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Top Chef in the House... 

posted by cuisinier at 1:46 PM 2 comments A Vintimate Affair...

Our ultimate "som" and wine guy; Chris came up with this cool concept to run a series of wine and food soires in the dining room a few weeks ago to feature some very unique tastes and pairings of food and grape. It is an opportunity for him and I to showcase what we do best and to provide for a more intimate setting of about 10-12 guests all revolving around this great marriage...enter Vintimate. The first was labeled as Beef & Bordeaux, second was Salmon & Pinot and this last one was Muscovy & Merlot. The worst is that I did not have my camera during the first two dinners. For the record, they all rocked! The guests loved the setting...small, intimate, informative, exciting, excellent tasting and creative on many fronts. Large format wine dinners can be fun, and usually are, but sometimes, something special gets lost when doing large numbers. For me, the food rarely tends to suffer, as I learned long ago from a quote from Daniel Boulud...whether the meal is for 10 or 10,000, just plan accordingly, have the tools and team to do it and make it awesome. That's my focus and I'm stickin' to it. But, in the end, mainly for the guests, it is just not as sexy as a small table of close friends or family to savor over an excellently crafted work of art and fine bottles of vino. The idea is that during the dinner, he will sit with the group and talk about the wine itself, the pairings, the food and why the two pair up really well in a great marriage of taste and texture. It allows the guests to learn more about food and wine pairings without the formality of a large format dinner or the sterility of a class room-style gathering. The creation of the menu begins as simply the heading and I run with it. I am sure that at times it drives him crazy(in a good way) cause my food is not always the easiest to pair wines to. Hopefully he and his team enjoy the challenge. Here is the menu and photos below for your own enjoyment. organic baby carrot sorbet, mango, toasted coconut, carrot oil seared diver scallop "martini"
peas, corn, house cured bacon, heirloom garlic-thyme emulsion,
caramelized garlic "twist" spice crusted Muscovy duck breast, gingerbread pancake, chanterelles
caramelized fennel "sous vide", compressed cherries, oregano blossoms
"claudio corallo" sauce

tuma trifulera "brulee", pluots, hazelnuts, shiitake chips, truffled kettle corn
truffle-late harvest zinfandel vinaigrette

slow roasted heirloom tomatoes, basted in their own caramel & vanilla
lavender ice cream, olive oil sponge, raspberries, bacon praline, basil seeds, lav tuile tomatoes being slow roasted and basted
with vanilla, bay, black pepper, brown sugar, honey and tomato water

posted by cuisinier at 10:25 AM 0 comments Chef's Table Shots...

from tonight...
wild striped bass "chop", fingerling potatoes sous vide, spanish chorizo
charred baby octopus, green olive vierge

from monday...
grilled block island swordfish, farmer's squash, chorizo, tomato sofrito
marjoram blossoms, crispy shallots, jus de poisson
Over the last several nights, we have had a couple chef's tables that warrant some air time. Rather than post them in a singular fashion, and all in and of themselves, I am combining them as to show more of the transformation of thought as the week goes onward. For better or worse, it moves forward. There is no stopping the progression and motion of the food and the kitchen. The life takes on a form of it's own. When energy and a positive attitude are high, we excel. When we are moody, tense, or emotionally spent, the food suffers. There is no way around that. One can not be on top of their game if they are fatigued or not in the right mind. Try it...you'll see. Anyway, we felt good about the flavors and dishes presented within. Fun flavors, fun folks, fun times. Summer rocks...hope you can enjoy the passion as we do...
Monday's Table...
maine lobster "brulee" with citrus dressing, melon-heart of palm salad
honeydew melon "boisson", yogurt-elderflower frozen lollipop
fresh hand-cut pasta "threads", heirloom tomato, basil, dungeness crab
tomato water "vinaigrette"
honey bunches of oats crusted foie gras & scallop
hazelnuts, cacao nibs, pickled red onions, plums
~bouche revigorant~
mango relish, organic carrot sorbet, toasted coconut
slow roasted muscovy duck breast, peas, corn, asparagus, chanterelles
sweet corn emulsion, balsamic infusion
pan roasted loin of lamb, potato gnocchi, caramelized fennel sous vide
chianti jam, bittersweet chocolate essence
Tonight's Table...

spicy buttermilk dipped portuguese sardines

fennel-orange salad, chili aioli, fennel pollen, blood orange dressing

honey bunches of oats crusted foie gras, diver scallop, sauteed pluot

late harvest zinfandel vinegar gastric

spice crusted muscovy duck, gingerbread pancake, chanterelles, carrots

caramelized fennel, elderflower compressed cherries, oregano blossoms


posted by cuisinier at 1:17 AM 0 comments Name: cuisinier


Alinea Cookbook; Grant Achatz (savory).

The Professional Pastry Chef; Bo Friberg (pastry).

The French Laundry; Thomas Keller (savory).

Bouchon; Thomas Keller (savory).

La Riviera d'Alain Ducasse; Alain Ducasse (savory).

White Heat; Marco Pierre White (savory).

L'Atelier of Joel Robuchon; Joel Robuchon (savory).

Simply French; Joel Robuchon (savory).

Mario Batali Collection; Mario Batali (savory/pastry).

Essential Cuisine; Michel Bras (savory).

Charlie Trotter Collection; Charlie Trotter (savory/pastry).

Gotham Bar & Grill Cookbook; Alfred Portale (savory).

Happy in the Kitchen; Michel Richard (savory).

Rover's Cookbook; Thierry Rautureau (savory).

Gordon Ramsay Collection; Gordon Ramsay (savory/pastry).

The Cuisine of Fredy Girardet; Fredy Girardet (savory).

La Nouvelle Cuisine des Desserts; Oriol Balaguer (pastry).

Au Coeur des Saveurs; Frederic Bau (pastry).

The Patisserie of Pierre Herme; Pierre Herme (pastry).

Kiyomi Mikuni (savory).

Art Culinaire-all (savory/pastry).