eG Foodblog: BryanZ - Alchemy

[Vadouvan]

Bryan, I can be darth vader and you luke skywalker.

Welcome to the dark side of the force.

Edited July 14, 2006 by Vadouvan (log)

[Pan]

I like Lambic, too. Why the shame?

Keep going, Bryan, this is really great stuff!

[MarketStEl]

I suppose I should start off by saying that I'm very thankful for the opportunities I've been afforded.  I've been able to eat at places and try things that some people can only dream of.  Even if I am paying for many of my own meals, it's because my parents are able to provide for me in most other regards.

With that said, many of my friends (especially from high school) are in similar situations, they just choose other passions or diversions.  One of my good friends travels to Europe each year with his family to eat exclusively at two- and three-star restaurants where his extended family has been dining for decades, another has an apartment in the Trump International meaning he's only an elevator ride away from Jean-Georges.  Despite their experiences, they only appreciate food as "good" but aren't true foodies in any sense of the word.  I think being friends with me requires some respect toward food or at least an open mind, and when my friends are with me they do appreciate my love for food.  Especially at school, dining out on a weekend with a large group of my friends has become a significant part of my college experience.  While I've yet to meet anyone my age as obsessed with food as I am, I think I do a fair job of getting them to see the light.  I recognize that sometimes I come off as pretentious or even spoiled, but in the end people see my love is genuine, and they therefore take something away from it.

←

This is your saving grace, Bryan: you are able to take a few steps outside yourself and realize just how fortunate you are.

I've met my share of young people of similarly privileged backgrounds who don't seem to understand that. I hope that, as you proceed through life, you will have--or make--the opportunity to spread the love to those not as well situated as yourself and your friends.

BTW, in a similar vein, you really don't want to get me started on trains.

[BryanZ]

Does anyone have any recommendations for good meals along the California coast, particularly around Carmel and Monterey?

I'd love to hear some easily accesible recommendations for my trip. I leave in a few hours and will finish out my blog reporting from the left coast.

[dvs]

if you can stop by post ranch inn post ranch inn and talk your way into the infinity hot tub bar just outside of the bar (i have some names you can drop if you need to), it is sooooooooooo worth it!!

beautiful & amazing & spectacular don't even come close to describing how cool the view is.

Edited July 14, 2006 by dvs (log)

[ludja]

Does anyone have any recommendations for good meals along the California coast, particularly around Carmel and Monterey?

I'd love to hear some easily accesible recommendations for my trip.  I leave in a few hours and will finish out my blog reporting from the left coast.

←

There is an excellent seafood restaurant in Pacific Grove called "Passion Fish". (Pacific Grove is a tiny town adjacent to Monterrey and just north of Carmel.)

The restaurant focuses both on sustainable fish and seasonal produce. I had heard positive recommendations from several people on eGullet and just checked it out a few weeks ago. Our appetizers were oysters on the half shell with tamarind gelee and Dungeness crab cake with a lime relish. My main was an excellent dish with grilled Alaskan halibut with a cilantro-citrus sauce, garlic noodles and watercress. My companion's dish was California sturgeon in a charmoula marmalade with a Morrocan salad. Desserts were great too but are slipping my mind right now. One was an excellent dark chocolate cake. Excellent and reasonably-priced wine list as well. (They have plenty of good non-seafood options as well for those so inclined.)

Have a nice trip!

edited to add desserts: chocolate truffle torte with blackberry coulis and organic raspberries in a cabernet syrup over vanilla ice cream.

Edited July 14, 2006 by ludja (log)

[BryanZ]

I'll see you guys on the other side. We leave for the airport now.

[cakewalk]

... Perhaps more pedestrian in the big picture ...

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Pedestrian, yes. Took the word right out of my mouth, you did. An absolutely pedestrian meal, that was.

Truly wonderful blog. An eye-opener way beyond the realm of food.

Have a safe flight.

[tupac17616]

I like Lambic, too. Why the shame?

Me, three.

[shacke]

Bryan, I can be darth vader and you luke skywalker.

Welcome to the dark side of the force.

←

Hey guys, I'll be your wookie and you can feed me your table scraps.

Very impressive blog, Bryan. Terrific.

Evan

[Abra]

The food at Nepenthe in Big Sur won't blow you away, but the setting will. And I haven't been there for a few years, but Cielo at the Ventana Inn had very good food and is also a stunning setting.

[philadining]

The food at Nepenthe in Big Sur won't blow you away, but the setting will...

I agree, I really love Nepenthe. And you're right Abra, it probably has little to do with the food, but those meals still hold a fond spot in my memory, because of the overall experience.

So Bryan, you guys have proved that you can eat multiple meals in a short span, so if you're on rt1 in Big Sur, take a few minutes, get a sandwich or a salad or something, take in the view, absorb the vibe. After about 10 minutes, you'll start plotting how to avoid ever leaving Big Sur, but then you'll realize how hard it is to get a water-bath repair guy up there, come to your senses, and continue north to San Francisco.

[BryanZ]

My apologies for the lack of posts today. It's been a VERY long one but one full of great sights and food. California is a special place, and I'm glad that I'm seeing a big chunk of it in the next couple days.

I like Lambic, too. Why the shame?

Me, three.

←

Concerning the lambic, I don't know, I guess it's just not that manly to drink fruit beer. Again, I love the stuff, and I guess I shouldn't have anything to be ashamed of.

I've only slept like five hours in the past day or so, in very small increments, so please excuse my next post if it's not quite up to snub. I'll admit that I'm tired, but the blog must carry on.

[BryanZ]

California Day 1: Los Angeles to Carmel via the Pacific Coast Highway

After a couple hours of sleep I departed my house at 5:00 AM to catch a 6:45 AM flight to LAX from Newark. A five hour flight, complete with a mostly terrible airplane breakfast, ensued.

Upon arriving in California we picked up our vehicle for this mini road trip. You can't drive the California coast without a convertible.

With our transportation secured, the road trip and eating began. First stop, In-N-Out for some snacks after a long flight.

Inside

Kitchen shot

I have much respect for that little girl working the grill.

Double-double, animal style

We also got a couple other burgers to try cheese vs. no cheese, raw vs. grilled onions, etc. All were quite delicious.

Fries

It's good to see handcut fries but these weren't as spectacular as I'd heard. I'm looking forward to doing some further "testing."

After this snack we wanted some real lunch, preferably beach front. Not knowing the area all that well we settled on Duke's in Malibu. This is an outpost of the Duke's that ultimately began in Waikiki, I believe. I was really not looking forward to eating here but it actually wasn't that bad. The view was great and the food not terrible.

View from our table

One of the items we ordered, fried calamari. Not bad at all, for fried calamari that is.

After clearing the Malibu area we really needed to put the pedal to the metal. The drive was memorable thanks to extreme changes in weather and the absolutely astounding views.

Taken with the top down, of course

You can't really tell but the cloud was coming over the hill in this flowing wisp. A very cool effect.

Even more spectacular views presented themselves on the drive to Carmel. We finally arrived at the hotel, La Playa Hotel, at 8:15 PM and had to hurry to shower and dress for a 9:15 PM dinner reservation at Marinus, a restaurant Zagat calls "the best meal between LA and Gary Danko."

[BryanZ]

California Day 1 cont'd

Marinus was a very good, almost excellent, meal, one that far surpassed my expectations. The food, however, was too close to my own in look and execution for it to really get to that hallowed level.

Anyway, here's what we had, not including an amuse and pre-dessert that we forgot to take pictures of.

Me

Sweetbreads, gnocchi (actually just one huge one), wild mushrooms, summer truffle

Pretty damn amazing.

Portabello soup

Served to the Sister and me complementarily, as my mother had a soup course as part of the garden tasting menu she ordered while we simply ordered a la carte.

Four Story Hill Farm chicken, garden cous cous

Very tasty, though not as great as the first course.

Almond and blueberry fianancier, caramel popcorn, sweet corn ice cream

I wasn't sure if I wanted dessert but thought I should try something. I'm glad I picked this, it was a very interesting combination of flavors.

The Sister

Foie gras torchon, squab cuit sous vide, pickled cherries

I've more or less made this EXACT dish, substituting the squab for duck. Unfortunately the Sister was away when I did so she felt the need to vindicate herself by ordering this. Their torchon was smoother in flavor (though not texture) than mine, and the dish was very good but I felt like I was eating my own food when I tried this.

Braised veal brisket (or something like that)

I've never had anything like this. It looked just like pork belly and when I asked the captain he said it came from the baby cow's breast or brisket or something. I'm still not quite convinced. Really, really tasty though; deeply satisfying.

The Mother

Garden vegetable salad

For all my molecular leanings, I love beautiful simple dishes like this. The flavors really sung in subtle ways that outshine my own cooking.

Fava bean soup, truffled grilled cheese

Wild mushroom tart, roasted Turkey fig

A very rich and satisfying vegetarian main. Great balance of earthiness and sweetness. I also wish I could think of vegetarian dishes like this.

"Floating island" - Meringue on top of berries

A great, light finish to a very strong vegetarian meal.

While the service here wasn't the orchestrated waltz of a four-star experience, it didn't need to be. Something about California dining seems to suggest a competent and courteous but laid back attitude toward service. If this meal is any representation of the food of the California coast, I'd say they're very, very serious.

Also, it's worth noting that we got out of there for less $100 per person (food, 2 glasses wine, 2 desserts, no coffee). For the quality of the food and the experience this was a relative bargain. Especially in New York, it's incredibly easy to spend $100 p/p for a "just OK" meal.

Tomorrow we hang out in Carmel for a bit, drive up to Santa Cruz, then make the final push to San Francisco. Anyone have any dining recs along the way? I'm especially looking for moderately priced options ($50 p/p at the end of the day) in San Francisco that offer items I might not be able to get at home. Also, is there anywhere I can get great fish tacos in the area?

[artisan02]

California Day 1 cont'd

Tomorrow we hang out in Carmel for a bit, drive up to Santa Cruz, then make the final push to San Francisco.  Anyone have any dining recs along the way?  I'm especially looking for moderately priced options ($50 p/p at the end of the day) in San Francisco that offer items I might not be able to get at home.  Also, is there anywhere I can get great fish tacos in the area?

←

Duartes Tavern.

A California classic..on the James Beard list...of I forget what...but it is a classic. In Pescadero. An American classic.

Christine

Edited July 15, 2006 by artisan02 (log)

[robert40]

If you can some how fit Manresa into your visit you will not be disappointed. Even if you skip the tasting menu it's still fantastic.

http://www.manresarestaurant.com/

Edited July 15, 2006 by robert40 (log)

[alanamoana]

bryan, glad to see you made it to cali safely! don't try more of the in-n-out fries...they really aren't that good. the burgers are good though...lately i've been getting the fries "animal style" which means cheese, burger sauce and grilled onions on top of a mess of fries. it's gross, but good at the same time if you know what i mean.

by now you should be in santa cruz or thereabouts (it's 10:30am on saturday morning). when are you eating at danko and bouchon? can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

and you're right...what is california without the top down?!

[BryanZ]

We're just leaving Carmel now.

Bouchon and Danko are on Sunday, the last day of this blog.

Breakfast today was at the hotel, overlooking the garden and the sea

Smoked salmon bagel

Nice cure on the salmon

Eggs Benedict

A surprisingly tasty rendition.

Will be back later this afternoon when we check into Hotel Palomar.

[percyn]

Hey Bryan,

If you have time to squeeze it in, the Palomar has a restaurant called The Fifth floor, which is a good bet, as is Flyer de lys. I was fortunate enough to visit both of these during a recent 5 Day visit to SFO

Great blog...

Cheers

Percy

[ludja]

Well--I guess this email will reach you too late and there should also be plenty of signs in Half Moon Bay--but if you are driving up Hwy 1 to SF you will need to detour east at Half Moon Bay. A section of Hwy 1 between HMB and SF is still closed due to rockslides earlier in the spring. You'll still have a nice section of Hwy 1 to drive on though--especially with the current high pressure system that spells hot weather inland but little fog at the coast.

[alanamoana]

Hey Bryan,

          If you have time to squeeze it in, the Palomar has a restaurant called The Fifth floor, which is a good bet, as is Flyer de lys. I was fortunate enough to visit both of these during a recent 5 Day visit to SFO

          Great blog...

Cheers

Percy

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chef of 5th floor is melissa perello (sp?) who was one of food&wine's top ten chefs in the july issue.

nearby are a bunch of good restaurants. but you've got a full day of dining tomorrow. maybe you want to take it easy tonight? restaurant lulu is walking distance and your mom would like it because they have about 72 wines by the glass on offer at any given time with flights, etc. casual "provencal" cuisine.

[bavila]

I can't believe a tri-stater ordered a bagel in California!

Corn ice cream (and blueberry financier) two blogs in a row now...

[Daniel]

Thats funny you would say that about the bagels.. I would joke to my friends when coming back from school at Maryland.. I would tell them that I was bringing back pizza and bagels for everyone.. Judging from Bryan's photo I think those Cali Guys forgot to put a hole in there bagel

Edited July 15, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[docsconz]

I must admit I lifted the idea straight from ideasinfood.  I had thought you needed a big pressure chamber to properly carbonate foodstuffs, but then they made a quick post about the merits of carbonated cherries.  They didn't explain the method, but yes, you're understanding is right.  Fruit in the chamber, seal, charge, "steep/marinate," discharge, open chamber, enjoy!

I love ideasinfood. It is one of the very best foodblogs I have seen. It is also nice that the bloggers are also members here. Their food is amongst that I most desperately want to try.

One thing I wish I could change with the shrimp noodles is the extruding process.  It's really hard to push them out and kind of a hassle.  I would also like the noodles perhaps a little thinner, thus requiring a small hole.  This would make extruding even harder.

A couple of thoughts here. One can use a hypodermic syringe to extrude thinner noodles, though that wouldn't necessarily help a whole lot with the hassle. What about using a potato ricer to extrude more noodles simultaneously?

Bryan, this has been a superb blog, as I knew it would be. I wish that I would have been able to keep up with it better. Unfortunately, I have been rather busy lately and not very available for posting or even reading. Enjoy the rest of your trip!