November 7, 2007 - December 9, 2007

Sunday, December 09, 2007 I’m a Line Cook??? Current mood: hungry Oh yeah. I used to be a line cook, but then the world of catering - more specifically backstage catering - came into my life. Yesterday I got the call from my friends that own Ox restaurant in Jersey City. "Our line cook just called out sick. Can you come in and help out?" Gah! I haven't worked the line in about two years! How could I ever pull it off, and on a Saturday night? Some of you who have never been in the restaurant business might say, "What's the big deal? It's all just cooking, right?" Well no, that's not the case at all. Even though I spent a few years working the line, it's not really like riding a bike. You get rusty, and you forget how to organize yourself. You suddenly get hit with twenty-five orders at the same time, and what do you do? You either work through it, or you lose it. Last night, luckily it was pretty slow, and I got through it without a hitch. It was actually kind of fun at times, and I'm even thinking about going back on Wednesday to do it again. That is if I'm not going back to the catering side of things, which is of course my safe haven. Currently reading : The Pie and Pastry Bible By Rose Levy Beranbaum Release date: 11 November, 1998 11:22 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Friday, December 07, 2007 Radio Free Drama Current mood: annoyed It's finally Winter, here in New York. My second favorite season. Time to stay in the house, sort through the records and stay clear of all drama. That is until Christmas Day, of course. My roommates and I are having people over for dinner that day, which will be good. Here's the menu for the day: Chipotle, Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Pork Loin Wild Mushroom and Fingerling Potato Gratin Butternut Squash Cakes with Cranberry Jalapeno Chutney (It's a Fall/Winter fave) Roated Green Beans with Pine Nuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette Flageolet and Fennel Stew (for the Vegetarians) Wild Rice Pilaf Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Roasted Pears, Dried Cranberries, Spiced Almonds and Gorgonzola Dolce Mulled Wine Now, to figure out who is actually coming over. Currently reading : The Inferno By Dante Release date: 08 January, 2002 6:08 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Wednesday, December 05, 2007 And those faces??? And why do the faces for "Intense" and "Dorky" look the same? 10:19 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Nine Point One Current mood: intense I just recently came across some pictures from my going away party back in 1995, when I moved away from Minneapolis. And now, to think, I'm just getting in touch with people that I used to know in L.A. I'm still feeling very nostalgic about both places, even though I was only in L.A. for three years. I have to wonder what would happen if I went back to visit either one of these places, though. Beyond visiting, what would happen if I moved back to either one of these places???? Currently listening : Rattus Norvegicus By The Stranglers Release date: 06 November, 2001 10:07 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Tuesday, December 04, 2007 I Dream of... Current mood: dorky I've been having food anxiety dreams...a lot! Where is this all coming from? Last night's creation was some sort of eggplant parmagiana, with a weird biscuity topping! I had exactly five minutes to prepare it, and instead of being allowed the time that was needed, I was sent out on a mission on a golf cart by someone who wasn't my boss. Let's just say that that creation won't be on my Christmas menu, and that's for sure. I've had some pretty good dining experiences within the past couple of weeks that I've been meaning to write about, but with all of these anxiety ridden, culinary dreams, who has time for such trivial matters? Well, now that it's 3:40 a.m., I guess it's no better time than the present to state my culinary viewpoint. First point of interest was a place in Dulles airport, in D.C. Yes, I know what you're probably thinking. "Airport food????" Oh, but not just any airport food, thank you very much. It was a place called Five Guys Burgers. Yes, burgers! Love them, or hate them, they exist in many forms, and often they kind of suck, but sometimes there's that diamond in the rough that says, "I am the burger of your dreams." This burger was amazing, and the fries were pretty good, too! It's basically a hand shaped burger on a great roll that's been perfectly toasted. You then add all of your toppings, and for free! The burger is perfectly seasoned as well. The one thing that threw me off is that it's cooked to medium, something that I normally wouldn't approve of, because frankly, that's overcooked in my book. Not the case with this burger. It was lovely, straight across the board. My particular creation consisted of cheese (American for me that day - I believe Swiss is the other option), lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and ketchup. Nothing fancy, but perfect, nonetheless. I had a side of fries to go along with it, which were hand cut, with the skin still intact. They were slightly undercooked, for my liking, but well seasoned. One thing about this place is that you can't be thin skinned with these guys. They're definitely from the chezburger, chezburger, pepsi, pepsi, school of burger slinging. They work fast, though, and I went to my connecting flight very happy, and full. My next culinary adventure was at my good friends' restaurant in Jersey City, by the name of Ox. Ed, Nicole and I used to work at a place over in J.C. called Marco and Pepe, which used to be one of my favorite restaurants. I liked the place so much, that I decided to seek out a job from them, and we've remained friends to this day. We still even work together from time to time. Their restaurant just opened over on Newark Avenue, and I would strongly advise all of you to go and visit. On this particular night that I went by, I was actually in after I did a catering gig for them. Usually after such events, I find that I'm not so hungry, being that I have been around so much food, and frankly, tired of all of it. At first I declined, but they twisted my arm, and I was very happy that they did. I had a first course of Steak Tartar with Truffled Fingerling Potato Chips. The steak tartar was made from, of course, filet mignon, and it was definitely on the piquant side of flavor. It had a nice blend of capers, red pepper and lemon, along with olive oil and of course sea salt. Very simple, but delicious, especially with the truffled potato chips, which were very delicate and delicious even on their own. My second course consisted of an olive oil poached sea bass with roasted potatoes and a lemon nage. Once again, delicious, and perfectly seasoned and definitely not overcooked as is the case with most restaurants that prepare seafood these days. I paired my first course with a very nicely rounded, Argentinian Malbec, and for my second course I had a very grassy Sauvignon Blanc out of Napa Valley. A very nice meal all around. And now for more food anxiety dreams. Currently reading : From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients By Diana Kennedy Release date: 09 September, 2003 8:37 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Saturday, November 24, 2007 Skating Amidst the Saguaros Current mood: anxious My Nieces and I have a new tradition! I come to visit them in the desert of Arizona, then we go ice skating! When I was a kid, during the winter I used to go skating every single day. I kid you not. There was a field about fifty yards from our house in Minnesota that they would flood every winter (er, fall?), and just about every day (except when there was three feet of snow on the rink) my brother and I would go skating. If I remember correctly, this all started right after school, and continued until they flashed the lights to signal the closing of the warming house. That was about 9:00 or 9:30 p.m.! It's a wonder that I still have all of my extremeties attached, given the frigid temperatures of Minnesota winters and all. In NYC, I do have a pair of skates, but the sad thing is that I have not used them once. Maybe this winter I'll go down to Prospect Park, or perhaps even Rockefeller Center to don my blades. Only three days, and I can put that plan into action! Currently listening : Night Chicago Died By Paper Lace Release date: 15 August, 2006 1:50 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 A Gash in the Head, and Lightning in the Garden Current mood: curious Yes, I've always known that I've been somewhat - how shall we say - not even remotely close to being graceful. Well, my lack of coordination came to its pinnacle last week when I lost my balance and came crashing down to not only scrape my knee, but also give myself a big horrific gash in the back of the head. How nice. Since the night/morning of the incident, I've had a hell of a time sleeping, but when I do sleep, I've been having these really crazy dreams which put me in a state of confusion for a good hour or two after waking up from them. One such dream was where I was watching myself as a child, and I was in the basement of the house that I grew up in in Minneapolis. The child (me) was just looking out the window, which actually was something that I had a proclivity towards, and in all honesty, I sometimes still do. I was a bit of a daydreamer, I've been told, not to mention extremely quiet and shy, but once again, I digress. All of a sudden, a huge bolt of lightning struck in a plot which was where we always had our garden. It actually struck where we used to grow the zucchini every year, which was next to the elderberry bush, which is a different story unto itself. Ask me about stomping elderberries in a big tub to make elderberry wine sometime. The lightning struck once, and then the actions of the dream cycled through again, and again, and then once more, each time the lightning hit the exact same area, and each time with an abundance of sparks and smoke. The funny thing is that the child (me) didn't flinch at all each time it happened, and just watched and waited for the next one. Me, as the spectator, was clearly, um, "shocked" by it all. My head still hurts from my little stumble, but no time to worry about that. It's time to prep for the Thanksgiving meal. Arizona is where I am, and it's actually kind of nice. I like the desert this time of year. I can handle it until February or March, and then after that it really is too hot for my blood. I can just hang out in the back yard and read my cheesy rock biography and hang out with my Nieces. Actually, Saturday is Disney skating with them, and then Sunday it's the Seussical. That's right, a Dr. Seuss musical. My contribution to the Thanksgiving meal this year (the first one I've been to with my family in about five years) will be the following: Butternut Squash Cakes with Cranberry Jalapeno Chutney and Creme Fraiche A Crudite Platter with Southwestern Spiced Dip Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Prociutto Maple and Orange Glazed Garnet Yams Bon appetit, and sweet dreams??? Currently listening : The Days of Wine & Roses By The Dream Syndicate Release date: 17 July, 2001 3:19 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Monday, November 12, 2007 Boston’s okay, but I’m glad to be home! Current mood: drained Okay, so this trip out wasn't so great. As a matter of fact, it was pretty grueling. I caught the 7:00 a.m. Fung Wah Bus to Boston, which went off without a hitch. As a matter of fact, it was the fastest trip up to Boston ever -- under four hours, even with a fifteen minute stop! I was early to meet Kerry, so I meandered through Boston's Chinatown, which is very close to South Station. As far as Chinatowns go, it was nice, but of course doesn't even come close to rivaling New York's Chinatown. It was a lot cleaner, though. I passed by a Vietnamese restaurant and decided that there was no better time than the present to have a nice, steaming bowl of pho. I love pho, especially when it's done properly and they offer all of the additions of Thai basil, lime and bean sprouts, which this place did. For some reason, some places just don't do that - or at least they don't do it without a request. This time, I had mine with the flank steak and "meatballs". I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure the meatballs are pork. If you've never had a Vietnamese meatball, I would recommend that you go out and try one. They're delicious, but completely different from the Italian version. They're very dense, and much tougher, but good nonetheless. They seemingly don't have any binding agents, such as egg or breadcrumbs, and appear to be one small mass of ground meat. Anyway, I had my pho, and then moved on to the Opera House, which is where my work was to be done. I showed up just as Kerry pulled up in the truck. It was funny, because when he pulled up, I wasn't able to see the truck, but I knew it was there from the sounds that it makes. This was even though there were a few other trucks going through that alleyway. Interesting, but I digress. The mission: To feed thirty-five people from the cast of Witches at 8:30 p.m., then feed one-hundred, plus Union stage hands at 3:00 a.m. Yes, that's right, 3:00 A.M! This meant that Kerry and I would be working for just about twenty-four hours straight. We had to unload the trucks, set up the kitchen, go shopping, do the prep, set up the line, and cook, which is all fine, but it was with a very crazy dining schedule. Not only that, but one of the people that was supposed to be with us decided that it would be much more convenient to not show up. How nice for her. To say that I was pissed would definitely be an understatement. To say that at one point I wanted to cut off her dreads with a butter knife would be a bit more like it. I'm over it, though. Well, we did the job, we fed the people, then we packed our stuff up. Finally at about 8:00 a.m. we jumped in the truck and Kerry dropped me off at South Station for my journey home to Brooklyn. Of course I can't really sleep on a bus, but I was so tired that I couldn't help but close my eyes from time to time. We finally made it back to Chinatown at about noon, and I decided that it was prime time for a banh mi sandwich from one of my favorite purveyors on Broome and Mott. I love this guy, and I love his wares. He makes really delicious Vietnamese sandwiches, plus he has a whole array of pickles and other Southeast Asian condiments. The sandwiches are cheap ($3.50), and not only that, but he's a sweet man on top of it! There's another guy that works there with him who I think might be his son, but I'm not 100% certain on that. They're both very accommodating every time I walk in the store. Oh, the stores name! Yes, that's important. Honestly, I'm not really sure, but I think it's Saigon Sandwich Shop, and it's on Broome between Elizabeth and Mott in Chinatown. It's on the South side of the street. If you're ever in the neighborhood, definitely make a trip there! I got my sandwich (the 1 special) and made my way back to Brooklyn, completely exhausted, and feeling a little bit out of my head. I arrived at home, ate my lovely little 1 Special, and all of a sudden felt quite awake. Gah! How can this be? I was just overly exhausted, was all it was, and decided to wait it out. A couple of hours later, finally I couldn't help but close my eyes. There I stayed for several hours, completely passed out on my couch, and still in my work clothes. And to think I chose this profession! Not only that, but I might be going back to Massachusetts in a couple of days! 4:03 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Saturday, November 10, 2007 Get me out, please. Current mood: cynical It's time for me to get out of New York. Unfortunately, this seems to happen every time I'm here for more than two weeks. Tomorrow I leave for a quick trip up to Boston, but will two days be enough to stave off the desire to be on the road again? Probably not, but it will have to do. 10:56 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Wednesday, November 07, 2007 Manana! Current mood: productive Yes, I'm going to make it happen. I will leave the house. Only because I have a catering gig, but wait...there's something else! Jon (a/k/a Porkchop) is DJing at Motor City. Okay, I shall go, and I suggest you go too! I did leave the house today, but only to check out a farmers' market that is somewhat nearby. It really wasn't anything to write home about, but I did get to see parts of Bushwick that I don't usually check out. If you ever get a chance, take a walk or a bike ride through Bushwick. There's really some interesting architecture throughout the area, especially down Bushwick Avenue. The market, which wasn't far from Bushwick Avenue, consisted of one tent in the center of a school playground. All they had was some abysmal looking kale, some sweet potatoes and other tubers, and a bunch of sorry looking apples, mixed with a couple of squash and some cabbage. I picked up some cabbage, potatoes, and a calabasas squash and made my way back home. Wow, a whole hour outside of my house. What a thrill! On the way home, I also stopped by the local supermarket. That's always an interesting sociological experiement. The market that I shop at is on the border of Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, and relatively close to East New York. For the most part the demographic consists of Latinos, African-Americans, and people from the West-Indies. To make it even more interesting, the market is seemingly owned by a Korean family. In this particular market, you can actually get some fairly decent produce, plus they have a pretty good fish market where you can even get whole fish! They also have the usual Latin fare of plantains, yucca, limes, cilantro, and every single imaginable pork product under the sun. Plus, if so inclined (I'll pass, thank you) you can also get West-Indian style, pickled pork products. Have you ever looked at a pigs snout as it sits in brine? Or a pigs hoof, for that matter? To each their own is all I have to say. I picked up some corned beef to make a somewhat pedestrian, but totally appropriate for the weather, New England boiled dinner. It's been simmering away for three hours, and frankly, I think it might need a couple more. I also picked up some beets, and made some borscht. For some reason, whenever I think of or have borscht, I think of my Mom. That's strange unto itself, considering that there's not a drop of Eastern European blood on either side of my family. I think it was one of those things that she used to make when I was a kid when she was feeling particularly adventurous in the kitchen. You see, my Mom was raised in southern Minnesota, where adventurous cuisine meant using jarred tomato sauce instead of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. That being said, though, her father was full-blooded Lebanese, so that sort of food filtered through her childhood table, onwards and then up through my childhood dining experiences. I think in the end, tabouleh may have saved me and my palate. But I digress. Tomorrow, more mini lobster rolls and burgers, I'm sure, but this time I only have to travel to midtown. Nothing worse than traveling an hour to fill tiny buns with something that someone else cooked. I guess it pays the bills, though, so who am I to complain. And it certainly beats sitting at a desk, which is what I used to do. In the end, I think what it comes down to is that I like to see my food creations through from beginning to end. It's just that much more gratifying to me. And gratification is what it's all about, isn't it? Hmm. 1:10 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove