tanabutler

I heard from the wine director at Blue Hill. She says, "That bottle of wine you had is one of my favorites. It's called the Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner. It's from the Steinsetz vineyard and the vintage is 2002. If it helps I buy it from my Skurnik rep." (She said I could share this with you, and agreed with the idea of the wine pairing well.)

Suvir, forgive me for just getting around to posting this. I have a few photos of our glorious visit to Amma a couple of weeks ago, but I can't find the power cord to my laptop, and that's where they are stored, along with some of my notes about the meal. So my account will be truncated, but our joy was not. I had the good fortune (and I mean good fortune) to come to New York for the weekend of October 10-13. Having become pleasant acquaintances with Suvir in the short time I've been at eGullet, I let him know when I made my reservations that I hoped we could meet. In the meantime, he went and opened this restaurant. In the meantime, the word was getting out about how wonderful Amma is. I have to preface this with the reason for my trip to NYC. I was going to attend (and photograph) a large dinner at the new Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, in Westchester County, on Sunday, in association with the Outstanding in the Field farm dinners (based here in Santa Cruz) and Blue Hill restaurant (the guest chefs for this dinner). Because I would be meeting the chefs on Sunday, I thought it a good idea to have dinner there on Saturday. So I made reservations for 8 PM on Saturday evening. My friends (Betsy, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and her daughter, Laura, an artist and graduate of Bard) and I arrived earlier than Suvir had expected us on Saturday...he'd made me promise to save room for "an appetizer and a glass of wine." My first impression of Amma is "utterly gorgeous." The warm golden tones of the walls and the lighting are not only sensual but flattering. (This gal will take all the flattering she can get!) The view is sweet—just another NYC street, but a nice one. The décor is unusual (darn my dead laptop) with original artworks on the walls. And I loved the chandelier. None of that affects how the food tastes, except that it does, if you know what I mean. It is a very lovely room in every aspect. While we waited for Suvir, the staff (including the wonderful Bikky, Amma's sommelier) attended to our every need. And then some. (Alas, a family emergency kept Suvir from arriving, for which I am deeply sorry—both for his family and because I wanted to meet my eGullet friend who writes so elegantly.) So....did I say "one appetizer"? Apparently the counting system in India is different than in America. Maybe they use base-4 or something. I think something like ten plates of food came out of the kitchen, along with Hemant, the chef. (His wife and their beautiful baby girl were there that night, as well.) The stand-outs were: Bombay Bhel Puri: rice puffs, cilantro, red onions, mint and tamarind chutneys, potatoes (The mint in this dish is so bright, and the chutneys equally so, in a different direction—it is perfectly balanced, and completely delicious. Please come to my house and make a truckload of this for me. Please. Someone. I nominate Suvir) Crispy Fried Spinach: mung beans, potatoes, onions, tamarind and mint chutneys (Again, an intensely flavorful dish, each bite of which was compelling, as my mouth tried to trace flavors...until I just gave up and threw myself into the wonder of this food) Idly Upma: rice and bean cakes, curry leaves and mustard seeds (This delicate dish balanced the stronger-flavored ones. It gave our tastebuds a rest from the spices, and yet its spices were no less distinct) Jackfruit (kathal) Biryaani: cauliflower, potatoes, whole spices (I had never had Jackfruit...I cannot wait to have it again) Two words: Mango Cheesecake! ! We also shared samosas and some other dishes, and I cannot remember their Indian names. Every dish was just perfect, and none of us had ever had better Indian food—or in fact, any food—in our lives. This food is a fine ambassador for India, Suvir. From there, we had to waddle downtown to dinner at Blue Hill (I swear, it was like an "I Love Lucy" episode). All I want to share about that (I wrote up the meal elsethread) is that I believe the wine I ordered at Blue Hill would be a fantastic match with Indian food. Please tell Bikky to get his hands on some of the Austrian "Gruner Veltliner." This is a luscious, minerally, strong-bodied white wine that is remarkable. I first had it in January at Farallon in San Francisco. I had requested an "unusual" white wine. When I came back from that dinner, I Googled "gruner veltliner" and found an article that began, "I am drinking rocks." It's so crisp and fresh, like mountain air. Betsy and I both thought, as we tasted it, that it would go exceedingly well with the dishes we had enjoyed at Amma. I'm sorry that I don't know the label we had; it's not on the Blue Hill website. I will e-mail Pam Walton, their wine person, and see what I can learn. Conclusion: one of the finest dining experiences for all three of us. Put yourselves in the chef's hands and thank your lucky stars for Amma. Now, to find my power cord.

I confess that the avocado dish with lime sorbet and salty brulée crust was our least favorite dish, as well. I guess, being a Californian for twenty-plus years, I am spoiled on perfect avocados. There is one day in the lifespan of an avocado where it would be a good dessert choice. The avocado I had was a day or two past that. It would make fine guacamole, when blended with other more pungent and hot flavors, but the state for a dessert should be on the first day of perfect ripeness, when it is at its greenest, without being hard. That is the only critique that my chef friend and I had about the entire meal. That particular avocado should not have been used. But it's hard to tell until you open them up. And it's a brief window of time that they're in that state. Sort of like the perfect pear. Pears can be rock hard and then turn to much in what, a half an hour?

I have been too busy with work this week to attend eGullet much...and have skipped several pages of posts in here just now. I did receive a reply from Betsy Johnson, whom I wrote a month ago about this brouhaha. She forwarded Rick Bayless's statement (the one that appears on his Frontera site), along with a letter that went out to members of the Chef's Collaborative. It is quite poignant, in a way, and I think they took the high ground with it. She said in her e-mail to me, "We meet this weekend face-to-face, and hope to build upon and mature as an organization from these recent events." Here is the letter to CC members. (Emphasis mine, below.) Here is my reply to Betsy: So. I await with interest the outcome of the weekend meetings. They're a good group. I think Rick Bayless is perhaps not a sell-out, but incredibly naïve. To a fault.

You done good, sugar. I'm proud of you.

I am delighted you went to the Oakville grocery and tried the Red Hawk cheese. Score! Also happy to hear that Delfina was good. I want some of that calamari. Whee, the Chows had Phun!

Here is how to get a kid to read the newspaper. Arcata Eye Police Report That guy should get a Pulitzer.

I just wanna say that the bottle of wine was only $30. You cannot imagine a better deal in the city. Or anywhere.

Oh. My. God. I went to Blue Hill Saturday night with my chef friend who's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. She was the perfect companion. Blue Hill was the reason I was in NYC for the weekend, as they were the guest chefs for the farm dinners that I photograph. I'd made reservations, saying I would be meeting and photographing the chefs on Sunday. When we arrived, I told the hostess that we were not very hungry (sometimes you aren't), and she sounded disappointed. We said we just wanted a little food...and this was not a problem. Uncustomarily, the waitress wanted to know what we would be drinking before they made food. I ordered a bottle of Gruner Veltliner, and every single course was perfect with it, including the desserts (though we were done by the time the chocolate arrived). Here is what we were served (and I regret deeply that I didn't photograph all this, but it was just too much at the time, with so much going on): Goat cheese with walnut and micro-arugula on homemade papadum (this was amuse bouche sized) Anchovies and soy beans with micro-mache in rice pepper cup (ditto) Green gazpacho with tomato sorbet Trout with golden beets, pine nuts in citrus-lavendar honey reduction (one of the best things ever) Roast capon with stew of roasted veggies and purée of winter squash with swiss chard and au jus Avocado with lime sorbet and salty brulée crust Peach melba with sabayon, raspberry compote, tuile, pistachios and vanilla ice cream Chocolate with fresh mint (think micro-thin solid chocolate Girl Scout "Thin Mints") Frozen peppermint sorbet bon bons Apple gelée with lemon curd and dried apple slice Chocolate mousse with hazelnut praline The staff were flawless. Afterwards, Betsy got to meet Dan because she has a rather unique "résumé." Her chef's coat is autographed by just about every chef in NYC, and some beyond. Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Daniel Boulud, Bobby Flay, Emeril, and everyone (except Tony Bourdain, and I'll kill her if she goes without me). So she got Dan to sign it, and the whole kitchen was wide-eyed. It's a totally cool coat. The farm dinner was out of this world, and I'll post those courses another time. I'm working but I snuck in here to post this. Betsy has had many many fabulous meals, as have I, and not only was the food perfect, but the service (and the service-minded kitchen staff) made the evening incomparably beautiful and delicious. Consider this a flat-out rave.

Hey, that's cool about the musicians. I did the same thing, though in a small scale, for what we 'round here call "the KPIG people." Jimmie Dale Gilmore is pretty big around here (Santa Cruz), along with Robert Earl Keen and a whole bunch of others like that. I interviewed Southern Culture on the Skids, Junior Brown, and (dream come true) Rosanne Cash. Sounds like your time in Texas brought a lot of unforeseen blessings, which is good if you have to endure Texas (I did myself, once upon a time). I'm delighted to hear about the other things that fill out your life. So tell me, do you drawl at all?

Good morning, Russ! Someone this weekend (farm dinner, upstate NY) told me you were originally a sports writer. Is this true? Reading your book, I got wondering about the young Russ Parsons. Did you have a chemistry set? Were you a geek* as a little lad? How can you trace your present occupation (and perhaps pre-occupation, and a lovely one it is) back through your life to your childhood, vis à vis your interests and hobbies and favorite learning experiences? Thanks so much. I love the detail in your writing, and how you chase down the unusual and uncommon. Tana *Not the chicken-head-munching-circus-geek...but, now that I think of it, some permutation of that...I usually call myself a geek in the computer sense. Oh heck, you know what I mean.

She needs fashion healing, too.

My favorite thing to do with butternut squash is to make a cream soup with shiitake mushrooms and a slight curry.

I thought about this business for a long time last night and this morning. The legalese y'all detected in RB's letter is more obvious to some than to others, but having had it pointed out, I am all the more disappointed.

So. The opera isn't over until the Fat Guy stings?

(I thought I read somewhere that the bread was baked on premises.)

Well, look what I received this morning via e-mail. I wrote her (and others at Chefs Collaborative) on September 20. She just wrote back. ---------- From: Nancy Civetta Date: Mon Oct 6, 2003 8:14:02 AM US/Pacific To: Tana Butler Subject: Re: Burger King endorsements from Rick Bayless? Dear Tana, Please excuse my delay in responding. I was collecting the facts and speaking with the Chefs Collaborative board. Below is a letter from Rick Bayless that his office requested I send you. I am sure that you will eventually be hearing back from Chefs Collaborative directly, but wanted to at least let you hear from Rick himself why he chose to do this. Thanks for your interest in and support of Chefs Collaborative. Sincerely, Nancy Civetta -------------- Thursday, September 18, 2003 Dear friends and co-workers: Knowing my dedication to honest, authentic flavors and healthy food, acquaintances at Burger King asked me to taste a new trio of sandwiches they’re about to offer in their 8,000 restaurants. Sandwiches that feature grilled chicken breast, a crusty baguette-like roll that’s finish-baked several times daily on premises, and (in the case of the Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Baguette sandwich they wanted my comments on) a smooth “salsa” made with roasted tomatoes and roasted poblano chiles plus a chunky topping of roasted peppers and onions. I am genuinely impressed with the honesty of flavor and texture in the salsa, the diversity of ingredients (when’s the last time you saw poblano chiles on a fast-food menu?), the freshness of the roasted peppers and onions (they are delivered fresh to each restaurant—not frozen), and the crispy integrity of the bread’s crust. I found the flame-grilled flavor satisfying and the portion-size on target—especially for every-day eating. On target, too, are the 350 calories and 5 grams of fat in each sandwich. Honestly, up until now, I’ve found very few options for a decent quick meal when I’m away from my home or restaurant—and I find myself in need of one from time to time like everyone. I’d stopped even considering fast food restaurants ages ago as a source for anything that approaches hot, healthy, honest and satisfying. But now I want to I applaud the folks at Burger King for taking steps toward changing that. Sure, I’d like to see them use organically grown vegetables in the sauce and roasted pepper topping. Sure, I’d like to see the grilled chicken breast seem less processed (though I’ll admit there’s a noticeably less-processed overall taste to the sandwich). None of that negates, however, the fact that the folks at Burger King are taking positive steps. Who knows, maybe this is just the beginning. Maybe my dream of organic options in fast food isn’t that far off. I’ve decided to sign on to do a commercial for the new Burger King sandwiches. That doesn’t mean I’ve changed any part of our strong Frontera Mission—only chosen to highlight our dedication to inclusivity, to applaud positive steps toward a healthier food supply wherever we see them. Our restaurants will still be the bastion of local, seasonal, sustainably raised food hand-crafted by some of our nation’s best artisan chefs. I’ll still continue to be a strong voice for authentic flavors, for understanding cultural diversity through food, and for the importance of preparing and sharing food around the family table. Sincerely, Rick Bayless

SWoodyWhite, I know enough about making commercials to know that it's exceedingly difficult to work with food. Being a food photographer myself (despite my cruddy photos of the burn victim sandwich I posted upthread), I am aware of the difficulties of many aspects of photographing items that melt, cool down, warm up, dry out, and so on. I am aware, as a suspicious consumer, of the various tricks that marketing departments use to make atrocious things look appetizing. My question is not specific to the commercial, but to the sandwich(es) Bayless consumed before he agreed to make the commercial. Was that sandwich like the one I was served—flat and certainly containing less than half of the meat/ingredients that bulge out of the photographs on the BK website? Or did they make up a special, trumped-up sandwich for him, bursting with meat and veggies especially prepared for him? All "cheffed up," so to speak? I am seriously curious about the process. I am also curious how it came down. Did BK send a communiqué saying, "We've made a Better Sandwich. Would you taste it?" Or did they say, "We've made a better sandwich and we want to pay you gigantor dollars to say it's good"? If the former, and he tasted it and said, "Gee, it doesn't suck," and then BK offered money, that would be one thing. It wouldn't be the worst thing. If the latter (and who knows?), then it's an entirely different thing. And either way, I am extremely curious. I am always curious about the grey areas of moral issues, and this is a moral issue. How can you know how many sandwiches he consumed, or what the circumstances were? You sound like his lawyer to me. The bottom line for me is that Burger King is, with the development of a line of low-fat (high sodium) sandwiches, not worthy of the endorsement of a chef with such a spectacular reputation for FLSO (fresh, local, seasonal, organic), or of Bayless's spectacular reputation, period. Again, I am not a food purist, and I don't care if he eats at Burger King ten times a week. What I dispute is the conflict of interests between being affiliated with the highly respected, perhaps visionary Chefs Collaborative, and endorsing mass-produced sandwiches of questionable nutritional value, high sodium content, and non-local, non-organic, non-seasonal, and pre-packaged ingredients. For me, of all the points made in this thread, I think Fat Guy's is the most cogent—the one that you can sell your reputation but then you can't keep it. I don't think Rick Bayless is laughing all the way to the bank. I am equally sure he's a great guy. Great guys make mistakes, too. But what I think doesn't really matter. I don't belong to the Chefs Collaborative. I hope they are wildly successful in achieving their vision, because it's a worthy one.

I can't wait to hear more, Rene.

I think that's a very well-balanced and thoughtful post, Richard. I have a serious question. Is it possible that BK fed a custom-made sandwich to Rick Bayless when they asked his opinion? I don't know how these things work. I would assume that would be illegal, and I wouldn't put it past any corporate marketing department. All I know is the sandwich I bought didn't look like it contained 1/3 the chicken and filling as the ones in the ads.

He's not Satan. I'm jealous of the money. He still sold out. I didn't think that "sell out" is nebulous or vague or anything. I know one when I see one. The analogy upthread of Mary Tyler Moore (herself a diabetic, and a spokesperson for their organization) doing a commercial for Twinkies or something...that was a good one.

Agreed. If he had done that, we would know. If he had done that, his name wouldn't be on their website. If he had done that, they might have answered the e-mails asking "What the?!" It's been weeks. Not to me. It's called "Sleeping with the enemy." There is so little redemptive in that sandwich. I have wondered (can anyone say?): do you think they fed Rick Bayless a custom-made sandwich and asked his opinion? Like one of the fancy, pretty ones they show in the commercials? I am not a food fundamentalist. (I'm not exactly an omnivore, because there are some things I just don't like. But I'm not a vegan [and I am not a vegan who wears leather, one of my favorite permutations of the hypocrite].) The central issue here is that Bayless is on the Board of Overseers at Chefs Collaborative. And he made a commercial for a huge multi-national corporation that is the antithesis of their values. For the people who were boycotted for their involvement with Rain Forest beef, among other egregious offenses to the environment.

Have you read this thread? He's a spokesperson for "local, fresh, organic and seasonal," as the Chefs Collaborative espouses. The responsibility incumbent on Bayless to maintain his integrity is huge. He sold out. It's bullshit, and I think he should resign from the CC Board of Overseers. They haven't answered e-mails, still. What he does in his restaurant has perhaps not changed, but his credibility and integrity as a member of the Board of Overseers is gone.

Oh, Suvir, I am so overjoyed to read this news. I have been absolutely buried in work and avoiding poking around eGullet with the abandon I had when I first wandered into its halls. (That to explain why I am little on the boards lately.) I am going to bring my salwar kameez and dupatta to New York and visit Amma, if I stay in the city. (I am not clear on my plans yet.) You know that I wish you enormous success so that your light might continue to shine. Namasté, my friend. P. S. Your writing is elegant and beautiful. It is unseemly to apologize for it, unless that is just a cultural thing like the Japanese bowing. Then I would understand.