chasing michelin stars
two sisters, one a chef, eating their way through new york city.
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I finally found a food that defeats me. It is awful, terrible.
So, when Chinese mothers have babies, they suffer. In Chinese, it is simply called “doing a month.”
Confinement. That is what we call it in the Queen’s English.
It is tradition to not bathe. They eat weird food. Flavored with weird stuff (ginger dispels gas and sesame oil warms the body).
And most importantly, they are not supposed to leave the house.
Our best friend Cat just had an adorable baby boy. So, as Chinese women, we suffer with her.
Chinese people eat everything. I’ve never met a tongue, or a foot, or a butt that wasn’t delicious. Until now - please see the above picture of vinegar infused pigs feet stewed with sugar and eggs.
However, we hold on to the belief that eating these disgusting things will make your baby smarter, taller, richer, and possibly even happier. And, this is how one gets trapped in a club of tiger moms raising a generation of bilingual, Ivy-educated overachievers.
My mother endured confinement.
Her mother did it five times.
So, we do what we do. And, eat the damn feet until we like it.
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[Flash 10 is required to watch video]
Happy Birthday to the best Momofuku ramen slurper around and the cutest nephew in the world!
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I just love happy hour. Particularly after a long work week.
I forget that you can chase cocktails at Michelin-rated restaurants too! And, boy is it delicious.
The bar at aVoce in Time Warner is comfortable and a great place to commiserate. More importantly, the pour is generous and the breadsticks unending.
On top of all this, when a case of the munchies arrive after a well-deserved glass of wine or dirty martini, you are already in a one-star eatery, ripe for a tasty truffled mushroom steak appetizer or their complementary focaccia featuring some sort of outstanding cheese spread.
This is probably where I should have stopped eating for the night. However, I continued to stuff my face at the institution known as Cipriani’s.
Sour al dente spagetti is delicious two martinis in.
But, the PERFECT BITE goes to the restaurant’s incomparable Vanilla Creme Meringue Cake.
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A Stroll This Side of the Mediterranean
By PETE WELLS
“But Mr. Allegretti didn’t labor in Alain Ducasse’s kitchens for four years just to make clam fritters. Even in these times, he can construct harmonious and sophisticated plates on which each ingredient has been treated in a way calculated to coax forth the most flavor.
For a convincing demonstration of the power of this approach, consider a main course of striped bass. A gentle green broth of leeks is edged toward luxuriousness with nibs of black truffle, while a bed of braised leeks and a tangle of fried leeks allow other sides of that vegetable to shine. Fingerling potatoes look ordinary enough, but one bite tells you there’s something more going on, something that is explained by a slow braise in chicken stock. And the bass itself falls into radiant white slabs at the merest approach of a fork.
In a shrimp tartare appetizer, Mr. Allegretti amplifies the natural sweetness of raw red shrimp with a lightly perfumed swirl of lemon-grass oil and a judiciously dressed celery-root rémoulade. (The tartare is served on freshly fried sliced potatoes, too elegant to be called chips.) He sets tender strips of canned Sicilian tuna belly on handmade quills of trofie pasta in a sweet tomato sauce that brought back the hot sunshine of late summer.
Sometimes Mr. Allegretti’s cooking tilts toward the south of France and Liguria, as with those delicious caper- and olive-accented trofie, and sometimes it doesn’t. In either case it is so alluring that I began to think of La Promenade des Anglais as a charming and undiscovered seaside resort that I’d stumbled across. That it sits on the ground floor of the London Terrace apartments did little to splash cold water on this fantasy.
At first I was dazzled by everything, from the long white awning that starts right at the curb to the stylized beach umbrellas and palm trees in black and white on the ceiling to the huge brass floor lamps and even the paint on the walls — Côte d’Azur blue.
My companions and I were delighted with simple dishes like whipped ricotta with a stack of toast that tasted as if it had been grilled on the beach. We were just as happy with the lamb osso buco, with a marrow spoon jutting out from inside a length of shank bone.”
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Guess who met Mario Batali yesterday!
Not this fish. Rhymes with goolia.
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I love spam. During the Korean War, when food was scare in Seoul, they threw everything they could find in a pot with kim chi and called it budae jjigae. When I was waging my own personal Korean War in college with an unending line of Korean roommates, they introduced me to this speciality, this ham in a can.
Sophisticated people don’t eat spam. Especially if they are writing a food blog about chasing Michelin stars. One should also never be caught buying spam, and can only hope that the stuff sneaks into a sushi roll from Hawaii.
Yesterday, I discovered spam hiding in a gross-looking, yet delicious-tasting stew at Pocha 32, a strange second floor restaurant in the middle of Koreatown painted in blue and decorated with nets.
What is in their budae jjigae, you ask? Hotdog. Not that fancy chicken apple kind you find nowadays in gourmet grocery stores, but the incomparable Oscar Meyer wiener that we all grew up on. Then, they add every type of noodle you can think of - instant ramen, rice cakes, and spiral pasta (of pasta salad fame).
There is pork, more scallions and onions than you can shake a stick at, and cheese. Melty, gooey, I-don’t-know-what-kind-of cheese. Cheese with kim chi, you ask? Hell yes.
I guess the American soldiers left the Koreans with something useful after all.
P.S. Eat the octopus with pork belly, too.
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Let the chase begin again! The new year begins with Sunday Funday, of course. Magnum of Veuve. Check. Bottle of wine. Check. Two rounds of some strange orange shot that the hot waiter sent because he forgot my salmon benedict. Oy. Finishing it all off with Patron. Check and check.
The place: Brasserie Beaumarchais (formerly, and still known as Bagatelle). The time: 3pm. The food: I forget, but I think some salami came with some pate. There was a round of croque madame’s and some waffles with fruit and nutella.
Day clubbing is brunch after all. Though no one has time to care about the food because everyone is too busy dancing on their chairs.
I can’t describe it, but here a little taste of the process. After all, isn’t the first fun actually the best fun.
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The mental planning involved in eating a 3 Star Michelin dinner is intense. First, one has to plan every morsel of food that enters the mouth that day because you do not want to be too full, but you definitely cannot starve yourself. You have to plan the outfit (especially important for women) because you want to look your best at fancy restaurants, but your dress has to be able to withstand ten or so courses. And finally, you have to be ready to throw down some serious cash. The four of us were very prepared.
My lovely date! Janice!
The Lising sisters.
The whole gang.
Crab mousse under cucumber gelee, cucumber gel balls, and caviar - first amuse.
This was a lovely start to our dinner. It was cool, crisp, and the perfect amount of salt on the tongue to keep us wanting more.
Miniature lobster roll - second amuse.
Imagine eating a small mouth-full of pure joy. The mini brioche roll with tender lobster lightly dressed in homemade mayo (can always taste the difference), garnished with chopped parsley was badly portioned. We all definitely wanted more than one bite!
Obviously, I was very entertained with my discovery - hidden butter.
We decided on the Singular luxury ingredient tasting menu priced at $188 a person. It had 5 savory courses and 1 dessert. I was actually impressed that $188 was the final price. Most 3 star restaurants will have certain courses where you can add foie gras, waygu, or truffles for an additional fee.
Maryland blue crab en glee - fennel cream, basil (cute little guy)
FOAM! FOAM! FOAM! If there is no foam, then I will feel cheated from my complete 3 star dining experience. Luckily, they served it first course and got it out of they way. The fennel foam, plus the basil foam, plus the lumpy crab meat, plus the right cold temperature, was a very gooooooood bite. The great thing about foam is that, because it is so light and airy, you forget your eating cream. Therefore, you end up licking the little cup clean because its delicious and refreshing.
Hand harvested maine scallop - cooked in the shell, leeks, black truffle, and consume
I am not a huge scallop fan. I usually think they are over salted, a little fishy in flavor, and squishy. One has to drown the scallop in sauce to make it taste right. L2O did it by putting sliced truffle on it! A very tasty scallop I have to admit. But truffle makes everything better. Their technique was to be applauded. It is a lot of work to cook one little scallop. First you have to open the shell without harming it because you are using it for presentation purposes. Second, put everything inside. Third, close it with a bread mold. Fourth, bake it. Fifth, send the nice waiter to the table and make him do a whole “opening ceremony” for each and every person. You get excited the first time because you are not sure what you are going to see. And then, you see one scallop. I got bored watching after the second time. Luckily, we had two bottles of alcohol and great conversation.
Turbot - yuzu black lime
I once had a turbot in Paris that is definitely in my top 5 favorite food bites. Since then I have tried as many turbot as I could find to relive that single moment. I have yet to even come close. This fish was not bad, but nothing to write home about. The highlight of this dish was the crunchy crust was a great contrast to the delicate meat.
Maine lobster - smoked foie gras, porcini, vin jaune, shaved black truffle
The absolute, very decadent, very rich, very luscious, perfect bite. The poached chewy lobster paired with the buttery foie gras was as good a match as diamonds and white gold. They were meant to be one. Topped with the vin jaune (“yellow wine”) this bite made my top 5 favorite bites.
All wagyu - grilled potato fondant, black truffle
By the time the wagyu came, we were stuffed. However, I fought and conquered the beautifully grilled filet with black truffle sauce. Surprisingly, my favorite part of the dish was the potato fondant. Makes sense now that I think about it, it was fried.
Cucumber sorbet - palette cleanser
Exactly what we needed…
Souffle - praline and grand mariner
An amazing dinner.. definitely top ten. =)
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People always ask me my top 5 favorite restaurants, Spiaggia will definitely always hold a place in the top 10. Its one of those dining memories that will always be “special” due to the atmosphere, food, location, and the people you dine with. Located on the famous North Michigan Ave, Spiaggia’s cathedral like windows gives you a glimpse of the not-so-clean, but still pretty coastline at night.
Karen and Curtis - the happy couple. Yes, I am the third wheel. But do not feel sorry for me, my date is flying in after dinner.
Amuse bouche - chickpea salad
Golden spaghetti - cream, dill, caviar, oysters
My starter was almost the perfect bite. The pasta was nicely crunchy and mixture of cream and dill did not over power each other.
Osetra caviar - with condiments
The perfect bite - blini, caviar, creme fraische, chives
Karen’s starter is one of my absolute top 5 favorite ingredients. So many delicious things compacted into one small bite, talk about serious food envy. Luckily, Karen is very generous and shares. =)
Entrees just hit the table.
Risotto.
This is a horrible picture but was so scrumptious!!!!!! The veal sweetbreads and the fried quail eggs were the icing on the creamy risotto. This was one of those, do not eat more than two bites because you will regret it later, moments. However, will power did not prevail here.
Venison.
Curtis’s entree was one of the highlights of the dinner as well. The meat did not taste anything like game, and was cooked to a perfect medium rare. God bless the sous vide.
Veal chop.
The perfect dining experience to me if from the beginning to the end. Every bite from the first sip of wine to the last petite four has made some sort of impression on your mind. Three years ago when I went to Spiaggia for the first time, it was a very memorable night. The atmosphere, service, food, ambiance, and company were all perfect. I had veal three years ago that the taste of the meat still lingers in my memories. It would suck if tonight did not live up to my expectations. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Tonight’s preparation was more of a traditional seared veal chop, but just as tasty.
Karen and me. Full and buzzing… very happy.
Cheese plate - the perfect dessert.
Petite fours - truffles and candied orange slices, oh my…
Spiaggia was a wonderful end to the first Michelin eating day excursion in Chicago. I could not have been more in heaven…
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Blackbird - Chicago, IL (One Michelin Star) Chef Paul Kahan
People bond in many different ways. My best friend Karen and I have the best forms of communication such as baccarat tables in Las Vegas, and fine dining anywhere we are. This was a eating trip. We decided to meet half-way in between New York City and Houston and met in the windy city. WE LOVE CHICAGO. Its a mini clean version of New York without the urine and trash smell in the summer. The purpose of this trip was to eat as many Michelin stars in 48 hours as we could. First stop, was Blackbird for lunch.
Chef Paul was the first person that greeted us and was very pleasant. We walked into the very simple yet elegant restaurant and was sat next to the window. We celebrated our arrival with a bottle of wine and happily gleamed at the menu. We started with charred baby sepia with green tomato, blueberries, chamomile almonds and cyna. It was small and placed to the side of the plate. It was a very pretty presentation and delightful to eat, but I do not understand putting a little bit of food in the corner of a very big plate, kind of a waste of space? Next we had smoked duck liver pate with baby carrots, pickled mustard seeds, rye bread and burnt caramel vinegar. It was delicious. A little bit of everything together combined the right amount of sour, sweet, and saltiness in the mouth.
I got the wood-grilled sturgeon with chanterelles, kohlrabi, plums, thai poppy jam and brown butter fish sauce was one of the better fish sandwiches I have had since my last filet-o-fish sandwich from McDonald’s. I do not say this sarcastically. I love the McDonald’s filet-o-fish. My sandwich also had fresh taro chips, which can fight one on one with McDonald’s fries.
The perfect bite was Karen’s crispy duck confit and country sausage with cauliflower, maitake mushrooms, grapes and kaffir lime. The meat fell of the bone like it should have and the skin was crisp with no signs of left over fat. The only problem with this dish is that it was way too small.
The last entree we ordered was the organic pork belly sandwich with fennel slaw, dijonnaise, bread and butter pickles, cucumber salad and garlic frites. This is probably their most popular lunch item and it deserves to be. It is hearty, decadent, a ton of food. The crunchy bread against the tender pork was very satisfying.
The dessert was a deconstructed chocolate cake. This cake sucked. Molecular gastronomy and me have a strong love hate relationship. It had a strange licorice jelly cube that overpowered the very little cake that was on the plate. The miniature chocolate meringues were chewy and got stuck in my teeth. So instead of eating the cake, we got another dessert - another glass of wine… It was a wonderful lunch.
