As per usual, Teddy raised the culinary bar with his 5 course extravaganza yesterday. We had had quite a hiatus from cooking, but Chef Hunter showed no signs of rust...
A simple antipasto plate, it didn't require much preperation (just a trip to Gracefully (28 Avenue A). I despise this place, but I was too lazy to walk to East Village Cheese (40 3rd Avenue)) Prosciutto, Genoa salami, artichoke hearts, olives & Asiago & Pyreneese cheeses. Simple yet effective!
I had made this soup before, but this time I omitted the Andouille sausage & I added carrots to the mix. It came out suprisingly well!
We took a little break after this course. The rabbit ragu had been simmering for about 3 hours now & I needed to remove the poor little bunnies from the sauce so I could remove the meat from the bones. Adam & Teddy hit the roof while Wax & I watched the game & drank more wine.
The rabbit ragu came out far better than I could have expected. I've eaten rabbit as a child (my Dad is a huge fan) & Teddy had cooked it for one of the earliest Thursday Clubs, rekindling my love for this great meat. I plated the ragu
on top of fettucini, with hindsight, I sort of wish that I mixed everything beforehand & then served it up, but oh well. I had originally wanted to serve the pasta on papardelle, but I was unable to find any.
I served the salad last to cleanse the palate after the hearty ragu. Arugula, red onions, tomatoes, a sprinkle of parmesan & O&V. Easy.
The night ended with espresso & macaroons. I could barely finish 1 by that time... We sat around watching TV & drinking fine wines into the wee hours of the morning.
His menu:
Some of it may sound unconventional, but I believe that was the intent. Heaven knows how the kid from
I think the livers and the beef were personal favourites - The livers were flash-fried in a little oil, with shallots, and then the rich sweet grapes added at the last minute. The result was a dish with serious meaty depth of flavour, a faint saltiness, twang from the shallots, and then came the sugary hit every time I punctured a grape with my teeth....What a mouthful, superbly balanced....Some crusty bread was all that was needed to mop of those yummy juices, and we scoffed the lot down like we hadn't been fed for 3 days. We drank a NZ Chardonnay with it too - liver should always be accompanied by a fruity wine I think.
But the best was yet to come. That beef. Shit alive. I'll never forget it.
Forget all that bollocks I wrote about Bobby Van's -
Despite our obvious satisfaction (slumped in chairs, slurping wine and rubbing our rotund waists) he then launched a final assault - the panna cotta. Personally I've never made one, I don't suppose they're that difficult but regardless, our boy NSK span out a sublime example. Creamy, wobbly, crowned with an oversized pom syrup that dribbled down the sides and formed small pools of fruity goodness on the plate.
With that gone into our ever-expanding guts, we were all in a spot of bother. I don't think anybody said anything for the next hour. A few mumurs of contentment maybe, the sound of cigarettes being lit and the clatter of ice cubes in crystal.....the faint whiff of scotch in the
Bravo. Encore.
I hit up Minca (536 E 5th St) with Dan (yeah, him again) for a late lunch/early dinner. I've been there quite a few times & I love the place. I brought my trusty camera to document the outing. If you're fans of Soba-Ka or Rai Rai Ken, then I suggest you check Minca out.
I went to S'mac (345 East 12th Street) with Dan today. After watching the Yankees lose to the miserable Detroit Tigers & crying into my Woodpecker Cider at 7B, it was just what the doctor ordered. Again, this was an impromptu visit, so I didn't have my camera.
