first dinner, new place..

Today I decided the first step in familiarizing yourself within a new area is to go to the grocery store. Having just moved to Hoboken I woke up excited to search for a small business from which to obtain ingredients for a home cooked meal but was quickly deterred once I witnessed the nor'easter drenching my window with sideways flooding rains. I still wanted to cook and settled on hitting the A&P instead.

I of course wanted to look at the meat available, with which I was quite impressed, the beautifully sized leg of lamb crossed my mind. Then I remembered that I would be counting completely on the equipment which my roommate already possessed, assuming it wouldnt be much. I also had, much like I normally do, pork on the mind, specifically pancetta.

I could come up with many reasons for why I chose to make carbonara.. the rainy weather, the spring weather on the way, the last chance to have a heavier winter dish, as well as my over-all craving for a decent pasta dish.

So I grabbed the following ingredients:

whole wheat fettucini, 1.25 lb hunk of pancetta (some for the freezer), light cream, 1 red onion and eggs. I forgot peas.

I had a little bit of a guilt trip once I had decided to make carbonara and hoped, falsely, that the whole wheat pasta would offset all of the pork and dairy, but hey you only live once.

So once I arrived home my attempt at beginning to mise was brought to an abrupt halt once I realized this kitchen was missing one essential thing, A CUTTING BOARD! Huge fail on my part.

I will not admit as to how I cut what I wanted to cut, but lets just say I will be buying a cuttingboard tomorrow before work.

As I continued to prepare the dinner I began to discover other essential and simple things missing such as a wooden spoon or decent saute pan yet I barreled forward determined to complete my dinner. I began crisping the poorly minced pancetta in a scratched non-stick pan while I sliced the red onion. Added the red onion to caramelize in the fat while the pancetta continued to crisp. I did all of this while my pasta water was coming to a boil.

I added cream to the pancetta and onion mixture, and let that reduce. By the time I had tossed the whole wheat pasta into this mixture there was absolutely nothing healthy going on and figured, "why not an egg?"

this might get ugly

It has been about two years since I have been posting and my life has been completely involved in food and wine. To completely reflect on this time would be way too consuming of your time as well as my effort and emotions. However, in a nutshell I spent nearly a year in a Manhattan basement kitchen followed by a 4 month trip to culinary school in the Napa Valley. Unfortunately the trip to California was short lived once I was suspended after an "anonymous search" of my dorm room determined that I was not living up to Student Conduct standards. Once I arrived back in New Jersey I was lucky enough to find work at an Italian restaurant opening on the beach with the promise of volume.

We got crushed. Over 1000 covers on a saturday night (a whole other blogs worth of stories).

During this time I was re-accepted to the program from which I was suspended from as well as granted the privilege of starting where I had left off instead of repeating. Which leaves me where I am this evening.

Single, with brisket and salmon curing, woodchips soaking in order to smoke the two tomorrow as well as a smoked pork butt braising overnight in oxtail stock.

Needless to say, my love for food is unconditional.

I hope to share more un-qualified judgements of food I consume as well as my adventures in cookery in the months to come.

coming back?

It has definitely been a while since I've even thought about this blog. I have recently returned to culinary school after my temporary suspension and should have time to begin posting again. It has been nearly two years since I have graduated from college, therefor I am hoping the quality of my writing has not deteriorated. Stick around.

The Avenue

I had the opportunity to eat at this french restaurant for my fathers birthday. Located on the new promenade boardwalk in Long Branch, New Jersey, the main dining floor is surrounded by towering windows leading to extremely high ceilings with hanging chandeliers in the center. A fireplace marks the center of the far wall, which almost seems out of place because of the very urbanized loyal customers, almost manhattanite decor(besides the high ceilings of course).
Regardless of my scrupulous observance, the meal and the company I enjoyed were definately memorable.

I had two dishes which I would have never imagined eating five years ago.

My appetizer was handmade Veal Cheek Ravioli's with roasted butternut sqush. I was so amazed by the flavor of the veal cheek stuffing inside the ravioli. Better than the most perfect short rib I have tasted(or as I interpret as perfect to this point in my palate's experience). The butternut squash complimented this by adding a smoother texture to the shredded texture of the ravioli filling.

My entree was braised wild boar. This was less than great but still ambitious. Whether it was ambitious for the chef to put it on the menu or for me to order it at a table filled with females, I am not sure. I truely am a sucker for papperdelle pasta and the braised wild boar was listed on the menu with one of my worst temptations (its pathetic, most peoples are chocolate). Unfortunately, the pasta was the best part of this dish. The meat resembled a cross between the flavor of a pot roast and the texture of a poorly executed beef bourginon. I was disappointed but I still managed to search the entire plate for that unique wild boar flavor I had anticipated, but didn't find. Maybe I was just hungry.

Guy Savoy

I just finished reading an article in Gourmet Magazine by Colman Andrews, about the venerated Guy Savoy. The article is a brief but effectively stated description of the somewhat new Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las Vegas. Andrews continues by making minor but surprising comparisons to the legendary Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, particularly that the sole he had in Las Vegas was more flavorful than the sole he had in Paris. Would this imply that the seafood in the desert is better than such in Paris? By now, probably.

I found this article most interesting because it allows me to bring up the cultural divide between native French and American chefs. “…Savoy start young:… and once said that his proudest moment was when he first cooked a perfect omelet at the age of seven or eight.” Seven or Eight! When I was that age I had absolutely no responsibility, job, ambition, or even a desire for any of them. I rollerbladed with my friends when I wasn’t in elementary school and probably didn’t even know what an omelet was, I ate waffles with jelly and butter for breakfast, or that such a thing could be prepared perfectly.

Had I been aggressively pursuing a food related career at seven or eight, I would undoubtedly be at a serious advantage by twenty two. But how many American children are actually encouraged to take such a route? When my sister asked my father if it would be a good idea to change her concentration from Journalism to Hospitality Management he recommended otherwise. It was not until I threatened to waste the tens of thousands of dollars already invested in my education by dropping out and attending culinary school did my father finally accept that his son was not going to be a Doctor. Once I finally cooked for him he began to strongly encourage my choice and I will be graduating December 15th with a degree in Hospitality Management, my proudest moment (so far).

But in 1993, when I was eight years old, would it really have been acceptable for my father (an American Doctor) to encourage his son to pursue a career in food service? I think not, and considering the amount of time I could have spent gaining cooking experience while in public schools/college, I may have a minor disadvantage to overcome.

(note: I am very grateful for my public school and college education. The last sentence may seem unappreciative but was not intended to be.)

Vino Ristorante

I wrote this tonight after eating in Queens for a Wine Appreciation and Management Class. Normally I dont like to write about the experience until at least one day after so I can "finish the experience" (digest) and as I wrote that my stomach gargled a little bit of hate. I also did not write about the dessert, or finish a conclusion yet, because im tired and the reflection paper I actually wrote this for is not due until friday.

But, here it is..

In a private room on a Monday night just off of Union Turnpike, Dr. Sung’s Wine Appreciation class met for their second and final restaurant visit. Four tables, each six feet in length, pushed together, covered with white linen and set for sixteen. With the dark red and light red contrasting on the walls, both reminiscent of the red storm, and the comfort of knowing we were on a field trip but still close to home, the familiar faces assembled to enjoy some well prepared and perfectly served Italian Cuisine.

A delicious amuse bouche was served in an espresso cup once our class had filled the table. An amuse bouche, normally complimentary, immediately gives me the feeling that the restaurant cares about every single detail in what is about to follow. Although I could not tell whether it was a lentil soup or pea soup thickened with potato, it was still delicious and got my attention, which I’m sure is what the restaurant intended.

Our first course was a Crab Cake served with mesculen greens and wasabi mayo paired with a Tuscan Montepulciano Rosato produced by Valle Reale. This young 2006 vintage was crisp and could easily stand alone but paired surprisingly well with the crab cake dish. I first tasted each element individually. The wasabi mayo was expectedly spicy and the crab cake was exceptionally creamy. The mesculen greens were definitely tossed in a vinegar and sesame oil but the nutty flavor of the sesame oil could only be detected when the greens were tasted alone. Once all three elements of the dish were put together they balanced well and tasted delicious. Unlike other food and wine pairings, this course paired in a unique way because the spiciness of the wasabi mayo was offset by the temperature of the wine. I always enjoy spicy food with a cold drink and the temperature of this Rosato wine helped me enjoy this already enjoyable dish.

Homemade Ravioli, stuffed with creamed spinach and a pistaccio vermouth cream sauce was served as our second course paired with a 2006 Argentinean Chardonnay. At first, this wine smelled similar to other Chardonnay’s we had tasted in class, green apples, greenish tint, but tasted a little grassier. Our plate was garnished with a single whole pistaccio to accentuate the crushed pistaccio’s in the sauce, I ate this pistaccio after my first sip of the Chardonnay. Then I sipped the wine again after and the Chardonnay immediately took on a different level of earthy flavors. Some of the people ate the table detected this earthy element in the nose but I could not sense it until after eating the pistaccio. The pasta had strong garlic flavor but was slightly muted by the freshly grated parmiggiano garnish. The pistaccio brought out an earthy tone of the wine while the cream sauce made the acidity of the wine more subtle, making this a great pairing as well.

During a pause before our third course was served, we were informed that the wines served tonight were all similar in that the grapes used in producing them were all grown at much higher altitudes. This was interesting to me because I had recently read that this was a growing trend in the industry today. Montepulciano is a high Italian mountain town responsible for our first wine and our second wine was produced from grapes grown in Mendoza, Argentina which is over three thousand meters high. Our third wine, which was being served, was a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Alto-Maipo, Chile, which happens to be in the unique climate of the Andes Mountains. This Reserve wine was served with salmon over black basmati rice and a baby lamb chop. The pairing did not catch my attention as much as the food but the wine was deliciously balanced, fruity, and aromatic.

The food, unfortunately, caught my attention for the wrong reasons. The baby lamb chop was under seasoned. Salt and pepper would have gone a long way in its preparation, so simple yet so frequently overlooked. The salmon was overcooked and the green peppercorn Dijon mustard sauce squirted on top of this fish in the unappetizing, boardwalk hot dog fashion actually tasted better on the lamb chop served next to it. Perhaps this dish is not normally served, I would actually guarantee it was a convenience rather than an expense to serve that salmon, but it left me unsatisfied. However, everything leading up to this point was absolutely perfect and arguably eye-opening.