chadzilla

minimalism

Our dinner on 4 Dec will pair us with the art of Stephen Gamson.  That is... we feel the food should complement the art style.  It's obvious that food is visual, but it's almost an easier route to pair a dish with another entity using taste, smell, and feel (mouth texture).  Maybe because the epicenter of these sensations occur within the mouth.  You cannot see inside of your mouth, so the only visual aspect of a dish lies in presentation.  There is always the factor of emotion and environment, but that's not as easily planned. There is also a message and there are also logistics.  Minimalism may be as much as a necessity as it is a theme for matching food to art in this case... mainly due to the reality of transporting food and working in an unfamiliar setting.  We will have to carry the spirit of our food into a different set of parameters... another guest appearance of the paradigm shift.

The Gamson originals are minimalistic but still convey messages that cross many boundaries.  In works where he utilizes food, it's treated as a prop in the form of a bowl of spherical objects on a table (or objects composed of very simple shapes and colors)... not to bad of a stretch.  We also hope to capture a generic feel as an expression for political food messages.  Still, the menu is in the cultivation stage.  The opportunity to do this dinner in conjunction with a different artistic element in the mix is exciting.  There are some very ambitious indivisuals organizing this, and the energy is captivating.

Tickets for all events available here.

lawn to garden

Ming and I have been moved into our house for 2 weeks now.  It's a positive note on the wave of change that everything has been lately.  Yesterday, I took the opportunity to dig up a section of the west fence for a garden.  There are so many long missed pleasures of having a yard that I have missed out on by renting (grilling, drinking coffee outside at daybreak, listening to the cackle of passing canaries, walking among the many forms of life that coexist in my domain).  We plan on sprouting some seeds bought at the Chinese market and transplanting them here.  The florida growing season allows us to take full year advantage of planting.

Getting in the ground is good for the soul.  Not just growing things in pots, but hands and knees in the soil.  Everyone should get dirt in their boogers.

quiet... but not sleeping

Our current focus (or Paradigm shift... if you don't mind the pun) is to become more involved in outside activities that are condusive to keeping our creative juices happy.  We have recently become involved with a local organization and a few chefs and artists who are all for making a difference in our area.  The first promotion will take place during the Art Basel event and details will be posted at PH2.

More posts to come...

we can be happy underground

No, it's not G-Force or G-Unit...  I had mentioned cobayas at some point on this blog.  Basically, it's Spanish for 'guinea pig,' and the term was applied to a sort of 'menu advisory board' that we put together of local food enthusiasts by our good friend, Frodesnor.  The premise at the time was to simply hold 'meetings' in our restaurant while these local food bloggers gave us honest critiques and input on possible menu items.  The tone was very casual and friendly, and we always received valuable insight as to 'what the people really want.'

Frodesnor took his Cobaya theme further by using the Google Group to become a launching pad where local chefs cooked off-site (preferrably) dinners of whatever they wanted, and members of the group paid online to later receive email information as to the location of the dinner.  Not quite 'underground,' but a great forum for fusing people with food and ideas (quite a few cities can claim underground dinners, but cobayas are indigenous to Miami).  Nothing of this is original in general, but the idea is fresh in Miami and the initial responses have been a welcoming breath of air in this depressing local economy.  It has shown us that there are markets available where chefs can go no holds barred and hash out their whimsies.  This is never a bad thing.  It mainly proves that the interest is out there.

Our friend, Chef Jeremiah... the one and only Bullfrog Beatz, had the honor of doing the last dinner and took things up a notch.  Much appreciation to him for letting Chef K and I sit in behind the scenes, drinking Heinekens, helping to plate here and there, and mostly just observing the logistics behind putting out such a dinner.  Even on the drive back, we were already brainstorming the details behind putting out a dinner of our own.  We made some good connections, and hopefully we'll be able to promote some of our own branded dinners very soon into the near future.

Bullfrog's dinner was posted on a few local blogs and sites, but I'll mainly direct you to Frodesnor's post which always contain links to the other sites.  Meanwhile, to add to the buzz here are some shots that we took from a kitchen point of view...

straining with Chef K

beef jus dripping in a chemex

 

Jeremiah pouring his crispy creme gel into a siphon

small pig, cool story... Jeremiah's wife, Carla, picked up this baby pig that same morning in Hialeah where it still had an oink.

the tip-off sign... you are here.

72 hour beef shortrib enjoying a re-warming bath before being plated

Jeremiah with Allister, his right-hand man for the dinner

the Bullfrog speaketh... Jeremiah is a showman and proves that he knows how to bring a family element to a dinner.  His wife, Carla, to the right helped out throughout the evening also.  Cool people.

more sous-vide at home

Be the first on your block to own...

I found this link on Eat Me Daily.  It's the new Sous-Vide Supreme which started taking pre-orders yesterday.  It's shape and price make it practical and economical for a spot on any kitchen line, and if I had a disposable lump of cash in the sum of $399 I'd be ordering one right now.  This is just one step closer for those trying to take elevated cuisine to a more accessible level.

low tide

I apologize for the lack of posts lately.  Many changes at hand have put us in a new direction, and my focus has been stretched out in different directions.  As we are pushing ahead, I have not yet found what role this blog will play or what boundaries I must adhere to.  For the remainder of this year, the content will be either very uncertain or simply lacking.  Here's looking forward to a better year in 2010 and hoping that you guys will be around when the tide turns.

hospitality

We all work in the hospitality industry in some form or another.  While in Venezuela, we experienced extreme hospitality from so many people that went beyond any foreigner's expectations.  To say that someone stood out among this is even more rare.  We had the pleasure of seeing a lady whom we met last year who made us feel like familia.  Although she doesn't know us from Adam, she extended an invitation to her home to cook for us.  Because of time restraints, we could not accept but she and her husband showed up everyday with home-cooked food and ice cold beer waiting for us after our presentations.  Her pride in her country and her cuisine came shining through in the Spanish to English translation by her daughter.  On the first day of our demos, she surprised me by getting up on stage at the end singing 'Happy Birthday' to me in Spanish (making a birthday away from home feel special).

Señor Hernandez (sorry, never got his first name), Chef K, Señora Neiza Hernandez, Zilla

Here are some of the arepas (pork and beef) and other tamale-like goodies (can't remember the name of these also) that made up my breakfast on our last day there.

 

It's easy to go into another country and sample foods in restaurants, but to get home cooked food is a blessing.

ron

Ron is Spanish for rum... and if you've never enjoyed Venezuelan rums, then the experience is much recommended.  There is such a history of rum all over the Caribbean and the north coast of South America.  Some of these sugar cane plantations and distilleries have been around for one or two hundred years.  That's a lot of time to perfect a craft.

Last year, we had the unique experience of visiting the Santa Teresa distillery between Caracas and Valencia.  It was my first and only chance (so far) of sipping beautifully aged rum while sitting outside staring at the sugar cane fields that it originated from.

This year, we participated in a 'rum tasting' and introduction to the fine rums of Diplomatico, which is the largest producer of rum in Venezuela.  True, larger does not equal better, but Diplomatico produces some truly fine rums.

 

We learned about column distilling and were able to smell the unique transformation of aroma and complexity throughout the process.  How can food liquids benefit from multiple distillations?  The lecture continued into explanations of the depth brought on by American oak barrel aging (thanks to Ramone and Ricky for the translations).

Señor Tito Cordero is the master rum-maker for Diplomatico and conducted the seminar along with owner, Alfonso.  Despite the language barriers, passion for an art is easy to recognize.

They also showcased an aged white rum (6 years), while not availabe in Venezuela due to lack of a market, is ready to release in the USA.

I am now left to wonder why, with all of the sugar cane fields I grew up with in south Louisiana, we do not have a big tradition of producing artisanal rums.  Perhaps the aging process and lack of patience for a sip has something to do with it.

home sweet home

We're back.

Venezuela was incredible.  We have already been invited back to the Trilogia en Fusion for next year.  Travelling is great, but coming home is better.  We've met many new friends, some great chefs, and seen some familiar faces from last year.  The one thing that stands out about the people of Venezuela more than anything else is the hospitality.  It is overwhelming and gratifying.  It serves as a constant reminder that a country is represented by it's people... not certain heads of government.  This is what's real.  We came to cook, to learn, and to share ideas.  Having reached that goal to levels beyond our expectation is a true confirmation of what life is all about.

Many thanks to Eli Nora and all of her family and staff for making this event bigger than the previous year.  I will write more soon, but for now it's time to readjust and rest.

down and out but feeling good

For the last 2 years at the ICC, we've made a point to eat at a 'nice' restaurant.  This year we decided to hit as much casual food as possible.  This wasn't due to any current industry trends, but more of a reflection of our finances and having to fund our entire journey out of our own pockets.  No matter how small or uncomfortable our hotel room was, no matter the fact that we became more subway savvy to avoid cab fares, and no matter what big name chef's food we didn't get to try... this was one of my best years ever.  I felt lucky, moreso than before, to be in attendance and for the chance to get the information firsthand.  The chefs that attend the ICC aren't full of ego.  The vibe is incredibly friendly and everyone seems happy to meet new chefs and make new friends.  I just wish we could have found that Will Goldfarb BBQ truck also.

Here were my 'down and out' casual food memories...

Best pizza ever in my life.  Guillermo at Motorino in Brooklyn gave us the hook-up, but for a short subway ride from Manhattan and a fair price, I highly recommend the visit.  We (our group of 6) dined out back with olives and amazingly fresh salads before moving onto Guillermo's brick oven baked flatbreads, calzones, and pizzas.  The best pizza was... brussel sprouts and speck.  The flavor of the char on the edges of each brussel sprout leaf balanced out the flavors perfectly.

The hands-down best way ever to make pizza.  There's something about a wood-burning brick oven.  I've been obsessing about building one for some time now.  Hopefully, I will have the time, motivation, and money to fulfill this destiny once we close on our house.  The backyard is screaming for one... ok, maybe I'm the only one who can hear it screaming, but it keeps me up at night.

The late-night subway crew (2 Argentinians & 3 gringos)... Guillermo, Zilla, Chef K, Fabian, Mark.  Guillermo used to be our friend Alberto's (with us but not in the picture) pastry chef in Miami.  He moved back to NY to become one bad-ass pizza-meister.  If you want to open a brick oven restaurant, it only makes sense to hire an Argentinian to run the oven.  These guys learn to manage a fire before they can walk.  Being a pastry chef on top of that just makes him even more perfect for the job.

BBQ at Fette Sau.  Although someone said it's been rated among the top 10 BBQ joints in the US which seems ridiculously outrageous to claim, it's not bad.  This place was fun.  Get your meat by the quarter pound on a half sheet pan, pick your drink up at the bar, and live the dream in Brooklyn.

Baoguette at the Congress.  Although I don't know where the original store is, the word in NY is that this place is hot.  $8 for a banh-mi seems like Vietnamese blasphemy, but I can say from experience that this slightly untraditional sandwich is the best banh mi I've ever eaten in my 15 years of banh mi-eating history.

Di Palo's Italian Market.  We met the coolest NY Italian behind the counter at Di Palo's.  Aside from the incredible porchetta, focaccia, and asiago that made for our last NY meal, he shared a few other tastes with us in his shop.  Check out this gigantic Swiss crucolo that we were lucky enough to watch being cut during our stop.

Here's a close-up of that rip.  The cheese is being crushed by it's own weight.

Golden King Bakery.  A Chinatown hole in the wall.  Being an early riser and having this place right across the street equals coffee and congee every morning.  After nights of heavy alcohol consumption, a light congee with pork and thousand year egg gets you ready for another run.  I'd love to stay in Chinatown again next year, but for a much cheaper room rate... thanks, UN convention!

Flying out to Venezuela on Thursday for 3 demos over 3 days.  Looking forward to every bit of the trip except for the kitchen we had to prep in last year... not ideal at all.  It's like some Top Chef nightmare.