Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Dish of the year and a big burger let down



If it turns out Hinduism is the one "right and true religion" than after Vegas I'll be in a lot of trouble. I consumed my fare share of bovine, and some it so divine that it may be worth eternal damnation by the many hands of Ganesh. Without further adieu; behold the best dish of 2011:



I know it's early, Hell, it ain't even Summer, but make no mistake, this is the best braised cheek I have come across in a very, very long. Not surprisingly it comes from the deft hand of Jose Andres; or really one of his trained minions since I had this at his latest Las Vegas outpost: Jaleo.

I love Spanish Tapas but sadly have never been to Spain. Las Vegas is a lot closer and for now it will have to do as my "tapas go to spot". There were other highlights like a fisherman's stew featuring a silky smooth squid braised, to the point where the texture resembled a raw, fresh off the boat Kumamoto oyster and the obligatory yet classic, Pan con tomate: Toasted slices of rustic bread brushed with fresh tomatoes and Spanish anchovies. But they were all just forgettable runner's up next to this Prom Queen.



Yes, Her Majesty is ridiculously fork tender. The potato puree served as the safety net to catch all the cheek's jus. And then there were the morel mushrooms. Just in case you didn't feel like royalty eating this perfectly cooked veal cheek, these fungus treasures were to me the equivalent of a ticket to the Prince William-Kate Middleton wedding, wait no better than that. Got it. They were like getting a Golden ticket to the Willy Wonka factory. I told you this was the dish of the year.



Todd English sucks. Well, maybe that's harsh. Carl's Jr sucks. Parking tickets suck. Todd English is an overpriced let down. Well, I guess he does suck.



Burger Busters, a burger blog, touted Olives as the best burger in America. This could not be further from the truth. This thing was your average, overpriced restaurant burger. Now to be fair, restaurants do change their staff but from this burger, by design, was totally underwhelming.



The patty was preformed, and arrived overcooked. The cheese was a boring cheddar. The onions were drowned in balsamic, so much so, that half way through I had to remove them all together. Were there any good points? Yes. The butter lettuce was good, the tomato was fresh and ripe, and the bun was decent. Yeah, that's right folks - the highlights were lettuce, tomato and bread, and when considering the quality level touted by burger joints today - Olives is merely passable.



And the worst part? The french fries. Look at those nasty potato wedges dusted with parsley and parmesan . . . straight out of the Olive Garden; these were the worst fries I have eaten since the 80s when I frequented Hardee's.

My real rage comes from the fact that the Burger Buster blog rips on, among many notable burgers, Father's Office. The FO burger, while not for everyone, does deliver a Chef's "concept burger". The gruyere and maytag blue cheese, the caramelized onion compote, the dry aged sirloin and the pleasantly bitter arugula; each ingredient is chosen methodically, all the while with a clear final vision in mind. Olives bares no resemblance to this. Its just a big, bland letdown.



A whole lotta nuthin.

On a positive note we had warm and friendly service at the restaurant; among the most personable we have had in Las Vegas. And sitting in the patio overlooking the fountains at the Bellagio was a huge plus. I'd like to think the burger was "off" that day, but considering how pedestrian it was from an ingredient stand point, I'd skip it all together and try somewhere else. Like every Vegas trip, you and win some and lose some, but this time Jaleo has me coming out on top . . . Vegas, I can't wait to go back.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Buffalo Chicken Strips: really.



I love Buffalo Chicken Wings. Love them. Ye Rustic in Los Feliz serves some of the best around if you can find a table and don't mind side stepping an occasional knife fight in the parking lot. Making them at home is another story. I, like many, do not have a fryer and don't really want to deal with cleaning up a vat of dirty cooking oil. And while I may receive the occasional Moveon.org mass email, I'm not the guy who will be supporting your "converted bio diesel Benz investment". You should've gone with the Prius . . . Hippie.

But the idea of bar food at home is appealing. After hearing tales of the relative ease of making Buffalo Chicken strips at home, I decided to fire up the stove. I credit a man named Czornobil(really) for the recipe and inspiration to fry where I have not fried before: the indoors.

Step up your game:



Panko bread crumbs.
If you ever have had Tonkatsu, you know that the Japanese have a knack for breading and frying. Short of setting up an egg wash and dredging chicken in mashed up corn flakes, this is a great, significantly crunchier, breadcrumb alternative.

Frank's Red Hot.
I have no fear of "off brand products" but for my first go around, I decided not to skimp, and went for what appeared to be the most authentic cayenne vinegar sauce in the supermarket. Frank's Red Hot(also recommended by Senor Czornobil) comes in varying heat levels and in hindsight I wished I had picked up the hotter one. But again for the first time around I figured go with the standard sauce and develop a good base line for experimentation.

All Clad skillet.



The 12 inch All Clad skillet may rival my 10 year old Cast Iron. Some may, and rightfully so, argue that spending $150 on a skillet is not necessary but when your skillet can produce this . . .



. . . cleans up with ease and weighs nearly half what the Cast Iron weighs, it is worth considering in your line up.

The chicken tenders were seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and a dried herb mix of oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary and sage. I tossed them in some olive oil and then dredged them in Panko. I coated the All Clad with a healthy amount of olive oil and when it started to smoke, I placed the tenders in the pan for about 3 minutes a side. I finished them off in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Now they were ready for their bath.



No bubbles in this bath. Just a 1/4 cup of Red Hot, 4 Tablespoons of melted butter and a little honey.



VoilĂ : a homemade gut bomb, with half the calories and 1/3rd the guilt. And more importantly you didn't even have to step into a Hooter's. If only March Madness were a month longer.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Pork braised in tomatillos aka Chile Verde or How I learned to stop missing my Weber Kettle and love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven




Remember in "2001: A Space Odyssey" when the monkeys quit fighting and started staring at the monolith and the music plays that iconic "BAAAAM BAAAAM BAAAAM BA BAAAAAAAM!!!? Cue that. Cuz thats how important this thing below is:



I love my Weber kettle. The fact that its no longer at my quick disposal is a source of melancholy and tribulation. However through adversity we find skills, or in this case, tools, we did not realize we had. Tools that ultimately drive us to a Hector like triumph on the battlefield known as my kitchen. The Le Creuset dutch oven is the spear that slayed Achilles. Tamer of tough proteins, generator of delicious fonds, one heavy bitch that I love resting in my cabinet. Sometimes I just open the cabinet door and look at her . . . maybe it's because she is shiny red. Maybe it's because she cost over $200 and if it wasn't for my generous brother and sister in laws, I may not have her, either way she is grand.



Chile Verde

Chile Verde, aka Pork braised in tomatillos is also awesome. Much credit goes to Food and Wine's Best of the Best(in this case vol. 9, also a gift from my amazing in laws) for publishing this lip smacking recipe from Rick Bayless, a Mexican food junkie, chef and author. Perfect for a Super Bowl party, a cold Winter's night or any time you feel hungry and want to please any swine lover, this dish is a slam dunk. Bayless takes some of the labor out of what can be an all day recipe and compresses into about three and a half hours. But most of the work is done within the walls of the LC.





The recipe is simple enough. Just put stuff in the pot then throw it in a 325 degree oven. Start with a base to braise your meats. In this case we have tomatillos, cilantro, potatoes and some pickled jalapenos.




It's important to know what we are up against in order really appreciate what a heavy dutch oven in a low and slow, steady oven can do. This is strips of pork shoulder, also known as Boston Butt. You can see the fat, well it's not just fat, it is connective tissue that say if seared on high heat, like on a pan or grill, would produce something tougher than leather, and much like the RUN DMC movie . . . that would be a bad thing.





But when placed in the LC, the moisture from the tomatillos and the condensation that is produced from the heavy lid create a braising liquid, that over time, or in this case, 3 and half hours, melt all the "collagen" or connective tissue. The result:




You don't even need teeth. In fact when I lose all mine, rather than dentures, I'll just eat this 24/7.



In this version, I tossed in Cannelini Beans right when the pork had finished cooking in the oven, just to heat them through. Bayless mentions that chicken thighs, lamb shoulder as well beef can be substituted but after maybe 5 goes at this recipe, I have been hard pressed to change a thing. And yes, it's as good if not better the next day.

Do I still miss my Weber? Yes. But the LC proves that there is more to cooking than charcoal and BBQ sauce. Too bad AliBraizez doesn't have the same ring.