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Most recent entries

• The Summer of Us
• Valentine’s Day
• If You’re Ever in Cedar Rapids, Iowa …
• The Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop
• Beginning the New Year With a New Kitchen
• Favorites from 2009
• On My Not Getting Lucky Last Night
• And I’ve Decided That Close Enough, Is Enough
• A Little Closer
• My Dream to Travel
• The Start-Stop-Start of Something Good
• Otom
• Ruhlman Rules
• This Weekend’s Adventure: Pane Integrale
• My, That’s a Lot of Pork

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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

The Summer of Us

Did Memorial Day Weekend really end only two days ago? It feels like a million miles away, but what a wonderful weekend ... and a perfect way to inaugurate the season. Our roses are in full bloom, the deck table and chairs and grill washed clean, a spot in the sun for my yoga mat, some new shorts and shirts for the warmer weather, some great meals with friends and family, and an iPad loaded with new books and episodes of Glee. Let the summer of us begin. 

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Valentine’s Day

I’m one of the loudest to complain about the silliness of the manufactured event known as Valentine’s Day, but truth be told, it’s not because I’m hopelessly unromantic. Rather, I think that if you’ve found someone special, then every day is Valentine’s Day, every day gives us to the chance to let the person we love most know that “I’m here, I’m listening, and I’m grateful for you.” I think, now and again, about one of Honey P.’s favorite quotes, which came from Lyle Lovett in ”The Opposite of Sex.” “Maybe it isn’t about recreation or procreation, but about concentration.” He was talking at the time about sex, but I’ve found the sensibility to have a broader application; so much about relationships comes down to paying attention.

One of Honey P.’s other favorite quotes is that “we must celebrate the holidays as they come.” And as Valentine’s Day approaches ...

I was talking last Friday with some teammates who were stymied about what to do or buy for the occasion, and the conversation got me thinking about what would make a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Hopefully my ideas come with enough lead time to spark some of your own. Three points:

Point #1: Relieve the Pressure
Admittedly, this is only important if you’re both feeling some angst about the occasion. If all of the burden for the day already falls on your shoulders, this is irrelevant. Otherwise, I think one of the best things you can give the one you love is happily owning the entire day. Something along the lines of “Hey, don’t worry about Valentine’s Day this year. In fact, don’t even worry about getting me a gift--this year, I’ve got it covered for both of us, and it’ll be great.”

Point #2: Assemble a Wonderful Meal
Rachael Ray was saying on her show yesterday that a home-cooked meal trumps a reservation at an expensive restaurant any day. I’d agree, with a couple of caveats: if you don’t enjoy cooking or arent’ that confident at it, then don’t put undue pressure on yourself now, you should be enjoying the occasion as well.

If you’re an experienced cook, then you already know what to do--go to it, and have a blast making something special. If you’re inexperienced or just plain worried, consider the possible alternative of making one dish--maybe the salad or the dessert or the main course. Maybe even just a special mixed drink--then create a wonderful meal buy acquiring the rest of the courses from other places.

Some other options:
- Choose an assortment of cheeses, cured meals, olives, nuts and French bread for a picnic-type meal
- Create a meal of prosecco, chilled jumbo shrimp and crab claws, a few dips, crackers, and veggies
- If you both love something that you can get in only certain places (for example, Chicago-style pizza), have that dish shipped to you in time for Sunday
- Choose a kit from D’Artagnan and assemble an authentic French meal with step-by-step instructions

Point #3: Choose Thoughtful Gifts
Plural, yes. And thoughtful, rather than expensive. The first gift should be especially for your honey, and it should be something that’s tied to what’s important to him or her. Some ideas:

For the fitness-oriented: anything from LuluLemon Athletica. Seriously, their clothing looks and feels wonderful--everyone from my massage therapist to my personal trainer to my best friend swears by the quality of their stuff. It’s pricey, but well worth it. Or how about an iPod nano, pre-loaded with his or her favorite songs?

For the foodie: call Karen at City Olive (773.878.5408) and ask her to pull together some of her newest finds--some oils, vinegars, spices, condiments, and artisanal pastas. Stuff that cooks love to use but can’t justify for day-to-day meals. And have her send some good hand lotion, too--people who cook usually have dry hands, and moisturizer is always appreciated. Or find a local chef of a respected restaurant and arrange for “an apprentice’s day in the kitchen.”

For the reader: some reading tools (book bungees, page nibs, highlighters) from Levenger.

For the fashionista: contact Lisa Williams (http://www.lisawilliamsjewelry.com/) and tell her a little bit about your honey (girl or guy), have her choose or design a special piece for them. I’ve been a big fan of Lisa’s for awhile--her work is beautiful, handmade, and fairly priced.

For the technophile: go to www.apple.com. Print out a picture of the iPad. Tell your loved one that you’re on the pre-order list. Brace yourself for serious impact.

The second gift addresses what I meant about “having it covered for both of you.” Namely, make an event of the next time you’ll get to spend time alone together. It doesn’t have to be anything bigger than a picnic basket and a DVD of a movie you’ve been planning to see. But you could also consider getting tickets to a play or sporting event or planning a weekend away, maybe to a city you’ve always wanted to visit together or to a place that holds some good memories for you. The point of the gift is to communicate that you value the moments that you share, so much so that you’ve already thought about how to make the next one special.

That’s what I’ve been thinking. To your health and happiness this Valentine’s Day ...

Friday, January 29, 2010

If You’re Ever in Cedar Rapids, Iowa …

I have to admit that when I heard the forecast for snow, rain, and a wintery mix, I was hoping for something along the lines of chicory, frisee, and perhaps some curly endive. But sleet and ice be damned, we had a great time launching a new project in Cedar Rapids, and we had a couple of terrific dinners as well. If you’re ever in the area, check out Zins, which I am told is the new “it” place downtown. The dining room is warm and inviting--the kind of place that can feel both romantic and gregarious, depending on your company that night. And framed on the main wall is a shroud from the flood--a tablecloth upon which the impression of plates and place settings has seeped in indelibly as the restauranteurs quickly abandoned the building for safe and dry. Thank goodness for the restaurant’s resurrection.

Small plates, their specialty, a sort of international tapas approach. We shared classic pommes frites, meatloaf, tasso ham pizza, gnocchi, greek lamb burgers, as well as some salads and soups meant for one. The place was so great we went back a second night and ordered what we didn’t have the evening before. Next time we’re there, I’m going to try to score the semi-private table with a window into the kitchen.

And for great coffee and homemade pastries, check out Brewed Awakenings, a nifty little place on First Avenue. It’s the kind of place that makes you heartsick for the coffeehouse around the corner where they know your name and your drink-of-choice and are always glad to see you. Places like Zins and Brewed Awakenings ... are the next best thing to being home. 

Saturday, January 09, 2010

The Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop

The Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop
http://www.thecowboystar.com/
640 10th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
619.450.5880

Angie greets us with a big smile and friendly “welcome back.” Our second night at The Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop. She may be excited to see us, but we’re even more excited just to be back.

“Same drinks as last night?” Angie asks. We nod, and the vodka martinis materialize in champagne coupes. They’re perfect--shaken just vigorously enough to produce those happy little ice crystals that float on the surface of the cold, cold drink.

We’d decided last night what we would be ordering tonight, but I’m swayed by two of the specials: the bone marrow appetizer served with toasted brioche points and the elk rack. Honey P. and I debate for a moment and decide to proceed, as planned:

For appetizers, braised lamb short ribs with potato dumpling and whisky-currant sauce, and bourbon braised berkshire pork belly with celery root puree, natural jus, frisee garnish. And for the entree, Elysian Fields farm lamb with green garlic farro, grilled artichokes, lamb jus, and rabbit duo with potato gnocchi, organic swiss chard, morel mushroom sauce. The wine, a 2006 Elizabeth Spencer merlot (thank you, Michael M., for introducing us to this label at In Fine Spirits!).

It’s hard to properly describe precisely how well prepared our meals are--they simply are wonderful. Everything from the quality of ingredients to the harmony of flavors to the size of the portions--all brilliantly balanced and presented with simple elegance.

And just as our meal is wonderful, the setting is also extraordinary. The interior design strikes me as a blend of Chanel and Tom Ford sensibilities, with a touch of The Territory Ahead and Patsy Cline. The space is beautiful, and I fight the urge to sing harmony on “Strange.” And though the restaurant is fairly full this particular Friday night, Honey P. and I can enjoy a quiet conversation. Priceless.

Even though I’m not a dessert person, I’m tempted by a number of the items they have on offer: profiteroles, a cheese plate, bread pudding, and, most honestly, the absinthe. We resist, happily pay the bill, and stroll back to the Hotel Solamar--all the while thrilled by our good fortune to be enjoying a warm breeze under a Western night sky.

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Beginning the New Year With a New Kitchen

“The larder is looking a little bare,” commented Honey P. “No, my darling,” I retorted, “what you see is clean and well-lighted place.”
You wouldn’t know it from a cursory glance--a lot looks the same--but I’m beginning the year with a new kitchen.

When we moved into our townhome roughly six years, I spent a good deal of time thinking through how I wanted to configure the space. The kitchen was--and continues to be--the room in the house that most belongs to me. And I think I did a pretty good job back then, but things change. My style of cooking evolved, and with it, my tools and the ways in which I used them. Also over time, I allowed what was originally a very organized space to accommodate the sprawl of foodstuffs, toys, and other miscellany. In a room almost twice the size of my last kitchen, I was starting to run out of both space and order. I was determined to meet the new year with a re-calibrated kitchen.

I began by opening all of the cabinets and drawers in the room to take stock of what was in the them, all the while asking myself three simple questions:

1. What do I use most?
2. What do I find most frustrating?
3. What would Michael and Molly do? (A few years back, Michael arranged for Molly Stevens to teach a class on braising in his kitchen. During her tutorial, she asked Michael where he kept a certain utensil--he told her, and she smiled and said something along the lines of “that’s where I’d keep it, too. This is definitely a cook’s kitchen.” I want to go to that place.)

The first to get emptied out, two cabinets devoted to bags (mostly brown paper bags from Whole Foods and the really nice shopping bags I’d gotten from little boutique stores over the years and thought were too nice to get rid of) and wicker baskets and trays from catered events years back that I’d also felt the need to save.

Then, the appliances. Taking into account the relative weight of each machine (the juicer’s pretty crazy-heavy) and the frequency with which I used each piece, I moved them all into the now-empty cabinet and arranged them in rows to allow quick reminders of their existence and easy reach, should the need occur.

I cleaned out the junk drawers by grouping all of the user manuals and restaurant menus together respectively, and stacking all of the recipe clippings I’d grabbed over the years into a gigantic pile that I relocated to my desk. (I later went through the pile, and pulled the electronic version of each recipe--most of them were online--into Evernote for the future.)

Next, the kitchen island, with its massive drawers crammed with all manner of gadgetry. I regrouped utensils by type or purpose (clips with clips, muddler with mallet, chinois with colander) and moved the items I used most so they’d be only an arm’s length away from the sink and the island, where I do most of my prep work.

Three piles began to form in the adjacent dining room: things I thought that friends and family could use, things to be donated to The Brown Elephant, and things to recycle or discard.

Storage items: Tupperware, Gladware, mason jars, and the like. This was mostly a matter of matching and stacking the containers and lids together--so easy, and it brought me such a sense of peace.

Pots, what to do with all of the pots and pans? I took the opportunity to burnish all of the All-Clad back to brilliant bright with the help of some Bar Keeper’s Friend before I redistributed the pieces into drawers closest to the ovens and cooktop. Note, Bar Keeper’s Friend is absolutely fantastic for removing stains and blemishes from stainless steel!

Next, the foodstuffs. Quickly discarded, anything past its freshness date, which reduced the pantry by a third. Then, I changed the shelve configuration around so I could reach items without the use of a stepladder.

And finally, the counters. I hear stories about counter wars: debates over what stays out and what gets tucked away can often be contentious. Thankfully, Honey P. lets me decide solely, and I decided that less is more. I kept only the food processor and Kitchenaid mixer by the sink. And on the island, a cookbook in its stand (for now, it’s Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home), my OXO kitchen scale, and an instant read thermometer. The book is currently open to Thomas’ recipe for a New England clam bake, which I intend to make as soon as I can get my hands on a 20-quart stockpot. Seven hours and eight bags of donations later, I can honestly say I’ll have room to store that pot, once I find it. Sante.