Winding up again, with Cabrito!

As a fellow chef in Canada I know would say; I have been “nose-down, tail up” busy, but I had a great experience a couple of nights ago here in Monterrey, Mexico that I had to take a moment and blog about.

My colleague and Mexican country manager Jaime took me to Restaurant Gran San Carlos. The specialty of the house? Cabrito or roasted baby goat. This is the specialty of Monterrey and the surrounding state of Nuevo Leon. At Restaurant Gran San Carlos they serve it al Pastor which is a method where the whole carcass is opened flat and impaled on a spit. The spit is then placed next to a bed of coals and roasted slowly. No seasoning is used other than the light scent it absorbs from the charcoal.

The meat from all areas of the goat is then served with tortillas, lime and salt as well as a homemade salsa made with the extremely spicy chili piquenos. We had offal wrapped in intestine then some of the leg and finally the equivalent of goat "ox tail" with some of the rear ribs attached. I was stuffed and very satisfied. We paired the cabrito with an Argentinean Malbec; not bad.

Below are some shots of the Cabrito and the chilies used in the salsa.

Colborne Lane Hors D'Oeuvres List

foie gras + huckleberry + confit lemon + grand marnier jelly
rainbow trout + asparagus + sour cream + purple sorrel
calamari + caramelized peanut + asian pear + mango
beef crudo + black olive + smoked cheddar + puffed mushroom noodle
fromage frais + lemon curd + lemon pearls + blueberry
iced coffee bombs

Oh what a night!

So I had a very exciting last night in Canada last week. I had the opportunity to see Ferran Adriá interviewed in promotion of his new book A day at elBulli. He was one cool cat, de-bunking the term molecular gastronomy by explaining that scientists are involved in all manner of food production and preparation today. Whether it is the engineering of all-purpose flour we bake with at home to the construction of a frying pan for the simple frying of an egg. Ferran pointed out that all cooking is technically molecular.

He took only one question from the audience but it resulted in an interesting answer; a young man asked if he started his far-out creations with the creative idea and then brought it to reality or if he started with a normal dish and then made it creative. He had a bit of a philosophic answer and my heart sank when he said (I’m not kidding) “there is no such thing as truth, everyone has there own truth…” but I understood the context he meant it in, which was that of flavor preference (we’re talking aesthetics not ethics). He went on to say he thought anyone whose job is solely to be creative is of little value, “creative directors” for example can be deemed unnecessary. He closed by explaining that last point with this thought “if one of my creative team members does not come in, life goes on, if the dish washer does not show up, everything stops.”

We followed up the interview and book signing with a reception and dinner at Colborne Lane. The chef at Colborne Lane did a stage at el Bulli and his cuisine shows the influence of Ferran. Dehydrated, frozen, powdered, crystallized and liquefied foods were never presented so well. One of the coolest presentations is the “iced coffee;” a frozen white “ice cube” of white chocolate with a molten mocha center that disappears in your mouth as soon as you eat it! The foie gras bombs were also amazing, like a soft and savory, melt-in-your-mouth lollipop. Calamari extruded and fried like Mexican churros were a thought provoking munchie. Probably one of my favorites was a perfectly cooked olive crusted lamb chop –wow!

So I owe a big thank you to John and Nicola. They turned me on to the event and provided great conversation at dinner. John and I have been trading chef-dialogue for quite some time. He recently turned me on to this website. He is a huge fan of the molecular culinary movement as am I. His Pacojet Appreciation Society should give you some good insight to this particular niche of our industry. Thanks again John for thinking of me! I will catch you on the next trip through Toronto.

Back in the saddle...

Wow, the last month or so has flown by. I got a little too pre-occupied to post. Work has ramped up in the R&D in the kitchen, I created some really cool plates for our Canadian, Mexican and Middle Eastern locations. I unveiled them to the franchisees at the Wynn casino in Las Vegas last week; good reception. Tuesday night 75 of us went out to eat at Daniel Boulud's Brasserie, it was the best executed catered dinner I have eaten. I peeked in the kitchen and said hello to executive chef Wess who was really hospitable.

The best meal last week was at Alain Ducasse's Mix. This sits atop THE Hotel at Mandalay and has an awesome view of the strip 60+ stories high. I did three course's with the kitchen responding to special requests (we mixed and matched some plate set-ups and protiens.) The foie gras was great and I had it paired with a glass of Sauternes; an over-done classic but still one of my top 3 favorite things to eat on the planet. The side of fresh morrells was the best thing I had eaten in a month, they were FRESH. I had a macadamia and pistachio crusted halibut for an entree, little extras like parmesan foam made it special.

Prior to Vegas I also had a chance to get to Napa Valley twice more in the last month in a half. Ate at old favorites; Bouchon, Tre Vigne and of course a burger at Taylor's Refresher. Had some wine and snacks at Go Fish one evening, a short walk from the old El Bonita where I normally stay. A real treat on the last trip was getting turned on to Bistro Jeanty; this is a great place to eat for foodies. They serve French classics like pig's trotters, veal kidney's and...wait for it...roasted bone marrow-yay! My apologies to Keller but I will walk on by Bouchon from now on to Bistro Jeanty. We did make the obligatory late night stop at Anna's Cantina for a draft PBR and to throw a couple of dollars in the cieling too (you'll know if you go.)

It seems all this time at home for the first half of the year left some travel to make up for in the back half. So it is back in the saddle, or economy plus exit row if I can help it, and out of the country I go. Alex and I find it a bit harder to be apart when I am at home for so long but it makes us appreciate our time together that much more. So it means I write this post from Toronto but it also means some quiet evenings alone in a hotel room to catch up on some apologetics studies and blog posts. More thoughts soon, stay tuned...

Following Bourdain’s Lead…

So there I was in Singapore…this trip was purely culinary in its purpose. The idea; the Singapore government would host a group of chefs and food writers for the sheer intent of spreading the global word that they have yummy food. I was glad to oblige.

In preparation for such an excursion I began reading up on the subject as well as recording what I could on Singapore food from TV. One particularly interesting TiVo-find was an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations, Singapore.” In this episode our witty, world-traveling chef eats in the famous Singapore Hawker stalls, dines with Singapore’s own celebrity chef, Kf Seetoh and eats bone soup – yes, bone soup. All the while he is pontificating on the culinary heaven that is Singapore.

I enjoyed his video-journal of the country so much I wanted to see it exactly the same way he did. The result was an absolute and complete success. Hawker Stalls, check! Kf Seetoh, check! And yes, bone soup, check! The last, and I am not joking here, was my favorite most memorable checkmark on the list.

The hawker stalls are an amazing part of Singapore life. Singapore, to begin with, is a very western friendly country to visit; Asia-light, as I have heard it called. Most of the locals speak English as it is a national language and there is little crime for fear of the strict punishments that follow. So now imagine a tourist friendly mix of Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian cooks lined up in a strip mall of stalls all cooking the one single dish they are best at making. The motto and philosophy here is; one cook – one dish, perfect every time because, for most, they have been making nothing but that one dish their entire lives. Add to this experience the best local knowledge and play-by-play food commentators that Singapore has to offer (Seetoh and Violet Oon) and you'll find it hard not to travel through this country like a pac-man after a super pellet.

So then there was bone soup, or Sup Tulang as the locals call it. This dish is far enough out of the box that the locals don’t eat it regularly and the guides didn’t think of bringing it to the attention of our group of locust-like chefs – I corrected them. After seeing the intriguing clip in Bourdain’s show I had to try it and hounded our tour guides until they acquiesced to find some. This dish is a masterpiece; perfectly stewed bones with succulent tender bits of meat and cartilage all in a spicy and savory/sweet red soup. The best part is the soup is served with a straw for sucking the marrow from the long slender bones, a chef’s delight! Indeed, ask most chefs and they will tell you the reason the saying goes: “Suck the marrow out of life.” is because marrow is really good stuff.

I love Singapore. I would even say a trip there would qualify as one of the life-marrow sucking experiences the saying I mentioned describes. So thanks Anthony for the tip, and to the rest of the world; Singapore really does have yummy food. If you want to begin visiting Asia, Singapore may just be the best place to start. Just be sure to bring an appetite and don’t forget your straw.

My Last Great Meal

I was relieved, as a chef, to find a really decent place to get a gourmet “fix” nearby KC in Lawrence. This is not to say we don’t have good restaurants in Kansas City, we do, but once in a while as a chef you really want the good stuff; truffles and foie gras and offal all expertly prepared, ingredients flown in from opposite coasts served remarkably fresh in the same meal, even mundane vegetables prepared in a new and exciting manner can all play a part in this special foodie “jones” we get. Find a place that does a couple of those things well and few foodies can resist spending a lot of hard earned foodie-dollars on the “goods.”

The relief came when I was introduced to Chef Robert Krause and family who operate an exclusive little high-end eatery out of their house!! Yes, depending on the week Robert and one sous chef will prepare a meal for one seating of up to 30 people on specific chosen nights in the Krause family home. Call ahead and grab a spot and you can (for $80) eat a pretty terrific 6 course meal. Another $50 and Robert will pair each course with a wine from what proved to be an excellent cellar.

My first experience there went something like this;

1st course - Smoked Muscles and Oysters mixed with Dungeness Crab and Micro-Greens, topped with a Blue Point Prawn
served with a Pinot Grigio
2nd Course - Corn Meal dusted, first of the season Soft Shell Crab served on Carrots and Radishes with a Moroccan Spiced Aioli and Turmeric Sauce
served with a Gewurztraminer
3rd Course - Risotto of Mushrooms made with White Truffle Butter topped with a Parmesan Crisp and surrounded by a Garlic Nage and Balsamic Gastrique
served with a Pinot Nero (I think)
4th Course - Lamb Chop with Rhubarb Demi Glace served with housemade Gnocchi and Pistachio Pesto
served with Rock Block Syrah
5th Course - Rhubarb Soup with Strawberry Frozen Yogurt and Goat Cheese Cream
served with Prosecco Spumante
6th Course - Chocolate Soufflé with Chocolate Ganache and Chantilly Cream
served with Vintage Sherry

The picky eaters need not apply as there is one menu served per night and you find out what it is when it is served to you. I won’t be making “midnight-flights” to Lawrence often but it is nice to know it is there for long stretches off the road. If you want a serious meal experience I do recommend: http://www.krausedining.com/

Spicy Beef Layover

So I sat in the Chicago airport for a couple of hours tonight on my way back from Toronto. I managed to dodge a bullet from a previous flight; I was originally scheduled through Washington but my instincts kicked in to change flights the minute a mechanical check had been announced. I was the only one who stood up and changed flights when the lady at the check-in counter announced a “slight delay due to a nut that needed tightening on the hydraulics.” I watched the departure board from the security of my new departing gate as my previous flight’s “slight delay” went to 30 minutes, then an hour, then two and eventually the flight was cancelled. I later learned the connection in DC also had problems and was cancelled; chalk one up to travel experience.

Knowing a two hour layover in Chicago was immanent my mouth was already watering for one of my favorite Chicago foods; the Italian beef sandwich. Tell my wife that I was in the Chicago airport for an hour and she will tell you what I had to eat. If you are ever in the Chicago airport and have some time and a desire for a great food experience it is not to be missed. Look for Billy Goat’s Tavern in the food court of concourse C. Order an Italian beef either “sweet” or “spicy” depending on your pepper preference. What you will get is a tasty Chicago classic. As with many culinary greats there are only a few components to this sandwich but together they make one great big flavor experience. The sandwich consists of thinly shaved beef heated in au jus and then slapped on a hoagie. The hoagie is then partially dunked into the au jus to soak the bread with beef flavor. Finally either sweet peppers or spicy giardinera (hot peppers and spicy pickled vegetables) are placed on the shaved beef. The sandwich will require a lot of napkins and if one is familiar with the “Philly stoop,” the stooped over position in which you eat a real Philly cheese steak so as not to get the cheese whiz all over you, you can implement that technique also. Good hot beef, great au jus flavor and really nice spicy peppers and vegetables never went together so well. I wish I had one right now. There is always next time…