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Saturday, December 29, 2007Paradise, Not Found
Honey P. and I just got back from a week in Mexico. We’d wanted some sun and warm to break up the winter bleak, and Christmas was the perfect time to get away. After a five-hour flight and an hourlong drive, we arrived at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, a resort that promised us quiet and modicum of luxe. Luxe, it delivered, in the manner of pristinely manicured lawns, stately palms, cascading walls of flowers, gardens with peacocks, swans, and flamingos, hummingbirds and butterflies and falcons, and the occasional spouting whale and flying fish and jumping marlin on the ocean horizon. Every day provided sun and breeze and blue skies striated gently with strokes of wispy clouds. Sadly, far from paradise… I’ve heard that 60% of Americans who hold passports voted for Kerry in the last election. The other 40% hold timeshares in Mexico. And Christmas week, is their week (lucky us!). So they pack their golf clubs, overstuff their Louis Vuitton luggage, and herd their over-programmed and under-disciplined children on to planes to Cabo, where they spend their week playing of 18 holes in the morning, gulping down tequila lunches at Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo, ordering burgers at the pool, and power-shopping at the Puerto Paraiso mall in their Brett Favre jerseys and Nike high-tops. And that’s just the parents. We had a couple of very nice dinners and a fun little expedition to Todo Santos, but we never really got past the feeling of self-consciousness that comes when you’re hopelessly out of place. I’ve never been so happy to come home, even with the cold and dark, and I’m amazed at the fact that we needed to return to Middle America ... to get away from it. Thursday, December 20, 2007Slightly Better Than Fab!
We started out with their SNOB martini, made with locally produced Firefly vodka. The muscatine wine with which the vodka is infused gives it a subtle sweetness that worked really well with the blue cheese olives. So well, I ordered another. And my appetite returned. Appetizer, split between two: duck confit and cashews wrapped in romaine with a sweet-sauce dipping sauce. And then two fish dishes, traded: triggerfish with chive and cream sauce, and flounder stuffed with deviled crab. Both, extraordinary preparations and perfectly balanced flavors. We did what we almost never do ... we ordered dessert. A key lime pie chased with muscat.
They also sell t-shirts. How could I not? Wednesday, December 19, 2007Dirty, Sexy, Crispy
One of the brother-owners explained to us in passing that they use over 400 gallons of oil a week for their tasty fried goodness--higher in quality, he says, than the oil that most restaurants use. So good, in fact, that he manages to recycle it by using it for his car. How that works, I don’t know, but I’d say that the oil has already done its best service in their kitchen. My lunch: a dozen fresh, plump oysters on the half-shell, lemon, horseradish, and saltines. Then, a trio of fried lump crabcake with thinly sliced onion rings, buffalo oysters, and buffalo shrimp. Accompanied by cole slaw, thick-cut french fries, and hush puppies. How could I not? Honey P. had fried lobster tails--now, our operating premise is that if you don’t like it fried, you’ll never like it. This dish proves that frying makes the best things better. Both of the brothers and the restaurant manager stopped by our table to make sure we were happy--not only great food, but terrific customer service.
The restaurant has received kudos from entities that include Southern Living, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, The Food Channel, and Harvard Business School. And now, thecureforeverything.org. We chased our meal with bloody marys, and bought the t-shirts as we waddled out into the afternoon Charleston sun. Tuesday, December 18, 2007Cypress
I won’t say that it was the best meal I’ve ever had, but it was fairly wonderful. The oysters from New Brunswick were so fresh and juicy that I ordered a second round, and the tomatillo remoulade that accompanied it was so good and sweet-tart that I consumed the entire ramekin, even once the oysters were gone. And the lobster and short rib entree with the shiitake mushrooms, celery root and parsnip puree was the best short rib dish I’ve ever had. Turns out that they custom-cut the meat at the restaurant, braise, and then sous-vide the meat to serving temperature. (I don’t plan to try this dish at home, but I am proud to have had an intelligent conversation with the waiter about different cuts of meat and to know what sous-vide means.) One entire wall of the restaurant is devoted to their wine--rack after rack and floor upon floor like an old-world library of spirits. And the ceiling lights change color from time to time (thankfully not pulsing to the sound of Christmas tunes). Yes, indeedy, we’d go again. And I bought their cookbook (actually, three copies, my two business partners will have a little something extra under their trees this year, yay!).
Book reservations for Cypress at opentable.com or find them at:
Monday, December 17, 2007Mama’s Little Baby Loves Dumplings, Dumplings …
Two things done exceptionally right for this meal: I allowed myself a glass of wine while cooking, and I swapped in duck fat for canola oil. Your can find the original chicken and dumplings recipe at Saveur.com--I’ve copied and pasted it below, with my notes inserted parenthetically:
1 4-lb. heritage chicken, legs removed
1. Halve chicken legs, separating thigh from drumstick; season with salt and pepper; set aside. Put remaining chicken into a pot; cover with salted water; boil. Reduce heat; simmer until breast is just cooked, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken. Cut breast and wings from carcass. Discard any skin and bones from breast and wing meat; cut into 1” chunks; chill. Return carcass to pot; simmer for 1 hour. Strain; reserve 4 cups broth (save remainder for another use). I started this part of the recipe the night before the party and used a 7-pound chicken from the farm of friends in Minnesota. Next time I do this, I’ll cut the chicken up before putting into the pot: I’d remove the legs and thighs as stated, but I’d also separate the wings and the back before putting the chicken into the pot. After the hour of simmering, I quickly cooled the broth on the back porch (it is, after all, winter here), put the stock in the fridge overnight, and removed all of the fat from the wonderful, gelatinous mass before cooking with it. 2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large wide pot over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate; leave fat in pot. Add and heat oil; brown drumsticks and thighs, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add thyme, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaf; cook until light brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Add 2/3 cup flour; cook for 1 minute. Add wine; cook for 1 minute. Whisk in reserved broth and salt and pepper to taste. Nestle in drumsticks, thighs, and bacon. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. I substituted duck fat for the canola oil. 3. Whisk together remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a bowl. Combine butter, buttermilk, and parsley in a second bowl; pour into flour mixture; stir to make a thick batter. Uncover pot; add breast and wing meat. Drop batter in 8 large spoonfuls over the top. Simmer, covered, until dumpings are cooked, 20 to 25 minutes. You don’t actually get a batter--you get a dough. I worked the dough by hand, separating it into eight small balls that I dropped into the pot. I also added a cup of frozen peas to the dish. Honey P. tells me that while this wasn’t my best dish ever from the culinary gymnastics perspective (level of technical difficulty, 8), it was fairly phenomenal comfort food (OMG, the dumplings were fantastic and the gravy was TTD) and we could have had fourths. Instead, we sent leftovers home with friends. Today, last business trip of the year (Charleston, stay tuned!). Friday, last round of drinks with the staff for 2007. And Saturday, Cabo, baby!
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