01.28.08
Posted in 1. The Story, 6. Reviews at 11:23 am by Chef Matt
No, please rest assured dear readers that all of my kitchen staff is alive and well. Nor is this title in reference to the many animals that are killed in order to bring about the delicious food we serve. If you want that type of propaganda, please go visit some other silly site. The death in question is rather in reference to some of my beloved equipment that has shuffled off this mortal coil after incredible service to me and my restaurant.
First, there are my shoes. If you can still call them that. I bought a pair of slip-resistant work shoes back when I was working at Vero that were light weight, comfortable and really affordable. I have worn them every day since. Sure the leather coating was starting to peel a little here and there, but as is the case with all shoes, the more I wore them, the more comfortable they got. I just couldn’t bear to give them up.
Yeah, I actually wear these out in public… |
The other day, chef looks down at my feet and says, “You know Matt, I know I don’t pay you very much… but perhaps it’s time you got some new shoes.” I looked down and saw what he saw - namely my socks coming out of the toes of my right shoe. Indeed, my shoes are now aerated to the point where I can feel a draft on my feet. As much as I hate to do it, I have to retire the comfortable guys and get a new pair. It will be a shame to see them go, but I can rest assured I got my money’s worth out of them.
Next up is my hand mixer. In a kitchen, this tool goes by a series of different names. Beurre (butter) blender, dip stick, magic wand, immersion blender and so on. But regardless of what it is called, it is one of the most valuable tools found in any kitchen. Shortly after I started working at Rustico, the immersion blender they had broke down. Apparently this happens rather frequently, and they sent the 14″ mixer (a real horse of a dip stick might I add) off to get repaired. In the meantime, I brought out my own personal Cuisinart blender for use in the restaurant to tide us over.
Well, the repairs took a ridiculously long 4 months in which time this little dynamo did all of the work in a professional kitchen like a champ. This tiny mixer was meant only for home use, but it plowed through soups, sauces, vinaigrettes and anything else we could throw at it – sometimes in batches that were so large, it could barely reach the bottom of the Lexan container! But it kept trucking along with results that amazed all of us.
Our large commercial grade immersion blender finally came back from the repair shop, and within a month, it was broken again. Last I checked, we have still yet to even bother trying to repair it. So once again, my hand blender came to the rescue, and was plowing through the industrial-sized work load for another month.
Worn down to the end. What a brave little trooper. |
But this past Wednesday that I went to mix some lobsters (who had also recently given up their lives for the restaurant) into a batch of lobster béchamel, and I discovered with much sadness that the blade was just not spinning any more. Even after all the abuse this motor had taken, it had still not burned out - but rather the internal gears had finally worn down to the nub. The amount of work this blender had done for me - through culinary school, home use and professional use was truly astounding. As an unsolicited product endorsement, I say go out and get yourself one right away. I went straight to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought myself the exact same blender. (If you’re interested in which one I have, it’s the SmartStick Blender. Again, this is an unpaid, unsolicited review. I fully endorse this product simply because I have used it, abused it, and it just keeps on working.)
And chef, in recognition of all the blender had given to the restaurant, was nice enough to pay for my new one. Now all I have to do is convince them to buy one of their own that actually works! 
Chef Matt
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01.22.08
Posted in 6. Reviews, 5. Rants and Raves at 11:16 am by Chef Matt
Since I live near a major metropolis, I‘m able to partake of the grand tradition of restaurant week. It’s a wonderful tradition that allows people like me - who live on a chef’s salary or it’s equivalent - to enjoy three course meals on the cheap. Lunches for $20 and dinners for $30 are not only affordable, but they also offer the chance to try new places and perhaps sample a restaurant that is otherwise out of touch price-wise.
I’ve been enjoying this tradition for several years now, and the list of places I’ve been to as a result is very long and my opinions are quite extensive. So I’ll save you from all of that, and just pass on my review of this year’s selections. Those of you who don’t live near DC may still find this interesting as there are some themes that still may resonate with you and your own restaurant week experiences. (In other words, don’t stop reading yet just because you can’t go to these specific places.)
In the straw or out of it, I’m a fan of the chianti. (Also with or without fava beans…) |
Sesto Senso - This charming little Italian restaurant just south of Dupont Circle has a regular menu that is both traditional as well as seasonal. I always give extra points to places that attempt to cook with the seasons. The wine list was also extensive with plenty of Italian varietals which always makes me happy. (By “happy”, I mean “tipsy”.) The menu that was offered up for restaurant week though was a tad limited in choices, but the food on it was still quite good, and the portions were not completely skimpy (as is often the case unfortunately…). I recommend trying to get the table on the balcony that overlooks the rest of the dining room. That was a real treat for us. I give this restaurant a solid B.
Sonoma - This wine bar near the capitol was very inviting in that they offered up almost their entire menu as part of the restaurant week promotion. I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, it shows that they are not trying to cheat you out of the experience by giving you a full range of choices of their normal fare, but on the other hand, I like to see a place that makes a special effort for the occasion. In this case though, there were a few items that carried an extra charge, but those items were not clearly labeled, and could only be discovered on close inspection of the menu. But we had plenty of time for that, as the service was rather slow. The first courses we had were equally uninspiring as my wife’s beet salad was flavorless and my scallops tasted slightly burnt. The porgy I had for a main course was beautifully presented and perfectly cooked, but again horribly under-seasoned. The lack of salt and pepper on the table was either an oversight, or just plain hubris, but it left me not with a bad taste in my mouth - just no taste. I give them a C.
Ceiba - I was really excited to try this restaurant since it is part of a fabulous restaurant group and the other chefs at Rustico were all agreeing it had incredible food. They were right. Again, practically the whole menu was fair game as part of the restaurant week offerings, and only a very few dishes carried any extra charge. The ceviche that arrived as my first course was the best I’ve ever had, and my braised pork shank was nestled in a bed of black beans and rice that has known no equal. Additionally the service was kind and attentive - even the coat-check girl was warm and friendly! This was a great night out with fabulous food to boot. I applaud their efforts to put their best foot forward on restaurant week and give them a well-deserved A.
If you are not familiar with beignets, you are missing out on one of the great culinary treats of the world. |
Mendocino - This was the only restaurant that I’d been to before in my restaurant week selections. And how odd was it that they sat my wife and I at the exact same table?… This restaurant is owned and operated by the same people who run Sonoma, so I was a tad worried that maybe it was not going to be as good as I remembered. Once again, the menu was open for selection, but almost every item carried an extra charge. This really gets my goat. If you’re going to open your menu, then open it. But don’t pretend to be part of this promotion, and then have everything be more expensive. It is like a bait-and-switch on the customers. (But this is not the worst offense… more on that later…) Despite the fact that I was not able to get a meal for $30, and had to pay extra for my selections, the rabbit with gnocchi, mushrooms and grana padano was fabulous, and the venison chop that was my main course was perfectly cooked. Even the desserts blew me away with a melt-in-my-mouth goat cheese cheesecake and my wife’s warm, rich apple beignets. Their wine list is quirky and interesting, if not horribly overpriced, but that didn’t stop me from trying out all it had to offer. A repeat performance that was well worth the return. They can enjoy their A-.
Of course, being a foodie, and working with other foodies means that I got to relate my stories about my experiences to others while hearing about their adventures as well. And the worst offense of all happened to a fellow sous chef of mine at a restaurant I won’t name since I wasn’t the one who was there. (However, I’d been there for a restaurant week before, and had a similar experience.) The restaurant in question has great food but is normally unbelievably expensive. The concept of dining there for $30 seems like the steal of the century, so I can imagine they book themselves solid come each and every restaurant week.
But when it came time to see what you choose as part of his restaurant week menu, my friend was crestfallen to see the only selection available for the first course was:
Is this some kind of joke?!? |
The house salad.
There is no excuse for this whatsoever. I really would like to call this place out by name since this is such an egregious example of by-passing the rules and spirit of restaurant week. They deserve scorn for this, and I myself have not returned since my similar experience of a few years prior. (Though they had a few more selections than that back then, and the main motivation behind my pseudo-boycott is financial…) Simply put, if you are only going to offer a salad, just do everyone a favor, and don’t be a part of restaurant week. Sure, you get more people in the door, but do you think they are going to say great things about their experience when that was all that was offered?
Anyway, this restaurant week ends, and I have a few new places under my belt. Next time it comes around, I already have a place or two in mind based on suggestions from my friends. I just hope you all give me a chance to make my reservations first…
Chef Matt
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01.21.08
Posted in 1. The Story at 7:48 pm by Chef Matt
“We’re starting up our beer dinners again this month Matt, and I want you to come up with this month’s menu Matt.”
Normally requests like this from Chef inspire me, and I’m always thrilled and honored to receive such a responsibility. But this time his request was accompanied by a touch of trepidation.
Beer - as if that weren’t dinner enough by itself. |
Our beer dinners - similar to the wine dinners I used to work on back at Vero - are multi-course prix fixe menus that are paired with special beers by our beer director. We run them on Tuesday nights, and each month we have a different menu for what will be featured on those Tuesdays. It’s a great program as it gives us the chance to do some different things in the kitchen, and even test new menu ideas on our customers. And for our regulars who really appreciate great beers and good cooking, this is a chance for them to have something special. So to be asked to come up with the month’s menu I thought was quite an honor.
The reason for the fear though was two-fold:
- I don’t come in on Tuesdays - that is one of my days off.
- Chef was asking me this on Saturday.
In short, I had to come up with a menu on the fly, and get it in to chef for his approval before he took off that day, since that was the last day we would see each other before the actual dinner that Tuesday.
I brought up the scheduling conflict to chef, and he said he was aware that I would not be in - he just wanted me to come up with the ideas for the meal - the rest of the team would actually do the execution of the meal. So one problem solved.
But there was the added element of cost I had to take into consideration. I can’t just make up menus full of caviar and foie gras for the heck of it. A prix fixe menu is just that - it has a fixed price. So I had to make sure that what I came up with was seasonal, tasty and cost-efficient.
Scanning our fridges and freezers and looking over the specials lists from our distributors, I came up with the following idea for the menu:
- Lobster Bisque with Vanilla Cream
- Mustard-crusted Lamb Rack with Butternut Squash Puree
- Rustic Kiwi and Blood Orange Tart with Pomegranate Glaze
Vanilla. Great in ice cream and great with lobster. Hmmm…. |
I took this menu to chef, and he loved the first course idea as it was a great utilization for our lobster meat which we have plenty of in our freezer. Also, he agrees with me that lobster and vanilla is a great flavor combination.
The second course he also liked since we have recently had access to some great Australian Lamb chop racks and the accompanying butternut squash would be seasonal and lovely. Though he changed the puree to more of a pudding.
The final course, the dessert, he did not like. That he completely changed to a dessert that was being practiced by our in-house intern. It would be a way for him to refine this dessert he needed to perfect for cooking school (I’ve been down that road myself) and also was more appealing to chef than something that had kiwi in it. (It did have blood orange at least though, so I helped some there…)
This menu has been going on for a few weeks now, and so far so good. People seem to like it, even though I’m never there to hear their reactions. But creating menus on the fly is one of the more challenging tricks to becoming a chef, and while I’m not sure if chef was passing this on to me to test me or just because he was too busy to think about it himself I’ll never know. All I know is I’m happy with how I did on short notice, and I’m looking forward to the next time I get the chance to try again.
Chef Matt
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01.07.08
Posted in 7. Other Fun at 10:32 am by Chef Matt
OK, so the first set of options I gave you all resulted in what I consider to be a 4-way tie. Some options really jumped out, while others have faded away. (I was kind of hoping you’d pick the lottery tickets, but alas, that was a no-go.)
Anyway, here is your all’s run-off vote among the final four options. Sorry to make you all vote again, but this will be the final decision of what I do with my “found” $500.
Poll Closed. Here are the results:
| What should Chef Matt do with the $500?
|
|
Votes |
| Save it! This is money to help fund your future restaurant! |
 22% |
33 |
| Spend the money on your wife as a reward for sticking by you. |
35% |
52 |
| Go out to an amazing meal at a fabulous restaurant you |
21% |
32 |
| Buy yourself a new set of top-notch knives. |
22% |
33 |
 |
 |
|
| 150 votes total |
Again, just to be clear, I will do whatever it is you all tell me to do with the money. The fate of my finances are in your hands people, so vote carefully!
Chef Matt
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01.02.08
Posted in 5. Rants and Raves at 12:05 am by Chef Matt
It seems that this country goes through periods of culinary stagnation wherein one ingredient is seen as the magical cure-all for whatever it is that someone is cooking. It is the epitome of culinary stagnation, like some collective “writer’s block” that all chefs suffer from simultaneously, and they collectively fill that void in their creativity by all agreeing to use the same ingredient to death while they all work on their own dishes in secret until the public has finally had enough.
The return to sanity has thankfully come for these guys. |
For example, I remember quite clearly the period of the early 90’s where you couldn’t go into any restaurant without finding at least half the dishes adorned with sun dried tomatoes. They were everywhere and on everything. Pizzas, breads, salads, canapés, pasta dishes, sauces, just about anything you could think of had sun dried tomatoes involved in them in one way or another. I never saw it, but I’m sure somebody tried to sell sun dried tomato ice cream at some point. It was that insane. Entire cookbooks were hastily written on the subject so as to cash in on the fact that people saw this ingredient as the only way to make their dishes popular and palatable. The madness quickly subsided thankfully until cilantro made a similar run in the late 90’s and early 00’s.
Now we are in the midst of yet another such run. Where one ingredient seems to be the end-all-be-all of haute cuisine. That ingredient is of course, the truffle. I’m specifically noticing more the white truffle than the prohibitively expensive black truffle of course, but it is in and on everything. White truffle oil is drizzled onto almost every dish as a finishing touch while white truffle shavings adorn every appetizer imaginable - regardless of how their flavor and/or aroma compliment (or conflict with) the food with which they are paired.
In comedy, they say the ultimate example of a hack is a comedian who just goes up to the microphone and merely tells jokes. I would have