Can’t help it….

     Remember a post I had a while back about a former Sous? Many of you told me not to post. One person in fact suggested sour grapes. I can assure you that is NOT my case. 

     How much is too far? I have worked for a number of chefs over the years. Like any good cook, I took what I learned from each and every one and use it to this day, embellishing as I see fit. However, I have never blatantly took an exact dish, put it on my menu, and called it my own. On top of that, is it really necessary to post on websites the obvious jealousy and envy. Our business is tough enough.

      Grow up guy, concentrate on your restaurant and don’t worry about mine, we’re doing just fine without you. While you’re at it, work on some original recipes………

Bottle Shock

       While I realize that many of you may not know about this movie, Bottle Shock, nor the true story behind it. I just finished watching it and now I would like to reflect a bit abouot that story and the current state of food and wine. Just a few thoughts really….

     This movie is about the blind wine tasting in 1976  a Brit put together, in France with wines from Napa Valley and France. Chateau Montelena took first place for Chardonnay and Stags Leap took first for Cabernet Sauvignon, much to the dismay of the French, and the shock of many others. While I was only four years old at the time, now I truly appreciate what the Americans accomplished. Not only for wine, but for all things “gastronome” related.

     Think about the major change in American dining habits and the way people are thinking about food. Think about Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. Think about Wolfgang Puck, Larry Forgione, Jeremiah Tower, Jean Louis Palladin and on and on and on… Now think about Thomas Keller and The French Laundry or Ferran Adria and El Bulli. Some say these may be the best restaurants in the world, AND NEITHER IS IN FRANCE !!! 

    Think about all the wonderful artisanal cheeses made here in the U.S. to go with the wonderful wines. We used to look to France for all these things. Now, they look to us. C’est la vie!

A Wonderful Late Christmas Present !!!

All the thanks in the world to the staff at Trinity and our group of ‘Friends’ who have continued to encourage me. Obviously, Thank You to Art for a wonderful review.

http://blog.nj.com/artful_diner/

Winter…. UGH!!!!

Ahhhh…. Winter is here, and I hate it! Being from the south, I have never been much for freezing temperatures. Plus, spending close to 10 years in San Diego has me spoiled a bit. Not to mention, no more farmer’s markets, no tomatoes, no corn, squash blossoms, etc… Oh, and now I can’t wear shorts in the kitchen which really sucks! 

However, it brings out the inner “braiser” in me. Short ribs, lamb shanks, pork bellies, confit, veal cheeks, and on and on. There something about a braise…… As I have said many times before, taking a lesser cut of meat and turning into something special requires more skill on the part of the cook, not to mention time and effort. Any monkey can throw a steak on the grill, even a good hamburger is not that difficult. But a braise? ahhhh…..So many layers of flavor. Meltingly rich and satisfying, “Uber” comfort food. 

Its no secret I LOVE Japanese food. Its the purest form of food I know. I like to think a big part of my cooking comes from Japanese cooking, or lack thereof. But braising makes me , I don’t know, cozy, warm. If backyard BBQ’ing is it for summer, a huge pot of pork shoulder cooking away all day is IT! Some tortillas, some salsa and a bit of lime… I’m in heaven. Recently, I wanted to try a new dish out for the winter menu. I have played with pork belly a few times before but never got it quite right. This time, with the assistance of some Boylan’s root beer I think I got it. Sweet, succulent and oh so good with a sprinkle of sea salt.

The other is a lamb shank braised “Mole Poblano.” With close to 40 ingredients involved, there is considerable layers of chilies, aromatics, spices, and even a little chocolate. Its almost like eating a great big Bordeaux.The dish is soul stirring and completely satisfying.

I guess I will find some other foods to keep me occupied this winter. Maybe I will try lamb shoulder, marrow bones, sweetbreads, chicken livers, or some other underutilized and under appreciated cut of meat to enjoy while its cold outside.

Birthday Blah Blah Blah

Dear diary……

Oops. Just Kidding. 

I have had so much going on lately that I have totally neglected this thing. What to report? I had a birthday excursion to NYC, plenty of food stuff there. I have had the chance to revamp the wine list and enjoyed several new bottles. And it seems like I just changed the menu and am ready to do so again! Jesus, does it never end?

 

So, on the birthday excursion we first went to Mitsuwa in Edgewater past the fairy landing. It is a Japanese Supermarket that I adore. This location in Edgewater is the only one on the East Coast(Sinatra Drive). The place is cleaner than any hospital I have ever been to. All the aisles are clear, clean, concise, like you would expect something else. So what do we buy there? Mostly dry goods since we always seem to be going into NYC shortly thereafter. Oak aged soy sauce, expensive but wonderful. Yuzu in many guises (Japanese citrus). Furikake, a seasoning mix used on just about everything. It can be made from a variety of foods but I like the veggie one with pumpkin, sesame, egg, seaweed, etc… Brown Rice Vinegar, again expensive but so worth the flavor. a few other odds and ends. But what I really go for? The Japanese Junk Food! Peking Duck Flavored Doritos! Little baby sugar doughnuts, Amazing Jellies/Gummies, Candies, Cookies, and a serious energy drink that makes red bull look like kool-aid! As always, I get a snack for the ferry ride over, usually a cold seafood/seaweed salad and something fried.

On to NYC! I know I gush about the city all the time, but for me it’s a real treat. So many things to do, so many foods to try. It’s like a giant playground for me and I love it!

For lunch, Artisanal. A French brasserie type specializing in one of my food groups, CHEESE! I sampled 10, yes, 10 different cheeses for lunch along with two great Spanish wines (will post later). All were very good except one. This cheese, maybe, could be, if it were dipped in chocolate and topped with a chili, would be my perfect food, You see, Fosterkase tastes like BACON!!!!!!! Yes, BACON!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!! Need I say more? 

For dinner (only a few hours after my cheese-o-thon) we went to Asia de Cuba. It has been on my wish list so I loooked forward to some different and what i hoped wasn’t confusion, Fusion food. Beautiful space, very NYC I’d say. Service was very good and friendly. The idea here is to share multiple plates. Seeing how we had gorged ourselves earlier, we weren’t too hungry. OK, we went all out again, you got me!

Pan roasted Scsllops with habanero crema and plantains was nice, though i prefer my scallops almost raw if not raw. Their take on “ropa vieja” which was duck confit, shredded tableside, with julienned vegetables and napa cabbage leaves. Could have been outstanding if there was a better and more sauce to accompany the duck. The dish wound up being very dry. For the entree, we shared “short ribs” char sui with mofungo. Now let me say this; when the plate came out I was so taken back by the presentation that it almost got cold. I had never seen anyone slice short ribs and fan them out on a plate. They were good with a nice chinese “bark” on one side but again, dry.

Not that i had room for dessert…………….but I took one for the team. Fresh sugar doughnuts with chocolate and caramel sauces. The doughnuts were great. I also enjoyed an aged rum from Anguilla, Pyrat Cask 23, $45 a shot. It was like drinking Cognac, not rum. Amazing stuff, will have to splurge on a bottle when I have a few hundred bucks to spare.

Next up…..

Early Winter Menu, Wine List and new Cocktails!

New Fall Menu

 

Autumn 2008

In The Beginning

 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake over local apple/sweet onion slaw and wasabi dijonaise

Mi Padre’s Poppers smoked chicken & manchego stuffed piquillo peppers, lime crema        

 

Grilled ‘Feng Shui’ Prawns spicy chili sauce, sweet soy, sour thai glaze, salty sweet potatoes

Hauser Hill Farms Beet ‘Carpaccio’ great hill blue cheese brulee, applewood bacon lardons, micro beet greens, maldon sea salt   

Catalan Style Clams with chorizo, spanish peppers, cilantro, white wine and a touch of cream

Hudson Valley Torchon de Foie Gras hauser hill farm apple compote, ‘gingerbread’ funnel cake, truffle greens and hawaiian black salt

Braised Wild Boar Arepas colombian corn-cakes, ’guacamole’ mousse, queso fresco, parsley/oregano salsa and pimenton oil

Local Butternut Squash Bisque creole crawfish fritters 

Broad Street Baby Spinach Salad with shaved apples, candied walnuts, fresh goat cheese with blackberry champagne vinaigrette                  

Chef’s Artisanal Cheese Plate 3 selections of cheese, pecan-raisin bread, fig/almond cake, seasonal fruit and nut garnish 

All entrees served with a petit side salad and red wine vinaigrette

Out of The Fire 

‘Re-Constructed’ Veal Marsala grilled veal porterhouse, sautéed wild mushrooms, truffled parsnip puree, demi-glace/marsala reduction

Filet Mignon grilled 8oz steak with bleu cheese walnut butter, port wine syrup, gold potato puree and seasonal vegetables                                                                                                    

Gaucho Steak - 16 oz grilled flat iron served with chorizo chorreadas and chimmichurri sauce 

“Prime” 14oz Pork Chop macaroni and cheese, spicy sautéed seasonal greens and house made barbeque butter                                  

American Kobe Trinity Burger with foie gras, onion marmalade & truffle cheese, homemade ketchup, and fresh french fries           

Revelations

 

Seven Spice American Kobe Short Ribs braised in bolgogi sauce, ginger sweet  potato puree, roasted spaghetti squash

Pan Roasted Halibut local butternut squash ‘risotto’, wild mushrooms and lemon chive beurre blanc

Seafood ‘Acqua Pazza’ shrimp, monkfish, and clams, spicy tomato broth with garlic, capers, olives, potatoes, and ditalini

Wild Mushroom Risotto carnaroli rice, four year aged gouda, fresh herbs, and a touch of white truffle oil

Local Monkfish ‘Saltimbocca’ prosciutto de san danielle wrapped & roasted monkfish, spaghetti squash, pedrona lentils, and sage brown butter sauce         

Casino Royale shrimp scampi meets clams casino over linguine with applewood bacon, fresh herbs, garlic, chili flakes and butter      

Sides

seasonal vegetable saute

sautéed greens with chilies and garlic

baby spinach with garlic and e.v.o.o.

loaded mashed potatoes

white truffle risotto

ginger sweet potatoes

chorizo chorreadas

macaroni and cheese

Pure & Simple

 

All served with Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables

*Except where noted*

 

Grilled Shrimp with extra virgin olive oil                                                           

Broiled Monkfish with fresh citrus and herb oil                                                  

Broiled Halibut with fresh citrus and brown butter                                               

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with grain mustard cream                                           

*Shrimp “Scampi” with lemon, garlic, parsley and linguine                                

*Linguine Alla Vongole white clam sauce and fresh littlenecks                        

Grilled 8oz Filet Mignon & house made steak sauce                                 

Grilled 16oz Flat Iron Steak with lemon and olive oil                                         

Grilled Pork Chop and homemade apple sauce                                             

Grilled Veal Porterhouse with marsala reduction                                               

Roasted Lemon & Herb Bell & Evans 1/2 Chicken                                                 

Surf And Turf “a la Rock” roasted chicken breast & jumbo lump crab cake          

American Kobe Burger served with french fries & homemade ketchup               

                  add white cheddar                            add applewood bacon 

 

Redemption Song

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2008/09/if_food_is_your_religion_trini.html

   Wow, what an emotional roller-coaster this past week and a half has been. I have been so sick at times I could not get out of bed. I haven’t slept since I received the “call”. I have been more on edge (if that’s possible) than usual and some people wonder why……

  I’ll tell you why. This is what I work so hard for, day in/day out. This is why I am somewhat fanatical. I have put my outside life on hold for so long because I feel the restaurant needs the most attention. This is why most of my staff could kill me at times. 

  This journey started 15 years ago and has finally payed off (in print anyway). In that time my work ethic has never waivered, even if I hated where I was working. There are so many people to thank in so many different ways. Amiko, Bob, Butch, Brian, MIke & Stella, the Chefs that really “shaped” me. California, for showing the way on buying local and providing me with a great vegetable education while in San Diego. All my vendors who have stuck by me in times when maybe they shouldn’t have. Thanks to Giorgio for showing me that Italian food can be more than breadcrumbs, mozzarella and “gravy”. Thanks to Vito, Tom, John, Johnathan, Jocelynn, you guys have been a tremendous help! Gloria, Rich, Joe, Dennis, Artie, and Craig, thanks for all the wine help. A huge thanks to the staff at Trinity for continuing to put up with me (only gets worse gang!). Our PR help, you know who you are! Couldn’t have done this without you both! 

  Charlie, thanks for letting me be me and not something else. It took a lot of courage on your part to let me come in and turn everything upside down within weeks of opening and do it “my way”.

  Our wonderful group of “regulars” who have encouraged me on a consistent basis as well as challenging me on occasion

  Most of all, thanks to mom and dad who gave me the opportunities that most never get, the workaholic genes, the desire to be good at what you do, and making me eat szchewan food when I was four years old and continuing to shape an “open” palate, not a meat and potatoes bore.

To post or not to post……

   That my friends is the question. Whether it is nobler to be a gentleman and not say a word or…….Do I crush this guy every chance I get for screwing me and the restaurant? 

   It appears that a former cook of mine is the chef at the soon to open Porterhouse Grill in Old Bridge. This jerk decides one day in the middle of his shift to leave me “for an emergency”. Never heard from him until he answered my add on Craig’s List for a cook. He did this to another place in Red Bank leaving that place with no Chef at all!

   So, do I try to verbally decimate whatever I can of his reputation? Am I being childish? If you ever read this Keith, what goes around, comes around and its a small world out there. Careful what you do and whom to…………..

What is Too Expensive??????

Now that I have my own “space”, I want to re-hash a subject that continues to come up.

How could anyone of sound body and mind think Trinity is expensive?????? compared to Burger King, McDonald’s, etc.. yes. Come on people, what planet are you from? Do you live in Fantasy-land Township? I dare anyone to find another restaurant with that atmosphere and that quality food for the same price. 

Yes, I’m upset. Yes, I take it personally. I think these people have been hitting the crack pipe way too often. Where do they go and eat for less in the same environment??? Maybe its the same people who come in with 25$ gift certificates and “abuse” the privilege. They don’t tip on original amount, leaving less than 5 dollars at times!!!!!!!!!!  Can u imagine? A meal that would normally cost, say, 60$ is now 35$ and they tip 5$ if the server is lucky….Had a guy come in last night and bought 2 entrees with a 25$ g.c. It was just him, a kobe hamburger and risotto, i think the bill was 10$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What planet am I on? Reminds me of the lady who would come into Solo for lunch, buy a side of meatballs, and ask for extra bread. Guess what what she did? Made sandwiches…….The third time she came in, we charged her $7 for the bread.

On another night, we went out for Chinese food(well, american/chinese). Pu-Pu for 2, pork chow fun, moo shui pork, spicy eggplant and two small side of pork fried rice(yes, i like pork). Total was $42 plus tax and tip. Is this too expensive? I don’t believe so. When we ate at a “famous” chef’s namesake place in Pt. Plesant a couple of years ago, it was hardly a bargain, $23 I remember for a chicken breast, not even organic, served with greens and sauce.

While this all may be subjective, some people need to get out more……..

Chow Hound Pt 2 Blog Wars

This is the follow up…..

I had to get a new screen name because they have punished me (boo-hoo)

From chow:

Hi jedichef, you’ve been sent the following by a Chowhound moderator:

Hi:
We sent this to your other address and then deactivated your chefMD account when you continued to post and repost your query even after we emailed you:

“Please bear in mind as you use our site that we reserve the right to remove posts at our discretion, without notification or explanation. We also don’t engage in public debate about deleted posts. We know moderated sites aren’t to everyone’s liking but if you’d like to continue to use our site, those are the rules we expect you to respect.”

If you’d like to continue using your chefMD ID, please confirm that you’ve received this email and that you’ll stop posting over and over again about posts we’ve deleted, and we’ll reactivate it.

The Chowhound Team
Chowhound.com For
Those Who Live to Eat

Of course I replied……

first of all, i never received an email before this one. secondly, i believe an explanation is needed. i have seen far worse posts completely self written or otherwise promoting of other restaurants.

i never go on to self promote my restaurant, in fact, never even bring it up. i do not hide who i am. you (chowhound) allowed an entire email from another restaurant to be posted ! so why i ask, do you remove a new post like the one i am referring to ? And, allow one about the entire religious aspects, which frankly, have NOTHING to do with the food, ambiance and service to be posted ? i know it was taken down, i am the one who reported it. but if i hadn’t, would it still be there ? there was another posting from months ago you removed. same exact thing. a new customer for me, a new poster for you, wrote a very intelligent piece, and you removed it ! why ? no explanation…..

I have no issue with negative reports about where i work. in fact, i have used chowhound as research “intelligence” for my own place. most times, i agree with what people say about trinity.

maybe i shouldn’t suggest your website anymore…….

i will not continue to post about this instance….

but i am watching….

– 
Michael d’Ennery