Saturday, December 31, 2022

Texas Roadtrip

 




After spending some time in Marfa we headed to San Antonio.  Travelling throughout southwest Texas you have an option to stay off the interstate and explore some really interesting small towns and farming communities.  We had a chance to go through Kerrville where my wife went to camp as a child.  All the towns we drove through were part of western culture and history, many of them are still thriving as farming and ranching communities.  
We planned to visit San Antonio for 2 days, stay on the river walk and explore the city.  We are western fans so we had a good time visiting the Alamo and the Western Museum.  The tours at the Alamo are mostly free and there are quite a few docents who are full of interesting facts about all aspects of the Alamo and several times a day they have reenactments.

I had done a bit of research and had found that James Beard recognized a few restaurants in San Antonio.  Fun fact San Antonio has over 2,000,000 residents so they have no shortage of fine restaurants.  Several months back I made a reservation at Mixtli . Mixtli was a 2022 James Beard Semi-Finalist, both Executive Chefs and Owners, Diego Galicia and Rico Torres were nominated as outstanding restaurant.  Mixtli changes its menu every 3 months  with a new theme.  Each them highlights a region, city or time in Mexico.  Our theme is the capital city Puebla de los Angeles and their women  This city is on a trade route between Veracruz and Mexico City situated at the base of Mexico's highest Volcano Popocatepetl.  This menu embraced the tastes of the fall season.

Mixtli is an open concept restaurant, the reservations are staggered so there is individual care for each guest.  Your reservation is for the table for the night once you arrive.  The kitchen sits in the middle of the restaurant and besides the Hostess and the Sommelier all the dishes are served by the chefs.  The night we went both executive chefs were at an event so their Sous Chef's were in charge.  There are 10 servings, each serving there is a story, each story has it's own presentation, each presentation is done by one of the sous chefs who prepared the meal. I am highlighting some of our favorites.  This is the first time our of all the restaurants I have been to that the meal was presented in such an elegant way.  The meal can be paired with wine or with Mezcal cocktails.  We had the cocktails.


You know it is going to be an interesting meal when they bring out a Brioche and an Avocado with the seed still in it.  But is it an Avocado or is it Avocado butter and totally edible. I love food trickery and this was definitely a wonderful presentation and taste.

I love Black Bean soup or Crema de Frijol.  The black bean puree was served in a beautiful ceramic cup with Black Garlic powder and a Panela Cheese foam.  It was delightful the earthy tastes of black beans and the salty creaminess of the cheese. With a little Black Garlic powder it provided the perfect sip, more like a Black bean Cappuccino.

Salad typically comes in a bowl and you eat it.  Not at Mixtli, the greens are
served on the rim of the bowl fused with a creamy cheese. The middle of the bowl there is Vanilla Vinaigrette.  You drag the leaves with the cheese into the bowl and mix them with the Vinaigrette to make a wonderful salad. The Salad was made of greens you would find at the local farmers market in the city of Atlixco. I have never had Vanilla Vinaigrette and combined with the cheese it was a perfect taste with the bitter greens.


Mole de Novia is typically used at weddings as a gift of purity to the Bride. It is made of almonds, grapes, habanero and white chocolate.  The mole was then poured over a white bean and potato tamal.  Moles don't really need a lot of description when you are provide the ingredients.  It is very easy to imagine the
sweet heat of this mole.

Lamb Belly with Huaxmole, this was the richest dish of the night.  Huaxmole is made of Guaje Seeds and the heat is from Serrano Peppers.  This recipe is not a sweet mole it is more tangy because of the tomato's and it pairs with the lamb belly perfectly.  

For dessert Guayaba Souffle with Pear and Vanilla Cream or Guava Souffle. Brought to the table and covered in Vanilla Cream.  After 9 courses something as light as the soufflé was a definite plus.  For the road we were given some fresh made caramel and toffee candies.


Sunday, November 20, 2022

Marfa for Art, Marfa for Food


Who knew that you go to Marfa for great food.  Last month we decided to take a road trip through Texas our first stop was Marfa.  Why Marfa?  Well for people that have never heard of Marfa it is the home of the Chianti Foundation, an art museum created by Donald Judd to celebrate minimalist art.  

We started in Santa Fe and drove for 450 miles south.  The drive goes through small farming towns in New Mexico and Texas so it is broken up with some great places to stop and take pictures.  Near mile 425 you are very close to the border with giant ranches on either side of the road and if you are driving too fast you might miss it.  The first art installation, a Prada store, no need to bring your credit card it is just a great place for a selfie.  When you roll into Marfa it is a small town with very wide streets.  We were there in October so it is very quiet and the temperature is great.  There are a lot of great hotels in Marfa, we stayed at the Hotel Saint George.  This is a great place, perfectly located, in the middle of town so we could walk to the stores and restaurants,

Day one we had breakfast at the Aster Marfa just a short walk from the hotel.  It was so quiet you could


walk in the street and see the spectacular county courthouse at the end of the street.  Aster Marfa is a bakery, you stand in line and order, grab a table and take in the quaintness.  I would recommend the eggs and the sausage of the day from Marfa Meat Company.  For those of you that can eat anything they have some pretty great looking pastries baked in house.


After a brief walk around the town we headed to the Donald Judd outdoor/indoor art museum.  Donald Judd took over 340 acre Fort Russell in 1977 and was artist in residence.  Between 1980 and 1984 he built 15 concrete art pieces.  Each piece is based on a square and arranged geometrically to create shadows,


views and mass that is distinctly different.  To see them all you walk 2 miles through a overgrown field and each one is equidistant from the other.  I can imagine in the summer heat this could be a real chore.  If you take the tour you get to walk through the converted barracks and maintenance barns that feature works from Dan Flavian, John Chamberlain and others.


This trip I can take no credit for the Restaurant Cochineal reservation.  Restaurant Cochineal is a gem in the middle of nowhere, Marfa.  This restaurant has been nominated for a James Beard Award and the team of Chefs lead by Chef/Owner Alexandra (Alex) Gates was invited to prepare the Chef’s dinner at this years James Beard awards where our own Chef Olea was awarded Best Chef of the southwest.  You have an option to order a la carte or from the chef’s menu.  Not only did JoAnn plan for the chefs menu but she got us front row seats in the kitchen seating area.  We highly recommend you do this if you want a front row seat to some great cooking.


Chef Alex started her culinary career in NYC while attending art school she worked various restaurants to pay to live in NYC.  Early on Chef Alex preferred to work in kitchens where women were the dominant force.  This is represented at Cochineal where she works with Sous Chef Jocelyn and Pastry Chef Jackie.  The restaurant is vey cozy and warm with a fireplace in the main dining area and in the kitchen dining area you are right next to the stoves.

We chose the tasting menu and this night we made a decision to


order some of their great cocktails rather than choosing the wine pairing.  While in Marfa…I went with the Chicas Bonita Margarita, they paired well with the entire dinner.

The meal started with Chef Jackie’s house made artisan bread and roasted bone marrow.  I love bone marrow as a spread on a great


bread, this did not let us down.  It came with a house grown green salad. What a great way to start the evening.

The next course required me to pull out the phone to learn what Nilgai is.  Nilgai is a very large Antelope from India.  The Nilgai is wild in New Braunfels TX after being imported from India to the Kings Ranch in TX in 1929.  This dish was Nilgai Tartare, which I was a little hesitant to try.  It came with cucumber fermented chili, vegan green goddess dressing and a quail egg.  Although this is something I would never order it was extremely satisfying.  The Nilgai had a good fat content and was delicious.  I would say I will remember this dish for quite a while.


I am always a fan of a Croquette, especially a rabbit confit croquette.  The rabbit was from Lockhart TX and was paired with a black garlic aioli and charred chili chutney.  It was as good as it sounds, chili and garlic my favorite two ingredients.  The croquette was perfectly cooked and the warning to beware of small bones was great advice.

Emmer Pasta is made from an ancient grain, it has creamy nutty taste.  This dish featured a wild boar ragu combined with some farm beans. I always enjoy wild boar ragu, it is hearty it has a richer taste than pork.  this is a great dish for a cool fall evening.

The great food kept on coming.  As soon as they brought the next plate over and said Bison, I said Beck and Bulow from Santa Fe


and I was exactly right.  Beck and Bulow is the real deal with clients all the way in South Texas.  Again another great plate for a cool fall evening.  Bison is great very lean and when sourced and cooked correctly it is very tender.  They served it with wild mushrooms a a bison demi-glace.

Now my new pastry crush Chef Jackie, brought us a burnt rye honey cake with pecan praline (what) and a cinnamon crème fraiche and a poached pair.  What a great way to finish up a well executed dinner with a fabulous decadent dessert.


The whole evening was awesome, the chefs were very interactive even though they were making quite a few covers in a very small kitchen they were always there to answer a question.  This is a jewel in southwest Texas and worth going to Marfa for only one meal.  



Sunday, June 19, 2022

Santa Fe Food TV highlights Great Chef’s of Santa Fe


Last month while going through my social media accounts I noticed that one of the accounts I follow, Santa Fe Foods TV, had made an announcement that their Pilot episode of the Santa Fe foods docuseries was uploaded to YouTube. The pilot episode is about Chef Fernando Olea and Sazon.  Chef Olea along with Chef Martin Rios were recently announced as finalists for the James Beard Foundation’s 2022 Best Chef Awards, in the Southwest region.  I was curious about the production so I spent the next 35 minutes watching this spectacular presentation of our city Santa Fe, Chef Olea and his passion for life and the creation of fine food and the experience of dining at Sazon.  I cannot tell you how well this production is curated, you just need to see it for yourself.

  

Immediately after the show, I wrote to the Producer, Greg Zoch, and told him how well it was done and we agreed to an interview.  Greg is like many people who put down roots in Santa Fe; they were introduced to the city either as a child or young adult and they were amazed at the natural beauty of the mountains, the history of the city, the cultural diversity which presents itself in art, music, architecture and food.  

 

The concept of Santa Fe Foods TV came one evening when Greg and Teresa Zoch were dining with Lawrence and Suzanna Becerra at Sazon.  The conversation germinated the idea that “Wouldn’t it be a great idea to create a docuseries similar to NetFlix Chef’s Table” highlighting great Chefs and Food Experiences in Santa Fe. Santa Fe does have Global dining experience credentials for a city of its size. There are more restaurants per capita than most cities and definitely more award winning chefs and restaurants than cities 10 times its size.  Many of the finest chefs in America blazed a trail through Santa Fe. Some stayed and some went on to NYC, Boston and Chicago.  From that dinner and discussion, Santa Fe Foods was created and launched.  

 

Greg and Teresa Zoch had a set of criteria that would have to be met in order to differentiate it from other Food series.  The formula was to highlight Santa Fe, the Chef and the Food and Dining Experience.  Each episode would focus on the journey of the Chef, their struggles, their successes, their family, their passion for creative cuisine, creating dining experiences and how their life has contributed to their culinary creations.  And, of course, would have to highlight our resplendent City Different.

 

The pilot Episode 1 features Chef Fernando Olea and Sazon. The first impression is that someone took extreme pride in creating this production. The narration and film production values are nothing less than spectacular.  The story starts with Chef Olea telling us of his passion for Santa Fe and his journey to get there.  The series is broken into chapters that are individual to the Chef.  As you watch, you understand the Chef’s journey and how it has contributed to his success and why his story is important to tell. By the time you come to the end you feel you developed a new relationship with Chef Olea.

 

Chef Olea is not a young man and has been part of the Santa Fe Culinary scene for 30+ years.  I first met Chef at his restaurant Epazote, which was in the old La Tertulia location.  Every time we went there Chef Olea would make it a point to greet us and allow us to try a mole or a dish he had just created.  Today his hospitality and kindness has not changed.  When you go to Sazon you are treated special, like family.  

 

Greg and Teresa look forward to completing Season One. They are currently in discussions with broadcast and streaming platforms, for the 6 part series.  Other Chefs to be featured in Season One are Mark Kiffin (The Compound), Martin Rios (Restaurant Martin), Cristian Pontiggia (Sassella), Kathleen Crook (Market Steer Steakhouse) and Sllin Cruz (Geronimo).  Each of the episodes will focus on the Chef’s journey and their drive for excellence.  

 

When I was finishing my interview with Greg, he asked me to guess the remaining five Chefs on Season 1, interestingly I missed three of them which leads me to believe that in Santa Fe there are so many great Chefs that can be featured in Santa Fe Foods seasons to come. You can follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santa_fe_foods_tv/

 

For more on the Santa Fe Foods, go to https://santafefoods.tv/ and you can watch the Pilot Episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/gsoqzEaU518



Sunday, May 8, 2022

Sazon Santa Fe’s 2022 James Beard Nominee

 



After watching the Santa Fe Foods TV Pilot docuseries on Sazon and Chef Fernando Olea I immediately booked a reservation on OpenTable.  Sazon is a very popular restaurant so it is not easy to get a reservation unless you book out 3 weeks in advance.  I first met Chef Olea at his restaurant Epazote on Aqua Fria. Every time we went to Epazote Chef Olea made an effort to greet us and spend time talking about his most recent trip to Mexico to find ingredients for his latest Mole.  It was obvious at the time that Chef Olea’s passion for Mexican Cuisine and people would contribute to his success as a Chef, not only in Santa Fe but nationally.  This was just validated by his recent nomination as a James Beard Semi-finalist for Best Chef and Restaurant in the Southwest.


To get the day and time we wanted we needed to book out 3 weeks.  It had been over 2 years since we were last there, that trip was a tour of restaurants through the Santa Fe Cooking School, the last stop was Sazon and a Tequila tasting with Chef Olea.  As you enter into Sazon you quickly transform to being in a luxurious Mexican Villa, the plastered walls, the aged  Vigas, the beautiful vibrant colorful art reminiscent of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the restaurant is warm and inviting.


Once you have a seat the service happens, within a few minutes an earthen tray is set in front of you with 3 individual Moles and some tiny fresh Tortillas. One of the servers walks through each of the Moles and describes the flavors and the ingredients of each.  Mole is Chef Olea’s super power, he has spent 40 years perfecting and developing Moles that pair with every type of protein.  If you were to just go to Sazon for one thing it would be the Mole.  Chef has perfected many things on his menu so the Amuse Bouche sets the standard for the evening.  The perfection is a not only in the Cuisine and Service but it is also in the Cocktails.  We had several but enjoyed the The Homegrown and the Sazon.  They are not only


very beautiful, they are extremely well made and satisfying.


We started with Chef’s Sopa de Amor which is a Savory and Sweet Soup. It is set in a  Poblano Cream with Blue Crab chunks and topped with Amaretto Foam and Cocoa Powder.  Did we just start with dessert?  I ordered the Sea Bass with the Green Mole and JoAnn ordered the Coyoacan Shrimp Enchilada.  When the Sea Bass came out, it was not what I expected, it was a pan sautéed Branzino Filet, I took a bite and it was dry.  Our server Shauna must have noticed I was not satisfied and she immediately came over and offered to replace the meal.  As we waited for them to re-fire the new dish Shauna brought over the house salad so we could continue eating together.  JoAnn’s Shrimp Enchilada was beautifully presented as a stack in a creamy squash blossom sauce.  JoAnn exclaimed this is the best Enchilada I have ever had, she commented on the great flavors with muted red Chile and the tenderness of the shrimp.  My Salad was a combination of Spinach, Mango, Cotija Cheese Crunchy Bacon Bits in a Ginger Cilantro Sauce.  I loved the crunchy Bacon and the Sweet Mango combined with the tartness of the Ginger Cilantro Vinaigrette.



After a few minutes my re-fired Chilean Sea Bass came out and it was perfect.  I am so glad I had listened to Shauna and replace my original entrée.  I will let the picture do the talking but it exceeded my expectations.



For dessert we went with Shauna’s recommendation, Chef Olea’s Dulce Sinfonia, Avocado Ice Cream with Five Spice, Ginger Beet Pune and Piñon nuts.  We started with a Savory Sweet dish and finished with the same.  I had forgotten I had this before at Epazote, it is a taste that you never forget and happy to revisit.

Sazon is a fine dining restaurant with exceptional food, service and ambiance.  I highly recommend it for a special occasion.  Sazon is a Dining Experience!

Sunday, March 6, 2022

James Beard Foundation Taste Santa Fe at Coyote Cafe


When I started
www.topcheftrail.com in 2014 I used as my motivation the show Top Chef and focused on reviewing restaurants that were owned by Chefs that competed on Top Chef.  It was a good strategy to get started with but I found that as I expanded I needed a better place to research restaurants in cities I was visiting.  I turned to www.Jamesbeard.org and their annual food-centric awards for American regional chefs and restaurants.  This strategy gave me a great list of restaurants for fantastic food experiences all around the United States.


Santa Fe has had several restaurants and Chefs who have been honored with James Beard awards.  This year James Beard Foundation has nominated Martin Rios for Best Chef and restaurants Jambo and Zacatlan for awards.  What i like about the James Beard Awards is that the Nominees are not all Michelin Star Chefs and Restaurants; many are great local restaurants that anyone with an interest in great food can afford to go to.  


This year James Beard restarted it’s City Tastes tour where they hit several great food cities and host a curated food experience. The James Beard Foundation sent the Jaime-Faye Bean their Vice President of Development to kick the evening off.   Santa Fe was one of the cities and the James Beard foundation hosted Taste Santa Fe at Coyote Cafe featuring Coyote Cafe’s Chef Dakota Weiss and Restaurant Martin Chef Martin Rios.  This event was locally produced by The Liquid Muse Events owned by Natalie Bovis.  


The Dinner was a  5 course dinner combined with a Whiskey/Bourbon flight and cocktails by Rabbit Hole and paired Wines supplied by Fiasco Fine Wine and Vineyard Brands.



The event was sold out in a few days and attended by 150 food lovers and from what we could tell had a terrific meal and evening at Coyote Cafe.  Keep in mind that this was one of the first big restaurant food events in the last 2 years in Santa Fe and New Mexico so there was a lot of pressure to make it a great evening.
The evening started with an Old Fashioned topped with a Blood


Orange. This drink was stiff.  It was accompanied with Coyote Cafe’s signature Cornbread with 3 infused butters, Chile, Orange and Caviar.  My favorite was Chile because it was a great pairing with the Old Fashion.



The Appetizer was a chilled Skuna Salmon with a Hatch Green Chile Ponzu accompanied with Forbidden Rice and Sunchoke Salad that was paired with a Paul Anheuzer 2019 Blanc de Noir.  Skuna Salmon is from Vancouver Island and is perfectly served cold because of its old taste and firm texture.  It was served with a Hatch Chile Ponzu Sauce which combines citrus flavors with the bite of New Mexico’s Hatch Chile.  The Forbidden Rice with Sunchoke Salad  provided some texture and combined well with the Salmon.  Overall a great way to start the food experience, it was a fresh chilled bite with a perfect crisp wine pairing that complimented the appetizer.

The second course was a combination of Duck Confit and Pan Seared Duck Breast served with Anjou Pear and Koji Turnip Purée topped with a Chinese Tea Bourbon Reduction.  This was paired with a hearty 2016 Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair.  The dish was a combination of a beautifully pan seared Duck Breast and luscious Duck Confit accompanied with a poached Anjou Pear and Turnip Purée offering a classic taste combination.  The purée and reduction sauce had a sweet and slightly tart bite that made the dish perfect.  Most Duck dishes use a red wine reduction so it was great to have a new take on a reduction sauce based on Chinese tea and Bourbon.  The Duck dish was my favorite and it would have been very satisfying as the main course.  What I liked about it was that it was colorful, creative and perfectly prepared.  Keep in mind they had to prepare 150 dishes so to do this with Duck that has to be perfectly medium is very brave.



The main course was sinful, Slow Cooked and Roasted Waygu Short Ribs with Duck Fat-Whipped Root Vegetables and Snow Pea-Wild Mushroom Escabeche A Spanish preparation that uses vinegar to provide a vinaigrette with a nice bite.  This was combined with an Iberian Chorizo Demi-Glace.  The dish was rich beyond comprehension, the Beef was very tender and when you broke it down and combined it with the Purée and the Snow Pea and Mushroom Vinaigrette salad it combined a texture and flavor bomb that stuck to your palette for many hours.  The main course was paired with a 2019 Petit Syrah from Robert Biale Vineyards.  As you can see from the picture this was a substantial dish that was very rich and satisfying.  This is the type of dish you want to have on a cold evening, a very satisfying comfort food meal.  I really liked this dish, combined with the Duck we all walked away feeling like we had just had two great entrées.


The evening was completed with a beautiful Chocolate Caramel Dessert that had a self-serve shot of Bourbon Syrup and a flight of four Rabbit Hole Bourbons and Rye. 



Wow is the best way to summarize this Food Event, 150 people 50+ awesome servers and hosts, 2 great Chefs at a classic Santa Fe Venue.  This combined with an amazing tasting menu that was focused on expertly preparing quality meats and vegetables and combining it with the best spirits and wines possible and infusing classic Santa Fe flavors.  I am hoping that the James Beard Foundation includes our great City of Santa
Fe in 2023.



Monday, December 27, 2021

Christmas Eve in Santa Fe Farolito Walk and Dinner at Geronimo






This is our first Christmas in Santa Fe as a resident, although we have spent a few Christmases here as vacationers in all the previous Christmas holidays this was going to be my first time walking Canyon This is our first Christmas in Santa Fe as a resident, although we have spent a few Christmases here as vacationers in all the previous Christmas holidays this was going to be my first time walking Canyon Road and view the holiday celebrations Santa Fe style. To coincide with the Farolito walk we planned this year Christmas Eve dinner at Geronimo as a special treat.  The weather created a lot of anxiety on the 24th, the rain started at 6am and it just continued throughout the day, we were nervous that not only would we have a hard time parking but the festivities would be dampened by the rain (pun intended).  

To relieve some of the stress we made a decision to go down early and grab a Hot Toddy at Joe’s Tequila Bar at The Inn at Alameda.  Joe’s Tequila Bar is a new addition to the Hotel and is one of our go to places to start the evening off in Santa Fe.  Their Manager Corey and Bartender Tabitha are always great hosts and they pour a great drink at a great value while making you feel right at home.  


After our holiday drinks we started up Canyon Rd. the rain had stopped and the crowds were out enjoying the Christmas and Holiday spirit. There was no shortage of great entertainment from traditional Russian Music to Christmas Carols and good old fashioned Country, combined with farolitos, small pinion luminarias and beautiful holiday light displays on our walk up Canyon to Geronimo was a great Santa Fe holiday experience.


We made it there right in time for our 7:30 reservation and they put us exactly where I had requested next to one of the Kivas in the back of the restaurant where it was warm and cozy.  The restaurant was very busy the staff was very welcoming making us feel at home as soon as we walked in.

The menu for the evening was Prix Fixe and had many of their signature items including some holiday specials available.  We started the evening with a cocktail while looking at the great selection on the Christmas Menu.  I had the Chocolate Martini and JoAnn had the Cosmopolitan.  I am a late bloomer and just started making and drinking martinis, this martini expanded my martini appreciation by making a serious drink a lot more fun.  Our server Aaron was a pleasure we found out he also is the bartender, he was always there at the right time to answer questions and his support staff kept the water glasses full and made sure your table was perfect for each course.  


My wife and I divided and conquered by ordering dishes that were different so we could both sample each other’s.  We started with soup, I had the Lobster Bisque and she had the Veal Consommé with Short Rib Dumplings.  The best part of having soup at Geronimo is the presentation of the liquid pour over for foodies like me that want to share the experience with their friends on Instagram. This was a great start to an evening of fantastic food and presentation. 



The next course I had the Macaroni stuffed with Ox Tail in a Foie Gras and Truffle gravy and JoAnn had Wild Mushroom and Truffle Risotto with Capers.  My dish was so good I ordered more bread just to sop up the Foie Gras gravy, this dish was rich, flavorful and creative and reminded me of a similar meal at Lasserre in Paris.  JoAnn loved her Risotto, everything was so fresh and the capers provided a briny bite that brought the dish together. After the First course we stuck with the same cocktails to take us into the main course

One of my favorite dishes is Sea Bass in a Miso broth, Geronimo has a Green Miso recipe with Ramen noodles and Truffle, so this was an easy choice for me, I have had a similar preparation of Sea Bass in Del Mar and Seattle and loved it both times.  Joann ordered the Locally provisioned Rack of Lamb with Corn Polenta, roasted Leeks and a Merlot Lamb reduction, we eat Red Meat on special occasions so this was a great treat. The Sea Bass was cooked perfectly firm on the outside and moist on the inside with the Green Miso Broth and Bok Choy it was not only very beautiful but it was delicious and as a added bonus it was healthy.  JoAnn’s Rack of Lamb was cooked a perfect medium rare and was so tender it literally did melt in your mouth.  I was lucky enough to get one of the lamb rib bones and I can still remember how it tasted when it hit my tongue.  It was tender, it had just the right amount of fat to coat the tongue and the seasoning with the Merlot reduction was perfection.


But wait we had one more course dessert, fortunately I knew this was going to be a fantastically rich meal and I had ordered the cookies dessert to go and we split the Toffee Cream Brûlée.
  It was just about this time we started taking to the folks at the next table who had come down from Taos to enjoy Christmas.  They had moved to Taos several years back to start their new adventure.  We were able to end the evening having a great conversation and enjoying the very rich and creamy dessert. We do not go to Geronimo’s often because it is a special treat for us.  The meal and the evening will be remembered for a long time because of the Farolito walk, the great food and service at Geronimo’s and the awesome atmosphere and experience spending the holiday evening with my wife JoAnn.  




T

Monday, November 15, 2021

After 2 Years Starting again with a Michelin Star Restaurant Boka in Chicago

Since everyone blames all woes on COVID I will blame my lack of activity here for the same reason. Kind of lame but it was true that restaurants became mostly take out only.  My writeups depend on the whole experience, Food, Service and Atmosphere.  Anyway I had the opportunity to go to a great restaurant city and had an excuse to entertain one of our great clients so why not go to a multiple nominated James Beard Award and a 9 year Michelin Star restaurant to have a great meal.  So Boka was it.

Boka Chicago is part of the Boka Restaurant Group owned by Kevin Boehm who is partnered with Chef Lee Wolen.  The restaurant has maintained a level of excellence with multiple awards nationally and locally.  Anyone who understands the rigor that is required to maintain a Michelin Star recognizes that this Chef is beyond outstanding.  I once saw an Interview with Daniel Baloud at a NYT Talk and he described th level of effort, and dedication to quality that is require to obtain and maintain a Michelin Star.

We were a group of 4 and all of us were very excited to go here for a great dining experience.  Boka is on North Halsted the entrance is super inviting as you walk through a little garden into a very warm and cozy environment.  The decorations are eclectic with a variety of thought provoking art.  Our host for the evening was Augustus and our first difficult choice of the night was to choose from the very strong Entrée Menu or to be daring and go for the 8 course tasting menu.  Our group was unfazed and unanimously chose the tasting menu and why wouldn't you want to try the all star lineup and get a taste of what the chef considers their best.  The tasting menu has an option with wine pairing and 2 of us went that way and 2 of us wanted to sample their very intriguing cocktail menu.  I will not go into too much depth here but the cocktails used ingredients like Tamarind, Curry, Serrano Peppers and other exotic ingredients.

Creamy Caviar

First course was a combination Celery Root, Dill Honey Nut Squash Puree topped with Golden Kaluga Caviar and some Buckwheat and Nori to provide some crunch. I always have anxiety about eating Caviar but Golden Kaluga is some of the finest in the world and combined with the puree it created a silky creamy, slightly salty and buttery bite with a little crunch from the buckwheat.  This was paired with a Naveran Cava Sparkling Wine.  This was a great way to start. 

Course two was built on Live Diver Scallop with infused Concord Grapes, Pear and thinly sliced Radish with a gentle pour of a pink liquid with a slight vinegar taste that brought some color to the scallop.  Again always a little apprehensive of raw Scallop but being prepared perfectly the dish although not as memorable as the others really delivered a great light and delicate taste.  I especially enjoyed the juicy grape.  This dish was paired with a Kruger Rumpf Riesling.  

Matsutake Soup

Course 3 was one of my favorites because it was rich and the bite of a burnt piece of Ginger made a great but compatible contrast.  The dish was Matsutake Mushroom Soup I had not had this before but it was so delicious I could have it many times over.  The broth was roasted chicken with Kombu and the burnt ginger provided the sweet and heat.  What a great dish simple but delicious.  The beauty of this tasting menu is that the quality of the ingredients and expense of each makes the experience extremely special.  This dish was paired with a Domaine Rolet Cremant Du Jura (Sparkling Wine)



We are now an hour in we have had some great pre Entrée courses and now comes the time to get into some really exotic proteins from around the world. The first was Tasmanian Ocean Trout with celtuce, black trumpet mushrooms and brown butter.  Ocean Trout is orange like pink but much leaner and firmer this was a good dish again high quality ingredients paired well. The wine was Domaine Guiberteau




This course was my favorite it was a Dry Aged Rohan Duck with a plum sauce and a roasted shallot.  The skin was crispy like a suckling pig skin with a wonderful salty seasoning.  The duck was perfectly cooked and so tender and was combined with a wonderful plum sauce that was both sweet and tiny bit sour.  I will remember this dish for quite a long time the skin was rendered to a point where it became a crackling and a separate addition to the duck breast.  Almost a 2 for 1 treat.   This is a new breed of duck which is a combination of a Mallard and Pekin Duck it is bred at D'Artagnan Farms in the Catskills of New York.

The last Entrée course was Roasted Venison and Cabbage, with a honey Crisp and Cardamom sauce.  The Venison was cooked to perfection and very tender and the sauce highlighted the meat.  We all enjoyed this dish because it was simple but elegant.  It was paired with a Mollydooker 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was a great bite just before the dessert round.


There were 2 desserts the highlight was Hazelnut Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Sauce, Hazelnuts and Puffed Grains.  This was awesome bowl licking good.  It was a great way to wrap up dinner.  

Boka is a must go when visiting Chicago either way you go A la Carte or Tasting Menu you will have great Service and Food.  The tasting menu comes with a variety of chocolates and a to go breakfast bread that is delicious with you next morning coffee.