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What Would You Do?

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:00:44 -0700

We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's today's scenario:

Your parents are visiting from out of town. You want to take them out to a nice but not too fancy dinner as a send-off, but it's Sunday and lots of places are closed. You've been wandering around for a while, and now everyone is hungry! You duck into one of the city's regarded restaurants on the off chance they have a table, and they do.

When you sit down, you realize this is much more of a fine dining experience than you were seeking. Three-course meals are the only option, and the price tag is high.

Not quite French Laundry level, but you were looking for something more casual. You can afford it, and since you're already seated, it's awkward to leave. What do you do? It happened to me, actually. Find out what I did.

A Memorable Meal at Masa's

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:50:33 -0700

Even as a food writer, it's not every day that I experience flawless fine dining. But several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of enjoying a dégustation, or tasting, at Masa's, a Michelin-starred restaurant known for its elevation of California-French cuisine. Not only were chef Gregory Short's creations exquisite, but the wine pairings were indelible and the service exceptional. To get a glimpse of the dinner, read on.
Photography by Michelle Walker

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Thomas Keller in the Frozen Food Aisle?

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:18:37 -0700

The man behind the Best Restaurant in America is surprising everyone with a new frozen food line. The folks at Bloomberg are reporting that Thomas Keller - owner of The French Laundry and Per Se - has designed and placed his name on two frozen dishes for FiveLeaf, a unit of Cuisine Solutions Inc. The first one, Mac and Cheese Lobster with Orzo will be pitched to retail stores soon.

In addition to his new frozen food line and two fancy pants fine dining establishments, Keller has two bistros, an American family-style spot, two bakeries and a catering operation. If this sounds like too much for one man to control, I might mention that Keller is also planning to open a meat shop, an inn at the French Laundry and a hamburger and wine restaurant.

When asked why he's willing to spread out his empire, Keller explained that it was mostly due to his staff. By creating advanced placement possibilities for his current employees.

"To maintain the consistency and quality of the staff, you have to give them opportunities."

However, all of this Keller leaves some food critics skeptical. San Francisco Chronicle editor Michael Bauer made comparisons to Wolfgang Puck and wondered if the fine dining brand could work with frozen food.

"Once you get into frozen food and pizzas, your fine dining brand gets a little fuzzed out."

Either way, I know I can't wait to try Keller's fancy mac and cheese, how about you?

Source

Exercise in Excess: The French Laundry Part 3

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 05:58:39 -0700

After the first two parts of my French Laundry excursion, I've arrived at the final installment: the cheese & dessert. I must say, although I was ridiculously full at this point, I somehow managed to make room - which actually came as no surprise. The night we were there, Thomas Keller was actually at a big Food & Wine event in Aspen. However the man pictured, Corey Lee, the chef de cuisine, really took care of us. The entire evening was a fantastic (if not overly hot and stuffy - it was 109F outside when we started our meal!) experience. To see how the number one restaurant in America does dessert read more

After the proteins were finished, we headed straight to the cheese course. We all had the chef's tasting menu, so we were all presented with "Brescianella Aquavite" French Laundry Garden Beets, Bing Cherry Purée, Toasted Pecans and Watercress Leaves. Now I'm a huge stinky, gooey cheese fan, but I met my match that evening. Partially because I was full, but mostly because of the heat - with it being over 100F outside, earthy, pungent cheese was the last thing I wanted in my mouth.

After they whisked the cheese away (which I know is really sad, I still don't understand how I of all people could let cheese go), we were presented with a beautiful "Glace de Fruits Exotiques" Pineapple "Granité," Lilikoi and Coconut Sauce. This dish was nice and light and my warm palate definitely appreciated the bit of cooling down.

With our palates cleared, it was time for dessert. Jimmy opted for the "Composition de Chocolat Italien" Amedei Gianduja Chocolate "Creme Patissiere," Toscano Nut Brownie and "Nougat Glacé" while I ordered the "Summer Pudding" with French Laundry Garden Lemon Verbena Ice Cream and Summer Berry "Compote." Here's where I'm not sure what happened. I only had one bite of Jimmy's, it was delicious, but not mind-blowing - whereas mine could have been mind-blowing, but instead it was just awkward. I really wish I had also managed to get the size of the spoon it was served with into the picture. In my opinion, it was way too large for the mouth of the glass. When I tried to get a spoonful of all the layers (which when possible, was the best way to eat it), it was nearly impossible. I ended up with mouthfuls of lemon verbena ice cream foam and later, mouthfuls of mushy compote. It was oddly tragic as all the flavors were amazing. Definitely a fault in the plating (or was it simply just the spoon?) and not the dessert itself.

Once our slightly tragic desserts were devoured (I guess they weren't that tragic afterall) we moved on to the mignardises (sweet treats!). First up was either a creme brulée or fruit trifle. Jimmy received the trifle and me the brulée. Upon tasting each other's dishes, we promptly swapped plates. The trifle was a delight, and although I practically had fine dining coming out of my ears, I could have easily eaten another.

Next we were presented with chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and then, a few minutes later, an empty silver plate. At first we were a little perplexed - the wine and food slowing down our thought processes - and then we realized it was for the truffles. That's right it was now time to choose from an assortment of truffles: peanut butter, coffee, strawberry & pepper, caramel, hazelnut. Then, nearly four hours after we began, we were given the check, some shortbread wrapped in ribbon and kindly asked if we would like to "retire to the outside courtyard" where it was cooler. We kindly accepted the suggestion only to realize 10 minutes later that it was by far the nicest way we'd ever been kicked out of a restaurant!

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Exercise in Excess: The French Laundry Part 2

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:01:18 -0700

Yesterday I walked you through the first part of my extravagant time at the French Laundry, and while everything I posted was definitely tasty, you guys haven't even seen the meat of the story (bad pun intended). Today I'll take you from fish course to beef and all the lovely bits in-between.

After the foie gras, the next course was either Filet of American Red Snapper with Summer Squash, San Marzano Tomato "Fondue," Cuttlefish and Arugula-Castelvetrano Olive Pudding (shown right) or Spanish Mackerel "En Escabeche" with Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm, English Cucumbers, Cilantro Shoots, Haas Avocado "Coulis" and Rangpur Lime "Gastrique" (shown above). I ordered the snapper, while Jimmy ordered the mackerel. When our dishes arrived I was envious of his dish - the presentation was so gorgeous - however after tasting both of them, his fell a little flat and I was certain I picked the winning dish.

To see what's up next (and believe me, the best parts are next),read more

Once the fish was devoured, they presented us with a selection of fresh baked breads. There were some delicious choices, but my favorite was definitely the pretzel bread. [Note to self: get recipe for pretzel bread.]

With the bread out of the way, we moved on to the lobster course, or as the menu said: Lobster Tail "Pochée Au Beurre Doux" with Caramelized Cipollini Onions, Oregon Hazelnuts, Sunchoke Purée and Valrhona Chocolate-Coffee Emulsion. I believe this was my favorite part of the meal, as it was perfectly cooked and paired well with the sauce. Also, whenever anyone asks how my experience was, I immediately tell them about the lobster, so this must've been my favorite part.

After the lobster it was time for either All-Day Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Brentwood Corn, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Piquillo Peppers, Fava Beans and "Pimenton Jus" (shown right) or Devil's Gulch Ranch Rabbit Shoulder "Farci Au Ris De Veau" with Jacobsen's Farm La Ratte Potatoes, Lovage, Celery Branch and Apricot Mustard (aka fancy pants rabbit lollipop that my fellow diners wished they ordered instead).

Finally, rounding out the main course, and pushing out my waistline, was the "Chateaubriand" of Nature-Fed Veal with Morel Mushrooms, Green Asparagus, Veal Cheek "Pierogi" and Madeira Sauce. This might actually have been the highlight of the feast. However, at this point I had way too many glasses of wine and far too much brioche to fully enjoy it. In fact, I'm ashamed to say, I actually had to GIVE 1/3 of it to my fellow diners. I also couldn't down all the pierogi, which was a crying shame because they were delicious.

Now wipe up your drool, because after a little breather (seriously, I had to get up for a minute and catch my breath and appetite), we'll hit the cheese & dessert courses tomorrow - so be sure to come back!

Exercise in Excess: Feasting at The French Laundry

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:01:31 -0700

A little while back, I confessed to never having eaten at a single one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Well, last week I finally fixed that by dining at Thomas Keller's number 4 ranked (number 1 in the US) The French Laundry of Yountville, CA (Napa wine country). The menu there consists of two options: the chef's tasting menu or the taste of vegetables menu, so unfortunately there's no popping in and ordering a la carte. In fact, there's no popping in of any sort - we had our reservations booked two months in advance, and even those were hard to come by. The meal itself is rather pricey, but I felt worth it for the food, atmosphere service and experience. It's not something I could see myself doing often, mostly for financial reasons. When I told everyone that I went, the first question was, "was it worth it?" followed shortly by, "what did you eat?" To find out the answers and see a parade of delectable pictures, read more

The evening started off by being presented bottles of both still and sparkling water. The still water was from Hildon and my friend Eric made sure that I noted that the bottle said it was "An English Natural Mineral Water of Exceptional Taste." Once we were settled in with waters, we (there were four of us) all decided to go with the Chef's tasting menu. The vegetable menu looked great, but I knew I would be sad not to get the chef's menu. Once our menus were chosen and our variations (a few dishes had options) selected, it was time for the amuse-bouches.

The two amuses were little gougeres (cheese bread puffs) served on a warm plate, and red onion crème fraiche filled, black sesame cornets topped with salmon tartare. I could have eaten just these and been quite a happy camper.

Next up is the "Oysters and Pearls," "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Beau Soleil Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar. This is one of of the only dishes that is served just about every evening, and after tasting it, I know exactly why. The oysters were great, the caviar delectable and the texture amazingly creamy. It was like a savory tapioca pudding, everything just melted in my mouth. They followed this up with one of the best breads I'd ever eaten. A "brioche-like" roll and I must say, if this recipe is in either the French Laundry or the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, this will be disaster for my waistline.

After the caviar it was time for Moulard Duck "Foie Gras Au Torchon" "Compressed" Strawberries, Purple Top Turnips, Frisée Lettuce and Black Truffle "Gastrique" served with fresh buttery rich brioche. This dish was smooth, creamy and totally my undoing. I should have eaten only part of it, but I devoured it instead. In fact, I had more than one helping of brioche. Along with the brioche, the foie gras was also served with a trio of fancy salts.

At this point we were only 2 of 9 courses in to the meal, and on our 3rd glass of wine. Like I said, the whole evening was an exercise in excess! Be sure to come back for tomorrow for part 2 of my French Laundry recap!

Dine With the Pharaohs for Less Than $10,000

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:58:19 -0700

Extreme eaters mark your calendars. And well actually, by extreme I mean people who want to/can afford to spend a lot of money on food. And by a lot of money I mean a LOT of money. Remember how I told you about the $25,000 dinner in Thailand? Well on December 12, 2008 (that's over a year away, you can start saving now), master 3-star Michelin chefs from around the globe will head to the ancient pyramids in Egypt to cook a dinner for over 500 diners. But hey, compared to Thailand, this is going to be a bargain. The price isn't confirmed, but organizers say it will cost less than $10,000 per person.

A kitchen, half a mile long, will be set up with the pyramids in the background. Also, unlike the Thailand meal that was mostly French cuisine, this time the menu will be "culturally diverse and paired with fine wines from around the world."

How close to the pyramids is also yet to be decided, it depends on the Egyptian government and UNESCO (the pyramids, after all, are a World Heritage site). Some of the profits from the meal may be given to charity (my theory is that is probably the only way they will be able to get close enough).

I don't know what you guys think, but it sounds horribly tacky and horribly AWESOME. So hey, like I said, it's at a bargain price and is over a year away. Start saving now and I'm sure you'll have enough, right?!?

Source: Contra Costa Times

Thailand's $25,000 Dinner

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:33:40 -0800

First of all, if I was awesome, this post would have been called "One Night in Bangkok," but sadly someone else already used it. Since I'm not that awesome, I'm going to just cut to the chase. This past Saturday night 40-some high-rolling diners headed to Bangkok, Thailand for a 10-course, $25,000 meal.

Yes, I said $25,000. Per person.

To learn what would make a meal worth $25,000, read more

Branded with the name "Epicurean Masters of the World," the dinner was cooked by six 3-star Michelin chefs (four from France, one from Germany and one from Italy). The meal consisted of intricate items such as "tartar of Kobe beef with Imperial Beluga caviar and Belon oysters," "couquille Saint-Jacques and truffles," and "mousseline of 'pattes rouges' crayfish with morel mushroom infusion."

Oh and those truffles I just mentioned? Each plate contained 3 1/2 ounces, that's $350 of truffles on each plate. Think that's decadent? The evening's wine cost more than $200,000.

Ultimately, the event was for charity, (most of the profits will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Chaipattana Foundation, a rural development program set up by the king of Thailand) and consisted of 15 paying guests and 25 invited guests. Tell me, how can I get on the next guest list!?

Thanks to GiggleSugar for the tip. I think it was her way of saying thanks for the inflatable swan I found for her.

Source: My Way News

What's Cooking at Slashfood

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:28 -0700

We love Slashfood so much that every Thursday we round up their most delicious stories. Here are this week's finds:

Rachael Ray had a special guest at her school lunch menu launch: a cockroach.
KFC's third grilled chicken giveaway seemed to have gone smoothly.
The best Internet meme cakes on the Web.
The recession has forced Iceland's only McDonald's franchisee to close.
Is it OK for restaurant servers to wait tables dressed in costume?
How is it that so many fine dining institutions still manage to serve bad coffee?

Happy Hour: Kiwi Cobbler

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:00:42 -0700

Last week at the market, I spotted some New Zealand kiwis for a good price. I know they're not local and organic, but they simply looked too plump and verdant to pass up, so I bought a ton. And, when life handed me a bunch of kiwis, what did I do? Make a kiwi cobbler, of course.

I'm a sucker for muddled fruit cocktails, and this one from Boston fine-dining institution Radius is no exception. I love how fresh it tastes with one whole kiwi, torn mint, and a splash of seltzer. Make it in a minute when you read more