I know, I know. I don’t look old enough to have two grandsons. But I do. They’re now 6 and 3 and they recently came for a visit.
I reported in this space a little over a year ago about the foods they ate and I now have an update.
The three-year-old, in the year since, continues to subsist on a diet of a “magically delicious” cereal, OJ, other fruit juices, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, French fries, yogurt and string cheese.
The six-year-old, however, continues to eat new foods and, for his age, has a fairly sophisticated palate. Make no mistake, when given the choice he’d go to the Golden Arches in a heartbeat because he, just like your children and grandchildren, is subjected to the relentless and clever marketing tactics of the Clown.
Nevertheless, his mother and father reported with delight that on a recent vacation trip, they were at a restaurant that had a kids’ menu, but when the waitress listed the specials of the evening, the elder child heard “filet mignon,” and wanted to know what it was.
My daughter explained to him that it was a kind of steak and he said, “I’ll have that.” Not only did he finish every last bite, but for the next three nights he ordered steak in one form or another.
At that same restaurant (where one of the specials was filet mignon), the younger one also listened to the waitress list the specials. Among them were crab cakes. He’s three and apparently the only word he heard was “cake.” And so he ordered that and got an unhappy surprise, which eventually was replaced by chicken nuggets.
Fast forward to about a month or so later and I was visiting them in their home back East. I never asked the younger grandson what he wanted for dinner because it’s always the same. But when I ask the older one he often surprises me. In addition to his newfound love of good beef, he also likes salmon in almost any form it comes. I made it poached one night and he gobbled it up. A week later, I grilled it and he loved that, too.
On the side, he loves salad and, while he will only eat iceberg lettuce, he’ll insist on tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, ripe olives and onions. Then he’ll ask to see a variety of dressings. Where does this kid come off loving soy-ginger-vinaigrette?
And unlike his younger brother, ask him what his favorite dinner is and he’ll answer without hesitation: sushi.
Yes, I said sushi. And he doesn’t even wait for you to give him a little dipping bowl of soy sauce – he just tears into the tuna, yellowtail, salmon and California roll. Oh, and he’s getting pretty good with chopsticks, too.
This is a kid I love to cook for. There just aren’t many like him, especially at age 6. On the other hand, his younger brother will probably grow up with his grandfather’s boyhood eating habits: Sugar-loaded cereal for breakfast; PB&J every day for lunch. Something fried for dinner.
Despite my own limited childhood food choices, I turned out OK, but it took many, many years – well past college graduation – before I had the nerve to delve into new and exotic foods. I guess it may well be the same for the younger of my two grandsons. My siblings and childhood friends who remember my eating habits were stunned when they saw me evolve into a culinary professional. Maybe my younger grandson will surprise us one day, too.
Even so, I wonder what my older grandson will ask for the next time I get to cook for him.
Stay tuned.
Follow me on Twitter: @KitchenGuyMT
Monday, September 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Eating New York
When it comes to restaurants, New Yorkers are a no-nonsense bunch. If a restaurant’s offerings aren’t good or the service is poor, usually they’ll be out of business in less than a month. The exception, of course, are the ubiquitous chains and fast food joints that open up their factory-style dining emporiums in and around Times Square.
And having lived in New York City twice in my career, I am reminded every time I go that with the exception of the food and that anything you want is available 24/7, I really don’t miss it. I’m happy that I don’t live there any more.
Nevertheless, at least once a year I make the trek to New York to visit family and friends, do a little business and – very high up on my list of things to do – I eat.
Last week was no exception. Eating in New York is a never-ending adventure with new restaurants opening all the time and long-time restaurants closing to re-invent themselves. The fact is there is great food to be had everywhere in New York. Every cuisine in the world is available in New York. And most of it can be delivered to your apartment or your hotel room.
As a rule, I generally don’t go to restaurants owned by celebrity chefs. Usually, they never cook there; they are always crowded; and they are, without fail, wildly overpriced. But I was invited to a dinner party at Colicchio & Sons, one of several restaurants owned by the celebrity chef Tom Colicchio. If you watch the show, “Top Chef” on Bravo, then you also know Tom Colicchio as the head judge.
The restaurant operated for several years as Craftsteak by Chef Colicchio, but the concept aged quickly and so he decided to reinvigorate or reinvent the restaurant and made the decision to shut down the place, re-do some, but not all of, the interior, re-do the menu, and re-do the concept. I never had the opportunity to eat at Craftsteak (there is still a version of it in Las Vegas), but New York-style steakhouses are a dime a dozen these days – they’re expensive; everything is a la carte; and while the meat is usually very good, there’s no longer anything very special about them.
In my opinion, Colicchio & Sons brings back the “special.” One of the objectives in reinventing the place was for Chef Tom to get back in the kitchen. With his very heavy schedule of TV appearances, I don’t think he’s in the kitchen as often as he would like to be and he certainly wasn’t there last Saturday night. But the food was outstanding from start to finish. The service was flawless – not overly solicitous or imposing.
Now as great as this dining experience was, I was on a separate food mission on this trip. To be sure, there are great restaurants in almost every city and town in this country and there is great food to be had in cities other than New York.
But there’s one thing that New York has that cannot be found anywhere else on this planet – and believe me, I’ve been looking.
There is nothing in this world like a full sour kosher dill pickle and I’ve been trying to explain this to my wife for as long as she and I have known each other. In certain neighborhoods in New York there are stores devoted only to pickles. I have not been able to figure out what it is they do to achieve that taste and texture. But ever since I left New York, I’ve visited delis in every city I’ve been to looking for New York-style full sour kosher dill pickles.
Every place my wife and I have gone where a pickle is served, she asks me if “this is it.” It never is.
So this time, I went to a pickle store. I bought two full sour kosher dill pickles. I asked for extra wrapping and I put them in an air-tight insulated food container. I put that in my carry-on bag and stowed it in the luggage compartment above my seat. I guess it doesn’t matter how well you wrap a New York-style full sour kosher dill pickle. The aroma gets out.
And when you see people sniffing the air, you know that they know that someone has “it.”
On my trip to New York I definitely had more than the two food experiences I wrote about in this piece. I thought you might like to know about the two that were the most memorable.
And having lived in New York City twice in my career, I am reminded every time I go that with the exception of the food and that anything you want is available 24/7, I really don’t miss it. I’m happy that I don’t live there any more.
Nevertheless, at least once a year I make the trek to New York to visit family and friends, do a little business and – very high up on my list of things to do – I eat.
Last week was no exception. Eating in New York is a never-ending adventure with new restaurants opening all the time and long-time restaurants closing to re-invent themselves. The fact is there is great food to be had everywhere in New York. Every cuisine in the world is available in New York. And most of it can be delivered to your apartment or your hotel room.
As a rule, I generally don’t go to restaurants owned by celebrity chefs. Usually, they never cook there; they are always crowded; and they are, without fail, wildly overpriced. But I was invited to a dinner party at Colicchio & Sons, one of several restaurants owned by the celebrity chef Tom Colicchio. If you watch the show, “Top Chef” on Bravo, then you also know Tom Colicchio as the head judge.
The restaurant operated for several years as Craftsteak by Chef Colicchio, but the concept aged quickly and so he decided to reinvigorate or reinvent the restaurant and made the decision to shut down the place, re-do some, but not all of, the interior, re-do the menu, and re-do the concept. I never had the opportunity to eat at Craftsteak (there is still a version of it in Las Vegas), but New York-style steakhouses are a dime a dozen these days – they’re expensive; everything is a la carte; and while the meat is usually very good, there’s no longer anything very special about them.
In my opinion, Colicchio & Sons brings back the “special.” One of the objectives in reinventing the place was for Chef Tom to get back in the kitchen. With his very heavy schedule of TV appearances, I don’t think he’s in the kitchen as often as he would like to be and he certainly wasn’t there last Saturday night. But the food was outstanding from start to finish. The service was flawless – not overly solicitous or imposing.
Now as great as this dining experience was, I was on a separate food mission on this trip. To be sure, there are great restaurants in almost every city and town in this country and there is great food to be had in cities other than New York.
But there’s one thing that New York has that cannot be found anywhere else on this planet – and believe me, I’ve been looking.
There is nothing in this world like a full sour kosher dill pickle and I’ve been trying to explain this to my wife for as long as she and I have known each other. In certain neighborhoods in New York there are stores devoted only to pickles. I have not been able to figure out what it is they do to achieve that taste and texture. But ever since I left New York, I’ve visited delis in every city I’ve been to looking for New York-style full sour kosher dill pickles.
Every place my wife and I have gone where a pickle is served, she asks me if “this is it.” It never is.
So this time, I went to a pickle store. I bought two full sour kosher dill pickles. I asked for extra wrapping and I put them in an air-tight insulated food container. I put that in my carry-on bag and stowed it in the luggage compartment above my seat. I guess it doesn’t matter how well you wrap a New York-style full sour kosher dill pickle. The aroma gets out.
And when you see people sniffing the air, you know that they know that someone has “it.”
On my trip to New York I definitely had more than the two food experiences I wrote about in this piece. I thought you might like to know about the two that were the most memorable.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
"Garlic!" (Applause)
As a television chef I usually have a silent audience of four – the cameramen and my producers.
As a demonstration chef – appearing in supermarkets, fairs and other venues – I have the privilege of interacting with live audiences, some small and some more substantial in number.
There’s a big difference between performing “live” on tape and performing live and in person.
When Emeril Lagasse took his show live on the Food Network a number of years ago, every time he would add garlic to something, his studio audience would break into wild applause. I never understood that. Neither did any of my fellow chefs, especially those of us who were used to doing live demonstrations of the culinary arts.
So a couple of weeks ago when I appeared live at a well-attended county fair, I thought I’d perform an experiment. I did three shows a day for two days. As part of my demonstration, I made a roasted red pepper and tomato soup, one of my favorite things to make in summertime. My recipe calls for six large cloves of garlic that get mixed up with lots of other ingredients in the food processor.
I added my roasted red peppers. I added my tomatoes, the basil, the broth, the salt and pepper, a little hot sauce and then held out the garlic cloves in my hand.
“And finally,” I announced, my voice coming to a crescendo: “SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC!!”
Nothing. You could hear a pin drop.
Okay, so garlic doesn’t get applause anywhere outside of Emeril Lagasse’s studio. Lesson learned.
Next challenge: Rachael Ray made a name for herself preparing 30-minute meals. Normally, in my demonstrations I would show how to make chicken three different ways or three different preparations of pork chops. This season, I decided I’d do a full four-course meal.
And to make it interesting, I thought I would issue a phantom challenge to Rachael Ray. So I would appoint someone in the audience as timekeeper.
With only one exception, my timekeepers lost track of the time. I know I at least matched her in five of my outings just by a casual check of my own watch. The sixth one – the one where the timekeeper actually did his job – I beat her by 18 seconds. Whew! That was close!
By the way, here’s the menu: Appetizer: Garlic Shrimp with Seasoned Breadcrumbs and Black Pepper Aioli; First Course: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup; Entrée: Cinnamon Beef Tagine over Couscous with Dried Fruits accompanied by Brussels Sprout Hash; Dessert: Banana-Pecan Spring Rolls in Caramel Sauce.
Did I mention that I do this with a “handicap” of having only two propane burners and no oven? Pots and pans, spatulas and spoons, whisks and knives are flying everywhere.
Despite the crude set-ups, the gerry-rigged “kitchen” set up on what normally are basketball courts, dance floors, exhibition halls, and the like, I get to do what I love to do – cook for people.
And it really doesn’t matter that my garlic additions get no applause.
Follow me on Twitter: @KitchenGuyMT
As a demonstration chef – appearing in supermarkets, fairs and other venues – I have the privilege of interacting with live audiences, some small and some more substantial in number.
There’s a big difference between performing “live” on tape and performing live and in person.
When Emeril Lagasse took his show live on the Food Network a number of years ago, every time he would add garlic to something, his studio audience would break into wild applause. I never understood that. Neither did any of my fellow chefs, especially those of us who were used to doing live demonstrations of the culinary arts.
So a couple of weeks ago when I appeared live at a well-attended county fair, I thought I’d perform an experiment. I did three shows a day for two days. As part of my demonstration, I made a roasted red pepper and tomato soup, one of my favorite things to make in summertime. My recipe calls for six large cloves of garlic that get mixed up with lots of other ingredients in the food processor.
I added my roasted red peppers. I added my tomatoes, the basil, the broth, the salt and pepper, a little hot sauce and then held out the garlic cloves in my hand.
“And finally,” I announced, my voice coming to a crescendo: “SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC!!”
Nothing. You could hear a pin drop.
Okay, so garlic doesn’t get applause anywhere outside of Emeril Lagasse’s studio. Lesson learned.
Next challenge: Rachael Ray made a name for herself preparing 30-minute meals. Normally, in my demonstrations I would show how to make chicken three different ways or three different preparations of pork chops. This season, I decided I’d do a full four-course meal.
And to make it interesting, I thought I would issue a phantom challenge to Rachael Ray. So I would appoint someone in the audience as timekeeper.
With only one exception, my timekeepers lost track of the time. I know I at least matched her in five of my outings just by a casual check of my own watch. The sixth one – the one where the timekeeper actually did his job – I beat her by 18 seconds. Whew! That was close!
By the way, here’s the menu: Appetizer: Garlic Shrimp with Seasoned Breadcrumbs and Black Pepper Aioli; First Course: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup; Entrée: Cinnamon Beef Tagine over Couscous with Dried Fruits accompanied by Brussels Sprout Hash; Dessert: Banana-Pecan Spring Rolls in Caramel Sauce.
Did I mention that I do this with a “handicap” of having only two propane burners and no oven? Pots and pans, spatulas and spoons, whisks and knives are flying everywhere.
Despite the crude set-ups, the gerry-rigged “kitchen” set up on what normally are basketball courts, dance floors, exhibition halls, and the like, I get to do what I love to do – cook for people.
And it really doesn’t matter that my garlic additions get no applause.
Follow me on Twitter: @KitchenGuyMT
Monday, August 16, 2010
GARLIC! (Applause)
As a television chef I usually have a silent audience of four – the cameramen and my producers.
As a demonstration chef – appearing in supermarkets, fairs and other venues – I have the privilege of interacting with live audiences, some small and some more substantial in number.
There’s a big difference between performing “live” on tape and performing live and in person.
When Emeril Lagasse took his show live on the Food Network a number of years ago, every time he would add garlic to something, his studio audience would break into wild applause. I never understood that. Neither did any of my fellow chefs, especially those of us who were used to doing live demonstrations of the culinary arts.
So a couple of weeks ago when I appeared live at a well-attended county fair, I thought I’d perform an experiment. I did three shows a day for two days. As part of my demonstration, I made a roasted red pepper and tomato soup, one of my favorite things to make in summertime. My recipe calls for six large cloves of garlic that get mixed up with lots of other ingredients in the food processor.
I added my roasted red peppers. I added my tomatoes, the basil, the broth, the salt and pepper, a little hot sauce and then held out the garlic cloves in my hand.
“And finally,” I announced, my voice coming to a crescendo: “SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC!!”
Nothing. You could hear a pin drop.
Okay, so garlic doesn’t get applause anywhere outside of Emeril Lagasse’s studio. Lesson learned.
Next challenge: Rachael Ray made a name for herself preparing 30-minute meals. Normally, in my demonstrations I would show how to make chicken three different ways or three different preparations of pork chops. This season, I decided I’d do a full four-course meal.
And to make it interesting, I thought I would issue a phantom challenge to Rachael Ray. So I would appoint someone in the audience as timekeeper.
With only one exception, my timekeepers lost track of the time. I know I at least matched her in five of my outings just by a casual check of my own watch. The sixth one – the one where the timekeeper actually did his job – I beat her by 18 seconds. Whew! That was close!
By the way, here’s the menu: Appetizer: Garlic Shrimp with Seasoned Breadcrumbs and Black Pepper Aioli; First Course: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup; Entrée: Cinnamon Beef Tagine over Couscous with Dried Fruits accompanied by Brussels Sprout Hash; Dessert: Banana-Pecan Spring Rolls in Caramel Sauce.
Did I mention that I do this with a “handicap” of having only two propane burners and no oven? Pots and pans, spatulas and spoons, whisks and knives are flying everywhere.
Despite the crude set-ups, the gerry-rigged “kitchen” set up on what normally are basketball courts, dance floors, exhibition halls, and the like, I get to do what I love to do – cook for people.
And it really doesn’t matter that my garlic additions get no applause.
Follow me on Twitter: @KitchenGuyMT
As a demonstration chef – appearing in supermarkets, fairs and other venues – I have the privilege of interacting with live audiences, some small and some more substantial in number.
There’s a big difference between performing “live” on tape and performing live and in person.
When Emeril Lagasse took his show live on the Food Network a number of years ago, every time he would add garlic to something, his studio audience would break into wild applause. I never understood that. Neither did any of my fellow chefs, especially those of us who were used to doing live demonstrations of the culinary arts.
So a couple of weeks ago when I appeared live at a well-attended county fair, I thought I’d perform an experiment. I did three shows a day for two days. As part of my demonstration, I made a roasted red pepper and tomato soup, one of my favorite things to make in summertime. My recipe calls for six large cloves of garlic that get mixed up with lots of other ingredients in the food processor.
I added my roasted red peppers. I added my tomatoes, the basil, the broth, the salt and pepper, a little hot sauce and then held out the garlic cloves in my hand.
“And finally,” I announced, my voice coming to a crescendo: “SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC!!”
Nothing. You could hear a pin drop.
Okay, so garlic doesn’t get applause anywhere outside of Emeril Lagasse’s studio. Lesson learned.
Next challenge: Rachael Ray made a name for herself preparing 30-minute meals. Normally, in my demonstrations I would show how to make chicken three different ways or three different preparations of pork chops. This season, I decided I’d do a full four-course meal.
And to make it interesting, I thought I would issue a phantom challenge to Rachael Ray. So I would appoint someone in the audience as timekeeper.
With only one exception, my timekeepers lost track of the time. I know I at least matched her in five of my outings just by a casual check of my own watch. The sixth one – the one where the timekeeper actually did his job – I beat her by 18 seconds. Whew! That was close!
By the way, here’s the menu: Appetizer: Garlic Shrimp with Seasoned Breadcrumbs and Black Pepper Aioli; First Course: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup; Entrée: Cinnamon Beef Tagine over Couscous with Dried Fruits accompanied by Brussels Sprout Hash; Dessert: Banana-Pecan Spring Rolls in Caramel Sauce.
Did I mention that I do this with a “handicap” of having only two propane burners and no oven? Pots and pans, spatulas and spoons, whisks and knives are flying everywhere.
Despite the crude set-ups, the gerry-rigged “kitchen” set up on what normally are basketball courts, dance floors, exhibition halls, and the like, I get to do what I love to do – cook for people.
And it really doesn’t matter that my garlic additions get no applause.
Follow me on Twitter: @KitchenGuyMT
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Potato-Salmon Mini Bites
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Burgers and Cupcakes
How much would you pay for a really good hamburger? By the same token, what’s a tasty cupcake worth to you?
It’s hard to believe that after all these years of promoting food and the finer points of the culinary profession on the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, Bravo, and many other outlets (even Fox), that the hottest trend wouldn’t be some fancy-schmancy preparation or an exotic cuisine.
No, the hottest culinary trend right now happens to be hamburgers and cupcakes. They’re all the rage in the culinary hotspots of the major cities around the U.S.
Several of the best competitors from past seasons of Top Chef have opened one or more gourmet hamburger joints in Atlanta and Washington D.C. And they’re now popping up all over the country, giving McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s a run for their money.
You want fast food burgers, meat origins unknown? Fine. Go to a fast food joint. You want a burger made from top grade beef, all origins known, then go to Top Chef favorite Spike Mendelsohn’s (the guy with the retro ‘50s hat) place in D.C. or Top Chef finalist Richard Blais’ (he’s the guy who did all that molecular gastronomy hocus-pocus) in Atlanta. They’re serving up all kinds of burger concoctions at premium prices, with fries and shakes (also at prices in the stratosphere).
And then there is this accompanying trend for bakers to dedicate shops only to cupcakes, some for $50 a dozen (or more!).
This trend surprises me. I’ve always cooked by the motto that simple is best, but burgers and cupcakes? That, to me, takes simplicity a bit far, especially when talented chefs forego the rigors of menu planning and cooking or baking up to their abilities and then attach filet mignon prices to hamburgers and wedding cake prices to cupcakes.
Don’t get me wrong. I love burgers and I love cupcakes. And I’ll bet most of you reading this do, too.
But I don’t get what the big deal is about taking ground beef and fancy-ing it up with shallots instead of onions; arugula instead of lettuce; papaya instead of tomato. By the same token, how much would you be willing to pay for cupcakes that contain Tahitian vanilla, as opposed to Mexican vanilla; organic raspberries rather than California strawberries?
I’m a fine dining aficionado, but I also like simple everyday foods. Most of my clients have hired me to cook for them because they like my concept of “Ethnic American.” It’s the way I brand my version of comfort food with my own twists thrown in.
Yet if I were to price my meatloaf, for instance, at $45.00 – even if I had used Wagyu or Kobe beef – I think I would be run out of town. Or at least out of business.
I suppose if some people are willing to pay a couple of bucks for a bottle of water that’s alleged to come from a special spring in France, or three or four bucks or more for a cup of fancy coffee, I also suppose there are plenty of folks willing to line up and throw money at a doo-dad burger or hoop-de-doo cupcake.
I don’t know about you, but on this subject, I’m with P.T. Barnum.
Follow me on Twitter @KitchenGuyMT or my blog at http://kitchenguybychefjim.blogspot.com
It’s hard to believe that after all these years of promoting food and the finer points of the culinary profession on the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, Bravo, and many other outlets (even Fox), that the hottest trend wouldn’t be some fancy-schmancy preparation or an exotic cuisine.
No, the hottest culinary trend right now happens to be hamburgers and cupcakes. They’re all the rage in the culinary hotspots of the major cities around the U.S.
Several of the best competitors from past seasons of Top Chef have opened one or more gourmet hamburger joints in Atlanta and Washington D.C. And they’re now popping up all over the country, giving McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s a run for their money.
You want fast food burgers, meat origins unknown? Fine. Go to a fast food joint. You want a burger made from top grade beef, all origins known, then go to Top Chef favorite Spike Mendelsohn’s (the guy with the retro ‘50s hat) place in D.C. or Top Chef finalist Richard Blais’ (he’s the guy who did all that molecular gastronomy hocus-pocus) in Atlanta. They’re serving up all kinds of burger concoctions at premium prices, with fries and shakes (also at prices in the stratosphere).
And then there is this accompanying trend for bakers to dedicate shops only to cupcakes, some for $50 a dozen (or more!).
This trend surprises me. I’ve always cooked by the motto that simple is best, but burgers and cupcakes? That, to me, takes simplicity a bit far, especially when talented chefs forego the rigors of menu planning and cooking or baking up to their abilities and then attach filet mignon prices to hamburgers and wedding cake prices to cupcakes.
Don’t get me wrong. I love burgers and I love cupcakes. And I’ll bet most of you reading this do, too.
But I don’t get what the big deal is about taking ground beef and fancy-ing it up with shallots instead of onions; arugula instead of lettuce; papaya instead of tomato. By the same token, how much would you be willing to pay for cupcakes that contain Tahitian vanilla, as opposed to Mexican vanilla; organic raspberries rather than California strawberries?
I’m a fine dining aficionado, but I also like simple everyday foods. Most of my clients have hired me to cook for them because they like my concept of “Ethnic American.” It’s the way I brand my version of comfort food with my own twists thrown in.
Yet if I were to price my meatloaf, for instance, at $45.00 – even if I had used Wagyu or Kobe beef – I think I would be run out of town. Or at least out of business.
I suppose if some people are willing to pay a couple of bucks for a bottle of water that’s alleged to come from a special spring in France, or three or four bucks or more for a cup of fancy coffee, I also suppose there are plenty of folks willing to line up and throw money at a doo-dad burger or hoop-de-doo cupcake.
I don’t know about you, but on this subject, I’m with P.T. Barnum.
Follow me on Twitter @KitchenGuyMT or my blog at http://kitchenguybychefjim.blogspot.com
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)