Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Atlanta's Woodfire Grill

From the moment I read the write up on Atlanta's Woodfire Grill in Bon Appetit's 2004 Restaurant issue--I knew I had to check it out.  So last October, while in Atlanta for a conference, I made a reservation (our only meal out) for the eight of us to dine there.  I've been dreaming of it ever since.  Actually, at a planning meeting this past January to prepare for this week's gathering, when the design team asked about great places to eat in Atlanta, I whipped out the menu from my first visit to show them where I was planning on eating.  And no, I don't carry every restaurant menu in my briefcase but this place is special.

The Woodfire Grill captured my palate off the bat for several reasons.  The first was their great website--a colorful, informative, and enticing site that made no bones about Chef Michael Tuohy's love for local, organic and sustainable meats and produce.  He had come to Atlanta from the San Francisco Bay Area bringing the sensibility of Alice Waters along with him.  How could I not love this place?  In what used to be a seating area--now the Cafe at Woodfire--postcards touting Point Reyes Blue Cheese and info about the local farmers' markets helped me to learn about the food Chef Tuohy valued and his commitment to supporting local producers.  And then there was the wine list--a fabulous list and much of it available by the glass.  That they served Hangar One vodka and had some of New York's own Brewery Ommegang beer on hand sealed the mark of high quality for this establishment.

Last Monday, I managed to convince four friends to "trust me" for a return visit--they're still talking about it.  This second visit was another meal to remember.  Like that first visit, we had seats at the long table that looks right onto the namesake grill.  We ordered drinks and watched the food theatre taking place just a few feet away.

I had the Berkshire Farm pork chop with Anson Mill grits, steel pan greens and apple butter.  Whenever I have porkchops I'm reminded that getting a flavorful, moist chop to the table is easier said than done.  Woodfire gets it just right, though.  The greens and apple butter were the perfect foil for the creamy grits.  I couldn't figure out which wine would be best but our server steered me in the right direction with a German Riesling--oh how I wish I could remember the winery...

Other dishes on the table--grilled rib eye with a celery root and potato puree, greens and truffle butter, and a mixed grill of New Zealand venison, duck, potatoes, spaghetti squash and muscadine jelly (not pictured)--all fabulous except that our L wished she'd had more duck. 

By this time we were stuffed--but not too stuffed to contemplate dessert.  But before we could get that order in two great things happened:  Chef Tuohy obliged my request for a photograph and then he sent a gift of a cheese course to our table.  Several of them were local, artisanal cheeses from nearby Thomasville, GA.  The standouts for me were the Sweet Grass Dairy pecan chevre--from Thomasville and a Campo de Montalban from Toledo, Spain.  The cheeses were accompanied by marcona almonds and that delicious pecan raisin bread that came in the bread basket. 

Gluttons that we are, we ordered a few desserts to share anyway--I had a duet of house-made vanilla and cinnamon ice creams and R had the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream and a cookie.    Also on the table was the dark chocolate-cherry tart with chocolate mousse and chocolate sauce--too much chocolate--nah--it was luscious and not overdone.

The Woodfire Grill has done much to expand my notion of what Atlanta dining is like.  I think Tuohy's influence is bearing fruit.  If Woodfire and the other excellent meal we had at One Midtown Kitchen are any indication--Atlanta will soon be called Hotlanta for its hip and creative food scene.  In any case, I have filed the latest menu I rescued from Woodfire and look forward to my next visit--hopefully before another October rolls around.

On the Road Again

This week I'm in Atlanta for another conference.  Atlanta has come a long way in the food scene in the last 15 years and now boasts as many amazing places to eat that is worthy of a city of its caliber.  Though the food where I'm staying is good, I know that it will get old after a while and how could I resist all that great food to be had out there?  One of my favorite restaurants is the Wood Fire Grill and I managed to snag a last minute reservation for tonight.  You can look forward to a full report soon.

Fins and Tails Gourmet Seafood Store

Local Gems of Syracuse is a series of posts designed to highlight the unsung heroes of our culinary life.  Each of them, in their own way, elevates the food scene of Syracuse.

When I was growing up in Brooklyn each weekend my mother and I would buy our groceries for the week on Smith Street.  What is now an uber-chic restaurant row was, at the time--30 years ago--a street where one could find candy stores, a butcher, and a fish monger.  Though big-box supermarkets such as Wegman's have made shopping for seafood more convenient they have, in many cases, removed the knowledgeable fishmonger with access to the best seafood our oceans have to offer from our communities.

Lucky Syracuse.  Tom Farmer and Margaret Ringler of Fins and Tails provide fabulously fresh seafood, an array of locally-produced and hard to find gourmet foodstuffs, freshly made hot dishes and refrigerated prepared foods, and the expertise of people who know their fish.  Despite the fact that they are located on busy Erie Boulevard, Fins and Tails manages to feel like the neighborhood place--customers chat with each other, Tom remembers to ask about one customer's book project, no one is in a great hurry to leave.

Every time I visit Fins and Tails I come out with an unexpected treat.  This week it was fresh off the boat Nantucket Bay scallops.  These were as sweet as Tom promised they would be.  Sad to say, but I had never purchased or cooked scallops before.  But a fellow customer recommended a simple and quick preparation of scallops sauteed in butter and garlic.  I put them on top of some organic field greens from Tierra Farm and I had a meal on the table in minutes.  But though I resisted picking up a jar of the American Spoon lime kiwi salsa, I did grab one of Morning Glory's baguettes.  Morning Glory, based in neighboring Fayetteville, is another (recently discovered) gem of Syracuse that will be written up at a later date. 

In addition to the fresh seafood in stock, Fins and Tails has the ability to order just about anything that lives in water, from anywhere in the world.  Just ask Tom and he'll search it out and get it in.  The market price may be high but if there is something you really want he'll get it. 

Fins and Tails does a brisk business in catering too.  One look at their prepared foods case and its no surprise:  various seafood and pasta salads, crab cakes and salmon cakes, and heat and serve lobster quiche to name a few all vie for your palette.  I had the lobster quiche last month and it is out of this world.  If you can't wait to heat up your food, Margaret creates a changing menu of hot items to take out.

If you have to choose between a place like Fins and Tails and your neighborhood supermarket fish counter here's more food for thought:  you will be hard pressed to find a person who is as knowledgeable and passionate about seafood as Tom Farmer. 

Between ringing up other customers, Tom is more than happy to take the time to talk about things like the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the oyster market.  Even though he gets his oysters from Maryland, the damage in the Gulf means that pressure will be put on the oyster market nationally and drive the cost up.  He delights in explaining how fishing is similar to farming in that weather like the wind and the rain from last week will make it harder to get ground fish such as Haddock and Cod this week due to the difficult fishing conditions.  He obviously cares about the food he carries and enjoys sharing his knowledge.

Fins and Tails is a special place and is worth putting adding to your weekly shopping rounds--whether or not you are a seafood lover.  If you live near Syracuse University and can't make it to Fins and Tails, stop by the Syracuse Real Food Co-op.  As of this week they are carrying a limited selection of Fins and Tails' products including fresh seafood, shrimp salad, and that divinely decadent lobster quiche.

Fins and Tails Gourmet Seafood Store, 3012 Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse, NY 13224, 315-446-5417.
www.finsandtails.com

When I grow up

From the first time I saw her a few years ago, I've wanted to be Maria Helm Sinskey when I grew up.  Never mind the fact that I am indeed grown up.  I don't know her personally, but from all appearances she seems to have had an enviable life. 

She moved from upstate New York to the San Francisco Bay area and then finally, the Napa Valley.  She worked in a critically acclaimed restaurant--The Plumpjack Cafe--as a chef before becoming the chef de cuisine at the winery she co-owns with her husband, Robert Sinskey Vineyards.  She has two adorable children and gets to dream up recipes and menus all day, in between hosting wonderful vineyard meals for family, friends, and the public.  Now, understand, I love my life.  But everyone now and again, that cooking for a winery gig seems pretty cool.

A couple of years ago Maria came out with a cookbook, The Vineyard Kitchen.  Unlike some who desired to cook through the Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this is my tome of choice.  I'm only about a fifth of the way there but every recipe I bring to life makes me want to delve even deeper.

The Vineyard Kitchen is divided by season and the recipes really work to get one in tune with the weather, the landscape, and the body's need to be satiated.  With those butternut squash that I picked today I was able to turn to the fall section of Sinskey's book and find a recipe that was perfect for my appetite, energy level, and the ingredients that I would naturally have on hand this time of year.

To accompany the butternut squash and sage soup--topped with a dollop of creme fraiche-- Maria recommends a German Riesling and buttermilk biscuits.  I chose a New York State semi dry Riesling produced by Widmer Vineyards' new Brickstone label--a very nice fruity wine with the right amount of sugar to complement the soup.  And the biscuits--I had to put them away for fear that I'd scarf them up before midnight--they were the lightest biscuits I've had in awhile. 

So its too late for me to grow up to be Maria Helm Sinskey but in the end, living my life and cooking her recipes is the better deal.

Fall Pickings

I can hardly believe that we are nearing the end of October.  I've been slacking in the garden department and am just now catching up with the rest of the harvesting, clearing, and prepping.  I still have a row each of spinach and red Swiss chard that I hope to pick for another month but today I picked the last of the collards and kale and spent the afternoon preserving them--the freezer is getting full.  I also set some aside to make another quiche with all of the left over cheeses I have in the fridge. 

I also picked the last of the butternut squash.  I'll have plenty for dishes like the squash, pasta, and turkey sausage the students made for dinner last Sunday and butternut squash pie--which trumps pumpkin pie big time.  These two in the basket are going to make for a wonderfully creamy butternut squash and sage soup that gets topped off with some creme fraiche for tonight's dinner. 

NY Wine and Culinary Center to Open Summer of 2006

The New York Wine and Culinary Center that is slated to open next summer continues to garner good press--a brief piece was reported in the latest issue of Wine Spectator. A longer article appeared in August.

This Center, to be based in Canandaigua--about an hour west of Syracuse, is exciting indeed.  For starters, placing it in the Finger Lakes will bring all kinds of tourism to Central New York.  With culinary centers already located in New York City and the Hudson Valley, we finally get a huge nod ($7.1 million's worth) to the wonderful wine, sustainable agriculture, and culinary resources in our area.   With its focus on showcasing great food and wine and educating a public eager to learn we may be closer to the long-hoped for food revolution.

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has already begun offering a combination of online and on-site classes that is a taste of things to come.  RIT, along with Wegmans, and the New York State Department of Agriculture Markets and Constellation Brands (producers of some 9 million cases of wine in NY State) are all major investors.  You can read more about this venture here.

It's different in Texas

I'm at a conference center in Navasota, Texas outside of Houston.  Later I'll write a post about the problem of not so great food at camp and conference centers but in the meantime, I'll let the menu speak for itself.  One note--I know this food isn't so healthy, but it tastes SO GOOD.

My Kind of 30 Minute Meal

After using all my leisurely cooking time this morning by baking up a storm I was ready to get dinner on the table quickly--but deliciously.  This recipe from Bon Appetit's October issue looked great so I decided to do a test run before serving it to the students on Thursday when the bishop comes to dinner. 

It wasn't until I was really going through the recipe that I realized how quick and easy this meal would be.  A full course dinner was on the table in just about 30 minutes--and boy was it good.  Wafer thin Parma prosciutto over Asiago covered chicken breasts topped with a drizzle of white wine sage sauce--all that in 30 minutes. 

To make it a meal I got some help from a roll of organic polenta that I sliced, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a touch of Asiago cheese and heated in the over while the chicken cooked.  I also picked up some rather good Brussels sprouts with walnuts from the prepared section of Wegmans (I know, but there are many things that Wegmans does really well).  A glass of Toasted Head Chardonnay was a nice accompaniment.  I would have rather had the Corey Creek recommended but just try finding a Long Island wine here in Finger Lakes Wine country without driving out to the Regional Market. 

Chicken with Asiago, Prosciutto and Sage

• 4 small skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
• All purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 finely grated Asiago cheese
• 8 thin prosciutto slices, folded over crosswise
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• 4 whole sage leaves (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Coat both sides with flour, shaking off excess.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken breasts and saute until brown, turning once, about 5 minutes.  Transfer chicken to rimmed baking sheet; reserve skillet.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each chicken breast.  Top each with 2 prosciutto slices.  Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add wine, minced sage, and 2 tablespoons butter to skillet.  Boil until sauce is reduced to 1/3 cup, scraping up browned bits, about 4 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer chicken breasts to platter.  Top each with sage leaf, drizzle pan sauce over, and serve.

Saturday Morning Baking

All of this rain has me tending to my inner domestic goddess.  Today I woke up with the urge to do two things:  knit and bake (yeah, I'm a knitter too but I'm pretty sporadic about it).  The knitting part was easy--there is a sweater I've been working on for longer than I'l like to admit that I was able to pick up again.  But the baking...it was a morning of challenge and ease.

First the ease.  For breakfast I decided to make one of my favorites--a pecan millet muffin from the Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley.  This was the muffin I'd eat when I wasn't picking up an oatmeal scone or a chocolate thing (more on that later).  Every morning I'd stop by on my way to the office and pick up one of these goodies along with a cafe au lait from the French Hotel down the street.  On Saturdays I'd go to the Arizmendi (a Cheeseboard cousin) on Lakeshore in Oakland near our apartment.  This was the perfect way to start my day.

No one was more delighted than I when the Cheeseboard published their cookbook.  I'd try for years to replicate their oatmeal scones and coudn't come close until they published the recipe.  So I pulled out the cookbook this morning to help me get breakfast on the table on what felt like a very Berkeley-esque morning--overcast, foggy, with the sun peaking out on the horizon.

So the muffins were easy.  I made some alterations allowing for what I had on hand--dried currants instead of golden raisins, maple yogurt from Evans Farmhouse Creamery instead of plain or sour cream.  It didn't matter-- these were delicious and perfect.  And yes, I dared to put a little maple butter on these already rich treats.  What can I tell you?

Now the challenge came in the form of the Chocolate Thing.  These are down-right addictive and I've put off making them to avoid the trap I've just fallen into.  These tasted just fine--but they weren't quite right and now I've got to experiment.  Poor me.  For the uninitiated, a Chocolate Thing is a rich brioche dough studded with slabs of chocolate chunks. 

The next time I try these I'll work extra hard to find a place warm enough to allow the dough to rise properly.  And instead of using the Rapunzel dark chocolate chunks--very nice but too uniform in shape--I'll try breaking up some of that Sharffen Berger dark chocolate I've got tucked away in the pantry.  But it will take me a few weeks to recover from having more than one of these in the house so I'll give it a try early next month.  Then I'll write up the adapted recipe.  Stay tuned.

Syracuse Foodie Events

If you're looking for some fun things to do over the next few days and you want to get some great local food--make time for these two events.  Both are sponsored by the Syracuse Real Food Co-op.  October is National Co-op month so stop by the store or check their blog for other events.

Tomorrow:  A tasting of chef and cookbook author Maya Kaimal's delicious sauces from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at the Co-op.

 

Who knew?  I first encountered Kaimal's products while back in Berkeley.  She had been written up in several magazines with glowing reviews.  I never would have guessed that she is based in Central New York--just one county over in Earlville.  She creates the most amazing Indian sauces--the Coconut Curry is my favorite.  She'll be at the tastiing tomorrow--this will be a great chance to meet and celebrate one of our own celebrity chefs.

Monday. October 17.  The Co-op is hosting a community potluck at the Westcott Community Center from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.  All are welcome--whether or not you are a Co-op member.  What a great chance to meet friends and neighbors and share some wonderful food from each of our tables.  This is a true potluck--just bring a dish to share and the Co-op will provide the dessert.  They'll also be showing the much lauded film, The Future of Food.   Please call 472-1385 to RSVP. 

Photo courtesy of the Maya Kaimal website.