MMMMM Bacon!

I was lucky enough to be stumbled upon by a fellow bloger, Sheena Simpson who is a contributor to a very interesting blog about the culinary scene in and around Atlanta. Sheena was nice enough to forward me a sample of an interesting product, Bacon Salt. The product is in fact fat free, vegetarian, and kosher, three things no one was previously foolish enough to associate with anything bacon-y. On top of that, the main detractor of most seasoning salts is there insanely over the top saltiness which is pleasantly absent in Bacon Salt.

I’ve been using the Hickory Smoked Bacon Salt with great satisfaction. It brings both smoke and bacon to the game, which is very nice. The flavor of bacon is mysteriously there, but also up front and in your face. I’ve added it to steamed vegetables, a very light dusting as to just hint at slathering the otherwise healthy vegetables with bacon fat. Bacon Salt also made it into a batch of potato croquettes that I seasoned more aggressively, and was able to keep a smooth, light potato texture with full bacon flavor. We put some on popcorn, that was very interesting. I think of popcorn as light and fluffy, but the Bacon Salt comes through so clear as to fill you up.

If you like bacon, you will like bacon salt. You can find it at their website for sure. I’m impatiently waiting to sprinkle some on fried eggs, fresh tomatoes, and french fries.

In the news again

With only one shift so far under my belt the Cleveland Free Times had a short news bit to mention my current move. I hope there are some more posative things to be discussed in the furture. Than again, I'm always to see my name in there!

Blog Updates

I’ve recently made a few adjustments to my blog that will help make navigating the space easier and more enjoyable. I’ve eliminated the SlideShow which never worked consistently and replaced it with a link to ‘My Public Photo Album" under the ‘links’ to the left. Here you will find a folder of all the photos I’ve used in the blog, as well as some raw culinary photos, and lastly some non-food related pictures.

I added a YouTube video bar which seems to have a mind of it’s own, it is in a very techy way related to the SlideShow. The feeds have worked so far, but over the last 4 days it’s displayed the same video’s so I’m up in the air as to whether this feature will stay or go. Any suggestions?

I created a ‘Labels’ menu to the left. I took the time to go back through the archives and label all my previous posts. While there isn’t much diversity in the discussions here, this feature is sure to help anyone interested in searching the archives.

Lastly, my new job starts tomorrow. Nemo Grille, in Avon, Ohio is my new home. I’m very excited to get back into the fine dining atmosphere again, and share all the new and exciting things we do there on this blog.

Dinner in the Sky

If you haven't seen this one yet, it might take a moment for you to wrap your brain around this wacky idea!!! Yes that is a crane, and yes is has hauled into the sky seating and preperation space for some 20 dinners!


Check out their website for details. Unfortunatly there doesn't seem to be a domestic version available as of yet. There are some amazing photos on their web page, but I have more than one silly question to ask. Restrooms??? Either myself or someone I'm dining with always seems to drop something, a fork, knive, napkin??? I can understand a thrill ride, or being able to see the cityscape, but do I really want to eat during this adrenaline pumping, death skirting moment?

I wouldn't do it. In fact I think I'm mentally and physically unable to. My fear of heights keeps me off step stools let alone lynched up into the sky straped into a 4 point harness in a swiveling chair sucking down champagne and oyster as if any moment will be my last.

Indie take

For a very interesting look at some of the area's restaurants check out 5front Inc on youtube. They are also televised on Time Warner Cable, but archives are available on youtube. They do a very good job show different aspect of the restaurants they visit. The pieces go quite in depth, much more than just a commercial or something like that. They are continually adding content so check back frequently.

Too Much Rice?

I find it almost impossible to cook just the right amount of rice I need for any sized group. It is especially difficult cooking rice for two, and reheating properly cooked rice just doesn’t seem to work out so well. I’ve made congee in the past in the restaurant setting, and can see how this would easily be a useful technique in the home kitchen as well.

Congee in its most simple form is rice porridge. The method of cooking, and density of the end product vary from Northern China where other grains might be used to southern India where congee is served with spicy fish curries. In most countries congee is considered a therapeutic food since it is easy to digest. Congee also functions as a way to stretch a small amount of rice to feed a large family or guest party. I think of congee as a means to use left over white rice, mostly because this is how I’ve come to use congee in the restaurant.

The traditional way of making congee is to simply way overcook white rice until grains breakdown and a starchy, viscous soup develops. The starting ratio of liquid to rice is as high as 12 to 1. Some rice makers have a special congee setting, but I don’t have a rice maker, nor do I have the time to slowly cook down rice and pay constant attention that it doesn’t scorch.

To make congee I prefer to either use properly cooked left over rice that has been cooked with a 3 to 1 ratio of liquid to rice at which point I would reheat the rice with just enough liquid to cover. If I was starting with raw rice I would start with a 4 to 1 ratio. Instead of cooking the rice for a long time, I prefer to speed things up by using a blender or food processor to break down the grains. This works best with warm rice, which is why we reheated the leftovers. I also prefer to leave about a quarter of the rice as whole, plump overcooked grains. I’ve also found that processing the rice just until the grains break down produces a silky congee opposed to a further blended mixture that tends to tighten up. Finally, remember it’s a lot easier to add some liquid to the blend than to try to cook liquid out.

My favorite flavoring for congee is pickled ginger. I proceed with making the congee just as described but in the blender along with the rice I add sugar, pickled ginger, and pickled ginger vinegar, salt, and white pepper. The sugar and vinegar balance is important as to ending up with a congee that is tart, but not puckeringly bitter. This starch base works very well with both soy and spicy sauces or proteins.

While I do consider myself a Top Chef fan, last night was my first chance to watch a full episode. Season 4, Episode 3 a.k.a. The Block Party. I have previously acquainted myself with the cast of chef’s on http://www.bravotv.com,/ but have yet to see them in action, and certainly they provide a curious blend of personalities. There are plenty of opinions and egos within the crowd. My guess is the winner is one of the few that doesn’t open his/her mouth until at least half way in as a way to not alienate any of the other competitors. That sounds like a task in and of itself.

The aspect of Top Chef that in one way bewilders me and in another way is completely understandable is: Why do they bring in restaurant quality chefs, offer them restaurant quality prizes, and provide very much un-restaurant related tasks to perform and judge them upon? I guess if they all got a cozy kitchen with lots of time to prepare the kind of dishes they are used to preparing on a daily basis it wold be rather difficult to find mistakes, and judge them on wide, open ended characteristics. Yet is seems all too often one of the chef’s is admonished for not converting what they know (restaurant food) into what they are being judged at (block party food). Fortunately as the show progresses and the pool of contestants slims to a number that would fit properly in a kitchen , the challenges become more familiar to a restaurant chef. Instead of twisting the atmosphere, they often tweak the food situation, which I find much more interesting.

So, I’ll most likely skim over the next few episodes the same way we all read Shakespear in High School, and when they get down to 6 chef’s I’ll start to watch again. Between here and there what could they possibly come up with...... mother’s day brunch on a $5 budget, Zimmerman as a guest judge a.k.a. the Bug, Feces, and Offal episode., or maybe they get tossed from the kitchen and work from a hot dog cart, a brand new G.E. hot dog cart!?

Dispatch from the chest freezer, completed

Dispatch from the chest freezer, completed

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few months lurching over this breathing bench I call my ‘office.’ Topped off with an array of electronics any normal kitchen storage device looks inviting. Unfortunately I’m able to type away or surf the web for hours instead of cook, which is why I’m here of course. I’m leaving the Wonder Bar; physically I’m done this coming Tuesday. After that I plan to leave this Wonder Bar in my proverbial culinary dust. I’ve learned a lot at this post, mostly outside of the kitchen, and mostly what not to do. At least I learned something though. As of April 1 I will be the chef at Nemo Grille in Avon, Ohio.

The first, and most frequent response I get is, “Avon, wow, that’s out there.” Well...kinda’…not really, I’ve spent much longer driving downtown looking for a parking space then walking 10 minutes to my destination all the time wondering if that bum might mug me. Then desperately hoping that my car is there, unharmed when I get back to it, all the time shrugging off panhandling scum. This is my life no more my friends. I rejoice in my 20 minute commute to the suburbs all safe and sound like a baby in a blanket.

I do have some fun and interesting ideas I’ve yet to have the customer base to explore upon. I’ve been reading up on my hydrocolloids, and my active experiment for Thanksgiving dinner was a success. I’ve been longing to make a nice pate, and cure some duck breast, and bake some bread. All this once again within my capabilities.

Pork Cheeks

As promised the Pig Cheek post. I'll say first off that I've been craving Asian flavors. A sharp lime bite with a salty soy, and chili spike. It's just been on my mind lately, and you can see this with what I chose to braise the cheeks in. I was inspired to procure the cheeks by Chef Harlin's posting about them in the Cleveland.com forums.

The cheek 0n the left is how I purchased them. I removed the silver skin, obvious fat which occured mostly on one side. The bottom (as they are pictured) may or may not have a bit of cartlige, like a bent toothpick. This piece was definatly hard and needed to be removed. The cheek on the right is ready to go.

At the last minute I decided to cure the cheeks, opposed to searing them. I tossed them in my personal duck conift cure which consists most of sugar, salt, and cinnamon. I assembled this mis' while they cured for about 1/2 an hour: tomato, onion, carrot, ginger, chipotle, and for liquid I used equal parts, pepared plum sauce, soy sauce, water, and chicken stock. I was sure to rinse the cure off good because I knew the salt from the cure and the soy would not give a good result.

This is a good picture because it show the 'bottom' of the cheeks set on the mis' just waiting for some liquids. I added just enough liquid to cover eveything, covered with foil, and let cook at 300 degree for two hours.

The cheeks are still steamy hot in this pick. They turned out very well. I speculate that a little less cook time was needed. I've become a big fan of using the vegetables from a meat braise. For this reason I clean, peel, and dice them so they will be sufficently cooked. I picked out the ginger, which I kept large for this very reason, strained the veg. and will use them.

This is what I finally came up with. Soy braised Pork Cheeks with broccolli, garlic bread, and a truffle-soy broth.

I found the flavor of the cheeks to be wonderful. The resulting broth had a wonderful gelatinous sheen. The texture was reminiscent of pork sholder, but the fibers are much shorter eliminating that stingy situation. Pork cheeks are very well suited for the fine dining plate, or the chili pot. I will buy them again. I happened upon these at D.W. Whitakers in the West Side Market for just under three dollars a pound. I consider that a deal.

Poll Results

Looking at the most recent poll, this post should put the wraps on discussing Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week. I’m very pleased that half of the responds are people who ventured somewhere new. Even if it wasn’t the Wonder Bar. Trying something new is almost always good, in the culinary world at least. Now, just imagine the next restaurant week is during the summer, instead of dodging snow storms customers will be applying sunscreen. Not to mention the extra 20-80 seats most restaurant patios hold, let’s talk about overbooked then!!! In any case, that’s a wrap!

Next!

I secured two pounds of pork cheeks from D.W. Whitakers at the West Side Market. I've got my camera, and a few ideas, we will see what happens?!?!I tried some cheeses from The Cheese Shop, all very tasty. The Drunken Goat is wonderfully creamy. Cotswold was very pleasant with nice spikes of chive flavor bursting through. Lemon Stilton has a very nice flavor, but the texture is unique. This is white stilton mixed with lemon zest. I don't know for sure, but it seems the cheese is crumbled, mixed with lemon zest, and then re-formed. I love the flavor, not a fan of the texture. I had two other Italian cheeses, but instead of murdering their names, I'll wait till I look at their labels and blog about them later.

Five days later....

Here I am, with my stinky foot in my mouth. The snow is long melted, and the rain has washed even the white dust of salt from our vehicles. While a little snow on Monday might keep the brave culinary scene of Cleveland quiet, a great re-birth of invigorated souls marched downtown in mass to the tune of sold out, over booked, and... gasp... a wait for a table.

The first annual restaurant week was a resounding success for the Wonder Bar. Close to 70% of our food sales came from customers ordering off our generous special restaurant week menu. Thursday, Friday and Saturday all caused me great joy with a bar full of restaurant patrons eating and drinking. There happiness a bloom and percolated with the now motivational sounds of Miles Davis. I’ve never been so happy to hear that Lola is booked full!! Knowing in turn that is why these lost soles wandered into the Wonder Bar, I mean since you parked at least we can validate your parking, but no! We made some friends that is for sure. Hopefully they will wander back to E. 4th street in search of some great happening, some hopeless daydream, some culinary epiphany and remember, "oh yeah, the Wonder Bar.... the food there ‘don’t suck’ " and we will be there to welcome them with open arms, icy cold martinis, and heart warming flatbread like the mother of a runaway child.

What have we learned this week. Basically that mass marketing works very well. So does a sense of community, and discounts. Hopefully the second annual restaurant week is being planned somewhere out there already.

Dispatches from the chest freezer

I’m writing directly from my ‘office’ for this post. I’ve fashioned the top of my chest freezer, loaded it with a laptop, I pods, and headphones, in order to surf the web aimlessly while listening contently to the silence that is the Wonder Bar. The numbing hum of the cooler next to me is only every so often broken by the nightmarish crank, crank, crank of the printer from which my work orders spew forth. Today far and few between which leads me to the poll question we have posed most recently. What would cause you not to go out to eat?

The winner by a neck was ‘working late’ but as I currently sit in a empty restaurant , ankle deep in downtown Cleveland’s first Restaurant Week, with the snow still falling after an exhausting all day affair, I feel comfortable in saying if you aren’t a weather person or plow driver, you aren’t working late tonight. And I can say for a fact, you aren’t out to eat. Ha, snow is the culprit. Snow and the evil weather persons who whore themselves to the fears of slippery exit ramps, and idiots driving their new Explorers all over the road, from curb to curb, with full traction, and no concern.

Only one brave sole had enough courage to ante up that they don’t cook and good for them. But where are they now? Have they stocked up with enough foresight that this miserable manipulation of precipitation does not affect their daily existence? Oh lonely non-cooking sole, come to visit us, we are lonely, and need a reason to carry on.

Where have you eaten lately?

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two weeks looking for some interesting tidbit to discuss here on my blog. It seems like the more time I spend seeking out new and useful information, the more I read the same boring stuff. Reconstituted, fake, follow-the-company-line type of crap that is un-discussable. The only thing I find at all interesting recently are restaurant reviews, and learning the things that people are interested in when they go out.

It’s funny that even these reviews carry an amount of standardization. Since every menu at every restaurant in Cleveland is essentially the same, the food discussion goes something like this, "The calamari was crispy, but the shrimp were tasteless. The salmon was fantastic, but the fillet of beef was bland, the (insert single unique characteristic here) was hit or miss’ but we liked the food." Does that not sum up every restaurant review you’ve read in the past 3 years?

Service is usually not mentioned until the last two sentences with an ambiguous, "efficient but unobtrusive," which means one of two scenarios: You got your water, bread, and food as fast as possible, then the server disappeared and it took 20 minutes to pay your bill or get coffee because the restaurant was slow and this was the server's only table and she was pissed she even had to stay to work that night. Most likely she will be driving the car in front of you leaving the restaurant. The second scenario is that it takes 20 minutes to get your drinks then another 90 minutes til’ entrees come, you don’t even see a dessert menu and the check comes with your coffee. In this case there are two scenarios, either the server from above who did a crap job on one table can’t handle more than two and you just happen to be her third table of the night, or it’s seven o’clock on Friday and for the first time this week there are people lined up out the door who want to be seated, and your table just became prime real-estate that you are no longer welcomed at!

I’ve attempted to write about my visits to area restaurants but it didn’t work out too well. The usual response was something along the lines of "What do you know?" or "Who are you to judge?" I went into it knowing very well I had to keep opinions separate from facts. Being a chef, I know there are right and wrong ways to do things, properly and improperly cooked food. No one cared. I understand that a statement along the lines of, "Very few beets appeared in the beet salad," is an opinion, but "The beets were rock hard and undercooked," - this is a factual statement. Anyone who says, "I like rock hard, undercooked beets and Mike, you’re a jerk for criticizing this," well, that person is very misinformed about things. For these reasons I took a hiatus from writing about any place I’ve been, along with the fact I’ve not been out much lately.

Today is a unique day, I have an urge to briefly discuss my recent adventures into the Cleveland culinary landscape. By no means does this include many fine dining establishments.

Angelo’s Pizza in Lakewood is great! The pizza is good, the warm Italian sub is good, and they deliver late on Saturday night after I come home from work.

The fast food alley of West 117 between Madison and Clifton is another of my frequent stops. I’ve come to enjoy Wendy’s salads, Arby’s plain roast beef, and apple empanadas at Taco Bell.

I went to the Cheesecake Factory last week. It was my first time. I was impressed with the service, efficient yet unobtrusive......no really, the server seemed sincere about us having a pleasant time. The food was all cooked properly and tasty. The design was also quite over the top impressive. I would go back. Wouldn’t go out of my way, but I would go back.

The House of Blues has catfish nuggets they serve with sweet potato fries that I’m addicted to. I have them every 2 weeks after our manager meeting downtown. The bartender is always nice, she recognizes me and the fact I’d rather not chit-chat if sports are on the TV. Don’t worry, she gets financial considerations for such acute observations.

Flannery’s pub has a stuffed portabella app that is just a deep fried heart attack, but it tastes good, and four whole mushrooms for $7 is a steal. However, on my last visit, they were out of Jameson and Cider??? Did they think I was coming for a Bud and Jim Beam? They are a bloody fake Irish pub for God’s sake!

I went to Bar Cento by myself one night since everyone in Cleveland seems to love this place. Not me, the beets and beans were both undercooked (remember, these are facts) and the liver and onions pizza had two slices of cold foie gras on it, which means two pieces of pizza had none. When I was critical of the cold foie, I was told by some very snobby food people whose lips have spent more time on this chef’s ass than eating the food that, "foie gras is served cold in some cases, and maybe the chef was trying something new." No, no, no, pizza has warm toppings and when I say cold foie, I mean raw foie (this is a fact). In any case, the pizza was disgusting (opinion). I only ate half a piece and when the bartender noticed this along with the fact I didn’t want to take it home did he inquire why a 350 pound man didn’t eat all his foie gras pizza? No, he didn’t. I did get a glass of elusive absinthe as an after dinner cocktail. For this reason, I walked away happy.

On more pleasant experiences, the Rocky River Brew Pub always delivers with their Asian chicken nacho, but their beer is not my favorite. Great Lakes brew pub has better beer in my opinion, and the sausage sampler is always good. Salmon Dave's has a very classy happy hour with $5 drinks, and a small list of $5 apps. The food was good on both my visits. Winking Lizard is always pleasant, though I always come away with a bill that is larger than expected. As for places to spend money, Dave and Buster's provides you with more than a few ways. Fortunately the food is consistent, outside of the fried stuff, the salads are large and fresh, the pasta I had was good, and the cocktails are tasty.

A few places that I really want to try are, Crop on w. 6th, the brand new Saigon on e. 4th, and Paladar on the East side.

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week

This first time event is fast approaching. The Wonder Bar is a happy participant in this effort to bring more diners to downtown Cleveland.

Follow this link to get all the specifics, with links to almost every restaurants website!!!

Wonder Bar Mac & Cheese

Since it isn’t practical to ship a portion of our famous noodles cross country I will teach you how to make your own, where ever it is you happen to be.

What you will need:

½ cup diced onion
1 clove garlic
3 tblsp butter
3 tblsp flour
1 ½ cup milk
3 oz Camembert cheese, brie or any soft rind stinky cheese you like will do

3 oz cheese, Gruyere, soft goat, and Parmesan are what we use at the restaurant, but I suggest the Kraft pre-shredded Italian blend

1 # cooked and shocked elbow noodles

Drizzle of truffle oil
4 oz duck confit, or any cooked protein you like, chicken, sausage, ground beef, hot dog
Bread crumbs

The noodles need to be cooked and chilled. They will over cook if they are not chilled before they are added to the sauce. Believe me, I’ve learned the hard way. Also cook what ever protein you will be adding. If this will leave any flavorful fond, then begin the Mornay sauce in the same pot.

For the Mornay sauce melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic for just a few minutes. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux for only 2-3 minutes then add the milk. Whisk this mixture throughly, and pay attention, stir this mixture every 30 seconds until it’s very thick. If you walk away and don’t stir it will scorch on the bottom of the pan and you will have to start over! Melt the Camembert into the thickened milk and take off the heat. This is Mornay sauce.

Working off the heat combine the rest of the cheese with the noodles, Mornay, truffle oil, and protein. Season with salt and pepper and pour this mixture into oven ready dishes. Cover with breadcrumbs, and bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, the breadcrumbs will brown and create a crispy crust. This baked effect is what makes my Wonder Bar mac & cheese better than the other guys noodles with cream and cheese.

Poll Results are in.....

It’s nice to think about Japan during these dreary days of the new year. There is an overwhelming misunderstanding of Japanese culture and cuisine. I am personally quite ignorant of modern Japanese culture, and only slightly familiar with the cuisine. This is what makes the fact Japan was the most popular culinary destination during the recent poll so intriguing.

What do I know about Japan? There are two viewpoints, one of a serene monastery overlooking snow capped mountains where quite monks live long lives filled with prayer and miso soup. This fills me with a soft, calming feeling, I like Japan! On the other hand I think about a subway train packed so tight the doors burst open at the next stop. Where people’s main meal might very well come out of a vending machine, or off that surreal conveyor belt of sushi. And what do I know about Japanese food, basically, three things, sushi, noodles, and satay or skewered, grilled meat. These are rather general ideas, that can be found in any culinary tradition. So what makes Japan such a likable destination for foodies.

I’m guessing it’s a lure into the unknown that is so appealing. While I profess my ignorance, there are many people, chefs included who claim to know Japanese cooking, but have not traveled any further east than Youngstown, and beyond their three favorite sushi items they can’t identify one other Japanese ingredient. For this reason we as mid-westerners have little exposure to the full scope of Japanese cuisine. We get to try bits and pieces that we like, so we want more. It only makes sense. Why go to France (second in poll) and dine on tapenade, casssoulete, or beef bourguignonne that tasted as good as that French restaurant in your neighborhood. When the plane touches down in Japan, I’m guessing there will be very little familiar on the culinary landscape. What a treat for an adventurous foodie!

A Little Press

Wonder Bar is mentioned in the Bites section of the Free Times. Here is the link:

http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/40/bites

Iron Chef America, the red headed step child or reality cooking

This piece is attributed to Andy Dehnart, MSNBC contributor
"""""
The chefs aren't completely surprised by the secret ingredient because they have been given a few possible options beforehand.

And on the day of the challenge, they can probably figure out which ingredient it is based upon which shopping list has been purchased for them.
The matchups are also planned in advance, with challengers choosing their opponents weeks earlier. All of that makes it possible for producers to order the right ingredients that the chefs will use to prepare their dishes with the secret ingredient, but it also makes the show somewhat less challenging than it comes off on TV.

Both of these facts were confirmed in a fascinating behind-the-scenes piece in The Journal News' Rockland Magazine by Peter Kelly, who defeated Bobby Flay during an episode of "Iron Chef America." He says he chose Bobby Flay in part because "beating him would be a big deal" and that in Kitchen Stadium, the other Iron Chefs are "actually silhouetted stand-ins," not the real chefs.
As to the secret ingredient, he says producers gave him "three possibilities: swordfish, pork or cowboy steak. So I come up with three separate ingredient lists — only one of which they'll actually purchase for the battle." Kelly also revealed that they actually knew the secret ingredient before taping on the episode began because they could see which ingredients had been purchased for them.

He and his sous chefs rehearsed multiple times with each possible ingredient, so the show is like a live performance of something that's had several dress rehearsals. Does that make their preparation of three dishes in 60 minutes any less dramatic? Perhaps a little, because they're not being instantaneously creative.

But as is clear from watching the show, cooking that much that fast offers plenty of pressure and drama.
""""

The original Iron Chef is absolutely my favorite cooking show, ever. Everything about the show was foreign, unfamiliar, new and exciting. If the secret ingredient was familiar, how it was used was unique. If the secret ingredient was unique, it was used in a familiar preparation. The wholeness of culture and culinary practice was very impressive, but foreign. They prepared food in accordance with their seasons, holidays and traditions, which proved drastically different from our ham on Easter, BBQ for Independence Day, and turkey for Thanksgiving. Not only was the original Iron Chef a glimpse into a different cultures' kitchen, but in different cultures' culinary traditions.

On the other hand, Iron Chef America seems to be a well-rehearsed machine, and it is glimpses into the making of the show that re-affirm this notion. I remember on the old show, chefs cut themselves or burnt their hand or didn’t finish plating. Shoot, even our own national pride was in Bobby Flay when he electrocuted himself. On ICA, nothing bad has happened in all the episodes I’ve seen. Everything is smoother than an "Emeril Live" episode!!! No mess ups,not even a spill, a drop, a misplacement! Wow, no one failed anything! Not impressive. Is the kitchen too cozy? Are the chefs not challenging themselves because being on the show and not screwing up is publicity enough? Who cares about winning?

Perhaps I’m just being too critical. We have our own Iron Chef now in Michael Symon. I’ve eaten at his restaurant many times over the past 8 years and am very familiar with his style. Shoot, I glanced into Lola just 2 hours ago on my way home and got the, "hey, chef guy" nod from Michael while he chatted up a couple at his bar. Am I too familiar with ICA to trulyappreciate it? Is the original Iron Chef truly the best culinary TV show ever made???

What's on TV

While I spend plenty of time in restaurants, kitchens, and bars I can’t seem to break the habit of staying tuned to any show on TV about food, restaurants, kitchens and bars. Sometimes I snap out of the trance in just a few seconds and change the channel, other times I watch up to a commercial break, and in very few circumstances I return after the commercial. I’ve found myself increasingly interested in Gordan Ramsey’s show on BBC America called, "Kitchen Nightmares" I’m not at all a fan of Chef Ramsey. I find him to have a foolishly large ego, an unpredictable passive-aggressive form of leadership, and a fake British foul mouth. I guess all these things show up in ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ but in these cases where he chooses to help restore a fallen restaurant to it’s previous glory it is inspiring.

Generally he wakes the restaurant up to it’s shortcomings. Then demonstrates how he thinks the place should be run, and damn he is very opinionated. Finally he sets them on a road to success. In the last few moments of the show they chronicle his return to the restaurant after a few months. This short piece is always a wow factor, either "wow, you listened," or "wow, you bloody ignored me."

The reason I return to ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ is because I find myself more often asking myself while at work "what would Ramsey have to say about that?" Upon this review, I most likely improve what ever I’m working on.

Poll Results are in.....

Thanks everyone for casting your vote in the poll. Looks like we better be ready this valentines day as it appears this day, like in the past, is a day to dine out. I've always found these unique days in the reastarant kitchen to be very exciting, valentines day, new years eve, mothers day. In most cases these diners are easy to please, and the whole day is rather festive. In most cases it keep those of us in the biz from observing such holidays, take it or leave it, sometimes it's even for the better.

Shortrib Epiphany

Sometimes it takes the smallest nudge to push the creative buttons, and sometimes that nudge comes from the most interesting places. I've almost always looked at beef shortribs as a braised meat that was destined for the center of the plate. But of all places, while watching Giada De Laurentiis make short ribs with tagliatelle it dawned on me to use the shortrib, to manipulate it, to turn it into something new. It would be a mistakefor anyone to think I'm at home watching the Food Network for inspiration. We all understand why a grown man would spend time watching Everday Italian, and it isn't for a lesson on bruschetta.

So far today I've made potato gnocchi stuffed with shortribs, and veal meatballs stuffed with shortribs. I'm thinking of making a fritter from the shredded meat might be a nice accompaniment for an onion soup. What about baking a piece of cooked shortrib in a terra cotta dish filled with cornbread batter? I can keep going, shortribs as stuffing, filling, ect. It all just seems very fresh, and tasty as I imagine it.

New Organic Truffle Oil

Be the first chef on the block to use daRosario Truffle Oil which is now 100% USDA Certified Organic. And it's the only USDA-certified organic truffle oil on the market. The NY Times likes it, and so should you. I've placed my order. For more info visit here.

What just happened???

2007, a year in review

My personal strides during the past 12 months seem to have come full circle, and I’m right back where I started. Much has happened, I left my post at Fahrenheit after making what I felt where great improvements to their operations. The Wonder Bar hired me to be their opening head chef, my first position with such a title. The E. 4 st neighborhood seems on the cusp of greatness, but without the simple gimmick, or big money backing of the current tenants the Wonder Bar has struggled with its internal hierarchy and shifting image. The news out of the kitchen at the Wonder Bar is almost all good, with reviews from the Scene and the Free Times praising the food as well as a cover spot for Cleveland Magazine, the underdog Camembert Mac&Cheese gets praise as one of the city’s most comfortable comfort foods. The kitchen has been described as “laughably” small, but I take pride in making it efficient, it’s mine at least, and I’ll do the best I can with it.

Enough about me, what did I see happen around me over the past twelve months. Most disagreeably the catchphrases of, organic, green, sustainable, and local have become so unlikely common that they are almost always unbelievable. When I was young in the kitchen, it bothered me that the menu said “homemade” gnocchi for example, when In fact we bought them pre-make , frozen from a purveyor. As I moved from kitchen to kitchen I found that this is the case more times than not. I’ve taken great pride in bucking this trend, and will pony up when something isn’t truly home made. I’ve also refused to use the green or local label where it does not apply. Unfortunately the culinary community has not been so honest with their approach and this is very troubling to me. I’ve talked with local chefs who don’t know where the farmers market is, but boldly claim that some things on their menu are purchased there. It is very disappointing to discover these things, very disheartening to work within my means so hard to keep things honest, then open the food section on Wednesday and see some smuck blabbing on about his local produce knowing full and well that it’s from Sysco, pre-diced at that!!!

Tapas, small plates, dinner snacks, an unsuccessful idea by any name. I’ve had my thought about small plates from the customer’s perspective posted here in the past. I felt that purchasing 3 plates that didn’t add up to an entrée in quantity but cost as much as an entrée was not in the customers best interest. From the chef side I’ve come to see that it is quite difficult to find someone willing to purchase 3 small plates, in turn making it difficult to squeeze out a decant profit margin. This is a new concept for Cleveland in any case, most likely a healthy choice we didn’t even know we were making, but it doesn’t pay the bills if you’re the restaurateur. It also isn’t inviting to the dinner time crowd when your dining room is sitting behind a 30 person bar. For this reason, we abandoned the tapas menu full time, turning to the faithful entrée as our savior. The small plates might work somewhere, just not here, not now.

Science, chemistry, and biology have all merged into the realm of food deeper and deeper this past year. No longer is ‘starch,’ what’s in a potato. We as chefs have deft understanding of smaller and smaller building blocks which we can manipulate to create a variety of culinary experiences. We have edible ink, vapors, centrifuges, and stills in the kitchen all pushing the limits, bolding going where Emeril has not gone before. A lot of what I remember from my time in college micro-biology laboratory seems common place in kitchens, and it makes sense to be. The end product is not to make what we know as food better, but to absolutely change what we know as food. I find this quite interesting. Has anyone wondered about the nutritional value of the edible ink, or the tomato foam? Why do we eat? Oh the times they are changing

In total contrast to the vast array of kitchen gadgets and food chemistry are two points, or perceived low points in food science this past year; first was a NY Times article and a response post by me on this blog that condemned every chef to ever use or appreciate truffle oil as a fraud, second we have the mostly ethical commotion concerning cloned food products. I don’t want to totally revisit each idea, you can go through the history of the blog, but how can you get excited about turning a perfectly good tomato into an air and water emulsion, while condemning the use of a chemical that smells exactly like a truffle? The cloned food issue is much more an effigy of education, or miss-education if you will. Personal ethical reasons withheld, the idea of using cloned food products make much more sense than pumping genetically inferior animals full of anti-biotics, and growth hormones. The question for the next year is which direction with this scientific influence push the culinary scene? Into a healthy, self-motivating, nutritional arena, or a flashy, Vegas style culinary scenario where a meal of ink and foam needs a fiber and vitamin supplement.

The next year will surely prove to be one of change once again. In an eager scramble through the rat race it seems every man is for himself. While deep financial hardship and disappointment have rained over the past year, hopefully hard work and determination will pay off in the future.

Wonder Bar Dinner Menu Re-Invented

In an effort t to attract more dinner time customers to the wonder bar we introduced a more traditional menu offering of appetizers, salads, and entrees. The style, quality, and creativity of the food will not change, only the portions size. If you like the small plates, don’t dismay they are still available during our happy hour 5 till’ 7pm Tuesday thru Friday. It is in the best interest that we made things as familiar to our customers as possible during the infancy of the restaurant. The small plates didn’t seem to be attracting any customers, but the people we did server enjoyed the food and experience very much. Getting people to try a new concept at a new restaurant might have been too much to ask. Also, the kitchen which is very small doesn’t miraculously enlarge due to our menu expansion, and for this reason I will need to be extra crafty with how dishes are put together. I am accepting it as a challenge. One that I fear might overtake me if things get very busy. There is no option here, to sit on my hands with the tapas, or move forward with entrees. The menu can be found here.

Poll Results are in.....

Thank to everyone for participating in the poll. Everyone but 2 of our respondents got what they wanted for Christmas. I did for sure, three days off, time with the family, a year subscription to Art Culinaire, and family day at the Lake Erie Monsters Hockey Match. What is around the corner well, you know, everyone does their own, “year in review” and mine is in the works. Also change, change is always good. For the last time, Merry Christmas

Christmas Dinner Revisited

This is the pride and glory of the meal. We have a boneless capon wrapped around duck breast and ground pork. The Activa worked even better than I expected. There was no change in texture where the two different proteins meet, and the bond was sturdy, all the way thru to cutting it with a fork and knife. I found the whole thing to be disappointingly bland. The outside of the roll in the picture has herbs coating it, and I found I really missed the sear, and carmalization of a roasted turkey. Fortuanatly these are things that can be fixed....mushroom gravy saved the day.

This is an arial view of our spread, quite a feast. It was at this point I exclaimed, "things aren't getting any warmer" and they didn't. I let myself down with some absolutly cold squash. They will definatly be better as a reheat the next day.

The pay off!!! Sound asleep while someone else cleans up.

Christmas dinner is set!!

My sister and I went to the grocery to shop for our final list of items. It was late Sunday, after the Browns loss, we made a list, but forgot it, at least we had some money, and time to wander. There wasn't much to buy, but I was especially touched by a couple who seemed quite intrigued with a fennel bulb. I silently listened to them discuss it, then to someone at the store who was helpfully clueless. I couldn't help but step in.....for the sake of fennel! I love the stuff, and if I can help someone with it, surely I will. We discussed a short list of cooking techniques, then parted ways. I really hope the fennel works out for them, they looked like they where sincere about cooking something of quality.

So, Tuesdays dinner, and not too late it's been stressed:

Capon, duck, and pork Ballentine
with Mushroom gravy

Roasted Veggie Valley Squash; butternut,
red bannana, and spaghetti with St. Igny butter,
and brown sugar

Chedder-Brocolli potato gratin

Green beans with New Zealand Smoked Salt

Wine, beer, and booze to be determined, but plentyfull!!

Happy Holidays

My First Christmas with Activa

I got this sample almost a year ago but have just recently been inspired to use it. I inquired at the company web site for more info, a sales rep called me the same day offering to send samples to my house!

I was inspired by the team at Ideas in Food blog when they posted a string of pics where they so something very similar with a large turkey. Here, I mashed the idea of a turduken, with the turkey ballantine. As you can see in the picture, ground pork in the top middle, then from 11 pm on clockwise, capon skin, capon legs, leg bones, and carcuse which i made stock from for stuffing, then on the bottom of the pic, a boneless thigh, breast, breas, and thigh, lastly 4 boneless skineless duck breast.

Since my favorite cook in a long time walked out on me 2 nights ago, the pounding of all this meat was very relieving. Needless to say, the meat is thin!

Here is my liberal application of Activa. I couldn't find any concrete recipie or ratio for small applications of Active, but a ratio of 1 oz per 3 pounds was relative the the only other ratio I found, but on the hundreds of pounds scale.

I applied the Active on all the meat laid out, then took this pic, and alot of the powder seemed to absorb quickly so in a very feverish, desperate line cook kind of way I sprinkled a little more on the whole thing at this point.

The final product looked like this. I did only one with skin so it was completly covered, the other one I coated with herbs. I further wrapped these in foil and plan to cook them for about 2 hours at 300 degrees. At least that is my guess, the meat thermomoter will tell me when is when. We will have to wait till Tuesday to see how things turn out for sure.

Poll Results

An Appetizer is only smaller when compared to the Entrée.

There are a lot of reasons people need to feel good these days. It seems that science has determined that everything is on a crash course to either save us, kill us, or vaguely switch between the two. Food and the size of our portions are not immune to such scrutiny. We all eat too much of everything, everyday, at every meal, on every plate. It’s true. There is no way our bodies could evolve fast enough to handle the deluge of calories that your average American can consume on even the lightest of eating days. It was only three or four generations ago that refrigeration didn’t exist, and the restaurant wasn’t even invented yet. Coupled with the sun up to sun down workday of manual labor, aka, exercise that no Microsoft gym/spa can recreate. So that Appetizer, is it a healthy choice, maybe, is it a call for variety, maybe?

Working in a small plates restaurant I’m confronted with the possibility that someone, or group of people order a plethora of dishes based on their desire to have a variety of taste experiences at a single restaurant seating. This is not always the case, a lot; ok the majority of customers are ordering something green or lighter, then something meaty or heavier. Why? The plates are small, and if they count calories and compare to their last 3 course restaurant meal they have plenty of room for another plate. We don’t offer something larger, were a customer can convince themselves, “at least I didn’t splurge and get that entrée.”
There are plenty of examples where people are persuaded to make discussions based on comparisons, I will give two. One food studies showed that people who could see their basket of chicken wing bones fill up where likely to eat far less than peoples whose basket of bones was empties periodically. Second, upon reading a marketing suggestion that if giving away something from a list of items, create a prize that would be considered the ‘worst’ prize, but don’t give that to anyone this way everyone, “at least I didn’t get the worst prize”

I think these examples apply to this discussion because the appetizer of which people feel so comfortable with is only smaller when compared to an entrée, just like the pile of bones. Likewise, the entrée is the most calorie rich, gluttonous, bank busting item on the menu, and a few appetizers reaffirm the customers, “at least I didn’t splurge on that gut busting entrée.”

Why is the appetizer our favorite course, because it makes us feel good about ourselves, and we really need that?

Christmas Dinner

With the Christmas holiday fast approaching the topic of our family’s holiday meal has arrived with the usual clash of likes and dislikes, restaurant vs. home cooking, and exactly who is going to do what. In the past I’ve prepared some nice meals, a traditional cassoulette, explosively huge paella, a stunning purple sweet potato pie, but I’ve taken some still sore hits as well like the mashed sweet potatoes. That dish caused a minor quake in the universes existence. This is what I have to avoid.

I want to make galantine with a whole turkey, duck breast, and chicken sausage; we will call it a turducken just to keep it simple. I want to experiment with some transglutimase that I got as a sample. It seems rather straight forward, debone, pound, dust, roll, cook nice and slow. As long as everything holds together long enough for me to cut it on a platter I’ll be happy, if we can rough house it off the platter onto everyone’s plates, I’ll be very surprised and give praise to the transglutimase in all its glory.

As for side dishes I figure simple is best…. Roasted butternut squash with brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, caramelized Brussels sprouts and/or green beans. Then comes the potato dish, I want to either get really good butter and make simple mashed potatoes with st. Igny butter and fleur de sel, or make a chunky mash with pancetta, bacon, or grated pepperoni? We will see.

Bye-Bye Entree

The New York Times ran this piece in the past weeks Dining & Wine section. Kim Severson examined a great variety of New York restaurant to come to her conclusion, which is the entree is in fact headed for extinction:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05entr.html

Since I do currently work in a small plates environment, I say, "down with the entree!" But even before this current position I found it much more fun to order a variety of smaller appetizer, even a salad, or try a soup. Before this style of eating out had a name, we as both chef’s and customers relished the opportunity to present dinners with small tastes with explosive, exotic and or unique flavors that they would never commit to as an entree, especially with an entree sized price tag. In the past wine tasting dinners, and a rare sit down benefit dinner where our only chance to explore the small plate option. This shift in what customers expect is a breath of relief for chef’s and customers alike

Poll Results are in.... Conclusion

This Poll has garnered much more attention than any others. Perhaps general readership has increased, or this is just a hot topic. The topic seems closer to me than most since I’ve spent more time in my life thinking I would be cloning animals instead of cooking them. For this reason I hope I can bring what I know to the table with my foodie friends and chef friends and help them feel comfortable with new bio-technologies. As the mechanics of cooking, and the chemistry behind it become more important to how a chef works, there are correlated advances in the production of the basic building blocks a chef has to work with, namely vegetables, fruits, and animal protein. While chefs across the globe are warming up to the molecular gastronomy, those of us with a solid, basic understanding of genetics, cloning, and GMO have a mission to help educate those around us with the truth.

It seems perfectly reasonable that while introducing something new like cloned food products people will have their reservations about them. I think it is important to let people chose what they want with regard to the quality of the food they purchase. I am in complete agreement with the majority of the pollsters that cloned food products should be labeled as such. For example there are plenty of people who want to know if their food is ‘organic’ or not, and it should be a producers duty to label his product as ‘organic’. Should that producer be made to label his product as organic by law, I think so. As mass producers continue to make a farce out of the idea of ‘organic’ and hide behind minuscule gaps in the legislature it is important for consumers to know, one way or the other, this piece of lettuce is ‘organic’ or it isn’t, and if it isn’t mandatory to label ‘organic’ as ‘organic’ then how will we know?

The above reasoning might seem a bit extreme, but the legislature in the state of Pennsylvania has recently restricted the dairy industry in describing on their labels whether or not they are users of specific growth hormones with specific and studied effects on humans when ingested. So you have to assume that the users of this dangerous technology had just enough lobbying dollars to make the use, or un-use of this product as vague as possible. This is wrong. This is what across the board mandatory labeling of hot issues would solve. This is something that can’t happen with cloned food products.

I think that cloned food products are safe to eat. It seems clear that GMO are a very different topic, and there must be a clear distinction here. Cloned animals, used as farmers intend to use them presently, which is in breeding seems completely reasonable. From what I can assume leaves actual clones one generation behind the production line. For this reason cloned food products should appear on supermarket shelves as soon as possible with a proper labels including the fact the product is from a cloned animal as well as the lack of hormones and or antibiotics.

The animal farmers in the country have a lot of cleaning up to do. The factory farm is inhumane and cruel to the animals involved. We could shut them all down for the animals sake, but the price of meat would skyrocket, and the majority of the people revolt, eat veggie burgers, or die of starvation. $1.99 a pound ground beef doesn’t roam the wild range and get wrestled by a cowboy before being petted and laid to rest, and if you have this vision of where you food comes from you have a lot to learn. Cloning brings to the table a higher rate of infant deaths, failed pregnancies, and premature aging, all these things we can live with if the resulting adults are as expected, which is the strongest animals available.

In conclusion, 9 of the 20 respondents where willing to try cloned food products already which seems to imply there is a market for these products forming. On the other hand the second highest conclusion was a complete ban of cloned food products, which means with enough money and persuasion this side of the debate can implement it’s plan of banning these products trumping the majority who where willing to give it a try at least. Sound like a presidential election here!? With the information put forth, I wonder if any of the pollsters would change their opinion???

Poll Question Dicussion

Guest Opinion – Meat and milk from cloned animals are safe to consume, and the product of them is ethically sound

Disclaimer: The following essay was written to fulfill a request by this blog’s author, my friend, chef Michael Walsh. Michael and I first became friends as we slogged through molecular genetics labs at college. I currently work in the field of clinical research and am familiar with the US FDA’s process of assessing the safety of medical devices – a very similar process used (in coordination with the USDA) in assessing cloned food-products. The following essay reflects my personal conclusions on cloning that are based on my research into the topic. This writer wishes that any criticism of these postulations be constructive and supply resources (if possible) so that we can all learn together.

”How do you feel about meat or milk from cloned cattle?” That was the question postulated by this blog’s author. In order to discuss this topic fully, we first need to clarify a few definitions:

· Genetically Modified Organism (GMO): an organism (animal, vegetable – not mineral) that has a genetic code that has been “fiddled-with.” An example of this is a tomato that has been “made stronger” by inserting a gene from peanuts – in order to have the tomato express a protein that would make it resistant to pests.
· Assisted Reproductive Technology (AST): In the field of animal husbandry, this pretty much incorporates anything that is done to produce offspring other than the old-fashioned “third date” bull-on-heifer tango-dancing. Techniques of AST include artificial insemination (used pretty much as the norm at most farms), in-vitro-fertilization (also commonly used), and cloning.
· Cloning: Common term for the method where the DNA from a full-grown animal is put into a single-celled embryo in replacement of the embryo’s DNA. Therefore the embryo grows up to be a “clone” of the original animal, in the exact same fashion as an identical twin. (Note: NO tinkering with the DNA occurs. A clone is NOT a GMO.)

Cloning has a bad rap. Let’s not mince words here. When the average person hears “meat or milk from a clone” – visions of horribly deformed versions of Susan Sarandon in Alien 3 pops into the front of the mind. (Wow – was that an impressively bad movie, or what?) That...or for the very few people out there who have seen the New Zealand spoof “Black Sheep” – you may fear armies of carnivorous cloned sheep who are out to take-out mankind. But let’s put Hollywood aside for a minute. Let’s address and debunk the common concerns one-by-one:

The meat or milk from cloned animals is unsafe: There are really two arguments/fears here. First and foremost of all concerns is that products from cloned animals are “Frankenfoods” and may have a bad effect on our health. While there is a legitimate (albeit currently theoretical) argument against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food supply (e.g. a tomato that has been modified with a peanut gene might express an extra peanut protein that would cause people with peanut allergies to have a reaction), there is really one simple thing to remember about clones: They are NOT GMOs. Cloned animals have no different DNA than the original animal. They are – in essence – the exact same thing as an identical twin. The second concern is that products from cloned animals is unsafe because the progeny from the cloned animals could have a higher rate of genetic issues that would cause concern. The FDA addressed both of these concerns in their review of data compiled from cloned cattle. Specifically, in the draft decision of 2003 concerning cloning in agriculture, the FDA noted specifically that “Edible products from healthy clones or their progeny do not appear to pose increased food consumption risks in comparison to comparable products from conventional animals.” The FDA opened this report and analysis up to the public for comment and concerns and in February of 2007, the Association of Food and Drug Officials officially noted their agreement with the FDA’s risk assessment only adding that “most of the products from cloned animals would come from the progeny, not the clones themselves.” This is not due to a safety concern – it is simply that the cloned animals are too valuable to use in this manner.

Cloning is an unnatural process. I want my food to be natural. Most meat and milk that you consume currently comes from animals that are bred by the use of assisted reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination or IVF. (Did anyone see the “Dirty Jobs” episode where he had to artificially inseminate livestock – definitely not a glamorous job, but very common.) The food you currently eat is not naturally bred.

The process of cloning is cruel to the animals and therefore I will not support it. Critics pose that the cloning process results in a higher number of failed impregnations in cattle and therefore is ethically immoral as it causes animal (fetal) deaths. This is pretty much the only valid argument in the bunch, however it must be said that proponents of this argument are also against all assisted reproductive technologies in agriculture and would overall prefer their animals free-range, free-wheeling, with flower garlands on their heads. This author truly applauds this valiant belief as I’m a big proponent of free-range food and ethics in treatment of animals in our food production, however those who hold this opinion should be prepared to only consume farm-raised protein only once every two weeks (as supply and production would decrease radically below current consumption in the US) and witness a heifer be “put-down” after her hips and back legs are shattered to pieces by an over-exuberant bull. I assure you from my experience – it is a very sad sight.

In fact, there are some that would argue that the process of cloning animals is more ethical in the treatment of the cattle. If the healthiest and strongest animals were cloned to populate the following generation, then it would be theorized that the next generation of cattle would need less medical intervention (like the current over-usage of antibiotics) and they would live healthier, more disease-free lives based solely on the basis of good genetics.

My conclusion: So where does that leave us? Based on the currently available information and with a full understanding of the cloning process, this writer says “bring on the burger.” Instead of worrying about whether or not my burger was once a cloned animal, I’ll instead concern myself with bigger and true safety concerns such as whether or not I’m ingesting a slew of antibiotics or growth hormones that could hurt me or (on the animal cruelty angle) whether my beef came from those horribly inhumane holding pens you see on the California Highway 5 where there is no more than 4 inches of space surrounding each animal. Besides – if my burger is Bessie’s clone, it doesn’t really matter as I probably ate her twin last week. Same thing.

Resources:

1. FDA draft decision on cloned livestock (full data): http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Documents/CLRAES.pdf

2. Association of Food and Drug Officials opinion
http://www.afdo.org/afdo/position/Comments-on-Draft-Animal-Cloning-Risk-Assessment.cfm

3. General information websites on cloning:

http://www.clonesafety.org/cloning/facts/faq/
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Biotechnology/Cloning/index.htm
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech/Outreach/Are_the_milk_and_meat_from_clones_safe_to_eat.pdf

Poll Question, a backstory

How cloning works when scientists explain the practice of cloning livestock, they describe clones as genetic twins born at different times. Cloning companies say it's just another reproductive technology, such as artificial insemination. The scientific term for cloning is somatic cell nuclear transfer. To produce a clone, the nucleus of a donor egg is removed and replaced with the DNA of a cow, pig or other animal. A tiny electric shock coaxes the egg to grow into a copy of the original animal. The first mammal cloned from an adult cell was Dolly the sheep in 1996.

Carol Tucker Foreman, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America and an assistant secretary for food at the Agriculture Department under President Jimmy Carter, called the recent FDA study "limited in scope" because of the small number of animals involved and because it did not address such issues as whether the clones were more susceptible to infection or other microbial problems, as some critics suspect.

Social and ethical questions also persist, Foreman said. "This study does not address the big issue . . . which is: 'Is this what we want to do as a society? What do we think about having a clone burger?' We still need to have a national conversation about that."

The Humane Society of the United States has asked for a ban on milk and meat from clones, noting that many clones die mysteriously during gestation or soon after birth. Others have wondered aloud why it is necessary to clone cows that produce huge amounts of milk when surpluses, rather than shortages, are the main problem facing the U.S. dairy industry today.

But Barbara Glenn, director of animal biotechnology for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said it is time to allow the new products on the market. "These are the best and healthiest and highest-producing animals," Glenn said, adding that "the science is clear" that clonal meat and milk are equivalent to conventional foods. In terms of animal welfare, she added, clones "are basically the rock stars at the farm . . . and are receiving the best veterinary care that an animal can have."

Aside from the health issues are questions about animal welfare, because cloned animals die in higher numbers during pregnancy and right after birth. A National Academy of Sciences panel looking at cloning raised the issue in a 2002 report. The Humane Society of the United States urged the FDA to keep the ban in place. In a letter June 28, President Wayne Pacelle wrote that cloning "carries too high a cost with regard to animal suffering, yet offers little benefit to humans and animals alike.''

"Critics still claim the process will create monstrous new hybrids in some kind of barnyard 'Boys from Brazil.' Nothing could be further from the truth," said Gregory Conko, director of food safety for the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The process of cloning is not capable of producing anything other than that which nature itself is capable of producing.

New Menu Additions

Greek Salad, simple as promised

Boneless Beef Shortribs, with a bonus truffle-soy glaze, invisable except to your taste buds.

Handmade Gnocchi, these little treasured don't come easy.

Shrimp Soft Taco, with the star stealing banana & bacon 'guacamole'.

The Menu is a Change'n

I thought this would be a perfect week to change some items on the WB menu. During a week where Thursday is just like the past up-teen third Thursdays in November for as long as you’ve been alive, usually tagged as tradition, I’ve done my small part to make something new available. While there is nothing revolutionary about these new items, they are items that are slightly more labor intensive, that take more attention than those they’ve replaced. Shortribs, gnocchi, meatballs all are labors of love, sure they are available IQF frozen with gravy packets in the bag, but that isn’t what we are doing. I’ll explain:

I wanted dearly to remove the tomato & motz salad, for obvious reasons, but from a financial standpoint it’s far and away our best selling salad, at a price point that couldn’t be ignored. I have matched it against a very hearty Greek Salad. Classic Greek salad ingredients, lettuce less, but instead of an oily vinaigrette we are dressing the vegetables with honey, and a red wine reduction.

Boneless beef shortribs are a no brainer this time of the year. I really enjoy the vegetables used in the braising, the ones we usually throw out. Instead I peel and clean them exceptionally well, and serve them as a "mashed braising vegetables" under the meat. Very nice with a drizzle of soy-truffle vinaigrette.
Truffle veal meatballs are a dish I’ve done before, and it tastes exceptionally well with a sage cream sauce. The cream sauce is heavy enough you can forgive me for leaving out the starch, but if you’d like a starch we would be happy to prepare a bread basket, or some spaghetti noddles for this dish.

The grilled shrimp as it appears on the current menu is gone, but not forgotten. It is a very nice dish, simple, easy to prepare, and very well received. I felt we needed to mix things up at the top of our sales chart though, and I felt comfortable changing a dish like the shrimp because customers who are looking for shrimp are willing to try it in various preparations. After all that, I got my arm twisted into adding back the grilled shrimp in conjunction with the tuna satay. The new version is as a soft taco with banana-bacon ‘guacamole’ a very fun flavor combination that went off fantastically well as a special.

Lastly we are adding a cheese plate consisting of 3 international cheeses hand selected from Dion’s Cheese Shop at the West Side Market. We receive most of our cheese from the Cheese Shop already, but I wanted to put a focus on a select few very upscale cheeses to offer people. Dion carries probably the nicest selection of cheeses around that are available in small quantities like you would buy for home. We will keep things simple with warm walnut bread and a fruit compote rounding out the cheese plate.

As for lunch, I’ve added 3 additional hot items to the menu, as well as a soup and sandwich combo. Lunch has been very challenging as of late, but I insist that our quality and standards are just as high for lunch as they are for dinner and everything is made from scratch, and nothing is deep fried.

Chicken & Crawfish Chili

This has been something unique that we pushed at the Wonder Bar as something of a signature dish. Nature has run it’s course and declared the Camembert Mac & Cheese champion comfort food, but I still like a warm bowl of chili on a cold day. I prepared this chili at the Taste Of Cleveland, but on a 85 degree day, chili isn’t gonna go over so well. Fortunately the chili got another chance this past evening at the March of Dimes benefit at the Intercontinental Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. The chili was meet with curious eyes, which quickly faded to smiles after the requested, "only a small taste please." I thought I would go ahead with the recipe, if you take the time to find all these different ingredient, then you deserve a good pot of chili.


Wonder Bar Chicken & Crawfish Chili

2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 pound cooked chicken things, pulled or pulse in food processor
1 pound cooked crawfish meat, try the Asian grocery store
1 28oz can tomato, chopped or stewed, or whole peeled that you chop
2 cups chicken stock, or base
1/4 cup each Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar
1 tsp each cumin, smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
4 oz un-sweetened chocolate
pinch of saffron
salt and pepper

Everything can go in the pot together and simmer for an hour or so. We just started holding the crawfish out and adding it to order since they stay much more tender this way. While there isn’t any hot sauce in this chili, there isn’t anything overly sweet so it’s stays balanced nicely by just ignoring those two extremes. I prefer mine with some croutons in the bottom of the bowl, then topped with cheese, and raw onions.

Weekly reflection

The past week has been a rather slow, emotionless, never ending week. Every day felt like Thursday. I’m sure the first week of this long winter season lacks the properties of motivation and inspiration. The lack of sun does something weird to people. It’s kinda fun since we all know the sun is gonna raise tomorrow, and maybe there is a small chance we will see it. At least the chill in the air brings our every ones appetites.

The start of the week was highlighted by the departure of 2 servers, one who was caught red handed stealing from the restaurant, and her friend. It’s a good thing, this type of thing keeps everyone on their toes. There is no way to weed out a thief until they’ve already ripped you off. There has to be a lack of trust, in a twisted way it is the only way there is any respect between people. The bigger issue was that those 2 bodies represented exactly half of our service staff. Filling those shifts is the real dilemma now.

Joe and I have begun a very pleasant tradition of visiting the West Side Market every Friday between lunch and dinner service. On Fridays we both work a double shift 10 am for lunch, not finishing until after 12 hopefully. It makes all the difference to leave those four walls of the Wonder Bar for 2 hours and see the world. Luckily we are very close to the market. We are able to find those finishing touches to our specials, and find inspiration for next week at the same time.

This week-end specials played out very nice. I got back in touch with Ed and Betty Frank from Veggie Valley Farms in Sandyville, Ohio. We have done business together in the past and they grow the most tasty potatoes, and some unique squashes, and beets as well. This week I used the beets. First I roasted the beets covered with a little water in the pan for almost 2 hours at 350 degrees. Separately I made a syrup of balsamic vinegar and maple to dress the beets. The beet salad was served warm, glazed with the syrup and topped with pickled red onions, blue cheese, parsley and fleur de sel. I already like beets, but I think the added sweetness of the glaze, and the bite of the blue cheese enhances the flavor of the beets without overpowering it.

Squash soup was another special. I’m so happy to have Joe working with me because he is very capable of making something creative, and wonderful with only the slightest guidance from me. I asked him to make a squash soup and spice it up... I suggested some caraway. Well, Joe made an amazing soup with caraway, cinnamon, coriander, and the texture was right on. A little roux helped hold everything in suspension without turning thick and gluey. We sold plenty, and the uniform response was, "I really liked that, it’s different." That is a perfect response.

Lastly I was infatuated with curry banana and bacon combination. I twisted things around in my head for a day or so, and came up with using the mashed mixture in a soft taco in place of a traditional guacamole. After spicing up some pulled pork with smoked paprika and cumin, we combined that with our curry banana and bacon "guacamole" topped with some crunchy lettuce and a squeeze of lime juice. The flavor combos came off just right. The sweetness of the banana really balanced everything out by keeping the curry flavor in check. I was so happy with how this turned out I think we are going to work it onto the new menu somehow.

WB on TV

Today I taped a short video piece for "That's Life" on channel 8. I presented our Mac and Cheese to Steve the editor of Cleveland Magazine. The segment is about comfort food, and is in coordination with the Cleveland Magazine article of which we adorn the cover. Watch for us next Wednesday, November 14 between 10 and 11 am.

Poll Results are in.....

This poll caught me by surprise. Looks like 30% of our small sample group looks to blogs for local restaurant news and reviews. When I put some thought into the question I realized that the Plain Dealer has every advantage over the others as it’s a daily paper, devotes one 6 page section a week to food, and another 4 pages to restaurants on Friday. It is interesting to keep up on what everyone has to say, but for the most part everyone has the exact same thing to say.

Michael Symons repitoire with the Plain Dealer seals it for me. The Plain Dealer could possibly function as the single source of restaurant information, but that would not allow for the checks and balances that occur when different voices have a platform. For this reason we all will continue to re-read the same information in other outlets, just to make sure the facts are straight.