Culinaria 2010!

Culinaria is a yearly event that gathers together Michelin starred Chefs from all over Europe. By happenstance we were in Brussels the very same weekend that this festival was happening. Tommy and I ventured onto the Brussels’ subway for the first time and made the trek to the expo center to eat lunch. After getting turned around and walking way further than needed we found the Culinaria, bought tickets, got confused, spoke broken French, and were herded inside. Forty-five Euros bought us a ticket in and a four-course lunch, each course prepared by a different Master Chef plying his trade. In addition to lunch there were vendors from all over the continent selling food and food related products as well as chefs giving demos and classes (sadly, all the instruction was in French or Dutch).

Tommy and I were blown away with our lunch experience! The menu was as follows:

Langoustine, dans de la brume, fenouil, orange, algues, ail des ours

Shrimp bruleed with fennel and oranges

Lard de ferme confit, soufflé et laque aux epices

Farm-raised pork belly, confit and soufflé, lacquered in spices

Joue de veau braisee, celery-rave, estragon, Parmesan

Braised veal cheek with celery root, tarragon, and Parmesan cheese

Ceci n’est pas une orange

Orange dessert served several ways (my liberal American translation)

Each course was expertly and painstakingly tended to and the flavors melded and worked together like a fantastic piece of art. The presentation of the shrimp involved dry ice so it was the most impressive visually. The entrée of veal was like the best pot roast you ever had but from another planet! The two standouts for me were the second and fourth courses. The pork belly was so tender they only handed out spoons. It was served with a pork fat soufflé, fried pork skin, and bacon. This was an otherworldly experience for me. For someone who lives and breathes pork it was a new experience for me. Unbelievable! The dessert was a study on orange, which after the two previous courses being so heavy was needed. Everything on the plate, except the graham cracker was orange flavored. Frozen orange mousse, orange sorbet, orange jelly, candied orange zest, and did I mention the plate was painted with 14K gold leaf before plating.

Tommy and I have set the bar really high for only our second day in Europe. We have 9 more days of eating ahead of us. Here’s hoping it goes up from here, tomorrow…PARIS!

www.culinariasquare.be

Airport Sushi in Atlanta? One Flew South!

Let’s face it airport food courts are not exactly the place to find haute cuisine. A meal at an airport usually involves a fruit cup with under-ripe cantaloupe, a soft pretzel with fluorescent orange cheese sauce, and a six-dollar bottle of water. On our way to Los Angeles Ian and I happened upon an Asian-American bistro called One Flew South in the Atlanta airport.

The first departure (pun intended) from your traditional airport food was an actual dining room with a hostess and servers. Not the usual carry your food on a tray and bus your own table type setup. Next surprisingly was our server, Sopee. She was pleasant, knowledgeable, and efficient. The menu, which I have included here, is very well put together and was a nice break in an otherwise long and bizarre travel situation. http://www.oneflewsouthatl.com/foodanddrink.html

So we ordered the braised pork belly sandwich and the Kobe beef burger. Kobe beef in an airport! The pork sandwich was excellent! Pork belly braised slowly in rice wine and seasoned with Asian spices was succulent, rich, and juicy. The pork was heaped on toasted foccacia bread and topped with in-house pickled jalapenos, and fresh avocado. The sandwich was served with a rich dark mole and an asparagus cheese sauce for dipping as well as a portion of Napa cabbage slaw. The two sauces were out of this world. I am a sucker for a good mole and this was it. Deep chocolate flavor, bitter, sweet, and then just enough spice at the end. I have never considered mole a sauce to use for a sandwich. Mole is something that usually is used as a means of braising tougher cuts of meat like pork shoulder or chicken thighs. It was used here masterfully. Ian ordered the Kobe beef burger, which has sautéed shiitake mushrooms and creamy goat cheese on it. The burger was cooked to a beautiful medium and accompanied by a heap of five-spice seasoned fries. Ian loved the burger and wolfed it down. He turned his nose up at the fries claiming, “a bad experience with seasoned fries in the past” so I was only too willing to help him out.

This meal was an oasis, everything from the service, to the gorgeous dining room, to the wonderful food was a complete surprise and not at all what you would expect from a food court. Well done One Flew South, ten out of ten!