Tag: foie gras

The Fall Season Arrives: Time for The Newness in Everything

The light outside changes, becomes softer, less harsh; the temperature falls and the humidity grows friendlier; and spending more time outdoors becomes a pleasant reality. It’s autumn, the best time, in my opinion, to enjoy what’s on offer in the world. The new season brings new art exhibits, theatre performances, fashion, and, thank goodness, wines and food. New dishes, menus, ingredients, and pairings await in restaurants everywhere. It’s a good time to taste.

Want some good tastes? Have you experienced duck heart bolognese? If not, pay a visit to One Fifth/Romance Languages in Houston and embrace the new. It’s rich and hearty and comforting, and my pasta (casarecce) was just as I like it … one small second past al dente. In addition, I offer you a fine ribeye from Del Frisco’s and an impressive foie gras concoction that’s on the menu at Tony’s. You can read more about these three dishes here. Book a table (or sit at the bar), order some wine, relax a little, and live.

Order this as an opener, or at the end of your evening.

If you cook at home — and if you don’t, you’re missing out on a meditative ritual — here’s a great recipe for salmon that’s warming on an autumn evening. It’s easy to make, and it pairs perfectly with that bottle of Lambrusco you’ve been wanting to open. Want more fun? Cook with someone who excites you. It’ll make the food that much more satisfying.

It was a tough summer … hurricanes and earthquakes and fires (I’m working on a piece about the disaster in Napa and Sonoma, so look for it here) affected millions, bringing despair, heartache, and death. Let’s hope that fall brings, along with the new, a touch of solace and rejuvenation. We could all use some of that.

A Frittata For Emma: Cooking This Will Make You Happy (Plus, Wine, Music, and Foie Gras)

Buddy and Emma (far right) Sullivan, with Maruja and Pepita in the 1950s.

Brooklyn Heights, 2004. That’s the year I met Emma Sullivan and her cousins Maruja and Pepita. Emma owned The Long Island Restaurant, one door down from our apartment on Atlantic Avenue. I was in the restaurant often. It was (and still is) a beautiful time-capsule of a place, booths and wooden bar, photographs of Buddy — Emma’s late husband — and other family members behind the bar, a manual cash register that made me smile when Emma opened it. The sound was comforting. It was a warm and gentle room.

Emma closed up shop in 2007; she and Buddy had taken it over in 1956. Hers was a 51-year run of countless conversations and days and nights making guests feel at home. I miss walking into her restaurant, and probably always will. (The space was reopened in 2013, after Emma leased it to a pair of worthy guys. Next time you are in Brooklyn, pay them a visit.)

I wrote this week about Emma and her cousins and The Long Island Restaurant for PaperCity magazine, and included a frittata recipe based on that special woman and her cousins. You might like to make the dish one morning, or night. Think of Emma — or someone whose life is special to you — when you do.

Like good music and wine, plus some tasty crab cakes? If so, and you find yourself in Missouri City, Texas, check out B’s Wine Bar. Angela and I were there last night, and the band was hot, the crowd stylish and fun, and the staff welcoming and obviously excited about their work.

Drink some wine here in Missouri City, Texas. (Courtesy D-Mars.com)

Angela and I were seated in the wine room, just the two of us at a quaint table, the kind one finds in parks in Paris. We talked and drank and laughed and found a place new to us to which we’ll return. (Thanks for the recommendation, Kennady.)

How’s this for a transition: I love foie gras. I’ve eaten it in Spain, in Dubai, in Paris, in New York, in Italy, in New Delhi, and, most recently, last week in Houston. It’s from Hudson Valley Foie Gras, and it’s prepared in a wonderful way. Take a look at this:

That’s Foie Gras alla Fiamma, newly added to the tasting menu at Tony’s, and it’s good. Order it and savor the preparation process. There’s Moscato and a vanilla bean and a grape, and it’s served with toasted farro. Sensual, delicious, decadent.

Bringing Catalan Cuisine to Houston: A Promising Start

Tuna, with green onions.

Tuna, with green onions.

The time I spent in the Arzak kitchen was brief but rewarding, and several dining tours of Spain – including days and nights in Barcelona, Girona, and Donostia –  instilled in me a passion for Basque and Catalan cuisine. So I was excited when I heard that a chef from Catalonia was going to be in charge of a new kitchen in Houston, BCN Taste & Tradition.

Angela and I were invited to a preview dinner at BCN last night, and it was a great beginning: excellent beef tartare, ahi tuna, a rib eye with foie gras, and, of course, jamón Ibérico. BCN opens to the public on Saturday, September 20, and I will definitely schedule a return visit(s). Service was outstanding, the dining room and bar area are understated and unique for Houston (one can easily imagine being in an elegant, comfortable European restaurant when dining at BCN), and the menu is a showcase of Spanish deliciousness.

Lobster, deconstructed.

Lobster, deconstructed.

That jamón that we love so much.

That jamón that we love so much.

Rib eye, with foie that could have used a bit more sear.

Rib eye, with foie that could have used a bit more sear.

 

 

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