vengroff

Never went to Campton Place, but I did have Manrique's food when he visited Lake Placid last summer. I enjoyed it and made a mental note to visit CP next time I am in San Francisco. I guess I can cross that off my list...

Sorry Steve, I should have mentioned we spent $112 per person for the seven course creazione. I think three courses went for $74, five for $94 plus or minus a couple of dollars. With wine, the bill broke $400 pre-tip for the two of us.

I took my wife to Maestro for her birthday this weekend. We both enjoyed it immensely, and I can't wait for another special occasion to go back. The food was very impressive, both in concept and in execution. On top of that, the atmosphere was simply electric. It makes for an exceptional overall experience. The first thing you notice when you enter Maestro's main dining room is that the kitchen is open in the extreme. The dining room and the kitchen are virtually one. I could talk about the Versace china, the richly textured wallpaper, or the cute little animal sculptures on each table that are made entirely from cutlery. I won't though, because once you settle into your seat, none of these really seem to matter compared to the acres of stainless steel, copper, and cast iron on display and at work in the kitchen. We were fortunate enough to obtain one of the tables directly adjacent to the kitchen. I highly recommend requesting one when you make a reservation. Of course, if you prefer, the dining room also has some quieter, more discrete corners. The only thing that separates the kitchen from the diners is a small island. This is where chef Fabio Trabocchi and one or two of his assistants handle final plating and presentation of the more intricate dishes. The nearest diners are just a few feet away. Behind the chef, a brigade of about twenty cooks work three savory lines and a separate pastry kitchen. Things were already going at full tilt when we arrived at 8pm. Everyone and everything in the kitchen was in motion, yet there was an air of absolute control. Every action was precise, every move deliberate. It was like watching an elegantly choreographed ballet. One of the most amazing parts of the ongoing spectacle was that there was essentially no kitchen noise in the dining room. It was almost eery to realize that despite the frenzy of activity nearby, we could easily carry on a conversation in a normal tone of voice. How, we wondered, could the cooks possibly be communicating? Looking carefully, we could see that everyone in the kitchen had a tiny secret service style ear-piece in one ear and a microphone clipped to their collar. With little more than a whisper, they were all in full communication. Eager to see what this magnificent looking kitchen could put on a plate, we began pouring over the menu. Maestro's menu has three sections, "La Tradizione," a collection of traditional Italian dishes emphasizing fresh ingredients, and updated for the modern palate, "L'Evoluzione," which incorporates elements of other cuisines, and "La Creazione," the chef's customized tasting menu in four, five, or seven courses. Eager for all there was to experience, decided on the seven course creazione. Our waiter had explained that we could offer as much or as little advice as we wished in how to construct our meal. Anything from, "I'm allergic to shellfish and I hate beets," to "Just cook for me." We opted to focus on seafood, with only a single meat course, followed by cheese and dessert. We also asked that the pasta course be the gnocchi with bacalao and black truffles. Our waiter asked if we both wanted the gnocchi, or just one. The reason, it turned out, was that for most of the courses we were each served a different dish. I had never seen this done on a tasting menu before, but it is a brilliant idea. Although we would be served in seven courses, we would actually sample a dozen dishes. Alas, if it had only been seven courses. By the time all was said and done, well over four hours later, our waiters had delivered no less than twelve plates to each of us. There were two amuses, five savory courses, cheese, two pre-desserts, dessert, and chocolates. I did not take notes or bring a camera, but I've reconstructed the meal as best I can from memory. Please forgive me if I miss a tidbit or two. What I do cover will obviously be the aspects that left the greatest impressions on me. Amuse I - Salmon tartare with black olive tapenade in a crunch savory thimble. This was a pleasant, if fairly standard welcome to the table. It was straightforward and, I suspect, designed to appeal to the palates of a wide spectrum of diners. After all, we would be heading in very different directions once it came time to order. Amuse II - Langostine soup with ouzo cream. Once our menus had been taken and we had begun to discuss wine options with the sommelier, two demitasses of rich shellfish reduction were delivered. Along with the anise, there was an undertone of ginger that really held things together. 1a. Pate de foie gras with dates, foie gras mousse, and rustic grilled bread. 1b. Salmon and tuna tartare, with langostine, dungeness crab, and caviar. The foie presentation was tremendous. It was like a slice of a three layer cake perfectly iced with a sweet fruity jelly. Opposite corners of the plate were decorated with an airy foie mousse and a pair of sticky dates. The pate itself was smooth and mild. The salmon and tuna were presented in one inch squares, lightly drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt. Adding anything more to them would have been wholly superfluous. I didn't get a chance to sample any of the rest of the plate, but it was reported to be very good. 2. Bacalao gnocchi with black truffles, truffle sauce and balsamic vinegar. This was the star dish of the evening. The gnocchi were not the fluffy potato dumplings you are used to. Instead, their shape was reminiscent of dim-sum dumplings. A round pasta shell was folded over a salt cod filling and crimped together where the edges met. Each dumpling was topped with a slice of black truffle. A rich truffle sauce, some pesto, and aged balsamic vinegar finished the dish. Every taste and texture here was perfect. My wife, who is well known to be a gnocchi junkie, was over the moon. 3a. Seared sea scallop on a bed of salsify in a scallop shell. 3b. Sea urchin and its roe with porcini mushrooms and dill, served in the shell. Both of these dishes were presented on a base of rock salt. Out waiter made a point of advising us that the salt was there to stabilize the shells on the plates, and that it was not edible. Obviously there had been some kind of salt incident in the past and he was keen not to see it repeated. The scallop was seared golden brown on each side. The salsify was very interestingly flavored. It featured a combination of spices not commonly found in savory dishes in western cuisine. These included vanilla, and one or more of the "cookie spices". It had a very clear caramel sweetness that I have enjoyed in vietnamese cuisine. The sea urchin was about 5" in diameter. The meat and roe had been removed and prepared with mushrooms in a seafood and mushroom sauce, probably thickened with the roe itself. The mixture was returned to the shell, then piled high with more mushrooms and dill. The roe was silky smooth and the meat of the sea urchin was soft and sweet. Mushroom essense infused everyhing. It was the single best sea urchin dish I have ever had. I could have eaten three or four of them. 4a. Hay-smoked turbot 4b. John dory with wild mushrooms, squid, and squid ink sauce. I had heard about the turbot dish before, and was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I thought it was the weak point of the meal. It was simply too smoky for either of us to enjoy. There wasn't really a chance for any other flavor component to assert itself. The john dory dish, on the other hand, offered several different flavors that were interesting both alone and together. Alongside the fish, four or five different varieties of wild mushrooms were sauteed until just tender, then presented with small calamari and a sauce of their ink. We had started with a couple of glasses of Veuve Clicquot, and for the past few courses had been drinking a 2001 Miner "Simpson's Vineyard" Viognier. I don't drink a tremendous amount of white wine, but this is one of my favorites. It had some nice citrus to go with the seafood we had been eating. With our meat course, we had our eye on a half bottle of '94 Opus One. Unfortunately, the sommelier informed us that he had sold the last bottle the day before, but neglected to reprint that page of the list. Instead, he offered us a '98 Auraujo Eisele Cabernet for the same price. It had soft tannins and a lot of fruit. It showed that even in a year when the weather isn't great, experienced growers and skilled winemakers can put together something very enjoyable to drink. When we were talking about the wine, it came up that although the list is very broad, with excellent coverage of Italy and California, it is for the most part very youthful. For example, I don't think there was a single Barolo older than '96. The sommelier (I regret not making a note of his name) explained that Virginia's restrictive import laws make it very hard for him to take full advantage of the world wine market. For example, he said that with a single phone call he could have several cases of outstanding '90 Barolos on the next FedEx flight into Dulles. However, it would be in total violation of state law. I hope that the recent bill that will allow consumers to import 2 cases a month extends some similar privilege to restaurants. But enough about the wine, back to the food... 5a. Rare seared veal with sweetbreads, braised beef cheeks, and mashed potato. 5b. Seared beef steak stuffed with foie gras confit, topped with shaved black truffle and accompanied by port-wine sauce and celery root. The beef cheeks put the veal to shame. Tangy and gelatinous, they melted into the potatoes that topped them. The veal, by contrast offered more resistance than to the knife than I would have expected. Sweetbreads were crisp and tasty. The beef and foie dish was presented with its port sauce in a small ramekin atop a ceramic tower on the place. A candle under the tower kept the sauce warm. The presentation was a bit of a gimmick, but the tastes worked well. Although the beef was sliced very thin before rolling, it was still well seared at the surface yet rare near the filling. It was a very beefy beef, and we enjoyed it both with and without the truffles and port sauce. 6. A selection of eight cheeses. We had four each, but ended up sharing most of them. The cart looked good from a distance, but upon closer inspection it did not have the variety I would have hoped for. In particular, not a single sheep's milk cheese was offered. We did have a good stilton, a couple of nice goat cheeses, and a creamy gorganzola. We also liked a hard salty Italian wine-washed cheese whose name I can no longer remember. The cheeses were served with what was advertised as an apple jelly. It reminded me very much of membrillo. Pre-dessert: Lychee panna cotta with homemade grappa. A silky smooth panna cotta served in the same glass demitasse as the soup we began with. I think the lychee worked very well. It's an underused flavor in western pastry, which I for one would like to see more of. Birthday course: A light moussey little cake accented with sculpted chocolate waves and a single candle. We had seen this come out to a couple of other tables, so it wasn't much of a surprise when we got one. Obviously Maestro is a popular birthday spot. Fortunately, there was no singing. Dessert a: White wine souffle with sorbet. Dessert b: A selection of sorbets, including white peach and apricot. I was on the verge of bursting at this point, but I did my best to make room for the souffle. The top was crisp with carmelized sugar and the center light and airy. I also sampled the sorbets. I particularly liked the white peach. All of the desserts had the same kind of technical perfection as the savories, if perhaps less overt creativity. By the time we got around to coffee, the stainless steel lines were being scrubbed clean. Many of the line cooks had left the kitchen. I'm not sure if they had actually gone home, or if they were just pursing additional duties in some special backstage kitchen. The sous chef and the maitre d' stood chatting in French, reviewing the night's activities. Only the pastry kitchen was still in full operation. I remember reading elsewhere that the whole open kitchen concept was a testament to Fabio Trabocchi's ego--a way to put himself front and center before all his guests. I actually could not disagree more. If it were all about him, he could hide the rest of the kitchen away and simply wander the dining room alone, as so many other chefs do. Instead, although he directs the whole operation, the focus is on the entire brigade. Like a conductor without an orchestra, Trabocchi without the entire kitchen behind him would just be some guy who gets all dressed up and waves a little stick in the air. It's the entire kitchen that is on display here, both in front of you, and on your plate. Bravo!

I took my wife to Maestro for her birthday this week. Executive Summary: Fabio Trabocchi and his team deserve the hype. Get to Tysons Corner and just let him cook for you. Two standouts were bacalao gnocci with black truffles and sea urchin in the shell with porchini mushrooms. Just about everything else was great too. The open kitchen is just stunning. I'll post a full report soon.

Welcome, jsfreed!

There's no reason you can't have it both ways. To begin, finely dice some carrots, turnips, onions, leeks, garlic or whatever. Saute them until well carmelized, then add to the liquid before braising. All their flavor will end up in the braise. If you like, you can strain what little solid matter is left from the braising liquid before serving. Late in the game, you can bigger chunks of vegetables, or better yet, roast them seperately as Matt suggested. You can also try some seperately cooked legumes as the veggie part of the dish. Braised lamb shanks over canellini beans is about as good as it gets in my book.

Seems to me opentable.com is an ideal solution for both parties. For guests, they seem to have good availability, even at places where tables are known to be tough. Restaurants can offer better service and build customer loyalty. They don't have to overbook as much, since an opentable.com reservation is more reliable than one made by a random phone call. Guests who no-show more than a couple of times get booted from the system. P.S. I am not a trojan shill for opentable.com. I'm just a satisfied customer.

You can make a champagne sabayon and serve it over fresh fruit or perhaps poached pears.

Rustic Fruit Tarts This is a basic recipe for a simple fruit tart. It is completely informal, yet it's completely at home at all the but the fanciest of dinner parties. It can be filled with almost any seasonal fruit. I've included a number of filling options below, but feel free to experiment. It's great served with a complimentary flavor of ice cream. One tart serves six. For the crust 5 oz all-purpose flour 1 T sugar 3/4 tsp salt 8 T unsalted butter (one stick) 1 egg yolk 2 T ice water, or a bit more if needed For final preparation once filled 2 T milk or cream 2 T coarse-grained sugar Apple Filling 1 large Granny Smith Apple 1 T butter, melted 1 T cinnamon 2 tsp brown sugar 1 T all-purpose flour Mixed Berry Filling 3 T strawberry preserves 1/2 pt blackberries 1/2 pt rasberries 2 tsp powdered sugar Cherry Filling 1-1/2 c cherries, pitted and cut in half 1/3 c brandy Peach Filling 4 small ripe peaches 3 T apricot preserves 2 T brown sugar Begin making the crust ahead of time. At least an hour is ideal, but in a pinch 20 minutes will do. Set up a food processor with the dough blade. Sift the flour, sugar and salt together into the bowl of the food processor. Cut the butter into individual 1/2T chunks, taking care not to warm it much with your hands. Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse repeatedly until you get a uniform mixture with a texture like corn meal. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk and spinkle with the ice water. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Be patient, it can take a while to distribute the water and egg yolk. If the crust won't come together, add more ice water, 1t at a time. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and them squash it into a disk about an inch thick. Set it aside in the refrigerator for one hour. If you can't wait, put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes instead. While the crust is chilling, prepare one of the fruit fillings. Apple Filling Peel, core, and quarter the apple. Slice it very thinly. You may want to use a mandoline for this. Toss the apple slices with the melted butter. Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together, then toss in with the apples to coat. Berry Filling Toss the berries together with the sugar. Hold the preserves in reserve for final assembly. Cherry Filling Pit the cherries and cut each in half. Place them in a shallow non-reactive dish and pour the brandy over them. Allow to macerate for 30-45 minutes. Peach Filling Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop one of the peaches into the water. After 45 seconds, remove it with a slotted spoon. The skin should now be loose. Remove the skin, cut the peach in half, and discard the pit. Repeat with the remaining peaches. Final Assembly and Baking Preheat the oven to 400° F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place it on a well-floured surface, and roll it out into a circle of about 12" in diameter. Transfer the rolled pastry to a cookie sheet. This is easiest to do if you dust it lightly with flour, then fold it in half, then in half again. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and unfold. If you are using the apple or cherry filling, simple heap the filling in the center of the crust, and spread it out slowly so that it comes within 2" of the edge. If you are using either the berry or peach filling, spread the crust with the preserves out to about 1" from the edge. If using cherries, place the filling in the center and spread to withing 2" of the edge. For the peaches. arange them cut side down on top of the preserves, with one peach half in the center and the others in a ring around it. You may only have room for six in the ring, in which case you can just eat the other one. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the peaches. Now that the tart has been filled, carefully fold the edges of the crust up and over the filling. It will necessarily fold and crease, but that's part of the charm. There should still be a large open area in the top. Brush the exposed part of the crust with cream, and sprinkle the coarse sugar over it. This will form a crunchy decorative coating as it cooks. Bake the tart for 30 minute or until the outer crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. The tart can be served warm or at room temperature, but it should not be served directly from the oven. Try caramel ice cream with the apple tart, vanilla with the berry or cherry, and lime with the peach. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Vegetarian ( RG140 )

The Maestro web site is here.

Thanks, Al. That's a steep cab fare. Maestro is high-end Italian. I suppose [Laboratorio] Galileo would be the in-town competition. There was a short thread here including a sample menu. The Maestro web site is here.

I'm sure a 20 page eGullet thread will work it out one way or the other. Isn't there a Pain Quotidien just across the street? They have good bread. How are their sandwiches?

I grew up in Lubbock, home of Llano Estacado. I order it whenever I see it, which almost never happens outside of Texas. Where did you run across it? The vineyard is an interesting place to visit, mainly because it seems so improbably placed. Forget the lush images of Napa. The land is absolutely flat and bone dry. There are no hills or trees, and there is essentially no surface water. The ogallala aquifer provides the water that irrigates the region, but it is deep underground. After driving through miles of nothing but cotton fields, you suddenly run into grape vines.

As recent Manhattan transplants, our brains are wired to think of grabbing a cab when we head out for an evening of fine dining. Of course, now that we are in DC we have a car, so that's an option too, especially to get to places that are some distance out into the suburbs. In general, I'm still inclined to go the cab route when it's feasible. After all, you get a lot more flexibility when it comes to deciding whether or not to have that extra bottle of wine, digestif, etc... What do you guys generally do? For what it's worth, we are going to Maestro later this week. Any idea what a cab from Capitol Hill out to Tysons Corner and back would cost?

A few years ago, at the height of the market boom, the firm I work for decided to hire a company called Les Concierges as a perk to its employees. Despite their name, these people didn't provide anything even remotely resembling a competent concierge service. A colleague of mine in the London office called them and asked if they could arrange a booking for four at the Square for later in the week. The response was, "Is that a restaurant?" She indicated that it was. The "concierge" on the other end then asked if perhaps my colleague had the Square's phone number at hand...

Dijon Sauce for Fish This goes well with the Potato-Crusted Salmon recipe which is also found in this archive. 1 T butter 1 T flour 1 c milk 3 T dijon mustard. More if you want a stronger flavor salt and white pepper to taste Begin by melting the butter in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Once it is melted and bubbling, add the flour and stir thoroughly until a uniform paste is formed. Continue cooking until the roux just starts to brown. Add a quarter of the milk, and wisk to incorporate. Repeat three more times until all the milk has been added. Lower the flame to prevent boiling. Cook, stirring a couple of times, for five minutes, then wisk in the mustard. Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste. Hold over a very low flame, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve. Keywords: Easy ( RG113 )

Potato-Crusted Salmon Filet with Dijon Sauce This is more a technique than a recipe. It will work with other firm-fleshed fish as well. For the fish 3/4 lb Alaskan Coho or other salmon fillet 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper 1/4 tsp salt 2 sprigs lemon thyme, leaves stripped from stems 1 medium-sized russet potato 2 cloves garlic 2 T olive oil For the sauce 1 T butter 1 T flour 1 c milk 3 T dijon mustard, more if you like a stronger flavor salt and white pepper Cut the salmon filet vertically into two strips, one for each serving. Remove the pin bones from the fish with a pair of needle-nose pliers, or by hand if you can get a good grip. Place the strips skin side down and season with the pepper, salt, and lemon thyme leaves. Peel the potato, and slice as thin as possible with a mandoline. With a little careful adjustment, you should be able to produce flexible translucent slices approximately one millimeter thick. Cut the cloves of garlic in half lengthwise, score the cut surfaces with a knife, and rub the over the potato slices. This will flavor them, and help prevent them from oxidizing. Cover the surface of the salmon with a layer of the potato slices. Add a second layer, draping it from the top over the sides of the fish. Before cooking the fish, start the sauce. It's really just a bechemel with some mustard added. Begin by melting the butter in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Once it is melted and bubbling, add the flour and stir thoroughly until a uniform paste is formed. Continue cooking until the roux just starts to brown. Add a quarter of the milk, and wisk to incorporate. Repeat three more times until all the milk has been added. Lower the flame to prevent boiling. Cook, stirring a couple of times, for five minutes, then wisk in the mustard. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil. It should shimmer, and begin to just barely smoke. Place the fish potato side down in the pan. This is easier said than done. The key is not to bend the fish, otherwise the potato layer will tend to peel off. I like to place the fish skin side down on the end of a wide fish spatula, then roll it over into the hot oil. Once the fish is in the pan, let it cook completely undisturbed for two minutes. In this time, the potato will develop into a crispy crust and will release itself from the pan. If you try to mover or turn the fish too early, the potato is likely to stick to the pan. Once the crust forms, carefully turn the fish over so that the skin side is down. The potato crust should be a lovely golden brown. Continue to cook on the skin side until the skin becomes crisp and the fish is medium rare to medium. This should take about four or five minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet. A small knife tip in the side of the fish can be used to check doneness. Plate the fish potato side up, garnished with the sauce and some greens. I like quickly sauteed spinach with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Seafood, Mandoline, Fish, Dinner ( RG112 )

Toast Serves 1. Another gem from the pre-alpha days when I was just trying to get stuff into the database and back out again. For the toast itself 2 slices of bread To go on top of the toast 1-1/2 T butter Put the bread in a toaster and toast according to the manufacturer's directions. Spread each slice of toast with half of the butter. Keywords: American, British, Breakfast, Easy, Brunch ( RG103 )

Pancakes Serves 2. The classic Sunday morning treat. The pancakes 5 oz all purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1-1/4 tsp baking powder 1 c milk 1 large egg 1 T butter, melted The toppings butter, preferably at room temperature, so it melts on the warm pancakes warm maple syrup your favorite fruit preserves or jam (optional) Preheat a griddle. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix the egg and milk together and add to the dry ingredients. Stir gently, just until it's combined and large lumps are gone. Stir in melted butter. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter at a time onto the hot griddle. Flip the pancakes when the bubbles on top have burst. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup. Some people also like preserves. Keywords: Breakfast, American, Easy, Vegetarian, Brunch ( RG102 )

Chocolate Milk Serves 1. A classic childhood treat. The first recipe ever to go into the archive way back in the pre-alpha days when the whole thing looked like total crap. 12 fl oz milk 3 T chocolate syrup Pour half of the milk into a tall glass. Add the chocolate syrup and stir vigorously until combined. Add the remaining milk and stir to combine. Keywords: Easy ( RG101 )

I had a good meal at White Tiger on Capitol Hill yesterday. It has a casual atmosphere and mid-range prices. Note that by eGullet standards I'm an Indian cuisine neophyte (I only really know the standards like Saag Paneer, Aloo Gobi, Naan, etc...). That being said, it stood up to my generally-tasty-even-though-I-am-not-an-expert-in-the-cuisine test.

There was a thread on pizza stones that started just shy of one year ago. Click here to see it. Perhaps your question could be appended there, and then some of the original posters could report on their experiences over the past year.

Thanks for the detailed report, Sara. 2491 sounds quite interesting. I look forward to giving it a try.

That's correct. The building is on the corner. The 66 Leonard entrance is to the lobby for the apartments upstairs. The 241 Church entrance is to the restaurant.

Fantastic report, Klink! Was that a gully you were drinking?