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Showing posts with label Top Chef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Chef. Show all posts

Craft, Century City

Comments (0) | Friday, May 7, 2010

As a birthday gift, some very good friends of mine took us out to Tom Colicchio's Craft during DineLA week. The beauty of DineLA is the prix-fixe menu that most restaurants offer at a discounted price, which in turn allows wannabe foodies like me an opportunity to sample more things than I would normally do.

I really like the ambiance at Craft; the words that come to mind are sophisticated, sleek, modern and rustic, if that makes sense. We had great service, our server was kind enough to go over the menus in detail, which was very informative. Craft serves their dishes family style, so everyone can sample everything, which is wonderful. Alas, I did not have my camera, the photos were taken using a Blackberry camera, so I apologize for that. Also, please pardon the descriptions, it has been a while.

First courses included a country paté served with cornichons and other pickled veggies with a drizzle of a mustard sauce. I don't remember too much about the paté, other than the fact that I liked it, cornichons and all. Also up to bat is a Caesar salad, with a lot of finely shredded Parmesan that made me very happy. The dressing on the salad was tangy and had a little bit of a bite to it, which performed its task of whetting our appetites.

Second course included a foie gras mousse terrine that we didn't get to take a photo of, but that was my first encounter with foie. It was served on top of a tapenade, and served with crostini, It was really decadent and yummy. Also included in the second course was cured trout atop a shaved fennel salad with what I want to say is a lemon vinaigrette, if memory serves me correctly. The trout was great, there's a hint of sweetness to the buttery fish, the fennel provided the crunch and an added flavor dimension.

The star of the show was the third course, the ribeye. It was cooked to medium perfection, sitting on top of beans (cannot remember what type). I savored every piece I got. I really didn't like the beans too much, because I honestly thought that it detracted from the meat. We also got a roasted lamb shank, served with a Romesco sauce, which was probably one of the better pieces of lamb that I've tried, and I'm not a lamb fan.

For dessert, we got pillowy, sugary, chocolatey goodness in the form of sugar doughnuts served with a Valrhona chocolate sauce.  Easily a high point of the entire meal. Also we had a chai flavored panna cotta, served with shaved pear and figs. I'm not into chai so much, but it was still really good. The panna cotta was cold, creamy goodness that was enhanced by the sweet, crunchy pear.

I loved my Craft experience, everything was great, from service, to ambiance, to the food. I can't wait to go back and sample more. In my opinion, it is further proof that Chef Colicchio deserves the 2010 Outstanding Chef of the Year title bestowed upon him by the James Beard Foundation.

Craft Restaurant, 10100 Constellation Boulevard, Los Angeles
http://www.craftrestaurant.com/


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All Things Top Chef

Comments (2) | Thursday, April 1, 2010

We recently hosted a Top Chef potluck challenge where the rules were simple: recreate a recipe seen on any season of Top Chef or Top Chef Masters. There were six of us, which meant that we all got to enjoy a six-course meal. Obviously, we all had to make some type of modification to each recipe due to lack of fresh ingredients and white plates, but each dish was stellar, considering that we're not restaurant chefs. Here are the results:

First Course: Cliff's Holiday Baileytini and Steak Tapas
This was a recipe from Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook. We all agreed that the Baileytini was on the strong side, but the meat was cooked well and the créme fraiche fondue was a pleasantly surprising complement.

This is something I'm going to have to make on my own. I loved the steak, eggs and the sauce. Instead of using scallions, we used chives, which achieved the onion requirement on a milder scale.

I believe the original recipe called for equal parts of ground beef and ground lamb. But this, my friends, was an all beef recipe, and I'm not complaining. I really liked the nutmeg and the tumeric combination, it was a nice, spicy surprise. The recipe also asks for the potatoes to be put through a ricer for a fluffier texture, but I thought that using a regular masher still achieves the desired effect.

Fourth Course: Chef Rick Bayless's Quick Fried Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic
As Joey Tribbiani would say, bread, good. Shrimp, good. Garlic oil, GOOD! There is a reason why Chef Bayless was crowned the winner of Top Chef Masters, folks, and this recipe contributes to that reason. The only modification to this recipe was the omission of figs, because fresh figs are out of season.

Fifth Course: Elia's Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
So this was the dish I chose to prepare, frankly because it was the easiest. I also decided to serve it straight from the roasting pan, family style, instead of carving the chicken myself.

This recipe calls for fresh ginger juice, which we did not have, save for a few drops. The basil, tarragon and cilantro, along with the tart lime juice were surprisingly nice complements to the decadent, homemade chocolate ice cream and the caramelized bananas. This dessert left one lasting impression upon me: we now have an official ice cream chef.

A great meal with great friends, now who can ask for anything more?


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The Dining Room at the Langham Huntington - Part Deux

Comments (0) | Sunday, February 28, 2010

There is a reason why Chef Michael Voltaggio is Top Chef. It's because he makes amazing food, and I (and my belly) are extremely lucky enough to sample it. On top of that, he is an über nice guy, very pleasant and personable, but more on that later.

This marks our second trip to The Dining Room, the first since Chef Voltaggio took the reins and redesigned the entire menu. The menu itself is divided into a beginning, a middle, and an end. To better describe it:

"Chef Voltaggio's menu features a selection of innovative small plates showcasing artfully inspired new American cuisine prepared using classic discipline and modern trends, utilizing the bounty of seasonal produce that California offers while showcasing the best quality ingredients from arond the globe. The menu is comprised of small savory and sweet plates, ranging from the lightest to the heaviest dish..."
It's no wonder why The Dining Room received a Michelin star, along with other accolades and smashing reviews. In fact, the food was so good that I'm finding it a little challenging to find words to describe it. So I'll just tell you what we ate, show you pictures with the occasional commentary. We chose four courses, so that meant two dishes from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end (dessert...yay!).

First, the amuse bouche, strawberry foam with... I think the server said something about nasturtium flowers. It looked like a sorbet or an ice cream of some sort, the flavor combination was unexpected at first, and by the time we finished the course, we were definitely wanting more. The sweet tartness of the strawberry just worked. I wish I had asked the server to repeat himself.
Next came the first course. I ordered the Langoustine, served with a poached egg, white asparagus, mushroom cracker with a sauce poured tableside upon service. The langoustine itself was cooked to perfection, combined with the sauce, and the asparagus, just an overall great way to kick off the meal.

Here's the Kurobuta Pork Belly, served with bok choy "kimchi," kabocha squash preserves and peanut butter noodles. The pork was well cooked and very tasty. Note to self: write down the server's description of the ingredients.
In between courses, we were served a truffled brioche, which is essentially brioche bread baked with black truffles throughout. It was served with a goat's milk butter. The tanginess of the goat's milk in the butter perfectly complemented the lightness of the bread. Translation: we want more! Which, upon request, was granted to our delight.
Next, came the Pastrami Pigeon, served with sauerkraut geleé, with rye jus and gruyere cheese puff. I am still trying to figure out how Chef Voltaggio made the geleé and the puff, but it ultimately doesn't matter because it was perfection. It tasted like a great pastrami sandwich, only many notches higher.
The Jidori Chicken was chicken thigh served with sunflower root puree, poached egg, sunflower seeds and winter truffles. The picture does not do it justice. It was my favorite dish up to this point, and my only disappointment was the fact that I didn't order it for myself. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and the flavor profile was spot on. I could have seriously eaten at least three of those.
My main course was the Wagyu Short Rib, Chef Voltaggio's version of Pot Roast. Braised beef short rib, with smoked potato "tots," Nantes Carrots, candied tomato hearts  and white ketchup. The beef was so tender it practically melted in your mouth, very satisfying dish.
The other main course we ordered was the skate wing, which was cooked sous vide in brown butter, served with two textures of cauliflower and caper powder. The skate was perfectly seasoned, and was pure flaky goodness. The cauliflower was great, too. We were also given seaweed mashed potatoes. The combination sounded a little strange at first, but one bite of those potatoes took away all the doubt because it just worked. I thought if anything, it was a little salty, but it was really yummy.

If you didn't think Chef Voltaggio could outdo himself with dessert, then you're wrong. Before the actual dessert course, we were served pre-dessert, which the server called "cookies and milk." It tasted like vanilla and chocolate Dipping Dots. They were great. Now, on to dessert. First up, the Fool's Gold, which is chocolate ganache with a salty hazelnut praline top, and topped with golden flakes. It was also served with a milk sorbet. Unfortunately, I don't remember what comprised the rest of the dish. I do remember the creamy consistency and texture of the ganache. 
Based on the server's recommendations, I chose the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which garnered him a few extra tip dollars, solely because it was so good, to the point where I still debate if the Jidori chicken was better than this delectable dish. So this show stopper was served with a rice ice cream, caramelized banana, banana custard and lime foam. Let me tell you, the tart citrus foam stole the show. Its acidity really cut through all the sweetness of the pudding, the caramel and the banana custard. The rice cream tasted like rice, yet was sweet, and pleasant. Fantastic. I'm with the server; I could eat five of these things in one sitting.
To finish what I've already declared was the best meal of my life, we were served these little goodies: passion fruit candy with an edible Japanese rice paper wrapper, macaroons and a dark chocolate lollipop with a hidden surprise - pop rocks. Genius.
The food was amazing, the service impeccable, and I even got to meet Chef Voltaggio in his kitchen to congratulate him on his Top Chef win, and to thank him for the excellent dinner. I was so starstruck that I didn't even take a good look at the kitchen or process the questions that he was asking, and he was so gracious about the whole thing. I'm sure he gets that a lot, people asking to meet him because of his celebrity status.  

If you're reading this, Chef, thanks again for an amazing meal.


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RM Seafood, Las Vegas

Comments (0) | Thursday, February 4, 2010

Just so you know, this wannabe foodie doesn't limit herself to California. Oh no, as part of my birthday extravaganza, we also celebrated in Las Vegas, which could easily be a mecca for foodies. Since we were only spending the night there, we wanted to ensure that we tried as many places in the little time we have been given. The first stop on the list was RM Seafood, owned by renowned chef Rick Moonen. He appeared on Top Chef Masters and served as the guest judge in the Restaurant Wars episode in Season 6. He is an extremely talented chef who not only specializes in seafood, but stresses the sustainability of the things that we eat.

We decided to share an appetizer and the main entrée (to make room for other foods to be enjoyed later throughout the day). We ended up ordering the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Rhode Island Style Calamari, Tasmanian Ocean Trout and an order of Yellowtail Nigiri.

The crab cake in and out of itself was excellent; it was the jicama slaw that I wasn’t too impressed with. There was just a weird aftertaste to me, and I’m assuming that it was the dressing that made it taste like so. But the crab was moist, delectable, and the chipotle aioli was the perfect complement to the crab cake. It certainly wasn’t the best crab cake I’ve ever had, but it was delicious nonetheless.



The calamari, on the other hand, blew me away. I think I must have eaten ¾ of the dish. It was served with pickled cherry peppers and garlic atop some homemade marinara sauce, which did double duty as both garnish and dipping sauce. The light batter was very crispy, the calamari was very tender and fresh, no “fishy” taste at all. Combined with the sauce and the peppers, it was a great flavor combination. I would go back just for the squid.



The yellowtail nigiri came out next. It was a beautiful presentation, and I regret not taking pictures of it prior to my husband devouring the dish. I have never liked sushi; but this time, I decided to try a very small piece. I took a piece of fish and a piece of ginger, dipped it the soy sauce and wasabi combination, and tried it. Surprisingly, I did not gag like I thought I would, because I didn’t taste the fishiness of the fish at all. Instead, it was buttery, both in texture and in flavor, with just a hint of the natural flavor of the fish coming through. It was actually good. Now, I wouldn’t say that I’ve changed my mind about sushi; but I’ve made a baby step in a different direction.



Finally, the main entrée came out. It was a Tasmanian Ocean Trout served with brussel sprouts, bacon and horseradish cream. I was sold on the brussel sprouts, as they are currently my favorite vegetable. The server was kind enough to split the entrée onto two plates for us, so the picture only reflects half the dish. Put together, it is actually a very sizable and filling meal. The fish itself was so moist, flaky, and tender and cooked to perfection – it almost looked like salmon. The horseradish cream was amazing; the horseradish wasn’t strong at all, so it didn’t overpower the fish. The sprouts and the sauce with the bacon was such an awesome combination. I could literally eat that all day.



RM Seafood definitely does not disappoint; be sure to stop by when you’re in town.


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Congratulations...

Comments (0) | Thursday, June 12, 2008

to Stephanie Izard, the first female winner of Top Chef! She beat out 14 other cheftestants, including Richard Blais, the favorite to win the season. The season finale was one of the episodes where I thought that the judges actually did the right thing (I refuse to further discuss the other person even finishing so close to the top. She is an ugly person, inside and out.).

Overall, I thought Stephanie's food looked like the most rounded set of dishes and would be the one that I would like to try. They just seemed to flow much better and had much more focus, which is reminiscent of Harold's finale dishes. Richard, on the other hand, I thought was unfocused. Like Colicchio said, his strength became his Achilles heel. I think that he wanted to come out and really impress the judges with his skills, but had way too many ideas bouncing in his head. That's why I think some of his dishes missed, although I would try the bacon ice cream, just to say that I've had it.


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Top Chef Recap

Comments (0) | Monday, June 2, 2008

So it's on to Puerto Rico for the Top Chef finals with Richard, Stephanie, Antonia and Lisa. Spike got the boot on Wednesday for not choosing the freshest ingredients available. But before I get ahead of myself, let's recap from the very beginning...

The Quickfire round consisted of the cheftestants going to Allen Brothers to learn how to properly butcher a piece of tomahawk steak, then going back to the Top Chef kitchen to cook and serve it. It is a piece of long bone ribeye that weighs approximately 30-35 oz. Spike won the challenge, providing him a "significant" advantage in the Elimination challenge. The guest judge for this episode was Rick Tramonto, owner of Tramonto's Steak and Seafood in Chicago.

The Elimination round is where things became more interesting, because after all, we're dying to know who gets booted. The cheftestants were required to prepare a 2-course meal to serve at Tramonto's for that one night. Spike was able to choose his ingredients first (he chose frozen scallops of all things), prohibiting his fellow competitors from choosing the same things. I have to say that everyone's dishes looked good, of course, some looked better than others. But the highlight for me was to see Top Chef winners of seasons past play a part in judging. Ok, I was most excited to see Harold, but that's besides the point. I have to say though, that I think I would have liked to try all of the steak dishes (Stephanie's in particular). I'm not daring enough to try sweetbreads, so I can't really have the appetizers.

On to the judging... why won't they boot Lisa already?! She really should have gone four or five episodes ago, and she definitely needed to go after that fiasco of a dish she made for the Chicago PD recruits (How do you not cook shrimp properly?). She doesn't take criticism well at all, in fact, a lot of the cheftestants don't this season. But somehow, the judges were more irked at the fact that frozen scallops were used, and Spike's steak dish was not strong enough to save him from the boot. All in all though, Lisa needs to go. She just does.


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