ashleyc

Fat Guy, I sort of answered your question with Marlene's. The quality of this beef totally shows in the braising cuts. I enjoy it more here than in the more prized cuts. If you think about it, you have this high fat content running through the grain the meat. As you braise it, it slowly cooks out through the meat, tenderizing the grain and flavoring the meat. The final product is rich in flavor, silky in texture, and maybe even worth a trip down south. Ashley

Hi Dean... This is a long answer and a big part of my job. If it's cool with you, I'd like to spend some time on this at the dinner. Ashley

Hi Marlene, The technique I use for braising the ribs is simple but wonderful. In fact, i'm scheduled to teach a few classes in the upcoming months and this is one of the techniques I will be teaching. First, we use this particular beef because it is so well marbled. The prized Waygu quick cooking cuts (flllet, strip, ribeye) are quite decadent, but almost a little too decadent. The high level of marbling makes the meat really rich (I have heard people draw the richness parallel between the ribeye and foie) and I feel that it shows best in the braising cuts. I season and sear the meat, position it over caramelized mirepoix, and cover it in red wine. I then braise it for several hours, until the meat is fork tender. I rest the meat in the braising jus overnight, and then serve it with the braising jus as a sauce. It's pot roast at the next level.

Greetings, Rocks! Sorry for the delay in response. Things have been quite busy here at the shop, but going very well. The tuna was one of my favorite dishes as well. I think it was a great representation of my style. The dish is inspired by the classic nicoise. My intention was to take very high quality ingredients and calm the dish down slightly so that their quality would shine. The oil cured unpasteurized black olives minced and introduced into a simple, fresh aioli. The haricot vert and purple potato dressed only in verjus, minced shallot, sea salt and cracked white pepper. The egg mimosa, providing a canvassing texture to the other elements of the dish. I agree that it is classic to use the anchovy and that it taste great. However, I chose not to. With this presentation consisting of fresh, raw tuna, i think the pungent flavor of the anchovies would be masking to some of the beatiful qualities of the tuna. If the tuna were seared, maybe not. For me, I probably would have already sucked down a plate of the anchovies with my first glass of champagne. But that's just me. Cheers, Rocks, and we can't wait to cook for you again. See you soon. Ashley

Hey! Doors are at 7pm and then we'll try to get everyone seated at 7:30. Typical run time for an event this size is three hours, but usually the better time everyone has, the slower it moves... -Julie Editor's Note: This post was made on behalf of Chef C. by Julie, who is your friendly reservationist. The Chef is a bit swamped right now, so give Julie a call!

The food section of the menu was written first, though I had an idea of a couple of the selections that Chrish wanted to share. The inspiration for most of the dishes came from what the seasonal offerings are in early october. As far as the style of food, I am a big fan of braised meats. I think it is such a great technique for both unlocking and introducing complementary flavors. As a chef, I think braised meats give you such an opportunity to respectfully influence a dish. Hand-made pasta has always been a big passion of mine as well. It was a hobby of my father's when I was a child and I have appreciated it my whole life. It is a beautiful thing to create something with your hands. A friend of mine taught me to make the raviolo a while back and it is one of my favorites. I usually just write a menu with a flow that I would enjoy based on the time of year and Chrish always does a great job of pairing wines to my style of food.

Beausoleil oysters are from New Brunswick, Canada. They are very salty with a sweet finish and a nice deep cup. They are a petite in size with an ultra clean, rich brine. Hands down, one of my favorite oysters.

Greetings, eGullet members... Though I have been reading all of your entertaining and informative posts for a long time now, this is my first official post. I hope that it finds you happy, healthy and ready for an exciting eGullet event. I am sure many of you have either been a part of or at least read discussion of a possible eGullet dinner at Enoteca Vin in Raleigh, North Carolina. The word on the street is true and I have all of the details. By the way, my name is Ashley Christensen and I'm the chef and general manager of the restaurant. I have to say that we are totally psyched about this event. We know that you guys appreciate great food and wine, we appreciate your presence in our community, and we can't wait to cook dinner for you. So, here's the scoop. The dinner is offered to eGullet members and their guests only. It will be a multi-course dinner on Sunday, October 3 at 7pm. We have chosen to close for the event so that we may accomodate as many of you as possible. Seating is limited so we are pre-selling the evening as a ticketed event. The cost of the event is $75 plus tax and gratuity (which will be collected in full by credit card at the time you make your reservation). To make reservations, please contact our reservationist at 919.834.3070 between 1pm and 5pm, Tuesday-Saturday. Ask for Julie. You may also reach us at reservations@enotecavin.com. Here's the menu, with wine selections by our very own Chrish Peel, co-owner of Vin and owner of the Carolina Wine Company. As I am sure you will notice, some of these wines sell on restaurant lists for $100-$250. In order to keep the price of the dinner down, Chrish has personally donated some of these wines. He's a big fan of eGullet and is as excited about the dinner as I am. Standing Course at Greeting… Beausoleil oysters with fresh wasabi and ginger mignonette 1998 Chablis “Tres Vielles Vignes” – Defaix - Raveneau Seated… Seared day boat scallop with sweet corn and truffle emulsion, fines herbes 2001 Puligny Montrachet – B. Ente Raviolo with fresh Porcini mushrooms 2003 Marsannay Rose – B. Clair Intermezzo Course, revealed at event Black tea BBQ Niman Ranch pork shoulder tacos with marinated cabbage 1993 Volnay “Champans” – Monceau - Boch Red wine-braised Waygu short ribs with Swiss chard and melted shallot 1999 Nuits “Les St. Georges” “Vaucrains” - Chicotot L’Ami du Chambertin 1993 Charmes-Chambertin – Perrot -Minot Please let us know if you have any dietary restictions when you make your reservation and we will be more than happy to accommodate. Hope we see you there, Ashley Christensen