Wednesday off

So it’s Wednesday and I have the day off. Unlike most of my other friends, most of whom are in some sort of graduate school (primarily law) I have nothing work related to do outside of work. Sure I could choose to work on cooking something, but that’s not really like working, and much more like fun.

My daily obligations entail figuring out what to eat for breakfast—almond brioche, a chocolate croissant and fresh squeezed orange juice—sleeping, and trying to decide where to eat dinner—Spotted pig or Blue Ribbon. I think I’m going to choose Spotted Pig mostly because I want to try the smoked haddock chowder and have a craving for the ricotta gnudi. It will however, be hard to pass up Blue Ribbon’s roasted marrow bones. I have a very stressful decision to make.


Of note today is the Brooklyn-centric NY times dining section. I really enjoyed the article (although it’s probably dated by now) about Brooklyn’s growing local minded artisan inclined food scene.

The one star review of Buttermilk Channel was for the most part positive and also a good read its proximity to so many of my friends means I might need to check it out some time.

The fact that I’m re-reading Heat also made McGee’s article on cooking pasta particularly interesting.
For all you non kitchen working types, Heat (by Bill Buford) is a fun introduction to the food world and a pretty quick read.

Cookbook of the week: On The Line by Eric Ripert. This is actually more of a cookbook actual book hybrid. It has features on all parts of restaurant life including the back of house staff and the sommelier. I haven’t cooked from the book yet but I find it a fascinating cover to cover read. Also a great book for people looking to introduce themselves life inside a professional kitchen.

Phrase of the week: Hipster Gastronomes (thank you Frank Bruni.) not sure how to respond to that one, is this the direction were headed in?

I'm Back!?

It’s been a long time since I’ve done any writing about food and a lot has changed in my life since I last posted on this blog.

During the end of my tenure as the Washington Market School Chess teacher I did a series of trails (visits to a kitchen where one puts in a little work and gets to know the kitchen) at Gramercy Tavern and shortly after the school year I started working there as a cook.

I am now cooking, eating, and thinking about food more than I ever did while I was teaching and still writing here on this site. I suppose my original intention for the website was to act as a type of online resume should I ever decide to stop teaching and get into cooking. It was a way of showing people that despite my having close to no experience cooking (except for a couple of summers grilling burgers) that I was serious about food and maybe even had a little talent at cooking. I certainly had a capacity to think about food.

When I finally found my first food job I no longer needed my blog. And now moving forward when I seek out my next job (still a long ways away) I probably don’t need a website to show that I have some kitchen credentials.

Why then should I take the time to start writing again? When I first started working at Gramercy I intended to keep up with the blog. However, adjusting to a new life and new hours left me completely exhausted and beaten down every day for the better part of two months. I wasn’t doing a whole lot of my own cooking, nor was I dining out a lot, nor war I reading about food. I was pretty much going to work, coming home and sleeping. Also out of respect to my employers and for my own sense of professionalism I told myself that I would never write about restaurant details or life in the kitchen. I feel like there has to be something in a contract about this and even if there isn’t it just feels wrong. These several factors left me with little to no material to write about even if I did want to write.

Seven months later I am more used to the hours and find myself having the time to cook and even have a pretty normal life. My body has changed; kitchen life has caused me to lose weight (my mom tells me I’m wasting away) my knuckles and hands are calloused and I have some burns on my arms though not nearly as many as I thought I would have at this point.

I guess I’m writing again because after the initial body and life shock that I went through from working in a kitchen I’ve built myself back up and feel like I have enough food experiences worth sharing with the rest of the world. The constant prodding from my dad, “you know you should really start writing again, that was a great thing” and hearing from my friends that people actually read the site also helped me motivate.

So while this post is more or less just to catch up with the rest of the world I promise there will be more in the near future.

I would like to add that I am definitely not going to be talking about my life at work, nor will I write any formal restaurant reviews. I’ll probably write smaller type things but I don’t think (at least a this moment ) that I can bring myself to write something wholly negative about the food I eat at a restaurant. After seeing all the hard work that goes into producing a restaurant meal by so many people and after reading reviews of food that I have put out (nothing too scathing yet) it feels a little mean to write a bad review.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll post again soon.

Scoops du Jour: Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Adam Miller is back with another review of a really great restaurant. This time he reviews Blue Hill at Stone Barns while also chipping in a little about Blue Hill here in New York City. Before we get to the review I'd like to mention that Blue Hill is one of my favorite NYC restaurants and is more affordable than other restaurants in its ilk. I also appreciate the restaurant as a true embodiment of the farm to table ideal, serving meat and produce coming from its farm in upstate New York (where Blue Hill at Stone Barns is located.)

Now I challenge Adam to write a review of a restaurant that he doesn't like at all.



Simple Fare Warrants Extraordinary Praise

By

Adam Miller

New Yorker v. B&T. Questions arise when a faux New Yorker claims to be from New York. Where do you live in the City? What high school did you go to? What are your favorite restaurants? Where do you go out to bars? If any of these are met with a glimmer of hesitation or the answer “Meatpacking and Chelsea,” chances are you’re not a New Yorker. Usually, said people are from Westchester or Long Island. However, these suburban areas do win in some regards…. Long Island has beautiful beaches. Westchester has… ummm… well, Westchester seemed to have nothing until this last weekend.

This past weekend, I ventured up to Tarrytown for Sarah’s birthday (for those of you that don’t know me, Sarah is my girlfriend). Since we both love food, I thought it would be best to take her to a restaurant where you can have a truly “foodie” experience. I went to Blue Hill at Stone Barns with very high expectations although I had been told that Blue Hill in the City is the more highly regarded restaurant. I came away with a truly incredible experience and the acknowledgement that Westchester had one-upped NYC in at least one aspect.

Blue Hill in the City is a simple restaurant in the vein of Gotham, JoJo, or Gramercy Tavern. It serves very strong food (at somewhat reasonable prices for NYC) and accentuates its strong suits (vegetables, fruit, game, etc.). Stone Barns, on the other hand, takes it further; it bends your mind (and taste buds), offering new and exciting fare in an original manner.

During the Summer months, Stone Barns shies away from a traditional menu and offers two tasting menus. This is the first thing that gets noticed when seated at the table. On the right side of the menu, Chef/Owner Dan Barber has listed all the main ingredients which could be featured in a given dish (asparagus, scallops, lobster, oysters, Berkshire pork, duck, lamb, etc.). On the left side there are four rows:

- Five course tasting menu $95
- Farmer’s feast $125
- Charcuterie plate $28
- Cheese $17

That’s it. That’s your choice. The charcuterie plate is designed for two people and is meant to start your meal while the cheese course (for one) is intended to conclude your meal. We avoided both while electing the Farmer’s feast over the smaller meal, deciding this was the true way to dine at Stone Barns.

While our choice ended there, the interaction with our waiter did not. He (along with the chef) was looking to design a meal which would flow easily but still meet all our gastronomical desires. He asked me if there was anything I did not want to see as well as anything I definitely wanted to see. “No oysters or Spanish mackerel. Definitely a pork dish. Otherwise, I’ll eat anything you serve me.” Sarah obviously told the waiter that she didn’t want any seafood.

The waiter also strongly recommended an excellent white burgundy to accompany the meal instead of a wine pairing. The 2005 Meursault recommended by the sommelier was an incredible bottle and half the price of a wine pairing for two. The thought process was that I could get a much better bottle for $100-150 than I would ever try during a wine pairing, and a great white burgundy would really develop throughout the meal. This recommendation was a huge success and really hit home.

The food was no slouch either. In fact, several courses were some of the best dishes I’ve ever had. The amuse bouches woke up my palate in a startling way. The lemongrass spritzer with mint and a cherry ice cube was followed by fresh snap peas sprinkled with yuzu. The face bacon (paper thin slices of bacon taken from the jowl of a pig) was followed by pancetta wrapped asparagus with sesame seeds. We also had pea burgers (surprisingly good) and “bread and butter” – little squares of bread served with ricotta (a la A Voce) and butter as well as arugula and carrot flavored salts, which were good but not necessary.

The first course was a green tomato gazpacho with yogurt cream. I am not a fan of cold soups, but this dish was an incredible way to start the meal. The slight texture of the cream was a great counter to the refreshingly light gazpacho. This dish was followed by crispino lettuce with spring vegetables and Barber’s patented lettuce broth. Although it may sound (and look) like rodent food, it was a surprisingly deep and meaty dish. I am not one to order salads or vegetarian dishes and I am generally disappointed when an expensive tasting menu is littered with vegetables rather than foie gras or lobster, but these starters were phenomenal.

I followed the vegetarian plates with a a perfectly cooked scallop with minty peas and pistachios while Sarah had saltouse, a leafy green vegetable from Southeast Asia with some flavors resembling sesame or peanut butter, accompanied by shitakes and morels. We also had the renowned soft poached egg over crushed zucchini and morels. However, this time the soft poached egg was flash fried to give it a crispy, slightly “breaded” coating.

Finally, the meat courses arrived. First, we had a braised pork belly dish (as requested) with spaetzle. If not for the sauce which was drizzled next to the pork, I thought this dish lacked a bit of flavor. But the spaetzle and the sauce really brought out the strong flavors in the fatty pork. This dish was followed by a neck and loin of lamb with fava beans; the lamb was perfectly cooked and delicious, but at this point, I was really rather full.

This concluded our savory portion of the meal and was followed by two desserts: steamed strawberries with sour cream sorbet and honey gelee, and rhubarb meringue with farmer’s cheese ice cream. Both were outstanding.

After finishing the meal, I was truly blown away by the experience and the flavors. Having followed the methodology of Alice Waters and other fine California chefs, Dan Barber has outdone himself (and his NYC restaurant). This was an unforgettable meal that will change the way you view food.

The Elusive Best Burger

After eating a bacon cheeseburger at Veselka last night, I was chatting with my friend Rob about the idea of the ‘best burger in New York.’ There are many different opinions on this subject—some people prefer J.G. Melon’s, some like Corner Bistro, loads of people love the burger at shake Shack etc... After discussing, we almost came to the conclusion that the best burger in NY is an elusive concept.

While I have not had burgers at several of the consensus ‘best burger’ spots, I have to admit that my favorite burger is the one at corner bistro. I’ll acknowledge that its not always cooked to perfection and that often times its so juicy that I eat it upside down (so the juice don’t dissolve the much smaller bottom bun) but I love and am consistently satisfied. From time to time I have had better burgers elsewhere but no other ‘best burger’ spot has become a burger destination for me. I’m in love with the ratty beer drenched surroundings of the bistro. I love the fact that beers are less than three dollars and the fact that I always seem to be there with a group of close friends. I even appreciate the fact that I once saw a cockroach fly right over my head while I was sitting in the back room.

I suppose for me the burger is a true comfort food and is just as much of an experience as it is a food item. Not only should eating the burger make me happy, but the surroundings of where I eat the burger should be as accommodating to my personal tastes as possible (I don’t love flying cockroaches but I like the idea of a place so relaxed that no one seems to care that the roaches are flying.) I like the burgers at burger joint, but it’s not a place I’d like to linger and start off my Saturday night. Shake shack can be extremely satisfying at times but I am generally against waiting on long lines in the middle of the day. I liked my Veselka burger but it could have been better if I had it at 2 am instead of 7 pm (if only I lived in the east village.) In fact, one of my favorite NYCburgers is the one I get from the 24 hour food cart outside my house. I’m not sure if it’s actually good but it makes an incredible 1am to 5am snack as I sit in my bed and start to pass out. I also had one of the best burgers of my life at Florent at 5 in the morning on New Year’s day. Perhaps burgers for me are meant to be enjoyed with, or after beer?

The ‘best burger’ is a very personal thing. People tell me all the time to check out a new burger place and I always go expecting to eat the best burger I’ve ever had. And although burgers are never bad, I’m consistently disappointed. Eating is not just about taste it’s about experience. Great food is not as good when there is no one to share it with and good food can be great if it you’re eating with people you love. Most of us have been eating burgers our whole lives and to achieve a level of transcendence in comfort food, we must be reminded of how that food comforted us in the past. Luckily there are so many places in New York that we can all find a place to serve us the ebst burger ever.


P.S. if you’re interested in burgers, try any of the below mentioned spots, all are supposed to be good.

J.G. Melon’s
DB bistro Moderne
Dumont
Peter Luger’s
Spotted pig
BLT burger
Corner bistro
Walker’s
Burger joint
Shake shack
Veselka
Spotted pig
Bouley upstairs
City hall
Jackson Hole
PJ clarkes
Florent

my fingers hurt

Ok, so not a whole lot to write about for now. The Friday dinner party came and went and was a lot of fun. My friend Julia took some great pictures, that she has yet to finish editing, so I’ll wait until she’s done before I write any more about the subject.


I did use the leftovers from the dinner to make s couple of delicious things for Sunday night dinner. First there was a seared foie gras with plum and apricot chutney, and pistachios after that I made a chevre fritter with sweet corn, pesto and spicy tomato sauce.



Other than that I’ve been cooking a lot more than normal. I don’t want to type too much because the other day I cut my finger and then today I definitely got a nice burn on the finger that I had the cut on. My hand are a mess…

Later this week: Thoughts on Blue Hill, dinner party photos (hopefully)

Menu and Dinner Planning

Alright everyone, sorry about the inconsistent posting. I’m transitioning from one job to another and was in Calgary for a wedding for four days (the Canadian eating feature is coming next week.)

Because I see an impending dip in time/motivation to break my back and destroy my schedule cooking for large groups for absolutely no monetary compensation,I thought id break my back and destroy my schedule cooking for a large group for no monetary compensation one last time.

I’m having 23 guests over on Friday night to partake in a nine course dinner with wine pairings. The menu includes some favorites, some new stuff, some inspiration from restaurants and cookbooks and some animals and sea creatures that I haven’t cooked for large groups before.

Here is a brief rundown of what I have lined up and why it’s there.

Scallop Sashimi, mango horseradish puree, pickled ramps

Cremant de Jura

I like this dish because I feel like it really belongs to me. The scallops are nice and sweet and tossed with a little of the pickling liquid from the ramps to help add a touch of sourness. The mango horseradish is fun and different and adds a little bit of a kick to the dish and we’ll se how the pickled ramps turn out. I’m hoping they add a little texture and a different sort of bite to the dish.

Popcorn shrimp ceviche, achiote butter popcorn

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc


I made this on a whim when I came back from Mexico and everyone loved it. I had heard of popcorn and ceviche going together and was looking for a way to use my newly purchased achiote paste. This got me to thinking about achiote butter popcorn and shrimp as a play on the term ‘popcorn shrimp.’ Achiote really tastes great and I think marinating the shrimp in orange juice, lime juice, onions, cilantro and oregano helps to compliment the achiote while the tender shrimp lend a pleasing textural contrast to the popcorn.

Arctic Char Tartare, radish sprout, celery

This dish is pretty much directly lifted from the Gramercy Tavern menu except for a few changes. I love the citrus cured arctic char and think that its partnership with grapefruit, orange, chives, shallots and crème fraiche creates a pretty perfect bite.

Fennel Crusted Halibut, Sweet Corn, pesto, Spicy tomato sauce

Obscure Sicilian White

This is another one of my favorite personal dishes. I worked on it for a while and love how it turns out in the summer when I can find corn, tomatoes and fresh basil. It has all the elements of a great dish (in my opinion). It gets sweetness from the corn, heat and acid from the spicy tomato sauce, crunch from the corn and fennel crust, earthy flavors form the fennel and basil and a fantastically juicy thick piece of halibut


Butter Poached lobster, leeks, sugar snaps, saffron fennel puree

White burgundy

I got this idea from the French Laundry cookbook and added the saffron fennel puree. Butter poached lobster has an amazing texture and a great richness that gets cut a little by the sugar snaps and leeks. I also think that saffron goes incredibly well with lobster. Either way…It’s hard to argue with butter, lobster and white burgundy.

Roasted Marrow Bones with parsley shallot salad and Pork Belly bites with pickled cucumbers and hoisin plum sauce

Pinot Noir

The marrow bones are stolen from Fergus Henderson and are simply fantastic tasting, just like a combination of meat and butter. The idea for the pork belly comes from Momofuku with the hoisin plum being my idea. I thought these would be a nice meaty interlude and give me some time to make the…

Lamb Chop, golden raisin puree, couscous, olives, pistachios, Brussels sprouts

Oregon Pinot Noir

This seems a little disjointed possibly but I really liked a lamb dish I had with olives the other day and also love the sweet salty interplay of olives and raisins to go with the lambiness of lamb. I’ve worked on this one before but it’s definitely not finished yet so I’m hoping for the best

Short ribs, potato garlic puree, carrots, turnips

Everyone loves a good short rib and because of the cost/deliciousness ratio this has been a staple at dinners. I think this is the prettiest and best tasting incarnation of the dish so we’ll see what people think.

Cheese Board—I deserve a break at this point

Maple bread pudding soufflé, bacon walnut ice cream

People have been daring me to make bacon ice cream for some time now so I think I'm going to give it a shot. I think it will go well with the bread pudding soufflé which is delicious and maple-y but definitely needs a little salt (the bacon) to cut the sweetness and a little cold because I think any good dessert has some cold to it.


Now its time to get to my million page shopping and prep list.

Scoops du Jour: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

Today Adam Miller reviews another restaurant at the top of my to-go list. Seems like he enjoyed it…



Dining with a Deity

by

Adam Miller

Normally, counters, bars, and the like are reserved for an influx of booze and inebriation. However, at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, a certain counter which seats 20 people is reserved for the lucky few who are able to secure reservations and dine at the hands of a deity. Joel Robuchon opened his New York L’Atelier branch nearly two years ago. He has other branches in Paris, Tokyo, and Las Vegas; it was only a matter of time before he tested the waters of New York.

After navigating your way through the immense lobby of the I.M. Pei hotel and ascending the staircase to heaven, you are presented with two options. On the left is the Four Season bar, a raucous locale for the richest of the rich ($30 for a glass of champagne); on the right, is L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, standing out in its red and black palette; the bar/counter adorned with beautiful flowers. As you walk in, you know this place is entirely about the food. The kitchen front and center, the chickens roasting on a rotisserie highlighted in the background, the artwork of each dish visible from all counter seats.

If you are not well-versed in the new wave of dining in Manhattan, here is an update: Tapas is in! Now, this is not so much a traditional tapas restaurant as it is a restaurant which allows you to sample a lot of smaller dishes… and ethereal dishes they are. The crispy langoustine en papillote with basil pesto is most likely the best crustacean I have ever eaten. The soft, plump juiciness of the langoustine contrasts perfectly with the delicate crispiness of the phyllo-like crust; in the middle sits an immaculate basil leaf undamaged in the cooking and preparation. The caramelized eel with smoked foie gras is layered like a rich mille-feuille – this dish hit home especially since I’m generally not an eel lover (I know it’s a sin, especially since I love Sushi Yasuda so much).

Other original dishes include the Alsatian pastrami served with chilled shaved foie gras and fingerling potatoes (strikingly and surprisingly good) and the pan-sauteed amadai in a yuzu citrus broth with lily bulbs. The amadai (a Japanese yellowtail of sorts) was cooked perfectly as the skin was just barely crispy and not at all fishy. There is also the beef and foie gras burgers, taking a lesson from DB Bistro Moderne by serving a “classy” burger. However, my favorite dish is unquestionably the caramelized quail stuffed with foie gras and served with potato puree and black truffles. The breast is stuffed with foie gras and the drumsticks are served on the side. The potato puree is reminiscent of David Bouley’s creamy mashed potatoes; however, the slices of black truffle put this puree over the top. There is nothing else I can say to describe it…. Just go try it!

By the time I get to dessert, I am usually too stuffed to want something substantial. However, at Robuchon, dessert is a must (as it should be at any top tier restaurant). My favorite, which has since been removed from the menu, is Robuchon’s staple: Le Sucre. It is a golden sugar sphere filled with vanilla ice cream, saffron mousse, and macerated berries. The sphere is fragile and bold, crafted from a blow torch to surround the sweet and sour fruits. It is the most original dessert I have ever tried (and one of the best). I also really enjoyed the Pamplemousse – large grapefruit segments served with a wine gelee and mint sorbet. Both were extremely refreshing and perfectly executed.

There are also several touches which do not go unnoticed. Given the style of dining (small tasting portions which are supposed to be shared), it is sometimes hard to coordinate the meal. However, the waiters do a very good job; most noticeably, they will give complimentary dishes so that every diner has a course in front of him at all times. This was especially true when it came time for desserts, and more often than not, several diners are too full to order $17 desserts.

Not enough can be said about this new establishment. While it would be better served in a different locale, it is a welcome addition to New York’s top tier.

Beer Me

About a week ago me and a friend of mine decided that we would exchange our NYC restaurant wish lists with the hopes of coming to a consensus and going out to dinner this past Friday night. After throwing around a bunch of restaurants that were probably out of the price range for this dinner, Robuchon, Le Bernardin etc. we decided on Resto, a restaurant recognized as serving the best Belgian food in the city.

I arrived a little early and started looking at the food and drink lists and was most struck by the list of beers. There were over 60 choices in several different styles, many of which I had no knowledge of whatsoever. I ended up trying a couple of different ones that went really well with the food at Resto (mostly meat and mostly fried) and left the dinner with a new goal: to learn more about beer.

Quick note on the restaurant—I liked the food, especially the deviled eggs on fried pork toasts, the butter ballen (fried pork and veal croquettes) and the tete de cochon sandwich which was pretty amazing. I was a little disappointed by the fries (too starchy, not crispy enough) and thought the kanpachi dish we had was good but a little nondescript. Overall I think Resto would be a great place for a beer and a snack or an amazing place for a late night meal thanks to all the fried stuff. I’ll probably find my way back at some point but I’m not exactly sure when.

Anyway, my cluelessness about beer had me really frustrated and yearning to learn more about it. I felt like I had done a relatively good job of learning about wine and have started to learn more about cocktails, but how could I not know about beer? I was in a frat for two years!

I found myself on Bowery on Saturday morning, strolling through the restaurant equipment stores and decided that I should hop into the Whole Foods beer shop on Bowery and Houston. One thing led to another and I took myself on a little beer shopping spree, trying to pick up a bunch of different kinds of beers that I haven’t had and treating myself to one that I have. I think I bought a 6 pack of Brooklyn Summer Ale, a mixed 12 pack of Beer from upstate New York, two different kinds of Allegash beer, two different kinds of Hitachino, one kind of beer brewed in 2003 and aged in Calvados Casks, a Norman Apple Cider, a couple of different kinds of Belgian beer and a couple of others.
Of course, I have no time or plans to drink any of this and am clearly not jumping into this learning project by myself. Anyone up for a beer dinner next Saturday?

BIG APPLE BBQ IS HERE AGAIN

The Big Apple BBQ is coming. In fact, the BBQ is tomorrow and I would feel terribly irresponsible if I didn’t remind you all about the event. I bought a fast pass last year (a good idea if you’re going with friends) and me and a group of five friends pigged out on tons of delicious BBQ.

While it is easy to eat yourself silly, the Big Apple BBQ is one of those rare chances to get food that you can’t otherwise get in NYC. I think its safe to say that BBQ in other parts of the country (where there is actual outdoor space) differs from the kind we can get at our NYC establishments such as Blue Smoke, Hill Country etc. regardless of how good our NYC pitmasters are.

Our goal last year was to try as much out of NYC BBQ as possible and to leave the stuff from the NYC guys alone. I think that over the course of an afternoon, I had two beers, two pulled pork sandwiches, two orders of ribs, cornbread, coleslaw, sausage, brisket, and one nice long nap. The best food I had was probably from Mike Mills of 17th street Bar & Grill and Michael Rodriguez of The Salt Lick BBQ in Texas, I actually still think of that brisket and sausage.

Anyway, if you don’t have plans for the weekend, or even if you do have plans and have a couple of hours on Saturday or Sunday you should definitely find some friends and make an effort to stop by the Block Party.

Eating What You Kill

As the weather gets warmer and we inch closer and closer to summer I’ve developed an obsession with lobster. These days my food obsessions have been more about finding a product and trying to teach myself a method of cooking it as opposed to trying to find it at a restaurant ready and prepared for me to eat. I’m not sure where exactly this lobster obsession came from, I think it’s a combination of seeing lobster all around me (in stores/markets) and fond memories of eating lobster in Maine when I was a kid (don’t we all have similar lobster memories?)

All of last week I couldn’t help thinking about lobster, and how to cook it at home. I wasn’t interested in the straight boiling process, I wanted to learn to use lobster as part of a composed plate. Since I haven’t cooked much lobster before I turned to the French Laundry Cookbook, one of my favorites, for guidance. Using the knowledge that stabbing a lobster in the brain is the most humane way to kill it, and some direction form the cookbook, I decided to create my own variation of Thomas Keller’s butter poached lobster.

The night started out with me preparing a ton of clarified butter to poach the lobster in and to finish my vegetables with as well as a blanching of sugar snaps, and leeks. I also decided to try to make some potato chips with my newly purchased mandoline and happened to take a healthy chunk out of my thumb after a brief loss of focus.

I then had to slaughter the lobsters. While we understand that all the meat/fish we eat were once living, it’s one thing to buy the product and something completely different to kill the product yourself. I wouldn’t say that I was squeamish, but I did feel a little sorry for the lobster sitting on my cutting board moving around with no idea what was about to happen. I sharpened my knife and looked down at the little guy and started to feel a little bad. Then I found the spot on the top of its shell where the brain is supposed to be and plunged the tip of my knife down into it. It went in fairly easily only I realized that as I was stabbing the lobster in the head I found myself saying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” to the lobster I was killing. I then twisted off its tail and arms as directed. After a brief steep in boiling water I removed the meat from the shells and came up with this:




The lobster poached in butter tasted amazing, as did the melted leeks and fresh sugar snaps. The potato chip added I nice texture (it was very crisp) but the sauce (lobster stock mixed with fennel and saffron) lacked body and needed to be thicker, notice the fact that it looks more like a broth. Overall, I was happy with the taste and not terribly mortified by my first time cooking lobster at home but I understand that I still need to learn a lot more about this delicious tasting creature.

***Note that butter poaching is an amazing way to cook lobster, something I plan on doing a lot more of.

Its been some time now... (get ready to read a lot and not look at pictures)

I haven’t posted in a while and I can’t exactly figure out why. It’s true that I have been extremely busy (more extremely busy than normal) but even in busy times I have found the motivation to write and reflect upon my cooking at eating experiences.

I have found that in the past couple of weeks I’ve been doing more cooking and thinking about cooking than normal. Last night for example, instead of coming home and doing things that normal people do like watch TV or whatever else it is that other people do (I don’t really even know anymore) I spent a decent portion of the night reading The French Laundry Cookbook and experimenting with how to extract chlorophyll from green plants.

This weekend, instead of going out and hanging out with other human beings, I plan on cooking for my parents, playing around with some fresh Morel mushrooms and teaching myself all about how to make elegant and delicious lobster dishes.

Part of the reason I’m staying in Friday and Saturday nights is so I can bum around Bowery on Saturday and invest and improve upon our current (circa 1987) food processor so that I can actually puree things.

In the past few weeks I have been eating out a little. We went to Blue Hill and had an excellent Mother’s Day meal. I was also treated to a tasting menu and WD-50 and had just as awesome and culinarily cerebral time as my first tasting visit over a year and a half ago. I even felt the urge to dine by myself last night (before the chlorophyll experiment) and enjoyed a warm uni pannini and sepia short noodles at el quinto pino.

I guess what I’m trying to get at here is that I’ve been a little more obsessed with food than I usually am and I think that as part of this current phase I have felt a little less motivated to write about food and a lot more interested in figuring out how I can know more about food and more importantly how I can be a better cook.

In the past few days however, I have had a couple of people mention the blog to me and tell me how much they appreciate it, which made me think more about the site and how I enjoy it as a forum to reflect on my food experiences and thoughts and not keep them so bottled up and to myself—there are so many things going on in my head that I’m actually starting to feel a little overwhelmed. That being said I really want to do a better job of writing more frequently and getting my thoughts and pictures (something I haven’t been taking a lot of recently) out there a bit more. Thanks everyone for sticking with me.

Happy Mom's Day

Yeah so I know that I didn’t post at all last week. I’ve been finding that recently I’ve actually spent more time experimenting with food than critiquing/writing about it. I had a night last week where I was up till 2 am making sausage. I also had a night where I ran into a friend at around midnight when I was running to the grocery store to buy more sugar for my most recent pickling project. My liquor infusion project has also been a huge hit so far. Although, now the people who compliment my cooking (I was at a BBQ on Saturday) tend to be a lot more drunk due to the fact that the melon vodka I made was extremely smooth and delicious.

After a week of neglecting the blog I’ve decided to make a glorious return. Yesterday was mother’s day, so you can bet that I spent the majority of my day cooking for mom.

I started off with a brunch/breakfast of ‘seriously good’ Violet Hill Farm bacon, a fruit salad of orange, grapefruit, blackberries and honeydew (I was using the rind for infusing more booze) and my mom’s favorite—chocolate and strawberry pancakes.

I spent my afternoon going to the gym, making more melon voda, perfecting by maple bacon walnut Bourbon and trying my hand at rosemary and lavender vodka.

Then I started on a four course mother’s day dinner.

The first course was my own citrus cured arctic char tartare (as inspired by Gramercy Tavern) with radish sprouts, grapefruit, orange, and celery brunoise. The dish looked amazing and even tasted good as well. I do, however, need to work on my fish butchering skills.


The second course was an experiment that resulted from the presence of a couple of new ingredients and my dad’s desire to fry stuff. I made a fiddlehead fern ‘tempura’ served over Chinese Forbidden Rice (which I love) pan roasted oyster mushrooms, shaved asparagus and lemon. Even though this was really a last minute hodgepodge of things it was actually pretty good. We all agreed that fiddlehead tempura is pretty tasty.


The final savor course was something I’ve done several times before—arctic char (I had bought the whole fish and needed to use it) over asparagus, ramps, favas and carrots with crème fraiche and mustard.

Finally, the light dessert consisted of shaved honeydew, AMAZING farmer;s market raspberries, and a Muscat granite.



Happy Mother’s day everyone, I hope you all cooked for your mom’s as well.