Chez Christine

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Brushes with Stardom

Have you ever had things happen in your life where you just want to shout it from the rooftops? Where you get thrilled, excited, and downright giddy, yet you don't tell many people because you think they won't understand?

Sometimes I feel that way about food. I'm constantly mulling over my next meal, the next restaurant I want to visit, the next thing I want to cook. I get polite smiles and nods from people not into food, but they are clearly thinking, "Why do you waste so much time and energy thinking about something as basic as food?"

Well, I do, and that's just me. No apologies. Food is my life. Most who read my blog are about as crazy as I am, so it's about time I shared a few wonderful experiences that happened to me months ago.

You never know who will walk in the door at work. Lots of top Boston chefs come in to browse, purchase books, hang out, or just visit. Even though I am still a little new to the restaurant scene here, I've met some great people and realized that Boston is slowly waking up its food scene. Chefs here are fairly down-to-earth, and I enjoy talking to them.

The only time when I was reduced to schoolgirl flutters was when Chef Lynch walked in with Chef John Besh to give him a tour of her businesses here in the South End. Yes, he was on the Next American Iron Chef, and I thought he was robbed. Nothing against Michael Symon, but Besh deserved to win. In any case, in comes an entourage with him in the middle. Southern boy charm, all smiles, super nice, and all I could squeak out was, "I ate at your restaurant a few years ago and loved it!" to which he replied, "Well, I hope you come again."

I clearly remember eating alone at Restaurant August in 2003. It was my last meal in New Orleans, and I was nervous about going to such a nice restaurant alone, but I forged ahead and did it. Scallops over risotto- the first time I had eaten perfect risotto. The restaurant was vibrant and classic, retaining Southern charm but somehow feeling up-to-date, unlike the other classic New Orleans institutions which had timelessness but also a sense of quiet detachment. I fell in love and instantly loved Chef Besh and his food, but then again, I'm a sucker for anyone French-influenced. Very few other chefs have done the same for me, and I felt that I "discovered" him before he became a celebrity chef.

After he left Stir, I managed an excited phone call to H, who is probably one of the few people who understood my excitement. Even the chef at work didn't really know who he was, so I needed an outlet to squeak to.

A week later, we held a class hosted by the owner and sake sommelier Nancy Cushman at O Ya . The buzz at O Ya has been tremendous, especially with Frank Bruni's recent endorsement. Our class was held before his review, and I had the privilege of participating and assisting Nancy. She brought her charming sushi chef with her, and we transformed the space into a sake tasting room. This was before all the national buzz about O Ya, so even some of our guests hadn't really heard of the restaurant yet. While it was on the top of my must-try list, I had been saving it a for a special night out due to the high prices.

Nancy was sweet, informative, and down-to-earth, demystifying sake and its history and customs. Her sushi chef made amazing combinations with watermelon pearls and Kumamoto oysters, foie gras nigiri, hamachi with a spicy sauce I don't remember but distinctly remember inhaling. Each bite was carefully and beautifully created and further pushed my resolve to someday save up to visit the restaurant.

At the end of the evening, Nancy gifted myself and the Stir chef with a bottle of sake wrapped beautifully in purple cloth. It sits in the cabinet to this day, teasing the chef and I until we find the right time to break it open to savor and celebrate.

So this post has been a long time coming, partly because I didn't want to seem like I was bragging. It's really just excitement that I hope I'm conveying, along with a sense of feeling extremely fortunate that I get to work in such a dynamic place and get to interact with such outstanding people.

Bon Appétit!

Posted by ChezChristine on April 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

My Funny Friends

I teach kids of all ages, anywhere from 3-15.

My current favorite 7-year old (shhh, of course I really don't have any favorites) made some comments recently that made me just want to grab and hug him, especially when his classmates are making "eww" and "gross" noises when we cook with things they don't like.

On fish:
"I LOVE sushi. I don't like cooked salmon, I only like raw."

On raw chicken (and exclamations of seeing "blood" on it):
"Mmm...I love blood."

On the onions cooking in the sauté pan on the stove:
7-year old: "I think there's caramelization going on in here!"
Me: "What's caramelization?"
7-year old: "Umm, I don't know."

Bon Appétit!

Posted by ChezChristine on April 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Chinese Dining Etiquette

The idea of Chinese Dining Etiquette has been floating around in my head recently, although I'm not sure why. I eat Chinese much less often now, let alone eat it in the restaurants at a big table.

Nevertheless, there are a few things I've picked up in my years dining as a Chinese American that I thought might be fun to share. I don't know the history of these things, but it might make you a little more confident should you garner an invitation to a Chinese banquet or home-cooked dinner.

Chinese Banquet:

Lazy Susans are lots of fun, but as the dishes arrive, they are always spun to the guest of honor first. If you are sitting next to the guest of honor, you serve them a portion before you serve yourself. If there is no guest of honor, spin to the oldest person first. (And it always seems to spin clockwise, but don't tell me why. I think you can spin either way depending on which is more efficient.) Always look before you spin, as someone may be serving themselves or others and can be quite baffled if the dish is whisked away!
NEVER NEVER NEVER take a full portion of a dish on the first round. For example, if there are 10 people at the table, you don't take 1/10 of the portion, like you might with an American meal. You take a small amount, probably a piece or two of each thing, then you go back for more after you've finished the first round. This is so that everyone gets to have their favorite bits first, and no one has to worry about the first person grabbing it all for themselves.
Always use the serving utensils provided. If there aren't any available, it is acceptable to use the tops of your chopsticks instead. Switch back to the regular end when actually eating.
Should a whole fish be served, someone experienced in the art of "deboning" the fish usually gently pushes aside the scallions and ginger, then uses the spoon to gently scrape the fish off the bones and cut into portion-sized pieces. You don't just scrape what you want off the bones and neglect the rest of it. Ask your waiter for help if no one in your party knows how to do it.
When serving tea, serve those around you first. If you are served tea, you can silently indicate "thank you" by tapping a finger on the table next to the teacup twice.
Never season a whole dish with salt/pepper/soy sauce/hot sauce. However, you may season your own portion. Out of respect for the chefs / cooks, always taste before seasoning (that's my general rule for all dining though).
Banquet menus sometimes don't include steamed rice. This is because the food is supposed to be rich, sumptuous and filling by itself. Fried rice or noodles may be served at the end as a course in itself. I'm not sure if it's okay to ask for steamed rice along the way.
Bones should be removed from the mouth with chopsticks if possible. You can use fingers for seafood or bone-in pieces of meat, but the sign of an experienced chopstick-user is to use only chopsticks!
Ice water is usually only served if you ask for it. Same with drinks, no one will hand you a menu or ask, it's up to you to inquire from your waiter.
If the server is trying to clear a dish that has a few pieces of food left on it, don't be surprised if the host or someone near you sweeps it onto your plate. Don't worry, it's a compliment and you don't have to eat it, even though that wouldn't stop me!

Invitation to someone's home:

As always, a guest should never show up empty-handed. A box of pastries (since Chinese are not known for desserts) or a bag of oranges (sign of good luck) are always welcome.
Chinese events start on time, please do not be late.
Chinese home cooks can be very self-deprecating. Even when serving their famous dishes, they can preface it by saying, "Oh, it's not as good as it usually is" or "Oh, it needs a little more XXX seasoning." This is your clue to forcefully jump in and say that it is quite delicious just the way it is (hopefully it is!).
Again, soy sauce isn't a table condiment in Chinese homes, so please don't insult your host by pouring it all over your food before tasting it. And maybe, just once, your food doesn't need soy sauce!
Soup can be served at the beginning or the end of the meal. Just roll with it.

I'm sure there's more I can babble about, but I think this is a good start. All this talk of Chinese banquets is making me hungry!

Bon Appétit!

Posted by ChezChristine on March 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

NYC, Jean-Georges

Why do weekends in NYC always go by so quickly? Granted, they are always fun: food, friends, frenetic energy. But each trip always reminds me of a college cram session, where you try to condense as much as possible in a short amount of time, rarely retaining it long-term.

Two weekends ago was no different. Arrive Thursday night, wish a beloved friend a happy birthday, go to bed at 2AM. Wake up the next day to see another friend and have a negligible pastry, then hurry to Columbus Circle for a 2:30 lunch reservation at Jean-Georges, which in my mind, is the best lunch deal for fine dining there is in NYC.

Now before I get into the juicy details about the food and service, here's how the rest of Friday flew past: a leisurely stroll back to the apartment, then down to the West Village for a meal at Blue Ribbon Bakery: fried chicken, brussels sprouts with bacon, fine bread, watercress and endive salad with blue cheese. Not too shabby for what I called "first dinner."

Then it was onto The Tasting Room in the East Village for a few glasses of wine. This place is hands-down my favorite wine bar in the city. Dark, candlelit, interesting small plates for nibbling, brick walls, and a bartender who was knowledgeable, friendly, and so down-to-earth she had us all cheering for a woman in the bar who had just quit her job. Fun times.

After The Tasting Room, I zipped back to the West Village for a late night "second dinner" at The Spotted Pig. I think all second dinners have to have bacon and fries. And they didn't disappoint us with their burger, gnudi, bacon wrapped dates and prunes, salad with fried duck egg and bacon. I LOVE PIG. Oh, and the bottle of sparkling rosé and prosecco didn't hurt either.

Rolling back home and falling into bed at 4AM is so unlike me, yet that's exactly what we did. I think it took me a few days to recover and has confirmed how un-NYC I am.

We hit The Smith for brunch the next day (recommended) and Shake Shack for, what else, a shake and a burger. Overall, it was an eating weekend for the books. The first day back in Boston, my body was telling me that I had eaten too much, and it wasn't until I had a bowl of tomato soup with quinoa and tons and tons of vegetables that it relaxed and relished the much-needed nutrients and vitamins.

I was lazy with the food shots, so all I have are photos of our lunch at Jean-Georges, such a steal at $28 for two courses. We were tucked into a booth and sat side-by-side, likening the experience to dinner theater. Except for one small misstep with stringy white asparagus (which the sommelier apologized for), the service was excellent, from the hosts to the man who de-crumbed our table with a little manual crumb vacuum. Enjoy!

The riveting light fixture and the gorgeous table arrangement.