tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17653118683886694542023-11-16T13:40:01.753-05:00bluechef"new memories are created through new experiences" Ferran Adriachris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-45006666942076282512011-05-02T01:34:00.002-04:002011-05-02T01:41:08.860-04:00Twitter KillsHow many blogs has twitter killed besides this one? Sorry for the lack of posts but if you want the daily updates follow me on twiter.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-34101084148598162822011-03-06T00:52:00.009-05:002011-03-07T10:12:31.234-05:00What the F Happened to Feb? & A Day in LAIt's been a while since my last post so I'm going to ramble. We got crushed in February. Literally. Chef Patrick Sheerin(@chefintheory) joined us during this time, quite possibly on one of our busiest nites. Had to be the night I scheduled myself to expo 2 lines at the same time but as we all know this is how it works. S hits the fan at light speed when it is least expected. Patrick is a great chef from the <a href="http://www.signatureroom.com/Home/">Signature Room </a>on the 95th floor at the John Hancock Building, Chicago. Not to mention bro of former <a href="http://www.blackbirdrestaurant.com/">Blackbird </a>Chef Mike Sheerin who is pursuing his own venture. Of course I gave him the I'll hook it up nod via twitter and managed to be so busy I didn't even pick my phone up the whole day to check and see it was the day he was coming. It was in the back of my mind but just escaped me in the chaos. That's not ok in this world, my apologies to Pat and his family but I hope we made up for it. I did eventually get a chance to talk to him at the end of the night. What a great down to earth person who knows his stuff. Great to see you Pat, wish I could of joined you guys in Charleston.<br /><br />Now on to LA.<br /><br />Let's see, I have the opportunity to go to LA, leave at 7:30am my time, arrive 10am LA time, hang out for 12 or so hours, do some business, and haul ass back to Orlando on the red eye, arrive back home at 5:50am the next day, pass out for four hours, and head to work. OK, I'll do it. After attending Star Chefs where else would I go but Red Medicine. Jordan Kahn's presentation was ridiculous. In my opinion, Antoinette should of let him walk off the stage, saying nothing, and pretty much letting everyone in the armory know that he was a badass. That would of been the ultimate response but I know Antoinette's motives, she wants him to talk and tell his story to everyone. I would have been more enamored with him if he would have said nothing and left. His demo was that good. At the end I could feel that all he wanted to do was leave and not talk but I guess if Star Chefs asks you to do a demo you are obligated to talk about yourself. Finally after his OCD via TK was satisfied and his station was clean, he came back and talked to Antoinette about Red Medicine.<br /><br />I called Red Medicine the night before at 4am eastern, not able to sleep in anticipation of my flight. It was 1am LA time, the hostess answered but I could barely hear her. It sounded like a giant party, awesome! <br /><br />After arrival and a crappy rent a car, I made my way around The Beverly Center and found myself walking by Bazaar, Jose Andres place at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. There were a ton of restaurants, all well known, all in this little area. Santa Monica seafood was delivering to Matsuhisa, I got a glimpse of some of their pristine product and it looked awesome. I wish I had more time!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LOvt9hdHQMO7kXcqOqI2_XNkzmpVTqqULK1r9EmyL3Wpu7jm9ecMyOVWOQXsyTxAVBurPkRDGkk3Syrkx2qOkkwD-HrTU6NhevwC5G_YBGqZTq0I9b1ql4GzsXN5-ChWuReX7v3nrfks/s1600/bazaar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LOvt9hdHQMO7kXcqOqI2_XNkzmpVTqqULK1r9EmyL3Wpu7jm9ecMyOVWOQXsyTxAVBurPkRDGkk3Syrkx2qOkkwD-HrTU6NhevwC5G_YBGqZTq0I9b1ql4GzsXN5-ChWuReX7v3nrfks/s320/bazaar.jpg"border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580843916503620482" /></a><br /><br />I managed to go for lunch, not the busiest time, everyone was pretty relaxed but with a sense of intensity, ready to jump on my table with anything I might need. I hit my server up for a homemade squirt, they make all their own sodas in house. Bread is provided by Bouchon, coffee by intelligentsia. You can't go wrong. <br /><br />After interrogating my server I ordered the green papaya salad, pickled roots, crispy tarro, tree nuts, nuac cham<br /><br />It was pretty damn good<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9ikDHZ4OajaGskRQLaZl8McmFj9i_2t28jQd192LQCeJ8in5BsRVxn0PD5fqW5h0wkdXMt8jC1ngnGRgO3txnVQxb9h69jaXeNjRGbPbq3E2xQur_KL6Q8YwblKwT0VWXvsUKFvFVXbW/s1600/green+papaya.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9ikDHZ4OajaGskRQLaZl8McmFj9i_2t28jQd192LQCeJ8in5BsRVxn0PD5fqW5h0wkdXMt8jC1ngnGRgO3txnVQxb9h69jaXeNjRGbPbq3E2xQur_KL6Q8YwblKwT0VWXvsUKFvFVXbW/s320/green+papaya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580843912200892418" /></a><br /><br />The server said the pork belly bahn mi was her favorite so I got that. It was good, I thought the pork belly could have had little more presence but it was good. The house made siracha is dangerous.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_qpQHdsC79xnjWDDtBjBTiV-NLYtDluYCtZY79jRujV4G9GRkamwbCpSlA6_w2tUxjjcYsw4MIu6X8o-0lKF6WKyDuHTV6590K_QWuDmvPWy0EcmbZEPxTXuwlDrbBPK7z-Szx8yYwjg/s1600/bahn+mi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_qpQHdsC79xnjWDDtBjBTiV-NLYtDluYCtZY79jRujV4G9GRkamwbCpSlA6_w2tUxjjcYsw4MIu6X8o-0lKF6WKyDuHTV6590K_QWuDmvPWy0EcmbZEPxTXuwlDrbBPK7z-Szx8yYwjg/s320/bahn+mi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580843910452938450" /></a><br /><br />After lunch it was all business for a couple of hours then off to the 'ole In-N-Out burger. I don't understand how they have 20 cooks making hamburgers and fries when I have 7 on at a time making some ridiculous stuff. Doesn't make sense but it is good and quick. Go animal style on your burger. It's not on the menu, just ask for it. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHihVetunmnoXDjAF_Sm0VzD8Yjy6cmrdM6gy3CCqTCmTu0xMO8xxx04xrclZif1_VstXwIY9VvSh1uqMDxKf-nOC4Jf9gEFdDSbtUL6vKaoL2zSSqwrKn6s_iqFIXg0NwmUtJ_7juhMM/s1600/in+n+out.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHihVetunmnoXDjAF_Sm0VzD8Yjy6cmrdM6gy3CCqTCmTu0xMO8xxx04xrclZif1_VstXwIY9VvSh1uqMDxKf-nOC4Jf9gEFdDSbtUL6vKaoL2zSSqwrKn6s_iqFIXg0NwmUtJ_7juhMM/s320/in+n+out.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580843903337042738" /></a><br /><br />I will admit I did animal style on the fries and it was too much. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TSBjEi7kF0HoOLLKwS_xKYFPXc17S3I2nouRnkorxZ_c0kpC1GnuP6ejEV1lKuOA7TDRPVv3hsUJSiqYHgDpwLE830cAJ-cTE5qFNdTj7FCjPxI1fb87p8rTRw7PhpWJ12lKY4WBOzyL/s1600/animal+fries.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TSBjEi7kF0HoOLLKwS_xKYFPXc17S3I2nouRnkorxZ_c0kpC1GnuP6ejEV1lKuOA7TDRPVv3hsUJSiqYHgDpwLE830cAJ-cTE5qFNdTj7FCjPxI1fb87p8rTRw7PhpWJ12lKY4WBOzyL/s320/animal+fries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580843904326898786" /></a><br /><br />Recap- animal style burger good, animal style fries- too far. Lesson learned.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-39850765046876758112011-01-22T22:48:00.000-05:002011-01-22T22:48:27.425-05:00Pasture Prime FarmsWe have a crazy week coming up so while it was slow we took the crew out to Torm Siverson's Pasture Prime Farm for a little field trip. I took a couple of videos so check it out see what we were up to. I will warn there is some graphic nature to these videos, we don't show any animal being killed but pretty much everything right after that point in on the video. If you have a problem with this then don't watch it. Chicken doesn't just fall out of the sky and land on your plate, someone has to do this. <br />With this in mind Torm goes above and beyond to provide a comfortable and caring environment while the animals are with us. He has a great pyrenees that was raised with chickens. He now lives with Torm's red ranger and poulet rouge breeds to watch over them and protect agaisnt any predators until they are big enough to fend for themselves. The chickens are rotated like crops from field to field, fertilizing the land to help with grass growth come spring. The grass in turn will feed the 140 head of Wagyu cattle that also inhabit the 400 plus acres here in Summerfield, Florida. There will be more videos to come about Pasture Prime Farms<br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tsEOZMWcElU?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-14196113235528612672011-01-17T00:09:00.002-05:002011-01-17T00:30:25.202-05:00Sushi PopCheck our blog roll and you will see a new site that has just "POP'd" up. Sushi Pop has opened in Oviedo,Fl. One of my former sous chefs, Michael Gleason, is back in town teaming with resident sushi mastermind Chau delivering some really great food. A small operation presenting old school sushi and main courses with a twist. Japanese pop culture is the overall theme complete with anime playing on flatscreens, creative server attire, bonsai trees galore and a cool ass check presenter, oh yeah and the food is good to boot. Modern equipment and technique are in place. Check them out as this budding restaurant makes a name for itself, Oviedo finally has a restaurant that is not corporate, bland B.S. Congrats Mike and Chau, we will be back.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-75063273863128592052011-01-13T23:37:00.002-05:002011-01-14T00:24:07.763-05:00In the works2011 so far has been filled with some great opportunities and products that have come our way. Tomorrow we will be in the kitchen prepping for a photo shoot with chef's garden products. Last week we put together some great dishes to shoot but with our resident photographer out on medical leave. With insufficient lighting due to poor weather we lost the natural light that shines throughout our private dining room and really makes the colors pop. We got some good photos but not great so we have one more opportunity to get it right. We hired outside help so in the end we should have some sweet, cleaned up photos of the food that will hopefully make it into the chef's garden mailings and email blasts. Be on the lookout for some bluezoo/Chef's garden inspired dishes headed your way in the near future. <br /><br />Tuesday, January 18th we are making another homage to Torm Siverson's Pasture Prime Farm with the bluezoo crew. I have also invited some chef friends from around the area to join us on our excursion. We will be touring the farm, checking in on our favorite mangalitsa pigs, some new berkshires, red ranger and poulet rouge chickens that we will be processing on site, as well as the grass fed wagyu cattle that made pasture prime what it is today. I should have a nice post up on it later next week. What's not to enjoy, farm tour, lunch at the farm, some serious education on how farm life really is, history, and of course we Florida boys and girls love our firearms so some target practice and accuracy side bets may come into play. That should fill up just enough time to haul ass back to the restaurant and feel inspired to create some exciting dishes. <br />We did this last year in April and since then we have a lot of new faces in the front and back of the house. Many of them have never seen how a family run local farm works and hopefully this will provide a much needed break from the monotony as well as invaluable information that will result in higher sales of Torm's product, a story to tell the guests, and ultimately an increased level of respect for our products.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-87746803417931335402010-12-31T00:40:00.002-05:002010-12-31T01:09:00.706-05:00NYEThe busiest day of the year is hear again, armed with a new video camera I will hopefully be able to share some of the happenings if I can figure out how to post it. The final tasting menu will not be printed until sometime tomorrow afternoon but this is what we have so far<br /><br />Hamachi....truffle aioli, mangalitsa lardo<br /><br />From the "chef's garden"....seasonal assortment of organic vegetables in various forms<br /><br />Monchong....glazed turnip, turnip greens, black trumpet<br /><br />Duck 3 ways....breast, pressed leg and thigh, sous vide foie, cranberry<br /><br />Wagyu short rib....jalapeño honey glazed sweet potato, baby collards, sweet dumpling squash<br /><br />Brilliat savarin....Salted acacia brûlée<br /><br />Dessert trio....Laurent branlard custom dessert<br /><br />Our guests have the option of a 5 or 7 course tasting, the full a la carte menu will be available as well. This has been a challenging year for us, lots of new faces in the kitchen still learning and training but doing well. 580 on the books, 1 chef, 1 chef de cuisine, 9 line chefs, 1 butcher, and 2 prep chefs so that only leaves 41.4 covers per person we have worry about. Roughly 2000 plates, it's going to be fun.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-75160986752162336802010-12-26T21:50:00.002-05:002010-12-26T21:57:32.755-05:00the bluezoo boatBill Rovillo and his family loved the restaurant so much they named their boat after us. This happens to be the bluezoo 2, since they sold the original bluezoo boat and upgraded. I thought it was awesome and had to have them send me a picture of it. Here it is.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKvWsLmxRU2S2_OhNIOTCwFfxx-559CSBQpDp3hYcwTm3ZXyy-7zM30lpQ6kPKb_EG7LRw7RXSgowE-DxxvpqauEYjJloO0o8d0YmM2VLCrLw6P8e9iqZYYLsGKNuRMkrpl2GnqmP6rwV/s1600/IMG_3072.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKvWsLmxRU2S2_OhNIOTCwFfxx-559CSBQpDp3hYcwTm3ZXyy-7zM30lpQ6kPKb_EG7LRw7RXSgowE-DxxvpqauEYjJloO0o8d0YmM2VLCrLw6P8e9iqZYYLsGKNuRMkrpl2GnqmP6rwV/s320/IMG_3072.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555189355209924722" /></a><br /><br />Those are some loyal guests. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6u-zNM6EveaCkVqv05qrkEL_sv-fJrrMxJTPgAdq7o2h1fzelhVgPw45mIrFGTPBu_Y-8VXdaswrvjCEod3rmOhO37H6iEhUDFVm1iqpkkOy-_SDgnC8_41Jt9nO32yi4Co7v4Mxin7D/s1600/IMG_3059.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6u-zNM6EveaCkVqv05qrkEL_sv-fJrrMxJTPgAdq7o2h1fzelhVgPw45mIrFGTPBu_Y-8VXdaswrvjCEod3rmOhO37H6iEhUDFVm1iqpkkOy-_SDgnC8_41Jt9nO32yi4Co7v4Mxin7D/s320/IMG_3059.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555189351127932642" /></a><br /><br />Thanks Bill and family. Come see us again soon.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-80177347408328208192010-12-24T02:08:00.002-05:002010-12-24T02:16:12.912-05:00Charred MizunaIt's been a while since my last post but it's been crazy around here. Charlie at hammock Hollows sent us a nice mixed bag of mizuna, spicy and mild. We ended up charring it lightly over the grill. The mizuna mixture seasoned, oiled, and spread over resting racks to get an even char. The we spread it out in the dehydrator and ended up with some great tasting crunchy garnishes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_ori1o0a9F3CmddG6V6ePbcDV_5mfGnLsNPFd9xZPuG7UPy2tVlWVALQiq1TVfSV3Wbt7pul8GaoiPZahiNtTXWIXJSkaaCQ6wyLakGd-9TK_LDpgX4rUQbNEMZG_-koeL-6B8GJbZup/s1600/mizuna.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_ori1o0a9F3CmddG6V6ePbcDV_5mfGnLsNPFd9xZPuG7UPy2tVlWVALQiq1TVfSV3Wbt7pul8GaoiPZahiNtTXWIXJSkaaCQ6wyLakGd-9TK_LDpgX4rUQbNEMZG_-koeL-6B8GJbZup/s320/mizuna.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554142546630916226" /></a><br /><br />We used it on our serrano ham wrapped monkfish that was part of our tasting.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68YUzhix2DB11f6eG8T8uTcqH06xtn9CIX7X0aM60V5xtOdIk40UfQZ9tsNgnj4FaURNWcXeSjLvTiPwjjO38hhzxCUw0-3T9INn5sfeRzdouh1N7TDSm54B33Lgnmo3gPlPLPCxZmyyL/s1600/monk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68YUzhix2DB11f6eG8T8uTcqH06xtn9CIX7X0aM60V5xtOdIk40UfQZ9tsNgnj4FaURNWcXeSjLvTiPwjjO38hhzxCUw0-3T9INn5sfeRzdouh1N7TDSm54B33Lgnmo3gPlPLPCxZmyyL/s320/monk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554142542244580434" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-27678371862946342532010-11-03T23:43:00.002-04:002010-11-03T23:47:04.063-04:00Mangalitsa DemoOur annual food and wine dinner is approaching and the days are getting long so this will be short and sweet. View <a href="http://www.pastureprimewagyu.com/news/">Torm's blog</a> for some info about our recent mangalitsa demo at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-65884494623849790962010-10-15T01:38:00.004-04:002010-10-15T02:12:41.124-04:00Andrea Robinson, pairingWe had the pleasure of Andrea dining with us tonight. She is one of 14 women who have been awarded the title of Master Sommelier. It was an interesting dining experience for both of us. She sent back a glass of some awesome wine for me to taste and left it up to me to make the pairing for her. I chewed the wine for a moment and was hit by a refined earthiness, hint of sweetness, not over the top acid, smooth and a well balanced mouth feel. The next step was pin pointing the elements of that taste to highlight the wine. No pressure, just a master somm leaving her several hundred dollar bottle of wine in your hands. I hit her with some halibut. It's a neutral fish that can support many flavors. Here is the dish.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfT8W48IdvxX2t54mr_ss0rXG9hv3ZOwk-xQfgy92mXNUygHosb3B4snqZsgh9yh5pAhykvJgiXiXzOM2f40-ozV6IE9l7ujOFjPM5PbNG5G7u1EbsRp0Q-gq3ikSXnnE2z_tS51Tdo_6w/s1600/halibut.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfT8W48IdvxX2t54mr_ss0rXG9hv3ZOwk-xQfgy92mXNUygHosb3B4snqZsgh9yh5pAhykvJgiXiXzOM2f40-ozV6IE9l7ujOFjPM5PbNG5G7u1EbsRp0Q-gq3ikSXnnE2z_tS51Tdo_6w/s320/halibut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528145230309568082" /></a><br /><br />Halibut, parsley root and coulis, chanterelle, heirloom carrot, braised radish, truffle vinaigrette and air, foie mousse. According to her it was a perfect pairing. I couldn't ask for anything more than that coming from someone of her caliber. She is doing a demo at Epcot Food and Wine tomorrow, be sure to check her out.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-7448175843709163882010-10-08T00:15:00.002-04:002010-10-08T01:37:49.839-04:00Seattle and it's CoffeeLet's just start off saying these people take their coffee seriously. One of our days in Seattle consisted of hanging with our Orlando tranplant friend Brad and he brought us up to speed on the Seattle coffee scene among other things. On our tour of the city we stopped by <a href="http://victrolacoffeeroasters.wordpress.com/">Victrola</a>. According to Brad, their are two places to get great coffee in the US, <a href="http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/">Intelligenstia</a> out of L.A. and Victrola! Stumptown still seems to be a favorite to some in Seattle, but not Brad. Acording to our knowledgable friend stumptown is expanding and the quality has suffered slightly. I can't comment on this considering I did not try stumptown coffee when it was only local. OF course compared to most Fl coffee I would consider Stumptown superior. <br />I am an espresso advocate but as true with most restaurants/coffee proprietors/and general businesses I base a lot on the simplest thing on the menu or the simplest service that they provide and how well they do it. Can you produce and excellent burger or simple entree, can you make a perfect drip, is your most basic product the best it can be? This usually answers a lot of questions for me in terms of how a company views it's products and how they treat most customers. <br />I can tell you right now people in Seattle care about their food, wine, beer, and coffee. The level of quality and thought behind what they are willing to intake is right up there with the top cities in the country. <br />We visited Pegasus, the oldest coffee house in Bainbridge, not a bad showing. The only people going to Starbucks seem to be tourists. Having several coarse ground french presses from various purveyers, Victrola seemed to be superior. Of course taste is subjective, and people have their routines of visiting the same place every day depending on where they are in they are in the city. Some make the extra effort to go to Victrola, some do not. Granted I can't name a place in Orlando that roasts their own beans everyday, has a visible roasting room with a giant black and gold roaster the size of a half ton truck, 100lb canvas sacks of raw beans from all over the world with a staff dedicated to just roasting the coffee beans perfectly. That just doensn't happen here. We have small organic coffee/tea houses that don't come close to the level of what we are talking about. On the Orlando scale they are good, but it's hard to compare. I hear Portland has a good showing with Albina and I'm sure there are many more around the country that do as well but I can't comment on them if I haven't been there.<br />Coffee is as complex as wine, spirits or food. I'm sure this i why coffee, tea and spirits are part of the Court of Master Sommelier's program. As an introductory level sommelier we focused mainly on wine, beer and sprirts in our training classes. Wine and service of wine above all. The certified somm test incorporates more, as does advanced somm, then of course the master somm goes even further. After talking to one of our master somm instructors who spent a year on tea service, flavor and varieties it was clear that this profession is never ending. Their is never a point where anyone can say "I know Everything". Coffee plays a role in so many individual's everyday lives, whether it's a caffine boost to get you going or the pure enjoyment of a perfect brew. <a href="http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/cupping.htm">Cupping Coffee</a> is it's own craft. I guess you have to decide what you prefer and nothng else matters.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-46253660053630629702010-10-06T00:13:00.005-04:002010-10-06T01:11:37.478-04:00Buyout DinnerThis is a post about a dinner we did on 9-23-10. Fresh off a plane from star chefs I had a couple hours to get my self together then walk into this 125pp buyout dinner in bluezoo. These were mostly meeting planner from around the country who come to the resort then we wine and dine them into sending future business the hotel's way. Not a bad gig being a CMP(certified meeting planner). <br />We started off with some menu training for the evening. The servers got the low down from our Executive Sous Chef Arnaud Violtat on the platings and components. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBx8_U4ZkmnS3GAtmaTXMVPYjER9kcW7Rt69V7R6Tceq0dzVlPS9YLOjRIYmn5tgbqIYnw-2uJaWjgL7ujaowol6oQHZ8xTDwOwS57-GZU4BPyknxLC1Vw6WtPVhQzdOWnNI5HEGXC7nx/s1600/menu+training.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBx8_U4ZkmnS3GAtmaTXMVPYjER9kcW7Rt69V7R6Tceq0dzVlPS9YLOjRIYmn5tgbqIYnw-2uJaWjgL7ujaowol6oQHZ8xTDwOwS57-GZU4BPyknxLC1Vw6WtPVhQzdOWnNI5HEGXC7nx/s320/menu+training.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788731731986866" /></a><br /><br />Every execution starts with mise en place.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM35HgIsOFHsKDfht7RDDdZ2ES1RtHB9HtJQBRa40Sux6eHJP3GuZPTegA5X_ErT-eNU6dU7-j0q2RFtV1uZKkeRzFhoWFM5qM_PzSKMM_lwtrRnB0nLps1Rk2fyGnq9uJyR_oMPRKV2N/s1600/mise+en+place.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM35HgIsOFHsKDfht7RDDdZ2ES1RtHB9HtJQBRa40Sux6eHJP3GuZPTegA5X_ErT-eNU6dU7-j0q2RFtV1uZKkeRzFhoWFM5qM_PzSKMM_lwtrRnB0nLps1Rk2fyGnq9uJyR_oMPRKV2N/s320/mise+en+place.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788729556435378" /></a><br /><br />Amuse for the night was a crispy oyster with "rockefeller flavors"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4L9Uok7eANzCwZaW_fxmGfD6x3uTai7I-g93m5tdSik5XU6RyhKaAn-vcOM6M04ISryRC3hNth9Pl_nDGKQSsUTxiNywv_4NfR5cmF8wVitnXh0q32oV1Kg5LfZn6xk_k5A_9F97gWkG/s1600/rock+amuse.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4L9Uok7eANzCwZaW_fxmGfD6x3uTai7I-g93m5tdSik5XU6RyhKaAn-vcOM6M04ISryRC3hNth9Pl_nDGKQSsUTxiNywv_4NfR5cmF8wVitnXh0q32oV1Kg5LfZn6xk_k5A_9F97gWkG/s320/rock+amuse.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788537735067986" /></a><br /><br />Of course we plan for the occasional shelfish dislike or allergy with a vegetarian amuse option<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99hZKKB6tRHb7zl-4y8MDA2yS0d2HgmfFe0YKk0MZxhnUJtQsh4h9vYkyqFQUUjQ8lamkPK75tGmu3S7_graOXszIfaUQyzG7EqTDhSFDKwgHS8xTibKDCL7TdIyDO9uQkjR3mlfFELP5/s1600/veg+amuse.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99hZKKB6tRHb7zl-4y8MDA2yS0d2HgmfFe0YKk0MZxhnUJtQsh4h9vYkyqFQUUjQ8lamkPK75tGmu3S7_graOXszIfaUQyzG7EqTDhSFDKwgHS8xTibKDCL7TdIyDO9uQkjR3mlfFELP5/s320/veg+amuse.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788529196866498" /></a><br /><br />1st Course hawaiian tuna, dashi noodles, avocado, sesame<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFPLQ70ymUqCGkznlCWzM-x6kp7LW6-UrANPauzanEA6lym1_8UiiPt-b58Q2He2R6SjG8kQNQ5voDJ74M9GzAP770pG2a2DcPYl9xRPYskeVT-baMIOMb_EunDmbbt3T7KTJ191fH5Wm/s1600/tuna-dashi.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFPLQ70ymUqCGkznlCWzM-x6kp7LW6-UrANPauzanEA6lym1_8UiiPt-b58Q2He2R6SjG8kQNQ5voDJ74M9GzAP770pG2a2DcPYl9xRPYskeVT-baMIOMb_EunDmbbt3T7KTJ191fH5Wm/s320/tuna-dashi.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788524271455762" /></a><br /><br />Poussin and lobster terrine followed<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODfHdzZfAyeM4t6iVoGWwxIn8LiMDnSK4nt_-8YwYTQcIiuUEcR2Z6mKyn4iO81TS3buVE126LWtjxSH0hZMnZeXE9zDw54s9PL4UG1WwGqmnQKPa9D4raSaJw2UPOpq-7cLWkwyy1Icz/s1600/terrine.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODfHdzZfAyeM4t6iVoGWwxIn8LiMDnSK4nt_-8YwYTQcIiuUEcR2Z6mKyn4iO81TS3buVE126LWtjxSH0hZMnZeXE9zDw54s9PL4UG1WwGqmnQKPa9D4raSaJw2UPOpq-7cLWkwyy1Icz/s320/terrine.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788521338454258" /></a><br /><br /> 3rd is Loup de mer, artichoke barigoule, chanterelle duxelle<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekdTvyckyJ_866lvLZTtAdNsx_hZHyv_UWXHYBGQjSYwz4yyWlRDx-3F_P9Pt54Vv5dcfE3V6gKiiGCG4xSOrIHdCqFnN-X9K0Ox0D1Mo27zbx3xlk5YsyZQ6HBqVkfoOgrnDEmM3GrUM/s1600/loup+de+mer.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekdTvyckyJ_866lvLZTtAdNsx_hZHyv_UWXHYBGQjSYwz4yyWlRDx-3F_P9Pt54Vv5dcfE3V6gKiiGCG4xSOrIHdCqFnN-X9K0Ox0D1Mo27zbx3xlk5YsyZQ6HBqVkfoOgrnDEmM3GrUM/s320/loup+de+mer.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524788518125473538" /></a><br /><br />4thd course was veal tenderloin, veal tail croquette, porcini<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrWXAAQMJ82mnsJhXkMivIaZWsP2NRd2by_UnDXsZjjhW4jmAZy9QBfUKHcq4O5qyb2MOg5hVD_GURlEhqBaezz9uhV-S4kS2A277YpJ-_bJCZVO2zA8FI3n2wkKLZm8ouueBppby1goB/s1600/veal+tender.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrWXAAQMJ82mnsJhXkMivIaZWsP2NRd2by_UnDXsZjjhW4jmAZy9QBfUKHcq4O5qyb2MOg5hVD_GURlEhqBaezz9uhV-S4kS2A277YpJ-_bJCZVO2zA8FI3n2wkKLZm8ouueBppby1goB/s320/veal+tender.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524787186564289938" /></a><br /><br />Here we are getting ready to plate the amuse<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAjTViAZrqEThH_8IMo55U5aIVsWlxXvDcwEp0Qxq3F0W-iQ7bSH85aeqHoBd1aHRryTg-v2nXzMtzpBY-AGacNAJuln5Q1GMEJ-yadwuYxhcmrhOs0JiFmEEY0F4o7hxKG7j0X16zj0u/s1600/ready+to+plate+amuse.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAjTViAZrqEThH_8IMo55U5aIVsWlxXvDcwEp0Qxq3F0W-iQ7bSH85aeqHoBd1aHRryTg-v2nXzMtzpBY-AGacNAJuln5Q1GMEJ-yadwuYxhcmrhOs0JiFmEEY0F4o7hxKG7j0X16zj0u/s320/ready+to+plate+amuse.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524787180570626066" /></a><br /><br />We lined the halls with our standard plating set up for VIP events<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZ-axtiKYyIVJEwEI6Y5rXvkCKzByeBm5eR5rSfQu8aAGoV_LdPEu6XdJfd6Vahqy4Kv8_TqlvJBWRBcMUVIhUylZtxurfdiQvE-h7XTzQY9NZPCSeTtA2CAURuM13OGrSNoJzTmJeVkc/s1600/plating+area.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZ-axtiKYyIVJEwEI6Y5rXvkCKzByeBm5eR5rSfQu8aAGoV_LdPEu6XdJfd6Vahqy4Kv8_TqlvJBWRBcMUVIhUylZtxurfdiQvE-h7XTzQY9NZPCSeTtA2CAURuM13OGrSNoJzTmJeVkc/s320/plating+area.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524787175581237186" /></a><br /><br />The FOH had a huge set up. Once our guests had finished dining in the restaurant the we directed to our version of a speakeasy. Here is Adam Bagwell in the weeds prepping for the speak easy bar.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpegNdiuYP4Z8_8ycVEx2KsMR5NpX1HA3IF4zDeb0IsaT7GzFpGgCHD5qsFQ5QjGJHEfSMhIzF5EVaRq00l8IZ09Dw3hanAKG7S0buww6UbUt96vr0nO4c1voC-lG_rGSP8DfANMrAMjru/s1600/bagwell+in+the+weeds.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpegNdiuYP4Z8_8ycVEx2KsMR5NpX1HA3IF4zDeb0IsaT7GzFpGgCHD5qsFQ5QjGJHEfSMhIzF5EVaRq00l8IZ09Dw3hanAKG7S0buww6UbUt96vr0nO4c1voC-lG_rGSP8DfANMrAMjru/s320/bagwell+in+the+weeds.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524787171674113778" /></a><br /><br />The guest were led through a series of back, underbelly hallways of the hotel that had some deliberate grafitti art, trash, and street perfomrers about. The came to a door, knock, small peep hole opens, give the password, and enter a kitchen converted into a faux chinese laundry. Pastry Chef Wes Mayton was setting up his display of desserts in black light cooler. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8b8BN1H8-Lu2y9Cv_e42heHPT6k4KN47jB6WyRJBDhPgL-E7FUbak_8FZS8e7LPltdNxw-tDe3Uzz6OSSVcQ82I4kfrqSAJ09MIQ2J3y85DsdWkR86cKmh7UMo8THq3zE8T2S4rF2Xfu/s1600/wes.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8b8BN1H8-Lu2y9Cv_e42heHPT6k4KN47jB6WyRJBDhPgL-E7FUbak_8FZS8e7LPltdNxw-tDe3Uzz6OSSVcQ82I4kfrqSAJ09MIQ2J3y85DsdWkR86cKmh7UMo8THq3zE8T2S4rF2Xfu/s320/wes.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524787169952375682" /></a><br /><br />Here is the bar that was set up behind the laundry entrance.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvbUd8ocAN4nwiQZd8kA_rCbB4EQfx34K8QDFzlujIYo_9w1sPsa3WW5Vsqwq9MDb_EqpsWphpndWbJ8Frlw7-6iOI8p_sk1pDTk6dTNlpv4QIGGl7fwUvjc18u7ZUfmn6mkbJFlmIypZ/s1600/kitchen+bar.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvbUd8ocAN4nwiQZd8kA_rCbB4EQfx34K8QDFzlujIYo_9w1sPsa3WW5Vsqwq9MDb_EqpsWphpndWbJ8Frlw7-6iOI8p_sk1pDTk6dTNlpv4QIGGl7fwUvjc18u7ZUfmn6mkbJFlmIypZ/s320/kitchen+bar.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524782413013311138" /></a><br /><br />The first thing the guest sees when entering into the speak easy. This was staffed with some of our asian associates.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAsA38kg85-ps3T5ZWG1s98Sd6ta09-ZStSD_eJWOtfIiEEHy1Di0sB5gItfKaABQtH8mJINsCBqsd2KwDAYvWkE0xy0-_5xHDzaDumnpgnz92lVf9ZWp8WsUgxqq60SnGc0c72yL00cP/s1600/chinese+laundry+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAsA38kg85-ps3T5ZWG1s98Sd6ta09-ZStSD_eJWOtfIiEEHy1Di0sB5gItfKaABQtH8mJINsCBqsd2KwDAYvWkE0xy0-_5xHDzaDumnpgnz92lVf9ZWp8WsUgxqq60SnGc0c72yL00cP/s320/chinese+laundry+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524782408006438658" /></a><br /><br />Shot of the sign.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdWg_Dpg5GT-IeXvs8ADz4C8m3FMg0n2JAzYa707Lec-Fi0tlYGsVH9ToomxWt3iQob8uOdPg1Ngd47dPQ-hvWotlmw2t8dltabg-M5ifmZ6w4NU4PlzLXmo7fJAV8HKFNIeyE97vngjj/s1600/chinese+laundry+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdWg_Dpg5GT-IeXvs8ADz4C8m3FMg0n2JAzYa707Lec-Fi0tlYGsVH9ToomxWt3iQob8uOdPg1Ngd47dPQ-hvWotlmw2t8dltabg-M5ifmZ6w4NU4PlzLXmo7fJAV8HKFNIeyE97vngjj/s320/chinese+laundry+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524782407894651522" /></a><br /><br />As the guests ventured further into the speakeasy there is a bar and high top tables to belly up to. Some jazz musicians playing very low toned sets.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OFOfLSCFx67OHkwsb3ND4u54mTAORQ75uvHGkaaDh5Opd76r-spra-NUr0n1h_A6fTG7IKbFHcqXoei0vDTBwBvYsE31JX5acJhae83IPnFE8jm8Z7qKz55kHMWXpL4jBU4b6e8i62Dy/s1600/speakeasy.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OFOfLSCFx67OHkwsb3ND4u54mTAORQ75uvHGkaaDh5Opd76r-spra-NUr0n1h_A6fTG7IKbFHcqXoei0vDTBwBvYsE31JX5acJhae83IPnFE8jm8Z7qKz55kHMWXpL4jBU4b6e8i62Dy/s320/speakeasy.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524782406134054626" /></a><br /><br />Setting up the bar was no simple task. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXyF9GcxjYPhasDQNJZNYIjBBwrJ7vXupEly6soz8TqNe1zH4sQuM6FYhreTn61RRH0ifXxcVhvKLj8zadnjxcEK7fY1Vuzu7o4DtwtdkJNXh3y1HSV1STVPAkD7n-TwP2oPHTzMIRcW0/s1600/setting+the+speak+easy.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXyF9GcxjYPhasDQNJZNYIjBBwrJ7vXupEly6soz8TqNe1zH4sQuM6FYhreTn61RRH0ifXxcVhvKLj8zadnjxcEK7fY1Vuzu7o4DtwtdkJNXh3y1HSV1STVPAkD7n-TwP2oPHTzMIRcW0/s320/setting+the+speak+easy.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524782400922470402" /></a><br /><br />Something fun for all of us to be a part of.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-54784478656345604062010-10-04T23:56:00.003-04:002010-10-05T00:43:38.119-04:00Sante, VitamixIt's been a crazy last couple of weeks around here and it's not slowing down. We're marching into season with a new menu and tons of special events lined up. I attended Star Chefs ICC this year with a little more on my mind than usual. I competed in the VitaMix Challenge this year and we took home 2nd place. Not a bad showing. Here is a picture of our dish that was presented. Loup de mer steamed in the blender. I poured in a hot aromatic fume using the bones of the fish into the base of the blender, then suspended the fish at the rim of the blender top using plastic wrap, poked a couple holes, oiled the surface, placed the lid on top and wrapped the top in plastic wrap. Turned on the blender and let it work it's magic forcing hot steam up through the holes cooking the fish. Later I added some peeled baby tomatoes, touch of xanthan, and mounted the sauce with some house cured lardo. Other components consisted of carrot and espellete noodles, pickled squash, anise hyssop blossoms, compressed malabar spinach two ways, purslane, carrot powder and various herb garnishes and flowers that tied into my theme of summer and fall coming together.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3BKSt5xVpCnjHyOf-eMkzq6vuFF53nTWjLwhsKHyvaragNNZQUBcl8UFlOkGkS8EK8GW8MnKH5aJienMXT-Yg83TiiAK49UbanLKsj1K1duyaP7E1CCl_6fyybIdO6DT9xKeHB76toGS/s1600/vitamix+dish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3BKSt5xVpCnjHyOf-eMkzq6vuFF53nTWjLwhsKHyvaragNNZQUBcl8UFlOkGkS8EK8GW8MnKH5aJienMXT-Yg83TiiAK49UbanLKsj1K1duyaP7E1CCl_6fyybIdO6DT9xKeHB76toGS/s320/vitamix+dish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524408422255546594" /></a><br /><br />I don't like losing so much but I had to step back and look at it as a learning experience and in the end I did learn a thing or two as well as had the opportunity to cook with some great chefs. I missed the announcement of the winners as I was gathering all my equipment and getting ready to hop on a plane home. Just before I left the armory I got a call letting me know the outcome. I don't enter many competitions but this was a way for me to be a part of star chefs after learning and networking with great chefs in the past years of attendance. I felt obligated to at least enter and maybe provide some level of entertainment and participation after what they have done for me. A big thanks goes out to the staff at Star Chefs, VitaMix, multivac, and my bros Tony, Kevin and Mac from Olives for letting me ship a bunch of stuff to their NYC kitchen and taking care of it until I got their. <br /><br />On to the next bit of exciting news we received today. Sante Magazine awarded bluezoo with a award in Culinary Innovation representing the Southeast US. This award really belongs to all the cooks at bluezoo. Throwing out ideas and plating techniques for our menu changes and daily chef's tasting. I can write menus all day and tell people what to do but that's not how I like this place to run. We are a group of young cooks in the business with a passion for what we do and hats off to my guys and gals for their hard work to make this happen. Bluezoo would be nothing without our dedicated culinary professionals.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-82908274076642443222010-10-04T00:06:00.007-04:002010-10-04T02:22:00.963-04:00Seattle and BainbridgeSeattle is awesome! I love the west coast laid back approach. After spending 4 years in Flagstaff, Az studying forestry at NAU I have been hooked ever since. This was my summer/fall vacation that I needed. We are headed into some really busy times and this little getaway helped me get my head straight and I brought a slew of ideas back with me for future dishes. Immediately we hit <a href="http://garagistewine.com/">Garagiste</a> and filled the back of my cousin's truck with cases of wine. Next off to the tourist capitol of Seattle, Public Market. This is where the fish are thrown, not saying I want my fish thrown but this is where it happens with tons of people taking pictures and enjoying the super fresh seafood fare. Dungeness crab as far as the eye can see, salmon, shellfish, butcher counters, Beecher's cheese shop, bakeries, you name it and it's here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJdSvk02xjjmb0id3q1pW-T5yYexc7qdWJilJU0tSH3dD6LEXhr6cjOeNHBfb_Zt8OY78MK89U1SZQnsDUgL8jZZXqel7ygaM8KqVL8do45fOCM_0h4l3D9pOIr8_o-YZFYLRqh-Xzfc4/s1600/public+market.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJdSvk02xjjmb0id3q1pW-T5yYexc7qdWJilJU0tSH3dD6LEXhr6cjOeNHBfb_Zt8OY78MK89U1SZQnsDUgL8jZZXqel7ygaM8KqVL8do45fOCM_0h4l3D9pOIr8_o-YZFYLRqh-Xzfc4/s320/public+market.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046997778346018" /></a><br /><br />We were brought to Matt's in the Market for lunch. Lamb burger with a Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA did me right.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1RRlee5VPiwmY2gtFzu-FdNp5E9YorIhX6ufO2M90HW3ARTRAm7DgEwSM1PNiQXkoqOAU5Zl1majZLbz6YU87OVdOSvnKzm8-N7qXJu0Wk777qG5gAifRTRBz5XvSAbgR-T-BS4wGlnQ/s1600/matts+in+the+market.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1RRlee5VPiwmY2gtFzu-FdNp5E9YorIhX6ufO2M90HW3ARTRAm7DgEwSM1PNiQXkoqOAU5Zl1majZLbz6YU87OVdOSvnKzm8-N7qXJu0Wk777qG5gAifRTRBz5XvSAbgR-T-BS4wGlnQ/s320/matts+in+the+market.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046989960257058" /></a><br /><br />Gas Works park with a stunning view of Seattle followed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiLRF28GxWk1XUSZE1HlSoCoJbhQJrPjHaRawmNvnrJQb7O1fPCMKC8Isk0vHEUMvCMbdEwvERt6YERnqE2K5H0fBji9doqF5s707d92l6dk_z94_6CeB8mMksdXet061Epo0Q49V6tVs/s1600/gas+works+park.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiLRF28GxWk1XUSZE1HlSoCoJbhQJrPjHaRawmNvnrJQb7O1fPCMKC8Isk0vHEUMvCMbdEwvERt6YERnqE2K5H0fBji9doqF5s707d92l6dk_z94_6CeB8mMksdXet061Epo0Q49V6tVs/s320/gas+works+park.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046986849597858" /></a><br /><br />Our friend Brad, an Orlando transplant, took us over to Capital Hill where he lives and showed us around. Literally across the street from his apartment was a restaurant called Monsoon. Heath Putnam of Wooly Pigs told me we should check this place out and see what they are doing with the mangalitsa that he provides. It was a great lunch and a small world we live in that a random recommendation and our original path landed us in the same place. Heath was their with his crew just the day before and I wish I could have caught up with him but it just didn't work out. We did however enjoy some conversation with our server and she knew well of him. Next time HP. We hit Elysian Brewery afterwards for an Immortal IPA that was awesome, what can I say, can't refuse a good IPA. Also toured around The Comet where Nirvana played before they were big. Lots of history here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2gAvjI9nC__Zdcla1VIiviDnlPlLFEPaGGpc4VMg_dVO751s7hn16ckVMPhWhig_Z7wk3RQDr3ZEmyUrCwhAMvaliu8HE3k_aId44sZLqJau3Uzl2dfrTSVQLrstpBIN-RxULpycR56s/s1600/elysian+brewery.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2gAvjI9nC__Zdcla1VIiviDnlPlLFEPaGGpc4VMg_dVO751s7hn16ckVMPhWhig_Z7wk3RQDr3ZEmyUrCwhAMvaliu8HE3k_aId44sZLqJau3Uzl2dfrTSVQLrstpBIN-RxULpycR56s/s320/elysian+brewery.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046981357064978" /></a><br /><br />Jason, one of my line chefs knew I was in Seattle and text me to check out the Maximus and Minimus pig shaped food truck but it was closed as we went by. Next time for sure. Salumi was on the list as well, but every time we went by it was a 2 hour wait so Salumi will have to wait but I did score some Salumi bacon at Pegasus Coffee in Bainbridge that was part of one of their breakfast sandwiches. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyocb2IUQ0xwm20cQ72Bp3yfX_On_3OeHGV8kV8GzOEH_nKeCeLZ9T26nXzehIu-zr3p8A-BCk5j-Nh0IZL18z5z8imeOJJaxCquO7hyphenhyphen2s3AbnFk66Le_ELb_Bb750mJAdvtKIBOBtaBP6/s1600/maximus+and+minimus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyocb2IUQ0xwm20cQ72Bp3yfX_On_3OeHGV8kV8GzOEH_nKeCeLZ9T26nXzehIu-zr3p8A-BCk5j-Nh0IZL18z5z8imeOJJaxCquO7hyphenhyphen2s3AbnFk66Le_ELb_Bb750mJAdvtKIBOBtaBP6/s320/maximus+and+minimus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046978520721234" /></a><br /><br />Next we headed over to Bainbridge where my cousin lives off of Agate Point. The ferry ride over showed off some of the views.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCldxHe9TcNGNZa5yl8P_CrnaahTeXBfce7uPoc9UcKfeVGKwY_dyDLecTN_gunsHhy6Z0-zF9cdQmMt2kRPascjoa2M9y-VpSZb_7yz1cjQsfhwpBcAunfIJL0zl2kTSkVpYyw_cBrFg7/s1600/coming+to+shore+bainbridge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCldxHe9TcNGNZa5yl8P_CrnaahTeXBfce7uPoc9UcKfeVGKwY_dyDLecTN_gunsHhy6Z0-zF9cdQmMt2kRPascjoa2M9y-VpSZb_7yz1cjQsfhwpBcAunfIJL0zl2kTSkVpYyw_cBrFg7/s320/coming+to+shore+bainbridge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046554911047890" /></a><br /><br />Can't beat this driveway to their house if you tried.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnmH5mOk0T09eO-SyMGPgG0jod2AK2LFWAjH4Z3cmccd6pmPUvZPtOW1Cgt7_ELOPu39qZq1nEH5YYbNyQAy4n2ZHcuf3jTc17I-zS94ZbFJjDjio_wtMVuE13pphKaLnvcpKhnNv9r2X/s1600/lauren+knute+driveway.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnmH5mOk0T09eO-SyMGPgG0jod2AK2LFWAjH4Z3cmccd6pmPUvZPtOW1Cgt7_ELOPu39qZq1nEH5YYbNyQAy4n2ZHcuf3jTc17I-zS94ZbFJjDjio_wtMVuE13pphKaLnvcpKhnNv9r2X/s320/lauren+knute+driveway.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046553098073634" /></a><br /><br />Here is a picture of their house from the beach of the Puget Sound. Yes, I'm jealous.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKz39tY3O0yVc9BI7UcCJLPUYjTvpfWZb_49bNaC1tFkdiFRmkLI6j99VBU_Vh1CvP-iTBCSKDSJIusU7fzLoI2qCZEo9plr8obZh39IqR41mqe73HgemYc1gwfzbWQFiNu0XGLQw2qYu/s1600/lauren+knute+house.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKz39tY3O0yVc9BI7UcCJLPUYjTvpfWZb_49bNaC1tFkdiFRmkLI6j99VBU_Vh1CvP-iTBCSKDSJIusU7fzLoI2qCZEo9plr8obZh39IqR41mqe73HgemYc1gwfzbWQFiNu0XGLQw2qYu/s320/lauren+knute+house.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046549943315986" /></a><br /><br />Views from their property. Relaxing and beautiful, don't really need any other words to describe the view.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmn0i13Qwguu5ebyJ66rfvzkc4dzO-TzBa-CkPxqDtwxJc0_4NJVNPRWFrJLRkrSp20caRFp2aWMVmdkF52BBTb_aJiWXBYiUDhwtlT-g4yuwlxzRffuc9xPlAheiazvS4oOsMtTfNJKw/s1600/bainbridge+view+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmn0i13Qwguu5ebyJ66rfvzkc4dzO-TzBa-CkPxqDtwxJc0_4NJVNPRWFrJLRkrSp20caRFp2aWMVmdkF52BBTb_aJiWXBYiUDhwtlT-g4yuwlxzRffuc9xPlAheiazvS4oOsMtTfNJKw/s320/bainbridge+view+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046544168118098" /></a><br /><br />Getting the canoe ready for some "sound" exploration.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsnKJv_KBqHf-oNAJ2c1hU5pUxWnavQLNL_CtFbe_h895vc3JYrlQmCQPkhF8UDeSuhjWbb9xrD-JFxMoudDIJHUPbxMF73TekLEmJ-vLjRLxsmRoyveb7CSyZ4xtbvPU7R-ODcU1CvOb/s1600/canoe+ready.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsnKJv_KBqHf-oNAJ2c1hU5pUxWnavQLNL_CtFbe_h895vc3JYrlQmCQPkhF8UDeSuhjWbb9xrD-JFxMoudDIJHUPbxMF73TekLEmJ-vLjRLxsmRoyveb7CSyZ4xtbvPU7R-ODcU1CvOb/s320/canoe+ready.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046541912182930" /></a><br /><br />Here is our canoe access point, doesn't suck.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1zwqRAnMU_CSD1iuDU1DOlwPf-a1YDjUAunX996CuyyfJC8Bl1nSAmL9Hx4Gua0b0rLJpjxPxjUz_6kCBId8CxvTTNuAw53EWX21V4D2Bc6OMvc3cffM_2EyKzC1HGtXbA2WHXTRpEf7/s1600/canoe+access.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1zwqRAnMU_CSD1iuDU1DOlwPf-a1YDjUAunX996CuyyfJC8Bl1nSAmL9Hx4Gua0b0rLJpjxPxjUz_6kCBId8CxvTTNuAw53EWX21V4D2Bc6OMvc3cffM_2EyKzC1HGtXbA2WHXTRpEf7/s320/canoe+access.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046125936173474" /></a><br /><br />We had the awesome opportunity to visit the local CSA(community supported agriculture) at Butter Bean Farms. Our cousin provides an initial donation that is spread amongst several farms in the area that helps with seed and feed money. The farms then grow and produce their products. At certain times during their harvest goods are available here in Butter Bean Farms garage. It's an honor system, drive up their property, go in the garage, pick what you want, write it down and it is subtracted from your initial investment. Awesome to say the least.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMPnXDbIuSU1We0Uod-gjMlwTSm1xDLDR0sns-xvAvVh8Ey6kk3iVLr7K-TUl6fMcpwRI5ftq2J9VLNtoP8hi9zCCGuW-Dk-332Dk98flTvPjvcxFEF0TgiJFXkcXZ1US06FBIcsleeB4/s1600/CSA+garage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMPnXDbIuSU1We0Uod-gjMlwTSm1xDLDR0sns-xvAvVh8Ey6kk3iVLr7K-TUl6fMcpwRI5ftq2J9VLNtoP8hi9zCCGuW-Dk-332Dk98flTvPjvcxFEF0TgiJFXkcXZ1US06FBIcsleeB4/s320/CSA+garage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046115043080258" /></a><br /><br />Onions hanging from the rafters are just one thing on hand this visit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtc4AcR1VEKpK5rookD9UF8qhD7N8KMR5yrDZ8O_dVesRegCqO2V7WitnTgcXe-IJBBQvEF6KAvCNK_jWjOPOWLgPPdVGqHKKrvlni7kUSKHqtUp2VnwW9ys6oDBSXmf7AH2Hl_rhurx1z/s1600/onions+hanging+CSA.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtc4AcR1VEKpK5rookD9UF8qhD7N8KMR5yrDZ8O_dVesRegCqO2V7WitnTgcXe-IJBBQvEF6KAvCNK_jWjOPOWLgPPdVGqHKKrvlni7kUSKHqtUp2VnwW9ys6oDBSXmf7AH2Hl_rhurx1z/s320/onions+hanging+CSA.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046114461061522" /></a><br /><br />Here is only part of the vegetable layout for todays harvest. Local wine, pickles, fresh eggs, pork sausage, meats of all kinds grown locally. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe-TQoumoojTugdQWarciTIOPTKA-wjJwDXHcQ-JKv65w0gMHzryq8bi2W98JHeRw7ElUFpQbRmzXZ_Kvxh4MTSY9gDOolEZ3M14VuODqumBiVLDZszAYRgwIpLoSRPj1uxAC_UbtdHVb/s1600/veggie+layout+CSA.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe-TQoumoojTugdQWarciTIOPTKA-wjJwDXHcQ-JKv65w0gMHzryq8bi2W98JHeRw7ElUFpQbRmzXZ_Kvxh4MTSY9gDOolEZ3M14VuODqumBiVLDZszAYRgwIpLoSRPj1uxAC_UbtdHVb/s320/veggie+layout+CSA.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046104193514290" /></a><br /><br />Back to the house and hit up the wood fired hot tub.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpASgRBA7NyHFtJXI5dIMekTyS84tGlYeQRe8e85jfA7y0zko-TZphmDZ8ss77-YUQng7R9JAP849x3cjqKeuqNk9kXJFGWEj5OG16mif691zFKCi2MEcl76xVNgMFaB21FtGuRJ0fToU/s1600/wood+fired+hot+tub.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpASgRBA7NyHFtJXI5dIMekTyS84tGlYeQRe8e85jfA7y0zko-TZphmDZ8ss77-YUQng7R9JAP849x3cjqKeuqNk9kXJFGWEj5OG16mif691zFKCi2MEcl76xVNgMFaB21FtGuRJ0fToU/s320/wood+fired+hot+tub.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524046101465707618" /></a><br /><br />Some hammocks near the canoe landing to chill in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst8jgyh86BrL0yJ_u2Tzm4ddcjV_XtIvXxiHFPn8TdoZ0QxG7ciP8uP45oBpY5BvF553Y026P9vS_NdfokHLNvVe0EdfOjxKobdL8w6SXSrdES2FyA-Jt2V4Zdkxnr3fJR6lTCki5J_K0/s1600/hammocks.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgst8jgyh86BrL0yJ_u2Tzm4ddcjV_XtIvXxiHFPn8TdoZ0QxG7ciP8uP45oBpY5BvF553Y026P9vS_NdfokHLNvVe0EdfOjxKobdL8w6SXSrdES2FyA-Jt2V4Zdkxnr3fJR6lTCki5J_K0/s320/hammocks.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524045595867282770" /></a><br /><br />Taking in the local plant life.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdO1OyiYH6i-Vcb5wKnCu3w0RPKHIrk65ee3_kseJ-YmnjXR7OYegbDbmg18YeEJltobUxpRs8WtOQ9jV4R4zXJq3S1ottLkB5bQfa0hosk_Z2bnDxPQoUkUwrFP0MapkmU8xBl74Cw1p/s1600/local+plant.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdO1OyiYH6i-Vcb5wKnCu3w0RPKHIrk65ee3_kseJ-YmnjXR7OYegbDbmg18YeEJltobUxpRs8WtOQ9jV4R4zXJq3S1ottLkB5bQfa0hosk_Z2bnDxPQoUkUwrFP0MapkmU8xBl74Cw1p/s320/local+plant.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524045591118407794" /></a><br /><br />Wild berries growing everywhere.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPZt8-bWFdRR9Wbnt94Oj_XsmCpsSJUr2uyUuQcc0Ye-sA73Om6FdlYu73GmsbVHndAcbOhzXvSk3f3LzBUtscYu-HKCODz41A-Ov3zTGV-GZMhYGDrWnsDLWWbVLtKwkZiFfLzaBorQz/s1600/berries+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPZt8-bWFdRR9Wbnt94Oj_XsmCpsSJUr2uyUuQcc0Ye-sA73Om6FdlYu73GmsbVHndAcbOhzXvSk3f3LzBUtscYu-HKCODz41A-Ov3zTGV-GZMhYGDrWnsDLWWbVLtKwkZiFfLzaBorQz/s320/berries+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524045588130110034" /></a><br /><br />Grand firs and cedars rule this area. This is a second or third growth grand fir, hard to tell. Most of Bainbridge was clear cut at the turn of the century and before to support San Francisco's growth. A natural area to harvest with it's sea faring ports. Now is a different story and preservation is key.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZu-z3luYm5cXoz_dAx6n-MPFjULrDKVN2JiJOYcUeJAHN5vmgAAdnc341_QSe3Ha4mgky0GmFtXyuo8wayoNaGIYLzV0iYAkTULhVdtqfNvObbdWqZ4NBOXNdktfUsJUlpMzUyFgCjv44/s1600/grand+fir.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZu-z3luYm5cXoz_dAx6n-MPFjULrDKVN2JiJOYcUeJAHN5vmgAAdnc341_QSe3Ha4mgky0GmFtXyuo8wayoNaGIYLzV0iYAkTULhVdtqfNvObbdWqZ4NBOXNdktfUsJUlpMzUyFgCjv44/s320/grand+fir.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524045577905497826" /></a><br /><br />Wild flowers were popping everywhere just before the winter sets in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCExZ35VzvJzv9u6fAI0gPArK7pQ3RO5dAJX3x-lIW5dIQJg1YyayFGhkOAV0Anq_Z-AZMbp5KeHST1X5J6rsq8LHNwuQe5alu9FxNYdYWnAZ7rwL1TWTH8wrlnOV_e9VS76nRgbHOjb9/s1600/wild+flower.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCExZ35VzvJzv9u6fAI0gPArK7pQ3RO5dAJX3x-lIW5dIQJg1YyayFGhkOAV0Anq_Z-AZMbp5KeHST1X5J6rsq8LHNwuQe5alu9FxNYdYWnAZ7rwL1TWTH8wrlnOV_e9VS76nRgbHOjb9/s320/wild+flower.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524045572284516418" /></a><br /><br />This our pre-canoeing debacle in the sound picture. Yes, it's fuzzy. As is our memory at the time. What doesn't sound good about hauling a canoe across the tide flats at 1am and taking a ride to play glow in the dark bocee ball somewhere we shouldn't be. Needless to say we lost some wine, cava, and various other equipment, saved the bourbon though. Let's just say it was a good idea at the time, bad in retrospect, and walked away with a story to tell. You just won't hear it here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc43N-wSsbRN83Jn6Bgcv09on1IdHyQN0v6dtOuBlRhwhp8jXfaUWJ4kTtcJpVdq0dmqALNKD7qpqgtGwUdYklp8YnboaSQaIsASkDiZ4vIuKFaTs9byoCov51Y4gr5ZGpI6zcyF2G3iep/s1600/pre+debacle.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc43N-wSsbRN83Jn6Bgcv09on1IdHyQN0v6dtOuBlRhwhp8jXfaUWJ4kTtcJpVdq0dmqALNKD7qpqgtGwUdYklp8YnboaSQaIsASkDiZ4vIuKFaTs9byoCov51Y4gr5ZGpI6zcyF2G3iep/s320/pre+debacle.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524044974688223906" /></a><br /><br />Off to Poulsbo, a unique Norwegian fishing community just minutes north of Agate Point. The norwegians settled here because it reminded them of the fjords in Norway and I can see why.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sdIK4I2sbhVscyA9J_A5sOMkaZLF3J-A56Cm9TtygpN4adWY9tZwaCnmGRfweUjJja5CN_00rtpHvJ9r4FcCgNouFOqlYJjg76jmhkD-lhouLXoC7hJ3c0fG8KLtKu75Qa0CO-9Cn3ya/s1600/poulsbo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sdIK4I2sbhVscyA9J_A5sOMkaZLF3J-A56Cm9TtygpN4adWY9tZwaCnmGRfweUjJja5CN_00rtpHvJ9r4FcCgNouFOqlYJjg76jmhkD-lhouLXoC7hJ3c0fG8KLtKu75Qa0CO-9Cn3ya/s320/poulsbo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524044970287529330" /></a><br /><br />The Central Market in Poulsbo is ridiculous! The most intense shopping experience period. Live dungeness in river like flowing tanks, huge oysters from hood canal and totten inlet harvested just minutes away. This is a shot of the produce section that set me back a minute. Everything is perfect! They really take care of their products. An in house bakery, butcher, cooking demos, cooked to order take away, you name it this is the greatest grocery store I've ever seen. It's hard to come back to Florida and compare what we have to this place.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAhf7inAnZfL9GGfQ5d3sr04Oncr_2zdgQQPfT6Ku-sDaFRbsOjR162cNXd-fgXiBOdYeqMUlWSbtsXy_hXB4kT3ST41oTtbYJ6akrM6SI7tAw41_r_pk1D28s42vYSiiecgJ6ZRiYq7a/s1600/central+market+produce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAhf7inAnZfL9GGfQ5d3sr04Oncr_2zdgQQPfT6Ku-sDaFRbsOjR162cNXd-fgXiBOdYeqMUlWSbtsXy_hXB4kT3ST41oTtbYJ6akrM6SI7tAw41_r_pk1D28s42vYSiiecgJ6ZRiYq7a/s320/central+market+produce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524044974377068626" /></a><br /><br />When I say they have everything I mean it. Fresh cactus, aloe branches, you name it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nuDdayPk6DZNwfduH3rHJb8JGHKZalkyY9XObUUSoaOog8no4jqeMK16FnVHS-UVXdoPFBBzZdjDtzWKOiXgHPrnhCBPmnGsxpf07RjbPwp27AaKuzkdro7McfuHTMuRaR59ER4-HnoZ/s1600/cactus+at+central+market.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nuDdayPk6DZNwfduH3rHJb8JGHKZalkyY9XObUUSoaOog8no4jqeMK16FnVHS-UVXdoPFBBzZdjDtzWKOiXgHPrnhCBPmnGsxpf07RjbPwp27AaKuzkdro7McfuHTMuRaR59ER4-HnoZ/s320/cactus+at+central+market.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524044965448580418" /></a><br /><br />For our last endevour we headed off to Tilth, the 95% organic restaurant on the out skirts of Seattle. 95% only because the wild foraged foods they use are not regulated by the FDA so it's pretty safe to say that everything they use is organic. We had an awesome meal and met with Sous Chef Jason afterwards and exchanged some stories. They are doing great things here and if you are ever in Seattle you should take some time out to witness it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90NtfJB16dBEybG-lZtTgDHy-Lj0OmIH8m1Tm-1NY45WLq1pJaoSvwy022VbwpRYs6qMuK0WsgQFEymCA5lI0aMYkuNeGEmKxEkdIQ91UWnv1_TXtghojXb65dRvAWSRV-Q9jQRdXF4UM/s1600/tilth.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90NtfJB16dBEybG-lZtTgDHy-Lj0OmIH8m1Tm-1NY45WLq1pJaoSvwy022VbwpRYs6qMuK0WsgQFEymCA5lI0aMYkuNeGEmKxEkdIQ91UWnv1_TXtghojXb65dRvAWSRV-Q9jQRdXF4UM/s320/tilth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524044961293497250" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-83672947787278059832010-09-24T00:05:00.004-04:002010-09-24T02:05:22.192-04:00Star Chefs 2010Another great year at Star Chefs has passed. I look forward to it every year. I missed 2006 and 2008 but I now make it a point to attend no matter what. It is invaluable the amount of knowledge that is free flowing from the presenters and attendees. i was fortunate enough to meet Linda from Playing with Fire and Water, great blog, personality, photography, and an inspiriation to hang with her for a short time. Kurtis, Chad, Alberto and Jeremiah from Miami are always great to hang with. Pablo from NYC. Sweet bahn mi tacos from Gastropod. Kevin, Mac and new exec chef of Olives NY Tony Susi were a pleasure and very hospitable considering I mailed a bunch of mise en place and equipment to their restaurant for my competition. KOSTA, the mad greek and his chef Pete were as awesome as ever. Can't forget the first the people I saw in the Armory, Aki and Maya greeting me with big smiles then Alex coming along after checking in. It's always a pleasure to see them, you can't help but feed off their energy. Kevin, Amy, and Winbird. Doc Sconz shooting pictures like a mad man between the workshops and the list goes on for days. Brian Baxter, one of my employees, joined me this year. Being his first star chef experience I'm sure he took a lot away from it. Meeting tons of people, networking, talking food, and free flowing Stella doesn't ever hurt. I'm interested to see what he comes up with over the next couple of weeks through his experience at the congress. I knew it was going to be an interesting year when I got off the plane, got in the cab line at Laguardia, turned around and was next to Ron Jeremy. From there it was on, what a crazy 4 days.<br /><br />My first day started with a workshop hosted by Brad Fermerie of Public and Double Crown. "There Will Be Blood" was the topic of his workshop, and there was plenty of it. Venison blood to be exact. He went over the basics of working with lifes essential liquid, then we all pitched in and put together some boudin noir. Simple and delicious, all about technique, personal interpretation, and execution. Here is the boudin noir that we made, then we tasted some of chef's blood creations. Outstanding to say the least.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLDCJp-q87boKoX70LYPYnQqyrCcICXJq8bSVcbBleicu1x60UkMMqrOoEQlsrfcHhihYogv_QqZ_Tb1I3Vf7iqVHtfS15T8XFdgqf8e5IEeZEPPrP6JhNPjw35slTEweEKifSfGHroGN/s1600/blood+sausage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLDCJp-q87boKoX70LYPYnQqyrCcICXJq8bSVcbBleicu1x60UkMMqrOoEQlsrfcHhihYogv_QqZ_Tb1I3Vf7iqVHtfS15T8XFdgqf8e5IEeZEPPrP6JhNPjw35slTEweEKifSfGHroGN/s320/blood+sausage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520330762928581170" /></a><br /><br />After the show we hauled ass to one of the best meals I've ever had. Corton is amazing because of Paul Leibrandt and his staff. Kosta had staged with Chef Leibrandt when he did a dinner at McCrady's hosted by Sean Brock so our meal turned from 3 courses into something extra. Even the three course pre fixe at corton is essentially a 10 course menu. 2 amuse, one was a pea sponge with a pea cornbread of sorts, then whipped foie gras with cucumber gelee. Baxter ordered the foie as his first course so he recieved and entirely different amuse which was very thoughtful. I ordered "from the garden" which had so many components, textures, flavors, and varying temperatures that every bite was something different. Truly awesome. Kosta had the tomato course which consisted of 3 different platings of tomato, each to be enjoyed on their own, separate from the main plating. Baxter's foie was served with fresh brioche, homemade butter and too many other components that I am drawing a blank. This continued for several hours. Baxter and I shared the "mangalitsa pork for two", being a proponent of this rare breed I had to have Leibrandt's version. Needless to say it was awesome, served with a black meringue that when the smoked pork jus was poured around melted into the sauce, f'ing awesome. Koasta's Elysian Fields lamb tasting was ridiculous as well, smoked neck, sweetbreads, loin, tartare! This was a great experience. I knew I was in the right place when the sous chef of Public walked in and gave me "the nod" as we were finishing to have dinner with some friends of his own.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MsExr-Tbk1IfY7qzrifs_wasfVZoJ9QfeS5jGUB9f64Un1K34ckXrSkHrAMgC85qKU5S3fiH5pCAE6M2bnYOU9d9TA_smd0JmW6h30Wrm3e2M8Mquj41qKbLlvCnPjM9N1H_LucdFnNK/s1600/corton.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MsExr-Tbk1IfY7qzrifs_wasfVZoJ9QfeS5jGUB9f64Un1K34ckXrSkHrAMgC85qKU5S3fiH5pCAE6M2bnYOU9d9TA_smd0JmW6h30Wrm3e2M8Mquj41qKbLlvCnPjM9N1H_LucdFnNK/s320/corton.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520330757961496866" /></a><br /><br />Off to Eataly for lunch. This place is insane, 45 minute wait for pizza and pasta seating at 2:00pm on a Tuesday. There was so much to see, you just have to experience it. A little bit of a cluster F' when it coms to service, I \'m sure that has something to do with the 2,000 people all trying to eat a the same time but overall a great experience. The fish counter was full of fresh fish at decent prices.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9456xG1rxQYv8Vm3cghpgdEx08MgSpQUyWCIe0bJT_Uz8wPKtbTE9VEnbwEniQN7axG4l1hN7AyIjo9Q5W7o5BvZSBtSosEijkPfnX2TXLy_4QNLMyKxhDJcd7eoTT0muIKAkcr5GAWw/s1600/eataly+fish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9456xG1rxQYv8Vm3cghpgdEx08MgSpQUyWCIe0bJT_Uz8wPKtbTE9VEnbwEniQN7axG4l1hN7AyIjo9Q5W7o5BvZSBtSosEijkPfnX2TXLy_4QNLMyKxhDJcd7eoTT0muIKAkcr5GAWw/s320/eataly+fish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520330754167416690" /></a><br /><br />The charcuterie was amazing. There is only about $10,000 of proscuitto di parma hanging from the ceiling and another $10,000 worth of parmesan wheels acting as a wall to the left of the meat counter. I got 1/2lb of speck and pete got 1/4lb of sweet sopresatta. Amazing on all counts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53lhxP-nqj94vBxHSQQH4JI-UZsCKlNFiXBZxaKRlGGap8TdwzGtzdpxkeTX0-IaCPMJLryVhQeLCnV-u6f_i2mUTjny5yPtr6DQB0Dm06P4nhksEgq6fc8FEU8L_WN9b6kneto0Okhy0/s1600/eataly+meat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53lhxP-nqj94vBxHSQQH4JI-UZsCKlNFiXBZxaKRlGGap8TdwzGtzdpxkeTX0-IaCPMJLryVhQeLCnV-u6f_i2mUTjny5yPtr6DQB0Dm06P4nhksEgq6fc8FEU8L_WN9b6kneto0Okhy0/s320/eataly+meat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520329851683127762" /></a><br /><br />Kind of a shame this awesome Berkel slicer is just for show.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4fet98u39ZUd34rUzggxJbEzpDeldKhnQtS4hkMccGjfLpvlUPCx1ccAAXOFApIcX0vlfSZP27xM61MIX5Lqj5Ib9-gbBulpyOVxyDU8uCcihbEktM3CerdNm_st-2CGWvuHCM4Mk3hx/s1600/eataly+berkel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4fet98u39ZUd34rUzggxJbEzpDeldKhnQtS4hkMccGjfLpvlUPCx1ccAAXOFApIcX0vlfSZP27xM61MIX5Lqj5Ib9-gbBulpyOVxyDU8uCcihbEktM3CerdNm_st-2CGWvuHCM4Mk3hx/s320/eataly+berkel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520329838314086178" /></a><br /><br />On to some more of the ridiculous.Pastry Chef Dominique Persoone and Food Scientist Bernard Lahousse of Food Pairings released a new chocolate pairings site. After their vibrant demo we ended up snorting chocolate, yes snorting it. This has not yet been released to head super models(which baxter pointed out) but I'm sure is on it's way and will be well recieved but probably not for the intended use. They developed an acrylic piece that they place infused cocoa on, then basicaly shoot it up into your nasil cavity while you inhale. The ginger infused cocoa powder went straight to my brain, then you get the drip sensation in the back of your throat that really brings the flavors up over your tongue. After hearing some of their outrageous demo ideas that were denied by star chefs I can see how this mild version was the safest bet to go with. Really great chefs and entertaining as well. Here is there creation to shoot cocoa. Put the powder on the end of the two prongs, they count to three and flick the switch which shoots the powder into the air under your nose and you inhale. sure they could make a pretty penny selling this to head shops.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxrfhG4v3B1c-3RJmkNm0g2bB-pubI3Ly5C60bBnfAr5eOTKjT-b_rxMQylaimFPhD7G2lGjo5u4A7B3eeplY8dKyUz4YanuebESuGyPbhrWglKXiDaMlieDCgnFQsx0LkBWiGkdWOPpb/s1600/choco+pairing+sniffer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxrfhG4v3B1c-3RJmkNm0g2bB-pubI3Ly5C60bBnfAr5eOTKjT-b_rxMQylaimFPhD7G2lGjo5u4A7B3eeplY8dKyUz4YanuebESuGyPbhrWglKXiDaMlieDCgnFQsx0LkBWiGkdWOPpb/s320/choco+pairing+sniffer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520329830008355442" /></a><br /><br />Alberto giving it a shot.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNrBeKnrrGInmAunNj0u1ruVTYikxjvcFelz-s5o9O-4bduyIg1nmClsUoxYpotrxHyPd0Y1ipv3TdHRLGbYs8mOi0jkgEaDxX27pDw8Trp6DT-ZxQpOqhwU4uMiHtRC3f9RVCOtv5iOh/s1600/alberto+demo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNrBeKnrrGInmAunNj0u1ruVTYikxjvcFelz-s5o9O-4bduyIg1nmClsUoxYpotrxHyPd0Y1ipv3TdHRLGbYs8mOi0jkgEaDxX27pDw8Trp6DT-ZxQpOqhwU4uMiHtRC3f9RVCOtv5iOh/s320/alberto+demo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520329818982182418" /></a><br /><br />Not last and certainly not least, jordan Kahn gave the best presentation of the congress. An awesome interpretation of art comprising of film, music and brush strokes that put everyone on edge. The guy walked on to the stage, didn't say a word, played a video and plated some desserts. Doesn't sound like much but words cannot explain the depth of this yong pastry chef with experience at Per Se and Alinea. I wish he would have walked off stage and not said a word when the video finished. It would have been the shit, and I know that he would have done it if Antoinette hadn't forced him into taking questions. This guy knows he nailed this demo and is a badass in the eyes of everyone that watched it but he seems shy and humble. Appreciative of where he came from and not what you expect. Watch out for this guy. Here is a picture of the hoards of people trying to get an up close glimpse of his desserts. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm_eztphyphenhyphen3dXkQqgzxYy6tO50s5GY1FSFHdJaRmppJAWsJgP2_5cUY01lEgLBpKKlfkMsG8Y0EFcCWWGRf7OK1grZ69e8Wz8-rv6loFS4Dk_-qLtxY7tnw-8roJIOFvczfVHN1VwiBg-k/s1600/jordan+kahn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm_eztphyphenhyphen3dXkQqgzxYy6tO50s5GY1FSFHdJaRmppJAWsJgP2_5cUY01lEgLBpKKlfkMsG8Y0EFcCWWGRf7OK1grZ69e8Wz8-rv6loFS4Dk_-qLtxY7tnw-8roJIOFvczfVHN1VwiBg-k/s320/jordan+kahn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520329792110521490" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-77954704664150252032010-09-17T23:38:00.002-04:002010-09-18T01:04:14.360-04:00Fall MenuThe time is here and we rolled out the fall menu at bluezoo tonight. It was pretty quiet in the dining room but we had a ton of prep to do for some special events coming up and stocking up on new menu components. It's a little stressful knowing that we have a new menu running and I will be leaving to go to star chefs on sunday, back wednesday night(missing albert's inopia presentation so i can make the plane) for a function on Thursday, and leave Saturday morning for Seattle, but we have a lot of talented people that have my back and I'm confident they will get the job done. <br />There is always a lot that goes into a menu change. Tasting, testing, consistent sourcing, producing, re-writing prep sheets, station sheets, costing, butcher tasks, ordering guides, new purveyors and accounts, delivery schedules, and most importantly is the training of the foh and boh. You try to make the shift as smooth as possible but there are so many factors and components that you don't really know what will happen until it does. Trying to predict what modifications will pop up and how to prepare for them is always interesting. Allergy mods, which we deal with on a frequent basis can throw you off if you are not prepared. <br />Determining what you can get away with is another thing. There is always one or two dishes that chefs prepare for chefs and experienced foodies, not everyone will get thought behind it or the time and effort that goes into it. It may not be the best selling item on the menu but those are the ones you pay special attention to. Appealing to the masses in our environment is a must. In the end of the day bills have to be paid appropriately to be successful. Pick up times have to be sensible, adequate equipment must be in place. Then again five pan pick ups of an awesome dish may make you a culinary god on a good day and a schmuck on a bad one. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice, be flexible, and make adjustments on the fly. The ability, training and knowledge of your team will determine much of this. The "guiding light" has been our tasting menu. We get training, feedback and execution information on a daily basis. Without that this would have made things much more hectic. Hats off to the ladies and gentlemen of the zoo for making this happen without incident. Granted, we have our staples on the menu that never die, this is a half menu change that will enable us to perform during peak season. Here are our fall menu additions, come check them out. <br /><br />apps<br />broken rockefeller....spinach, house bacon, mornay, egg yolk<br /><br />beet salad....pickled beet paint, candied walnut, goat cheese fondue<br /><br />entrees<br />miso glazed mero....hawaiian seabass, black garlic, shitake-ginger rice<br /><br />ahi tuna....parsnip, glazaed seasonal root vegetable, olive soil<br /><br />heritage chicken....fingerling macaire, porcini, charred watercress<br /><br />beef tenderloin....chestnut, butternut squash, mushroom in various forms<br /><br />king salmon....espelette infused carolina gold rice, heirloom carrot, parsley root<br /><br />side<br />sea island red peas....ham bone braised, sherry vinegar<br /><br />Of course our descriptions are vague and left to the imagination so we may entertain new presentations, cure boredom of producing the same thing everyday, and pretend we are not a restaurant within a giant corporate establishment.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-34683221867891005572010-09-13T22:41:00.002-04:002010-09-13T23:41:38.395-04:00VitaMix ChallengeI'm at a point where I needed some good news and today was the day. Caitlin from Star Chefs informed me I will be one of six chefs competing in the VitaMix Challenge at Star Chef 2010 International Chefs Congress. I will be representing the Southeast division of the United States. No complaints here. Judges are Marcus Samuelsson, who I've had the honor of cooking for before whether he knows it or not, Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, and Harold Dieterle of Perilla who beat out a former colleague in the finals of the inaugural season of Top Chef but deserved the win. By the way, not kissing up to the judges, just the way it is.<br />The competition, display "a unique application of a VitaMix blender". We are in desperate need of the VitaMix XL at bluezoo and it happens to be one of the 3 blenders we will receive if the competition is won. Our variable speed Vita-Prep 3 is amazing and I can only imagine what could be done with the addition of the XL. Almost every plate in the restaurant has a puree, powder or fluid gel and blender time has to be split between our 15 cooks and 5 bartenders. This is my third year attending and truly an honor to be more than just an observer. <br />New fall menu tastings and roll out by Friday, leave for Star Chefs on Sunday, Competition on Wednesday, haul ass back to the restaurant Wednesday night, VIP restaurant buyout on Thursday, leave Saturday at 5am for a five day trip to Seattle, red eye arrives at 7am on the 1st then straight to the restaurant for another 125pp party, no pressure. This is what we do and just what I needed to rejuvenate myself. <br />I've done competitions with ACF judges, won gold but hated it. No offense, but it's old school. This will be another story. I respect the ACF and what they do but this is truly in my arena of thought and execution. I hate to lose, as do most chefs, but I'm sure their will be lots to learn no matter what the outcome. I'm anxiously looking forward to this. So if you would like to see how to cook loup de mer in a blender, come see me at Star Chefs ICC.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-13905994731533135452010-09-08T00:06:00.002-04:002010-09-08T00:25:20.638-04:00TweakWe've been working on the fall menu the last couple of days trying new recipes, techniques, and platings. Here is the first version of our "Broken Rockefeller". I can't tell you how many requests we get for this. I guess it makes sense, we have different selections of east and west coast oysters nightly and with all the requests for it why not put it on the menu but at least we can do it our way. We took all the components and broke them down then give the diner a version of the original for reference. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4V0fCQGT5arwolWPJA8iGxPWakuEqmrLmudysEcQOFXWrvaGxSd6M91AvnL_gyzgFVn3Wx362ymOrNxEoQSG5ltxqAfCxEZ755KsEvZDSHcRD5Z4v2c4XlYYOyRYBiqqUlsfmgY78CmU/s1600/IMG_1642.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4V0fCQGT5arwolWPJA8iGxPWakuEqmrLmudysEcQOFXWrvaGxSd6M91AvnL_gyzgFVn3Wx362ymOrNxEoQSG5ltxqAfCxEZ755KsEvZDSHcRD5Z4v2c4XlYYOyRYBiqqUlsfmgY78CmU/s320/IMG_1642.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514389999661739154" /></a><br /><br />We start with mornay sauce that is gelled and pureed for a pudding effect. Next was the spinach and bacon. We start with a reduced garlic cream, emulsify in some bacon fat, then finish with spinach and blend until smooth. We breaded the oysters in corn flour from Anson Mills, some bacon powder and we're almost there. <br /><br />Since plating this I have some more ideas to tighten up the plate, a parmesan component and a little more of the spinach bacon puree is needed for the fried oysters to be able to get the full effect. Some dots of the spinach puree around the fried oysters will help break that section of the plate up a little. We'll keep playing with it and see what happens, so far so good.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-26888048304230685042010-09-01T02:11:00.003-04:002010-09-01T02:41:18.098-04:00Meet the Chef's ChefsI couldn't snap pictures of everyone but here is their food. Diana came up with a nice harissa puree with king salmon, curied carolina gold rice, zahtaar carrot salad and micro carrot tops that we have been featuring on our tasting menu.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElwSQjbNIYhdWR4kLiUr-3nkHJg4FknIqnLvVN2jvMFBVpxJ3i2qgX3Npv5uSYwBFJeZhAp3ajwGlBOMdohvrfAfzC1EtYvEsyfHGhd_kOlQ5hlPQg7lZwpvBg55wsX-el0RctSsHfgDg/s1600/diana's+salmon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElwSQjbNIYhdWR4kLiUr-3nkHJg4FknIqnLvVN2jvMFBVpxJ3i2qgX3Npv5uSYwBFJeZhAp3ajwGlBOMdohvrfAfzC1EtYvEsyfHGhd_kOlQ5hlPQg7lZwpvBg55wsX-el0RctSsHfgDg/s320/diana's+salmon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511828332547713970" /></a><br /><br />Chris Spaulding did a nice job with this brined, smoked, sous vide, then finally grilled berkshire belly. Tomato and lardo emulsion, heirloom tomatoes, crispy wheat berries.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSHggENgGACB4yX9IWXpKAT9qYPj12P2U4t4JIHbHD8oNVVDn6TcArB9vMbrW3j4jmTTf99KFUgRmfRAiRKkp4aYkwuAVaUs_GyPxzBqB7GeSDSIlSmfVWV7e5PPNNoISSb_3QAaWzoFN/s1600/pork+belly.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSHggENgGACB4yX9IWXpKAT9qYPj12P2U4t4JIHbHD8oNVVDn6TcArB9vMbrW3j4jmTTf99KFUgRmfRAiRKkp4aYkwuAVaUs_GyPxzBqB7GeSDSIlSmfVWV7e5PPNNoISSb_3QAaWzoFN/s320/pork+belly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511828326416599794" /></a><br /><br />Lupe rolls the s@#t out of some pasta and had some nice "envelopes" filled with braised pasture prime chicken. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUa_CV8vRs7cNqKkswaWVli1ocUSyCV6C2AKKolXQchZ66Mx_p4Aowwy98gJNapM9ouS5x3-bgHD43IY3HMHN3uhFUPAA479MlqTcX41xudo5Pqil58faE3D9OEyXrfFn26ImZGn1s9oO5/s1600/lupe+rolling+pasta.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUa_CV8vRs7cNqKkswaWVli1ocUSyCV6C2AKKolXQchZ66Mx_p4Aowwy98gJNapM9ouS5x3-bgHD43IY3HMHN3uhFUPAA479MlqTcX41xudo5Pqil58faE3D9OEyXrfFn26ImZGn1s9oO5/s320/lupe+rolling+pasta.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511828316955133266" /></a><br /><br />Brian Baxter finished the pasta with celery root puree, fiscalini, and malabar spinach.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3ngLDHBQKJFLov7ZfJ6BmUXS6vlugxEIlxFpqo_4icad5YJsAUvOhuF-eouZH0HvGrusnMrE73A2e9yV1v40xDX1LJ1EAdb2TD7A-F7quf3dyMjgJcKkv9GMgEynF8AeAkmzc8ykl_Im/s1600/chicken+tortelli.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3ngLDHBQKJFLov7ZfJ6BmUXS6vlugxEIlxFpqo_4icad5YJsAUvOhuF-eouZH0HvGrusnMrE73A2e9yV1v40xDX1LJ1EAdb2TD7A-F7quf3dyMjgJcKkv9GMgEynF8AeAkmzc8ykl_Im/s320/chicken+tortelli.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511828306214872146" /></a><br /><br />With a new menu on the horizon we will be utilizing our tasting menu to test new dishes for the fall. It's a great way for us to tweek the dishes, have the line chefs contribute, and let them develop a sense of ownership in the menu.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-1046891136368538682010-08-25T01:24:00.005-04:002010-08-25T02:42:04.089-04:00the bluezoo teamIt's great to see my guys really pushing everyday. Wanting to share what they do and create plays a factor in their food. We have a tasting menu that is open to our cooks interpretation. I step in and tell them what they have to work with and provide some on hand flavor profiles and direction if needed but these guys and gals are the ones that are making it happen. Many of my posts are about what they are doing everyday on top of their already hectic workload. <br />I am thouroughly impressed by their passion amd commitment everyday. They are what makes bluezoo a great restaurant to be a part of and they should be recognized. This is our team, and over the next couple of weeks you will be able to become familiar with them and the food they put out every night.<br /><br />chef de cuisine<br />aaron christian <br /><br />sous chefs<br />daniel de la rosa<br />erich seig<br /><br />line chefs<br />Guadalupe Rangel<br />Andre Robberts<br />Brittany Hatch<br />Ashley Monteiro<br />Nathan Howey<br />Diana Saulibio<br />Brian Baxter<br />Jason Rodriguez<br />Chris Spaulding<br />Keola Dietz<br /><br />Stay tuned.........chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-19645557086903369992010-08-12T23:54:00.007-04:002010-08-13T15:09:23.414-04:00Chicken and Lobster terrineChef Rob designed a terrine mold with our plexi glass guy from Ice Magic for a dinner we will be working on in bluezoo in September. He wanted something like the terrine molds he was familiar working with during his stint in France. Traditionallly it would be a wooden box with a sliding top and removable sides to unmold the terrine. we went a step further and created this.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3USky4Vz74C4gorlxeOL1xhqAPeX-fyIVhgtqiVwZ5N7c-_Ik3jHAgU8A9tl04bb-7ojhimkoEMGph1mnKcvEmIXKm0cz_wreMgftOiEXq9ouvzrQY_T955dTG298x-Sy6D0U7a9dVfp/s1600/comlete+terrine+mold.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3USky4Vz74C4gorlxeOL1xhqAPeX-fyIVhgtqiVwZ5N7c-_Ik3jHAgU8A9tl04bb-7ojhimkoEMGph1mnKcvEmIXKm0cz_wreMgftOiEXq9ouvzrQY_T955dTG298x-Sy6D0U7a9dVfp/s320/comlete+terrine+mold.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504741024012977570" /></a><br /><br />Here is a shot of the whole deal from the side.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2gpCFzaNtWaM6KPayivO_Z23hDltaizhchPsKgKuazCZptTrPR4vMIHHKGyd9G1FlBemp3mEwPBMVJ_l6en0_4mSUWqwEPW5EsLaOz4MLQEXG8iz5vkRbBops3eocbsZIuu2ROu8pBmg/s1600/complete+terrine+mold+from+side.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2gpCFzaNtWaM6KPayivO_Z23hDltaizhchPsKgKuazCZptTrPR4vMIHHKGyd9G1FlBemp3mEwPBMVJ_l6en0_4mSUWqwEPW5EsLaOz4MLQEXG8iz5vkRbBops3eocbsZIuu2ROu8pBmg/s320/complete+terrine+mold+from+side.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740893992164450" /></a><br /><br />Of course the commissioned piece was personalized for chef. We will have 12 more in the works as we will need 125 portions for the dinner we are preparing for. This was a test run for us and it worked great. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRvn5QS4uJyrX9kd5RU8z-xDvhc70KW-9f-QNrXTVPH02h418oSJum3vSYAp7tzS_yADZ-fuwUUTSfZ0EFvFlaI0gxwAgThfK7vpFKuSoXIBGMJKS_DAAeAH_dSeEuBuRdMKtYVS2O_KL/s1600/cib's+embroidered+mold.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRvn5QS4uJyrX9kd5RU8z-xDvhc70KW-9f-QNrXTVPH02h418oSJum3vSYAp7tzS_yADZ-fuwUUTSfZ0EFvFlaI0gxwAgThfK7vpFKuSoXIBGMJKS_DAAeAH_dSeEuBuRdMKtYVS2O_KL/s320/cib's+embroidered+mold.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740885055364738" /></a><br /><br />The first step is to line the mold with plastic, then layer your terrine, press until set, and remove the top of the mold.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-Gyewzu0OPsIuB4Xn_YMngascw7kSkFyRWAK2b4va4x8XIBzmkBuOnkmzf4RVZ43pAqqUZM1dSczBDdbJ7HKFDjQ8ARwBoVwxSm56sRXzTVovLHdCwFmD3g3NAdsog7nJb8gS3u-G0SM/s1600/remove+the+top+of+terrine.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-Gyewzu0OPsIuB4Xn_YMngascw7kSkFyRWAK2b4va4x8XIBzmkBuOnkmzf4RVZ43pAqqUZM1dSczBDdbJ7HKFDjQ8ARwBoVwxSm56sRXzTVovLHdCwFmD3g3NAdsog7nJb8gS3u-G0SM/s320/remove+the+top+of+terrine.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740877192907490" /></a><br /><br />Each wall of the terrine is equiped with a hinge to easily remove the finished product.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYD1CrXhIMX9otXJvAVIQe35zPMs7UNYGzSl4lwfrgdgsHAcynu9dtubSR_I1XicI471Ke_FC1EoJtggkXrzAc68HcQLD3-hBF6BKWSp_FhTmF-EfHMUuKAeNkY1S370pr5i90o5B1RPat/s1600/open+terine+mold.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYD1CrXhIMX9otXJvAVIQe35zPMs7UNYGzSl4lwfrgdgsHAcynu9dtubSR_I1XicI471Ke_FC1EoJtggkXrzAc68HcQLD3-hBF6BKWSp_FhTmF-EfHMUuKAeNkY1S370pr5i90o5B1RPat/s320/open+terine+mold.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740870381999330" /></a><br /><br />Our terrine has finished pressing and the top of the mold is removed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSFHpKlzn2dDDfKYL7eee3H_EOLvkvJkQJMPguJDmNIX6W9OgmhyZ0xv3x8XeJ6qxMavZGoDfBK4XpKMynt8cUDYPdtyOHds-aypyWeGBD-Ppf5dp-GrBOJI_Vh1oCB1uwcErXsQVLhi5/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSFHpKlzn2dDDfKYL7eee3H_EOLvkvJkQJMPguJDmNIX6W9OgmhyZ0xv3x8XeJ6qxMavZGoDfBK4XpKMynt8cUDYPdtyOHds-aypyWeGBD-Ppf5dp-GrBOJI_Vh1oCB1uwcErXsQVLhi5/s320/IMG_1614.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740445558901762" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here is our buttermilk brined, sous vide poussin, slow poached maine lobster, savoy cabbage, and truffle cream terrine.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowam7fL1m0J9udU7_aWZQUo4az-G_utwwtTxQ996rMJplI0nTRLHKvMEJJ5ZaMn1GE3brDFS6_zQVghajUvk2EnlAx2K_ajshCDO12OnEoAzGN39a4stEj04rCwvo1KcOXmfIL26NXRHR/s1600/finish+pressing+terrine.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowam7fL1m0J9udU7_aWZQUo4az-G_utwwtTxQ996rMJplI0nTRLHKvMEJJ5ZaMn1GE3brDFS6_zQVghajUvk2EnlAx2K_ajshCDO12OnEoAzGN39a4stEj04rCwvo1KcOXmfIL26NXRHR/s320/finish+pressing+terrine.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740863916423362" /></a><br /><br />You don't see these around much any more but our last executive chef of the hotel was austrian so having one of these electric knives on hand was neccesity. It's the first time I've ever seen one or even seen one used and it actually worked pretty well. It's novelty with an actual purpose. We all laughed at it but ole' bessie did it's job.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA9ZrBlzMr1TEfiV4QUfoQEjMaZRb0g7Q6ayfEljnG4BYTwdgZa87hGXcXWCYyWG_I6o7MkZ-DrHjBXbSDvGrx7TmL8bUzz5l53H8Hms8bFfbSp_Y6C_yAtlZGOnFHUUP1ocEfGard-DJ/s1600/ole'+bessie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA9ZrBlzMr1TEfiV4QUfoQEjMaZRb0g7Q6ayfEljnG4BYTwdgZa87hGXcXWCYyWG_I6o7MkZ-DrHjBXbSDvGrx7TmL8bUzz5l53H8Hms8bFfbSp_Y6C_yAtlZGOnFHUUP1ocEfGard-DJ/s320/ole'+bessie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740442688629570" /></a><br /><br />Chef Dan Herman did the honors. I think he might be the only one in the hotel who has used one of these before but that is still yet to be confirmed.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8tW2a254T49ytIgGkWKdhrrxC2GMl7K_Z_fri_KxZ6xJtKsuFsi_6ejg5MjrYYWqnwz00urdZxoNl9XN9_fhabDuP7r5J4Jh6x3-Dk9LuKarcdVcV_XrBjBCLaB0HKYpjWTMUB8eUIdc/s1600/dan+slicing+terrine.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8tW2a254T49ytIgGkWKdhrrxC2GMl7K_Z_fri_KxZ6xJtKsuFsi_6ejg5MjrYYWqnwz00urdZxoNl9XN9_fhabDuP7r5J4Jh6x3-Dk9LuKarcdVcV_XrBjBCLaB0HKYpjWTMUB8eUIdc/s320/dan+slicing+terrine.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740394689679778" /></a><br /><br />Nice slices of layered poussin, barely poached sweet maine lobster, tender savoy cabbage, and the richness of the truffle cream. It's hard to go wrong with that combination.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUTh-BYNpT0Hr4N9uYKlcdJBiKdzLfz_c_lJZMoOHhCGkVEEcRmyNZEkVYhfpwIXiGpgju_BaIZQrDvpSfmoOJu0-3qQ3oMW4ez52pqrI0uHhRUVRvOyb0-Q2lB0Y8gChCrqBGTzowV01/s1600/terrine+slices.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUTh-BYNpT0Hr4N9uYKlcdJBiKdzLfz_c_lJZMoOHhCGkVEEcRmyNZEkVYhfpwIXiGpgju_BaIZQrDvpSfmoOJu0-3qQ3oMW4ez52pqrI0uHhRUVRvOyb0-Q2lB0Y8gChCrqBGTzowV01/s320/terrine+slices.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740388090491330" /></a><br /><br />This is the finished dish. Warm porcini cream, grape fluid gel, pickled fennel, micro chickweed, parisienne buternut squash, armando manni per me olive oil.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6RTszvO8nmkXW-B_g5zy10F_SD1snmMLo7OxFdgkCK1la0kfu6lqFeDpbYJ6jbpA5Q0oYExl5BrSbz3_ESPlUdvGYbpgSP-cJNszOOKN08AJ_FUFckCMbYKLnykRuRiOA1dDEMbNIyyJ/s1600/finished+terrine+plate.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6RTszvO8nmkXW-B_g5zy10F_SD1snmMLo7OxFdgkCK1la0kfu6lqFeDpbYJ6jbpA5Q0oYExl5BrSbz3_ESPlUdvGYbpgSP-cJNszOOKN08AJ_FUFckCMbYKLnykRuRiOA1dDEMbNIyyJ/s320/finished+terrine+plate.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504740383618701602" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-58992265794186344012010-08-10T22:30:00.003-04:002010-08-10T22:47:00.645-04:00Kelp Rubbed MeroWe picked up some kelp powder from Terra Spice and we toying with the applications. We ended up using it as a rub for our Mero bass from hawaii. The kelp powder has a salty vegetal flavor that when well with the fatty mero.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1yr5mKt_5OzsEfMYbFN2ApN0FMmKUwpkpXerLjycg-BecHTq5eMAil8T0DamO8klmIAVQmLYUA9pG9C4ufNdfGIyX5B5iDgreM2RACHgptOIFD6p6tl4pFUvZjpUM8GtU48ZFrVVdK_q/s1600/kelp+powder.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1yr5mKt_5OzsEfMYbFN2ApN0FMmKUwpkpXerLjycg-BecHTq5eMAil8T0DamO8klmIAVQmLYUA9pG9C4ufNdfGIyX5B5iDgreM2RACHgptOIFD6p6tl4pFUvZjpUM8GtU48ZFrVVdK_q/s320/kelp+powder.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503975157442287362" /></a><br /><br /><br />Some cleaned and marinated mussels along with key west littlenecks, brunoise veg, j. le blanc olive oil, scallion, and sea cress(my new favorite garnish from chefs garden). The servers finished the dish tableside with a sauce of reduced cooking liquid from the mussels with a hint of cream. Clean and simple, quality ingredients exploding with flavor.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDTFn3jd3guXem9O0_-gxIvrUC1ZBOTM-dIcP6In5QkwpjhqwAe0eQq4qVl8hC_2w-h-1hD2sB-1PVsczi7eCtTAPO5Ny4GOSudHhTBA5isynvxrVTlo1-kSjsfT-oSWOKZXhnOVeYh1f/s1600/kelp+crusted+mero.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDTFn3jd3guXem9O0_-gxIvrUC1ZBOTM-dIcP6In5QkwpjhqwAe0eQq4qVl8hC_2w-h-1hD2sB-1PVsczi7eCtTAPO5Ny4GOSudHhTBA5isynvxrVTlo1-kSjsfT-oSWOKZXhnOVeYh1f/s320/kelp+crusted+mero.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503975153713389186" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-52554093146070962032010-08-09T08:59:00.004-04:002010-08-09T09:28:36.267-04:00Kappa CarrageenanWe have been playing with some kappa over the last week. It started with Cody glazing mini cuke blossoms with saltwater to season them and give them a nice shine. I started thinking about what else we could do and threw out the idea of an oyster coated with mignonette. So here it is<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhzPAc80xR9uSyUC8B-SOnrcrwMbBBFPmfSahaHJbxf7TDiu8NwJetmMIwP3rROu2mjawh6C3126q-zDHedAGVYlKLc3wP7sLUq-kUcpOCPhOL7FIgxogYt-WvBOw0Orsc6OEhWbB4sK9/s1600/fovm+oyster+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhzPAc80xR9uSyUC8B-SOnrcrwMbBBFPmfSahaHJbxf7TDiu8NwJetmMIwP3rROu2mjawh6C3126q-zDHedAGVYlKLc3wP7sLUq-kUcpOCPhOL7FIgxogYt-WvBOw0Orsc6OEhWbB4sK9/s320/fovm+oyster+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503399322987607570" /></a><br /><br />2 versions, one traditional and one finished with miso both, evo,samphire, and sea cress.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRItpqjUs-BmeYd5e-bjOSPSNNwoKzlTWgtU5JO4D6U1xsR_TKVbjs85mxuHlZkSh3xPtwmINkTXVwuum0a3bLmGwGND7Gvf_ejzHoXsMd7q8z3vfUa5JpHZo72y0dJVMFMSnIE2qDgHi/s1600/forvm+encased+oyster.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRItpqjUs-BmeYd5e-bjOSPSNNwoKzlTWgtU5JO4D6U1xsR_TKVbjs85mxuHlZkSh3xPtwmINkTXVwuum0a3bLmGwGND7Gvf_ejzHoXsMd7q8z3vfUa5JpHZo72y0dJVMFMSnIE2qDgHi/s320/forvm+encased+oyster.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503394585882245682" /></a><br /><br />We seasoned FORVM 8yr Cabernet Vinegar mignonette style then did a .75% ratio of the kappa. Bring the FORVM to a simmer, whisk in kappa then hold at a low simmer, preferably in a water bath or more easily on our cook tek induction. We dip the shucked oyster and the gel sets up immediately upon removing it. We had to play with the temperature a bit, too hot and it won't glaze, too cold and it will start to set up in the pan. We served this as amuse and got some good feedback. <br /><br />Now we are looking at glazing more vegetables and this week we will be playing with the idea of glazing whole pieces of cooked fish just before it goes on the plate. I will most likely start with spice infused liquids or maybe ocean water if we can get our hands on some of the really good stuff that is coming out of Fiji and Hawaii, Mike Mina uses it at American fish and the flavor is amazing. That's a whole other post by itself but hopefully we can get the appearence of a shining jewel on the plate.chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-25728349338070667562010-08-03T01:26:00.007-04:002010-08-03T02:44:14.987-04:00NYCWe took a couple days for family vacation in NYC to get away. Usually my visits consist of food, drink, and more food, then more drink. This time I had the family in tow so we hit the sites and I managed to still incorporate food. So here you go For some reason the first few picture descriptions are off, just scroll down, I'm sure you can figure it out.<br /><br />Empire state building right off the bat.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTRi3sp-7myJFir-PcCzExdeWl6N4XvT_G751_OPHkeE8h72a-d-eCKk6iA3gGr_TS0-ihm-8i19figbhb7sia0CTHIMp9RjCyr1WU_OW-JTTiGk2C9hPrbQg5joYl0G2P0Os6loUPAoX/s1600/empire+state+lobby.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTRi3sp-7myJFir-PcCzExdeWl6N4XvT_G751_OPHkeE8h72a-d-eCKk6iA3gGr_TS0-ihm-8i19figbhb7sia0CTHIMp9RjCyr1WU_OW-JTTiGk2C9hPrbQg5joYl0G2P0Os6loUPAoX/s320/empire+state+lobby.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501059304661867282" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Caeden is checking out the view.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8KTUAumLT3NbRonr2zPGGUTvbVmdfvMkmPxjdhblFIZsqtNmU0XRdcgv06Oa-MU_Frfj-cExjK8LbXU_QBKK76Vri8N4Rhett37Yr_mY7UZlVvgpBJ5ASPwyGl93SU_etJyQQdd2v0dz/s1600/empire+state+caeden.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8KTUAumLT3NbRonr2zPGGUTvbVmdfvMkmPxjdhblFIZsqtNmU0XRdcgv06Oa-MU_Frfj-cExjK8LbXU_QBKK76Vri8N4Rhett37Yr_mY7UZlVvgpBJ5ASPwyGl93SU_etJyQQdd2v0dz/s320/empire+state+caeden.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501059294799218162" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Caeden's first MLB game and my first in a while MLB game. Mets vs. Cardinals, 3rd game of series after a tough 13th inning loss the night before. Mets 4, Cardinals 0, good game.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdy6CSyMIOhzyYtwDGpbf3zpif8vQHKYy9FI71h_NrwBCaBgokN-rzrZYBNC82pmlc6WOWGPDg7BjZcKRYKnjV-WqmS76aE-j_eqkTy98EJJpkOGJ1GUoAfDFnFvblLQ-_QYRGSdby7Ew/s1600/mets+game.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;curefsor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdy6CSyMIOhzyYtwDGpbf3zpif8vQHKYy9FI71h_NrwBCaBgokN-rzrZYBNC82pmlc6WOWGPDg7BjZcKRYKnjV-WqmS76aE-j_eqkTy98EJJpkOGJ1GUoAfDFnFvblLQ-_QYRGSdby7Ew/s320/mets+game.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501059290368484834" /></a><br /><br />He might be a mets fan<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0u4SQlaT-eiCp05TW7EjXo8oEUSioTygE9yUVX0gOc4mi7y8c4Blg1w5ce8gnlugfSAwUWclzjovv2b2gqFr4VBUdjN2uwxj7kTrANbbB_2Z8VUqtPETOTje052C04WbRts2-Vg4BNvYW/s1600/mets+fan.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0u4SQlaT-eiCp05TW7EjXo8oEUSioTygE9yUVX0gOc4mi7y8c4Blg1w5ce8gnlugfSAwUWclzjovv2b2gqFr4VBUdjN2uwxj7kTrANbbB_2Z8VUqtPETOTje052C04WbRts2-Vg4BNvYW/s320/mets+fan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501059284831229426" /></a><br /><br />Shake Shack @ citi field, only a 3 inning wait.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaRnbmsvya02CohJL8JQpm54vbKtwMB4PaNFV4fRnJx344aL1i-uy2abSWyqnQ4A4mG4jRJAcyMoMxRLxehP3GtdyFOtEcF7o2KcvOedolVZSsO3TO8Lhlds2om4jd3yWlXmupRQlrPiY/s1600/shake+shack+at+mets+game.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaRnbmsvya02CohJL8JQpm54vbKtwMB4PaNFV4fRnJx344aL1i-uy2abSWyqnQ4A4mG4jRJAcyMoMxRLxehP3GtdyFOtEcF7o2KcvOedolVZSsO3TO8Lhlds2om4jd3yWlXmupRQlrPiY/s320/shake+shack+at+mets+game.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501059279308173522" /></a><br /><br />Union Square Farmers Market, patty pan squash the size of your head and just about everything else. Wednesdays and Saturdays, check it out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIrsIOx3LRuS5V8g9NQdxq6qDioflBwfgNassXCxnJSBIqlbroJAwFrpWLBu85oDao7AvlrNi5qkXz6FY-jwFauJDezjBM-2sxoivz1khvt5ajC2i4Qm2CrW-eBi9-x4iRzYbgl3VDFCn/s1600/union+square+farmers+market.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIrsIOx3LRuS5V8g9NQdxq6qDioflBwfgNassXCxnJSBIqlbroJAwFrpWLBu85oDao7AvlrNi5qkXz6FY-jwFauJDezjBM-2sxoivz1khvt5ajC2i4Qm2CrW-eBi9-x4iRzYbgl3VDFCn/s320/union+square+farmers+market.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501057342952842482" /></a><br /><br />rick's picks hooked me up with some smokra.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9dYYPBS2caAJ5M07tx2z0Ea-P3Ac7aQ8xJF6Ygne7Ym7IOJCjbvNNkD4ac2fRiPmxciSHlSFd6f1Q1MCzzkqbtm5FVchQEuGlKwkYslCNlShbwr4lqz0O9yJ4PnPMxHaa3SkKmrZ_gLc/s1600/smokra.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9dYYPBS2caAJ5M07tx2z0Ea-P3Ac7aQ8xJF6Ygne7Ym7IOJCjbvNNkD4ac2fRiPmxciSHlSFd6f1Q1MCzzkqbtm5FVchQEuGlKwkYslCNlShbwr4lqz0O9yJ4PnPMxHaa3SkKmrZ_gLc/s320/smokra.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501057330868875154" /></a><br /><br />Caden's version of the Statue of Liberty, buy your tickets on line, if you want to go to the crown or monument plant at least 3 months in advance. Get to battery park by 8:30am, otherwise I hope you like 2 hour lines.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimU88Vkih8b6DRns5Mze2qKhQ_ruM6B30wTM6wnrjCGCzjpqGEvUx16ByKH7b2yUQC6sFh3YEXHXUVL7PyJw3VOUAM4DM2qzfZd8AmX77VBd9-lwWmIpUs80ryJHVUKUDtByRkxeYYAoj/s1600/caedens+version+of+lady+liberty.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimU88Vkih8b6DRns5Mze2qKhQ_ruM6B30wTM6wnrjCGCzjpqGEvUx16ByKH7b2yUQC6sFh3YEXHXUVL7PyJw3VOUAM4DM2qzfZd8AmX77VBd9-lwWmIpUs80ryJHVUKUDtByRkxeYYAoj/s320/caedens+version+of+lady+liberty.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501056348819026498" /></a><br /><br />Central Park zoo, buy tickets ahead on line as well. Lines suck!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-et2ajpu-EESTx4ncQkcgl0PJo6IQ-EA3WVkOrMiZkfvRXOeQaig3P-3WPdfSSFuAPZgS9Ymi1caF9fTnWOPaGLtQdZRucz3e323eKorR5YmS9gu736tXIg5M7U2U30aMSkmO8bPnWe3/s1600/central+park+zoo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-et2ajpu-EESTx4ncQkcgl0PJo6IQ-EA3WVkOrMiZkfvRXOeQaig3P-3WPdfSSFuAPZgS9Ymi1caF9fTnWOPaGLtQdZRucz3e323eKorR5YmS9gu736tXIg5M7U2U30aMSkmO8bPnWe3/s320/central+park+zoo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501056343608264642" /></a><br /><br />Some seals up close<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnXJxezjijLuUiRp1LIQgwWlrzzhTpgg1GK16gJCdLpVYMsGe4gGLWebEo90HB47uLhsL2jQQuLR5JyYBVGQZMxvY5r1vINx38JlbdJ5-p2ft5-eC-NcmvDQFSsmZS328g_eMU8t8F8aq/s1600/seal,+central+park+zoo+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnXJxezjijLuUiRp1LIQgwWlrzzhTpgg1GK16gJCdLpVYMsGe4gGLWebEo90HB47uLhsL2jQQuLR5JyYBVGQZMxvY5r1vINx38JlbdJ5-p2ft5-eC-NcmvDQFSsmZS328g_eMU8t8F8aq/s320/seal,+central+park+zoo+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501056336696360002" /></a><br /><br />Snow leopard<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Kkb6vFBPYGxoYvYfi7sK1FPWrR5xvOOpB1_BWBdbNqj4etSJrXEsJsdPtCDHBB0WGaVVeL2L0zy2-eUws6za8lqFWRRAVrbai_A7CDVi7-TwpqqgyjwDkpDpkCcWAWhq4bZifIpBivsi/s1600/snow+leopard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Kkb6vFBPYGxoYvYfi7sK1FPWrR5xvOOpB1_BWBdbNqj4etSJrXEsJsdPtCDHBB0WGaVVeL2L0zy2-eUws6za8lqFWRRAVrbai_A7CDVi7-TwpqqgyjwDkpDpkCcWAWhq4bZifIpBivsi/s320/snow+leopard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501056331184220770" /></a><br /><br />I work for Todd English and we did the official NYC Todd Tour. Olives for dinner the first night(Wed). Friends and family at Ca Va Friday night, then Food Hall at the Plazs Saturday for lunch. All were really good. I love the creativity and seasonality at Olives, Ca Va is delicious frenchy french all the way with the return of Victor LaPlaca to the TE crew, Food Hall is a monster to be reckoned with. Take the Todd tour, hit all three eateries in NYC, it's worth it. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAx1O52m3rkzK-H6-Nce9J6gtAv4BFMvSsT1KaWIZBf6nend2EujGZZWos5_RV97men4v104gwa85_6mejrUeyv4HM-D4DtVKlkLcbYgQntuwdt7GiKWfrbcglJ9yqpyFhc9w-DjFCHMuy/s1600/ca+va.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAx1O52m3rkzK-H6-Nce9J6gtAv4BFMvSsT1KaWIZBf6nend2EujGZZWos5_RV97men4v104gwa85_6mejrUeyv4HM-D4DtVKlkLcbYgQntuwdt7GiKWfrbcglJ9yqpyFhc9w-DjFCHMuy/s320/ca+va.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501056321229934402" /></a><br /><br />Shake Shack is in the Intercontinental with Ca Va, get a perfect slice of foie torchon at the bar in Ca Va while your friend waits in line at Shack shack then join him for burger madness.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUdIOrFW7BzhhEsDgUzqzkoWQdekePKB3fEmC-y3_tr4oKEt9jSz6BlxcJINYZCEhZ2g1fK_sGCX7e2BEMRmJaCZl5RXt6VHQV08UrqYsepYGWlz9yUHzqC2GWFltvk9RkIS6gOxpWgOW/s1600/shake+shack+at+intercontinental.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUdIOrFW7BzhhEsDgUzqzkoWQdekePKB3fEmC-y3_tr4oKEt9jSz6BlxcJINYZCEhZ2g1fK_sGCX7e2BEMRmJaCZl5RXt6VHQV08UrqYsepYGWlz9yUHzqC2GWFltvk9RkIS6gOxpWgOW/s320/shake+shack+at+intercontinental.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055723630372546" /></a><br /><br />Food Hall burger is awesome. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7_86ACjq5-opeLfPwonAviHyCuRkBND3lcP_toE1EYppyRcAPX7ci6p7c52vmdMe_1fUG5DcHTZ_i4cQIqnexmmg-19cVvnLPSzpYSz8zP3UImX2Ow2e788VGKjTTLxttdlCeZqz-Cer/s1600/food+hall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7_86ACjq5-opeLfPwonAviHyCuRkBND3lcP_toE1EYppyRcAPX7ci6p7c52vmdMe_1fUG5DcHTZ_i4cQIqnexmmg-19cVvnLPSzpYSz8zP3UImX2Ow2e788VGKjTTLxttdlCeZqz-Cer/s320/food+hall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055712371764962" /></a><br /><br />Mike, just letting you know i'M STEALING this flatbread for the zoo, it was ridiculous! BLT flatbread, charred romaine, cabot cheddar, lardons, heirloom tomato, garlic aioli.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijz5eK_keqztHqSbnrGNnCGGYHsXMyn0EcY-F73GAisaUS23QqaR-ssHtGG8NXgsOmC3axLI6-69LUJMQ6Me_ZK_KrhrP7QCzNRYLXNVtCYyfWo73wVA1Q6T79StOP04Kk3uoOLeQUJ-i/s1600/blt+flatbread.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijz5eK_keqztHqSbnrGNnCGGYHsXMyn0EcY-F73GAisaUS23QqaR-ssHtGG8NXgsOmC3axLI6-69LUJMQ6Me_ZK_KrhrP7QCzNRYLXNVtCYyfWo73wVA1Q6T79StOP04Kk3uoOLeQUJ-i/s320/blt+flatbread.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055708297222738" /></a><br /><br />Some cool places we just happened to walk by. Aquavit.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWEAbFBWngLs84y2f1ul3KOHn62ptgA7X44kvzx65DsFn4rNrQ3caTtUGxVOUPIp9uBO7xPyAQd-J35a4w8P2MBNiLPU-Ftpf-HVJ8IoBc_5xzuy7G_Zdclj2JHP5pa9n_esFe-XL60pJ/s1600/aquavit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWEAbFBWngLs84y2f1ul3KOHn62ptgA7X44kvzx65DsFn4rNrQ3caTtUGxVOUPIp9uBO7xPyAQd-J35a4w8P2MBNiLPU-Ftpf-HVJ8IoBc_5xzuy7G_Zdclj2JHP5pa9n_esFe-XL60pJ/s320/aquavit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055705612382786" /></a><br /><br />a voce in Time warner<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu-oxu8soBfBKC5ZfwTU0eS_uZNJryK-v8eVwPse1Gj6synrEI5DQ7AKujpBqp4R_R9-vrdPcbn4NYmVYzizJWDPvCPBqOmW7HsHsw2KAVTIVPNufph-Jcb1K_IVxf8P_sVa5KxhI1onS/s1600/avoce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu-oxu8soBfBKC5ZfwTU0eS_uZNJryK-v8eVwPse1Gj6synrEI5DQ7AKujpBqp4R_R9-vrdPcbn4NYmVYzizJWDPvCPBqOmW7HsHsw2KAVTIVPNufph-Jcb1K_IVxf8P_sVa5KxhI1onS/s320/avoce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055697793119186" /></a><br /><br />Some awesome China.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gDgzs8uvaRbnI6lmL-5e5mSX-X_vdSPFwFCoGtlfVtjn2ECDEvCkIcsWQBG2Py3qf9AH54DF4Yr21idE6pK9YX5ieKwqYT8Dagsdz-6yBCwgcBQ_S1SCKWfVT2MKvNTqMaEXifh6Ja7S/s1600/bernadaud.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gDgzs8uvaRbnI6lmL-5e5mSX-X_vdSPFwFCoGtlfVtjn2ECDEvCkIcsWQBG2Py3qf9AH54DF4Yr21idE6pK9YX5ieKwqYT8Dagsdz-6yBCwgcBQ_S1SCKWfVT2MKvNTqMaEXifh6Ja7S/s320/bernadaud.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055187656878674" /></a><br /><br />Columbus Circle, from here you can throw a rock in pretty much any direction and hit something with a michelin star, or two, or three.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqOJkGTrNl5CLTHezQyLFQm9lKAo1XzYYP3fMN-WM-gwRvAzgRS6UiijNniwSwbTZVbzDTdwsts68G_G1-5qU_c91bPdWQWGbJ9a3KYHc2szDGhvNW3GxltPlblkD8VTk2T640UAlZdIj/s1600/columbus+circle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqOJkGTrNl5CLTHezQyLFQm9lKAo1XzYYP3fMN-WM-gwRvAzgRS6UiijNniwSwbTZVbzDTdwsts68G_G1-5qU_c91bPdWQWGbJ9a3KYHc2szDGhvNW3GxltPlblkD8VTk2T640UAlZdIj/s320/columbus+circle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055184054087522" /></a><br /><br />The best meal I've had in NYC period! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LUt8op9p6d4JqCFw80AHDH4nmwT8cqCxarZ0b5CMKwC3u1567j9D12Urr8XrGLo34qYukSwbS4OW3a_PM0wScXOi3wn7FVXw_QulZ7L4imij-zCBCE-HUz7dbFHuoKgPNcZ6nWOuVMtX/s1600/marea.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LUt8op9p6d4JqCFw80AHDH4nmwT8cqCxarZ0b5CMKwC3u1567j9D12Urr8XrGLo34qYukSwbS4OW3a_PM0wScXOi3wn7FVXw_QulZ7L4imij-zCBCE-HUz7dbFHuoKgPNcZ6nWOuVMtX/s320/marea.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055163133084386" /></a><br /><br />Heads up, Kitchen Arts and Letters is closed on saturdays during July and August. Sucked, didn't get a chance to go in but I'll be back during Star Chefs ICC in september.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdIA32n6cqs4iXKsYeb4xnL6EjqDVvPZgUfzMkHydxazJHyBjhCAaczN64Lvo-rdgoBz8enQBoGm_CdyKD6YouwJMb07hktrcf4I8V4Utpfj1tdeo_bnDG6pyFSPY-y9mOgom2rvc7hEe/s1600/kitchen+arts+and+letters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdIA32n6cqs4iXKsYeb4xnL6EjqDVvPZgUfzMkHydxazJHyBjhCAaczN64Lvo-rdgoBz8enQBoGm_CdyKD6YouwJMb07hktrcf4I8V4Utpfj1tdeo_bnDG6pyFSPY-y9mOgom2rvc7hEe/s320/kitchen+arts+and+letters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055152996398898" /></a><br /><br />The entrance to all that is holy, JB Prince.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaedhNhc4z5K7LtozVnLLOvY5r0ARV3RVuYWLcqzt2egC6wNcDpUHZDSNS-PRrL66ZhyphenhyphentLIwiLRXd6JrRaFFcMh4cFN-Mi1FHJbULWZANbVpYkxjzW6UglyhLeD_111r1VGDPuoWe3sabc/s1600/jb+prince+entrance.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaedhNhc4z5K7LtozVnLLOvY5r0ARV3RVuYWLcqzt2egC6wNcDpUHZDSNS-PRrL66ZhyphenhyphentLIwiLRXd6JrRaFFcMh4cFN-Mi1FHJbULWZANbVpYkxjzW6UglyhLeD_111r1VGDPuoWe3sabc/s320/jb+prince+entrance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501055141471830146" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1765311868388669454.post-47620423828338415802010-07-22T00:30:00.003-04:002010-07-22T00:56:21.376-04:00FavasWe had some really nice fava beans from Chef's Garden delivered to us and based our one of our tasting items on it. The executive chef of the hotel, Robert Ciborowski, recently returned from the Chef Garden Food and Wine event and he was blown away by the farm tour and claims that the tour made the whole trip for him. The attention to detail and the passion that everyone who works their has for the product is second to none. With that in mind we shuck and tediously peel the favas while they are raw and remove the germ. Our agnolotti filling was a straight up simply seasoned fava puree. We reserved some of the puree and heat it to order to retain the color. The agnolotti are arranged on top of the puree and garnished with more chef garden goodies. Bacon braised mixed mustard greens, micro parsley and baby squash with blossom play a part. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUJYwH65J6cONAmmVdRE7eXmq25jGAMQxY8qXsg2RngA160PbiDhzBbpMGh-k7UUq-MJWQ3uDfzQ7IdBHGlyfA9-4NKVwfoy0t8nU2uKGg3hwN6_72vjRVP0_rENce3y_lsV8adkzN7Vc/s1600/fava+agnolotti.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUJYwH65J6cONAmmVdRE7eXmq25jGAMQxY8qXsg2RngA160PbiDhzBbpMGh-k7UUq-MJWQ3uDfzQ7IdBHGlyfA9-4NKVwfoy0t8nU2uKGg3hwN6_72vjRVP0_rENce3y_lsV8adkzN7Vc/s320/fava+agnolotti.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496584148945708514" /></a><br /><br />Our finishing touch of <a href="http://www.manni.biz/w2d3/v3/view/mannibiz/oli--1/index_en.html">Manni "Per Me"</a> olive oil sealed the deal. If you are not familiar with Armando Manni's olive oil grown from a rare variety of olive that grows only in the Tuscany Region in Italy on the edge of the highest known altitude an olive tree can survive then follow the link and read up.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXIGoRwQHjXdqs1MF0MMRzJHKlCFU3bMzP8DRPEnmRGxdMNmgvajAPIU-biWjv5JDyJVgL_jaWCVZ6jA1XHLYW9-mKga0xpSMTkZ8cKn2TpwAD8gMvE8itRjEGEcpYMFuUtGbvAoaS9mm/s1600/per+me.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 118px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXIGoRwQHjXdqs1MF0MMRzJHKlCFU3bMzP8DRPEnmRGxdMNmgvajAPIU-biWjv5JDyJVgL_jaWCVZ6jA1XHLYW9-mKga0xpSMTkZ8cKn2TpwAD8gMvE8itRjEGEcpYMFuUtGbvAoaS9mm/s320/per+me.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496584139211324210" /></a>chris windushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920306481122010550noreply@blogger.com0