Gastrotacular

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:14:00 PDT

Chicken Enchiladas Suiza from the Classic Favorites selection. Smart Ones says, "Southwest flavors come to life (as if they were imaginary before?) in this tasty dish of chicken enchiladas accented with roasted green chiles, topped with sour cream sauce and served with zesty, Spanish rice."

The description is quite factual minus that the rice isn't zesty. It does, however, have a great texture with tomato-y under tones. There aren't as many chilies or corn kernels as depicted (nor are the laid so carefully on top) but the portion size compared to the picture is quite truthful. I would have like a bit more rice, but thats me. On any note, the enchiladas were what you'd expect of a frozen meal. The tortillas were a good thickness- not so thin as to break, but not to thick as to taste gummy- and didn't become hard or crispy in the microwave. The chicken inside is definitely a blend of spices (very balanced) white and dark meat, but also tastes and has the texture of an added soy protein. A quick look at the ingredient panel confirms this. It isn't a terrible thing, just a cost reducing, healthy filler. Either way, the label is still "chicken," and with regards to the government, a high percentage must contain actual chicken to keep the standard of identity. The more you know...

The sauce, where to start? I have a method of tasting these meals. I eat each component separately and evaluate, and if needed, break down into smaller components as I did with the filling and the tortilla. After, I pit them all together and consume as intended for an overall likeness. Since the sauce was draped over the enchilada, it too gets a separate evaluation. The mouth feel is great, the viscosity clung well to a fork without falling through the tines, and I could likely eat a few ounces of it. It has velvety smoothness like sour cream, a hint of smokiness and heat, and dissipates from the tongue without coating it heavily, leaving you free to get the next items full array of flavor. I complain only about the color. It reminds me of a terrible Banquet meal that I had when I was a child. It just needs that darker, charred orange and brunt red combination. I feel that it would add to the illusion that there is more heat in the meal (and there is some there) but I don't think the idea is translated well because of the lack of association.

In all, the meal was quite acceptable- much better than most Mexican restaurants- and I suggest purchasing it over driving your car out and getting another version of Americanized Mexican. 3.9/5

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:45:00 PDT

Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein

My choice of dinner last evening was the 5 point, 240 calorie Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein- a new item and part of the Bistro Selections. Smart Ones says, "Savor a classic Asian Recipe- tender shrimp tossed with Asian Noodles, matchstick carrots, and crisp sugar snap peas- all tossed in a mild soy-garlic sauce." Upon microwaving the meal, the whole downstairs of my condo was filled with the pleasant smell of garlic, spices, and soy. Even after finishing the meal, the scent lingered and had a way of bringing a calmness to the room. After microwaving the meal I started my ritual of counting shrimp. This time I was pleasantly surprised by two things, there were five shrimp pictured, and I got nine. I guess my deficit from yesterday was made up. Also, I noticed that prior to cooking, the shrimp were raw frozen, which is an ingenious idea as opposed to precooked shrimp in an effort to keep them from overcooking in the microwave. The idea pays off and the results comes in the form of tender shrimp with just the right amount of bite.

A good contrast to the shrimp are crunchy and moist water chestnuts. Those, paired with the al dente carrots and sugar snap peas (a very good value item, I believe) made up the medley of vegetables. I do have a sneaking suspicion that I could have cooked the meal one minute less and had slightly crispier vegetables, but then again, I like mine on the raw side. The accompanying pasta and sauce were a little lack luster in my experience last evening. The classical appearance of the yellowish noodles and brown sauce that you'll recall from your boxed take out is absent and somewhat reminds you that you are eating a healthier version of lo mein. The sauce is very light and has a clean finish, but is not very boisterous (again, because it is made to be healthy) and may leave some patrons yearning for a more full salty and savory flavor that they're familiar with.

However, my biggest gripe was the noodles. A larger diameter of traditional pasta- which is an acceptable substitute- was used for Lo Mein noodles. And while the size is right, the taste and bite just aren't comparable because of the method of preparation. Traditional Lo Mein will soak up the sauce better because, like typical pastas, they can be cooked to al dente. However the Lo Mein noodles are more often cooked until they are a little underdone (by the standards of a typical American palate) in the boiling water, then are finished in a wok of hot sauce and the accompanying items where the noodles will continue to cook until tender and even absorb some of the flavor of the sauce. In comparison, the American method of cooking pasta is to boil it until limp and then toss with sauce without any additional cooking. I do think that if the pasta were a little under done from the plant where it is produced and then cooked in the microwave, it'd have a more believable, classical texture verses the bite one would come to expect from a typical Italian meal.

Overall, the lightness and balance of the meal earns it a 4/5 and while I'd likely not purchase again, I think that it is a comparable dish that many consumers will enjoy.

Down and Out, but Not for the Count!

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:06:00 PDT

I've recently broken my hand, had ligaments re attached, and as a result, have been placed in a cast. I can't cook for myself or work and it is driving my out of my mind. So, Gastrotacular is going to get a lot more attention from me. For starters, I'm going to review the healthy microwaveable foods (as well as other convenience foods that I consume) until I can, at least, not have a series of vibrations shooting through my hand while I use a knife or flip food in a pan. This should be conducive to viewers of the blog who may not necessarily cook, but who do enjoy food.
Today's first entry:
Smart One's Shrimp Marinara.

The box says, "Linguini in a zesty marinara sauce with tender bay shrimp and mushrooms." At a whopping (sarcasm) 180 calories, its no wonder that I was still hungry after this meal. Note though, that I'm recovering from surgery and was not on a restrictive diet previously therefor, my caloric needs are fairly high. Lets begin with the pasta. As always with Smart Ones, you rarely get noodles that magically transform into Quik Set Concrete, stick together, burn, or any combination of the mentioned. Kudos to the formulation. Moving on, the sauce.

This marinara was awesome, quite tasty and had hints of basil and oregano that were not over powering, and honestly, tasted better than most jarred sauces out there today. The mushrooms added a good touch that gave the mouth feel and illusion of having more protein in the meal. This is where we fall short; the baby shrimp.

Now, I know the good people over at Smart Ones preform routine quality control checks on manufactured products in the lab to keep their description and package appearance consistent, but this particular unit missed the mark. The box shows a count of 9 baby shrimp, which has a likely allowance of 7-11 in a tray. My tray had a very disappointing 4. Weak sauce. Now, I know that companies small and large are into cost savings today, but this was not acceptable. Also, I can honestly say that if Smart One's was going to cut back purposely, they would re shoot the picture on the packaging to avoid "false advertising" complaints. I do believe that this was an error for my unit and likely doesn't happen more than the tolerances allow.

Otherwise, the meal was a success and I do recommend it to others for a quick 4 minute meal or snack. I give it a 4.5/5 for a well executed and palatable meal.

Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:04:00 PST

Monday 12/10: I didn’t expect today to become busy at all, but it snuck right up on me. I started the day by designing a new Excel sheet for my pasta freezing project. I calculated my percentages, dilutions, and percent to be applied to pasta for freezing. After that I took off to the store and purchased my pasta. I worked right on through lunch because I got into a groove and kept my turnover going quickly- considering how many times I’ve done this same style of project thus far I’m really getting quicker and quicker. I hadn’t been paying any attention but my project manager, Aaron, was watching me and mentioned that I worked very systematically and with flow. I’m assuming this is a compliment because he didn’t have a frown on his face when he said it. I chatted with him about the results up until now and some small talk about this past weekend. Very personable people I work with, I really feel like I belong. I finished the pasta, cleaned up, and made my way to my desk to record my production results on my Excel sheet and to arrange my meal ideas by type of protein for my big meeting tomorrow. I also added side notes when necessary because not everyone is culinary apt. I can’t wait for that!! My ideation session starts at 11am with the VP of Frozen, Robert Delaney, my Team Manager, Aaron, two food technologists including Biana and Keith(the developer of the first line of my new product), as well as Seth Spill and the other JWU Denver culinary intern, Stephanie. I hope they’re all happy and satisfied with my choices and concepts.

Tonight I am going to practice my introduction and reasoning for each menu item so that I am well versed and can speak eloquently. Maybe I’m putting to much into this, but I really make to make an impression.

Tues 12/11 Today was bustling. I finished cataloging all of the equilivent numbers through two systems for the entire Boston Market line. Promptly afterwards, I hosted my First ideation session. I presented my 55(or so) ideas to the frozen VP, the team manager, and the rest of my team. I was nerve racked at first, but overall I received excellent response. We went through every item one by one (which is customary) and discussed each section while they were fresh in our minds. The intention was to have at most 20 good ideas that fit with the concept, feasibility, ease of processing, and budget. The team unknowingly picked out 25; 20 of them coming from the team manager, Aaron Bennett. We had to cut them down further to those 20. Overall, I had huge success today. Afterwards, I started pulling my recipes for my gold standards and writing my schedule. My idea is that I’ll spend 3/5 days in the lab and make 3 of the recipes each week, practicing them twice so that they’re what I feel is ideal for presentation and cutting on the last time I prepare them. From there I’ll distribute cutting sheets to the team and compile the information for further review after I get through all 20 items. I haven’t even reached the best part yet…..remember that corporate account I have with the grocery store chain? They aren’t concerned with what I spend- they want the best, most complete representation (gold standard) for the products in question. This means I’ll get to cook like any chef would kill for a chance for- a (nearly) unlimited budget with choice of the best available ingredients!!! I am so, so giddy just thinking about it. Finally, I have a job that I am in love with and can’t wait to show up for every day. There will, of course, the the desk and paper work, but I think I can deal! I also participated in a cutting of the current Smart Ones pizza. Let me say, it sucks. Everyone knows it. Horrible. Its being worked on as we speak. The crust is the downfall, its….just…..bad, beyond bad. Other wise, couldn’t be happier.

Wed 12/12: I woke up to a lovely surprise this morning. My car was vandalized and ripped apart by some low lifes who did everything they could to get past my alarm (cutting EVERY wire under my dash and steering column- the car WILL NOT start because of this) and then proceeded to destroy my interior. To make it worse, they thought it’d be really cute to leave my doors open in the pouring rain all night. My car is ruined. I’ve put so much work and time into that thing for some jerks to take it away in an instant. I’m royally ticked and depressed. I was late to work because I spent two hours on the phone between the police and making insurance claims. Everyone understood and apologized at some point in the day when they heard what had happened. I apologized for being late, but everyone understood the circumstances. My landlord is kind enough to help me out and let me borrow a vehicle so I can continue my internship.

After being an hour late to work, I jumped right on my recipe writing. I should finish tomorrow, then I’ll being my first shopping list for production. At 11:30 I had a large bimonthly meeting for the frozen section. Since my division has new(er) employees such as myself and Stephanie, my manager introduced us in a power point presentation with likes, dislikes, and humor. It was a great way to get introduced to everyone in the room that I hadn’t already met. The meeting was about profit, commodities, coming up with landmark ideas vs smaller ones (again profitability) and also explained where my line stands when compared to other concepts. There was a luncheon in between because of the length of the conference. It was opened to Q&A and a “gripe” forum too. Turns out that we really need some development in the accelerated shelf life testing of frozen foods- lots of complaints about that; they don’t accelerate it at all in quality assurance. They wait the full 1,6,12,18,24 month interval. Insane. After that, we had a freezer clean out for products because the Associated Press is coming in to visit and see the IQ center and labs. Immediately after, I went to one of the most impressive presentations I have yet to see put on in this building. It came from McCain and JonLin. They were showcasing their patented and protected smokehouse and fire roasted vegetable variations. The corporate chef was incredible- made some amazing, amazing food- the best I have had in a long time. I hope they pay him well; he could open an extremely successful restaurant if he can run a business. The processes for the veggies are amazing, and they just got done with fine tuning and the product is extremely impressive. I may very well be using them for some sources for my development. The consensus in the room is that we’re bringing them on, and fast. Somehow the time slipped by and now I’ve got to go home and deal with the harsh reality of a car that won’t start because of some thieves and immerse myself in the world of insurance claims. Good day.

Thursday 12/13: I ran late yet again because when the tow truck finally came today it was 8am. I stayed an hour late to make up for it, I really needed to do it anyway. Today I did another pasta cutting, we’ve decided which 4 (maybe 5) that I’m going to set up for bench top accelerated shelf life tests. Almost done! After that, it’ll be time to apply the methods in the mock plant. The Associated Press was supposed to come in and I’ve never seen to many people at their lab benches looking busy for photos. They barely touched the lab, they got stuck somewhere else I think. Another department let them participate in a cutting. After the cutting I started writing the rest of my recipes. I didn’t think I’d finish, but I did. I even had time to write my grocery lists for all 6 weeks of gold standards. I’m looking forwards to this with great enthusiasm. We had a freezer clean out again today where we took everything that was cluttering up space and set it free to the rest of the employees.

Tomorrow I have a review on the chicken, rice, and broccoli casserole I mentioned before. I was also invited to lasagna cutting of some kind. I think I participated before, but everything is such a blur here. I love it, always busy, always challenged. Before or after those cuttings I have to go shopping for more pasta for the shelf life test. Its killer- how much food we waste here. Gotta love capitalist America. I’ll be preparing 5 different pasta solutions and 5 of each of those for pulling, freezing, and thawing, at different intervals. I’ll receive a schedule very soon from Biana; I want to follow protocol with this one. Until tomorrow!

Fri 12/14: It’s been a long week, car is finally at the body shop awaiting appraisal. Cross your fingers for me. This morning I worked on finalizing my shopping lists and recipes. Never hurts to double check. I returned to the store for pasta, but didn’t do the process today because it would have intersected with 3 cuttings one after the other. Unfortunately for that project there isn’t any good stopping point. When I was in the lab today I ran into the research nutritionist. She was working (sorta) on developing a sundae for Smart Ones. She’s extremely smart, silly, and we get along well. We had an in depth conversation about Heinz suspending tomato paste in sugar. Its really neat to have both the culinary AND nutrition side of this industry. I can explain to her what she doesn’t understand, but she can communicate with me better than with a food technologist because even the technologist doesn’t know food. I’m a two way bridge- ITS AWESOME.

After speaking with her I was off to my cuttings. One for lasagna who’s differences were so hard to tell apart unless you took apart each component separately and the other for blending types of broccoli because of a shortage in supply on the new launch. The claim and standards of identity have to be changed last minute on the packaging. There is enough time, but just barely. I’ll be starting my freeze thaw pulls on Monday for the pasta project and probably go shopping for my first week of Gold Standards- I got the okay to get started this afternoon!! I can’t wait! I also organized my lab notebook and gave it the updating it desperately needed. Today is the company Christmas Party and its on “during” office hours because we’re okay to leave at 3 today anyway. I think I’ll make an appearance just to socialize with my co workers and get to know and make an impression on them. More than one of the lab assistants said that the party last year was awkward. I know that I’ll do fine because I’m used to being social no matter what (darned kitchen setting echoing in my head) its everyone else who is so used to clamming up and not communicating as often. They can all speak and write very well, but when they don’t know you they aren’t the best conversation starters. I understand now what is meant by the different college experiences and majors. Its so weird to watch it from the outside in. However, the lab assistants were (if not all of them) previous members of sororities and are more apt to communicate. We all get along pretty well.

Overall, I’m still loving it here.

Also, I've figured out my job here at Heinz. The dietitian can't cook, but has to deal with numbers and standards to make them fall into heath regulation- I understand and am fluent in this because of my degree basis. Next, I have the culinary and basic food technology background so I can bridge the gap between the numbers based developers and the chef based developer(ME) while still communicating both realms of the spectrum- nutrition and cooking- from one extreme to the other. I'm like a 2 way bridge spanning the river's width.

Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:43:00 PST

Normally I write more eloquently, but I make this record at the end of every day. Sometimes I'm ready to run out that door. So, you'll have to work through it.

Monday 12/3: After a horrible nights rest from worrying about whether or not I’d be able to get to work in the morning and a smashed front door because of the high winds and violent storm, I managed to get to work in the snow. Note that I’ve never driven in snow with rwd- regardless of how little has fallen. I left with a lot of extra time and wound up being at work about 15 minutes earlier than intended and without complications. This morning I set up my office and multimedia. I now have faxes that are scanned and sent to my email when they are received, a phone, and more access to Outlook and a ton of Heinz confidential sites and databases.Today was my first cutting for one of my side projects; freezing pasta for reheating in the microwave. I had 9 different products to try on egg based and semolina based pastas. They were tested with spraying and tossing. 5 showed promise, 3 of which held a much greater promise. The next step is to narrow down those 5 to the best two or three and decrease the percentage of the solution in an attempt to make the product the most cost effective while still having desirable results. It’s very, very neat, but I really don’t like that I throw away so much food. It goes against what we’ve learned in school- sacrilegious almost. Today’s tests were successful and I’ll continue them through out the week.
I also set up a meeting with the team next week (literally everyone is booked or traveling this week) and we’re going to evaluate the 50+ ideas I have for the line extension. With any luck we can bring it down to ~20 and then send the results to a consumer panel to decide which names they like most. From there I’ll begin creating Gold Standard examples which will be subjected to more cutting and finally begin the process to commercialization.
The rest of my day will be spent learning to write my lab notebook in proper form and researching more ideas and trends congruent with my assignment.
Tuesday 12/4: I preformed 40 trials of high and low tests from the 5 acceptable results on Monday. I preformed the tests on two types of pasta at two different dilutions. Because I had the time, I also did 50% tests of those highs and lows too. It probably wasn’t necessary, but more knowledge is good knowledge. Some look promising, others not so much; however that is the point.
I didn’t realize how much time I spent in the lab until I sat down just now. Somehow I managed to work right on through lunch. I’d be taking care of that but the cafeteria is closed now, HA! For the remainder of the day I’ll be drawing up a results table to my test and making a note to myself to stash a pair of tennis shoes in my filing cabinet for long days in the lab.
Wednesday 12/5: Driving in 4 inches of snow for a half hour is extremely nerve racking. None-the-less, I made it without incident. During the morning I had an assignment to determine which current Boston Market consumer products could be claimed as "gluten free." I had to go through every ingredient in the ingredient lists and find one that would disprove the thought. After a massive amount of searching, three out of twenty-nine items have the capability of being produced as gluten free. After I finished that assignment I participated in a discrimination test. The first was for the Deli Mex Taquitos. The variable was unknown, but one of them was much more smoky and had more savory bottom notes that the other. The non flavorful one was noticeably drier too. The second test was for Basil Tossed Green Beans. Honestly, I didn’t taste any hint of basil in either sample, but I think (from tasting) that the variable was the sauce was cut with either butter or oil. One smelled and tasted noticeably sweeter and had a better mouth feel.(EDIT just found out that I was right, they were trying to reove PHO's, partially hydrogenated oils, from the product) I finished my tests and took a lunch break while watching the snow continually fall. After lunch, a very loud and intruding noise started coming from the air vents. Finally, the gentleman right below it got extremely peeved and called maintenance who "knew noise happened, but not like this." The sound is ‘normal’ but it got so bad that at least 4 other employees have noise canceling headphones that they use when they’re in their cubicles. They’ve been trying to fix it for a while. I plug my ears with a cheapie MP3 Player.
After lunch I was assigned to go through all of the Boston Market meals (yet again) and "identify the red listed, yellow listed, partially hydrogenated oils, and trans fat ingredients." Yet again, I went through every ingredient list for each SKU identifying whether each had these ingredients:
Red List:
Yellow List:
1. Level 1 or 2 allergen (Peanuts / Tree nuts)
1. Butylated Hydroxtoluene (BHT)
2. Monosodium Glutamate
2. Mono-tert-butyhydroquinone (TBHQ)
3. Sulfites (wines excluded)
3. Partially Hydrogenated Oils
4. Nitrites (meats excluded)
4. Chemical Preservatives
5. Red # 40
5. Level 3, 4 and 5 Allergens
6. Yellow #5 & #6
6. HFCS
7. Blue #1
7. Artificial flavor or color
8. Bromated flour
8. Artificial ingredient of any kind
9. Butylated Hydroxiyanisole (BHA)
9. Disodium inosinate / guanalate

I recorded and compiled them on a very extensive filed for a revamping of Boston Market meals for Health and Wellness. A large amount of time went into the production of the matrix- the other members of the group as well as mine.
Tomorrow is a very busy day consisting of meetings and presentations. One of the biggest coming in is Butterball who put together a demonstration of how we could further utilize turkey in our operations (must have killed and froze to many this Thanksgiving). Before that I also have the second cutting for my frozen pastas- I hope that goes well. There is also a cutting for some Giant Eagle- a large grocery store chain here- products that we produce. I was surprised to find that we made anything for them, but I guess its not out of the scope of practice.

Week one as the Food Tecnologist

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:26:00 PST

So far, being at Heinz has been nothing short of amazing. My co workers are extremely intelligent, well rounded, and use excellent grammar and professionalism when I speak with them. They don’t regard me as "the new guy" and accept me as if I had been there longer. The only co workers who have the "so what?" mentality are the lab assistants, but they are all temps who participate in receptionist style employment. Not that it matters much, but most of them are ex sorority girls who spent little time in the real world. Otherwise, the staff is accepting and extremely helpful.
On my first day I was given a grand tour from my immediate supervisor, Biana. I saw a large mock plant, the labs, office floors, conference rooms, and met many people who I hope to manage to remember names. The office floor is confusing because of the shape of the building. For being the Innovation Center, the design sure is innovative. I preformed a large amount of compute orientation and made a sauce that was part of a Boston Market sodium reduction project from another JW grad from the Denver Campus. I spent my afternoon lunch with Aaron Bennett, my team manager. He explained the concept and standards that I’ll be developing and spoke with me about the nature of the line extension. Unfortunately, I can’t share the information about it specifically, but I did pick up other assignments that I can speak of.
Tuesday I signed my life away around noon. Three confidentiality waivers and enough paper work and information to track me anywhere I would go for the next 5 years were in order.
I also participated in a discrimination test before lunch. It involved sample of soup, beef stock, and country gravy. I was able to tell that there was a difference in them, but that may come from the type of education I’ve received.
After lunch, I received more online orientation, usage of the Heinz specific product lists, and met some more faces. I learned that there is a gym on premises and began to take advantage of it after hours.
Wednesday morning I finished the last bit of orientation and began researching ideas for my prototypes. I have to come up with 40-50 enticing names which will be sent to a focus group for their top ten. Those will in turn be whittled down by the team during a "cutting" and from there I will have 4-6 that I will actually begin making the Gold Standard for. Gold Standards are the best that the food can get- using proper ingredients with no thought to what lies ahead for furure development. After they are evaluated, I will work with the food technologist, Biana, and develop them into suitable counterparts for consumers.
I also took on a side project today. Ten samples of what are supposed to be moisture inhibitors for freezing were sent in to be used on our long pasta dishes made with either dry pasta or egg based pasta. I was assigned to carry out the experiment with short and long pasta and apply the solutions in two forms; spray and toss (the only applications available in the plant). After receiving access to the corporate account to purchase goods at a local grocery store chain, I set out to work. I put in an extra hour or two at work and knocked 2 of them out before calling it quits. I also learned that I can eat anything at any time that I please from the Smart Ones library (60+ different meals) for "comparative purposes."
Thursday morning I was back in the lab testing the other 8 varieties and getting them ready for freezing. I also learned that in comparison to Healthy Choice- the Smart Ones entrees taste much, much, much better- which isn’t saying a whole lot considering they’re still frozen foods. On any note, I finished around 10:30 and was off for a team luncheon at the concept that we’re mimicking for the new consumer products line extension. We also had a team meeting that I wasn’t so involved in, but it was still very neat to sit in on and see just what everyone does. It’s amazing how much work everyone does here- there isn’t a single employee without a huge load on their shoulders, yet they never snap and are always happy to lend a hand. I finally received my laptop, phone, and desk assignment around 3pm and am now able to communicate more effectively with other staff members. Outlook is EXTREMELY effective for interoffice communications.
Today, Friday, I am finalizing my first draft of concepts for the line extension. I am also participating in a cutting of Boston Market gravies. It seems that there are 4 different types and when Stephanie, the other JW grad, discovered this, she ordered them all so that the BM team could evaluate the differences and similarities in these 4 gravies distributed under the Boston Market name.The changes were so, so, so off it was ridicilious. Some major overhauling is in order. Even the two factory producted lots weren't even close to each other. Pathetic. I also plan to visit the gym after work and head to Target and JC Penny for a wardrobe update. I’m so used to just tossing on the Culinary uniform and going right out the door in the morning that I ran into a kink and trouble when I saw that even in lab, the attire is business casual. Friday’s appears to be jeans day too. Anyway, I thought I had a fair amount of dressy clothing, but it seems that when I go to the same place each day, I barely have enough to fill out the week- considering everyone sees my attire. As a result, I now spend time in front of a mirror for more than just shaving in the morning. I take the time to (what I hope is) matching my wardrobe and styling my hair.
This first week here has been incredible and exceeded my expectations. I’m extremely happy to be here and love every minute of it- even through the workload and extremely technical lab work! I could go on and on but most of what I have to say is extraneous to the the job itself.

Sheepmeats

noreply@blogger.com (sixsylinder) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:20:00 PST

As of this past Friday, I had yet to cook a big meal in my new house, and so I decided that this was the weekend to do it, as next weekend I would likely still be polishing off Thanksgiving leftovers. I was originally going to do a boeuf bourguignon, however I procrastinated too much and thus ended up having to do something that didn't require either overnight marinating or an all-day cooking time.

I ended up with the following menu:

-Mustard and Pistachio crusted Rack of Lamb

-Carrot Ginger Reduction

-Potato and Onion Rosti

-Deep Fried Potato Skin Shavings

-Roast Asparagus

-Rosemary and garlic cornbread micro-muffins

In retrospect, I wish I'd added/changed a few things about this, but I'll save that for the end of the writeup. I will issue the disclaimer that this recipe was lifted partially from Patrick O'Connell of the amazing "Inn at Little Washington".

At any rate, rather than just show a picture of the completed dish, I thought it'd be much more interesting to actually go through and take pictures as I made it, in hopes of showing how easy it actually was.

The beauty of this meal is that everything cooks at the same oven temperature (400) and some pans are re-used, making for reduced mess at the end.

Everything starts with your mise en place as always, and there is a fair bit of that to do here. The first step is to shell and crack the pistachios for the crust on the outside of the lamb. This will go REAL fast if you have pre-shelled pistachios and a food processor, but I had to do it manually as I had neither. I shelled them by hand, cracked them with the side of a knife blade, and then further chopped them with the knife when I had a sizable pile:

The next step was to peel the potatoes for the Rosti. One big baking potato will yield 2 rosti each. You should obviously wash them off a little first, but this is still hardly rocket science. Reserve some of the peels for the shavings as shown:

The next step is to go ahead and make the batter for the muffins, as you can let it sit and then throw it in the oven later when you need it. I am a fan of "Jiffy" as it seems less greasy and more granular than some other corn muffin mixes. It's also about $0.50/box and available just about anywhere. Prepare the mix as shown on the box and then mix in a lot (almost a tablespoon)of dried rosemary and then a couple cloves of finely diced fresh garlic. If you want to roast the garlic first, that would be even better. At any rate, here's the box:

If I wanted to be really serious about it I'd have made the muffins from scratch and done it way in advance, but again, I put this meal together because I had to be able to do it all in a couple hours.

The next step of mise en place is to prepare the asparagus for roasting. Use ONLY fresh asparagus, and preferably as "jumbo" as you can find. The bottom of each stalk should be whiteish and somewhat woody, find the point where the stalk naturally breaks (i.e. where it becomes softer), break it, and then make it a clean cut with a knife. Use this point on the stalk for all the others, cutting with a knife:

You can see that I also peeled the stalks from about 2" from the top on down. This helps them to cook more evenly when roasting. Resist the temptation to peel with a knife and use a proper peeler as shown at the top, anyone with short of perfect knife skills (i.e. me) will just butcher the asparagus beyond recognition.

Next we're going to want to get our sauce going, which is a carrot-ginger reduction. This sounds exotic but it's really stupidly simple. The only ingredients are carrot juice (I used a single little bottle of Odwalla), a 1" piece of peeled fresh ginger root, a tablespoon of cooking sherry, and some heavy cream. Empty the carrot juice into the pot, add the peeled chunk of ginger, the tbsp of sherry, and let it reduce (i.e. boil down) on medium-high while you're doing everything else. Whisk it occasionally. Once it has reduced by about 2/3, remove from heat, discard the ginger, and let it sit.

This sauce can be made well in advance of mealtime, even up to a day or so. When you get close to time to eat, re-heat the reduction on low heat and whisk in a *tiny* bit of heavy cream, maybe two tablespoons, or roughly about 1/6th of the volume you have of reduced juice.

We'll want to get our potatoes ready for the rosti next. Rosti is a swiss dish that is eaten at all times of the day, and I encountered it while on a ski trip there. It's great for breakfast with ham and eggs on top, or for dinner with some braised beef and a rich sauce. In this case, we're going to lay our lamb on top. Rosti is very similar to a french potato galette. The idea is to first soften the potatoes and then shred them. We will soften by steaming (in my makeshift steamer) for 15 minutes, whole:

After softening, shred the potatoes by slicing each in half (the short way) and put them through the large holes on a grater, as shown:

The next step is to dice 1 medium onion finely (and a little salt & pepper) into the grated potato. Form the mixture into balls for frying:

Fry the rosti's in a fairly deep pan/pot in about 1/2" of standing hot oil. I used normal canola oil, but you can use whatever you prefer. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees before you start frying, so it will be hot by the time you're done (for other things). The oil should already be HOT when the cakes go in the pan. Immediately flatten each with a spatula and cook for about 7 minutes on each side, until golden brown:

Remove the cakes when browned on both sides and let them drain on a few layers of paper towels. Do NOT drain the hot oil just yet, as we're going to use it to quick-fry our potato peelings. Drop them in, let them fry until crispy (maybe 3-4 minutes) and then allow them to drain on paper towels as well. You may now drain the oil and turn down the heat, but you're going to use the pan again later to sear the lamb.

If I'd had any, I would've tossed the potato peelings in some truffle oil after they drained, but I was fresh out, so I just tossed them in salt and pepper.

Now would be a good time to toss the muffins in the oven. I use tiny dishes for the micro muffins, which also come in handy to plate an amuse bouche, but you can use whatever you want. I only had tiny dishes, so I put the rest of the batter in normal-size muffin tins (breakfast later in the week). Be SURE to use some Pam or oil or something to make sure the muffins don't stick. I used normal Pam just because I can spray it and it's quick.

Bake the muffins as directed on the mix box. Once the muffins are in the oven, we can finally attend to our lamb. The first step is to season the rack with salt and pepper:

We are then going to want to sear the exposed meat on the rack to give it a nice crusty char. The pan used for the rosti should still be on the oven, turn the heat up to medium-high and let it get hot. Turn your smoke vent on, as you're going to need the ventilation in a minute. Sear each exposed area of the rack on the hot pan for maybe 30 seconds per side. This would be each end, the exposed bottom (as in above picture), and then the back. It's easiest to move the rack around with tongs, holding it in each position, although it can just sit on the back when you're doing that side.

Once the rack has been seared, transfer it to a baking dish (I use a 2-piece grill pan to catch the grease) and throw it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. It's the same temp as the muffins and the asparagus, so if need be, it can all be in there at the same time.

When the lamb has been in for about 15 minutes (the muffins should be long done) it's time to throw in the asparagus. Transfer your prepped asparagus to a shallow pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, toss asparagus in oil to coat, and then just put the whole thing in the oven. Less is more here, especially if your asparagus is really high quality. You don't want to season it.

When the rack has been in for 20 minutes, pull it out, as it's time to do the pistachio coating. Mix a few tablespoons of dijon mustard with some brown sugar (to taste), and "paint" the mixture on the outside of the lamb rack (meat only, not on bones). This will allow us to "roll" the meaty part of the rack in the crushed pistachios to coat it. Sorry I don't have any pictures of this, but I had a lot going on at once during this part of the meal.

Toss the now-coated rack of lamb back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK, the lamb should emerge medium-rare and delicious. My cooking times are for like a 1.4lb rack of lamb, adjust accordingly to size. You might want to toss your now-drained rosti on a cookie sheet and into the oven for the last 5 minutes the lamb is in there, just to warm them up and further crisp them.

When the lamb is done, everything should be ready for plating. The asparagus should be done about the same time the lamb is (check by tasting), and the muffins should have long-since cooled off.

Remove the lamb rack from the oven and let it sit for a minute or so before slicing. You will want to slice the chops off the rack individually between the bones. This requires a SHARP KNIFE. If you have a dull knife, the whole process will be very messy and the end result will not be attractive.

Now you should be left with sliced cooked chops, your asparagus, the rosti, the potato peelings, your sauce (now re-heated w/cream added), and the finished muffins.

The first step of plating is to place a single rosti on each plate:

Now place three of our beautifully-cooked lamb chops on top of each rosti:

Drizzle with a tiny bit of sauce (I used too much here). You'll want something that can pour very precisely to do the sauce otherwise it will look terrible. I used a milk pourer from a tea/coffee set:

Now put a bunch of potato peelings on top and our micro-muffins on the side for the completed dish:

As I said earlier, there are a number of things I would change when I do it the second time, and the plating is not least among them. Next time I will try to plate the chops upright, bones towards one another, with a little less sauce, maybe some micro greens, and maybe with the muffins on the side. I would also perhaps add the truffle oil to the potato shavings, garnish everything with a few whole pistachios, and maybe either plate the asparagus with everything else (I served it seperately this time) or do another vegetable to plate with the chops.

At any rate, the end product is pretty delicious. The crispy texture of the rosti contrasts beautifully with the medium-rare lamb, and the flavors of carrot, lamb, earthy potato skin, and pistachio complement each other pretty well.

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:59:00 PDT

Carribbean seared salmon served over a bed of arugula dressed with pineapple vinegarette and a side buttery gnocci.
Mmmmm, tasty.

I dunno where I'm gonna go when the volcano blows!

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:20:00 PDT

Thats right, we made a visit to Margaritaville! What poor sap can go to Las Vegas and not enjoy an ice cold top shelf margarita? Certainly not me, as this was my restaurant choice for the trip. I wish I had a picture of the dining room, but picture if you will, the rear end of fishing trollers used as booths and deuce seats, pirates and sea captains towering over you on stilts, and Jimmy Buffet singing to you via some huge projection TV's. We went in around lunch time (along with the rest of the strip) and were quoted a 25minute wait. After about 15, all was well, and we were seated and greeted by a server who strived to talk as if she were from my native state of Florida. Over use and improper use of the word, "ya'll," and poor accents made for a humorous time. There was even a huge volcano that I'll talk about soon.

Everyone at the table ordered some variation of margarita; A Ruby Red Marg, a Patron Marg, and an Uptown Top Shelf (topped with Grand Marnier). The Uptown Top Shelf was my choice and it was the BEST margarita I've had in a long time, though I do have a sneaking suspicion that the "margaritaville" tequila is relabeled Cuervo. My particular beverage had a TON of liquor in it, but was extremely smooth with the lovely sweet pinch from the Grand Marnier.

Being that I was at Margaritaville, I had to get the titled Cheeseburger in Paradise. First off, I must say that I FINALLY got a Medium Rare burger at a restaurant!!! I was ecstatic. It even came mid rare. My reasoning for this is because you eat so much in Vegas, that you'll never figure out what made you sick, so why not serve meat the way its supposed to be served? The beef quality was very good and quite juicy. I suspect a 70/30 ground beef because of its tastiness. Aside from the burger, the fries were incredibly fresh, crisp, hot, and tasty. They received some all important Heinz ketchup. To top off the meal, I received a Kosher Dill pickle and not one of those weak 'sours.' Dammit, doesn't that look good? Writing this, I want it again.

The pulled pork sandwich that the chest to the left ordered was quite tasty too. It received the same delicious french fries- but instead of the ketchup, the boobs like to dip them in a bit of ranch dressing. Carbs fried in fat, dipped in fat = tasty.
The Sandwich was made with your choice of BBQ sauce- though I can't recall what was ordered. It was tangy and sweet to the tongue. As little of a fan of raw onions I am, the diced reds made for a decent toping, crunch, and contrast to the pork.

While dining, the famous "I dunno where I'm gonna go when the volcano blows" song played. All the sudden the lights would go out and subtle sirens would start to go and lights flashed as if there were an eruption. After about 2 of these moments, this huge volcano (sorry, lighting was bad, no pictures) erupted in a frenzy of dry ice and bubbly action, taking this novelty restaurant to the top!

Japonois

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:58:00 PDT

So shes not my girl, but she does look good holding the chopsticks. The second restaurant we visited on the trip was Japonais. Japonais is an establishment of high sophisticate- though due to its location in one of the numerous Vegas casinos- you will see patrons who don't have on the clothing that should be considered consistent with such a fine atmosphere.I was advised that it was okay to take a picture of the dining room and not look trashy on unanimous decision that, "Its Vegas, nothing is trashy." Silverware in the dining room was neatly arranged, and there were small candle votives on each table. Lighting was on the dim side for a more intimate encounter with your guest(s). The only fault that I can find in the restaurant are the 50/60's style red vinyl chairs. They don't flow well with the concept. They belong in The Fonz's basement. Also a worthy mention is the bathroom- it was fabulous, something I'd like to have in my own home. However, there are no pictures, but if you're going to visit a bathroom in Las Vegas, make it this one.
Our server greeted us promptly and informed us that the menu was designed for sharing and that the portions for appetizers were small, a bite or two for each person. My personal belief is that she is up selling to the entrees for a higher bill since the remark about sharing would convince you to turn away from getting an appetizer and salad for yourself as a meal.

On any note, cocktails were ordered, and the most popular at the table was a Cucumber Martini. Classic, cold, and refreshing- it helped us escape the heat of the desert night. Fresh cucumers are muddled everyday in house. Cilantro, basil, and other assorted fresh herbs are added and worked into the cucumbers. The result is a smooth, slightly dry martini with an essence of freshness.

Since we had a vegan joining us for the evening, a round of fresh sake steamed asparagus was in order as an appetizer. The execution of this dish left something to be desired. Whomever cut the asparagus did not trim it of enough of the fibrous stalk, and the next person to handle it was unable to steam it correctly, leaving it a bit more limp than necessary. In all, it was bland and could have really used some salt and pepper- which coincidently were not on the table.

My dining neighbor ordered the tuna dish. The server, not knowing (of course she couldn't have) that we were all chefs (minus the vegan) came out with our favorite line, "Ah, the Tuna. Well since it is a very high grade- Ahi- the chef suggests that it be cooked to medium rare. Is that okay?" My friend replied with, "Actually, thats more than okay, lets see it come rare." The server smiled and accepted the order. I had the liberty of tasting a piece of the tuna. It was perfectly cooked, but lacked the slight crunch that I've grown accustomed to- whether it be sesame seeds or cracked peppercorns. However, my favorite thing about the fish was when it was served. The outside was searing hot, while the inside was ice cold- perfection in preparation. Don't ask me to tell you what as on the rest of the plate though.

The lovely girl in the first photo ordered what might have been the best meal over the entire trip. Le Quack- as it was called on the menu was possibly the best duck I have ever had the liberty to consume. Exceptionally memorable notes of its succulence were its moistness and perfect skin. Typically you'll find duck with a dry flesh and crisp skin, or moist flesh and chewy skin, but this came out as perfection with excessively moist flesh and a just right doneness of the skin- similar to perfectly cooked bacon "not to crisp, not to soft." The mango relish that accompanied the meal was wonderful as well. It was quite obviously fresh, had a hint of heat, and complimented the gamey duck well. The only complaint I have over the dish was the presentation. I'm unsure what the massive pile of garnish on top is, and what its function might be.

For my meal, I ordered the Red Snaper and Diver Scallop. The fish was steamed in sake, and was perfectly cooked. The skin was served on, which was peculiar, but I ate it anyway as it was quite soft and didn't interfere with the soft white fish. Now- a side note about all of the dishes- except the duck- All of the food seemed underseasoned. I haven't brought it up thus far because I'm not sure if the concept of the restaurant prides itself on "freshness and natural flavors." If this is the case, they do it well, but if not- there could have been some improvements made to both fish dishes. Again, not bashing, just unsure. I took it with a grain of salt and just enjoyed the naturalness. Back to the Snapper, it lacked any seasoning minus the slight impartation of the sake. Salt and pepper would have done wonders for it. The diver scallop was seasoned with something so discrete that it didn't alter the taste of the scallop, and there wasn't enough of it to do anything except char when the scallop was lightly and perfectly seared. The sauce on my dish was a black bean vinegarette which I found to be quite intriguing. Beans have the natural protein and fiber, that when purred, can act as a thickener for sauces. In this case, it was applied to a vinegarette, which I found very unique. It tasted strongly of rice wine vinegar, and helped to flavor anything bland that was coated or dipped in it; especially the asparagus. The baby bok choy that was used as a socle for the fish was outstanding. The only qualms I have are: 1. another scallop would have been nice for $40. 2. The dressing broke. 3. Again with the nest garnish!! At least mine was diakon, YUM!

Our vegan ordered some side dishes that were staples in most places, and thus there are no pictures of them, nor did I get to taste them. He needs all the food he can get...not consuming meat and all. However, he did order some Sweet Potato Fries that were amazing. Typically these are cut thickly and aren't cooked all the way. At Japonais, the potatoes were cut in a fashion a tad thicker than shoe string potatoes. The result was a non soggy, not overly crispy fry. Great execution, there were very few burnt casualties, and FINALLY, the seasoning was added to something! It was A1.

I personally didn't order dessert, but a friend did and got a hold of the Green Tea Panchetta with thai basil sorbet. It panchetta was prepared properly and didn't have that over gelatanized texture like the Top Chef contestants. Inside of the panchetta, was a suprise- leeches! Leeches are amazing, and highly regarded by most culinarians as nothing short of awesome, but hard to get a hold of. When you do, they're usually brined in heavy syrup that most restaurants make the mistake of not rinsing off. However, Japonais got it right, and having that small surprise really topped off the experience. The plate was especially unique as well, it had some really awesome waves in it, but had the raised portion in the middle to form a bowl. Great plate.

Overall, the damage done for the evening was around $260 for the 5 of us with a wide assortment of appetizers, entrees, sides, and of course, drinks. The evening tallied out to more of a loss when I hit the slot machines, but I gained it back at the tables. All in all, a wonderful evening started by wonderful food.

In N Out #1

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 07:00:00 PDT

This is a chronological recollection of my food travels of the West, namely Vegas. It will be updated each free moment so as not to wear myself out writing it all at once and making this collection monotonous.

Over the past week, I've made my way into Phoenix and Flagstaff, AZ and Las Vegas, Nevada. To date, this was the furthest west I've been. After being received in Phoenix, the first stop HAD to be In N Out.

Now, I've heard a million and one things about how fabulous In N Out Burger is supposed to be- namely fresh ingredients and numerous refusals to generous offers to sell the chain in an effort to retain and promote the consistency of the quality offered by In N Out to the customer. As a result, I was very, very excited to finally visit the chain. Upon entering, we were greeted kindly by a young girl who was replacing a trash bag- usually not something that one smiles about when receiving new customers. The floors and the entire establishment were nearly spotless, with no visible spills, promptly cleaned tables from those unruly patrons who leave their undesirables on the table, and even a very kempt soda dispensing area.

After waiting a short stint in line, I was greeted with a smile and a "What can I get for you today?" I kept it simple the first time and ordered the burger and fries combo. Now, for those who don't know, In N Out is famous for preparing each meal when its ordered. Looking behind the counter, this is certainly not a misconception. The employees in the funky paper and ball cap hats and white uniforms managed to stay professional, upbeat, and clean; offering what I believe is to be the best service I've ever had in a fast food establishment. The kitchen is easily visible and had little to no mess on the floor, very clean working areas, and frying oil that wasn't on the verge of turning into a black abyss of something that resembles crude oil. I even noted sanitation buckets- a HUGE surprise.

Back to the food- As I unwrapped my delicious smelling (and steaming hot) burger I noted again that the reason the chain does so well is because they don't compromise quality. At In N Out he buns are received fresh each day, the beef patties are formed on location, and the fries are cut in house in an attempt to keep as natural and preservative free as possible- all pretty decent qualities for a fast food chain to stand out among a million others. Picking up the burger, the bun was easily deflated in my hands- a sure sign that it was quite fresh. Upon first bite, moist meat juices flooded into the taste buds, but soon dissipated because of the thinness of the patty (not a bad characteristic). The flavors of the meat weren't of anything added, infused, or engineered. Just "plain ol' beef" which lets you know that you've got the real deal in your hands. The bun had the proper yeasty flares without the sense from overproduction of alcohol. The lettuce crunched with freshness, as well as the pickles (not that they're "fresh"). I polished off the burger itself fairly quickly.

The fries left a little something to be desired- which surprised me considering they're cut in house each day. On this trip, they weren't cooked completely and were a bit moist inside still. Now, for some this may be desired, but I prefer that golden brown color and accompanying slight snap of the outer layer breaking. They were, however, very well seasoned. The salt was not overwhelming, just enough to make you salivate and taste the (at the time) fresh frying oil.

Overall, my first experience at In N Out was a bit of a let down in the sense that I was partially mislead. Based on reviews and fan websites devoted to In N Out, I was under the impression that the seasoning and flavors were the big sellers; as is the case for many other fast food chains. My opinion is that In N Out has a more classical approach- fresh, natural food. My only fear and concern for the establishment is this: had I been just another everyday customer and not being aware of the devotion to quality that In N Out has, it could have been perceived as just another fast food burger. They may have even called it bland. Unfortunately, this has all too often become the case in this country. Customers have a hard time comprehending quality, even when it smacks them square in the face. As an informed customer, I applaud In N out for being able to offer an extremely high quality meal for a very competitive price in a fast food world dominated by chemically engineered smells and flash cooked foods. In regards to other fast food burgers, In N Out provides all of the ingredients a customer wants- fresh, made to order, and REAL quality food with a price tag that is less than the competitors. It is extremely unfortunate that others can't follow this formula. Thank you In N Out!

Random Tasks

noreply@blogger.com (sixsylinder) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:30:00 PDT

I got hungry at around 11pm tonight and decided that a rice cake or a piece of string cheese just wasn't going to do. It took me about five minutes worth of digging around in my pantry to decide what I was going to make for myself.

I ended up with a Butternut Squash Soup with Lime Pepper Shrimp, Caviar, and Herbs de Provence.

(Yes, I had just finished watching Top Chef. Why can't Howie go home?)

Anyway, my logic in creating this monstrosity was as follows:

I had the squash soup ready-made in a box, frozen shrimp in the fridge, and caviar I'd yet to open (lumpfish, so not expensive caviar).

I was originally going to just use the shrimp and soup, but I tasted some of the soup cold and decided that it could use salt, and why use salt to add saltiness to something when you can use caviar! At any rate, the "lime pepper" seasoning was arrived upon simply via thinking that lemon pepper is good with any seafood and then realizing that while I didn't have lemon juice, I had plenty of lime.

In all honesty, the herbs de provence were included because I thought it needed something green and because the seasoning on the shrimp wasn't as strong as I'd hoped, so it needed some more kick.

At any rate, it made for a pretty tasty near-midnight snack. Here's a picture of the dish sitting on top of my messy just-utilized cutting board:

NOTE: I cooked/wrote this after 3.5 Johnny Blacks on the rocks, so it may well be crap, both post and dish. I guarantee nothing!

Home Meals

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:32:00 PDT

Alright, while I haven't been out anywhere of great value lately, I have made a few meals that may be of interest to everyone. While I don't usually take the time to plate very many fancy meals for myself, I occasionally get on a whim to do so. This is such that example- simple, but efficient and I could have plated it a little better. On any note, I'm a fan of a little bit of "dead space," as some chefs call it, on the plate. I don't believe that the whole surface should be strewed with sauce or accompaniments. Personally, I find it more elegant to have it and I frequently use it like a painter's table- it’s a spot for me to mix my flavors and plate composition. On any note, here I've made a Rosemary, garlic, sage, and cracked black pepper pork tenderloin(courtesy of Sams Club : D) that was seared and then finished in a 350* oven until medium.

The Arborio Rice (Risotto) was concocted from a stock that I made earlier in the week from chicken broth and some roasted garlic and vegetables. I put my own small twist on it and added ingredients classically found in rice pilaf- carrots, onions, and celery (I’m a fan of color). Seasoning was accomplished with thoughts of how to complement the pork. I settled on finely minced lemon zest and a lemons worth of juice- in addition to the broth. Cracked black pepper and kosher salt were also added. In the ring mold under the risotto you'll see baby broccoli florets in a white cheddar cheese sauce. Cheese sauce, you say? Why would you do that?! At least, that is what I'm used to hearing : P Very often, risotto has cheese added to it. I chose to leave it out of the actual side itself and apply it more as a sauce to the broccoli that further added further complexity to the risotto when consumed together. The broccoli was lightly steamed then tossed in butter, where the cheese was then added to melt. Only salt was added as a seasoning because I didn't want to over excite or confuse my palate with different seasonings on each part of the plate- considering the starch and vegetable were to be consumed as one.
Eating: Pork was great, next time I could stand to chop or grind the rosemary finer yet. I hate to get jabbed in the roof of my mouth. While I enjoyed my risotto/broccoli combination, I wasn't thrilled texture wise. Now, some might argue and say it was a great idea and the contrast was fulfilling; I however, found that I should have taken the fibrous ends off the florets of broccoli. Though it was still young, the stalks made for a crunchiness and crispness that I did not appreciate in my risotto. This is due to my conception that risotto to should extremely moist and velvety with eloquently pronounced flavors. The blunt crunchiness of the broccoli interrupted this for me. I made a mental notation that I should cut the fibrous stalks off next time I use this combination. Furthermore, consuming the broccoli with the pork was just as periless. I wound up eating the broccoli separately and combining my pork and risotto. The zest from the risotto combined well with the pepper and rosemary on the tenderloins seared outer edges. Overall, I was satisfied with my meal, noting that at the least, I can execute the dish fairly quickly.

Review: Hook DC

noreply@blogger.com (sixsylinder) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:03:00 PDT

I will start off this review by saying that sustainable fishing is one of the few “causes” that I actually get behind in any meaningful way, largely because I find most of the denizens of the deep to be delicious and I’d like to continue feasting on them for the rest of my days. That said, I’ll generally support any seafood restaurant that serves only sustainably-fished critters, even if it’s not otherwise spectacular, but this time around I luckily didn’t have to choose between the two.

Hook is a new Georgetown fish stop that serves only those items that are judged to not be in immediate danger of disappearing off the face of our planet, which is encouraging. It’s bad enough for species to go extinct, it’s even worse when they go extinct because we actually ate every last one of them. Fish like bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, and orange roughy will quite literally cease to exist in twenty or so years unless we start being more responsible about our consumption. Mark my words, if one of you eats the last orange roughy and I can never have any ever again, I will come to your house and kill you.

Chef Barton Seaver uses the Monterey Aquarium’s sustainable fishing guide as the outline for his menu, wherein he features such unconventional food fish as weakfish, bluefish, and wahoo. You might be surprised what other fish make the list, it is encouraging to note that favorites like mackerel and mahi-mahi are both fished in a manner which will preserve their populations for the foreseeable future.

I did not care for the dining room, it is loud, poorly ventilated, and bright. I felt more like a kid on spring break in a Mexican bar (from the noise, not the décor) than I did like a diner in a $60/person fish restaurant in Georgetown. Apparently there is a more sedate dining room upstairs, which I will definitely request for my second visit.

While the restaurant does serve conventional appetizers, the most appealing way to start a meal at Hook is via the “crudo”, which are offerings of raw fish lightly garnished with different flavors. The garnishes include things like lime juice, blueberry coulis, sea salt, cilantro, and other tasty bits. Think of this as Italian sashimi. It seems very reasonable at only $3 per crudo with 3 plates available for $8, however the portions are very very small, with each “plate” really only offering a single bite each for two people. Some of the crudo, like the Amberjack and Blackfin tuna, were somewhat overwhelmed by their garnishes, tasting less like fish and more like whatever was served with them. I honestly don’t even know which fish was served with the blueberry coulis, as it tasted quite a bit like pie and very little like fish. Several were fantastic however, including the mackerel, the mahi-mahi, and most notably the trout roe. I had never eaten trout roe before and you probably haven’t either, but I can assure you that it is positively bewitching. I will now go to almost any length to buy it for my home pantry, and I’ll probably put it on all sorts of inappropriate things. In this case, the roe was served simply over a couple of soft bread croutons with fresh dill, and the starchiness of the bread complimented the briny caviar beautifully. This was by far the best thing I ate all night, and it could be the best thing I’ve eaten all year.

We decided to forego any traditional appetizer after polishing off our crudo, as we had managed to scarf down 6 mini-plates of raw fish and we weren’t sure how big the entrees were going to be. I urge any future diners not to make this mistake, as the appetizer menu looks delicious and we could’ve easily at least split one and still finished dinner and dessert. There is a “country ham tasting” consisting of two types of ham and quarter-sized buttermilk biscuits that is apparently popular with the Bush Twins, and the warmed spinach salad in morel vinaigrette sounds pretty killer.

When I go out to eat with my wife, there is typically something of a competition as to who can order the better entrée. She outdoes me with ruthless efficiency almost every time, however this time both she and I agreed that I got the better meal. That said, both entrees were extremely fresh and attractively presented, and both demonstrated very intelligent flavor pairings and dish composition.

My wife had the Barracuda, which I’d never even seen on a menu before, but that apparently has the consistency of salmon with the flavor of rockfish. It was beautifully seared on one side with the skin intact on the other side, moist throughout, flaky, and delicious. It was served on a bed of barley that had been seasoned in an apparently forgettable manner, as neither she nor I thought much of it nor did we recall what the seasoning was. A strong starch such as barley is too overpowering to serve with a fish like Barracuda, and it was only this fault that gave my entrée the ultimate advantage. I would have preferred a mild cauliflower puree or perhaps some grits flavored with fish or lobster stock. Her entire entrée was garnished with a very delicious deep-fried crispy kale, which is a Southern treat that pleases me every time.

I ordered the arctic char, which is apparently very similar to salmon, although I did not know this when I ordered it, I expected to get a white fish. I was a little disappointed at this when it was put in front of me, however the disappointment only lasted so long as it took for the first forkful to reach my mouth. This was an inspired piece of fish, perfectly grilled on both the skin side (left intact, lightly salted, and delicious) and the flesh side, perfectly flaky, with no other flavorings. I can not imagine that it could have been better prepared anywhere else in the world, it was that good. The fish was served atop a very flavorful shell bean ragout, which had a rich poultry stock flavor that actually blended very well with the rich fatty arctic char.

I have been on a roll with side dishes of late, and so we decided to get an order of ratatouille to split. It was everything you could ever expect ratatouille to be, flavorful and yet not mushy. I will admit that our choice of this particular side was somewhat influenced by our unbridled love of the recent movie by the same name. If you’re the kind of person who would waste ten minutes reading my miserable excuse for a review and not regret it, you’re the kind of person who would immensely enjoy that film.

Seeing as how we hadn’t eaten appetizers, we decided to split a fairly rich dessert. I pulled the trigger on a lemon pound cake with blueberry compote, a blackberry ice cream, and a tart, cold lemon curd. The combination of flavors was delicious, and I made a point of getting a taste of each component in every bite. Blueberry and lemon is most definitely a pairing that I will be experimenting with further on my own.

In closing, Hook was both a very enjoyable restaurant and a great example for other chefs to follow in regards to sustainability. I will return to Hook again before the year is out, possibly more than once. Some of the dish composition does reveal to the observant diner that the chef is fairly young (28) and perhaps inexperienced, however it always seems to be merely a matter of balance rather than there being any actual single poorly executed item on the plate. In general, I feel that Hook provides world-class fish at prices well below that of, say, Oceanaire or DC Catch, with a good sustainability message to boot. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a stand-out fish restaurant in our city.

www.hookdc.com

Review: Fahrenheit DC

noreply@blogger.com (sixsylinder) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:53:00 PDT

I strolled into Fahrenheit on a whim two weeks ago and while I did not expect to be impressed, I imagine I will be strolling back that direction a few times a year from now on.

Terence Feury’s recently made-over restaurant is located at the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton, which was conveniently next door to an office building in which I had a 2-day training class. My wife had wanted to check out the restaurant and thus against my better judgment (it being a hotel restaurant) I had her meet me there for an early dinner.

Hotel restaurants get a bad reputation and it is often well-founded. Hotels by definition are in the business of providing accommodations and not food, and they generally only provide a restaurant as it makes life easier for those who choose to stay at the hotel. That said, I should have been less apprehensive about Fahrenheit as I have come to realize that Ritz-Carlton takes their hotel restaurants very seriously. The Tyson’s Corner Ritz is, after all, home to the incomparable Maestro, which was voted to be the best restaurant in the DC area two years in a row amongst some very stiff competition.

Last June I had the pleasure of staying at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne and dining at their surpassingly fantastic Italian restaurant Cioppino. I was generally floored by the dish composition and attention to detail and thus I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t walk into Fahrenheit expecting the same.

The décor is attractive but derivative, with the ubiquitous high ceilings, exposed brick, and steel fittings designed to make a newly-constructed building appear as if it was once an abandoned warehouse. I generally have little tolerance for this sort of thing, particularly in an area as affluent as Georgetown, in which there have never been any abandoned warehouses, but this particular iteration was actually very inviting. Luckily, the simplicity applied to the dining area carries over into the cuisine with delicious results.I have never been to Tom Colicchio’s renowned restaurant “Craft”, although some of the “home cooking” philosophies he’s put to work there have migrated into Fahrenheit, to its advantage. Dishes are simply prepared, fresh, and often available in both a “small” and a “large” size, allowing diners to order sides for two, four, or more people. Fuery made his bones at “The Striped Bass” in Philadelphia, a favorite of mine, and thus it is a gross understatement to say that his preference and specialty is seafood.

As is the trend these days, we got started off by an amuse-bouche in the form of a cold squash soup that was tasty but confusing. The presence of mint, fennel, and a myriad of other oddly-paired flavors masked and overwhelmed what was otherwise a solidly delicious traditional squash soup. This, I might add, was the only dish we had all night that I wouldn’t want to order again and again, so I will allow for some slack.

Ignoring chef Feury’s obvious expertise in and preference for seafood, we decided to try the “Hot Rock” Kobe Beef appetizer, which involves slices of raw beef which you quickly sear yourself on a fire-heated steel mini-grill that is brought to the table. I first must say that the term “Kobe Beef” is widely overused, and that while this was delicious Wagyu sirloin, it was not true Kobe Beef. Real Kobe Beef is light pink in color due to all the marbling, and this appeared more like “merely” grass-fed dry-aged Wagyu. That said, it was very tasty, particularly with the peppery house steak sauce and the garnish of pickled wild mushrooms. We deeply regretted having shared a single order rather than having gotten two. My only advice is to sear very briefly, maybe 4 seconds per side, as the grill is very hot and the meat is best served nearly raw.

My wife and I were both wise enough to order seafood for our main courses and we were repaid handsomely for the decision. I enjoyed four succulent fire-grilled diver scallops and my wife chose two handsome fried softshell crabs (currently in season and local in DC).

I will begin with the crabs, and as a longtime Maryland resident, I will say that it is not easy to surprise me with softshells as I’ve been eating them essentially since birth. I can, however, honestly say that these were likely the best I’ve ever had, with the frying process really adding only a delightfully crispy texture to what remained a briny, flavorful delicacy underneath. It was a simple preparation and one that demonstrated an expertise with local methods. The crab was served with lemon-coriander rice that provided a welcome, somewhat creamy contrast to the sharp flavors of the crab.

While I order scallops quite often, they are generally served pan-seared rather than grilled. It can be difficult to grill them as they tend to be small and easily overcooked, however at Fahrenheit they were ideal, being lightly charred by grill marks on the outside and still only room-temperature and slightly translucent on the inside. They were not in the least bit chewy, which was my greatest fear, but instead cut like sashimi and melted in the mouth. The scallops were not otherwise garnished, but a trio of sauces were provided on the side to enjoy them with. The tangy house steak sauce made a re-appearance, along with a mustard sauce and a blood-orange relish, all good, but the scallops were best enjoyed without any sauce, in my opinion. I was served a simple pea and onion ragout on the side, which was buttery and luxuriant without feeling heavy.

I don’t generally mention sides as they tend to be self-explanatory, however I feel the need to mention that we ordered the jumbo asparagus and it was extraordinary. Seasoned with a simple lemon butter, the flavor was bolder and more pronounced than most. Composition is important, but it is with a simple dish like a side of asparagus where the diner can best ascertain how serious the chef is about sourcing beautiful and pure ingredients. At Fahrenheit, I can confidently say that chef Feury is as serious as they come.

The wine list is a welcome change from the typical DC overpriced show-off fest in that there were a number of bottles available for under $40 and the staff is as eager to recommend a $30 bottle as a $300 bottle. We do not typically order bottles of wine when it is just the two of us and this visit was no different. I enjoyed a Talisker and a Penfolds Chardonnay and my wife ordered one of her requisite fruity sweet cocktail abominations.

All in all I came away from the experience very impressed and immediately looking for any and all excuses to return. Fahrenheit is not Citronelle, however that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still fifty times better than it really has any business being. Highly Recommended.
http://www.fahrenheitdc.com/

Great North Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:20:00 PDT

I went over the border to Canada for the weekend and promised a food journal. I don't go into detail where I host them because most don't care- but I know it is appreciated here. I'll start with the "Greasy Spoon" we ate at for breakfast. In all actuality, it might have been one of the best meals we had all trip- and most certainly the cheapest. Food is SOOO expensive in Quebec.
Prepared by "Chef Denny," (lol) The scrambled eggs were perfect, the sausage and bacon were locally made and tasted like it. The bacon was especially notable with its amazing impartation of smoke. The restaurant itself was halarious. It was last updated sometime in the late 80's and had wood paneling and orange counter tops in the bar area.

The next meal I had was some chicken salad bought at a generic grocery store. Not much to review.

For dinner we dined at the rotating restaurant on top of our hotel. The view was amazing, and it took 1.5 hours to make a full circle. Over this time we saw fireworks and the huge span that Quebec is. However, I did get lost in it because we entered the rotating ring next to the bathroom. I forgot that it rotated and tried to find my table by the same bathroom. Otherwise, the service was impeccable- second only to the Breakers in West Palm. The menu was chock full of retarded high prices for simple dishes, so we opted for the special buffet. It consisted of various cold salads, crab legs, smoke salmon, shrimp (peel and eat at a high end restaurant WTF?) , ravioli (probably frozen), vegetables (definitely not fresh), tourne potatoes, Guinea fowl, roasted lamb, and Beef Wellington.
From L to R on the first plate: Beef Wellington- Obviously well cooked to Mid Rare, with a toasty pastry crust that was actually cooked all the way! The sauce left a little to be desired, but it was one of the top 2 items on the plate. Ravioli- Sucked. Probably frozen. Mussles- Great butter and garlic sauce, but they aren't as good/fresh as New England shellfish. Tourne Potato- Perfect tourne, and when soaked in the mussel sauce, was wonderful. Guinnea Fowl- Probably the best thing on the plate. Given a very gamey and tough bird, this was cooked so perfectly and wasn't chewy in the least. I have suspicions that it was cooked in the chafing pan. Lamb- overcooked, dry, under seasoned, sucked.
L to R on second plate: Some sort of Pate- was tasty, couldn't tell you what it was specifically. Tortellini Salad- Pasta was cooked very well (oooooo hard task). By the time I got to the dish on the buffet, whatever else may have been in it was gone. Smoked Salmon- Probably ordered from a purveyor, but still tasty. Restaurant didn't remove the blood line. That kinda pissed me off. A tomato- juicy and exploded when punctured. Yummy. Cucumber Salad- I've had better. Crab legs- First off, I LOVE crab legs. Second, they ruined them. This high end restaurant over cooked the legs making them overly difficult to get out, then when you did, crab juice was ALL over your hands and if you're not careful, your nice clothes too.

By all of this, I sound like a food snob, but I'm not. These were all simple dishes to prepare and they couldn't meet standard expectations.

Next meal- After searching for breakfast at 8+ places that all had ridiculous prices for a single egg and toast for at least $11, we came across something reasonable. The restaurant was at the bottom of a hotel on a market street. The meals included baked beans, toast, bacon or sausage, OJ, coffee, and homefries for a starting price of $6.25. Depending on the protein, it would be more or less expensive. The service was given by a VERY, VERY beautiful (and I hardly EVER say that word) girl names Julie. She was great, very informative and had the hottest French-English accent. I miss you! Anyway, the food, yes, the food. We saw an item that said "Horseman Breakfast." Horse Flank was the main item with the inclusion of what was mentioned above. We'd never had horse, so naturally, it had to be ordered. It was cooked medium rare, had a perfect (and I mean PERFECT) charring on the outside that gave a complex grill taste on the first bite. The texture was reminiscent of venison, but had a VERY strong gamey finish.

The second plate is perfectly cooked over easy eggs (which I am a stickler for!) perfectly seasoned potatoes- not to much salt, not to much pepper, perfect. The sausage wasn't the type of breakfast sausage you'd expect. It was very mild, with no fennel seed. Instead, it had a hint of sage and mild pork- a warmly welcomed change from the norm. The toast, OH the toast. It HAD to have been homemade (or at least local) bread. It had a hint of fresh yeast and the texture of Texas Toast (the frozen kind). To top it off, it was grilled with the same carbon crust as the horse. I've never had such complex bread! It is customary to spread the beans on the bread- which I tried to do, but wasn't very satisfied. I ate them separately and added fresh salted sweet cream butter to my toast. Something about me- I grew up in rural FL near farms and such. I know what fresh vegies, meat, milk, and butter taste like; and this butter was as close to fresh that I'd been in a while.
The last meal I had before we left was Poutine, or Poutille. I can't spell it, I can only say it. "PoOt-en." The locals love this dish, but it hasn't grown on me and probably never will. The dish is french fries smothered with chicken gravy and cheese curd. Not exactly refined French food. Either way, I guess the point is that everything gets soggy? I'm not sure, but it wasn't all that wonderful in my opinion. I might have eaten 6 fries out of that dish just to be sure I didn't care for it.

That concludes my Canada Food Travels. I'm headed to Vegas in August where I'll review various buffets and In and Out hamburgers. Anything of value inbetween there will be posted too. Enjoy, comment away.

Away I go!

noreply@blogger.com (Ray M) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:27:00 PDT

I'm headed to Canada this weekend. I'm going to take as many pictures as I can of whatever I eat/come across in markets and restaurants. I still have to make dinner tonight, but I might half ass it and make a hamburger or steak with some Mac and Cheese. Hopefully this board will be bustling when I get back. I expect that Latitude review, Chris! Oh, we have a place called that too, sortof. L'Attitude. Tuesday is $1/oz filet mingnon night!!

Homemade Wine...

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Griffin) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:43:00 PDT

Have you ever had homemade wine? Have you ever been curious as to how to start making your own at home? In one of my latest posts on Beer Wine and Food, I outline the simple process of making wine at home. There are many benefits to making your own diy wine at home; it's fun, it's cheap, and it's alcohol! Check it out, it's much easier than you think. It easy, and you control what goes in it, so you control the quality, and you can make it how ever you want.

Comming Soon...

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Griffin) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:31:00 PDT

Ray had this for dinner tonight. Cracked Black Pepper and Cirtus Zest Crusted Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Sundried Tomato and Lentil Cous Cous. Sounds great Ray, I want to hear more.