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Gwynnett St, Brooklyn

Published April 19, 2013 Gwynnett St , NYC + , USA 1 Comment
Tags: Carl McCoy, Gwynnett St, Gwynnett St Brooklyn, Gwynnett St Restaurant, Justin Hilbert, Owen Clark

I’ve said before that I’m often fairly slow to put up posts about meals. Well..here’s one from about three months ago that I’ve had queued up on my wordpress page for quite awhile with pictures attached and just waiting for a few words. A late January dinner at Gwynnett St with Rocky. I’m not sure how relevant this will be since just days ago the restaurant announced that Chef Justin Hilbert has left the team and former sous chef Owen Clark will be taking his place. For what it’s worth, here’s what was for dinner:

Whiskey Bread with cultured butter. I really liked the crust. It was nice of Rocky to give me both end pieces.

Sunchoke. The sunchokes were served crispy, sliced, and roasted with cheese. Along with hazelnuts, purple watercress and a kick ass alpine cheese broth. The roasted and sliced chokes were both great, but the crispy ones got soggy with the broth.

Kohlrabi and Turnip. The kohlrabi was compressed with yuzu and soy. The turnip compressed with a dashi. Served with Iberian ham both shredded and in a mousse. Very impactful flavors in the vegetables. The turnip was awesome with its pairing, a Mosel Riesling Spatlese. Great work with roots.

Snails roasted with meyer lemon. With farro in an onion soubise, pickled onion, and crosnes. Super solid dish. Great flavor balance between acid and richness. The texture variety was a lot of fun. The crispness of the crosnes was superb, and Rocky had fun putting them atop the snails acting like they were shells.

Blood Dumplings. With parsnip noodles, roasted apple, and trevisio. A fantastic balance all together: the iron flavor of the blood, the bitter radicchio, the more vegetal than sweet parsnip, the soft texture of the dumplings, and the crisp and crunch of the vegetables. A vegetal local rose from Bedell Winery on Long Island was a fun pairing.

White Bean Tofu. With smoked white beans, carrots, and a few other roots. A few alliums in the dish had a wonderful char. The caramelized onion broth was spot on with a great fragrance.

Ocean Trout. A well-prepared piece of fish. Some sweet earthiness from salsify and golden beets. Some ocean accents from nori, wakame, and roe. A little bitter acidity from red veined sorrel. Superbly matched with the slightly sour dark berry earthiness of a cru Beaujolais from Julienas.

Duck. With brussels sprouts and prune. Super rich. Hard-hitting. With a huge wine to match; from Cadillac, Bordeaux.

Fennel & Grapefruit. Cool dessert with good bitter to sweet ratio and a resounding, cool herbaceousness.

I can’t recall anything really specific here. Something in the vein of a take on a strawberry shortcake. I remember it being awesome with the Pineau Des Charentes.

Chocolate. Rosehip. Bull’s blood. Textures of chocolate and rosehip with a handful of bull’s blood leaves. Tasty. Nice with the 20 year Tawny.

The wines we were paired:

Certainly a fun dinner and I think a fantastic value. I’ll have to head back soon to see how things cook up with Chef Clark leading the team.

Date of visit: January 20, 2013

Gwynnett St. 312 Graham Ave. Brooklyn, NY 347.889.7002 www.gwynnettst.com

Lunch at Blackbird, Chicago

Published April 17, 2013 Blackbird , Chicago , USA Leave a Comment
Tags: Blackbird, Blackbird Chicago, Blackbird Restaurant, Dana Cree, Paul Kahan

When filling in the schedule for my short trip to Chicago with Rocky last week, I needed a good lunch spot, and I wanted to return to Blackbird. Since Paul Kahan’s flagship is among the few restaurants in the city on my list that offer lunch service, it only made sense.

Though I didn’t think it would happen, I had inquired about the possibility of us being served a chef’s tasting for lunch. On arrival we were told that the kitchen would happily split and course out anything from the day’s menu for an extended lunch. Perfect. While we were looking over the menu, it seemed prudent to get started with a bottle of bubbles. So we ordered the Paul Goerg Blanc de Blancs. Lively elegance, bright bubbles, and flavors of apple and citrus. A fantastic lunchtime Champagne. Rocky and I made a few choices from the menu, asked for a few suggestions as well, and got a nice little meal lined up.

Green and white asparagus with charred spring onion, goat cheese, cured egg yolk, peanuts, and chamomile. The plate of grilled spears of green with blanched white asparagus and beautiful early onions was a nice celebration of spring. The rich yolk and tangy goat cheese played well as condiments.

Smoked arctic char with ‘nduja, cauliflower, pear, and rosemary. A pretty piece of smoked fish. I loved the cauliflower, served both pickled and fried. The sliced pear was nice for some fresh sweetness. The spice of the ‘nduja pate was nice to enhance the arctic char.

Duck liver sausage with honeyed eggplant, pickled delicata squash, peanut, and dandelion greens. The sausage had a nice smooth taste. The setting was extremely dynamic: the sweetness of the eggplant, the acid from the squash, and the super bitter dandelion greens somehow managed to stay in balance.

Lamb tenderloin tartare with sprouted lentils, cured rhubarb, spicy marrow, and chickweed. The melted chili bone marrow tied together the sweet rhubarb with the strips of lamb. I love eating most anything that is just sprouted. These lentils, some of which were fried, were very special little legumes.

Cauliflower soup with seared tuna, pickled shallots, and toasted pepitas. A great cauliflower soup. The spiced toasted seeds were a lot of fun texturally. The bites of acidic allium were nice surprises amid the richness. The tuna, for me, had no place in the bowl. And some beautiful wild sorrel got drowned in the soup.

Roasted maitake mushrooms with salsify, meyer lemon, and sweet potato. A savory, meaty, wonderfully prepared portion of maitake mushroom over a smooth puree of salsify with red wine mushroom sauce. Sweet potato two ways: batons and chips. With crisp sliced heart of palm.

Goat cheese cheesecake with cajeta ice cream, burnt grapefruit, avocado. Bonus points for Pastry Chef Dana Cree. A nice variety of sensations here. Delicious, lightly tangy cheesecake. A little char from the burnt citrus and toasted meringue. Little pieces of candied grapefruit rind were bangingly sweet and bitter. And the avocado was super cool.

Bittersweet chocolate torte with burnt honey ice cream, tangerine marmalade, toasted sesame, cumin. A decadent serving of chocolate. Fantastic combined with the citrus. Non-coincidentally, a very similar flavor palette to a dessert we had two days prior at Blackbird’s neighbor and relative, Avec.

Overall, a great lunch in a beautiful space. With a beautiful lady.

Also: Bread service. A kick ass oolong tea. And a pinot noir from Meursault.

Date of visit: April 1o, 2013

Blackbird. 619 W Randolph. Chicago, IL 312.715.0708 blackbirdrestaurant.com

Kitchen Table at The Aviary, Chicago

Published April 16, 2013 Chicago , The Aviary , USA Leave a Comment
Tags: Grant Achatz, Kitchen Table at The Aviary, The Aviary, The Aviary Chicago

I had a lot of cool stuff planned for my three days in Chicago with Rocky last week; drinking, dining, and otherwise. What I was most excited about before we left home was our visit to The Aviary. Now that we’ve been back into our routine in NYC for a few days I’m looking back over our little trip and what I’m most excited about is..our visit to The Aviary.

The experience at the chef’s Kitchen Table is billed as a 10-course cocktail tasting with food pairings. That’s f*cking sweet. We arrived, curious and eager with anticipation, and were escorted to a small round high-top table in the corner of the kitchen, facing the pass.

Amuse. To start, an amuse of pisco, grappa, and pineau des charentes. Pleasantly fresh and mildly fruity.

Moon River Shrub. Huckleberry, champagne vinegar, white armagnac. A little tart and very viscous.

Sun Also Rises. Absinthe, sloe gin, cava, with Peychaud’s ice. Named after the Hemingway novel, a tribute to his drinking style, and in strong contention for my favorite of the night. A great balance of bitter herb and fresh botanical flavors.

Bowl of Chips: Polenta, lotus root, bonito, white rice with squid ink, nori, tapioca saffron, chicharron, white cheddar with yellow cheddar, and parmesan. The bonito, nori, and squid ink chips had honest flavors of the sea. The parmesan was light, crumbly, and strongly cheesy. The tapioca was luxuriously endowed with saffron.

Ginger. Shiso, peychaud’s, vodka. Ginger and lime made into a snow, courtesy of liquid nitrogen, with shiso, fresno pepper, and lemongrass. Rocky was told to add vodka and stir. The drink had a great ginger root spice.

Tea in Trinidad. Rum with rooibos, verjus, and benedictine, served warm. Holy smokes. I think this was the best warm drink I’ve ever had. Like a boozy tea with honey, but better.

Corn. Guacamole cannoli in corn flour shells with sour cream and fresno pepper. Great stuff. Full flavor guacamole in a super delicate shell.

Infernal Imagery. Barolo, maurin quina, rhum. Served in a smoky treasure box.

Lava. Mole, chocolate, scotch, rum. Sweet on the nose with a woody vanilla palette.

Potato. A warm potato custard covered with malt vinegar chips, chives, and black pepper. The malt vinegar was nice with the rich custard.

Rob Roy. Scotch with 1985 pedro ximenez served in a bag of lavender air. Like a dark, earthy, herbed caramel.

In the Rocks (second edition). Benedictine, vermouth, cognac, rye. A vieux carre on the rocks, served in a rock. Presented with a circular sling shot to place atop the glass and crack the ice sphere to release the cocktail.

Bacon & Date. With purslane, greek yogurt, and thyme. On a sumac and walnut base. Sweet and rich, broken up by the yogurt and thyme.

Aviary One, Aviary Nine. Two beers from a series made in collaboration with Evil Twin Brewing. ‘Plantation’ had citrus and stone fruit flavors with subtle creeping bitterness. ‘George T Stagg’ was smooth with berry and light wood.

Thai Mountain. Saffron, rooibos, maraschino, reposado. With orange peel and tonka bean. Served not quite hot. A great depth of warm spices.

Wagyu. With smoked paprika toffee, pumpkin seed, and yogurt. A bangin little bite.

Cranberry. Gin, rum, absinthe, allspice dram, lemon, rosemary, cranberry, orange, tea leaves, and apple served in a porthole. An incredible infusion that intensified with each pour.

Duck. Duck rillette sandwiched between hazelnut crackers with carrot, parsnip, and puffed rice. Fun, gamey little bites.

Avenue. Grenadine calvados and bourbon with passionfruit sorbet.

Lollipops. An assortment of ‘lollipops’: rice krispie and tonka bean, banana peanut butter, rooibos pate de fruits, malted nougat, raspberry with balsamic foam, coffee toffee, and chocolate hazelnut.

Foie Gras. With pomegranate, gingerbread, and charred onion. Delicious.

Root Beer. Rum and sassafras caramel with fernet and angostura foam.

Brioche. A burst of super buttery chocolate.

Snake Charmer. Yerba maté, ambergris, amaro, smoked whiskey.

Damn. That was a lot of booze. But an amazing and unique experience. The work The Aviary does is astoundingly impressive. From the obvious talent behind the pass to the super-cool floor staff. The creativity in the production and presentation of their cocktails and the attention to detail in the execution of service makes for an engaging, lively, and pleasant night of drinking. I was happy that throughout the night new glasses and ice cubes kept showing up to replace our water. I probably should have chugged a little more of it.

Date of visit: April 9, 2013

The Aviary. 955 W Fulton Market. Chicago, IL 312.226.0868 http://theaviary.com

Avec, Chicago

Published April 15, 2013 Avec , Chicago , USA 2 Comments
Tags: Avec, Avec Chicago, Avec Restaurant, Paul Kahan

Last week, Rocky and I flew to Chicago for a few days to have a few meals and do a little boozing. Since I met Rocky I had been telling her of my admiration for Paul Kahan, his restaurants, and the creativity of his team. After a sleepy flight into the Windy City from LGA, we checked in to our hotel, enjoyed the amazingly sunny day for a bit, then made our way over to Avec for an early dinner.

At almost a decade old, the dining room is still as hip and relevant as the coolest spots on either coast. Communal tables along the west wall. To the east, counter seating facing the kitchen. The space surrounded by cedar, oak, steel, and glass.

We took a couple seats at the stainless steel bar, started with some bubbles, looked briefly at the menu, and dinner was underway.

English pea-ricotta crostini with mint, watercress, lemon vinegar and bottarga di muggine. Our first peas of the season..Hooray! The peas and ricotta were pureed and spread on toasted garlic bread. Fresh flavored and lightly bitter with clean, sharp acid from the onions dressed with the lemon vinegar and salinity from the sliced bottarga.

Chorizo-stuffed medjool dates with bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce. Full mouth flavor. Not too spicy. Super rich with balanced sweetness. Served with beautifully light and crusty bread.

Marinated chicken thigh with brussels sprouts, ginger-currants, potatoes, sumac and cilantro. Rocky said ‘This chicken is super awesome!’ and I agree. Juicy and meaty with crisp delicious skin. The brussels sprout salad was tossed in a strong acid and carried some pretty decent heat.

Wood-fired squid amatriciana: san marzano tomatoes, guanciale and fideo with fennel aioli. This was bad ass. Tender squid over thin, short fideo pasta amatriciana baked and barely crusty. The fennel aioli was fun for a slight cooling against the spice, but I preferred it without.

Lamb bolognese with hand-cut tajarin, swiss chard, mint and pecorino romano. I prefer tajarin to be sheeted a little thicker for a more dense bite, but the broad thin noodle did well with the oily lamb sauce. The swiss chard tossed in was fantastic.

Affogato with pistachio zaletti. Just as it should be, with a nice buttery texture. The zaletti were incredible.

Chocolate & tangerine sorbet. Chocalte sorbet, almost chewy in texture, accented with light tangerine.

Burnt honey semifreddo with orange carmel and cumin sesame. Inside a chocolate dome. From Rocky: ‘Oh boy…this semifreddo is where it’s at’. A little salt was nice with the richness. The orange, cumin, and sesame were all apparent, but none were overbearing. A tasty dessert.

Nutter butters. These little guys were effing awesome. A crunchy, buttery, striated base studded with cocoa nibs with a caramelly top.

Housemade chocolate crisps. Milk and dark chocolate tempered and sheeted with feuilletine. Simple enough. Nothing not to like here.

The food at Avec is delicious. Full-flavored, accessible, and exciting. A week later, Rocky and I are both still craving more.

Date of visit: April 8, 2013

Avec. 615 W Randolph. Chicago, IL 312.377.2002 avecrestaurant.com/

The Catbird Seat, Nashville

Published March 20, 2013 Tennessee , The Catbird Seat , USA 2 Comments
Tags: Catbird Seat Nashville, Catbird Seat Restaurant, Erik Anderson, Josh Habiger, The Catbird Seat

I had never been to Nashville. After learning about Chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson and their restaurant The Catbird Seat, I decided I should pay the Music City a visit. It seemed to me that halfway through a road trip from the Midwest back to NYC would be as good a time to visit as any. So after a graceful night in Chicago Rocky and I hit the road, soldiered through a snowstorm, checked into our hotel, then made our way to dinner(conveniently a three minute walk).

Porcini & Parmesan ‘Oreo’. A faux Oreo of earthy porcini mushroom cookies and savory parmesan cream.

Island Creek Oyster. With kimchi gel and lime foam that did well to highlight the oceanic flavor.

Shiitake Cracker Jack.

Hot Chicken. Fried chicken skin brushed with sorghum topped with cayenne, paprika, and wonder bread puree. A one bite homage to the Nashville classic.

Scallop. Sliced scallop in oak dashi with Fresno pepper, chicken skin, salmon roe, shiso, and mustard greens. Good layers. The texture of the chicken and the salinity from the roe were great companions to the scallop.

Roasted Sunchoke & Caramelized Yogurt Soup. With black garlic, black olive, black truffle, fennel, and artichoke. Many facets of earth flavors laced with good acid and astringency. The pairing of Viura with green Chartreuse was compelling against artichoke/olive taste.

Arctic Char. A fantastic piece of fish with amazing ricotta gnudi, meyer lemon puree, sorrel, dill, and ramp capers. Rocky was floored. First she called it ‘ballin’, then simply ‘beautiful’.

Palmetto Pigeon. From Palmetto Pigeon Plant in South Carolina. With chestnut puree, celeriac ribbon, sugar cured egg yolk, smoked butter, sage, and huckleberry. This was f*cking delicious. Again with the layers of flavors. Superb richness between the sauces. A little sweetness used and not abused.

Beef. Wagyu from Northern California. With endive, hen of the woods, asian pear, black walnut cream, black walnut liquor sauce, brown butter chives, hibiscus leaf, and nasturtium. Damn son. These guys can cook. Bold, impactful flavors that maintain coherent balance.

Rush Creek Reserve. Coming from Wisconsin, washed rind raw cow milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark. Served with curried granola, apricot puree, and honey. Rocky said ‘This is the coolest cheese course we’ve had’. Certainly an accomplishment in tastes and textures.

Coffee & Tea. Coffee ice cream with red tea foam, chocolate molasses cake, orange gel, and hazelnut.

Egg. I’ve always liked eating small servings out of egg shells. Maple custard, maple syrup, thyme, and bacon. Rich. Really rich. Breakfast for dessert?

Bourbon. Oak ice cream, vanilla cake, pineapple gel, Bulleit bourbon spheres, cherry crisp, cherry powder. Yet another solid compilation of flavors. I thought the bourbon was going to be too strong, but the boldness really set off the vanilla and fruit.

Coffee & Cream ‘Oreo’. To finish the meal, as we started, another faux Oreo. This time staying true to the original’s sweetness. Chocolatey, creamy, coffee bites.

I had come into The Catbird Seat expecting a good meal. Habiger and Anderson over-delivered. I was astounded at how much I loved their food. It’s honest and not over-the-top, yet bold, passionate, and fascinating. I would happily fly to Nashville to dine with them again.

Date of meal: December 29, 2012

The Catbird Seat. 1711 Division St. Nashville, TN http://www.thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com/

Grace, Chicago

Published March 12, 2013 Chicago , Grace , USA Leave a Comment
Tags: Curtis Duffy, Grace, Grace Chicago, Grace Restaurant

My first encounter with Chef Curtis Duffy was at the chef’s counter at Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago where The Bro and I had a strikingly beautiful meal in fall of 2010. We were floored by his precise, thoughtful, and gorgeously presented plates. We made tentative plans to return but not long after Curtis left Avenues. My second run-in with Chef Duffy was a year later at a Friends of JBF dinner hosted at The American Restaurant in Kansas City where he contributed a course of Nuac Mau braised short ribs that I still crave occasionally. After the dinner, Rocky and I made a promise to pay him a visit when he got his next venture up and running. Moving forward another year: after spending most of 2012 following the progress of the opening of Grace in Chicago with anticipation, Rocky and I made good on our promise. We had decided to make our holiday trip home to the Midwest from NYC into an extended road trip, with a stop in the windy city on the return leg to spend an evening with the team at Grace.

The menus offered are ‘Flora’ and ‘Fauna’ tastings. Typically I would have leaned towards the vegetable focused Flora menu, but the dishes on the Fauna side looked more compelling. We ordered the Fauna with supplements from the Flora.

Canapés. Crisp and bright rolled cucumber and green apple ribbons. Smoked banana and gruyere pastry. Mandarin orange with smoked paprika taffy. The smoke was good and the crispness of the taffy over the juicy segment was fun. The chip was great, though I don’t remember what it is…tapioca chip possibly?

Parsnip – dried pineapple, tarragon ice, FENNEL. Light and cool. The tarragon ice beads were fantastic. The dehydrated pineapple was not too sweet, though the parsnip very sweet to start. The fennel had a good crunch. Parsnip chips added some needed salt.

Osetra Caviar – meyer lemon, kumquat jam, CHIVE. The kumquat jam had a good bitterness. The meyer lemon custard was nicely tart and sweet. Breadcrumbs were crunchy and toasty. And the salinity from the osetra rounded out a great balance of flavors.

Carrot – iranian pistachio, whipped mascarpone, CARROT TOP. Roasted carrots, candied carrots, braised pistachios, whipped mascarpone, carrot top puree, passionfruit, over a carrot gelatin base. Amazing. Pure carrot flavor presented in brilliant sweet textures with darker flavored hearty roasted carrots. Acid from the passionfruit and the savory pistachios keep plate of carrots lively.

Kampachi – golden trout roe, pomelo, THAI BASIL. A dish that has received a lot of attention and I think can be called an early signature dish of Grace. Kampachi in a ginger ice sleeve with coconut rice pudding, brook trout roe, candied pomelo, and pomelo segments. Another fantastic course. Certainly something special. A beautiful piece of Kampachi(on other sites I’ve seen different fish with the same setting) accented on all sides: ginger spice, bitter citrus, the pop of the roe, and the vibrant thai basil.

Sunchoke – braised mustard seeds, freekeh, cippolini onion, LOVAGE. The sunchokes were great. Mustard seeds and mustard cream were good also. I adored the charred cippolini onions, and the little cippolini chips were delightful. For me, the astringent celery didn’t have a place here.

Chilled Scallop – hibiscus tea, FIVE LICORICE FLAVORED HERBS. A cooled seared scallop, black tapioca flavored with licorice, a tapioca chip, and herb foam served in a pool of hibiscus tea. The hoja santa foam was served warm over an otherwise cold plate of food. The strong multi-herbal energy made a success of the dish.

Scottish Salmon – crispy red cabbage, citrus pudding, MARIGOLD. A nice cut of cold smoked and sous vide salmon. With Napa and Savoy cabbages, potato, mushroom emulsion, a tapioca chip flavored with beet, and a base of meyer lemon.

Grilled Wagyu Beef – matsutake, salsify, MASHUA LEAF. A gorgeous, perfectly prepared cut of wagyu beef. With preparations of salsify and matsutake mushrooms, and a base of bonito dashi and lime. The finger lime made for a very potent tartness that broke the richness. The varied flavors of black salsify were outstanding.

Poached Chestnut – perigord truffle, roasted almond milk, RED SORREL. With black truffle meringue and truffled sherry vinegar. If by this time in the meal I wasn’t yet starting to get full, this richly decadent chestnut puree would make sure I was well on my way. This hard hitter made me wish I had done a pre meal workout.

Veal Cheek – red wine braised endive, black grape, BLACK MINT. With brilliant sunflower seed risotto and crispy white anchovy tempura.

Poached Quince – elderflower, tamarind juice, BRONZE FENNEL. The cool fennel and the spice of green cardamom made for a nice small plate of quince.

Caramelized Sudachi – toasted cashew, asian pear, NASTURTIUM. With celery and burgundy sorrel. Quite an amazing dessert with a strong dynamic range of sensations. Bright sudachi citrus with crisp pear, peppery nasturtium, crunchy and sweet cashews, tangy earthy celery, and acidic sorrel. A thrill.

Bitter Chocolate – raw chestnut, persimmon, LEMON MINT. Balanced with vanilla creme fraiche and espelette spice. Beautifully bold and captivating.

Mignardises. Chocolate sphere with caramel popcorn. Yuzu chocolate.

Bread service:

Duffy has a knack for pairing a progression of bread along with his meals. Amish butter two ways: with sea salt, and herbed with black lava salt. Hibiscus brioche with fennel. Pretzel bread – Rocky’s favorite. Rosemary focaccia with wagyu fat. Sweet red wine and black grape bread(I think).

For being two weeks old at the time, this was an impressive accomplishment of a meal from Chef Duffy and his team at Grace. I look forward to returning to see the progression and growth of the beautiful restaurant. I’m certain with a little time, tweaking, and refinement that Grace will have a spot among the elite restaurants in the country.

Date of visit: December 28, 2012

Grace. 652 W Randolph St. Chicago, IL. 312.234.9494

http://www.grace-restaurant.com/

Benu, San Francisco

Published March 4, 2013 Benu , California , USA 1 Comment
Tags: Benu, Benu Restaurant, Benu San Francisco, Corey Lee, Michelin *

I maintain a fairly lengthy list of restaurants in the Bay Area that I want to visit. Each time I cross the country from East to Left I seem to be overly constricted by time or budget, which makes for very slow progression through my ever increasing line-up. Last November, by the generosity of The Bro, I was able to make a decent little advance through my SF roster.

After a run along the water, a kick-ass lunch at Danny Bowien’s Mission Chinese Food, a tour of really long staircases, and a hike through the Sutro Baths, The Bro and I were amped for dinner at Corey Lee’s Benu.

The Menu:

Thousand-year-old quail egg, potage, ginger. A two week preserving process yielded a superb quail egg. The potage of cabbage and bacon was a nice supporter. Of the dozen+ quail egg openers I’ve had at as many restaurants over the past several months, this was easily my favorite.

Oyster, pork belly, kimchi. A great contrast of the cold oyster to the hot belly. A good pepper-like spice with the lingering pork richness was great.

Potato salad with anchovy. With celery and caramelized Fresno Chile curls. Another fantastic contrast, this time of the sweet crunchy anchovies to the soft starchy potato salad.

Homemade pumpkin tofu. Soy bean and butternut squash tofu with pumpkin seeds, pumpkin juice, and Korean sea salt. Not a particular standout for me, but the pumpkin seeds and juice were very enjoyable.

Chilled porridge, abalone, matsutake mushroom, pine. The abalone had a good texture. A thorough chew of the mushroom rewarded with great earthy flavor. The pine nuts were a nice little surprise.

Monkfish liver, persimmon, turnip, mustard, brioche. We were told this used to be made with duck liver before the foie ban. I thought the monkfish liver had a bitterness that made the dish more interesting than I imagined the foie to be. Good compliments of mustard spice and sweetness from crystallized mustard seeds. The crunchy turnips were nice to break up the flavors and cleanse between bites.

Sake lees, chestnut, green apple, yuzu. I thought this dish was terrific. The frozen sake lees were phenomenal; very exciting when paired with rich chestnut puree and sweet apple gelee. The yuzu foam had a vibrant, bright energy that heightened the ensemble.

Eel, feuille de brick, crème fraîche, lime. Beautiful umami combination of eel wrapped in filo. To be dipped in a cooling, tangy creme fraiche with lime zest.

Omasum tripe, scallop, yellow chive, lovage. The dish was well-spiced. The tripe in particular was a pleasure, with a great density and snap.

Salt and pepper squid. The Bro was a huge fan of the squid chip. A cracker flavored with squid ink topped with confit squid, pickled serrano, garlic creme fraiche, cilantro, garlic and chile powders. I got pretty excited about the pickled serranos.

Lobster in two courses:

– xiao long bao. Shanghai style soupy dumplings filled with a perfect lobster broth. Contrasted with a potent Banyuls/fermented soy vinegar.

– fresh noodles with fines herbes. Damn! Delicious. Like a refined high-end bolognese. Lobster stock, veal stock, bacon, garlic, red wine vinaigrette, and classic Italian fines herbes.

Rabbit cassoulet with black truffle bun. As delightfully rich as it should be with good starchy beans. Accompanied by a steamed bun flavored with black truffles wrapped around a dense but soft rabbit sausage.

Beef rib, pear, broccoli, burdock, charred scallion, fermented pepper. As expected, a flawless cut of beef rib. I adored the fermented pepper sauce with its lasting smoky heat that was mellowed by the asian pear puree.

“Shark’s fin” soup, dungeness crab, Jinhua ham, black truffle custard. Chef Lee’s famous faux shark fin soup. The crab lent an oceanic salinity for the ‘fin’ and broth. The grand earthy truffle is always good.

Shiso, white chocolate, almond, pomegranate. The dryness of the frozen shiso was really cool..haha..get it? I loved the herbaceousness of the shiso against the rich white chocolate snow. The pomegranate seeds gave a fun bright pop.

Spice cake, huckleberry, yogurt, oatmeal ice cream. Seasonally appropriate. Possibly a little distracted and disjointed, but a fun dish to eat.

Chocolates. White chocolate with dried fruit. Sesame chocolate with a good crunch. Dark chocolate with cognac. Walnut chocolate with walnut liquor.

Some wines we were served:

Date of visit: November 8, 2012

Benu. 22 Hawthorne St. San Francisco, CA. 415.685.4860 http://www.benusf.com/

Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

Published March 1, 2013 Atelier Crenn , California , USA 1 Comment
Tags: Atelier Crenn, Atelier Crenn San Francisco, Dominique Crenn, Juan Contreras, Michelin *

It seems that a practice I’ve adopted in my life is visiting San Francisco once a year. Different reasons have brought me to the Bay Area during different seasons each year. Last November my annual trip to the Left Coast was sparked by a childhood friend’s wedding. The timing worked out such that I had just quit my job in NYC and hadn’t yet started at my current one, so a few extra days for dining with The Bro seemed like the right thing to do. My first evening in town landed me at my most anticipated table of the trip: Dominique Crenn’s Atelier Crenn.

We had a choice between a five course menu or Chef’s Grand Tasting Menu. Naturally, The Bro and I chose the Grand Tasting, which was presented as a poem. As Chef dubs it: Poetic Culinaria. Each course of the menu matched up with a line from the poem:

Autumn whispers the untold memories

Mellow serenades of colors of red and green

The glowing ocean and light écume de mer

Wherein a moon burns orangey bright

Nature rejoice, chasing childhood memories.

As the breeze caresses

A gentle smell, oceanic, of yummy feeling

A subtle smokiness has arrived, and a new start.

Fallen leaf of crispy autumn scene

Birth which gives its morning mystery.

And birds flying free.

Autumn is here

Autumn whispers the untold memories. A Kir Breton to begin. Inside a delicate white chocolate shell, pressed apple cider. Topped with a reduction of creme de cassis. Following the burst of the shell came a flavor that at once took my mind to the Kirs I’ve been served at Brittany-style creperies in France.

Mellow serenades of colors of red and green. Hamachi with Osetra, fennel, apple and celery sorbet, beet puree, and lardo, finished with a wonderfully savory broth of crustacean shells and beets. The sorbet melted into a bright, lively acidity that heightened the fresh fish and balanced the broth. Bites of fennel lent a cool finish.

The glowing ocean and light écume de mer. Washington Kumamoto Oyster with creme fraiche, compressed cucumber, elderflower sake gelee, sea grape, and wheat grass. The astringency of the wheat grass was compelling against the sweet, mildly briny oyster. The fresh cucumber flavor with the sweet and floral gelee made an excellent setting.

Wherein a moon burns orangey bright. Carrot sorbet, dehydrated carrot, and baby carrot with coconut powder and coconut foam, aloe vera gelee, and rutabaga and grapefruit tea to finish. I enjoyed the texture of the coconut powder with the sorbet as well as their different sweetness levels, which balanced well with the bitter tea.

Nature rejoice, chasing childhood memories. Ginger cured Mackerel atop a jasmine rice cracker with onion marmalade, plum and smoked lardo emulsion, and wasabi leaf. A superb celebration of the fish. Sweet and salty notes surprise and supplement the feature.

As the breeze caresses. Hibiscus granita, meyer lemon sorbet, frozen fennel mousse. Tartness from the meyer lemon and cool herbaceousness from the fennel brought together by the sweet, floral hibiscus.

A gentle smell, oceanic, of yummy feeling. Buckwheat and quinoa grains with pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds, house made bottarga, dashi, and yuzu kosho. Perfect snap/crunch to the grains. The yuzu kosho provided some sporadic pop-up spice. Beautiful layers of savory salinity going on amidst the seeds and grains.

A subtle smokiness has arrived, and a new start. Lamb tartare marinated with beet and shallot and infused with smoked eel, sesame powder, rice tulle, blackberry, creme fraiche cubes, horseradish pudding, cured eel. Many pieces and flavors that all came together to make perfect sense.

Fallen leaf of crispy autumn scene. Mushrooms: king trumpet, maitake, and pioppini: roasted, pickled, pureed, and dehydrated. With hazelnuts, shaved and in a praline, thai basil, pumpernickel chiffon, sorrel, and foraged flowers, all set off by an insane brûléed pine meringue. Three months later, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one.

Birth which gives its morning mystery. Corn silk nest, corn and duck fat pearls, chocolate branch with porcini powder, vanilla and apple sauces, served with warm duck consommé. At the first couple bites, The Bro and I both thought this might be a dessert, though a sip of the consommé brings it all full circle and suddenly the sweet flavors sensically melt into savory harmony.

And birds fly free. Sonoma squab cooked sous-vide and seared, liver mousse, fumet beurre blanc, sunchoke chips and puree, huckleberry, squab-madeira-truffle jus, kaffir lime leaf. A well-executed, well-balanced slate of bird. The kaffir leaf seemed to reset the richness with a lasting bitter/fresh quality.

The option was presented for a supplemental cheese course. We of course were happy to oblige. Being that at this point I hadn’t yet been to bed from the night before and had received a steady stream of alcohol, I was starting to get a little fuzzy. Sadly, I don’t remember any specifics. Photo looks yummy though.

Autumn is here. Fall spiced brioche, celery ice cream, pumpkin seed, apple, hibiscus. With an infusion of orange, butternut squash, anise, allspice clove, cinnamon, vanilla. The faux acorn was caramelized sugar with apple puree and nocino. Quite the full-sensory celebration of autumn in dessert form. Beautifully balanced warm flavors and aromas from Pastry Chef Juan Contreras.

Petit fours:

Pate de fruits: Mango celery, guava coriander, strawberry peppermint. Marshmallows: pictachio almond cherry with rice paper nougat, passion fruit. Maldon salt caramel. Chocolate: white chocolate with cardamom, caramelized white chocolate, espresso-chocolate ganache, Valrhona dark.

Some wines we were served(in addition to Champagne):

More than an amazing meal at the hands of Chef Dominique and her team; the experience was cerebral, sensual, and intimate. I look forward to returning with Rocky for this year’s trip out west.

Date of visit: November 7, 2012

Atelier Crenn. 3127 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA. 415.440.0460 http://ateliercrenn.com/

Torrisi Italian Specialties, NYC

Published October 25, 2012 Torrisi Italian Specialties Leave a Comment
Tags: Mario Carbone, Michelin *, NYC Restaurants, Rich Torrisi, Torrisi, Torrisi NYC

As our recent Euro-eating-trip was approaching, Rocky and I were supposed to be going easy on the eating out and saving money for our Copenhagen-Denia-San Sebastian line-up. But coming up on my last night off work before departure, I couldn’t help but call up Torrisi to see if they could get us in for their Chef’s Tasting Menu. After a moment on the phone, on and off hold, we were good to go. The menu was composed of roughly 20 ‘courses’, each paying homage to the history of NYC dining and food culture.

OUR AMERICANO. American in Italy. A bitter drink started the night. I believe it was something like Grapefruit, Wormwood, Cherry Bark, and Ginseng.

THE QUAIL’S OLIVE. Canned Bar Snack. Olive-brined quail eggs. They seemed more about the novelty than an attempt at a great flavor combination.

PRETZELS. Street Cart. Soft pretzel bites with caraway and mustard. A great little snack, but a stretch to be called a course.

SABLE CIGARETTES. Stork Club. Gnocco fritto, wrapped in smoked sable, dipped in cod roe, with poppy seed ash. Despite the gimmicky nature of this snack, I thought it was delicious.

OYSTERS. Bloch & Guggenheim Deli Peppers. The peppers left a nice spice on the finish to follow the brine, but were a little strong for the oyster.

LITTLE NECK CLAM. on the Half Shell. The foam had great acid and a little bitterness to compliment the clam and balance with the neighboring half shell.

BUCKWHEAT CAVIAR KNISH. Yonah Shimmel Celebrates. Brilliant. The crunch of the buckwheat, the Hackleback salinity, a little red onion. Great snack.

RABBIT TERRINE. Toasted Italian Bread. Another winner. Rich rabbit game, nicely seasoned, countered by sour cherry jam, lemon zest, and rosemary.

CASHEW CHICKEN. A Southern Mulberry Classic. Fried chicken oysters rolled in chopped cashews, served on century-old Tiffany & Co. spoons. Outstanding.

PROSCIUTTO’D MELON. Eldorado 5-8654. A lovely slice of melon, with a beautiful cut of prosciutto. Some livening freshness from the herbs, and a few big salt crystals. Simple, classic, and perfect.

RAW CAPONATA. Bensonhurst BBQ. The feature of the dish, the BBQ eggplant, fell pretty flat. Though the caponata was nice, with good vegetable crunch and a little spice. The raisin creme fraiche ice cream gave a pleasant cooling effect.

MACKEREL IN CRAZY WATER. Atlantic Aqua Pazza. A pretty slice of Mackerel, barely touched, accompanied by seaweed ash, sea beans, and tomato compote, and finished with a fantastic acqua pazza.

FOIE GRAS NEWBERG. Wenberg & Ranhofer. Excellent foie. Rich and smooth. Topped with brandy gelee. A fowl take on the original Lobster Newberg.

DELMONICO STEAK TARTARE. 25 William Street. A bold flavored tartare with a good amount of black pepper, petite cornichons, and encapsulated béarnaise.

SHEEP MILK RICOTTA GNOCCHI. Dancing Ewe Farms. Well-executed ricotta gnocchi tossed with buttery sweet corn. This plate was damn delicious.

OCTOPUS SPAGHETTONI. A Sunday on Long Island. The octopus was nicely tender with a strong ocean flavor. Toasted bread crumbs were a plus, texturally. The dish was initially too spicy for me, but I numbed to it fairly quickly.

LAMB CAPELLACI. Pope John Paul Goldstein III. Artichoke hearts, matzah, mint, Manischewitz. Good pasta, the lamb was cooked well, and none of the components were overbearing. A pleasant dish.

DRY-AGED GUINEA HEN. French in Italian. Black truffle. Boudin noir. This was a great plate. Nothing ground-breaking, but honest and impeccable.

CHEESE DANISH. Bagel Shop. A fluffy, buttery, poppy seed danish, with sweet onion jam and cheese. A tasty, balanced, composed cheese course.

GINGER ITALIAN ICE. The Corona King. Pretty much what one could expect from ginger italian ice. Densely packed, and almost spicy in flavor.

MARASCHINO FLOAT. Soda Parlor. The root beer financier was great. Sour cherry ice cream over pretzel crumble was great as well. The milk straw and cherry soda were a nice novelty.

PASTRIES. Ferrara Bakery. Let’s see if I can name all these…Ricotta cannoli with orange zest. Polenta cake with ricotta and rhubarb. Peppermint truffles. A honey something that just kind of poofed away. Seaweed Taffy, dry and bitter. An interesting and kind of unpleasant olive wafer. A pistachio thing. Celery cake with concord jelly, which was much better than expected.

A take-home menu and some rainbow cake/cookies.

Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone certainly have good things going with their current restaurants. They make food and experiences that are fun and honest. I’m excited to check out their new endeavor: Carbone, which is aiming for a late fall opening.

Date of visit: September 5, 2012

Torrisi Italian Specialties. 250 Mulberry Street. NYC. 212.965.0955 http://www.torrisinyc.com/

Atera, again

Published August 30, 2012 Atera (2) 2 Comments
Tags: Atera (2), Atera NYC, Atera Restaurant, Matthew Lightner, NYC Restaurants

Atera, the multi-course chef’s counter experience headed by Wonder-Chef Matthew Lightner in Tribeca, is in my opinion, the most exciting restaurant in NYC at the moment. Lightner’s creative vision, technical precision, and new naturalism perception make for a dining experience unmatched by any other in the city. So when I had a night off, and they had an open seat for me, I returned without hesitation(even though I’m supposed to be saving for my upcoming dining trip across the pond with Rocky).

I just posted a brief recap of my first meal at Atera to accompany this post. My second visit to the small Worth Street dining room started with a beer cocktail. Voisin Belgian Saison was the base, mixed with rhubarb, wildflower honey, lemon, and bitters. It was a great way to start off. If I don’t have bubbles, I’ll usually always have a bitter drink to begin. This had a slightly-more-than-subtle bitterness matched with fresh citrus and herb layers. It played nicely with the series of opening bites as well.

Snacks:

Flaxseed Cookie, Pine Nut Butter, Dried Mushroom. Served cold, the cookie was crisp and crunchy, with a little sweetness, and a light earthiness from the mushroom.

Lobster Roll. Lightner’s small-bite-play on the east coast classic. The claw meat in mayonnaise had a nice chew. The yeast meringue ‘bun’ had a nice puff to it.

Horseradish Parfait, Salted Halibut, Mustard Seed. Mild fresh fish taste, with a little horseradish heat on the finish. I was a little unsure how to eat this. I didn’t have utensils yet, and this was somewhat cumbersome for finger food.

Beer & Creme Fraiche Macaron with Caviar. I’m still not sure what was going on here, but it was damn delicious; I wish I had asked for an explanation. Light, crisp texture, a little something sweet, and caviar salinity to finish.

Foie Gras Peanut. Creamy, peanutty, with more foie flavor than I remember from last time. I liked it much more this time for some reason.

Pickled Quail Egg. Quail egg made into an aioli, reshaped into an egg, and pickled. Still more of a miss than a hit for me.

Pig’s Blood Wafer with Whipped Pork Fat. This was very interesting, if nothing else. I couldn’t decide if I liked it overall. I definitely like the crackle of the cracker, and there was some pleasant bitterness.

‘Whole Razor Clam’. Razor clam mousseline, poached razor clams, and seaweed in a baguette painted with squid ink. Between the clam and the ink, this had great ocean flavor. I love the texture of the crust too.

Rock Tripe, Herb Aioli, Malt Vinegar. As far as I know, I had never had rock tripe, a lichen, or algae, that grows on rocks. The taste was very mild until enhanced by the tang of the aioli.

Smoked Tomato Ice, Fresh Sea Urchin, Shallot Oil. I’m actually not sure if this was intended as part of the snacks or as the first course. Since it wasn’t printed on my menu, I’m putting it with the snacks. Either way, this was amazing. Nice, smoky aroma. Delicate, chilled urchin. Beautiful balance, spot-on umami.

Menu:

1st Course: Diver Scallops. Purslane. Pickled Green Tomatoes, Sesame. Scallops cured in gin botanicals. Tomato juice ice. Not so much balance, as a fun imbalance. Dynamic, sharp flavor. The scallops had a much better taste and texture than in the scallop dish I had last time. The seeds had a fun snap.

2nd Course: Peeky-Toe Crab. Artichoke. Cold Herb Infusion, Strained Buttermilk. A Creative course. The artichoke petals were beautifully tender and a fun textural play with the crab meat. The sour of the buttermilk set everything off and made it sing.

3rd Course: Lamb Tartare. Wood Sorrel. Smoked Tomato. The smoked Beefsteak Tomato was a wonderful compliment to the tartare. The black malt cracker tasted like a space-age Triscuit, and made a great vessel.

4th Course: Seared Duck Hearts. Nasturtium. Tender Young Vegetables. Blanched roots and vegetables with herbs. Mushroom vinaigrette, with sunflower oil and fish sauce. Pastrami-cured duck hearts. Amazing. There was a couple dozen different veggies, leaves, petals, roots, and alliums, all individually treated or barely touched. Every bite was fresh and different. It was like eating Michel Bras’ famous Gargouillou, with the bonus of the superb duck hearts.

5th Course: “Ramen”. Salad Burnet. Noodles, shallots, dissolving spice packet, chicken bouillon. Though this wasn’t presented as a Mugaritz-style ‘Guess what it is?’ mystery, I was left on my own to figure out the noodles were made from squid, which wasn’t that tough to do. The squid was lightly blanched with a nice density. This bowl had lots of savory punch without being in-your-face salty.

6th Course: Dried Beet “Ember”. Bull’s Blood Beet Green. With smoked trout roe, toasted bread, and a sea urchin & crustacean emulsion. This dish is the only repeated course from my first meal. Since it was my favorite plate then, I was happy to see its return. The compilation on this slab of slate is an episode of brilliance that I hope never leaves the menu.

7th Course: Brined Hake. Milkweed. Wildflower Honey, Yogurt. A nicely treated, honey-brined piece of Hake. Nice flavors, good balance, and a little dance on the palate. While this had no faults, it wasn’t a huge wow.

8th Course: Barbequed Veal Sweetbreads. Garlic Scape. Hazelnut. The sweetbreads were in a spiced veal demiglace and hazelnut sauce that was lick-the-board good. The garlic scape was pickled and seared. This reminded me of a dish one might find at Mugaritz, with the two complementing/contrasting elements on the plate. A dynamic, almost transcendent back-and-forth. This is in a toss-up with the dried beet and the vegetables with duck hearts for my favorite of the night.

9th Course: Four Story Beef Strip. Lobster Mushroom. Marrow Ragu, Smoked Onion. A gorgeous piece of meat from Four Story Hill Farm. Amazing flavor, especially the fatty end. Pickled and frozen bone marrow was a very interesting item, and great when mixed with the sweet ragu. The dry mushrooms, simply just shaved, absorbed the other flavors on the plate and made for some very special bites.

10th Course: Square Cheese. 80-day raw goat’s milk cheese from Twig Farm in Vermont. With blueberries and apple bread. Semi-soft and rustic, a nice choice for a single cheese plate.

11th Course: White Rose. Sea Rose Mallow. Wildflower Sherbet. A beautifully presented flower made of rose water ice. The petals peeled off like a real rose, and had a pleasant floral flavor.

12th Course: Peach. Magenta Spreen. Sunflower Toffee. I love poached peaches, and this didn’t disappoint. The sunflower ice cream ‘pit’ had a perfect seed taste. The herbs made good refreshers between bites.

13th Course: Strawberry Shortcake. Cinnamon Basil. Wild Strawberries. Raw Milk Ice Cream. The shortcake batter was aerated and frozen and made for a fun take on the classic dessert. Some menthol-ish anise hyssop brightened and elevated the ice cream and fresh berries and left me feeling fresh and minty.

14th Course: Dried Tomato. Parsley Powder. Goat’s Milk Ice Cream. The dried tomato was almost candy-like with its chew and sweetness. This was a nice pairing of creaminess and acidity.

15th Course: Churro. White Cardamom. Salsify, Cinnamon. A salsify ‘churro’ rolled with cinnamon, sugar, and white cardamom. Served with salted hazelnut chocolate. A nice rendition of the Spanish classic. Nice nutty savoriness.

16th Course: Bourbon Cask Ice Cream Sandwich. Oak. Almond, Vanilla. Ice cream aged in bourbon cask. The chocolate cookie was made with flour flavored with toasted oak chips, in addition to cocoa and almond flour. Another fun play on a classic to finish the menu.

Petit Fours: Black Walnut. Nutty Sweetness.

Petit Fours: Hazelnut Truffle. A dense, chocolatey, rich bite. Perfect finisher for an amazing tasting.

Bread Service:

I was served three breads throughout the meal: Salted Rye, Sourdough Roll basted with Pork Fat, and a Whole Grain Seeded Roll. The cream for the butter is aged in house with Jasper Hill Farms Harbison Cheese.

Some wines I was served:

I won’t belabor details about each of these wines and their placement in the meal because I’m running short on time and I want to finish this post. Though I’ll say that the pairings offered are eclectic, intelligent, and exciting. During each of my two visits, I was impressed and wowed a few times by the beverage team.

As I’m sitting here typing, I’m texting back-and-forth with my good friend BLT(The Beltless Tiger), trying to plan a visit to Atera on his next trip to NYC. At this point, I’m planning to take every opportunity I have to experience Lightner’s cuisine before the price doubles and reservations become even more difficult obtain.

Date of visit: August 23, 2012

***Update: A small disclosure: Since having these two meals and posting about them, I’ve joined the Atera team.***

Atera. 77 Worth Street. NYC. 212.226.1444 http://ateranyc.com/

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