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New York City – Post

admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:06:48 +0000

As a follow-up to the last post I wanted to mention some of the big highlights from my recent trip to New York City. After an Italian wine tasting from the Tormaresca Winery at Eataly which had a really great ready to drink Chardonnay and red wine made from a grape varietal from Puglia called Negroamaro. The Italian part of the night continued with dinner at Dell’anima in the West Village, my gnocchi was light and perfect.

Friday started with an early morning trip to Central Park to see a concert with Florence + the Machine, then based on a recommendation from a fellow wine connoisseur at Eataly we had breakfast at Sarah Beth’s on Central Park South. And on Friday evening a venture into the Bronx for a Yankees landed us at The Feeding Tree for Jamaican Jerk Chicken and then finally a late night treat at David Chang’s Milk Bar in Midtown.

Saturday was the wedding and my dinner was fantastic. Beet and goat cheese salad to start and I had filet as my entree, but I also heard raves about the sea bass. Mom and I had a spectacular dinner on Sunday at Bar Boulud on the the Upper West Side (picture) and for me the standout was the poached calamari and grilled watermelon salad, I also had a really fantastic flatiron steak.

Our last hoorah was at a small French place just outside Little Italy called Jacques, this place had a deal and a half for lunch, mussels, frites, and a glass of wine or beer for $15.00. All in all we had a fantastic time and really had a chance to eat some amazing food. Looking forward to the next trip back.

New York City – Pre

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:55:25 +0000

So everyone goes to NYC with a restaurant plan and at this point for my 5 day excursion I think I have the hit list, a hit list that envelops our reasons for going, beautiful wedding at St. Patrick’s then the Mandarin Oriental reception. Yet outside of wedding festivities I have a plan and if anyone has notes to add please do.

Thursday – Eataly Wine Tasting; Fab friend (NY Local) in charge of dinner and drinks, no fear there.

Friday – Yankees game and pre-dinner made up of Jamaican food or Soul food before the game, both good options in my book, growing up in SC I am leaning towards Soul food at Z’Novia . PS midnight MilkBar stop will happen, Mom loves her sweets

Saturday is wedding day and I know everything that happens at the Mandarin will be exquisite

Sunday is really the vote, post brunch, post show (Ave Q), where should we eat… I vote Momofuku or Bar Boulud, ladies and gentlemen let me know, Mom was thinking Gotham. My choice, I want noodles, but for Mom and no doubt Bar Boulud might be amazing compromise.

Monday – Statue of Liberty, Wall St, Little Italy… home…

See you guys back in Dallas with the full report.

Tacos are King

admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 02:18:53 +0000

I am from Texas and in this area tacos are king. They are king because of price, convenience, speed, but mostly because of taste. Also because you can eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this part of the world. Maybe it is the smaller portion or the $2.00 price point, but people feel free to combine interesting flavors within a simple tortilla, eggs, duck, avacado, chillies, homemade sausage, or classic barbacoa.

For me the I love the classic Mexico City taqueria style tacos, but the choices are endless and so glad that they are. For any of my more local readers my two votes here in town are Fuel City the street-style classic and then second Torchy’s (an Austin original) that arrived around the corner from place just last year. Torchy’s has amazing flavor combinations and the large number of salsa options is another reason to go.

What I Eat When I Don’t Eat Dinner

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:34:28 +0000

Sometimes all I can manage for dinner is a simple fruit and cheese plate, it is quick, flavorful, and I most importantly it is easy. And for all my talk about cooking dinner, I know that a lot of people feel the same way I do after an exhausting Monday or any other day of the week that may need a few extra hours to be able to get everything done. I tend to keep one or two nice cheeses, crackers and some type of fresh fruit at home for just this reason, but one other taste treat that I add to this is my version of baba ganoush. I like this recipe because again it is easy, it takes all of three ingredients and then is something I can have on hand for a few days.

Feel free to add this recipe and into your routine and take a break from the grind of cooking.

Salt and Pepper, The Foundation

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:16:06 +0000

People always ask me why food taste better when you eat out. And outside of the idea that you did not have to make it yourself there is one main difference… Restaurants use more butter and more salt and pepper than you do when you cook at home.

There are two lessons that still ring clear in my mind when I think about seasoning. The first is from my French professor at culinary school who said when we would want to boil something like pasta or vegetables, “The water should taste like the sea,” he was referring to making sure you added enough salt to the water to be able to impart flavor into whatever we were cooking. The second such lesson came when I was working at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, and my then mentor reminded me that salt and pepper are the foundation of any great dishes. You cannot add a dash at the end expect that to hold up the dish. He would say “Salt and pepper is the foundation, you cannot build a house without cement and 2×4’s and you can’t build great food without salt and pepper from the beginning”

So to all you who read this I suggest, be bold, be brave, and season with meaning from the very beginning.

Grilled Cheese x 100

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:09:43 +0000

I grew up not eating meat, because my parents were vegetarian, which was fine with me, I didn’t know anything else, and in the end I now have an infinity for a few things that were staples in my house growing up. One of those favorites being grilled cheese. So much so, I recently played with the idea of opening a grilled cheese food truck here in Dallas. In the end that did not happen, but I thought it would only be fair if I shared some of my recipes I worked up for that dreamy grilled cheese food truck.

Here it goes – let me know if what you think:

Caramelized Onion, Glazed Fig, Prosciutto, and Port Salute

Turkey Melt with Cheddar and Tomato Relish

Ham and Swiss with Dijon

Classic Kraft Singles on Wonder bread

Mushroom, Swiss and Bacon Sandwich (everything you love on a burger, on sourdough)

Spinach, Garlic, Bacon and Goat Cheese

Roast Chicken, Monterrey Jack and Pico de Gallo

Classic Tuna Melt with Capers and Swiss

If you have something to add, let me know, this is a realm that I love to taste test in.

i-Spice on Tumblr

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:21:46 +0000

I really love photography and dabble in food photography specifically when I have a free moment here and there. With this in mind I started a side project to expand my culinary writing as well as allowing me an outlet for some photography. If you are interested in what I have been working on please check out the side project I have been working on about spices with quick definitions and uses as well as photography on tumblr.com

Spice up your life!

Butter is not Complex it is Compound

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:31:19 +0000

Compound butter is a great thing to keep on hand to spice up your everyday cooking. It can be substituted in numerous recipes like a baked chicken, grilled sirloin, sautéed vegetables, or a myriad of sauces. Below are a few examples of compound butters that you might find tasty

Ginger Lemon Butter

Garlic Herb Butter

Cracked Pepper Blue Cheese Butter

The easiest way to make a compound butter is to let the butter set on the counter until it is soft, then fine dice your ingredients, for a traditional stick of butter you will want 1-2 Tablespoons of ingredients. Then mix ingredients and butter together. Spoon mixture onto plastic wrap, leaving one inch on each end and roll into a log shape. Refrigerate your butter, it will hold as long as regular butter will.

Wine, Today Rosé

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:57:15 +0000

With Valentines Day being this coming Sunday I thought I would do a quick blog about one of my favorite wines. Francis Coppola Sofia Rose, now I have been lucky enough to go out to Napa and visit the Coppola Vineyard and Winery, which is where I had Sofia Rose for the first time, and loved it the first time I had it. This wine has a brilliant pink rose color and a bottle that beautiful by itself (nice gift idea if you are in the market for a Valentine’s gift).

I do not want this to be a fussy or wordy wine post, just a few quick things to keep in mind about this wine. This is a rose, not a sweet white zinfandel you immediately think of when I say pink, and Sofia in particular is a refreshing, dry wine with a smell and taste that alternates between light florals and just picked strawberries. Along with strawberry, black cherry and raspberry notes share the palate with a nice acidity at the end. Its refreshing style makes it a delicious partner to all kinds of savory dishes, from tostadas and spicy grilled chicken to a nicoise salad. And although I usually look for this wine in the hot Texas summer months I think that it cannot be beat for a special Valentine’s Day treat.

Serve the wine chilled and as it warms the full flavor will open up.

Where to find Sofia in Dallas:
GoodyGoody Liquor, Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits, CostCo (West Plano), and other specialty stores throughout town.

Cheese… Holy Cow!

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:07:07 +0000

Let me first preface this post with a simple statement, I am a big fan of cheese, so much so I believe it should be its own food group or at least should be considered as meal in and of itself. The idea this week was fairly simple, I wanted to explore the wonderful world of cheese and then share some tasting notes with you. So when I tell you that I stumbled upon the best soft cheese I have ever eaten while tasting to be able to write this post, it might seem like something of an exaggeration, but I take cheese seriously and this my friends is no exaggeration.

Let’s start with the outright winner of the night judged by myself and my best friend another self-processed cheese groupie.

Delice de Bourgogne (French) Cow’s Milk Triple Cream. This cheese as I mentioned once before is the best soft cheese that I have ever had. Are original notes included words like velvety, buttery, voluptuous, silky, and mild. To achieve the amazing creaminess the producers adds a bit of crème fraiche to cheese. Crème fraiche adds just a subtle tang, without it becoming a “stinky” French cheese. Go buy this cheese, try it, and report back.

Cotswold (English) Cow’s Milk with Chives and Onion. This is another favorite of mine that I found while working in a restaurant in Kansas City; we often use to serve it as part our cheese boards for larger events. It is similar to other English cheddars, it is smooth in the mouth while the chives and onions that are blended in give it a bite. You might be able to already imagine, but this is a great beer cheese.

Drunken Goat (Spanish) Goat’s Milk. I first had this cheese at a wine tasting room here in Dallas years ago and has been a favorite of mine ever since. This cheese is a semi-soft goats milk cheese that is soaked in red wine for two to three days, then allowed to age for 75 days. The rind is still soft and the cheese itself has a light nutty taste with a creamy finish.

Wensleydale with Cranberries (English) Goat’s Milk. This cheese was new to me and I picked it up on a bit of a whim, unfortunately it was not my favorite. The cranberries instead of adding tartness were sweet when you first tasted the cheese and then you are able to taste the cheddar as it lingers in your mouth. The texture was also grainy.

Maytag Blue (American) Cow’s Milk. This blue cheese is a classic and why I know that not all good cheese is from Europe. This cheese has a big, tangy flavor which mixes well with the smooth, creamy mouth feel. I think Maytag Blue is really versatile and when it comes to blue cheese less bold, so it is a great cheese for the tentative cheese eater.