Noo Yawk, Noo Yawk…

September 22nd, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

HG/BSK are blessed. Nearly a week has passed and they are still basking in the warmth of the wonderful 50th anniversary festivities arranged by HG/BSK’s children in New York City. Although the visit was short, HG would like to share some New York impressions: New York seems more diverse than ever as its Asian, Mexican and Central American populations have boomed. Great style on the streets. Lower Manhattan’s Chinatown (where HG/BSK spent most of their time this three-day trip) still boils with energy and a unique entrepreneurial spirit. Every inch of sidewalk is occupied by somebody selling arcane vegetables, fruit or seafood to a critical and knowing public. The wide range of sea creatures for sale in the local markets is extraordinary. Yes, the Chinatowns in Flushing and Sunset Park have seized dining leadership but there’s still some great food in Manhattan’s Chinatown (Full House, Big Wong, Dim Sum a Go Go, Bo Ky, etc.). Incidentally, Elizabeth Street between Grand and Hester, is filled with salons offering very good, cheap haircuts. HG recommends Tease, where the old guy was beautified for a modest price. Judging by the early dining crowds at Hundred Acres and other Soho eateries, weekend brunch seems to be a New York obsession. Whizzing by in a taxi, HG was astonished by glimpses of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, world capital of culinary coolness. The once dingy locale has exploded with tall apartment towers of glass and steel, many jammed against the traffic roaring, fume spewing highway. HG, who lives in quiet and pure air in New Mexico and Prince Edward Island, takes a dim view. Oh well, different strokes.

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50 Years of Family and Fun. 50 More, Please.

September 20th, 2013 § 1 comment § permalink

The 50th Wedding Anniversary party for HG/BSK was a night of utter joy and a few happy tears. The venue was Chinatown’s Dim Sum Go Go. Gifted Daughter Lesley and SJ arranged the Saturday night party and every detail — flowers, food, wine (provided by Restaurateur Daughter Victoria) — was perfect. The restaurant reserved its top floor for the party and the room was filled with family and friends in a happy and hungry mood (the observant Jewish contingent had just finished their Yom Kippur day of repentance and fasting and was more than ready to break the fast). SJ and Lesley know food so — oh joy! — the buffet began with platters of world class dim sum which included (to the pleasure of shrimp-allergy afflicted BSK) a selection of creative and delicious vegetarian options. This was followed by tray after tray of the best in Chinese cuisine: sauteed Chinese chives, crispy roast chicken buried in fried garlic; garlic and ginger pork; springy rice noodles with vegetables and much more. The wine flowed. Naturally, brief speeches followed. The deserved star of the evening was BSK (looking lovely, chic and ever young as per usual). Lesley portrayed her Mom as a valiant, loving and dedicated person who–without fanfare and ego preening–did all the things necessary to create and maintain a close, functional and loving family. This made BSK momentarily tearful but BSK accepted the tribute with customary BSK grace. SJ made some graceful remarks. HG promised BSK that HG’s speech would contain no sexual or anatomical references. That explained its brevity. HG did point out, however, that a Chinese restaurant was the right venue for the celebration since HG/BSK’s first date more than 50 years ago was at Bo Bo’s, once a favored Chinatown restaurant. The duo’s love for each other and Chinese food continues.

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Chinatown, My Chinatown

September 19th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

Arrived at LaGuardia Airport following the usual flight delays and discomforts. Friday night traffic in New York was a mad maze and HG/BSK were mighty hungry after checking in at the Hanbee Bowery Hotel in Chinatown. SJ provided the remedy. A block from the hotel was Ninh Kieu, a wildly eccentric Vietnamese restaurant with steaming bowls of beef pho, crispy spring rolls, stir fried water spinach and thin squares of pork grilled with lemongrass. Next morning HG/BSK met Vancouver pals Jamie and Karen, plus HG’s Restaurateur Daughter Victoria at Big Wong King, a traditional Cantonese restaurant on Mott Street. Grim decor. Abrupt service. Super busy (with good reason). This is real Chinatown. Fresh, flavorful cheap food. The group had two types of congee — pork and fish. No stinting on the ingredients. Just the best congee ever. Spicy Mo Pu Tofu and exquisitely cooked firm slices of eggplant in garlic sauce. Crispy Chinese crullers accompanied the congee. Rice crepes and tea. A happy meal for next to nothing. Tonight is the 50th Wedding Anniversary Party for HG and BSK. Dim Sum A Go Go is the venue. Some 50 years ago, HG and BSK’s first date was in Chinatown. So, the non-stop Chinatown fressing brings back many joyous, tasty and sentimental memories.

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Goodbye, P.E.I.

September 16th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

This week we left gentle, green Prince Edward Island in a deluge. Thought we might see Noah coming around the bend at any moment. Yes, heavy moisture but not the roaring floods that hit Colorado, HG/BSK’s former home. Sad moments as HG/BSK approached the Charlottetown airport. Will miss our Prince Edward Island neighbors,the Peretts and the Eppigs. Sheryll and Gladys at By the Bay Fish Mart. Caretaker Chris. Postmaster Ceyline. Colville Bay oyster king Johnny Flynn. Andrew MacDonald (and his superb mussel chowder). The Cardigan Market and the Charlottetown Farmers Market. Blueberry and raspberry picking on our fields. The sweet guys who mow our lawn. The sun, the sea, the beach glass, the breeze carrying a whiff of salt and beach grass. Sunsets and endless ocean views from every room in the HG/BSK home. Our kids and grandkids who love PEI. Cuisine by Exquisite Maiko and Gifted Lesley. Until next year…..

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Once Despised Vegetables

September 14th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

Little HG grew up with boiled-to-death cauliflower and broccoli. Discerning small fellow hated them. Now, due to BSK’s deft and creative touch, they are HG favorites. BSK cuts cauliflower into florets. Brushes them with garlic infused olive oil. Roasts them until brown and crisp. Good stuff. BSK sautés blanched broccoli florets with olive oil and garlic. Very good with fish or chicken. Sometimes, BSK purees some of the broccoli, adds it to the garlicky, anchovy infused florets and serves it over pasta. Enhances the plate with a dash of raw olive oil and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (HG/BSK first tasted this dish at Delsomma Restaurant in New York and BSK has made it even better). HG likes to mix cauliflower florets with (naughty, naughty)gorganzola, cream, butter and parmesan and serve it over fettucine or pappardelle. Mighty good (and fattening) when devoured with a fruity red wine. Hey, you only live once (even though cholesterol rich stuff like this can shorten the sojourn).

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Colville Bay Bigs

September 11th, 2013 § 2 comments § permalink

Bigger is better in oyster land. HG loves a big, plump briny oyster. There are those that fancy the little guys — the west-coast Kumamotos and such. Patricia Wells, the excellent restaurant critic, cooking teacher, food authority is a member of that party. HG is in opposition. This week HG stopped at Colville Bay Oysters in Souris, Prince Edward Island. HG asked the genial proprietor, Johnny Flynn, for a dozen of the biggest oysters in the house. Johnny picked out some bruisers, each between three and four inches in length. Thick oysters, their shells tinted slightly green (a signature of Colville Bay) filled with luscious brine. They were, without question, the best oysters HG ever tasted. Perfectly balanced between sweetness and sea brine. The texture? It was like eating oyster steaks. The dozen cost 14 dollars. HG was curious about the price of oysters and checked out the oysters at some of HG’s favorite Parisian brasseries. Big, high quality oysters sell for five bucks each. Obviously, the inexpensive brasserie-served plateau de fruits de mer is now, like the inexpensive New York apartment, just a fond memory. HG will confine oyster gluttony to Prince Edward Island. Affordable. And, Johnny Flynn’s product is better than anything the French, British or Irish shores can produce. (BSK insists on a positive mention of Colville Bay’s regular sized oysters: They are of the same delicious quality as the bigs, just smaller and will make most oyster aficionados very happy.)

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Food Fashions

September 9th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

The changing fashions in food have long fascinated HG. For example, beets, once despised, have become not just chic, but ubiquitous — you can hardly find a menu that doesn’t include some form of a beet and goat cheese salad. HG has always found a beet (like vinegar) to be an enemy of wine. Nevertheless, in Paris the top bistros du vins have betteraves on their cartes. Raw fish was only found at Japanese sushi bars. Suddenly, raw tuna and chopped tartares of tuna and salmon became featured players. Even Italian restaurants (possibly influenced by the massive success of Esca and David Pasternack) have crudos among their appetizers. For a time, steak was dismissed as a boorish, unhealthy and unfashionable food. There was a reaction and carnivores rejoiced as more than a score of upscale steak houses opened in New York. “Small plates” have become fashionable. Is there sticker shock when hearty appetites do some big time grazing on these “small” plates with big time prices? Foam, sous vide, molecular are among the gastronomic buzz words of the past decade. HG, a conservative, is skeptical about these arcane techniques. Restaurants used to take pride in offering imported food from faraway places. Now, the very best chefs (like Marc Meyer of New York’s Cookshop, Hundred Acres and Five Points) are determinedly “locavore,” a trend HG endorses with enthusiasm.

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The Joys of Liver

September 8th, 2013 § 2 comments § permalink

Liver. A much reviled organ here in America where it is habitually over-cooked into a grey, mealy tastelessness. In Europe, they know how to do calf’s liver correctly. It is served pink and a rasher of bacon is not obligatory but is pleasant. In Paris, a thick hunk of calf’s liver is often sauced in butter and sherry vinegar. HG has also enjoyed liver in Venice: Fegato (liver) Veneziano consists of very thin slices of liver cooked quickly in a hot pan with onions. Goes nicely with a mound of white polenta. HG/BSK never cook calf’s liver at home. Admittedly, it is not a health food and BSK takes great pains in keeping HG alive. But, once in a while, an exception can be made and BSK makes that exception with delightful chicken livers. BSK sautes them beautifully so they are brown and crisp on the outside and pink inside. A very nice lunch consists of these chicken livers with mushrooms, onions and softly scrambled, creamy eggs. HG likes to cook chicken livers in a sauce of sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic, olive oil and tomatoes which is served over fettucine. HG believes this was a favorite dish of the great tenor, Enrico Caruso.

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Gratins: Spuds That Went To Heaven

September 5th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

As part of Exquisite Maiko’s birthday dinner the other night, SJ prepared a real oldie-but-goodie: a gratin of cheese, onions and newly picked Prince Edward Island potatoes. A time honored rustic French dish that does not get enough play these days. It is called Gratin Dauphinois if cream is used as the braising/binding agent and Gratin Savoyard if beef stock is used instead. Thinly sliced potatoes are placed in a heavy casserole that has been strewn with chopped garlic. Butter, cheese and cream (or beef broth) are added and it is cooked in a moderately hot oven. The heat is turned up at the end (or the dish is placed under the broiler) so a nice brown crust is developed. It is the definition of comfort food. SJ added shavings of cheddar and swiss cheese to the dish as well as sliced onions. SJ used milk instead of heavy cream in the dish. Made SJ unhappy. Felt it made the gratin watery instead of unctuous. Too picky. HG found it super delicious. Gratins usually accompany roasted meat. HG finds this a mite heavy. HG likes a gratin to stand on its own, accompanied by nothing but a green salad and red wine. Garlic lovers might try to find James Beard’s recipe for a gratin. HG recalls his gratin utilized olive oil, a bit of white wine and many, many cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Guaranteed to keep Count Dracula at bay.

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Salmon Gets The Maiko Touch

September 2nd, 2013 § 2 comments § permalink

Getting bored with HG’s press agentry for Exquisite Maiko’s kitchen wizardry? Too bad. Stop reading. But, if you want to know how to make magic with farm raised salmon read on. After a day of Prince Edward Island beach fun, EM julienned the remaining vegetables in the refrigerator (cabbage, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, onions) and tossed them in a bowl with a marinade of rice vinegar, sake, mirin and soy sauce. A slab of salmon was cut into manageable pieces about two fingers long and two fingers wide. These pieces were dusted in flour and sauteed until brown in canola oil. The salmon then went into the bowl, absorbing the the marinade flavors. The marinade had “cooked” the vegetables. This salmon dish was served with perfectly cooked rice, EM’s braised Japanese eggplant and some sriracha (for HG, the sriracha addict). The sublime appetizer was EM’s hand-made pork gyoza. EM will spend a day making gyoza and keeps batches in the freezer. EM has been cooking busily during her stay on PEI. HG’s dream came true: Fantastic dishes prepared at home daily by a talented Asian chef. The dream ends as EM, SJ and family return to Brooklyn. Soon,HG/BSK will be back in New Mexico. There are culinary consolations. Awaiting HG in the high desert paradise HG shares with BSK: BSK’s fabulous roast chicken. Adobo dusted pork chops. Green salads BSK prepares with the lettuces cultivated by HG/BSK’s organic farmer neighbor. Braised escarole in broth with onions, garlic, pancetta and white beans. Green chile stew with peppers freshly roasted at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Pasta showered with herbs from BSK’s garden.BSK is a locavore and HG’s palate reaps the benefits. And, when HG needs a respite from healthy home cooking, it is off to El Parasol Restaurant in Pojoaque for a steaming bowl of cholesterol rich menudo. Land of Enchantment, indeed.

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