Steve Klc

If I were ever to compile a list of favorite posts jinmyo, this touching, profound one would be included. Thank you for sharing such reverance and clarity. (Edited by Steve Klc at 5:56 pm on Feb. 5, 2002)

vdelaserna astutely writes "the one European country where cuisine is evolving fastest and most dazzlingly" and to that I'd add it's also no secret to be most influential among working chefs. Just last week I cooked with Rick Tramonto of Tru in Chicago, one of the best chefs in the country, and he told me how he feels his recent visit to Spain in August completely changed the future direction of his cooking--because of the exciting and different things he saw going on within the regions of Spain. To followup on something Wilfrid mentioned, my question to this thread is how good a job did Gourmet magazine do with its February 2002 roundup of Barcelona restaurants? Perfunctory? Predictable? Knowing? They picked three: Comerc 24 Can Ravell Abac (mentioned by vdelaserna) Should we be reading about "relative newcomers" or reading about who is doing the best work? Granted Comerc 24 has an alum of El Bulli at the helm--how unusual do you think that is in Spain? This is before the author, Jeremy Wayne, goes off on a few too-cute tangents like preferring to "distinguish between cereal and cerebral" and that eating in Barcelona "isn't just for the hungry. There's brain food to be had, too." I wonder if we've already reached the point in the American glossy food media that a piece on Spanish dining is the equivalent of an article on chocolate in February--de riguer and not all that enlightening. Any other examples? Or might I be an early-adopter on this issue?

My vote goes to the metal Perfex from France--which weighs in at a pleasantly solid 8.25 ounces unfilled. I've used mine continuously for 20 years--there is no substitute for experience over time--it's easy to change out peppercorns and easy to change grind settings. For larger ground spice applications I use an amazing, powerful Indian spice grinder by Sumeet: http://www.sumeet.net/ which makes quick work of whole nutmeg, stick cinnamon, peppercorns, seeds, nuts--either wet or dry. (A little over 贄 at JB Prince in NYC.) And Steven, where's your Palm or Visor? or are you going to the Treo when it's available?

Steven--I think I read recently where Laurent Gras landed post Peacock--California possibly? are you aware?

Lots of people bake with them; I don't. Granny Smiths have some pleasant tartness and acidity and I like them in applications which retain this cool, fresh, brisk quality. I've done a few sorbets with them--green apple alone or w/celery/fennel combinations--which tend to work well with meringue or milk foams in a pre-dessert, possibly with an herb like rosemary. You could build out from this to create a plated dessert (in a glass) by adding some of the apple done another way--so in addition to raw batons of the green apple perhaps hide some confit or candied version under the foam. So green apple confit/applesauce on the bottom of the glass, then a meringue/milk foam, then green apple sorbet scoop or quenelle, then raw matchsticks of apple piled up on top of the sorbet, perhaps with a small sprig of lemon thyme, small leaf of lemon verbena or sprinkle of rosemary--then a spritz of lime juice. This would be especially satisfying after a heavy meal, heavily-spiced meal or Asian-influenced cuisines like Viet or Thai. I agree with wingding that reliability of green apples has declined--so too have Asian pears (which are really apples) in a similar way. It used to be hard to find a bad one, now whole flats are without perfume and woody to boot. wingding--what have you done with green apples or Asian pears?

and here's a link to an interesting article, on one level about apples but also dipping into issues of free trade, globalism, distribution, first brought to my attention by the wonderful Virginia Postrel of http://www.dynamist.com/scene.html http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/01/nyregion/01BIG.html couldn't decide whether to post this here or on the Davos/World Economic forum thread. Virginia goes on to remark that "It's amazing how often opponents of international trade voice a hatred for fresh produce." (Edited by Steve Klc at 4:38 pm on Feb. 4, 2002)

I disagree jhlurie, politely. I reacted to the same one sentence Steven did: "since I know these message boards are mainly populated by upscale restaurant-goers who are mainly interested in the end product and are not concerned with what chemicals might have got in it along the way" In this one sentence Franklanguage was guilty of a presumption, an unverifiable over-reach--that immediately caught my eye as I suppose it did Steven. Who among us has not wished we could take back one sentence but this hardly qualifies as pushing buttons. Other than this one sentence, I found Franklanguage's post extremely thought-provoking as I have his/her others--and essential in my mind to what makes eGullet special.

Damian, sorry to be delinquent. There's just so much good stuff on other boards. I have not eaten at Palena yet and when I do, I'll report. Frank Ruta has a great reputation among both local chefs and local food press and I've yet to read a less than positive review. The "backstory" of the media seems to be he's a chef's chef kind of guy, long doing the cooking for others and now getting his shot to make his public reputation. I am very familiar with Ann Amernick and her work and perhaps for now it is best I leave commentary on her to others since we are direct competitors in certain areas. My wife also worked with her at Michel Richard Citronelle during one of Richard's seemingly endless, revolving door stints of pastry chefs. I am glad to hear that at least one person found a good schnecken these days--I've had so many tired or corrupted examples of German and Austrian pastry traditions that I had almost given up hope. And yes, the Inn and L'Auberge await.

Indiagirl--now that we can remove the spiritual and political sensitivity--and get down to the nitty gritty--yes, one would be missing quite a bit of textural contrast and interplay. Animal fats and muscles are so varied and respond differently to different cooking methods--which regardless of spice and flavorings--give you different layers even if much of the process is controlled; same thing with shellfish, shrimp cooked shell-on taste different--subtly--than shrimp cooked otherwise; indeed, sucking out shrimp heads is something practically incomparable. If you don't ever do it--there's no way to substitute for it or understand what it is like. The non-vegetarian food world--the full world in all its carnivorous splendor--is replete with little moments of discovery like this that for some might seem repellent but for many just seem part of a richer, more diversely woven quilt. Sucking out the marrow bones in stew and spreading it on bread--with that little gelatiny yet stringy texture, for another example, is quite distinct and strange and for many, wonderful. There are two little nuggets of chicken, the size of a quarter, that have a completely different taste and texture when compared to every other part of the bird that some in my family have been known to fight over. I could go on and on and on--and then try to imagine each one of these examples--expanded exponentially by myriad cooks throughout history, cooking styles, evolution of equipment, fusions of different styles and personalities and attitudes in the kitchen, and you perhaps begin to comprehend how infinitely variable the perception of all of this might be. My personal sense is that fruits and vegetables and grains et al are just as varied and capable of being appreciated for their diversity--but that vegetarians just play with a vastly reduced deck, missing out on so much of the mystery and magic that is cooking.

I do think it is a half-life, but one of your own choosing--and you do only have yourself to answer to. It's as if you were a painter and elected neither to use nor appreciate certain colors of the spectrum. You're the only one that has to be able to rationalize or reconcile what you're missing. Spiritually, morally and ethically, one might see this loss of palate and diversity of appreciation as a gain, ultimately.

No, but the Swedish apple cake at IKEA is actually not half bad.

The real issue for you to consider is that Philippe Conticini has severed his ties to the NY restaurant--so what was the case before, in terms of menus and presentations, may not be the case now. I agree with Steven that there are (were) several interesting and complex smoked/cured fish appetizers to choose from--and at Petrossian Paris, 5 different ones are served as part of a 13 course tasting menu. 2 had caviar. I have no idea if this was ever offered at the NY restaurant. As we've mentioned on eGullet before, even without Philippe there is talent in the savory and pastry kitchens of Petrossian NY. It remains to be seen to what degree Armen Petrossian supports the remaining talent, however--and to what extent Philippe's style and very personal concepts linger as newer dishes are added. As for the vodkas, flavored and otherwise--I did not enjoy that part of the Petrossian experience and do not recommend pairing any dish with vodka. The fruit flavored vodkas recommended with desserts were an especially ill-advised and disappointing gimmick. Some of the holdover Conticini-created desserts that are wonderful and might still be available are the Yablock, Pain Perdu Banana, Blinchik and Aracaju.

Sure Ron, here it is: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/12/langewiesche.htm It's quite long but worthwhile. So, too, are a few of the links that accompany the article. Credit to the Atlantic for doing a very good job providing value-added material and a well-designed, beautiful site.

My biggest problem with Parker and pals is that I rarely get the sense that they value wine paired with food--and are much more comfortable talking about wine in isolation--or compared against itself or an historical model. The big wines and big reviewers self-perpetuate a system NOT designed to really inform one about the proper role of wine--that I see anyway--as an adjunct to a chef and his cuisine or meals prepared at home. It's easier that way--and the promotion and marketing of wine in this country, which is not Parker's fault, also leaves alot to be desired that the glossies and the winemakers (and their Boards of Directors) have to answer for. I realize, though, that it is easy to take potshots at Parker. I trust the opinions of the working sommeliers much more--the ones that have to compose lists and pair wines affordably with the evolving cuisines of today's chefs, rather than archetypal standards. Especially those sommeliers who trust their own palates, that taste wines with their staff and the chef, and aren't afraid to put unknown, ecletic wines on their list. This is apart from being a good writer--and I value wine writing in and of itself--but ratings and blind tastings where the priority is not food-based, nor where the taster is not as knowledgeable of food and as knowing with his culinary pronouncements, is not for me. Parker has been mentioned on other eGullet threads and that seminal Atlantic Monthly profile is must reading. My sense is the real problem has nothing to do with Parker--nor his opinions or power--but the current milieu that allows him to fill up this vacuum. Perhaps that should be another one of our collective agendas here at eGullet.

Welcome to Padmaville. http://www.lakshmifilms.com/

Wilfrid--google "Padma Lakshmi" or link here for her bio: http://www.foodtv.com/celebrities/lakshmibio/0,3432,,00.html She is hotter than a tandoor oven, has written a few books, has a Food TV show and at one time, possibly still, was reported by the New York Post on the arm of Salman. If I were running eGullet we'd have a board solely devoted to the intricacies of Padma and Nigella.

I haven't been yet either, researchgal--but Corby's review in Boston Magazine seemed to imply their concept had already been done before at Tabla--sophisticated modern cooking with hints of Indian spice and technique--and, not that Corby mentioned it, but by several other NYC French/Indian fusion experiments that were more "Indian" than Tabla as well, by among others, Raji Jallepalli. Creme brulees in passionfruit and mango hardly chart new ground in France let alone here--so I guess when Corby says the rest of the country will take notice of Mantra, he means the rest of the country that hasn't already tired of this trend in NYC and tired of reading about it in the glossies for the past 2 years. Seems like the Mantra folks paid close attention to the seminal article on the subject by Michael Batterberry in the January 1999 issue of Food Arts.

It's also worth standing up for Salman because of Padma.

Particularly to Alonso N--but not exclusively--who noted that he didn't find too many Mass Ave restaurants worthy--what about Elephant Walk? I've eaten there twice for lunch--it's 2000-something Mass Ave--and I enjoyed myself tremendously--kind of fusiony Vietnamese filtered for American foodies--and at least at lunch was very reasonably priced. And I'm kind of a picky Vietnamese eater, since in DC I'm surrounded by a ton of Vietnamese restaurants. Elephant Walk stood out. (The desserts were terrible--all old French stuff--that had no correlation to the cuisine and seem to have been outsourced from a French pastry shop stuck in the 60's or 70's.) Were you talking about restaurants not this far out?

Clio and Radius are the types of high-end serious foodie places that you just want to put yourself in the hands of the chefs and say go--they'd be on a short list of restaurants here in the US that I would do that with because I have so much trust in the chefs. Ken's cooking at Clio tends toward the more modern/progressive/inventive--(I first heard of him when he started doing a bleu cheese foam with roasted pear a few years ago)--and I suspect he tries a little harder than Michael to surprise you with creative plating--but then Radius has the best pastry chef in Boston by far, Paul Connors who could work anywhere in NYC and be included on a short list of the finest. I have been very impressed with Paul's work--but visit quickly, I hear rumors Paul is moving to Minneapolis! Clio is much smaller, more intimate and more--formal is not quite the right word--more "fashionable" perhaps--you feel like you should be better dressed--or better looking when you're there. (This is not to imply that Clio is at all like any of the pretty people places in NY where the food sucks and fashionistas are there to be seen.) It's just that you wish you could afford to eat there more often than however often you can presently afford to. (How's that for a terribly constructed sentence.) Both places are expensive, though not over the top by NY standards and both are worth giving yourself over to, in my opinion. Savvy New Yorkers would feel very at home in either restaurant--and right now I wish Washington, DC had just one restaurant as interesting as Radius or Clio--where the level of commitment, the food and desserts were at such an accomplished, synergistic level. There may be other more famous names in the Boston scene--and certainly older presences--but none doing the , modern, sophisticated and appropriately eclectic fine dining thing as well. And unfortunately, Finale is terrible. Quite good sandwiches though, a stylish place, incredible concept but completely underwhelming and at times inedible pastries and desserts. Only went there once--maybe hit it on a bad day--but wouldn't go back unless I wanted a quick bite or they got bought out and installed a new pastry chef. New on the scene to me--Metro--near Porter Square, 1815 Mass Ave. in Cambridge. Anyone been yet--researchgal? I cooked with their chef and pastry chef (Lee Napoli) at a benefit dinner last night and was impressed with their courses. I expect the food to be interesting French bistro stuff and last night Lee did a cute little poached apricot--hollowed out, filled with a spiced compote and creme brulee, served with a sage linzer/shortbread type cookie. Haven't been to the restaurant, but might be one to watch. (Edited by Steve Klc at 5:16 pm on Jan. 31, 2002)

Radius and Clio, in that order.

Yes, when I freeze beans, I do allow them to thaw completely before opening the package and refilling my grinder. When I buy locally in small amounts, there's no need for freezing, but lately I'm dissatisfied with local sources and with the quality and care the beans get at my local Whole Foods Markets. Infrequently I buy Illy but more often I'm buying two pounds of dark roast from my favorite California roaster, Graffeo, and having it shipped two-day. One pound goes in the hopper, the other gets frozen. As Bux and I have written extensively about here on eGullet, we both have the same Rancilio semi-commercial espresso machine, Sylvia, so I don't drink too much coffee anymore, just espresso. (When I travel, I bring a French press and miss my Sylvia.) My query about the freezing of beans has to do with some coffee pundits (Corby Kummer possibly?) who have written about storing and freezing beans--and I seem to recall one in particular who intoned that freezing was ok as long as it wasn't beans for espresso--that the delicate oils of the more darkly roasted beans would be irredeemably altered if done so. I haven't been able to verify this scientifically, however, nor on my palate, and am now 6 months into a rather dedicated daily exploration of espresso and crema. It wouldn't be the first time a pundit let me down writing without deep, personal knowledge of a subject.

Thanks for sharing those observations Sandra. Still, I can't help but think this is one of those raised awareness issues--and in DC and in NYC, at least when it comes to coffee and espresso awareness, we still lag behind the West coast, Seattle and San Francisco in particular. There is no incentive for a dean & deluca to change their methods--and go to a more expensive and more labor intensive system--in essence, to care more--unless its customers demand better.

There are two W-S outlet stores in DC--of course, neither of them is actually in DC: one is in Old Town, Alexandria and the other, the one that I go to is in Leesburg, Va. on the Rte. 15 connector past the Dulles toll road and Route 7. The Leesburg W-S outlet is in a very large outlet mall along with a Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel outlet--and I've had good luck, culinarily-speaking, at all three.

Just came back from a visit to the Williams-Sonoma outlet, which was well-stocked with both Dualit models, looking oh so retro stylish and available for the bargain price of 贫 and 贿 depending on the model. So style can come inexpensively, providing less of a tax shelter Bux, unfortunately. What no one has actually said is whether this thing does the job consistently and well.