Marly's in Wilton CT.

I was treated to a real special meal earlier this week at Marly's in Wilton CT.  Some of the dishes are on the menu, or soon to be on the menu and some are just for fun.  It didn't hurt that I was dining with the owner Mike LeBeau that night that allowed us the extra attention.

We decided after getting the menu's that we would just close them and let the Chef make us what he wanted to make that night.  So as we were sitting there just for kicks, he brought out some Shrimp that were sautéed in chili peppers and lots of garlic and topped with green onion.  Very garlicky and not too spicy.

The second dish was still light and bigger than a bite.  Tuna Tartar mixed with Yuzu and cucumbers in a vinaigrette with a sliver of avocado and tomato to cream it up.  On the side was a light splash of raspberry sauce which added nice color and a good small accent of sweetness.  Won ton Crisps accompanied the dish as well.  Very light and fresh tasting.  Both of these dishes were not on the Main menu but will be soon one day i'm sure.

Next dish was a fun one that was right up my alley.  A little Tex/Mex if you will.  First was a pulled pork Quesadilla that had delicious flavored pork inside.  It was soft as pulled pork should be.  Under that was a BBQ spring roll.  The beef in the spring roll had a good tasting BBQ sauce mixed into it and the crunch of the roll complimented the soft beef inside.  This dish also isn't available yet but we hope to see it on the menu.

And if that wasn't enough, the chef brought out an item that was on the specials for the night.  Black tagatelle in a light cream sauce with seared scallops and medallions of lobster.  No, not a rich dish at all.  Well from the description, it could be.  But the cream sauce was used sparingly as to not overwhelm the entire dish.  The seafood was done perfectly and it was real tasty.

After that we got into talking about burgers.  Mike mentioned that they were playing around with having a "Burger Menu" and they have been experimenting with different burgers to figure out which ones they wanted on this addition.  Mike said they will be starting to offer these burgers Friday October 30th.  So when you read this, they will probably already be on it.  Chef brought out two of his favorites.  The Genoa Burger which was a delicious burger topped with Pesto sauce and Mozzarella.  Pesto can be strong on it's own but they put the right amount that it doesn't over power the burger at all.  The other burger was a French onion burger that had caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese.  Both were terrific.  Now before you start calling me a pig, it should be known that we each ate a 1/4 of the burgers.

Marly's has a great menu that can be seen online.  Everything that I have had there in past has been terrific and when you see the menu, you'll notice it has something for everyone.  Even the kids.
When you see it on the menu, get a side for the table of the truffle mac and cheese.  you'll be glad you did.

Marly's can be found at 205 Town Green Rd., in Wilton CT.  or you can see more about them here: http://marlysofwilton.com/index.html

TAG in Denver........It's it.

I spent the weekend in Denver last week and had an opportunity to visit TAG for dinner.  I was with my Sister and Brother in law who own Vesta Dipping Grill located at 1822 Blake St in Denver, www.vestagrill.com and Steubens located at 523 E. 17th Ave in Denver, www.steubens.com, as well as my other sister who was in from Boulder.

The restaurant is located on Larimer Square in downtown Denver.  In the warmer months you can sit outside overlooking the happenings on the street which I'm sure is real nice.  Our evening wasn't optimal for outdoor seating so we took a seat in a large backed booth next to the kitchen.  The space is filled with about 3 High backed booths opposite a large counter height table that could be used for large groups or fitting together a few smaller ones.  They have a glass encased wine display showing off a variety of wines to choose from.  As you walk past the wine case, you walk on a glass floor that overlooks a dining room set for private functions.  there is also seating at a bar that sits in front of the kitchen in case you want to see all the action going on.

My siblings knew Troy Guard, the owner of TAG and he had met us a few times at our table.  TAG promotes themselves as Social Dining and encourages sharing dishes at the table.  When my family gets together we tend to do this quite a bit anyway because we want to try everything we can.

For starters we had raw Kampachi with shaved jalapeño peppers on top of it.  The flavor was bright and spicy.  I had requested the Korean BBQ Kalbi Taco's (go figure right, see blog below) as my suggestion and it delivered as a nice Mexican/Korean combo.  The Korean Marinated Short rib was piled high on a thick corn Tortilla which was full of flavor.  Next Appetizer was a true clever fun surprise.  French Onion Soup Dumplings.  This was served atop an Escargot dish.  Caramelized Onions which were super sweet were encased in a dumpling wrapper and topped with guryere cheese.  Each bite made you feel like you were drinking a very savory French Onion Soup.  This was the most clever of the dishes.  If you go, please get this, you won't be disappointed.  The last of the appetizers was the Veal Cheek.  This already tender piece of meat was slowly cooked and placed on a bed of creamy risotto.  Both the Veal and the risotto were bursting with flavor.  The Veal was probably the most tender pieces of meat I've had in a long time.  The dish was prepared with pears and apples that added to the complexity of this dish.  The mix of the sweet of the pear and apple and the savory meat accompanying the risotto gives your mouth a real treat.

Half way between the apps and the mains, we got some sushi.  The first one was the Angry Volcano roll which was similar to a spicy Tuna roll with extra kick of Serrano peppers.  The other roll was the Mr. Miyagi Roll.  That roll had a flavorful battered Shrimp tempura encased in white rice and nori.  We liked this roll so much that we ordered it for dessert later on.

The main dishes were just as good as the appetizers.  Hanger Steak with fingerling potatoes covered my beef craving that I've been having for a while.  The steak was tender and flavorful and there was some soft cheese served with the dish that really added to the flavor.  We ordered a veal and pork belly special that was rich and full of flavor.  I'm a big fan of Pork Belly so I tend to try a dish like this whenever I can and this one delivered.  To finish off the main dishes we ordered the Miso Glazed Black Cod.  The fish was placed on a bed of fragrant rice and topped with peppery pea shoots.  The fish was cooked to perfection as it flaked easily with a fork and melted in your mouth.  I highly recommend this dish.

When given the choice for dessert, we decided to go non-traditional.  We ordered another Mr. Miyagi roll and the seared Scallops.  4 very large Diver Scallops were heavily seared and caramelized on one side which really brought out the flavor in the dish.  a great way to end the meal.

For those of you daring, they do offer an after dinner drink called Absinthe which is historically a highly alcoholic anise flavored drink.  The presentation is fun to watch as it is dripped from a spout onto a sugar cube placed on top of a spoon and flows into a glass below.

If your in Denver and would like a good meal, you won't go wrong at TAG.
TAG can be found at www.tag-restaurant.com

The Food Truck Craze with a Mexican/Korean twist

I have learned that as of now the latest craze in LA food is the food truck.  No longer just your regular meat wagon filled with simple flavorless sandwiches, greasy burgers and brown crayon coffee.  These trucks have a following.  I recently read about one in the Gourmet blog which featured Kogi.  Kogi has such a following that they have recently set up a permanent location at the Alibi Club in downtown LA.  On their website, they feature their menu that you can get in the Alibi club and in any of the three trucks that float around from various places in the downtown LA area.  On the right side It shows you the locations that the three trucks are in every day.  Each day, the trucks are in a location from 12PM to 3PM, 6PM to 9PM and finally 10:30PM till 1:00 AM.  Each truck moves to a new location each day and the schedule changes every week. 

I found the one I went to in the back of 5900 Wilshire Blvd in LA.

Menu items are a eclectic mix of Mexican and Korean dishes.  Unfortunately  I was alone so my options were limited to only what I can eat.  So yes, I was a pig but when else could I get this.

I am a huge fan of Korean food.  Its probably the most underrated of all the asian foods served in this country.  Chinese food is almost American with as many opportunities to get fried rice and an egg roll as there are places to get a overpriced Starbucks coffee.  Japanese food specifically Sushi is available almost as much.  Thai food is gaining in popularity but you rarely hear about Korean food.  Specifically Korean BBQ. 

I decided to try two tacos and a something else that looked unique.  I chose the spicy pork taco and the Korean short rib taco.   My favorite Korean dish is Kalbi which is marinated short ribs.  So to have it in a taco was bound to be great.  Both tacos were served using two small corn tortillas.  The meat and vegetable topping was mounded on top of these tortillas so high that you are bound to mess your shirt if you’re not really  careful.  So get a fork if you go there.

Alright so the photo doesn’t show so well.  But let me tell you, it was wonderful.  Especially the short rib.  The marinated meat was so tender and juicy that if I wasn’t eating in a specific angle, it would have dripped all over my arm.  I think I would get the same tacos again the next time.

The other dish I got because It mixed two things I enjoy very much in each of the cultures.  Kim Chee and Quesadillas.  Yes, I present to you, the Kim Chee quesadilla.

 Now before you judge, you have to really like kim chee to enjoy this dish.  There is no way around it.  For those of you that don’t know what kim chee is, it’s traditionally a cabbage that has been marinated in a spicy mix of chili paste and other spicy ingredients.  Alone, it’s wonderful but with other dishes it accents its crisp spicy flavor well with the many meats and fish.  The Kim chee Quesadilla was good and cheesy but the watery kim chee softened up the tortilla it was made in. 

I’m glad I got it but not sure I would get it again.  I think I would get something else to try but I’d still have to get the same two tacos. 

I want to try to find other trucks for my trips out west so if you hear of anything, please let me know what is good out there.

Kogi can be found in multiple areas of LA and you get to know where they are from here:

http://kogibbq.com/

Safire Bistro in Camarillo California.

I had an opportunity to visit the Safire Bistro in Camarillo which is located west of the San Fernando Valley and not far from Oxnard.  We were unlucky to have been there during the rains hiatus of 9 months  and was not able to sit outside

Inside was a nice space that had almost one whole huge wall open to the kitchen where you can see everything going on.  The menu is vast and has something there that even the pickiest eater would find appetizing.  They have a large selections of pizza that seem to be a favorite there as we saw many being served.  So we picked one.  The San Domenico that we ordered had been topped with Prosciutto, shaved parmesan, arugula, fontina cheese and Lemon.  It was delicious.

The other starter that we had was raw fish two ways in a dish.  Yellow tail was sliced super thin and had a small thin ring of Serrano pepper on top.  This was drizzled with a very fragrant olive oil.  Between the two fish were fried wonton chips that were to be used on the second half of the dish.  Diced raw tuna mixed with cucumbers avocado and mixed with a chili aioli.  This was all placed in a ring and served like a small tower. 

Our main dishes that we had were prime rib which was cooked very well and served with a great horseradish sauce.  The other main dish was a miso glazed Cod that flaked easily with a fork. The fish was placed on top of a bed of caramelized white corn and sauted wild mushrooms surrounding steamed jasmine rice.  The caramelized white corn was well paired with the fish mixing it’s sweet flavor with the salt bite of fish.  I definitely recommend the dish.

Safire Bistro can be found at 4850 Santa Rosa Rd., Camarillo, CA 93010.  Phone 805-389-1227

www.safirebistro.com

A Visit to Jimmy’s…..

My trips to Los Angeles are never really complete unless I meet a good friend of mine for Sushi at Sushi Koy.  The amazing thing about this place is that it really isn’t much of a stand out eating establishment as it really is.  As a matter a fact, if you were to not be looking in the right direction you wouldn’t even know that the place exists.  Sushi Koy is located in a little strip mall in Simi Valley California.  Jimmy is the Chef owner of the place and it’s like Cheers in reverse.  Everyone that walks in there gives a holler hello to Jimmy.  “Hey Jimmy”, “How are you Jimmy”, “What’s fresh today Jimmy”.  Its amazing.  At first I thought it was a few people, but it was everyone.  EVERY TIME!!!!  And I’ve been there quite a bit.  

We always sit at the 8 person Sushi bar so we can watch Jimmy.  We never grab a menu and let Jimmy do what he does best.  We start off with crab stuffed Calamari that sits elegantly in a broth of ginger and soy and it’s sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds.  It’s a great way to start off the meal.  We had an assortment of sushi pieces that he would place in front of us as my friend and I were talking.  Then he places  in front of me the reason why I came here.     The Margarita.  Fresh tender yellow tail placed on top of seasoned rice is as usual as the next piece.  He squeezed lemon over the fish, sprinkles sea salt over the lemon and tops it off with lime zest.   “Don’t dip this into the soy” Jimmy asks.  “Best to have this as it is”.  You bite into this and you are eating a Margarita.  It’s amazing and refreshing.

 My favorite hand roll is a spicy scallop and roll that Jimmy makes.  The scallop is chopped into ½” pieces and mixed in a sauce that is creamy and laced with orange tobiko eggs  and all rolled up over rice in Nori Seaweed.    This is so popular that he has a huge bowl of it waiting behind the bar.  The other original dish he serves are eye balls.  Well at least that is what he calls them.  Jimmy makes two pieces of sushi.  One tuna on rice topped with a slice of Avocado.  The other is Albacore tuna on top of rice topped also with a slice of Avocado.  Each get wrapped in plastic wrap and made into balls.  When he unwraps them, the avocado represents the pupil in what looks like two eyeballs.  It’s really funny looking.   Then he borders the plate with a wasabi sauce and tops the whole dish with a similar white sauce with the tobiko.  When one is made, everyone sees it and it’s like a domino effect through the whole place questioning it and then ordering it.

Sushi Koy is located at  3977 Cochran St., Simi Valley, CA 93063-2371   (805) 526-3167

Make sure you say hi to Jimmy when you walk in.

Fall is here.....Time for Soup

The fall season is one of my favorites because it's time for soup.  Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of soup.  I have a good arsenal of soups and now that I have a big stand up freezer, my cauldron will be used often.

I decided today that I would make a batch of Mushroom Barley.  I like to double this recipe because it gives me a nice bowl for that day, and two bowls for the week in addition to the two servings I freeze.

I got this recipe from the Culinary Institutes book of Soups.  Its a great source for soups as I've made many from here.

It calls for the following:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion finely diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 carrot finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 celery stalk (about 1/2 cup)
1 parsnip finely diced (about 1/3 cup) it says this ingredient is optional but I have never made this soup without it.
3 cups of sliced mushrooms ( I use the regular white mushrooms)
2 Quarts of Chicken Broth ( I use Swanson's)
3/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1 Tbsp chopped parsley ( I never add it)
2 Tbsp dry sherry or sherry wine vinegar ( I never add it)

Now remember that these are the regular amounts.  I double this recipe.

Start by heating oil in a soup pot till it shimmers.
add onions and saute  till they are golden brown (about 10 minutes)
Then add carrots, celery, parsnip, and mushrooms and stir to mix with onion and cover for 3-4 min.

Uncover and mix again, then add Chicken Broth and barley.  Bring to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.

Now I usually cook it for another 15 mins.  I like my soup thicker so this almost overcooks the barley making it a little bit starchy and it reduces a little bit as well to thicken up and bold up the flavor.

This batch turned out real great and will enjoy it this week and down the road from the freezer.   I hope you can enjoy it too.  Look forward in the future to other fun hearty soups.

Quick Throw Together Shrimp Scampi

I am a major shrimp fan.  I love them.  Small shrimp for salads and pastas and big shrimp for the grill.  I seem to always have a bag of 1lb or 2lbs frozen in the freezer at any time.  I usually get a bag when I see it on sale or I go to Costco and get the U-15's for about $9.00 a Lb.  I like to get it in the 4 lb. bag because it is usually closer to 5lbs. and you pay for 4.  Nice.

So I was in the mood for shrimp tonight and after working out, quick is best.  So before the workout I defrosted  about a pound of 51-60 per pound size shrimp.  They were the already cooked kind but that size either will work. As I was walking past them while getting the kids to bed I'd pick one or two here and there. By the time I made dinner I had about 3/4 of a pound.    I boiled up about a handful of pasta in a small pot and heated up a fry pan.  I took about a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil and heated it up in a pan.  I had about 4 cloves of garlic sliced thin and sauted them at medium heat.  I then took my small handy V slicer and sliced up about 1/2 a shallot right into the pan real thin.  Those small slicers are awesome.   I use that probably 4-5 a week.  So the garlic and shallots are softening up, I was removing the tails from the shrimp.  I added a health bunch of shakes of crushed red pepper (I have a tendency to spice things up a bit) and added the shrimp to the pan.  The shrimp got heated through and mixed the the garlic and shallots.  Next I added two or three tablespoons of the pasta water to starch up the shrimp.  I added one more tablespoon of butter to smooth it all up and added the pasta and mixed it all up.  Finish it up with some parsley and in a bowl in front of the TV for the baseball game.

The best part about this dish is that you can make it your own so easy.  First of all when the shrimp is defrosted, this dish takes as long as it takes to make the pasta.   I literally put the pasta in the water and then did the rest of the things I mentioned above.  Don't want it spicy?  Don't add the Pepper.  Like bigger or smaller shrimp? Put it in.  It's quick easy and easy to make it how you like it.  Enjoy

The Secret of Celery Salt

I have two young boys, 7 and 5, and they both have their tastes that they go for.  There is one thing that both enjoy at home that they don't when they get it from an outside source.   Tuna salad and egg salad.  I always get a kick out of the kids saying, "It's not like your Egg Salad Daddy".  Now everyone's Tuna and Egg salad are all different.  When I tell people what I do to make mine stand out I tell them Celery Salt.  I always get the "Celery Salt?" with a crooked head.  I say "Yes, Celery Salt".

Most people season their dishes with salt and pepper to finish the dish.  For Tuna and Egg Salad, I finish with Pepper and Celery Salt.  It definitely adds that extra flavor that you don't find in many dishes.  Next time you make either of these salads, give Celery Salt a shot. I think you'll like what it can do.

leFarm Westport, a friends and family event

The first impression that you get when you walk in is not Chic hip Westport, New York Style dining.  You get thrown into New England laid back farm scene.  The entire  inside has been transformed into what you would see if you went to any local barn and cleaned it up nicely, added some tables and soft lighting.   It immediately relaxes you.  The dining room is a long narrow space that is filled with one 6 Person table (6 top) in the corner and the rest are two tops that can be made into 4 to 6 at a moment’s or reserved, notice.  There is a high bar area in the back just before the open kitchen which will serve as a dining area as well that will allow anyone to watch Bill Taibe’s magic at work.

Now the meal that we had was not your ordinary one, only because it was designed for a second evening of test runs for the staff.  Our group of four were seated and served menu’s that allowed us to pick one item from the top section and one from the bottom.  We told our server to tell be we are requesting the farm version of “Okamase”, from the Japanese term which means the chef has control of our table. 

We were told that all our dishes would be different to allow us to try everything.  Our first dishes consisted of Fluke Crudo, which was served elegantly on a piece of slate that had olive oil drizzled over the raw fish.  Duck Sausage with a fried duck egg and a corn relish was the second of what would be 5 starters.  Burrata came next which was served on top of black kale which was perfect because the cheese was so fresh, it was firm and slightly wet.  The kale was an excellent choice here because it stayed crunchy till the last bite.  We noticed that the diver scallops wasn’t in our selection so we had made a special request for this dish and was awarded with the most perfectly sautéed Scallops swimming in a aioli like sauce that was perfectly matched.  The last starter was my personal favorite.  The Roasted Bone Marrow was served to us like no other bone marrow we had ever had before.  Instead of the usual cylinder bone with dainty spoon that you get at other places, Bill chose to take an 8” bone and cut it in half long ways allowing the diner to remove the rich buttery marrow from its resting place.   It was served with some fresh country baguettes that you would spread along with thinly sliced shallots.  If that wasn’t enough, to bring it up another level, Bill added a small ramekin of parsley mustard that gave it a bite taking it from incredible to spectacular. 

At this point I stepped into the back to tell Bill how wonderful everything was and how we were looking forward to the mains.  I glanced at my ticket to see what to expect and noticed the Burger missing.  As you might recall from Napa & Co, the burger is what many came for.  It even inspired a special night that created a special just for the burger.  I asked to add the burger and to have it split into 4’s so that we can each sample what would be the most ultimate burger that has ever been set to plate.

The mains consisted of the burger, which I will explain later as we enjoyed it so much, we actually ordered another one to split, Berkshire Pork Belly, Cannelloni, Duck Breast, and Chatham Codfish.  The Cannelloni was a delight.  Two large rolled pasta crepes enveloped the cheese that had a hint of Anise or fennel in it.  It was topped with a creamy béchamel sauce.  The Duck Breast has large and hearty.  I’m not a real big fan of Duck but what had me won over was the addition of the figs that sweetened up each bite.  The Berkshire Pork Bell y was a favorite as it was cooked so well.  It wasn’t overly fatty and it wasn’t overly salty as this can sometimes be.  It was done just right.  The Pork sat upon a bed of Lentils that were laced with black truffles.  Really a decadent dish.  The Codfish was a table favorite as everyone enjoyed the bacon butter it was served with. 

But the real gem of the night was the burger.  It was layered atop soft bacon and covered with Vermont Cheddar.  The Brioche bun that encased it absorbed all the juices that the burger had dripping from it.  Now everyone has a special way they like their burger. Whether its topped with tomato, onion, pickles, specific buns and ketchup.  This burger would be ruined by tampering with it with adding any form of condiment.  It was impossible to put down. 

There was a small but delicious selection of desserts to order from.  We ordered cookies which I enjoyed the lemon cilantro glazed cookies.  The Apple cake with beets was good and an interesting twist adding a sweet beet to a cake like that.  The cheese plate was excellent as it offered a great selection of hard and soft cheeses also served on the slate like the appetizers were served on.

The fun bonus fact that Bill and Rachel have added to Le Farm is that they offer both sparkling and still water to serve and it’s not from a bottling source.  It’s from Westport.  They have a machine that triple filters the water and adds the sparkle to the water for patrons that ask for it.  It’s a nice touch.

All in all, really an incredible meal and we have lots to look forward to with leFarm in the future.  The best part about the restaurant is that they have no limitations to the fabulous sources of fresh local farm food they get from each and every day.  I have seen the interaction that Bill and Rachel have with the farm sources that they buy from and it’s absolutely family like.  They work together like they have been family for years and that alone says a lot to future of leFarm.  We look forward to many great meals and memories for years to come.

You can see them online at  www.lefarmwestport.com

First blog

I've been talking with people about blogging over the past few months and have decided to take the dive into it. I'll be writing mostly about traveling and food. But mostly Food. Whether it will be reviews from restaurants I've eaten in, food festivals, cook-offs that i'll be attending or competing in , or just things that I'm doing at home cooking.

Hope you enjoy it and welcome any comments.