For The Love Of Port

As a former culinary school grad and having worked in restaurants and hotels as a dishwasher, busboy, waiter, cook, chef, buyer, steward, cashier, purchasing manager, back of the house manager, general manager, multi-unit manager, director of operations, director of food & beverage, director of purchasing as well as having owned my own restaurant outside of Boulder, Colorado (see you didn't know that eh?) ... my life has revolved around food and wine from the early 1970s onwards. Yes, I started in McDonald's when I was 15 and when I left a couple of years later it was to work in a wine shop at 17.

Anyway, this is a long winded way to say that I love food. Anybody who has ever met me can see that ... ... I love to cook but even more so, I love to dine out. So it would be great to hear what is your favorite style of cuisine. Do you like to cook, eat at restaurants more or both. Do you have a favorite dish or restaurant to recommend?

Roy Hersh wrote:director of food & beverage

Very cool job

In love to cook and also love to eat out. Steak is what I live for. The bigger and redder they are the better. After that would be Indian food. The best I have ever had was in a hotel restaurant in Mumbai - I can find out the name if it is important to anyone. It was simply stunning.

For something unusual and ridiculously expensive the dining room in The Goring hotel in London is worth a visit. It's where Margaret Thatcher still goes for afternoon tea. I ate there with a business associate a few months ago and the bill (cheque) came to £300 for two. Star of the show was the Marrow Bone starter. A chunk of bone like you might buy for a dog with the inside scooped out, cooked and put back into the bone. Hmmm? Not for me but some might get it. I was asked to leave the premises when my mobile phone rang.

My Desert Island food is Crispy Duck.

Derek

That's a tough one... I also love food and so I have a lot of favorites. Here's a few around Seattle:

Panang Beef at Tup Tim Thai at the bottom of Queen Anne
Filet Mignon at Jak's in Issaquah (or really an steak at Jak's)
Diablo Chicken Pasta at Z-Tejas in Bellevue Square
Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang's

Wow, that is a tough one as I like dining at different levels from "order at register" to dinner jacket formality.

As for cuisines that I enjoy the most, the short list is:

Middle Eastern
Indian
Italian
Steak House
Greek

Fun topic, Roy.

I love food as well, and, while I relish a well prepared restaurant meal with excellent service, my favorite meals are ones I cook myself. I am a self-taught grilling and q'ing afficianado, and I'll have to go with Derek as steak is my favorite meal (I include standing rib roasts here, as it's just a bunch of steaks waiting to be sliced! ) My favorite steak is a bone-in ribeye, followed by porterhouse then NY strip. My current favorite method of preparation is to take a thick (at least 1.5", 2" is better) ribeye, and cook it on the grill (over lump charcoal) at 250 degrees until the internal temp is about 118 degrees. Remove the steak and rest loosely covered while I bring the grill up to nuclear (700 degrees works) temps. Then the steak goes onto the grill closest to the coals for a 60-90 second sear on each side. This nets me a perfect rare/medium rare steak with a wonderful crust. Usually, I just season with salt/pepper, though I have been using Raising the Steaks from http://www.dizzypigbbq.com quite a bit lately as well.

Ok, I'm hungry now......chicken on the grill tonight. :)

R

Rich Greenberg wrote: My current favorite method of preparation is to take a thick (at least 1.5", 2" is better) ribeye, and cook it on the grill (over lump charcoal) at 250 degrees until the internal temp is about 118 degrees. Remove the steak and rest loosely covered while I bring the grill up to nuclear (700 degrees works) temps. Then the steak goes onto the grill closest to the coals for a 60-90 second sear on each side. This nets me a perfect rare/medium rare steak with a wonderful crust.

Rich,

I'm on my way to your house now :lick:

Derek

Derek-

Ha! Here's something to help you find your way:

http://www.greenbergs.net/images/RibSte ... 292008.jpg

http://www.greenbergs.net/images/RibSte ... 292008.jpg

:devil:

Cheers,
R

PS: Roy/Andy/Stewart.....I'll resize these if necessary....

Rich,

You got room for one more...I got Port

Jeesh, It's now 9PM in Alaska, I just got home from work and wish THAT was on my dinner table. I'll add a magnum of fun '89 Bordeaux to Andy's Port

Rich,
I forgot, if you could shrink the pics down just a bit, I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Rich Greenberg wrote:My current favorite method of preparation is to take a thick (at least 1.5", 2" is better) ribeye, and cook it on the grill (over lump charcoal) at 250 degrees until the internal temp is about 118 degrees. Remove the steak and rest loosely covered while I bring the grill up to nuclear (700 degrees works) temps. Then the steak goes onto the grill closest to the coals for a 60-90 second sear on each side.

Hey Rich, isn't that basically backwards? I normally sear first to trap the juices, then slow cook to the desired level of "done-ness." (That's the technical term for it. Done-ness. At least it is around my grill. )

Now I'm hungry.

Glenn-

Yep, it's a "reverse-sear" technique, and I like the results better than the more traditional sear, then low heat roast. It works especially well on thick steaks and is wonderful on standing rib roasts. I do the Xmas roast this way every year, and I get the same doneness throughout the roast rather than having ends that are more done and middle that is more rare. Of course, my family all likes it cooked to the same doneness, so that works for me. For a crowd with more variety, different methods produce better results.

As always, YMMV.

R

PS: Andy, I will edit my original post and replace the pics with links.

Rich,

Fantastic pics - even after consuming a rather large medium rare fillet only 2 hours ago I now find myself hungry :help:

For a long time now I have been promising to visit Andy in LA one day to drink some port - you are now confirmed as the Official Chef for that event. Andy and I will supply the port, you just bring your grill, a dead cow and a set of steak knives

Derek

Rich,

I really enjoy doing standing rib roasts, unfortunately they remove the chine bones and cap fat here (called "Lip-ons" in the trade). I do these for my "year end" session with one of my tasting groups. I must try the reverse method you espouse above. One thing I find I have a natural knack at, is nailing the degree of doneness to perfection. I can only remember missing once and it was with a turkey, not a piece of meat. My wife recently bought me a great gift, as we do some serious amount of dinners here at our home for 6-10 people throughout the year. It is a meat thermometer with an external temp monitor which sits on your counter next to the oven. I have yet to use it, but it will come in handy. We also tend to use our charcoal Weber kettle (I still have this from 1980s!) 1-2x per week all year round. One of these days, I will break down and splurge on a fantastic gas grill, as I have a huge deck area and would prefer not to have to go downstairs a few levels to cook our food!

Indian most likely. But a great steak and perfect spinach or asparagus, or just about any duck from the perigord works also.

If I had to pick, I guess it would be filet mignon, lamb, or any kind of game (duck, boar, and vennison in particular). My favorite restraunts have evolved hugely over time, and are now focused on tasting menues and prix fix along with the wine pairings. I run into the most interesting wines this way, which I would have never sought out myself. Recent favorite resturants have been The Dining Room at the Ritz Carelton (SF) and Gary Danko. Carolyn and I try to get out about once a month or so.

At home my favorite self cooked entre would be filet mignon, rare, with a red wine reduction sauce. I pan sear the steak then finish in the oven. After searing and removing the steaks, I add a little butter to the pan, throw in some chopped shallots till soft, then add in some red wine. Add a little demi glace, reduce for a minute or so and then your done. Slice the filet into strips, toss on a little of the sauce, and serve with mashed potatos and wilted baby spinich. Thats for with the California cabs and Douro reds.

When I feel like Bordeaux, it's lamb on the charcol grill, no sauce.

I shop based on what I want to drink that night....is that bad

Jay

Bad? Heck no. How many of us order food at a restaurant based on the wine we are ordering or have brought along? Pairing the food to the wine, seems more natural to me than the other way around, if you know what I mean.