MEAL OF THE WEEK: ASPARAGUS WITH POACHED EGGS AND BREADCRUMBS

HARD ON THE HEELS OF PEA SEASON COME ASPARAGUS, THE NEXT HARBINGER OF SPRING. THEY’RE ON SALE IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, FROM PENCIL-THIN SPEARS TO THUMB-THICK STALKS. I PREFER THE LATTER, THOUGH THEY REQUIRE MORE PREPARATION SINCE THE FORMER CAN BE BENT LIKE BOWS UNTIL THEY SNAP. EVERYTHING FROM TIPS DOWN TO BREAK ARE EDIBLE. WITH THEIR MORE MUSCULAR COUSINS, HOWEVER, SNAPPING THEM MEANS WASTING A LOT OF THE EDIBLE STALK. SO I TRIM THE VERY TOUGH BOTTOMS AND PEEL THE STALKS, STARTING JUST BELOW THE BUDDING TIPS. I’M NOT A BIG FAN OF GRILLING THEM BECAUSE THE CHAR OVERWHELMS THEIR ASSERTIVE YET DELICATE FLAVOR. I POACH THEM IN SALTED WATER UNTIL BARELY TENDER, PLUNGE THEM IN COLD WATER TO STOP THE COOKING AND ROLL THEM IN A KITCHEN TOWEL TILL READY TO SERVE. OFTEN I JUST DRESS THEM WITH LEMON JUICE, OLIVE OIL AND FRESH HERBS. BUT IF YOU WANT A MORE SUBSTANTIAL RECIPE, THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU: A MUSTARD-TINGED VINAIGRETTE, A POACHED EGG AND HOME-MADE BREADCRUMBS. THESE ASPARAGUS ARE A MEAL IN ITSELF.
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/asparagus-with-poached-egg-and-breadcrumbs/
SWORDFISH WITH SCENTED RICE
THE TRICK WITH SWORDFISH IS NOT TO OVERCOOK IT. TREAT IT AS YOU WOULD A STEAK; THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING NOT MANY PEOPLE LIKE RARE FISH. BUT IF YOU ADHERE TO THE BERNADIN TEST, YOU CAN’T GO WRONG. MOST OF THE WORK IN THIS RECIPE GOES INTO THE RICE, WHICH IS STEAMED, THEN MIXED WITH THIN SLIVERS OF PRESERVED LEMON AN BABY FENNEL. THE HEAT OF THE RICE BARELY COOKS THESE TWO INGREDIENTS. FENNEL HAS A SWEET, MILD LICORICE FLAVOR, WHILE THE PRESERVED LEMON IS SALTY AND INTENSELY SOUR. THESE FLAVORS COMPLEMENT THE FISH, WITH A LAST-MINUTE SAUCE YOU MAKE IN THE PAN.
I TRY TO COOK SEASONALLY, ALLOWING WHAT SHOWS UP AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET TO SHAPE MY MENUS. BUT BECAUSE I TEND TO OVERSHOP, I LIKE TO USE WHAT’S IN MY REFRIGERATOR TOO. FRESH COD (ICELANDIC) SHOWED UP THIS WEEK AT McCALL’S MEAT AND FISH. I CONFESS A WEAKNESS FOR COD WITH ITS MOIST AND FLAVORFUL FLAKES. AND WHEREAS MOST FISH HAVE JUMPED ALARMINGLY IN PRICE, COD, AT $27/LB, IS A BARGAIN. PEAS IN EVERY SHAPE AND FORM ARE RESPLENDENTLY HEAPED ON THE VEGETABLE STANDS: ENGLISH PEAS, SNOW PEAS, SNOW PEA LEAVES, AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS. THEY ARE SO FRESH AND BRILLIANTLY WITH TASTE THAT THEY BARELY REQUIRE COOKING. COWERING IN A CORNER OF MY VEGETABLE BIN WAS A BAG OF SAD LITTLE WHITE JAPANESE TURNIPS, WHICH I’D NEGLECTED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. BUT ROOT VEGETABLES HAVE A LONG SHELF LIFE. TO PULL THEM ALL TOGETHER INTO ONE HARMONIOUS DISH I WHIPPED UP A BUERRE BLANC IN THE SAME PAN I’D POACHED THE COD. AND, YES, IT WAS JUST AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS.
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/poached-cod-with-lemon-buerre-blanc/

IN PAST YEARS FOR THANKSGIVING, I’VE COME IN ON A LOCAL; THAT IS, I POST MY RECIPES FOR THIS ULTIMATE FOOD-CENTRIC HOLIDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, WHICH, WHEN YOU COME TO THINK OF IT, IS JUST DUMB. I’D LIKE TO CORRECT THAT ERROR OF OMISSION BY POSTING SOME RECIPES IN THE FEW WEEKS REMAINING BEFORE EVERYONE SITS DOWN TO EAT.
THANKSGIVING IS AN ORGY OF EXCESS. TOO MANY DISHES, TOO MANY RICH DISHES, TOO MANY DESSERTS. BUT THAT’S THE POINT, ISN’T IT? NEVERTHELESS, I COMPENSATE BY OFF-SETTING THE CREAMY AND STARCHY WITH GREEN VEGETABLES, WHICH I PREPARE SIMPLY, SO THE GREEN STAYS GREEN. THAT MAY INCLUDE STRING BEANS AND/OR BRUSSELS SPROUTS (SEE RECIPE). SOMETIMES, I ROUGHLY CUT UP CABBAGE, CHARD, KALE OR A COMBINATION OF THEM AND WHILE THE BIRD IS RESTING, TOSS THE GREENS INTO THE PAN AND RETURN TO OVEN AT A HIGH HEAT, WHERE THEY WILL WILT NICELY ABSORBING THE DRIPPINGS. I SPREAD THEM ON A SERVING PLATTER AND TOP THEM WITH THE CUT UP TURKEY.
CREAMED ONIONS (SEE RECIPE) HAVE THE BLESSING OF BEING BOTH RICH AND PIQUANT.
NEXT WEEK, I’LL POST THIS YEAR’S TURKEY RECIPE, PLUS A FEW MORE SIDE DISHES, GRAVY, AND CRANBERRY SAUCE. WITH LUCK I’LL TWIST LYNN’S ARM TILL SHE CONTRIBUTES A FEW OF HER INCOMPARABLE DESSERTS.
PAN-SEARED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/pan-seared-brussels-sprouts/
CREAMED ONIONS
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/creamed-onions/
I’LL ADD PHOTOS TO THE RECIPES AFTER THANKSGIVING.
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT I PAN COOK MY FISH. I BUY FILLETS OF STRIPED BASS, SNAPPER, SWORDFISH, BRANZINO, OR COD, A THIRD TO HALF A POUND EACH. McCALL’S MEAT AND FISH, WHICH HAS STORES IN HOLLYWOOD AND SANTA MONICA, OFFERS A LIMITED SELECTION OF SUSHI-GRADE FISH; MOST, RESTAURANT PORTIONS WITH THE SKIN ON ONE SIDE. THE SKIN KEEPS THE FISH MOIST AND ADDS TO ITS FLAVOR. COOKED SKIN SIDE DOWN, THE FISH DOESN’T STICK TO THE PAN. I DON’T TURN THE FISH OVER. INSTEAD, AFTER BROWNING THE SKIN I TOSS IN SOME HERBS AND A HUNK OF BUTTER, ALTERNATELY, BASTING AND COVERING THE FISH TILL IT IS COOKED THROUGH.
THIS COMBINATION OF STEAMING AND BUTTER-BASTING INFUSES THE FISH WITH FLAVOR WITHOUT DRYING IT OUT.
YOU CAN NOW QUIT YOU’RE AHEAD, PLATE THE FILLETS AND SERVE. BUT WHY WASTE ALL THOSE CRUNCHY BROWN BITS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN? TOSS IN SOME CHOPPED SHALLOTS OR SCALLIONS, COOK BRIEFLY, THEN DE-GLAZE THE PAN WITH A FEW TABLESPOONS OF WHITE WINE, STOCK, OR WATER WITH A SQUEEZE OF LEMON JUICE. TO GIVE YOUR SAUCE A SHEEN, TURN OFF THE HEAT AND BEAT IN A COUPLE OF TEASPOONS OF BUTTER. THIS WILL THICKEN THE SAUCE. SPOON IT OVER THE FILLETS AND SERVE.
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/how-to-pan-cook-fish/
ARBAT GROCERY
ARBAT IS AN ARMENIAN GROCERY STORE ON THE CORNER OF ALEXANDRIA AND HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, ALTHOUGH “GROCERY STORE” IS A MISNOMER BECAUSE ARBAT PACKS A SUPERMARKET’S-WORTH OF PRODUCE, CHEESES, MEAT, FRESH FRUIT, GRAINS, PASTA, BREAD, COOKING OILS, PRESERVES, AND DAIRY ITEMS INTO A TINY SPACE. IT MAY FEEL LIKE A GROCERY STORE BUT IT DELIVERS LIKE A SUPERMARKET.
ARBAT IS EMPHATICALLY ARMENIAN. I’D BEEN BUYING FETA THERE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. ARBAT HAS ABOUT EIGHT DIFFERENT FETAS INCLUDING MY FAVORITES, BULGARIAN AND FRENCH, RANGING IN PRICE FROM $3.99 TO $6.99. BUT MANY OF THE SALESPEOPLE ONLY SPEAK ARMENIAN AND I WAS VIEWED WITH SUSPICION. IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET A SMILE FROM ANYONE IN THE STORE.
THEN I BEGAN TO NOTICE WHAT WAS IN THE STORE.
LAMB NECK, WHICH MAKES THE BEST LAMB STEW AND IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND. QUAIL, SEASONED WITH SALT, PEPPER AND PAPRIKA. HUNGARIAN SLAB BACON AND A WIDE VARIETY OF CHEESES AND SAUSAGES MOST OF WHICH I DIDN’T RECOGNIZE. OLIVES, OLIVES, OLIVES. FRESHLY-BAKED LAVASH, A SHEET-LIKE FLATBREAD, BLISTERED, THIN AND FOLDABLE. A LOT OF THE PRODUCE, PARTICULARLY THE FRUIT, IS LOCALLY-SOURCED. IN SEASON, YOU’LL FIND FRESH GREEN ALMONDS, GRAPE LEAVES, DATES, FRESH FIGS, PURSLANE, AND DANDELION GREENS. GO ON TUESDAY OR FRIDAY AFTER 12 FOR GLISTENING BUNCHES OF FRESH TARRAGON, DILL, ITALIAN PARSLEY, CILANTRO, GREEN OR OPAL BASIL. THERE ARE BINS OF SPANISH, BROWN, AND PEARL ONIONS. THE CUCUMBERS ARE PERSIAN, SMALL AND PERFECT. IF YOU’RE LAZY, PICK UP A PLASTIC CONTAINER OF PEELED, WHOLE GARLIC CLOVES.
AT THE BACK OF THE STORE IS A DAIRY CASE WHERE IN ADDITION TO PRÉSIDENT AND LURPAK BUTTER, THERE ARE BUTTERS WITH CYRILLIC LETTERS, FARMER CHEESE, YOGURT, LABNE, AND TAN. SQUEEZE AROUND A CORNER AND YOU’RE FACING A CASE WITH MORE FETAS AND CHEESES PLUS PACKAGED SMOKED SALMON AND STURGEON. THERE ARE FROZEN PELMENI AND FROZEN FILO DOUGH.
IF YOU’VE GOT A SWEET TOOTH YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. BOXES AND BOXES OF CHOCOLATES, CARAMELS, AND BRITTLE. BINS OF DRIED ALMONDS, WALNUTS, PECANS, APRICOTS, AND FIGS.
HOW ABOUT THE PRICES? I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK. ROUGHLY 25% TO 40% LESS THAN GELSON’S OR WHOLE FOODS. DRISCOLL RASPBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES ARE NEARLY HALF THE PRICE. A ONE-POUND BLOCK OF FETA COSTS $7.49 AT WHOLE FOODS; $3.99 AT ARBAT. LURPAK BUTTER: $7.79 AT WHOLE FOODS; $4.99 AT ARBAT. AT $4.99/BUNCH FRESH TARRAGON IS ARBAT’S PRICIEST FRESH HERB BUT IS EQUAL IN QUANTITY TO FOUR MEASLY BUNCHES AT THE HOLLYWOOD FARMERS MARKET.
I HEARD RECENTLY FROM SOMEONE IN THE SUPERMARKET BUSINESS THAT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT FOOD PRICING IS ARBITRARY. PRICES ARE GAUGED TO THE CUSTOMER BASE. IF YOU LIVE IN BEVERLY HILLS YOU PAY MORE FOR YOUR FOOD BECAUSE YOU CAN AFFORD IT AND DON’T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO THE PRICES. BUT WHEN WAITING IN LINE AT THE CHECKOUT COUNTER AT ARBAT, I WATCH OLD LADIES DOLING OUT NICKELS AND PENNIES FROM THEIR CHANGE PURSES TO PAY FOR THEIR LAVASH, FETA, OLIVES, DATES, AND PERSIMMONS. AND WHEN IT’S MY TURN, THE CASHIER, A VERY PRETTY WOMAN WHOSE HAIR COLOR CHANGES EVERY FEW MONTHS, SMILES AT ME AND EVEN SAYS, “HELLO!”
A FEW KIND WORDS ABOUT RISOTTO
EVERYBODY LOVES PASTA. EVERYBODY COOKS PASTA. MOST PEOPLE LOVE RISOTTO. FEW PEOPLE COOK RISOTTO. WHY IS THAT? THIS BURNING QUESTION HAS PUZZLED FOOD WRITERS AND GASTRO-HISTORIANS FOR CENTURIES. YET THE ANSWER IS OBVIOUS: PRACTICALLY EVERY RECIPE FOR RISOTTO DIRECTS THE COOK TO STAND AT A HOT STOVE, STIRRING AND ADDING INCREMENTAL QUANTITIES OF STOCK UNTIL THE ARBORIO RICE BECOMES PERFECTLY AL DENTE AND FIT TO SERVE. THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE! I ONCE ASKED EVAN KLEIMAN, JAMES BEARD WINNER, AUTHOR OF EIGHT VOLUMES ON ITALIAN COOKERY, MODERATOR OF GOOD FOOD ON KCRW, AND FORMER RESTAURANTEUR (TRATTORIA ANGELI AND ANGELI CAFFE) HOW HER RESTAURANT HANDLED RISOTTO ORDERS IF EACH TOOK 40 MINUTES TO PREPARE. “OH, WE PARTIALLY COOK THE RISOTTOS IN THE MORNING AND SPREAD THEM ON SHEET PANS. WHEN AN ORDER COMES IN WE SCOOP OUT THE PORTION, PUT IN THE POT AND STIR IN THE LIQUID TO FINISH THE DISH. TAKES ABOUT TEN MINUTES.” AND THAT IS HOW I’VE COOKED RISOTTO EVER SINCE. I SWEAT MY VEGETABLES IN A LITTLE OLIVE OIL AND A GENEROUS GLOB OF BUTTER, STIR IN THE RICE, ADDING ABOUT 3 CUPS OF LIQUID. I STIR IT WITH A WOODEN FORK TO SEPARATE THE GRAINS AND WHEN IT REACHES A BOIL, I TURN OFF THE HEAT AND COVER IT. WHEN MY GUESTS ARE FINISHING THEIR FIRST COURSE, I RESUME COOKING, ADDING MORE BROTH UNTIL THE RISOTTO IS AL DENTE AND LIQUIDY. A HUNK OF BUTTER AND A FEW TABLESPOONS OF PARMESAN STOP THE COOKING. RISOTTO MILANESE IS OSSO BUCO’S CLASSIC ACCOMPANIMENT, BUT WHATEVER RISOTTO YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE (AND THERE AS MANY RISOTTO RECIPES AS THERE ARE RECIPES FOR PASTA) THE TECHNIQUE IS THE SAME. THERE! YOU CAN MAKE RISOTTO NOW AT PEACE IN YOUR VERY OWN HOME.
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/risotto-milanese/
WHY I LOVE MY WOK
SIX MONTHS AGO I BOUGHT A WOK, A REAL CARBON STEEL FLAT-BOTTOMED WOK WITH A WOODEN HANDLE.
AS MUCH AS I LOVE CHINESE FOOD, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN TIMID ABOUT COOKING IT: A) BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH GOOD CHINESE FOOD IN LOS ANGELES AND B) BECAUSE IT MEANT STOCKING MY PANTRY WITH A WHOLE LOT OF INGREDIENTS I DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE. SO I STARTED OFF SLOWLY, TIP-TOEING INTO CHINESE COOKING WITH GREEN VEGETABLES, MOSTLY SPINACH, CHARD, BROCCOLI, AND CABBAGE. WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT MY WOK IS THAT IT’S BIG. YOU CAN THROW IN TWO WHOLE BUNCHES OF SPINACH AND TOSS THEM WITH SOME GARLIC, FRESH GINGER, CHILES, ET VOILA! OR WHATEVER ITS EQUIVALENT IN MANDARIN. DESPITE A DISASTROUS ATTEMPT AT TEMPURA (NOT CHINESE), MY VEGETABLE SUCCESSES EMPOWERED ME. FACED WITH A POUND’S-WORTH OF LEFTOVER PORK CHOPS, A PALE PURPLE CHINESE CABBAGE, LOTS OF SCALLIONS, A HUNK OF FRESH GINGER, AND AN UNOPENED JAR OF GARLIC/BLACK BEAN PASTE, I DUG OUT MY COPY OF THE THOUSAND RECIPE CHINESE COOKBOOK BY GLORIA BLEY MILLER, PUBLISHED BY RANDOM HOUSE IN 1966! BEHOLD, 300 PAGES (PAGES NOT RECIPES) OF STIR FRY DISHES. AS DAUNTING AS THAT SEEMED, THE BASIC TECHNIQUE WAS THE SAME FOR ALL OF THEM. IN CHINESE COOKING, WHERE THOUSANDS OF DISHES ARE PREPARED IN THIS ONE REMARKABLE VESSEL, THE COOKING IS IN THE PREP; YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME SLICING AND DICING. YOUR MIS-EN-PLACE IS YOUR DISH OR WILL BECOME YOUR DISH WITH ONLY A FEW MINUTES OF ACTUAL COOKING. AND MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, IT WORKED!
https://johnpleshettemealoftheweek.com/recipes/chinese-style-stir-fried-pork/
UNICORN
THE WORLD'S BEST PEPPER GRINDER
UNICORN PEPPER MILLS ARE APTLY-NAMED BECAUSE THEY ARE RARE AND HARD TO FIND. YOU WON’T SPOT THEM AT WILLIAMS-SONOMA, SUR LA TABLE OR IN THE KITCHEN SECTIONS OF DEPARTMENT STORES. THIS IS BECAUSE THEIR INVENTOR TOM DAVID, WHOSE FIRST PRODUCT OF THIS TYPE WAS THE PEPPERGUN (A ONE-HANDED GRINDER SINCE DISCONTINUED), DOESN’T CARE ABOUT HOW MANY UNICORNS HE SELLS. ACCORDING TO ONE OF HIS THIRTY OR SO ADORING EMPLOYEES, MR. DAVID IS A SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, WHO LIVES AND WORKS ON NANTUCKET ISLAND WHERE THE UNICORN FACTORY IS LOCATED. “HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT MONEY, SO HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT WIDELY MARKETING HIS PEPPER MILLS,” SHE TOLD ME.
UNICORN PEPPER MILLS COME IN SEVERAL SIZES BUT I’M PARTICULAR TO THE MAGNUM,WHICH STANDS FIVE AND A HALF INCHES HIGH AND IS TWO INCHES IN DIAMETER. UNLIKE THE IT’S TALLER AND HOUR-GLASS-SHAPED COUSIN LE PEUGOT, THE SQUATTER UNICORN IS NEARLY UNTIP-ABLE WITH A GREATER STORAGE CAPACITY. THE PEUGOT’S GRINDER MECHANISMS ARE NOW MADE IN CHINA. UNICORN HAS EMPLOYED THE SAME ITALIAN-MADE TRES SPADE GRINDERS SINCE 1986 WHEN THEIR PEPPER MILLS FIRT TIP-TOED INTO THE MARKET. TRES SPADE HAS BEEN MANUFACTURING QUALITY METAL PRODUCTS SINCE 1864.
THE UNICORN MAGNUM IS A BREEZE TO FILL. LAY IT ON ITS SIDE AND TWIST TO OPEN THE AMPLE HOPPER FOR THE PEPPERCORNS. THE GRIND ADJUSTS EASILY AND ACCURATELY. I CALLED THE FACTORY DIRECTLY TO SPECIAL ORDER A SECOND MILL FOR WHITE PEPPER, WHICH CAME WITH A DISCREET WHITE BAND SO I CAN TELL THEM APART.
THE UNICORN IS ALISON ROMAN’S MILL OF CHOICE AS WELL AS JOSEF CENTENO’S. IF ITS’ GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM, IT SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!
http://www.unicornmills.org
McCALL'S REDUX
IN JANUARY OF 2010 KAREN AND NATHAN McCALL OPENED THEIR NAMESAKE BESPOKE BUTCHER SHOP ON HILLHURST. THE COUPLE HAD CHEFED AT SONA, DAVID MYER’S MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT ON LaCIENEGA, WHICH CLOSED IN MAY THE SAME YEAR.
CHEF JOHN SPEAKS

LONDON, PARIS AND AMSTERDAM 2023

IN 1982, WE WENT TO FLORENCE AND PARIS. FOR OUR TWO-WEEK STAY IN PARIS WE’D RESERVED LUNCHES AND DINNERS AT, AMONG OTHERS, TAILLEVENT AND L’ARCHESTRATE, THEN THE ONLY TWO RESTAURANTS IN PARIS WITH THE HIGHEST RATING IN BOTH THE MICHELIN AND GAULT-MILAU. WE ATE TWO MEALS A DAY. THIS WAS PRE-TASTING MENUS, SO A TYPICAL MEAL INCLUDED AN ENTRÉE, A MAIN COURSE, CHEESE AND/OR DESSERT. WITH WINE. WHEN WE RETURNED TO L.A., MY FRIEND SANDY TOOK ONE LOOK AT ME AND SAID, “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR NECK?” I’D GAINED 17 POUNDS IN THREE WEEKS.
WITH SIMILAR AMBITIONS FOR OUR RECENT TRIP TO LONDON, PARIS AND AMSTERDAM, I RESEARCHED AND RESERVED TABLES IN PARIS AND AMSTERDAM. BUT SADLY (OR MAYBE NOT) I FOUND MYSELF CANCELLING RESERVATIONS IN BOTH CITIES. I’M NOT THE SWINE I USED TO BE. WHICH IS NOT TO SAY, WE DIDN’T HAVE WONDERFUL MEALS. JUST NOT QUITE SO MANY.
IN PREVIOUS YEARS, BEFORE IPHONES AND E-MAILS AND TEXTS, I’D METICULOUSLY RECORDED, COURSE BY COURSE, EVERY BITE IN HAND-WRITTEN DIARIES; DIARIES I STILL HAVE AND CHERISH. BUT I’VE GROWN THINNER AND LAZIER, SO INSTEAD OF SUBJECTING YOU, DEAR READER, TO A COMPREHENSIVELY TEDIOUS ACCOUNT OF OUR GUSTATORY ODYSSEY, I’LL LIMIT MYSELF TO THE HIGHTLIGHTS; PARTICULAR DISHES IN THE RESTAURANTS WE PARTICULARLY LIKED.
FRENCH FOOD HAs CHANGED A LOT IN 40 YEARS. AND NOT AT ALL. BY 1982 HAUTE CUISINE HAD ALREADY SHED THE EXCESSES OF CARÊME AND ESCOFFIER FOR FERNAND POINT, WHOSE COOKING AT LA PYRAMIDE IN VIENNE RELIED ON THE BEST OF SEASONAL INGREDIENTS. POINT AND HIS ACCOLYTES ALEXANDRE DUMAINE, ALAIN CHAPEL, THE TROISGROS BROTHERS, AND PAUL BOCUSE SOUGHT TO MAKE THE BETTER OF THE BEST, ENHANCING PERFECT PRODUCE AND PROTEIN WITH REDUCTIONS INSTEAD OF FLOUR-BASED SAUCES AND SUPERFLUOUS EMBELLISHMENTS.
THE NEXT GENERATION, INCLUDING MICHEL GUÉRARD, FRÉDY GIRADET, JOEL ROBUCHON, AND ALAIN PASSARD ALL TRACE THEIR LINEAGE TO POINT
ANTOINE CAREMEid=”attachment_3212″ align=”alignright” width=”205″]
.BUT THEN, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS HISTORY, MICHELIN BEGAN SHOWERING STARS ON THE UPSTARTS IN SPAIN, JUAN MARI ARZAK AND FERRAN ADRIA, THE CHEF/SCIENTISTS WHO INVENTED MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY. SOUS VIDE AND PACOJETS, FOAMS AND GELS AND POWDERS INVADED FRENCH KITCHENS, TURNING RECIPES INTO A FORM OF ALCHEMY.

THEN CAME JAPAN. JAPANESE CHEFS WHO LOVED FRENCH FOOD FLOCKED TO PARIS TO LEARN FRENCH COOKING. AFTER A SUITABLE APPRENTICESHIP IN FRENCH KITCHENS, SOME OPENED RESTAURANTS OF THEIR OWN. AND FRENCH CHEFS, WHO ADMIRED THE ZEN PURITY AND SIMPLICITY OF JAPANESE CUISINE, BEGAN TO INCORPORATE THAT SENSIBILITY INTO THEIR OWN DISHES.

ONE OF OUR BEST DINNERS THIS TRIP WAS AT ZE KITCHEN GALLERIE. SINCE OUR FIRST MEAL THERE SOME 20 YEARS AGO, WILLIAM LADEUIL, WHO SPENT A STRETCH IN TOKYO, HAD EARNED A MICHELIN STAR AND A 16.5 RATING IN GAULT-MILAU. HE HAS GRADUATED FROM NIGIRI WITH RAW BEEF IN PLACE OF TORO TO A COMPLEX AND SEDUCTIVE TASTING MENU WITH INFLUENCES FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA AND MOROCCO AS WELL AS JAPAN. THIS FUSION BRANCH OF FRENCH COOKING IS MANIFEST IN RESTAURANTS SUCH AS THE MUCH-LAUDED CHATEAUBRIAND.


ALTHOUGH UNDERWHELMED BY A SUCCESSION OF ONE-BITE DISHES SUCH AS GOUGÉRES WITH A GLASS OF CEVICHE JUICE AND CARROT “SPAGHETTI”, A PERFECTLY-COOKED PIECE OF DORADE FOLLOWED BY A LUSCIOUS SLICE OF SPRING LAMB PROVED REDEMPTIVE.
I ADMIT, HOWEVER, THAT I’VE GROWN WEARY OF TASTING MENUS. THE CHEF WHO CAN PULL OFF AN ORCHESTRATED PARADE OF ONE-BITE GEMS IS RARE INDEED. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, FOR EVERY GEM, THERE’S A FAILED ATTEMPT AT CREATING A TASTE COMBINATION THAT IS SIMPLY UNIQUE. I RECALL WITH A SHUDDER, A SUCCESSION OF BEIGE AND GREY DISHES AT A RESTAURANT IN HELSINKI, THE NAME OF WHICH WILL FOREVER SLIP MY MIND. BEFORE THE ADVENT OF CHEF’S TASTING MENUS, WE USED TO CONSTRUCT OUR OWN SIMPLY BY ORDERING SEVERAL HALF PORTIONS, SHARING DISHES OR JUST ORDERING APPETIZERS, WHICH TEND TO BE THE BEST CHOICES ON THE MENU ANYWAY.
CONCURRENT WITH FUSION AND TASTING MENUS, ANOTHER GROUP OF YOUNG CHEFS, HIGHLY-TRAINED AND HIGHLY-SKILLED, WHO’D CUT THEIR TEETH IN 3-STARS, JUMPED OFF THE MICHELIN TRAIN, OPTING INSTEAD TO OPEN BISTROS IN LESS-PRICEY ARRONDISEMENTS WHERE THEY SERVED UP THEIR INTERPRETATIONS OF REGIONAL SPECIALTIES. WE DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO GET INTO CHEZ L’AMI JEAN (OH, FOR JEAN’S RICE PUDDING!), WHICH HAS BECOME WILDLY POPULAR SINCE OUR LAST VISIT. BUT ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF MY NEPHEW NICK, WHO LIVES IN PARIS, WE HAD OUR FIRST PARISIAN DINNER AT LORETTE, A 32-SEAT BISTRO IN THE ONCE-UNFASHIONABLE 10TH. LORETTE
YOUNG STAFF, YOUNG CROWD, AND YOUNG CHEF MAKING CLASSIC DISHES SUCH AS ONION SOUP, MARROW BONE, SEA BASS, AND A PEAR TART. LORETTE IS JOLLY AND COZY WITH WARM SERVICE AND EXCELLENT FOOD. WE BOOKENDED OUR PARIS WEEK AT THE VENERABLE CHEZ ANDRÉ (“1936 CUISINE BOURGEOIS”) WITH ITS RED LEATHER BANQUETTES, BRASS FIXTURES AND REDSHADED CHANDELIERS, A MAN SHUCKING OYSTERS OUTSIDE, AND INSIDE, CLASSIC FOIE GRAS AND PERFECT SOLE MEUNIERE.

WE’D LANDED FIRST IN LONDON, WHERE LYNN’S DAUGHTER ALBYN LIVES IN KENTISH TOWN WITH HER PARTNER BILL, THEIR 11-YEAR-OLD GEORGIA AND TWO CATS. MY SISTER ANN AND HER HUSBAND STEVE ARE ALSO EX-PATS; THEIR HOUSE IN ST. JOHN’S WOOD NOT FAR FROM ALBYN’S DUPLEX IN KENTISH TOWN.

SO ANOTHER BIG CHANGE SINCE 1982 IS THERE IS PLENTY OF GOOD EATING IN LONDON. ONLY THE BRITISH COULD INVENT THE WORD “GASTROPUB”, WHICH SOUNDS MORE LIKE AN INTERNAL ORGAN THAN A RESTAURANT, BUT ONE OF OUR BEST MEALS THE WHOLE TRIP WAS AT THE BULL AND LAST (LET’S CALL IT A BISTROPUB, OKAY?), A SHORT WALK FROM ALBYN’S FLAT. ONE OF THE MANAGERS EXPLAINED THAT THE NAME REFERS TO THE LAST BULL TO LEAVE THE PASTURE AS WINTER SETS IN. OKAY… OUR VERY PRETTY, BLONDE SERVER WAS FROM SAN FRANCISCO AND THE MENU, AN ECCLECTIC MIX OF FRENCH, ITALIAN AND CALIFORNIA CUISINE: RADICCHIO SALAD WITH RAW ARTICHOKES, HAZELNUTS AND BLOOD ORANGE; BEEF CARPACCIO WITH WALNUT PESTO; BURRATA WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND PEA SHOOTS. MY SMOKED FISH BOARD HAD ENOUGH SMOKED MACKERAL PÂTÉ, HOUSE-CURED GRAVLAX, BROWN CRAB, AND HADDOCK CROQUETTE TO FEED A SMALL ARMY, SO I REDUCED MY PAPPARDELLE WITH LAMB RAGU TO A HALF PORTION, ALTHOUGH MY FORMER SELF WOULD HAVE EAGERLY EATEN MORE. LYNN AND ALBYN’S ROAST SEABASS WITH ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO BROTH WAS MOIST AND FLAVORFUL. AS FULL AS WE WERE, WE MANAGED TO INHALE THE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING.
WE MET MY NIECE MADDIE AT NOBLE ROT (THEY DO HAVE A GIFT FOR OFF-PUTTING NAMES), A WINE BAR IN SOHO WITH IMAGINATIVE FRENCH-INFLECTED DISHES AND AN INTRIGUING BOTTLE OF TOKAJI FURMINT FROM HUNGARY.


ON A WALK NEAR OUR WONDERFULLY ECCENTRIC ZETTER TOWNHOUSE HOTEL IN MARLEYBONE, I DISCOVERED A PAIR OF SPANISH RESTAURANTS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SEYMOUR PLACE. AT LURRA, THE MORE SERIOUS OF THE TWO, MOST EVERYTHING IS GRILLED OVER WOOD. NEVER HAVE I EATEN A BETTER OCTOPUS TENTACLE, DRAPED BESIDE A PILLOW OF FIRE-ROASTED PEPPERS. DONOSTIA, LURRA’S SISTER RESTAURANT, SPECIALIZES IN TAPAS, SERIOUS TAPAS SUCH AS GRILLED ARTICHOKES, SUCCULENT LAMB CHOPS, ZAPOA (JUICY MONKFISH) WITH BLACK RICE, SEVERAL ITERATIONS OF SPAIN’S CELEBRATED IBERICO PORK (CURED LIKE PROSCUITTO, ROASTED LOIN, BRAISED SHOULDER), AND IRRESISTABLY CRUNCHY ROASTED POTATOES.

EVERYONE IN PARIS WAS FURIOUS WITH MACRON WHO, INVOKING AN ESOTERIC BUT PERFECTL-LEGAL STATUTE, HAD RAISED THE RETIREMENT AGE FROM 62 TO 64. SACRE BLEU! GARBAGE BAGS WERE PILED HIGH BUT DISCREETLY AND THE CAB DRIVERS USED THEIR APPS TO AVOID THE DAILY PROTESTS. BUT I CAN’T SAY IT IMPACTED OUR VISIT. THERE WAS STILL A LINE AT THE MUSÉE D’ORSAY, WHERE WE LUCKED INTO THE FIRST DAY OF A TERRIFIC SHOW, MANET AND DEGAS.

THE PINAULT COLLECTION, WORTH A VISIT IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO SEE WHAT WAS ONCE THE BOURSE (STOCK MARKET). DEAD TREES ROSE TWO STORIES IN THE ATRIUM. A FILM IN THE MUSEUM’S THEATER WAS SHOWING AMAZONIAN FISHERMEN NETTING AND HUGGING FISH – TO DEATH. NEVER HAS SO MUCH ART REQUIRED SO MUCH READING!

MUCH MORE SATISFYING WAS A SMALL EXHIBITION AT THE MUSÉE DU LUXEMBOURG, THE ADJACENT GARDENS BURSTING INTO BLOOM.

LEON MONET, CLAUDE’S BROTHER, WAS A SUCCESSFUL FABRIC MANUFACTURER IN ROUEN, AND AN AVID COLLECTOR OF THE EARLY IMPRESSIONISTS.

AFTER LONDON AND PARIS, AMSTERDAM WAS LIKE GOING FROM TIME’S SQUARE TO THE WEST VILLAGE. I UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE MOVE HERE. OKAY, EVERYONE IS TALLER THAN YOU (LYNN REQUIRED A STEP STOOL TO GET IN AND OUT OF BED.). BUT THEY ALL SPEAK ENGLISH. HALF THE WINDOW DRESSINGS ARE IN ENGLISH. IF YOU DON’T GET RUN OVER BY A BICYCLE, NOTHING IS MORE ENCHANTING THAN STROLLING ALONG THE HERENGRACHT OR PRINSENGRACHT OR PRACTICALLY ANY GRACHT; EACH CANAL LINED WITH HOUSES WHICH HAVEN’T CHANGED SINCE THE 17TH CENTURY.
BOATS PACKED WITH TOURISTS CRUISE BY. SWANS NEST AT THE WATERLINE NEAR DOCKED HOUSEBOATS. THE DRAWBRIDGES ARE RIGHT OUT OF VAN GOGH. AND, OF COURSE, THERE ARE THE VAN GOGHS THEMSELVES, WHICH WE SKIPPED THIS TRIP IN FAVOR OF 28 VERMEERS AT THE RIKJSMUSEUM, THE LARGEST NUMBER EVER EXHIBITED. ONLY A FEW PER ROOM.


LUMINOUS LITTLE WINDOWS INTO THE PRIVATE MOMENTS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE. BUT I DIGRESS…

VINKELES, WITH ONE MICHELIN STAR BUT DESERVING OF TWO, IS SITUATED IN THE FORMER POORHOUSE OF AN ADJACENT CHURCH; NOW THE NOT-SO-POORHOUSE HOTEL DYLAN. THE STUNNING AND DRAMATIC DINING SPACE IS ONE LONG ROOM, ONCE THE CHURCH BAKERY. A WALL OF DECOMMISIONED BRICK OVENS RISES TWENTY FEET FROM THE BRICK FLOOR TO A TIMBERED CEILING. THE AMPLY-SPACED TABLES ARE DRAPED IN WHITE LINEN. SERVICE IS BRISK, IMPECCABLE AND FRIENDLY. I STARTED WITH TWO SMALL SLABS OF HAMACHI CRUDO, FRESH AS THE SEA, DRIZZLED WITH OLIVE OIL AND A PINCH OF PINK SALT. SQUAB CAME ROASTED AS RARE AS PRIME RIB; THE SKIN, MAHOGANY, NAPPED IN A SQUAB REDUCTION. LYNN CHOSE THE VEGETABLE MENU – FIVE COURSES INCLUDING DESSERT. BRAISED ONIONS WITH SOY SAUCE AND GRUYÈRE; A CARROT WITH TARRAGON AND CARAMELIZED CREAM; ARTICHOKE WITH CRISPY POTATOES; OYSTER MUSHROOMS WITH CHESTNUTS AND WILD GARLIC, AND A DESSERT OF CHOCOLATE, CARAMEL, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, HAZELNUTS, ORANGE AND GOAT’S MILK. OUR WAITER WAS MOST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT A BOTTLE OF ELBLING FROM RACINES REBELLES, A WOMAN WINEMAKER IN LUXEMBOURG’S MOSEL. ELBLING IS RIESLING’S COUSIN, BUT THIS WINE WAS LIGHTER-BODIED WITH FLOWERY NOTES AND A VELVETY FINISH.

THE FOLLOWING NIGHT WE MET OUR FRIENDS EVA AND PETER VAN DUINEN AND LYNN’S CLIENT NINA SIEGAL, (“THE ANATOMY LESSON” AND THE FORTHCOMING “THE DIARY KEEPERS”) AND THE NEW YORK TIMES’ CULTURAL CORRESPONDENT FOR HOLLAND AT SINCK, A WINE BAR TWO CANALS AWAY FROM OUR HOTEL.

(ONE NICE THING ABOUT AMSTERDAM WAS THAT EVERY RESTAURANT WAS A FEW CANALS AWAY FROM OUR HOTEL. WE ONLY TOOK PUBLIC TRANSPORATION TO VISIT MAURITSHUIS COLLECTION IN THE HAGUE AND TO GET TO THE TRAIN STATION.). SINCK WAS ARGUABLY OUR BEST MEAL OF THE TRIP. THE MENU WAS DECEPTIVELY UNPRETENTIOUS – SWEETBREADS, FOIE GRAS, MONKFISH, SKATEWING. BUT THE SWEETBREADS, WHICH HAD A TENDER CRUNCH CAME SWIMMING IN AN INTENSE VEAL REDUCTION LACED WITH, I THINK, PORT. THE FRIED SKATE WING FLOATED IN A BUERRE ROSE, PINKISH FROM A KISS OF TOMATO. AND SINCK LIVED UP TO ITS NAME AS A WINE BAR. WE DOWNED TWO BOTTLES: A JOSEF BOXLER ALSATIAN RIESLING AND A LIGHT AND LOVELY SYLVANNER.

WE TRAVEL FOR TWO REASONS: TO EAT AND LOOK AT ART. SO IT WAS A REVELATION TO FIND THAT THE FOOD IN THE DUTCH MUSEUM CAFETERIAS – THE RIJKSMUSEUM, THE MAURITSUIS, AND THE HERMITAGE – WAS CONSISTENTLY FRESH, DELICIOUS AND CAPACIOUS. WE ALWAYS OVER-ORDERED. MAIN COURSE SALADS, SANDWICHES ON GOOD BROWN BREAD AND EXCELLENT TOMATO SOUP.
BACK IN LONDON FOR A DAY BEFORE OUR FLIGHT TO L.A., WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME WITH ALBYN, HER FRIENDS AND OUR DELIGHTFUL GRANDAUGHTER GEORGIA, WITH ONE TERRIFIC DINNER AT THE AFOREMENTIONED DONOSTIA.
REFLECTING ON OUR TRIP, WHAT’S HAPPENED TO FOOD IN THE COUNTRIES WE VISITED ISN’T VERY DIFFERENT FROM HOW FOOD HAS EVOLVED IN L.A. AND PROBABLY MOST BIG CITIES AROUND THE WORLD. CUISINE IS NOW INTERNATIONAL. JONATHAN GOLD PRAISED JOSEF CENTENO’S DISHES AT HIS ORSA & WINSTON BECAUSE, HE WROTE, THEY REFLECT THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF THE CITY ITSELF. CENTENO EFFORTLESSLY COMBINES FLAVORS, INGREDIENTS AND TECHNIQUES FROM MEXICO, JAPAN, NORTH AFRICA, AND ITALY. THE CHEF DU CUISINE AT LURRA IS JAPANESE BUT TOLD ME HE LOVES BASQUE FOOD. CERTAINLY, REGIONAL COOKING PERSISTS AND HAPPILY SO. YOU CAN GO TO TEN RESTAURANTS IN ROME AND THOUGH THE PRICES MAY VARY, THE MENUS ARE THE SAME. THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY IN LOS ANGELES IS SIXTY MILES OF ASIAN FOOD, WHERE RESTAURANTS CATER TO IMMIGRANTS FROM SPECIFIC REGIONS SUCH AS CANTON, HUNAN, SZECHUAN, AND JIANGSU. YOU CAN FIND RESTAURANTS ALL OVER THIS CITY WHICH SPECIALIZE IN OAXACAN MOLES, KOREAN BARBECUE, SYRIAN SHAWARMA, BOLOGNESE PASTA, OR OSAKA-STYLE SUSHI. BUT INCREASINGLY, THE MORE SOPHISTICATED CHEFS ARE DRAWING THEIR INSPIRATION FROM AN GLOBAL PALATE. AND WHO ARE THE BENEFICIARIES OF THEIR ONGOING EXPERIMENTS? WE ARE.
A FINAL NOTE: WE ATE IN FIFTEEN RESTAURANTS IN THREE CITIES. THEY WEREN’T ALL QUIET, BUT INSTEAD OF DEFEANING MUSIC WAS THE CLATTER OF DISHES, THE CLINK OF GLASSES, OF VOICES AND LAUGHTER. PLENTY OF PHONES WERE IN EVIDENCE, FACE DOWN ON THE TABLES. NO ONE WAS LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES. THEY WERE LAUGHING, FLIRTING, DRINKING, ENJOYING THE FOOD. AND TALKING. NOT SHOUTING TO BE HEARD OVER THE MUSIC. TALKING. SPREAD THE WORD.