Top Chef Season 5

The season finale of Top Chef was last night and I was really excited to see who would take the title. Hosea Rosenberg won the competition and hats off to him. I found all three contestants in the finale to have served uninspired cuisine at best.

Carla was led astray by her “sous chef” a past runner up in season 3 or 4. She chose to listen to her partner when cooking arguably the most important meal of her life. Her downfall was two fold. First she cooked a sirloin “sous vide.” This means to place the meat in a sealed, airtight, bag and SLOWLY poached at a VERY LOW temperature. The idea is that the protein strands in the meat never really tighten because of the low temperature, thus yielding an ultra-tender piece of meat. If done well this can be amazing. But you never employ a technique you have never tried before during a make it or break dinner. In addition to sous vide anything takes hours and hours. A tough cut like sirloin could take up to six hours or more and they only had five hours total to write the menu, prep, plate, and present. This was clearly not enough time. Her second mistake was that she again listened to her partner and made soufflé instead of following her cuisine. The soufflé curdled in an oven that was too hot and her fate was sealed.

Stefan, oh Stefan. I had my heat set on him winning as his ego was as big as all outdoors and I really thought he was the best chef on the show. In the end his ego and his dessert kept him from the title. He thought he had the competition in the bag and he was over-confident. He under estimated Hosea’s abilities from the beginning. His dessert was childish, sloppy looking, and dated. He did chocolate and berry ice creams with a banana lollipop and a chocolate basket that looked like he piped it while have a seizure. CRAP!

Lastly, Hosea the “winner” took the easy way out and served an average meal that lacked creativity and was certainly not Top Chef worthy. He had a great passed canapé of blackened fish on a corn cake with Cajun remoulade, which I thought looked really nice, and was presented well. Then he did some sashimi that the judges said was under seasoned-under seasoned on Top Chef? Then he finished with a roasted venison loin, which looked nice but was served with a blackberry demi-glace that lacked blackberry flavor. With all these issues he was still able to win? A total disappointment all around!

I will say that they all have some skills. I don’t know if I would be able to cook under some of the conditions that the contestants were able to cook under. Cooking for Eric Ripert, Jacques Pepin, Wylie Dufresne, and Anthony Bourdain- fucking BOURDAIN! But if you sign up for it that is what you are in for. I fully intend on applying to the show again this coming season, maybe you’ll see something better than a banana lollipop or grilled deer meat in the finale!

The Original Pancake House

Sunday morning, on the heels of the enchiladas, I went with Nick, Amy, Rob, Cheryl, and Charlie to The Original Pancake House in Centerville. This was my first trip to the restaurant and I was pleased. The menu here is extensive and includes huge three egg omelets, waffles, French toast, egg dishes, and of course pancakes. I found out later that this is actually a chain, which is surprising given the quality, portions, and handmade feel of everything.

I ordered the salami and scrambled eggs pictured above with a stack of bacon pancakes. I realize that this is a heart stopper but I felt obligated as Cheryl was lecturing me about heart health (thanks Dr. Mom!) I was really happy with the meal. The eggs were soft scrambled which is the correct way to cook scrambled eggs and the salami was great! This is not a combination that would have occurred to me but it really worked. I will say that it is hard to beat all beef kosher salami in anything. The pancakes were where the restaurant really soared. They used high quality bacon that was neither too salty nor too smoky. Also the mark of good bacon is that it doesn’t shrivel when cooked and it certainly stood up to the test. The cakes themselves were fluffy and light, which is good since the rich, heavy, bacon accompanied them. Then to top this salty, smoky, fluffy, goodness with sweet maple syrup is incredible!

Everyone else seemed to be pleased with there dishes as well. Service was fast, courteous, and well done. I will say that it is nice to know that there is one more good breakfast place in Dayton to go to on a sleepy Sunday morning. 10 out of 10.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

Saturday I tried my hand at recreating a dish Stacie and I had enjoyed at the Meadowlark the weekend previously. The Meadowlark version was stuffed with pureed pumpkin topped with a chipotle enchilada sauce, topped with queso blanco, and garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds. I did some research with my contacts at the Meadowlark and found out that they use canned pumpkin in their filling. I tried this and found the results a little too thin. Since I could locate a fresh pumpkin I used part canned pumpkin and part butternut squash. This resulted in a stiffer filling that could stand up to the heat of being baked for over an hour. Some garlic and cumin rounded out the seasoning in the filling.

For the sauce I started by sweating onions, adding chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and fresh tomatoes. After cooking the sauce down I pureed the whole thing and seasoned it up. The result was a sauce that I felt was a little spicy. To remedy this I added a few tablespoons of sour cream, which calmed the heat down a little bit.

To complete the dish I used the pumpkin to fill white corn tortillas topped them with the sauce and cheese then baked the casserole for an hour. My only complaint was that there was only one texture. I know now why the Meadowlark used toasted seeds as the garnish, to add a crunchy texture. All in all we were happy with the results and I intend to make this dish again.
PS-DJ Omar Trouble…

Sushi Cafe

I am happy to announce that my great friends Tommy and Elizabeth made the prestigious cut this weekend as we ate a meal together worthy of blog-ittude. The three of us enjoyed a dinner at Sushi Café.

For me one of the main attractions is always their house salad. Crisp lettuces, diced tomato, cucumber, and a ginger soy dressing make this salad fantastic. First course arrived and we made some wise choices. The requisite edamame steamed and served with plenty of sea salt to flavor. E ordered chicken yakitori, tender breast meat marinated in soy and garlic then grilled on a hibachi. The chicken was moist tender and really well seasoned. Lastly ordered steamed gyoza dumplings. These were not as tasty as I remembered them being on previous visits but they were passable. The filling was a little on the bland side.

Entrée time, we ordered a variety of different sushi and sashimi. I was really happy with the selection and the presentation of the sushi. One of the interesting things about Japanese cuisine is that the presentation is very effected by the serving pieces. In traditional French/Western cooking the majority of eye appeal comes from the ability to coax color and shape out of whatever food product you happen to be working with. In Eastern cuisine, Japanese in particular, a large amount of care is paid to the dishes food is served on. The Japanese realize that the serving ware must be utilitarian but also that it can be a thing of beauty. To this end Sushi Café does not disappoint. The food was artfully displayed and laid out. Which adds to the overall enjoyment of the meal.

I ordered toro sashimi, fatty tuna belly, and a “Japanese Bagel Roll” which contains salmon and cream cheese. Both were well prepared and very tasty. T and E ordered an assortment of other rolls including the crispy shrimp roll, spicy tuna, and spicy California rolls pictured above. The sushi arrived in a timely manner and we were all pleased with the taste.

The service at Sushi Café is always a little uneven. Our server seemed preoccupied with her other tables. Servers tend to get flustered when they get sat multiple tables at once and then can’t keep up. One table always gets neglected. On Friday it was our table. I don’t want to give the impression that the service was bad it was just not great. Overall a good meal and I always have a good time with Tommy and Elizabeth, 8 out of 10.

French Toast Explosion!

Steve and Anja put Ian and I up for the Chicago weekend. As a way of returning their kindness I decided to cook a big breakfast Sunday morning after the LSF show. I made French scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, and French toast. The real star here was the French toast. To make really good French toast you must start with French bread. Cut the loaf in one inch thick slices on the bias and allow the bread to stale for at least an hour, or overnight if possible. Next comes the custard that you will batter the bread in. Six eggs to a pint of heavy cream will really coat the bread nicely as well as crisp up due to high amount of protein in the eggs. To season the batter I always use cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Other items that compliment these flavors include vanilla, clove, and bourbon if you have any.

To cook the toast properly melt plenty of butter over a medium heat, dunk each slice in the custard, and place in the skillet. Cook three to four minutes per side or until a nice golden crust has been achieved. Hold the finished slices in a warm oven while cooking the remainder of the toast. Serve with warm maple syrup and more softened butter. This is sure to BRIGHTen up any Sunday brunch!

Arturo's Tacos

Arturo’s Tacos
WOW! This was my favorite meal of the whole Chicago trip. Arturo’s Tacos is a twenty-four hour restaurant that serves up authentic, reasonably priced, Mexican and Latin American cuisine with fast, efficient, service. The portions are huge and everything meets or exceeds expectation. I was surprised to see tacos filled with brains, tripe, and tongue, as these are typical of the American view of Mexican food. I ordered the chorizo torta, a dish that is masterfully handled by Dayton’s own Mex-a-Hole so they had big shoes to will. In addition to this huge sandwich I ordered a taco langua (tongue.)

The torta was filled to the max with wonderful house-made chorizo that was really strong on clove. Steve informed me that this was the case prior to eating it and to be honest I was weary. Clove is not a spice I ordinarily enjoy especially when used in savory dishes. The clove was definitely the main flavor in this sausage but it was in complimented the fattiness and the spiciness of the meat. The bread used to make a torta is a rich, eggy, brioche, like bread. Shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and sour cream served as the garnish on the sandwich and helped to cool the heat of the chorizo.

The taco langua was fantastic. The texture of tongue is often stringy and chewy but not this version. The meat was braised well and was so soft it fell apart in your mouth. The taste of tongue is similar to regular beef only much more intense. When I was in culinary school I spent ten days eating nothing but organ meat and tongue was one of the offal products that I truly enjoy. These tender bites were topped with mild farmer’s cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, and diced onion for texture. Then everything was wrapped up in a house-made white corn tortilla.

My dining companions enjoyed carne asada, chorizo, and vegetable tacos in addition to cheese quesadillas. The service here was quick and pleasant. Everything was very laid back and our waitress did a great job. 10 out of 10!!!

[An] Ear [Full Of] Wax

This past weekend I went with Ian (read hetero-life-mate) to Chicago. We visited friends Steve and Anja as well as being able to see Les Savy Fav. We ate several places that I loved. The first was Ear Wax, (ed.-excuse the above GBV reference) in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. They serve up a variety of vegetarian fare as well as some really good sandwiches. I ordered the steak sandwich pictured above which came with gorgonzola cheese, lettuce, tomato, on a house baked hoagie roll as well as a generous helping of seasoned fries. I was reasonably happy with my meal. The steak was well seasoned and the bread was great. The cheese was cream and rich without being overpowering as I feel it has a tendency to do. My complaint with the sandwich was the steak itself. They used a generous cut of rib-eye but they over cooked the meat, which makes all the connective tissue in the meat very tough and stringy.

Other dishes ordered at the table included a black bean burger and two beautifully cooked medium rare bison burgers topped with goat cheese. These plates seemed to be met with approval by all.

Service was a bit of an issue. The hippy girl that waited on us was not really on the ball. I ordered hummus and pita bread for the table that never came, which she seemed indifferent about. My other complaint is that the tables in this place are about two inches apart so it feels as though you are eating with the strangers next to you. The food was decent and the company was nice so my lasting impression is a good one. 7 out of 10.