Gourmet Food

Posted by Jacqueline Church

Finding Japanese food in Chinatown

Adventures, disappointments (aiyaa!), and sometimes - bliss.

In our Chinatown most of the restaurants, even the Japanese ones, are owned and run by Chinese. There are relatively few Japanese in Boston, so if you're looking for real Japanese food, it can be a challenge.

Discover our gem of a Chinatown.

And speaking of real Japanese food, how many types of Japanese food can you name besides sushi? Have you dipped your chopsticks into Shabu Shabu yet? Boston is blessed with two Shabu Shabu restaurants: Shabu Zen and Kaze. Both are terrific. Both are run by Chinese.

So what, you may ask? Well for one thing, I miss the traditional Japanese greeting "Irashaimase!" Joyfully greeting diners entering Japanese restaurants is traditional. It's a warm welcome that is delightful. Other things I miss: oshiburi - hot towels to clean your hands before the meal. Good, hot tea. There are a million little things that can get lost in translation.

But let's focus on what works: the food! There is nothing more pleasurable than sharing a wonderful meal with good friends. Make the food superlative, add liberal amounts of sake/and or beer and you can begin to see what I'm getting at. Years ago I toasted my Mother not with the usual "Kampai!" but with my new Über-cool "Cin Cin!" picked up from South American friends.

Mom blanched. Who knew cin cin is Japanese slang for penis? Imagine how much fun my brother had when I took him to a favorite watering hole and he toasted me, with "Penis!" In front of my regular bartender, to whom I'd just introduced him as my brother.

Okay, so you've got the proper toast down. Now pick up the chopsticks or your little strainer basket and away we go...

Posted by Jacqueline Church

You think sustainable food choices and environmental stewardship have nothing to do with baseball? Nothing to do with food?

If you serve over:

• 20,600 hot dogs
• 5,800 bags o' peanuts
• 4,800 sausage and pepper subs
• 3,500 slices

and other things like crab rolls, lobster rolls, fruit cups...on opening day alone...

...wouldn't it make a difference if your paper products were made of recycled material? What about the sustainability of the seafood? How local is the fruit? The potatoes used for 3,000 pounds of fries?

How far do things have to be trucked to Fenway Park? What's the environmental impact now?

Read about how the Sox are going green, and how sourcing and other practices make ARAMARK a leader, here.

The Red Sox owners are making fans, community members and partners proud. Tip o' the cap to you, Sox!

Posted by Jacqueline Church

Truc: I never could find the word or an explanation for it in the cookbook in which I discovered it. Seem an odd editorial oversight to me, using a culinary term unknown to most and not defining it first. I checked with Merriam-Webster, Foodreference.com, a few other tried and true sources, and then gave up.

In the recipes, the word "truc" preceded helpful notes on technique or timing. Nothing so dazzling that the origin of the mysterious term held my attention for too long.

Then, I came upon an article on cooking schools and culinary vacations. We know culinary travel is here to stay. The article that caught my eye: A Cook's Tour in Provence.

Linda Danneberg describes a six day tour of the French countryside, dicing and braising along the way. "Carole is a good-humored and accessible teacher, her recipe instructions punctuated with a wealth of helpful chef's trucs (technical tricks and tips.) We are juicing lemons..." Then she goes on to share the instructor's truc for juicing a lemon: slice at about 3/4 inch down, slice the flesh of the lemon into a tic-tac-toe grid, squeeze, juice, no seeds.

Mystery solved: truc is a fancy-pants cheffie word for a trick or tip.

Though I have noted the worrisome trend of cookbooks being "dumbed down" in 75th Anniversary of Joy of Cooking, it still seems we could hope for a balance. Enough guidance to understand the terms used, without having to explain that greasing a pan means only the inside.

To learn about a unique cooking school in Ireland and a terrific book about a family adventure in food self-sufficiency read Culinary Travel Meets Slow Food. Both provide a host of trucs for traveling or homebound cooks.

Posted by Jacqueline Church

Okay - first things first: you know I loved, loved, loved the food at Momofuku. But the Big Brother complacency "surveillance is okay if it's only because our insurance company asks us to do it" bothers me. I cannot see anything good coming out of rolling over for insurance companies. Ever. And then there's the civil liberties erosion...you can read about the issue and the restaurant's response here.

But let me get back to David Chang's food. It's pretty remarkable that any critic on one visit would issue a four star rating but this is exactly what Adam Platt of New York Magazine did.

Whether it's Momofuku or Momofuku-ko...I say, go, go, go...just know someone's watching.

Posted by Jacqueline Church

Umami is the so-called "Fifth Taste" - discovered by a Japanese scientist some decades ago. Many chefs and home cooks alike know it, we've just never been vindicated until recently. Interesting how knowledge accumulates in culture...

Anyway, the cool thing is that you can enhance the flavor of nearly everything you cook with a natural umami-rich salt. I wrote about it here and shared links to the favored cookbook by David and Anna Kasabian, The Fifth Taste.

The Kasabian's recommend keeping these Umami-rich ingredients in your pantry, along with Eric's Umami Salt:

• Soy sauce,
• worcestershire sauce,
• Asian fish sauce,
• canned tomatoes or tomato paste in a tube,
• parmigiano-reggiano, dried shiitake mushrooms.

I'd add Marmite to the list. Swirl a bit into a soup for an instant additional depth of flavor.

Eric Gower is a blogger, chef and writer to know. His Breakaway Cook blog has new posts regularly that include familiar dishes with new twists that add flavor in healthful ways.

Try this Umami Salt as a way to add savory depth to your dinner. Similar to other finishing salts, this one adds a lot of oomph to your food.

Posted by Jacqueline Church

Momofuku-Ko or child of Momofuku, as we might translate it....lovingly and rapturously described here by the Wandering Eater. This is the latest love child of David Chang, head chef at the happy temple of pork.

If my review singing its praises, or your perusal of Eater's dinner, don't have you drooling, then I can't help you. Just listen to the descriptions of the tastes, textures and the ingredients combining thrills with comfort. You can't beat it with a stick, or a rice paddle...leaves me wanting Mo-Mo-Mo...

Posted by Jacqueline Church

I couldn't help but point out that porn star turned author, Nina Hartley Sex Guide Author named Incanto as one of her favorite restaurants.

I bring you this interesting little bit because I think it's good for her and good for Chris Cosentino. Also because, honestly, the Head to Tail eating trend is right in the cross-hairs of the ethical eating and fine dining dialog today.

Chef Cosentino makes a very compelling case for offal as an ethical choice if not obligation and he shares my disdain for the pseudo-ethics of PETA activists.

What about the strip club that caters to vegans, you ask? Hm...using naked women to sell veganism? Using tofu to sell sex? Vaginas and Vegans - let's just call it like we see it, hm? Even the New York Times is picking up this story.

Well, let's just say I'm not going there any time soon. But I WILL get to Incanto next time I'm in the Bay Area and you should too.

Find out why here.

Posted by Jacqueline Church

A new look at PGTips.

I've written about the afternoon ritual of High Tea. PG Tips is a British favorite tea and tourists all over the world (even on the beach!). I've never been inclined to seek it out.

One Monkey changed my mind. The company is seeking sustainability certification from the Rainforest Alliance.

There's a cute little monkey in a heroic movie clip here. It's good news, put the kettle on and read about high tea, and what PG Tips is doing to make sustainability a reality.

Posted by Jacqueline Church

Sara Roahen approaches the world through food and drink, learning about a place and its people over a shared meal. In my experience, this is one of the truest ways to connect with people and learn about a place. I'm always very grateful when I'm able to share a meal with a new friend or a total stranger, as other people call them.

Roahen's book, Gumbo Tales, is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with a city that is perhaps more important than any other to understanding the US, our people, and our culture. Jazz was born in New Orleans and the food rocked before "bam!" was invented. Emeril is just one of the many chefs who have donated generously and worked tirelessly to keep their beloved, if adopted, city's food on the map. There are culinary and hospitality training programs, an edible school yard and even a library branch in development to celebrate New Orleans food and food culture.

To learn more about Southern Food check out the Southern Foodways Alliance and it's wonderful oral history project, as well as the rebuilding of a New Orleans icon, Willie Mae's Scotch House.

Posted by Jacqueline Church

I was tickled to note the observations of the New York Times critic were so similar to mine. From the music selection to the strength of the husband and wife team, he a chef, she a sake sommelier.

Bruni used a set of criteria that included overall enjoyment, the experience, and of course, the food. Today's unveiling of Bruni's top two picks reminded me to revise my image of vegetarian. It's hard to do. Ubuntu, the restaurant coming in second to O Ya is about as glamourous as you could imagine and is vegetarian. Of course, the chef is not and neither is he averse to ingredients like butter and cream.

As nutritionists will tell you, it's not about deprivation, but moderation. Choosing when and where in your diet you will have the tasty things that are really good for you and the ones that are just tasty.

Take a look at the write up here where Bruni does his New Yorker's view of the world thing and explains his adventure. The standard by which all other places are compared, of course. Perhaps only Tokyo can argue the point (they have more stars). At least if you're counting Michelin stars. But that's a story for another day. It seems clear that fine food is not solely the provence of New York City, which must now acknowledge that Paris and Tokyo both are on the same map.

To learn more about O Ya and omakase meals check my earlier posts. Here, And, learn about Omakase,here. Interesting to note that Tim Cushman trained under top Japanese chefs.