next you’re on the scorching line with twelve tickets in front of you. I’m pretty new to this type of thing; I’ve worked as an expo for four months and a pantry cook for a few months. I’ve been around food all my life though, from five pound sourdough to chocolate chip cookies to making Acras de Morue.

When people ask people what they want to be when they grow up, most say movie stars, doctors and so on. I say I want to be a chef and potentially own my own restaurant. My dad strongly discourages me to do such a thing. It’s funny though because he himself is in the business, but he says its fifteen years of shit hours and shitty pay. The question is though; if you love what you do does that really matter. My goals are to go to college then possibly go to the Culinary Institute of America. If all works out then I’d like to go work in France or Italy for four or five years.

I feel though, working in kitchens is very rewarding. I thoroughly enjoy making great food for the people in the dining room. Especially when the server comes back and says that the people at whatever table loved the Tuna Wontons or the Bruschetta. I also love the new challenge that is presented to you every night you work. Working in a kitchen, it’s always something different and you can never know it all but you can try. This is the real reason I like it.

I’ve been to great restaurants all over the country from Boulevard in San Francisco to Blackbird in Chicago. Every time I go eat at these places I think, could I be this talented some day. Could I be a Thomas Keller or David Chang? Only time will tell this story and in my future I hope great things are ahead.

Truffle Salt

2009-02-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

Truffle Salt, where to begin. While at Dean and DeLuca buying the salt cod for the acras I ran across Truffle Salt. At first I thought it was outrageously expensive, but the other day I broke down and bought it. Immediately I took it home and air popped ½ cup of popcorn. After melting butter and drizzling it over the popcorn I delicately sprinkled the Truffle Salt over the popcorn. I’ve never had truffles so I had no idea what to expect. The second you open the truffle salt you smell this aroma that seems familiar but can’t put your finger on it. I savored the popcorn with every bite. I think the truffle salt will have many applications as I continue though my food experiments.

Cod

2009-02-24T19:45:00.020-06:00

I began reading Larousse Gastronomique last week. A few pages in I found an interesting recipe, Acras de Morue. An acra is a savory fritter associated with salted cod. So, I went to Dean and DeLuca and picked up the 1 lb. of salted cod.

I prepared two recipes the original Acras de Morue and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon version with potatoes know as Beignets de Brandade de Morue.

Brandade de Morue began in Nîmes, but is commonly associated with Provence. Originally it was called branlade, which means “something that is pummeled.” The dish made it to Paris after the French Revolution and has never left. Once salt cod became more expensive, potatoes were incorporated to cheapen the dish, as with Thomas Keller’s recipe. The original Brandade though had no potatoes.

Larousse Gastronomique Recipe

Place about 500g (1 lb) salt cod in cold water for 24 hours to remove the salt, changing the water several times. Make a fritter batter with 200g (7 oz, 1 ½ cups) flour, a pinch of salt, and enough water to obtain a thick batter, and leave it to stand for 1 hour. Place the desalted cod with a little cold water and a bay leaf in a saucepan; cook gently for 10 minutes. Drain and flake the fish the mix it with 4 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and cayenne. Finely chop 2 shallots and 4 or 5 chives, add these to the cod, and mix evenly with the batter. Stiffly whisk 2 or 3 egg whites and fold gently into the mixture. Slowly drop spoonfuls of the mixture into hot oil and fry until crisp and golden, turning once. Drain and serve hot.

Larousse Gastronomique recipes are vague in some areas so inferring may have to be done. If you’d like to find the Bouchon recipe, you can buy the Bouchon cookbook which I highly recommend.

Salted Cod Fish

1 lb. salt cod

Acras de Morue

Tomato confit, roasted red pepper garlic oil, baby chives

Beignets de Brandade de Morue

Tomato confit, roasted red pepper garlic oil, baby chives

Mélange À Biscuits Avec Morceaux De Chocolat

2009-02-22T14:30:00.014-06:00

Today I was at Williams-Sonoma and saw the Bouchon Bakery Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix. I instantly thought I needed this. I mean come on its Thomas Keller, everything he makes is good. Also last year I was in Yountville, California and stopped in the Bouchon Bakery. So I paid the $18.00 for the cookie mix and went home. After reading the box I saw it made six large cookies or twelve small cookies. I decided to make the large cookies because I love enormous cookies.

The cookies are made with premium Callebaut Chocolate and Nielsen-Massy Vanilla. The cookies were fairly easy to make, just stick to the recipe. Once the cookies came out of the oven I immediately fell in love. They were a perfect golden brown and were saying “eat me.” The outer portion of the cookie was crispy while the inner portion was soft and chewy. This was truly food porn as Anthony Bourdain would say. Once again Thomas Keller is amazing.

Recipe

For best results, use a European-style butter with at least 83% butterfat.

10 ½ TBS. (5 ¼ OZ. / 165g) Unsalted butter
1 Sugar Packet (Included)
1 Molasses Packet (Included)
1 Egg
1 Cookie Mix Packet (Included)
1 Chocolate Chip and Chunk Packet (Included)

Have all the ingredients at room temperature

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375˚F (190˚C). If using a convection oven, preheat to 350˚F (180˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and molasses and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cookie mix and beat until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chips/chunks into the batter.

Shape the dough into 6 large balls or 12 small balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and just done in the center, 15 to 17 minutes for large cookies or 12 to 14 minutes for small cookies, rotating the baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. If using a convection oven, bake 13 to 15 minutes for large cookies or 10 to 12 minutes for small cookies. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 large or 12 small cookies.

Cookie Mix

Dough

Rounded Dough

Fresh Cookies

Larousse Gastronomique

2009-02-21T23:52:00.004-06:00

Recently I began reading Larousse Gastronomique. It is a classic French cookbook with approximately 1200 pages. The whole cookbook is a list of food, recipes and French cooking terms. One might ask why read such a book? I think it’s a very important book to read so one has a further knowledge of food. Cooking is all about knowledge and creativity, so why not help yourself out. I’m only on page 10 and have already found two recipes I’m going to try in the coming weeks. The first is a vegetable achar with lemon and the second is a salt cod acras. I’m very excited to read this book in the coming months to further my food knowledge.

Bluestem Brunch

2009-01-25T17:55:00.000-06:00

Ever since I ate at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco, I’ve been looking for a superior brunch. I decided to go to Bluestem because their brunch menu was similar to Foreign Cinema’s. I thought it resembled Foreign Cinema’s but with a Midwest touch. I thought the most impressive dish was the biscuits and gravy with Campo Lindo Crispy chicken. The dish had an array of flavors making every bite different. Bluestem just keeps you guessing every time you come back.

Biscuits & Gravy

Campo lindo crispy chicken, sausage, scrambled eggs

Spiced Apple Nut Stuffed French Toast

Cream, maple syrup

Gourmet Pizza

2009-01-11T11:44:00.015-06:00

Recently we made an award winning pizza recipe. The recipe came from the Fedora Café which was open in the 1980’s in Kansas City. Gourmet pizza is still making it into the best fine dining restaurants. I’ve eaten pizza at Olives in Las Vegas, Chez Panisse Café in Berkeley, California and at Zuni Café in San Francisco. This pizza though is honestly the best pizza I’ve ever eaten.

This particular recipe hasn’t been made in twenty years. First we made an 18 lb. batch of the dough. Then we let it set for one hour letting it double in size. After doubling in size we knocked it down letting all the gas out of it. Once we rounded the dough we covered it with plastic wrap on a sheet pan to let it proof. Then came the challenging part of hand rolling the dough into thin round shells. After brushing the crust with olive oil and herbs we blinded baked the pizza on a pizza stone at 500˚ till it started to brown.

This may be the most crucial part of the whole procedure; ingredients. Everyone always wants to pile toppings on a pizza. The real key is a quality thin layer of ingredients. These pizzas were no “Meat Lovers Mess” smothered with ingredients. First we applied a thin layer of sauce. Then we put down a thin layer of cheese. Finally we put down our meats or other toppings. Then we topped it with a little more cheese. The whole idea behind this is quality not quantity. These pizzas are cooked on a pizza stone for the second time at 500˚.

Second Proofing

Blind Baking

Extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella, provolone

Baking Temperature

BBQ Crispy Shortrib Pizza

Sweet baby rays bbq sauce, fontina, provolone, parmesan, red onion

Fig Gorgonzola Pizza

Fig Puree, Prosciutto, fontina, provolone, parmesan, gorgonzola

Pizza Margherita

Tomato sauce, fontina, provolone, parmesan, fresh tomatoes, basil, pine nuts

Chorizo Pizza

Tomato sauce, fontina, provolone, parmesan, red onion, pine nuts

Broadmoor Bistro

2008-12-07T20:00:00.003-06:00

Last week I went to Broadmoor Bistro. I thought the food was stupendous and the kick is, it’s all ran by high school students. Broadmoor Technical Center is for juniors and seniors in the Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission school district. The school has everything from cooking to a recording studio. The teacher and chef for Broadmoor Bistro is Bob Brassard. He has run the program for seven years and attended local and national culinary competitions with his students. He took me on a tour of the facility and it’s pretty impressive what they’re teaching high school students. The students learn how to operate a kitchen, serve food and even read P&L statements. The bistro serves a four course dinner and it’s only $25.00, they have a new menu every two months. One of my favorite dishes was the “Bacon-Eggs”. The yolk of the egg was in the middle of the ravioli, on top of a piece of pork belly. Another great item was the Muscovy Duck Breast. It was cooked to perfection and the leek-fava bean confit was a perfect complement to the duck. The Broadmoor Bistro is an excellent establishment and I can’t wait to go back.

De-Constructed Oyster Rockefellers

Baby Spinach, fennel pollen, saffron, licorice root

"Bacon-Eggs"

Pan roasted berkshire pork belly, shaved winter truffles, egg-yolk ravioli, shaved pecorino, goat butter

Potato-Leek

Shallot crisp, herb oil, micro celery

Mizzuna Salad

Petite greens, toasted pumpkin seeds, candied apples, persimmon oil, cranberries, almond streusel

Muscovy Duck Breast

Wild leeks-fava bean confit, blood orange jus

Rosemary Wood Roasted Organic Chicken

Smoked gouda-chive grits, grilled asparagus, cider caramel

Hickory Grilled Sirloin

Chanterelle hash, roasted cauliflower chick pea puree, zinfandel jelly

Chocolate Crunch

Pistachio fancier, chocolate malt mousse, cocoa nibs, macchiato syrup

White Chocolate Cheesecake Gelato

Olive oil cake, candied ginger, cherry bash, lemon curd

Gingerbread-Eggnog Ice Cream Crumb Cake

Gingerbread gennoise, peppermint- eggnog semi- fredo, bourban paint

Bristol

2008-11-23T16:05:00.013-06:00

Recently I went to the Bristol Seafood Grill in Leawood, Kansas. I looked at my menu, then instantly noticed there were many new changes to the menu. The new menu is really diverse and has many Asian influenced preparations. My favorite appetizer was the Vietnamese Style Crab Spring Rolls. This dish had an earthy sort of flavor and the crispy lotus root chips were a perfect compliment. The best entrée by far was the crispy short ribs; they are cooked to perfection and melt in your mouth. I love the new diversity the Bristol has unleashed and can’t wait to see what’s to come.

Vietnamese Style Crab Spring Rolls

Crab, diakon, avocado, mint, basil, shiro miso, crispy lotus root chips, wakame salad

Fried Oysters

Sweet-spicy sambal sauce, soy glaze, wakame, pickled ginger, fresh key limes, red chili threads

Escargot

Garlic-pernod butter, parmesan toast

Grilled Swordfish with Lobster Mac-N-Cheese

Lobster mac-n-cheese, white truffle bread crumbs, asparagus

Lobster Cobb Salad

Watercress, arugula, baby spinach, tomatoes, apple wood smoked bacon, corn nuts, white cheddar, avocado, fresh corn, red onion, sweet potato shoestrings

Crispy Shortribs with Day Boat Scallops

Potato gnocchi, marsala, pan jus, leeks, oyster & shiitake mushrooms, horseradish gremolata

Coming To An End

2008-11-17T17:49:00.013-06:00

As summer ends, fall begins and winter then is quick to follow. During this process gardens are ripped up and all you remember are the tomatoes, jalapenos, rhubarb, sage, chives, basil and flowers. A few of my memories from this summer are the tomatoes and the stuffed zucchini blossoms. Now, there are no more fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden but instead all you see are huge birds we call turkeys.
Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, T.V. shows and cooking magazines are loaded with recipes on how to cook a turkey. Now truthfully how many of us need this constant abuse. Unless you plan on making stove top stuffing, you don’t need a whole magazine explaining the process of cooking a turkey.

Before you know it though the snow will be gone and you’ll be staking those tomatoes plants again.

Bluestem

2008-10-05T16:30:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I went to Bluestem in Westport. This restaurant is owned and operated by Colby and Megan Garrelts. They offer a new style of American Cuisine. Bluestem is the American dream of offering extraordinary food and owning your own restaurant. This is possibly the best meal I’ve had in a long time. We choose to do the five course dinner with dessert for seventy dollars. Every dish is so good it’s hard to pick your favorite. My favorite dishes were the crispy sweetbread fritters, the roast porkloin and the fried vanilla cheese cake. Both the crispy sweetbread fritters and the fried vanilla cheese cake were very light and had powerful flavors. The roast porkloin was perfectly cooked and the braised puy lentils were a nice match. After this meal it’s obvious why Colby Garrelts has been nominated by the James Beard Foundation.

Amuse Bouche of Salted Watermelon

Crispy Sweetbread Fritters

Thanes's potato's, frisée, dijon, speck, hot béarnaise

Wagyu Tartare

Giardiniera, black olive caramel, potato crisps

Fall Missouri Beets

Whipped maytag, arugula, walnuts, champagne vinaigrette

Torchon de Foie Gras

Apple butter, amarena cherries, peanut, brioche bread pudding

Pumpkin Gnocchi

Brown butter, summer squash, sage

Trofie

Crab, garlic, chili, prosciutto

Wild Coho Salmon

Braised bacon, warm fingerlings, green beans, mustard

Diver Scallops

Summer corn, calamari, rapini, fava beans, soy jus

Roasted Halibut

Saffron braised cabbage, orzo, brussels sprouts, almond fennel milk

Roast Porkloin

Braised puy lentils, spiced plums, golden raisins, almonds

Seared Striploin

Warm tomato & asparagus, potato espuma, burgundy jus

Campo Lindo Hen

Swiss chard, la quericia prosciutto, hominy cake, succotash thyme jus

Fried Vanilla Cheese Cake

Milk chocolate poached pears, lemon cream, bittersweet chocolate sauce

Pumpkin Custard

Warm ginger madeleines, bourbon gelee, mascarpone ice cream

Chocolate Praline Mousse

Toffee crusted feuille de brick, mini popcorn balls, cinnamon bubbles

Assortment of Caramel and Gelée

Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

2008-09-21T18:42:00.016-05:00

Currently I’m reading the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook. I thought this was appropriate since I ate at Chez Panisse last March. The book contains all the recipes from Chez Panisse Café. After reading through the book I decided to make the savory herb meatballs with spaghetti. The recipe turned out perfectly and the meatballs were to die for. On this recipe you can time everything to work together. First get the tomato sauce going and let it set for the recommended time. While it’s cooking make and form the meatballs. Next while you cook the meatballs put the spaghetti in for the recommended time. If you time it out right everything should flow nicely.

Tomato Sauce Recipe

Makes about 2 cups
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced finely
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 pounds sweet, ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Bouquet garmi of parsley, thyme and basil springs

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt, and add the herb springs, bundled together with kitchen twine.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the flame to low. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes; it will thicken as it cooks. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Taste for salt and adjust. For a refined sauce, pass through a food mill or purée in a blender.

Meatball and Spaghetti Recipe

½ cup milk
¼ cup soft bread crumbs
1 small yellow onion, very finely diced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1 pound freshly ground beef sirloin
Egg, beaten
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, plus 2 tablespoons more for sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Black pepper
1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
Olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2 cups tomato sauce (See recipe)
¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
Salt
1 pound spaghetti

Put the milk and bread crumbs in a small bowl and mix with a fork. When the bread has softened, squeeze out most of the milk with your hands. Discard the milk.
Sauté the onion in a little olive oil with letting it color. Season with a light pinch of salt and set aside to cool.
Combine in a medium-size bowl the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, 2 tablespoons parsley, the thyme, cayenne, black pepper, hot pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Work the mixture gently and thoroughly with your hands until it has an even consistently. With wet hands, shape the mixture into walnut-size balls. The meatballs can be cooked in the time it takes to boil the spaghetti.
Heat a skillet large enough to hold all the meatballs in one un-crowded layer. Add the red onion with enough olive oil to coat it lightly and cook over medium heat. When the onions begin to sizzle, add the meatballs, shaking the pan to keep them from sticking. Using tongs or a wooden spoon, gently turn and toss the onions and meatballs so they brown lightly. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, taking care that it doesn’t color. Add the tomato sauce, oregano and the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Season with salt to taste. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring the meatballs to coat them with sauce. Test for doneness by cutting one meatball in half with a paring knife. Keep warm.
The dry spaghetti will take 7 to 10 minutes to cook. Boil the pasta in a large quantity of salted water. Drain the spaghetti and turn into a pasta bowl. Pour the meatballs and sauce over the pasta. Serve with more Parmesan cheese.

Tomato Sauce

Meatball Ingredients

Rounded Meatballs

Savory Herb Meatballs with Spaghetti

Cafe Provence

2008-09-14T01:41:00.019-05:00

A few days ago I ate dinner at Café Provence, which is a French Bistro in Prairie Village. All the food had bold flavors, appetizers through desserts. My favorite dish was the Coquille Saint-Jacques. The scallops were perfectly seared atop mushrooms in a mustard cream sauce. This restaurant represented French cuisine well.

Coquille Saint-Jacques

Pan seared diver scallop, mushroom in a mustard cream sauce, bread crumb

Terrine de Foie de Canard

Duck liver and duck bfoie gras mousse, mixed greens, onion confit, cornichons

Les Escargots de Bourgogne

Wild burgundy snails, garlic and parsley butter

Saumon aux Chanterelles

Potato wrapped salmon, leek fondue, chanterelle, mushroom and beurre blanc

Poussin au Jus

Pan roasted young chicken au jus, spaghetti squash, brussel sprout

Escalope de Veau aux Câpres

Pan seared veal scaloppini, lemon butter sauce, caper, sautéed tournée yukon potato, shallot, herb de provence

Gateaux au Chocolat

Flourless chocolate cake, English cream sauce

North

2008-08-09T23:31:00.031-05:00

A few weeks ago North opened, so I decided to eat there. This restaurant is owned by FOX Restaurant Concepts based out of Arizona. This group has eleven different concepts and each of them is unique. North is Modern Italian Cuisine and has exceptional tasting appetizers and entrées. My favorite dish was the Short Rib “Osso Buco” with roasted root vegetables and white polenta. The short ribs were so tender they melted in your mouth and the polenta was rich and creamy. The only disappointment was the desserts because everything had great taste but the desserts were kind of bland. I really enjoyed North and the flavors were intense.

Crescenza Cheese Bruschetta

Asparagus, prosciutto de Parma

Meatballs

Pomodoro, Reggiano Parmesan

Prosciutto and Melon Pizza

Honeydew, cantaloupe

Pacific Bass

Eggplant ratatouille, green beans

Seared Scallops

Sweet corn orzo, organic tomato salad

Short Rib

Roasted root vegetables, white polenta

Nutella Mousse Cake

Chocolate hazelnut cake, chocolate sauce, vanilla whip cream, toasted hazelnuts

Sour Cherry Croissant Bread Pudding

Warm house-made croissant, vanilla bean gelato, sour cherry coulis

Tiramisu

Espresso, grand marnier soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone, shaved chocolate

Houlihan's

2008-08-08T20:35:00.001-05:00

I ate at Houlihan's recently in Olathe, Kansas. When looking at the menu it has a variety of cuisines from Thai to American. In addition to the regular menu Houlihan's has a seasonal menu which changes four times a year. My favorite thing was the mini desserts. I tried all of them on the menu and they each were unique in their own way. If I had to choose one though, it’d be the White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. I think it’s a great idea to have mini desserts because you’re already full but just want a little sweetness for the full experience and they’re only $2.49. Also I really liked the mini burgers. They are topped with tomato and ranch style greens on a miniature toasted bun. Houlihan's is a great restaurant that can appeal to everyone.

French Fried Asparagus

Breaded with provencal bread crumbs, lemon-horseradish créme dipping sauce

Mini Burgers

Tillamook cheddar cheese, tomato and ranch-style greens

Warm Almond Crusted Brie

Walnut raisin crisps, fig-balsamic glaze, grapes, baby greens

Almond Crusted Tilapia

Amaretto beurre blanc, fresh seasonal berries, grilled asparagus

Grilled Chile-Lime Shrimp

Pico rice, black beans, napa slaw, chipotle mayo dipping sauce

Pot Roast

Mashed potatoes, homestyle vegetables, red wine mushroom sauce

White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Fresh bananas, pastry cream, caramel drizzle, white chocolate shavings

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Cointreau chantilly cream, caramel

Chocolate Cappuccino Cake

Chocolate ganache and espresso icing, vanilla ice cream, Kahlua fudge sauce

Snickers Crunch Ice Cream Dome

Oreo and peanut crust, Kahlua fudge sauce

Créme Brûlée

Vanilla bean custard, caramelized sugar top

An American Place

2008-08-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

I ate at An American Place in St. Louis founded by Larry Forgione. Larry Forgione started a culinary revolution in America in 1979 at the River Café in Brooklyn. He had an idea to use only local ingredients in his restaurants which he learned from working in London and Paris. At this time only a few people were doing this including Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. From the eighties until now he has been considered The God Father of American Cuisine. My favorite dish at the restaurant was the Housemade Rootbeer Glazed Ribs. The ribs were covered in a spicy sauce and the blue corn fritters were a perfect match for the dish. Another great dish I had was the cheese board. All the cheeses on the plate were from American farmsteads and were served with toasted bread. Larry Forgione had great tasting food to go with the upscale atmosphere.

Lemoncello and Mint Ceviche

Fresh seafood, cucumber and red onion relish

Housemade Rootbeer Glazed Ribs

Grilled red onion rings, blue corn fritters

Grilled Sweet Corn Bisque

Chive creme fraiche, jumbo lump crabmeat, shaved jicama salad

Shrimp and Grits

Ramp greens grits, mushroom stuffed trotter, cardinale sauce

Trio of Rabbit

Smothered leg, sage sausage with cherry compote, oil poached loin and dirty rice

Prairie Grass Farm Lamb Duo

Grilled eggplant, berbere, crimson lentils, phyllo wrapped shoulder

From An American Place Cheese Board

American farmstead cheeses with toasted bread

Dark Chocolate Tart

Caramel, hazelnut oil, vanilla ice cream

Summer Berry Pudding Cake

Apple saba, honey sorbet, basil seed tuile

Caramel Roasted Apricots

Peach butter, sweet pie crust, peach leaf ice cream

Niche

2008-08-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

Gerard Craft is the chef and owner of Niche in Benton Park. He is one of the top ten chefs on the Food and Wine Magazines Best New Chefs in America List. This award is open to anyone who has been a chef for five years or less. While talking to Gerard he said he found the place on the internet while living with his wife in Salt Lake City. My favorite dish at the restaurant was the Pork Loin. The first thing I ate on the dish was the pan fried grits. The instant I ate them the flavor of Lucky Charms entered my mouth but later I found out there was white chocolate in the grits, so that made sense. The food was great and I could see why he won this award.

Dia's Cheese Bread

White Anchovies

Toast, tomato jam

Chicken Liver Terrine

Citrus-date compote, mixed greens

Pan Fried Brandade

Egg, arugula, mustard greens

Black Fin Tuna

Watermelon, basil, black olive vinaigrette

Pork Loin

Pan fried grits, corn, mustard greens, peach, sherry vinegar jus

Seared Scallops

Roasted mushrooms, sunchoke-potato puree, greens, brown butter

Roasted Chicken

Warm potato salad, smoked bacon, green beans, watermelon

Roasted Baby Beets

Feta, pistachios

Greek Yogurt Pudding

Rhubarb, pistachio shortbread

Tollhouse Pie

Ice cream, caramel, hot fudge

Cherry Upside-down Cake

Toasted almond ice cream

Seared Alaskan Halibut

2008-07-29T15:09:00.000-05:00

The other day we decided to make dinner. We started off by searing the halibut then topped it with grilled peaches, buttered grits and smoked yellow coulis.

Grilled peaches, zucchini, buttered grits, smoked yellow and gold tomato coulis

Homemade Pretzels

2008-07-28T18:11:00.015-05:00

The great thing about pretzels is they have a chewy outside and a soft inside. The other day I made homemade pretzels in the kitchen. First I made the dough from scratch and then rolled them into long ropes. After forming, blanching and baking the pretzels I put brown sugar on two of them and sea salt on the others.

Dough

Dough Ropes

Blanching

Brown Sugar Pretzel

Sea Salt Pretzel

Tomatoes

2008-07-14T11:26:00.005-05:00

The other night we started with a round, ripe golden tomato from the garden. Then we blanched and peeled it, soaked it in extra virgin olive oil and inserted basil leaves. We topped it off with sea salt, cracked black pepper and shaved parmesan.

Golden tomato, zucchini blossom, parmesan, basil leaves

Lidia's

2008-07-13T00:31:00.031-05:00

Last weekend I went to Lidia’s for dinner. This restaurant serves original Italian cuisine. Lidia Bastianich has six other restaurants throughout the country including four in New York. The most impressive dish we had was the Polipo alla Griglia con Cipolline e Patate. If you have no idea what that means it’s grilled octopus with warm potatoes, baby lima beans, red onion, Gaeta olives and capers in red wine vinaigrette.

Polipo alla Griglia con Cipolline e Patate

Grilled octopus with warm potatoes, baby lima beans, red onion, gaeta olives, capers in red wine vinaigrette

Cevapcici

Hand-rolled pork, veal and lamb sausages from the Balkans, spicy ajvar sauce

Frico

Envelope of golden-brown crisp montasio chesse, potato, leek, onion, asparagus and shrimp filling

Gnocchi con Anitra in Guaazzetto

Hand-rolled potato dumplings, slow-simmered duck, pulled duck sauce, aromatic vegetables

Pana Pescatrice in Brodetto con Carciofi

Medallions of monkfish braised in spicy brodetto, artichokes, white wine, capers, creamy polenta

Torta Del Marchese

Rich and silky vintage chocolate cake, candied amarena cherries, fresh spearmint ice cream, bittersweet chocolate curls

Torta Di Oliva e Limone

Moist olive oil and lemon cake, meyer lemon ice cream, sweet basil sauce, candied basil leaves

Tiramisu

Layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers, rum-flavored mascarpone cream, cocoa powder

Michael Smith

2008-07-10T17:31:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I went to Michael Smith for dinner. Michael Smith is a well known chef throughout the United States. His first high profile chef job was at the American Restaurant in 1994. Then he opened Forty Sardines in 2002 with his former wife Debbie Gold. Now after leaving Forty Sardines he has opened his own restaurant Michael Smith. This restaurant serves Regional American cuisine. My favorite dish was the Glazed Pork Meatballs with bean ragout, cilantro, spring onions and chorizo broth.

Glazed Pork Meatballs

Bean ragout, cilantro, spring onions, chorizo broth

Sautéed Diver Sea Scallops

Grilled onion, chorizo, saffron gastrique

Veal Sweetbread "Tart"

Bacon, cherries, sautéed spinach, créme fraiche

Grilled "Eye" of the Ribeye

Shrimp-olive bruschetta, crispy poached egg, spinach romesco

Sautéed Alaskan Halibut

Corn succotash, heirloom tomatoes, prosciutto, jasmine rice, guajilo vinaigrette

Eight Hour Pork Roast

Grilled onion risotto, jaliscan pico de gallo, natural pan sauce

Rustic Italian Doughnuts

Roasted apricots, cherries, almond crema

Blackberry and Raspberry Cobblers

Vanilla ice cream

Iced Espresso Float

Vanilla ice cream, 2 shots of the roasterie espresso, topped with coca-cola

Dinner

2008-07-08T15:47:00.008-05:00

Sunday night we cooked dinner at home the way it’s supposed to be during the summer. At 5:00 I went out to the garden to see what was ripe and cooked with those ingredients. I know most of my posts are eating out in restaurants but I also love to cook and help coordinate dinner too. Photography wise I shoot all my own photos with a Nikon D60.

Stuffed goat cheese zucchini blossoms, cherry vinaigrette, basil oil

Sourdough pan fried in olive oil, fresh mozzarella, golden tomato and jalapeno gazpacho, balsamic glaze

Seared sea scallops, lemon vinaigrette, cucumber ribbons, oranges

Seared sea scallops, golden tomato and jalapeno gazpacho, cucumber ribbons

Seared sea scallops, orange salad with lemon vinaigrette, chives

Blanc burgers+bottles

2008-06-30T21:33:00.010-05:00

Last weekend I went to Blanc burgers+bottles. Blanc in French means white so everything in the restaurant was white. When you first walk in you see a white bar with neon lights changing colors frequently. It was unique to see forty-nine different kinds of bottled sodas; I thought it was pretty cool. I ate the Classic Burger, which was topped with aged NY white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, homemade pickles and made-from-scratch ketchup + mustard. I think the coolest part of the meal though, were the French fries. When they came out they were hot and thinly cut, arranged in a shopping cart. Blanc makes great burgers and has an insane selection of beverages to go along with it. All in all Blanc is great at what they do.

Calamari "Fries"

Cormeal-dusted calamari, lemon-lime aioi

B.L.T Salad

Romaine, applewood-smoked bacon, maytag blue cheese, avocado, tomato, black mustard seed ranch

Classic

Aged NY white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, homemade pickles, red onion, made-from-scratch ketchup + mustard, sesame brioche bun

Inside Out

Blue chesse-stuffed burger, applewood-smoked bacon, onion ring, ketchup, mustard, butter lettuce, onion brioche bun

Hand Cut Fries

Served with Made-from-scratch ketchup, whole grain mustard, chipotle aioli

Blue Koi

2008-06-26T21:38:00.021-05:00

On Friday night I went to Blue Koi. It was in a new building with traditional noodle and dumpling dishes. A unique drink they serve is the flavored bubble tea, which is an ice-cold tea latte with tapioca pearls. It’s a weird feeling when drinking an iced latte to have soft tapioca balls come through the straw. My favorite dish was the Spicy Chili Pepper Wontons. It had a nice kick with the Red Chili’s but wasn’t unbearable. Blue Koi serves great traditional Chinese cuisine and has great service to back it up.

Spicy Chili Pepper Wontons

Pan fried Northern Chinese style dumplings with spicy red chili’s, cilantro, scallions, fried garlic

Blue Koi Druck Wrap

Roast duck, cucumber, onions, cilantro and hoising sauce in a soft wrap

Pork Dumplings

Boiled

Cantonese Roast Duck

Roast duck, rice

Ants On a Tree

Sauteéd minced pork, bean noodle

Cheesecake Wontons

Pot Pie

2008-06-16T21:40:00.008-05:00

The other night I went to an interesting restaurant, Pot Pie. When you sat down there wasn't a menu but instead it was listed on a chalkboard. It’s a small place with great food and they're not trying to become famous. My favorite dish was The “Pan Roasted Chicken” with mashed potatoes, green beans and pan jus. The chicken sat on a mound of mashed potatoes with a heavy topping of pan jus.The green beans were lightly tossed with butter and salt. This is a really straight forward preparation that focused on the basics of cooking. Overall this restaurant was great with a good independent atmosphere.

Pan roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and pan jus

Chez Panisse

2008-06-07T19:17:00.034-05:00

Chez Panisse is owned by Alice Waters. Alice Waters became famous in the 1970’s and was credited for creating a culinary revolution in the United States. She’s an advocate of fresh and locally grown ingredients in her restaurants. She also believes to eat what’s in season because the mass shipping of food is harmful to the environment. When you first walk into Chez Panisse there are two dining rooms, one for lunch and one for dinner. During lunch there is a very elegant but laid back feel in the restaurant. My favorite dish was the Hand-cut pasta topped with Keller Ranch veal ragù and peas. This dish was unique with the hand-cut noodles but also tasted extraordinary. Alice Waters also owns Café Fanny in West Berkeley, California which serves breakfast and lunch daily.

Bread

Baked Andante

Baked andante dairy goat cheese, garden lettuces

Pizzetta

Spring onions, smoked sablefish, capers

Hand-Cut Pasta

Keller Ranch veal ragù, peas

Fried Bolinas Rockfish

Coleslaw, tartar sauce

Grilled Chicken Leg

Grilled mary's farm chicken al mattone, brussels sprouts, cipollini, wild mushrooms

Pink Lady Apple

Walnut tart, calvados ice cream

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Blood orange-caramel compote, mexican wedding cookies

Salt House

2008-06-02T13:29:00.017-05:00

The building Salt House is in was a printing press warehouse in the 1930’s. Now it’s a restaurant that serves Contemporary American cuisine. The two chefs at Salt House are brothers, Mitchell Rosenthal and Steven Rosenthal. My favorite dish was the Poutine topped with short rib gravy and Bravo Farms cheddar. It probably wasn’t the healthiest thing ever but it tasted great.

Yellowfin Tuna

Leeks, radish, truffle vinaigrette

Poutine

Crispy potato, short rib gravy, bravo farms cheddar

Baked Oysters

Bacon, leeks, spinach

Dayboat Scallops

Smoked trout, parsnip-bacon cake, manilla clams

Beef Short Rib

Green garlic, leeks, potatoes, short rib bordelaise

Fulton Valley Chicken

Red cabbage, fingerlings, grain mustard poultry jus

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Cereal ice milk

Cookie Plate

Warm Sticky Bun

Toasted pecans, cream chesse ice cream

Foreign Cinema

2008-05-30T22:49:00.002-05:00

After you go to Foreign Cinema you’ll know what brunch is really about. They serve a California/Mediterranean inspired menu and opened in 1999. Most nights at dusk they show foreign and independent movies in the courtyard. My favorite side dish was the Smoked Bacon. The bacon was slow-cooked with brown sugar and I would die to have it again. The two chefs who are currently operating Foreign Cinema are Gayle Pirie and John Clark.

Fresh Fruit

Blackberries, oranges, pear, fromage blanc, saba, almonds, mint

Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon, grapefruit, jicama, cress, crème fraiche, marash pepper

Pop Tart

Fruit "Pop Tart": huckleberry

Two Poached Eggs

Moroccan duck breast, frisee, currants, chickpeas, croutons

Croque Monsieur

French ham and Gruyere sandwich, cornichon, french fries

Fried Eggs

Virgin olive oil fried eggs deglazed with balsamic vinegar, roasted garlic-potato hash, greens

Chicken Sausages

Smoked Bacon

Slow-cooked brown sugar smoked bacon

Citizen Cake- Hot Chocolate with Homemade Marshmallows

2008-04-23T21:30:00.002-05:00

Citizen Cake- Petite Gelée

2008-04-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

Citizen Cake- Lemon Meringue Pie

2008-04-23T21:13:00.001-05:00

Citizen Cake- Mocha Mi Su

2008-04-20T11:50:00.001-05:00

Citizen Cake- Double Chocolate Cake

2008-04-20T00:42:00.001-05:00

Citizen Cake- Cappuccino Cake

2008-04-20T00:38:00.001-05:00