The chips at this place were pretty damn good. They were thin and fried fresh for our visit with a good amount of salt. N, one of the fellow diners at this lunch, loved drenching the chips in lime juice which made them soggy, yet amazing.
We ordered taquitos and jalapeño Poppers as starters. The taquitos I don't recommend at all but the poppers were tasty. Very deep fried and greasy, but homemade and not the typical frozen popper you normally see.
L bought some tickets to see The Dave Matthew's Band last night at the Staples Center.
It was my first of his show and I was able to understand many more words then just listening to his albums. It was unfortunate that the concert fell on the same day that a band member passed away. Dave seemed to be in good company with his "family" on stage and the crowd loved the show (so did L).
Fun times!
When at the lake, do as lake people do:
While on the Las Vegas trip mentioned below, we were 'hooked up' at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas at the new restaurant, Nove Italiano where chef Geno Bernardo cooks up a storm.
I was first introduced to the Nove idea a while back while I was still working at Fra' Mani. Nove was dedicated to working with us and they even wanted to set up a large glass display case for the salami in their restaurant.
To top off the fact that I had the Fra' Mani thing, I also went to school with one of the managers on the floor and the two of us even spent some time in Italy together.
Now, given that it was a busy Friday night, I'm sure if it were a slow Tuesday night my experience would be different. That being said, don't get me wrong - we had a blast - but you can see from the photos below that there was more expected and less delivered.
The night started off with a really weak Amuse Bouche. Now, this amuse was so bad that I only ingested it because of the hunger which developed throughout the day. Toasted baguette with Olive Tapenade - they do this at Olive Garden these days... Just look at the way it was presented - it shows such poor taste and it almost instills a disdain for the person tasting this. Bad!
I remember being told that Nove Italiano at The Palms Hotel did 'crudo'. Oooooo...
So - being a HUGE fan of Moreno Cedroni, I opted for a taste of the crudo and I should have known better then to expect Cedroni in Las Vegas.
Continue reading "Nove Italiano at The Palms Hotel, Las Vegas" »
Only in Las Vegas...
We recently went to Las Vegas for a birthday party. We stayed at the The Westin Casuarina Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa just off of the Las Vegas Strip.
The hotel was really nothing special with the only positive comment being the great shower the Westin offers. I truly feel that this hotel being a Westin reduces the brands mark and appeal.
The restaurant is a joke at this hotel and the casino is barely that. I originally booked this room by force, as it is what I was given from priceline. I was really upset that I wasn't given a hotel ON the strip. So after trying to fight priceline, I gave up as I read that there really isn't any hope in trying to fight the scamming web based Travel Company.
The thing that pissed me off the most was that the week before our trip, I had offers for hotels on the strip for less money.
Look, it happens and you can't get all giddy - sometimes you have to get shat on. Priceline definitely shat on me.
So – to make myself feel better I drank 99 cent margaritas all night long…na, just kidding… I saw this sign while on the way to Nove, the Italian restaurant at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas.
Nove will be another report, and I hope that by the time I’m done writing it, the place will have dramatically improved its food and service.
On my short visit to Eugene, this was one of the most memorable spots I stopped in at. The PRI is truly a one-of-a-kind establishment. The person I was in contact with whom I assumed is the owner, was wearing flip-flops and a pair of jeans with a t-shirt and an apron - happier then hell about making and selling great pizza.
I went in just to take a quick taste and the stay lasted about an hour. From the handwritten menu on the wall I had a choice of about four or five pizzas available that day.
Continue reading "Pizza Research Institute (Eugene, Oregon)" »
On a recent trip to Eugene, one of the most memorable dishes I enjoyed was the Seared Scallops with Miso and Cucumber Salad prepared by the chefs over at Jo Federigo's Restaurant and Jazz Club in Eugene, Oregon.
The scallops were sweet and buttery and the miso with cucumber was fresh and appetizing - I would have stayed for more but the Lakers were playing and I had to go watch the game...
Continue reading "Jo Federigo's Restaurant & Jazz Club (Eugene)" »
While in Edinburgh, a few months ago (time flies), I had the opportunity to enjoy me a great big (half portion) plate of the world famous Haggis.
In tasting this culinary question for me, I needed to make sure that the Haggis was made from scratch. Finally, a day before leaving Edinburgh, I found a street pub who said that their Haggis was made from scratch.
I recall the ingredients being:
Sheep Stomach as the casing
Oats
Salt and Pepper
Onion
Liver, Lung and Heart (all of Mutton)
Flavorful Stock
For a pre-lunch snack, this plate hit the spot. I recall the taste being a bit over peppery but the presence of such organ meat didn't come out too strongly in taste, more in smell.
The Haggis was served with Turnip and Potato...
This adventure went way back to my Culinary School days when a friend (A.B.) would mention Haggis as an item often served at special occasions at his home or when he would go on the road with his Bag-Pipe playing friends. Since then it always stuck with me, and what better place for a tourist to try Haggis then Edinburgh - A trully Scotish experience!
At VinItaly, yesterday, I met with two old friends. It's been two years since I last saw them, and they remembered me - Francesca and Jacopo Biondi Santi. Once we (I and the sommelier from Al Vedel) arrived my first goal was to meet up with the Biondi Santis, catch up, and find out how I can get my bottle of Schidione '97 from Castello di Montepo to my house in LA! That will need some more work but the meeting reminded me of what a good time I spent with the Tuscan family two years ago.
Yes...that's a 1965 you see there in the middle...and yes...it was very tasty!!
Monday morning poor Alex had to awaken to a day of pork bladders and tying whereas I was getting ready to head over to Chianti and drink wine for two days…another perk for being such a damn good stagist!!
Marco picked me up, with Andrea already in the car and we were off. The three of us would return to Parma
Our first stop, and really the only stop for Day 1 was Badia a Coltibuono located in Gaiole in Chianti. On arrival, the windy uphill road could only really lead to pleasure as the hills were pure beauty.
The weather was perfect for these two days. We were first greeted by two young but beautiful cows grazing in the pasture just in front of the abbey.
I just got back from a quick trip to Venezia aka Venice. Sunday night, after the dinner service, I went along with the kitchen crew to the pub. Sunday night is really the only time we 
socialize together outside of the kitchen.
Last Sunday night was different. There are two French stagists in our kitchen now, not sure about the spelling but the names sound like Fannie and Amandine. To make it short, they wanted to go to Venice, and everyone in the bar, everyone (not just the us), thought it was a good idea for me to be their guide. At first thought, NO, and now that I am back, I still wish I didn’t go. For everyone in the kitchen – they all want me to get laid...
The Continuation...
The next bottle of wine, our fifth, and not on our tasting, more a gift, was a bottle of Griotte-Chamber tin 2000, a Grand Cru from Domaine Ponsot.
I am not a true lover of the Pinot Noir but this Burgundy wine was great. It was soft and earthy yet the fruit tones were all present. A nice ‘gift’ from our Sommelier.
The fifth course was a quick taste for me. In an oversized bowl with just a tiny center laid a perfectly poached quail egg, sitting in a black truffle soup with a tiny piece of gold leaf as garnish. 
This plate was nice, the quail egg was perfectly poached with a runny yolk and the black truffle soup was just that. It was as if the chef put a few black truffles in a blender with a small amount of liquid and this black truffle milkshake was the result. Although at the end of the season, the soup was still rich and the perfume was pungent and strong.
The next wine up was the Castello del Rampolla 1995 vintage Sammarco. If you haven’t yet, you should!
Course six was a Braised Ox-Tail - the only plate that escaped the lens of my camera – so, no photo. Basically, it was the same bowl as the black truffle soup. Underneath a Black Pepper Tuille rested three forkfuls of perfectly braised tail meat. The braise was excellent and so was the rest of the dish – very nice.
The seventh wine, second to last on our tasting was the 1988 vintage Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – Poggio al Vento from Tenuta Col d’Orcia. That was an amazing wine!!!!!!!
The final savory course for the night was my favorite from the whole night. Pigeon was the theme here and it went like this…Roasted Pigeon Foot (Thigh, leg and toes) resting on the Seared Breast, Pigeon Liver enriched Reduction Sauce, Potato Tart and Toast with Red Jam.
Like I said, my favorite dish of the night, this plate was good! The pigeon was perfectly cooked, I picked up the leg with my hands and sucked all the meat, skin and sauce right off – it was amazing. The breast was perfect and so was the sauce. The toast was sweet and went will with the potato tart and the sauce. A truly yummy plate, how about seconds!?!
After the main course, the cheeses were brought out. There were three large cutting boards full of Tuscan-only cheeses.
My plate consisted of Crema di Capra, a very soft and liquidy goat’s cheese; Ambro; Stracchino Stagionato, another soft cheese that is normally eaten fresh as this was an aged version; Pecorino Buccia di Rospo, a sheep’s milk cheese; and finally, Toma della Valsassine. All were amazing but my favorites were the super soft Stracchino and Crema.
With dessert on its way, the sommelier brought over our dessert wine, just for a peak as it went right back into the iced water to continue its cooling down. We drank a bottle of Picolit made by Rocca Bernarda from the 1997 vintage. A very tasty wine made from a special grape, Picolit, which is a late harvest style. Very tasty and if available, get it! 
Okay, the desserts basically all came out in a grand orchestra of a mess. First out was a plate consisting of a Chocolate Cream cube with Honey, Roasted Pear topped with Semi-Freddo, a Chocolate Tuille and an Orange Sauce.
The chocolate cube t asted much like a tootsie roll, the semifreddo was the most amazing semifreddo I have ever eaten, the orange sauce wasn’t very good and the chocolate tuille was great. The semifreddo, truly an exceptional experience here at Enoteca Pinchiorri.
Then, from all angles, plate after plate of more sweets was brought to us.
There was a sorbetto – two flavors, each in their own tuille as a base. We had roasted pineapple as one flavor, and mascarpone and goat cheese as another flavor. Both were great.
Then there was the Chocolate Cream with Irish Whisky which was presented as a foam – very tasty with a heavy coffee flavor, not much whisky though. On the same plate there was also a Triangle of soft Spiced Bread with Licorice, and a Pudding of Lavender and Jasmine with a garnish of Rhubarb. All these tastes were good, with the lavender and jasmine combo the ‘weirdest’ of them all. The small Chocolate Coffee Cups were nice, as well as the Tangerine Gelatins. Small chocolates followed and that was our meal.
Throughout the night, I had a great time. At first, I felt like a putz with the borrowed jacket, but after the first few glasses of wine, I mellowed out. The staff that took care of us for the five and a half hours we were there were great.
At one point I remember a young guy coming up with our Japanese server. Our server introduced him as Italy ’s youngest Sommelier and this sommelier tried speaking his ‘dirty’ English with us. It was a great time. Followed was a tour of the wine cellar, one of three I may add, and then back up to pay the bill.
The tasting menu we ordered, the grander of the two offered, was 225 euros per person. The wine tasting was 170 per person. Total – 395 euro per person – the most expensive meal to date for me!!!
With the wines, the sommelier offered the next wine, if we still had wine from the previous bottle, he asked if we would like the glass refilled, or if we would like both glasses for the same course. It was very friendly and relaxed – not as rigid as at Dal Pescatore, where I dined the week after!
Well, as usual, feel free to ask away!
Enoteca Pinchiorri...Part I
We were a three-top and our third never showed up, but beside the point, we were off to a great night. Walking through the freezing winter air, we found the well lit building which housed Enoteca Pinchiorri. Once in, we were immediately greeted, our coats were taken and I was issued a jacket because I don’t own one here in Italy. The jacket I borrowed wasn’t Armani, but it didn’t look too bad!
Our table was changed from three to two and we waited a few minutes in the lobby/waiting area. Once ready, we were led up to a false balcony seating area. Our table was one of three in our area. It was us, another deuce and a six-top. Our ‘room’ had one waiter and one sommelier in it at all time, and they were ours – always there.
The waiter was a young Japanese guy who has been with EP for three years – I thought at first he must be staging from the EP in Japan, but no, he is an employee there like all the others – and never has worked at the EP in Japan. The sommelier, originally from Rome, but Eric and I though from France, spent time in Spanish and French Michelin starred restaurants before relocating to Florence one month back. He mentioned to us that there is no greater restaurant in the world for a sommelier to work – for him, he is at the best of the best, of the best!
The first thing from the staff was a glass of spumanti – from Antinori, poured from a magnum. It was a great way to start the night. Next out were the pink napkins. The napkins were given to us from a plate, the server using the classic fork and spoon as his finger-extenders.
The amuse bouche, or entrée as mentioned here in Italia was a trio of tiny tastes. 
Starting on the left was the Duck Mousse with Black Sesame Seeds, then the Fillo with Ricotta ‘Cannelloni’ and Sun Dried Tomatoes / Black Olive as garnish and finally the taste all the way to the right, a different Duck Mousse on Soft Spiced Bread.
All three tastes were good – nothing over the top on any, but good.
The next gift from the kitchen was a White Bean Soup with Pancetta Stuffed Ravioli.
The soup arrived at the table corked and the straw is what I used to suck the soup up. The soup was good, a bit on the acidic (beans going bad) side but the three crispy fried ravioli were out of this world. The pasta must have been the same for Torta Fritta because they were puffy and crisp and delicious. A nice plate – and yes, I made a nice, loud, straw slurping sound when I was at the last few drops of the soup. I will enjoy myself!
Our first wine from the wine tasting we chose was a 2002 vintage Bianco di Toscano Ancillo. This wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes and was very nice. It went well with the soup, cutting away the heaviness and cleaning the mouth for the next sip.
Another taste was brought out from the kitchen. This plate featured a Grilled Scallop sitting on Puntarelle with a Salsa alla Banana, a Chocolate Tuille and a piece of great tasting Bottarga.
The bitter greens from the puntarelle went very well with the sweetness of the scallop. The chocolate and banana combo are a classic, and turned slightly savory, they worked well.
Finally, our first course from the tasting menu had arrived, although, I don’t want to make it seem like we were in a hurry! This black plate transferred the taste of Smoked Foie Gras with an Apple Jelly cube, Salt & Pepper and three droplets of Balsamico Tradizionale from the kitchen to our mouths, perfectly.
This smoked foie was a first for me, and I thought the extremely thin slice was on the skimpy side. The smoke flavor was a bit excessive and the apple jelly was really there to call that over powering down. The apple cube tasted of apple sauce – just apple sauce. Then, you season the whole plate yourself, with however much salt or pepper you want. There were only three drops of balsamico so that wasn’t an option; I smeared through the droplets on the first bite! On the side, we were given a few pieces of pruned toast – toasted bread with a prune jam on it. Very tasty, but I would have preferred a kick ass piece of brioche instead.
Our third wine, second on the tasting, was a Tenuta San Guido vintage 2000 Guido Alberto. This wine took the prize for the most amazing nose from a wine. The nose was so compact with smells of ripe red cherries, tobacco, leather – it was awesome. The taste was good too, but not equal to the tease from the nose. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate this Tuscan blend from the famous maker of Sassicaia.
As for breads – throughout the night, we were served our choice from these:
· Parmigiano Crisps, Focaccia, Prune Toast, Chocolate Bread, Raisin Bread and Whole Grain Bread.
Our second course, a Crab with Mint and Red Pepper Foam Martini, Tempura Spiced Asparagus, was delicious.
The red pepper foam was very intense and well seasoned bug the foam itself, the power of the foam, was very weak. By the time it got to the table, it was dying quickly and before the waiter even announced the dish, I went at the foam to try and see what I could get before it disappeared. The crab was fantastic and so was the asparagus, with a pinch of paprika to season them.
The fish course was next. This was a plate consisting of perfectly cooked Bass with a Puree of Celery Root, Deep Fried Mussels and a Mussel Foam with Saffron Oil.
The fish was great – perfectly cooked and just great. The deep fried mussels were passed through some seasoned bread crumbs and fried, skewered with a piece of bone on the plate. The mussel foam was great, well made and very tasty. The celery root was also, very nicely done with a hint of sweet butter to richen it up.
Yes, if you were thinking it, all these courses were served with the Guido Alberto, and all plates went well with the red wine.
The fourth wine, third on the tasting was a bottle of I. Sodi di San Neccolo – Vintage 1997 – bottle number 12543 of Castellare – another truly amazing wine.
The pasta course was out next. This plate, Doppio Ravioli with a Burrata Cheese filling and a Pheasant filling served with Amaretti Crumbs and Butter, Black Sesame Seeds.
The idea of the double ravioli is brilliant. I have never seen this before and think this can open many, many doors to endless combos of tastes. Basically, think of a rectangular piece of pasta dough. Put one filling on the right end and on filling on the left end. Fold the two ends towards the center – now you have two fillings, separated, but one piece of pasta. Very cool!
This is the end of Part I. Part II will be up shortly. Thanks for reading...spread the Gold!
Arriving around 19.30, it was a Friday night and the restaurants and enotecas in Firenze were all fighting for my business. After contact with Judy, the Divina, the decision was made to check out the Trattoria of Cibreo.
Cibreo, the original, is a fancier place with a long Florentine history. I was not looking for anything formal, just straight good food – and was lucky to find it there too! Eric and I enjoyed plates like:
Pate di Fegattini di Pollo; Insalata di Trippa; Passata di Pesce; Passata di Zucca; Cappello di Prete; Piedi di Vitello; Tortino di Pere; Tortino di Cioccolato; Cheesecake.
All the titles above are what I can remember now; this was not a dinner I wrote down, but much more for fun and being welcomed into Firenze. The Pate was creamy and smooth, perfectly made. The tripe was a cold salad with a ‘salsa verde’ dressing. Both passatas were great, the fish very clean and flavorful and the squash with a note of nutmeg – very elegant and rich.
The cappello di prete was a form of Zampone, served with an awesome tart of mostarda. The braised veal hooves were delicious. The hooves are de-boned and the meat and gelatinous tendons are separated and braised perfectly. When I received this plate, I asked if seconds were available because it came out on a 6” plate. The server assured me that this is the perfect portion size and after eating this rich plate, I would have to agree.
We opened with spumanti and drank a bottle of Avignonesi Grande Riserva either 98 or 99 – cant recall. I remember the wine being a bit warm but it was good.
The restaurant emptied out by the time we were on our mains. There were seven other tables and almost all were empty (it was about 23.30).
It was dessert time and I had my eye on a very tasty looking apple tart but when ordering, learned that it was pear – ok –so that is what I had. Eric had the chocolate cake and they gifted us a slice of the cheesecake. All three were brought out with a complimentary taste of Antinori’s Mufato for us to enjoy.
Overall, a great experience. Very good, homey, ‘rustic’ food with a few flares here and there. Everything was very tasty and properly done. The walk home was a freezing cold one.
At nights Florence was extremely cold, it wasn’t snowing but it easily could have with the low temps. We thought about going to a bar or club but we passed by a new concept we haven’t seen before. A large window for us to peek in from the street, we noticed one chef preparing food for the entire enoteca/restaurant.
The place is Cibo e Vino (I think) and from the looks, it was a hipper, newer place in Florence. It was late, they offered us no food, but we did enjoy a bottle of Umani Ronchi’s 25th Anniversary edition wine. I recall a ’99 vintage and I thought for the price, not a bad markup – 70 Euro. So that’s what we had.
I remember visiting the winery, Umani Ronchi, in Umbria, and that bottle was sold out – not available for sale – at the winery – so I had the chance and it was pretty good!
After the wine we kept walking in the cold, this time to the Duomo area where the hotels were. 
We found this boar on the way! Somehow, we ended up at JJ Cathedral, an American/English pub/bar in the center of Florence. It was a great time meeting many people and speaking English, like, ummm, like, ummm, like, ummm. 
Actually, it was pretty bad but it was fun! After two beers, Pilsner Urquel, my head was spinning and it was time to go (alone). Lots of pretty girls but they all traveled in packs, like wolves, and weren’t very open to others.
No Prob – early morning market meeting for me the next day!
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