WWJPD: The James Beard Awards

It happens that MG and I were invited to the James Beard Awards the other evening. We were not being honored this time around, nor were any of our affiliations, which is fine. I like to think we were invited more as eye-candy and perhaps as a pinch of comic relief for our table, which is also fine. The truth is, that by the time we got to the dining room and each guest had four working wine glasses and one full beer glass in front of them, we were all pretty comical. There was talk of summer homes and yacht building and I just had to check the spelling of the word yacht.

After the awards ceremony there was the Gala Reception where everyone got to rub lapels and eat some bites from restaurants around the country. The standout for me was from a place on the west coast, Cafe Juanita (Kirkland, Washington). Chef Holly Smith celebrated her ‘west-coastness’ by pairing luxurious morsels of king crab legs with a little scoop of green apple sorbetto. This was garnished with a sprinkle of sweet crab butter powder. Crab. Butter. Powder. …which, she explained to me, was created by mixing maltodextrin with the flavored butter. Crab (or lobster or shrimp) butter is one of those waste-not items that simmers the scraps and shells of the crustacean in butter very slowly to draw out all the flavor those bits have to offer. From there it can be seasoned accordingly (and apparently turned into a powder with the addition of some clever creativity on the part of the chef). The crab remained center stage as the bright, crispness of the sorbet was teased by the buttery powder melting seductively over it all. Clearly I was a big fan of this simple yet innovative amuse bouche. Anita Lo of Annisa also had a nice offering and, coincidentally, it also involved an icy element. The dish was a tartare enhanced with Asian flavors (spotty in the memory here…) and topped ‘to order’ with a flavored ice. This was delicious and especially perfect with the tartare because it kept the chill on it, which is key when enjoying raw food.

The real highlight of the evening, not yacht talk or gluttonous hors d’oeuvre consumption, was meeting the kind and gracious Jacques Pepin living legend, fairy godpapa. He truly seemed to enjoy himself as the room filled with people and cameras flashed away. We spotted him from a balcony and sauntered down to make his acquaintance as some of the herd moved toward the dining room. He was not hurried, he was not annoyed that another fan wanted to say hi. Actually he was so totally cool that since this meeting, when dealing with people or dealing with food, I find myself asking What Would Jacques Pepin Do?

Eaters everywhere: the omnivore’s hundred

A very smart blogger started a questionnaire called the Omnivore’s Hundred. It is a smattering of a world of food, specialties from regions far and wide. It was posted several months ago but the list of participants is growing all the time.

So, I got involved. One was supposed to bold all of the yes’s and leave the no’s… it is an interesting list!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison – yes
2. Nettle tea – yes
3. Huevos rancheros – si
4. Steak tartare – oui
5. Crocodile – alligator! but not croc…
6. Black pudding – yes.
7. Cheese fondue – oh hell yes!
8. Carp – hmmm, no.
9. Borscht – yes
10. Baba ghanoush – yes
11. Calamari – yup.
12. Pho – as often as possible
13. PB&J sandwich – yes…no brainer
14. Aloo gobi – yes and yum
15. Hot dog from a street cart – I’m a New Yorker!
16. Epoisse – yes
17. Black truffle – mmmmm. yes
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes – yes. plum, apple
19. Steamed pork buns – oh the dumpling window on Grand Street!
20. Pistachio ice cream – yes.
21. Heirloom tomatoes – yes, thx Diner.
22. Fresh wild berries – yes.
23. Foie gras – oh yeah!
24. Rice and beans – yes
25. Brawn, or head cheese – yes, in Germany
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper – yep.
27. Dulce de leche – yes
28. Oysters – many
29. Baklava – yes
30. Bagna cauda – yes
31. Wasabi peas – yes
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl – no… I have breadbowl-phobia
33. Salted lassi – no…only mango
34. Sauerkraut – yes
35. Root beer float – yes…with whiskey cherries
36. Cognac with a fat cigar – mmm. yes
37. Clotted cream tea – no but I hear great things
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – yes. I was young once
39. Gumbo – yes! thx Chef Brent Sims
40. Oxtail – yes
41. Curried goat – yes, the East Indian Day Parade has the best!!
42. Whole insects – si. chauplines en Mexico
43. Phaal – no but i’m gonna find it!
44. Goat’s milk – only in the form of cheese, yogurt, or ice cream
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £/$ or more – wholesale or retail!? anyway, yes.
46. Fugu – nope
47. Chicken tikka masala – yes. mmm!
48. Eel – yes
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut – yes
50. Sea urchin – oh yes!
51. Prickly pear – yes
52. Umeboshi – yes, often
53. Abalone – yes! eco-fished and delicious
54. Paneer – yesum!
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – not lately but yes
56. Spaetzle – at the restaurant we make all the time
57. Dirty gin martini – yes. janiiiiine
58. Beer above % ABV – oh canada!
59. Poutine – called ‘couch potatoes’ in the NYC
60. Carob chips – yes…my mom made us do healthy things
61. S’mores – yes!
62. Sweetbreads – yes.
63. Kaolin – seems it is an ingredient in toothpaste, so i guess so
64. Currywurst – no
65. Durian – maybe…in taiwan. counts as a ‘no’ if i am unsure
66. Frogs’ legs – yes
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake – all of the above
68. Haggis – from a can!! so…no. not authentically.
69. Fried plantain – si.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette – yes. me no like.
71. Gazpacho – sure
72. Caviar and blini – yes
73. Louche absinthe – yes Hotel Delmano. In style.
74. Gjetost, or brunost – no
75. Roadkill – no
76. Baijiu – no
77. Hostess Fruit Pie – yes. blueberry was my fave
78. Snail – yes
79. Lapsang souchong – yes
80. Bellini – yes
81. Tom yum – yes
82. Eggs Benedict – yes
83. Pocky – yes. regular and ‘for men’ flavor
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. – ate at Le Bernadin but i think we ordered a la carte
85. Kobe beef – no
86. Hare – yes
87. Goulash – yes
88. Flowers – yes
89. Horse – yes
90. Criollo chocolate – yes
91. Spam – yeah
92. Soft shell crab – yes
93. Rose harissa – wow! with rose…no
94. Catfish – yes
95. Mole poblano – yes, en Mexico tambien. I learned how to make it in a cooking class here.
96. Bagel and lox – again…new yorker!
97. Lobster Thermidor – no, funny someone just asked me how to make it
98. Polenta – yes
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee – yes
100. Snake – yes! in powder form!!