French Laundry

No words needed

No words needed

Yes, yes, yes.  OH YES.  I finally had an opportunity to dine at the mecca of West Coast Dining, Thomas Keller’s ode to amazing, The French Laundry.  It has been many, many years of longing to finally get onto the hollowed grounds.  I have been by it.  I have seen the gardens.  I have had friends who have dined.  I have eaten at Ad Hoc, right down the street.   But, never ever, been inside the lovely world of Mr. Keller’s old Laundry.

There is almost something magical about putting on a nice suit and tie for dinner.  Then cruising through the lovely vineyards of Napa knowing a gastronomic feast is about the happen.  There is no valet, no problem parking, in fact we parked a few blocks away, knowing we would want to walk off this meal.  It’s almost other worldly around twilight in Yountville.  A quaint small town surrounded by some of the top wine producers in the world.  Well, definitely some of the best in North America.  There, happy?   I for one love French wine, and long for it at times, but also have come to revere what some winemakers are doing up here.   But I digress, and am getting sidetracked by my love of fermented grape juice.

Just walking into the area where Mr. Keller’s first garden was, your hair stands on end.  Especially if you are culinary nerd/junky. Imagining all the meals that have come out of that kitchen right there, all the people who have come up through the ranks in that kitchen, and all the people who have dined here, well, it’s exciting.

Getting handed the iPad with the wine list is a daunting task.  Being hungry and excited doesn’t help.  But I figured when in Rome, and ordered some traditional French bubbles to start us out while taking in the menu.   As you may or may not know, there is a tasting menu each night, with a meat or veggie option.  I had no problem deciding about which to try.  But some in the group saw some of the veggie options and were torn.  There were some delicious sounding items, but I had to go meat.  If nothing else than to hopefully have some amazing sous vide meats.   I know, I know, you can sous vide vegetables, which I have done.  But, give me a break, this technique has been perfected for meat.   I own a sous vide, and have an autographed copy of Mr. Keller’s book Under Pressure.   Which has offered me great insight into not only his techniques, but a certain creative philosophy.

On top of picking which tasting menu, there were other choices within each menu.  For the meat side there was an oyster/caviar decision, a second course option, a fish course option and a dessert option.  You could stick with the regular menu, or for a small extra fee, add on.  Well I took one option of the two extra priced options, as the fish and dessert was just a simple pick.   Still a difficult one, none the less.

There is always something fun about getting some friends together and getting gussied up for dinner.  Sitting in a small dining room, having amazing service and sipping champagne.   So this is how the other half lives, ALL the time.   Not just this single evening, going through a wine list that has bottles for well over ten thousand dollars.   I can only imagine.   Maybe one day I can cozy up to someone who will open one.  Just to try, just once.   Many, many, many years ago at Bastide in Los Angeles, I happened to be dining when the crazy owner Joe Pytka was present, and the sommelier shared with us a bottle from 1917 that was made for the czar.   Nothing crazy amazingly delicious.   But the thrill of having something that old was a great rush.

Anywho, we all decided, I ordered a Sancerre to have next and we drank bubbles as our amuse was brought out.   Basically a raw tuna ice cream cone.  Awesome.  And no, there was no bite of chocolate in the bottom of the cone, as some would of suggested at our table.

Chef's Tasting Menu

Starting with oysters and caviar never sounds like a bad start to what is going to be a phenomenal meal.   I stuck with the original, not the supplemental, which I did get to try though!  But poached oysters with tapioca and caviar is a perfect combination that was one of the best of the night.  Just such big, bright, happy flavors dancing around in my mouth.  The memory is still strong.  As good as it was, I don’t think I could of done a whole big plate.  Or maybe I could of.  Guess I’ll have to try it at a later date.

The next dish I did get the supplement, which had wilted ramps.  Now I have slowly fallen in love with the delicate, exquisite flavors of ramps, basically a wild onion that grows only in certain areas of the East Coast in Spring.  I had never heard of them for many years growing up back East, and since I was first taken down the ramp path, I have never turned back.  I always pick them when they are in season and on a menu.  Of course throw some black truffles on top, and Wha-La a genius dish of epic proportions.  Actually throw, many, many finely ground black truffles on top.  Black Truffles that are presented in a lovely wooden box, to preserve the freshness, and make for an elegant delivery system.  The dense earthy flavors went tremendous with the Sancerre we were drinking.  So many levels and depth of flavor.  Again, another dish I could eat again, and again, and again.

For my next pick I took the halibut.  Because I’ve never met a halibut I didn’t love, and also soft shelled crab is hit or miss for me.  Some days it just doesn’t work for me the way I’d like.  What with the shell, and the strange crunchy-ness, not that it’s a bad thing, but I have to be in the mood.  Although I must say, the Halibut was a little underwhelming.  It couldn’t keep up with all the other flavors on the plate.  And, I hate, no I dare not say, but I will, the fish seemed a dash overdone.  It wasn’t as fresh and easy-going as I find halibut to be.  It was still good, just not a home run piece of fish, especially after the two previous dishes.

And just like that, whoosh, comes more graceful elegance in the form of lobster mitts.  Oh lobster, you fiendishly delicious scoundrel.  I hardly had another second to put forth thinking about the last dish.  Add in some English pea puree, and I was transported somewhere else, to another time, another place.   There was also a Ginger-Carrot Mousseline that was divine and brought all the brightness out of all the other elements on the plate.  I enjoyed this dish thoroughly.  To the point I would of made an ass of myself just to lick the plate and not lose one iota of those flavors, if to just savor them, one last moment, before losing them forever.  Now you must be thinking I’m either insane or unstable, which has been mentioned from time to time, although that has nothing to do with how amazing this plate of food was.  I heard someone say once, “Happiness is a warm gun”.  I believe happiness to be warm lobster mitts in this dish.  Beautiful

Then there was another “blah” dish for me.  The rabbit.  Although I did enjoy the apricot and quinoa elements.  The rabbit though, didn’t offer my palate that “Wow” factor.  I was left longing for something more.  It wasn’t bad mind you, but after some of those other dishes, like I said, there was no “Wow”.  Now I didn’t send it back, or not finish the dish.  No, no, no.  I finished it up to the last bite.  Because this dish was still from The French Laundry, and was still something I had never seen before, nor probably will in quite some time.  It could of been a rock star item on many, many other restaurant’s menus.  C’est Le Vie.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.  Now, now we were having a rock star moment, and my sous vide experience could be complete.  There was a short-rib.  An exquisite specimen of beef, slow cooked and fork tender.  With a tremendous sauce and some very tasty components that went into making a nearly, nie, a perfect dish.  This is the point in the dinner where tensions ran high in our group, as discussions started as to which dish was the best of the night.  To which I said, this one was the clear winner.   Which alas it was.  Paired with an equally exquisite Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and I was in heaven.

Then I was drug back down to Earth, and had a very pungent cheese course.  Now, not pungent in a terribly bad way.  Just a very hard smack across the cheek.  The flavor assaulted my taste buds.  I am nowhere near experienced enough in my culinary career to judge cheese.   It was too much on the palate after that last amazing dish.  I can appreciate it, for sure.  I just didn’t want to at this moment.  It was alright in the grand scheme of things.  My senses and palate were awoken for the many dessert courses.  And yes, I said many.

At this point my notes and memory start to fade a bit.  I have a dark, blurry picture of the starting point, which, I believe was a sorbet, with some tasty bits around it.  Sorry to let it fade, but there were some awesomeness upcoming.  This was followed by our dessert choice.  I made a mistake and got the princess cake.  Which was good, and hit the spot, because cake and marzipan are never bad.  But I should of gotten the chocolate dish.  Oh well.  I was trying to change it up from my usual chocoholic self.  I did get my fix shortly though.  Thankfully.  In a flurry we had a mocha, for lack of a better word I have forgotten, parfait.  That doesn’t do justice, but served in a nice neat tall glass, chilled to perfection, and having a near perfect balance of sweetness and flavor.  There were beignets.  Fresh, light, airy, amazing beignets.  These would of won over any New Orleans-er.  There was also a special homemade chocolates box.  A large beautifully crafted wooden box filled with amazing flavors of bite sized chocolates.  Stout, mint, truffle, hazelnut, and on and on.  Luckily I let the others pick first, and found out I could take more than one!! Suckers!!!  They all took only one, and I had the pleasure of trying of few tasty morsels.  There were also freshly made salted caramels (which ended up in my coat pocket) (and were awesome-sauce).

Now this was not cheap.  And it was not easy to get a reservation.  But it is small and intimate.  And also one of the, if not the best meal I have ever been on the receiving end of, and in my opinion worth every penny.   Whereas some of my dining companions have had their thirst quenched, and don’t see or feel a need to come back, I am of the ilk that I want this “punishment” again.  And would gladly pay the entrance fee to partake once again.  I thoroughly thought it was worth getting this kind of dining experience.  It is not every day you get to see this kind of dedication of every single person who worked there.   I could go back right now and love every second of it once again.

Go.

Try it once.

You will not be disappointed.

Cheers

iNG Restaurant: Chicago, Illinois

A week ago, I had the opportunity to not only go to, but to be “Chef for a day” at iNG restaurant in Chicago.  If you do not know it, it is the sister restaurant to Moto, Chef, Owner, and Michelin star winner Homaro Cantu’s two amazing molecular gastronomy establishment’s in the Fulton River District.

Chef Cantu started doing experiments with the miracle berry at Moto and because of the response opened up iNG so he could continue his “flavor-tripping” experience in a new place.  iNG stands for Imagining New Gastronomy, which it really is.  I had never been exposed to the miracle berry before this day, and it truly is a trippy experience.

But I digress, I actually got to see the workings of the kitchen, where the magic happens.  I first got to meet the Chef at iNG, Charlie Harrison.  He showed me around and got me set up with a coat and apron.  Although we had to go to Moto to find my size.  I haven’t comfortably fit into a L in quite a few years.  Luckily Moto had a few extra XL that fit much, much better.  After, I got a tour of the kitchen and met all the crew who are lucky enough to make the magic happen in such a creative place.  They have been doing a 10 course tasting menu including the miracle berry.  So things were already happening when I showed up at one o’clock.  Now the miracle berry isn’t included in all the dishes.  Mostly just sweet dishes, where they want to highlight the non-use of sugar.   Yes, they use no actual sugar.  Because the miracle berry temporarily blocks your ability to taste sour, and makes bitter even taste good.

So I had the opportunity to watch the pastry end of the kitchen to start.  Helping to get some Pomegranate seeds out of the fruit to be included in the Lemon Tart that night.  Seeing the use of liquid nitrogen for the yogurt dessert was also very intriguing.  It was a lot like when I was a kid and got to be behind the scenes and meet some of the Philadelphia Phillies.  A very exciting experience.  Nothing like being in the kitchen and seeing how your dinner that night will be made.  Especially when Molecular Gastronomy is in use!

I got to help cut, slice, and prep some other things.  I haven’t worked in a kitchen for quite some time, so it took me back.  I always found that kitchens have a very strong camaraderie.   Seeing how the crew is given a lot of free reign to be creative.  Even though they were serving the same 10 course tasting menu, most nights, some of the dishes are changed slightly, either by a mention by a diner, or by the cook who thought it could be better.   I love this type of cooking.   Don’t do the same thing night after night.  Change it up, taste, taste, taste.   See what works.  See how it can be better.  The Wings dish was one of the dishes that has been undergoing constant improvement.  I was able to help out a bit on this dish, which was thrilling.

Let’s get into the meal itself, shall we?  10 courses.  Four of them were dessert dishes using the miracle berry.  Paired with all kinds of tasty beverages, from beer to wine to cocktails.

To start we had our first taste of miracle berry, which really worked for the cocktail for me.  We had a Capon Puff with Feta, Nectarine and Cherry.   Paired with a Lemon Drop Gin-Sphere.  This is where the berry comes in, to take away the tartness of the Lemon Drop and make it sweeter and a really, really nice drink.  The Capon puff was good, but in the grand taste of the whole meal, seemed to get lost a bit.

Next, was a Crab Rangoon, which was very delicious.   It wasn’t served like a traditional simple Rangoon you find at the corner Chinese Take-Out.  Of course they had to add their own tasty twist.  It was a very simple dish, small, and packed with very intense flavors.

A great, great flavor packed dish was brought out now.  It was their “Wings”.  And it was tremendous.  Although I was a bit prejudiced, as I had assisted with this earlier.   This was one of the dishes that had been evolving since they started this tasting menu.  There were no bones, not even a wing looking piece of  meat.  The duck is braised all day, which made the kitchen smell fantastic.  They were cooked down till they were fall off the bone, and were then deboned.  The meat was put in the food processor, laid out on a sheet pan, and chilled.  Along with some other little tricks, they got a sheet of meat.  I never thought I’d ever say something like “sheet of meat”, but it works.  You could insert _______ of meat and I’d most probably be down for such a thing.  Well now the sheet was cut down into cubes, placed around the plate with a Jalapeno-Apricot sauce/jam.  Really, really, really tasty.  For such a small unassuming plate to give so much flavor was amazing.  We all ate every last morsel.  This was served with beer.   Which makes total sense.  Alpha King by Three Floyds.  Wow, just wow.   An excellent combo.  I could of just had a liter of that beer with a large plate of the duck, and been totally content.

 

Pizza.  When someone talks about it, everyone has an opinion.   EVERY.  ONE.  NY style, Chicago deep dish, thin, thick, rustic, etc….  Pizza is one of the most loved and hated foods.   Do it right, and you have a wait every single day.  Do it wrong, and you are sent adrift in the solitary culinary seas.  Or, you can totally re-think the whole pizza thing, and mess with one of the most beloved foods, and come up with Executive Chef Charlie’s deconstructed pizza.  A tomato reduction.  Freeze dried venison pepperoni.  All the things of Molecular Gastronomy that would make anyone wonder why you rethink a world wide classic.  Well if you had this, you would wonder what all the hub-bub was about.   This pizza was, dare I say, truly outside the box fantastic.   We all loved it.  LOVED IT.  The flavors were all there.  Served on a plank from a whiskey barrel, and I was in love.  I would of never guessed you could do this deconstruction and have me not only enjoy it, but to crave more.  (Chef Charlie sent us another round)  which the ladies did not want, but which every crumb was again gone.  One of the favorites of the night, especially when you pair it with an Ale from Belgium.   I know, a double win!  La Chouffe by Brasserie D’Achoufe.

 

Another beloved food???  Tubular meats.  Made with fresh game.  Venison Bratwurst.  Another of the dishes that was tinkered with over the course of the first weeks of the tasting menu.   It is served with Mustard, Cabbage and Peanuts.  Simple ingredients.  How do you change this classic dish??  Well you leave the Brat to it’s own accord.   Homemade sausages are always packed with all kinds of deliciousness.  Well to adjust the dish to take it from great, to insanely good, you need to play with your food.   Never to just sit on their laurels, they work on the mustard and peanuts every day.  I got to see how the mustard evolved to the one served this day.  I mean this was no regular mustard.  I don’t want to give away the secrets, but it was probably the best condiment I have ever done had.  The nuts were baked, and sweet, and a perfect compliment to the tanginess of the mustard.   Another great, great dish, and served with another beer that was terrific, with more great beer.  Autumnal by Stillwater Artisanal Ales.  YUM

Korean Beef.  Korean Beef.  Korean Beef.  There is just something about those two words put together that make the hair on my arms stand up.  Especially when you throw in SHORT RIB.    THEN, throw in some French wine.  Estibals by L’Ostal Cazes in Minervois.   The Ribs came with Lemongrass and Ginger.   They were so tender.  So packed with flavor.  So Awesome!!!  This was the dish that put us over the edge of loving this place, and this tasting menu.  I really have nothing else to say about this dish.  It was perfect and amazing.   And to boot, one of the pieces was a little fatty, which I love, but they saw two of us switch plates, so they fired another one, and we got another bonus dish.   This is one of the little things that takes a restaurant from good to great.  It also shows that they have a great team here that is in tune with their guests.  FYI, the fatty piece was terrific.

 

We then went into four desserts, a Lemon Tart, a Yogurt Parfait, a Chocolate Buckeye and a Semifreddo.  We had miracle berry with them, and you could never tell there was no sugars in them.   I would of guessed they were packed with sugar.   The Yogurt was a real neat, interesting play on a dessert.  They used liquid nitrogen to freeze up the Yogurt.  Our favorite was not the chocolate, which I loved, but the Semifreddo.  It had some pickled grapefruit, clove and chicory.   Oh man.  Man, oh man.  This dish was one of the most eccentric desserts I ever had, but one that sung in harmony.  Tremendous.  And yes, the Buckeye with peanut butter was also a hit. A good mix of delicious ingredients.  The neatest aspect was the serving of a Washington state Cabernet Sauvignon with the Buckeye.  When tasted after ingesting the miracle berry, it turned this big, bold Cab into a smooth and creamy Port.  It really was a mind blowing experience.

 

So to sum up.  Go to Moto.  Go to iNG.  Try things you wouldn’t normally order and go with an open mind.  Don’t over think and go to enjoy.  Sometimes nowadays, when everyone is a food expert, you forget the little things.  To sit with good company, and just eat to enjoy.  Put the phones down.  Have some good conversation.  Consume some good wine.  Order some food you normally wouldn’t.   Then eat every single thing.  Licking the plate is optional.

 

iNG Restaurant  http://ingrestaurant.com/

Moto Restaurant http://www.motorestaurant.com/

Homaru Cantu http://www.cantudesigns.com/

 

 

Chef Homaro Cantu

Chef Homaro Cantu

Test Kitchen LA

I had an opportunity to attend a night of fantastic food and wine downtown at this year’s incantation of Test Kitchen LA. http://testkitchenla.com/. This year’ s residency is downtown in the soon to be opened Italian themed Bestia. A very lovely space off 7th and Santa Fe. The inside is a nice blend of rustic and industrial, with a nice long bar upon entrance.

So to start why not indulge in one of the nights special cocktails. The cocktail menu was created by Julian Cox and Chris Day. The original sommelier who started the wine experience for Test Kitchen is a delightful and well versed wino, Josh Goldman. The beverages offered all looked great, but we settled for the Hat Tip a whiskey, vermouth and bitters concoction that was smooth and refreshing. I love, a great Manhattan, this was a close relative, which I utterly loved. My lady friend went for the subtlety named The Obligatory Vodka Drink which was as whimsical as its name. Packed with fennel infused vodka, grapefruit, luxardo bitter, psychaud and seltzer. I don’t know what some of those ingredients are, but they all worked fantastically together. For the rest of dinner we opted for the wine pairing that was $40 each which included some off the beaten track options from California and Italy. I was actually thrilled at our pours. Very, very enjoyable. Plus, the pours were not stingy. I have a large pet peeve when doing wine pairings, and there is not enough. Well, I guess everyone complains about that, but I like to have some wine to enjoy on their own, and then enough wine left over to compliment the food. Is that too much to ask?? No, I think not.

October 28, 2012

For this past Sunday, October 28, our chefs of the night were Jason Bowlin and Jason Travi with the dessert courses by Miho Travi and Nicole Rucker. The night’s theme was a family style fried chicken dinner.   I for one, am a sucker for a well done Fried Chicken, and make my own cast iron skillet Fried Chicken I’ve been told kicks ass.  So I don’t take a poorly done Chicken very well.  The skin must, must, must be flavorful AND crunchy.  No mushy, bland oily bread crumby crap.  But I digress, as there are many other things to talk about when one brings up this dinner.

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Although it started with Market Pickles, and I know pickling is all the rage now, but it’s a little overdone.   It’s on sandwiches and the so-forth and the like.  The Prosecco served with it was divine though, and really brought out the acid’s in the pickles.   So all in all, not a total fail.  There was then a nice easy, vibrant salad of Tomatoes, Peppers and Burrata.  Again, as far as Burrata is concerned it is an ingredient that is used A LOT, but I am a sucker for the good, clean, rich, fresh stuff.   So this dish was good, not knock my socks off amazing, but very, very good.  We had a Chardonnay from Mendocino that was totally done in a traditional French way.  Which is terrific if you didn’t know.

Then, the family style began, and we were overwhelmed.  Lost Recipe Fried Chicken, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Roast Corn and Pole Beans, Cauliflower Pimenton and Garlic, Napa Cabbage Slaw with Pink Ladies and Fresno Chile.  Wow.  That ALL came at once.  Our table was packed.  And the plates were not for the faint of heart, or Hollywood wanna-be actress types.   There was A LOT of food.  And it was all good.  Some very, very good.  To start with, the chicken was divine.  Heavenly.  A light, yet thick outer crust that was packed with all the flavors you want and expect in Fried Chicken.  Inside, the meat was cooked to perfection, with no oiliness, but all the delicious yumminess one expects.  Thank You for this.  It was done with care.  There is a local Frenchman who might want to look over his shoulder at this recipe and these folks.   I could take a plate of those drumsticks right the F now.  At this point we got a red wine.  And not just any red.  Knowing that Josh had a bit to do with the wine selection, this seems right up his alley.  A rare Italian red from Puglia.  2010 Palama, “Arcangelo” Salice Salentino.   Man O’ Man.  Tasty stuff.  Makes me glad we didn’t open the Pinotage I brought.  This baby brought that light tannin, heavy acid I want with Fried anything.  Especially with the acidity of the other dishes it all was a perfect melody.   Our other outstanding dishes were the Napa Cabbage Slaw which had a depth of flavor unmatched to any other slaw I’ve had. And the Cauliflower.   Yes, Broccoli’s less than respected cousin.  But in the hands of the chefs here, it stood out on it’s own, and was one of the only dishes totally wiped clean.   I wasn’t sure all the flavors and whatnots working amongst the dish as a whole, but Oh-LA-LA, it all worked.

So now, dessert.  I could of gone without it.  But who am I kidding, or trying to impress.  With a meal like this, at a place like this, with chef’s like this.  One must have the prepared dessert.  Not one, mind you.  No, silly boy, two.  An Apple and Quince Pie with Cheddar and a Maple Buttermilk Pie with Cranberries.  Holy Mother of all that is delicious.  And her mother, and all their friends.   Again, I shall proclaim my love for a dish I find divine.  That of a warm baked apple pie.  Throw on some Cheddar for my Mid-West friends, and I’m in love.  So as I dig in, totally ignoring the other large slice of pie staring at us, I realize my lady has dug into the Maple Buttermilk Pie and is stone cold quiet.  Deathly quiet.  With good reason.  This just might be the most perfect pie we have every had.  Seriously.  Epic Slice.  We almost came to blows over the last bites.  It was so rich, yet so light and exploding with flavor.   That poor Apple Pie had no chance.   It got pushed aside like some Step-Kardashian.   I must get this Buttermilk recipe and try to replicate.  At once.  I could win next week’s Presidential election with this pie.   It was that good.   Served with a nice, crisp, balanced Moscato, again from Puglia, everything here made me not want to leave.  I could of taken a cue from one the local actresses and made more room for another full sitting.

But alas, the rest of Sunday night was calling, and there was Scotch coming.   Some very excellent single malt was coming over to say HI!!  So I could not miss this meeting.

As much as I could of polished off more Chicken and more Pie.

 

This was once and done dear people’s.   But lo and behold there are still more Test Kitchen nights with other great amazing local chefs.   So go.  Eat.  Enjoy.

 

Cheers,

Chris

Superba Snack Bar!!

So I first met Chef Jason Neroni at Cochon 555 this past spring at The House of Blues. I was blown away by his amazing pasta dishes where he included to honored guest of swine. I chatted with him for a while, listening to his plans for a “snack bar” in Venice. I was very intrigued by the concept, and his cooking. I sat waiting all summer till I heard that he had finally opened. Last week, I found myself in Venice at dinner time, and secured a seat at the bar that overlooks the kitchen.

Upon first entering, I was greeted by, not one, not, two, but three friendly people who made me feel right at home. One of the qualities I look for in a restaurant that separates the good from the great. The wine stewart, as I see it gave me a menu and a wine list. He’s not quite a bartender, as they only have beer and wine, but still slings the drinks. I ordered a Riesling from Oregon I believe, and it was very tasty. Acid and green fruit in a perfect delicate balance. Upon sipping it I got the opportunity to chat with Chef Neroni, and ask him about his menu. It was broken up into sections like, cold cuts, from our backyards, snacks and from our backyards. I had many choices in front of me, and not enough stomach. Luckily I had a friend meeting, so we could share more dishes.

I loved the decor and overall layout of the place. As the sun was setting, the large glass windows in front folded back into the wall to really open the place up. The look and vibe reminded me of hip, fast paced New York restaurant. From the subway tiles that lined the wall in half the kitchen, to the wall of wall bottles, it just feels “right” inside. I love to sit and overlook the kitchen. Especially with a staff that enjoy their jobs, and interact with the customers. Watching the graceful ballet that unfolds in front of you during service, is a sight to behold.

We started with an item from the “cold cuts” portion of the menu. The Pheasant Rillette with chives and pickled mushrooms. With some little toast points, holy moley. Tasty, tasty, tasty. The flavors that were packed into that Rillette made my mouth sing. Wow. Usually I can get my ‘fill’ of Rillette’s, Mousse’s and Terrine’s. But I could of ate a whole plate of this. Just enough gamey flavor mixed with the rich deep flavors. And Pheasant. That is not something you see on a menu a lot.

Next, from the backyard, we tried the Cauliflower T-Bone. Yes, we wondered as well. Is it a meat dish? Is it just Cauliflower?? Well, rest assured, it is all Cauliflower, and the T-Bone name is apropos. A large head of Cauliflower grilled like a steak, with a basil purée and orange/olive pistou.
Again, the flavors exploded my senses into overdrive, and we polished off that plate in no time. The grill marks really added another level to this dish. I’m actually having a hard time explained the complexity of this. But just know, it was truly delicious.

Then, after much cajoling from Jason and the bartender, we tried the Fried Chicken, from the “snacks” section. This was no ordinary Fried Chicken, it was layered and complex. There was a red wine glaze on top, and pickled chilies and parm. Well done again, Chef. Well done again. The glaze was epic. A rich, sweet coating that stuck in all the crispy fried skin, turning every bite into a little slice of heaven. One of THE best Fried Chickens I have ever done tasted. Skin? Perfect. Meat? Perfect. Glaze? Perfect. Add in the chilies, which added just the most sublime hint if flavor, and I’m in love. Just remembering that plate of food, my mouth is watering.

Think you could top that??? Well Jason did. With his Smoked Bucatini Carbonara with pancetta, black pepper and topped with an egg. A sous vide egg to boot. So you get All that eggy goodness!! A dish like I’ve never before tasted. Ever. The Bucatini was cold smoked separately, and that layer of flavor melded well with the saltiness of the pancetta. Again, another fantastic dish by Chef Neroni. I am a hard critic of not only pasta, but carbonara. And both meet my high standards. The egg blended in with the sauce in a delightful manner. I loved this dish. Go here. Order this. Eat it all. You will be pleased.

We even got a special treat from Jason, a thick slice of sous vide bacon/pork belly that was then grilled and covered in a thick maple sauce. Boom. Delicious. Our bartender was a bit jealous because he hadn’t even got a chance to try. I’m not sure how it will be incorporated in the menu, so be on the lookout.

A true breath of fresh air in the LA restaurant scene. A one of a kind, and it’s my kind. I hope to be back soon and try even more if the dishes.

http://superbasnackbar.com/

Cheers

5X5 Collaboration, INK, 9/16/2012

Ink Restaurant

Entrance INK

WAIT!?!?!?   A five chef collaborative, progressive dinner you say??  Here in LA?  And it happens more than once?  Well there has been a few incarnations of the famous 5X5 dinner for charity.  Last Sunday’s was the last of the year, and at Michael Voltaggio’s ink   http://mvink.com/.  The group who got together for the 2012 edition were, Voltaggio along with Josiah Citrin of Melisse http://melisse.com/, Rory Herrmann of Bouchon http://bouchonbistro.com/ , Michael Cimarusti of Providence http://www.providencela.com/, Gino Angelini of Angelini Osteria http://www.angeliniosteria.com/along with special out of town guests, Bryan Voltaggio of Volt http://www.voltrestaurant.com/and Alex Talbot from Ideas in Food http://blog.ideasinfood.com/

If you know me, or have read anything else I’ve done in regards to eating, you would know I very much ink.   It is one of my favorite in the city.  A city that is often disparaged when it comes to it’s dining scene.  But here is one of the shining stars in the restaurant world.  From service to the actual eating, everything is top notch.  Tip top notch.  One thing I hold in high regard when dining, is service.  Are there enough people on the floor, are they paying attention, is everything running smooth, are you missing anything, are they pleasant?  Amongst other notable needs of any person in the service industry.  From the buser to the host, how does it all run?  At ink, it is a well oiled machine.  Every.  Single.  Time.  I respect, and admire that.

Voltaggio Brothers in the Pass

And for this special night they brought in some talented and fun hired guns.  Josh Goldman, who was Voltaggio’s old Sommelier, GM, and general confidant.  A man well versed on the in’s and out’s of fine dining and drinking.  I mean, he did work at one time for Joe Pytka.  He has since moved on to other ventures, which don’t involve as much time on a floor for a night’s service.  He has maintained his charm, and general great attitude.  Joining him in helping run the floor service was Donato Poto, the GM and owner of Providence, where Michael Cimarusti is chef http://www.providencela.com/  one of the few Two Michelin starred restaurants in Los Angeles.  And, in my opinion, the classiest, most innovative seafood restaurant in Los Angeles.

menu for 5X5. 9-16-2012

So all the pieces were in place for a dining experience for the ages.  Leading off was the host himself, M. Voltaggio and his ‘snacks’.  And not your average, ordinary ‘starter’ snacks.  I mean what would you expect from Mr. Voltaggio??  Chicken fingers??  Get outta here.  This dish started off the evening in an outstanding way.

It was a slate serving platter with homemade sour cream, fried beef tendons, and a bag of cool ranch “Doritos’s”.  A well thought out and delivered snack.   The beef tendons were so light and crispy.  I didn’t know you could ever get tendon to melt in your mouth.  Accompaning this was a tiny bouquet and BBQ mushrooms.   A small portable salad wrapped in rice paper was a handheld salad.  Fresh, crisp, clean flavors.  Underneath were some small radishes that had a BBQ mushroom dusting.  It was like a light rocky dusting of mushrooms with a dollop of pho.  Packed, literally packed with flavors.  The description doesn’t do it justice.   Definitely something that needed to be tasted to get the whole gravity of this dish.  Very, very nice, a great way to start this night.

Next up was Josiah Citrin’s Avocado Gazpacho.  It was a bowl with amazing hokkaido scallop, king crab, oyster, and a mariscos cocktail granite.  On top of this was poured the gazpacho over-top.  Man, oh man.  Talk about a dish filled and packed with flavors!  The scallop and crab were just a delight.  The surprise was the mariscos cocktail, an icy delight that slowly melted and melded into the rest of the dish.  This was the dish that we wanted to be uncouth and lick the plate.  The gazpacho was so rich and creamy.   The dish was served with a nice Italian white, Fiano di Avellino, 2009 Campania, Italy.  Matched so well.   The acids in the wine really worked well with the seafood.  A real delight.

Next, we had Rory Hermann’s Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm with heirloom beets, young fennel, candied macadamia nut and beet vinaigrette.  A very, very, interesting dish.   Just how every single component was thought out and put together was really great.  This wasn’t just whipped together.  Each individual part could stand on it’s on.  The center hearts of palm was a rich creamy terrine topped with some of the nuts and beets.  A very inventive dish.  It was paired with a Grenache from Martian Ranch, Santa Barbara, CA 2011.   The wine was young, but the fruit forward flavors and subtle acid’s made it work together.

And then, was my favorite dish of the night.   Michael Cimarusti who knows how to handle some fish.  It was Wild Monkfish, with blood sausage, Weiser farms piquillo peppers and pickled celery.   Wow.  Just wow.  The monkfish cooked exquisitely.  Perfectly.  There was just a nice light crust on the top of it, it added another dimension to the fish.  The blood sausage was small pieces that got lost on the side.   But the pepper sauce was heavenly.  Sweet, and spicy with a real depth of rich flavors.  Magnificent.  And a small side salad of pickled celery.  Very rich and flavorful.  Paired with a nice, earthy Nerello Mascalese, I Custodi, from Etna, Sicily 2007.  For those people who don’t think reds pair with fish.  This was an overall winner.  I could have this dish every night and not get bored.

As if, the rest wasn’t enough, now Gino Angelini made Maltagliati di Polenta with lobster amartriciana sauce.  A simple pasta dish.  Not that simple though, because the pasta was made with polenta.  I love me an Al Dente pasta, and this was thick yet had a soft delicaness of it.  The tomato sauce with the lobster was amazing.  It seemed like with such a rich tomato sauce it would have more bite, and overtake the lobster.  But the sauce was very light, and not too acidic.  I would love to try this tomato/lobster with a smaller lighter pasta.  This dish still worked for me though.   Especially with a delightful French Chardonnay.  2010 Domaine Guillot-Broux, Macon, France.   This isn’t your Grandma’s  oaky Napa Chardonnay.   No, no, no.  Light, crisp, with just the right acid to offset the tomato, but worked well with the lobster.

 

Well first off, sorry this picture was a bit dark.  It was a pure delight, and wish everyone could of seen and tasted it.  But I’m not a big flash photography person in restaurants.  So this is it.  And it was a dish so packed with flavor, that it was nearly indescribable.   Lambchetta with smoked almond, cocoa, and raisins.  With a delightful, thick almond butter paste.  Wow.  Mr. Bryan Voltaggio was given the anchor role, and performed it brilliantly.  I still thought the Monkfish was best, with this a close second.  But some have told me this was a winner.   That is neither here nor there.   Because they were all truly awesome.  The Lambchetta used every part of the lamb, except the head.  It was very dense and packed with flavorful parts, yet surprisingly delicate.  The cocoa and the butter just kicked this  dish up to another level.   Another dish I could eat over and over.   A nice red blend was in order, to bring order to this dish.  A Meritage Blend – Trilogy, Flora Springs Estate, Rutherford, CA 2009.   Loved it.  Loved it all.

 

The grand finale was brought to us by Ideas In Food.  Blueberry Pancakes.   But in the manor of Ideas.  Deconstructed.  A nice finish on the night.  I could of used a bit sweeter.  But I did not send any back.  The dish was the microwaved bread that is very airy, with a scope of vanilla ice cream which was covered in caramel.  Under all this was what I’m calling a graham cracker rock dusting, mixed with warm blueberries and some boba.  Interesting mix of things, again, I ate it all.   Very inventive and tasty.  Poured with this was the most epic, most amazing, most fantastic desert wine, in my humble opinion.  A Pedro Ximenez Oloroso.  Ahhhhhhhhh  Yaaaaaaaaaaa.  If you’ve never had Oloroso, yet alone a Ximenez.  Go to your local wine shop tomorrow and get one.  You will like it.

There was even an appearence by Neal Fraser, the great Los Angeles chef who I got to see up close cooking at the Mammoth Food and Wine Experience this past July.  Another talented chef.  You know these other guys are doing something great if a chef of his caliber came out.  We got to chat for a few, and I, for one am egerly awaiting his new place downtown.  It’s much closer than BLD, and Grace.  Ya, Grace is one of those places you actually miss since it’s been gone.

 

Well that was it.  The last 5X5 dinner of the year.  Look out for them next year.  You will not be disappointed.  And check out those amazing chefs restaurants if you want to see what flavor explosions they are working on next.

One of the rare occasions where all plates went back to the kitchen totally wiped clean.

Every plate went back to kitchen wiped clean.

The Taste LA. – Labor Day Picnic

Yes dear friends and confidants, I attended the Labor Day Picnic of The Los Angeles Times “The Taste”.  And, I had the honor to be on the Backyard Burger Champs panel with Noelle Carter from the LA Times test kitchen. Thank you to whoever came over to hear our discussion!  Hope you learned a tip or two from the burger masters. Here is the link to go check out my BLT&E burger. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/06/battle-of-the-burgers-blt-e-burger.html. My homage to a real deal breakfast style burger.

But enough about me.  Let me tell you about the rest of the event.  If you have not been to The Taste before, it is an amazing weekend of food and drink. This year’s setting, the backlot of Paramount Studios, really made it seem like a picnic in Hollywood.

They planned the layout to really welcome you with some fantastic starters. One of the best and most important sponsors who were right at stand number one was Icelandic Glacial Water. It was a scorcher out there, and with all the alcohol to be tasted it made sense to stay hydrated. Also right at the beginning of the day’s ride was the Stella Artois Beer Garden. And not just the classic Stella was being poured, but they also had Leffe and Hoegaarden. All of which were poured in the appropriate glass, which you got to keep.  Just right there was WELL worth the price of admission!!

I was very glad I arrived at the very start, because you could power out a bunch of stands before the lines got insane.  Which took no time to happen.  It did make it hard to hit all the good stands upon first entering.  Especially with that dang Stella Beer Tent.  But, climbing the stairs to enter the backlot section of the party was more than well worth it.  Although there were some flops, fails and flounders.

The first and biggest was The Burger Lounge Food Truck.  Nothing better to start your afternoon off than an ice cold beer and a burger.  But they didn’t seem ready for the onslaught of people.  We waited a bit for some burgers, only to walk away with one medium rare and one rare, well actually, raw.  I don’t mind a bloody burger, but I draw the line at raw.  It didn’t matter though, because even the semi-cooked one was very bland.

But, our next stop made up for it… a strawberry sundae made with Auchentoshan Scotch. Stellar. Super. Sexy. Well that might be stretching it, but it was a definite home run.  Then we hit another flop, and made me question some of the choices, since we experienced two flops quickly. A quick cruise by Rosa’s Bella Cucina truck left me feeling underwhelmed again.  They had small servings of meatballs, that were just overall bland.  I guess I picked the wrong two starting points, since I’m Italian AND a burger master.

However, from this point forward, nothing but hits.  Well, some wines were just so-so, but it was too hot out anyways to even think about red wine.  Some nice Sparklings were to be had, and some terrific Sangria was also consumed.  The Sangria was from New Age Wines from Argentina.  It was the perfect drink for this hot, hot day.  We hit their stand more than once!  And since the pours were on the very small size for wines, having a full glass of a cold refreshing beverage was heaven. So from this point onward we tried to stick to the drinks that were offered on the Full Size.

The next favorite beverage we found, as far as refreshing-ness, taste and alcohol was VeeV Acaí Spirit.  Now I’ve heard all the health benefits of Acaí, so it seemed like a no brainer. Duh, alcohol AND health benefits. (these statements have not been approved by the FDA). A fresh clean flavor with good strong hints of fruit.  Then to top that off, we found the Chopin Vodka tent.  Beautiful women and tasty free Vodka.  There were shots to taste, and lemon drops to drink.  We payed a visit to them on more than one occasion.  Their wheat style vodka was quite delicious.

As far as food was concerned, there was the grilled cheese truck, which is always a winner.  Then there were the Lamb Burgers and craft beer being offered by Haven Gastropub. All I can say is Yum!! Another home run.

And just because it was there, I filled a large plate with tasty, tasty treats by Bouchon Bakery.  Pure GENUIS!!  If there is even a teeny tiny sweet tooth in your mouth, go to this bakery for a fantastic treat!  Finally, even after I was full, I had to try MexiKosher and their tacos.  Well worth it.  Terrific tacos.  Loved every bite.

As the day was winding down, we heard you had to go relax at the Terranea Resort area.  They had chairs, shade, artificial grass, a contest for a free stay, and a grill cranking out sausage sandwiches. Perfect cap for the day.

There were also appearances by the Über famous in the food world: Thomas Keller, Nancy Silverton, Russ Parsons, Jonathan Gold, Susan Feniger, Ludo Lefebvre and many, many more.  I was only able to hit a small portion of Monday’s sponsors and participants.  But, you do get up close and interact with those people, which was another hit for me. I got my Sous Vide book signed by the man himself, Thomas Keller.

I would highly, highly recommend this event to everyone, not just food and wine lovers. A truly epic event!!!

Here’s a little video that was made by Delicious Media  http://thedeliciousmedia.com/ about the weekend’s festivities!!

http://player.vimeo.com/video/49185625

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CRABS!!!!

Well first off, get your head out of the gutter.  I’m talking KING CRAB, DUNGENESS, and all things ALASKAN CRAB!!!

Menu at Tracy’s Crab Shack

What I’m talking about here, is Tracy’s Crab Shack in Juneau, Alaska.  I was up that way to take a small family cruise, and we left out of Juneau.  An amazing town in it’s own right.  You get to see why they call this state the Last Frontier.  But I digress, crabs.

Let me start with just two words.  Crab Bisque.  Thoughts of warm coziness in liquid form should fill your head.  Imagine a warm fuzzy blanket, an oversized arm chair, and a roaring, crackling fire while it’s snowing outside.  That to me is Bisque. Like the Lobster Bisque I had in Reykjavik along the harbor, in March of 2011.  It’s more than soup.  It’s more than just plain food.  It’s a state of mind.  Well this Bisque they do up at Tracy’s, is outstanding.  Not too rich, not too creamy, not too fishy.  Just the right amount of everything.  So tasty, ohh so tasty.

Now just imagine how good that Bisque is if I mention it before the Fresh King Crab Legs.

Fresh Bering Sea King Crab Legs

Crab Legs don’t get any fresher than Bering Sea King Crab served in Juneau.  Lightly steamed till perfectly done.  Served with melted butter and a fresh roll.  It doesn’t get any better than this.  No way to improve on it.  As long as you have a draft of Alaska Brewing Company Beer you are good to go.  Oh ya, of course there is Alaska Brew on tap here.

Then there is Crab Roll.  Fresh Crab shredded on a fresh roll with a simple cole slaw.   Perfection.  The sandwich is overflowing with delicious-ness.  It is outstandingly good.   Just like everything else here.  You can’t possibly go wrong.  I mean even the cole slaw on this sandwich is done perfectly, not too much mayo, just the right amount.

Everything here is great.  Well at least all the above.  The crab cakes aren’t too bad either.  But of all these items, it’s my least favorite.  But that’s like trying to pick my least favorite chocolate ice cream.  It’s STILL good.   I mean, come on, it’s crab cakes made with fresh crab.  And they add a nice amount of spice and heat.  They are quite tasty, and a nice little size, just slightly bigger than bite size.  An excellent side dish.

 

And fyi, my favorite Alaskan Brew is their White.   Try one today.

Mammoth Mountain Food and Wine Experience

Yes folks!!  You’re favorite Southern California Resort now has it’s very own Food and Wine weekend.  It is a very small, easy-going experience.  Nothing like the much, much bigger one in another mountain town.  Mammoth is one of my favorite places to go.  So add food, wine, education, and many many tastings, and I’m there.

It is short and sweet, starting Friday July 6 in the afternoon and finishing with a grand tasting Saturday night.  My party arrived Saturday at lunch, and unfortunately we had just missed the Riedel class, where you vertically tasted with different types of glasses to see how it changed the dynamic of the wine.  We did have a terrific wine lunch in the village at The Sidedoor.  If you are not familiar with it, you better be on your next trip.  Shields, the owner is the biggest proponent of wine events in Mammoth Lakes.  And when you see his wine and beer listings, you will understand why.  He knows his stuff, and has cultivated many relationships with top CA winemakers for many of these events.  But I digress, let me tell you about the other events/classes on Friday:

There was a:  “Thai One On” with Richard Leonin and Mike Coco

“Keeping It Classic: Tales form One of Mammoth’s Top Sommeliers” with Whitcraft Wines – Mitch Cahoon and Ian Algeroen.

“Insider’s Peek into Chef Frederic’s Kitchen and Champagne & Cava with Chris Collins”

“Fresh Suds & Chevre” – Sean Turner of Mammoth Brewing and Chevre from Cypress Grove with Steve Swinford.

“Appetizers for Easy Entertaining” – Napa Chef Richard Haake with Doug Filipponi and Ancient Peaks Wines.

“The Dream Team Eureka Reunion Talk” – Dan Molnar and the Eureka Chefs

“Wine and Cheese, the Perfect Pairing” – California Artisan Cheese Guild – Laura Conrow.

 

All these events took place at Cerro Coso Community College right outside of town.  There were tents set up, and some classes took place just inside in the audio/visual classrooms.  They were one of the recipients of the money raised.  Yes, this event is for not only the college which serves many young people in the mountain community, but it also helps Education and the Arts in the Eastern Sierra.  So the money you spend on your ticket goes towards a great investment in the future.  You also get to eat and drink your face off.

And yes, there are “celebrity chefs” there as well.  The food aspect of the event is put together by Chef Dan Molner who lives and plays up in Mammoth.  He got his start many, many years ago at a legendary Beverly Hills restaurant Eureka.  He brought in his old compatriots who now have gone on to culinary greatness!  They are: Chefs Jennifer Black Dea; Jody Denton; Danny Farr; Neal Fraser; Jennifer Jasinski; Jason Knibb; and Jennifer Naylor.  Not a bad lot to spend a weekend with.  Now since this is a smaller event, all the chefs are very approachable, and a few are actually leading a few of the classes/events you can attend.  This is one of the main reasons I was excited to go this year.  You can actually learn from and talk to big time chefs.  This doesn’t even include the wine and winemakers!  You might not know many of the Chefs right off the bat, but you will recognize them.  Not only have they ALL worked for Wolfgang Puck, but a few have even been on a little TV show, Iron Chef.  So there are some people here who know how to cook.

They had a bit of a meet and greet in the big tent Friday, and heard many great stories from them all.  Then there was a small Q&A.  It was very cool to see how they all got their starts and how you go from a small-time prep cook to owning many of your very, own restaurants.  There was also Mammoth Mountain Brewing pouring some of their famous brews.  If you haven’t had any, better find some.  They have some stellar beers.  I was lucky to then get into the Wine and Cheese class.  I was not disappointed.  If you were not aware, I guess if you live under a rock, California has some AMAZING cheese makers.  Some of the best I’ve ever had. So I got to pair some classic California cheese with wines from Eberle Winery.  We tried a Formagella from Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, Goat Gouda from Central Coast Creamery and Fat Bottom Girl from Bleating Heart Cheese.  Paired with a 2010 Mill Road Viognier and a 2008 Sangiovese.  Tasty, Tasty Stuff.

That night were three different events.  We did the Wine Walk in the Village.  If you know Mammoth you know the central courtyard area by the gondola.  All the wineries in attendance were pouring.  And pouring.  And pouring.  We did some tastings then headed over to where the Chefs were staying at, and one of the promoters was a housing area called Tallus.  There was an open house with more wine, food and live music.  And oh ya, you could check out the units being offered to buy.  They were opulent and magnificent.  The cost didn’t even seem too bad.  Till you learned about the “extras”.  But I digress.  It was a fun experience, and having seem these places being built the last couple years, it was neat to check them out.  The real fun was relaxing on a cool evening tasting fun appetizers and wine.  There was even a test your wine knowledge table where you could blind taste 5 wines.  I did horrible, I believe due to the number and types of wines I had already consumed.  After this was dinner, so we missed the last event.  Champagne, Chinois and other Sparkling Goodies at the Red Lantern Restaurant.  Talley and Jaffurs wines were poured with appetizers from Petra’s.  It actually was probably better than the dinner we had.  We stopped by to check out Rafters, and I will say, left much to be desired.  The manager was nice enough to take a few things off the bill.  Luckily we got to Giovannia’s before they closed for one of their wonderful Whole Wheat Pies.  Then to bed.  For Saturday was a full bill of events.

Now not to bore you, I will just highlight the Saturday sessions I attended.  There was a Duck Demonstration by LA’s own Neal Fraser with wines by Tolosa.  It was very informative and tasty.  He made a Roast Duck with Sweet and Sour Cherries that was paired with a 2009 Pinot Noir.  Then the ultimate in taste heaven, Duck Confit Tacos with a 2009 Syrah.  I was lucky we got in, it was booked up, and a few people were late.  Was well worth it.  You got the recipes and notes from the Duck and the Wine.  And you got to learn something about it, and ask questions.  A very hands on, easy going way to taste.

Then was an excellent Wine Class by Pedroncelli Wines in Sonoma.  A family run outfit for 3 generations, who make great Cabernet Sauvignon.  Not only was the Vice President of the winery talking, who’s Grandfather started the winery, but they brought a vertical tasting that started with a 1977 Cab.  We tried a 77, 85, 92, 02, and 09.  The 85 was outstanding.  Truly epic bottle of wine.  The grapes were from Dry Creek Valley and the black-fruit flavors were met with some pepper and light tannins.  It was great to see the evolution of an old CA winery and their wines.

Then there was a session by Chefs Jennifer Jasinski and Jennifer Naylor with a pairing by Palmina Wines.  If you’ve never been, Palimina specializes in Italian Varietals.  And they are delicious. Chrystal who is married to the winemaker, Steve, was pouring and explaining the wines.  Another nice touch.  You really get to meet the people involved with nearly all the wines here.  It is something special whether you are a novice or a master.  The Chefs made a Risotto with Oven-Roasted Celeriac, crisp pancetta and acorn squash.  It was paired with a 2010 Dolcetto.  Chef Naylor made this and gave lots of tips and advice when preparing risotto.  Another fact filled food mission.  Then Chef Jasinski made a Savory Ricotta Cheesecake with an Heirloom Tomato Salad that was paired with Botasea Rosato di Palmiina.  A very elegant white that paired perfectly with richness of the dish.

Luckily we had some downtime to go back to the condo and relax (ie nap).  Then was the “Grand Tasting”  where the big time chefs made a dish to go up against culinary students.  There were Le Cordon Bleu schools from CA, and students from Bakersfield that were taking culinary classes there.  You tasted each of the 5 dishes, then the crowd got to vote for their favorites.  All the while every winery in attendance was pouring.   Along with Mammoth Mountain Brewing, in case your palate needed a break.  My favorite dishes were Pasadena Cordon Bleu with their grilled Lamb Chop, and the Bakersfield school with their Pesto Shrimp with Watermelon Salad.  There definitely stood out.  The Celeb Chefs made a Paella that was good, but not outstanding.  Wouldn’t you know it, everyone thought the same.  Bakersfield won top honors and Pasadena came in second.  After this was a Silent Auction, and then a regular auction.  With all proceeds to the aforementioned charities of the Eastern Sierra.  So a win, win for all involved.  There were some awesome items, and I wish I had a little extra cash to bid.

 

All in all a perfect two days of food and wine, for a good cause.  I can’t wait to go next year, and you all should keep on the lookout for when tickets go on sale.  I will be talking about it in the Spring, so stayed tuned.  If you like the great outdoors, mixed with excellent food and amazing wines, you better get your butt to Mammoth next July!!

Smoking Brisket

Smoking a Brisket

 

So you hear a lot of people this time of year always talking about “Smoking Meat”.

Well I am here to tell you that it’s quite easy to work on your smoking technique and turn out some fantastic meats.  You want to get some good hard wood, obviously, to smoke anything.  I have been using Mountain Mahogany that I acquire at Mahogany Smoked Meats in Bishop, CA http://www.smokedmeats.com/ .   It imparts some nice flavor, but not too much that the smoke and wood flavor is all you taste.  You can get Cherry, Apple, Mesquite, Red Oak amongst other  hardwoods.  I have used, and liked cherry and apple.  Experiment with the flavors of each wood.  See what they do for you.

I use a Char-Grill side box smoker on my round kettle grill by char-griller http://www.chargriller.com/  I can easily adjust the smoke and heat through some nice air vents and the adjustable chimney.    The easy thing about smoking is you don’t need to stand over a hot grill for hours.  The smoke uses indirect heat to cook the meat.  This is how smoked meats remain so tender.  It is quite an easy process once you get used to it.  So practice, practice, practice….

First off, you want to get a nice chunk of meat, that has some of it’s fat still on it.  This will melt away into the meat, and cause incredible flavors to develop.  Now don’t do this with a lean cut of meat.  The bigger, and fatter the better in my book.  So in this case, I started with a four pound brisket I got freshly cut from the lovely ladies at Lindy & Grundy  http://lindyandgrundy.com/ .  They butcher all their own meats which they acquire from only the best farmers in CA.

So I got my meat, now what.  Well, I myself prefer to get it at least 24 hours before I want to eat it.  At least.  Minimum.  Because you want to make a rub and get some delicious flavors into the skin and fat.  Now that you have it, the first step is to make your rub.  I like to use some course ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and kosher salt.  Now some people say, “never put salt on your meat before cooking, it sucks out all the juices and makes it dry”.  To put it lightly, Poppycock!  As long as you aren’t pouring a whole container of salt on it, you will be fine.  Now mix all the dry rub together in a bowl.  Before putting the rub on, I like to add some “juice”.  You can never have enough flavors.  Well almost never, but that is for another time.   So in another bowl, combine some coca-cola and soy sauce. You get some sugary sweetness on the outside of the meat which also soaks in slightly.  And it helps the rub really stay on there.

With a basting brush or a BBQ mop, apply your “juice” mixture all over the outside.  All over, get it in all the nooks and crannies. Cover that fat with it.  Get all up in there with your meat.  Let that just sit and soak for say, 15 minutes.  Then time to get your hands dirty.  Get that rub even more all up in there.  Sprinkle it all over, and rub it in with your hand.  Again, on all sides and every nook and cranny.   Now cover that baby up and let it rest with all those flavors chilling together at least 6 hours.  I like to rest it all together overnight, personally.

Now in the morning start your smoker at least 5 hours before you want to eat.  Remember, low and slow.  Like your Grandma driving.

Before starting the smoker get your meat out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.  And not out by the grill in the sun.  Inside, alone, away from danger and heat.  Then I start with getting a little mix of mesquite and lump charcoal going in my smoker box with some fire starter chips.  Never, ever, never, never use starter fluid.  If you still use starter fluid or charcoal pre-soaked in lighter fluid comment hari kari now.  Please.  Do your friends who you were going to cook for a favor.  Now it depends how big both your wood is and your box.  Yes, yes, yes, calm down Beavis.  I usually get smaller pieces of Mahogany, which works just fine.  As the fire is going, I soak my wood in a little water.  If you are getting a little crazy, add some type of whiskey.   The cheap stuff of course.  Again if you use anything good here, commit hari kari.  If you are still going strong, here is your next step.  Once you have a nice base of gray coals smoldering nicely, add a couple pieces of your wet wood.  Once these start smoking, and the heat has built up a little inside the grill area, add your meat.  Now all you do is keep adding wood as needed.  Never too much so as to create a large fire.  Just enough to gently warm and smoke the meat.  After a few hours it should start looking amazing.  The colors will be very vibrant, and your spice mix will have started really cooking in.  And oops, almost forgot.  Make sure to put your fat side up.  This way, the fat soaks into the meat as it melts.  I usually do the touch method to judge done-ness.  I wait for the meat to start getting firm to fingertip touch.  I hate sticking a meat thermometer in over and over.  I feel I lose some of the good tasty juices.  But alas, I have been manning a fire-pit BBQ for many, many years.  I just know.  If you must use a thermometer, try to always use the same hole.

Now when you have decided your meat is nearly perfect, I like to pull it off to rest, and put in the oven on the lowest setting.  That’s right, before it’s done to perfection pull it off.  Put it on some type of oven proof tray and cover with foil.  After about 30 minutes I turn the heat off, let rest for about 20 more minutes in residual heat of oven, to tie all the juices and fats together.  Then pull out, put on a grooved cutting board and let rest a little bit more, covered of course.  Then you are ready to slice it nice and thin.  Make sure your knife is good and sharp, and cut with the grain of the meat.

Now with a nice rub, and a good cut of meat, I don’t put any BBQ sauce on the meat itself, while cooking or resting.  I will however, make a nice little spicy Kansas City-Texas type sauce if someone wants to add it, or have on the side.  I find the meat is tasty enough on it’s own.  But to each it’s own.  For now I do not want to be known as the Brisket Nazi.  But who knows, maybe when I open my own shack, I’ll take away the sauce option.

 

Cheers, and happy eating……….

Cochon 555- Part Deux!

Main Floor Cochon 555

Meat Plates!

As promised, I had time to recover my brain, liver and stomach to further talk about the event known as Cochon 555.  A massive pig cooking competition.  5 chefs, 5 heritage pigs, wine, whiskey and beer!!

Well this year was a little different than last year.  It was a smaller venue and over two floors, so the flow wasn’t quite there.  Last year the event took place at St. Vibiana’s downtown LA.  An old cathedral that has undergone an amazing transformation.  I have done the VIP ticket each year, to get extra time to taste food and drink, and to talk with other food-centric folk.  It took place outside in a courtyard that featured different wineries, and food purveyors.  Lindy and Grundy did a pig break down demonstration.  And there were mason jars filled with bacon all over.  It was a lovely start to the evening.

On Sunday, it was a little more disorganized, and the doors opened a little late.  It was at The House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard, which is a great venue, just not for a cooking competition.   After the fun and festivities of last year’s event, a few friends joined me this year.  Well, upon entering it got a little congested at the entrance, on the second floor around the back by the House of Blues ticket office.  The main cooking and drinking was taking place downstairs.  There were the fantastic oysters and cheeses upstairs.  But it was crowded, although it thinned out as everyone started getting in.  We got to listen in and watch as each Chef explained his dish to the “Pro” judges such as Johnathon Gold, Krista Simmons, Ocatvio Becerra who competed last year, and just closed his restaurant Palate, and Jose Andres head chef of Bazaar, Joshua Whigham.  No food slouches.  What we did not know was that after each chef plated for the judges the food they were passing out was THE food!  Stuff we were to judge on as well.  We thought they were just small bites for the Pre-Show.  Well these were the items of the day.  Unfortunately we tasted Ben Ford and Micah Wexler without even really thinking about it too much.  Just a little miscommunication.

Upstairs at Cochon

At this point, the early crowd thinned out, and it was much more bearable.  People mingled upstairs and downstairs.  It was still a little disorganized at points, but we dealt with it.  Clearly, the venue had some challenges that they were not quite prepared for.  Now I had to go from memory to write up story because I ended up spilling a little wine on my notes.  Ya, go figure.  So I’ll start with the wineries that were pouring:

There were five family wineries that were the main pourers of the event.  Turley, Matthiasson, Scholium Project, K Vintners, and Buty.  Also pouring were SALDO, Sokol Blosser, Simi and Elk Cove Vineyards.   Now I have had some of these before, and actually have two favorites that I hit frequently.  SALDO and Turley.  Both had a Zinfandel that was showing quite well.  I’ve bought both of these at times as well for enjoyment at home.  SALDO is winemaker Dave Phinney’s new label.  You might recognize his name from his other winery, Orin Swift Cellars.  Who also make terrific wines.  But the SALDO Zin is really, really nice.  It is a blend of the finest zinfandel that he sources out of different counties.  And getting the best of the best, makes for a very smooth, round wine that is quite drinkable.  The acid levels are not that high, nor the tannins.  I really like this wine.  And the second is Turley.  They make a terrific old-vine Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.  These are both very nice wines as well, and very drinkable with good showings.  We all also enjoyed Matthiasson and Scholium Project as well.  After awhile though, keeping them all straight was a task.

q

Glass of Wine, Cup of Bacon

Now besides wine, there was beer by Anchor Brewing, Tequila from Chinaco.  But Tequila is not a good mix for wine and swine.  And as much as I love Anchor, it’s a bit filling.  This boy is filling up beyond his means on the aforementioned Wine and Swine!!  But, for me, what goes perfect with pork products, and which I imbibe in when I’m manning the grill is Bourbon.  Good, honest, clean Bourbon.   They had a “Perfect Manhattan” station set up at one of the lower bars.  At first I was skeptical, being they said it was only bourbon and cherries.  Really? I thought.  The three being poured were Angel’s Envy, Hudson Whiskey’s Baby Bourbon and Templeton Rye.  Basically this version of the Manhattan was a mason jar filled with ice, a couple fingers worth of whiskey and Luxardo cherries.  And it did not disappoint.  These aren’t your daddies maraschino cherries.  These are tasty and not overpowering.  It made for a great, crisp, palate cleaning beverage.  We put a couple two-three of these babies away.

Mucho Vino!!

Now, on to the food.  Again, since my notes got messed up, stupid wine glass, I am doing this mostly from my pictures and memory.  A memory that some might say, is not what it used to be.  But here we are.  And some dishes were unforgettable.  Truly unforgettable.  To start I will recollect Mr. Ben Ford of Ford’s Filling Station.  He was matched with an Old Spot Pig from Heritage Foods USA.  This particular pig is known for it’s “distinctive layer of back fat and amazing flavor”.  We actually were hanging by Ben’s station for a bit, before realizing these were his main dishes, as I said earlier.  Well he did have two outstanding dishes that were packed with pork-tastic flavors.  A chili verde taco and a head cheese hero.  Now I’m a huge taco and hero fan.  These were small, bites, but tremendous no less.  And if you don’t know what head cheese, you might want to try it before eating it.  They were both very good.  And it was cute to see his wife and son helping to get stuff plated.  They also had toy pig noses to wear.   His dishes were obvious good enough to sway the  judges.

Ben Ford's Menu

 

Next up we had some of Micah Wexler’s creations.  He is from Mezze Restaurant, and was cooking a Berkshire Pig from Jubilee Farm.  This is the most popular of Heritage Breeds, and the meat can be more sweet and creamy, with hints of nuttiness.  He made the most delightful Pork Belly Shawarma that was an excellent quick bite.  There was also a Quatro Leches Cake that was so light and airy with the most subtle hint of pork from the lard and bacon bite on top.  He also had a very nice Charcuterie collection.  Tasty stuff indeed.

Micah Wexler Menu

 

Then there was Jason Neroni, a relative newbie in the LA scene, and is in the midst of opening his restaurant Superba Snack Bar presently.  He was using a Large Black pig, from Heritage Foods USA.  This lovely animal’s meat is exceptional, and extra tender.  They are known for their short muscle fibers which translate to tender, moist cuts of meat.  And I can not lie, I voted for my favorite bite here.  Unfortunately I messed up my pictures of their tastiness, so you are going to have to trust me.  He did some very different and really, really tasty items.  The winner and favorite of mine was this Pho broth with noodles and a poached quail egg in it, with small pieces of pork belly.  I mean, oh my god, was tremendous.  And it was totally unlike anything I’d had the past two years.  The small cup was packed with so many flavors, I was in love.  He also did a pasta dish in a Chinese take-out container that also was packed with crazy good flavors.  Both very different, and both tremendously flavorful.

Next up is Neal Fraser from The Strand House.  You might remember seeing him on Food Network, but he’s got the cooking pedigree and skills.  And did not disappoint.  He got one of the larger setups down on the floor and made very good use.  He had various charcuterie meats out, which like I said before, I love.  Next year I might bring a back pack with ice packs and baggies to take “samples” from all the tables for amazing hoagie sandwiches later.  Anyways, everything here was tremendous and tasty.   I was in love with the hot dog he made and smothered in tasty messy goodness.  And a simple open face finger sandwich, Tonnato, which had a slow cooked pork leg part on it.  YUMMY!!

Neal Fraser's Table

 

Then on to last year’s defending champion, Chad Colby of Mozza.  He of course did not disappoint, again.  With many, many plates of tremendously delightful food, he was my second favorite.  But I might of been swayed by his desserts.  Of which, there were many, and they rocked.  I mean, pardon the expression, but they were Fucking Amazing!!  One of my all time favorite desserts in the world is Pizzeria Mozza Butterscotch Budino.  Well he made one, but with a bit of bourbon.  Amazing.  Truly amazing.  It wasn’t officially a pig item, but so so good.  There was also a chocolate truffle pop that did not such in the slightest.  Nope.  Anyways, he did some terrific sliced meats.  Again, I could of made a hoagie out of any of these and been super happy.  But the most amazing was the Belly Beans.  Pork Belly and Beans that slow cooked together.  Probably my favorite dish outside of Jason’s.  The flavors blended together like butter.  Matched with his Trotter Biscuits, it was heaven.

Desserts By Chad Colby, Mozza

MEAT!! From Chad Colby

 

Then as the first round of food was digesting, the lovely ladies of Lindy&Grundy gave a demonstration of breaking down a whole pig.  A Kune Kune from Olde Reminisce Farm.

Kune Kune Hog

Grundy Hard at Work

When they finished the demonstration the parts and pieces were all raffled off.  Some people got a nice “parting gift” to take home and cook up to keep the Pig theme going.  These ladies know their way around the pig.  It is great to watch if you’ve never seen it before.

This was followed by Head Chef of The House of Blues doing some BBQ of his own.  This I could not even attempt to try to eat.  I was stuffed.  Beyond stuffed. In a good way.  But it looked and smelled terrific.  Then we were treated to a Champagne toast to the 25th Anniversary of The James Beard Foundation, sponsored by Laurent-Perrier Champagne.

Brady Lowe offering a Toast

Then just in case you still haven’t had enough yet, there was chocolate squares from Xocolatl de David and cold-brew from Safari Cup Coffee.  The Chocolates were stellar, flavored with egg, ham or Iberico.  WOW!! I stuffed a few of each of these in my face.  Over and over.  Sorry, I’m a chocoholic.  I can’t help it.  The cold brew was pretty phenomenal as well.

Flavored Chocolate Squares!!

Cold Brew Coffee

 

And then if things weren’t good enough, a young lady came around passing out cheese and butter for the road.  Just in case you are jonesing in the cab and can’t wait to get home!!!!
Wait till next year Brady Lowe warned us!  As next year in LA it will be 5-5, May 5th.  A convergence of 5’s.  So keep your eye out for next year’s contest/food extravaganza!!  It will not disappoint!!

 

Cheers!

Chris