Here we go again! Celebrity Chefs

This is a bona fide phenomenon. I remember back in the very early nineties, watching a very young Emeril Lagasse, another fellow, Pasquale Carpino, who would belt out operatic arias and steam saute his way through the show, Martin Yan, also very young, and of course Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Who would have thought that almost 20 years later we would have such an array of TV entertainment dedicated to food and the people who cook it! Giada, can you say for me: "brooschkettaaa"? Mario, can you say: "the undisputed king of cheese, parmegianno reggggggiaannooooo"? Emeril - how about: Bam, bam, bam-bam? Guy Fieri - is it money or is it just off the hook? Paula - can you make anything without a "1/2 pound of buuutteeerrr"? Tyler - how about the "ultimate" farte? Bobby - just how many chili peppers does it take to grill a shrimp? Oh, speaking of peppers, Rick Bayless is purported to be the best ambassador of authentic Mexican cuisine in the US, and I am inclined to agree - he does not really have any signature tag lines - but he could speak at little less deliberately. Andrew Zimmerman - what the hell are you going to choke down next - stinky tofu smeared on a bagel, topped with wild boar snot? How about the Iron Chef, with that stringy acrobatic host - cause we need him to coordinate everything - a panel of no less than 3 "experts", two of which typically don't know a damn thing about cooking, a mystery ingredient that each battle contestant has known about for several weeks, and Alton Brown, chirping his way through the show with a blizzard of gastronomic food facts, like I care. The worst is that other commentator - Kevin Brauch - he adds such richness and dimension to the program when he recaps the scoring formula and helps me count to 5; I was left in tatters when he told Alton about the fish poop and kelp ice cream Iron Chef Morimoto had just made. Then you have Gordon Ramsay: yeah, bollux the bloody whatever, throw the dish down the bloody toilet and get the f%$&** out of here, you ingrate!" (Wow that does feel refreshing) This is only the beginning - it will never end, and it will provide ongoing fodder for food bloggers all over the world. Out of this chaotic melange of celebrity chefs, comes at least one with the integrity, the selflessness and creativity to dominate the food scene: What would we do to fill our pantries without Sandra Lee?

This was such fun that I think I'll do another blog on Celebrity Chefs.

Anthony Bourdain ~ finally someone gets me!

This is the man that changed everything, and pretty much all at once with the birth of No Reservations! He has spent 28 years sweating, smoking, drinking, eating, creating and enjoying his career immensely. Now, he has achieved the pinnacle of prominence, the acme of ACME, the fundamental Holy Grail of what I believe to be the very best profession imaginable: he writes, eats, travels and is always hungry for more. Not every Chef could pull this off. His appeal is so refreshing, and a sharp departure from the well-scripted verse imposed by the FoodTV network. Anthony would never tolerate such a thing. In a staccato burst of creative expletives (I mean, how can you not admire a fellow like that), he would storm out of the #$%&&* set in a blaze of fury, snarling with abject disdain. Why do I like this guy? Because he is the real deal - not some pre-fabricated TV personality. And, I have noticed a subtle change over his 5 seasons. He is focusing increasingly on the human condition and the learnings so generously offered, with food as the pivot point! This is the friction that ignites the story. Everything about his show captures the essence, the spirit, the core of his view in the moment of exploration. He reactions are always genuine. There is a bit of a hard edge to him, that when turned inside out reveals a very soft downy, almost drowsy lining that has such appeal. He can be warm, yet turn on a dime into a scathing critic of whatever is in his view finder at that instant. His enjoyment of food is boundless. The contemporary physio-metrics and the science of metabolic processing demands grafting a porta-potty to his backside ~ how can he survive some of those ethnic feasting bouts? Would that I could travel to the some of the special places that he's been - thank God he provides a vehicle for the unexplorable. He gets me, because I get him!

The Movable Feast ~ Friday Day 5:

By now, my cholesterol levels lie beyond the limits of present measurability. I have taken on a unique skin tone, no doubt attributed to the natural sheen my coat has absorbed from fat.

318 Mill Café (Excelsior, MN): Matt found this little gem for our final lunch that was a convenient shot for me to the MSP airport. Greg Archer, another GRE Environmental Professional joined us. We began with two homemade pizzas: apple, bacon, gorgonzola and a Serrano ham, pear & chevre, accented with a spinach/balsamic reduction. The dough is made fresh daily. We generally don’t like to mix fruit with savory on pizzas, but the combination work very well. For my main lunch, I ordered the Cured Meat tray that included very generous portions of Serrano, sopressata, chorizo, conrnichons, kalamata olives, sautéed walnuts and baguette. Greg had a taco assortment, his favorite being the potato, chorizo, with queso fresco. Then there is Matt; his deliberations took quite a while ~ he must have reviewed their little menu 100 times, interspersing his reading with forays to inspect the dessert bar. He finally decided on a turkey, brie, apple sandwich slathered with honey/pecan butter. He then “taco cost averaged” his way into two nice ones: the chorizo potato and also shredded chicken. We were stuffed, but not Matt – he consumed a rather huge artisan cupcake in about three bites. I sweat just thinking about it! If you get a chance, you must go to the 318 Mill Café, it won’t disappoint!

Thanks!

At the end of the day, it is amazing how food can bring people of diverse interests together, and is this particular instance, to share the gluttonous bounty produced during this week-long harvest. Thanks to Erik for his home-smoked salmon, to Lloyd Brandt for the smoked salmon from Lowes, and a special thanks to Matt for all of the work he must have invested to bring this all together. He has already commenced preparations for my next visit. To preview: indigenous fresh Lake Superior fish boils; outdoor pizza oven cook your own, adventure; Thai submarine sandwiches (this I gotta experience) and Heaven knows what else is lurking behind that under-nourished noggin of his! Bon Appetite!

ps ~ Minnesota, who would have ever guessed!

pss ~ apologies for my incorrect assertion in a prior article that "anything on a stick" is a signature Minnesotan dish - only at the State Fair, where you can bet your last dollar that each year out performs the last in this regard.

The Movable Feast ~ Thursday Day 4: (Cambridge and Grandy, MN)

Breakfast: Smoked salmon this time from Lowes located in Two Harbors provided courtesy of Lloyd Brandt, NCT Foreman; brown sugar brined; medium to cold smoked…very nice, and I noticed that Erik agreed.

Brass Rail (Grandy, MN): Matt describes this as a tiny joint in Northern Minnesota, but one with the very best broasted chicken. It appears that Minnesota has its very own selection of “ethnic” foods; among them are: Northern Whitefish; Smoked Trout; Native Wild Rice; and of course, broasted chicken. Here’s the deal ~ broasted chicken is not fried chicken per se, but rather seasoned and floured chicken on the bone (no boneless breasts will do here!), deep fried in a controlled temperature pressure cooker; very tricky to pull off. With the right touch, the chicken emerges with the most excellent crispy tangy skin, and very moist delectable meat inside. If all of the preparations and execution are not precise, you wind up with grease-laden, over-cooked outside, and under-cooked red to the bone on the inside. This is why everyone celebrates when somebody gets it right! And, believe me, the Brass Rail gets it right! As you can see from the photos, there were no dainty portions of breast meat and they will assemble any chicken pieces that you like! Sides included toast and Cole Slaw; you have your potato option: waffle fries, broasted potatoes, tater tots, and so on. This is by far the very best chicken I have ever eaten – bar none, anywhere in the USA.

For your information, the Owner has constructed a mobile broasting rig: this means catering an on-premise broast-fest. Oh, yeah!

THE MOVABLE FEAST (a short series)

Well you see, Matt Herman is an Environmental Professional, gourmand, localvore and bon vivant, a big fellow to be sure, with a bigger heart and an insatiable passion for food, particularly good food and lots of it; he is also bit of a wise guy (at least with me). He takes great care in managing his culinary environment, and is not adverse to exploration, or exploitation (See rib cost averaging in Tuesday's report). While on a consulting assignment with Great River Energy in Minnesota, Matt was not only my primary Client Contact, but also my culinary cruise director, expertly piloting me through the most amazing gastronomic safari. Let us begin this week-long travel log.

“If you aren’t thinking about food, you’re just not concentrating!” (Anthony Bourdain)

The Movable Feast ~ Monday Day 1: (Maple Grove, MN)

To start, Erik Silvola, another fine GRE Environmental Professional, really knows his way around all sorts of game cookery. He’s truly and avid sportsman and an expert in the precise and delicate art of smoking fish; his knowledge about the various techniques, seasoning and brining, use of aromatics, etc. is huge (hey, we’re talking about a Finlander who knows how to build real saunas for Pete’s sake). We began our meeting with the most delightful nosh of salmon (taken by Erik from the Kenai River in south-central Alaska), accompanied by carefully selected crackers, artisan cream cheeses, etc. He lamented the use of Chardonnay over the Sauvignon Blanc in the brining preparation and moisture infusion during the smoking process (a chef is never satisfied!). Breakfast salmon was available all week long! I have the most wonderful job in the world.

Kabobs (Maple Grove, MN) ~ I was numb with anticipation until at last we arrived at the most splendid of buffet tables. The food glistened with oils and spices; aromas permeated everything. How utterly thoughtful of Matt to suggest this first insertion point; he is devilishly clever, thinking that he could soften my expectations of things to follow by blowing my mind with this first salvo. It was so very good; I hated myself in the moment. Everything was superb: papadums, dosay, curried goat, reshmi chicken, tandoori minced lamb seek kabab, dals, naan, etc. The buffet was preferable to ordering from the menu ~ why you ask? It is very simple: lots of choices to sample, and unlimited refills; there is no disappointment, only bliss. I enjoy Indian cuisine whenever and wherever I can, and this place is top quartile in terms of freshness, taste and authenticity. I must say that the highlight for me was the goat – terrific! Kabobs is certainly not to be missed. The little place is compact but charming and very clean. You must go there!

The Movable Feast ~ Tuesday Day 2: (Maple Grove and Rogers, MN)

Next up: The Rib Cage (Rogers, MN). Now, I travel all over the USA, and BBQ is a prevalent feature to be found almost everywhere, with the exception of those few hallowed grounds wherein the technique has been perfected to an absolute art form. This particular locale is something quite special: good BBQ…from a trailer…in a parking lot…next to a mobile home park… You can't make this stuff up! This joint is a temple of BBQ consumption: everything that is so wrong, yet so real (however, I am told that this particular day was not quite up to standard in that the pork, beef and smoked chicken breast were just a tad on the dry side; I suppose it makes a difference if “Dad” is at the helm rather than the Sous Chef). It is all very simple, basic, and enjoyable. We sampled everything. They use cherry wood in the smoker and the ribs were really very good, as was the bratwurst. The pork, beef and chicken were also tasty, and the addition of a little sauce was helpful; speaking of sauces: one mild and one spicy; both are laced with a subtle cherry flavor to lift up the smokiness imparted by the cherry wood. Matt has pioneered “rib cost averaging” which goes something like this: quarter rack with sides $8.50 v. half rack with sides $10.50 (sides can be factored out, as one does not allocate prime stomach space to incidentals like beans and slaw anyway); double your rib count for a $2.00 investment! Good thing the Rib Cage hasn’t stumbled on this tidbit. The line between work and pleasure is now blurred… how nice, yet we should not become too invested in that sentiment!

The Movable Feast ~ Wednesday Day 3: (Champlin, MN)

Buona Sera Ristorante & Wine Bar (Champlin, MN) ~ Dinner with Matt and his lovely wife Gina. The Owner has taken great care to transport us to a little slice of Italy (to be more precise, Calabria). The restaurant has been expanded for more seating, and the addition of beautifully hand-painted murals, and a few window-wall plasma TVs that run videos of stunning Italian scenery, add real warmth and coziness. Al fresco dining can be enjoyed outside in a nicely landscaped terrace; herb and vegetable gardens just reinforce the dimension of being someplace special.

The Bruschetta was authentic with a nice touch of good olive oil; so too were the prawns lightly dusted with fine herbed breadcrumbs then fried and served with a tasty chipotle mayonnaise sauce (chipotle is not really Italian I suppose, but I’m not complaining).

The Sea Food Chowder was creamy and ample.

The salads came with our choice of dressing; the greens cool and crisp and everything fresh. The house balsamic vinaigrette was wonderful.

For dinner, Matt had one of the specials, Steak Cacciatore. This was a nice NY Strip, perfectly cooked to his liking nested in a rustic sauce of capers, artichokes, kalamata olives, etc. I sampled a thin slice and was in full agreement with Matt with regard to the detail and execution of the dish. Gina had a Penne Carbonata in a cream sauce; we were all amazed at her ability to work through that family-style serving! I had the Veal Marsala and was quite pleased with the generous servings of perfectly prepared veal and a very nice wine-reduction crème sauce, with plenty of mushrooms. Matt and I were also served our selection of penne in a marinara sauce as a side, among the several offered.

The desserts were quite remarkable: excellent home-made apricot gelato (about the very best gelato I have ever had!) Several other flavors were also available) and a wonderfully composed vanilla bean Crème Brule! The espresso was the final touch to a great diner.

Matt can’t just let me be. He keeps reeling me in, no rest, and no opportunity for recovery time; I’m almost done in… In a food induced miasma, I went to brush something off of my cheek ~ a fly? Nope, it was the table.

The Movable Feast ~ Wednesday Day 3: (Grand Marais MN)

"Located on the scenic North Shore of Lake Superior in the town of Grand Marais, Minnesota, the Angry Trout Cafe is a small indoor/outdoor restaurant cobbled together out of an old commercial fishing shanty that clings to the edge of Grand Marais Harbor. From this beautiful setting we offer a menu based on the bounty of Lake Superior and the surrounding region – locally-grown produce, hand-harvested wild rice, and of course, our specialty, fresh Lake Superior fish." Can you just imagine how wonderful this is?

The Angry Trout Café ~ The shores of Lake Superior just cannot be described in words ~ such beauty. Grand Marias lies at the tip of Arrowhead County, abounding with small-town charm. Hey, the water here is cold with an average mean temperature of 38 degrees – no algae flourishes and you can see through a fathom of water! The Angry Trout is also home of a fabulous smoker hut and the Dockside meat market/deli/souvenir shop (very nice smoked fish tasting station: the smoked trout with a dab of ancho chili/maple sauce and a nice cracker was excellent). Erik had the Tom & Harley’s Classic Grand Marais Fish Burger (fried herring). The whitefish chowder was outstanding, loaded with fish, potatoes and vegetables. Several others ordered smoked trout salads, or wild rice salads that included an array of fresh picked berries and even edible flowers. The Fish & Chips were very tasty, and the home-made dill tartar sauce was perfect Our Waitress provided an assortment of dressings and sauces. They make all of their own soda, and I heard no one complain. Locally harvested fish and produce are the hallmark of this quaint little place.

As an aside, we plummeted through deep space as our little corporate jet bounced off of the tornado clouds, sodas flying, people praying, as we returned from Grand Marais to the Anoka Airfield. We thought we were safe until we got in the car, raising 20' rooster tails as we drove back to Maple Grove. Whew...