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Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Spring 2013: Behind the Kitchen Door at Harvest on Hudson

Patrice Costa — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:30:39 +0000

Patrice Costa here and I’m going to just say it … I’m totally jealous. Everyone has been out enjoying lunches and dinners for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Spring 2013 (some managing both in the same day!), while I’ve spent most of my week in the kitchen at Harvest on Hudson helping to prep for their HVRW menu. So, I thought you might like to see what it’s been like on the other side of the kitchen door, and give you some clues to help you rack up some sweet scavenger hunt points.

At the Harvest on Hudson bar, order a glass of Lieb Cellars Pinot Blanc from the North Fork of Long Island (125 points, with tasting notes and pic of the bottle) and Hudson Baby Bourbon is just waiting to be turned into a cocktail (50 points).

Harvest’s HVRW dinner menu has seven options for appetizers including Lamb & Fregola Spring Rolls (with Maple Brook Farms Yogurt – 50 points), and Hudson Valley Rainbow Carrot Salad with an amazing coriander vinaigrette (it’s damn good, and I’m not just saying that because I had to squeeze two quarts of lemon juice to make it!).

Eight choices for entrees like House Made Pappardelle with wine braised short ribs, Hudson Valley Ricotta Gnocchi (another 50 points) and Pork Milanese have kept us hopping in the kitchen. Especially the pounds and pounds and pounds of pasta dough I’ve been helping to make for the pappardelle. Check out our sous chef Genco Luca rolling out the pasta sheets (500 points for the video!).

The pasta ribbons are hand cut and cooked to al dente perfection

before they meet their dining partner: the fall apart tender short ribs.

Hanging around in the kitchen, sometimes you can even get a cute chef to stand still for a quick pic (for the hunt: 100 points—complimenting the boss: priceless).

me and corporate executive chef, Vincent Barcelona

or snag a smiling, expert server (50 points).

Megan is just one of my many favorite servers

For the sweet last bite on the menu, choosing between Flourless Chocolate Cake, moist Almond Cake, or creamy Panna Cotta (drizzled with Crown Maple Syrup – 50 points) will be very difficult. The pastry area has been crazy busy keeping up with the demand. Here’s a shot of just a few panna cotta desserts in the making

and the enticing finished plate.

I’m hoping all these pictures have created some dish envy. One more week of HVRW Spring 2013 to go, so come in and see what we’ve been cooking up at Harvest on Hudson (or visit our sister restaurant Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry)!

The post Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Spring 2013: Behind the Kitchen Door at Harvest on Hudson appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Expediting with Executive Chef Ethan Kostbar of Moderne Barn in Armonk

Patrice Costa — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:00:36 +0000

I was lured into executive chef Ethan Kostbar’s kitchen with the promise of snippets of Gordon Ramsayesque behavior. And really, who doesn’t love a bad boy chef? Sadly, there were no screams, tantrums, or tears in Moderne Barn’s kitchen. What chef Kostbar did deliver was an organized and calm service with him in the forefront keeping his team on point with dish after beautiful dish being turned out quickly and efficiently.

chef Kostbar expediting in the middle of service

From dishwashers to sous chefs, prep cooks to line cooks, servers to busboys, this team worked together seamlessly to complete a busy Friday night service. There was none of the routine chopping, peeling or dicing for me during my day behind the kitchen door. My experience at Moderne Barn was all about just an ordinary day in the life of an executive chef.

3:00 pm

I arrive at the restaurant a little early to give myself an opportunity to take some pictures of the stunning dining room and look over the menu.

view of the dining room from the second floor mezzanine

Chef Kostbar greeted me and then gave me a tour (including the rooftop garden!), introduced me to his staff, and took time to chat with me (lots more details on all that in my previous Behind the Kitchen Door post). Most impressive was how many staff members were introduced with the comment “here from the beginning”. The loyalty and continuity of the staff translates into a tight-knit family that works together each day with the same goals to create an unforgettable dining experience for their customers.

5:00 pm

Front of house servers and managers gather upstairs in the private dining room to discuss the menu and specials with Ethan.

FOH (front of house) info sheet

Servers are expected to know the menu inside and out and should be ready to be quizzed during the their daily staff meeting before service (Q: What is Branzino? A: Mediterrean sea bass).

staff meeting before service

During service, the dining room manager is the liaison between the front and back of house (kitchen) and is in constant communication with chef Kostbar relaying both positive and negative issues.

5:15 pm

Line cooks make sure their stations are stocked and ready to go. Managing upwards of 400 covers (restaurantspeak for customers) during a weekend night’s service takes a top-notch professional (and organized) staff. The line is sectioned into stations that each cook is responsible for with a separate area for pizza/salads and desserts. Here’s how the stations stack up going down the line:

Pasta – Ever Valdez
Fish – Byron Lopez
Sauté – Antonio Comacho a/k/a “machine” (He earned that title because he always gets the job done!)
Fryer – Colleen Noonan
Grill – William Novice
Broiler – Anthony Rinaldi

a view down the line

5:30 pm

Sous chef Daniel Yacashin oversees garde manger (cold station and pizza) and also the catering kitchen. The sous chef (pronounced sue chef and literally means under chef in French ) is the right (and left) hand of the executive chef. Simply put, they are the second in command. In Moderne Barn’s kitchen, there are actually three sous chefs who can cover for each other, take over at any of the stations on the line and, if necessary, step into the role of executive chef. In addition to Daniel at the cold station, Rose Nappi oversees the prep kitchen and butchering, and Danny Namzoff is in charge of lunch service and events.

Back to garde manger, this station turns out crispy crust pizza from the double Baker’s Pride pizza oven and is where all the fresh salads are created (including house made mozzarella).

white clam pizza hot out of the oven!

heirloom tomato salad with house made
mozzarella, red watercress & pesto

Just a few steps around the corner is the pastry station in the very capable hands of Amanda Smith. She started out as a hostess but is now following some sweet endeavors in culinary school.

Daniel Yacashin and Amanda Smith

5:45 pm

Servers are starting to put in their orders and the tickets begin to trickle in. First up is an order from the bar for Lobster Corn Chowder, Bourbon Wings, and Fish Tacos.

first tickets of the evening

6:00 pm

Ten minutes later, the dishes are ready for the runners to scoop up.

bourbon chicken wings and blackened swordfish tacos

appetizer special ~ lobster corn chowder

Just as the name implies, the runners get the food out fast from the kitchen to your table. But it’s so much more than that as they are constantly watching the pace of the diners to know when they are finished with their courses, making sure they have all the plates on a ticket, and knowing exactly who gets what (each seat at the table has a numbered position).

6:15 pm

The activity is increasing in the kitchen and a few more tickets are up on the holder rack. There’s a specific process in place to control the flow of the orders. Tickets are printed on the line, at specific stations (like salads or desserts), and at the pass where Ethan is expediting. He takes the ticket and calls out “pickup” followed by the table number and the items on the order, basically giving the line a heads up on the entire order. There’s a lot of information squeezed into that little piece of paper like the table number, time of order, server name, menu items with any changes of additions or subtractions of ingredients (usually in red!), and if there is a VIP in the house.

tickets on the rack

The exact placement of the tickets on the holder tells the story of the flow. The tickets to the right (separated by that blank sheet) are appetizers that have either gone out or are being worked on. If the apps have been completed, Ethan makes a notation on the ticket of the minute (for example, if a ticket has “48” on it, the apps went out at 48 minutes after the hour). This is to keep track of the span of time between app and entree at a table (the goal is not to exceed 30 minutes to keep the plates moving).

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

This is the crunch; the optimum dining time when table after table is seated and, subsequently, order after order floods into the kitchen. Ethan is now constantly firing tickets, which means he gives the line cooks the go ahead to begin preparing the entrees (those tables should be just finishing up their appetizers). He starts by calling out the table number and each dish on the ticket which needs attention. He will make it clear that there are multiples of a dish needed by calling out “all day” after the amount (“I need 5 fish tacos ALL DAY” means there are 5 orders of fish tacos on the tickets in front of him). He waits for the stations to confirm they are working on the items. It takes a great deal of communication, focus, and multitasking to keep everything straight. At this point, he moves the ticket to the grouping on the left side of the holder in front of him indicating that it has been fired.

The flurry of activity that ensues on the line when tickets are fired can easily be described as organized chaos with a dash of cacophony (I’ve always wanted to use that word in a sentence, and I couldn’t have found a better situation!).

When the entrees are ready, they move from the pass to the counter where the plates are wiped down by the runners and Ethan inspects the quality of each dish. The runners double check the tickets and take the dishes to the dining room.

Once all the dishes have left the kitchen, Ethan moves the completed ticket to the spike (the scary looking vehicle for impaled tickets).

9:30 pm

The line is still pushing out dishes, with a few smiles and laughs thrown in, as the rush begins to come to an end. Line cook Anthony Rinaldi, who was hustling to keep up on a new station, gets a little teasing mixed with kudos from chef Kostbar.

Working the line is definitely a pressure cooker (pun intended), but chef Kostbar and his staff make it seem almost easy. Much thanks to chef Kostbar and his entire staff for giving me a glimpse into their world behind the kitchen door. Next time, though, could you conjure up just one little tantrum?

With all those amazing dishes passing right by me all night, it would be extremely selfish not to share some foodie eye candy; but be warned, do not view the following pics if hungry.

Details: Moderne Barn, 430 Bedford Road (Route 22), Armonk, 914.730.0001. Moderne Barn is open for lunch Monday through Friday, noon to 2:30 pm and Sunday brunch, 11:00 am to 2:30 pm. Dinner is served Monday through Sunday starting at 5 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on blogging assignments, she can be found happily working in the kitchen of Harvest on Hudson.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Expediting with Executive Chef Ethan Kostbar of Moderne Barn in Armonk appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Moderne Barn in Armonk

Patrice Costa — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:45:42 +0000

I apologize that it has taken me such an embarrassingly long time to get this post done. Although a few things like a Napa vacation (and a stolen laptop, argh!) and the start of the new job sidetracked me a bit, my excitement spending the day behind the kitchen door with executive chef Ethan Kostbar of Moderne Barn has not waned. Chef Kostbar not only offered me a unique perspective of what transpires during an evening service (which you can read all about in my next post), but he introduced to me to his world at Moderne Barn.

Restaurant: Moderne Barn

Description: The design on the outside is, well, modern with lots of glass, steel, and brick. Inside, the 220 seat dining room is simultaneously expansive and cozy. It’s spacious with a beautifully crafted barrel shaped ceiling, large crystal chandeliers, and a second floor mezzanine above the bar that holds their wine collection. Yet, the circular banquettes and comfy booths, decorated in primary colors and geometric shapes, are extremely inviting. There’s a private dining room and additional seating upstairs, which offers a more intimate setting and gives customers a great view of the buzzing dining room below.

Bar scene: There are about 20 seats around the warm wood-paneled bar which runs the length of the right side of the restaurant. Three high top tables flank a divider which separates the bar from the dining room. It’s a great spot for a quick after work bite to eat or to enjoy some drinks with friends before heading off to dinner.

Cuisine: The menu is described as Mediterranean/New American showcasing simple seasonal ingredients. What that description doesn’t tell you is that it’s overflowing with casual, comfort food options intertwined with a few creative twists like Steamed Pumpkin Ale Mussels (served with andouille sausage, pretzel crouton and pumpkin spiced aioli) or Chocolate Ravioli (butternut squash is packaged in a bittersweet cocoa dough and finished with a sage brown butter cauliflower sauce and topped with hazelnuts). Yes, I know that chocolate and butternut squash sound like very strange bedfellows, but the slightly bitter cocoa totally elevated the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Matt D’Angelo making the ravioli

chocolate ravioli

Owners: If you’ve been to Oceana, Abboccato or Molyvos in NYC or City Limits in White Plains or Stamford, you’ve already had a taste of what the Livanos family is all about. This Armonk family’s philosophy for Moderne Barn, their most recent endeavor, was to “create an experience that brings exceptional service, superb cuisine and terroir-driven wines together in a stunning atmosphere.” I say, job well done! One of their secrets to success is a hands-on approach as Lorena Livanos greets you with a smile as you walk in and Bill Livanos can be seen around the dining room and in the kitchen.

Executive chef: In the chef world, you don’t reach the level of executive chef without going through the restaurant ranks. Chef Ethan Kostbar is yet another esteemed grad of the CIA. He has an impressive history of working in such fine establishments like Laurent Gras’ Peacock Alley in the Waldorf Astoria, Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern with my favorite Top Chef judge, Tom Colicchio, and Paul Newman’s The Dressing Room in Westport. All his culinary experience prepared him well for his position as opening executive chef at Moderne Barn. What’s so special about being the opening chef? Well, it means that Ethan had to combine his expertise, creativity, and keen perspective to set in place his own system for everything in this kitchen from recipes to vendors. He fosters the Livanos family’s vision of upscale casual dining and constantly strives to give the customers what they want. Chef Kostbar’s passion came through quite clearly when he told me “I love what I do and not a day goes by that I don’t want to come to work.”

Front of the house: This is a very close knit team of servers, bartenders, and runners all working together to ensure a pleasurable dining experience for their customers. Housed in control central is the backbone of Moderne Barn with (from left to right below) Manager Edgar Balagot, Private Dining Director Chelsea Ventimiglia, Wine Director Matthew Christoff, General Manager Taner Yigiter, and (seated) Assistant General Manager Ben Houx.

Turning up the heat: The line fires up with 6 and 8 burner Blodgett stoves, pasta cooker, French flat top, fryer, grill, and Montague steakhouse infrared overhead broiler with a plancha (high heat griddle) on top. Whew!

Around the corner, the pastry station shares space with more prep equipment like another six burner range, a tilt skillet (a huge stand alone electric pan which can braise, boil, simmer, fry, and more), a large stock kettle, and a Combi Rational oven which has more settings than my Iphone (like steam injection). I’m told this oven is the coveted secret to their tender octopus.

Signature dish: Although Ethan admitted to me that he intensely dislikes (hate is such a strong word!) the term “signature”, the Veal Milanese would be at the top of his list. The veal is pounded thin and lightly fried with baby artichokes, arugula, fingerling potatoes, and shaved parmesan cheese.

Chef’s personal favorite: The Berkshire Double Pork Chop has been on the menu since day one. What Ethan loves about this dish is the combination of flavors like the provolone polenta, roasted red peppers, Spanish onions, and the balsamic vinegar rosemary sauce.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Chef Kostbar uses a Microplane grater not only for zesting citrus but also grating garlic and horseradish. At home, his mortar and pestle is his go to gadget to crush and grind spices, lemongrass, and garlic.

Menu specials: The Roasted Stuffed Quail, offered as a special appetizer, immediately got my attention. I was intrigued how the delicate bird was prepared, especially when along with cornbread stuffing and corn succotash one of the components was described as a fungus that grows on corn. What!? I love learning about unique ingredients and the use of huitlacoche in the sauce is a surprising creative twist. With descriptions ranging from Mexican truffles to corn smut, huitlacoche turns out to be a good-for-you black fungus which is full of nutrients like lysine and beta-glucen (the cholesterol fighting ingredient in oatmeal). All that and it tastes good too (and who would have thought to find it right here in Armonk).

My random insights: Every restaurant has a few secrets. Moderne Barn’s is up on the roof.

Ethan was very excited to share the details of the new rooftop garden project. Although harvesting of veggies and herbs was just winding down when I visited, he has some pretty ambitious expansion plans for next summer. How cool to be able to have super fresh ingredients just a few flights of stairs away from the kitchen!

Most of my behind the kitchen door experience was spent in the kitchen watching chef Kostbar and his team expedite a busy Friday night service. The next time I dine out, I will appreciate my meal more so knowing exactly what goes into getting that dish out to my table (see my next post for all the details).

Details: Moderne Barn, 430 Bedford Road (Route 22), Armonk, 914. 730.0001. Moderne Barn is open for lunch Monday through Friday, noon to 2:30 pm and Sunday brunch, 11:00 am to 2:30 pm. Dinner is served Monday through Sunday starting at 5 pm.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Moderne Barn in Armonk appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Bistro Rollin in Pelham

Patrice Costa — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I sometimes wonder if I might have been French in a past life because I’m always on the hunt for authentic country terrine, duck confit, or cassoulet. When our family visited friends in France, my idea of sightseeing included trips to local Carrefour supermarkets and a Paris shopping excursion which culminated in the basement bistro of the Galeries Lafayette (the French version of Neiman Marcus) eating (what else?) foie gras. Imagine what a pleasant surprise for me to find a French bistro right in downtown Pelham! Even better was that I spent the day behind the kitchen door with chef Manny Lozano of Bistro Rollin.

the start of my day at Bistro Rollin
(photo courtesy of Gayle Conran)

Restaurant: Bistro Rollin

Description: What a pretty restaurant! The dark wood walls, complete with inlaid panels, are complemented by the French doors throughout. They not only separate the various dining areas but also keep the space light and open. The two cozy built-in window seat nooks offer a view to the 20 seat al fresco dining area. Inside, the two spacious dining rooms offer seating for about 90.

If you are wondering about the origin of the restaurant name, Rue Rollin was the street where owners Barbara and Arthur Bratone lived during their time in France. It’s no wonder that they have described Pelham as NYC’s 5^th arrondissement!

(Photo by Mark Vergari / The Journal News )

Cuisine: Although described as American Bistro, the menu most definitely has a traditional French slant. The selections change seasonally, and specials vary from day to day.

Owners: Neighborhood locals Barbara and Arthur Bratone opened Bistro Rollin almost four years ago, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that we share a love for all things French. Arthur has spent almost a lifetime traveling back and forth to France for business and pleasure, with the icing on the gâteau (ummm, cake) being the couple’s six month stint living in Paris in 2008 (so jealous!). Along with their son, Paul, who is usually front and center at the restaurant welcoming guests, it’s not surprising that this family has succeeded in capturing that quaint bistro experience at Bistro Rollin.

Paul Bratone, chef Manny Lozano, and Arthur Bratone

Executive chef: Chef Manny Lozano’s passion for food goes way back to when he was just a teenager working in White Plains restaurants. His first serious position was at the Doral Arrowwood Hotel in Rye Brook, but that was just a stepping stone to leap to NYC where he worked under some culinary powerhouses like Charlie Palmer and André Soltner. He has been around the kitchen block a few times working with Wayne Nish at March (that’s where he cooked for Julia Child) and Jean-Michel Bergougnoux at L’Absinthe. Coming back closer to home, he lent his chef friend Chris Eddy a hand in opening Winvian in Litchfield Hills, CT. So, when the Bratones were looking for an opening chef for their new bistro, they couldn’t have made a better choice placing Manny in charge of their kitchen. What does chef Lozano look for when he’s hiring potential restaurant candidates? Passion for their craft; he believes true passion can trump experience.

chef Manny Lozano

Sous chef: The young sous chef, Eric Mauro, was overflowing with energy when he arrived to start his day in the kitchen. He hails from Brazil where he attended culinary school and comes with the impressive credentials of interning at Restaurante Martin Berasategui, a three-star Michelin restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain. He’s been an integral part of Bistro Rollin since it opened and continues to bring a level of experience and focus I found quite unique for his age.

sous chef Eric Mauro

Kitchen staff: Osmar Lopez, Israel Osorio, and Minor Lopez are the hard working kitchen team diligently assisting chefs Lozano and Mauro.

Signature dish: It’s a toss up between two classics: The Bistro Frisée Salad with bacon, garlic, and a poached egg dressed with vinaigrette and the Onion Soup Gratin complete with croutons, a combination of veal and chicken stock, and a duo of Emmental and Gruyère cheeses. Chef Lozano’s secret to creating a signature dish is starting with great ingredients and being conscientious not to rush the process.

Bar scene: The new R Bar was recently unveiled after a renovation in which the front door was shifted to the center of the restaurant creating a better entryway. The bar is mix of light and dark woods, a sleek granite countertop, and wrought iron stools.

Build it and they will come, as my husband and I immediately chose to have dinner at one of the comfy window seats in the bar area. More than a few other diners also gravitated to the space to enjoy an after work meal and some friendly conversation.

I love, love, LOVE these window seats!

Turning up the heat: In this extremely tight kitchen, they’ve managed to squeeze in some major fire power. Between two Southbend and two Vulcan ranges, there are 24 burners and four ovens ready and waiting.

There’s an overhead broiler and a double fryer which turns out oh so heavenly hand-cut, twice fried frites— both crunchy and creamy at the same time.

Sous chef’s favorite dish: Eric’s favorite is the hearty, warm-you-up Cassoulet. It is a winter dish of a slow cooked mix of duck confit, slab bacon, lamb shank, veal shoulder, garlic sausage, and white beans.

Chef Lozano uses the traditional French Tarbais beans in his cassoulet,
but Northern beans are a good substitute

Most complicated dish on the menu: The Duck and Foie Gras Pâté a l’Orange is pretty high on the difficulty scale. This dish starts with grinding up two cuts of pork, the loin and belly. What’s added in next is something called a panade to keep the meat moist. This is a simple paste of bread and milk, but it sparked an interesting discussion between chef Lozano and me (more on this below in the Secret Ingredient section). The most decadent step in the pâté process is the addition of slices of foie gras and duck breast. The pièce de résistance is the orange zest to give it that citrus essence.

Now, once all the ingredients have been combined, the mixture is put into rectangular ceramic terrines lined with plastic wrap (for ease of removal when done) and covered with duck skin.

The terrines were placed in a bain marie (pan with water) and cooked in the oven for a few hours.

Out of the oven, cooled and unmolded, the end result is what makes all the hard work so worth it. I had the pâté for lunch, and this dish sent me directly to my happy place.

Secret ingredient: My idea of a secret ingredient is the milk and bread panade that Manny used in his pâté. Why, you ask? Because I unabashedly believe that it is a panade that makes my meatloaf the best on the planet. And I figured if it worked in meatloaf, why not try it in meatballs, stuffed cabbage, or even hamburgers. Yup, all with the same result — moist and tender meat. But, I’ve always been curious as to what the food science/behind-the-scenes magic reason was to how/why it actually worked. A little research on my part turned up some interesting facts. Manny’s theory that it had to do with an enzyme reaction between the milk and meat was absolutely correct. Calcium and lactic acid in the milk has some sort of an effect on meat enzymes in the process of breaking down proteins and softening collagen (the tough connective tissue that turns to rich gelatin during low and slow cooking — think tender fall apart beef short ribs). It amazes me that something soooooo simple as bread and milk can make such a huge difference!

Chef’s culinary mentor: The experience of working with chef Jean-Michel Bergougnoux at NYC’s classic French brasserie L’Absinthe branded chef Lozano, but in the very best way. Chef Bergougnoux’s work ethic and standards instilled in his team that there was only one way to do things — HIS WAY. This meant that Manny learned to work at a level of excellence that was extremely challenging. Attention to detail was embraced and demanded, insuring that the final product would be consistent and exact every single time. How could these culinary lessons not influence Manny’s own standards today? He is constantly striving for perfection because he feels anything less would be a disgrace to chef Bergougnoux.

chef Lozano finishing a dish

Favorite kitchen gadget: A handy tool for the chefs in this kitchen is the Microplane grater used for zesting lemons or grating nutmeg. Here’s a fun fact — Microplane is a registered trademark of Grace Manufacturing Inc., a company that makes precision metal parts (high tech tool and die) like watch faces, speaker grills, locksmith tools and, believe it or not, food graters. The Microplane was originally a carpenter’s wood rasp that chefs started smuggling into their kitchens.

Adding to the growing list of mystery gadgets in this category, Manny placed this item on the counter:

He slyly asked me if I knew what this was for. Okay, it looks like a teeny tiny dinner bell with out a clapper. Since the top of this instrument pulls up, maybe it’s a type of suction cup? Sadly, that was the best I could do. Well, here’s the deal: it’s an egg cutter. Who knew there could be so many ways to cut an egg? Manny placed the bell-shaped bottom on top of the egg and pulled that plunger top back. When he released the top, the force cracked the egg top clean off. Simple and efficient!

What’s on the prep list: First task was prepping the ingredients for the rhubarb chutney which is served with the Roast Long Island Duck Breast. Slicing and dicing up rhubarb, orange peel, and onions was generally a simple task.

Then, the evil mandoline made a scary, but necessary, appearance — cue maniacal laugh maniacal laugh

I firmly believe that kitchen gremlins steal the plastic guards for these mandolines since the guards are always missing.

So carefully, very carefully, I sliced up garlic and ginger.

(Kitchen tip: Manny demonstrated that the easiest method to peel ginger is to use a spoon to scrape off the tough exterior).

The chutney starts with cooking the onions, orange peel, garlic, and ginger in a mix of vinegar and sugar. When those ingredients softened, in went spices like cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, and star anise.

The raisins were added and last to go in was the rhubarb since it cooks so quickly.

The final result is a tangy sweet companion to the rich duck breast.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: Manny was getting all his chicks in a row (literally) for a special Moroccan Chicken Tagine dish he was preparing to complement a showing of Casablanca at the Pelham Picture House. First, he browned up all the legs and thighs. Then, the chicken got an aromatic braise in chicken stock, saffron, fennel, thyme, cilantro, onions, carrots, garlic, and a special variety of chili pepper from the Pyrénées called espelette. He added almonds and dates for sweetness at the end, and the dish was finished with sliced olives and fennel flowers which came directly from Lieb’s Organic Farm in New Rochelle.

Music: Personally, I like to listen to some music as I work, but I can surely understand that during service it can be annoyingly distracting. This is a quiet kitchen, but I did notice that sous chef Eric was plugged into his IPod as he was working before service. What’s on the playlist? One of my favorites, Lady Gaga, but I’m not sure I agree with his description of mellow!

Pet peeve: Tasting is imperative in chef Lozano’s kitchen. He wants his team to taste dishes at least five times consecutively to make sure the seasonings and balance of a dish is perfect. Seasoning correctly was an important lesson which Manny learned while working with Wayne Nish at March Restaurant. Chef Nish felt was it was better to have two customers say a dish was too salty than for a hundred to say it was bland.

My random insights: Bistro Rollin has been involved in some seriously cool foodie events. In 2011, for the sake of inspiration, taste sensation, and French immersion, Arthur and Paul Bratone and chef Lozano embarked on a six day 12 bistro road trip thru Paris (they chronicled their adventures right here on Small Bites). Then, last February, the restaurant hosted a dinner for elBulli restaurant royalty, Toni Massanés and Jaume Biarnés. Not too much pressure, cooking for colleagues of Ferran Adrià, the man who has been described as the world’s greatest chef. Chefs Lozano and Mauro accepted the challenge brilliantly with this amazing menu.

At the end of my day, my husband met me for an after behind the kitchen door dinner (being married to a food blogger comes with great responsibility, like enduring picturing snapping and note taking throughout your meal). We were thrilled when Manny offered to put together a little something for us — a chef’s tasting menu highlighting the dishes we worked on during the day. It was a true cross-section of what Bistro Rollin is all about. Each plate was beautifully balanced, lovely to look at and even better to enjoy. Some immediate favorites were the hands-down best we’ve ever had Pork Belly, which was simultaneously crisp, melty, and rich, and the tender Roasted Duck Breast with that rhubarb chutney as the perfect partner. Until we can get a taste-a-vision app, this visual will have to do.

Details: Bistro Rollin, 142 Fifth Avenue, Pelham. 914.633.0780. Bistro Rollin is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 2:30 pm and Sunday brunch, 9:30 am to 3 pm. Dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on blogging assignments, she can be found happily working in the kitchen of Harvest on Hudson.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Bistro Rollin in Pelham appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Brewster Pastry

Patrice Costa — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:00:40 +0000

Listen carefully as you step into this bakery because the conversations you hear might make you feel like you’ve just been transported into a French boulangerie and pâtisserie. Owner and head baker Thierry Danvin is quick to greet his customers in his native French tongue (or any of the six other languages he has mastered), and his customers eagerly respond, even if some are just practicing their rusty high school French. Thankfully, all I needed to ask to go behind the kitchen door was “s’il vous plaît”.

Bakery: Brewster Pastry

Description: Tucked away in the Towne Centre Plaza Mall off of Route 22, Brewster Pastry is a sweet oasis offering an unbelievable array of pastries, cakes, cookies, breads, and more.

Three display cases, holding four tiers of tempting fresh baked goods, run the length of the left side of the store. There are shelves on the wall that display Danishes and breads like French baguettes (are there any other kind?), country rounds, and bastones. A few tables are squeezed in on the other side where you can relax with a cup of Green Mountain coffee and a Danish or two.

There are many lovely decorative touches throughout the bakery, like this print of the view of the Hotel Trocadero through the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Cuisine: Did I mention this is a French bakery? With a real deal authentic French baker? The baguettes and croissants top my list of favorites, but if you lean more to the sweet side, there’s lots to choose from like Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Mousse Cake, French Apple Pie, Éclairs, and Cream Puffs to name just a few from the extensive menu.

Owner/Baker: If I looked up French baker in the dictionary, I wouldn’t be surprised to find Brewster Pastry’s new logo with chef Thierry Danvin’s welcoming face smiling right back at me.

art imitating life?

Chef Thierry Danvin has a big personality and a charming French accent; a totally irresistible combination. If that’s not enough, he woos his customers with his sweet and savory offerings; so, how can they possibly not come back for more? What they might not realize though is that Thierry trained for years in his native France to receive the Certification for Professional Aptitude for boulangerie (breads) and pâtisserie (pastries and confections — that would be chocolate!). His first baking position was in a local boulangerie. Then, he landed a true dream job working for Club Méditerranée (more commonly known as Club Med), a French company with all-inclusive resorts around the world. Thierry worked in over 20 different clubs and became involved in training bakers when new clubs, like ones in Brazil and Australia, were being set up. He met his wife while they were both working at the club in Turks & Caicos; and when they eventually left Club Med, they settled in nearby Patterson.

Thierry worked in bakeries in Scarsdale and Port Washington before opening up Brewster Pastry five years ago doing what he loves most — baking! His ultimate goal is be fair to his customers and give them the highest quality baked goods, while trying his best to keep prices reasonable. With the rising costs of main ingredients like flour, butter, and sugar, this is a daily challenge. He lives locally with his family and is always involved in giving back to the community. His appreciation to his customers is apparent, and it’s no surprise that a morning “regular” may receive a complimentary cup of coffee as a “thank you”.

Pastry chef: I would describe pastry chef Efrain Soler as focused and meticulous. Spend some time with him and you will also find an easygoing guy who totally loves what he is doing.

Efrain’s career began at the pastry shop Le Delice Guy Pascal in NYC as a delivery driver and manager, until he approached the head pastry chef to try his hand in the kitchen. After that first position, he’s worked at Restaurant Associates in the city, Pastry Garden in Poughkeepsie, and Scarsdale Pastry, where he worked with Thierry before moving on to Bedford Village Pastry in Bedford. A chance meeting in Bedford brought these two artisans together once again, and the rest is fate as this duo have been working side by side since the opening of Brewster Pastry. Efrain breezes through his daily tasks at the bakery with ease, but admits the most difficult part of the job is the craziness of the Christmas high season where, along with tons of baked goods, there is non-stop assembly of gingerbread houses.

Staff: Charlene Williams is just one of the friendly faces at the counter and has been at Brewster Pastry for about six months. Aside from working the register, she also does the dipping, sprinkling, and displaying of the all the goodies — what fun!

Signature dish: You might think The Brewster Cake (chocolate cake, cheesecake, and layers of creamy chocolate ganache) would be the signature cake, but it’s the extremely seasonal Peach Cake that customers wait for each summer! Thierry goes through 5,000 pounds of Big Smile peaches from South Carolina (the only variety sweet enough for this cake) in the short 10 week season. This cake really does get everyone smiling with a pâte brisée bottom (buttery tart dough), moist (more butter!) pound cake topped with summer sweet fresh peaches and finished with an apricot glaze. All I can say is YUM. Don’t fret if you missed out on the peaches — Plum Cake is next!

Coolest appliance: The Seewer Rondo Pastry Sheeter gets my cool vote. Think of this as having ten of your friends equipped with rolling pins to quickly and efficiently roll pastry dough, like the delicate buttery croissant dough, back and forth to achieve the ultimate texture and thickness.

Kitchen: The entire rectangular kitchen space is home to a walk-in refrigerator with an equal-sized freezer in the back, two huge Hobart industrial mixers, two little brother Hobart mixers, and the baking behemoth — a DBE rotary rack oven. Multiple 25” x 18” trays can be loaded into this twirling rack insuring that all the breads, cakes, and pastries are evenly baked to perfection.

Every inch of this kitchen is utilized to the fullest extent — high nooks and low crannies line the kitchen where everything from 50 pound bags of sugar to cardboard cake boxes have a place. There are spacious workspaces on the three separate counters where Thierry can be portioning dough or using the pastry sheeter, and Efrain can be decorating cakes.

Chef’s personal favorite: After I asked this question, Thierry just threw his arms out and said “just look at me … I love everything!” His breakfast that morning was a grapefruit juice, a croissant, and an apple cider donut (and you can watch these donuts being made fresh every morning at the front of the store!).

Efrain’s favorite treat to make and eat is the éclairs made with a pâte à choux light pastry dough and filled with the traditional French pastry crème (my own favorite sweet indulgence!).

Most complicated: Thierry doesn’t consider any item in the store very difficult, but because I’ve witnessed the croissant making process, I might have to respectfully disagree. Although the croissants seem to start out with a simple bread dough, it’s the time involved proofing, folding in layers and layers of butter, resting some more, rolling out, cutting, shaping, proofing some more and finally, a quick egg wash before being baked to golden flakey goodness (whew!).

Secret ingredient: I know I’m stretching this as an ingredient, but the scale (totally old school — neither digital or dial) is the unsung hero in this kitchen used for the precise measurements necessary to produce all these delicious baked goodies.

Best advice: Thierry shared that the best piece of advice he received was from friend and colleague, chef Jacques LeGulaf (they worked together in Port Washington). He gave Thierry a “list of rules” that is posted in his office to this day which has guided him in making his new business venture a success. One rule on the list that was deliciously accomplished: Taking classic, and at times complicated, French pastries and turning them into American treats. Chef LeGulaf gave Thierry a gift that he holds near and dear to his heart — a pastry spatula. Although this spatula may seem run of the mill ordinary, it was bestowed on Thierry as a high compliment for his professional accomplishments and remains a symbol of pride and honor to him.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Efrain’s “baby” is his metal pastry spatula. What goes around comes around, as this French spatula was given to him by Thierry and he considers it a constant reminder that he has reached a pinnacle in his career. What tasks does he use it for? Well, it’s not a one trick pony, as this is THE tool for covering cakes with icing, also known as masking, or for making decorative chocolate fans, just to name a few applications.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: When I arrived at the bakery at 8 am, the kitchen was in full swing. Thierry had just cooked up sausage meat for the sausage and mozzarella bread he sells at the Brewster Farmers’ Market (at the intersection of Main Street and Peaceable Hill Road) on Saturdays from 8 am to 2 pm. Olive bread, country round bread, and walnut raisin bread was also on his to-do list. Since these all begin with the same dough, a mega batch was mixed up and portioned.

Next, I helped to slice up loads of ripe strawberries. They were spread between layers of sponge cake (genoise), but not before the layers were generously sprinkled with a mixture of simple syrup (sugar and water) and kirsch (cherry liquor). Three layers of cake, strawberries, and fresh whipped cream later, we had a Strawberry Shortcake large enough to feed a small army or just a big party!

strawberry shortcake before being topped with final layer of sponge cake

Efrain was working on the Coconut Cake, layering rectangles of sponge cake with coconut mousse and covering it all with buttercream icing and shredded coconut. But here’s the surprise — on the bottom is a thin layer of white chocolate.

My main task for the day was helping to make the quiches: ham, onion, and Swiss cheese (quiche Lorraine) and spinach and cheddar cheese. The Kitchen Aid grater attachment made quick work of the blocks of Swiss cheese.

Then, I combined eggs, cream, and milk to make the custard to fill the quiche shells.

We made trays and trays of mini-quiches ready to pop into the oven. They are not only sold at the bakery but are a popular item at the Brewster farmers’ market.

Best part was I got to take some of the custard mix home to make my own quiche for dinner. Thanks Thierry!

Music: Satellite radio was tuned to the 90’s music station, and we listened to lots of rock as we worked.

My random insights: Can I borrow a cup of sugar and butter? No problem! Here’s what’s in the pantry:

26 boxes of butter at 36 lbs each = 936 lbs of butter
16 bags of sugar at 50 lbs each = 800 lbs of sugar

Want to spend your own day in the kitchen with chefs Thierry and Efrain? Brewster Pastry holds baking and cake decorating classes and also does birthday parties (just give them a call).

This sentiment on Thierry’s new logo says it all:

“Everything you want, we got it …
… if we don’t have it, we’ll make it!”

Details: Brewster Pastry, 1620 Route 22 (Towne Centre), Brewster. 845.278.2555. Brewster Pastry is open 7 days a week. Monday, 8 am to 4 pm, Tuesday thru Friday, 8 am to 7 pm, Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, 8 am to 4 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, come visit her every Saturday at the Pleasantville Farmers’ Market where she will be in the Ladle of Love food truck whipping up yummy & healthy Love Potion Smoothies.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Brewster Pastry appeared first on Small Bites.

Ladle of Love Food Truck at the Pleasantville Farmers’ Market

Patrice Costa — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:29:01 +0000

Guess who is whipping up some delicious, healthy, and oh so pretty Love Potion smoothies (kale, beet, carrot, blueberry, and apple cider) at the Pleasantville Farmers’ Market? That would be me, your friendly neighborhood Behind the Kitchen Door blogger, Patrice Costa.

our littlest customers enjoying a Love Potion smoothie

Come visit us at the Ladle of Love food truck every Saturday from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm, where truck manager Richie Ruksenas and I are serving frittata and grilled cheese sandwiches, soups and stews (of course!) and sweet/tart basil-infused lemonade.

Ingredients are being sourced from our market neighbors Mead Orchards, Feather Ridge Farm, and Meredith’s Country Bakery. So come on over to the market, do some shopping, and say hello.

The 411:

Pleasantville Farmers’ Market, Memorial Plaza off Manville Road, Pleasantville

Ladle of Love, 11 B South Moger Avenue, Mount Kisco, 914-242-9661

The post Ladle of Love Food Truck at the Pleasantville Farmers’ Market appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Tarry Lodge in Port Chester

Patrice Costa — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:30:29 +0000

The morning I arrived at Tarry Lodge’s kitchen, chef de cuisine Sam Epps was not exactly where I expected to find him. He had his sleeves rolled up and was in the process of moving an unwieldy retired pasta cooker out of the restaurant. The team work was impressive, and I knew if this much effort was going into getting a brand spanking new piece of equipment installed, I was in for an adventurous day behind the kitchen door.

Restaurant: Tarry Lodge

Description: The main room has an old fashioned feel with a decorative mosaic tiled floor in the entryway, a center dining area with marble topped pedestal tables and scrolled wood backed chairs. The dining room is broken up into sections with the main area having the most casual feel. Up a few steps up or around the corner brings you into more formal white tablecloth sections. The room is bathed in calm yellowy ochre with high ceilings accentuated with white crown moldings. Dark wood floors are a nice contrast to the white open cabinets that double as an efficient workspace for the front of house staff. In total, the restaurant seats 220, which includes an outside terrazzo that is open in the summer.

Cuisine: With two of the restaurant partners being Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich (okay, I have to admit just writing that makes me giddy), the cuisine couldn’t be further from pizzeria red and white checked plastic tablecloth Italian. The easy to navigate one page menu is creative and progressive, punctuated with mouthwatering ingredients like prosciutto, ricotta, pepperonata, fregula, baccala, caponata, and polenta. It’s a celebration of the flavors of Italy ranging from a full scale dinner to a quick pizza. Each month a different region of Italy is highlighted for the specials, like these Palermo Style Artichokes with chilies, mint and bread crumbs from Sicily.

Executive chef-partner: From starting out in Mario Batali’s kitchen at Po and Babbo, to partnering with both Batali and Bastianich to open Casa Mono and Bar Jamón in NYC, chef-partner Andy Nusser brings his culinary force to his home turf in Westchester at Tarry Lodge.

Mark Vergari / The Journal News

He splits his time between Manhattan, Port Chester, and Westport (the newest Connecticut location of Tarry Lodge). Although I only saw him briefly while I was in the middle of my pizza making lesson (we did the cheffy elbow touch greeting since my hands were full of dough), I could tell he was very much present in this kitchen.

Chef de cuisine: French Culinary Institute grad and chef de cuisine Sam Epps is bringing to this kitchen a level of experience and creativity that’s frankly surprising for his young age. He runs this kitchen in a confident and relaxed manner. He was on an early culinary track, growing up in a restaurant family in Ithaca and then heading off to NYC for culinary school. Most students do an externship (think on the job training) as part of their curriculum to graduate. Sam went to Tuscany to work and teach at Toscana Saporita, a culinary school that offers Tuscan cooking vacations (side note: interesting coincidence that a friend of mine actually did an amazing culinary vacation at that very school and gave me the next best thing to being there — the handout of the recipes they made!). This was where Sam crossed paths with Mario Batali and staff from Babbo while they were there (what do chefs do on vacation? — cook!). It was this twist of fate that brought Sam an extraordinary opportunity to work at Babbo, gaining experience at all stations on the line and ultimately getting to know chef Andy Nusser. So, connecting all the culinary dots, that’s how Sam was brought in to join the team at Tarry Lodge.

chef de cuisine Sam Epps meets with front of house staff before dinner service
to go over specials and menu (and yes, there were tastings!)

Sous chefs: Sous chefs Gerard Assue and Fabian Marquez are a big part of this kitchen team. When Gerard came in, he quickly got to work checking the prep list which had a curious salutation at the top.

When I asked him about it, he answered with a mischievous smile that he likes to leave little love notes for the staff. Although this one was a reference to a movie about longboarders, it seemed to describe the kitchen gang appropriately.

Kitchen staff: When in full swing for dinner service, there can be up to eight line cooks between the hot line, salad, pizza and dessert stations. Some of them, like Hilmer Santos at the pizza oven, started as a dishwasher. Finding another female in the kitchen, I immediately bonded with line cook Lauren Tocci. Don’t let her petite frame fool you — she’s a powerhouse. Working in the kitchen at Tarry Lodge for the past two years, she is learning as she goes (sounds familiar except she’s a generation or two younger than me). She’s passionate about her craft, and is building confidence along the way. She knows she’s going to make mistakes, but it’s the only way to learn.

Lauren stepping in to expedite during lunch service

Signature dish: With a baker’s dozen selection of wood-fired pizzas, it’s the Guanciale with Black Truffles and Sunny Side Egg that tops the diners’ list. The rustic well-baked crust and thin layer of cheese on this pizza is just a vehicle for the ultra rich toppings. From the rich piggy cheeks (a/k/a guanciale — for the DIY’s here’s a recipe from Mario Batali) to the unctuous truffles and ending with the eggy yolk which just begs to be gently broken and smeared evenly, it was heavenly.

Bar scene: When my hubby met me for dinner after my day in the kitchen, I thought it would be nice to have a casual meal at the bar — everyone else seemed to share my opinion since by 7 pm, even with tables available, the bar was teeming.

view down the bar all set for dinner service

As we made quick friends with Paul Toro, the resident Barcologist and all around nice guy, we totally understood the appeal. For the record, he doesn’t exactly name his mixology creations, and basically associates drinks to specific people. I hope he remembers what he concocted for us because it was deeee-licious.

I lovingly named it the Culinary Goddess — Flor rose prosecco, St. Germain, peach schnapps, blood orange juice, and raspberry vodka. Take note though that wine enthusiasts will not be disappointed with an easy-to-read extensive Italian wine list, sectioned by region, with bottles ranging from $30 for a Bastianich Refosco to $1,100 for a 1.5 liter Conterno Aldo Riserva Granbussia.

Coolest appliance: This wood burning pizza oven and all that goes with it is the pinnacle of cool in this kitchen, in spite of the fact that temperatures inside can reach 900 degrees.

Hilmer Santos, the pizza master and oven tender, expertly stacked the hardwoods and got the fire started, carefully maintaining the flames throughout the day. The real fun began when the lunch tickets started coming in, and Hilmer took in stride making seven pizzas one right after the other.

When it quieted down, he demonstrated his technique in pizza making starting with working the dough into shape. Here’s the video:

I watched his every move, but somehow when the dough got into my hands, it just wouldn’t behave. I did manage to wrangle it into a decent circle, but there’s lots more practice in my pizza future.

The kitchen: The main kitchen area is T-shaped with the hot line at the top and the pizza and cold station running perpendicular to it. There are two separate areas off to the side for pastry and daily prep of veggies, meat, and fish. There’s one walk-in refrigerator near the hot line which holds items in back up for service (when the chefs need to replenish an item in their station, it’s just steps away). There’s another walk-in fridge downstairs for items waiting to be prepped, but beware that even for this height challenged blogger, the ceiling was quite low and no amount of “watch your head” could keep me from banging it a few times.

Turning up the heat: There are three Jade French tops, one right after the other measuring 9 ft x 3 ft of white hot real estate. On one side of the line is the shiny new Desco pasta cooker and at the other end is a Jade grill. Underneath two of the cooktops are ovens, while one cooktop and the grill have conveniently located refrigerated drawers holding items at the ready. There are also two sets of double stacked Blodgett convection ovens.

Chef’s personal favorite: Simple comfort food to Sam is the Brasato al Barolo, which is beef braised in Barolo wine, and it is best enjoyed with a nice glass of that same bold red wine. I was able to follow this dish from early start to dinner finish. Line cook Lauren was busy browning the brasato as I started my day in the kitchen.

When the meat was finished, Lauren sautéed a mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot. Next, tomato paste was added and the pan was deglazed with (here it comes) Piedmontese Barolo red wine. After the wine had time to reduce, chicken stock, thyme, and fresh bay leaves were added and the meat was returned to the mixture to braise low and slow for about three hours.

It was done when the meat was fall apart tender. The Brasato was served over soft polenta (cornmeal) with that flavorful sauce and topped with fresh strips of horseradish. Sam explained that the horseradish is a very authentic garnish, and although I was surprised by its addition, I enjoyed the unique and bright spice it brought to this hearty dish.

Most complicated dish on the menu: Sam likes to stay true to the tradition of Italian comfort food like the Pork Osso Buco. It’s not exactly a challenging dish, but one where a good deal of thought goes into its ingredients. Sam makes sure his dishes have spicy, sweet, salty, and acidic components. He especially likes acid because it makes everything pop. In this dish, there is a jalapeno pesto (spicy), grilled corn gremolata (sweet), lemon zest (acid) and, of course, seasonings like pepper and salt (salty).

Chef’s culinary mentor: Sam’s 16th birthday present was working papers and a busboy job application to work in the family restaurant, The Coddington in Ithaca. (it was in his mom’s family for 100 years!). Unfortunately, front of house was not exactly his calling, and in the nicest way possible, he was let go by a co-worker who would eventually become his wife (I guess he didn’t hold a grudge). He did go back sometime later as a dishwasher and then progressed to the salad and pizza stations and eventually to the hot line. Heading up that kitchen was his cousin Joe, who Sam credits with making him realize that he wanted to be a chef too. After graduating from culinary school, it was working with executive chef Frank Langello at Babbo that helped him to perfect his art. And finally, at Tarry Lodge working with executive chef-partner Andy Nusser, he has matured into a professional cook. Andy has given him a true understanding of all the aspects of the inner workings of a restaurant.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Sam relies on his Victorinox 8-inch chef knife valued at a whooping $32. What does he love about it? He uses it for everything, it sharpens up great, and when it gets totally beat up, he just gets a new one.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: It was a real learning experience for me to observe Sam work on the lunch specials. He started with Taggiasca olives for the Salmon Crudo. These olives have a more buttery olive oil flavor than a briny bite. Here’s how Sam constructed the dish: To make the dressing, he combined chopped Taggiasca olives, along with some of their oil, small diced cucumbers, chives, fresh orange juice, and sherry vinegar (lots of tasting going on during the process to get just the right balance). He then sliced up some amazingly fresh salmon.

He topped the sliced salmon with the mixture and finished it all with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt. A spectacular summery dish — light, flavorful, and simply good.

Next, he focused his attention to creating a Panzanella Salad. You wouldn’t think the combination of bread and tomatoes in a salad would be fancy, but the end result was a beautiful dish. Sam combined fresh toasted croutons, leaves of green and opal basil, whole chives, arugula, red onion, sliced cucumber, and a rainbow of red, yellow, and green heirloom tomatoes all lightly dressed with a red wine vinaigrette.

He then topped it all with sliced grilled chicken sauced with house made salsa verde (a vibrant green herbal sauce of basil, mint, parsley, capers, anchovies, arugula, olive oil and red wine vinegar).

What’s on the prep list: One of Lauren’s tasks was to de-bone the Cornish game hens before they were brined. Sam quietly stepped in to show us his technique. He was a very good teacher as he patiently and clearly instructed us how to cut down the back bone

and little by little, with short knife strokes, remove the bones.

For me, it was a lesson well learned since a few weeks later I managed to de-bone a roasting chicken without too much fuss to grill it flat on the BBQ. Thanks Sam!

Family meal: It was some leftover hot dog buns that sparked the inspiration for a family meal of sausage and peppers with potato salad with fresh made mayo. Seriously, this is family meal? Sam’s reply was simple, “If you don’t cook well for the staff, they will think you can’t cook!”

potato salad (before adding in the mayo) and sausage and peppers

First meal: In sixth grade, Sam and his friend, Mike Toscano, decided to make gravy (translation: tomato sauce) and meatballs inspired by scene in the Godfather where Al Pacino makes the dish. Unfortunately, their meatballs were inedible because they were a little heavy handed with the chili flakes. Not the best Sunday dinner at Grandma’s, but it was a start.

My random insights: I love ingredients that are unique and just a little strange like sea beans. When I’ve eaten them, I always assumed these seaweed-like plants were floating around in the ocean before they showed up on my plate (they certainly look like something I’ve seen at the beach). Also called salicornia or seaglass, they grow on mountainsides or land near the ocean where the sea mist they thrive on gives them their salty taste. They have an interestingly crunchy texture along with that ocean flavor.

And speaking of ingredients, (warning: the following picture is not for the tentacle squeamish) here are some octopi just hanging out taking a little soak.

And lastly, just look at these gorgeous figs — my absolute favorite summer fruit.

Details: Tarry Lodge, 18 Mill Street, Port Chester. 914.939.3111. Tarry Lodge is open 7 days a week for lunch (starting at noon) and dinner (closing time varies depending on the day). Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 pm. Two- course lunch special for $20 offered every day until 3 pm!

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. Come visit her every Saturday at the Pleasantville Farmers Market where she will be in the Ladle of Love food truck whipping up yummy & healthy Love Potion Smoothies.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Tarry Lodge in Port Chester appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Hudson House of Nyack

Patrice Costa — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:09:32 +0000

A while ago, my husband and I decided get out of our restaurant rut and head over to Nyack. Since a certain food editor suggested Hudson House for the blog, I figured we’d check it out for a Friday night dinner. From savory start to sweet finish, dinner was so good that it made us wish Nyack was our neighborhood. And the icing on the cake was that owner, Matt Hudson, was happy to welcome me into his kitchen. So, this directionally challenged blogger, armed with my trusty GPS and printed Google map, made the trek across the Tappan Zee Bridge into Rockland County to spend the day behind the kitchen door at Hudson House.

Restaurant: Hudson House of Nyack

Description: It’s hard to know where to start to describe Hudson House. Let’s begin with welcoming and comfortable. Although it seems formal with white linen tablecloths, leather banquettes, and a creative menu, the reality is that it’s extremely casual and neighborhoody. Whether you are a regular or a newbie, as soon as you come through the door, you will be greeted like an old friend by owner Matt Hudson. Take a moment to look around the bar to notice all the unique and detailed wood carvings, like the replica of a NYC manhole cover (that’s just one of Matt’s artistic talents on display).

The building dates back 130 years when it was the village hall and fire house. It went through a renovation after a fire in 1909, and Matt tells me that’s when many of the art deco architectural touches like the decorative tin ceiling and walls were added. The old-style double hung windows lining one side of the dining room have now morphed into mirrors giving the room a wide open feel.

Cuisine: The menu is described as Contemporary American. I suppose the American is the “meat and potatoes” of the menu, but the Contemporary part has to be the masterful use of some kitchen magic for accompaniments like beet verjus marshmallows, yuzu foam, sous vide hen eggs, or Béarnaise sauce from a N20 (nitrous oxide) charger.

Owners: For Matt Hudson and Amy Lehman to have owned Hudson House for the past 22 years is an unheard of milestone in the restaurant industry.

Owners Matt Hudson and Amy Lehman

Matt started as a manager when the restaurant was called Raoul’s (it was the upstate outpost of the NYC restaurant on Prince Street of the same name and owners). When the opportunity came up to purchase the business, he jumped straight in and hasn’t looked back since. He was married to Amy at the time, who agreed to manage the restaurant and do the backend office and financial end of things for a year. Three children and a divorce later, she is still very much a partner, organizer, and managing force behind the restaurant.

Executive chef: Although a fairly new addition to Hudson House, Jeff Kaufman is totally in his element heading up the kitchen as Executive Chef.

Executive chef Jeffrey Kaufman

After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, he worked in Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, our own Peter Kelly’s Restaurant X and Freelance Cafe, and Monteverde (since demised and sadly missed). He brings enthusiasm, creativity, and excitement to this kitchen. It’s a curious juxtaposition that in this old building filled with reminders of times past, this chef is using innovative cuisine techniques like sous vide (water bath) or hydrocolloids (thickeners).

Pastry chef & resident artist: To say that owner Matt Hudson is an interesting guy is truly an understatement. He got his start in the restaurant business tending bar for 10 years at Benny’s in Irvington (with 7 out of 10 of his siblings in the hospitality arena, it has to be genetic). He is definitely in his comfort zone at Hudson House as the maker of all things sweet and prefers the title of baker to pastry chef (but he’s all that and more). His desserts, like the Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie or Pear Upside Down Cake, are delightfully presented, yummily (I know that’s not really a word, but it should be) uncomplicated, and just darn good. A glance around the dining room clearly shows that his creativity extends way beyond the oven. His photographs adorning the walls of this room illustrate his love for the nearby Hudson River; and when asked, he will gladly describe exactly how he captured the moon’s phases in the sky at sunset and sunrise. Matt has intertwined all of his talents as host, artist, and baker to make Hudson House, without a doubt, one special place. Here are two of Matt’s pictures (a photo of a photo doesn’t do them justice — they are breathtaking):

Kitchen staff: I had the pleasure of working on different tasks during the day with Pedro, who is the ultimate the go-to guy in this kitchen. He is super organized and takes great care and pride in his work. He’s been here forever (even before Matt owned it), and knows every nook and cranny. Essentially, if Pedro can’t find something, it simply doesn’t exist. Julio, Noe, John, George, and Padrito make up the rest of the kitchen team assisting chef Kaufman.

Front of house: The front of house staff meets with chef Kaufman before each service so he can discuss the menu and describe the specials.

All the servers are friendly, accommodating, and very knowledgeable. When my daughter, Briana (who is the foodie~ying to my foodie~yang) met me for dinner after my day in the kitchen, we asked lots of questions (admittedly, it’s sometimes perceived as grilling) about the menu. Our server, Scott, took it all in stride. He knew the menu inside and out and was happy to help us with our choices.

Bar scene: At the bar is Andrew Barrett, Elixirist (his description) Extraordinaire (my addition), with exactly the right attitude and dry sense of humor to almost upstage the spectacular drinks.

When my husband and I went for dinner, the Clover Thyme Club cocktail (Tanqueray gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, fresh thyme, and egg white) was declared an instant favorite.

Briana and I decided to start our evening with prosecco which Andrew poured into pre-chilled glasses (very nice touch). Stop by for one of Andrew’s one of a kind elixirs and make sure to stay for his sage advice (and dinner, of course!).

Coolest appliance: Chef Kaufman relies on a Robot Coupe, the restaurant world’s pumped up food processor, because it gets the job done. But my eyes zoomed right to the newfangled piece equipment off to the side — a PolyScience sous vide immersion circulator.

This ultra cool device basically heats and circulates water to a set temperature and then holds it there. The beauty of this is that foods (which are vacuumed sealed) achieve the exact point of doneness as they are cooked slowly in this Jacuzzi bath. At Hudson House, chef Kaufman uses the sous vide to cook eggs to about 64 degrees Celsius to achieve a soft custardy yolk when broken. This perfect protein is just one of the highlights of the dish named (what else?) Hen Egg. If you were eavesdropping on Briana and I as we shared this dish, all you would have heard was “Mmmmmmmm” as we slipped into a lovely food coma abyss. Baby lola rosa lettuce, smoked ricotta, earthy maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, white and green asparagus, buttery roasted fennel, and a palate surprise of sweet roasted pear. Each bite was a new taste sensation punctuated by that rich egg yolk.

the custardy egg yolk is center stage even with the low lighting (sorry!)

Size of kitchen: Measuring around 30 ft x 25 ft, this kitchen is bathed in natural light and airy breezes from skylights and a back screen door.

Size of prep area: In the morning, Matt’s pastry prep is done along a counter on one side of the kitchen. Before service, you will find Jeff doing his prep on the counter by the line. Prep cooks work in two other areas, so although compact it’s extremely efficient.

pastry prep veggie prep portioning filet mignon

Turning up the heat: A high heat plancha (griddle) is flanked on either side by Vulcan six burner stove/oven combos. There’s the obligatory fryer and grill tucked into the far corner.

Chef’s personal favorite: Matt smirks as he segregates his dessert choices into two categories: chocolate and the rest. Chocolate is the Triple Layer Devil’s Food Cake with (you guessed) chocolate icing. The rest would be the Blueberry Pudding Cake. This cake is made with a mix of cornmeal/flour and cooked/fresh blueberries, all for texture. I was lucky to help make it, and got to eat it warm from the oven for lunch (you’ve heard of dessert first, right?). Honestly, this is what blueberries are grown for!

On the savory side, chef Kaufman’s favorite is the Hudson House Ricotta Gnudi. He feels it’s a somewhat misunderstood, “under the radar” dish, but I’m here to sing its praises. First, although the “gnudi” part may get some giggling like Beavis & Butthead, it simply alludes to a “naked” ravioli: the filling minus the pasta. It starts with dough made with grated cheese, eggs, and light, creamy ricotta cheese (my family’s pronunciation sounds much like “re-goth-a”, having no “cot” in it ever). The soft dough is piped into semolina flour where it gets a bare dusting. These plump little dumplings are served with roasted Sweet 100’s baby tomatoes exploding with tomatoey goodness, a crumble of briny Nicoise olives, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. Briana described this dish perfectly as gnudi kisses.

Most complicated dish on the menu: One of my favorite dishes on the menu also happens to be the most involved because of a few time consuming components. The Pan Roasted Hudson Valley Duck Breast with rhubarb puree, caramelized spring onions, maitake mushrooms, and duck confit may seem simple enough. The duck confit alone takes a day to cook those ducky legs low and slow in the oven immersed in the liquid gold duck fat. After the legs are cooled, the succulent meat is shredded from the bone (“fall off” is more accurate). The maitake mushrooms need to be separated, rhubarb cooked and pureed, and spring onions sautéed until golden. All of these components come together magically to complement a moist and tender medium rare duck breast. Time consuming? — yes; well worth the effort? — absolutely.

Signature dessert: Matt’s passion is the secret ingredient which makes the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake the restaurant’s irresistible signature dessert. It’s a fight for the last bite type of dessert topped with toffee sauce and candied ginger.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Do you know what an integral part of making a velvety soup is? The Vitamix, a souped up blender, is a restaurant kitchen staple that Jeff couldn’t live without especially for pureeing soups. The day I was in the kitchen he was using it to make black garlic jus. A check mark for no waste, he used the skins of the fermented black garlic to make a broth of sorts. He added some agar, a thickener made from seaweed, to create a gel and then swirled it up in the Vitamix into a creamy sauce.

black garlic broth transformed into gel

then blended into sauce

Chef’s culinary mentor: Matt’s initial introduction to hospitality was in the Irish bars of the Bronx and Westchester. It was at that time that he worked with one bar owner, John Knowles, who he looked up to because of the amicable relationships he built with his employees. It was here that Matt learned the importance of fostering mutual respect and camaraderie with his staff. When Hudson House opened 22 years ago, restaurateur, chef and Rockland neighbor Peter Kelly welcomed Matt to the neighborhood. By example, chef Kelly showed him the finer points of hospitality of how to keep his patrons happy and welcomed. Matt found that sometimes it’s as easy as offering a table a sweet ending amuse (he always makes a few mini portions of all his desserts just for this reason).

Jeff worked at Monteverde when acclaimed chef Neil Ferguson was heading up the kitchen. He credits Neil with instilling in him the importance of organization in the kitchen. “Neil could go into the huge walk-in fridge with eyes closed and know exactly where everything was.” Most important lesson imparted from Neil was to execute a dish perfectly every time. Jeff tells me that inspiration is everywhere — culinary books, farmer’s markets and the Internet. I was impressed with his knowledge of new trends like chef Sean Brock at Husk Restaurant in South Carolina using grow lamps for herbs under the pass or Michael Ruhlman’s ratio app that can calculate ingredient quantities to increase or decrease a recipe on the spot.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: We’ve all seen (and possibly eaten) a dish with “foam”, and I’ve always wondered exactly how it’s created. The answer is with imagination and some modern culinary chemistry. Here are factoids from the International Culinary Center for the techies. I helped Jeff “whip” up yuzu foam cream for a yellowtail (hamachi) crudo special for the next evening. Bottled yuzu (YOU-zoo) is the 100% juice of a sour Japanese citrus fruit the size of a tangerine, which has a distinct flavor, sort of a cross between grapefruit and lime. To the yuzu, I added Versa Whip, a soy protein that creates a whipped cream-like consistency, and Xanthan Gum, a thickener. It all got blended up in the Vitamix and then transferred to the Kitchen Aid to get whipped into shape. The end result was a lighter than air citrusy foam that would keep its consistency for service the next evening.

To a reduction of white wine, white vinegar, tarragon, peppercorns, and shallots, Jeff whisked in egg yolks and clarified butter to create a classic Béarnaise sauce. Here’s the modern twist, he then put the sauce into an iSi charger (also called a whipped cream charger). The charger part is the small canister of nitrous oxide gas (N20) which is added into the container to make the whipped product. A few shakes and we had Béarnaise foam!

What’s on the prep list: I spent a good part of my day on the sweet side with Matt. First task was juicing limes for his Key Lime Pie, and I just want to say a big thank you for that heavy duty juicer that made that job so easy!

We then started on the topping for the Triple Ginger Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (say that three times fast) which was one of the dessert specials for the evening. I crumbled up ginger snap cookies (ginger #1) while Matt cut butter into flour and added brown sugar, toasted pecans, powdered ginger (ginger #2) and crystallized (candied) ginger (ginger #3). I then diced up loads of strawberries and rhubarb.

I never worked with rhubarb before and was surprised how this celery-like stalk became such a natural partner to the strawberries. The ginger gave this delicious dessert a unique bite of heat.

Music: Matt settled in to start his day with music streaming from Fordham University’s public radio station WFUV. Growing up just a stone’s throw away from Fordham in the Bronx, WFUV was always known for its contemporary format. As Matt and I worked on the desserts, we listened to an eclectic mix of bluesy rock. Matt likes that the station is album-based (remember albums?) and the DJ’s, like radio icons Dennis Elsas and Vin Scelsa originally from progressive rock station WNEW, announce what’s playing.

My random insights: Vanilla beans are an expensive commodity, so when a kitchen can re-use them to make another ingredient, it is a classic example of “no waste”. At Hudson House, they add the used beans to a bottle of vodka and let them soak for a few months to create their own vanilla extract.

Shhhhhh, keep this as our little secret — Matt has a stash of maxed out chocolate chip cookies that he sometimes hands out in a little goodie bag. As we leave, he warns us that they are frozen so don’t be tempted to eat them on the way home (as if we had room for another bite!). But the next morning, there they were all crunchy and chewy with chunks of chocolate, oats, coconut, and cherries; a sweet reminder of our new favorite restaurant.

princess Briana’s milk and cookies

Details: Hudson House of Nyack,134 Main Street, Nyack. 845.353.1355. Hudson House is open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday, 5:30 pm to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday, 5:30 pm to 11 pm, and Sunday 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Hudson House of Nyack appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: The Cupcake Kitchen and Luncheonette in Irvington

Patrice Costa — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:00:39 +0000

It was the word “luncheonette” that struck deep into this Bronx girl’s heart, bringing on an unexpected flood of wonderful memories spent in the diners and corner candy stores in my childhood neighborhood of Norwood in the North Bronx. My “sweet shop” in the 1970s was Adolf’s Luncheonette on 204^th Street, where you could find moms lunching with their carriages of sleeping babies and uniformed school kids having egg creams or malteds at the counter. Cupcake Kitchen is a brighter and cooler version of the luncheonette of my past and spending the day behind their kitchen door was outta sight (insert 2012 slang) stellar.

Restaurant: The Cupcake Kitchen and Luncheonette

Description: Just three years young, this 45 seat restaurant is a blast from the past with modern touches like serving up cappuccinos and lattes. The main throwback for me was the lunch counter complete with swivel stools and domed cake stands. There are also Formica tables with chrome chairs, trimmed in white and a surprising uncharacteristic bright blue (it’s literally called Bippety Bop Blue— Pantone 277U to be exact). Cupcake Kitchen is a neighborhood haunt where you can meet friends for breakfast, lunch or early dinner and then indulge in the guilty pleasure of one of their almost too cute to eat cupcakes.

Cuisine: Simply good comfort foods dominate the menu like stuffed French toast, waffles, grilled cheese, BLT, chicken salad, and, of course, hot dogs and hamburgers. The menu caterers to all tastes like the PBJ & Bananas or Fluff for the kiddies or the Arugula Salad with Nuts, Cranberries and Gorgonzola for the more adult palate. The star attractions are absolutely the irresistible and delectable array of cupcakes made fresh every day (it is called CUPCAKE Kitchen after all!). Custom decorated cupcakes and cakes for all occasions are their specialty, but be warned though that they may look so good, you might not want to slice them up!

here’s a sampling of fresh made delights (sorry for the glare)

Owner: Jennifer O’Connell, a former sleepwear designer and mom of two young girls, wanted to create a “happy place” inspired by a friend’s luncheonette which was owned by three generations of her family. Cupcake Kitchen was four years in the making, and clearly, Jen’s fun decorating style can be found in every inch, even down their signature font on the menu aptly named “Girls are Weird.”

I’ve been told that if you enter “cupcake” into your GPS, it will lead you right to their door. I haven’t tried it yet, but I suspect with all the smiles I saw on their patrons’ faces (and the staff behind the counter), you could search for “happy place” and get the same result.

Brook, Emmy and Lila happily enjoying their after lunch cupcakes

Kitchen staff: Eleanor heads up the kitchen, but it seems like everyone on the staff can jump in on any task. Craig and Dylan were serving up breakfast and lunch the day I was there. Sunny was helping with serving, but I understand that she is the queen of icing and has mastered making the fluffiest and sweetest. Donna Monaco Olsen, who is no stranger to the Small Bites blog sharing her many dining experiences during Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, is the resident cake and cupcake decorator extraordinaire and my sweet instructor for the day. Donna is also the co-coordinator for Westchester Community College’s Taste of Westchester program which brings participants into some of Westchester’s best restaurants for chef demonstrations and hands-on classes (take a peek at the extensive list in the recent WCC Fall schedule under Taste of Westchester in the Continuing Education section).

Signature dish: Ummmm, cupcakes, of course! Specifically, the Vanilla Vanilla cupcake is the most popular by far. Moist vanilla cake topped with creamy swirls of icing, with an excellent icing to cake ratio ensuring just enough of both in every bite. Here’s a little secret — sometimes the vanilla vanilla cupcake is disguised as one of the specials like the Summer Garden.

Bar scene: That would be the ice cream bar scene with a luscious selection of artisanal Jane’s Homemade Ice Cream made right in the Hudson Valley. In a cup or cone, a scoop of Killer Chocolate or Cookies ‘n Cream is the perfect summer treat.

There are also floats, shakes, and my childhood favorite, the egg cream. It’s neither egg nor cream, but a frothy combination of milk, seltzer, and chocolate (or vanilla) syrup.

Coolest appliance: The Waring drink mixer is a milkshake multitasker able to take on three at a time with ease. The look is pure retro with the oversized metal tumblers.

On the warmer and more modern side, there’s the sleek Rancilio espresso maker.

Size of kitchen: The long and narrow kitchen (about 15 ft x 6 ft) is on full display at the counter, where you can watch your meal or cupcakes being made.

Size of prep area: Prep for breakfast and lunch is all done at a compact 6 ft x 2 ft counter. Cakes and cupcakes have a more spacious 4 ft x 3 ft space close by.

kitchen and cupcake prep areas

Turning up the heat: The very efficient Southbend four burner/griddle/oven combo is the key appliance in this open kitchen.

There’s also a Pitco double fryer which turns out the golden French, curly, or sweet potato fries.

Staff’s personal choice: It’s the Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcake that tops the staff’s list. Rich chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter icing is a match made in cupcake heaven. It has my vote because it reminds me of an inside out Drake’s Funny Bone (but way better!).

Favorite kitchen gadget: Looking like colorful surgical instruments, the tools of the trade for a cake decorator offer the same precision to create sweet edible art.

cake decorator toolbox

On any given day, you can watch Jennifer and Donna hard at work making one of their unique specialty cakes.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: The first task of the day was to make the icing. All the icings start with a base recipe to which colorings and flavors, like marshmallow fluff or peanut butter, are added. In the “nothing goes to waste” department, a green colored icing can be transformed into mint with a few drops of extract. Donna and I beat together butter (Vermont’s Cabot brand), heavy cream, pure vanilla and powdered sugar into a soft fluffy cloud.

mixing the icing

Now the fun really started as I learned to master the piping bag. Yes, it all looks so easy to fill this cone-shaped bag (making sure there are no air pockets) and then placing a hand on top to squeeze while the hand holding the bag guides the icing around the cupcake. This is definitely a case of easier said than done. Just when I thought I had everything working together, I’d apply too much pressure and my swirl would begin to look more like a meltdown.

Donna and I then worked on the special Summer Garden cupcakes. The tips on the piping bag are easily interchangeable, so we popped on a tip with multiple holes which created something like icing spaghetti. Using short strokes on the top of the cupcake, we made a lush grass-filled lawn.

Then Donna brought out the fondant. She describes this thick, pliable icing as adult playdoh. Okay, with the practical experience of entertaining my own kids during the pre-school years with the Playdoh Fun Factory (I even made my own homemade dough), I thought I had this technique nailed. She had rolling pins and various cut outs for circles, stars, flowers, etc. Donna showed me how to use one of her many tools to make a tiny indent on a petal to give it more of a dimensional shape, and then we used an ordinary cheese grater to create texture on the flower’s center.

voila! a summer garden complete with ladybugs

Music: Keeping with the theme of the luncheonette, we grooved on the Good Times internet radio station playing music from the 50s and 60s. Although I’m a child of the 70’s (rock and disco), I was right at home since I grew up with American Bandstand and the early Beatles and Stones from my older sister and brother. One obscure oldie but goodie that was playing, Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire, totally brought me back to my sister’s collection of old 45s (anyone remember those mini records, a precursor to the CD?).

My random insights: My lunch was Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Tomato on sourdough. It had just the right amount of oozy cheese and crunchy bacon with a pop of flavor from the tomato. Delicious!

After spending the day at Cupcake Kitchen, I think I might have found the fountain of youth in Irvington. When a restaurant can make you feel like a kid again through their food and atmosphere, it’s really something special. I decided to take some treats home for dessert as a little experiment. Hmmmmm, after just a few bites, I thought my husband was looking a little younger, but I might have to do some more research.

Details: The Cupcake Kitchen and Luncheonette, 100 Main Street, Irvington. 914.231.6261. Cupcake Kitchen is open daily 7 days a week at 8 am. Closing time varies seasonally so it’s best to call ahead. Custom decorated cakes and cupcakes for all occasions are their specialty.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: The Cupcake Kitchen and Luncheonette in Irvington appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Harvest on Hudson in Hastings

Patrice Costa — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:15:24 +0000

As I completed each section of this post, I realized that I was becoming more and more smitten with Harvest on Hudson. My dad would have used the term “keeping company” — meaning the period of time he was dating my mom. I suspect this term for courtship was either generational or loosely translated from his Italian dialect. No matter, I always thought it was just sweet. So, what do you get when you combine a hopelessly romantic foodie, a spectacular view of the Hudson River, a summer garden overflowing with herbs and veggies, an extraordinarily talented staff and superb food? For me, it means that I’ve found myself behind the kitchen door at Harvest on Hudson and right in the middle of some kind of wonderful.

Restaurant: Harvest on Hudson

Description: One of four restaurants owned by the Fort Pond Bay Company, Harvest on Hudson is described as their flagship (they also own Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry, East by Northeast and Harvest on Fort Pond, both in Montauk). The building, which sits right at the Hudson River waterfront, was originally a Robison Oil truck garage. The original roof and steel lattice now creates a decorative framework for the 200 seat main dining room. Although it’s a huge space, the room seems to surround you with light, texture, and color. The coolness of the smooth Venetian plaster walls and rustic stone fireplace plays against the wide plank floors, exposed wood beams, and the tapestry of gold and burgundy on the chairs and couches. Of course, the numerous windows and French doors bring the outside in with tons of natural light and spectacular views of the river and gardens from almost every seat. The outside patio, which can accommodate about 150, is relaxing and comfortable with its wrought iron tables and chairs. There are 50 more seats in the middle of the garden creating lovely spots to enjoy a glass of wine and some selection of cured meats and cheeses from the menu of Italian sfizi (Google translation: “whims”).

Cuisine: A classic approach with subtle contemporary influences is how chef Vincent Barcelona describes the menu at Harvest. Basically, it’s real deal authentic Italian dishes with enticing twists. Seasonal ingredients are picked straight from their garden or come from local Hudson Valley farms. Bringing a whole new meaning to wine and food pairing is the hanging house made baccala (salted and air cured cod) and bresaola (air cured beef) in Harvest’s wine room.

Garden: Before even stepping foot in the kitchen, chef Barcelona and I took a stroll through Harvest’s lush garden. Winding paths, sitting areas and tables are right in the middle of a bounty of herbs and veggies. Garden to table at its best! There are radishes, Swiss chard, beets, eggplant, and, of course, lots and lots of tomatoes. By the end August, those tomatoes will be cooked down into sauce and canned so that the summer fresh flavors can be enjoyed even in the dead of winter. Next, there are herbs like basil, lovage (which is the flavor partner for the poaching liquid in their rabbit stew), thyme, oregano, sage, tarragon, and much more. For some of the herbs, it’s the delicate flowers that are used first, like the blossoms of lemon thyme or the licorice flavored fennel pollen.

Owners: Angelo Liberatore and Bruce Bernacchia both come from Italian families where their Sunday dinner was, no doubt, very similar to mine. My dinner would start at 2 pm in the afternoon and usually included pasta topped with a tomato gravy that had been simmering on the stove since the early morning. They have created that nurturing and comforting atmosphere of an Italian family dinner right here at Harvest.

Chefs:

Chefs Sal Sprufero and Vincent Barcelona

Corporate Executive Chef: Vincent Barcelona seems to be constantly in motion. Taking care of Harvest has got to be time-consuming enough, but he also oversees Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry and the two other restaurants in Montauk. His responsibilities encompass not only being hands-on in the kitchen, but also the less glamorous back-end, day-to-day tasks of paperwork and management. He doesn’t view this as a job — it’s a lifestyle. With that in mind, he has created a real community, not only with his staff, but also his purveyors. From his office on the second floor of Harvest, he could easily be in touch with fishermen in Montauk or a farmer at John Fazio’s farm where his rabbits and ducks are raised. If a fish is described as “line caught” on the menu, don’t be surprised if Vincent could tell you exactly who caught it and when.

Allow me to backtrack just a moment — are you as curious as I was to see what a chef’s office looks like? At first glance, it seemed pretty generic with a computer, printer, pens, notes, and the expected bit of clutter. Upon a more detailed inspection, I could see glimpses of what chefs do when they are not thinking about food like mastering the guitar, writing music, or listening to some jazz.

This is a chef who is totally immersed in his craft. It’s easy to see that some of his inspiration comes from his extensive cookbook collection (personally, I could have spent the entire day up there just perusing).

Executive Chef: It was simply inspiring to spend most of my day working with seasoned Executive Chef Sal Sprufero. His easygoing manner and friendly personality put me right at ease. He was the opening chef at Half Moon and has been in the Harvest kitchen for the past five years. Sal and Vincent have known each other since their days at Le Bernardin and The River Cafe (yes, I’m namedropping, but I promise to tell you more about that later).

Kitchen staff: Executive Sous Chef, Miguel Pina, along with 17 cooks, 5 culinary interns, and 5 dishwashers all work in unison to make Harvest’s kitchen run smoothly and efficiently.

Front of house: There are over 60 servers and bartenders during Harvest’s summer high season, especially during catered events on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Bar scene: On a late Tuesday afternoon as I sat in the comfortable and inviting bar/lounge area, I found patrons enjoying the soft jazz, a relaxing glass of wine, and a quick bite. On Adult Swim Thursdays, you’ll find a live band and appetizer specials.

Signature dish: There are so many items to choose from, yet it’s the Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza that is one of their signature dishes. The dough is made from a “mother” dough which has been fed and taken care of for the past four years. The inclusion of both fresh and wild yeast (that’s what’s making all those bubbles), organic beer, and orange peels gives this dough a flavor all its own.

can I borrow a cup of dough, please?

Add some flour to that beautiful dough, shape and dress it up and then place it in high temp pizza oven. What you get is pizza nirvana. Thin, rustic, well done crust topped with tangy goat cheese, sweet figs, and salty prosciutto.

Size of kitchen: The kitchen is laid out in a flowing L-shape, with the longer side being the main fire power of the line. A wall separates the line from another prep area behind it, complete with its own set of appliances. Around the corner on the short side of the “L” is more prep space, a Corema gelato machine, and the Italgi pasta machine (yeah, both are made in-house!).

The walk-in refrigerator and freezer are seriously humongous. The fridge is 20 ft x 30 ft and the attached freezer is about half that size.

I could have gotten lost in this walk-in

Size of prep area: Although there were multiple prep areas throughout the kitchen, I felt like I was center stage with chef Sprufero at his station right in front of the pass.

lunch tickets coming in at the pass

Turning up the heat: This was a fully packed kitchen with major equipment including three Jade salamander broilers and a US Range high heat griddle (also called a plancha) where chicken breasts, fish, and meats, can be quickly seared.

griddle (plancha)

Going down the line there were more Jade appliances — two six-burner open flame stove/oven combos, a pasta cooker, an eight-burner stove/oven, and finally, a huge grill.

pasta cooker

grill

Behind the wall of these appliances, is a separate kitchen with lots of room to prep, another six-burner stove/oven combo, three stock pot burners, and the standalone Groen braiser. You certainly don’t have to fight for some heat in this kitchen!

prep area and six burner range

stock pot burners

Coolest appliance: Chef Barcelona likes the stand alone Groen braiser in the prep kitchen because it is a versatile piece of equipment that can multitask with ease for making large quantities of braised stews and roasts (and even soups). It can be cranked up to 500 degrees to start the meat out with a good sear, and then once liquid is added, turned down for a low and slow braise. When everything is done, the whole vessel can tilt to pour out the finished recipe into containers (not to mention easy clean up!).

But then owner Angelo Liberatore reminded Vincent about the bright red, hand-cranked prosciutto slicer, and I knew we were about to get old school.

They demonstrated how each turn of the crank slowly spins the blade and simultaneously moves the aged prosciutto across it. Because it does this ever so slowly, it doesn’t “burn” the paper thin slices of Italian heaven.

Most complicated dish on the menu: It’s the delicate execution with both finesse and a watchful eye that makes the Seared Ahi Tuna entrée complicated. It is served with a kiss of a sear on the outside and perfectly rare on the inside accompanied by a fresh corn and fava bean salad, sautéed leeks, sweet red peppers and basil with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar. But it’s the tiny little lemon thyme flowers, with their surprising burst of citrus spice, which completes this dish.

Chef’s culinary mentor: I couldn’t help but be in awe of chef Barcelona’s culinary resume (the list includes Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe, Le Bernardin with both chefs Dominick Cerrone and Eric Ripert, and Mondrian with chef Tom Colicchio); so I was really interested to find out who he looked up to. Starting out at Bronzini’s in New Jersey under the guidance of mentor chef Steve Santoro (who was the opening chef at the Colavita Center at the Culinary Institute and is now at Fresco in NYC) was what sparked Vincent’s passion for aged beef and delicate herbs. From there, chef Dominick Cerrone gave him a solid foundation working in Le Bernardin’s ultra-organized kitchen turning out perfectly executed 4-star dishes.

First meal: At the young age of eight, Vincent Barcelona knew that he belonged in the kitchen. It all started with making scrambled eggs at friend Greg Perlman’s house on an early Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the breakfast ended abruptly with a melted plastic tablecloth and waking the family up to a smoke-filled house. Thankfully, that first cooking endeavor didn’t scare him off from getting back in front of a stove!

Favorite kitchen gadget: Although this was an easy answer for chef Barcelona, it was quite an unexpected one for me. For once, it wasn’t the uber-popular knife or some obscure pomegranate de-seeder (although I do wish someone would invent that!). Vincent’s gadget is his own vivid culinary imagination. Drawing inspiration from his many cookbooks, the bountiful gardens, or his talented team, he creates a seductive menu that you can easily fall in love with. The daily specials at Harvest are a perfect example of his imagination in action as he takes his diners on a flavor-filled tour highlighting a different region of Italy each month. What really impressed me is that each server gets a chance to taste the daily specials, and Vincent makes sure to share with them detailed information on the specific region.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: It was torture to be in the kitchen during a busy lunch service watching all this amazing food pass in front of me. When chef Sprufero asked me if I’d like to have a taste or two, I don’t think I paused for a moment — Yes, please! The Crispy Lamb Spring Rolls were a pleasant surprise. Roasted lamb is mixed with apricots, carrots, fregola (small round beads of pasta), and mint and served with a yogurt and grated cucumber tzatziki sauce.

The pics below show how prep cook Margarito expertly made these little packages of goodness. He let me try my hand at it, but my first attempts were less than stellar. They need to be rolled up tight, so mine would have opened up in the fryer. I think it was easier to eat them than make them.

The Gnocchi with Morels and Sweet Spring Peas literally had me swooning. Lighter than air potato dumplings (an amazing feat unto itself) are served in a sage brown butter sauce with the largest morel mushrooms I’ve ever seen. The dish is earthy from the mushrooms and grated cheese, but then there’s this pop of fresh flavor from the crunchy peas.

What’s on the prep list: I worked on the base for that evening’s special mussels dish Pepata di Cozze ~ Puglia-style steamed mussels with parsley, garlic, celery, lemon peel, red pepper strips, anchovies, and cinnamon.

a quick sauté to start the base of the sauce

At times when I’m working on prep, I don’t always see all the components or even the end result of the dish. But this time I was able to follow this dish from start to finish (and even got to enjoy a rare treat — a whole bowl to myself).

final dish ~ yum!

When chef Sprufero put me on task at the Globe electric slicer to carve up some eggplant for the Melanzane al Forno, an eggplant dish with two cheeses, ham and sauce, I was quite apprehensive. This is the big daddy to the manual mandoline slicer (what my blogger friend Westchester Foodie loving refers to as Slicey, the demonically possessed mandoline).

a little scary at first

but it certainly was quick and efficient

Pet peeve: Everyone has that one thing that drives them up the wall, and in Harvest’s kitchen it’s plastic wrap on the floor. So many things get wrapped and unwrapped in a restaurant kitchen, but when the wrap ends up on the floor instead of in the garbage bin, it makes chef Barcelona crazy. I can totally sympathize. My nails on a blackboard moment is when I hear whistling in the kitchen (especially after I found out that during the French revolution it meant impending death to the chef ).

My random insights: A drink while working in a restaurant kitchen is usually a plastic quart container filled with water and ice. So, when I was handed a cold bottle of Acqua Panna, spring water from Tuscany, I was taken aback.

Then, when Vincent and Sal grilled up a three week dry-aged Porterhouse steak for a snack, I thought I died and gone to cheffy heaven.

Thanks Harvest for a deliciously fun day behind your kitchen door!

Details: Harvest on Hudson, 1 River Street, Hastings. 914. 478.2800. Harvest on Hudson is open 7 days a week. Dinner is served 5:30 pm to 10 pm (Fridays and Saturdays until 11 pm and Sundays 4 pm to 9 pm). Lunch is served Monday thru Friday, 11:45 am to 2:30 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Harvest on Hudson in Hastings appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Ladle of Love Food Truck in Mt. Kisco

Patrice Costa — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:00:27 +0000

In the words of Monty Python … and now for something completely different. Since my guest blog post about Cafe of Love last year, I was curious about the food truck from their sister cafe, Ladle of Love. In 2011, it was one of four trucks (and the only one not from NYC) to win a contract to occupy the old Tavern on the Green space in Central Park. A few weeks ago, I approached Leslie Lampert, owner of both Cafe of Love and Ladle of Love, about spending the day on her food truck. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was back home in Mt. Kisco (NYC’s loss is completely our gain!). So, here’s what it was like behind the kitchen door and into the front seat of a food truck driving around Mt. Kisco with some delicious Ladle of Love offerings.

Restaurant: Ladle of Love and their Food Truck

Description ~ the Food Truck: The blackboard at sister restaurant Cafe of Love reads like a who’s who of local farms and highlights the seasonal ingredients being utilized daily in all of the “Love” establishments.

So, it’s no wonder that when Ladle of Love’s food truck hit the streets, it was important for it to be environmentally friendly. Mission accomplished: the truck is powered by electricity and boasts an almost zero carbon footprint.

isn’t it just as cute as a bug?

The truck, manufactured by Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), is able to go 12 miles between charges, and its power is stored in nine giant industrial-sized batteries (a pumped up big brother to our common 9V transistor battery). A dashboard display shows the percent of power left similar to a laptop battery meter.

each bar is equal to 1.2 miles
red bar shows power used ~ green bar shows power available

The motor is whisper quiet, even with the pedal to the metal to achieve its top speed of 30 mph.

haven’t seen this symbol since my DMV permit test ~
slow moving vehicle

Description ~ the restaurant: Opened in 2003, Ladle of Love is a small storefront squeezed into an out-of-the-way corridor off South Moger Avenue offering an ever-changing selection of homemade soups, stews, salads and sandwiches.

Customers usually stop by for take out or call for delivery of lunch or dinner orders (Love on the Run), but there are a few tables inside and outside to enjoy a quick, healthy home cooked meal. Although the interior is tiny, the bistro-like touches of a cobble stone floor, a border of white wainscoting, gold-hued walls, and wrought iron accents create a comfy and welcoming atmosphere.

The daily menu is conveniently posted on the side bulletin board, and there are always quick take-away items stocked at the counter (along with a clear view into the compact kitchen).

Cuisine: The truck sells gourmet fare straight from the Ladle of Love kitchen. Farm to table ingredients are in abundance in their soups, stews, salads, and sandwiches. The food truck offers a varied selection of Ladle’s more extensive daily menu. Not sure of what soup to order? Just ask for a taste.

Owner: Leslie Lampert has a lot of love to go around and her enthusiasm and vision has made both Ladle of Love (her first endeavor) and Cafe of Love so successful. Her prior career as a Senior Editor of Ladies’ Home Journal was just a stepping stone to becoming a passionate restaurateur. Leslie is a bundle of energy and never misses an opportunity to stop by tables at Cafe of Love to chat with diners. She is community minded and supports various local charities with a portion of Ladle’s proceeds.

Jennifer Mendez (manager at Ladle of Love) and Leslie Lampert (owner of Ladle of Love and Cafe of Love)

Restaurant Manager: Jennifer Mendez is the backbone of Ladle of Love. She’s been there for only a year, yet I could tell that she has found her niche. She has always been in the restaurant business in one capacity or another, but her role at Ladle brings all her experience to the table (farm to table that is). As I chatted with her in her small office, I couldn’t help but notice one of my favorite inspirational quotes from the Little Prince posted on her computer.

Jenni is extremely efficient (making my A-type heart skip a beat) as she created the food truck’s daily prep list for the kitchen, took a few catering orders, and worked on the menu for the day to be posted on-line and in the restaurant. She tells me that it’s all about having strong lines communication with the staff, but it doesn’t hurt that this is a fantastic team of professionals who are all extremely dedicated to making sure that Ladle runs smoothly. She loves all aspects of her position, but she really enjoys interacting with her customers. She seemed to know everyone who called or came through the door! She can’t say enough about Leslie’s dedication to her staff and restaurants. What goes around comes around, because in the short time I spent with Jenni I could tell how much she really cares about Ladle of Love.

Food Truck Manager: Richie Ruksenas can be found behind the wheel and at the window of the Ladle of Love food truck cheerfully serving up lunch to local businesses all around Mt. Kisco and the surrounding areas.

Richie Ruksenas, Ladle of Love food truck manager

He first came to Ladle as a customer, and when the opportunity presented itself to oversee the new food truck, he didn’t think twice about joining the team. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! As we toddled (that’s our creative speed description and we’re sticking to it) around Mt. Kisco, I got to know the guy behind this unique foodmobile. It may not be apparent at first glance, but Richie is definitely a member of the foodie club. Describing some of his personal culinary adventures like making a goose and turnip stew or whipping up a lobster risotto with baby artichokes had me salivating. He’s having a blast going from place to place with the food truck. Seriously, no one should have that much fun at work. Customers are so happy to see him, and he can’t wait to help make their selection easier by describing the daily choices or enticing them with a taste of soup.

Staff: Jackson Lopez and Alfonso (Fonzi) Vasquez were hard at work in the kitchen. Aside from Jenni taking care of the front counter, there are also two other afternoon staff.

Signature dish: If you want to know what love tastes like, just ask for a sample of one of Ladle’s soups. Clearly, they are the shining stars of the menu with multiple daily choices like Chicken and Dumpling, Curry Zucchini Bisque, Harvest Celebration, Tuscan Tomato, and Chicken Marsala. The Harvest Celebration soup, a sunny and sweet combination of butternut squash, sweet potato, apples and carrots, shines just a little brighter since their customers have made it a bestseller. A close runner-up is the Chicken and Dumpling, which is best described as a deconstructed chicken pot pie. Torn pieces of moist chicken are partnered with feather light dumplings in a flavorful broth.

Size of kitchen: The Ladle of Love kitchen is quite narrow but seemed pretty spacious compared to the snug 6 ft x 8 ft inner sanctum of the food truck.

view from the back of Ladle’s kitchen view into the food truck

Out the back door of Ladle’s kitchen leads into subterranean service corridors which could make the directionally challenged (that be me) feel like they are in ant hill tunnels. Through the maze and down a set of stairs are office central, dry storage and the refrigerated walk-in for the restaurant.

view down one of the corridors

Turning up the heat ~ the kitchen: In the Ladle of Love kitchen, three cooks expertly handle making everything for the daily truck run, the regular lunch and dinner menu, and all the catering orders. So, it’s not surprising to find some rather large stock pots for all that soup or the twin Alfa soup warmers conveniently keeping soups at ready-to-serve temperature.

notice the easy fill faucet at the top

holds four different soups ready to serve

There were two American Range six-burner stove/ovens placed side by side for the main fire power.

Turning up the heat ~ the Food Truck: On the food truck, propane gas powers a two burner stovetop and the steam table which keeps four soup containers hot.

There are two self-serve refrigerators on the outside of the truck and one small fridge inside, all powered by a gas generator.

Most complicated dish on the menu: Making soup is an activity that should not be taken lightly. Anyone can pop open a can and heat up the contents, but a good soup, made from scratch with fresh ingredients, takes hours for the flavors to combine and develop. It’s what makes soup homey and comforting; a complicated art that Ladle of Love has mastered with finesse. I couldn’t believe how just a hint of curry in the Curry Zucchini Bisque brings a somewhat boring veggie to new heights. Most surprising was that a simple Tuscan Tomato soup could taste so intensely of the ripest, summer-kissed tomatoes. And who thinks to make a soup out of Chicken Marsala and make it work so brilliantly?

What’s on the prep list: The first order of business for the morning was for Fonzi to make the sandwiches and salads on the prep list for the food truck.

The California Turkey and Veggie are half sandwiches which are the perfect partner to a cup of soup. They are made with hearty artesian bread direct from the Good Bread Bakery in Port Chester. The choice of the day for the mini ciabatta sandwiches was Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil (hence, the TMB on the list) and Tarragon Chicken Salad.

On the road: It was nearing lunchtime and Richie and I were packed up and ready to roll in the Ladle of Love food truck. We cruised around town to designated businesses on the Tuesday route which included Wine Enthusiast, Photofile, and Elephant’s Trunk. Right now the food truck heads to the same locations all around Kisco Avenue, Bedford Road, and Main Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, it goes to the other side of Mt. Kisco. The routes are still in flux, and keep in mind the truck only has enough power to for a 12 mile round trip.

on the move in the truck

The corporate park at 45 Kensico Drive was our first stop, and it took only a minute or two to set things up. Richie will either call or email the businesses to let them know he’s outside (FYI, if you are nearby and would like to be on the route, just give Ladle of Love a shout).

lunch is served!

Once everyone was taken care of, we packed everything back up and moved on to the next location. The customers along the route definitely appreciated having fresh made food coming right to their doorstep. In fact, a gentleman had stopped by to order a mini sandwich and soup. Then, about five minutes later, he returned for another sandwich because he liked it so much!

A whole lotta love: At 45 Kensico Drive, one customer loves that the truck comes by on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “It’s a double treat for the week,” she excitedly told me. At Wine Enthusiast, a woman who was in meetings all morning was so thankful to get the email that the food truck was in the parking lot. It was her “savior” since she wouldn’t have had time to drive anywhere for lunch. A devoted fan of Leslie’s for over 10 years also stopped by for lunch with his grandson, and he couldn’t say enough wonderful things about her. Susan Ward at Elephant’s Trunk recently commented on Ladle’s Facebook Page, “We love it when you stop at Elephant’s Trunk on Tuesdays and Thursdays for lunch!”. She had requested to be added to the route through Facebook, and when we arrived in her parking lot, she was out in a flash to get some lunch.

My random insights: Even though I didn’t even have to touch my knives for my day in this kitchen, I didn’t mind one bit. I loved the whole concept of bringing what Leslie describes as “honest food” directly to customers, chatting with them about their day, and the instant gratification of watching them enjoy their lunch.

Life on a food truck is not without its surprises, but I didn’t expect my day to end on a “kerplunk” note. Just as Richie and I pulled into Ladle of Love’s parking lot, we heard a grinding sound that made us cringe. All of a sudden there was a POP from the front of the truck, and we stopped moving. After a quick inspection, I could see that the doohickey ball joint was no longer attached to the wheel thingy. Hey, I’m a cook not a mechanic.

For anyone else, this mishap could have finished the day on a sour note, but Richie and I actually laughed about the irony of it all and how lucky we were that it happened at the end of the route or that we weren’t standing in the pouring rain. S**t happens, and I was happy to roll up my sleeves to help give a push or two to get the truck into a parking space. I’m delighted to tell you that it’s all fixed up and back toddling around Mt. Kisco; and on Saturdays in July, you can even check it out for a picnic lunch at the Katonah Museum of Art Sculpture Garden.

Food trucks are just coming on the scene here in our area, and I have to thank Ladle of Love for giving me the rare opportunity to be on the foodie cutting edge. My day on the truck was an experience I will remember fondly for a long time to come. There’s one last thing I would like to share with you about Leslie Lampert and her “Love” team. Shhhhhh, hidden right in plain sight on Ladle’s wall is their most coveted secret to success ~~

Details: Ladle of Love, 11B South Moger Avenue, Mount Kisco. 914.242.9661 Ladle of Love is open Monday thru Friday, 10 am to 7 pm and Saturdays, 10 am to 6 pm. The Ladle of Love food truck travels around Mt. Kisco Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Saturdays in July, the food truck is at the Katonah Museum of Art Sculpture Garden. To see if they are going to be in your area or to request a stop, just give them a call.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Ladle of Love Food Truck in Mt. Kisco appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: X2O Xaviars on the Hudson in Yonkers

Patrice Costa — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:15:48 +0000

A few months ago, I attended the Small Bites Hudson Valley Restaurant Week wrap-up party hosted by chef Peter Kelly at Restaurant X, his restaurant in Congers. [Note from Liz: A post on that party will be coming up next week!]

The evening exceeded all expectations with (what else?) mega foodie conversations, a superb array of nibbles, and more than a few of Hudson Valley’s talented chefs. What impressed me the most about chef Kelly was his easygoing and inviting manner. He immediately made me feel comfortable and relaxed. Later on in the evening, when I spoke to him about Behind the Kitchen Door, he had no problem at all with me spending a day in his kitchen at X2O in Yonkers. Indulge me just a moment while I get a little giddy — this is our homegrown celebrity chef, who is a true Iron Chef beating Bobby Flay at the grill, and who hosted Anthony Bourdain for his Hudson Valley No Reservations episode. AND I’M GOING INTO HIS KITCHEN! Wooo hooo!!! Although I’m still a tad bit overwhelmed, I am beyond thrilled to tell you all about my experience Behind the Kitchen Door at X2O.

Restaurant: X2O Xaviars on the Hudson

Description: Situated directly over the Hudson River on a turn-of-the-century Victorian pier, impressive is the only way I can describe this restaurant. On the outside, it’s an eye-catching three story structure of glass and exposed steel. On the inside, the elegant modern décor of the spacious dining room is only overshadowed by the backdrop of the sweeping views of the Hudson River in all its glory (even on the rain-soaked day I was there, I could see a fuzzy George Washington Bridge).

Cuisine: Described as Contemporary American cuisine, Peter warns that the menu’s focus is variety not fusion (or as he puts it (con)fusion). He takes classic and modern recipes and techniques and blends in French, Spanish, or Asian influences creating what he considers a New American “supercuisine”.

Executive chef/owner: I feel like I’m going to be stating the obvious here, but just in case you don’t know anything about Peter Kelly, he is the chef/owner of X2O in Yonkers and also three other restaurants in Rockland County (Xaviars at Piermont, Restaurant X & Bully Boy Bar in Congers, and the Freelance Cafe and Wine Bar in Piermont) all with through-the-roof (and well deserved) ratings and accolades. I was pretty intimidated at first to sit across from this prominent local restaurateur, but it didn’t take but a minute or two to be taken in by his gracious and warm personality. Chef Kelly is just an all around nice guy who totally breaks the old adage about those types finishing last. On any given day, he can be found in one of his kitchens; he views his restaurants as his children — there are no favorites, just lots of love.

I noticed that even while he was instructing me, he was very alert to all that was going on in the kitchen. What was truly exciting was viewing him in action on the line expediting as lunch service got into high gear. There was a more serious tone, as he guided his staff to get the plates out — all of which he meticulously checked.

Pan Roasted chicken going out to the dining room

Chefs/staff: To accomplish a successful service for this 250-seat restaurant (it’s the largest restaurant I’ve been to so far), I realized that the kitchen staff was organized more like a brigade system where each chef has a specific task. At the lead was chef de cuisine Eric Diokno. From prepping to expediting and even personally making the family meal for all 40 of the staff, he had his hand in all aspects of the kitchen.

Across the line, there was Sam Montgomery at the sauté station, Mike McNamara on the grill station, and Steve Ryan on vegetables and starch, all working in unison to get the plates completed perfectly and on time. On the cold station was Stephanie Romero and part time culinary intern, Dequan Thomas, making the salads and some of the appetizers. Tani Furutani and Alvin Chong are in control of the sushi station, which has counter seating in the Dylan Lounge in the bar area. At the barista station, Maria Romero takes care of coffees and also breads.

For the blissfully tempting side of the menu, pastry chef Donny Acosta and two other cooks in his sweet entourage create fabulous desserts like the sky high red velvet cake or the wide selection of ice creams and sorbets like raspberry, chocolate, caramel, passion fruit, pistachio, white chocolate, coconut, melon, peach, and, of course, vanilla.

celebrating my daughter Briana’s bday with Red Velvet Cake

X2O has about 40 on staff split between the kitchen and front of house. What was crystal clear to me was the incredible sense of loyalty that chef Kelly has fostered in his staff, creating a pleasant atmosphere of camaraderie. The proof is in the pudding (or crème brulee as the case may be) since pastry chef Donny has been with him for 10 years (he started at the dishwashing station) or Dequan, the culinary intern, who was so pleased to be invited back for the summer.

Front of house: The front of the house staff makes each one of X2O’s customers feel special with focused attention and friendly attitudes. Chef Kelly places a big responsibility on them because he feels that service, good or bad, can be a lasting impression of a dining experience. “A less than anticipated meal can be forgiven, but bad service is remembered.”

Signature dish: The Cowboy Ribeye for Two is the most popular specifically because everyone wants to try the dish that won Peter the title of Iron Chef.

Bar scene: The Dylan Lounge is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail or a glass of Bubble Love (my favorite!) — prosecco, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and blood orange juice.

a little Bubble Love AFTER my day in the kitchen

Sit at the bar for a quick dinner or at the tables with the Hudson River surrounding you.

view from the corner of the bar

Around the bend from the bar, you can watch the sushi chefs at work; and directly behind them, catch a glimpse of the kitchen in action.

Size of kitchen: The kitchen on the main level is long and narrow, about 60 ft x 25 ft. Situated right below on the lower level is the prep kitchen workhorse of the X2O universe where all the butchering of meats, fish and veggies takes place and where pastry chef Donny can be found hard at work. Also on the lower level are all the walk-in refrigerators.

Turning up the heat: To accomplish evening service during the week for over 150 diners (also called “covers”) and 400 on the weekend, it’s necessary to have some heavy artillery in this kitchen. There are a total of four Jade stovetop/oven combos. One is an open six-burner with a griddle and another is a grill.

The last two are French flat tops, and to the left of them making all that steam is a pasta cooker.

An overhead broiler does double duty by using the hot flames to broil meat below and then finish the dish quickly above.

A double stacked Imperial oven completes this impressive lineup.

Coolest appliance: The Polyscience Anti-griddle is X2O’s way cool appliance — I mean 50 degrees BELOW FREEZING cool.

Actually, it’s so cool that X2O’s ice cream lollipops just received a “Best of 2012” from Westchester Magazine, and I learned exactly how they are made.

ice cream lollipops

Peter described the appliance as your run of the mill pancake griddle that is set in reverse; so, instead of getting hot, the flat surface of the griddle freezes. My first thought was couldn’t they have come up with a more creative name? Interestingly enough, a quick Google search turned up that the Anti-Griddle’s development was a unique partnership between chef Grant Achatz (molecular gastronomy extraordinaire of Chicago’s Alinea and Next) and the PolyScience company, a supplier of temperature control devices to the medical industry. The simplest application was freezing a custard base into those ice cream discs for the lollipops, but Peter demonstrated how he uses the Anti-Griddle for a savory tuna sashimi dish. He freezes spicy sriracha mayo and yuzu (juice of a Japanese citrus fruit which tastes sort of like grapefruit and lime).

Then, he places tuna sashimi over the discs, garnishing with dots of caramelized soy. First bite sensation is cold which flows into a twinge of spicy heat and then onto a creamy briny finish — brilliantly delicious!

tuna sashimi made just for me!

Chef’s favorite dish(es): Chef Peter Kelly finds it difficult to pick a favorite, but he tends to gravitate towards what is in season at the moment. Soft shell crabs have a short run, and what better way to enjoy them than X2O’s crispy and buttery Soft Shell Crabs with English Peas and Crab Butter.

It’s easy to understand why chef Kelly would also favor the unique Steamed Japanese Custard with Warm Shellfish Broth appetizer. Beautifully presented in an earthenware jar, it is a medley of shellfish over silky custard topped with creamy uni (the edible part of the spiny sea urchin). The dish is completed tableside as warm dashi broth (fish stock) is poured over it.

Then, there’s the classic French charcuterie plate of Pate Gran Mere with Duck and Pork. It’s a country terrine served with locally baked baguette, pickled yellow watermelon rinds and peaches and, of course, cornichons (not to be mistaken for gerkins, these are cute petite sweet French pickles).

Most complicated dish on the menu: Simply put, no dish is easy. For example, the Salad of Warm Sunchoke appetizer seems like an effortless, straightforward dish comprised of Jerusalem artichokes, ricotta cheese, and Picholine olives. Think again. Herding cats is almost as tedious as peeling the gnarly sunchokes. Because they oxidize quickly (the way apples brown), they need to be put in an acid bath, like lemon water, to keep them from discoloring. To prepare, they are cut uniformly to ensure even cooking, and browned in butter. The components of this dish are a balance of textures (crunchy pistachios, creamy ricotta), flavors (buttery sunchokes, briny olives) and temperatures (warm sunchokes, cool ricotta).

Chef’s culinary mentor/idol: Back in the late ‘70s, while I was still trying to master Duncan Hines cakes, chef Kelly was making a pilgrimage to France, the ruler of the culinary world at that time. His culinary idols were French Master Chef and restaurateur Alain Chapel, who received an unheard of rating of three Michelin stars in 1973, and Joël Robuchon, deemed “chef of the century” in 1980 and whose philosophy is that “there is no such thing as the perfect meal — you can always do better”. In the present, he talks about Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whom he considers one of the greatest chefs, along with Daniel Boulud and Eric Ripert. Yet, in the same breath, he sings the praises of Dobbs Ferry’s own David DiBari and the passion he has for his craft.

Favorite kitchen gadget: If you’ve been following along with this section, it won’t surprise you in the least to learn that the answer is, yet again, a knife; a paring knife to be exact. Hmmm, anything else? Well, there’s the pea baller (think micro-sized melon baller) that’s used for scooping out pea-sized veggie spheres. I’m sure if I was the one making a few hundred “peas”, I might re-think the favorite part of that gadget.

Come over to the sweet side: In the afternoon, I crossed over into sugar rush territory to join pastry chef Donny make ice creams and sorbets. It didn’t take long after the custard base of milk, cream and eggs was poured into the machine for the ice cream to flow like creamy cold lava. We made tubs of melon sorbet and both peach and vanilla ice creams. Not surprising that the latter is the most popular since it contains oodles of seeds that have been coaxed out of fragrant split vanilla beans. I think I might have gained a few pounds just tasting all those frozen treats.

From chilly cold to searing hot, I moved on to making some unbelievable spun sugar garnishes.

The delicate golden sugar dome sits atop the Green Tea Crème Brulee with lychee compote and lavender honey.

What’s on the prep list: Working with chef Kelly to clean the soft shell crabs was the first task of the day.

I learned how to remove the tab on the crab’s underside and gently squeeze out the roe. Then, I peeled back the soft shell on either side to remove the lungs (brings a whole new meaning to the term “I’m going to rip your lungs out”).

Next, I worked with Dequan, the culinary intern, to slice up some teardrop tomatoes. I love discovering timesaving techniques, and Dequan’s method to halving these little beauties was complete genius. He took a plastic container lid and filled it with the tomatoes. After he placed another lid on top of that to create somewhat of a tomato sandwich, he passed a sharp knife through the middle. Voila, perfectly halved tomatoes. Adding in fresh and simple ingredients like basil, shallots, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar completed the tomatoes for the mesclun salad.

One more shellfish lesson from chef Kelly, as he demonstrated how to de-shell Larry and Lulu Lobster.

It definitely took some muscle power to twist and crack the shell, all with delicate finesse to gently remove the sweet lobster meat.

Of course, nothing goes to waste as we saved the all the shells for stock and made pretty little lobster butterflies for garnish.

Crabs and lobsters were a fun challenge, but sometimes it’s just about the daily task of chopping and mincing.

my handiwork: scallions, parsley and chives

Family meal: A typical workday in a restaurant can stretch out to 12 hours from prep to service. Being together with co-workers for that long and usually in tight quarters creates a family by design. Hence, it makes perfect sense to call the meal served to the staff before service “family meal”. Anyone in the restaurant business will probably agree that they have consumed more than their fair share of chicken legs and thighs for family meal, but I can guarantee it’s nothing like the dish that chef de cuisine Eric served up while I was there. Put a fragrant mixture of spices including cardamom and curry into a sauté of onions, zucchini, tomatoes and cauliflower, with a generous splash of coconut milk, and you have something pretty special.

coconut curry chicken

After helping to serve it up to the staff of 40, I took a quick taste for myself.

setting up to plate family meal

Tender chicken with an exotic slant and a little spicy kick.

family meal is served!

Unusual ingredients: Skate, in the same family as stingrays, was certainly a different type of fish to stumble upon in this kitchen. Pleasantly light and flavorful, this is a “must try” when it’s on X2O’s menu.

don’t they look like angel wings?

Some other unique ingredients I got to sample were lily bulbs (these are the edible variety and not the ones that are blooming in your garden), lotus root (it didn’t taste like much raw, but thinly sliced and fried, I could see its addictive properties)

raw lotus root before it was sliced

and red amaranth microgreens (these are vibrantly colored delicate baby greens no more than two weeks old).

My random insights: While working with Donny, the pastry chef, I was immediately struck by his quick smile and infectious enthusiasm. This is someone who absolutely loves what he is doing. His quote of the day still resonates with me: “When anything is made with love, it has to come out good.” It’s heartfelt sentiments like that combined with the sheer graciousness of Peter Kelly and his staff that make X2O a very special place that I can’t wait to visit again.

Details: X2O Xaviars on the Hudson, 71 Water Grant Street, Yonkers. 914.965.111. X2O is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 2 pm and dinner from 5:30 pm to 10 pm. On Sunday, brunch is served from noon to 2 pm and dinner seating is 5 pm to 9 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: X2O Xaviars on the Hudson in Yonkers appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Myong Gourmet in Mt. Kisco

Patrice Costa — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:00:41 +0000

When I received the invitation to join chef Myong Feiner in the kitchen of her cafe and restaurant, Myong Gourmet, I was intrigued to say the least. I had read about their fresh culinary offerings right here on Small Bites, but I hadn’t yet had a chance to check it out for myself. So, I decided to do something different for this restaurant — I was going into this kitchen “cold” without any prior dining experiences or pre-conceived tastes. Here’s what I learned when I went behind the kitchen door at Myong Gourmet.

Restaurant: Myong Gourmet in Mt. Kisco

Description: This 55+ seat cafe and restaurant is set back in an angled corner on Main Street. It’s unassuming on the outside; yet, on the inside, the signature colors of red and black and textures of wood and steel are bold and vibrant. It has an industrial feel with its high ceilings and exposed duct work. But when I sat in the dining room to chat with chef Myong Feiner, I felt a surprising sense of coziness.

The beautiful and unique pictures positioned along the perimeter of the dining room are Myong’s own artwork. She pointed out that each one means something in Korean like dream or prosperity. I realized that when she looks around that room she sees something very different from everyone else, especially when her eye happens to fall on this one meaning Executive Chef.

Cuisine: Myong Gourmet’s cuisine is described as Progressive World Cuisine with influences from the US, Europe, Korea and East Asia. What I saw and tasted was healthy ingredients and clean flavors being served up with Myong’s special Korean/Asian twist.

Executive chef/owner:

chef Myong Feiner
(photo courtesy of Rob Feiner)

Don’t let chef Myong’s slight stature fool you — she is a culinary powerhouse. As I talked to her before starting my day, I was energized by her strong can-do attitude. However, I was taken aback when she confidently admitted she doesn’t own a single cookbook. Gasp!? Internally, I cringed because my recipes are like a collection old friends; pages of food memories of dinners past. Her explanation is understandable though. Recipes tend to hinder her perception of what she is trying to achieve in a dish. Her menu creations come solely from her imagination, and she intuitively knows exactly how it is going to taste even before the first bite.

As all chef/owners will tell you, unfortunately it’s not just about being in the kitchen. Together with her husband, Rob Feiner, they oversee all aspects of running Myong Gourmet. Rob is somewhat of a jack of all trades as resident photographer, IT computer support, public relations, designer, and even Costco shopper. It’s a time consuming and exhausting task for both of them, yet what motivates Myong is the instant gratification of seeing customers enjoy her food.

Staff: Running both a cafe and restaurant could not be accomplished without major front of house and kitchen support. General Manager Chnoo’s responsibilities include overseeing the front of house. Behind the cafe counter, a staff of about five makes salads, sandwiches and wraps while juggling the registers and serving.

behind the line at the cafe

In the kitchen, there were at least three busy prep chefs. In an industry that is usually male dominated, what really interested me about this kitchen is that Myong’s two main chefs are both female. Pastry chef and CIA grad, Kristen, splits her responsibilities between set up/prep and baking. Her day starts at 6 am to take care of filling the front cases with all the salads and baked goods for the opening of the cafe at 7 am.

front case filled with salads

At noon, she switches into baking mode at her own spacious prep area in the back corner of the kitchen.

Pastry chef Kristen at her prep station
(photo courtesy of Rob Feiner)

Sous chef Karina comes in late morning to start prepping and setting the line up for dinner service. While I was in the kitchen, she made quick work of the task of deshelling some lobsters to start a stock for the lobster bisque soup, as well as grilling off some flank steaks for the cafe.

Signature dish: In the cafe, the most asked for item is the Ahi Tuna Cellophane Wrap. Although it sounds like you are breaking out the plastic wrap, it’s actually made with Asian rice paper. The dried rice paper rounds look like thin, transparent tortillas, which are made pliable by softening in hot water.

Then, the rice paper is expertly wrapped around Ahi tuna, lettuce, carrot, seaweed, and avocado. It’s finished with Myong’s housemade sesame sauce (a bestseller on its own as they go through almost a gallon a day!).

an assortment of cellophane wraps for a lunch order

Being an obsessive gadget queen, I was even more impressed that a high tech Vollrath induction cooktop was used to keep that bowl of water at the perfect temperature to dip the wraps.

Why is this so cool? Simply explained, rather than the direct heat of traditional gas or electric, this device uses an electromagnet to heat the pot (as long as it is made up of magnetic material like iron or steel, in this case a metal bowl). Induction cooktops are great because they are so responsive — they can boil water on high in minutes, yet can be turned down to a simmer just as fast. A major plus, since there isn’t an open heat source, is that they keep the cooking area cool. Want to know more? — here’s the Mr. Wizard, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and MythBusters explanation all rolled into one.

Size of kitchen: The kitchen area, built entirely to the Feiner’s specifications, is about 1,000 sq. feet (a NYC apartment could fit in there!). There are two refrigerated walk-in boxes, one for produce and the other for prepped items. In the back of the latter, there’s also a walk-in freezer. Amazingly, there’s even room for a small office in the back by the pastry station.

Size of prep area: There were a few areas being used for prep. The main section included the counter opposite the cooking area, measuring about 10 ft x 2 ft on both sides. There was a stainless steel table about the same dimension cattycorner to the line creating another separate work space. Off by itself in the far corner was the pastry prep area which was unusually wide measuring approximately 5 ft x 3 ft.

Turning up the heat: Along one wall of the kitchen is control central for this restaurant with one workhorse appliance after another. First up was a unique piece of equipment — a standalone gas wok which is primarily used for stir frying (more details on that a little later).

Moving on into Vulcan territory, there’s an expansive 10 burner, double oven stove, a three foot griddle used for searing and above that a salamander broiler.

Next, there’s another three feet of a TEC grill, which uses infrared heat giving it the ability to reach up to 800 degrees (now that’s sizzling hot!).

Not done yet. At the end of the line is a separate Turbo Air burner with a total BTU of 79,000 just for stock pots. Whew, that’s an impressive lineup!

Coolest appliance: Across from all that fire power is a Rational double oven.

This oven can do almost anything like adding steam for crisp bread crusts, one button programming for specific recipes, or using it as a “hot box” to keep food warm for catering. When I found out that it even has a feature to update and backup its software through a USB port, I teasingly asked if it can send an email when a dish is ready — why yes, sure it can! Most importantly, what this appliance gives this kitchen is the ability to achieve consistent and duplicable results.

Chef’s favorite dish: From Myong’s extensive menu, she is partial to the Roasted Root Salad because just one bite is packed with so many flavors and vitamins. It’s a super healthy combination of tofu, beets, carrots, parsnips, yams, pears and feta.

One of my tasks was prepping carrots, some of which were roasted up for this salad.

roasty toasty sliced carrots just out of the oven

This is the bag I started with

and this is what the carrots looked like after they met the wrath of my Swiss Kuhn Rikon veggie peeler.

For the record, the reason I purchased this tool was NOT because it’s purple (really, it was just a coincidence that it matched my chef jacket). I had finally taken the advice of one of my good cheffy friends who can’t live without this quick, easy and efficient peeler. As I finished each carrot, all I kept thinking was how much I was going to thank him for convincing stubborn me!

Secret ingredient: In Myong’s kitchen, her secret is balance. It’s not about one single ingredient, which if used to excess can overpower a dish. She’s strives to always find exactly the right combination of ingredients to make a dish her own.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Ding ding. Once again the answer is a knife, but with an excellent explanation from Myong: without a knife, what could you do in a kitchen? So true! As I watched her delicately peel the tough skin of jicama with a chef knife, I realized that it doesn’t hurt to have some awesome knife skills, too.

It was a set of Vollrath oval measuring scoops that caught my eye. Best described as spoon shaped cups in graduated sizes, they were easy to use and nested together compactly for storage. I’m putting those on my gadget wish list.

Hardest working appliance: The supercharged Vitamix blender makes quick work of all of Myong’s signature dressings/sauces like Lime Cilantro, Lemon Ginger, or Sesame Cream.

If this industrial blender wasn’t powerful enough, its big sister sits out behind the counter in the cafe just waiting to blend up some fruity smoothies.

Chef’s culinary mentor: Myong has been inspired by her mother’s innovative cooking style. Growing up in a small Korean village, she explained that each family made the traditional kimchi, a mix of fermented cabbage and vegetables. Her mother’s version was completely different and unique from any other in the village.

So, watching Myong put together a batch of kimchi was a real special treat. To a mountain of napa cabbage, wilted from a salt water soak, she added ingredient after ingredient. In went carrots, Asian chili, garlic, ginger, apples, and scallions. Sometimes she even adds Asian pear and sticky rice. How was my very first bite of kimchi? – savory yet sweet with a zesty kick.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: It was exciting to stand beside Myong at the wok station while she made the Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry. As I watched the hot flames of the burner flick up the sides of the wok, Myong patiently added each ingredient, stirring constantly making sure everything cooked evenly.

(photo courtesy of Rob Feiner)

Best part was enjoying the stir fry for lunch and taking a picture with Myong!

(photo courtesy of Rob Feiner)

Every day there is so much prep for the salad components that it is mind boggling how it all gets done. The kitchen can go through 120 pounds of bok choy alone each week! For the Veggie Delight Salad, Myong sliced and diced daikon (Asian radish that has a pleasant sweet crunch), jicama, fennel, celery, bok choy, carrots, and cabbage.

For dinner that night, I purchased this fresh and crispy salad and it totally lived up to its name — it was truly delightful. The very generous assortment of greens came with a lovely pairing of dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. I admit I’m a little greedy with my salad dressing. So, when the side dressing ran out, I quickly reached for the bottle of lemon ginger dressing I conveniently picked up from the front case.

Myong’s bottled sauces and dressings ready for the taking

What’s on the prep list: While Myong methodically went through item after item on her mental prep list, I noticed that pastry chef Kristin had the only written list.

Her first task was making bread — flatbread to be exact. Kristen starts out making the dough and letting it have good rise. Then, she portions it out into softball size rounds

which are rolled flat.

(photo courtesy of Rob Feiner)

Then, it’s over to the grill where they are “baked” up leaving beautiful grill marks with a crisp outer crust and a soft chewy center.

After the first turn, Kristen sprinkles each one with Za’atar, a Middle Eastern blend of spices including cumin, sesame, coriander, and sumac.

(photo courtesy of Rob Feiner)

It’s a nice touch that this bread, offered at dinner service, is made in-house. Even better that it is served with a rotating trio of condiments like edamame hummus, chickpea avocado, and salsa.

Details: Myong Gourmet, 487 Main Street, Mount Kisco. 914.241.6333. Cafe is open Monday through Saturday, 7 am to 6 pm and Sunday, 8 am to 3 pm. Lunch is served in the dining room Monday thru Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm. Dinner is served Monday thru Saturday starting at 5 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Myong Gourmet in Mt. Kisco appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Ramiro’s 954 in Mahopac

Patrice Costa — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:05:26 +0000

To expedite; to speed up or accelerate a process; to execute quickly and efficiently. In chefspeak, it’s the process of coordinating the delivery of each and every dish out of the kitchen in a timely manner. When I spent the day at Ramiro’s 954 with chef Ramiro Jimenez, I was not only behind the kitchen door, but in front of his culinary team (“the line”) observing exactly how a dish gets from point A (the stovetop) to point B (your table).

Restaurant: Ramiro’s 954 in Mahopac.

Description: The restaurant is a two-story stucco building located just north of town on Route 6. The main dining room is large, yet comfortably inviting with its warm colors of tangerine and gold and its dark wood bar and tables. The focal point and best feature by far is the expansive open kitchen where you can see chef Jimenez and his staff in action.

check out the view into the open kitchen (top right)
or the local artwork adorning the walls (bottom right)

The cool spiral staircase leads to the upstairs dining room, which is, in my opinion, a perfect “catch up with friends spot” since it’s a little removed from the lively downstairs.

If looking up that staircase gives you vertigo, no worries since there are two secret back stairs that gives the staff easy access to the upper dining room.

Cuisine: The Nuevo Latino menu is abundant with the diverse, rich cuisines of Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Spain. Chef Jimenez serves up a brilliant blend of traditional and contemporary flavors.

Owners: The restaurant is owned by chef Ramiro Jimenez, his wife, Jan, and their best friends (and now business partners) Joel and Traci Rosow. While Ramiro is always visible in the kitchen, Jan can be found in the dining room greeting customers, enthusiastically explaining specials, and always making sure everyone is taken care of.

chef Ramiro Jimenez and Jan Jimenez

Executive chef: Before opening Ramiro’s 954, chef Jimenez worked in NYC restaurants Patria, Chicama, Pipa, and Noche, all owned by chef Douglas Rodriguez. In 2006, he joined La Puerta Azul, which was named the best Latino Restaurant in Dutchess County for 2008 and 2010. He is also the author of Daily Feast Cookbook (a signed copy is part of my cookbook collection).

Signature dish/most complicated: The Pernil con Mojo (pork shank) is so popular it’s become the signature dish (especially after their NYTimes “don’t miss” review last June), but it also happens to be the most involved dish since it takes about a day and half to complete. The dinosaur-like pork shanks start out with a dry rub of an assortment spices, marinating for 24 hours.

Then, they get a quick sear to lock in moisture before the addition of rosemary, onion, celery, oranges, and jalapeno. A splash of white vinegar allays the slight gaminess of the pork. (Note: If, like me, the word jalapeno makes you think of tongue searing heat, trust me that this is absolutely not the effect you will encounter at Ramiro’s 954. Jalapeno peppers are used sparingly as an enhancement to the dish.)

Ramiro adds water, lays parchment paper over the shanks and covers it with a sheet pan; all to keep the meat tender and moist. He brings the pan to a boil, and then turns down the heat to braise it low and slow for about 3 1/2 hours until it is falling off the bone. This is where patience absolutely pays off, because this pork shank is melt in your mouth tender served with a creamy tomatillo-avocado sauce and garlic mojo sauce.

Bar Scene: It’s common to meet up at the bar before dinner to enjoy a mojito or a housemade fruit-filled red or white sangria (my secret obsession). It’s always a lively atmosphere with a mix of Latin music playing. Check for weeknight events — like ladies or guys night out offering two-for-one drink specials.

Coolest appliance: At first, I wanted to call the appliance a gecko because I knew it had something to do with a reptile, like my son’s pet.

Rexy, our very cute crested gecko,
performing the only trick he knows — licking his eye!

Ramiro made me feel better that at least I had the correct species; the appliance is a salamander, an overhead broiler used for browning, toasting and caramelizing.

salamander

Because the heating element is on the top, rather than on the bottom like a conventional grill, steaks and chops cook without flare ups from dripping fat.

Size of kitchen: This 32 ft x 24 ft kitchen is spacious and well-designed. It’s so organized that I suspect Ramiro can work practically with his eyes closed since he personally designed every inch of it. There are two refrigerators in the back area that hold back-up service items. The walk-in fridge measures about 12 ft x 8 ft and is located right outside the back door.

Size of prep area: The prep areas are versatile; for example, the counters on the two cold stations or the placement of cutting boards around the various side tables. Adding sheet trays on the hot line station (before it’s fired up, of course!) also adds extra space.

one of the cold stations

under the hood of the cold station

Turning up the heat: The kitchen is a powerhouse sporting a Garland Sunfire 10 burner gas stove with a double oven, a two foot grill, and double basket fryers times two (one fryer for savory items, like the empanadas, and the other for sweet items, like the churros and plantains).

Garland stove

grill

twin fryers

There’s an Imperial double stack convection oven on the far side of the kitchen which is used mostly for baked desserts.

Most impressive to me was the hot line, essentially a 12 foot bain marie (that’s French for a hot water bath), which holds menu items that need to be kept at ready-to-serve temperature.

soups, sauces and sides ready to plate

Chef’s favorite dish(es): Ramiro’s difficulty to choose one single item clearly shows how passionate he is about his menu. He makes his choices from both a cooking and eating point of view. “You have to taste”, he tells me, and I agree since I have enjoyed some of his personal favorites like the Ceviche Trio of tuna, salmon and shrimp, each in their own special mixture of spices, herbs and citrus. Or, the lightly fried, sweet/savory, beef-filled Empanadas de Picadillo.

Empanadas de Picadillo
photo courtesy of Margaret Rizzuto Photography

Ramiro freely admits that he loves pork, so including the Pernil con Mojo comes as no surprise. These dishes are all different in terms of taste and texture, but each one is special to him.

Secret ingredient: White vinegar makes a few surprise appearances in this kitchen, but not always in the cooking. Ramiro adds vinegar to the water in his utensil container to sanitize his spoons and spatulas as he cooks, and he keeps a vinegar soaked cloth handy to clean his hands as he works.

Chef’s culinary mentor: In 1991, Ramiro started working for NYC chef and restaurateur Douglas Rodriguez. Chef Rodriguez is considered to be the godfather of Nuevo Latino cuisine. For the next seven years under his mentor’s guidance, Ramiro worked his way through the culinary ranks from cook to sous chef to finally chef de cuisine at Chicama. He doesn’t credit chef Rodriguez with teaching him how to cook, but more importantly giving him the culinary knowledge to become the chef he is today. Ramiro has also worked in French, Asian, Italian and even Kosher restaurants, but it was chef Rodriguez that influenced him to go back to his Mexican roots as he began working with familiar products like yucca and coconut.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Nothing like being consistent in this one category; the knives have won again. Specifically, it was this off-set knife that Ramiro has had forever.

But then, he slyly asks me if I know what this is as he squeezes the scissor-like handle.

Ummm, magic chef wand? bubble maker? It’s an egg cutter that cleanly removes the tapered top of an egg. With just a squeeze of the handle, the ring of teeth around the circle pierce the egg and with a gentle twist the top comes right off. It’s the perfect tool for a soft boiled egg, but extremely elegant when the shell itself is used as a presentation vessel for baked custards.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: Ramiro was making tomato rice which goes with the Arroz con Pollo. He uses the freshest ingredients like chunks of tomato, tomato juice and some jalapeno peppers. He explains that the rice absorbs all the natural flavors and he adds only water to keep the dish all vegetarian. In a restaurant kitchen, items like rice and pasta are cooked about three-quarters of the way through and then finished when needed.

I thought it was somewhat strange that we would also be making risotto. I learned that there are many Italians in Uruguay and Argentina, explaining why this Italian rice makes an appearance in the Dorado con Risotto (grilled Mahi Mahi).

What’s on the prep list: Ramiro’s prep list is written in a typical school marble notebook that his daughters share with him (and sometimes they leave him notes like “I love you, Daddy”).

Happily, one of my tasks was to make the churros dough (mmmmmmm, donuts). The Churros con Chocolate are on Ramiro’s dessert menu, but traditionally they can be served for breakfast or snacks. The recipe is quite similar to a French cream puff pate a choux, except these goodies are fried, not baked, and then coated with cinnamon sugar.

recipe book

mixing the dough

The dough is piped through a pastry bag right into the fryer (the wide star tip gives them their unique ridges). The perfect accompaniment is the warm chocolate ganache dipping sauce.

photo courtesy of Ramiro’s 954

A view from the line: It’s 6 pm on a Saturday night when this 125 seat restaurant is starting to buzz, and I have an executive chef’s eye view of the kitchen in action standing next to Ramiro as he expedites. This first seating of the night is important for two reasons (1) to turn the tables without delay in time for the next reservation, and (2) so Ramiro’s culinary team of seven, from dishwasher to sous chef, starts the evening on a smooth track and avoids getting backed up (in the weeds). Ramiro shares with me that he views the pressures of the kitchen as a challenge, and each night that he wins is a good night. He embraces the sounds of the kitchen coming alive like the water running, the dishes clanking, and ticket machine chattering.

anatomy of a ticket

I can tell that Ramiro anticipated with relish each table’s ticket popping up, but all I could envision is my evil twin of a printer that’s always taunting me that I’m just not fast enough.

As Ramiro stands facing the line, it is equivalent to a conductor in front of his orchestra. He is constantly speaking to his team (in Spanish), and even I understood a few directions like vamos (let’s go!) and correcto (yes chef!). Each dish that comes across the pass is inspected and finished by Ramiro himself — adding a drizzle of sauce or placing a garnish just so. His philosophy is fundamental: the restaurant is a direct reflection of him and he takes great pride in every aspect. All his hard work pays off when customers feel welcome, enjoy his food and simply have a memorable experience. Yet, he feels that even more important is the rare negative comment, because only then can he and his staff learn to do better.

Want your own personal close-up view into this busy kitchen? Starting soon, seats will be available at the open kitchen counter for a chef’s table tasting.

My random insights: Ramiro has been a frequent participating chef at James Beard Foundation events. A look through his scrapbook had this foodie totally chefstruck. Here he is with the man who has the distinguished honor of being described as the world’s greatest chef.

Ferran Adria of elBulli and Ramiro

Details: Ramiro’s 954, 954 Route 6, Mahopac. 845.621.3333. Open for dinner Tuesday thru Thursday, 4 pm to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday until 11pm and Sunday until 9 pm. Lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at noon.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Ramiro’s 954 in Mahopac appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Mt. Kisco Seafood in Mt. Kisco

Patrice Costa — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:00:53 +0000

It might be surprising to find a seasoned, CIA trained chef at Mt. Kisco Seafood. Yet, owner Joe Di Mauro’s customers know differently, and they rely on chef Jonathan Everin for freshly prepared, ready to go, meals for lunch or dinner and superb catering for all their parties. Just a peek at the stocked refrigerated cases full of chowders, bisques, sauces and salads shows a small portion of Jon’s handiwork. I had the unique pleasure of spending a day in his kitchen and experienced exactly how things work at Mt. Kisco Seafood.

Specialty store: Mt. Kisco Seafood in Mt. Kisco

Description: Owner Joe Di Mauro and his staff are Westchester/Putnam’s local fishmongers, and they bring our area an extensive variety of the freshest seafood available. But wait, there’s more … like produce from Cabbage Hill, specialty meats from D’Artagnan, cheeses from Rainbeau Ridge, or breads from Red Barn Bakery. Mt. Kisco Seafood has a country market feel with all the bells and whistles of a one stop shopping gourmet market. Of course, there’s always a delicious selection of prepared items straight from chef Jon Everin’s kitchen like White Clam Sauce, Crab Cakes or Lobster Bisque. So, whether you need to pick up dinner on the way home or organize a clam bake party, Mt. Kisco Seafood is always happy to help.

Owner: It’s no wonder that owner Joe Di Mauro is an expert on all things fishy since he’s been doing this for over 30 years and obviously loves every fin, gill and shell of it.

Photo courtesy of Margaret Rizzuto Photography

Executive chef: When executive chef Jonathan Everin is not in Mt. Kisco Seafood’s kitchen making appetizing lunches and dinners for customers, he’s stirring up chili for national competitions. He recently won the Hudson Valley Regional chili cookoff, coming in first place, and also placed second in the New York City competition in the salsa category.

Chef Jon Everin

In his free time, Jon caters events like teacher appreciation day at Horace Greeley High School or cooks kosher meals every Friday for the conservative temple’s Saturday Sabbath. Jon started out studying engineering, but midway through he decided to follow his passion and enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. One of his first positions was working at Howard Johnson’s in the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers.

Sous chef: Marcos Baldone

Intern: Isabella, a senior from Horace Greeley High School, comes in for a few hours every day to help out. She enjoys working in the kitchen and learning, but in the fall she’s off to Johns-Hopkins to major in cognitive science.

Behind the counter: The staff at Mt. Kisco Seafood are happy to assist customers pick the perfect piece of fish, suggest cooking methods, and offer to help choose a side or two to go with it.

What’s in the case:

a glimpse into the seafood case

It was kismet the day I was there, because so was the Ivory King Salmon.

Yes, that salmon is white. About 6% of Wild King Salmon (that usually have red flesh) have a genetic abnormality that produces an extra enzyme which allows it to process carotene rather than collect it. Carotene is in the shrimp and krill that salmon eat, and it gives them their typical red or pink color. The Ivory King Salmon’s unique white flesh is mild and silky (I made some for dinner that night!). It’s a short season to the end of June for the King Salmon, so you’ll have to hurry if you want to enjoy some for yourself.

Here’s another special item in the case:

It’s “hard” to believe that these soft shell crabs are just blue crabs in disguise in their very soft molted state.

Signature dish: The Tuna Carpaccio is always available on Saturdays, but this signature dish is only a phone call away to order during the week. And that’s a good thing, since it is really something special. The tuna is first marinated in teriyaki sauce and seared quickly, keeping it perfectly rare on the inside. Jon then thinly slices it into squares and plates it onto a platter with a sprinkling of scallions.

The housemade wasabi mayo goes right in the center and the dish is then completed with some seaweed crackers.

This beautiful platter is another example of the concept of “no waste” in the kitchen. Jon uses trimmed pieces of tuna which were not large enough to portion for the case but were the perfect size for the carpaccio.

Coolest appliance: The tall box off to the side wasn’t a time machine, but an industrial-sized rotisserie.

All fish and no meat gets a little boring, so this behemoth gently twirls chickens on a spit to crispy golden perfection as they baste in their own juices.

Size of kitchen: The kitchen is a fairly large space measuring about 15 ft x 30 ft, with two walk-in refrigerators, and two chest freezers that can also double as counter space. There’s a triple basin industrial sink along the side wall and a humongous ice machine (it keeps all that fish nice and chilly).

it’s pretty cold in there

Size of prep area: The 6 ft x 3 ft counter in front of the stoves was spacious enough for two of us to work in comfort.

The long 10 ft x 3 ft stainless steel prep table across from the sink area was used as our assembly space to package the finished items in quarts, pints or flat containers.

Turning up the heat: With 12 burners of heat between them, the Tristar and Vulcan stoves are the workhorses of this kitchen. They handle the enormous simmering stock pots with ease.

the stoves “stocked” up

really turning up the heat!

Most complicated dish on the menu: Jon’s response that he doesn’t find one single dish difficult or complicated really shocked me. He went on to explain that he has “deconstructed” each dish (basically breaking down every component) to make the recipe easier to execute. For instance, it takes time to develop rich flavors when cooking a bouillabaisse (a traditional French seafood stew). Jon has his own method of achieving a savory broth by adding the clams, mussels, fish, scallops, squid and shrimp in a specific order and leaving them in for a certain amount time.

Secret ingredient: Shhhhh, do you know what makes the Lobster Bisque so addictive? ~~ a quick pour or two of sherry.

Favorite kitchen gadget: My favorite food processor on steroids, the Robot Coupe, just went up a notch in my book when I found out that it has attachments.

Jon uses the continuous feed chute with the julienne disc to thinly slice carrots and broccoli for slaw.

I kicked myself thinking how many times I’ve just thrown away broccoli stems when I could have made this healthy (and yummy!) slaw.

What’s on the prep list: This was as close to a prep list that I could see

but Jon knew exactly what needed to be done. In a restaurant kitchen, orders are constantly coming in fast and furious from the dining room. Although this kitchen had its own more relaxed rhythm, time was still a factor. Obviously, the store can’t run out of items like Stuffed Clams or Tomato Basil Crab Bisque.

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: Dish after dish (I counted over 12) were completed and packaged in trays, pints and quarts. Here’s a visual sampling:

Music: There was no music in the kitchen on the day I was there; but at exactly noon, the guys took a break for family lunch and a small mounted TV was tuned into “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” A friendly competition ensued as answers and lively comments bounced back and forth.

My random insights: Jon has a hinged faucet to the side of the stove that fills up stock pots with ease. What a great idea! Aghhhh, why didn’t I think of that for my own kitchen?

Every day Joe Di Mauro has a different blackboard trivia question for his customers.

Is it Georgia? and do I win another amazing day at Mt. Kisco Seafood?

Details: Mt. Kisco Seafood, 477 Lexington Avenue, Mt.Kisco. 914.241.3113. Open 7 days a week: Monday thru Friday, 9 am to 7 pm; Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm; and Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Mt. Kisco Seafood in Mt. Kisco appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Recipe for Gateau Basque

Patrice Costa — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:15:04 +0000

This is the delicious French cake that I had the pleasure of making with chef Georges Zidi of Dish in Mahopac. He was kind enough to allow me to share the recipe. As I mentioned in my previous post about my day behind the kitchen door at Dish, this is the “basic” version of this tart-like cake. Because accuracy is key in professional pastry and baking, the ingredients are listed in weight measurements (in metric and standard (imperial) units). The best part of this cake is that it tastes even better the next day!

GATEAU BASQUE

Note: Yields 2 cakes

PASTRY CREME:

1 quart milk
8 yolks
300 grams sugar (10 1/2 oz)
80 grams cornstarch (2 3/4 oz)

CAKE DOUGH:

400 grams butter; softened (14 1/8 oz)
400 grams sugar (14 1/8 oz)
8 egg yolks
4 whole eggs
16 grams yeast active dry (2 packages) (1/2 oz)
800 grams flour; “00” pastry or all purpose, sifted (1 3/4 lbs)
6 grams salt (1/4 oz)

FOR THE PASTRY CREME FILLING:

1. In a medium heavy saucepan, heat milk on medium heat to boiling. In a heatproof bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Add half of the hot milk to egg mixture whisking briskly to temper (technique to slowly introduce a hot liquid into eggs so that they don’t seize up and curdle, but rather are smoothly incorporated in the mixture). Then, pour all the liquid back to pot and continue to whisk on medium heat until thick. Make sure to push whisk into corners of pot to prevent burning. Cool the pastry creme in fridge until needed for cake.

FOR THE CAKE DOUGH:

1. Beat butter and sugar together on low (we used a KitchenAid) until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, whole eggs and yeast. Once they are incorporated, add flour and salt, mixing until soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round. Dough will be somewhat sticky. Dust with flour, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge.

TO ASSEMBLE THE GATEAU:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans, lining bottom with parchment paper.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, portion dough into four equal parts. Roll dough out into four 8-inch rounds approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. (It’s easy to handle the dough when cold, so rounds can be placed back into fridge as cake is assembled.) Place first round into pan and cover with half of pastry crème. Repeat for second round.

Top pastry creme with remaining rounds and lightly press down on ends to seal. With side of knife, make crosshatch pattern on top of cakes and brush with a beaten egg.

3. Bake until cakes are golden and tester comes out clean. Cool.

4. To serve, run knife around sides of pan and carefully invert on plate. Then, place a second plate on the bottom of cake and turn right side up.

Enjoy a little taste of France!

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Recipe for Gateau Basque appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Dish in Mahopac

Patrice Costa — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:57 +0000

When Georges and Eileen Zidi took ownership of Dish last July, many patrons were worried that their favorite neighborhood restaurant would be changing. Together, with Georges in the kitchen and Eileen in the dining room, they have made the restaurant their own; and the welcoming atmosphere and menu staples that customers crave remain the quite the same. Last summer, Eileen shared with me that it brings her “sincere happiness when friends and family come together to celebrate the moment over food and wine.” (Last July, I wrote about Eileen and Georges’ story in the Small Bites guestblog post New Owners – Same Dish.) I was delighted to recently spend a day with (the very French!) chef Georges Zidi behind the kitchen door at Dish.

Restaurant: Dish

Description: The restaurant is a neighborhood gem hidden away in the back of Mahopac Plaza off Route 6N (South Lake Boulevard). It has a European bistro feel with only 29 seats and lively wrap around bar. There’s always something new on the daily specials menu, but regulars can count on main menu favorites like the Rosti Alpener (a hearty Swiss dish consisting of a potato cake topped with gruyere and emmentaler cheese, caramelized onion, ham and an egg), Moules Pot (mussels in wine or red curry coconut broth) or the Mediterranean Platter (including hummus, babaganush, feta, and tomatoes). The sincere hospitality of Eileen and her front of house staff draws customers in, and Georges’ menu keeps them coming back for more.

Executive chef/owner: Chef Georges Zidi and his wife, Eileen Zidi

Photo courtesy of Julie Betts Testwuide

Cuisine: Georges describes his cuisine as New World and Traditional French and there’s also a farm-to-table element that Eileen (who is also a farmer) brings to the mix. I have to be honest that I’m just not exactly sure what New World entails except that his menu items are clearly a harmony of flavors. For example, the recent daily appetizer specials of a classic French Onion Soup, a Jerk Pulled Pork Sandwich and a Chorizo, Grilled Vegetable and Cheddar Cheese Frittata give a good indication of the variety.

Kitchen staff: Sous chef ~ Blanca Saute chef ~ Lallio

Signature dish: Although the main menu stays pretty much the same, Dish’s specials change daily. Georges won’t allude to one specific signature dish, but I can tell he has a sweet spot for the “traditionnel” French menu specials like Cassoulet and Coq au Vin. And he’s extremely fond of the French Onion Soup, which is a two-day process (there are no short cuts in this kitchen!).

Bar scene: I’ve never understood the draw of eating a meal at a bar until one evening my husband and I decided to sit at Dish’s bar. There’s always someone new to talk to about what looks good on the menu, but cozy enough to chat with your dining partner. Eileen and Georges are usually flitting about, and it’s so much fun chatting with them about my meal. There’s a great selection of craft and imported beers on tap like the ones on their current blackboard list

and some lovely wines by the glass or bottle that pair wonderfully with the menu. Personally, I love that they offer small personal bottles of bubbly Prosecco.

Size of kitchen: Georges counts in French and measures in metric. The kitchen is about 5 meters by 7 meters and the American conversion for that is TINY. Once you realize just how efficient this kitchen needs to be in order to execute menu items in such tight quarters, it’s daunting how quickly plates come out to the dining room.

Size of prep area: The cold station/prep area is extremely compact. Space is obviously a commodity in this kitchen, so it is imperative to work neatly and meticulously.

Turning up the heat: The main cooking area is a Southbend 36 inch six-burner range and oven. There’s also a small grill to the left of the stove.

But it’s the double stack Vulcan convection oven that really got my attention. There’s that circulating heat again, which not only helps to cook evenly but also saves energy. How convenient that the doors open a full 180 degrees for easy access, and the racks can be positioned as needed.

Chef’s favorite dish: Georges loves both the Bucatini Pasta with Porcini Mushrooms, Artichoke, Escarole and White Bean Salad and the Red Snapper Filet with Green Thai Curry and Coconut Milk. These are two of his favorites because the Italian and Thai cuisines are completely different from his French training.

Most complicated dish on the menu: Very perplexing that this seasoned chef claims that everything is difficult. What?! Let me try to explain with a little chef joke that Georges played on me. He took a fresh egg and asked me if I knew how to make it stand on end. I watched him intently as he patiently placed the egg on the counter only to have it roll over time and again. All the while, I’m very seriously thinking that the solution is something every chef should know. Then, he quickly tapped the end of the egg. Voila! There it sat.

This brainteaser has its roots in a Spanish folklore story called “Columbus’ Egg.” Now, stick with me because I promise that I’m going to close the tangent that we are in the middle of. Spanish nobles told Christopher Columbus that if he had not discovered the Indies, another knowledgeable Spaniard would have. He responded to this comment by challenging them to make an egg stand on end without aid. After countless tries, the egg was returned to Columbus who did exactly what Georges did. So, the moral to that long story is that once a difficult task is done and explained, it then becomes easy. So, for Georges, all dishes are complicated to prepare correctly, even a simple hamburger, until they are mastered. And even then, the real challenge is to do it perfectly every time.

Chef’s culinary mentor: His first culinary position was in a pastry shop in his hometown of Rueil Malmaison, France, just 30 minutes west of Paris, for chef/owner, Renou. During the 12 years Georges worked there, Renou gave him the opportunity to work as a stagiaire/intern in different restaurants all over France for two months out of the year.

Secret ingredient: A shelf in the kitchen holds an arsenal of bags, jars, and cans of spices. Along with his own collection, there’s a quite a spice trade going on as customers bring goodies from places like St. Maarten, India, and Thailand. Georges became somewhat of a mad scientist as he gathered items like curry, porcini powder, fresh nutmeg (it was still in its shell),

dried vanilla powder and saffron for the daily soup. He ground everything up in his Vitamix (industrial blender). The blend will be an interesting addition to the daily soup.

What’s on the prep list: Turning a fresh-picked bag of nettles from Cabbage Hill Farm in Mt. Kisco into Nettle Soup was the first task of the day.

Anne from Cabbage Hill Farm picking nettles for Dish

Farm to table greens

I had never seen nettles before and couldn’t believe these good-for-you greens (rich with vitamin A, C, iron, potassium, and calcium) could be such an angry plant. Yes, I know that plants don’t have feelings, but angry is a very apropos adjective for the gazillion stinging hairs all over its leaves and stems (not to mention the annoying rash they cause).

It was necessary for Georges to use his heavy duty gloves as he washed the bunch.

It almost seemed unfair that my task was to slice and dice the very docile potatoes and onions which were sautéed to start the soup.

That combo of ground up spices were then added and cooked just long enough to release their fragrant essences. Next, Georges wrestled the nettles into the soup pot.

It’s hard to believe that these greens, commonly called Stinging Nettles, can be turned into a soup that is so velvety and lush (without an ounce of cream at that!). The flavor is similar to spinach but without the bitey iron taste.

Stinging Nettles Soup

Favorite kitchen gadget: With his simple French peeler, Georges confidently offered a throwdown that he could peel faster than anyone else. Any takers?

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: I made a special request to learn how to make a French cake called a Gateau Basque, which became a favorite treat for my family when visiting friends in France. The recipe came straight from Georges’ pastry chef friend in France. There are many versions of this tart-like cake, including the addition of brandied cherries or jam; but for our first endeavor, we kept it fairly easy with just pastry cream. Here’s some fun facts that I learned in my “gateau research”: There’s actually a whole museum (Musée du Gateau Basque) dedicated to this regional dessert in Sare, France, close to the Spanish border. The pattern on the top of the cake changes depending on the filling. If jam is inside, you would find a Basque cross (sort of a rounded pinwheel design) or if it’s simply the pastry cream, like what we made, it’s a crosshatch pattern.

Georges was kind enough to give me the recipe to share (it’s in my next blog post) so you can make your very own Gateau Basque at home!

Advice for the home cook: The most important item for a home kitchen is a sharp knife. When Georges answered this question, I realized that he was reiterating what was frequently heard from other chefs. Guiltily, I have to admit that I’ve hesitated to include this advice in my previous posts because I thought it was a bit dull (pun most definitely intended). There are a few local places that offer sharpening services, like Kitch n’ Kaffe in Mahopac, and can make your old knives razor sharp. Or, if you are in the market for some new ones, remember that they don’t have to break the bank, just make sure they are constructed well and comfortable to use.

Pet peeve: In almost a whisper, Georges shared that he hates when chefs come in to work in his kitchen and take 20 minutes to sharpen their knives on a grinding stone. In his mind, precious prep time has been wasted. It takes no time at all to achieve a good edge on a knife using a sharpening steel. Think of it as daily conditioning for your knife. Gliding the blade up and down the steel at a 20 degree angle will smooth out the microscopic dents and pings that make a knife dull.

Get one for your home kitchen to keep your knives in prime cutting shape and ready to tackle slicing even the most stubborn tomato.

Music: There were relaxing soft tunes from a French internet radio station. It was nice to hear songs from the Beatles and Cat Stevens intermixed with French songs.

Details: Dish, 947 South Lake Boulevard, Mahopac. 845.621.3474. Open for lunch Tuesday thru Saturday, noon – 3 pm and dinner Monday thru Saturday, 5 pm to 9 pm (10 pm on the weekend). Specials: Prix fixe three-course chef menu on Tuesdays for $22 and half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Dish in Mahopac appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Peter Pratt’s Inn in Yorktown

Patrice Costa — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:08:56 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to spend an incredible day behind the kitchen door of Peter Pratt’s Inn. I was welcomed into the inn by Chef/Owner, Jonathan Pratt, who is a just a bundle of culinary energy, and his extremely creative CIA trained Executive Chef, Nick Di Bona. Here’s what I learned during my kitchen adventure:

Restaurant: Peter Pratt’s Inn in Yorktown

view of the front of the inn

back deck for outdoor dining

room for private events and dinners

Description: This charming inn dates back to 1780 and is located on Croton Heights Road, one of the oldest sections of Yorktown. The main dining room, which was the barn foundation, is both rustic and cozy with low overhead exposed chestnut beams and a large open hearth fireplace. As the warm weather approaches, there’s outside dining on the patio, and Wednesday nights are real treats with special BBQs or La Caja China pig roasts.

Cuisine: A Contemporary/New American menu with local farm ingredients like Jonathan Pratt’s honey from his hive and maple syrup from some of the surrounding 200 year old maple trees. It’s an interesting juxtaposition between what is on their inspired menu and the historic building where you are dining. Although you seem to step back in time, the cuisine is all about the here and now.

Chefs:

Chef/Owner ~ Jonathan Pratt Executive Chef ~ Nick Di Bona

Sous chefs: Nick Figora patiently allowed me to assist him, too, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet Tim Short, who normally comes in for the weekend crush.

Kitchen staff: Garde manger, Daniel, works the cold station turning out salads, appetizers and desserts. Laura, from Natural Gourmet Institute, lends a welcomed hand in the kitchen as she completes her internship hours for graduation.

Signature dish: Duck can always be found on the menu in one incarnation or another. Currently being served up is a Seared Rohan Duck Breast served with warm duck-confit napa cabbage slaw, pan fried noodles and a tangerine-scotch bonnet glaze.

Bar scene: Located just off to the side as you enter the restaurant, the bar is a favorite local spot for both Pratt regulars and newcomers to socialize, enjoy a glass of wine, and grab a grass-fed burger from the bar menu.

Coolest appliance: The Lab 100B Ice Cream Maker is the granddaddy of my little Cuisinart, and when it’s time to make ice cream, it gets wheeled out from its little cubby.

Once it is warmed up (or more accurately cooled down), frozen goodness is only five minutes away. Talk about instant gratification! I helped to make the peanut ice cream which is served with the Baked Alaska Cupcake. The recipe starts with a puree of roasted peanuts (more on that later), cream and some seaweed. No, that wasn’t a typo. Nick adds a powdered stabilizer made from seaweed, called pre-gel, to the mixture which keeps the texture of the frozen ice cream just the way we like it – creammmmy. Since the flavors are only limited to the chef’s imagination, don’t be surprised to find on the menu fig balsamic, key lime, Italian cheesecake or Jon’s favorite, the very exotic lilikoi (Hawaiian passion fruit).

pouring the nutty mixture in the ice cream maker
(sincere apologies for the missing shot of the finished product, but I was too busy tasting it!)

Don’t have any pre-gel in your pantry, but want similar results in your homemade ice cream? Nick’s suggestion to add in some vodka made perfect sense to me (the alcohol in the vodka doesn’t freeze), and I can’t wait to try it on my first batch of ice cream this summer. I promise to report back with the results.

Here’s another “cool” fact that I learned from Nick, foods that are warm are sweeter or saltier to our taste receptors, so a cold item like ice cream needs extra sugar to taste sweet.

Size of kitchen: It’s really one big room (approximately 40×40 feet) on the main level of the house that has been organized into a very efficient work space. Sunlight streams in from the windows on two walls making it very bright (perfect for taking pictures!). Because the dining room is located on the lower level, servers must be in good shape running dishes up and down the stairs. All in all, I thought it was extremely spacious, but I’m sure the staff might beg to differ when service is in full swing on a busy night.

Size of prep area: I counted about five different prep areas in the nooks and crannies of the room. Personal workspaces are easily created like the one on a side counter where Daniel was assembling a dessert or by the sink where sous chef Nick F. was fabricating (breaking down and cutting up into portions for service) a whole red snapper.

The main counter island has two sides. The one closest to the stove is usually in full force during service being used for menu components at hand (mise en place) and plating, but it is easily converted into prep areas during the day by positioning cutting boards to create workspaces. (Useful tidbit: To keep a cutting board from moving around while chopping, place a damp towel or a rubber non-slip pad underneath.)

Turning up the heat: Across the length of one wall is a huge 12 burner Jade stove with two ovens.

turning up the heat during prep

Right next to it is a grill, fryer, and a free standing dual door convection oven. Unlike a conventional oven that just heats up, a convention oven circulates warm air all around. This insures an even heat, which is a perfect environment for baking cakes and breads. On the other end of the kitchen, there is a double door, electric pizza oven that’s not only used for pizzettes (personal pizzas) but also for quick heating.

pizza oven

Chef’s favorite dish: This is how Nick wrote his favorite dish on the menu — Mmmmm … Chicken and Waffles — and it couldn’t be more accurate. It’s a happy marriage of the American South and the Caribbean Islands. The uniqueness of this dish is what’s so appealing to Nick. It’s something different to find on a menu in this area, and it has nothing to do with either his or Jon’s background. It started when Nick wondered what would happen if he put the batter from Jon’s polouie (fritters made from lentil flour) in the waffle maker. The poussin, a young chicken, is cut up and has a good 24 hour soak in a bath of buttermilk, sriracha, herbs and spices. After that, it’s dredged in flour and fried gently to ensure a crispy crust and tender meat. The “syrup” for these waffles is a sweet, sour and a little fruity tamarind sauce.

Most complicated dish: The Berkshire Pork Belly Stuffed Clams appetizer is very time consuming, but good things come to those who wait. Pork belly is how that bacon with your morning eggs starts out before it is cured and smoked. Nick takes this cut, made up of alternating layers of fat and meat, and cures it for a day in a mixture hot pepper, salt and sugar. Then, it gets braised low and slow in the oven for over three hours. The clams, scrubbed clean by intern Laura, are then steamed with white wine and garlic. The clam meat is scooped out and the shells are sanitized in the dishwasher so they can be stuffed with the clam and pork belly mixture. They are baked to a golden crisp in the pizza oven.

Secret ingredient: The answer to this question was way too easy for Jonathan Pratt: Umami, the fifth taste sense along with bitter, sweet, sour and salty. He’s an umami expert and has been known to describe it as culinary crack because it’s so addictive you will want more and more. It’s found in ingredients like parmesan cheese, duck, mushrooms, wine, truffles and basically anything that is fermented or cured like soy sauce or bacon. Pratt’s menu is punctuated with umami flavors, but if you want a full umami experience, visit Jon’s and Craig Purdy’s restaurant in Croton named (what else?) Umami Café.

Chef’s culinary mentor: Nick credits his father and Jon Pratt for his interest in food. Nick’s father comes from Abruzzi, Italy, and growing up eating meals around an Italian table was a big influence. Under Jon’s guidance at the restaurant, he has the freedom explore new dishes, and their creative partnership is like a chef mélange which is apparent in the restaurant’s diverse menu. Nick has a notebook where he jots down ideas, and his culinary inspiration comes from looking through food photos on the web, watching the Food Network, or simply going out to dinner to see what other chefs are doing.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Jon laments about a now missing in action serrated zester/peeler that could thinly zest a lemon and was so sharp it could even peel a tomato. Nick thinks it’s pretty fun using the cotton candy machine to spin vanilla bean cotton candy for the Foie Gras Brulee. For me, it was processing the roasted peanuts into a paste for the ice cream using a Champion combo juicer/super grinder.

grinder in action making the fresh peanut puree

What’s cooking in the kitchen now: I helped to make the delicate dough for the avocado gnocchi that accompanies the Masa and Manchego Stuffed Chicken. Because of the soft texture, it was important to have a gentle touch kneading, rolling and cutting the little avocado, lime and potato dumplings.

What’s on the prep list:

Cacavella is a unique basket-shaped pasta, which is filled with a ricotta cheese and garlic mixture. The dish is finished with a morel mushroom ragu on top.

Isn’t this just the coolest shape? I love the handle!

Using a pastry bag to pipe in the filling took some practice.

The time consuming task of breaking down a whole 20 pound rib eye into steaks was Nick’s job. Cutting away the marbled cap portion gave him the ability to get two uses out of one cut of meat (there’s no waste in a restaurant kitchen). He grills up portions of the cap with shaved asparagus dressed in a bacon vinaigrette and twice fried potatoes. The fries are cut exposing a lot of surface area and are blanched (basically pre-cooked) in 250 degree oil for 8 to 10 minutes. They are then finished at a higher temperature to get the outside super crispy yet keeping the inside nice and soft.

Kitchen music: There was some serious rock and roll playing in the background as we worked, and I found myself singing in my head (at least I hope it was in my head) tunes from Meat Loaf and Rush. Excellent station choice!

My random insights: The low boy fridge at the main station had drawers that pulled out instead of doors. I thought it was so convenient to be able to see and grab any item, instead of having to physically get down and reach in almost two feet to retrieve that container way in the back.

Because of the necessity to have precise measurements, a scale can be found every professional kitchen. I guess it’s not sexy enough to get into the gadget category, but it’s the first piece of equipment to grab when you need five ounces of flour.

The restaurant kitchen is usually an amazingly fast paced environment, but sometimes a specific task, like cutting veggies in a 1/8 inch cube (brunoise), demands time, patience and a precise hand.

Laura, the culinary intern, is quite focused practicing her knife skills.

Details: Peter Pratt’s Inn, 673 Croton Heights Road, Yorktown, 914.962.4090. Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5:30 – 10 pm. Also available for private parties and off-premises catering.

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as she goes behind the kitchen door in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. When not on foodie assignments, she can be found working in the open kitchen at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Peter Pratt’s Inn in Yorktown appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: The Freight House Cafe in Mahopac

Patrice Costa — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:47:06 +0000

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. Currently working at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown as a chef-in-training (commis), her passion and desire is to gain even more experience and knowledge by interning for a day (staging) in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. Join her as she blogs from behind the kitchen door peeling, dicing, and pureeing her way into her newfound culinary career.

Restaurant: The Freight House Cafe in Mahopac

Description: Comfy, cozy and eclectically quirky cafe tucked back behind Route 6 in Mahopac, bordering along side the North County Trailway. The building, which celebrates its 140^th birthday in April, was the very first freight house constructed for the NY Central and Hudson Railroad, and items like blocks of ice, iron ore, milk, hay and even Sears and Roebucks deliveries would pass through on their way to and from Mahopac. The cafe is the best place to get a healthy breakfast and lunch or just “a cuppa cawfee”. Relax and enjoy the outside deck and free Wi-Fi. If you stay long enough, you will no doubt see someone you know; it’s just that kind of friendly place.

Cuisine: Hip cafe fare, which leans heavily to the healthy side, with local organic farm-to-table juicing, free range eggs served as you like, Greek yogurt with house made granola, and a plethora of fresh made sandwiches, wraps, soups, and salads.

Chef/owner: Donna Massaro is a local girl whose cafe dreams have been realized right here in her beloved hometown. She is passionate not only about her food but is always involved in giving back to this community. She was a participant last year in a Nutella Throwdown (sort of like a Nutella Iron Chef challenge) to raise money for culinary scholarships for local high school students, and she just recently hosted the Vagina Monologues for the benefit of the Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center. Spend a few minutes getting to know Donna, and you will realize that she is personified in every inch of the cafe.

Cafe chef/owner, Donna Massaro

Cooks: Evan Rosado

Behind the counter: The smiling faces of Hamdy EL Gayeh, Lauren Nardone, and Sue Kallmeyer ready to welcome you.

Signature dish: For lunch, it’s the BLTA that patrons are usually clamoring for (Evan’s personal favorite). Bacon (crispy please!), Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado and mayo on choice of bread served with the house special coleslaw. Simple, fresh and absolutely addictive ingredients.

Enjoying my BLTA on the sunny outside deck

Coolest appliance: Robot Coupe (pronounced /row – bow koop/), which is essentially a food processor on steroids. Donna animatedly describes finding it on Craig’s List and “made the deal to purchase it in a Holiday Inn parking lot.” She gets misty eyed as she shares with me that when she got it home, she sat at her kitchen table just staring at it. It’s definitely her baby.

Size of kitchen: Approximately 20×10 feet. It felt almost roomy to me, but by far the best feature is all the natural light from the window over the prep area and the back door.

Size of prep area: 4×3 feet is quite compact, but because everything is right at hand, like the kitchen aid and the robot coupe, it proves once again that organization is key in any kitchen.

The prep area with a view!

Turning up the heat: Front and center is a gleaming 24” Garland SunFire six-burner gas range with a raised griddle/broiler and two ovens.

Chef’s most cherished dish: All of Donna’s recipes are very personal to her, so she found it hard to pick just one. She feels her best dish is her creamy, lemony hummus, but she’s also pretty proud of the Mahopac Wrap. It’s a packed tortilla wrap of brown organic rice and slow simmered beans, pico di gallo (think salsa), sour cream, avocado and melted cheddar cheese with a choice of meat. This is close to her heart because this dish came from the Dam Cafe, where she worked when she lived in Tahoe, CA. She was craving it so much that she just had to put it on the Freight House menu, and we are so happy she did!

Most complicated dish on the menu: The surprisingly healthy Fluffer Nutter Supreme. Okay, so maybe the fluffer part may not seem so healthy, but this sandwich has all natural peanut butter, local honey and cinnamon (which I found out is a “good-for-your-heart” combo), banana (has potassium), and Nutella (just plain yummy). It’s not so much difficult as just a little sticky and messy to put together.

Secret ingredient: Donna confides that if she told me she’d have to kill me, but Evan gave up Freight House’s secret in an instant. It’s lots of love, affection and simply taking pride in what you do. I absolutely agree with him as I’ve enjoyed this secret ingredient in my many breakfasts and lunches at the cafe.

Chef’s culinary mentor: You may be confused that Donna would credit Henry Ponzio, a wine expert who owned Suburban Wine & Liquor in Yorktown Heights, as sparking her interest in food. In the three years she worked there, he taught her all about the most important asset a chef can have: a sense of taste. From the variety of flavors in a simple glass of wine (like grassy or mineral notes of where the grape is grown), to how that wine pairs with food, it was clearly a lesson well learned for Donna.

Favorite kitchen gadget: Donna loves the bench scraper which she uses as a generic prep tool to scoop, chop, and scrape. Evan’s favorite is the bright yellow silicone egg poacher, which can be easily lowered into simmering water to make the perfect poached egg. I’ve already ordered the gadget that I was coveting ~ a sandwich spreader knife that Evan uses to expertly coax slices of avocado out of their shell, making a sometimes painstaking task so easy. And then there was the can opener with a crank handle instead of the usual hard-to-turn knob!

What’s on the prep list: There was a lot to do in the kitchen when I arrived in the morning (that’s 6:30 am and for the record, it was still dark out!) like making cranberry mayo, hummus, tuna salad, and veggie cream cheese.

In the afternoon, Evan and I made the bread pudding and banana bread. First, we took out the Freight House recipe binder. I’m going to make an assumption here that every restaurant has something similar, but it warmed my little A-type heart that Donna had each and every recipe beautifully organized in clear protector sheets.

Mise en place (all ingredients in their place) for banana bread

Making the bread pudding and the fresh out of the oven final products!

Most interesting cafe guest: Working in a 140 year old building isn’t without its own quirks, like early one morning when the radio shut off without warning and then Donna noticed a fleeting image of a little girl’s face pressed against the front door peering into the cafe. Now that story gave me some goose bumps.

What’s in the chef’s home fridge: With limited time for food shopping or home cooking, the answer is pretty cliché for a beautiful single woman who is also a busy business owner and chef ~ some chardonnay and lots of take out.

What should every home cook own: A really sharp knife. It’s doesn’t need to be expensive, just make sure it’s comfortable.

My random insights: Cafe uses frozen cubes of tea, coffee and juice to ice drinks so they don’t get watered down.

In the winter, Donna’s been known to institute a car hop service bringing “take out” to a new level; and in the warmer weather, she has basket service up to the bike path.

This summer Donna will be starting what we dubbed “Pontoon Picnic”. It’s a mobile spot at Mahopac Marina on Lake Mahopac for lake goers to pick up fresh, ready-made sandwiches, salads, etc. All in all, what was crystal clear to me during my time in the cafe is that Donna and her staff truly care about their customers.

Details: 609 Route 6 (behind Putnam Music Center), Mahopac, 845.628.1872, www.thefreighthousecafe.com. Open Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm; Saturday, 8 am to 4 pm; and (starting 5/13) Sunday, 10 am to 2pm.

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: The Freight House Cafe in Mahopac appeared first on Small Bites.

Behind the Kitchen Door: Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown Heights

smallbitesguest — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:03:03 +0000

Patrice Costa is a passionate foodie who is on a personal culinary mission to learn it all from local chefs. Although currently working at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown as a chef-in-training (commis), her passion and desire to gain more experience and knowledge has fueled her to pursue opportunities to intern for a day (staging) in some of her favorite restaurant kitchens. Join her as she blogs from behind the kitchen door peeling, dicing, and pureeing her way into a newfound culinary career.

In this first “behind the kitchen door” blog, I am beyond excited to give you a glimpse of some of my experiences and insights working in the kitchen at Thyme Restaurant with chef/owner Tom Costello and chef de cuisine Laurent Ceron. I can’t thank both of them enough for giving me this amazing opportunity and for their patience, guidance and support as I work side-by-side with them “on the line”. The answer to the question if this is what I want to do when I grow up is pretty simple ~ Oui (YES!) Chef!

Restaurant: Thyme

Description: The restaurant offers a varied menu of masterfully crafted dishes prepared in a beautiful open kitchen. The warm and inviting atmosphere will calm and relax you as the knowledgeable staff guide you through diverse culinary offerings and an impressive wine list.

Photo courtesy of Denis Culhane

Cuisine: Contemporary American

Executive chef/owner: Thomas Costello

Cooks: Chef de cuisine ~ Laurent Ceron Commis ~ Patrice Costa

Signature dish: Regulars love the Pan Seared Scallops over Parmesan Risotto.

Bar scene: The bar boasts a pretty cool Wine Station system from Napa Technologies which allows bottles of wine to remain open while preserving freshness for up to 60 days with the use of argon gas. Three and six ounce pours are available from what is the largest wine by the glass offering in Westchester. A 2010 Karine Lauverjat French Sancerre was a nice surprising choice for me.

Coolest appliance: Woodstone Hearth oven which can be cranked up to over 600 degrees, fondly referred to as the “Blaster.”

Size of kitchen: Front open kitchen is 130 sq. feet and back kitchen is 196 sq. feet. I’m admittedly measurement challenged so let’s just say it’s not a large space at all; in fact, one of the things I love about being in a commercial kitchen is that it has to be extremely organized, making use of every inch of free space.

Size of prep area: Front counter is 13×1.5 feet and back counter is 5×1.5 feet. I find the counter space challenging since I’m used to having more in my own kitchen and I don’t have to share it with two other people, but we somehow manage to easily prep for daily service (the restaurant seats 45).

How many burners: The Jade French Top range is a flat top hence the heat is controlled by the position of the pot. Most concentrated heat is on the two center rings.

Chef’s personal favorite dish: Tuna Tartar which is sometimes offered as a special appetizer. Chef Costello loves this dish because of the very simple, fresh ingredients (like ahi tuna and creamy avocado) and flavors (like mirin, extra virgin olive oil and lemon) which combine to elevate it to an absolutely awesome dish.

Photo courtesy of Denis Culhane

Most complicated dish on the menu: Roasted Cod with braised fennel, leeks, tomato petals and peanut potatoes with a beurre blanc sauce. Prepping the different components for this dish is what makes it a bit complicated.

Secret ingredient: Thyme (no surprise there!)

Chef’s culinary mentor: Chef Ron Lunge who was chef Costello’s high school culinary instructor at Boces.

Chef’s favorite kitchen gadget: 30 year old Forschner fillet knife originally purchased for $5 that has been whittled down to barely a sliver.

What’s cooking in the kitchen: Chef Ceron’s very special and very French duck confit. Duck legs take a long and leisurely oven bath in duck fat for about 3 hours until they are rendered and cooked to perfection.

Served as an appetizer, the duck leg is seared until the skin is golden brown and the meat is moist and succulent. It’s served over greens with a sweet/savory pear chutney. This dish will make duck lovers swoon and believers out of those who are not.

And some apple strudel for dessert. That’s me carefully rolling up the apples in the delicate fillo dough.

It’s one of our most popular desserts served warm and toasty with crème anglaise and vanilla ice cream.

Details: 3605 Crompond Road (Route 202),Yorktown Heights, 914.788.8700, www.thymerestaurant.net. Open Tuesday thru Sunday for lunch and dinner (brunch on Sunday!). With special prix fixe three-course lunch for $20/pp and dinner for $32/pp, every day is like restaurant week.

Speaking of HVRW12, it’s coming up quickly (March 18 through March 31). It would be the perfect “thyme” to come in and sample chef Costello’s menu at Thyme. And don’t forget to stop by and say hello to the chefs in the open kitchen (one of them just might be me!).

The post Behind the Kitchen Door: Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown Heights appeared first on Small Bites.

All I Had to Do is Ask: An Intro to “Behind The Kitchen Door,” a New Column by Blogger Patrice Costa

smallbitesguest — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:00:50 +0000

Patrice Costa, part time guest blogger and full time foodie, here with some exciting news. I recently made a major life decision to figure out if my love of cooking was truly something I wanted to do when I grew up. I was optimistic that working in a restaurant kitchen would either cure me of this fantasy or create a new career. A very talented female chef, Hannah Hopkins, who has become my mentor and good friend, gave me the best advice to just find a “stage” position in a restaurant. Stagiaire is French for a culinary intern. To my surprise, formal training or experience was not a necessity. All that was required was the drive, passion and desire to learn. And, of course, I just had to have the confidence to ask . . .

So, that’s how I went from stagiaire to commis (more French for chef-in-training) for chef/owner Tom Costello at Thyme Restaurant in Yorktown Heights and his chef de cuisine, Laurent Ceron. It’s been an unbelievable experience where I’ve progressed from prepping veggies to making salads and desserts (garde manger or cold station) to working on the line in the open kitchen cooking sides and plating.

The most tedious task I’ve been assigned was definitely seeding pomegranates (while my fingers still had traces of red on them, I found out a week later the trick is to cut them in half on the equator and bang on the shell to release the seeds). You might think the best item in my culinary bag of tricks would be my knives or my whisk attachment on my hand blender, but it’s actually my contact lenses. I can stand side by side with the other chefs slicing onions and not shed a single tear!

With so much to be done every day to get ready for service, there’s not as much time as you would think to try out new recipes. But I had a precious few minutes and used some of our day-old rolls to create Chocolate Caramel Banana Bread Pudding (a cross between my Banana Upside Down Cake and Chocolate Bread Pudding). It was well received at family meal (dinner for staff before service). I brought some home for a sweet evening snack for my hubby, and we both agreed it was pretty darn good for my first attempt at developing a recipe.

Warm chocolately bread pudding which is then turned upside down to reveal gooey caramel and bananas.

The restaurant kitchen is an extremely fast paced environment where multitasking is not only essential, it’s an art. Because of my unique perspective, I’ve had the chance to learn exactly what goes on from behind the kitchen door. I’m excited to share a few of those interesting facts, and give you a glimpse of life in a restaurant kitchen in my next blog post.

Portrait photo above by Margaret Rizzuto Photography

The post All I Had to Do is Ask: An Intro to “Behind The Kitchen Door,” a New Column by Blogger Patrice Costa appeared first on Small Bites.