Morimoto

Our reservation was for 8:30, we arrived at 8:50 (oops...). For the record, I did apologize when we spoke to the maître d'. We waited in the bar and had cocktails (the white lily was our favorite and Sean makes it the best). We were finally seated at 10:15.

Yes, we were annoyed, but the manager (?) Kevin totally made up for it. He apologized sincerely, gave a great table, sent out two (!) appetizers and upgraded the bottle of wine we chose. Amazing. I work at a very similar restaurant and we don't do anything close to that for customers who are forced to wait or for any reason unhappy. It was truly a breath of fresh air. Excluding the curt hostess we dealt with in the beginning, the staff was friendly and fantastic. I would return for the service alone.

So, on to the food. The two appetizers we received gratis were the tuna pizza and the octopus carpaccio. The tuna pizza was slices of raw tuna, olives, tomato, jalapeno, and aioli atop a fine crispy flatbread. The flavors were subtle, but interesting, and the jalapeno gave a nice little kick. The octopus carpaccio was very very similar (in not basically identical) to Nobu's "new style" dishes, which he does with octopus and many other proteins. Morimoto was the head chef of Nobu in Tribeca for many years so I suppose it's not terrible if he "adapted" a few Nobu recipes. It was delicious, but as with Nobu's "new style," the protein got a bit lost in all the herbs and oils.

The next dish we had was the kobe beef carpaccio. We were going to get the lamb carpaccio on the recommendation of some friends, but the server talked us into kobe beef. It was prepared in the same way as the octopus carpaccio, which was disappointing, but I have to say the beef stood up to the preparation much more than the octopus. There was so much flavor in those thin slices of beef that they truly dominated the dish. And seared in some areas, nearly raw in others, the meat itself was captivating. I have to say, that is the best kobe beef, actually the best beef I have ever had. It was just so tender and flavorful. I would have loved to taste it in a more subtle preparation.

After that we had the spicy king crab and the crispy rock shrimp tempura in two sauces. The king crab was delicious but heavy. Hearty chunks of king crab were topped with a kind of creamy spicy aioli. It had some serious heat (which I love), but was a little too heavy. We agreed that we liked it, but also agreed that that was primarily because we loved king crab. The preparation was different and fascinating, but did not necessarily elevate the crab. The rock shrimp tempura was actually a trio. There was rock shrimp in wasabi aioli, rock shrimp in a spicy, slightly sweet aioli, and a home-made ranch dressing on the side with some sliced vegetables. Both tempuras were interesting and I liked the juxtaposition, but the ranch was sour, strong, and seemed incongruous. I felt it didn't belong on the plate. Anyone who needs to take shrimp, tempura it, cover it in mayonnaise, and then dip it in ranch dressing has not only defined "gluttony" but has diluted the composition of flavor to such a degree that you might as well be dipping buffalo wing sauce-coated fried oreos in blue cheese (fat is fat is fat).

We concluded our meal with the lobster "épice," which was basically lobster and vegetables coated lightly with garam masala and served with a lemon crème fraîche on the side. It was interesting, and new, and I appreciated the novelty. I even thought the lobster was spiced perfectly, so that the spice did not overpower the shellfish. However, it was not a dish I would order a second time. The vegetables were boring (carrot, broccoli, potato, cauliflower) and did not add to the dish. And the flavors, while innovative were not perfectly balanced and left me feeling as if I were missing something. Perhaps acidity.

Overall we were very happy with our meal. As I said, I would return just for the service. And the wine list was excellent. There were many affordable and diverse wines to choose from, as well as the expensive classics. To me, Morimoto finishes definitively second to Nobu in food, but perhaps higher in service, or rather management. Those in charge do good business by making their customers feel valued, and I look forward to trying more of Morimoto's cuisine in the future.

Jerusalem Artichoke Olive Soup

AKA best soup ever. Jerusalem artichokes are an amazing veg. Also called "sunchokes" they are neither from Jerusalem, nor actually artichokes, but when cooked they taste so deliciously like artichoke hearts. (for secret admirers - artichokes are my favorite vegetable)

Inspired by and improvised off of a recipe from "The Soup Bible" (great book), tonight I made a fannnntastic soup. Here is the basic recipe (improvise as you will):

4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs of Jerusalem Artichokes (peeled and chopped)
1 onion, sliced
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup olives (I used kalamata)
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup (or possibly more) heavy cream

1. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a stock pot (I used Land o' Lakes light butter - just as good) over low heat and then add onion and cook for 8 minutes.
2. Add jerusalem artichokes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and trying not to let the artichokes brown.
3. Use a food processor to blend milk and olives (don't drink! ew) and add to pot along with chicken stock. Raise heat to medium or medium-low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Use a hand blender or food processor to puree soup and add a dash of cream (about 1/4 cup). Salt and pepper to taste.

(5 -optional). The recipe in the soup bible says take some heavy cream (say 1/4 cup) and whip until almost thick and add saffron. Then whip it a bit more so you create a saffron cream that you can use as a garnish for this soup. Granted, the soup in the book did not have olives and that addition changes a great deal. I did not use a cream garnish on my soup and, as I said, it is awesome.

Soup. Yum.

Berkshire Berries

In the Union Square Greenmarket there is a small table with a man selling jams and honeys from Berkshire Berries.

I purchased some honey and raspberry jam and am astonished by its quality. I have found some excellent honeys before at various local farmers markets, and this one competes, but the jam is definitely some of the finest jam I have ever tasted. It is sweet, tart, and fresh tasting. The jam is juicy and the seeds are crunchy but not overly abundant.

I noticed on the table they also had Black Raspberry and Golden Raspberry Jams, of which I only tried the Black. It was interesting and delicious, but sweeter than the regular raspberry and without the same level of tartness. For me it was the Raspberry all the way, but I'll definitely be returning to try some of their other flavors.

(As an added bonus for me, Berkshire Berries is located in Becket, MA, home to my beloved childhood summer camp, Chimney Corners)

www.berkshireberries.com

Home-made Limoncello

I coaxed this recipe out of a nearby bar owner in several small and unassuming conversations. I've experimented with it a couple of times, and it really does make a fantastic limoncello. It's a touch sweet but nothing like those overly syrup-y versions you usually find in liquor stores. It's tart, very flavorful, and strong. But watch out, because it's easy to drink quite a lot without noticing. I like to double or triple the recipe and fill up a huge glass jar with a ladle in it so my party guests can serve themselves.

1 bottle vodka (cheap works fine, but less $ = bigger hangover, maybe shoot for a middle ground)
15 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 large glass jar or several mason jars

1. Peel the rinds off all the lemons, trying to get only the yellow but not the white parts. And peel the rinds in the larges slices possible, because they look nice as garnishes when it's time to serve, and you won't accidentally swallow them. Place all your peeled rinds in the jar.
2. Juice all the lemons (an electric juicer really speeds this up), and add all the strained juice (no seeds!)
3. Add your bottle of vodka
4. Add 1 cup of sugar (or more or less to taste)
5. Stir vigorously. If you have weak arms and prefer not to stir too long, heat a bit of water with the sugar to dissolve before adding.
6. Let sit for at least 1 week before serving, stirring the mixture once daily. The longer you leave it, the better the infusion will become. Optimum time = 1 month
7. Serve over ice

Cold-Brewed Coffee

Today my sister and I stopped for coffee at a local shop. She ordered an iced hazelnut coffee with skim milk, but not before asking if it was roasted with hazelnuts or if there was hazelnut syrup in it (she's very health-concious). The answer: roasted.

When she tried the coffee however, she noted how strong it was, and even sweet. She handed it to me to try. "Are you sure there isn't sugar in this?" I tasted it and I knew it was cold-brewed. I was reminded of a great article I read in the NYT a while back about just this; coffee brewed cold so that it does not dilute in ice, or even become bitter like a hot brew. The lack of bitterness actually allows the coffee's natural sweetness to come out as well. You can even freeze the final cold-brewed coffee mixture into ice cubes so that it doesn't dilute if you want to put a few cubes in your cup in the morning.

So inspired, I looked up the article for you all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/dining/27coff.html

And here's the recipe.

1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best)
Milk (optional).

1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.

2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk.

Yield: Two drinks.

NOTE: To make hot coffee, dilute concentrate one-to-one with water and heat in the microwave.