Jean-Georges - Birthday Dinner 2010

Every year, my lady Arie takes me to a different restaurant. Its always ends up being a fantastic meal (Wolfgang's Steakhouse '08, Marlow and Sons '09) and this year was no exception. We had a reservation for two at the widely-acclaimed Jean-Georges restaurant. For the uninformed (read: losers) Jean-Georges is one of four 3-star Michelin rated restaurants in NYC; Masa, Le Bernardin and Per Se being the other three.

The most striking part of the meal was the incredible prim and proper attitude and impeccable service that was provided by the seemingly never ending staff. We went with an 8 course prix-fixe and between each dish we got new silverware, glasses, plates, they cleaned the table fresh water, bread, more wine, etc. etc. etc. We'll come back to this later.

1 - Amouse Bouche, Rating: A-

The first dish served was a trio of small delights; a shot of borscht, a goat cheese pastry and a japanese pickle. The borscht was rich and packed with flavor, with what seemed like a small dollop of sour cream really tying the in the full-bodied beet flavor. The goat cheese was baked in a light dough and covered in blueberries. It quite literally melted in my mouth. By far and away the best of the three. The japanese pickle was...just a pickle. I expected more.

2 - Egg Caviar, Rating: A+

The first dish in the Jean George signature tasting menu was an egg shell filled with with slightly scrambled egg, a light, lime-flavored foam, and caviar. This was my favorite dish of the night; each bite better than the last. The salty (in a good way) eggs and caviar mixed with the lime foam to a perfection. My only complaint: this was the first dish and it was the best dish. Kind of a bummer in retrospect.

3 - Sea Scallops, topped with Caramelized Cauliflower and a Caper-Raisin emulsion, Rating: B+

The scallops were delicious. Perfectly fresh and tender, they were complemented by a refreshingly smokey and sweet caper-raisin sauce. However, the cauliflower really took away from the dish for me. In all of my seafood eating experiences, I have never once seen cauliflower paired with scallops, and they seemed really out of place in texture and flavor. After two bites, I actually took the cauliflower off and ate them separately.

4 - Young Garlic Soup, with Thyme and Fried Frog Legs, Rating: A+

I did not know frog legs were so incredibly tender and flavorful. Why don't more people eat them? I could munch on frog legs all day. The garlic soup was also spectacular. It was almost invigorating in its aromatics and flavor. Also, dunking the frog legs in the soup may or may not have been the most fun I've had eating in a while.

5 - Turbot with Chateau Chalon Sauce, Rating: A

A common theme throughout the meal, was the sauce being the dominate flavor of most of the dishes. The turbot was no exception. The brightly yellow and orange sauce smell of fresh wine and butter, and as the waiter poured on my dish in front of me, my nose went into a frenzy trying to soak in the rich aromas. The turbot itself was above average, not exceptional, but you could have served me cafeteria meatloaf and that sauce still would have carried the dish to greatness.

6 - Lobster Tartine with Fenugreek Broth and Pea Shoots, Rating B+

I'm very particular about my lobster. Boil and eat it right out of the shell or put it in a very lightly dressed lobster roll. So this lobster wasn't really made for someone like me. The dish was good, the broth has a nice spice that reminded vaguely of chili peppers, but other than that, it was fairly unremarkable.

7 - Broiled Squab with Onion Compote, Corn Pancake, and Foie Gras, Rating: B+

Squab is pigeon. Which is weird. It was very gamey and reminded me of quail crossed with duck. However, the onion compote was sweet and delicious, and the corn pancake with foie gras was a tasty little treat too. Although still very good, this was somewhat of a disappointing last dish. I wanted something that was going to blow my socks off, and this was just really, really good.

8 - DESSERT! Chocolate Dessert Tasting, Rating: A

There are four parts to the chocolate tasting, but really only one to talk about. THE CHOCOLATE CAKE. Its a very famous and renowned dish at Jean-Georges, and for good reason. The perfectly light and moist cake is filled with molten chocolate that tastes like every birthday you've ever had, multiplied by 80 billion. This is undoubtably the 2nd best cake ever (momofuku's banana cake).

They also gave me this fig tartlet for my birthday for free. It was decent. Whatever, that chocolate cake made my face explode.

One thought on Jean-Georges before I get to other topics. JG was so prim and proper, and so fancy, that I really thought it took away from the experience a little bit. JG felt like they cared so much more about the ceremony and the etiquette of the dining experience than the actual food. I guess you got to give up some of your soul to get that third michelin star.

Overall, A+ and quite possibly the best meal I've ever had.

Space:

Maybe I watch too much sci-fi, but I do believe that the future of humanity lies in a multi-planet society. Thankfully, people like Samuel Arbesman seem to hold this idea in some importance. NASA's Kepler mission is going well, and my if Ray Kurzwiel is right, I might just live long enough to see earth, from another planet.

Overall, A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

TV:

More science-fiction for you, I am just finishing up the mid-season plot lines of season 3 of Battlestar Galactica. So far, its a pretty good show though I have a lot of problems with certain aspects of the show. First off, there are way too many episodes that are stand alone episodes that have nothing to do with overarching plot. The show does such a good job creating an end goal for each character and making you love each character so much that you really, really want to succeed, and then they make you wait with all these bullshit episodes. Also, every character, at some point in time, seems to forget some vital piece of information from a previous episode that they ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY should remember, and they don't. It gets frustrating watching how stupid they can be.

But besides that, it really is one of the more compelling shows I've watched this year. I'm about 40 episodes in and I can't stop, every story is so compelling and there's so many good characters, that I feel like 4 seasons just isn't enough to finish the show. We'll see.

Overall, B+ or A- (we'll see)

Potluck - Prosciutto and Fig Crostini - 9/11/10

Potlucks are my favorite social event, second maybe to birthdays. So, using my college-educated brain, I decided to have a potluck for my birthday. Genius abounds.

For potlucks I typically make some sort of appetizer. Knowing my friends, most will bring booze, so I figure small, numerous, bite-sized dishes work well.

Here is a simple and quick way to satiate a group of mid-twenty drunkards (recipe: Arie Knutson)

Crostini with Prosciutto, Fig, Ricotta Cheese and Honey:

For this recipe you are going to need: 1 lb. Prosciutto, 3/4 lb figs, 1/2 lb. ricotta cheese, honey, 1 large baguette and olive oil.

The prosciutto can be di parma, if you feel like spending the money, but to be honest, no one will be able to tell the difference so I get it domestic. However, the figs should be from California, and the ricotta should be fresh.

I had honey and olive oil in my kitchen already, and for the other items I purchased them all from Russo's on 1st Ave. and 11th st.

Take the baguette and cut in to 1/2" inch slices. 1 baguette gets around 30 pieces. Heat your oven to 375. Brush both sides of each slice with a little olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast until slightly brown, no more than 15 minutes (the longer you leave them in, obviously, the crunchier the crostini will be. Personally, I don't like this).

Meanwhile, take the figs and quarter them.

Take the toasted bread, add one slice of prosciutto to each.

Take this and add a half of spoonful of ricotta cheese to each.

Put a quartered fig in each dollop of cheese.

Drizzle honey on top.

Eat like a boss. Here's a ridiculously close-up photo of the dish a la Tim Wu.

Tim Wu made Japanese meatballs. They were amazing. Zach Kazin made spanish tortilla. It was equally amazing. With our powers combined, multiple orgasms were achieved.

Arie got me a banana cake from Momofuku. If you've never experienced it before, go now. The combination of caramel and banana is probably the most decadently amazing dessert I've ever had. Kevin Huang got the other cake (on the right). It looked cool.

I don't have any other interesting things to tell you about today, because I'm about to go to Jean-Georges for my birthday dinner with Arie. Suck it.

Steak Pinwheel and French Peasant Beets

Food:

Last night, after a couple of days Chinese Take-Out and sandwiches, I wanted to make a well-balanced meal that wouldn't crush my stomach too much. I also was feeling fairly exhausted, from a long day of being unemployed and having the distinct inability to do anything about it. So I wanted something simple, that was fairly easy to make.

I started with the side vegetable. It's a recipe for beets that involves caramelizing them in a buttery-oniony mix. I tend to find beets as an underrated vegetable. Due to its high sugar content it is delectably sweet when done right, yet decidedly bitter when done wrong.

I used 3 large beets, peeled and chopped into 1/4" circles, 1 bunch of scallions, 1/4 stick of butter, 1 bunch of beet greens, 1/2 lb. of fresh goat cheese (your preference), white wine, salt and pepper.

Peeling beets is a little bit of a hassle. They are tough vegetables raw, and if you don't use gloves your hands will be stained blood red for hours. I used an oxo peeler, and I'm finding all of their products to be amazing.

Then, while chopping the beets, get the butter and scallions going on high heat in your favorite skillet.

When done chopping the beets, the scallions should be sufficiently sauteed. Add beets, salt and pepper. Reduce to medium-low temperature.

I let the beets cook for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10. However, adjust based on how many beets you use, and how caramelized you want them. After 40 minutes, I added the beet greens, de-ribbed, drizzled some white wine on top, and covered it for about 5 minutes.

Serve with fresh bread and hunks of cheese. Also, worst picture ever.

I also took some flank steak, about a half a pound and cut it into 3 strips. I then wrapped pesto and mozzarella with the steak. Take a toothpick, or skewer and use it to keep the pinwheel intact. Get a skillet to high heat, and cook for 6 minutes on one side and 4 on the other. Eat.

Rating: A-

I was really happy with this meal, though it was a little heavy on the dairy. The steak was perfect, and the beets were plentiful. My favorite part of this meal was that I ate a ton of food and I didn't feel bloated at all.

Books: I finished "The Long Sleep" by Raymond Chandler, and it was one of my favorite reads in a long time. The end was much like the rest of the book, long descriptive passages broken up by brief, extreme points of violence and action.

So I immediately went out and bought "Farewell, My Lovely" his second novel. It is written in much the same way, in a sprawling, immensely descriptive, yet minimal style of prose. Phillip Marlowe is back again as the sharp, morally grey private eye. This time he is forced into a the story by a brute of a man named Moose, who unexpectedly drags Marlowe into a bar and starts a fight with the patrons.

Rating: A+.

Movies: "Ne Le Dis a Personne" or "Tell No One."

All of you who know me well, know I don't really like french movies. They're melodramatic, long, boring, and typically don't have any Autobots OR Decepticons. However, my new roommate guaranteed I would like it.

Annnnnndddddd, I did. It was good. It was action-packed, a fair enough of people got shot, and the thrilling plot line kept me interested the whole way through.

Alexandre Beck is a doctor, who's wife is brutally murdered in the opening scene of the movie. Then, 8 years later, he gets and email from her, with information only she would know. The rest of the movie is based around him trying to figure out if she really is alive, and trying to dodge the police, who think he murdered his wife 8 years ago.

Rating: B+. Good acting, great music, well-shot. Since I figured out the ending about 45 minutes through but still had to watch it all unfold, it loses a little bit on the grade.

Off-topic topic of the day: My mom bought me a Crunch gym membership. Hopefully I use it.

Rating: TBD

Pesto Chicken w/Asparagus and Tomatoes

Food:

One of my favorite ways to cook chicken is very simply in olive oil and lemon. But I had a jar of homemade pesto lying around, and for some reason I couldn't find a good use for it, so I figured I'd spice up my usual fare with some basil-y goodness.

I marinated the chicken in white wine, pesto, olive oil and lemon juice for about 5 hours or so, which resulted in the following:

Currently, I am obsessed with my cast iron skillet, so it was basically a foregone conclusion that this would be cooked in one. I chopped up a few stalks of scallions, 2 cloves of garlic, a half pound of asparagus and a half pound or so of cherry tomatoes and threw it all in together.

I had a box of rice pilaf that I had meaning to eat, so I plated the two. The dish was good, with the vegetables really being the star. The asparagus and tomatoes turned out perfectly, with the former having a nice crunch, and lots of lemon and garlic flavor, and the latter melting like butter. The chicken, although good, was slightly dry. I was feeling a little to lazy to brine my chicken, and thus, dry.

Overall, B+.

Books: "The Big Sleep" - Raymond Chandler

I am about halfway through this 1939 crime novel right now, and it is amazing. Philip Marlowe, the protagonist, is spectacularly witty and has a cold demeanor that is both enthralling and humorous. Marlowe is a private eye, hired by the rich and aging General Sternwood to thwart a blackmailer, who at every turn, sees what no one else (including the reader at times) does.

However, the best part of the book so far has been Chandler's eloquent prose used in describing the city scape and the Holmes-esque ability Marlowe has at reading people. Should be a good read, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Humphrey Bogart does Marlowe in the movie.

Overall, A+ (so far)

Random Fun Thing: Book Reading at Desert Island, Julia Wertz, 7 PM

If you're interested at all in alt-comic, I highly recommend checking out Julia Wertz' (of Fart Party acclaim) new book, "Drinking At The Movies." This strongly candid, and oft-hilarious biography of Wertz' first year living in New York is one of my favorite comics I've read in a while. Her art, while simple, fits her narrative to a tee.

You can check out her other work at Fartparty.org.