New Years Eve Dinner For Good Luck

Thought I would share what I made for dinner tonight for Mel and I.

Let's start with the chicken. I had a giant chicken breast so I cut the breast in half so it was half as thick. I then seasoned with salt and pepper and lightly floured it. I saute'd the chicken in a little bit of olive oil until the  chicken was golden brown and crispy. I made a sauce to go on top of butter, lemon, capers, and garlic. 

In the top right corner were some lentils I made for Mel because eating lentils on New Years Eve is an Italian tradition to bring good luck in the new year. I cooked the lentils in water with onion, carrot, and celery, with a bay leaf thrown in as well. After 20-25 minutes I removed the bay leaf and strained the lentils. I then added them to a large skillet and added a little chicken broth as well as some salt and pepper. I also added fresh chopped spinach and wilted it in the lentils. Once the chicken broth was absorbed I removed it from the heat to serve. 

In the other top corner is a simple pasta dish I came up with. I made the pasta dough and cut the dough into the thin strands. The dough was just a simple pasta dough of flour, eggs, salt, and olive oil. I cooked the pasta for only a minute or two in salted boiling water. In the skillet I cooked the chicken in I added onion and cooked it until translucent. I then added garlic, Roma tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and green onion. I then took the pasta out of the water and added it to the hot pan to finish cooking and tossed everything together. 

I thought all of the dishes had nice balance to them. The sauce added a nice brightness to the chicken that countered the browned exterior very nicely. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sweetness of the sun dried tomatoes worked well with the acidity of the fresh tomatoes. And the lentils were creamy and earthy and the aromatics played really well with them. 

Braised Beef and Pulled Pork

So Mel and I met some friends down at HopCat last Friday. (Sorry there are no pictures. I left my phone in the car on accident.) It was a fun time, as most visits to HopCat are. The beer menu was especially good. There were a lot of varieties on tap (there always are), from lighter wheat beers, to strong stouts brewed with coffee and chocolate, to fruity lambics and ciders. 

For the meal I ordered the Porter Braised Beef sandwich. The beef was fall apart tender and juicy, with a nice flavor imparted from the porter braising liquid. There was a nice black pepper blue-cheese mayo that played nicely with the beef without being too "blue." Finishing it off was a crunchy onion "haystack" of thinly sliced and fried onions. The vessel for all this goodness was a toasted brioche bun. 

Mel had the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. The pork is nicely pulled, there weren't any big chunks hiding. The BBQ sauce adds a little bit of heat with a nice vinegary taste that is subtle. This is topped with Swiss cheese that melts all over the top and also served on a toasted brioche bun. It is also served with a side of coleslaw that is good as a side or on the sandwich. 

Of course both meals were served with a side of crack fries and a pickle.

Once again HopCat delivers.

The Twisted Rooster

After a wonderful time at Frederick Meijer Gardens, looking at all the Christmas trees, watching plants eat insects, and strolling through the sculpture park, Mel and I went and had dinner at Twisted Rooster. I was pretty excited to go because I had been wanting to try it out for a while now. I had heard good things about it, and it was featured in Grand Rapids Magazine 2012 Taste This! dining guide. However I do have to admit I was a little skeptical. I had thoughts that maybe this would be just another run of the mill TGI Friday's or Applebee's restaurants. Needless to say these thoughts were completely unwarranted.

First things first, I applaud Twisted Rooster for their dedication to use high-quality, locally sourced ingredients from places like Byron Meats, Founders, and Otto Farms, as well as a drink menu that featured heavily from local breweries and distilleries.

 We started off with Founder's Pale Ale cheese dip. The dip was made with Founder's Pale Ale, Michigan Cheddar cheese, bacon, and chives. It was different from many beer cheese dips I have had in that a sharp cheddar was used. It seems that many places use milder white cheeses for their dip. The bacon added a nice smokiness to the cheese and the pale ale really shined through offering a noticeable yet subtle bitterness that highlighted the other ingredients. The chips were good as well. I don't know for sure if they were fried in house, but they sure tasted fresh to me. This was a really good start to the meal

My main course was Hawaiian Wahoo tacos with a little baby greens salad. In case you are unfamiliar with wahoo, other than being a term for excitement it is also a fish caught in tropical or subtropical waters. First I'll start with the greens and then the tacos. The greens were a standard mix of field greens with arugula, red lettuce, baby spinach, etc. It was dressed in a very nice vinaigrette. It tasted like red wine vinegar was the base and cherry was also used for some sweetness. The first thing I noticed after taking a bite was the acid up front from the vinegar. It was nice and not offensive at all. Following this was a sweetness from the cherry that slowly crept up on the pallet. This nicely offset the natural bitterness often associated with field greens.

Now to the taco. It was a special they were having. This, perhaps, featured the best cooked fish I have had in Michigan to date. The wahoo was perfectly grilled so that it remained moist and did not dry out. Also, and this is very important, there was not a hint of fishy smell from the fish. Almost every time I can think of when I have had fish in Michigan, there has been a little bit of a "fishy" smell. Not like it had gone bad or anything. Just that it was not at the absolute freshness it could be. Also the texture was that of fresh caught fish, not frozen fish. So it was either brought in very fresh, or it was the most immaculately frozen fish ever. Also on the taco was a habanero cheese that added a little bit of heat in the after taste,  a cilantro sour cream, romaine lettuce for crunch, and a twisted salsa that appeared to have small dices of cantaloupe, pineapple, cucumber, and either melon or pear. I think it was melon. Everything put together added to a wonderfully flavorful, yet very light tasting dish. The salsa added a freshness and balanced the heaviness of the cheese, while the sour cream worked well with the lettuce and fish. Overall a wonderfully conceived and executed dish.

 Mel had the Twisted Rooster sandwich. It consisted of a (real) chicken tenders in a Founders Pale Ale batter and fried to perfection, jalapeno cheese, pepper jack cheese, and pico de gallo. On the side were their salt and pepper fries. First off, the chicken was fried perfectly and the chicken remained moist in the middle. Too often the chicken comes out dry as the outer part of the chicken cooks too fast while the center isn't done yet. The batter was well seasoned and once again the subtle flavors of the Pale Ale came through. The cheese added hint of heat and chili flavor that complimented the chicken and pico. The pico added some acidity and freshness to balance the heaviness of the fried chicken and cheese. The "bun" was a fried flatbread that honestly was the perfect choice as a vessel. I think a regular bun would have smothered and masked the flavors of the sandwich. The fries were good but nothing to brag about. Better can be found else where. However this is one of the best chicken sandwiches I have ever had and easily the best I have had in GR.

 We finished with a dessert of their bread pudding that they were having as another special. This was a great little dessert. The cinnamon whipped cream on top was, in my opinion, the best part and I could have eaten just that!. The bread pudding part was very good as well with a nice use of sweet spices. The texture of the bread was nice in that it held together and didn't turn to mush. A fitting end to the meal.

Overall I was very surprised with the Twisted Rooster. Like I said earlier, I thought it may be just like Applebee's, but I was dead wrong. Not even close. The service was pretty good too. Our waiter went missing for a little bit when it started getting busy at the end of our meal, but he was very courteous and definitely knew what was on tap and what was on the menu. The ambiance was casual with many tv's with sports playing on them. The prices were fantastic as well. 

All of Twisted Rooster was very, very good. In fact, I highly recommend it, even over a place like San Chez.   Definitely goes down as one of my Best of GR restaurants.

Chicken and rice fusion

Thought I would share this.

The other day Mel and I were looking to do a quick dinner. We had the idea of a soup. It was cold, rainy, and she felt like a cold was coming on. Chicken noodle was an obvious first choice, as we had both chicken and noodles, as well as chicken broth and a few other veggies. Mel wasn't too fond of the idea of chicken noodle soup. She wanted something more substantial. So I told her I would come up with something. Here is what I came up with (sorry I didn't think to take pictures).

I cut up onion, celery, and carrot (known by the French word mirepoix [meer-PWAH]). I also cut up 3 cloves of garlic. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and softened up the veggies in a large pot to help bring out the natural sweetness. After about 4 minutes (when the onions started turning translucent) I added the chicken. I used the thigh. I generally like using the thigh because I think it tastes better than the breast, and it tends to keep its texture and not dry out like breasts can. I turned the heat up a little bit and cooked the chicken until almost cooked though. I then added the chicken broth brought it to a simmer. I use low sodium broth, it helps me better control how salty the dish is. I added some basil, bay leaf, and a little oregano like I would to a "classic" chicken noodle soup. However I started to add some twists. I add a good quality soy sauce to add some salt to the soup. Then I added some tumeric for a nice yellow color and some spicy Madras curry powder. It added a nice, deep, complex flavor to the soup without adding too much heat. I added 4-6 oz of heavy cream to add a little bit of thickness to the soup. I finally finished it off with rice instead of noodles. So I started off with a classic chicken noodle soup and ended up with a tasty fusion of classic chicken noodle soup and a coconut milk-curry rice soup. I think I will be making this again.

Meat and patatas

This evening I decided to make a quick dinner. Basically, at its core, it was meat and potatoes.

This was my Spanish take on meat and potatoes. The steak was a sirloin filet. It was simply seasoned with salt and pepper and then seared in a very hot cast iron skillet (it was passed on to my from my great-grandmother). Then I put it in an oven at 400 degrees F, later turned down to 300 degrees F. In a mini food processor I combined ground sage, dried oregano, parsley, basil, and garlic with olive oil to make a herb oil. A little bit of this was spooned over the steak. It added a nice earthy, fresh, herbal dimension to the steak.

The potatoes were my patatas bravas, done right. I used Yukon gold potatoes because they have a creamier texture to them than other potatoes. I quartered them and boiled them in salted water until tender. I then fried them in about 1/4 inch of canola oil until brown and crispy on the outside. They were then tossed in a mixture of smoked paprika, ground cumin, kosher salt, and ground cayenne pepper. I also made a garlic aioli (garlic, egg, olive/canola oil, red wine vinegar, salt) to dip the potatoes in. If San Chez can sell their inferior bravas for $6.50 a plate, I am sure these would be about $10-11 easy, not to brag. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, with a smokey, warm taste that goes great with the aioli.

It was a nice quick dinner to whip up for Mel and I.

Thanksgiving

Here are a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving. The first is a picture of the southern thankgiving meal my mom made for us (my family is from the deep south).  It includes of course turkey, sweet potato casserole  green bean casserole  cornbread dressing (NOT STUFFING!), southern sweet tea and cornbread and dinner rolls.

The second picture is of Mel's mom's turkey (sorry no table shots). She used an Ina Garten recipe. She also made green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, and stuffing. At both houses we ate too much. Two massive helpings of both meals, and thanksgiving football, with family lead to a great day. I hope everyone else who celebrates the holiday had a great one too.

San Chez

Tonight Mel and I dined at San Chez Tapas bistro. It was the first time we have been out at a higher priced restaurant in a while. In case you don't know, tapas are from Spain. They are small dishes meant to be either snacked on or shared with others. In Spain they cover the gamut from simple and cheap dishes like local cured ham and cheese, or bread rubbed with garlic and tomato, to very expensive seafood from a can that can run in to the hundreds of dollars per can. Needless to say, San Chez was between these two extremes.

The tappas run from $3.99 to $14.99 a plate. And remember, these are small plates, not huge entree's.

We decided on getting the red wine Sangria to drink, topped with Cava for a drier finish. You have your choices of red, white, or mixed wine, and either Cava or sprite. The Sprite adds a sweet finish to it.

(I would like to apologize ahead of time about some of the picture qualities. I used my phone and it took a few pictures to get the settings right.)

The first thing we ordered was a cup of soup called Feijoada. It was made with pork belly, chorizo, braised pork, black beans, and habanero salsa. The pork was outstanding. There was definitely more braised pork than any other pork cuts, but each came through the soup. The black beans added a nice textural contrast and added a roundness to the flavors. The habanero salsa added a little bit of heat. There was also a lime on the side. I suggest squeezing the lime in with soup. The acidity really brings out the flavors and brightens the soup up. With out it I felt that while very good, the flavors were kind of one note. The lime added a lot more character.

Next up was a plate of potato and cheese croquettes. Basically mashed potato, cheese and green onion, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried until the outside is crispy and golden. These were served with a garlic aioli and jalapeno honey. They were fried perfectly. The centers were creamy and tasted like a good mashed potato. The only niggle I have was I felt the cheese could have come out more to the front. It was hidden to me. The aioli and jalapeno honey were a fantastic addition. The honey in particular was stand out... and I don't even like honey most of the time. It was a good start to the night.

Next was Pollo y chorizo a al plancha. Or, grilled chicken and chorizo. It was served with a cumin aioli. The chicken was cooked very nicely. It was still moist in the center. I mention this because I have come to realize that many restaurants actually serve dry chicken and try to cover the fact up with some sort of sauce. Not here. While the chicken was good, it really needed the cumin aioli to amp up the flavor. On its own the chicken was plain without really any seasoning. But with the aioli it really came to life. The chorizo was good.  It wasn't as spicy as I normally expect with chorizo. And it wasn't as dry/cured as a lot of chorizos I have had from Spain. That is not to say it is bad, because it isn't. It is just different. The chorizo was good and didn't need the aioli like the chicken did. It could stand on its own. It still had a nice spice, just not as much heat as I normally associate with chorizo. It was a nice simple dish.

Next we had patatas bravas (sorry, must have forgotten to take a picture). Literally translated to brave potatoes. Why? I don't know. Did some potatoes go on some epic journey and have dish named after them?  For me there were the low point of the dishes. For full disclosure, I make my own patatas bravas at home. And they put the San Chez ones to shame. Even Mel thinks so. The ones we ordered were more like seasoned breakfast home fried potatoes. You know, the cubed potatoes you fry up for breakfast to go with sausage. Except they were seasoned with a little cayenne pepper, paprika, and sugar. The dipping sauces of aioli and smoked tomato sauce were very good, and deserved better potatoes. Just as a comparison, and seriously, not to hype myself up, my potatoes are creamier, crunchier, and better seasoned.

 For the fourth round I had Gambas Al Ajillo: shrimp in olive oil with garlic, red pepper flakes and green onion. The thing I liked most about this was the simplicity of the dish. Just four ingredients. The oil had taken on the flavors of the garlic and red pepper. It was nice. The only downfall was the shrimp. I wish they were fresh from the Gulf or the Atlantic. Unfortunately the waitress informed us they were "tiger prawns." Also known as tiger shrimp and come from south-east Asia, usually Thailand. They were cooked as well as they could be, being frozen. Instead of being sweet and succulent, they were kind of rubbery and bland. To the cook's credit, I think they did as well as they could. Overall they were good, but could have been better.

  Bistec con Pimienta: peppered steak with cheese tortellini in a manchego mustard cream sauce. This dish was very heavy. The steak was very tender. It had a nice crust with a pleasant pepper taste that wasn't harsh, but mellow. I could tell it was a very fine cut of steak. The tortellini was good, with tri-colored pasta and a cheese filling. I have to say the tortellini was fairly run-of-the-mill, and I felt the pasta itself was a little over done. The cream sauce was really, really good. I enjoyed the cheese, mustard, cream combination. The mustard added a little tang. The sauce really tied the steak and the tortellini together. It was a very good dish, one of the standouts of the night. But definitely pair it with a lighter dish.

The final plate was was hummus de heirbus, hummus with herbs. The hummus was mixed with a herb pesto, topped with sherried vegetables, and covered with a tomato vinaigrette. I didn't feel this dish was very successful. Neither did Mel. The tomato vinaigrette was good on its own, but didn't really go with the rest of the plate. The herbed hummus was also disappointing. It had a nice, fresh herbal taste, but at the same time fell flat. It was actually dull. It didn't have any of the depth of flavor that I associate with hummus. The sherried veggies added a little bit of a pickled tasted to the dish. It wasn't offensive. It was actually ok. But throw all three together and it just didn't work out as well as it sounded like it should.

The finale was a lemon goat-cheese cheesecake with dates, hazelnuts, and shaved white chocolate. It was, perhaps, the best cheesecake I have ever had. Everything worked in perfect harmony. The lemon brightened up the heaviness of the cheesecake. The dates added a nice textural and flavor contrast. The same goes for the hazelnuts. Everything just went together. A perfect ending to the evening.

Now, to go over the other experiences. Admittedly it started off shaky. Some guy stepped in front of us when we were up to get seated. When we finally got seated it took about 10 min. before our server came to get our drink order. During that time we saw many staff just standing around. Probably because we got there before the rush. To her credit she apologized and it turns out it wasn't he fault. She was very good. She was timely in checking in with us to see how we were doing, but not overbearing. She also had good knowledge of the food on offer and recommended a few of the dishes we had. Overall she turned what started out as a bad experience into a great one.

One caveat, the bill can start adding up quickly. Since they are small plates, you will probably end up ordering at least 3 plates per person. Between Mel and I we shared 7 dishes plus dessert.

Overall it was a good experience. I feel somewhat conflicted though. I have been to a great restaurant, and because of this it is the measuring stick all other "fine dining" restaurants are judged, for better or worse. While I wouldn't exactly call San Chez fine dining, but it is upscale casual dining. While there are some parts of execution which I felt fell short, I would overall call it very good food. I definitely recommend this restaurant. It challenges Bistro Bella Vita for my "best of GR" for upscale casual dining. I will be going back.

My best of GR

So I'm taking a minute to give my favorite places to eat in GR.

HopCat: I love HopCat. If you like good beer this is the place to go. Beer Advocate magazine ranks it as the #3 beer bar on planet Earth and gives it a perfect score of 100. The beer is always rotating with a great selection of craft brews from around the world. Want a Belgian ale from Belgium? They got it. How about a German Marzen for Oktoberfest in the fall? They got it. They also carry beer from most, if not all, of the good local breweries such as Founders, New Holland, and Bells. But they are not just about the beer. They have great food too. The burgers are outstanding, the tacos are amazing, and they make a great basket of fish and chips. Sandwiches are very good as well. And crack fries, as the name implies, are addicting. They don't skimp on the portions either.

Stella's: Stella's is a whiskey bar, and it is owned by the same guy who owns HopCat. They have over 100 different whiskeys. They have the big names, as well as less known brands. They have low rung whiskeys as cheap as $3.50 and super high end whiskey at nearly $60 a glass. It's a whiskey lovers paradise. They also serve cheap well's and have a few beers on tap for non-whiskey drinkers. As far as the food goes let me say this... no other place as burgers as good. Their stuffed burgers were recently named Best Burger in America by GQ Magazine. They are big, stuffed with cheese, and cooked to perfection on house buns with seasoned fries similar to HopCat's crack fries. Also, there are arcade and pinball games everywhere. Its generally pretty dark in there, and it does attract some interesting (and mostly good natured) people, but it is well worth a trip.

Founders: Best brewery in the state of Michigan in my opinion, and one of the best in America. They make some of the best and most sought after beer in America. If you want their Kentucky Breakfast Stout in bottles to bring home with you, you better spend the night in line waiting for opening the next day. Last year there were close to 1000 people lined up around the building just in the hopes of getting a few bottles. And people drove from as far away as New Jersey and Colorado to try and get some. Currently they make 3 of the top 30 beers in the world according to Beer Advocate. They also have their regular stuff on tap all year as well as seasonal releases and one off, experimental or limited edition beers. The food is very good bar food. Sandwiches are huge ( I suggest the Godfather), fries plentiful. They also have other dishes other than sandwiches such as hummus and tapinade, beer cheese dip, and bruschetta.

Sazarac Lounge: No longer called that because of a stupid lawsuit... I like this place because of the food. Its one of the only places in GR that I know of to get Cajun/Creole food. Not all of it I would consider Cajun, as the seafood etouffee is not like you would get in NOLA. But the rest, such as the gator po'boys, red beans and rice, and jambalya are all good. And it serves a decent cup of gumbo. They also have good pizza and pasta dishes if the Cajun/Creole is not your thing. They have a good selection of beer and drinks.

Bistro Bella Vita: As far as an actual restaurant goes, this is probably one of the top three in Grand Rapids. I have yet to visit some of the other top places on my list (such as Chop House, Cygnus, and SixOneSix), but I know that BBV can hold with them. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with the painted duct work exposed. I have yet to be disappointed with the food on any of my visits. The last time I went I got the duck. It was cooked perfectly, which you don't always get in a restaurant. The dishes are well seasoned and flavors balance nicely. The drinks are good but some are a bit pricey. When asked about wine, the waiter was pretty knowledgeable which was nice.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse: If you have ever been to one you can skip over this now because you already know what I am going to say. If not then read on. First of all, this place is about steak. And not just good or ok steak, but the top of the top steak. Last time I went I got the Filet. It was cooked perfectly medium rare as I had asked, was unbelievably tender and flavorful. Mel's ribeye was also perfection of steak on the the plate. The waiter was on top of his game, and offered to let us sample some wine before we made a decision. Not too many places I have been would actually offer that opportunity. It is pretty expensive though. Sides are ordered from the menu, not already included on the plate. But they are large in size so sharing is the best option. The last time I was there with Mel, we had an appetizer, two steaks, two sides (mashed potato and onion rings), and dessert (creme brulee). The total was well over $100.

Some other places that need mention: Best pizza (so far) goes to Brick Road Pizza; Best Breakfast to Wolfgang's, Best homemade pasta to Pietro's; Best sports bar to Uccello's.

I am looking forward to trying some new places in the future and will let you know what I think about them. Next up is San Chez tappas restaraunt. Stay tuned or it.

The Halloween Ghost Chili

Here is a video of my eating of a Ghost Chili, also known as the Bhut Jalokia, or Naga Jalokia. At one time it held the World Record for hottest chili.

Bar Louie the XIII

The other night Mel and I went out to Bar Louie for a night out since we haven't had a night out with just the two of us in a while because she has been out of town for the past two week for work. We had been there before, but it had been somewhere between 8-12 months ago.

We started off with the potstickers. The actual potstickers were standard fare pork potstickers. Similar to what I made here. The sauce was different though. They call it their "szechuan" sauce. It had a nice little kick of crushed red pepper to it, with some garlic, and ginger. I also got some sweet form corn syrup I think. Overall they were a little better than expected because of the sauce.

Mel ordered the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. The pork was tender and the sauce reminded me of more of a Carolina or a Memphis style sauce. It was not a thick as a KC or Texas style sauce but thinner. It had a nice spice of black pepper and a slightly sweet/sour thing going on. It also came with crispy fried onion topping the pork. All of this was on a sesame bun. It was pretty good for not being a BBQ place.

I got the El Burrito Loco. It is a wet burrito with steak, seasoned rice, beans, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, and salsa verde and roja. It was pretty good. I would not call it exceptional though. For my taste there was not enough steak and too much rice. It did make for a great dip for my tortilla chips though. However I think I prefer the build your own burritos from Qdoba or Chipotle.

The first time we went we started with the hummus, tabbouleh, and tzatziki, platter which was excellent. I Got the BBQ pulled pork sandwich and Mel got the Tuscan chicken pasta.

Service was pretty good. My only real problem is with the drinks. They are good. The coconut mint lemonade that Mel had was fantastic. However they are also very expensive. All of the drinks on the bill were $10. The problem is that I have been to places that cost considerably less for the same or similar drinks. Take a $10 margarita compared with a $4.00 one from Sazaracs. Even more upscale restaurants like Bistro Bella Vita have many drinks less than $10, with the priciest cocktails and martinis topping off at $9.99.

I do enjoy going I have to say. It is close, fairly nice with a good menu and good food. Like I said my only grip is the price of drinks. It quickly adds to the cost of the meal.

A tour of Far East Asia

I know it has been a while. It has been a very, very hectic few weeks. However, over these last few weeks Mel and I have gone on a culinary tour of East and South East Asia. We have been cooking dishes from Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, etc. Without further ado, here are some of the dishes we have made.

Korean Short Ribs w/ Korean Sesame Soy dipping sauce, and  Watercress Salad

One of the first dishes we made was a marinated and grilled Korean beef short rib. It was marinated in a sauce of soy, sesame oil, garlic, chili's , and a host of other good things, The sauce is soy, chili powder, sesame seeds and oil, green oil, and garlic. It all works together very nicely. I love the sesame notes in the sauce as well as a little bit of heat from the chili's. The beef is tender, and has a salty and savory flavor to it from the marinade. It's not overpowering, and the beef flavor really shines. To cut through the richness of the beef we paired it with a watercress salad from Cambodia. The dressing is made from lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper. Green onion, onion sliced paper slim, and garlic are also present on the salad. The dressing actually starts to pickle the onion slightly if left to sit in it. It adds a nice bright, acidic flavor that helps to cut the richness of the meat and dipping sauce.

Wonton Soup with Spicy Pork Salad

Next we made a homemade wonton soup and spicy pork salad. The salad comes from Thailand. Traditionally it is made with ground/minced chicken, but we didn't have any, so ground pork stood in. And it was a great substitute. There were shallots, chili's, fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, Sriracha sauce, and garlic to dress the pork. It was all then set in a lettuce cup. It was sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. It was delicious. The wontons, from China, were filled with pork, with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, onion, and rice wine. We used store bought wonton wrappers. The broth was made from chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. The wontons were delicate, and had great flavors or sesame, ginger, and pork. The broth was salty and nicely balanced the slightly sweet filling.

Corn Fritters and Potstickers

From Indonesia came corn fritters. Corn, chili, ginger, ground coriander, flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger were combined to form the fritters, which were then pan fried. The fritters were sweet from the sweet corn, with a nice heat from the chili. There was also a nice spice from the coriander. The dipping sauce was made from sweet soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, and rice vinegar. It added a nice acidic note that complimented the salty, sweet, spicy of the fritter. Coming from Japan was a pork potsticker. Pork and veggies, with more ingredients than I can list, were combined for the filling. It was stuffed into a wonton wrapper and all folded up. It was then fried in a pan to brown and crisp up the bottom followed by water added to the pan to finish steaming the potstickers. The sauce to go with it was a Tamari-sesame dipping sauce. The two played with each other very nicely. 

Lemongrass Beef and Chicken Satay

Finally, the latest made was Lemongrass Beef from Cambodia and Chicken Satay from Indonesia. The beef was marinated in lemongrass, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and chili paste. The beef was grilled and topped with cilantro, and put in a lettuce cup. The sauce had fish sauce, hot chili, garlic, sugar, lime juice, and rice vinegar.  The sauce was very spicy, and went well with the lemony flavor imparted in the beef. The chicken for the satay was marinated in coconut milk, madras curry powder, garlic, ginger, and cilantro. It was grilled and paired with peanut sauce, admittedly store bought but very good. I loved the curry flavor of the chicken and the sweetness of the coconut milk. Paired with the rich peanut sauce, it produced a sublime orchestra of flavor in my mouth. 

So there you go. Our journey through East Asian so far.

A meal for my Princess

Last night I got a creative streak going and I decided to make a 4 course meal for my beautiful wife. I texted her "I hope your hungry... you're going to eat like a princess tonight." Why did I do this? Because I love her and I love to cook. Anyway, here are the dishes that I created. No cookbooks were involved. This all came from my head.


1st course: Sausage "bruschetta".

I took some sweet Italian sausage and cut in on an extreme bias to resemble a piece of bread cut in the same way as you would typically get. The ends were seared in a very hot pan to set the shape. Once both sides were seared the sausage went in to a heated pan in the oven at 375-400 degrees to finish cooking. When done I put a few drops of some chili oil I made on the top. (The oil was made by taking a serrano chili and combining with olive oil in a food processor then straining out the pulp.) Followed were a couple slices of sun gold tomato from our garden and topped with some micro sprouts. There was a nice balance between the sweet of the sausage, heat of the chili oil, acidity of the tomato, and crunch of the sprouts. The acidity also helped cut through some of the fattiness of the sausage. 

2nd course: Pesto filled pasta and beef

The second course consisted of a pesto filled pasta. The pasta was homemade and rolled very thin. The filling was pesto, made with basil from the garden, garlic, peccarino romano, walnuts, parmagiano reggiano, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper. The pesto was piped onto the pasta sheets and the pasta folded over to form little pouches. The idea was taken from the fagotelli La Pergola, where the idea is that the pasta "pops" in your mouth. A sauce was made for the dish. It started with bacon being saute'd in olive oil until crispy. The  pan was deglazed with white wine until the alcohol cooked off. Beef broth was added and reduced down until much thicker. The pasta was cooked for about 20 seconds and then tossed into the sauce before plating. Four very thin strips of steak were seared in a very hot cast iron skillet on both sides for about 10 seconds. The middle remained a little pink to keep the tenderness of the beef. It was all plated with some shaved peccarino romano. It was a pretty complex dish in terms of flavor. The different flavors of the pesto combined well with the beef and pasta. The saltiness of the bacon and the sauce complimented the dish as well without overpowering anything. Overall I thought it was very well balanced.

3rd course: Coffee crusted NY strip, grilled baguette with feta cheese.  

The steak was seared on a very hot cast iron skillet in a little bit of vegetable oil to develop a nice crust. The top was coated with a rub of coffee, cayenne pepper and salt. After searing the steak went into the oven at 350 degrees to finish cooking to medium rare. A sauce composed of coffee, milk, red wine, and chocolate was made and reduced down to put on top of the steak. The bread was grilled and sprinkled with feta cheese. The plate was garnished with a couple edible flowers. The flavors all worked well together. The deep flavors of the coffee, chocolate and red wine went well with the flavor of the beef as well as the salty and creaminess of the feta.The flowers added a touch of color and fun. It was funny because when I told Mel what was in the dish she looked scared. But when she started eating she just kept on saying how good it was.

4th course: Raspberry sorbet with dark chocolate 

For dessert was a simple raspberry sorbet and dark chocolate shaved over top. I don't think I need to say any more about how well raspberry and dark chocolate go together. 

So there you go, my four course meal for my lovely lady.

Nothing like home cookin'

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought that I would post on something I made last night. Mel was at work so I decided to make dinner. It was a chicken breast that I made a cut down the side. Inside I put some fresh sage and rosemary clarified butter that I had made earlier and let harden. I then seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and wrapped it in prosciutto di parma. I then roasted it in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 30 min. I also made a caramelized onion puree on which the chicken was set on. I caramelized a medium onion and added three large cloves of garlic, roughly sliced, toward the end to caramelize as well. I then put it into the food processor with salt, pepper, chicken stock, and crushed red pepper and created a nice puree. While the chicken was cooking I pan roasted some grape tomatoes with salt and basil. Finally I fried some fresh sage to put on top and finished with a little bit of parmesan and green onion.

It turned out really well if I do say so my self. The chicken was moist and very flavorful, with a nice sage and rosemary flavor throughout the chicken without overpowering. The prosciutto added a nice crispy texture and the flavor married well with the chicken. The puree had a nice sweet, caramelized flavor from the onion and garlic, with a slight heat from the red pepper and earthiness from the chicken stock. The tomatoes were sweet and added a nice acidity to the dish that helped cut through some of the richness of the chicken and puree and lifted the dish. Mel said she loved it, after she inhaled it. I think I am going to have to do this one again.

Little Ears and Sauce

A couple days ago Melanie and I decided to go out for some Italian food for the first time since getting back from Italy. We decided to go to Olive Garden because we had a gift card.

We started with caprese flatbread. It was fairly good, for a chain restaurant. It was a flatbread topped with tomato, basil, and mozzarella. The tomato didn't taste the freshest. It wasn't bad by any reason, but it can't compare to tomato bought fresh from the farmer's market. The same for the basil and mozzarella. The cheese tasted like a semisoft mozzarella as opposed to a creamy fresh mozzarella.

For the main course I got the "Taste of Tuscany with Sausage." It was grilled italian sausage with orrechiette (ear shaped) pasta, broccoli, sundried tomato, in a garlic butter sauce. The best part of the dish was the sausage. I enjoyed the taste of it. It was grilled nicely, and had a nice spice to it. It was moist, not overcooked and dried out which was nice. The pasta unfortunately was not up to standard. Individual ears of pasta were overcooked way past al dente and stacks of pasta were sticking together causing the inside of the fused bunch to be undercooked. The broccoli was cooked nicely and kept it's bite and wasn't mushy. The sundried tomato got lost in the sauce. The sauce had a nice garlic flavor to it. However the sauce was really, really, salty for my taste. For my two sides I had a spinach salad with balsamic and a bruschetta with feta and tomato. The impression of the bruschetta was similar to the flatbread.

Melanie had the Taste of Tuscany with Chicken." I only had one bite but the chicken tasted pretty good, and the tortellini was fair. I can't really comment on it as I only had a small bit of it.

I do have to say the service we had was good. Our waitress was very good and was very apologetic when it took 5 tries to get my drink. It wasn't her fault, they were just out of everything I ordered and then the machine wasn't working. She handled it well. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if the manager comped my drink because I had to choose 5 different things before getting one.

Overall it was a good experience. To be honest the food was what I would expect from a chair restaurant in America doing Italian food. I have to admit I have been spoiled eating Italian food in Italy. But given that, the food was pretty good for what it was.

The cat who hopped

Tonight Melanie and I went to one of our favorite places to eat, HopCat. In case you don't know about HopCat it is a beer bar (rated #3 in the world by Beeradvocate) in Grand Rapids that has a rotating beer menu with dozens of different beers on tap at any given time. It also has what I would call upscale bar food. There are a lot of bar type foods on the menu such as burgers, tacos, and sandwiches... only better.

Tonight I had The Angry Bird sandwich. It was a fried chicken breast covered in buffalo sauce with tomato, onion, and blue cheese dressing on a brioche bun. It was very good. You could tell that the chicken was breaded and fried in house as opposed to frozen then reheated in a fryer. It was juicy and the breading was very flavorful, with many herbs and spices in it. The buffalo sauce was a typical buffalo wing sauce, but was not too hot. In fact Melanie (who has little tolerance for hot food) said that it was eatable, meaning it wasn't too terribly hot. The blue cheese dressing actually tasted like ranch, so maybe they substituted it in. Either way it was a nice compliment to the wing sauce. On the side were the wonderful "Crack Fries." They are seasoned fries and are addicting... like crack.

Melanie had the chicken tacos. They are slices of grilled chicken breast on a blue corn tortilla and topped with tomato, onion, and scallions. On the side was dirty rice, salsa, and a garlic cream sauce. The tacos taste very fresh, and the sauces compliment all the flavors going on, not mask them.

We also had a starter of loaded crack fries. It was a plate of crack fries covered in the house cheese sauce, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, bacon, and onion. We got ours minus the jalapenos. It was reminiscent of a loaded baked potato, only it would have been a crack potato. Anyways, its a pretty good starter if there are multiple people around as it can be heavy.

HopCat gets my gold seal of approval for local eateries.

Pasta Mia!!!

For the final entry into the culinary travels of our time in Italy I will be focusing on pasta.

Bourgo Nuovo

Spaghetti Carbonara

In addition to the pizza that Melanie had at Bourgo Nuovo I ordered a spaghetti carbonara. It was a fairly straight forward carbonara. I have to admit though it was not spectacular. Fairly straight forward with parmesan and egg. The pancetta was a little lacking. I was waiting for that bit of something extra... some smokiness from the pancetta, saltiness from the cheese. But there was none. Just a one note carbonara. I was pretty disappointed. The pasta was cooked ok, a little past al dente, but far from the overcooked noodle you generally get here. Overall a 2.5 out of 5.

Antica Osteria Da Giovanni

Fettucini pomodoro

This place was out of the way, between the Vatican and Tresevere. A little hole in the wall with paper table coverings.We ate there for lunch after visiting the Vatican while we south along the river toward the Tiber Island. We both ordered a simple plate of fettucini with a tomato sauce. Let's start with the sauce. It tasted like a fresh tomato sauce that had been cooked for a few hours. It had the usual suspects of onion, garlic, basil, and I believe thyme and oregano. Salt, pepper, and maybe a little bit of some pepperoncini. It was topped with peccorino romano.It was very simple and very, very good. The past was a good dried pasta, not fresh. That didn't really matter though. The pasta was perfectly done, with a nice seasoning from the water. It was also inexpensive, around 5-6 Euro for a plate. We also had the house wine which was very good. Overall I give it a 4 out of 5

Spaghetti  vongola

Rigatoni carbonara

Osteria Dell'Anima is located right behind Piazza Navona. It is another hidden place. We sat and ate dinner after visiting the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. I had the spaghetti vongola. That's spaghetti with clams. And that was about all that was in it. Nicely cooked spaghetti and tender clams, topped with parsley. The sauce tasted like clam liquor (the water from inside the clam) or possibly bottled clam juice, and pasta water. Over all the dish was very intense. The sauce tasted of clam amplified by 10. It was almost overwhelming. And it made the actual clams taste a little boring. If they could have married the taste of the clam with the sauce it would have been excellent. The pasta was a dried pasta and was cooked nicely and had a good flavor to it. Overall it was a pretty good dish. The rigatoni carbonara was pretty good. It was nice to see the carbonara on something other than spaghetti. The carbonara was nice and creamy and flavorful. The pancetta added a nice smokiness to the dish while the parmesan added a nice salty note to the dish. The rigatoni had a nice firm texture to it. A very good meal. 3.5 out of 5

L'Archetto

Bruschetta with artichokes

Lobster Spaghetti

Spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce

Once again another restaurant a little bit off the beaten path. This one specialized in spaghetti with over 100 different spaghetti dishes. We started off with a bruschetta with artichokes on top. It was very good. It had a topping of cooked down artichokes that was somewhat creamy that sat on top of mozzarella and toast. It had a very good artichoke taste and the cheese and bread were also good quality. I had the lobster spaghetti. The pasta was a really good dried pasta that was cooked perfectly. It was in a lobster cream sauce. The lobster was very delicate and very sweet. It was good lobster. There was also some parmesan in the sauce. It was a very good pasta dish. Melanie had a spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce. The sauce consisted of fresh tomato, very good pancetta, parmesan, onion, garlic, basil crushed red pepper. Everything worked well together but the pancetta was the star. It had a nice heat to it, and a freshness from the fresh tomato and basil. Overall it was very, very good. 4 out of 5

Trattoria Abruzzese

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Spaghetti Carbonara

Veal Ravioli in meat sauce

Osso Buco con fungi

Chicken with sage

Tiramisu

Trattoria Abruzzese is a little restaurant off the beaten path that specializes in local Roman and Abruzzese dishes, as well as some other regional Italian dishes. We had to stop and try this restaurant as Melanie's grandfather came to the USA from Abruzzo, the region directly east of Lazio, where Rome is located. We ate here on our last day in Rome. To start Melanie ordered the spaghetti carbonara. Let's start with the pasta. Once again a high quality dried pasta. It was cooked perfectly al dente and seasoned well. The sauce was a classic carbonara of egg, milk/cream, pancetta and parmesan. The pancetta was the standout of the carbonara. It was thick, salty, had a nice fattiness to it, and just delicious. The sauce was well seasoned with black pepper. Everything was in balance. By far this was the best carbonara we had in Rome. I started with the classic Abruzzese dish of bucatini all'Amatriciana. The bucatini was outstanding and perfectly al dente. The sauce seemed to be a fresh, homemade long cooked tomato based sauce with onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, guanciale (a delicious cured pig jowl), and pecorino romano cheese. It was absolutely delicious. All the ingredients worked well together, the red pepper adding spice, the guanciale adding smoke and salt, and the onion and garlic adding a sweetness. There was only one problem... I found a bug in my dish. I was so disappointed as it was so good up to that point. To his credit, the waiter looked very disappointed and took my plate back and started yelling at the chef. He came back out and offered another dish on the house and I agreed. He suggested the ravioli filled with veal and in a meat sauce. It was very good. The filling was very mild being veal but it was also very flavorful. The meat sauce was "like mom makes" as Melanie put it. It was a very good substitute for the original. The second dish for Melanie was a simple chicken with sage. The chicken breast was pounded thin and sautéed in a sage infused oil with some fresh sage. It was also seasoned with salt and finished with a little butter. It was very good for being so simple. The chicken was cooked beautifully so it was moist and not dry at all. The sage flavor was prominent but didn't overpower any of the other flavors in the dish. I had osso bucco con funghi. It is a veal shank with the bone in so that the marrow roasts while the meat cooks. The meat was so tasty. It also had a nice consistency. The problem with veal is that sometimes it is almost too tender. It was smothered in a sauce of tomato and mushroom. I was a little disappointed in the sauce as the mushrooms were either canned or jarred, not fresh. The sauce base was like the same for the bucatini. The marrow was very good too. We finished with tiramisu and it was a fantastic rendition of the classic dessert. Overall pretty good. The obvious downside to the meal was the finding the bug. While that cannot be overlooked (and I do have to dock a little bit from the rating) the response to it was great and the food was very good, classic Italian fare. Perhaps the best food outside of La Pergola. 4 out of 5

Pizza, Pizza

Continuing on the Italian theme I will be focusing on pizza, or the plural pizze as you will sometimes see in Italy. To be honest we had quite a bit of pizza while in Italy. In fact we had pizza of some form at five different restaurants. There were basically two types of pizza we had, Neapolitan and Roman. Neapolitan pizza comes from Naples and is a thinner crust pizza that much of our pizza in the US is based on. A New York thin crust is essentially an American version of a Neapolitan. Roman pizza has a little bit of a thicker crust to it, similar to a personal pan pizza, only better and without the pan. Most all of the pizzas seemed to be made to order, were handmade, and baked in a wood burning pizza oven. So on to our journey of pizzerias.

Cafe Leonardo
May 22 2012

Cafe Leonardo was located around the Piazza de Spagna, also known as the Spanish Plaza and home to the Spanish steps. We ate lunch there while some rain moved through the area. After looking through the menu we ordered a pizza diavola. This was the first time we ordered one, but would not be the last. It is a simple pizza composed of a tomato sauce, mozzarella, and spicy salami. It was more toward the Roman style than Neapolitan. The salami had some nice heat to it and had a nice "cured" taste that good salumi (Italian cured meats) has. It was from a large roll of salami thinly sliced. In my opinion it was the best part of the pizza. The mozzarella was nice if not spectacular. I would call it very average compared to other pizzas we had. It didn't have quite the same creaminess and flavor other mozzarella had. The tomato sauce was again good but not spectacular. It had good tomato flavor but was neither sweet, fresh, or zesty. Just middle of the road like the cheese. The crust was nicely baked and had a nice flavor pizza gets when it has been in a wood oven. It was again pretty average compared to the other pizzas we had in Rome though. The service was good and waiter friendly. Overall I give it a 2.5 out of 5. The salami was very tasty but the rest of the pizza was average, tho I have to admit that it would be one of the better pizzas in Grand Rapids.

Pizza Forum
May 23 2012

Pizza Forum is located behind the Colosseum. As the name implies this is a pizzeria and it does pizza like no one else. We ate lunch there before going on a tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Capitoline Hill. We ordered another pizza diavola. The spicy salami was awesome. It was diced up instead of sliced like at Cafe Leonardo, and had a nice spice to it. It also had a smokey quality to it. The mozzarella was creamy, flavorful and very fresh. The tomato sauce had a fresh, sweet, and herbal flavor to it. In my opinion it was the best sauce we had. The crust was outstanding. It was definitely hand made, thin, perfectly baked and very flavorful. The pizza is baked in a wood oven and as you can see from the picture, had that wonderful blistering that occurs in a hot wood oven. Simply put, this was the best pizza I have ever eaten (although Melanie thinks another place is better). This isn't hyperbole, this is the honest truth. The service was fairly good and value outstanding. I loved this pizza, so I give it a 4 out of 5.

Pizza Ciro
May 23 2012

Pizza Capricciosa

Pizzette fritte

Pizza Bufalina DOC

Tiramisu

We ate at Pizza Ciro Wednesday night after the tour. It also was the same day we ate at Pizza Forum. Pizza twice in a day! It too was very good. We actually started by ordering the pizzette fritte, or fried pizza dough. Similar to pizza puffs at some area restaurants. Except it was better. It was sprinkled with salty parmesan, pizza sauce, and field greens. All the flavors worked well and the greens added a nice freshness to a heavy tasting, albeit delicious, appetizer. We then ordered our pizzas. Melanie got the Bufalina DOC and I got the Capricciosa. The Bufalina DOC consisted of little cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, and olive oil. The buffalo mozzarella comes from domestic water buffalo and was outstanding. It was creamy and fresh tasting. It had a slightly different taste then regular fresh mozzarella, and was creamier. The cherry tomatoes were good and added a nice, fresh acidity to the pizza. The parmesan added a nice little salty note. There was no sauce on this pizza. But it didn't really need it. The crust was a Roman style, thicker than the other pizzas we had, and wood fired. It was very good. Melanie loved it and said it was the best pizza she had in Rome. My pizza capricciosa consisted of tomato sauce, prosciutto, mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, and olive oil. It was good. The artichokes and mushrooms were not fresh, but were canned/jarred. They were good, but I would have preferred fresh. The prosciutto was ok, it wasn't as good as other prosciutto I had on the trip. The tomato sauce was very good, only Pizza Forum's sauce was better in my opinion. It was fresh with slightly more cooked taste than Forum's with a nice herbal note of basil. The crust was the same as what Melanie had. To finish we had tiramisu. It was very good. The lady fingers held their shape nicely and the cream had a nice coffee flavor. The chocolate added a nice compliment to the coffee flavor. The service was very good. Overall I give Pizza Ciro a 4 out of 5. It was very good, but I felt that Pizza Forum's pizza was a little better. It was a close call though. But the service and the other food we had bumped up the score.
 
Borgo Nuovo
May 24 2012

Borgo Nuovo was located near the Vatican. Melanie had the pizza diavola. In my opinion this was the worst pizza we had in Rome. It was a Roman style pizza with typical diavola toppings. The salami was good, but nowhere near as good as the other two diavola salamis. The mozzarella was ok, nothing great. Definately not as fresh as Ciro or Forum. The sauce tasted like a very good canned sauce. The crust was done in a regular pizza oven as opposed to a wood burning one and was very one note. I think it falls somewhere between a very good take out pizza and an average restaurant pizza. Service was good. 2 out of 5

Tiepolo Lounge
May 21 2012

The Tiepolo Lounge is located in the main lobby at the Rome Cavelieri Hotel. We were hungry one night so went down for a bite and a drink. We ordered a focaccia (flatbread cousin of pizza) with arugula, speck, and spreadable cheese. It was very good. Speck is a smoked prosciutto from the north of Italy. It was very good, combining the taste of a very good prosciutto with a smokiness that was very nice. It complimented the peppery flavor of the arugula very nicely. The cheese served as a nice base and platform. It was smooth and creamy and had a very mild goat-cheese like flavor to it. There was also a little olive oil drizzled over top that added a fruity note to it. The flat bread was very good with a lot of herbs mixed into the dough. Overall it was very good, but pricy at over 20 euro for it. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

La Pergola

For my first post I am going to start with the best restaurant I have ever had the pleasure of dining at, La Pergola.

May 22, 2012

La Pergola

La pergola is a Michelin 3 star restaurant located on the 9^th floor of the Rome Cavelieri Resort Hotel. The chef is the excellent and world renowned Heinz Beck. On May 22 Melanie and I had the privilege of eating at La Pergola and chose the 9 course tasting menu. It cost 210 euros. This is a critique of our experience.

The meal actually turned into a 10 course tasting menu as the chef decided to give a special “starter course” compliments of the chef. It consisted of very thinly sliced beef cooked rare and then finished with a light smoking to finish the cooking of the beef. It was wonderfully colored with a nice, thin outer smoke ring and sear with a pink middle. With it were micro porcini mushrooms, micro field greens, and a sauce underneath to tie it all together. I don’t remember what the sauce was. The dish was very tasty, with a strong earthy flavor from the porcini and beef, yet was very clean and refreshing on the palate. The field greens worked to enhance a freshness and lightness that already was present in the dish. Over all it was very good. Presentation was top notch too, as it was served on a clear acrylic box in which were beautiful pale yellow pebbles.

Duck Foie Gras

The first course was Duck foie gras with apple, almond, and ameretti. To me this dish was the disappointment of the night. The foie gras was rich and creamy and the apples and almond served as a nice balance of texture, adding some crunch. The ameretti cream was pleasant. However I found the foie gras with apples to be very plain, with a bitter after taste that lingered in my mouth. Even with the ameretti cream, which I assumed to be used to cut the richness of the foie gras (along with the apple) and on the toast it still was not very good. Presentation also seemed lacking to me. As I sat there I wondered what the rest of the meal had in store. I was wondering why I was paying that much money if this was what the food would be like.

Second course was lightly grilled tuna with Mediterranean flavors, fennel and red onion in “carpione” marinade. The tuna was cooked perfectly for this dish. It served as the base and had a nice red color to it. On top was a layer of different vegetables and other ingredients. I have to be honest I am not sure what was in it, but it was very good. My guess is that it is local fresh veggies. The fennel added a nice licorice flavor and onions added a nice sweetness as the marinade eliminated the harshness that can come with onion. The absolute miracle of the dish is that Melanie ate it all. She hates seafood, but enjoyed this, stating that it didn’t smell or taste fishy at all. She couldn’t tell it was tuna. Overall very well executed

Third course consisted of a dish simply titled “The Sea…” It was a marvel of presentation as in a small indenture in the bowl originally sat a green colored cube. After the waiter set down the bowl he poured a hot “broth” into the indent which caused the cube to instantly melt. Where the broth was originally clear, the new combination of broth with cube was a light green with a briny smell, just like how the ocean smells. In the bottom of the bowl were two small white shrimp and two small shellfish, what I assumed to be clams after tasting them. Also in the bowl were little green spears called sea asparagus. The shrimp and clams cooked in the hot broth and both were perfectly done. The shrimp were also scored so they retained much of their soft texture. The shrimp and clams were cooked through from the broth but not overcooked so they turned rubbery. Instead they kept their softer, tender texture. The shrimp were sweet and subtle in flavor, while the clams were sweet but with a more “coastal” flavor to them. By that I mean almost a saltiness to them. The sea asparagus were very crunchy with a salty burst of flavor. They also had an almost sweet/sour taste to them. The sour was not sour like a lemon or lime, but more like a sour note like a good sour cream has. All together the interplay of briny, sweet, and sour played together really well.

The Star of the meal 

The fourth course was the star of the show: Fagottelli “La Pergola.” The chef made delicate pasta pouches in which was filled a carbonara sauce. Garnishing was a micro dice of zucchini. Ok so to describe the flavor impact let me just say these things were like if a water balloon and nuclear bomb mated and then exploded together. The minute these pasta pouches ruptured in the mouth it was as if someone shoved an entire plate of the best carbonara in the universe into your mouth at that given time. And there were multiple little pouches. It was creamy, with a light smoky bacon flavor while the zucchini added a lightness and freshness to the dish much like fresh peas would bring to a traditional carbonara. The pasta was incredibly delicate and flavorful, but not enough to overpower the dish. But enough to have that pasta flavor on the back of your tongue. In all honesty, I would pay $30 just for 4-6 of these things easy. This dish was that good.

The fifth course featured king prawns in tempura on puree of fried squid. The prawns were perfectly fried using a tempura batter as opposed to a more traditional heavy batter such as a beer batter. It offered a light crunch and light flavor that complimented the subtle sweet flavor of the prawns well. It also served as a contrast of texture to the delicate prawn and creamy puree. Speaking of the puree, it sounds unappetizing when heard or seen in print, but is wonderful when tasted. It is not the least bit fishy, nor does it have that squid aroma that you can get when using squid. It was light yet flavorful, with clean flavors of squid, with a light saltiness and a slight flavor of a fried batter or coating. The prawn was sweet and perfectly done. Firm without being overcooked. It was also a beautiful presentation.

Following was the sixth course of black cod with marinated anchovies and chili pepper sauce. The main attraction was the cod. It had a strong cod flavor with a salty note delivered from the anchovies. There were also crispy fried olives to add a nice texture contrast as well as a tartness that you can get from olives. The chili sauce was light and added a very slight heat to the dish. The cod was flaky yet firm and very moist. In other words, it was beautifully cooked. The only problem with the dish was it was very oily. The fish seemed oily to start with, then throw oily marinated anchovies on top, followed with olives and finally the chili sauce and you have a lot of oily elements on the plate. The flavor was very good from it all, but I did feel the need to follow each bite with a drink in order to wash the oiliness out of my mouth.

The last of the none dessert courses was Lamb on tomato sauce, salty ricotta and basil. This dish was so simple yet very refined. The tomato sauce was incredibly complex: it had the freshness and acidity associated with a fresh tomato sauce, yet had the depth and character of a tomato sauce that had been cooked down for a while so that the sugars started caramelizing. It was really intriguing. The basil added that freshness that fresh herbs bring to dishes, while the pairing of basil and tomato is a no brainer. They should be used together in sentences like “peanut butter and jelly.” The lamb was very flavorful and somewhat mild. Typically lamb can have a gaminess to it that can be off putting to some people. This was not the case. If you had a piece of this lamb and a piece of beef I think many people would have a problem picking out which was which. It was very meaty without that gamey taste, like a very good piece of beef. And it was cooked well. My piece tasted like it had been cooked for a while, not just thrown on a grill or pan and blasted over high heat. This was probably the second best dish of the night.

Between the dinner and dessert was a cheese course. Mel and I both had four kinds of cheese with two types of bread. We both had a goats cheese, a semi soft cheese, a pecorino Romano cheese. She then picked a cows milk hard cheese while I was given a blue cheese. The first three cheeses were exquisite.  The goat’s cheese was salty and creamy, the semi soft creamy and somewhat nutty. The pecorino was salty and crumbly, similar to a parmigiano reggiano. The cow’s milk cheese had an incredible and intense “cheese” flavor. Take a very good parmesan and turn the taste intensity up a few notches. My blue cheese was my least favorite. I am not a big fan of blue cheeses but gave it a shot. It just has too much of that moldy taste that I associate with bad bread.

The start of the dessert  course consisted of a banana-coconut ice cream over mango and a lemongrass infusion. Let me start by saying I HATE BANANA’S. With that said comes the earth shattering admission that I kind of enjoyed this dish. Mind you, while Melanie said she couldn’t taste the banana at all, I could. But then again my tongue has this ability to pick up even the slightest taste of banana in things. Still, I found the dominating taste of coconut in the ice cream along with the mango and lemongrass allowed me to enjoy this palate cleansing dessert.

Also brought to the table was a, for lack of a better term , cabinet filled with different sweets. Some were awesome such as chocolate triangles with mint and pistachio. It starts off with a strong mint chocolate chip flavor that finishes with pistachio. Also good was a light candy that tasted like pistachio, almond and hazelnut liquor. The standout though was the tiramisu bites. It was everything a slice of tiramisu is in  a bite size form. I didn’t find all candies to be successful. The worst of the bunch for me was a peach jelly type candy. It just did not taste good on my tongue. Melanie liked it however.

Next was a tray of 4 fine chocolates. One was a dark chocolate, one was dark chocolate with a cherry center, another was milk chocolate and the last was white chocolate that was covering an unknown inner core that tasted like there was some almond in it. Overall the chocolates were very good, but nothing to really write a lot about.

The finale’ was an Iced sphere of raspberry on chocolate and tea cream, with crystalized raspberries. This dish was unbelievably gorgeous.  The hollow iced sphere was made by filling a balloon with raspberry puree, then blowing up the balloon and tying it off like a water balloon. It was then rolled in liquid nitrogen to freeze the raspberry puree into a hollow ball. It was very fun to crack open the sphere. And it had an intense raspberry taste, as if you condensed the sweetest raspberries into one raspberry and then ate it. The chocolate tea cream was a perfect foil to the raspberries as it balanced the sweetness with a certain amount of bitterness. It also had an upfront note of chocolate, but finished with a note of tea on the backend. It was an amazing finale to the meal.

For our meal we ordered a I Sori Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 for 60 euro. It was an amazing bottle of wine. Very smooth and easy to drink. I thought that it actually paired well with many of the dishes.

Now I have to mention service, as it was fantastic. It was interesting because after each course not only were the plates cleared off, but the silverware was cleared and new silverware brought for each course change. There was also a constant offer of bread between courses, ranging from flaky/salty “roman” bread, to seaseme bread, a baguette like bread, and a brown nut bread. Each was fantastic. They also poured a plate of very, VERY, fine olive oil to dip your bread in. The olive oil was light, fresh, and peppery. They also added two kinds of salt to the top corners of the olive oil plate, a gray sea salt from Dover, England; and a black, smoked volcanic sea salt from Hawaii. Both were very good. They also gave a menu to pick out what kind of water we wanted from over 20 choices and two wine menus with over 5000 different kinds of wine. For the most part they did a very good job keeping our wine and water glasses full.

This also goes to show what kind of service they are committed too. The original plan was for me and Melanie to split the 9 course tasting menu. We knew there would be things she didn’t like on there (almost all seafood) and it was nine courses. The maître d’ tried to explain that each course was small. But Melanie replied “Yeah, but there are nine courses. How are we supposed to eat all that?” He went away with an order for 1 nine course gourmet menu and 1 bottle of wine. At each course we had two plates, one for Melanie and one for me. At one point Melanie asked the maître d’ “These are each half of the tasting menu right?” He assured her that it was, and that he took care of everything. From what I can gather, he taking care of everything was us getting a free meal. One nine course gourmet menu cost 210 euro. We got one free, because we wanted to split it and he wanted us to experience the full menu. For that I will forever be grateful. The final bill showed 1 nine course meal, 210 euro.

Finally, at the end of the dinner service, the world famous executive head chef, Heinz Beck, came out to meet all the diners that night. I could not believe it was happening. Very few times have I been taken aback by meeting someone famous. I have met many a world famous people. I was shocked though to talk to this chef and that he took the time to interact with his diners after the dinner service was completed. It was a fitting end to the night.

I have to rate this establishment a 5 out of 5. The first course had me worried that it would not live up to its Michelin 3 star rating. However the food thereafter was amazing. The service was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and they actually comped us a free meal after a misunderstanding about wanting to split the nine courses. That just added on to the amazing food. This place turned up everything to 11. This is a meal I will remember the rest of my life.