Matters of Taste

A Food Writer Remembers Charlie Trotter

The food world was shocked this week by the announcement of super-chef Charlie Trotter’s death at  at the age of 54.

                                      
                                        

 Well-known as an irascible perfectionist who terrified workers in his kitchen, Trotter was also acknowledged to be one of the most creative, disciplined and hard-working chefs of the past decades. His eponymous Chicago restaurant vaulted Chicago’s dining scene into the big leagues. He closed the restaurant in 2012 after 25 years at the top of the gastronomic hit parade.

                                                    

I loved Trotter’s food. Globe artichoke soup poured over spun honeycomb and garnished with artichoke chips and fresh mint. Open-face wild mushroom tarts. Cardamom-scented ricotta soufflé with candied Buddha's Hand mushrooms and olive praline. (Food photos by John Reed Forsman for Veranda.)

                                                      

In 2005, I wrote a story about the 25 greatest meals I had eaten in my 25 years as Restaurant Critic of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Dinner at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago was one of them.

Toast of the town

At first, I found the sleek, quiet, contemporary atmosphere of Charlie Trotter's very staid. But with each remarkable dish – an asparagus terrine with goat cheese; potato cannelloni with artichokes; foie gras served with white asparagus soup and sweet Vidalia onions; skate wing with clams and preserved papaya – and with each delicious wine recommended by the friendly sommelier, Trotter's Chicago town-house seemed more and more like the happiest place on earth.  

But as much as the food world appreciated Trotter’s talent, fellow chefs, kitchen workers and, yes, food writers were often totally put off by his arrogance and demanding-to-the-point-of-nasty style.

I encountered that side of Trotter on my very first writing assignment, some 30 years ago, for the then-San Diego Union. At a glitzy gala dinner, staged in Los Angeles by the Relais & Chateaux collection of luxury restaurants and hotels, 50 American and international chefs gathered to cook together. The team represented a staggering 90 Michelin stars. For hours, 49 of the chefs toiled in the hot kitchen of the Biltmore hotel, helping each other, trading jokes, tasting, and praising. The other chef, Charlie Trotter, blew in the door with less than 30 minutes to showtime, having done all his cooking elsewhere – unencumbered by such things as collaboration and camaraderie.

I wrote:

“As the last waiter clears the swinging door, all eyes focus on Charlie Trotter, who has arrived with great fanfare and with much of the preparation of his lamb dish done in the morning in his Chicago kitchen. 

While a KCET camera lens creeps to within an inch of the glasses perched on his nose, Trotter leans over a plate explaining quietly to his helpers exactly how his lamb with Israeli couscous and red wine essence should be plated.  He places an oven-roasted slice of lamb loin on the plate, moves it a fraction of an inch, moves it again, adds a drizzle of sauce, then steps back to assess his handiwork.”

High-strung. Volatile. Arrogant. Maybe.

But the world’s communal dining table will be a less interesting place without Charlie Trotter’s talents. And I, for one, will always be grateful I got the chance to enjoy that foie gras with white asparagus soup and sweet Vidalia onions.

                                     

Meatball Madness --- Continued

On a trip to Philadelphia earlier this month, I encountered meatballs on almost every menu I perused. The splendid orbs pictured here were at Tinto, chef Jose Garces’ celebration of pintxos, the Basque version of tapas (pronounced Peen-choes).

                      


Coarsely ground and artfully spiced, sauced with piperade, (the spunky Basque menage-a-trois of onion, bell pepper and tomato), and snuggled into a clay pot along with one perfectly poached egg for dunking, this meatball experience was deliriously delicious.

So delicious, in fact, that I broke down and ordered a second dish after our group of four had polished off a procession of 11 plates including a satiny big-eye tuna tartare bocadillo with chorizo aioli; lamb chops with artichoke puree and Seville oranges; shrimp brochettes with espelette chile; and some of the crispiest patatas (shaped like marshmallows and served with tomato compote and blue cheese cream for dipping) that I’ve ever tasted.

Tinto, named for the colloquial reference to the red wines of Northern Spain, is one of the half-dozen Philadelphia eateries by Garces, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in 2009. His first restaurant, Amada, was opened in 2005. I  loved the “small plates” at that restaurant, too, especially the suckling pig bocadillo, and the Spanish flatbread with grilled shrimp, chorizo and garbanzo bean puree. Both restaurants offer extensive lists of interesting, lesser-known wines, by glass and bottle.

On a Roll: Magnificent Meatballs in San Diego

The lowly meatball, once content to park itself atop a tangle of sauced spaghetti, continues to roll merrily along at the front of the trend parade.  Just this week, a new restaurant opens in Denver, Zeno’s Meatball Kitchen, with eight types of meatballs including beef fajitas meatballs called  “Cojones,” “Blue Balls” with blue cheese and bacon, “Great Balls of Fire” made with chorizo and ranch slaw, and “Fowl Balls,” no explanation required.

But I’m happy to report that two of the best versions I’ve tasted in the last year are right here at home in San Diego.

                         

At The Fishery in Pacific Beach, chef Paul Arias hits the jackpot with his Spaghetti with Swordfish Meatballs (above). Cubes of impeccably fresh fish are loosely mixed with oregano, basil, garlic and parmesan cheese, with a bit of beaten egg and breadcrumbs to hold it all together. After a turn in a hot sauté pan, this hefty meatball has delicious little bits of char that contrast with the moist insides.  

Arias then stews the meatballs in a savory tomato sauce, adds them to hot spaghetti, and dusts the winning concoction with basil, roasted cherry tomatoes, grated lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs. The aromas, tastes and textures add up to quintessential comfort food.

The Fishery, which opened its doors as a seafood restaurant-wholesaler in 1997, is well known and admired for the quality of its fish, and its progressive efforts to support healthy marine life and sustain local economies. That means, you won’t get a better piece of swordfish anywhere. And, you’ll only get Swordfish Meatballs at The Fishery when it’s the right season to fish the big whoppers.

It also means that Chef Arias has access to parts of the swordfish --- like the belly he uses for the meatballs --- that we mere mortals can’t buy. So, while I fully intend to experiment in my own kitchen with this yummy new discovery, I also plan to order my new fave at the restaurant every chance I get.

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There are lots of reasons to visit Brooklyn Girl Eatery, Mike and Victoria McGeath’s newest restaurant, in Mission Hills -- the luscious Chocolate Bourbon Bread Pudding and the juicy Williams Burger with blue cheese and cherry wood bacon among them. But it’s the Bacon Wrapped Vietnamese Meatballs that drove me mad last fall, and keep driving me back to the restaurant again and again.

                      


A combination of freshly ground shrimp and pork, the balls are smartly seasoned, light and airy. Each chunky orb is wrapped in a crackly bacon blanket and glossed with a lip-smacking sweet ginger glaze.  A trio is tucked into an artsy dish and topped with a vivid “Tiger Slaw” that seemed to me to involve cabbage, bell pepper, onion, carrot, celery leaves and ginger.

Listed in the “Street Starts” section of the menu, the Vietnamese Meatballs are designed to be shared as an appetizer. But, I’m warning you upfront: You want to be the pushiest person at your table, with the quickest fork, because everybody goes crazy over them.

                                      

They also go crazy over the whole Brooklyn Girl scene. The place is great looking, open and airy, with big-city style and a happy, high-energy crowd. The vast space is divided into a curvaceous bar area with creative lighting and assorted seating arrangements; an inviting dining area with floor-to-ceiling windows and dominant art on the walls; and a sunny corner café where you can watch bakers and cooks doing their thing. (Brooklyn Girl is open for brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night dining.)

Oh yes, the menu has plenty of delicious ways to continue after the meatballs, too, including a nice butter lettuce and bacon salad with fried capers; a crisp roasted duck with ginger and honey; and excellent pizzas from a wood-burning oven.

Appetizing Appetizers --- The Best of 2012

Picking your favorite appetizer at Tertulia is kinda like picking your favorite kid. How to choose from the outrageously crispy, smoky, sweet Brussels sprouts tossed with bits of pork belly and garlic; the Tosta Seta, grilled bread slabs with marinated mushrooms, smoked ricotta and toasted pinenuts; the crispy potatoes dusted with Spanish smoked paprika and served with garlicky aioli; the blistered shishito peppers in a blizzard of coarse salt; and the crunchy orbs of Jerusalem artichoke, spritzed with citrus and yogurt, that go by the name Tupinamburas?

                                    

It’s impossible. That’s why each distinctive and delicious tapas at this hip, happening New York City bistro makes this list. (Photo of Tosta Seta by Foodspotting.) 

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A lot of sins are committed every day in the name of the all-American crabcake. But I found two sensational takes on the precious patty in 2012.

At Bouchon in Santa Barbara, the elegant cakes were prepared with lots of first-rate Dungeness crab -- moist, flaky and flavorful -- and little else to steal its thunder. The “garnish” on the plate included fennel puree; a tiny salad of micro-greens, celery and fennel; grapefruit-spritzed aioli; and a silky avocado from Sommer Farms. I managed to get a bit of each component with every heavenly bite.

                                   

At Blue Duck Tavern in Washington, D.C.’s Park Hyatt Hotel, the Jumbo Lump Crabcakes (above, in a photo from Flickr) that I enjoyed last fall cited their pedigree (from Bayou La Batra, AL) on the menu, along with their accessories: Frisée and Fennel, Coral Aioli. But I didn’t need any scorecard to tell me these cakes were the best of the best. Large chunks of juicy, sweet crab gently gathered into a handsome disc and sautéed ‘til the edges were crackly. The cool frisée further tickled the palate. The coral aioli was like a voluptuous splash of lobster bisque.

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Nobody does the popular “shared plates” gig better than Jamonera in Philadelphia. From my first sip of an Alhambra cocktail (Bombay gin, grapefruit puree, rosemary and ginger) and first nibble of Papa Frita, I knew I was in love.

Jamonera’s potato chunks are crispy skinned, fluffy inside. Sprinkled with coarse salt and drizzled with a bracing, wood-smoked garlic aioli, they deliver a rapid-fire volley of flavors and textures. The shiny house-made sherry vinegar hot sauce made the fab fries taste even better. (The photo is from metro.us, a Philly blog with great restaurant recommendations.)

                                    

Later in the tapas parade we ordered eggplant fries, also known as Berenjenas and dipped the crisp batons, miraculously creamy within, into a spunky smoked salmorejo sauce (tomatoes, bread, olive oil and garlic), then captured the little shreds of zamorano cheese (similar to Manchego) and squiggles of truffled honey. At that point we decided that it’s been way too long since our last visit to Spain.

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When I got together with eight discriminating colleagues – critics for Dallas Morning News and Washington Post among them – for dinner at Washington, D.C.’s The Oval Room, we managed to gobble and schmooze our way through almost every appetizer on the extensive and exciting menu.    

                                        
                     

So delicious was the special Truffle Pasta with Shaved Summer Truffle and Toasted Hazelnut that it killed me to take just a small portion and pass it along. Though pale in appearance, the flavors – warm, earthy, sweet and toasty – were emphatic and lingering.

A Whiskey Sour By Any Other Name

Will taste as good. Or better.

Especially if its name is "Provence," as in the southern France region, and it’s shaken up by the bartender at La Marmotte in Telluride, Colorado.

Last week on a particularly cold, blustery night, I arrived at La Marmotte craving a “warming” cocktail. No gin ‘n tonic night, this. Even my usual Campari & Soda seemed too summery and too “Mediterranean.” The last item on La Marmotte’s specialty cocktail menu got my attention real fast. The Provence: Maker’s Mark Bourbon, fresh lemonade, fresh lemon juice, ginger simple syrup. Served on the rocks in a low-ball glass, it was divine, lip-smacking divine.

                            


It never occurred to me that this was a from-yonder-year "whiskey sour" until one of my friends took a sip and proclaimed it such. Some thirty years ago I was a whiskey sour kinda girl. Loved ‘em. Have vivid, and, I might add, endearing memories of whiskey sours that I bought in the late ‘70s at Carl’s Pharmacy in Aspen Colorado. Canned whiskey sours. From a drugstore’s refrigerated case. How retro is that? How far away from today’s 20-buck Cosmos, celebrity mixologists, and Lagavulin snobbery?

But, alas, tastes evolve and I abandoned what the WSJ called “The Katherine Hepburn of Cocktails.” Now, after three decades and one "Provence" cocktail, I’m back on the whiskey sour train. I’ve searched out Ginger Simple Syrup – available on Amazon.com from Sonoma Syrup Company; and found a good recipe for homemade lemonade on AllRecipes.com.  Simply Lemonade works well too. I find this version of the classic more interesting, more refreshing, and less boozy than the original. (Photo from the Wall Street Journal.)

                               

Now, lest anyone think that I drank my dinner at La Marmotte, let me mention chef Mark Reggiannini’s sensational braised beef short ribs, fragrant from their winey bath, falling from the bone, and teamed with parmesan mashed potatoes and a snappy pistou of fresh basil and mint. And the savory Onion Goat Cheese Tart served with crispy bacon and carrot ginger sauce. And the heavenly gratin of heirloom tomatoes that was dotted with Roquefort cheese (and served with Hangar Steak au Poivre). For more about this Telluride eatery that’s been charming folks for more than 20 years, check out my earlier blog.

To-Die-For Desserts --- Best of 2012

I wouldn’t normally order dessert after a casual pizza lunch at the counter in Nancy Silverton’s popular Los Angeles eatery, Pizzeria Mozza. But what are you gonna do when the folks sitting smack next to you order a voluptuous Banana Gelato Pie, all foofed up with candied hazelnuts and shiny hot fudge sauce you could smell a block away?  I mean, really, look at this thing. Would you pass it up? (Photos by Yelp.)

                                  

I loved every bite -- the silken ice cream, the intense bittersweet chocolate, the nutty crunch. Then I figured, hey, if one dessert was so good here, maybe we should order another, like maybe the Butterscotch Budino with Maldon Sea Salt and Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies.

                                          

Smooth as buttah, with the smoky caramel soul of dulce de leche, a dollop of whipped cream, and a dusting of crunchy salt. Heavenly.

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Dessert at Jamonera in Philadelphia has the proverbial tough act to follow. We loved everything about a dinner that started with the lip-smacking Alhambra cocktail (Bombay gin, grapefruit puree, rosemary and ginger) and meandered indulgently through a terrific tapas menu. Yet, still, we were blown away by the final showpiece of the evening. (Photo by Foodspotting.)

                                       

The Jamonera Sundae consists of a warm brownie spiked with espelette pepper, creamy nougat ice cream, a crumbled Spanish-peanut-pretzel praline, hot fudge sauce, and a fat, fluffy vanilla bean marshmallow. How do you say “outtasite” in Spanish?

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Too bad that Elvis had left the building when I dined at New York City’s db Bistro Moderne last May. He would surely have flipped over pastry chef Ashley Brauze’s Peanut and Banana Napoleon. I certainly did, fighting my tablemates for every last lick of shiny, sumptuous banana cream, rum-glazed bananas, crackly feuilletine of milk chocolate and peanuts,  and the coup de grace, spiced chocolate ice cream. (Brauze cooked at El Bulli in Spain and Per Se in New York before settling down in the Daniel Boulud empire of haute cuisine.) Her Peanut and Banana Napoleon is one Big Hunk o’ Love.

                        


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Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first. That’s particularly sage advice if you’re talking about the voluptuous Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding at The Hungry Cat. 

This popular bistro in downtown Santa Barbara serves only this one dessert – a killer concoction of crusty bread cubes, silken ganache, bumpy brulée crust, all baked together in a classic French metal mold. (Photo by AliceQFoodie.)

                                        

The bittersweet chocolate is at the bottom, so the best way to enjoy the pudding is to dip deep with each spoonful and pull up hot chocolate ribbons along with the souffléed bread. The dessert is big enough for two, and digging into the sexy, little charlotte mold, right down to the gooey chocolate on the bottom, is about as much fun as two people can legally have over dessert in a public place.

Fabulous Feasts -- My Favorite Meals of 2012

At the risk of drooling all over my new Apple MacBook Pro's keyboard, I'd like to share with you the best dinners, decadent desserts, appetizing appetizers, and one grand gastro-adventure that I lucked into in 2012. Today, my three favorite dinners.                                        

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The Dutch, Andrew Carmellini’s New American restaurant in Greenwich Village, is the quintessential dining “experience” -- --- the complete package, that magical blend of excitement, comfort, great food and booze that makes us giddy.

The appealing “vibe” hit me the instant we stepped inside the door --- boisterous and high-spirited, with exuberant bartenders doing their thing and an enthusiastic clientele clinking glasses and slurping fresh oysters at the bar devoted to that pastime. In the “back” is a low-ceilinged dining room with white brick, dark wood and a soft glow from chandeliers shining on large tables and cozy booths alike.

                                      

Which of the 19 gins on the bar list would I like in my gin ‘n tonic? Well now, you just know you’re going to have fun when that’s the first salvo of the evening. (I chose the new-to-me Spring 44 from Colorado and loved it).

As a lover of bourbon too, I would happily have spent the evening exploring the rest of the bar list, which features more than 50 interesting whiskies. But calmer minds prevailed and I was soon equally  entranced by the Snack list that proposed Eggplant Dip with Crackers, Beer-Steamed Clams and Little Oyster Sandwiches among other things. (Photo by Esquire.) If I had to reduce 2012 to just one, to-die-for Snack, this beautifully battered nubbin of oyster, perched on a seeded bun would be it.

                                      

The groans of pleasure had barely subsided when along came a dazzling bunch of “Jersey Asparagus,” steamed bright and topped with sautéed mushrooms and one perfect fried egg; and a flavorful pork chop (which is usually an oxymoron) snatched from a spunky adobo marinade, grilled to perfection, and served with cheesey grits and wax beans.

Other winners along the way to the insanely delicious Curry Sugar Donuts finale: Spring salad with old-fashioned buttermilk dressing, and a smoky roasted chicken with chickpeas, spiced yogurt and tamarind “flair” that would make Jennifer Aniston weep.

Yes, the donuts. Poufy, crackly with sugar, and served with butterscotch pudding and cashew brittle. In a word: Wow.

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When dinner starts with the best tuna tartare you’ve ever tasted (and you’ve eaten your weight in tuna tartare many times over!)  you know you’re in for one pretty fabulous dinner. Well, “pretty fabulous” doesn’t even do justice to the dinner I enjoyed at Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia.

                                   

After the luminous bits of tuna the texture of cooked rice, judiciously moistened with sesame oil and a touch of herbs, came grilled sourdough topped with a mint-flecked green pea puree and wispy lardons of house-cured, crisp bacon; and sensational shishito peppers, char-blistered, dusted with coarse salt, and teamed with impossibly crisp roasted potatoes (pictured above). By the time the crisp-edged, fork-tender pork blade steak main course arrived, with its bitter mustard greens and sweet-tart red onion marmalade, I was totally in love with Vernick Food & Drink.

Open only since last Spring, Vernick is home to Greg Vernick, the accomplished chef who opened a slew of restaurants around the world for Jean-Georges Vongerichten before returning “home” to his own place.  The restaurant, located just off Rittenhouse Square, is a two-story townhouse, with a sleek downstairs bar, an airy upstairs dining room with large windows opening onto a balcony, and a spacious kitchen area with counter and table seating.

                                          

The menu is small. The flavors are huge. Wood-roasted carrots, tossed into a salad with cornichons and an olive-flecked dressing, tasted like they had been yanked from the garden just hours before. Grilled hearts of romaine were delicious in a pas de deux with figs.  And ravioli, crafted of delicate dough and creamy mashed potatoes, and topped with braised lamb and buttery breadcrumbs, were terrific. A luscious Butterscotch & Smoked Chocolate Parfait -- with shortbread and pecans -- showed how the kitchen’s rousing creativity is firmly grounded in the classics.

Great food, good looks, a flexible, reasonably priced menu, professional service, and a low-key but unusually hospitable ambiance. No calculator needed to know it all adds up to one of the best meals of 2012.

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No calculator needed to know that flour plus water equals pasta either. But Flour + Water in the hands of rising-star chef Thomas McNaughton results in something that transcends regular pasta. We’re talking gossamer packages in fanciful shapes –agnolotti, triangoli, caramelle, garganelli, bucatini, strozzapreti that are teamed with imaginative, robustly flavored sauces. (Photo by Brian Smeets, from GrubStreet.com.)

                               


The concept at Flour + Water, one of San Francisco’s most buzzworthy restaurants, is so simple. There are just four appetizers, four pizzas, seven pasta creations, and two “secondi” (main courses) on the little brown paper menus printed in old-fashioned typewriter font.

The restaurant décor is simple, too. A long, narrow storefront on the corner of 20^th and Harrison in a residential section of the Mission.  No frills, but an attractive bar area, exposed beams, contemporary artwork, and a partially open kitchen that allows a peek at the wood-burning pizza oven which, I’m told, cooks a pizza in two minutes at something like 800 degrees. (Photo by Concierge.)

                                          


But there is nothing at all simple about McNaughton’s talent, style or passion for tweaking great food traditions. (He is on the James Beard Awards ballot in the Rising Star category.

I was captivated from the very first bite of tuna conserva with artichokes and impossibly airy battered and fried cardoons. Crispy pork trotter with shaved asparagus, pine nuts and pickled green garlic was equally impressive.

But then came the tour de force, a parade of six pasta dishes that awed, fascinated, mesmerized, and dazzled. There was maltagliati with porcini mushrooms, green garlic and nettles. Elegant little raviolini filled with braised lamb and strewn with pea shoots and fresh mint.  Fat, chewy bucatini with peas, tesa (a type of pancetta) and an egg. Twisty strozzapreti tinted green with spinach and tossed with whey-braised pork and ramps, the wild leeks that only hang around for a few weeks each spring. Precious caramelle filled with ricotta cheese and asparagus and bathed in brown butter and chile flakes. Each dish was my favorite…until the next amazing creation came.

Clearly, we couldn’t call it quits until we had tried one of the handsome Neapolitan-style pizzas that went whizzing by us all night long.  The pork sausage pie with tomato, capers, chile flakes and caciocavallo cheese was sensational – thin, light, airy, with a charred rim and crackly crust.

Just when I thought this meal couldn’t possibly be improved upon, along came the chocolate budino – an Italian pudding with a shiny, ganache-like texture – that was topped with espresso caramel cream and a sprinkling of coarse salt.

Let’s call it the New Math. Flour + Water = one of my favorite meals ever.

The Best-Dressed Beef Tenderloin

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the impressive way San Francisco chef Gary Danko wraps a loin of meat or a filet of fish in a delicate “crust.” Sometimes the crust is minced herbs, sometimes it’s crushed hazelnuts or pistachios, sometimes fragrant juniper berries or tangy horseradish. The contrast between the coating of crunch and the juicy, scarlet-hearted meat is stunning.

                            


Danko was willing to share a recipe with me. Here’s his Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Orange-Juniper Crust. Chef Danko normally makes the dish with bison, but I doubt that I have a lot of readers game for that adventure. The filet is served with creamed porcini mushrooms, caramelized baby onions and handmade spätzle. If you don’t have time for the whole production, I’d suggest pairing the filet with buttery mashed potatoes and calling it a huge success.

Roast Loin of Bison with Porcini Mushrooms, Cioppolini Onions and Herb Spätzle

Serves 6

3 pounds of bison loin or beef tenderloin, cleaned of all fat and connective tissue and tied every inch with butchers twine

1 quart beef stock, reduced to 1 cup

For the Orange-Juniper Crust

 2 teaspoons grated orange rind

¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

¼ teaspoon rosemary

¼ teaspoon chopped sage

½ cup chopped Italian parsley

1 teaspoon juniper berries

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Prepare orange-juniper crust by blending all ingredients in a small bowl. This may be done ahead of time. Prepare beef tenderloin and tie every inch with butchers twine. Pat orange crust onto the surface of the meat. Let rest, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours.

To roast, place loin on a sheet pan fitted with a rack. Roast in a 350 degree oven until rare for 20 to 30 minutes or until 125 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove the twine, lightly salt the surface of the meat and slice thinly. Arrange on plate or platter with the heated mushrooms, Cioppolini onions and herb Spätzle. Bring beef stock to a boil, season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon over the meat. Serve.

Herb Spätzle

3/4 pound all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/2 pound spinach, blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds, cooled, and wrung out in paper towels

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 teaspoon minced tarragon

 In a bowl combine the flour, nutmeg and salt. In an electric blender combine the blanched spinach, chives, parsley, tarragon and water and puree until smooth, add the eggs and milk. Whisk into the flour mixture until you achieve a thick sticky paste. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Force the paste through a sieve into the boiling water. Allow the Spätzle to float to the top. Remove from water and cool in cold water. Do in small batches. Drain, coat with a small amount of oil and keep cold until needed.

To reheat, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, season with salt and add Spätzle.   Return to boil and simmer until hot. You may hold it in the oven for a few minutes. The Spätzle should absorb the liquid and should be still be separate. If too dry, add more liquid; if too wet, drain before serving.

Caramelized Cioppolini onions

1 pound Cioppolini onions, peeled, leaving the root end trimmed but still attached

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup white wine

1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

1 cup chicken stock

Salt to taste

In a sauté pan large enough to hold the onions in a single layer, melt butter. Place onions in the pan and cook over medium heat until they start to turn golden brow, be careful not to burn them. Shake the pan often, tossing the onions around. Deglaze with white wine and balsamic vinegar and reduce to a glaze.  Add chicken stock and pinch of salt and simmer until rich brown and tender. Onions should remain whole. Set aside and gently reheat when needed.

Porcini Mushrooms

1 pound porcini or shiitake mushrooms, cleaned or any dirt and cut into smaller pieces

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon grated garlic

2 tablespoons Italian parsley

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Salt to taste

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in sauté pan. Add mushrooms and sauté until all the liquids have concentrated. In the center of the pan melt the remaining butter, quickly stir the garlic and parsley into the melted butter and then mix in all the mushrooms. Be careful to not burn the garlic. Stir in the cream and reduce to a thickness that will just cling to the mushrooms. Salt to taste. Reserve and gently reheat when needed.

How Do I Love Thee, Gary Danko

Let me count the ways.

For starters, there’s the astonishing Crispy Farm Egg you do at your award-winning restaurant near San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Gently cracking the golden orb was like opening a Fabergé egg to discover its treasures. In this case, a bright runny yolk that mixed and mingled deliciously with the creamy white polenta, Royal Trumpet mushrooms, wisps of frisee and pancetta on the plate.

                                      

Loveworthy, too, is the precious medallion of pink, a point salmon that you top with a paper-thin horseradish crisp, creating a delicious textural counterpoint.

Way #3: The off-the-charts yummy Herb Crusted Lamb Loin -- scarlet-hearted, glistening with natural juices, and with a delicate rim of crushed herbs adding flavor and texture. (Photo from TasteTests.com.)

                                     

Way #4: The equally off-the-charts Hazelnut Crusted Pork Tenderloin, with a little puddle of braised pork cheeks on the side. Totally swoon-worthy. (Squash puree, apples, chestnuts and Brussels sprouts on the side make this the quintessential autumn/winter stunner.)

And, oh, yes, that pickled beet salad of yours. Anyone can toss a few beets into garden greenery and anoint it all with walnut vinaigrette. But only you nestle a quivering goat cheese panna cotta into the scene and scatter watercress clusters for a peppery punch.

                                        

But what do I love most about Gary Danko? The attitude.

The guy has won the James Beard Award for Best Chef California and been nominated by that organization for Outstanding Chef of the Year. His restaurant won the James Beard Best New Restaurant Award the year after its opening. He captured Esquire’s Best New Restaurant Award for an earlier restaurant.

Yet he remains a down-to-earth gentleman, devoted to being in his kitchen, and giving his guests the best possible dining experience every evening.  That means maximum flavors in stunningly simple presentations.  An elegant but unfussy setting.  Flawless service -- professional yet accessible. And remarkable value -- $73 for three courses, $107 for five courses. (Photo from BonAppetit magazine.)

                                    

Call me crazy. But I like to walk out of a restaurant gushing about the delicious food and the fun of dining in a comfy place with people I like, not bragging about how much money I just spent and how stuffed I am after 12 or 14 courses.

I guess that’s another reason I love thee, Gary Danko. You get it. 

 

The Rest of the Best

Everybody loves a list.

Especially when it involves food. On Thursday I highlighted two of 2012's most scrumptious cocktails. This week I’ll start a run-down of the best food and drink, dynamite destinations, and dining extravaganzas that I encountered in 2012. That means Appetizing Appetizers like the crispy skinned potato chunks at Jamonera (Philadelphia). Sprinkled with coarse salt and drizzled with a bracing, wood-smoked garlic aioli, they delivered a rapid-fire volley of flavors and textures. 

                                  

And Divine Desserts, like the voluptuous Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding at The Hungry Cat (Santa Barbara) that performs magic with crusty cubes of bread, silken ganache and a bumpy brulée crust.

                                   

And Pasta dishes that'll make you weep. Case in point: Thomas McNaughton's Flour + Water (San Francisco) Raviolo Doppio of Pork & Pea.

                                    

Hungry yet?

Come back and check out the Highlights of 2012.