chef sabo's culinary Journey at the Met Museum

Dnner at Kajitsu

2011-11-21T21:09:00.001-08:00

Now this is really Zen on a plate.

Dinning at Kajitsu and enjoying the Buddhist vegan cuisine (practiced by the monks for centuries) that gets an updated New York version is unforgettable. I can remember each dish , their sublime qualities beckoning mysterious nuances and umami. Do yourself a favor a go for dinner here immediately!

DASHI : cornerstone to Japanese cuisine

2011-11-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a version of Japanese clear soup I made for a special one day in the Members Dining Room. Its made with dried bonita flakes, dried seaweed, (katsuo and kombu),

Yuzu peel ,Shitake, and Shrimp. Zen in a bowl. Not really but you get the idea.

This is a great soup to pour tableside!

Porchetta!

2011-11-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

Now that's a big pork roast . Its 2 pork bellies wrapped around a boneless pork loin. The whole thing is rubbed with Rosemary,thyme, garlic crushed pepper and olive oil. A bit of spice rubbed on the outside and tied up. We cooked it for about 51/2 hours at about 275F . It was really tasty!

I first saw this done last year on the lower east side of Manhattan at a tiny place appropriately named ...Porchetta. I also saw versions of it the Food show in NYC. Its Italian and was traditionally done as a Pig Roast.

Secret Ingredient

2011-08-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is the Amou Strawberry vinegar that puts our Rhubarb Strawberry vinaigrette over the top!

UDON NAGOYA STYLE!

2011-08-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here they are, the fat and firmest udon noodles in a red miso broth. After getting completely lost in our rental car on the maze of Nagoya's highways and roads we finally found what we were looking for : The real Nagoya style udon noodle!

2011-08-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

These are the different toppings for the udon.

This girl is rolling out fresh udon nooldles in a fast food franchise Udon Shop in Nagoya, Japan

On a recent trip we stopped in for lunch. It was great! Broth, noodles and topping about $9.

NRA Food Show Chicago

2011-06-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

The JRO Booth at the NRA show, Chicago. Umami was the theme.

This is the largest food show in the US.

Miyazaki Miracle

2011-02-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

A 45 minute flight south to Miyazaki

We are the last flight to land beforee ash cloud stops air traffic, A volcano welomes us!

Strawberry Fields

2011-01-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Beautiful strawberries that taste exactly as they should grown around Kanesaki and all over Fukuoka.

Liquid Freeze and Squid

2011-01-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

In Fukuoka new technology freezes fish at subzero temperatures to maintain cell integrity. Hence, sushi /sashimi quality fish. These Fishermen are dayboat squid guys. Tiger fugu fetches the higest price, but not for the fisherman?

Local Market and Oyster Farming

2011-01-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

grilled oysters to hot to handle use a glove! Way delicious!

Seaside Grilled Oysters in the winter mmmmmm! Eaten with ponzu!
Get the boat out to the oyster rafts
Hey Frozen Tuna Heads how did that pic get here? Thats from thefis market

These fish are a local market in City of Fukuoka

After a great breakfast of the freshest sashimi we headed to a local market where I found teas, perfect strawberries and Fried fish cakes freshly made and a huge variety of fish and shellfish. Then on to the Ebisu Oyster Farm. Now I understand the love and passion that goes into raising these gems full of that perfect briney sea flavor.

DAY ONE

2011-01-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

First Stop is the Fish Market. Freshness and variety is my first impression. The shear amount of different seasonal fish and shellfish is stunning. They noticeable absent scent of any fish smell is evident.

Time to Discover: Kyushu, Japan

2011-01-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

January 23, Japan Airlines JFK to Fukuoka, Hakata,Japan. I am invited by their Chamber of Commerce to see the riches of this land.

First Stop is Hakata City where a can meet a happy group of chefs and business folk celebrating accomplishments and collaberation.

ITALY AT OUR TABLE

2011-01-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

Check out this blog from visting Italian wine promoters with chef Luciano Zazzarian

http://www.lebaccanti.com/blog/

Ala Plancha takes off!

2010-04-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Baby Octopus Chic pea puree ,chorizo and Harrisa

The Shining New Ship Sets Sail.

2010-04-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Renovation done,streamlined and clean. Refrigeration under counter more surface area for plating, hanging shelves, heat lamps and 2 air conditioners to help air flow and cooling. New walk-in , storeroom and pastry area. AAHHHHH at last ! We never thought it would happen. Now the fun begins!

New Day

2010-04-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Its been 2 1/2 months since the last post. The Trustees Dining Room reopend April 2 and offically April 6. So far so good. Its been a long process with some minor delays and a few set backs. after 3 months of renovation the TDR is back. New equipment, new pastry area and new cooking line.
We made some changes, added Plancha section to the menu and are serviing an amuse of pickeled baby vegetables at lunch. We added side to go with the fish and a trio of sauces/dips and relish. Randy is making a couple of breads and spinning all ice creams and sorbet again. We added smoked butter to go along with the regular butter. Changed quite a few item on the menu.

The End !

2010-01-29T02:05:00.001-08:00

Its been a good trip , Just what I needed to put things in perspective. Saw a lot of great cooking and two cities I've never visited before. I made some friends along the way and ate some great food . Thanks to all (3pp) for following this ridiculous blog it was probably an enormous waste of time but at least when Im long gone from this earth this one trip will be floating around out there in cyber space for all (3pp) to read. Bon Apetite!

Madrid Fusion

2010-01-27T15:52:00.001-08:00

Madrid Fusion: Machismo, Molecular gastronomy, flying plates, liquid nitrogen, megastar chefs, cookies made with saw dust, infused cocktails,bananas with uni, $8000 white truffle auction, syringes, tweezers, panel discussions, interviews, lots of video demos, awards and wagging tails. Not to mention simultaneous translation headphones, gorgeous sales girls, wine ,beer and very creative ideas! Yes I'm humbled, its all a bit over whelming the shear extent of the body of knowledge these Spaniards have been playing with for the last decade. A real eye opener for me ...but that's why I'm here.

MADRID!

2010-01-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Made to Madrid with a bit of an unsettled stomach. I may have eaten one ripe pintxos to many the night before I left San Sebastion. So unfortunatly I've been fasting for the past 2 days....
Today I toured the Musee de Reina Sofia which was great. Lots of Dali, Picasso and and Miro.
Did find a graet bowl of sopa de polla for my shakey bowels.

San Sabastian and Pintxos

2010-01-23T11:45:00.001-08:00

A cool little city on the ocean... Steeped in history in the heart of Basque country this town boasts the most Michelin starred restaurants anywhere. If you cant afford them fortunately they have Pintxos . Small bars and eateries prepare small plates of food called Pintxos. For about 2 to 6 Euros each you can order a few with a glass of wine or small beer then move to th e next bar. They vary in quality and they just sit right there on the bar for all to grab (the hell with sneeze guards) . You can also order hot ones too. They take a few minuets to prepare but the pay off can be something like Panchetta Confit in light as air potato puree or plancha foie gras with an apple puree and pinenuts. Interesting and economical! As they say in Basque country"Onagin" which means something like Bon Apetite.

AKELARE

2010-01-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

This was a very imaginative and creative lunch. Consider this, I was the only person for lunch that day....except for the other 12 people that showed up an hour later. A quick tour of the kitchen counted about 18 chefs. Spotless , Quite and almost surreal .....

Its situated high above the cliff of the Cambien Sea (Atlantic ocean) ...with a breath taking view. So its a 10 for atmosphere even with little bonsai trees on each table. The tasting menu 135 Euros is about $200. Yes its the most expensive lunch I ve ever had... Again great pains were taken to produce an incredible amuse bouche. This really seems to be a trade mark here . Starting out with a bang like i've never seen anywhere except Arzak. This time it included a crispy blood pudding roll ,almond dust bonbon, cheesepaper tartlette, a crunchy jamon souffled something, iced foie gras droplets with foie gras meringue like substance, a shucked oyster in cased in crisp delicate cocoa shell, and some bacalao bites coated with dehydrated tomato soup.

Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands eh? First course is a warm shrimp salad only the shrimp are cooked table side on volcanic rocks in a cast iron pot set aflame with some kind of local brandy.....then served only a plate that has three little purees of screaming green haricot vert shrimp shell "soil" three leaves of ice lettuce (not ice burg) and the three thinnest strips of green beans of ever seen. The result was 3 tasty shrimp pleasing in every way. The whole lunch is like this . Menu descriptions read like chapters in a novella ,"Mollusks in the net of the Fisherman " and "Milk and Grape, Cheese and Wine in a parallel evolution." The result is spectacular. Not over the top as in WD-50. Not that that's not compelling in its own way but here I can appreciate all the ingredients from this region in their enhanced state. Best dish for me was the "Turbot with its Kokotxa " Turbots dont have a Kokotxa (throat) so the made one out of god knows what but it was Delicious. The fish cooked spot on served with natural gelatin thickened Pil pil . (garlic and oil sauce) oh and they ground up the bones after they baked them ,dehydrated them and pressed them in to a crisp 2x2" chip. I could tell you more about this meal but duty calls ....on to Pinxtos!

Good Bye Kaia Kai Pe

2010-01-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

My thanks to Igor,Lydia and the entire staff at Kaia Kai Pe for their generosity and graciousness. Also for their patience with the worst speaker of the Spanish language .Lo Siento!

I will make this a goal this year to become fluent seeing as my whole staff back at the Met speaks Spanish I have plenty victims to practice with. Special thanks to Igor's mom ,and Josh without whose English speaking help I would have had less a rewarding experience. Suffice to say this is a great place to eat seafood and a model for the simplest way to serve seafood. (There aren't even side orders and I hardly saw any vegetables either ....but they're not the showcase here.

Shrimp a al plancha!

2010-01-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

Its all good when its prepared as simply as possible, cooked on the plancha. Less is more here as lobsters, langoustinos and crabs receive the same treatment on the plancha. A little oil and salt is all they need.

Anguillas!

2010-01-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

Baby eels, a rare deliacacy indeed was on the menu tonight at Kaia Kai Pe tonight, . Briefly warmed in a bit of olive oil , browned garlic and a touch whole cayenne pepper , these expensive creatures were very tasty .

San Sabastion Day (NIght?)

2010-01-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

No! I didnt expect to see this scene on this trip but lucky me. The chefs against the British soldiers. A kind of independence day. San Sebation day has something to do with the local guys dressed as chefs, beating drums, scaring off the Brits way back when they were contemplating overthrowing the area. Or perhaps the beating of drums was a call to arms. Either way it was a party indeed with the two groups (of which there were many pairs) following each other around the city until dawn and stopping to play music every so often . Drinking lots of booze along the way is also part of the ritual nobody objects to. What fun indeed!

KAIA KAI-PE

2010-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

High tech hidden in the old city. Kaia Ka-Pe is a restaurant that betrays its humble facade. Its mantra; FRESHNESS! Hiding in buildings along these cobblestone streets is a restaurant complex consisting of several small areas of operation from pumped in sea water tanks for all the live crustaceans to wine storage. There is a magnificent collection of wine I might add dating back decades. They even have bottles from the 1920s, 30s, 40 and 50s. Fabrication of the fish takes place outside the main restaurant in one of these buildings. Whole fish is grilled outdoors in front of the restaurant by Pedro and sold by weight while the other dishes come from inside the restaurants kitchen. All of it is simply prepared using just a few seasonings letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Lobsters ,langoustino, crabs and crayfish all cooked on the plancha in minuets. Browned garlic in oil with a splash of apple cider vinegar is the standard treatment for most of the whole fish after its semi de boned in the kitchen and sent out to the guest. They do this amazing thing with the gelatin from the monk fish heads! Concochas (codfish throats) are cooked in garlic oil until their gelatin makes its own sauce!! I'm enjoying the place. Igor and his staff are the nicest ,hard working people ever. Gratefully there is one guy who speaks really good English in the kitchen. He is Josh. Last night Josh took me to a kind of carnival in San Sebastian which is 20 minuets away. It was like the running of the bulls only with marching bands. We got back at 4:30am %$#@&*

Getaria on the Horizon

2010-01-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the most charming places i ever visited . A gorgeous seaside town nestled in a fishing port. Cobblestone streets with small restaurants that each have their own outdoor grilling area for fish. Walked around at night and found some tasty pinxtos. I even have a room with a view (hey its of season ) Tomorrow begins 3 days with chef Igor of Kaia Ka Pei

ARZAK almost a 10 for me!

2010-01-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

This was a well thought out meal with beautiful table top adornments . 5 very tasty amuse buche to begin followed buy simple coins of apple filled with a dab of foie gras burleed. A lobster salad served with a warm clear lobster broth poured table side. In fact there was so much table side action it s hard to remember it all! Toured the kitchen ,I must have counted 25 cooks!! No exaggeration!! Amazing. Had the tasting menu. It was all very good except one of the desserts was pretty regular and a bowl of dessert soup on the side reminded us of a medicinal flavor. But the "egg du jour" was probably one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten.

Hospitality was a homerun from the moment we entered to the moment we left. Never expected that kind warm treatment.

Tapas and the Best Pulpo Ever!

2010-01-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

LITTLE CLAMS

Its not difficult to make but its the best octopus I ever tasted, and the sea barnecals where sweet ocean delight. Toured the old city today, its ripe with history and the seafood is caught daily. I love this litttle city and its people are warm and friendly. I will definetly return here in the warmer weather. Interestingly women are the dominate force in the local kitchens as well as the ones who tend the markets

SPAIN !

2010-01-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

I arrive in A Coruna after spending the whole day at the airport in Paris due to an air traffic controllers strike. Missed my first flight and was lucky to catch the next flight 8 hrs later. Thanks to my savey travel agent. Missed a day in Barcelona but made it this lovely town on the northeast corner of Spain where seafood and tapas are the local currency.

Met by my good friends Pablo and Beatriz which happen to have a budding catering business right here in A Coruna.... That night first stop is Tabarena O Secreto where the Guinness World Record holder for the longest slice of Jamon is held by Senor Nico Jimenez. He 's long gone from here but this is where it happen nevertheless the jamon of varying kinds are excellent as is the tapas here . Bay scallops cooked with onion and jamon, mussels shucked and baked with bread crumbs ,paprika, olive oil ,garlic and onion among others all very delicsious. The Albarinos are equally as good and go great with all the seafood... Tomorrow more tapas are the agenda as is the seafood market

LUNCH AT ETC.

2010-01-12T09:06:00.000-08:00

This meal topped last nights. Very refined , sophistcated but user friendly with an edge of arrogance. Smoked Haddock wrapped around chicken livers, oyster three ways, en gelee' and warmed au gratin, and light as air mousse. Pike with endive ,ham , nougatine, and Boudin Noir with passion fruit! Dessert smoked milk! on top of Caramba caramel on ice cream . Great presentations, great flavor. The chef Bernaud Pinaud does a spectacular job, and hes a really nice guy.

January 11.2010

2010-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

Found them those little tiny tasty fried fish at La Cagouille. So far this is the best meal in Paris simply prepared, unpretentious, cooked perfect. A whole grilled bone in St. Pierre with a bit of butter sauce and a side of parsnip puree. Ahhh this is what I was looking for. Perfect pear tarte.

Met the chef and we drank 40 yr cognac. Definetly recommend this restaurant for its simply prepared pristine fish and oysters with not much else. Great value for the money.

Also ate at Pierre Gagnaire's Gaya restaurant on Rue de Bac. It was good with intelligent touches and alot going on . Some beautiful dishes here too. But LaCagouille was more enjoyable . more on that later

2010-01-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

Picture perfect everything in the store. Amazing selection of fruit even in January. Went to Marmont then walked around a bit. Went to see Notre Dame, ate Croque Madame at a nearby cafe with coffee .Swung by the Lourve ,found some good cook books in the store there. Went to the Eiffel Tower to take in the view. It was cold.....and stunning! Ate dinner at Fish la Boissonerie. Best meal so far. Scallops with chic peas and andouille. Salmon with roasted eggplant and sauce vert. Simple and pleasant. Tomorrow promises more intersting eating now the sight seeing is done!

Day Two

2010-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Girl slicing Proscuitto at Fouchon

The girl who would be queen!

Croissants ,brioche,baguettes and coffee for breakfast. No complaints here. My girlfirend is sick. We wait abit to meet her old friends who come over to sat hi one who happens to be a doctor. After a spectacular Almond pithivier with a king hidden in it (who ever gets the slice with the little king in it is the king for the day and he may also crown his queen!)(Oma gets the king and crowns mygirl friend queen...great) we head off to the Arch d Triumph and the Champ d Elysee

After walking in the freezing cold for an hour we hop a metro ride to Fouchon and Hediard. We buy some head cheese at Fouchon for good measure and stop in for champagne at the other . It's served with warm gougeirs and foie gras terrine on toast! Not bad at all!

After a warming spell its back on the metro to meet friends for dinner at ......... Its packed and its good. Portions huge, escargot, salad Landier, tete du veau, scallops provancal , beef liver and other typical !? French food. I was stuffed after my appetizer. Not dissapointing but not what Im looking for.

Paris at Last!!

2010-01-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

Made it to Paris. First meal at the home of friends Alain and Sophie. After a brief trip to the locale supermarket and boulangier we came back to their place with beef carpaccio, Truffle oil,Parmesan and rocket. Camembert, goat cheese, wine, pork rilette and smoked fish. The perfect baguette (2 kinds) excellent quality everything! Is this how typical French eat at home? I am in Heaven at last.... Later that day dinner at Le Dome. Classic French tourist seafood spot. Very fresh, no surprises, very expensive. One dish was interesting. Thin slices of raw bass with shaved raw foie gras , Cantal cheese, large pieces of herbs, chervil tarragon and drizzle of good olive oil. Delicious! Then cafe au lait at Coppula two doors down. Thin delicate crepes with orange essence too. The weather is freezing now we are calling it a day.

stuck in the airport

2010-01-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

I supposed to be in Paris now. Instead am playing around with new laptop, and digital camera in Montreal airport....trying to figure out this blog site.I realized I should not book international flight through Canada. First flight delayed ,connection missed , airplane is gone. I saw many French people shouting at the ticket agents. I had no idea what they are talking about..but I knew at least they are so upset...well police are coming, they're watching us...there's no difference between Montreal and JFK or Newark, but at least French people are more friendly......compared to New Yorker.
I got free hotel and three free meals...but I am still in Canada...snow everywhere waiting 8 hours for flight.

Final day at TDR MET

2010-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Deconstructed kitchen today! Almost 20 years and millions of meals served the long awaited renovation of the TDR begins! Now with a dedicated pastry area and updated kitchen equipment I'm anticipating a revitalized menu with some new concepts and a few surprises. To expand on that I will now embark on a culinary journey to the epicenter of the culinary roots I've been cooking with for all my career;PARIS!!!
Yes it will be my first time there and I will try to absorb as much as I can in just in just a week...than on to Spain!