StudioKitchen (2002-2007)

[philadining]

a poached egg injected with truffle jus

When's the next booster shot due?

[I_call_the_duck]

...a poached egg injected with truffle jus...?!?

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If I ever need a blood transfusion, can I have this instead?

[docsconz]

a poached egg injected with truffle jus

When's the next booster shot due?

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I think I will have to take control of this needle and syringe! It may be a placebo, but I am sure it works very well.

I am getting exhausted from all this building excitement.

[shacke]

I think I will have to take control of this needle and syringe! It may be a placebo, but I am sure it works very well.

I am getting exhausted from all this building excitement. 

Doc. To hell with propofol! This stuff makes you feel much better inside. For a brief moment I wished I was an egg again.

Edited February 3, 2006 by shacke (log)

[BryanZ]

That syringe technique, if I understand it correctly, is brilliant.

[KatieLoeb]

"Duchess of Broken Wind" did wonders with the wine choices.

Excuuuuuse me. I believe I said a properly opened bottle of sparkling wine should "sound as subtle as a Duchess breaking wind."

I made no claims to being that Duchess. :adjusts her tiara and stalks away:

Glad you enjoyed the wines though.

[divalasvegas]

Breathtakingly beautiful work as usual philadining.  Thanks once again for taking the rest of us on another trip to Shola-land.

But now really, don't keep us in suspense:

1) What were the extras besides what was posted on the menu?

that first one was shime saba (pickled mackerel), with spicy yuzu sorbet, a granny smith and cucumber salad, and hackleback caviar, with mint oil. and a potater chip.

the second was a potato terrine with neuske's applewood ham and sage, a poached egg injected with truffle jus, and lobster choron sauce. and that's lemon oil around the edge of the plate.

2) What were the other chocolate desserts?

one was a flourless chocolate cake with smoked chocolate and the candied kumquat, and the other was 'chocolate milk' with foamed malted milk on top and shola's version of rice crispies.

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Thanks for the luscious descriptions mrbigjas. The man sure can work magic with eggs and lobster can't he? I assume he injects the egg from the top and then carefully ladles on the lobster and sauce so that the yolk doesn't break. Actually, nevermind since he's a culinary magician, I don't really want to know the secret of this particular trick; I'd rather maintain the illusion.

Now as for that sous chef position..................................

[docsconz]

I think I will have to take control of this needle and syringe! It may be a placebo, but I am sure it works very well.

I am getting exhausted from all this building excitement. 

Doc. To hell with propofol! This stuff makes you feel much better inside. For a brief moment I wished I was an egg again.

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My patients seem to like propofol , but i'm sure the administration of this medicine is much more pleasant

[mrbigjas]

Thanks for the luscious descriptions mrbigjas.  The man sure can work magic with eggs and lobster can't he?  I assume he injects the egg from the top and then carefully ladles on the lobster and sauce so that the yolk doesn't break.  Actually, nevermind since he's a culinary magician, I don't really want to know the secret of this particular trick; I'd rather maintain the illusion.

it's no secret; that's exactly what he did. somewhere there's a photo of him doing it, probably...

[percyn]

Looks like people are still recovering, so allow me to add the names of the dishes from the menu to Philadining's excellent shots:

Apparently, the answer is: fairly crazy....

StudioKitchen February 2, 2006

Amuse Bouche # 1 - Shime Saba, Spicy Yuzu Sorbet, Hackleback Caviar

Amuse Bouche # 2 - Potato Terrine, Nueske Applewood Smoked Ham, Poached Egg, Lobster Choron

Carpaccio of Lamb, Pecan-Lemon Liquid Praline, St Agur, Mezza Arugula, Bintje Potatoes

Roasted Griggstown Quail, Farci of Foie Gras and Sweetbreads, Pea Fondue, Truffle Jus

Skate Wing Roasted with Sichuan Pepper, Oxtail Ravioli, Braised Bibb Lettuce, Gigondas Sauce

Veal Cheek Tatin, Cipollini Agradolce, Mushroom Daube, Truffle Egg Salad

Chocolate Ganache Cake, Orange, Cardamon, Smoked Cocoa

Rasberry Cider, Cauliflower Froth, Shaved White Chocolate

Hot Chocolate, Malted Milk, Rice Krispies

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A special thanks to Chris and Andrea for making the long trip and setting this up. Hope you agree that it was worth it.

And Evan, thanks for sharing more than your fair-share of wines, including the Inniskillin ice wine and the Alvear PX Solera.

Now, if only the "Duchess" who relieved me of my wine scribe duties could post about the wines

Edited again to fix more typos

Edited February 4, 2006 by percyn (log)

[docsconz]

What is "Shima Saba"?

[mrbigjas]

What is "Shima Saba"?

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shime saba = sushi grade pickled mackerel.

[docsconz]

What is "Shima Saba"?

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shime saba = sushi grade pickled mackerel.

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Thank you. I assume that was mixed with rice and ? and lay underneath the sorbet and the caviar?

[Chris Amirault]

It was minced, combined with apple and cucumber and (I think) very finely minced chives. No rice.

[docsconz]

It was minced, combined with apple and cucumber and (I think) very finely minced chives. No rice.

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Ok, looking at the photo more closely I see there isn't any rice. I think my imagination was playing tricks on me.

[Chris Amirault]

I have so very much to say about this experience. I still haven't been able to think about a way to structure my thoughts organically, so I think the easiest thing for me to do is to acquiesce to the bad writer's crutch and write a few individual posts about the three topics that I find most compelling. I'll start with what for me is both the foundation and yet the least compelling: the food.

Please don't understand from that last sentence that the food was anything other than utterly compelling. Indeed, as I said above, I had last night, without question, the best meal of my life. Each course was a perfectly conceived and executed dish; nothing was less than outstanding and most was transcendent. Most importantly, all of it was really good food.

Let me try to clarify using negatives. None were first and foremost "statements," though there was intelligence lurking behind every design. The liquid praline isn't an intellectual exercise in state manipulation; it happens to be the best name for a remarkably concentrated sauce that plays with and off of a sweet bleu cheese, slices of lamb nudged just past raw, and a few salty potato chips.

And none of the dishes were clever -- no easy jokes about middlebrow standards here. Take amuse #2: the egg, potato, and bacon dish was, in fact, a gasp-inducing version of a classic combination, right down to translucent sage leaves pressed between the thin slices of potato. It wasn't an opportunity for knowing glances around the table about the joke; we were all too busy savoring each bite. Ditto each of the three chocolates, such as the drink: the hot chocolate, malted milk, and rice crispies may have been meant to invoke what a Nestle Crunch bar tastes like in Brigadoon, but no one really would have cared one way or another. The allusion wasn't the point.

And, yeah, the truffle jus was delivered into the yolk via hypodermic needle, and, yeah, quite a few things hit the sous vide water for long stretches during the previous week. But nothing in this meal existed for the purpose of showing off the technology. You would understand this if you had the remarkable good fortune to allow a forkful of that veal cheek (which had spent three days in sous vide, then had been braised, then had been caramelized under a disk of tart dough) melt into your body. The point of this meal was not to showcase the gadgets that lined the walls of the dining room. The gadgets that lined the walls of the dining room existed to showcase the food.

You want positives? Well, let's do a Q&A.

What do you need to provide a firm background for Japanese pickled herring, tart yuzu sorbet, and that oceanic hackleback caviar, to bring each of those elements out without any fanfare? Right: spearmint oil. Can't taste it; it's the canvas from which everything else leaps.

How about those pesky skate wings, a bit too thin to stand up to a meaty oxtail ravioli: what to do? Yep, press two fillets, grain juxtaposed, for a while in the fridge and then sear them intensely with a Sichuan pepper dusting, then borrow another Chinese technique and place them atop some braised lettuce. Right? Of course it's right.

What do you want to dip that quail into, friend? How about pea, parsley, and (I think) scallion, pureed for nearly half an hour to burst the chlorophyll forth?

Need something for veal cheek to play with? Sure, agrodolce cipollini and braised mushrooms are nice -- but doesn't it really call out for egg salad beaten nearly to an uncooked souffle, made with perfectly poached eggs, churned-to-almost-butter cream, and truffle oil? You bet it does.

If that can't convince you, I offer the last moment of the meal.

Mies van der Rohe said that he preferred drawings to words because it's so hard to lie with the former; Jeff's photo of the raspberry cider with cauliflower foam tells the story better than I can. The only thing I can say about that little glass is that, when it arrived at our tables, we all stared at it like kids watching snow cascade through the sky for the first time.

We were, in fact, there in that room, the first to watch cauliflower snow cascade through the liquid sky. Shola confirmed: it was his first time, too.

[KatieLoeb]

Looks like people are still recovering, so allow me to add the names of the dishes from the menu to Philadining's excellent shots:

Apparently, the answer is: fairly crazy....

StudioKitchen February 2, 2006

Aperitif:  Weingut Ratzenberger Bachracher Kloster Ferstental Sekt Brut 2000

A perennial fave for StudioKitchen dinners, this sparkling riesling makes your mouth water and gets your tummy rumbling.  Elegant and complex and one of my very favorite wines in the whole world.

Amuse Bouche # 1 - Shima Saba, Spicy Yuzu Sorbet, Hackleback Caviar

Winzer Kremser Gruner Veltliner Ried Sandgrube 2002

A delicious Austrian wine with lots of citrus and white pepper flavors and a healthy dose of minerality.  Interesting flavors that paired well with both this course and the next and the acidity stood up to the richness of the poached egg and choron sauce quite well.

Amuse Bouche # 2 - Potato Terrine, Nueske Applewood Smoked Ham, Poached Egg, Lobster Choron

Cakebread Chardonnay Napa Valley 2003

And because we couldn't help but open this bottle that Percy so kindly donated to the cause, we had a chance to taste this very aromatic and lovely Chardonnay.  Much less over the top than most California chardonnay, I thought this wine was quite elegant and subtle, counter to typecasting.  Lots of fruit but with excellent acidity to balance it, this wine was a real treat.

Carpaccio of Lamb, Pecan-Lemon Liquid Praline, St Agur, Mezza Arugula, Binjte Potatoes

Corte Gardoni Bardolino Le Fontane 2004

Berry fruity and relatively light red wine that went well with the lamb, but better with the bites of lamb with the St. Agur cheese than the bites without.

Roasted Griggstown Quail, Farci of Foie Gras and Sweetbreads, Pea Fondue, Truffle Jus

Domaine Jean-Pierre Diconne Auxey-Duresse 2003

This might have been my favorite pairing of the night.  The burgundy had just enough earthiness and mushroomy-ness to pick up and accentuate the Truffle Jus.  And I always love burgundy with little birdies.

Skate Wing Roasted with Sichuan Pepper, Oxtail Ravioli, Braised Bibb Lettuce, Gigondas Sauce

Roberto Ferrris Barbera d'Asti Superiore 'Nobbio' 2004

Skate and Oxtail, what to do??? Shola lives to torment anyone trying to pair wines with his diabolical combinations of flavors, proteins and textures.  This is a quite concentrated single vineyard Barbera from Piemonte.  Surprisingly it did not overwhelm the skate and the very fruity cherrylike flavor went extremely well with the Oxtail and Gigondas sauce. Shola had a lot of fun saying "Gigondas Sauce".

Fontodi Flaccianello della Peive 2001

This is 100% Sangiovese Super Tuscan that was kindly donated by Evan.  Very concentrated and delicious wine that was more French than Italian in character, if not flavors.  Nice toasty oak and vanilla flavors that complimented the cherry, leather and spice of the Sangiovese.  Fabulous with the oxtail ravioli and a real treat to get to taste.

Veal Cheek Tatin, Cipollini Agradolce, Mushroom Daube, Truffle Egg Salad

Aldo Vajra Dolcetto d'Alba 2004

Dolcetto means "little sweet one" in local dialect and as a varietal, remains one of my favorites.  It's not actually sweet, but generally low in tannin, soft and easy to drink.  This Vajra is a particularly excellent example of why dolcetto is so easy to love.  It's fruity and a little herbal and was delicious with the veal cheek and the etherially light truffled egg salad.

Chocolate Ganache Cake, Orange, Cardamon, Smoked Cocoa

Rasberry Cider, Cauliflower Froth, Shaved White Chocolate

Hot Chocolate, Malted Milk, Rice Krispies

Sant Orsola Brachetto d'Acqui NV

Sweet red sparkling wine.  What's not to like?  And it's just the perfect thing with chocolate in any guise.  When I saw we were having chocolate three ways this one was a no brainer.

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For the post-prandial babbling and blather we opened two more small bottles of dessert wine from Evan's deep stash of stickies.

Inniskillin Riesling Ice Wine 2002

This is the stuff that makes you realize for the first time why ice wine is like nectar. It's just so good. Immense concentration of fruitiness and acidity. Since the winemaker has to wait until the grapes are literally frozen to make this wine, every drop is precious and preserves that concentrated fragrance and flavor. I could drink this stuff forever.

Alvear Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927

This really is one of the most delicious sherrys I've tasted. Dark amber, viscous and sweet, but not oversweet, it smells like a nutty creme brulee and is not entirely dissimilar to maple syrup in texture and certain flavors. A little thimbleful of this goes a long way and is the very best dessert after dessert I can think of.

A special thanks to Chris and Andrea for making the long trip and setting this up. Hope you agree that it was worth it.

And Evan, thanks for sharing more than your fair-share of wines, including the Inniskillin ice wine and the Alvear PX Solera.

Now, if only the "Duchess" who relieved me of my wine scribe duties could post about the wines

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OK, OK!! I've added the wines above in red with my impressions afterward in purple to distinguish my words from Percy's. I can't even decide what my favorite dish was because everything was so good. Shola really outdid himself (as usual) and the real touches of mad genius like the truffle juice injections, egg salad that should have floated into mid-air and the raspberry cider, cauliflower and white chocolate combination (who'd have thought that those things went together??) were a pleasure to behold and moreso to eat.

I'd like to thank every single person that made this dinner so memorable. To Shola for being such a mad man <insert evil laughing here>, to the crack staff at Moore Brothers for hooking up the wine, to my fellow diners for their excellent conversation, companionship and camaraderie, thanks to Evan and Percy for dipping into their enviable cellars for a little more wine, and a special thanks to Chris and Andrea for driving all the way from Providence to Philly and setting this up - it was truly a pleasure to meet them both. It was a rare synergy of food, wine and people and I'm so glad I got to be part of it.

[M.X.Hassett]

Words escape me. Wow.

As I have told people before, one of the greatest aspects of SK is the direct contact the diner has with Shola. To me this is one of the concepts I see as being the future of dining. It allows an unprecedented level of culinary access as yet unseen outside of a handfull of restaurants in the business. I second Chris’ idea of a Shola Q&A.

[Chris Amirault]

I didn't get a chance to write about the wine pairings above because, well, I didn't write 'em down while I was eating. Thanks to Katie, Evan, and Percy for donating their time, insights, and even wine to the cause. I'll say more about this soon, but the participation of the guests in the evening is one important aspect of what makes a meal at SK not only unique but communally remarkable.

[Chris Amirault]

Forgive my obsessive posting but I must continue. I'm not sure what to call the subject of this second installment of my reaction to dinner two nights ago. "The experience" seems too flakily phenomenological, Husserl cum Hendrix, so I'll go with the event.

When I read Steven Shaw's Turning the Tables, I found myself deeply agreeing with his comments about establishing your own local favorites and becoming a regular there. It's what I do here in my own town of Providence; we have a handful of places (shops as well as restaurants) at which we know we can feel that strangely contradictory comfort of out-at-home.

Sometimes we have dinners at those regular joints that include friends, people with whom we feel relaxed and convivial. Of course, my interest in food is a bit over-the-top for virtually all of my pals, and as such I usually rein it in a bit. That is to say, my intense attention to food doesn't really promote social lubrication.

In a perfect world, I'd have all of these things: an experience at a restaurant that feels out-at-home, shared with friends, during which we all can indulge in our love for food. That's a good way to describe my experience at StudioKitchen.

When I was walking up to Shola's door with Holly, Carman, and Andrea after Holly had parked, I felt as if we were walking into the home of someone I knew from another context, that sense of slight familiarity overshadowed by an awareness that I really had no idea whatsoever what to expect. We walked up the stairs, and before we could get to the red door, Jeff opened it up and escorted us up two flights of stairs with no decoration whatsoever. And then? Well, then you walk into the coolest space you've ever seen.

There are lots of shots of the space elsewhere on this thread, so I'll spare the enticing details about the Thermomix, the gazillion All-Clad pots, the anti-griddle, and the meticulous storage system. What I want to emphasize here is how much the place still felt like a space that was full of life. Shola, who was already toiling away in his postage-stamp-sized kitchen, waved hi to us as we snooped around. We milled about the dining room, pointed and joked, and I realized that I had immediately felt at ease. On the drive back home, Andrea said that it was like having your pal over to cook in your house because he's such a great cook. I agreed: it was more like being in our own house than in a restaurant. We were, indeed, out-at-home.

What's more, the StudioKitchen requirement of eight to ten people forces a very particular sort of social planning. You've got to pony up $100 for a meal not of your choosing (though you can excise allergies and intense dislikes), select and bring your own booze, and find at least seven more folks to join you. I confess to a bit of anxiety about the last thing on that list, but I shouldn't have worried: I had dinner with a remarkable group of people. Everyone was eager to talk and share their experiences of the food; most of us shared anecdotes about other food-related things while we waited for Shola to finish or plate the next dish.

Most of all, everyone was terrifically excited. This was not a crowd of jaded food snobs waiting to have our suspicions confirmed or denied; this was a group of people who felt truly thrilled to discover what each sights, smells, textures, and flavors each next course would bring. When the courses did arrive, we set upon them slowly, carefully, with great delight and attention (and, yes, with a few digital camera flashes). And then, we'd start talking, producing an analysis that was motivated not by smug superiority nor by a desire to criticize but by a shared belief that such analysis would heighten and extend our individual and shared senses of pleasure.

We did this for nearly five hours, and I enjoyed every second. I realize that there certainly must be people who do not want this sort of out-at-home experience when they go to a restaurant. As must now be pretty clear, that ain't me. Until I walked up those stairs, I would never have been able to describe my ideal for eating out. Now I know.

When he was serving one of the courses, Shola quietly said, "Damn -- I thought I put this chipped plate away." "Put it here," I blurted. Even though I hadn't known it before he set them down, both the dish and the plate were just what I wanted.

edited to fix some spelling and clarity problems --ca

Edited February 5, 2006 by chrisamirault (log)

[philadining]

Chris,

Thanks so much for posting your impressions, I think some of the regulars here forget some of the most remarkable parts of the experience, because it feels so familiar so quickly.

It's been mentioned many times that a StudioKitchen dinner is affected quite a lot by the group at the table and the interaction with Shola, which then cross-pollinate one another. I have absolutely seen Shola's vibe change based on the energy of the table, and that makes its way into the food, and in the type of conversation and interaction one has with him.

I know for sure that he amps up the cooking a bit for our eGullet groups, because he knows that he has a receptive and open-minded crowd, up for experiments and adventures.

And outside of what's on the plate, there have been some nights that are practically master-classes in cooking techniques, other dinners that are outright hilarious discussions of restaurants and food and culinary trends, others that are all business, it really depends on who's there, and how they're interacting with each other.

That aspect came up in a recent on-line chat with Craig LaBan (the food reviewer from the major newspaper in Philly, for you out-of-towners), when someone asked him if he'd been to SK. He said he had, but that it was a while ago, and while quite complimentary, he hedges a little, saying " Shola is a very fine chef and an intriguing individual (exceptional for industry gossip), though, perhaps not quite as God-like as some chatrooms would have you to believe" (hmmm... I wonder to whom he could be referring?!?!)

And that is something I was just thinking about the other day, it's actually a little hard to believe that of the pages and pages of posts in this thread, there's not a single complaint about the food. You know, he's good, but still... But as I think back across my admittedly many many meals there, I honestly can't think of anything that wasn't excellent. Of course I've liked some dishes more than others, but I can't think of a single thing that I'd ask him to NOT do at a future dinner.

LaBan says he had a few things that were exceptional, some others that were "not better than your standard upscale restaurant" which is not much of an indictment... I don't think I could argue too vigorously with that, a few upscale restaurants might serve dishes similar to some of what he makes, but I haven't been to any that have been as consistently interesting and delicious, and sometimes stunning, from start to finish, across that many courses.

And if it indeed was "a long time ago" that he went, I'd recommend a repeat visit, and in fact, he should come with us! We can keep a secret....

I like Shola a lot, and respect his skills, but I haven't quite gotten to the god-like reverence stage. But then, it's still early days, a few more meals like last week could bring me over to that side! But I do worry sometimes that we're over-selling it, with nothing but enraptured raves, how can it live up to the hype? But somehow it always seems to...

But seriously, we're just cranky enough here on eGullet that I feel like we'd be willing to whine a bit about something that didn't live up to our expectations. I think it's testimony to Shola's skills that all we can muster is the occasional note that he can be subtle with his flavors, and the persistent call for bread.

Ahh, there it is, I feel like less of a flack! Shola, we need bread!!! Not a big basket of bread at all times, I'm with you, there's no need to fill up on it, nibbling distractedly between courses. But that poached egg, injected with truffle, balanced on the terrine of ham and potato, the yolk flowing into that luxurious loster choron: it was heartbreaking to not be able to sop-up some of those remaining liquids with a nice slice of toasted challa, or a shred of brioche, or a little round of baguette. I tell you, people are going to start sneaking their own in....

But back to the original point, I encourage more folks to post (Ferky?!?!) I think we'd all like to hear more voices, more impressions, more perspectives. And thanks again to Chris for putting into words some of those feelings that we all had at first, but too quickly take for granted.

[docsconz]

It is precisely because of the apparent quality of the food, comradery, intimacy and conviviality that I am so excited to be going there. In my experience all the best meals that I have had have one this in common. They provide great food in an atmosphere of excitement and joy. Nothing can kill a great meal more quickly than to be with someone or someones who not only don't share in the excitement, b ut who obviously would prefer to be elsewhere. It seems to me that the raves for the food are deserved at least by what I can see here. It also seems to me that one of the reasons that the food is able to ellicit those raves is because the atmosphere and the group dynamics allow it.

[Holly Moore]

I agree. It is tragic that so much flavor ends up in the dishwater.

A few thoughts -

Many restaurants make a point of saying, "Go ahead, use your fingers," overruling the social doctrine that one must not use their hands when eating fried chicken. Perhaps Shola could do the same with licking the plate. Bread adds flavor and bulk; plate licking does neither. The ideal solution.

Another idea would be for Shola to conjure up a tasteless, absorbant, edible sponge that could be used to sop up juices and gravy.

Or, as a last resort, if there must be bread, adapt Chef Marc Veyrat's approach of pairing flavored breads with courses.

[mrbigjas]

Many restaurants make a point of saying, "Go ahead, use your fingers," overruling the social doctrine that one must not use their hands when eating fried chicken.  Perhaps Shola could do the same with licking the plate.  Bread adds flavor and bulk; plate licking does neither.  The ideal solution.

i came to the realization this past time that clear plates would be perfect for allowing plate licking while retaining the ability to make conversation...

[philadining]

I've been there with an unrepentant plate-licker... nobody even raised an eyebrow.