Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Burger Bar by Hubert Keller

Nice Concept and good quality burgers. I tried the 60 dollar Rossini Burger on the menu ...Kobe Burger, Foie Gras, Perigord Black Truffles, Madeira Sauce, Fleur de sel, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Delicious....





The "Surf n' Turf"...Lobster, Kobe beef, Portobello Mushrooms, and asparagus


Its humorous to me that I spent a hundred dollars for 2 people at a burger joint but this burgerjoint was worth it. Next on the burger list....Bradley Ogden's and Daniel Boulud's

Journey at Joel Robuchon Las Vegas....




mini wheat baguette, bacon bread, gruyere brioche

Le Caviar en infusion de corail anisée, en surprise
Osetra Caviar, coral gelee on a fennel cream served as a surprise
Les Palourdescuites au gros sel dans un beurre iodé, escortées d'une dentelle de sarrasin
Clams, roasted in seaweed butter and caviar, buck wheat tuile.

Le King Crab en duo d'avocat dans un cœur de romaine relevé à l'huile d'olive coraillée
King crab, avocado in a heart of romaine and olive oil with coral.
Beautiful bread cart...more then 20 different types of breads to choose from all done in house


La Châtaigneet le foie gras dans un fin velouté soyeux sur un voile virtuel de lard fumé
Delicate Chestnut velouté with foie gras, smoked lardons foam

La Langousteen transparence de daikon et nori, nage coralline aux oursins
Spiny lobster with daikon and nori, sea urchin "a la nage"


La Solecuite au beurre salé, petites capucines et matsutakés
Sole, cooked in salted butter, capers and roasted matsutakes


Le Canard et foie gras aux fruits d'Automne verjutés, zestes de pamplemousse confits et poivre noir écrasé torréfié.
Duck and seared foie gras with sweet and sour fall fruits, grapefruit zest and cracked black pepper .

Le Bœuf noix d'entrecôte émincée, épinards au wasabi et légumes arlequins
Beef ribeye, wasabi spinach and a medley of bell peppers

Cheese Trolley
Tableside Caramel Ice Cream

Tableside Raspberry Sorbet


Migardneses

This weekend I ate at Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, the only three star michelen rated restaurant in Las Vegas. Service thoughout the entire dinner was absolutely insane. The attention to detail and knowledge from the front of the house staff was mind blowing. I did not expect any less from Joel Robuchon. The Food was executed very well to say the least. Simple, modern, and refined. That is all you can ask for in a great dining experience.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Moet Champagne Sushi Dinner

Seared Salmon Nigiri, Crispy rice, Soy Smoked Almonds, Avocado, Orange Yuzu
Hokkaido Scallop Sashimi, hearts of palm, myoga, yamamomo peach jus
Snapper Carpaccio with Olive Oil, Kinome, Sea Urchin, Caviar

Rare Wagyu Beef Tataki Inspired Lakalinau "Roll", Wasabi Pepper Sauce, Truffled Sprouts, Sesame Puree


Interesting....

http://cookingissues.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/fish-anesthesiologists/

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Modern Cooking Techniques: Don't get it twisted

A lot of people either hate or love "modern cooking techniques," "molecular gastronomy," "food science" or whatever you want to call it. People dislike it because so many try to experiment with these techniques without any foundation of classic cooking. Classical french, Asian, Spanish, European, or any food style or race is the base of everything. Your grandma's, mom's, and dad's cooking is the "base" for our future culinary world. If you cannot cook and have zero knowledge of our culinary fathers and mothers, what is the point of adding kelcogel, transglutinamese, and liquid nitrogen to your food? It sure does not make the dish taste any better. Guaranteed. You do not just add an air or foam because of appearance or trend. You add a foam to balance a dish or add another dimension to your food. People need to understand this. To me, Molecular gastronomy is the process of taking classic techniques and totally transforming it to stimulate every sense of a human being. It is the modification of textures, aromas, and basically makes eating food fun again. The process of taking you on a journey from childhood and adulthood through food cannot be expressed with words.

I love cooking and respect my upbringing. Thank you to all of my mentors, you know who you are. I have so much respect for Escoffier and the long line of french chefs. Bocuse, Robuchon, Ducasse, T Keller, H Keller....to many to name...

Bottom line....for the youngin's, including myself....grab a foundation..."You'll never be a Grant Achatz unless you've worked for a Thomas Keller."- Bauti

"Meat Glue" ing....

Ajinomoto activa has been sitting in the walk-in for the 3-4 months now with limited use. So I decided to pull it out for some meat gluing fun. For those who don't know, meat glue is an enzyme called transglutaminase. When it comes in contact with a certain enzyme like lysine and glutinamine it forms a covalent bond that acts like a glue. Virtually all fish, meat and poultry contain enough lysine and glutinamine for this reaction to happen. (Via Wylie Dufresne"wd-50")...In non scientific terms, you can glue virtually all proteins together...including your fingers. With this inspiration I bound slipper lobster pieces together to make a Lobster roulade, mocking the most succulent piece of a lobster, the tail....




The makisu helped in making a uniform shape and pushing a lot of the air bubbles out....



cryovacing at full pressure to eliminated air pockets and pulling lobster meat together nice and tight...









I sous vide the lobster roulade in a bath of 59.5 degrees C (131 degrees F) for 15 minutes...and chilled it.





sliced in to medallions.....








tempura and panko fried lobster medallion...accompanied by a lobster coconut pumpkin bisque, and cinnamon balsamic air.....





I had a large leftover pumpkin sitting in the restaurant with no use and somehow this process came to life in 2 hours....enjoy






Wednesday, November 4, 2009

New thoughts...coming soon? pics as well

Crispy Lake Superior Whitefish
Sous vide pan roasted sweet pearl onions, warm grapes, hydroponic mache, pickled hen of the woods/honshemeji mushrooms, Celeriac puree, brown butter powder, port molasses syrup

Seared U-10 Diver Scallops
Cauliflower Couscous(Grated cauli flower, lemon zest, pine nuts, fine herbs, butter), Chorizo sherry emulsion, heirloom tomatoes, mint/thai basil fluid gel.

Pork Tenderloin "Jamon and Melon"
Parsnip Coulis, Compressed Melons, Basil, Pancetta Jam, Pork Fig Glace

"Fish N' Chips"
Crispy Exotic Snapper, Pomme puree, Fingerling BBQ potato coin "chips", Malt Pear Vinegar Gastrique, Pickled Brussels

Heirloom Tomato "Poke"
Heirloom Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Aerated Mozzarella, Sherry Gel, Basil Blanket, Brioche Croutons