Steve Klc
-
Posts
3,502 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Steve Klc
-
-
Hi Bux--actually pralines and butter creams, though delicate when done well, tend to be examples of fillings that keep well and keep longer. Alcohol-based fillings, too. That's why you see them in all those crappy boxes of chocolate, regardless of origin. Ganache fillings--more the province of the French--are the fillings that are more perishable due to the perishability of heavy cream. But the French do pralines--mixtures of caramelized ground nut pastes--quite well, too.
Bux--you rightly hit on something else when you begin to try to delineate national styles--and corresponding individual palates and preferences. To me, the Belgian/Swiss tends to be sweeter, by degree, all across the board--whether commercial or artisinal--and rely on more milk and white chocolate; the French (and some cool newer Spanish stuff) are much more interested in darker chocolates, that push more of the envelope and explore that darker edge of bitterness. The French (and alot of Americans, like me, even want their milk chocolates to push the envelope--and approach 45% cacao content, rather than the more typical 30%)
The ideal--to a traditional French or French-influenced chocolatier--is to create something small, flavorful, yet subtle--where you almost have to search for the flavor, the infusion--and that stays in harmony with the, predominately, dark chocolate. La Maison du Chocolat is the most-accesible example of this classic style for most people.
American chocolatiers that are French-influenced--which include everyone that I mentioned in my first post--are keeping the form, the size and the techniques--and beginning to push the boundaries of flavor--becoming less subtle and at times more assertive, where the flavor, the infusions, sometimes go out in front of the chocolate. It might be passionfruit first--then chocolate in the back. For the classic French--the goal would be for the passionfruit and the chocolate to be completely balanced.
I've had impeccably "enrobed" chocolates--the covering of the filling--from all countries--regardless of whether that covering was hand or machine made. So this is one critical aspect.
How the covering relates and interacts with the filling, too, is another critical aspect.
Tough to generalize here--but since most of my experience with chocolate is French influenced, both in training, technique and palate--I don't think you can say the "chocolate" coating is more important to the French--when a good artisinal French-style chocolate aims for the thinnest wall, the thinnest covering, of the filling. To my mind, that makes the filling the most important--by weight and as a vehicle for potential flavor--and often, French chocolatiers use the better, more expensive chocolates in their ganaches--and then enrobe all of them, regardless of filling, in a lesser expensive, though still quite fluid, chocolate.
Cocoa butter % used is very tough to figure out--but the only way you can get a thin wall is to use a couverture--that's a chocolate that has alot of cocoa butter in it. Compare a French, dipped chocolate like La Maison du Chocolat--with the thinnest walls imagineable--with a thick walled "commercial" candy of any origin. Which has more cocoa butter? well, the thick walled one, even if coated in an inferior chocolate (low cocoa butter %) since it is thick. Which one is more skillful--and actually used a chocolate with a higher % of cocoa butter, a more expensive and "better" covering? The Maison one.
The better questions might be to ask, regardless of origin, whether the filling and shell are in balance? how do they interact with each other flavor-wise? Do you enjoy eating a thin-walled vs. a thick-walled chocolate? Once you have had superior examples of small, French-style chocolate--are you more or less satisfied with those chocolates, of any origin, that are large, thick-walled, and overly sweet? And I know you don't mean this Bux, but gobbling chocolates is somewhat like chugging jug wine. Both may have their place, sometime, but neither should be held out as the ideal. Another analogy that we've explored elsewhere on eGullet might apply here--the difference between an espresso and a typical cup of brewed coffee--which is better? more satisfying? Is a question like that even relevant?
The beauty and joy, when you start evaluating chocolates like this, is that you'll find a whole interesting world has just opened up where there are no definitive answers.
-
You have heard correctly--handmade and artisinal chocolates--using the freshest and most natural ingredients--deteriorate rapidly and are best when purchased and eaten within days of manufacture. At the moment, my highest recommendations are for chocolates from the masterful Jacques Torres (718.875.9772)
http://www.jacquestorres.com/jacquestorreschocolate.htm
and Pat Coston, the excellent pastry chef of Ilo restaurant in the Bryant Park Hotel (40 West 40th Street, NY or call 212.642.2255) There's a nice blurb and picture of Pat's boxed chocolates in the October 2001 issue of Gourmet on page 76. I've had alot of Pat's stuff and his taste and palate are impeccable. (And yes, you can buy the chocolates separately!)
In NYC I've also had very good chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat, Payard Patisserie and Richart--and also been disappointed, at times, with each of these three sources. Of these three--only Francois Payard and his team produce, dip and enrobe chocolates on site.
But don't forget mail order--I can wholeheartedly recommend Richard Donnelly in Santa Cruz, Michael Rechiutti in San Francisco and Larry Burdick in New Hampshire.
So, no matter where you live in the country, fresh artisinal chocolates are available next day, so walk right on past the pretty Godiva display in the mall and get online or make a phone call.
It's not just a matter of freshness, though. I'm including Richart and Maison du Chocolat on my list, though they are made ahead, at times deep frozen, and flown into the US, because the end product is still very, very good.
There are handmade, artisinal chocolates being produced in this country, that have gotten exposure in glossies, like Martha and Food & Wine, and are sold at upscale gourmet outlets like Dean & Deluca--that are either made with inferior brands of chocolate or not made skillfully enough--that I cannot recommend.
Commercial chocolates, like Godiva, Neuhaus, the other sweet Belgian and Swiss crap in the city and even once-legendary Fauchon (which is mostly private label stuff, produced by other manufacturers) often have preservatives, have been deep-frozen and flown over to the US, or have had their recipes altered to use ingredients that don't deteriorate so rapidly. Ever wonder why fillings are so sweet in these chocolates? Don't settle for "colored, flavored wax."
I am also leery of any boxed chocolates where you cannot see the chocolate--it's size, shine and shape. (Shine, small size and fingerprint-free tend to be good tip-offs to quality). Avoid all these pretty packages and wrapped boxes as we approach the holidays--you can't open them to see how dull or cloudy the chocolates are and so much of it will taste old.
This is obviously a vast, subjective subject and one we'll return to often, I am sure.
(One caveat: Fauchon in NYC has just hired an extremely talented pastry chef in August, Florian Bellanger, and it remains to be seen whether he'll create his own chocolates and bon bons in-house.)
(Edited by Steve Klc at 9:05 pm on Oct. 5, 2001)
-
Bill changes what he serves with things all the time, depending on what his produce buyer, Greg Mufson, procures for him. (Greg is a real unsung hero there--with sourcing to all these small, organic and biodynamic farms.) I think when I had it 6 weeks ago he was serving a clear, syrupy sauce infused with orange zest and vanilla beans.
But you've hit on something important about how our palates react to things--and how different cooks and chefs come up with ideas and adapt or modify tastes--based on what happens on their own tongues and in their mouths--and what they perceive to be missing. I suspect you can easily reduce the sweetness, and add a little tartness, by sticking blueberries, or apricots or cranberries, even, in the center of the cake instead of the white chocolate. For the sauce, perhaps cook a caramel and reduce it with some infused tea or citrus juice. All of this diverts attention away from the vanilla--which is not necessarily or inherently bad--just different. Report back.
-
I just did a quick search on the Times site of a few restaurants I remember reading about:
Tamarind got the 409 word Diner's Journal on February 16th and a 1,174 word review on April 4th;
Ilo got the 467 word Diner's Journal mention on June 22nd and a 1579 word full review August 15th;
Thom warranted a 452 word Journal mention on August 3rd and a 1,266 word review on September 26th;
Citarella got a 422 word Journal mention on August 31st and then was fully reviewed this week, October 3rd.
-
Andy--my sense is that Diner's Journals are not meant to be reviews--think of them more a pre-review reviews--and I don't think Grimes wants to tip his hand. (Steven--correct me if you have a different sense.) Mostly these Diner's Journals highlight a newish, just opened or heavily hyped place--that is just too young to be properly, ethically reviewed.
I can tell you from personal experience, that getting a mention in the Diner's Journal or a Florence Fabricant column early on is good--it allows you to step up the service and begin to adjust from "preview-mode" to the greater demands that going from 10 covers a night to 140 covers a night presents, seemingly overnight, when you get written up in the Times. Otherwise, you just get slammed, and sometimes never recover.
-
Colleen and I made Amanda's adaptation of Bill's warm vanilla cake yesterday--and it turns out not to be too far from the way it is actually prepared and served at Citarella. (Though remember, ideally it is not eaten in isolation--but as one component and texture of a larger whole--accompanied by a sauce and quenelle of ice cream.)
Bill was also quite willing to share his actual recipe (by weight) with our eGullet Cooking forum--and I have a few observations, too, to share after having played with both versions. Here's the restaurant version:
100g butter (3.5oz)
200g Valrhona white chocolate (7oz)
5 eggs
3 vanilla beans
40g bread flour (1.5oz)
pinch cream of tartar
100g sugar (3.5oz)
He scales this up by ten--and bakes the cakes off in a convection oven for 10 mins at 350 degrees.
The immediate differences? Bill uses less bread flour (Amanda's 'volume' version calls for 2.1oz approximately); Bill uses more sugar (Amanda calls for 3.05oz approximately) and Bill specifies Valrhona--other varieties of white chocolate may be thicker or thinner and more or less sweet.
Some of Amanda's instructions are a little too fussy/prissy--but she's just trying to be thorough and helpful. You can ignore them or do things differently. (For instance: I'd microwave the chocolate and butter on 30 second bursts, stirring after each burst, and avoid the water bath entirely.)
Some observations after working with the recipes at home:
1. You don't need to "sift" the flour over the mixture. Just dump the sifted flour in and stir until smooth.
2. Letting the batter rest in the fridge for 8 hours is important. Very important, and perhaps should warrant a separate line in the recipe.
3. The amount of white chocolate that you push down into the center of the cake--before baking--is variable. Amanda uses 3oz for 12 cakes--and this can be adjusted down, depending on your personal taste. Use as little as 3g per cake.
4. To create even more of that earthy, musky element in the cake--and for those of you averse to white chocolate in general--after all, it is basically sweet fat--use El Rey white chocolate instead of Valrhona. El Rey uses non-deodorized cocoa butter--which is less sanitized and less stripped of flavor than all other white chocolates, Valrhona included.
5. If you want less of a jiggly/souffle-like cake--bake it a different way: instead of letting the batter rest, in the bowl, overnight and then piping into rings--pipe the batter into rings immediately after mixing and then let rest for 8 hours, in the rings. The cake bakes off much less souffle-like, yet remains perfumed, light and ethereal. And as an added bonus--the rings slide right off and you won't need to run your paring knife around the edge to remove! If you do it this way, hold off pushing the white chocolate pieces or pistoles into the batter until you are ready to bake. (Otherwise, overnight, they will just sink to the bottom.)
6. I love the little crunch of the tiny vanilla seeds in this cake--which I don't remember detecting when I had it at the restaurant.
Hope this helps--Steve
-
Cuisine and service at Mary Elaine's in the Phoenician was more than just very good on my one and only visit there about a year ago. We had a lunch and a brunch there and I would describe it as an extremely stylish, polished and impeccable experience. Regardless of where you dine for dinner, I would recommend having brunch out on the patio, in the shade under the trellis and trees. Quite charming.
However, since then they've lost their stellar pastry chef Richard Ruskell, who has recently opened up his own patisserie in the area called Pastry Maxine--immediately garnering a slew of local "Best Of" awards and alot of wholesale clients, including the very same Phoenician.
Check out the details here:
http://www.azcentral.com/rep/best2001/articles/0916bestpastrychocolate16.html
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2001-09-20/bestethnic3.html
-
Lesley--are you talking about JG "dark" chocolate moelleux? Obviously a big difference if you are. Have you tried Philippe Conticini's "white" chocolate moelleux yet?
and I'll make Amanda's version of Bill's cake this week and report back here on Monday or Tuesday. Wouldn't surprise me if something got lost in her "adaptation" and the weight to volume conversion deemed so necessary.
I could only vouch for Bill's cake being killer in the restaurant.
Perhaps we'll inaugurate an ongoing thread--good recipes gone bad at the hands of others?
-
In the spirit of digging deep into a single ingredient--for those that may wish to--may I recommend the finest treatment of vanilla that I'm aware of: Ed Behr's chapter in "The Artful Eater," his 1992 book which is unfortunately out of print. Perhaps if you contact him and subscribe to his quarterly food letter, "The Art of Eating," Ed will throw in a photocopy of the vanilla essay.
http://www.artofeating.com/index.htm
Another sympathetic treatment of vanilla, much more of a culinary and cultural travelogue, can be found in Saveur #39 (December 1999) by Maricel Presilla, an expert on Latin and South American cuisines. (Maricel also happens to be a chef and co-owner of Zafra, a newish restaurant in Hoboken, NJ).
-
Amanda rediscovers the joy of plain old vanilla today at the hands of Bill Yosses. Get the recipe for his killer warm vanilla cake that I alluded to earlier in the New York/Citarella thread: click.
What Amanda doesn't tell you--which I think is of value to amateur and pro alike--is that the batter can be held in the fridge for 3-4 days.
-
Ellen--the French press gives you coffee with body--thick and chewy. This is perhaps the closest method to brewing tea and the most direct.
I use a 1.5 cup glass Bodum.
Use filtered water, whole beans that you grind yourself immediately before brewing.
Use a coarser grind than you might expect--sandy gravel--and at least a moderately dark roast. You know you have the grind right when you are able to push down the plunger smoothly without struggling too mightily. It should push down with some resistance but not effortlessly. If you can't push it down at all, or it requires herculean effort to push down, resulting in coffee spraying up through the sprout, your grind is too fine.
Like in making tea--warm up your glass carafe first. I put some water in it and microwave it while I'm measuring out the grounds and boiling the water on the stove.
Empty it, then put in the coffee--then pour water just off the boil on it--then stir slightly--then put the lid on.
Plunge after 5 to 5:30 minutes.
It probably doesn't surprise you that I weigh my coffee out--15 g per espresso double shot; for the press, start by using 2T of ground coffee per 6 oz cup. But even that is variable--you can use it to your taste for a given bean and roast--and I often use more than recommended.
-
Ellen and Bux--if you have one espresso a day for 3 months you will "amortize" the cost of a 踰 Rancilio "Sylvia"--or one of the other 2 or 3 worthwhile semi-commercial machines--versus those espressos purchased from your local outlets. Two caveats: you have to be the kind of person who likes doing things for yourself, with your hands and making espresso at home is kind of like a high school chemistry lab because of, as others have rightly alluded to, the many inter-related variables. The seemingly expensive machine pays for itself much more quickly, however, when you start having a second one later in the morning, as you undoubtedly will.
Ellen--I used various drips for awhile in the 80's with a gold filter and found that the machines heated the water to an inaccurate and variable temperature. Also, the hotplate tended to hold the coffee at too high a temp. Braun et al have realized this and now offer a variable temp switch for the burner, an insulated pot, but the initial water temp is still a problem for some. Surely the drip and percolator methods gained popularity because both extract the most caffeine--caffeine extraction being related to the time the water is in contact with the grounds.
And Ellen, the ultimate in convenience surely is rolling out of bed, on cold wintry morning, without regard to appearance, and returning to same cradling that double shot with some steamed milk, the warmth of the porcelain bleeding into your palms.
Margaret--I, too, love African beans in the French press, though my favs tended to be Ethiopian, especially the winey varieties.
In addition to the quality of machine, origin of bean--
and Roger's great points about freshness and roast--I'd add how beans are stored as another paramount concern--and reiterate my previous comment about grind. You really do need to spend as much money on a grinder as you can afford to do it right at home. Think of it this way--that 趁. grinder will be the last one you ever buy and it's consistency is remarkable.
Most coffee aficionados agree quality of bean is paramount--all this talk is beyond an inherent assumption of great beans, roasted properly for your intended use. Kind of like cacao beans and chocolate: it is impossible to make interesting, complex chocolate without inherently interesting, complex beans, harvested and processed properly.
Two other practical issues which may seal this for some people--how much permanent counterspace are you willing to dedicate to this effort (my setup takes 24" by 18" to the left of my kitchen sink) and cleanliness--how fastidiuos are you? It is impossible not to have finely ground bits of black sand and powder all over the place--and you have to clean up, wipe down, empty and rinse the overflow tray, remove and replace the "group" as Roger mentioned--every time you use the machine.
Perhaps one way to look at trying to make great espresso at home might be to consider whether you are more like a chef or pastry chef--if you are demanding, anal retentive, scientific, precise, a perfectionist--like a top chef--only more so, and like to play with toys and fancy equipment, like a pastry chef (or a writer, who researched this topic like a pastry chef, Corby Kummer, author of the very enjoyable "The Joy of Coffee," which was based on his series of articles on the bean from the Atlantic Monthly years and years ago)
then making espresso at home is for you. If not, then perhaps view it as a somewhat masochistic challenge--like golf--where no matter how good you get at it, no matter what your level of investment and commitment--you can still screw up occaisonally. But those times you hit it dead center perfect, oh those times...
I'd also cast a vote to say that espresso and coffee should just be considered two different, but related, drinks--and that each have their own peculiarities, sensory appeal and standards for evaluation. So now we need 3 threads--tea, espresso and coffee (non-espresso).
Perhaps we should put an ongoing tea thread and the coffee threads in "Cooking," since it involves discussion of ingredients and equipment and technique?
-
Could I put a word in about "Paramount Desserts" by Christine Manfield? I found it a few years ago browsing in Kitchen Arts & Letters, a bookstore for foodie and "food pro" on New York's upper east side that has always imported and stocked new Australian chef's cookbooks.
I was immediately taken by the book's curved edge and found the recipes and writing to be similarly interesting and accessible. I especially admired her attempts to provide some culinary history and context to her creations--and though I might quibble with some of them--that's not the point. The photography and plating are excellent and this book still has value for home cooks and pastry pros alike.
-
Bux--French press is indeed a very different animal from espresso. These days, when I'm on the road I bring an inexpensive press with me and that's about the only time I use it. I, too, expect elite restaurants to have a commercial espresso machine and wait staff that knows how to use it--and I'm let down often. I bought my "semi-commercial" Sylvia, partly, in response to this. In order to get what I wanted--what I knew to be sufficiently good--I had to be able to control the process by getting a powerful pump machine. (I got mine here, from an excellent site that happens to have a ton of helpful information:
http://www.coffee-machine.com/cm/rancilio/silvia_features.htm
Also, I bought a real grinder which makes more of a difference that you might suspect. It was my first trip to Italy, getting off the plane in Bologna, that convinced me this was the way to go. That basic espresso, from the generic stand in the middle of the airport lobby, was both a shock and a revelation. There was no going back.
Coffee before or even with dessert should not be encouraged, for it is as palate-dulling as cognac or brandy or cigars. We share the same peeve.
Illy is absurdly expensive and now you know how they can afford all those well placed, full page ads. I use Graffeo and Torrefazione at least 3:1 over Illy.
La Colombe is not yet available on the web, though their basic site is up and they do mail order:
'>http://www.lacolombecoffee.com/index.html
-
I've been loyal to three brands for years:
1) Illy--whole bean espresso (silver label, red lid)
2) Graffeo--"dark roast"--they only have two--light and dark--from San Francisco, 800.222.6250
and
3) Torrefazione Italia "Perugia" blend, 800-827-2333 and available online at:
Though Torrefazione has been bought out, I haven't noticed a drop in quality. All give full, smooth, rich and rewarding espresso.
and my machine is a Rancilio "Sylvia"
I do think you'll see more restaurants offerring French press coffee and revealing the brand and roast as consumers become more savvy and aware. You've seen this happen with microbrews, tea sommeliers have gotten alot of ink within the past year and I've seen movement on the coffee front as well.
Thanks for starting a valuable thread Rosie.
-
Here is a gem of a site--
http://www.theartisan.net/Flour_Suite_Frameset.htm
that excerpts some information from a wonderful book "Special and Decorative Breads" Volume 1 by Bilheux, Escoffier, Herve and Pouradier. It's the bread making volume designed to accompany the 4 volume "Professional French Pastry Series," that was translated by James Peterson and published by Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Two books, published in 1993, changed the tone of this discussion in the US and remain great reads:
"Bread Alone" by Dan Leader and Judith Blahnik (Morrow, NY)
"The Village Baker" by Joe Ortiz (Ten Speed Press, CA)
Another fav:
Volume #29 of Ed Behr's "The Art of Eating" newsletter, entitled 'A Well-crafted White Loaf' is his latest on the subject and available at:
-
yes, Steven, I use 125g per cup of flour as a conversion, too. good idea about the flour thread, because we haven't even gotten into bromated and bleached flours yet.
-
Carolyn--you might borrow a trick from Gray Kunz and use the most neutral oil--his French grape seed oil flavored with black truffle. I bet it would work beautifully if incorporated into the ganache and frozen in that dark chocolate center. Do share your results with the "black diamond."
-
For cakes, I urge everyone to weigh and sift their flours--every time. It's usually more efficient to weigh first, then sift.
Granted, some baking applications do not require aerated flour; however, all baking applications require flour to be free from bugs and insect bits and debris. Older flour can be prone to clumping together--and those little clumps can survive all the way through the baking process. You don't want to cut into a genoise or a chocolate cake and see little white balls.
Most recipes are based on specific flours and I'd recommend that you do not try to substitute AP flour for cake flour or vice versa--unless you are specifically experimenting to create a different effect. Also, flour composition varies widely, even within general categories like "AP." I'd recommend you 1) buy a good digital scale, surprisingly inexpensive these days, that weighs in both grams and ounces and 2) get used to one particular cake flour brand--say Soft as Silk--convert your favorite recipes from volume to weight--and use that brand all the time.
For Mamster and Americans that are frustrated by imprecise, dumbed-down recipes by our food media, seek out the very few sources that treat home bakers with respect--like "Dessert Circus" by Jacques Torres, his first book--which provides recipes by weight.
-
Carolyn--what you'll need is a relatively quick-baking cake batter, that you can fold some white chocolate into. Pipe that batter into a timbale (these things bake better--i.e. more quickly--if they're upright) stop halfway, then push a frozen ball or cylinder of dark chocolate ganache into it, then finish piping the cake batter around it. Philippe Conticini just shared the recipe for his most excellent "White Chocolate Moelleux" cake that has a liquid center of blueberries--it's on page 40 of the August 2001 issue of Pastry Art & Design, the one that has Philippe on the cover holding a salmon--and it's right out of his Petrossian boutique in NYC. This cake might be a good starting point for the dessert you're trying to create. (Another might be a white chocolate brownie recipe, but that might make your dessert heavier than you intend.)
Of course, Food Arts had already introduced Philippe to American foodies long before, profiling him in their July 2000 issue. And as long as we're on the subject, the current issue of Thuries magazine, in French only--#132 September 2001--has an amazing 28 page array of Philippe's current exciting work as both chef and pastry chef--with recipes and beautiful, inspiring photography. (Single issues of Thuries--a little known secret in this country and the way many culinary francophiles keep up with who's doing what back in France--can be purchased from JB Prince, 36 E. 31st Street, 800.473.0577) Thuries magazine goes along way to explain why certain presentation styles and concepts show up on the plates of New York restaurants.
Not much that is valuable regarding the current dessert scene makes it into cookbooks or websites, they're either dumbed down or relatively useless collections of recipes. And, I relaize this might sound strange, but it's not the recipe really, that's important, but understanding the concept and the technique. I hope this helps.
-
Margaret--occasionally an American chocolatier or pastry chef gets invited to the Salon du Chocolat. Last year, it was Bill Yosses and Claudia Fleming. This year, I am fortunate to have been invited and on November 2nd, I will be part of a 4 hour collaborative demonstration of avant-garde techniques with Philippe Conticini of Petrossian, Alberto Adria of El Bulli and Herve This, a professor of chemistry and a mad scientist-type, who has spent his career figuring out the how's and why's behind what pastry chefs do.
I think it is important not to understate the magnitude of this show--and how revered pastry chefs and chocolatiers are in the European culture. Organizers expect the Salon this year to draw 100,000 people. (In contrast, the New York Chocolate Show, to be held this year November 16th to 18th by the same organizers, drew 15,000 last year and was considered a huge success. It's held in the Metropolitan Pavilion on 125 West 18th Street and lines wound their way down 18th and wrapped around onto 6th Avenue.)
I'm attaching a few links for both shows--and if there is interest, I'd be glad to share a little more inside information about them. Last year I created a haute couture dress out of chocolate, in collaboration with a designer from Tommy Hiliger using Michel Cluizel chocolate, and the fashion show, with models walking down a runway, is but one of many interesting elements of the Salon.
In the US, the website will be www.chocolateshow.com and should be launched soon.
-
Yvonne--how often do you eat out at restaurants and not save room for dessert? I realize this might warrant a thread of its own, but I'm curious: how much of this do you think is cultural, caloric or economic? Is it that dessert is not seen as an essential part of a meal here as in Europe, that many diners have dietary concerns or the fact that you've had so many bad desserts--desserts not integrated with the meal preceeding them--that it seems a waste of money to pay for them? something else?
-
Citarella update: they are doing 180 covers now, on average, and plan to open for lunch on the 17th. Rumor also has it that a certain NY Times food writer, prone to dine with her "boyfriend," will be profiling Bill Yosses's killer vanilla cake that I told this board about first.
Enjoy it now while you can or be prepared to wait a long time.
-
I ate at Citarella for dinner this week--on the night that the NY Times photographer was in taking pictures for the Diner's Journal column that ran Friday. In my opinion, Grimes' preview was "spot on" as chefs like to say. He apparently ate there the day after they opened the doors to the public.
As far as the food is concerned, it is already at an extremely high level. My guess is that they did 60 covers that night in "preview mode."
I sampled 4 apps--2 were wondrous: shaved geoduck clam with chive and chili oil and a mackerel tartare with scallion. The other 2 were just excellent: a pureed corn and vidalia soup with crab and arugula oil made with incredibly sweet and flavorful corn grown on the North Fork; the heirloom tomato and bread salad was presented less elegantly than the others--but had rich flavor.
For dinner we had the layered Pompano, oxtail and potato and an assortment of sushi and sashimi that re-inforced the value of vertical integration--at least when it comes to procuring incredibly fresh and flavorful seafood.
Bill Yosses, formerly of Bouley Bakery, is the pastry chef (both a colleague and friend.) Here his desserts are delicate and refined in flavor and presentation--and they follow the food in spirit. My favs: the elderflower parfait, the chocolate jasmine napoleon, the candy cane rhubarb with yogurt cream, and the fig napoleon with tangerine.
Most of the diners around us ordered the same 2 desserts--the two that are the most clearly accessible: the apple "conversation" and the warm vanilla cake with 12 bean vanilla ice cream (Bill calls this informally "Death by Vanilla" and the cake is baked a la minute.)
Granted, these two are delicious, but if you are the least bit adventurous, you will be rewarded by going beyond.
He's even created a line of interesting desserts for the downstairs sushi bar that is traditional and atypical--several wagashi, tofu with pomegranate seeds and molasses that was much better than it sounds, and alot of stuff with fruit and agar-agar. The jiggly black sesame pudding was to die for (if not necessarily to look at.)
I was really envious of his white chocolate ganache infused with green tea, too. Killer.
If you want to try any of these--and are not seated at the sushi bar--Bill told me you can request them upstairs.
Wine list is not deep, but is as diverse as it is interesting and reasonably priced. (Reasonably priced wine list in NYC?) We drank two bottles that were bargains--ศ and ฮ respectively: a Chenin blanc by Chappellet (Napa) and a 1997 Mourvedre by Jade Mountain (Mt. Veeder.)
Design elements are stylish, sleek and timeless--rather than over-wrought. While the restaurant is in "preview" mode, you might even have a chance to snag the most amazing table in the restaurant--on the 2nd floor dining room, nestled in the corner windows, overlooking 49th and 6th Ave.
And kudos to a design that is entirely wheelchair accessible, with an elevator opening to every floor.
Bill Yosses Vanilla Cake recipe
in Cooking
Posted
Bux--I am not aware of an unsweetened white chocolate.