Post 105: dineLA - A Top Chef's Hospitality - Stefan's at LA Farm (LA: Santa Monica)

From San Diego Restaurant Week, we move back up to the City of Angels for our own restaurant showcase called dineLA.  At Ken's suggestion we selected Stefan's at LA Farm for its six course dineLA menu.  Chef Stefan Richter from the fifth season of Top Chef prepared the only six course menu.  That made for some easy decision making.

At the end of a long Monday in the office, the only thing I wanted to do was sit at the bar and have a drink.  So sit at the bar we did... except that was all we did because the bartender did not notice my desperate plea for alcohol.  No matter.  Chef Richter saw my frustration and jumped behind the counter to pour a glass of whiskey for me.  He recommended a super smokey Laphroaig 10 year Scotch whiskey.  Chef dropped two ice cubes in the whiskey glass and suggested to take one sip right at that moment and then again only after the ice melted.  It was seriously smokey... like a chimney during Christmas kind of smokey.

The strain of corporate America eased up, and the tension of another manic Monday melted away.  Here is our six course meal.

Michael's starter course: Cali crudo with thinly sliced hamachi and lime yuzu vinaigrette.  I always enjoy starting a meal off with raw or fresh ingredients.  It is a smart way to ease the palette into multiple courses with lighter flavors and relatively cooler temperatures.

Ken's starter course: Roasted acorn squash salad with burrata and walnuts.  Continuing with raw ingredients we were served more fresh farm fare.  The burrata cheese had a bit of acidity that worked to bring out the earthy sweetness of the squash.

Michael's pasta course: Pumpkin raviolo with brown butter and pecorino.  The brown butter combined with a fresh pasta made for a classic flavor.  I was glad that Chef did not use butternut squash in the ravioli... it is used entirely too often.

Ken's pasta course: Mushroom risotto with hen of the woods fungus and bleu cheese.  It was creamy and al dente, savory and earthy.  Mushrooms, as opposed to meats, always provide suitable flavor without making risotto or pasta dishes too greasy.

Michael's soup course: Acorn squash soup.  I was so surprised by the flavors in the soup.  It was so intense because there was a sweetness from the squash, but I also tasted hints of cinnamon and nutmeg in it.  It was reminiscent of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.  I love that the creme fraiche was there to balance out the intensity of the flavors.

Ken's soup course: Smoked leek & potato soup.  The soup was not bad, but it tasted much milder after having spoonfuls of the intense acorn squash soup first.  Ken started with this one, so he was able to taste the leek and potato more.

Michael's fish course: West Coast halibut cooked with brik dough, zatar spice, edamame, chanterelle & shimeiji.  There was a good sear on the exterior, and the fish itself was soft and almost fluffy. 

Ken's fish course: Crispy white fish with chipotle butter, black beans, cilantro, corn, green beans.  I liked the abundance of vegetables because it prevented the dish from feeling heavy from the butter.  The crisp fish skin was a plus.

Michael's meat course: Beef tenderloin.  Celery root mash, hollandaise sauce.  Slightly raw meat... good.  Hollandaise sauce... good.  Celery root mash to sub for potato mash... good too.  This dish had warmth, which I think is very important for the diner to feel full toward the end of the meal.

Ken's meat course: Duck breast.  The braised red cabbage and lingonberry sauce had a slight sourness that contrasted the savory flavor of the duck breast.  The pretzel galette with the herbs and spices tasted like a bread stuffing that usually goes with turkey during the holidays.  This dish was a creative way to pair poultry and starch.  The duck was so tender.  So good.

Michael's dessert course: Apple beignet.  A different take on classic American apple pie a la mode? Hell yeah.  The crunchy crumbles and chocolate curls are always welcome on my dessert plate.  And ice cream? Bring it on.

Ken's dessert course: Coffee & vanilla panna cotta.  Panna cotta is a favorite of both mine and Ken's.  I have only ever had a uniform flavor of panna cotta, so to see the swirl of coffee and vanilla together sparked more than just curiosity.  I preferred some sort of whipped cream to tie the final course together, but it was good nonetheless.

Ken and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Stefan's, especially because Chef made a full fledged effort to introduce himself and immerse in conversation.  We also appreciated that Chef and his staff complied with my troublesome request to walk into the kitchen after each dish was prepared to take photographs.  Thank you very much Chef Richter for the hospitable welcome and delicious meal.  And we will definitely take you up on the chance to have a meal in the kitchen while you run your "shit show."  I can't wait.

The event celebrating Chef Stefan's 15th anniversary in America is upcoming and will feature a three course preset menu for 15 per person.  Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130128

Post 65.2: Taipei - Traditional Taiwanese, Part 2 (Taipei: Da An District / 台北: 大安區)

Like black white slice restaurants, the restaurants that serve the most traditional local fare in Taiwan typically don't have menus.  The freshest ingredients are laid out by the front entrance in a refrigerator case or over ice, so when the customers arrive they are able to view the meat and seafood selection for the day.  Ordering is done by selecting what looks the freshest and then letting the chef know how it should be cooked... deep fried, stir fried, blanched, boiled, steamed, or made into soup are popular choices.  After ordering, customers walk in and sit down.

One of my first meals in Taipei was at a traditional Taiwanese restaurant called Sit Fun (喫飯食堂).  Now... there's something to be said here about a restaurant called Sit Fun in Taiwan.  What doesn't make sense is that "sit fun" sounds like a translation for eating (食飯) in Cantonese, which is not typically spoken in Taiwan.  What does make sense, though, is that to sit down and to have fun is what eating is all about! Am I right, or am I right? 

Here are some Taiwanese dishes from Sit Fun that we had.  They are cooked in the simple style of traditional Taiwanese cuisine.

Braised pork rice (魯肉飯)
Cubes of fatty pork are braised and rendered down until the juicy fat almost melts in your mouth.  Topped over steamed white rice, this bowl of pork and rice is as simple and as tasty as it gets.  Although it's one of the best rice items at Sit Fun, what this restaurant specializes in isn't braised pork over rice but actually just pork oil over rice (豬油拌飯).  Lard, you say? Let's just call it pork-infused oil.  Two words... disgustingly delicious.

Appetizer platter (拼盤)
Usually the first dish to arrive, the Taiwanese appetizer platter almost always includes the following items: fresh sashimi, tender bamboo shoots, and crisp asparagus.  The sashimi for on this plate consisted of salmon, yellowtail, and whitefish... but why sashimi? Doesn't that seem more Japanese than Taiwanese or Chinese? Actually Taiwan was colonized under Japanese imperial rule for over 60 years, so it can be said that the sashimi at the start of the meal represents the large Japanese influence in Taiwanese cultural and culinary history.

Bamboo and asparagus are typical favorites for Taiwanese.  And as always, those two items have a light layer of Japanese style mayonnaise for a sweet contrast.  Also served on the platter are freshly cut pumpkin as well as baby octopus, both of which are the fresh picks of the day.

To truly make this a pu pu platter experience, the appetizer dish is served with toothpicks.  It's the closest to finger food that we're going to get without going barbaric.

Salt water chicken (鹽水雞)
No, the chicken was not raised in salt water with the fish of the ocean.  Rather, it was poached in salt water and served with a side of garlic soy.  Salty much? Not so.  The majority of the salt doesn't get far past the skin, but the portion that does bypass the skin serves to tenderize the chicken while it's cooking.  The method of cooking is so effortless that it seems almost primitive, but the true sign of tradition and authenticity.

Tempura shrimp (炸蝦球)
Who doesn't love fried shrimp? Silence.  Okay, who doesn't love spicy mayo? Continued silence.  Now... who doesn't love fried shrimp with spicy mayo drizzled all over the top? Cheers.  I think you get the picture.

Barbecue pork (台式叉燒肉)

What we typically know as Cantonese style BBQ pork is chasiu pork, that crimson colored sweet pork perhaps akin to the Mexican al pastor.  Well, here lands the Taiwanese version... a less red, less sweet, more moist and more thinly sliced version that is served with both pickled ginger and honey vinegar.  It's tastes like a moist jerky made from honey ham, and it's moist enough to be the most tender sweet and savory meat you will find this side of the Strait.

All of the dishes above have common characteristic of an easily identifiable main ingredient and an accompanying side sauce, both of which are features of traditional Taiwanese dishes.  After reading the previous post, you'll notice similar characteristics.  These simple dishes made from fresh ingredients is one of the ways to distinguish Taiwanese cuisine from others.  And it's this simplicity that makes the dishes so delicious.  Until the next simple and delicious meal, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

Sit Fun (喫飯食堂)

台北市 大安區 / Taipei City, Da An District

永康街 8巷 5號 / Yong Kang Street, Lane 8, No. 5

ML - 20110907

Post 43.3: Burma SuperStar, a Cinematic Experience (SF: Inner Richmond)

In the Richmond District is Burma SuperStar, an insanely well-known restaurant whose name has floated around in conversations amongst friends for ages.  I had only gotten into the car to leave from my afternoon meal at San Tung when Diana called and said that it was time to finally see about the hyped-up superb Burmese cuisine.  Eating at San Tung was like watching the matinee showing of an animated comedy, but eating at Burma SuperStar was like catching the midnight opening of a highly anticipated blockbuster.  To delve into my analogy further, I had just finished watching Tangled and was about to see Tron.  I felt reluctant yet excited the same time.

During the half hour wait, I squatted down Asian-style not to rest my feet but to hide from the ridiculously chilly San Francisco wind.  Dilemma.  I wanted desperately to step into the warm restaurant, but doing so would only require me to digest the food from San Tung immediately.  That was impossible.

We finally got seated in a corner, behind a pole and next to the front door that let in a draft each time someone walked in.  It was clearly the best seat in the house.  So the menu and ordering duties thrown upon me, I ordered every possible recommended item that four people could finish... an appetizer, a salad, a noodle dish, and a curry and a stew to pair with rice.  After much anticipation, we were ready for our cinematic experience with Burmese food.  Let the curtains rise...

The previews - Tea leaf salad

Fermented tea leaves (lahpet), peanut halves, slices of fried garlic, split yellow peas, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds were the hodgepodge of ingredients that comprised the tea leaf salad.  As the server tossed the salad right at the table, we gushed a few oohs and ahhs the same way the film's audience laughs, gasps, and claps during a film's previews.  There is much excitement, and this portion of the experience is highly memorable... but previews don't tell the film's story, and the tea leaf salad is not an accurate reflection of Burmese food. 

There is always at least one preview that inspires your return to the theater.  That was the fermented tea leaves for me.  I focused my attention to the tea leaves because the distinct taste playfully beckoned with exotic appeal.  It's the pretty girl with the blue eyes checking out apples in the produce section.  It was not the shrieking baby crying for her pacifier in the bakery.  The taste is pleasingly potent and not overly robust.  It was clearly the star Burmese dish, and it's the one I would return for.

Courtesy reminder - Burmese samusas

The server brought with him a scent of curried chicken and potatoes, but the fragrance was gone as quickly as it had arrived.  Hands impatiently grabbed the deep fried raviolis for a quick dip in the sweet and spicy sauce, and in one swift motion, the samusas were on their way to digestive doom.  The scene reminded me of how theatergoers scramble to turn off their cell phones when the 'please turn off your cell phone' flashes on the screen.  Everyone knows that as soon as the cell phones are turned off, and as soon as the appetizers are finished, it's time for the main attraction.

Opening scene - Bun tay kauswer (coconut curry chicken noodles)

Sometimes the opening scene of a film tells you little about the plot.  Sometimes it tells you nothing at all.  Sometimes the scene is blisteringly bright, and it hurts your eyes.  Sometimes it's so dark that you can't even tell the film has begun.  It takes a few moments to adapt to the opening scene.  With my first bite, I tasted the spicy curry flavor of the noodles, and I wondered silently... is this what Burmese food really is? I'm not quite sure.  Is it good? Oh, hell yeah. One more bite, a different nutty, creamy taste from the coconut rolled over, under and around my tongue.  I tried to figure out just exactly what was going on, but the action continued.

First conflict - Pumpkin pork stew

The sudden onslaught of various spices brought on the first conflict between characters.  The big chunks of savory pork clashed with the even bigger chunks of sweet pumpkin.  My stomach turned between the suddenly spicy, suddenly sweet, and suddenly savory tastes.  Had the pork and pumpkin been cut into a slightly smaller size, the flavors in the stew would have been blended together more smoothly.  This was the point that if the conflict didn't get resolved, then the drama would escalate, and disaster would be imminent.  Just my luck... an even spicier curry had just been served.

Intense climax - Burmese style curry with lamb

The lamb curry completely exploited the foundation of conflict that the pork stew had set up earlier.  If the pork stew lit the match of spiciness, then the lamb curry was the strong wind that ignited the wildfire.  The intensity of the spice formed beads of sweat on my forehead, and I could not continue eating.  With my stomach churning and the beads of sweat falling down my face, I resorted to gasping for air and downing water by the glass.  The Burmese curry was like the confrontation between Simba and Scar, the final sinking of the Titanic, and the toys' escape from Andy's room. 

Conflict resolution - Coconut rice and tan poi combination

The solution to my stomach's conflict with the spicy curry was just a few spoonfuls of the sticky white jasmine rice that was sweetened with coconut milk.  Even the cinnamon and raisins cooked in the tan poi's basmati rice were just sweet enough to soothe the burning.  The combination of rice slowed the sweat, and well, that made everyone happy.  The uncontrollable fire of spiciness had been put out.

Fin, credits - Coconut ice cream

The dessert, like the final credits, are simply not worthy of a diner's time.  But for others dessert, like the final credits, is a required element of a complete dinner.  The coconut ice cream was sweet and refreshing.  It helped soothe the spicy rumblings of our just-finished Burmese meal.  What was unique about the ice cream were the hidden shreds of coconut flesh submerged within the confines of the spherical scoops.  Using my childhood experience of digging marshmallows out of rocky road, I went after the coconut flesh like I was searching for buried treasure.  Simply delicious. 

An eye-opening first experience with Burmese cuisine was complete.  We had moved from Inner Sunset to Inner Richmond where the Asian cuisine is just as delicious and just as well-known.  The food from either one of these areas beats the Chinese cuisine from Chinatown without a doubt.  This is where adventurous culinary explorers should begin their search for delicious delicacies.  There are rows and rows of excellent restaurants in the Sunset and Richmond districts... perhaps there are just as many stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  It's impossible to conquer all the deliciousness in one visit to San Francisco.  That's probably why Yelp bookmarks pile up the same way the films in a Netflix queue do.

A gracious thank you to Justin for standing out in the freezing cold while Diana navigated her way through San Francisco... no thanks to her GPS.  Happy eating to all. 

Next post: Wining and dining smorgasbord

ML - 20110104/20101212