Thursday Club 01/18/07

Round 9 & Teddy's first of 2007 was awesome...

- Cauliflower and Stilton soup with chive oil.

- Trio of Oysters (Casino, with Pernod, ‘Normande’)

- Braised veal shank with potato mousseline.

- Classic British bread and butter pudding with cream.

We began with an excellent soup topped with chive oil. I've really grown to love Stilton & the soup hit the spot.

Teddy busted out his knife for the next course. A trio of oysters with various toppings; a: bacon, tomato & parsley. b: baked breadcrumbs & cheese. c: Pernod sauce. An interesting take on oysters & they were delicious.

The Veal stole the show in my opinion - there's something about braised meats that gets me all excited. The meat was falling off the bone & you didn't even need to use your knife.

By the time the bread pudding came around, I was ready to burst... A great meal all around...

Buenos Aires!

I had a chance to check out the 'Meat Emporium' that is Buenos Aires (513 E 6th St) this weekend with some family members that were visiting from out of town. It was a Saturday night & the East Village was busy as hell, but luckily we snuck into the joint right before the rush.

The space is somewhat cramped as it's generally busy & they've tried to maximize the amount of seats. We were a group of 7 & had a great seat considering how busy it was. I started with the meat empenadas which were excellent. A few others got the chorizo - which stole the show as far as appetizers went.

I got the breaded chicken for my main course as I wasn't in the mood for steak (a fatal error). I really did not enjoy it at all as it was very overcooked. The steaks, on the other hand, were excellent & cooked to perfection (trust me, my roving fork left no plate untouched). We drank Sangria that night which was also very good.

Despite my chicken-fiasco, I recommend Buenos Aires for your inner carnivore. Get any one of their excellent steaks, or the veal sweetbread.

Party Like It's 2007

Our first Thursday Club of the New Year was one to remember.......through pictures......the next morning (see: www.painfulfridayhangovers.com). Jason prepared an awesome menu for us four (with Wax being the 4th man in) and we brought the wine, to a tune of 6 bottles. So much for sobriety being my New Year's resolution.

-MENU-

- Crab Salad served in an Avocado

- Escargo Provencal

- Duck Cassoulet (de Casséus)

Paired with the creamy flesh of the avocado, the crab salad had a ton of crunchy diced vegetables folded within and a nice curry spice to it. A nice, light way to start off.




Clearly, what makes a good plate of escargo is the amount of butter, garlic and parsley piled on top. As you can see from the pictures below, there was plenty to go around. Once it was done broiling, each moist little snail had it's own personal pool of fragrent melted butter to swim (one might say drown) in. This left plenty of golden goodness to mop up with a warm baguette.


The main course was gasp/groan/curse-worthy. Once the duck confit nestled in a thick and spicy cassoulet was spooned liberally onto our plates, conversation ceased with the exception of a few subtle ooohs and aaahs. The smoky andouille sausage and al dente white beans added a perfectly balanced flavor and texture to the entire dish.

After this feast rendered us unbelievable full (and unable to operate heavy machinery or drive), a hidden bottle of single malt scotch found it's way to the table. It looked a bit like this.....


I'm sure some of you photo-types out there would claim that this image looks blurry because of the lack of light on the object being photographed, therefore effecting the speed of the shutter and blah, blah, blah. Forget all of that. This is a first hand account of how that very bottle looked that night. The blurryness can be attributed to the amount of fun I was having.....after all, that's what Thursdays are for, right?

Papatzul - 55 Grand Street

For a friend's birthday we headed for some authentic Mexican food at Papatzul. The dining area was adequately sized for the table of 8 we had. The atmosphere wasn't anything shocking or revolutionary, but if you're analyzing the ceiling fans and window treatments for the majority of the meal, chances are you need new company......or your Ritalin is wearing off.

The margaritas were nice and sour and seemed to have the correct amount of booze in them. They really didn't cut you a deal on the pitchers though (yielded 4 glasses for $36 when glasses were $9 a piece.......this led to some unecessary confusion on our part). Although I didn't have any, the tequilla menu was really impressive too.

The menu was packed with alot of Mexican classics (quesadillas, tortilla soup), but had a few nice fusion twists also. This was mostly featured in the starters, which I feel really carried the meal. Chile rellenos were stuffed with goat cheese and lump crab meat (definitely a dish i'd like to re-create , aka steal). Everyone got a good size appetizer and fought, across the table when necessary, to stab at others' plates. The octopus with sweet chipote-tomato sauce was extremely tender and flavorful. This and the spicy ceviche were the main plates that I eyed.

By the time the main course came, I already had a good base of food and drink in me. I had the Budin al Pasilla, a sort of a Mexican lasagna. It layered flour tortillas with shredded chicken, black beans, cheese and heavy cream. Truthfully, it was a bit bland and under seasoned, but a little hot sauce perked it up the next day in the form of leftovers.....the sign of a true good dish.

Overall, the meal and service was satisfactory, but not mind-blowing. Definitely good to check out once.

The Mighty Balthazar

It was my Mom's birthday last night, so my brother & I took her to Balthazar (80 Spring Street). We had tried to go to Blue Ribbon (97 Sullivan St.), but the Maitre D' informed us that it would be an hour or more for a table. It was freakishly hot yesterday as well as being a Saturday, so we knew it would be busy, but not that busy. So, we decided to go to Balthazar & didn't fare much better.

Balthazar can be somewhat imposing & upon opening the front door, our senses were barraged. The smell of the various foods, the sight of the sheer size of the place with it's staff doing what looks like a choreographed dance, the sounds of hundreds of people eating & chatting & the feel of 75 or so people waiting for tables & brushing up on you. We didn't get to the taste part until an hour later, & that was with preferential treatment as my brother knows the Maitre D', Kevin.

We were finally seated in an area away from the door, with far less foot traffic which made for a far more pleasant/comfortable dining experience than those who were sitting by the door or bar. I was still recovering from the night before, so I drank San Pellegrino all night, but my brother did order an excellent '05 Sancere which I had a few sips of. The wine list simply blew my mind. I thought it was only the front & back of a large sheet of paper, but it actually opened up to reveal 2 inner pages - over 400 wines; amazing!

We started with a dish known simply as 'Le Grand'. A towering, two-tiered monster of selections from the raw bar along with a seafood salad, crab & gigantic shrimp. We also ordered half a dozen Fanny Bay oysters for good measure.

Stefan ordered the Sat. special; Braised short ribs, which fell off the bone at the slightest touch. He also got a glass of Syrah-Grenache blend which he seemed to enjoy. I got the duck shepherds pie which I thought was so-so (that having been said, my taste buds were still recovering from the whiskey beating they had taken from the night before). We ended the night with coffee & a chocolate cake for my Mom.

All in all, an excellent experience. Don't let my horror story of the wait deter you from checking Balthazar out. The food is excellent & the service is among the best I've ever had (our waiter, Provost was awesome) despite the huge number of people dining. You can thank me later...

Hangover 101

Another hangover? Yes? No problem - Try my my magic recovery butty. It has everything you need to come round. Steak, avocado, mushrooms, mayo, ketchup. Grill the meat, slice mushrooms and fry in a bit of butter, mash the avocado. Spread ketchum on a slice if crusty bread, cover with mashed avocado, a sprinkle of salt, mushrooms and steak on top, liberally coat the other slice with mayo, press together. Find a bib, a comfy chair, eat.

Dok Suni

I had a chance to check out Dok Suni (119 1st Avenue) with my buddy Todd for some excellent Korean food. Dok Suni means 'strong woman', which is quite fitting seeing as they've been open for more than a decade.

We started with a small plate of shrimp which was fried in a white cornmeal batter & served alongside a particularly tasty crab/seafood salad. They were good, but really not that filling.

I used to go to Dok Suni a lot back in 2000 or so. I would make the trip all the way from the upper east side just to get their mackerel, so I was delighted when I saw that it was still on the menu. It was marinated in sea salt, lightly fried & served with a fried red pepper sauce. The recipe had changed somewhat (if my memory serves me correctly), but it was still very good (& very spicy). The dish was served with white rice & mid-ban-chan (a selection of marinated vegetables & tofu).

Todd got the Bibimbop which looked excellent. We ordered a large bottle of 'OB', a Korean beer. It wasn't very impressive (think watered down Bud Light), but I'm glad that we gave it a whirl.

All in all, it was an excellent meal & reasonably priced. The decor is great (old Korean book pages cover the walls), the service was top notch (it was somewhat empty when we arrived but began to fill up while we were leaving) & they played some really good hip hop all night. In short, I recommend Dok Suni.

Holiday Doubleheader

After traveling back to Buffalo, the stage was set for a Christmas Eve/Day cook-a-thon. I would provide the first days dinner and the family would colaborate in the kitchen for day two. Both of the days in question were fueled by day long snacking and white wine. Here are the menus:

-X-mas Eve-

Creamy Potato Soup w/ Bleu Cheese Fritters

Applewood Smoked Porkchops
Tomato Gratin

The soup and fritter combo (mentioned in a previous post) blended that whole creamy and crunchy thing well and was a good start for meal.


A stovetop smoker was used for the pork chops. Handle little kitchen gadget that smoker. Definitely worth a peek. It cooked the thick chops almost all the way then they were tossed in a hot pan to finish off the crust. You could definitely the taste of the smoking wood chips throughout the meat. I bet that would be awesome with bacon.......not that any means of cooking bacon has proved to be less than awesome. Tartare? Why Not??

-X-Mas Day-

Caesar Salad

Yorkshire Pudding with Glazed Brussel Sprouts and Baby Carrots

Mashed Yams

Cajun Rubbed Prime Rib Roast

In true Johnson Family form, meat was a featured member of both main dishes. And damn was it good.

The Christmas Dinner was an absolute gutbuster. The plate crammed with sides and a juicy steak definitely made it tough to stop eating....even after I hit the point of 'full'. The roast was crusty on the outside from the dry rub. Right under that was the thinnest layer of fat that made the meat really moist (taste over health in this case). A tasty drop of red tied the meal together well.

I think there's a tiny bit of space in the middle
where you can fit some more beef.










I didn't leave the house for 2 days, i'd say it was worth it. I'm sure 2007 will yield some further culinary excellence.....i'm hungry.

Happy New Year.

The day after Christmas Eve...

After a very late start indeed, we hoofed it over to Midtown again for Christmas Day celebrations. It had been arranged long ago that Lisa and I would cook some food for the 7 people who were to turn up on the day. We decided and planned a menu weeks ago, and today was the time for execution:

• Lobster Thermidor
• Kleftiko
• Rabbit in cider with tarragon
• Fruit-topped cheesecake
  

Execution was the first word I thought of when I awoke. With a raging hangover, my first task of the day was to disptach the crustacea. I bought the buggers one day in advance in the afternoon, assured that if I kept them covered with seaweed and sprinkled salty water on them, they'd remain in a 'deep slumber' until bathtime. I ventured to the back of the fridge. Fine specimens they were, all feisty and angry-looking when I woke them with a brief rustle of their plastic bag duvets. "Wakey wakey chaps - It's bathtime! "

One by one I plunged them into a huge pan with water at a rolling boil. 8-9 mins was about right. They all turned a magnificent bright mandarin colour after about 6 mins, meaning they weare approaching readiness. When they cooled down, we had to de-meat the carapace. Real sod of a job too - cracking, chopping, popping and winkling trying to keep the shells intact for the presentation. So sliced mushrooms are browned in butter, then egg yolks whisked with sherry and scalded cream are added to the pan, with a touch more cream, seasonings, paprika. This mixture was then stuffed back into the shells and browned under the grill. We ate them immediately!!! I don't like to review my own cooking, but it was pretty good. And so much better without cheese to spoil the lobster.

Lisa is Greek and since her childhood in Cyprus she has eaten this ancient dish. Kleftiko is an oven-baked lamb shoulder with potatoes, herbs and spices. This was prepared while I was attempting to sleep off the booze from the night before, so I can't tell what's in it or how it's mastered. I can tell you that I looked at it in the opt and it fell apart. Moist, tender, fabulously delicious. I can link you to a Lisa-approved traditional recipe. KLEFTIKO

The rabbit was a simple joint braise with mirepoix, cider for about and hour, the sauce finished with cream and tarragon, a cheeky dollop of French mustard.

It was bloody good though, and I really enjoy making a rabbit dish - It's easy to joint and take apart, but on this occasion I was also treated to a Karaoke rendition of "For Your Eyes Only". I'm convinced Mike aspires to become a lounge singer, like that guy from Peter Kay's 'Phoenix Nights'.

After we'd eaten three courses with about a pint of wine each, we were all in need of a brief rest. Dessert was to follow and Paul 'Beerman' Bannister had been to the bakers to locate fine fruit-topped cheesecakes and Black Forest gateaux.

In the UK, and I guess also in the US now, it's tradition to play chess or glue one's eyes to the telly for some James Bond action after the Christmas meal. I prompted for the latter and cosied-up to an excellent bottle of chilled 'Pol Roger' having been hard at work

for most of the day.

Le Miu

I'll admit that I've passed by Le Miu (107 Avenue A) several times & glanced in with a certain disdain at their fancy tables & 'shi-shi air', but my buddy Todd finally managed to drag me in there a few weeks ago & I had a blast.

So, I decided to go back yesterday with my brother (Sous Chef Stef) & a friend. As usual, the food was excellent. I ordered the Le Miu Sushi Platter & the eel & cucumber roll. I fancy myself as a bit of a sushi snob & I can tell you with all certainty that this is some of the best sushi that you will get in the city. The service was excellent, the restaurant is spacious, the plating alone makes your mouth water & the bartender on that particular night, Ranya (sic?) is as cool as a cucumber.

My brother kept on ranting & raving about the place, which serves up fantastic sushi at a very reasonable price. Looks like I won't be going to Takahachi any more. The fact that Le Miu is a stone's throw from my apartment makes me really angry for snubbing the place for so long... I highly recommend Le Miu for all of your East Village sushi needs...

Un Classique

I used to live in Turtle Bay (48th at 2nd) in Manhattan and depsite comprehensive restaurant choices, there was this little place that I and friends always used to frequent. Le Bateau Ivre (the drunken boat) is a dimly lit classic French wine bar on 51st b/w 2nd and 3rd. It has all of the atmosphere you would expect from a restaurant of it's ilk.

In the summer, people spill out onto the pavement to gather round tables and drink wine by the glass, adding to the murmur and conversational din of 51st street. In the winter, it's a cosy bistro serving traditional French classics like French onion soup, escargots with parsley butter, moules, caviar and raw plates, excellent foie gras, an ever popular assiette de charcuterie, grilled lobster, ridiculously good duck confit, and wondeful sides like gratin Dauphinois and haricots vert.

Following Christmas Eve tradition, my girl Serena, Lisa, Mike and I went to the Beekman Tower (1st Ave at 49th) to enjoy their rooftop bar where the pianist plays James Bond theme tunes upon request (much to Mike's delight) and our man from Afghanistan mixes up some excellent martinis. After drinking champagne and hazelnut, apple, and a JB style martinis, we were more than a bit pissed, and we braved the 2 blocks that separated us from hidden treasure.
I barely had time to light up and we were sat in our favourite seats by the window, drinking antique Bordeaux and enjoying the sounds of a raucous 'French Joyeaux Noel'. Our boy Garcon came over, all smiles and Brylcreem, and he took our order. Always wanting to re-test and re-acquaint, we ordered the foie gras, snails, French onion soup, and I think somebody got the country pate. I can only speak briefly of the splendour of my companion's dishes. The snails, cooked with aplomb, buttered liberally, sprinkled with fresh parsley, were delicious as always. The soup was a fabulous golden brown, richly flavoured with onion, and topped with toasted fresh baguette overcome with Gruyere cheese. My own dish, the foie gras (which I can rarely resist) came in 2 thick slabs, thinly veined and rimmed with silky goose fat. It was served with a Sauternes jelly and toast. I had to close my eyes and put my fingers in my ears for the first bite, I didn't want anything to detract from this mouthful. My tongue initially tasted the large flakes of Maldon sea salt, then came the foie gras, melting through the salt to envelope my tongue with earthy richness, then the crunch and body of the bread, followed by the palate cleansing jelly, which didn't last long but just long enough to add a little acidic sweetness to cut through some of the rich goose fat I was enjoying. A mouthful from Heaven. Zeus didn't eat this well I thought.

Next up was an achingly good rendition of duck confit (you can see I was seized by a poultry passion on this Christmas Eve) with LBI's sauteed potatoes. The duck was beautifully tender with a slight crispiness in the skin adding to the textural equation. A scant broth surrounded my potatoes (perfectly crisp golden brown mirepoix cubes of potato) and I ate like a famished man. My notable companions ate cote d'agnueau, a classic steak au poivre, and a highly calorific but butterly delicious gratin Dauphinois.

Dessert was out of the question. It's a good job we were on a bit of a mission to drink, because LBI does THE best wine by the glass menu in NYC. I think (in press articles) they say they have about 250 wines, I think the figure is maybe closer to 200. They had neglected to stock up on popular items and we needed some second choice action. Nonetheless, we tasted, ate and drank until the wee hours amidst some excellent service, savouring, slurping, and revelling until we were forced to retire to our homes to do it all over again the day after, at slightly less expense I should add.

Go Go Gadget Grinder!

I used to have a hand crank meat grinder (that my parents lovingly bought for me), but I found it to be a huge pain in the ass & I eventually upgraded to a Waring Pro electric meat grinder. Pulling this bad boy out of the box, I had goosebumps! Dan & Missy were having a Tex-Mex themed Xmas booze-athon so I chose to make some chili.

I bought a 3lbs sirloin top roast & prepared my grinder. I cut the meat into grinder-friendly sized chunks & put the medium-sized plate on the beast. The grinder is incredibly noisy & to be quite honest, I loved it! The meat was dispatched without much effort & I gave it a quick browning.

I removed the sirloin from the pot & sauteed some onions & garlic, I then added the meat back to the pot with my 'secret chili seasoning', red beans & tomato sauce. I had it on a low heat for about 3 hours; Yum!




The party went off without a hitch & there was plenty of food to be had. Dan made a VAT of insane rum cider & a pot of the spiciest meatballs I've ever had.





After drinking way too much booze & eating far too much food, we headed to Against The Grain (620 E. 6th St.) for some exotic beers & oyster shooters. Chris turned me onto the Porkslap which I found to be excellent. As usual, we headed to 7B & Closed it down...

Cake>Cookies

So, along with the chili, I decided to make some Peanut Butter cookies for Dan & Missy's Xmas shindig.

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the sugars, butter and peanut butter. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift together the flour, the baking soda and the salt and add to the dough. Dough should be stiff enough to shape with your hands. Make 1-inch balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Gently press thumb into the balls to flatten the cookies slightly and make an indentation in the center of the cookie. Press 3 or 4 chocolate chips into the indentation.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove cookies from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.

But of course, I scoffed at the idea of making them so small. In the end, I ended up with a baking pan FULL to the brim with Peanut Butter Goodness. It ended up looking like a jigsaw puzzle, but after I separated the cookies - they turned out great...

Meat On A Stick!

To the untrained eye, it would seem that us Thursday Club lads have an unhealthy fixation with meat & to be quite honest I totally agree!

My local bar/mental health facility, 7B (108 Avuenue B; a.k.a. Vazac's, The Horseshoe, etc...) had their 2006 Xmas party yesterday & all of the regulars brought some nibbles. I hooked up some chicken & rock shrimp skewers which came out surprisingly well.

I marinated both the chicken & rock shrimp overnight in your typical seasonings; seasoning salt, pepper & onion & garlic salts. The chicken breast got a 30 minute dunking in lemon & salt before I gave them a right thrashing with a lead pipe. I heated my pan to the point where the oil was smoking hot & added the chicken. I seared those suckers pretty well & it took me 2 or 3 batches till the 3lbs of chicken was well & cooked.

I totally forgot to open my windows & by the end, it looked like there was a slow fog rolling through my living room. I half expected to hear the low rumbling of a tug boat's horn or see the Hound of the Baskervilles sniffing at my garbage can.




I melted half a stick of butter & added the rock shrimp with garlic & ginger. I was shocked by how much water the shrimp gave off - but in the end, they were very tender.

The skewering process took a lot longer than expected. I let the chicken cool & put them on 6" skewers. The same went for the rock shrimp.

I made 2 dipping sauces; A 'Dijon-aise' & a Thai peanut sauce. The Dijon-aise was just Dijon mustard, mayo, salt & pepper & a bit of extra virgin. It holds a special place in my heart as when I was growing up, if there was ever any steak or roast lying around the day after a meal, my Dad would fix me a plate of cold cuts with this very sauce.

It took me a while to figure out how I was going to transport the food without messing them up, but I managed to do it in style. I'm guessing that the skewers were a success as they didn't last but 20 minutes or so...