24-course obsession...

~amuse~

carrot-ginger soup/spicy coconut emulsion/spicy shrimp-coconut stick

scallop sashimi/peppered pineapple/beet gel/heart of palm

king crab roll/elderflower cucumber/radish/daikon/sriracha aioli

lobster salad/mango/avocado/champagne-chive sabayon

trout sous vide/celery root remoulade/almonds/almond milk/chervil

potato blini/house smoked salmon/herb creme fraiche/golden caviar

silky lobster bisque/vanilla oil/cognac

raw shaved foie gras...up close & personal

sous vide pears/baby arugula/candied pecans/pecan-saba dressing

seared foie gras/brioche/compressed apples/maple gel/hazelnuts/mosto cotto

raw shaved foie gras/pomegranate enriched broth/rhubarb/onion

grilled branzino/baby octopus/chickpeas/chorizo/chili threads/olive oil

house made chestnut pasta/sea urchin/butter poached clams/truffle

seared skate wing/lentils/foie gras/celery root puree/asian pears

iced pineapple/apricot cognac/frozen yogurt-fennel pollen lollipop(m.i.a...)

apricot-shiitake stuffed quail/fiddlehead ferns/truffles/pancetta

poussin breast sous vide/grill thigh/fava bean tapenade/honshimejii/garlic coulis

duck confit/apples/onions/curry/ginger/potato-walnut puree/celery leaf salad

lamb loin sous vide/carrot creamed nettles/carrot oblique/rhubarb jus

semolina gnocchi/beet-apple puree/king trumpet/parsnips

grilled beef flat iron/crispy artichokes/yellowfoot chanterelles/huckleberry essence

camembert brulee/peppered strawberries/honeycomb/saba

poached pear/berries/rhubarb/rhubarb sorbet/strawberry coulis

jasmine tea pot de creme/compressed mango/vanilla langue du chat

praline chocolate silk/bananas/pearls/espresso sauce

coulant/house preserved cherries/praline sauce/dove bar sticks

chocolate a'la taza/cacao nib-hazelnut beignets/red velvet cupcake

caramelized popcorn-olive oil chocolates

smoked bacon caramels

red currant macaroon sandwiches

...or is it our passion? Why not both? Hell, this is really about 24 different creations of the moment for some very special people... trading our labor of love in celebration of 24 years of theirs! We were honored and graced with the opportunity to prepare something truly wonderful for a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary...yes, you guessed it~ their 24th! How fortunate one is when this happens...to give of yourself hoping in return for nothing but happiness on their part...a smile...a laugh...an experience like no other. Simply to give is a gift in and of itself...that is how I see it. A personal expression that transcends itself into a memory for another...inspired by all that surrounds me. Thank you to all who are. Couldn't do it without you. This is what was created a couple nights ago...

The Memory Remains...

the ingredients prepared and since cooked...the combinations however stellar, plated and consumed...the dishes painstakingly cleaned long ago...the meal devoured and enjoyed...photos still yet to be posted...but...the memory remains! Cooking is an art...a science...an amazing principle of thought and taste and most importantly...an expression of those who do cook, especially with their heart! Long after the day has ended, the memories of the foods cooked that day, if good, will long remain a solid and transparent vision in the cooks mind, embedded like a computer chip, only to be pulled from in the future to appease another day and another emotion. With this thought, I bring you the dishes logged into my own mind from a recent chef's table. Photo ops will surely rear it's head soon, but until then, I want you to use your own imagination and see if the memory remains within your own skulls...envision if you can and if you will...

lobster/carica/golden whitefish caviar/avocado/yuzu

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scallop/potato/truffle/arugula/celery/"xo" sherry

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foie gras/chocolate stout/rhubarb/caramel/pistachio/balsamic

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black bass/parsley/leeks/curried cauliflower/pomegranate syrup/pea vines

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cara cara orange/meyer lemon/buddah'shand/yogurt

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syrah braised shortrib/black trumpet/quinoa/broccolini/almond/huckleberry

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lemon/valrhona manjari/cherries/honey

jasmine/mango/pear/strawberry/

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bacon-caramel/orange-mascarpone-hazelnut/popcorn-olive oil-chocolate

Piece of the Action...

I enjoy seeing cooks in action. I also am inspired by good photos of them in the heat of the moment plating food, consumed in their craft and cooking their asses off! These are not the best of the bunch, but they were of the moment. If I was taking them, perhaps I might have gotten a better angle, perhaps not, but in the end...I would not have been cooking now would I?!? Hope you enjoy and become inspired by these shots...aka...a piece of my action!

Serious Food...Serious Fun...

crudo of fluke, sturgeon caviar-ugli-apple roulade, sturgeon caviar

watermelon radish-heart of palm salad, peppercress, lobster vinaigrette

port cured foie gras terrine, compressed pears, hazelnuts, cacao nibs,

honey bunches of oats, honey veil, chocolate-olive oil caramel, amaranth

frozen yogurt-fennel pollen-elderflower lollipops

seared scallop salad, ruffles, lamb tongue, fingerling potato
sunchoke puree, micro celery, noble sherry-XO vinaigrette

pan roasted branzino, honshimejii mushrooms, leeks,
sea urchin-tapioca nage, crisp carrot angel hair

charred baby octopus a'la plancha, chickpeas, olives, chorizo
cara cara orange-fennel sous vide composure, poultry jus

meyer lemon confit, grains of paradise gel, douglas fir honey sorbet

"meatball"
braised beef short rib, wild mushroom, herb savory donut
truffle aioli

american bison loin sous vide, black trumpet & hedgehog mushrooms, artichokes
sweetbreads, maple gel, parsnip milk foam, apple, black currant sauce

That is the best way I can describe the dinner we put on at the chef's table last week...they came to dine, to eat, to savor, to experience, to enjoy, to remember...we came to cook, to play, to create, to experience, to learn, to grow, to provide and to please, and... to kick ass! It was a culmination of talent and savvy...of humbleness and theater...of passion and commitment. Food is our life. It is our dreams and it is our passion. For the diner, and hopefully, they come with as much excitement as we bring to the table, it is an evening filled with joy, anticipation and desire. Without serious food, I can not be totally happy. Without having serious fun, the food suffers. They both go hand in hand. How can one succeed and survive without the other? In my humble opinion, they simply can not. Simplistic cooking is great mind you, and I love to eat it and cook it all the time. The setting has to be right though... at home, for staff meal, casual eatery, camping, late night hang out, you get the visual. But, when cooking in a professional kitchen, I thrive on the seriousness of the technique, the flavor, the composition, the lay out, the juxtaposition of ingredients and tastes as they intertwine with each other to provide for an interplay of parts that make up a sum of its pieces. The dishes that were chosen to fulfill this pleasure of both dining and cookery are laid out before you, to be savored over, contemplated and enjoyed. In cooking...I say have fun, enjoy what you do and get inspired. For the diner...I hope that you will long remember this little piece of us as a testament to our mission of serious food and serious fun!