The Collegiate Epicurean

Sometime In The Near Future...

2008-09-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

You remember those movies where at the end you are told what happened to the principal characters after the credits start rolling? Well this blog hopes to do just that. While I can't describe in detail what is happening to anyone else post-Pacific, I can at least update on what this particular food writer has been doing.

When I was last seen I was driving off into the East to my native land to pursue an education in culinary arts at a school in New York City. My plans as of now have changed a little due to certain external factors that prevented me from doing my original plan, however I have not been deterred from pursuing culinary arts.

So what have I been up to? I've been apprenticing under an old friend of mine at a family restaurant, and have just recently been hired at another restaurant called J.C's Grill House. This blog was not to be a Live Journal entry for others to get bored by, instead I would like to give you the readers some insight from inside two professional kitchens.

Because in all seriousness, being a chef is a very curious profession nowadays. With the bombardment of Food Network and now shows like Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, and Kitchen Nightmares, people continually ask me if that is what it is like. Well the answer is slightly yes, and slightly no.

First off, is there an angry British man screaming obscenities at you constantly? No. Is there yelling? Absolutely. When I first started doing my apprenticeship at the Big RL, there was one night where we got slammed. Tickets were flying in, and stacking up faster than we could put them out. At this point I was a greenhorn in the kitchen and could only do a couple things, but I was having trouble getting those couple things out. The executive chef was yelling to me what I had fired, what I needed, and soon I could understand why it's easy to burn a scallop in Hell's Kitchen. Kitchens are a high pressure work environment, but like all professions, you need to simply learn the ropes well enough to guide through it. After getting my ass kicked a couple times at the Big RL, when I started my new job I was more accustomed to fast paced kitchen work and found a certain calm amongst the storm that is a busy dinner service.

Second, people ask me what my opinion is about situations on Kitchen Nightmares. Well, to be honest, if I were to walk into a kitchen like that, I would probably turn right around and leave. Real professionals, real chefs, and real restaurateurs would never let their restaurants get into such a condition. If I were to host Kitchen Nightmares, episodes would be pretty short, since I would walk in and just shut the place down. Either that or fire everybody and auction the place to new owners. Kitchens can get that gross and disorganized, I have not yet worked in one like that, and hope to never will.

While people may watch these shows and ask me how do I do it, I reply one that it's a show and is meant to be overdramatic and two it has to be the camaraderie that evolves in a kitchen. After you finish a dinner service where you were slammed, there is a certain brother in arms kind of feel. No one else in the restaurant really understands what we're doing back there, they just see the food come out. They don't see us get burned, cut, maimed, or for that matter having fun. Chefs sometimes are viewed as a little maniacal, and they are partly right. What other profession lets you use incredibly sharp knives and play with fire? But we do all those things, and like I said when there's a rush, there also can be a calm inside that storm, and I believe that's something that TV will never capture. That precise moment when everyone is flying on all cylinders and for an hour or two, you and one, two, or three other chefs are one single working unit is one of the best feelings you can obtain in a kitchen.

Of course words do not do justice to what happens back behind that serving window amongst the flames and the heat. Where knives fly, plates clang, oil splatters, and flames erupt like volcanic mountains, that is where our cubicles are. Those stoves and ovens are our desks. Our chef's knives are our writing utensils, our ingredients our stationery. Our product is your meal.

So that's what I've been up to since graduation. Any questions?

"I'll Keep You My Dirty Little Secret"

2008-06-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have a dirty little secret, I love the Food Network's TV show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. For as much as I make fun of Guy Fieri and his gimmicky look and odd fusion style cooking, this show is really good.

No I mean it, it's actually one of my favorite shows on Food Network that's how it good it is, and thanks to the wonderful people over there at Food TV it's been dropped right in the middle of everyday programming.

It's really good, I mean actually really good. For some reason Fieri's personality actually fits the show perfectly. He has an incredible talent of making most of these backwoods/small town folks seem interesting and funny. Some of them do it on their own accord, but when Fieri encounters a very humble quiet owner he is able to bring the best out of them. Surprisingly, Fieri's very loud persona doesn't overshadow the people he is showcasing, and it's tricky to tow that line carefully between being too loud and interesting.

Even more important than Fieri's extraordinary pownage of the show, is the food. Oh yes, the food. People on diets look away as the show is definitely not for people watching their cholesterol levels or their waistline. Burgers stuffed with cheese and bacon, "Turducken", giant deep fried onion rings, ribs drenched with sauce, pancake burritos, and hot dogs piled high with everything you can imagine are just some of the dishes you see on this show. The dishes these folks come up boggle your mind, and to top it off the customers line up around the block to eat it.

I believe that's why this show is gaining such a slow underground following. The food isn't fancy or pretentious, it just looks really damn good. I admit I watch these shows and go; "Really an inside out burger? I might just try that", or "Wow a pancake burrito, that's looks amazing". It's food that we can imagine ourselves eating, and who doesn't love big fatty greasy dishes from local folks like you and me.

Now these local folks aren't Bobby Flay or Wolfgang Puck, they're just ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The things they come up with are a little wacky but it still looks amazing, and just like how the show Throwdown With Bobby Flay showcases everyday people being great at what they do, DDD does the same thing. The show takes the guy (or gal) who took a gamble in owning a little place on the corner and puts them up on a pedestal for the accomplishments.

I know I'll take some flack for writing an entire blog about Guy Fieri and how much I like his show, but the truth needs to be said. It's a really good show, and I know there are plenty of you out there who are secretly watching our bleach blond host feast his way to an eventual triple bypass.

If you need more convincing, or you haven't even seen the show, I think this clip helps to prove my point. Enjoy. (Again, people on a diet or vegetarians look away).

What's The Deal With Strawberries?

2008-06-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a good strawberry shortcake, or fresh strawberries in summer? Sounds delicious doesn't it? The thought of something so sweet appeasing your sweet tooth after a big meal sounds great. So why is it strawberries are finding there way into the main course more than the dessert?

Call me old fashioned, but I don't believe strawberries go in savory dishes. The first time I saw this was on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, and thankfully Chef Ramsay ripped the inept chef a new one for such an odd decision. Now however, I'm finding strawberries sneaking into a whole myriad of dishes. Salsa, sauces, ravioli's, on top of fish, and even with chicken.

That is flat out disgusting. Sure there might be chef out there who has figured out that strawberries may enhance a certain dish, and it actually tastes good, but this has gotten out of control. Strawberries on fish? Those textures don't even go. Even my own mother is starting to suggest strawberries in all these savory dishes, and she's telling me to cook it for her. Fat chance.

Just check out this recipe from New York magazine for spaghetti with strawberries:

Sfoglia’s Spaghetti with Strawberries
1 pound good-quality dried spaghetti (like Setaro)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 pound ripe strawberries, cleaned and halved
2 tablespoons good aged (eight-year-old) balsamic vinegar
1 cup San Marzano tomato purée
4 ounces reserved pasta water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Look at it closely, what has this mad scientist of produce done? She has done nothing but make a marinara sauce with strawberries in place of garlic. Genius you may say. Innovator some may herald, but I subscribe to the idea that this is just another fad that will soon fizzle out like baby vegetables and Emeril. I mean what's next, peaches on New York strip steaks? I mean nooo don't even think about it! Ah damn, too late, now it's out there...

Saving The World; One Bite At A Time

2008-04-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

With this past Tuesday being Earth Day, we again are reminded of our many shortcomings as an eco-friendly society. Although Earth Day is now extended to an Earth Week, our education on the subject of environmentalism is very limited. Often when Earth Day rolls around we take a minute to think to ourselves "Yea gas prices are really high. Hm.".

Of course we all have been pounded over the head with the same advice every year about how we should go about protecting this only planet we have. We know that you shouldn't run the water when you're brushing your teeth, recycle anything that can be recycled, reuse shopping bags, walk or ride a bike when you don't have to drive, or turn off all electronics when not home. However, did you know you could be doing the world a huge service through the way you eat?

It's true. Not many people realize how much pollution it takes to get food from its humble beginning on the farm or the ranch to our table. For example, the amount of pollution caused in processing one cow into beef, is 4 times greater than that of a whole shipment of garlic from China. Did you know that food is routinely grown in one country, than shipped to another country to process, and then shipped back to the original country? How about the idea that over 60% of rivers and lakes in the U.S are contaminated from water runoff from crops grown for food?

As I began to find out more and more, the more I became alarmed at how much pollution is left behind for food. To think the next time I'm in the grocery store and see steak from Nebraska or an avocado from California, how damaging it is to our environment.

So as an ode to Earth Week and our carbon footprint we are leaving behind, I have compiled a couple tips on how tweaking here and there in the way you eat that can help out Mother Earth.

1. Go to a Farmer's Market
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of farmer's markets. Mostly because you can get a lot of great tasting produce for a very thrifty price, and nothing makes a dish better than fresh great tasting ingredients.

Simply put, buying locally at your farmer's market saves on all the fuel and processing needed to get produce to your supermarket. Most people don't know where their produce comes from in the supermarket, but when buying at a farmer's market you get to meet the farmer himself. You can ask him what's good, what will be in season soon, and maybe even bargain a little. In the end the fuel required to get that produce to the farmer's market is much less than that which sits in your supermarket.

So buy locally, support local foods, and you'll be saving fuel.

2. Eat seasonal
With that in mind, eating seasonally will help save in fuel and processing costs as well. As a society, we have become too comfortable with the idea that you can get whatever you want, whenever you want it. Growing up in New Jersey though, those harsh winters made it a little harder to get to a farmer's market. My mother is very good at this idea, whether she knows it or not. She knows whats in season and what isn't. This was based on the idea that whatever wasn't in season would taste horrible, and most of the time it does.

To ship that out of season food from somewhere in South America to America is a huge strain on the environment, and it happens every day of the year. This requires though that one must learn to live without certain things at different points in the year. Look at it this way. The anticipation of that certain item makes it even better when you actually get to cook it when it comes into season.

3. Ditch the Bottle
This was actually one of my favorite suggestions I've seen, simply because it is one of my biggest pet peeves. It irks me to see self righteous environmentalists never without a bottle of water in their hand. Did you know that Americans throw away about 2 million tons of plastic water bottles a year? That's way too much.

If you actually want to save money and the planet, buy a water filter. Attach it to your sink and drink away. No bottles, no waste, and it makes your life easier since clean water now comes from your home and not your supermarket. While you're at it, buy a Nalgene bottle and put your clean water inthere.

And if you want to save even more money, just drink tap water. Studies show it's actually healthier than bottled water anyway. I'm not kidding, it actually is.

4. Buy from Eco-Friendly Companies
This was something I was surprised to not see in my findings, a suggestion to buy from companies that actually dedicate part of their revenue to ensuring they don't ruin the environment. Companies like Ben and Jerry's and Annie's both dedicate a large portion of their revenue to not only make sure they produce the most eco-friendly product, but to help make the environment better.

Those aren't the only two however. Go over to www.greenpages.org and you can find any company that is eco-friendly, not just for food, but for anything your little earth friendly heart desires.

5. Grill and Chill.
Here's a suggestion I know a friend of mine won't mind doing. Now that the warm weather is officially here and we near those summer months, it's time to fire up the grill. While charcoal grills are better than gas grills (environmental wise, that's a whole griller debate I won't get into), in terms of air pollution, they both use a lot less energy.

By turning off the stove and burners, you are saving a bunch of energy that you would use to cook inside. Also, what could be better than a nice night out under the stars, beer in hand with the smell of grilling in the air. Just go easy on the lighter fluid as it contains noxious chemicals that are harmful to the air.

So there are five easy suggestions to help lessen your carbon footprint through your diet. Personally I don't think they are that ridiculous or too hard to follow. Even though I say to buy more local vegetables and lessen meat intake, will I become a vegetarian? Of course not. Will I never buy a bottle of water again? Not likely. Am I gonna grill every night this summer? Doubt it. The main idea I want to get across is that as long as you keep these tips in mind, you will find yourself doing them. You may actually find that the food in your life improves from these little suggestions, and isn't that the most important thing anyway?

To do some of your own research (and to cite most of this article), here is a list of sites to help you eat more earth friendly.

http://www.foodtv.com/green

http://www.ecologue.com/ShowTopic/eco-eats

http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2008/04/18/2008-04-18_it_pays_to_eat_green.html

The Collegiate Epicurean's Future

2008-03-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

If you have not heard from me in the past couple of weeks, as of last week I was admitted to the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. I start July 14th, which means I will be moving into New York this upcoming summer. It all happens really fast. I start this summer and after about two years straight through (no summer vacations) I will graduate with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management. Not familiar with the school? Here's a little blurb about them to give you an idea:

"Founded in 1975 by Peter Kump, the school offers highly successful 6- to 11-month career-training programs in culinary arts, pastry & baking arts, and culinary management. ICE was a finalist and winner in the International Association of Culinary Professionals' 2002, 2003 and 2006 Awards of Excellence Awards. And in 2006, New York Restaurant Insider Magazine called ICE one of America's top three culinary schools.

ICE was a finalist and winner in the International Association of Culinary Professionals' 2002, 2003 and 2006 Awards of Excellence Awards.

Students and alumni are regularly nominated for, or win top industry awards, such as James Beard Awards, Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in America, and Pastry Art & Design's Ten Best Pastry Chefs."

So what does this mean for faithful readers? Well a couple things. One I will be able to give you an insider's view of the culinary world. My recipes will get better. Also I will be able to review much better restaurants than here in Stockton. Sorry to my West Coast readers as it will be a little harder for you to enjoy the same restaurants.

All in all the whole blog will improve drastically, with much more articles and of better quality. Other than that it will be still be the same old Collegiate Epicurean writing them.

What's On The Menu: Healthy Stir Fried Chicken with Asparagus

2008-03-05T13:06:00.001-08:00

I discovered a site awhile back entitled World's Healthiest Foods which you can you can check out here. It's actually a pretty interesting site in regards to healthy foods. It gives you weekly updates on what is a good fruit or vegetable to be eating, as well as a bunch of recipe. Now me being someone who usually steers away from such healthy sites, it was odd that I actually checked it out. They have this little quiz you can take to find out what nutrients you are missing in your diet, and then they give you a huge list of recipes that will help remedy it. I turned out to be lacking in iron, and this was the first recipe that popped up. Since I had just bought some fresh ginger from the farmer's market and had some asparagus left over, I decided I would try it. You actually stir fry it in chicken stock to make it more healthy than frying in oil.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion cut in half and sliced medium thick
1 bunch asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths (about 2 cups when cut) discard bottom fourth
1 TBS chicken broth
1 TBS minced fresh ginger
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS rice vinegar
pinch red chili flakes
salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut onion and press garlic and let both sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their hidden health benefits.
Heat 1 TBS broth in a stainless steel wok or 12-inch skillet. Stir Fry onion and asparagus in broth for about 3 minutes over medium high heat, stirring constantly.
Add ginger, garlic, chicken, and continue to stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes stirring constantly.
Add soy sauce, vinegar, and red chili flakes. Stir together and cover. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. This may have to cook for an extra couple minutes if the asparagus is thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Besides the really weird ideas about letting stuff sit to bring out their "hidden" benefit, I actually really enjoyed this recipe. In fact it was my first adventure in Asian style cooking, so I decided I would start off pretty easy. The result, really tasty and according to the site really healthy. Not to mention it really did only take 15 minutes to cook up. Serve over a bed of rice and enjoy.

What's On The Menu: Pan Roasted Pork Spareribs Treviso Style on Creamy Buttered Polenta

2008-03-03T22:28:00.001-08:00

Beware of polenta, it is a fickle beast. The pork however took longer than the recipe stated, but when it was done, wow was it tender and juicy. Just a little white wine, garlic, and sage and an hour later you have succulent pork spareribs. Next time I think I will try it with a potato side of some sort.

3 lbs of pork spareribs cut into single pieces
4 garlic cloves
1 cup of white wine
2 tbls of fresh sage leaves or 2 tsps of dried
3 tbls vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1. Put oil in saute pan on med-high heat. Add spareribs and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from pan.
2. Add garlic and sage. Cook garlic until pale blond and then add wine. Simmer for 30 second to a minute and then put spareribs back in saute pan.
3. Lower heat to a calm simmer. Cover saute pan with cover slightly ajar. Let cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until meat is tender and falls off the bone. Turn spareribs occasionally through out the process. If pan becomes dry add a couple tablespoons of water.
4. When done, scoop off pork fat with slotted spoon. Place spareribs on a warm plate and simmer the juice down a little more. Pour the sauce over the spareribs. Eat with a side of hot polenta or potatoes.

It is crucial that you wait until the meat is completely tender and falling off the bone. This mean it has tenderized and absorbed a lot of the liquid, which is the end result you want. Trust me, your patience will be rewarded.

The Collegiate Epicurean Does Iron Chef; and Gets "Al Gored" For It

2008-03-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

As a budding chef, when I was informed of Iron Chef Pacific, I just had to join. It's not everyday you get to put your culinary skills up against someone else in public; so I took this opportunity to give my cooking skills a little test.

First off I have to give thanks to my incredible team who participated in this adventure with me. So thank you to my fellow chefs who went through it with me. Those chefs would be Tim Sarori, Sarah Guldenbrein, and James Pollard. Also thanks to our fans who came out to support us.

So onto the story of Iron Chef and a behind the scenes look.

Even though we applied on the first day, we did not hear back until the day before because we were picked as an alternate team. One team had trouble and decided they would drop out, so we were on deck. Of course we had no idea what the criteria was to be selected, but nonetheless we were lucky enough to sneak out way into the competition.

Now before we arrived, my team had plenty of questions. How much do we get to cook? What's the range of use we have for the kitchen? How long do we have to cook? Stuff like that. Rumors flew around before the competition about the specifics of the actual event. Some people believed we wouldn't have any control and the Bon Appetit chefs would be doing all the cooking, we just told them what to cook. Some people heard it was just two propane burners. Even the amount of time was unknown. However, our team was ready for whatever came at us. This was more a competition for us to challenge ourselves more than the other teams.

Upon arrival all our questions were answered. We were given our jackets, bandannas, hats, and a grand tour of the kitchen. We had free range of anything in the kitchen. All we had to do was ask and we shall receive. Any ingredient they had was at our disposal. Then it was time for the secret ingredients. Yes there were three ingredients. You had to use at least one of them in every dish. The ingredients...drum roll...were skirt steak, ahi tuna, three types of mushrooms. We got our final instructions and we were under way. Our chairman was a little less eccentric than the Food Network one, but hey it's Bon Appetit.

Now on the real Iron Chef, the chefs get a clue of what it could be ahead of time. Hence why they know what they're doing right out of the gate. Since we did not, we had to plan a little bit. As we looked at the ingredients, we brainstormed out loud what we could make. The first thing we came up with was a cheese steak with the skirt steak suggested by Tim. I then suggested that we jazz it up by making it a California cheese steak with some interesting ingredients. That's where it all started. After a little more brainstorming, we came up with our theme, California. I know, not incredibly original, but since this was the first Iron Chef Pacific someone had to do it.

After twenty minutes of finalizing our menu, it was game on. Ingredients were being chopped, prep work being done, meat being marinated, patties being formed, and pressure beginning to build. Needless to say, it was nice that we had full range of everything in the kitchen. Although every other team came in and was giggling and taking MySpace/Facebook pictures, as soon as the clock started ticking, everyone was serious and focused.

During all the cooking, RHA thought it a good idea to have a cameraman and a MC walk around and get some footage for the audience. Maybe it was good for the audience, but in that small kitchen with all those people, the last thing we needed was two extra bodies not doing anything but getting in the way. At one point they wanted to pull you away and ask what you were cooking. No good for anybody. I'm sure the MC didn't get what he wanted and we just got annoyed. Also there was people coming and going trying to get an inside look at the action, pretty much just getting in the way.

I could detail everything I remember from the process but I believe that would take too long, so I shall point out some highlights. At one point I went to Tim, our grill master/meat specialist and asked him what spices he would use on the skirt steak. On cue Tim pulled cayenne and cinnamon off the shelf. After applying to the meat I gave a smell test, and it was extraordinary. Tim thought so himself too.

James and Sarah made one hell of an appetizer with their tuna. They made this dijon ginger mustard sauce to go with it, and phew was it tasty. Sarah also did a great job cooking up both the tuna and the cheese steak on the flat top. James' inventiveness was an asset that I myself wish I had much more of. The sauces and flavors he came up with were incredible.

As we neared the end of the competition everything came together with moments to spare. The burgers came out of the oven, the cheese steak and the tuna came off the grill, and all the sauces were ready to go. As we stood in the back waiting for our turn to present, we took a moment to sample everything, and we were pleasantly surprised at how good everything was. Nothing had a glaring problem with it, in fact everything came out exactly as we had planned.

When it was our turn we went out, warmed everything up the best we could with the small propane burners and set up our presentation. I think we were a little jipped on time as we were told we had fifteen seconds left with no warning. Then it was our turn. With all our plates done, we approached the judges (all of whom worked for housing, this will be a crucial fact later on). I volunteered to be the spokesman for our group.

Our first dish was a sesame crusted seared ahi tuna with a dijon ginger mustard sauce, created by Sarah and James. It was a great way to start off as it was cooked perfectly and the tastes were incredible as well as well balanced. Next up was Tim's open faced mini burgers stuffed with jalapeños and cayenne and cumin and placed on top of baby portabella mushrooms with goat cheese melted on the top. Again, the judges loved it. The burgers were cooked perfectly (that's why Tim's the grill master). Only complaint was that it should have been warmer, but again we did what we could. My dish was the California cheese steak, seasoned with Tim's suggestion of cayenne and cinnamon and olive oil, sauteed red onions and bell peppers with a chiptole pepper, on toasted sourdough bread with a chiptole ketchup. Another homerun for us, making it three in a row. One of the judges stated that he was from Jersey and that it was a little bit of a stretch to be a Philly cheese steak (I agreed with him), but it was delicious nonetheless. We could only sit by and wait.

When the judges reconvened for the results we stepped up to hear our placement. They announced second place first, and it was us. We shook each other's hands with a sort of bittersweet feeling. At least we placed. Then they announced the audience choice. This was where everyone in the audience tasted our food and picked a winner. We won that one as well. Feeling better about winning the audience over we awaited the first place winner. It turned out to be the blue team, who I might add were all RA's or worked for housing in some way. So an all housing judging panel picked an all housing team. Sounds a little fishy doesn't it?

After the judges announced the first and second place winners they explained why they won. We got second because they liked our consistency with theme, our excellent presentation (thank you Sarah and James), and loved how good everything tasted. The first place team won because they plated the fastest and made six dishes instead of three. Now in the real Iron Chef, taste matters the most, and it seemed as if we lost on a technicality. We were upset, but still happy with our audience choice award. As my mother put it when I told her, we got "Al Gored". Simply put we won the popular vote but still came in second. My personal feelings are that I would rather lose on a technicality than on taste. All in all we inferred from our awards that we had the best tasting food, and we were pretty proud of that.

The experience was definitely one of the best times I have had this entire year. Donning the chef's jacket and running around a real kitchen and cooking for complete strangers was exhilarating. We were all dead tired at the end of it, and it showed as we lethargically strolled out of the dining hall. Even if we didn't win it all, we were all proud with the personal achievements we had. Some of us went to see what we were really made of, some went to challenge themselves, and some just went to take part in something different. In the end though, we all walked out accomplishing more than just simply cooking and plating food.

Restuarant Review: Misaki's

2008-02-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

As an avid sushi lover back in Jersey, I was excited to be moving to the West Coast for its abundant sushi selection. See back in Jersey I had to travel at least 30 minutes before I could hit my favorite sushi restaurant and the sushi in Manhattan can be hit or miss and too expensive. So after my trips to San Francisco and the amount I sushi I found there, I could only imagine the amount of it I would find here in Stockton. I mean after all, sushi did make its start in California and gradually worked its way across the country until it became a new culinary phenomenon. Here in California I would be able to get great sushi anytime I wanted.

However, to my dismay, not many people I have met in California go ga-ga over sushi. I guess it must be the fact that when it is always around you, you just get used to it. But it really perplexed me that it was like twisting arms to get people to come out to get sushi.

Regardless of the mystery why people blessed with the best sushi in the country don't particularly like it, I still looked to find a great sushi restaurant in Stockton. Now I'm sure that those of you who love sushi know all about the many choices that this town has for your raw fish cravings. Of course there is Cocoro, which has to be one the swankiest places in town. While the food at Cocoro is really good, I don't think it's good enough to wait an hour to sit in one of the loudest restaurants I have ever been to. I mean if I wanted to get the feel like I was at a sports bar during the place offs, I would go to a sports bar, not a sushi bar.

Then there is Matsuyama. I nicknamed Matsuyama "Cocoro Jr." because when I first walked in, the ambience reminded me exactly like it. The prices were also comparable to Cocoro as well. So in all, it was good enough to keep me coming back. The sushi chefs were friendly and creative and the specials kept changing so it was interesting enough to keep returning.

Then a friend of mine suggested we get some sushi this past weekend. Always down to go get sushi, I agreed telling him we should go to Matsuyama. My friend politely disagreed and told me I need to try Misaki. Now Misaki was a place I was skeptical of because of its location near the movie theater. My belief is that anything near big flashy movie theaters or malls are too overpriced for low quality food. However, my friend being a foodie much like myself I decided I would trust him.

And my trust was not broken. As soon as we walked in my friend knew everyone in the place. The hostess, the head chef, the manager, everyone. They were also incredibly friendly and genuinely happy to meet someone new in their restaurant. First we ordered with the head chef Jackie at the sushi bar. I ordered a Cinama roll and told Jackie to surprise me with something with yellow tail in it. My friend ordered his usual a Hammer roll and a Mt. Fuji, also a Jackie special. After we ordered the manager, V, came over. He introduced himself and then quickly scooted away. In about two minutes he returned with three sake bombs on the house for us. This being my first sake bomb, I decided I couldn't turn down a complimentary drink. I must say, sake bombs are great.

Then came the sushi. The most impressive roll was my friend's Mt. Fuji roll. It was stacked high with thin slices of jalapeño on it. The taste was first sweet and then a nice kick of spice, but not too much. You would think with slices of jalapeño it would be too hot, but Jackie did an incredible job of balancing the flavors and not having one overpower the other. This is a trick that is often hard to perfect as most times I find that a sushi roll is often overly powerful in taste and texture. While it makes it an intense explosion of flavor in your mouth, it destroys the delicacy of the fish in the sushi, and for true lovers who actually enjoy the fish this is unacceptable. However, Jackie proved that he was well aware of this balance and kept all these elements in complete balance. While the rolls exhibited incredible taste, they did not mask the great taste of the fresh fish.

After our initial two rolls, we decided we would move onto a simple platter of nigiri and sashimi . Now I myself love sashimi. The true test of a quality sushi restaurant is the quality of their sashimi, and the sashimi was also excellent. If their sashimi is excellent, then the restaurant is already headed in the right direction. I need only to reiterate my philosophy on great ingredients, which is that great ingredients well prepared only produce great meals.

To end the meal, a waiter came by and dropped off three more sake bombs. This time they were compliments of Jackie the head chef. One last sake bomb with Jackie for the road and we let our sushi settle.

As we walked out we said our goodbyes and some of the staff even addressed me by my first name as they said goodbye.

The point of sushi in my mind is a time for quiet relaxation and a slow down from the real world. Even though it was started as fast food in Japan, I believe here in America it has taken a different meeting. With the combination of friendly service, great sushi, and a couple of sake bombs on the house, I can say that the experience I had at Misaki fit my idea of sushi perfectly. Needless to say I don't think I will return to the raucous Cocoro or the Cocoro-light Matsuyama anytime soon. Misaki has me sold and I would be only so happy to bring anyone there to experience it with me.

The Collegiate Epicurean gives Misaki's two thumbs up, and highly recommends it to anyone who loves sushi.

The Collegiate Epicurean's First Restaurant Review: Stockton Joe's

2008-01-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

After hearing the unfortunate news that Napoli Bella had closed its doors after six months, I was in the predicament of having to find another restaurant in Stockton that could make due enough to appease my Italian self. Upon suggestion the only other place I heard in Stockton that serves Italian food, and has been around for awhile was Stockton Joe's. I initially was going to give up on Stockton and Italian food, but I figured I would give this place a shot. How bad could it be?

Well after reading the online reviews, there was only one that gave it low marks and it was due to bad service, not food. After reading this it sounded like it was a pretty reliable place. I mean it must be pretty good. The description of the place said it's been serving great food for over a generation. To me, longevity in restaurants means that they're doing something right.

Well I have come to realize longevity of a restaurant in Stockton does not mean it's doing well, it just means that the generation that enjoy this food all hail from the same taste budless family tree. Now, with that setup and my feelings no longer a secret, let the review begin.

First, the website said that the dress code was "business casual". In most of the parts of the world "business casual" means a nice shirt, a blazer, and dress shoes. For women it usually means a nice blouse and dress shoes. Again though, we are in Stockton. Where people reserve such fancy attire more for the Macaroni Grill than Stockton Joe's. Upon arrival, I had found I was overdressed. Not just a little, but by a lot. People were there in jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, and fleeces. I guess in Stockton where the primary business is agriculture, it is acceptable for that to be business casual.

After waiting at the bar for a half an hour for a table, which is fine I have no squabbles with that, we were seated. The seating however is deceiving. You see the layout which looks to be enticing. The tables are all seated in front of an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work. After rounding the corner though I see there is a bar with stools in front of them, and upon seeing the sort of table we sat at, I realized the atmosphere was nothing more than a dimly lit roadside diner. The chair I sat in was your typical run of the mill restaurant chair with no frills about it. Points for atmosphere so far: 0. Not a good way to start.

On the table was a holder for salt, pepper, and cheese. Normal table fixtures of course for a pizzeria. Don't leave stale cheese and old salt and pepper on the table. Also they had a small McCormick pepper grinder on the table. I guess the wait service is afraid of spraining their wrists by turning their own pepper grinder. Perched in the middle of the salt and pepper were cards. Cheesy little email sign up cards so they can send you coupons and news alerts about the restaurant. Nothing else needs to be said. Don't have email sign ups for a restaurant. You're not a fan club.

Now onto the food. My friend ordered the calamari Parmesan and a cup of minestrone. I decided to go with the Italian pot roast. Hey it said only at Joe's so I figured, let's see what Joe's got. I took a sip of my friend's minestrone, and let's just say my mom would be ashamed if she made something that tasted like that. It was too salty. Salty enough to mask all flavor. You couldn't taste the vegetables at all. Before she was even halfway done with the minestrone our dinner arrived. It arrived less than 10 minutes after we ordered. Something is to be said about food that comes out too fast. As I have said above the atmosphere was like a dimly lit diner, and one bonus for them is that they were able to make the food fit the atmosphere. Congratulations! My food was simply a cheap pot roast drowning in flavorless (and again over salted) meat sauce. The pasta was limp and cold before I even touched it. My friend's dish was even more interesting. For my whole life I thought calamari were small squids, lucky for me I learned something new at Joe's. Her calamari came out in steak form. I almost called the waitress back to see if she had mistakenly given her chicken Parmesan, but low and behold it was calamari in steak form. I tried a bite and found the texture to be too weird for me. The texture reminded me of the mystery meat chicken Mcnuggets from back in the day. Just odd enough that you really have no idea how it got like that.

About 10 minutes after we got our food, our waitress returned and asked if we were ready for boxes. Boxes? We just got our food. She kept returning every five minutes to re-ask the question, to which we kept replying no. Finally when we were ready to get the check she was sitting down with another waitress at the bar gabbing away. Even after I looked over at her several times she continued to talk. Needless to say her tip fell far below the twenty percent mark. Maybe I should have listened to that one bad review.

So after I left Stockton Joe's with my stomach a little queasy and confused at what just happened, I needed to find some coffee. Something to help mask the aftertaste left in my mouth. I don't know what generation Stockton Joe's has been serving to, but I think I may have figured out why the restaurant scene in Stockton is so dismal.

To sum up the Collegiate Epicurean gives Stockton Joe's two thumbs way down.

*On a personal note, the guy next to me was eating a sad looking plate of spaghetti and meatballs, and I think that's when I gave up.

The Death of Your Mouth

2008-01-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, a moment of silence if you will for your pallette; aka, your taste buds.

In my time on this planet, eating and tasting numerous dishes and types of food; I have come to the sad realization that as an American my taste buds are all but dead. Seriously, your taste buds, my taste buds, if you live in America and you eat food from somewhere other than the four walls of your kitchen, your taste buds are dead. If not completely dead, at least on serious life support.

I came to this realization while cooking the other day. I have realized that what the recipe calls for, and what I put into the dish are completely different. Now I know that I adhere by the principal that you taste as you go along and add what you need, but the amount of spices and herbs I'm adding is getting ridiculous. I find myself first following the recipe and then doubling or tripling whatever flavoring the recipe calls for. Are all these recipes wrong? No. But something is wrong with my taste buds if the recipe calls for a half a tablespoon of oregano and I'm adding two. Before I knew it, I was adding instead of 4 cloves of garlic to sauce, I'm adding 8-12.

And I'm not completely guilty in this murder of palettes. It's the people who eat it as well. My apologies to those of you have had my cooking, I'm not insinuating you have bad taste. They seem to react better when I load up the spices. Our taste buds are just overloaded.

Let me explain how this happens. You know those lunatics who can eat incredibly spicy items? They weren't born like that, they just conditioned, or deadened, their taste buds to heat. Once you east something spicy for awhile, you begin to need more. Soon your taste buds are used to all levels of heat, and effectively anything less tastes bland.

So is it surprising this has happened? Of course not. Look at the culture we live in today. Rachel Ray dumps three different foods together to make something that's "yum-o" by combining a pizza, tacos, and pasta. Hey why not? Pasta with red sauce is so 19th century.

Or how about our fast food culture? Burgers and fries have been drowned in chemicals to make them not only taste better, but be addicting. So we eat these over produced patties and soon a burger from home just tastes like a ball of meat. What other culture decides "Let's not waste space by putting onion rings on the side. We'll just throw them on the burger with bacon and barbecue sauce". Or breakfast hamburgers with fried eggs and cheese sauce. All artificially made and put together of course.

What about the infamous Cold Stone Creamery? Has anyone ever seen such an overload of ice cream flavors? First you pick an ice cream and then you pick fillings, then you pick toppings, then it's plopped down into a chocolate covered waffle cone. I thought the banana split sundae was complex. There's a reason most people who aren't used to Cold Stone wince or gag when they first try it. It's way too much for our taste buds.

I can't think of anything that's simple anymore. Everything under the sun has become so complex. Forget baseball players on steroids, our food culture seems to be on HGH. For this reason, our taste buds are all but exhausted.

So how do we solve this? Only two options. Move to Europe or stock up on the spices.

The Epic Stew and Its Epic Post

2007-12-08T14:04:00.001-08:00

First off, welcome to the first blog of the Collegiate Epicurean. I hope that people will enjoy these posts, and become inspired to take some time out of their life to reflect on the best food memories they have had (and possibly share them here on this page).

But onto the first post. I should premise this post with a little background. I am most notorious for my hand in Italian cooking (what a surprise), but something arrived in the mail one day that opened up a new world of cooking to me. It was the delivery of a cast iron skillet.

But this post is not about cast iron skillets, that is for another post. The reason I mention it, is because it has lead me down the path of learning about Southern cooking, and one dish that is monumental and epic in the South is the dish named jambalaya.

Now I've always wanted to make jambalaya, but the thought of almost 30 different ingredients, made with methods that would make an Italian cook like myself dizzy was almost too much to bear. Besides, why would I want to make something I had no experience in or confidence in making successfully. Nothing ruins a person's mood than a ruined dinner.

But with the delivery of my cast iron skillet (which ironically does not make an appearance at all in this dish), my adventurous foodie side came out. I was ready to make jambalaya. But again, with no experience in ever cooking it or actually eating it, I needed some help.

So it was time to sit down and become "edumacated" on the subject of this epic stew. Jambalaya, as I have already mentioned is a purely Southern dish. Specifically the dish comes from the bayou's and back swamps of Southern Louisiana. There are two well known versions, Cajun and Creole. I decided to go with the Creole version. One main difference between the two is tomatoes, which is why Cajuns call the Creole version the "red version". Yes yes, say it. The Italian cook goes with the one with tomatoes. I mean I couldn't stray too far on my first try. That would be insanity.

While I say jambalaya is purely Southern, its origins suggest more that the dish is more of a mutt. It's a combination of French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences. Story has it that the Creole version started because the Spanish wanted to make paella, but they didn't have saffron in the new world, so they substituted tomatoes instead. As the French and African influences became infused with it we have the addition of ingredients like okra, celery, onions, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, and andouille sausage.

The odd word jambalaya comes from two different stories with one being true and the other one being false yet still entertaining. The first story is that word comes from a combination of the French words "jambon" which means ham, "a la" meaning in the style of, and "ya" which comes from the West African dialect meaning rice. Put it together and in the words of the French, vou la, jambalaya. The second story is that a weary Southern traveler stopped by an inn one night to find them almost out of food. To which the traveler exclaims "Jean balayez!" which in local dialect means, "Jean sweep something together!". The stew that came forth from the kitchen that night from then on was called jambalaya. Historians later found that to be untrue. Personally I prefer the second story, but who am I to tell food historians they're wrong?

Ok. Phew. Enough about the history of this dish, and onto the cooking. Researching however could only get me so far. I needed someone who had experienced this dish. Someone I could use to learn vicariously through their experiences with jambalaya. Someone to make sure I made this dish as authentic as possible. That man is pictured here. His name is Matt Stephens and he became my mentor and sous chef in the process of making jambalaya.

The reason Matt was brought on was because he has been to the birthplace of jambalaya several times, and has had experience in eating the dish. I would come to trust his taste buds as my own while making this.

So I have my history, I have my sous chef, time for the food. The ingredient list is extensive as I have stated. To check out the entire recipe and all its ingredients just click here. As you can see. The list is quite extensive, and much like the early versions of jambalaya, I needed every one to chip in.

We returned from the grocery store toting bags full of jambalaya ingredients. Upon return we promptly got to work lying out all the ingredients . The prep work for this dish would have been a workout without the help of a second set of hands. There's at least seven vegetables, three meats, and a small collection of spices that go into the making of this monster of a dish. Whoever said jambalaya was a simple dish to throw together had a little too much time on their hands.

I mean if you could have seen the sight of my kitchen with all the ingredients laid out, it was dizzying. It occupied not only my bar, but my kitchen table, and the spare area next to the stove. There was enough stuff there to make a three course meal, but we were only making one. So I guess the amount of ingredients was warranted. Surprisingly we were able to find most of the ingredients for the dish, even the okra. It may have been frozen, but it did its purpose. The other ingredient that we were able to find which was surprising was andouille sausage.

After the marathon of prep work was done, it was onto cooking this all up. While I may complain about the amount of prep work it took, it was best that we did it first, as the jambalaya comes together pretty fast. This is probably why those crazy Creoles considered it a "simple" dish.

First step was to fry up all the meats. Bread the shrimp and chicken and fry them up. Throw the sausage in and let them heat up as well. After the shrimp are done take them out and let them hang out until they go back in, which is right before the dish is done. The interesting technique that Matt pointed out that we had done was create a sort of roux on the bottom of the pan. The flour from the chicken and shrimp breading and the oil were mixing together and browning up very nicely. Kudos to Matt for pointing out the technique and knowing it was an important part of the dish. Then after frying up the meats put in your vegetables just to get them soft.

Next came the liquid. Dump all the tomatoes and broth in. Then drop all your spices in. We added some Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce into the liquid as well, no explanation needed there for why we did. After most of the liquid had cooked off, time to add the rice. Now an important step that the recipe that I failed to do (Matt left the room for two minutes and I almost ruined everything), was keep stirring to make sure it didn't stick to the bottom. I turned my back on it to clean up, and that was long enough to have rice stick to the bottom and start burning. So always stir your jambalaya., and don't ever stop.

We ended up adding more rice throughout the process as we saw it was still pretty soupy. On a roll of the dice move, the addition of rice actually helped it come out to the perfect consistency. Another thing that should be mentioned about jambalaya that should be mentioned is that many professional chefs in the South state that it is a dish that is impossible to perfect. So we should feel pretty good that between luck and plenty of knowledge of the subject, we pulled it together.

Finally after a good hour of cooking, our jambalaya was done. Now such a dish requires more than two people to help make a dent in it. Therefore it was only necessary, as it is customary in my house, when you make a crap load of good food, invite lots of friends and make it into an event. With about eight people chowing down on this Southern wonder, the guests present were silenced as we scooped heaping portions onto their plates. Sitting in an informal circle and listening to some classic dixie band jazz, we had recreated a small Southern gathering in the Central Valley. Accompanying the dish was some good fresh French bread to mop up and the drink of choice was Red Stripe beer. The Red Stripe turned out to compliment the dish as it was the perfect balance between crispness to cut through the jambalaya, but not too filling.

I looked to Matt after he made some good headway into his helping and asked how we did. He simply stated that tasting it brought him right back to New Orleans. I would take that as a success, and that my adventure in Southern cooking was just beginning.