Tokyo -- Tsukiji Fish Market

My wife Joan recently led a small group of contemporary ceramics collectors on a tour of Western Japan. I accompanied the group and enjoyed being back in Japan, where we lived for three years from 1998 to 2001.

The group assembled in Tokyo before leaving for southwestern Japan. Led by our wonderful guide Steve Beimel, our first stop was the famed Tsukiji fish market, the largest in the world, serving the 25 million people who live in the greater Tokyo area. The market's hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish and other sea creatures smell like, well . . . nothing. This is accounted for the by impeccable handling of the fish and shellfish from the moment they are caught until the moment they are sold. Storage in ice or cold water guarantees this.

I have no idea how many different varieties of fish and shellfish may be found on a given day at Tsukiji, but there are no doubt hundreds. Some look appetizing, others not, at least to a western eye, but all are interesting. Here are some photogenic ones.

Bobby Jay

Whole Wheat Couscous

Whole Wheat Couscous with Almonds and Currants

Last night I tried whole wheat couscous on the theory that it must be better for you -- more fiber, etc. -- than the regular variety, as is the case for whole wheat bread and pasta.

Since I bought it in bulk, I had to check the Internet for directions (if you buy it in a box, follow the instructions). It turns out that it requires higher ratio of liquid to grain than regular couscous. I used 1-3/4 cups water for 1-1/4 cup of whole wheat couscous. I made my standby, super-simple recipe based on one from Bobby Flay, and found it to be just as good as the ordinary variety, both in terms of texture and taste; perhaps a little nuttier, in a nice way.

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cup whole wheat couscous
• 1-3/4 cup water
• Pinch of salt 
• 1/4 cup, or to taste, dried currants
• 1/4 cup, or to taste, toasted slivered or sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup, or to taste, chopped parsley

 Directions 

1. Bring lightly salted water to a rapid boil.
2. Sprinkle in the couscous, stirring rapidly with a fork. Add 1/4 cup, more or less, of currants.
3. Cover and turn off heat. Wait 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add toasted almonds and parsely.

I served this with home-made merguez (lamb sausage), accompanied by harissa sauce on the side, and it was a perfect match.

Bobby Jay

En Passant (3) . . .

From time to time, ideas cross my mind, often in response to questions from friends, that are worth writing about, but do not individually merit full posts. This is the third post in a series devoted to such matters. 

Midnight in Paris 

Heading for Paris? If you saw Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, you will want to get the Midnight in Paris App for your iPhone or iPad. For 99 cents, this little app identifies and places most of the scenes from the movie, reminds you of their context in the film and gives interesting historical or cultural background information. You'll find the app at the App Store by searching for "Movie Lover's Paris" or "Midnight in Paris." 

Work Bowls 

I have started using these Bormioli Rocco Italian workbowls . . . 

. . . instead of my old favorites by Luminarc from France

Both types are heat resistant and stackable, but I prefer the more sharply sloped sides and the smaller bottom of the Bormioli bowl; it seems to me that it's slightly easier to mix things, whether by spoon or by whisk, in these bowls. Also, they have a lip that makes them a little easier to handle than the Luminarcs. They're available at Zabar's and elsewhere and are quite inexpensive.

Bobby Jay

Nutritional Yeast -- Umami for Vegans

A recent Cook's Illustrated mentioned nutritional yeast as an interesting savory ingredient to sprinkle over popcorn, and it is. But it is a good deal more. Unlike normal yeast, it has been cooked and has no leavening power so it is (and has for 100 years been) used as a nutritious flavor enhancer. Available in bulk or in jars at health food stores, it contains no sodium, meat, dairy or fish product, is gluten-free and contains lots of good amino acids and vitamins. What it does have is a cheesy, savory quality that provides a hit of umami, which is most typically found in abundance in parmesan cheese, anchovies, soy sauce, fish sauce, broiled red meat and similar sources. All of these except soy sauce have animal products, and soy sauce generally (always?) contains wheat.

Nutritional yeast therefore seems like a great ingredient. However, a brief web search did not uncover many inspired recipes. As noted above, it is good on popcorn. I like it on buttered toast, too. The challenge is to incorporate it into salads and other vegetarian dishes to find ways to exploit its unique taste, which I plan to do. I would love to hear ideas from others who have tried this product. Here is what Bob's Red Mill says about this product:

Nutritional yeast, which is not to be confused with Active Dry Yeast or Brewer’s Yeast, is a deactivated form of the microorganism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast is pasteurized and placed in a dryer to deactivate the yeast and bring out its nutritional properties. The yeast, which is gluten free, has a flavor reminiscent of cheese and is rich in amino acids, B-complex vitamins, niacin, folic acid, zinc, selenium and thiamine. Bob’s Red Mill’s nutritional yeast has been fortified with vitamin B-12, as well. Nutritional yeast is popular with vegetarians and vegans whose diets can be deplete of B-complex vitamins, especially B-12.

Nutritional yeast won’t make your bread rise or your beer ferment, but it is excellent sprinkled over popcorn and pizza. It can be added to breading for tofu or meat to increase the flavor and nutritional value of the food. The yeast is also a wonderful addition to gravies and sauces or used to create a non-dairy ‘cheese’ sauce for those who are vegan or who cannot tolerate dairy.

I'll report back if I come up with something great.

Bobby Jay

Michael Ruhlman's "Twenty"

Michael Ruhlman has done it again. Following fairly soon on the heels of his excellent Ratio, he has produced a wonderful new book, Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook's Manifesto.

While many of the twenty chapters-- salt, water, acid, eggs, butter, flour and sugar -- are ingredients, rather than techniques, Ruhlman explains that they are tools, and his explanations of how to use them are, in effect, techniques. And he's right that the semantic difference doesn't matter, for this book is a book about cooking basics, but not just for novice cooks. His explanations of the "real" techniques -- dough, batter, sauce, soup, saute, roast, braise, etc. -- as well as his discussions of how the "tool" ingredients are used, are sophisticated and enlightening. I found myself making connections that I hadn't made before, and better understanding some of the things I've been doing for years, making pan sauces, for example.

All this in a well-written and beautiful package, with detailed illustrations that add a lot to the technical descriptions and recipes. Ruhlman includes 100 clearly-expressed recipes of varying degrees of difficulty, which are very inviting in themselves but are also selected to make a point. His French Onion Soup recipe is there to illuminate what he is saying about caramelizing onions as well as the power of plain water to be the best stock in many cases. Braised Lamb Shanks with Lemon Confit perfectly exemplifies the points he makes as to why and how to braise, and how to get the most out of braised meats by doing it a couple of days in advance, defatting and slowly reheating.

But the 100 recipes are deceiving. The book contains many ideas that can translate into an infinite number of recipes using the techniques and concepts in the book. In his discussion on vinaigrette, and in addition to the four vinaigrettes for which he give recipes, Ruhlman seemingly effortlessly tosses off the following:

A vinaigrette is infinitely variable. Replace the neutral oil with a flavorful nut oil. Alter the vinegar, from red wine to white wine or any of the other countless flavored vinegars now available. Use a citrus juice instead of vinegar. Consider adding spices -- cumin, cayenne, coriander, or allspice, clove, or cinnamon. Consider other flavoring elements as well, mustard, say, or peanut butter, or anchovies, or roasted peppers, or ginger.

Twenty is a great read, and I eagerly look forward to trying a number of the recipes. Perhaps I will make an exception to my no-deep-frying-at-home rule to make his Rosemary-Brined, Buttermillk Fried Chicken, which Ruhlman says is "the best fried chicken, ever." I think I believe him.

Bobby Jay

CSA Farm Revisited

Since I wrote my last post on Roxbury Farm, a CSA in which I have a half-share, things have changed radically. Just after I wrote that post, extolling the bounteous vegetable deliveries we were receiving, Hurricane Irene and other major rainstorms destroyed many of the farm's crops, with the result that our subsequent weekly vegetable deliveries were smaller and less varied.

Although tomatoes continued unabated, due to some clever planting strategies adopted by our farmers, Jean-Claude and Jody, at the beginning of the season, corn just stopped coming altogether, as did a number of other vegetables.

But what really happened is that the CSA model worked. While the members' vegetable shares were adversely affected, we did not suffer serious financial loss, and the farmers, despite horrific crop losses, survived. This is because the members had financed the season, come what may, including hurricanes. So by spreading the risk, our farmers, and lots of others like them, will get to farm for another -- and hopefully many more -- seasons.

I feel really good about that.

Bobby Jay

I Must Be Partly Japanese . . .

Smoked and Hot Smoked Shredded Squid

. . . because I love this kind of shredded dried squid with its strange, quintessentially Japanese flavor -- fishy, salty, sweet and smoky all at once. It is a snack found at convenience stores everywhere in Japan and comes in different flavors. This brand, for example, comes in plain, smoked, hot and hot smoked. Despite my love of spicy things, smoked is my favorite, because the essential smokiness is not forced to compete with the peppery spices found in the hotter version.

I buy these at Dainobu on East 47th Street in Manhattan.

Bobby Jay

No-Knead, No-Yeast Bread

No-knead, no yeast country and semolina breads

For several months, I have been trying to come up with a way to make bread that combines the ease and time control of Jim Lahey's fabulous no-knead bread technique with the sweet fresh taste achieved by making a no-yeast levain bread following the technique set forth in Chad Robertson's wonderful Tartine Bread. In short, to make a no-knead no-yeast bread.

This turns out to be difficult, because the levain does not provide the loaf with as much natural "oven spring" as yeast does. Intervention is necessary, and came in the form of shaping the loaf with a twisting motion after the long rise and again an hour later, as described in detail in the recipes. After quite a struggle, many flat loaves, and numerous consultations with my friend John Hoppin, I think I've got it. For the recipes for a crusty country style boule and a semolina bread with fennel, sesame and poppy seeds, as shown above, just click on the links.

If you make one or both of these breads, please let me know how it comes out.  I am eager to improve on the recipes.

Bobby Jay

DBGB's Glazed Lamb (or Pork) Ribs

DBGB's Lamb Riblets

A few months ago, The New York Times showcased a recipe from DBGB (chef Jim Leiken) for glazed lamb riblets. I tried this recipe with riblets from locally farmed lamb, which I found at the Union Square Market. The dish was just fantastic, full of varied flavors -- coriander and fennel seeds, Aleppo pepper, rosemary, thyme, honey -- that mingled in an interesting, even exciting, way. I immediately added it to my "best recipes" list.

A month later, I discovered a rack of Heritage Farms baby back pork ribs in my freezer and my wife suggested trying the same preparation. Even better! My friend Piglet and her husband shared this with us and he told me that they were the best ribs he had ever had. So you have choices: if pork is not your thing, go with the lamb; otherwise, pork ribs are easier to find and slightly juicier.

This recipe is not hard to make, although it has a number of steps because it has a glaze, a sprinkle and a minted yogurt sauce that, for some reason, is not included in the on-line version of the recipe. Just combine 1 cup of whole-milk yogurt, 1/2 cup of crème fraîche; 1/4 cup of mint, minced; 1 tablespoon of chives, minced; 1/2 garlic clove, grated; zest of 1 lemon; salt, pepper and tabasco or other hot sauce to taste. Although not essential, I think the sauce is a nice addition: yet another flavor and a smooth texture that contrasts with the crispy glaze on the ribs.

Try this recipe!

Bobby Jay

Paris - Le Bouchon et l'Assiette Again

Last night I returned to le Bouchon et l'Assiette, a little unpretentious Basque-oriented bistro in the 17th arrondissement, not very near to anything. We had discovered this place earlier in the summer, and I wanted to find out whether that excellent experience was a fluke. It wasn't. Last night I had the three-course menu (33 euros), consisting of

 

-- Tartlet of crunchy vegetables atop anchovies from Getaria (on the Spanish Basque coast). Perfectly cooked, but the anchovies stole the show. A veritable burst of pungent umami (the fifth taste sense, best described as savouriness) without hardly any taste of salt. Now I'm on the hunt for these anchovies. 

 

-- Roasted Challans chicken breast stuffed under the skin with mushroom and hazelnut duxelles, with glazed turnips. Fine chicken, but the turnips were a marvel. I was told that the turnip disks were slowly poached in reduced chicken broth, or confited. They must then have been browned in butter with a tiny bit of sugar because they had a slightly crunchy sweet exterior that was a great contrast to the almost disappearing interior. I plan to spend some time trying to approximate this truly amazing vegetable dish.

 

-- Salad of white peaches in mint syrup and financiers. Not a success because the peaches were underripe and the financiers, while good, had nothing to do with the peaches. The way to go here would be to use very ripe peaches (or lightly poach them) and soak a baba with the mint syrup.

Definitely worth a visit.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Gâteau Basque: The Almost Forgotten (by Me) Cake

Gosselin's Gâteau Basque

When I lived in Paris in the late 1970's, my colleague and I would sometimes finish lunch with a slice of gâteau Basque. Over the years, I had almost forgotten about this seemingly simple, regional specialty, a somewhat cakelike pastry filled with almond cream, but today I came upon an appetizing specimen at Gosselin. With its traditional shiny egg-washed top and the fork-scored pattern, it screamed "buy me" so I did.

When I dug in, the contrasting layers of dry pastry and almost dry, not too sweet, almond cream whisked me back to 1979 as if I had never left. This is not the greatest of French pastries, but worth eating every now and then.

And I think I'm going to try making gâteau Basque when I get home; there are lots of purportedly authentic and traditional recipes online and probably in my cookbook collection.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Fromagerie Quatrehomme

Last time I was in Paris I made my first trip to Fromagerie Quatrehomme, one of the best and best-known cheese stores in Paris, but could only purchase one cheese because I was getting ready to return to New York. Located in the seventh arrondissement, near La Grande Épicerie at Bon Marché, this affineur's cheeses are often mentioned by name on the menus of upscale restaurants.

Yesterday, this time on the first day of my stay in Paris, I returned. As I was greeted by the complex odor of commingled earthy expressions of cow, goat and sheep, my jet lag vanished and I was able to focus on the job (really joy) at hand. I bought four cheeses and a wedge of fresh butter cut by wire from a slab (motte). When I asked for a camembert that would be perfect for dinner that day, the server applied her trained thumbs and nose to the task and rolled her eyes with pleasure when she found the right one (she was right). She also explained the difference between St Félicien and St Marcellin, which look the same in all respects but size: true, she said, but the larger St F is creamier as a result of its size. Still, the St M was delightfully light and creamy. I also bought a crottin-like chèvre and some Fourme d'Ambert, which were perfect specimens of their types.

People often tell me they envy my frequent trips to Paris. Mes amis, Fromagerie Quatrehomme is a good reason to do so.

Fromagerie Quatrehomme, 62 rue de Sèvre, 75007 Paris (Métro Duroc or Vaneau).

Bobby Jay

Anthony Bourdain vs. Paula Deen et al.

I have great respect for Anthony Bourdain and immensely enjoyed his Kitchen Confidential and, to a lesser extent, his television shows and other writings. He is extremely knowledgeable about food and a witty raconteur.

The criticisms he recently and very publicly leveled against Paula Deen and a number of other Food Network stars were legitimate, but his decision to attack the TV chefs personally served only to change the focus from the worthwhile issue - the unhealthfulness of much of the food presented - to the personalities involved, including himself. Ratcheting down his exuberant rhetoric might have led to a worthwhile debate on the responsibility (if any) of television food networks to preach the gospel of healthy food. This is a complex issue, and, although I deplore much of what is shown on Food Network, I feel there is enough good stuff to balance it out. Besides, I am suspicious of too much paternalism, even when I agree with the thrust of it; generally, it's better to let people choose what they like.  And in any event who's to say it's not better to make fried chicken at home than to buy it at Popeye's?

Personally, I am a Food Network junkie, but I cannot watch Paula Deen because the food she prepares gives me the creeps. I don't think it's amusing, as Alton Brown recently pointed out, that there is a new measure of butter called a "Paula." And I was appalled watching the new show The Pioneer Woman, today, when Ree Drummond and Paula (guest starring) were joking about how many pounds of butter they keep around and how they cannot fathom cooks who measure butter in mere sticks. This is a terrible message to be sending in the midst of an obesity/diabetes crisis.

HOWEVER . . . there is a huge amount of great and wholesome food showcased on Food Network and its companion Cooking Channel. Beautiful simple Italian dishes (David Rocco, Mario Batali, Gabriele Corcos) feature what is essentially the Mediterranean diet, with heart-healthy olive oil instead of butter and the focus on excellent seasonal ingredients. Mark Bittman (The Minimalist) makes it his mission to get people cooking easy and flavorful food which, not incidentally, is not laden with fat. Ellie Krieger's Healthy Appetite features excellent, low-fat nutritious dishes. And even Bobby Flay's more complex offerings are not particularly loaded with fat and cholesterol; in addition, he occasionally features healthy meals. There are many other good chefs and shows, and plenty of opportunities to learn great recipes that are good not only for the soul, but for the body. Sure, there are many items that I consider to be too fat- or cholesterol-laden, at least for every day, but that's a personal choice.

For a list of the Food Network and Cooking Channel shows I like, click on  More below:

More...

Aarti Party (Indian or Indian-influenced food)
All Bobby Flay cooking shows (Boy Meets Grill, Grillit!, Bobby's Barbecue Addiction)
Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentis
Extra Virgin with Debi Mazar and her Tuscan chef husband, Gabriele Corcos)
Molto Mario (Batali)
David Rocco's La Dolce Vita
Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell (just ratchet back on the salt)
Spice Goddess with Bal Arneson
French Food at Home with Laura Calder
The Minimalist with Mark Bittman
Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Good Eats with Alton Brown
Tyler's Ultimate with Tyler Florence (the old ones where he cooks)
Jamie (Oliver) at Home

This does not cover the many excellent cooking shows that can be found on educational channels, featuring some fantastic chefs who prepare a lot of delicious yet sane food, most notably Lidia Bastianich, Jacques Pépin, Ming Tsai and Rick Bayless.

Bobby Jay

Bobby Jay is Now on Twitter

I have joined Twitter, username @BobbyJayOnFood. I have only been on it for about 10 days, and am so far keeping a pretty low profile, following mainly food writers.  Even so, I have found some interesting people following the same writers, and have already discovered some new bloggers to follow and at least one good recipe. In addition to my blog posts, I expect to share quick thoughts on (primarily but not only) food and provide links to content that I think others will find interesting.

Not many people are following me yet, but hopefully that will come in time.

I have also placed Twitter (and other) buttons under my posts so that others can tweet them to their own Twitter feeds if they are so inclined.

Bobby Jay

The CSA Farm is Winning

My friend Piglet and I share a food share in Roxbury Farm, a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm in Kinderhook, NY. A full share costs about $500, payable before the season starts, and entitles us to 26 food drops at a church in New York City, starting in June. Fruit shares are extra.

It feels good to support our wonderful farmers, Jean-Paul Courtens and Jody Bolluyt, and their dedicated team, and to buy responsibly produced organic produce.  I enjoy reading their weekly newsletters describing the challenges and successes in coping with weather, insects, birds and the other facts of farm life.  Often the letters are quite inspiring.

It's also fun to get the food drops: you never know exactly what to expect for a given week, and it takes some ingenuity to use the entire basket, especially when some less than standard vegetables, like kale, collard greens and kabocha squash, are featured. Especially in mid-summer, the baskets are huge and this year the farm is clearly winning.

Pictured is this week's basket, fairly typical for this time of year.

Bobby Jay

En Passant (2) . . .

From time to time, ideas cross my mind, often in response to questions from friends, that are worth writing about, but do not individually merit full posts. This is the second post in a series devoted to such matters.

Tomato Juice

Tomato juice is an overlooked morning pick-me-up. Unlike most fruits, tomatoes are better for you when cooked so the juice form is excellent from the standpoint of nutrition. Lycopines, etc. It's also low in calories: just 30 for a 4-oz portion.

Of course, you can drink it as-is, but what I do is to start with great tomato juice, namely Knudson's organic, and make it into Virgin Mary mix. I spice it up by adding 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 - 1 tsp of Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp powdered celery seeds per quart. I add a few drops of hot sauce just before drinking but this is not for everyone, especially in the morning. The key is to use whatever spices you want and enjoy.

Almond Milk

My friend Piglet gave me some almond milk to try, and I have to say it is surprisingly fresh and tasty. A nice, low calorie alternative to milk without the veggie taste of soy milk. Calcium is added. Note that this dish is sweetened with can juice, but still has only 30 calories per 4-oz serving. Lower-sugar versions have the same calorie count but higher carbohydrates, so I would stay with the full-strength version unless sugar, as opposed to carbs, is a problem for you.

I still have not figured out how to use this product apart from drinking it straight. It's quite thin. Doesn't appeal as a coffee sweetener, but might be great with bananas or other fruit in a smoothie. Ideas, please.

Vanilla Cardamom Yogurt

A great virtuous addition to fruit or berries, cooked or raw, is vanilla cardamom yogurt. I discovered this watching Michael Chiarello make his his Zinfandel poached peaches, and have been hooked ever since.

This takes about 5 seconds to make: simply add 1/2 to 1 tsp of cardamom powder to 1 small container of no-fat vanilla yogurt, preferably but not necessarily Greek style. That's it.

Bobby Jay

New York - Great Dinners at Del Posto and Gramercy Tavern

While I don't do reviews of New York restaurants (there is so much, perhaps too much, information to be had already), I do from time to time mention noteworthy experiences of sheer excellence at New York establishments.

This week my wife and I dined at Del Posto and Gramercy Tavern. Two great meals in two great restaurants. The two meals both featured imaginative, excellent dishes but in totally different idioms, and both restaurants featured attentive, capable service, quite formal at Del Posto and more casual at Gramercy Tavern. Perhaps my best compliment is to say that they both made it look easy, while we know that running a great restaurant is among the most challenging of endeavors.

At Del Posto, we had the menu tradizionale, pictured below, with a couple of perfect substitutions for my wife, who can't eat beef and doesn't like eggs.


At Gramercy Tavern, I had a sublime corn custard, followed by a grilled and slow-roasted lamb duo and a peanut butter semi-freddo. Others had creative preparations of shrimp, duck and pork.

Neither experience comes cheap. The "menu tradizionale" at Del Posto is $145 without wine, and the three-course prix fixe at Gramercy Tavern is a relative bargain at $88, with tasting menus in triple digits. But they are both worth the price, for they provide not just great food but wonderful, total dining experiences.

Del Posto, 85 Tenth Avenue; Gramercy Tavern, 42 East 20th Street.

Bobby Jay

Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes

For me, this time of year is about tomatoes, especially but not only heirloom varieties.

My favorite way to eat them (shown above) is the way Jamie Oliver does it:

Cut up a big bunch of heirloom tomatoes of various shapes, sizes and colors, salt them for 30 minutes in a colander, then mix them with dried oregano, good vinegar and olive oil and pepper, add torn pieces of soft mozzarella and basil leaves. Cut some in horizontal slices, and cut others into quarters or eighths, according to their sizes and shapes.

The taste and texture of the tomatoes and the simple dressing mingled with their juices screams SUMMER!!!!

Bobby Jay

Santa Fe - Farmers Market

I love farmers markets and recently visited the justly famous one at the Santa Fe Railyard. Open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, it is full of beautiful, organically grown produce, featuring many many varieties of green and red peppers (some roasted - see below) as well as prepared foods like salsas, chile sauces and powders, cheeses, flowers, herbs, etc. The farmers who sell there are infectiously proud of their products, making the experience not just interesting but actually moving.

Red peppers and currants and heirloom carrots

Peppers and a pepper roaster who's happy in his work

You learn about people and culture as well as food when you visit farmers markets and Santa Fe's is a fascinating one.

Bobby Jay

Santa Fe - Bobcat Bite

Bobcat Bite is a famous little hamburger place just outside of Santa Fe that our friend Ed recommended. I had the signature green chile cheeseburger with perfect home fries. The place has just four tables and a nine-seat counter, so the wait was long, but the burger, made from home- (and slightly coarsely-) ground choice boneless chuck, was worth the wait.

Waiting my turn at Bobcat Bite

The menu at Bobcat Bite

A must if you're in Santa Fe.

Bobcat Jay

Santa Fe - Dining

My wife and I were in Santa Fe last week and, among other things, got to sample some of the local fare. Our best meals were at friends' homes, but we did eat out and had good, better and truly excellent meals.

We dined at the renowned Cafe Pasqual's, which serves good Southwestern style cuisine in convivial surroundings. There is a communal table where people seem to meet and talk to strangers and generally have a good time. This place is mobbed at breakfast, but I can't say anything from personal experience.

Another good place was Ristra, also for Southwestern food, where we discovered elk, which is a tasty, healthy alternative to beef, which my wife can't eat.

For Southwestern food, a better bet is Coyote Cafe, where it was more or less invented 30 years ago. Here the food was interesting and very well executed.

Shrimp tower and roast and confited chicken at the Coyote Cafe

One night we had a late meal at Shibumi, a new Japanese noodle place, where the ramen and izakaya (pub-style) dishes were quite authentic. This is a new venture of the chef owner of Nostrani, a highly rated Italian restaurant that we didn't get to. He trained for a couple of years at the New York branch of Omen, the famous Kyoto noodle restaurant, so the authenticity is well-earned.

But my personal favorite was Bobcat Bite, which is worth its own post.

Bobby Jay

New York: Mid-Summer Abundance

In preparation for an all-local dinner - well, almost; you really can't find local mozzarella di bufalo, anchovies, baking powder and soda or tapioca - I made a trip to the Union Square Greenmarket today. The Saturday market is always best, but we are now in high summer and it was the best ever: sweet corn (my favorite food), heirloom tomatoes, sugar plums (my wife's favorite food), apricots, greens and herbs, and even a leg of lamb. Truly overwhelming.

Here are just a few images.

Carrots and more carrots


Radishes and onions



Eggplant and fancy radishes



Basil plants and flowers

Bobby Jay

Dried Fava Beans

One of my best discoveries of recent months is dried fava beans, which I saw Mario Batali make on television. Unlike fresh favas, they are available all year round, at Kalustyans (Lexington Avenue between 28th and 29th) and the Ninth Avenue International Market (Ninth Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets) at least. They are easy to cook. And, most of all, they have a subtle taste that is a little like cannellini beans but . . . well, with a delicate fava taste.

To cook, cover with water and soak overnight. Then rinse, cover with water again, bring to a boil, now salt and simmer for about an hour, until they get very tender and fall apart. Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, mix with a hand or standing blender and you're good to go. Mario suggests serving it with bitter greens on really good grilled or toasted country bread, and this is in fact a great way to go. (I used chopped kale sauteed in a little water, with olive oil, salt and pepper.)

Bobby Jay

Paris - Le Bouchon et l'Assiette

The Pudlo Paris guide gives awards each year to different categories of restaurants and other food purveyors (bakers, pastry makers, etc.). This year's Bistrot de l'Année, Le Bouchon et l'Assiette, is a tiny restaurant in the 17th arrondissement, not too far from our apartment. We went there with friends last night, and were very happy with the excellent food and moderate prices.

The 33-euro three-course menu includes four choices each of appetizer, main course and dessert. Two of us started with a tartare of haddock over a cold tomato soup made with uncooked tomatoes, one hada plain green salad , and one of us jumped off the menu to have a huge plate of tender and rich jamon iberico (a steal at just 15 euros). All were excellent. For main courses, two of us had the tendron de veau, a slow cooked spare rib of veal that had a amazingly deep flavor and perfect unctuous texture. The others had filets of duckling, not sliced, served with fava beans mixed with another vegetable that I can't remember. Excellent, almost as good as the truly sublime tendron.

Desserts reflected the seasons, with two red fruit desserts and apricots served over perfectly prepared riz au lait.

The wine list is short but well selected and inexpensive. We had one of the pricier choices, a very good St-Joseph for 32 euros.

I need to point out that this place is really, really, really simple. No tablecloths and, more to the point, no air conditioning. I don't recommend going on a hot, or even warm, night.

Le Bouchon et l'Assiette, 121 rue Cardinet, 75017 Paris, Métro Malesherbes or Villiers.

Paris - Les Fougères Revisited

My wife and I returned to Les Fougères last night and had a disappointing experience. The 38-euro menu, which has always offered only two appetizer and two main course choices, was not attractive last night, and the à la carte choices were uninspired and expensive.

I do not pretend to be a food critic, and in this blog I generally only describe places that I think are both good and a good value. However, since I have touted Les Fougères in the past, I feel compelled to retract my recommendation.

We are not planning to return.

Bobby Jay

Paris - New Spice Store

Olivier Roellinger, a bright star in the French food constellation with his Maison de Bricourt in Cancale (Brittany), has decided to make available to retail customers the fruits of his expertise in flavors, and has formed Épices-Roellinger as the vehicle. An attractive new shop in the rue Sainte-Anne (famous for its many Japanese restaurants) shows his goods to great advantage, and affords customers the opportunity to taste and smell the high quality spices, salts (seven), peppers (sixteen), spiced oils (eight) and more than two dozen proprietary blends - many of which are designed to enhance fish and seafood - that are available for purchase.










Prices are high, of course, but still affordable, and the products make nice gifts for food-oriented friends or just for yourself.

Épices-Roellinger, 51bis, rue Sainte-Anne, 75002 Paris, Métro Opéra.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Restaurant Kei

At the suggestion of a friend, my wife and I recently tried Restaurant Kei, a newly established restaurant in the premises that used to house the illustrious Gérard Besson. The 33-year old chef, Keisuke Kobayashi, trained for a decade in France, including spending seven years working for Alain Ducasse, and this excellent experience shows.

The food is French, the sensibility and presentation Japanese, a mixture that works most, but not all, of the time. The menu - six or eight courses, for 75 or 95 euros, as the case may be - is selected by the chef, with few choices for the diner. Only the meat course (pigeon or lamb chops the night we were there) and dessert (chocolate or meringue lattice with red fruits) are left to be decided. However, when you book a table, you are asked about any food allergies or other problems, and that is recorded and scrupulously honored.

We opted for the six-course menu. The first course, an avocado soup with caviar that was way under-seasoned, made us a bit nervous about what was to come.

Avocado Soup

The second course, however, made up for our disappointment with the soup. Smoked salmon with more than 10 vegetables, each perfectly cooked, bitter greens and an interesting sauce. Pretty, too.

Smoked Salmon with Vegetable Medley

Next was lobster for me, sea bass for my wife who is allergic to lobster. The lobster, served with tasteless summer truffles over a light purée of ratatouille, was fine, but the sea bass was amazing. Absolutely the crispiest skin ever (how does he do that?) atop perfectly succulent fish: among the best we've ever had.

Sea Bass and Lobster

For the meat course, we chose the pigeon, another triumph. My wife adores pigeon and orders it often. She ranked this among the best she's had. Perfectly cooked with a light, but tasty, jus.

Pigeon

The cheese was not routine. Cheeses are supplied by the well-respect Marie Quatrehomme and included a four-year-old cantal that has forever redefined this cheese for me, a perfect little rocamadour and a classic camembert that was just à point. The only choice we didn't like was the bleu des basques, which we found to be like an even more salty and less creamy version of roquefort.

Desserts were pretty but not great. The chocolate dessert consisted of a fairly boring mousse surrounded by a chocolate tuile, with various accompaniments. The red fruit vacherin was perfectly all right, but not sensational. I think the chef needs a pastry person or a serious rethinking of the final course, including the post dessert assortment and the home-made truffles that were no better than you can easily make at home.

Chocolate and Red Fruit Desserts

An Assortment of After-Desserts

All in all, an excellent meal, and a great value for 75 euros. This is a great start for the young chef, and we expect that he will get even better. In this regard, we were impressed to see the chef talking at length to a neighboring diner, who seemed to be a food critic, about what he is doing well and what could be improved.

Restaurant Kei, 5 rue Coq-Héron, 75008 Paris, Métro Les Halles, Sentier or Louve Rivoli.

Bobby Jay

New York: Barbecue Capital for the Weekend

How have we missed the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party for the first eight years of its existence? Running both days this weekend, it is a great event for barbecue lovers, and I am nothing if not that.

Run as always by the Union Square Hospitality Group (Union Square Cafe, Eleven Madison, Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, etc.), the 2011 edition boasts barbecue from 16 of the nation's finest pitmasters, hailing from 12 states, arrayed around the outside of Madison Square Park. Related activities, including live music, take place inside the park.

My wife and I sampled the pulled pork from Big Bob Gibson Barbecue, Decatur, Alabama (said, by an authority, to be the best in the world, and we believe it); ribs from Memphis Championship Barbecue, Las Vegas, Nevada; beef brisket and sausage from The Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood, Texas and (yes, another) pulled pork from Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, Nashville, Tennessee, and their various accompanying sides - beans and cole slaw, mainly. A big lunch, I admit, but worth every calorie.

Some pictures below:

Pit Master from Ed Mitchell's straight out of central casting

Brisket and sausage at Salt Lick BBQ and lady with big hair at Big Bob's

And of course I just had to get a shirt from my namesake, Big Bob(by).

Big Bobby Jay