Yesterday was my birthday, so my wife took me to Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria. We’d not been there before, but we had a gift certificate and have heard great things about the place. I’ve heard it compared to Citronelle even, which has been my favorite DC-area restaurant by a LONG shot ever since going there my first time. Big shoes to fill, indeed.

We arrived a few minutes early and were politely directed to the bar while our table was being prepped. Fair enough, and it gave me the chance to try out one of their signature products: home made cocktails. Now, I’m not saying “home made” lightly here. I had a gin and tonic, for example. They make their own tonic water from scratch. (I doubt they make the gin or the lime, but that’s ok.) This is NOT your run of the mill Tanqueray and Schwepp’s. Wow, truly amazing.

Then our table was ready and we proceeded into their “bistro”.

Now, it should not come as a shock to all who know me that I enjoy a good wine with good food. To me, fine dining and fine wines are truly complementary. My first impression of most restaurants is their wine list. Eve’s wine list certainly did not disappoint. It is exquisite.

To start with, it’s beautifully organized. For example, there’s a full page for each of several red wine styles: spicy (e.g., tempranillos from Spain, sangiovese from Italy, Malbec from Argentina), Rhone (e.g., French Rhone valley wines, grenache, mouvedre, and syrahs from elsewhere), Burgundy (e.g., French Burgundies, pinot noirs from elsewhere), and Bourdeaux (e.g., French Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon and blends from elsewhere). The organization pays homage to its French roots, but also has something for everyone. At the same time, it helps educate people on the varietal character of different wines. Simple and highly effective.

Plus, there’s something for every wine budget. Humble table wines all the way up to “comma club” wines -- and yet no $10k+ wines that are truly over the top for all but the biggest spenders. Perfect.

And then there’s also a pleasant selection of half-bottles. That’s where I zoomed in, with the assistance of their sommelier.

My wife had an oxtail ravioli starter, followed by a sirloin steak main course. I went with a mixed charcuterie board starter, followed by a pork belly confit main course. Not entirely challenging to select wines, but we opted with a French white Burgundy--a lovely Rully--half bottle for the first course and a top Oregon pinot noir--a Domaine Serene--for the main course.

The charcuterie was superb. Just 2 or 3 slices each of about 8 different meats--all main from scratch at Eve. From simple mortadella to sopresata, served along with a chicken liver mousse. I loved every bite, and thoroughly enjoyed the different flavors in the meats. Superb, and the crisp dry Rully was great with it. Nicely acidic with a bit of apple character. It cut nicely through the meats.

Then the main course. The pork confit was other-worldly good. It was belly, so there was a layer of fat in it, but that was easy to cut out. The meat itself was soft, succulent, and juicy. I couldn’t place all the flavors they used in their confit, but fresh thyme featured prominently. I savored every bite of it, and the Domaine Serene was exquisite. Its dense, concentrated black cherry character was ideal. It’s dense without seeming like a fruit bomb. Mild acidity was there, but also not overpowering.

I’ve never been a dessert guy, so imagine my supreme delight when I saw they have dessert AND an excellent selection of cheeses, available in 3, 5, or 7 piece options. I went with a 3 cheese combo (a tomme from Provence, a French morbiere, and my favorite cheese, an epoisses from Burgundy). I washed these cheeses down with a simple glass of Madeira.

All in all, an entirely lovely night of fine dining at Restaurant Eve. The service was excellent, the food was fabulous...

How did it stack up against Citronelle? Well, I think comparing them is a bit like “apples and oranges”. They’re both exquisite but they represent very different philosophies in dining. Citronelle is definitely more experimental and French avant-garde. Eve, on the other hand, is supremely good food prepared to perfection. I wouldn’t call it visionary, but I’d sure not turn down any opportunity to go back. Plus, then there’s price. Last time we were at Citronelle, the bill came to about US$250 per person. Eve was about US$270 for both of us. Neither is cheap, but Eve might appeal to more people from a price standpoint.

So if you’re looking for fine dining in the greater Washington DC area, you should certainly give Restaurant Eve serious consideration. It should be on everyone’s short list.

We had a fascinating set of wines to try on our traditional Anything But Turkey Day (ABTD) feast, on the Friday following Thanksgiving. My notes are below, but some explanation is in order first.

Our friend Lisa was helping her brother and his wife in their move to North Carolina. In the process, one of their neighbors (in Virginia) overheard Lisa being called a “wine snob”. The neighbor immediately jumped on this and asked Lisa if she really likes wine. She explained and one thing lead to another...he ran back to his house and brought over three bottles that had been sitting in his cellar since, well forever. Turns out the neighbor no longer drinks, but had amassed a substantial cellar during his wine days.

Lisa asked me if I thought they were worth trying, so I looked them up to the extent I was able to. One of them was almost certainly gone (a 1985 German riesling), but the other two (a 1974 French Haut-Sauternes and a 1978 French Gigondas) were at least worth a shot. I figured they were all bound to be interesting, and there was even a slight chance they could be worth the wait.

The Gigondas, after all, is a southern Rhone wine from right near Chateauneuf du Papes, and Robert Parker, Jr. had rated the 1978 CdP vintage at a near-perfect. I didn’t have any data on the 1974 Sauternes vintage, but these dessert wines are renowned for their ability to age for 30+ years.

What the heck, let’s give them a try.

In addition to the photo of the bottles below, Lisa took several photos of the tasting itself and posted them to her Facebook page. You can find a link there via my own Facebook page, so check them out there.

1985 Grover Nacktarlch Mosel-Saar-Ruwer German White Wine - This was the first wine of the flight, and I wasn’t sure how things would go. I was very careful with the cork, but it came out cleanly. Further, although the bottle had been sitting upright for a couple days prior to the tasting, the cork was still gorgeously moist -- indicating it had been on its side in the cellar and that the cellar conditions were at least acceptable. Good sign.

I thus opened the wine and decanted it. It was immediately apparent that the wine had oxidized pretty significantly. This is NOT a wine that was intended for significant age. It was a dull copper color that almost didn’t look like it had been “white”. It tasted a bit like a dry sherry, but that’s no doubt due to the oxidizing that had taken place in its 23 years of aging. Unfortunately, there was some off balance character in it as well. Definitely not intended to age. KRvW Score: 65/100.

Pretty much a failure.

1974 Haut-Sauternes White Bordeaux Wine - After the first failed wine, I was getting a bit skeptical, but bravely we proceeded. This one, at 34 years old, was a lot older still. But, then it’s a wine that should age. Again, the cork gave way without much of a fight. This cork was almost saturated the whole way through, and the middle crumbled apart in my hand. But it was clean, with no sign of cork taint.

The Sauternes was also quite oxidized, but that’s to be expected of an old Sauternes. The character at this point is more like a cream sherry. There’s still some residual sugar in the wine, which held the oxidization at bay a bit, or seemed to. And this one didn’t have any of the off flavors of the previous one. Still, we all agreed it was past its prime and clearly on a downhill. Quite drinkable, though, and we did serve the rest of it later in the evening with the dessert course. KRvW Score: 85/100.

1978 Gigondas, Biehat Freres - This is the one I was really hoping would rock our worlds. A near perfect vintage of a wine that should age quite respectably.

From the beginning, though, that wasn’t meant to be. The cork was in horrific shape. My corkscrew went in and came out with a bunch of cork granules, leaving a big pit in the middle of the cork itself. With great effort, I lodged the cork free and pushed it back into the bottle itself, and then strained the wine into a big decanter.

It looked like watery mud. Heavy oxidation once again, and nothing but earth notes on the nose. On the palate, there was also some very (!) dried fruit flavors to be found, like grapes and dates. But the earth notes and oxidization overwhelmed everything, rendering it all but undrinkable. Too bad... KRvW Score: 50/100.


So despite the fact that the wines weren’t stellar, the tasting was fascinating and a great learning experience. It’s always fun tasting wines of significant age, because you learn so much about what happens to a wine as it grows old. Definitely worth the effort.

Ok, so Sopranos fans (including fans of the Sopranos Cookbook) may well be familiar with the term “Sunday gravy,” but most normal folk aren’t. Most people would refer to this as tomato sauce, or perhaps an Italian ragú, but that would be wrong. So let’s first get past the nomenclature.

A tomato sauce, like a marinara sauce, is made from tomatoes, spices, garlic, olive oil, etc. A “Sunday gravy” is actually pretty similar, but includes three additional things. First, meat. Absolutely essential. Second, a long cook/simmer time. And third, it includes a healthy dose of TLC. Call it aloha. Call it love. Call it whatever you want to call it, but the best gravy has to include more than just a little bit of feeling. Lacking these things, you might as well just get sauce from a jar -- perish the thought!

Sunday gravy is a recipe that should be participative. By that, I mean everyone in the home should contribute to it in some way. As it slow cooks, the aroma will fill the house, invariably inviting even culinary phobics into the kitchen to stir the pot and have a quick taste.

Sunday gravy is not to be rushed. It should slow cook for at least 2 and preferably 3 or 4 hours.

Sunday gravy is also not a meal all by itself. Instead, it will serve as a basis for at least 1 or 2 dishes at the dinner table. It is a kicked up pasta sauce that will bring your favorite red sauce pasta dish to life. It also will present you with some meat to serve as the main course, topped of course with an ample slathering of the gravy itself.

Use it in your favorite chicken parm, eggplant parm, lasagna, baked ziti, or other hearty pasta dish. You’ll not likely find better pasta.

A Sunday gravy gravy recipe should also be unique to each person making it. I was inspired by the recipe in the Sopranos cookbook and several other sources. I slowly worked with those and came up with the recipe you see below. It works well for me, but each cook should adjust things to his or her taste. Try it a bunch of times and adjust it a little each time until you find YOUR Sunday gravy. Make notes along the way. Experiment with spicing, meats, etc.

You’ll never want to go back to “spaghetti sauce” from a jar ever again. If you do, you’ll be ashamed to look at yourself in a mirror.

Sunday gravy is above all else, comfort food. Like so many comfort food dishes, it will draw you in and make you feel content as its aromas waft through the air. Savor and enjoy every moment. That’s why it’s principally made on a day when you have time to relax and enjoy it for all it is. Making a quick (say) Wednesday night gravy after work just doesn’t seem the same.

But here it is. Try it and enjoy. You can also find the MacGourmet binary version of it here.

Cheers,

Ken


Sunday Gravy
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Recipe By: KRvW
Serving Size: 10

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken thighs, skin on, bone on
1/2 pound beef, (optional) go with an inexpensive cut, with bone
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped into small bits.  Bacon will suffice if pancetta isn't to be found.
4 tablespoons olive oil, EVOO
1 tablespoon fennel seed
4 ounces tomato paste
6 cloves garlic
1 cup dry red wine, use whatever Italian red wine is looking bored
56 ounces whole tomatoes, canned, (2 large cans.)  Look for Italian tomatoes from San Marzano, highly preferred
1 tablespoon pizza spice, I prefer Penzey's excellent pizza spice mix
1 tablespoon oregano, dry, and crumbled finely in hands
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1) In a large pot (e.g., BIG cast iron skillet), thoroughly brown the outside of the meats in a little bit of olive oil.  You're looking for a dark brown outer layer and rare in the middle.  Do NOT worry about the chicken being under cooked, as that will change.

2) Remove the meats place on paper towels to drain some of its oil.  Dab some, but not quite all (to taste) of the remaining sausage oil from the pan.  Discard excess (with a tear in your eye).

3) Add up to 4 tablespoons or so of olive oil to pan.  The amount here isn't vital, but you want the sauce to have a bit of oil in it.  Experiment...

4) Add the fennel seeds to the oil and let them brown slightly, then add tomato paste and stir to mix.  You'll notice the smell of fennel when the seeds are ready for the paste.

5) Cook paste/oil mixture until the paste starts to brown a bit, then add garlic cloves (crushed).

6) Allow garlic to cook just for a minute or so and then pour in red wine.  Mix thoroughly.

7) Let the red wine and paste mix reduce for a few minutes.  You'll smell the alcohol evaporating.  When that smell dissipates, you're ready to move on.  The consistency should be like that of a Cajun roux.

8) Add the cans of tomatoes and crush slightly with knife or spoon.  (Watch for squirters.)

9) Add pizza spice, oregano, and salt.

10) If you want a smooth sauce, use a stick blender to blend the sauce now.  (Recommended.)

11) Let the sauce simmer lightly for 2 hours or so.  Time is not important here.  Longer simmer times are good.  Add a bit of water and/or wine if sauce is looking too thick.  While simmering, enjoy how your house smells!  (This last bit is vital.)

12) At beginning of simmer, add the panceta/beef/lamb into the sauce.

13) With about 30 minutes remaining in simmer, add the chicken and sausage into the sauce.

14) When simmer is completed, taste spicing and adjust to taste.

15) Remove meat and serve as a separate course, with just a bit of sauce on them (and on the side, for dipping).

16) Use remaining sauce for a most amazing pasta dish to taste.  Lasagna, baked ziti, etc., are all fabulous with this gravy.



Notes:

2008 I've been starting off with some bacon or pancetta lately.  This has been working out great.  I've also tried prosciutto in small cubes, but that isn't quite as good.  Basically, the types of meat you use here are entirely discretionary, but a blend of something smokey, fatty, and just plain "meaty" is a great starting point.

I’m finishing up 2 weeks of business travel in Europe and am very ready to be home. It’s been a great trip--a week in Rome and a week in Nürnberg--but there’s no place like home.

So last night, I stayed nearby Frankfurt airport so I could quickly get out in the morning for my flight home. My customer put me up in the nearby NH hotel, which is a fairly non-descript business hotel about a kilometer from the airport. Quite convenient.

So why is this a culinary note? Well, recently NH struck a deal with famed chef Fabian Andriá. The Andriá created their menu in their restaurant and his name is prominently displayed throughout. I figured it should be fairly reasonable given his reputation; at least I hoped he wouldn’t allow his name to be used on something terrible. After all, he is the man behind the best restaurant on the planet (for 3 years in a row now), El Bulli.

First impressions... Looks like a hotel restaurant. Not good, but not bad either. The menu isn’t huge, but it does seem to have some choices that aren’t commonly found. Dive in...

Since I was alone, I opted for wine by the glass -- I went with a gorgeous Sartre Tempranillo Crianza from the Ribero del Duero region. I should point out the wine list is about 10 times the size of the menu, which is a good sign.

First course was grilled baby squid. Utterly amazing! The softest most succulent squid I’ve ever eaten. We’re off to a great start here. The grill flavor was nice, but not over powering. The squid were moist and soft, with perfect salt seasoning. Absolutely magnificent.

Second choice was breaded cod quick fried (tempura style), with warm mayonnaise mousse. It was good, but not great.

I liked the fact that the portions were not enormous--something I find far too often and something I have a tough time NOT eating.

I didn’t go with dessert, however, but that’s no surprise since I rarely do. I had a nice espresso and a grappa to finish the evening.

Overall, I’m reminded of Michel Richard’s Central restaurant in DC. It is no Citronelle, but it’s a really nice bistro. If you go there expecting an inexpensive Citronelle, you’ll be sadly disappointed. But if you go there expecting bistro fare, you’ll be ecstatic. Same here. NH’s restaurant is certainly good as business hotel restaurants go, but it ain’t no El Bulli.

It was a nice ending to a profitable and enjoyable business trip, though. I’d recommend it to anyone.

Cheers,

Ken

Here’s an experiment in a different type of photo gallery than I normally post here on my site. Let me know if you like or dislike it, please.

Last night, we had the opportunity to take “Bistro Friday” in a different direction -- “Bistro Guy Day”. As is often the case on BGD, we went with seafood. Last night’s meal was one we’ve done a couple times, but have been iteratively improving, Cedar Plank Salmon with a Maple and Ginger Glaze. I’m not posting the recipe yet, but I will at some point. Still want to do some tweaking...

But I did decide to record a few shots, and then to extend the gallery a bit with quick tour of my (well, and Caren’s) work space. I hope you enjoy it. You can find the gallery here.

Cheers,

Ken

So, many of you who read this are familiar with my “Bistro Friday” concepts. Some of you have shared a BF or two with us -- thank you. Last night, we took BF to a level that I think completely captures what BF is about. I call it “Tre Pizza a la Griglia” -- or “three grilled pizzas”. Let me explain...

We’ve done grilled pizza several times in the distant past. This summer, we re-visited the concept after I was inspired by an episode of America’s Test Kitchen where they made it. But, as usual, I wanted to experiment and do my own thing with it.

We do the Tre Pizze as a four course meal as follows:

1. Antipasti - A salad or some such to launch things. Last night, we served a simple salad along with some gnocchi with home made pesto sauce. (The basil was plentiful this year, and it’s going to be killed off any day now by the first freeze -- perfect time to harvest and make something magnificent with it. Presto, pesto!)
2. Primo pizza - The first course is pretty much always a simple but wonderful classic, Pizza Margherita. Its beauty lies in its simplicity: fresh marinara (home made, of course!), topped with a few fresh tomato slices and fresh mozzarella slices. After heating one side of the pizza dough (also made from scratch, of course!) on the grill, you put the toppings on the grilled side of the half-cooked crust. Then toss the pizza on the grill until it’s completed. As you take it out, you sprinkle on a fresh cut chiffonade of basil leaves and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. We ate out the deck, so all the pizze were grilled and served table-side. The primo and the antipasto share a wine pairing, generally a white. (More on that later.)
3. Secondo pizza - The second pizza is what I call the “guest pizza”. Here, we experiment with different styles and try things. The last two times, I served a mediterranean pizza, inspired by Bertucci’s Pizza Lestina. Last night, I served a “rocket” pizza, inspired by a pizza I had a couple weeks ago in--of all places--London. Its base was like a margherita, but then it was topped with some prosciutto and arugula (“rocket” in the English world; “roquette” to the French). I also put just a sprinkle of fresh chopped rosemary on it. It was paired with a lightweight red wine.
4. Terzo pizza - The third pizza is the “main course” pizza. Meats and cheeses. I used some sliced hot Italian sausage that had been previously grilled to perfection, along with just a touch of fresh and crisped panceta (Italian bacon), and then three cheeses: mozzarella, sharp provolone, and parmigiano Reggiano. This one was paired with a slightly heavier red wine.

So why is this the ultimate expression of Bistro Friday? Well, it captures everything good and important about BF. First, it is pizza, which is generally considered to be a casual thing. But, it’s not “just” pizza. It’s truly pizza taken to its highest (for me) level. Everything is fresh. Everything is made by hand. No short cuts. Prepared to perfection (again, by *my* standards). Plus, the courses are done one at a time, with a breather in between to prepare the next pizza and to discuss the food and wine. It’s as much about the discussions as it is about the food.

The wine pairings are also part of the process. Many times, I’ll serve a “double blind” wine(s) for our guests. Last night, I was the recipient, as Sean provided the double blind wines. Double blind means no one (other than the provider) knows *anything* about the wine. We discuss it and try our best to figure out what type of grape it is and what continent or country it’s from. We’re often wildly incorrect--like I was last night--but the analysis and discussion is half the fun.

It’s casual. It’s fancy. It’s relaxing. It’s fun. It’s friendship and camaraderie. It’s Bistro Friday. Most of all, it’s social. I desperately needed that last night after taking my eldest basset hound, Beau Diddley, back to his oncologist. Beau’s lymphoma has relapsed, and a Bistro Friday among friends and hounds was what I needed. (Beau and Maggie joined us on the deck, of course, and they shared a gorgeous beef filet mignon after Beau got home from the clinic.)

Cheers,

Ken

Beef brisket is one of the most amazing summer barbecue season meats in existance! No kidding. OMFG!

Now, I certainly don’t claim to be the brisket king or anything of the sort. Truth be told, it’s only been quite recently that I even got properly introduced to this divine slice of the bovine. Here’s the scoop...

A few months ago, I accidentally stumbled on a PBS show called America’s Test Kitchen. Its non-commercial nature and quasi-scientific methods immediately appealed to me. In one of the first episodes I watched, they did smoked beef brisket in the oven. Looked darn tasty to me, but I wanted to do something a bit more summer time and all. But it was winter.

That was then, this is July. A couple weeks back, I was picking up supplies in our local Costco and decided to take the plunge and I grabbed a nice looking (roughly) 5 pound cut of brisket.

Oh, and I should also mention that I’ve been trying different brisket dishes in restaurants ever since that episode of ATK.

I looked at several recipes and decided to do my own thang. Pretty much all the recipes that I cared about did the slow-and-low cooking process at roughly 275F. Several grilled the brisket over smoke for 4 hours or so. I decided I really wanted to keep the meat moist, but end up with something so tender you could cut it with a fork.

So, turning to my experiences with other “tough” cuts of meat -- pork baby back ribs and shoulder come to mind -- I decided to go with a dry rub over night and then a sealed baking for about 4-5 hours. In fact, the cooking is darned near identical to my version of Alton Brown’s “Who Loves Ya Baby Back Ribs”. I tweaked the spices a bit to complement the beef a bit better, and I stuck with my much longer cooking time than Alton uses.

Last night, I gave it a try. It was a “Bistro Guy Day,” since Caren was out of town for the weekend. My nephew and our friend Lisa (an honorary “guy” for the evening) were both here.

Oh, and I was lucky to have some “West Texas Red” barbecue sauce in the fridge from a lamb burger dish Caren and I did last weekend. (WTR can be found in “Burning Desires” by W. Park Kerr. It is a supremely awesome barbecue sauce and well worth the effort!)

Cooked the beef for 4.5 hours (see recipe below), and it was spectacular. Soft, tender, and the spice mixture was exactly what I’d hoped it would be. Then I finished the beef on the grill with some hickory smoke. I used a relatively indirect heat so I wasn’t really cooking it any longer, per se, just warming it up and getting a bit of the smokey goodness into it.

We served that on (home made, using my version of pain de l’ancienne bread) buns along with a bit of (deli bought) cole slaw.

Lastly, we washed this glorious meal down with a bottle of 2004 Domaine de la Mordoree Lirac from the southern Rhone valley in France. It went perfectly with the meal. Big, acidic, and still very tannic, it cut through the meat and the hearty sauce fabulously well. If you’re serving with wine, go with something that meats the big, acidic, and tannic descriptors, and avoid a low acidity fruit bomb. That should tell you to go with a big red from France, Spain, or Italy, for the most part.

Beef brisket has now surpassed pulled pork and baby back ribs as my all time favorite summer meal. It’s quite easy to make. It’s quite inexpensive. And it is FULL of spectacular flavors. If you haven’t tried it, then you’re really missing out on something amazing.

All that said, here’s my recipe. You can also grab the MacGourmet version here.

=========================

KRvW's Beef Brisket
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Recipe By: KRvW
Serving Size: 9

Ingredients:

======= DRY RUB =======
8 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
0.5 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Madam Pele's Heat
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon oregano, dry
1 tablespoon thyme, dry
====== BRAISING/STEAMING LIQUID =====
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
===== FAVORITE BARBECUE SAUCE ======
1 batch West Texas Red, Others will do, of course, but WTR works perfectly with brisket

Directions:

1) Dry rub the brisket the day before cooking it.  In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well.   Pat the dry rub into the meat.  Cover and refrigerate over night.

2) The next day, preheat oven to 270F degrees.

3) In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.

4) Place the brisket in a big roasting pan, on top of a wire rack (like cookie cooling rack) so it's just above the liquid.

5) Pour the braising liquid into the bottom of the pan and cover very well, preferably with heavy duty aluminum foil.

6) Braise/steam the brisket in the oven for 4 (or so) hours.

7) Remove from oven and allow to cool for a while.  (30 mins or so)

8) Start the barbecue grill, with some smoking wood.  I prefer hickory, but mesquite and others will also do great.

9) Place the brisket, still in the pan, on the grill.

10) Baste generously with the liquid in the bottom of the pan.

11) Heat/smoke the brisket over a medium-hot grill for about 20 minutes.  I like the smoke, but don't want it to overpower the beef flavor.

12) Remove the brisket and allow to rest for a few minutes.

13) Slice the brisket into thin slices, across the meat "grain".

14) Serve either by itself (with bbq sauce), or on a burger bun, optionally on top of some fresh cole slaw.  Slather the heated bbq sauce over top and dive in.


Notes:

2008-01-11 Made for the first time on a "Bistro Guy Day".  The brisket flavor is spot on.  The subtle mustard flavor works perfectly.  Fortunately, I had some leftover West Texas Red burning a hole in my fridge, so I used that.  Hoboken Eddie would probably complement this quite well also, but WOW the WTR is great.  I served it with a 2004 Domaine de la Mordoree Lirac from the southern Rhone, and that was a great match.  Still quite big and tannic, the wine cut through the beef and the WTR perfectly.  The smoke on the beef was there, but subtle.  All things seemed to be in good balance.  An A+ BGD, to be sure!

We’re out in the Denver/Boulder/Golden area for a fun long weekend, and last night we had an absolutely superlative dining experience that I wanted to share here.

After a fun afternoon at my favorite brewpub, the Wynkoop in Denver, we ate dinner in Boulder at L’Atelier. It’s located at 1739 Pearl Street, right in the heart of Boulder. Quoting from their web site, “L'Atelier is the studio/workshop of Chef Radek Cerny, where he and his staff offer excellence in food artistry and fine dining to their guests.”

The food was absolutely fabulous. I started with a foie gras terrine, followed by a pork saltimbocca that was out of this world. We washed back our meal with a bottle of Terrunya Carmenere from Chilean winery, Concha y Toro. For “dessert,” I had their cheese plate, which was also fabulous.

Everything worked just right. The wine list is expansive and has something for everyone, without being overly populated by “trophy wines” and such.

Atelier is French for “laboratory,” which seemed fitting to me. I got the impression that the chef uses this restaurant to develop and fine tune things. That said, not much fine tuning was needed with the dishes I had.

In any case, I highly recommend L’Atelier. If you’re looking for something more upscale than a brewpub--albeit the best brewpub on the planet, consider L’Atelier. Oh, and they’re on Open Table, so you have no excuse.

Cheers,

Ken

Just before I left for Singapore, I had to shoot out to San Diego for a quick client job. While I was there, I was sure to go to my favorite restaurant in the area, Parallel 33. Now, San Diego of course is right on the Pacific coast and has plenty of fine restaurants to choose from. I've been to many of them, and rarely was disappointed. But here's why I like "P-33" so much and why I keep returning to it.

P-33 takes various cuisines from (roughly) the 33rd parallel around the world, and "fuses" them together in really fun and exciting ways. (Think: Indian, Moroccan, Turkish, Lebanese, Southern US, Thai...) Although I think the whole fusion concept is hopelessly overblown in restaurants these days, I have to admit that I love how P-33 uses it.

Not only that, but the menu changes each time I'm there--roughly 3-4 times a year. I enjoy picking my food courses, but also simply reading through all the selections to see how they've worked the recipes.

Readers here on my site know I've used some of their ideas in my own recipes from time to time, including my "Low Country Chicken, Shrimp, and Grits" -- a favorite here at our Bistro Friday meals.

On this trip to P-33, I started off with an ahi poké--which was pictured on their web site, last I checked--(washed down with a South African chenin blanc by Ken Forrester), then had a most magnificent seared scallop main course (washed down with a Spanish tempranillo from Ribero del Duero). For "dessert", I had a Turkish coffee.

The whole meal was nothing short of spectacular. Service was excellent. I dined alone, but the staff never made me feel like a loner freak or anything. Just polite and eager to please, but not in my face either.

Definitely a favorite, and I look forward to my next trip there in July. Thanks P-33!

Cheers,

Ken

P.S. Oh, I should point out that I booked my reservation using Open Table, which is a great way of finding and reserving seats at restaurants all around the US. Further, P-33 participates in United Airlines' "Mileage Plus Dining" program, so I got all kinds of points for my meal. I'd have gone anyway, though. They had me at poké. :-)

KRvW Notes

So, it's a mid-week dinner and I decided to go for turkey burgers made on the barbecue. Pretty boring. But then I remembered we had some leftover (but fresh) basil leaves. I started to chop those up and thought that I might do something kind of pesto-like. Added in a bit of chopped garlic, olive oil, toasted pignoli (pine nuts), parmesan, etc., and voila. A recipe was born. And a darned fine one, if I may say so myself. Definitely cranked the old turkey burger thing up to a new level. So, I thought I'd record them and put them here for others to enjoy as well.

You can find the MacGourmet version of this recipe here.

Cheers,

Ken

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Ingredients

1 bunch Basil leaves, fresh
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
0.25 cup parmesan, grated finely
2 tablespoons olive oil, EVOO
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
0.25 cup bread crumbs
1 dash kosher salt
1.25 pounds turkey  , ground

Directions

1) Mix all ingredients into a large bowl.

2) Make burger patties -- about 5 patties per recipe.

3) Barbecue on medium-high until cooked through and nicely browned.

4) Serve.


Notes

The quantities in the recipe are approximations, so adjust them to suit your tastes.

I'm here in Singapore for a few days--you may have seen my notes on my durian fruit experience. I've been here a few times now, but back in 2005, I was here for a conference. During that visit, I joined a small group and went into Singapore's Little India area and had a most awesome culinary experience. Foolishly, I neglected to get the name/address of the restaurant that time, but I was positive I'd remember it.

Having finished my work here yesterday, I had all day Saturday to walk around and take in the city. Naturally, like a moth to a flame, I knew I had to get back to Little India for some more of that Biryani. This time, I was armed with Google Maps on my GPS-equipped Blackberry 8800 mobile phone. Still, Little India is several blocks of small stalls, stores, and restaurants.

After a brief rest at the billiards room at one of Singapore's most famous Victorian-era landmarks, Raffles Hotel, I headed into Little India.

It took a few blocks of brailing around, but I did find the little place where we dined in 2005:

Andhra Curry
41 Kerbau Road
Singapore 219170

Now, I wasn't quite sure whether to put my durian experience here in my culinary notes or in my journal. In the end, I put it in the journal, as I felt it was as much the adventure as the culinary experience. Today, on the other hand, was pure, unadulterated, culinary effing bliss!

I had a garlic naan, a chicken biryani, and a lassi to wash it down. Sounds simple enough. If, like me, you've eaten at many Indian restaurants in the US, you may well have had this same menu yourself--or so you might think. This stuff is different.

For starters, the food is served on a banana leaf. You need to go out of your way to get silverware, as that's not the traditional way of eating much Indian food. (Instead, you bunch up the basmati rice into a ball in your fingertips, dip it into a sauce, and toss it back--all with your hands. You can also use the naan bread to scoop it up, but you do NOT use silverware.)

As a westerner, I noticed the silverware thing immediately, and this is NOT done for the tourists. Today, there were only one or two other non-Indian people in the restaurant at lunch time. But that's not what makes this such a great experience.

One bite of the food, and you immediately realize that you're sitting in the epicenter of the planet's spice trade. It's hot, it's flavorful, it's profoundly fresher than any spices you've ever tasted. It resets your palate to a level it's never been to. OMFG! This is simply amazing.

But I am in Singapore, and it's approaching 90F (30C or so) today, and the restaurant has no air conditioning. So, the spices quickly trigger the sweat glands, but that's ok. This is not a fancy experience. This is, as I said, pure unadulterated culinary bliss.

If you like Indian food and you find yourself in Singapore, go out of your way to find this little place. You'll thank me for it. Taxi or walk into Little India. The restaurant isn't on a road, but it's kind of in a courtyard behind some buildings. You'll need to poke around a bit, but if you can't find it, ask around. When you start to feel that you don't belong here, then you're in the right place. Press on. You'll thank me for it.

Pure culinary bliss. Thank you, Andhra Curry!

Cheers,

Ken