Truly inspired tableside service is more than just a turn of the pepper mill or a ladle of sauce over a dessert. Once confined to the tossing of a Caesar salad or the preparation of a flaming dessert, tableside service can now range from over-the-top eatertainment – dramatic cocktail shaking, customized guacamole, baked Alaska delivered [...]
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First is the flavor combinations. Second is the color on the dish. Next one, is it has to be aesthetically right. Who is the star of the plate? When I think of this nouveau gastronomic stuff… Know what I call that? Harry Potter food! What I question is sometimes there are so many elements on [...]
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It’s a moment that’s hard to forget. You’re at Fatty ‘Cue, Zak Pelaccio’s new Asian-barbecue spot, swooning over the whole grilled mackerel. As you finish the last bite, a waiter drops by and asks, “Do you want me to fry those bones for you?” Why, yes, please do. Tasting Table
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Favorite recent food find? My newfound love of green peppercorns, Giada’s [De Laurentiis] new panini press, Yoplait Greek yogurt, J. Noto’s Bakery in St. Charles, the cartoon Chowder. I should probably stop there. Most essential ingredient in your kitchen? Superlative flour. Favorite local ingredient and where you get it? Morel mushrooms, whoever’s selling. Riverfront Times
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AB: If you could go anywhere for culinary travel, where would you go and why? JM: Well, I went to Austria and it was really great to see an Austrian patisserie. I think Spain was really influential, especially now [that I’m] using a lot of Mediterranean ingredients. Spain and Italy have a similar approach to [...]
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AB: What question gives you the most insight to a cook when you are interviewing them? What sort of answer are you looking for? JD: Describe yourself, describe your work ethic. [I’m looking for] a sincere answer. I’m not looking for someone who’s going to blow smoke up my butt or say how great they [...]
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by Mark Hill, C.E.C. By far the most versatile vegetable to cook, potatoes are affordable, abundant, and available in a myriad of forms suitable for use in the home, the restaurant, and the processing plant. These include fresh, frozen, dehydrofrozen, dehydrated, and potato chips. PICK A POTATO A multitude of products makes deciding what type [...]
Read More...by Chef Mark Hill C.E.C When I first started working in restaurant kitchens, a big-deal chef told me something I have never forgotten. He pointed to a somewhat questionable side of asparagus I was plating and said, “to us, this is one of 400 covers. But to the guy sitting at table 8, this is [...]
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