Culinary Fool

The 2006 Gourmet Institute

18-Mar-2007

Upfront disclaimer: Most photos from this event will be marginal. Lighting, the size of the classes and the ever-moving chefs made photos a real challenge! I chose not to interfere with others’ enjoyment of sessions over getting a perfect shot. So photos are provided just so you get some sort of feel for the event.

Well, it certainly took me some time to get this post (and what will be a series of posts) written up! Last October M and I treated ourselves to a long weekend in New York for our (shared) birthday. We’ve done that several times but this year was a little different. We decided to attend Gourmet Institute, a full weekend of presentations, cooking demonstrations, panels and food events sponsored by Gourmet Magazine.

It’s an expensive weekend but for your money you get two "dinners" at high-end New York restaurants (one dinner was actually a cocktail party/reception but with tons of hors d’oeuvre); your choice of eight seminars and presentations; breakfasts and lunches for two days at the event hotel; access to a very nice sponsor lounge with all kinds of samples presented all day long; a huge bag of sponsor give-aways when you checked in; and if you purchased cookbooks, the opportunity to have them signed by the celebrity chefs. And, depending on your timing and choices you have access to some of the hottest chefs and much of the Gourmet staff, including Ruth Reichl, throughout the weekend.

Looking back it’s a little hard for me to say if I thought the price was a good value for the weekend. The problem I have is that the things (just like the girl with the pretty little curl…) that were good were very, very good, but those that were bad were horrid.

The bag of goodies was amazing! M and I were staying in an apartment a 20-minute, or so subway ride away. After registering and picking up our bag we had to haul that thing back to the apartment and it probably weighed 35 pounds or so and was large and bulky – I’m not complaining by any means – just saying it was an adventure getting it back to our place. Some of the tools that were included in that bag have now become staples in my kitchen – sponsors take note! I’ll probably tell you about some of those in the future.

On the other hand the breakfast and lunch served at the hotel were, uhm, not good at all. We tried one of each – left during the first lunch to go find something more suitable and didn’t even try the second day. Very surprising since the hotel would know this was a foodie crowd! And I would say I’ve had much better dining experiences at the free breakfasts places like Marriott Courtyard provide.

Our first session was a cooking demonstration by Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto. He was ill-prepared; didn’t know how to use an electric stove; had no understanding of what could be accomplished in an hour; was easily distracted – many times not finishing "point 2" when wanting to say "two things"; and served a marginal, undercooked sample of his work. Based on this experience I wouldn’t waste my time in his restaurants. On the other hand, I fell in love with Scott Conant (both the man and his food!), someone I knew nothing about prior to this class. He was highly entertaining, educational and organized. I learned all about goat, loved the dish he prepared and have been thinking about making it myself sometime soon. Based on this class I will definitely stop at either L’Imperio or Alto (maybe both!) the next time I’m in New York.

Morimoto’s (restaurants in Philadelphia and New York, as well as one of Food Network’s Iron Chefs) class was also superb! And what I really loved was seeing his true personality (he’s very funny) come out during the session. He prepared a light soup to start off and then made the most amazing "party dish" of sashimi on rice. I need to find my notes from the session to see if I know what it was really called. But we watched him clean and cut about ten different kinds of fish, assemble and present it on a bed of special rice (mixed with a confetti of vegetables and herbs) in a huge traditional wooden serving bowl. The bowl was nearly 3′ in diameter!

I attended a couple of panel sessions and found those to be the biggest disappointments. Somehow the description and what was presented were just a tad off. The part I found frustrating was that these sessions were moderated by Gourmet staff. They asked specific questions, which I’m sure was meant to keep the discussion moving, but what they asked wasn’t what I would have asked and I would have preferred that the presenters just talk. So these were okay. One panel I really enjoyed though was with Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin and Tony Bourdain, the bad-boy chef from Les Halles. They bantered about a number of topics but it was apparent they respect each other and perhaps are even friends – or so it seemed. I really enjoyed seeing this slightly different side of Tony, who is most often in the middle of some controversy or another it seems.

I also attended to drinks focused classes. The one on Champagne, Veuve Cliquot to be precise was really amazing and educational! Francois Chirumberro, the winemaker led us through a tasting of seven different Champagnes and increased my understanding and knowledge of the history and process immensely! It was a wonderful session. The one that followed, Celebrating the Holiday Season with Cocktails (Sponsored by Grey Goose Vodka) presented by Nick Mautone of (I think formerly) of Gramercy Tavern was a huge waste of time. Although it kept me from buying his book. I have a nagging feeling though that I would like the book, Raising the Bar: Better Drinks, Better Entertaining

, but for some reason the drinks presented in this session were sub par.

But then I attended one session which was almost worth the price on its own. This was sort of a working session by Gourmet photographer, Romulo Yanes and Editor/Stylist, Paul Grimes. They were so open with how their process worked, things they’ve learned over the years, showed us all kinds of tools and methods they use, plus did little photo shoot right on the spot. I came away inspired to improve my photography – and in fact just bought a new camera partially due to this session.

I also found the two dinners, the opening party at Bhuddakan and our Saturday night dinner at Craft, to be amazing.

So with all these pros and cons, when I add it all up I’m not sure of the actual value. Although I do think that now that I’ve had the experience I could do a better job at selecting sessions that were all on the valuable side. We met many people who had attended the three previous events and swore they’d be back every year in the future. I guess time will tell – when it comes time to register will I do it? Not sure yet. Maybe it will depend on who’s going to be there and the sessions they are presenting.

Still, this was a very fun weekend. In addition to the Gourmet Institute classes M and I managed to check out several new (and some old favorite) places in town. Living on the Lower Eastside for a few days was an adventure. The place we stayed in was small overall but had a really large living area – perfect for a cocktail party, if I’d only had a bunch of friends to invite over!

More details on some of our adventures in upcoming posts!

Domaine Drouhin Arthur

08-Mar-2007

I used to drink a lot of Chardonnay. And then I drifted away from it. I became so tired of the heavily oaked California wines – I used to feel like I was lucky that my mouth wasn’t full of splinters after a glass or two! Every now and then I’d have a French wine that I loved but I didn’t really know enough to look for a white Burgundy when perusing the wine shop aisles. I still have a hard time remembering which varietals come from which regions, although I am catching on… And so I slowly drifted off to other whites like Sauvignon (Fume) Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Pinot Blanc or the dry Rieslings that are becoming easier to find.

Every now and then I’d also have a Washington Chardonnay that caught my interest but they always seemed a bit expensive to me or those in my price range were a bit blah. And then, a few years ago, I tasted an Oregon Chardonnay and I fell in love all over again!

Not that every Oregon Chardonnay is perfect by any means! But, in general, most of the winemakers in Oregon use stainless or only keep the wine in oak for a short time. This allows the beautiful flavor of the grape to shine through. Many of the Oregon wines are also rather spendy – most producers there are on the small side and the hand-crafted wines come at a price. Plus, I don’t find as many of them as I would like here in Washington. But that seems to be changing.

I recently picked up a couple bottles of a wine I first learned about when I visited the Domaine Drouhin estate a couple years ago.

All of Domaine Drouhin’s estate wines are named for Véronique Drouhin’s children. She is the winemaker and has been since the winery first started producing. Her wonderfully crafted wines are a delight. Today we are talking about her Chardonnay, Arthur. This is a wine blended from several grapes some of which have been on stainless steel and some have spent a short time on oak.

The 2005 wine is a clear butter yellow. The nose is light and floral. In the mouth it is clean, crisp, almost lemony but not tart. I tasted a bit of pineapple and maybe even a little vanilla that brought out a richness but yet there is an acidity that keeps it all in balance.

This wine is delightful on its own or pairs well with a variety of foods such as cheese, roasted chicken and seafood. This 2005 allotment is hitting stores now so if you are interested in trying it don’t wait long! I have no doubt it will sell out long before the demand has been filled.

Roasted Chicken

08-Mar-2007

One of my favorite recipes is one of the simplest – although it’s no 30 minute meal! It takes a little time but it’s time that you have to sit and enjoy a glass of wine, a little conversation, to relax from the hectic day before you sit down to eat. And the leftovers are great many different ways – a little time upfront yields savings on future days.

Roasted Chicken

1 4lb to 5lb chicken

1 large onion, 2 small or 2 shallots

1 or 2 lemons

Several sprigs of rosemary

Several garlic cloves

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Remove any giblets from the cavities of the chicken. Slice part of the onion into rings and place in the bottom of the 9×12 baking pan. Cut the balance of the onion into wedges. Cut a few lemon slices and place in the bottom of the baking pan. Cut the balance of the lemon into wedges. Place 2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary into the baking pan.

The lemon, onion and rosemary in the pan create a flavorful baking rack for the chicken.

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the onion and lemon wedges, the additional sprigs of rosemary and the garlic cloves. Tie the chicken legs and wings close to the body. Place the chicken breast side up in the baking pan. Coat the chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375°F for 75 – 90 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before slicing.

25 for $25 Contest at Urbanspoon!

08-Mar-2007

As you will remember March is 25 for $25 here in Seattle. To reward frequent diners/contributors Urbanspoon is running a contest to see who can sample the most participating restaurants this month. The winner gets dinner at a restaurant of their choice (up to $200!).

I’m out of town too many days this month so I need you to get out there and do the reviews! Check out all the details on the Urbanspoon site!

Thanks!!

05-Mar-2007

Thanks to all who came out last night! We had several hundred people there and the auction seemed to be raising a lot of funds, too!

Your Help is Needed

27-Feb-2007

This was not the post I planned to write today. It’s not a post I would ever have wished to write. But I write it today in hopes that you can help out.

As some of you will know I used to frequent the Queen City Grill on a regular basis and consider the people who worked there my friends. For years the staff was mostly the same faces – pretty remarkable in the restaurant business – and walking in felt like coming home. Over the last year and a half there has been quite a lot of turnover and while the new people seem nice it just hasn’t been quite the same and so my visits have been farther between. But, if I visited on a Thursday I could still count on seeing Moses and his happy smiling face greeting me as I walked in the door.

If you have even been to Queen City you have probably talked to or met Moses. He has worked there for 13 years! He emigrated to Seattle from Mexico and I believe this was the first place he ever worked. He started as a bus boy and has done a little bit of everything. In the years I’ve been stopping by he’s been bus boy, bar back, sometimes bartender and sometimes the host who greets and seats you at the door. No matter what he was doing there was always a smile and a hug and at least a little conversation to get caught up.

In recent years Moses has limited his working schedule at QC. His own landscaping business has been steadily growing and so his focus has changed. He bought a house a few years ago and is always working on some project there. He was very excited to get his house – as we all would be – but for Moses it meant he had a place to host family and friends when they needed help. I hardly remember a time when Moses had his house to himself.

Sometimes his mother was in town for a couple of months, sometimes a sister, sometimes a nephew who needed a little help finding the straight and narrow. Moses was always taking care of someone. And the same can be said of his business. As it has grown he has hired many of the day workers who frequent the streets of Belltown, men looking for a chance to make a few dollars often to send home to family in Mexico.

I happened to be early for an appointment last night and stopped by the Queen to see what was going on. While I did not expect to see Moses I was not prepared for the news I did get.

In mid-January Moses was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. If there is any good news in this it is that the cancer is still contained and has not spread to other organs or lymph nodes or other parts of his body. He is currently going through a round of chemo. I didn’t ask about prognosis – I didn’t want to hear the words that might be said – but anything that starts with "stage 4" is not good.

His restaurant family and friends have rallied around him and this Sunday, March 4th at 7:00pm they are hosting a benefit at The Showbox. As you may or may not know cancer treatment is very expensive. Overwhelmingly expensive in most cases. So your help is needed.

Tickets for the benefit event are $20 and in addition to your entry the fee includes music and appetizers. There will be an auction including things like gift certificates to Seattle restaurants, spa treatments, concert tickets and many other items. All of the old crew from the Queen City Grill will be helping out in their area of specialty. Bartenders return to pour drinks, chefs return to cook up a storm.

Moses has spent his days helping people and I hope that you can spend one evening helping him!

Please join us at:

The Showbox

Sunday March 4

7:00 pm

Update: Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

The Showbox is located at First and Pike.

If you have items you’d like to donate or have other questions you can contact the organizers at: WeLoveMoses @ gmail.com

Sippin’ for SAM

23-Feb-2007

Tuesday night found R, K and me at Purple in downtown Seattle tipping back a cocktail to support SAM. The countdown has begun – only a little over 2 months until it reopens in it’s brand new, expanded form!

“Pears” and Goat Cheese Pecan Egg Rolls

22-Feb-2007

Also posted today on The Spirit World.

This is my 59th and final Happy Hour at Home post. While I still have a few days left here at The Spirit World, I will be leaving at the end of February and that means that next Wednesday will be my final column. I have had such a good time here and it is going to be very hard to leave but other hobbies and projects that have been put on the back burner are now demanding their share of attention. This has been a great 14+ months. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and mostly because of the response we’ve received from the community. I’ve been lucky to work with many knowledgeable writers and I’ve learned a ton as I hope you have, too.

Happy Hour at Home has been my baby since the very beginning. When I was approached to take on this role as editor and writer for The Spirit World and started doing my planning it was the first column that came to mind and I knew it would be mine. I love finely crafted cocktails and can appreciate them for the works of art they are. But, what I really like are the social aspects of the cocktail culture: that can be out and about in one of my favorite establishments here in Seattle where the bartenders know my name and I count them as friends; as a way to meet locals and find out about the area I’m visiting as I travel; or as a way to bring friends together in a relaxed and casual setting for an evening of discussion and laughter.

I don’t do nearly as much of the last part as I’d like – coordinating schedules of my busy circle of friends can sometimes be overwhelming – but when I do it is always rewarding. And, as you may have noticed through these columns, I am always ready and willing to do so! So I hope that you all have taken away something from this column and that you continue to enjoy Happy Hour at Home as often as possible.

And now (finally!) on to this week’s recipes…

Absolut has recently released a new flavored vodka Absolut Pears. Pear is hands down one of my favorite flavors. I love it in the fall when pears are at their peak but I also love it as a light, flavorful taste as we head into spring and even summer. I find the flavor of pear refreshing. So I have been looking forward to trying this new pear-flavored vodka.

As with the other Absolut flavored vodkas this spirit is first and foremost a vodka with the flavor playing more of a supporting role. So when trying it straight you experience that strong vodka hit, followed by a shadow of pear flavor. In my mind, this is what makes these vodkas perfect for mixing. They are not too sweet and the flavors tend to enhance not overpower. Since this is a new product Absolut has not only been advertising it heavily but also promoting cocktails that use the new liquor. I recently received an email with Pears as the focus. It listed ten cocktails available on their site. I think there are more though as when I visited my local liquor store to pick up a bottle they had a sheet of recipes (provided by Absolut, I’m sure) with an even two dozen cocktail recipes!

I decided to try two of them. And I’m very happy I did! Here are the two I tried with the original Absolut recipe and my slight modifications based on preference or what I had on hand.

ABSOLUT XP

2 parts ABSOLUT PEARS
1 part Brandy, Pear Flavored Liqueur
Cream
Cinnamon

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass. Gently apply whipped cream on top. Top with regular cinnamon.

For the Pear Liqueur I used my Aqua Perfecta from St George Spirits. This is such a gorgeous, lovely pear liqueur that the drink had to be good!

I did not use cream as that seems absurd to me but I did use a little bit of freshly ground cinnamon to top the drink. This little shot packed a punch yet was light and flavorful.

While testing I had blue cheese on crackers and that classic blue cheese and pear combination is always a hit!

My second test was also based on a classic combination – pears and hazelnuts.

ABSOLUT CHOCOLATE PEARS

1 part ABSOLUT PEARS
1 part Chocolate Liqueur
1 part Cream Hazelnut Liqueur
Chocolate

Add all ingredients to a Boston shaker with ice. Shake hard and strain into a chilled martini glass. Sprinkle a pinch of dark chocolate flakes on the surface of the drink in the center.

I used white Creme de Cacao and Frangelico for the chocolate liqueur and cream hazelnut liqueur. I shaved a little bit of Callebaut bittersweet chocolate over the top of the cocktail. This drink was heavenly! It would certainly make a nice dessert but actually was not so sweet that it couldn’t be used at cocktail hour. The classic combinations are classic for a reason!

I continued with my blue cheese and cracker snacks with this cocktail but I have an even better idea for the weekend!

I recently came across a newish food blog, Eddybles. On that blog I found a recipe for Goat Cheese Pecan Egg Rolls that sound delicious! Not only do they sound great, but the post contains step-by-step instructions with photos for you to follow. How great is that?

So pick yourself up a bottle of Absolut Pears, pick out a cocktail recipe or two based on this new liquor and then make up a batch of the eggrolls. As you sit down to enjoy your Happy Hour at Home, lift your glass in a toast as I’ll be wishing you, Salut!

First Look: Furio – Scottsdale

21-Feb-2007

This post first appeared on The Spirit World in March 2006. With Baseball’s Spring Training officially starting this week I thought it was a good time to move this post here. It won’t be long before I’m heading back down to watch this year’s boys of summer!

Another place M and I checked out while in Scottsdale was a little place called Furio. We had tried to visit in past years but it was always too crowded. They sit off the main Old Town street and a bit south of most of the action so not as many people drop in but they have a core group of regulars. On this trip we actually visited twice. We stopped on our way to J Bar, just to check it out and then liked it so much we decided it needed a night all its own.

The first night we stopped in we were in time for Happy Hour. Appetizers are specially priced; well drinks, domestic beer and house wines are $3 and they have a specialty drinks for $5. The Cosmopolitan was on the specials menu so that was my choice, M had a Juicy Tangerine. Both cocktails were good, although the Cosmo was a bit on the sweet side. But what really caught our attention was the food! We had ordered a Bistec del Furio from the Happy Hour menu. It was sooooo good! Thin slices of steak; warm, melty, ooey Brie; and pesto on a warm baguette. It was a sandwich and I’d had more of a bruschetta pictured but that was my misinterpretation. Since we had plans to move on to J Bar we pulled the tops off the sandwich and ate the bottom open-faced so that we wouldn’t get too full. The steak was cooked to perfection, the Brie was warm and smooth and the pesto added that extra little kick that moved it into the unforgettable category.

We returned the following night. Alas, no Happy Hour on Saturdays but that was only a small disappointment. M had a Flaming Hot Margarita which was flaming due to the 151 poured into a key lime shell and set afire and I had a Mojito. Both drinks were excellent. I was a bit surprised when, after squeezing fresh lime juice into my drink, I saw the bartender also add Rose’s Lime Juice. I’m not sure why they did that but the ratio of fresh to Rose’s was such that I didn’t even know the Rose’s was in it.

I won’t go into great detail about the food since this post is starting to run rather long, but we ordered: Beef Tenderloin Bruschetta with telagio cheese and grilled asparagus (what I thought I was getting the night before); Pan Fried Red and Green Tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and baby greens; Lobster Risotto. Absolute heaven! I loved the aspa

ragus on the bruschetta – it was a perfect crunch and roasty taste. The red tomatoes weren’t as red as they should have been but since I like fried green tomatoes it didn’t bother me so much. Next time I go I’m going to order two or three lobster risottos, put it all in a big bowl and just jump in and wallow in it. I melted when I tasted the first bite of that creamy, rich bowl. It was so rich the two of us couldn’t finish it.

When they bring the check they also bring the most lovely truffles. I actually saved mine as a treat for the next day – I had it for "breakfast" as I was packing my bags. Decadent, melt in your mouth, dark, rich chocolate. I wish I lived in the area as Furio has a couple of ongoing promotions which I’d love to check out. Sunday they offer 1/2 off bottled wine, which is nice but rather common. Monday is "M & M" night: Martini’s and Manicures! What a great idea! I’d be all over that. First Thursdays they have Flight Nights where they offer a different flight of boutique wines and a tasting menu to go with the flight. Furio will definetly be on my list of "places to go" next time I’m in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Furio

7210 East Second Street

Old Town

Scottsdale

480.945.6600

First Look: J Bar – Scottsdale

20-Feb-2007

One of the fun things about Spring Training is getting to eat and drink our way around Phoenix, or more specifically Scottsdale, as that’s the area we tend to gravitate towards. We have our favorite places but also try to branch out each year when we come down. This year we found a bevy of new places and tried to hit several of them.

I arrived early on Thursday and M arrived in the evening. During the day I spent quite a bit of time wandering around Scottsdale (original name Orangedale, as it says on some of the benches in Old Town). There is a really great park called the Scottsdale Mall just east of the main Old Town area. The park is bordered by arts venues, government buildings and restaurants. One of these that caught my eye was a place called Fiamma at the James and next door to it, the J Bar.

On Saturday night M and I had a plan to visit a couple of places. We first stopped at Furio, which I will post about at a later date. Then we made our way to J Bar. This lounge is the epitome of cool, from it’s swanky layout, the James Bond movies playing on a big screen, the beautiful people and to its amazingly great cocktails and food.

Because this was just one stop during our night, only one cocktail was consumed here but we also watched them crafting many others and I know they were all as good as the one I ordered. I had a Venetian; a combination of Maker’s Mark, peach puree and creme de Girotte, which is a cherry flavored liquor. M thought it was too sweet but I actually thought it wasn’t – the Maker’s Mark keeps the drink in balance.

One thing we both agreed on, however, was the food. Heavenly! We started with a couple of salads. M had a green salad on her own and it was beautifully dressed. We also shared what we thought was going to be their version of a caprese salad and it was, but there were surprise elements. The menu described "warm mozzarella" which turned out to be a breaded and fried mozzarella piece on tomato slices, surrounded by slivers of prosciutto and topped with a bit of pesto. The combination of flavors and textures was stunning. The prosciutto was particularly good being less salty than many I’ve had, and therefore a bit "hammier".

We followed the salads with a dish of diver scallops. May I say these were maybe the most perfectly grilled scallops that I have ever had? And that is saying quite a lot! They were surrounded by wild, saut�ed mushrooms and drizzled with a truffle vinaigrette. And the best part was the judicious use of glorious sea salt so that every now and then you had a little burst of extra flavor hit your tastebuds. This was really a great dining experience and one I’ll be interested in repeating the next time I’m in the area.

My only disappointment was that we left J Bar so we could check out another place that had been perpetually busy every time we’d passed There was no sign on the outside of what turned out to be AZ 88. This place really reminded me of something that should be located in South Beach; funky all-white furniture on the outside patio, glass walls and flowing curtains define the space. Once inside we really couldn’t figure out what made the place so attractive. The menu was mostly sandwiches and burgers. The drinks were less than stellar – even a Mandarin and tonic seemed a bit off. Oh, and 9:00 pm is the witching hour; at that time the gay men start streaming in! In the space of 15 to 20 minutes the place went from a mixed crowd – all ages, types, and preferences – to at least 75% gay men. I’ve never seen such a marked transition before. I guess I’ll need to give it a another try sometime but on Saturday we really wished we had lingered longer at J Bar.

J Bar

In the James Hotel

7353 E. Indian School Road

Scottsdale

480.308.1100.