Monthly Archives: January 2014

News About Food, Restaurants in Fairfield

A Different Experience

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A few weeks ago, some of you may have caught my rants and raves of 2013. I ranted about how Fairfield County doesn’t have enough quality ethnic restaurants. Now… just a few weeks later - I hear the buzz about a new restaurant that opened in Fairfield. And get this …. its a Cambodian restaurant! Hallelujah!!!!

Of course, I had to go there. Actually, I ran! Royal House Cambodia. I have never been to a Cambodian restaurant, but I expected that it will be a cross between Vietnamese and Thai cuisine.

Noodles. Dumplings. Red Curry. Green Curry. Spring Rolls. Papaya Salad. You get the idea? Right. It was delicious, unusual yet familiar in flavors and textures. The difference was that these dishes were lighter and more delicate in compositions as compared to Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Typically, after most asian meals, I feel thirsty for a long while. Does that ever happen to you? The reason being the high amounts of sodium in each bite. Its hard to realize just how much salt you are intaking because other flavors like spicy, sour and sweet are pretty strong in the dishes as well - and they mask the saltiness. But I was happily surprised that I did not feel thirsty after eating at Royal House Cambodia. Good sign, I say! :-)

Royal House Cambodia Fairfield ct

Khmer Fish Cake was so flavorful. I wasn’t crazy about the exterior texture though - a little tough and chewy. But the flavor more than made up for it.

Steamed Dumplings were so delicate and light in texture and flavor. It was clear that deft hands have prepared this dish. Served with house made soy sauce, it had a winning mixture of pork, shrimp and herbs. Delish!

Nyoya Misua, a traditional Khmer street food, it was light in mouthfeel but packed a punch of flavor. With a dusting of chili powder on top - it put my mouth on fire … in a good way! :-)

Grilled Whole Fish was dramatic and unexpected. I loved how it was wrapped in banana leaf, and then cooked over fire. The smoky flavors from the fire seeped deep into the fish through the banana leaf - and that is how it arrived at the table with a luxurious, spicy sauce on the side. You can chose between Tamarind-Pineapple sauce or Fresh Basil sauce. Both are winners. Discover your favorite!

Royal House Cambodia Fairfield ct

For dessert, we tried a Sweet Sticky Rice Pudding made with coconut milk and corn! It was so unusual. The sticky rice and coconut milk made it a comforting bite. While the corn added texture. There was light sweetness from coconut milk and corn - with a touch of salt to bring out the flavors and balance. The salty touch reminded me of how a lot of the new american restaurants are bringing this flavor element into their desserts - and everyone is cheering the unexpected genius of it all! Yet this is something that was being done in Cambodia for ages!

I really enjoyed my meal at Royal House Cambodia. There is so much I still wish to try. The restaurant is fairly new and it is family run…. so be patient with service when you go. Enjoy!

Royal House Cambodia | http://www.royalhousecambodiacuisine.com

Royal House Cambodia Cuisine on Urbanspoon

News About Food, Restaurants in NYC

The Bold And The Flavorful

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Rosa Mexicano has been an institution in New York since the early 1980‘s. Accomplishing the unthinkable, it introduced authentic Mexican cuisine with a contemporary twist and turned it into an elegant dining experience- way back when we wouldn’t have considered Mexican cuisine as an upscale dining option. Pulling from the core of Mexican culture, every nuance of the restaurant- its decor, server’s uniforms, servings dishes, and of course the food - shouts out bold colors and flavors. As soon as you enter, your senses will excite and the aromas will beckon you in.

For a foodie like me, one who continuously debates the importance of flavor over finesse and vise versa, this is a great meeting point. Here I enjoy best of both worlds. I know that I am not alone in my admiration of this pioneering restaurant - because today there are Rosa Mexicano locations in most major cities of USA as well as some destinations abroad! Why! there are three locations in Manhattan! My last visit was by Lincoln Center.

Rosa Mexicana new york

Rosa Mexicano was the first place EVER where I experienced the thrill of table-side guacamole - almost two decades ago! Since then it seems like every Mexican restaurant has copied the idea. But each time I visit Rosa Mexicano, I MUST order the table-side guacamole - because that is where it all started for me. My love affair with guacamole! Bringing back yummy memories every time …. and I love it!

Rosa Mexicana new york

The Carne Asada is an absolutely, melt in your mouth, decadently delicious, super-moist, must-have dish! This dish is a prime example of the perfect marriage between flavor and finesse.

Rosa Mexicana new york

Ceviche was calling my name this time…. but with three options on the menu, I could not decide on one. Thank God for the Ceviche Sampler option. It offered three totally unique ceviches from the menu. One was reminiscent of the classic ceviche with the volume turned up (Pescado). Another was asian-inspired, playing with the contrast of crispness and sweetness in fresh fruit (Atun). While the third was was oozing out contemporary flavors and concept with its dash of truffle oil and sprinkling of arugula (Hamachi). The Pescado was the best tasting for me. It was super creamy from … get this ….. a scallop emulsion!!!! Loved how the flavors of the fish and the scallop emulsion married the avacado and crispy serrano ham in here. It was downright addictive.

This time I also tried Fondida - Mexican cheese fondue with chorizo. This was not the kind of fondue that we are used to - but it was intensely flavorful from the cheese and sausage. It is best enjoyed with warm tortillas served along.

Rosa Mexicana new york

A meal at Rosa Mexicano has never disappointed me. With so many new restaurants popping up in NYC all the time, it is sad that such classic restaurants don’t get the consistent pat on the back which they deserve. That is precisely what prompted me to write this article. If you haven’t already, I hope you would dine at Rosa Mexicano on your next visit to NYC.

Rosa Mexicano | http://www.rosamexicano.com/index.php

Rosa Mexicano on Urbanspoon

News About Food

Ski Trip Morphed Into Foodie Adventure

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I don’t ski. I don’t ice-skate. In fact I don’t engage in too many outdoor sports- because, frankly, I have a terrible sense of balance.

I do eat! In fact, I LOVE to eat. I thrill in the adventure of it.

So when my family wanted to go on a ski trip to Vermont, I said sure. And while they planned out their days on the slopes, I researched on places to eat at night. What a team!

To be honest with you, I did not have high hopes of finding amazing meals in Vermont. Mainly, because I have never heard of any Vermont based restaurants being touted for their cuisine. But being the die-hard foodie that I am, I was determined to make my every meal count. So I kept researching.

It suddenly hit me that the New England Culinary Institute is in Vermont! Montpelier to be exact. About 2 hours north of Ludlow, where we were to stay. I figured, if the family gets to ski to their heart’s content - then its only fair that we all drive up north one evening for a nice dinner. Besides, it would be lovely to say “Hi” to chef Jean-Louis Gerin, a CHOPPED champion, who owned his own restaurant in Greenwich until recently- and is now the VP of Culinary Operations at NECI.

New England Culinary Institute

Students at NECI have it good. Situated in a bountiful state like Vermont, set in the picture-perfect town of Montpelier, they get to develop a strong relationships with the local farmers and food purveyors. Ingredients are as fresh as they can be. To top it off they learn the art of fine cooking from the likes of chef Gerin.

The food did not disappoint. Prepared with classic techniques and artfully presented - I loved the attention to detail. Like the crispy confit pork belly was indeed crispy…. addictively so. The goat cheese galette…. still has me dreaming. We were left licking our fingers as well as our plates clean, after each course.

To my surprise, and rather by accident, we found a gem of a place in the tiny little town of Ludlow. The Pot Belly! We loved it so much that we went there twice in 3 days! Yeah we did! If you ever find yourself in Ludlow, VT - be sure to give this place a try. And don’t forget to order Mac & Cheese (it is unbelievable), as well as the Chorizo Rissoto. So scrumptiously delicious. Truth be told, we loved Mac & Cheese so much that we ate it at the restaurant, ordered one to go and then returned the next day for more. On our second trip we also ordered their version of French Dip sandwich. Absolutely melt-in-your-mouth meat …. like I have never had! It was simply divine and showed tremendous skill of this kitchen.

The Pot Belly Ludlow VT

A short road trip took us to the Crowley Cheese factory nearby. If you plan your visit ahead of time, you can take a tour of their premises and watch them making the cheese. We could not resist buying lots of locally made goodies from this quaint little place. It was quintessentially Vermont.

I would not mind returning to Vermont and exploring some more. I have a feeling there are many more gems yet to discover.

News About Food

A Cooking Trend Gaining Momentum

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I am all excited about a cooking trend that originated in laboratories, in the recent years it has spread out to high-end restaurants, and is finally making its way into home kitchens. It’s a technique that employs exact science to create consistent and perfect results each and every time.

Most of us like to cook and experiment with recipes. If nothing else, we all look forward to putting a burger or a piece of steak on the grill during summer months. Yet, most of the time, we settle for not-so-perfect final results. Our steaks or poultry can come out dry and chewy, our eggs cooked over or under, our veggies brown and wimpy from irregular heat source and imperfect cooking techniques. You know what I am talking about, right?

We can follow a recipe to its very last word…. yet the results usually will not be exact. Why? Because there are always so many variables at play: evenness of heat source, size and thickness of meats and vegetables being cooked, size of the pan, thickness of the pan….you name it! What is an average home cook to do? Most of us are not savvy enough to eyeball these variables and achieve near-perfect results.

How awesome would it be to get restaurant-quality results in our own home kitchens? How amazing if each egg used for Eggs Benedict in our Sunday brunch party comes out perfectly cooked? And the chicken or turkey tender and moist each and every time? When weeknight dinners could be executed with a savvy flair - we could all live happily ever after!

Too much to ask, you say? Let’s get real, you say?

The answer to all our prayers is here. Sous-vide cooking. A method of cooking ingredients (meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables), that are vacuum-sealed and immersed in a water bath with perfectly controlled temperature. The vacuum seal locks in the flavors and juices while forcing them to stay within the ingredient. You cook at a perfect, controlled, un-fluctuating temperature…and once the ingredient reaches that desired temperature inside and out - voila! Its done!!! The result is always precise, moist and incredibly flavorful food.

Think about it for a minute: a perfect egg for Eggs Benedict needs to be between 62 and 63 degrees celsius. Can you achieve that consistently by just counting the minutes of cooking time? With a sous-vide machine you can. You can not only get one egg cooked to perfection…but tens or a hundred at the same time in the same machine…. All at exact temperature and doneness.

The beauty of sous-vide cooking is that the ingredients will not get overcooked even if they are left in the water for too long - or even for hours in fact! If the water stays at a specific temperature then the food immersed in it cannot get any warmer than that temperature, right? So an egg at 62 degree celsius will stay at 62 degree celsius. And a medium rare steak at the perfect 132 degrees of perfection!!! Wouldn’t it make your next dinner party a cinch?

sous–vide machine

Only thing to note is that while the meats and fish etc will be perfectly cooked - they won’t have that color or crispness on the outside which we desire. To make it happen, just do a quick sear in a pan before serving.

Sous-vide machines range between $199- $1,000. They vary in their size and functionality. I have seen them at Williams-Sonoma as well as Amazon.com. One affordable machine, by Sensaire, has caught my eye. It is a product of a kickstarter campaign. Its compact for home kitchens and promises to deliver results. Most of all, its affordable at just $199! I have placed my order online and am counting days to when I can be a rock star in my own kitchen.

News About Food

Understanding the Science of Cooking

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I am left enthralled, animated, educated, excited, mesmerized, inspired, hungry for more and quite simply … in-awe, after auditing a 10 week online course presented by Harvard University last fall. The course was called Science and Cooking.

Science and Cooking Harvard class

What initially got my attention was the roll call of chefs that were to be part of this lecture/demonstration series. Names like Ferran Adria
(El Bulli), Jose Andres (ThinkFoodGroup), Dan Barber (Blue Hill), Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca), Nathan Myhrvold (Modernist Cuisine), Wylie Dufrsene (WD 50)…. you name it! But as the course started unveiling, I realized what a goldmine of information it really was. The simple idea behind it was to discuss where haute cuisine is at these days and explaining the science behind the techniques being used in today’s modern kitchens. Top notch chefs demonstrated incredible techniques of molecular gastronomy while Harvard professors explained the science behind it all. Plus a healthy and enlightening dose of historic insights thrown in by the one and only, Harold McGee!

I absolutely LOVED the experiments demonstrated by Dave Arnold (Cooking Issues/MOFAD). He has this incredible savvy when it comes to explaining complex subjects to an average person like me. For instance, he talked about sous vide cooking and demonstrated various stages of cooked egg at temperatures ranging from 57 - 70 degrees. It made so much sense to see what happens to the egg whites as well as the yolks at various temperatures and it gave me great understanding of things like - what the perfect egg for Eggs Benedict should look like at 62 degrees. Or how the egg at 63 degrees is desirable for consommes. How fun to realize that the egg yolk at 66 degrees is moldable in shapes like easter bunnies etc yet at 67 degrees it is cooked a bit too much and will shatter if pressed or molded. For the first time EVER in my life, I actually stopped to think about what it means to cook an egg at a perfect temperature. As a foodie, this knowledge was truly eye opening. It has left me curious and eager to delve deeper into the subject. It made me realize just how little I really know about food!

Ferran Adria, a founding father of haute cuisine, demonstrated the spherification technique he invented. It allows him to give a defined shape to liquid ingredients without changing their flavor integrity or consistency. He does that by using the properties of calcium mixed in liquids. Mind blowing!

Science and Cooking Harvard class

Dan Barber fascinated me as he asked: Is there a role for a chef that goes beyond manipulating ingredients?

He spoke about his cooking philosophy. He said while chefs like Ferran Adria are focused on manipulation of ingredients on a plate, he is more interested in manipulation of those ingredients “before” they enter a kitchen. He is looking at the science and choices one has in the growing stages of each ingredient. Instead of focusing on a recipe for a dish he wonders about the recipe of each ingredient? The recipe for the recipe, as he calls it. He is more interested in how the vegetables are being grown and under what conditions. How the animals are being raised and what they eat…. he believes, nay, he knows that all these details make a huge difference to how these ingredients will ultimately taste on a plate. He is exploring how to create and nurture the soil where the ingredients grow. Reusing, recycling, repurposing. He gave an example of using lobsters he served at a wedding. After the wedding, he was left with a whole bunch of lobster shells. He decided to put lobster shells in the compost pile. Later he cooked potatoes in that broken down compost and got lobster flavored potatoes! Can you imagine the possibilities of this kind of thinking? Extracting and injecting flavors in a natural way without hurting the environment. No extra chemicals required and no need for GMOs!!!

Perhaps the most applicable information I learned was from the video lectures presented by America’s Test Kitchen. The topics were always very relevant to what an average home cook would need. Like how to make the best french fries… or the best chocolate chip cookies. The common mistakes we usually make in our home kitchens were explored and explained while the best tips and tricks were demonstrated. Totally invaluable.

There were a lot of scientific concepts that went way over my head, I have to admit. And I pretty much ignored all the assigned quizzes and homework assignments. But I can certainly say that I will forever be seeing as well as tasting my food differently. If Harvard University offers this course again, I strongly urge you to give it a try. As for me, I shall be revisiting each of the lectures one more time in the coming weeks while I anxiously wait for a sequel.