Dim Bulb

I've deleted a few posts since writing this blog. Usually it was a case of frustration and being tired. That was the case with yesterday's post I deleted. An unflattering rant about an associate. After a little time I re-read it and realized it was inappropriate. It appears the dimmest bulb around here is me.

Fridays

We've been wanting to feature more seafood specials on Friday nights and now that Lent is here we've put it on the front burner. Last night we did "Carolina" catfish with mac and cheese, crab hush puppies and coleslaw. My wife had the catfish at Sylvia's in Harlem. I wanted to re-create it. (with artistic license of course.) We sold the hell out of it. I'll run that every Friday.

Also featured, oysters on the half shell with mignonette and cocktail sauces and a combo of walleye, salmon and shrimp.

I also did a nice raw plate with sashimi grade hamachi ceviche, sashimi grade U-10 Japanese scallops and spicy tuna roll. All the fish was extremely fresh and world class. I am going to be doing sushi and sashimi more in the future. You really can't get good sushi in this town.

I hope Fridays turn into a fun night. The busier we are the more seafood options I can offer.

Slight Adjustment Needed

You may have noticed I have a thing for knives. I appreciate the craftsmanship, style and performance of a good knife. My interest led me to "Knife Forums", a web site dedicated to "intelligent knife discussions". I thought I was a knife nut, I pale in comparison to the knife nuts on there. Very knowledgeable people who have similar interests in quality knives and makers. I've learned a ton about Japanese knives in particular. They are the main topic of conversation within the kitchen section of the forums. I had already owned a couple Japanese knives but wasn't aware of the scope and nature of manufacture. Small mom and pop shops to large operations. The Japanese take great pride in the craft. Their knives are also extremely sharp and aficionados are almost obsessive about how sharp they can get them. (keeping them sharp as well) Hence I made the plunge into wet stones for sharpening. I've used oil stones and machines in the past but since using the wet stones my knives are far sharper than ever before. I also keep them sharp. All of them all of the time. As a result I have to adjust my knife handling by a few millimeters. My knife works in close proximity with my left hand. It's never a good thing when the two meet. My knives were always sharp (relatively speaking) but now they are scary sharp. I never noticed the countless times when my knife would just graze over a finger tip or gently bump into one. I notice it now. These knives are not so forgiving. One touch and you're breaking skin. I happened to notice the tips of three of my fingers on my left hand had "knife bites". Small irritating cuts that you don't notice right away or sometimes not at all. Working in a kitchen your finger tips get toughened and callused so it's not until you're squeezing lemons or dipping into the salt bucket that you notice them. The photo to the right shows you what I'm talking about. The one on the index finger is on it's way to healing and the other two are fresh. I'm sure soon enough I'll naturally adjust to the new conditions. The last thing I want to do is think about adjusting. (remember, Zen knife) Bad things will happen if I do. It will happen on it's own without me being aware. In the mean time I'll have to remember and pick-up more finger tip band-aids and Polynesian prophylactics. (finger cots)

Minor Tweaks

Changing the "Fruit of the Sea". It's been Thai style for awhile. Going to serve it with a little pasta and a light tomato sauce with garlic, fresh basil, truffle oil and some shaved Parmesan. I want to do the sauce "ala minute", I'll play around with it and see how it works. A little more main stream but I know I'll sell the hell out of it.

Also changing the Veg dish. Wild mushroom-miso broth with grilled tofu, spinach and broccoli. I may drizzle a little truffle oil on it as well. No matter what I will not be selling the hell out of tofu. (my wife likes it. Love you honey!)

Title Photo

The two knives in the photo are Hattori's KD series. The one on top is a 210mm gyotu. The style is what is commonly referred to as a chef's knife or French knife. The lower knife is also a Hattori. A 180mm santoku. The bottom knife once looked like the top knife. The dramatic Damascus pattern clearly visible. The KD series of Hattori's are special and of course expensive. They are hand made using multiple layers of steel, hammered together after leaving the forge. It's not a pretty job nor are the conditions comfortable. The process of forging the knife is one of the reasons these knives should be used and not hidden away in the knife kit. It's a working man's tool. I like the contrast of the two knives. The top one is new and the other is five years old. It's obvious that knife gets used. Alot. Maybe not every day but on the busy nights, the special dinners, first night of a new menu etc. It was with me went I went out to CIA Greystone, it was with me when I drove across the country this summer,(You never know when you might need a job.) I took it to New York. When I need to be at the top of my game the Hattori santoku is there. The fact that it has lost it's luster has not affected it's performance. The weight and balance are perfect, the handle lies gracefully in my hand and it stays sharp forever. The knife becomes a part of me. Just like the guy said in Zen and the Art of War, you shouldn't have to think about your movements, skills, or tactics, they are so natural the process is removed from your mind to allow it concentrate on other more important matters. Just like the swords of the samurai, a chef's knife should act in the same manner. As a matter of fact the process of forging a Japanese knife is much the same as for a samurai sword. The knife needs to fulfill it's purpose.

I'm also practical about the usage of expensive knives. The gyotu hasn't had the pleasure of much use. The knives obviously start looking tired after a while. Why dull the two beauties at the same time. It will see use when I send the santoku in for a makeover. It will be brought back to it's original luster and in the mean time it will be exciting breaking in the gyotu. I've used it a few times, I really like the shape and has a extremely sharp and hard edge. No cutting up lamb racks for this knife. And after being stroked by a soft towel a few hundred thousand times it will also loose it's luster but it will be a much better knife for it.

NYC

Just got back from a short trip to New York. The chef where my daughter works was presenting a black truffle dinner at The James Beard House. As a Christmas gift to ourselves my wife, daughter and I made the trip to attend. For those not familiar, the James Beard Foundation is exists to promote the culinary arts in America. They present annual awards to chefs, authors and restaurateurs. It is considered the equivalent to the Oscars in the restaurant world. The James Beard house is their headquarters. They present dinners there featuring the finest chefs in America. It is "ground zero" in the culinary world.

The chef, Adam Siegal from Lake Park Bistro was kind enough to accept my offer to help out in the kitchen. As it turns out I napped instead. (don't ask) I'm sure he was happy about that, I got the impression he thought I was a rube. We attended the dinner and had a great time. The food was excellent and had great conversations with our table mates. I'll go into more details about my impressions of New York and it's dining scene soon. I wanted to post a few photos in the mean time. A slide show has been added.