STIR THE POTS

Dee Thai Restaurant

DEE Thai Restaurant

46-17 Queens Blvd
Sunnyside, NY 11104  (718) 786-3137

DEE Thai Restaurant is the new kid on the block, in this case the blocks of my Queens neighborhood of Sunnyside. Hungry for lunch and not inclined to cook, I suggested to my wife that we go out for a meal in the neighborhood. Sunnyside is not what I would call gourmet central, though there are a few bright stars such Quaint restaurant. I hope there will be more opening soon. Safe to say the economy is not exactly promising, but hell the President has a check in the mail for you, so go out and shop or eat. No? Anyway, Sripraphai Thai Restaurant is the restaurant I visit in neighboring Woodside. It's a good place. And getting there isn't hard, but my wife suggested trying Dee Thai because it is local and Sunnyside seems to have limited choices, save perhaps El Rey Del Taco Deli.

So off we went. Upon entering, I was impressed with the interior. It's airy and reminds me of a Buddhist Temple. Or what I imagine a Buddhist Temple looks like in Thailand. Only with an aura that doesn't inspire prayer, but did make me want to meditate over something heavenly, like what was offered on their menu. Let's just say that for me Nirvana is manna on the plate, not in the sky. Anyway, the hostess offered us a table in the sun and a menu that reminded me of a school notebook covered with metallic plates. Hmmm. Interesting, as was the giant photo-mural on the wall of a Thai dragon boat. Made me think of the movie the King and I. But before I could even peruse the lengthy menu, the hostess offered us a separate drink menu, a variety of beverages ranging from exotic fruit juices to equally exotic teas. Always craving fermented liquids, I looked at the luscious list, then ordered a beer.

To start off our meal, the hostess suggested a dish of grilled striped bass Pla Plow, Thai herbs in the fish wrapped in banana leaves with a special sauce. Intriguing but I craved a curry. Heat. Spice. Fire. Something to give me an excuse to order a couple of more beers. And boy, did they have curries, a variety with options of proteins or vegetarian,a build your own curry palace!

Anyway, my wife ordered the Pla Plow which was beautifully garnished with flowers carved of carrots and the charred banana leaves covered the steaming fish inside, and suddenly curry seemed a bit... well, commanding but undistinguished. Thankfully the mussels, I had ordered  for an appetizer definitely satisfied. Cooked in clay pot they were laden with fragrant Thai basil, lemongrass and served with a spicy lime garlic and chili sauce. We shared a fresh vegetable roll, crunchy and well seasoned with a honey tamarind dipping sauce. OH,(her name actually!); our hostess, was very pleasant and helpful, she really wanted to please and lets just say I think…. no I know I will be back for another visit, so go out and support your restaurants in Sunnyside or anywhere in NYC.On my next visit I should try the jungle curry  to see if it is as hot or hotter than at Sripraphai's!

Sripraphais Jungle curry to make a grown man cry!

Sustained@Quaint

Quaint is my neighborhood local, Chef John McGrath and the boys in the kitchen like to let there ya ya's out  occasionally. Funny part of the whole thing was a recent night out Tim; the owner of Quaint was the dreamer of good organic sustainable menu with organic wines to boot! Surprise, no just a new approach to what should be a wave in restaurants and hopefully a wave of new eateries in this beleaguered part of Queens! Brooklyn is the current hub of the food conscious and trend setting after Manhattan, but people live here too! So give a hand to the guy’s with an affordable menu and some good tunes too boot!
Seems like everyone is labeling what is already a proven, more nature less processing is safer and better for you, enjoying a meal and some wine is also a part of that balance. Good slow manual labor can make the best meals taste so good, maybe it’s the love or thought process’s that combine with the natural ingredients harvested by farmer and chef give meaning to an event like this evenings at Quaint, and hopefully more often!

My choice was the Homemade Paparedelle with Cedar River Farms Short Rib Ragu with Asiago cheese. You know I wanted more but after I finished it off with 3 glasses of wine from Vermonte Vineyard of Chile I couldn’t put my mind into a dessert, I was full and but not to the point of splitting in two!
Sure it costs more to grow and to serve organic products, but if we all pitch in it will become the norm? Support your local Chef and farmers for a good meal!

Public slight return

A while back I promised  Chef Brad Farmerie I would bake a Miche for  him, Lazy baker that I am I haven't yet, but I visited his restaurant last night with some friends and my Sous-chef.

Public is a great restaurant and Brad is a great host. He has the pulse of  world cooking, the ingredients range from chorizo, chinese broccoli, Tasmanian sea trout, boniato to name a few of the world ingredients that are sprinkled through out his menu. His wonderful wine list are now showcased in his new "The Monday Room" with tasting dishes provided from his kitchen.

My Sous-chef and I were curious to try the wasabi and boniato, since we borrowed the idea for our current menu.As a chef once told me steal with your eye's and your ears, thanks Brad! Still want to know about the quinoa croquettes and Peter Gordon already clued me in on the quinoa hash!

It's intimidating to say the least to not drool or scratch your head when looking over the menu, so many choices you could go with, but they offer an exquisite tasting menu at a good price. Everyone at the table was a bit challenged by some of the raw items,so we went for a la carte, as well because I like to have a larger choice!

Appetizers

Butternut squash soup with spiced marshmallow, crispy chick peas and pumpkin seed oil

Mushroom ceviche with miso aubergines and ginger ponzu sauce

Salad of herby lentils, green beans, avocado, toasted pecans & baby gem with pomegranate molasses and avocado oil vinaigrette

Marinated white anchovies on quinoa croquettes with spicy saffron aioli

Grilled scallops with sweet chili sauce, creme fraiche, and green plantain crisps

Fried Barron Point oysters with shiso, sansho pepper, and wasabi-yuzu dipping sauce

Cured wild boar with Garrotxa cheese, marinated olives and caper berries

Pan-seared foie gras on spiced french toast with pineapple chutney, maple glaze and crispy bacon

Grilled kangaroo on a coriander falafel with lemon-tahini sauce and green pepper relish

Main course

Truffled beet and ginger risotto with a rocket, cotija and hijiki salad

Baked cod with sepia, long beans, cipollini onions, and chorizo emulsion

Pan-seared Tasmanian sea trout with vanilla celeriac puree, Chinese broccoli and saffron quince compote

Pan-seared New Zealand snapper on wasabi-boniato mash with poached conch, pickled ginger, and yao choy

Roast duck breast, citrus-soy kimchee, daikon puree and confit duck gyoza

Roast lamb sirloin on crispy goats cheese polenta with saffron braised baby vegetables and harissa aioli

Snail and oxtail ravioli with pickled shiitake mushrooms, oven dried tomatoes, pea shoots and smoked paprika oil

Pan-seared New Zealand venison, purple potato hash, minted pea puree, Yorkshire pudding, and espresso hollandaise

Sides

Steamed edamame


Green leaf salad


Roasted brussels sprouts with maple and vegemite glaze

Sweet potato and miso mash

We ordered a great Shiraz from the Yarra valley, Greenpoint. Our waiter Chris, happened to be from that area and was really knowledgeable and helpful throughout the meal!

So I  started it out with the cured wild boar with Gaxrotta cheese wild caper berries and olives. The dish is wonderful, the wild boar sliced thinly and the caper berries marry so well with the Gaxrotta cheese, fabulous!

The photo's are from a wine tasting dinner that Brad did  at The James Beard house. Usually I like to take my own pictures but I felt a bit self conscious  taking photo's in the restaurant, so you won't see my main course which was perfectly cooked and light. The main was a duck breast with kimchee and fried gyoza which went really well with the wine and was polished off without hesitation! Though the portions looked small we were just fine and left I would say full! It's better leaving wanting a bit more, that way you want to come back again!

My Sous-chef had the Oxtail and snail ravioli, which some of the squeamish at our table  were  quite surprised after tasting how good they were, besides they are supposed to be an aphrodisiac.

My dessert was that classic English sticky toffee pudding with an Armagnac ice cream, very light and not at all sweet, I often use it for work for parties because it is so good!

I went to the kitchen to thank Mason, Brads Sous for a job well done, wonderful food nice restaurant!

Go to Public and try it!

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The Modern

It's been years since I worked at the MOMA or even went to an exhibition. It's Strange how I remember that place, it was the first kitchen I cooked in New York city. The restaurant  or dining room where my brother and I worked at is no longer there,though they still have a cafe on the second floor for the masses and downstairs the sleeker and stylish restaurant, The Modern. Initially when the review for the restaurant came out in the NYT I remember noting some interesting dishes and the name of the Chef,but I never really read the  reviews as a reference,as they can take away from a personal choice or perspective.It's like when a movie is critiqued, how can someone tell you how you will feel unless you see it for yourself, just like a wine or food, it's personal. So we went yesterday after trying to make a making a reservation last weekend. This time we left our name and while we had to wait and hour to be seated we went window shopping at the museum store across the seat. Returning to the still busy dining room we were seated by the very crowded bar in the lounge area of the restaurant, the room has fine acoustics so you don't feel overwhelmed by noise level, it's rather serene actually, even with it's modern look. While perusing the wine list,(pricey but filled with some good choices.), I looked up and saw Chef David Bouley walking into the restaurant, you couldn't miss him, he seemed to be taking in all the atmosphere and later ventured into the kitchen, hmmmm...was he spying? ( I desperatley wanted to ask him for an interview, it didn't happen though!)

The service was very good, we did get the wrong wine but that was resolved, as the manager said they have over 600 hundred wines in the cellar. The dining room was closed but the lounge restaurant was full, and we looked over a menu with so many choices that it was hard to choose! The menu was filled with worldwide ingredients and had hints of Alsatian dishes which were what I wanted to try. It seems the best thing when ordering. My chef once told us to always order salad, that way you could judge a chefs skill by the vinaigrette he made. I always try something that doesn't seem to overworked or difficult, simple is better and so I went for Modern liverwurst, not that it looked modern but I think it's a homemade wurst. It came with pickled vegetables and some toasted rye bread accompanied with whole grain mustard. It was divine, how can you go wrong? My companions at the table I was with tried a salad with coach farms cheese and pumpkin seeds, and a mushroom soup that looked foamed with a side of some sort of fried chorizo ravioli,really delicious! Main course was a Gaeta olive crusted quail with a chorizo, barley, toasted almonds, and pickled ramps. Quail was pink and moist and the garnish was earthy and married well with the Syrah from Morrocco. The other mains at the table were,Loup de mer with cockles and organic vegetables in there own jus, a duck confit with pommes Lyonnaise and frisee and finally an upsidedown tuna tartare with fennel, Japanese cucumber and aioli! Whew, the portions were just the right amount as desserts we ordered finished us off were also just as good! I had an apple strudel with prune armaganac ice cream, a Modern cheesecake with almonds and passion fruit sauce. The manager graciously gave us a wonderful serving of beignets with two sauces compliments of the house, he said they were a gift from his predecessor who had once been my boss!

So now that I have enjoyed a meal where I once worked, it's nice to feel welcomed back. I am sending  chef Gabriel Kreuther a thank you and an invitation to speak with me at stirthepots, stay tuned!

Mucho Aroha

"Were in the south Pacific and it sure feels good"( Neil Finn)......Well not exactly,as you may of noticed I was in Switzerland for the first half of my vacation and I made a pit stop over in Britain to London via Wales for a bread meeting with Dan Lepard and other home bakers.
My first and foremost thought on arriving to London was to stop by The Providores at Marleyborne High street to visit Peter Gordon and try his food once and for all!
So finally dropping my bags I consulted my Eat in London book and sort of figured my way through the streets of the town eventually landing at the front doorstep and inquiring about the man himself. It just happened that after making a reservation for later in the evening  Peter was walking just down the street and I introduced myself. He told me he had been to a food show and had been up since 4 am in the morning so he hoped to see me later that evening and would instruct his staff that I was coming for dinner.
Camera in hand I was escorted to the dining room upstairs where Peter sat at my table and asked what I wanted, I asked him to decide and he suggested a small degustation with some New Zealand wines to accompany my meal. At his mercy and not feeling worthy at all, Peter excused himself to go home for some rest but assured me he would leave me in the hands of his staff and his chef. He offered to pay for the meal and I would take care of my wine bill, a fair and courteous exchange I concurred!( Sneaky Peter, he gave me the whole meal for free, what a perk!)
The window seat was a nice way for me to take in the London view and soak in the grey wet sky, this has been a dreary summer all over Europe, what is it like in New York I wonder? A basket of bread was offered, I chose the morrocan spiced roll that was speckled and sat impatiently waiting the first course!

My Providores Menu

Crispy tofu and pomegranate roast grape salad
with ricotta, yuzu pickled bean sprouts and
soy-toasted pumpkin seeds.

Tataki of line caught Yellowfin tuna on jicama,
green mango and fresh coconut salad
with sweet nori puree, green peppercorn
lime dressing and crispy buckwheat.

Coconut, black cardamom, crab and galangal laksa
with lime leaf marinated baby octopus,
a fried quails egg, a grilled prawn, green
tea noodles, crispy shallots and coriander.

Cassava quinoa crisps with aubergine and
moromi miso salad, asparagus, wild mushroom,
black bean and cherry tomato ragout,
sumac labne and ginger rosemary dressing.  

Roast Gressingham duck breast on new potato, green
bean, shallot and shiitake salad with a crispy spiced
foie gras pastilla and pomegranate cumin dressing.

 

As if not already overwhelmed by Peter’s wonderful invitation, I took a moment to absorb my wine and soak up the atmosphere in the low key and yet warm room I saw my server coming with a glass of wine and quickly took note of its bouquet and all those other wine sort of terms. Losing sight I was  forgetting to write down the name of each wine, I couldn't wait to see the next plate of food and snapped away! So I got serious and tasted each wine and dish while studying the menu to keep me on track with the ingredients. it seemed hopeless though, I am a lazy reviewer and just soaked up all the goodness on my plates. As each course was brought to me I started to focus and kept mental track of what it was I was going on with my palate! Peter’s wonderful staff  took care of me but didn’t smother me like in some other places, later as the dining room was filling up and I lazily finished my macchiato,  I  felt as if my tongue had been literally bombarded with subtle but intense flavors that were lingering as I walked back through the wet streets of London. Thank you Peter, your a gentleman!

Facts
Location:  109 Marylebone High Street,  London, U.K. W1U 4RX
Telephone: (+44) 020 7935 6175
Fax: (+44) 020 7935 6877
Nearest Tubes: Baker Street, Bond Street, Regents Park
Smoking not permitted
Bookings are taken

       Hours

Monday - Friday
12:00pm - 2:45pm

6:00pm -10:30pm
Saturday Brunch
12:00pm - 2:45pm
Dinner
6:00pm - 10:30pm
Sunday Brunch
12:00pm - 2:45pm
Dinner
6:00pm - 10:00pm

 

L'absinthe

It's been a long time since I have seen a chef of mine; I have been trying to get an interview with him for ages! He is virtually up the road away from me, we met once at Bridge Kitchenware’s and he asked me if I was still a club chef, seems like were in another world from the restaurant chefs!
So it's Mothers day, well actually it's the day before and my mom was invited to visit my most influential chef, Jean Michel Bergounoux of L’absinthe. After having failed to put up with crap from a infamous starred chef in midtown, I was without work and Jean-Robert my former chef sent me to Jean-Michel who was also out on his luck too from the late three starred restaurant Le Cygne. Along with me and two other cooks he hired us to head up the restaurant Raphael on 54th street. Restaurant Raphael was the original home of Nouveau cuisine in New York, as well as the layover for wayward future stars like Thomas Keller and a long list of names resembling the who’s who of chefs! The first incident where we screwed up, and there were surely a lot more than a few; chickens we forgot roasting in the oven led to admitting our mistake to Jean-Michel who only said, “guy’s it’s just chicken, I don’t want to yell and ‘ave an heart attaque!” we were amazed at his calm, most other chefs would scream like drill sergeants or can you! Jean-Michel made a cook understand the senses, judgment and taste; he was an all around chef always able to pull out masterpieces of food in such simple ways that were sublime!
So tonight I wasn’t disappointed, a fabulous sardine terrine with yukon potatoes and a roasted duck with an intense olive coulis! There was that pure earthiness that is signature of Jean-Michel’s food! I thought I would surprise him, indeed I think he was ; at first he wasn’t able to recognize me!
I hope to get him for an interview soon, sure was funny snapping a picture of him in the kitchen, “stand still Jean-Michel!” “Too busy Jeremy, je suis desolé,” he said as he was cranking out the orders on the line!

Check him out at the restaurant and catch the video with Al Roker!

Kunjip Restaurant

Korea town in Manhattan is a small stretch of restaurants, bookstores, and groceries surrounded by the huge mega stores like Macy's the Herald Square shops, Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.
My wife was having me schlepp bags for her and my reward was an offer of lunch at KunJip! Since my only favorite restaurant Dae Dong in my neighborhood in Sunnyside burned down years ago I don't really find any worth visiting that still remain! There were the barbecue ranges right in the tables, the private back rooms for business types and a really great array of dishes on the menu! All lost, until we unexpectedly  one day just found this really down to earth temple of fresh tasting Korean food! Our first visit had us waiting out the door with several people as this busy restaurant made room for waiting and departing guests! The host handed us menus as we put in our order standing in line, I used my food savvy mind to easily pick barbecue for her and a cool looking Kimchi and pork dish for me! Never as adventurous my wife could pick the same dish a million times over and over again! I think it's  a squeamish uncertainty of ingredients, but since I interviewed Anthony Bourdain I have emboldened my palate and said "give it to me!" Kimchi is so good here, though I noticed my palate is either desensitized or it just wasn't as hot as I recalled? (yeah right!) I want to go with another foodie one day and just go all out and chow, guess that'll have to be my brother who is most certainly not offended by the likes of menu choices that say intestines or some other non western friendly thing and makes the feint hearted want to cringe!
If your in the Big Apple come to this spot, it's fresh the service is friendly and they were laughing a lot when I snapped between bites of kimchi and this strange dried fish that was to die for!

Quaint

My neighborhood  Sunnyside can't be called a mecca for food but there is a place I visit when I don't cook at home or travel across to the city! About a year ago our  neighborhood experienced a nasty blackout widely reported, some of it's victims like me were luckily able to get something to nosh on at this eatery down the street from my apartment building ! Soon I was making  friends with the owner and chef as well as most of the staff of my local watering hole, Quaint.

The Chef and I have since become friends when I gave him some sour dough, this cemented the  cooks bond and hopefully infected him with the baking bug!

John McGrath has been at the helm since the original opening Chef decided to cut loose just at the tail end of the infamous blackout last year! Tim Chen the owner has had his moments of doubt and I keep encouraging him to let his hair down or ya-ya's out and let John cut loose with some of his more upscale menu he was making at Bliss restaurant where I first tried his food! Just recently they were awarded  best new restaurant from Time Out 2007 for Queens, an upsurge in business and a really honest kind of cooking make for a great night out in Queens!  This "quaint" restaurant is really a a breath of fresh air and gives some hope for local places in all neighborhoods where Manhattan isn't the only choice!

The other night I spent some hours sipping wine and eating some fine cooked salmon as well as snapping some shots of the crew. The onetime bartender bartender John who I had met when the restaurant was in crisis during the blackout was there with his family,he was leaving to head back to his home state. When I first met  first John he said he didn't like sourdough, so I showed up in the blackout during my insane 90 F baking marathon I would bring in a loaf or two for the guy's, that would be served at our table and amongst the staff! We will miss his kind welcome at the door and his willingness to slice the loaves and participate in the noshing of the handmade bread!

Thanks Tim, Veronica, John, Katie, Lucas and the rest of the guy's at Quaint