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John W.

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    got date

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    Can anyone recommend suggestions for a fun atmosphere (a la Zaytinya), with food options that could meet both of our restrictions that would fall into either a "cheap-ish eats" or a moderately priced place category?

    Bistrot du Coin.

    Mussels and accordians.

    What could be more romantic?

    Vidalia, 20th & M Streets NW

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted · Edited by John W. (log)

    Veal cheeks are just that, meat that comes from the cheek, as opposed to meat that comes from the leg, or breast, or shoulder or rump. As fror gelatinous, think braised short ribs, just a lot more delicate and tender and unctuous.

    As much as I like veal and beef cheeks, pork cheeks are the ultimate. Gerard Pangaud used to make them. Haven't seen pork cheeks in a while. Veal cheeks were at one time a specialty cut and very cheap. Now that they are so trendy, the price has gone up quite a bit. When braised properly for several hours, cheek meet is fork tender and full flavored. Think pot roast.

    I have to ask...

    Is there any part of animal X that is superior in flavor to the same part of pork?

    I think I'd prefer pork tail to lobster tail any day o' the week.

    And can be further extrapolated:

    Starburst fruit chews vs. porkburst pig chews

    otterpops vs. porkpops

    and so on.

    A Chat with John Wabeck

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    To avoid shilling this event, we are (hopefully) going to start sending out monthly e-mail blasts starting this evening, with the schedule included. I plan on changing it monthly. Tomorrow should be fun; A crazy Italian white (Trebbiano, Pecorino, Passerna and Chard blend) and Altamura's fine CA Sangiovese from '98 that I sampled today and deemed it a tasty beverage. Anything else I'm happy to deal with via PM.

    A Chat with John Wabeck

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    As much as I'd like to write a book about this subject, at the end of the day, how punk rock is it talking about really expensive bottles of wine?

    Okay, here goes:

    Until you write that punk rock book on expensive bottles of wine for the rest of us, what books or other resources (websites, etc.) do you rely on?

    For wine, or food, I mean.

    And let me be the first to welcome you to e-gullet, garnish. I do so love the librarian-esque questions. :hmmm:

    Food books are tough. For the basics, unfortunately, lenghty thomes are the way to go. The Professional Chef from the CIA is great for almost everything, as is The Way to Cook by Julia. (I hope everyone has had their gin toast by now).

    For a bit advanced, I think the Cafe Boulud Cookbook is great (the shortrib recipe is killer).

    Wine, How to taste by Jancis Robinson (as discussed above), and the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course is also helpful.

    In a pinch for recipes (which does sometimes happen), I typically refer to epicurious.com.

    A Chat with John Wabeck

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted · Edited by John W. (log)

    Mssr. Wabeck,

    All right, I sent some softballs last time but its go-time now. I understand you were a music major and, obviosuly, a punk rock affecianado. So I want to know a little more about the intersection of these worlds... I'm on a philosophical bent so follow me... Greil Marcus, one of punk's foremost historian's wrote the following (check out Lipstick Traces for a great book on punk):

    Rock 'n Roll is a combination of good ideas dried up by fads, terrible junk, hideous failings in taste and judgment, gullibility and manipulation, moments of unbelievable clarity and invention, pleasure, fun, vulgarity, excess, novelty and utter enervation. 

    It strikes me that you could simple replace the phrase "Rock $ Roll" with "Modern Cooking in America" and it would ring somewhat true. (Not that I'm really qualified to make this statement anyway) With that said, do you think Culinary America is reaching a point of enervation, where copy follows copy and the whole thing looks like a cookbook from the late 80's? Young chefs feel confident borrowing other Chef's recipes ingredient for ingredient with little if any varation. Is the proliferation of restaurants in D.C. anymore than a second coming of already established scenes from New York and San Fransisco? Green Day vs. Stiff Little Fingers, to borrow from High Fidelity? Y'know what I mean?

    Also, to what extent do you think chefs need to adhere to classics, French tradition, etc? Punk was founded on a reversal of predominate aesthetics. Where is the same movement in cooking? Is there any connection. Where are the surreal, the dada cooks? Chefs with

    mohawks and saftey pins through their noses, jamming out Angry Sams?

    This isn't prescriptive, just a question to provoke thought.

    Your's truly,

    Derek

    Booooyaaaahhh!

    Incredibly tough question which I feel I am not qualified to answer. But duty calls.

    I took two things from my brief music education. Know the rules before you break them, and 2) nothing's original because Bach already did it. That said, I feel you have to follow classics to some extent.

    If you write a song that doesn't follow the rules, you will most likely end up with noise that someone will be into. If you make shitty veal stock, you are left with shitty veal stock. I am certain that Grant and Ferran (first two off the top of my head) can make proper veal stock. They void lesson #2 from above. I am not much of a food historian but I can't place what they do anywhere. Unfortunately, I think that for every Achatz and Adria, there are 20 (or more) monkeys running around with foamers that have no idea how to make the simple, basic things. As an example, on the home front, Jose Andres, (who we all know worked for Ferran, because of which has the license for his foamer), demonstrates daily a grasp of the simple stuff done well to great knowledge of cutting edge technique. And for that has my deep respect.

    As far as chefs copying one another? I once sat in on a tasting where it was readily apparent that it was TK, CT, TK, CT and on and on. Verbatim. But, he still had to prepare the food, it was good and the technique was there. He worked for both chefs, should he discount his experience? Anybody armed with a set of cookbooks can bust a lot of chefs as to where stuff came from. Hell, I can go down the list and tell you where 90% of my Firefly stuff comes from. "How original?" Read E-Man, maybe you'll get it sorted out.

    If you reverse Bad Company, you might get some quality music out of it. If you reverse classical cooking technique, you more than likely will get crap.

    As much as I'd like to write a book about this subject, at the end of the day, how punk rock is it talking about really expensive bottles of wine?

    A Chat with John Wabeck

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    John what are you tasting at this point in the night?

    I just polished off the rest of the Palena burger I couldn't finish last night (just stunning cold - really), and am enjoying a glass or two of Rioja, Lan, Crianza 1999.

    I vowed to never miss tempranillo blind, but after three in a row missed I need to get my Spanish on.

    And you Mssr. Thrasher, what are you sipping on at this instant?

    A Chat with John Wabeck

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    John:

    I stopped by for the wine happy your last friday and ran into two other eGulleteers. The Champagne was excellent. I wish there was a way you could keep us informed of what wines you plan to pour on a daily basis so that if something interseting came up those that were interested could stop by. It is an innovative program that you have there.

    We are figuring out how to do it. Originally we had a calender like you'd see at LuLu's or something, but it's too difficult to send out via e-mail. We're going to sort it out though. Probably do a weekly thing, change it up every so often.

    Today is California. Solex (Russian River chard, standard butter and oak) and Joulian Zin (Carmel).

    eGullet Outing at Colorado Kitchen

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    I'm in.   Has the time been set, and I missed it?  I know it's the 7th of September.

    I think Chef Gillian preferred 7:30.

    Is anyone interested in perhaps checking out John W.'s wine happy hour before hand?

    I could be coerced.

    I would like the following wines for, say..., $5 a glass:

    '94 Coulee de Serrant

    '95 de Vogue Musigny

    '89 Chave Hermitage

    Is that doable Mr Wabeck?

    No.

    Maybe $50 the glass.

    Well, I tried...

    I'll sort something out to send youse off to CK.

    eGullet Outing at Colorado Kitchen

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    I'm in.   Has the time been set, and I missed it?  I know it's the 7th of September.

    I think Chef Gillian preferred 7:30.

    Is anyone interested in perhaps checking out John W.'s wine happy hour before hand?

    I could be coerced.

    I would like the following wines for, say..., $5 a glass:

    '94 Coulee de Serrant

    '95 de Vogue Musigny

    '89 Chave Hermitage

    Is that doable Mr Wabeck?

    No.

    Maybe $50 the glass.

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