September 2005
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
« Aug   Oct »
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  

Month September 2005

Entries 5 Total

Blue Hill Restaurant

Sep 23, ’05

75 Washington Place between MacDougal and Sixth Avenue
212/539.1776
about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

To welcome autumn, Nabi and I had dinner at Blue Hill in the West Village last night. It’s probably the first restaurant in the city that attempts to be an answer to Chez Panisse with all their locally-grown produce offered on the menu. Everything we ate reminded me of that day in Berkeley, but in a more intimate outdoor summer night setting.

So intimate in fact, that a gargantuan roach decided to drop on my bread plate in the middle of my admiring the Berkshire pork. Our very good-looking waiter happened to be right next to me attending to the other table when it happened and I managed to grab and dig my fingernails on his arm to muffle my scream. I stood up and walked away without knocking our wine glasses. Nabi said she watched the waiter gracefully, and quickly, cover the plate with a napkin and walk away with it.

The manager ran to our table after hearing about the incident. He was very thankful that I did not make a scene to scare the rest of the restaurant. They comped everything from our main course on: the soufflé, an extra glass of white for Nabi, two glasses of dessert wine and a pot of mint tea. I think they should have comped the entire meal, but maybe the roach wasn’t large enough.

Sans the Kafka episode, the food was refreshingly divine. We started with the different kinds of tomatoes in watermelon, cucumber and basil jus. We also split the Maine crab salad. Nabi had the wild striped bass which was cooked perfectly. My pork came from a very happy pig indeed, its own juice sweet without help from any kind of sauce.

After an entire conversation that involved mastication and other big vocabulary words not roach-related, we walked out of the restaurant happy and content. Blue Hill remains as one of my favorite New York City restaurants, but I have to subtract two stars because of the roach. I like organic, but not that organic.

Related post/s:
I have replicated the delicious watermelon and tomato salad many times

Comments (0)

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Sep 22, ’05

This is one of my favorite summer salads adapted from Dan Barber’s Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City. In the summer, you can go to the market and all kinds of tomatoes are available. Watermelon also come cheap. This salad is already refreshing, but to add mint and basil in it just makes it more special.

Ingredients:
1 watermelon, preferably seedless, rind removed, cubed
1 quart of yellow, red, orange cherry or graped tomatoes, halved
lemon juice
red wine vinegar
1 small Thai chili, chopped
handful of basil, finely chopped
handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Into a bowl, whisk the vinegar and the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chili and the herbs.
2. Add the tomatoes and the watermelon. Toss. Chill and serve.

Comments (0)

Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

Sep 19, ’05

Adapted from Fergus Henderson of St. John, London

Ingredients:
several pieces of marrow bone
half a bunch of flat-leafed parsley, coarsely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
lemon juice
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt all over bones. Roast in oven, about fifteen minutes each side.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and serve on top of cooked bones.
3. Enjoy by scooping out the fatty goodness and spreading it on toast with the parsley salad.

Comments (5)

Grilled Skirt Steak with Vietnamese Chimichurri

Sep 18, ’05

Adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tsp sugar
1 small Thai chili, stemmed and seeded
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
2 tsps chopped garlic, or to taste
2 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
leaves of Boston lettuce, washed and dried
salt and pepper

1. Combine fish sauce, pepper, sugar, chili, lime juice, garlic and shallots in a small glass bowl and mash with a pestle. Add mint and cilantro and mash some more. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like.
2. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper and grill 4 minutes a side. Cut into strips, arrange over lettuce, and serve with sauce and roll up.

Note: Recipe calls for grilling. In my New York City kitchen, I simply cooked the steak in a skillet with very hot oil. I also used Romaine lettuce as a substitute.

Comments (0)

Red Wine Squid Salad

Sep 17, ’05

Adapted from Cold Food’s chargrilled octopus recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound squid, cleaned, washed, paper towel-dried
2 tbsps red wine
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl to make marinade. Add squid, too and marinate for a couple of hours.
2. When ready to cook, drain and save the marinade.
3. Heat a deep skillet and grease with a little oil. Fry squid until it’s white on both sides, about 3 minutes per. Brush with some of the marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper while cooking. Try not to overcook so they are not tough. Slice and serve either hot or cold with mixed greens.

Comments (0)