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johnjohn

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Posts posted by johnjohn

  1. I assume the whole table has to order the tasting menu? Is the tasting menu a lot of food? I am going next week, and would like to order that menu. But my GF isn't a big eater, and probably wouldn't be interested.

  2. Could you tell me a little about your experiences there at lunch. Everyone raves about the prix fixe deal. I want to try it, but my GF is a picky eater and it looks like you only have two choices for each course - I am worried that she won't find something that she likes.

  3. How thin do you slice the leg of lamb?  Do you go out of your way to slice it against the grain?

    i do, across the grain. the texture is much preferrable to me.

    I remember reading once that the leg has different muscle groups with the grain going in different directions. Do you carve out the seperate muscle pieces in big chunks of meat? Is it easy to determine these seperate muscle pieces?

  4. (continued from the post above)

    Chef Gallante offered to cook for me, and it's a good thing I accepted.  If the meal that followed is any indication of his talents, I'm definitely returning in the near future.  I asked for six courses but somehow that managed to morph into eight.  :cool: (There was an additional dessert sent out.)

    Thanks for the write up - I've been wanting to try this place for awhile. I'm curious about Chef Gallante offering to cook for you - was this arranged ahead of time, did the server mention this was an option when you were seated, or did Chef Gallante come to your table and suggest this himself?

  5. Hello everyone.  Robb asked me if I could drop in to say 'Hi' on his behalf.  I helped out with the recipe testing for his book, so if there are any questions that I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask.

    Jay

    Hi Jay - I picked this book up last night. I am looking forward to working my way through the enchilada recipes.

    What are some of your favorite recipes in this book?

  6. At dinner out the other night my girlfriend asked me how to make the vegetables that were on her plate at home. They were carrots, yellow and green squash cut into matchsticks with those tiny French green beans mixed in - I assume they were just sauted. A few questions.

    1. Do you parboil the carrots and/or green beans before sauting them?

    2. What other vegetables would work in this preperation.

    3. Use olive oil? Butter? Add Garlic?

    4. What herbs would be a nice addition? Thyme?

    5. Do you saute all the vegatbles together at once?

    6. I have a Japanese Mandoline that I have never used - I would use this for cutting the vegetables, right? I didn't notice any seeds in the squash - so I assume I only cut until I get to the core - right?

    Sorry for such basic questions, but I will make them this weekend for her, and don't have time to practice this week - and I want them to turn out perfect.

    Thanks

    Johnjohn

  7. I would be curious to learn what people consider the optimal bread to meat ratio is??

    In terms of breadcrumbs, you can use anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup per pound of meat. !/2 cup will yield a firmer meatball and 1 cup will yield a softer one, though I'm pretty keen on 3/4 cup myself, plain, soaked in milk. I use fresh herbs.

  8. I'll be making this over the weekend - I've researched a few recipes, and have a couple of questions.

    1. Tomato sauce - I have canned whole plum tomatoes in juice - do I drain the tomatoes and discard the juice or work that juice into the sauce? I like a thick sauce.

    2. I will be adding meatballs and sausage to my sauce. The cooking times for these meats seem to vary greatly in all the recipes that I have looked at - from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. Is there an ideal length of time - where both will be fully cooked, but not dry and will have sufficiently flavored the sauce.

    3. I haven't decided if I am going to brown the meatballs first before adding them to the sauce - if I don't - does this mean I should cook them in the sauce longer? I assume I should. All the recipes that show adding sausage say to brown them first - does anyone ever add them with out browning?

    Thanks.

    johnjohn

  9. I made the Butternut squash soup on Saturday. I thought it was way too sweet - to the point that after 3 or 4 spoonfuls I didn't like it at all. It woud be fine if served in a demitasse cup or shot glass before a meal, but as part of a soup and sandwich dinner for my family - it was too much.

  10. I had a nice dinner at Landmarc last night with my family. There were 6 of us - so we were able to put a nice dent into the menu (which is quite big with a variety of choices), and try a number of different things. I'll only report on what I personally tasted.

    Apps -

    - Frisse aux Lardons - perfectly cooked soft boiled egg, lots of crunchy yet tender bacon. But as someone noted in an earlier post - was missing the vinegar bite.

    - Goat Cheese Profiteroles - served warm, had a nice tang, and were quite rich

    The table also had French Onion Soup, Chopped Salad, and the air dried beef (is it called bresoile?)

    Entrees -

    - Sweetbreads with Green Beans - I thought it was a small portion, but I loved it. The beans were nice and crisp and the sauce had a nice punch from the horseradish. Some starch on the plate would have been nice.

    -Mussels with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes - I almost wished I had ordered this dish. A huge order - very fresh tasting. I thought the fries were excellent.

    -Mussels with Shallots, Parsley and White Wine - very good - I liked dipping my bread in this sauce better than the one with the pesto.

    Hangar Steak - perfectly cooked - nice flavor - French fries did get soggy from the steak juices as mentioned earlier.

    I didn't taste the Quail (she said it was the best she ever had) or the pasta special spaghetti alla Bolognese (the only clunker of the group - she barely touched it - it looked like no Bolognese sauce that I have ever seen - it actually didn't even look attractive on the plate).

    Desserts - I like the size and cost of these desserts - wish more restaurants would follow suit, no complaints here.

    Blueberry crumble with vanilla ice cream (you have to order the ice cream extra) and the chocolate mouse tasted fresh and were well prepared.

    Others at our table had crème brulee, lemon tart, and a hazelnut nougatine.

    We had wine - I didn't order it, but I liked it and drank plenty of it.

    Service was strange - Our waiter was very friendly, knew the menu well, and totally charmed my parents and sister. However, there were a few hiccups. A comment that the waiter made sticks out in my mind - while explaining the menu he asked if we had any questions about the "Landmarc Specials" (this part of the menu consists of the organ meats). I said no - he said that he was surprised because most people that aren't advanced eaters didn't know what they were. The way he said it - made it sound like a slight, but my family is a bunch of Midwestern hicks - so I let it slide. Other service issues - I had to ask for bread 3 times before it finally arrived, I had to ask for one of our bottles of wine twice, and not a single item was correctly placed in front of the person that ordered it. I am not joking - each app, entree, dessert and coffee went to the wrong person. That is kind of a pet peeve of mine, but it was so bad - that it was comical, and we had to laugh about it. The reservation policy is also a bit strange (they will take one for 6 or more people), and there was an issue with us getting a table - they eventually sat us, but made us feel as though they were breaking some rules, and bending over backward for us. This was odd - because only 3 tables were filled at 7pm when we got there, but the place was packed when we left a little after 9.

    Conversation was very easy - it wasn't loud where we sat upstairs.

    Also, the menu changed in the last week or two - the waiter said they added a few new choices for each course. The new items had been run as specials in the past and had been very successful. So, if you haven't been in awhile - it might be worth trying it again.

    johnjohn

  11. I had another very enjoyable meal at Hearth Saturday night. I was a solo diner and ate at the bar in the kitchen pass. When I sat down I was presented with the usual shot glass filled with a puree/soup - last night it was apple. Not sure if I liked it or not, but I found it interesting (I love his parsnip preparation). I started with the Quail appetizer. The quail was nicely roasted, it had a crisp skin - tender and slightly pink meat that was very flavorful. It came with a faro salad topped with a poached egg that was cooked in a slightly sweet tomato jam. Next came a half order of the pappardelle with tomato and basil and a light dusting of parm. Very clean and fresh tasting - a good way to remember the tastes of late summer. I thought the thickness of the pasta was just right - the past few times I’ve ordered pappardelle in other restaurants I've found it to be too dense and thick. For my entree, I ordered the Niman Ranch Pork Loin. Two thick perfectly cooked rosy slices of pork came a top a mound of candy sweet tomatoes. While a nice slab of belly meat that was crusty on the outside and juicy inside came draped over a sauté of cabbage flavored with chunks of crispy bacon. All of it was moistened with a light pork jus. I could eat that belly meat all day, and not get tired of it. I finished with the Olive Oil Cake, Roasted figs, and Burnt Sugar Ice Cream. The cake was dense - yet still moist - had a nice aroma and was served warm with a sprinkling with coarse salt. I loved how the crunchy salt brought out the flavors and added a nice textural component. The figs didn't really do anything for me - I didn't think they really brought anything to the dish (maybe I don’t like figs?), and would have preferred a different fruit. The ice cream tasted more like vanilla to me than burnt sugar, but was still tasty. Wine was served with each course - don't remember the names, but do remember that I enjoyed them. Service was warm and professional.

    I really enjoy sitting at the kitchen bar. Marco is a real nice guy - he talked to me about the menu, where he gets some of his products, and about restaurants that we have tried lately. I also like watching the cooks go about their business and putting the food out.

    johnjohn

  12. I refuse to use canned creamed corn and most of the recipes online do presisely that so I opt to make this recipe with fresh corn which I remove from the cob (it tastes fresher and better to me)
    Beaumont Inn Corn Pudding            From Chef Nick Sundberg:

    (the use of white corn makes this a different and unique version of this Kentucky classic.)

    2 cups white whole kernel corn

    4 eggs

    4 ounces flour

    1 quart milk

    4 teaspoons sugar

    2 ounces butter, melted

    1 teaspoon salt

    1. In a casserole dish, mix corn, salt, sugar and butter. Beat eggs and add to milk. Stir into the corn mixture. Preheat oven to 450°.

    2. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and stir with long prong fork, disturbing the top as little as possible.

    3. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Repeat stirring procedure.

    4. Return to oven for 10 more minutes. Repeat stirring procedure.

    5. Return to oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Top should be lightly brown and pudding should be firm.

    I would like to try this recipe - what size casserole? And how many people do you think this will feed.

    Thanks.

  13. It was a fun night - Thanks Stone for setting it up.

    My top three were -

    Braised pork with water chestnuts - Yeah, it would have been a lot better if the meat wasn't as lean, but I really liked the flavor. I tasted a lot of star anise or 5 spice powder - whatever it was I enjoyed it - a nice break from the heat of the other dishes. I also thought the chestnuts gave it a nice textural balance.

    Dry fried string beans - I thought they were cooked perfectly.

    Kung bao chicken - I could eat that every time I go there and never get tired of it.

    Two dishes that I probably wouldn't order again -

    Sliced pumpkin family style - did nothing for me. Didn't think it was good - didn't think it was bad - it was just there.

    Dried spiced chicken - When it came to the table it looked awesome with all the peppers on top, but I didn't think it lived up to its appearance. Plus the pieces were so small, and with the bones - it really was a pain to eat.

    I didn't think the heat level was all that bad - I was expecting it to be a lot spicier. The dan dan noodles were the only dish that made me sweat and really cleared my sinuses.

    It was fun to meet some new people and see others that I have met before.

    Let me know if anyone wants to make another trip in the future.

    johnjohn

  14. I am going to make a duck and sausage gumbo tomorrow, and have a question about making the roux. Can you mix fats when making one? For example use 1/2 cup duck fat and 1/4 cup peanut oil.

    I plan on doing the following -

    1. Browning the duck legs with the skin on to create a fond

    2. Drain off any fat

    3. Remove the skin

    4. Measure the amount of duck fat and add oil to make 3/4 cup, which I will heat and add 3/4 cup flour.

    Another question - should I deglaze the pan with a little stock to scrape up the fond, and start my roux in a clean pan or can I start a roux with the fond on the bottom of the pan. I usually clean the pan and start new, but would like to save a little time tomorrow.

    Thanks

    johnjohn

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