My Kitchen Vault

Hi, guys. I am now being published at www.mykitchenvault.com. My first article is up and the link is: http://www.mykitchenvault.com/blog.php?id=113
Hope you enjoy it!

Le Barricou

Le Barricou (533 Grand St, Brooklyn. (718) 782- 7372. $$. www.lebarricouny.com)- I found this restaurant randomly, a dimly lit entrance amongst bodegas and bars on Grand St in Williamsburg. Since my first visit I have been back time and time again. It has rapidly become my go-to staple restaurant for family visits, birthdays, catching up with friends, and romantic dinners.

Le Barricou is a rare combination of cozy and sophisticated. The place is small, candlelit, with a little fireplace in the back and antique decorations. It is the sexier version of a grandmother's bed and breakfast. Ask for a table in the back if you make a reservation (though reservations in my experience haven't been necessary.) You will sit amongst the black couches and the old books. It feels like a place where I want to eat all of my meals and then stay, relax, and spend the night. If you can't picture it you should check out their website (with your volume on) which does a perfect job of encompassing the feeling of the restaurant.

What to eat: If you are lucky enough to be there on a day when the fisherman's soup is the soup du jour then I highly recommend you order it. It is a large portion of fish broth which is creamy and velvety and comes with homemade croutons, cheese, and aioli on the side which are meant to be dipped and left floating in the bowl, sopping up the rich flavors.

The escargots are standard, served with garlic and parsley butter. Unless you are specifically in the mood for snails (and if you are, these definitely aren't a bad choice), then I wouldn't waste my time. The roasted vegetable salad in my experience was a bit boring but the roasted beet salad and the pan seared diver scallops with figs, pear, frisee, and baby arugula are great appetizers and a fine entree if you are not too hungry. In reality, all of the hors d'oeuvres other than the escargots could be your whole meal. There was a duck confit appetizer which rested over brussell sprouts and though it is currently not on the menu, it was the most filling appetizer I have ever had. It seems that their menu is constantly changing with the seasons which is both good and disappointing since certain items that I loved are no longer offered (a poached egg with lardon over a frisee salad comes to mind).

The moules frites (mussels) are all slight variations on the regular options (mussels with fennel, tarragon, orange, and french fries) and are all recommended. Otherwise, all of the entrees are very large and filling and decently priced. The whole menu is reasonably priced, actually, with appetizers averaging at $9 and entrees at around $18. I say get two appetizers and a cocktail. You'll stay under $30 but eat like you spent $50. Definitely a date pleaser.

The Importance of Food

Food has always been one of the greatest forms of expression to me.  A lovingly prepared meal, a thoughtfully chosen restaurant, an old recipe passed down through generations.  Most life changing events have been celebrated or mourned with food: birthdays, graduations, proposals, anniversaries, job promotions,funerals, etc.  Personally, my father would always take me out to celebrate the least (and most) significant events.  Something as simple as being together was worth celebrating and for a long time we had the habit of eating at a restaurant together once a week.  He was a man who loved food but above all loved writing.  He was not a food writer but he was a widely successful writer, a very admired man in the literary community and a man who I have always been and will continue to be in awe of.   My love for writing and my love for food came in great part from him.  This brings me to his last meal.

My life is not as luxurious as it probably came across from my past posts.  I was not bouncing around from Buenos Aires to New York City because of my impossibly fabulous life.  I live in New York but my father lived in Buenos Aires and so I would be there to be with him.  I am so grateful to have been able to be by his side for so long and have enjoyed him for many years.  After all of my experiences with my father and our shared love of food it was only appropriate that I would be the one to (unknowingly) make him his last meal.  Had I known, perhaps it would have been different.  But it was the only thing he ate enthusiastically and for this I feel comfort.  I made him my beloved gazpacho, the number one dish in my diet.  

It was not perfect.  They were out of cucumbers at the market and croutons do not exist in Argentina.  The croutons were toasted, cut, and seasoned cubes of baguette.  The lack of cucumber meant I doubled other ingredients and therefore it was not the same as always.  But it was, at its heart, a dish that my mother made for me, and a dish that I always loved.  My father would ask me to make it for him often, a favorite of his in the summer.  I think it reminded us both of times when we were younger, perhaps happier, and our family was complete.  

I don't know when I will be able to make gazpacho again.  Hopefully when I do I will be ready to remember happier times with food and the hundreds of amazing meals we shared together, the conversations we had during those meals, and the relationship that they helped build.  I am so thankful for my father.  I am so thankful for food.  

*It has been quite a while since my last post.  I plan on getting back on my feet.*

Dine Out For A Good Cause

Maybe you wanted to donate money to Haiti but told yourself you couldn´t afford it. Can you really justify going out to eat that night? Yes. For those who would rather spend their hard earned money enjoying themselves here is your solution- go to Dine Out for Haiti and check out the participating restaurants across America. These restaurants are donating up to 10% of their sales.


http://www.dineout4haiti.org/

Bozu- Japanese Tapas

If you haven't noticed a trend by now, I have been going back and forth between Buenos Aires and New York City for the past few months.  This week, I am in New York eating sushi with my eating buddy, Dan.  You may remember him from my previous sushi entry.  This time we went to check out Bozu in Williamsburg, the decidedly less pretentious of our two experiences.  

Bozu (296 Grand Street, Brooklyn NY, 718- 384-7770, www.oibozu.com) $$- Walking in from the extreme cold I was immediately wrapped up in the physical and atmospheric warmth of Bozu.  The place appears small, with an almost overwhelmingly large bar and little space for tables.  However, if you keep walking through there is another room with a sushi bar and beyond that the patio.  We sat near the first bar, which felt the liveliest.  Immediately we asked for the drink specials.  Dan got a glass of wine, I got the daily mojito.  It was a mango mojito and while it tasted fruity without being overbearing it packed a lot more alcohol than I thought. I was quickly experiencing the dilemma of wanting another but not wanting to, well, be on my ass.  At least not before the appetizers arrived.

For our meal I began with a miso soup and a hotate punch.  The hotate punch, a scallop sashimi with wasabi stems, seemed like the perfect way to start the meal.  It was refreshing and spicy in the clean way that only wasabi can accomplish.  An almost perfect amuse-bouche.  But for seven dollars I was expecting an actual appetizer as opposed to a palate cleanser.  It was, fortunately, the only overpriced item of the night.  

I was curious about the "bombs," round balls of rice with raw fish on top.  I ordered the Mexican Bomb which was salmon, avocado, and cold green tomato sauce.  I could not believe how filling the three rice balls were compared to regular sushi.  I had originally contemplated getting The Party Bomb which is 12 assorted pieces.  While it may not sound like very much I would suggest that two people split the hefty bombs.  Though they are heavy they are worth trying.  There is a hotate bomb which is the same as the hotate punch I got.  It may be the cheaper and more filling way to go.  

I had the guacamole salmon roll (guacamole, cilantro, salmon, and spicy sour sauce).  I was curious to try sushi with guacamole and though I liked it, I kept forgetting that there was guacamole.  I wish that it had been on top of the roll instead of in the middle.  The taste of the avocado was too delicate for the spicy sour sauce.  It was just too similar to a spicy salmon roll. 

Two mango mojitos (I ended up going for it), one miso soup, one scallop sashimi appetizer, one order of bombs, and one roll: $37.  For great quality and innovative sushi in Williamsburg?  It could certainly be worse.  

Mexico in Buenos Aires...tsk tsk.

When I think of American food I think of, well, Mexican.  Burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, anything smothered in sour cream, cheese, and salsa.  Between the endless chains and small "authentic" Mexican restaurants (I am not including Taco Bell in this category), I think American's could teach Mexican's a thing or two about their own cuisine.  Ok, not really, but we could definitely teach those in Argentina what (our) Mexican food is all about.  

(guiaoleo.com.ar)

I went to El Salto de las Ranas (The Frogs' Leap) here in Buenos Aires last night and I was completely underwhelmed.  There was a 5 peso silverware fee on top of the ridiculous prices.  I ordered the quesadilla con hongos (mixed mushroom quesadilla) and it came out as two little soft taco type things the size of my palm.  With no sour cream, no salsa, nada.  They tasted well enough, but cost 10 pesos and were gone in 10 seconds.  I also got a cazuela de guacamole (guacamole in a terra cotta pot).  The guacamole was average, leaning on the side of pretty decent.  But it came with a spoon.  I have always thought of guacamole as a dip instead of a soup.  Guacamole soup (?) 12 pesos.  

Now, I may sound cheap when I say that this was expensive but to be fair the portions were just too small and strange.  And the service was slow and unfriendly.  To be fair, the place itself was dramatic and colorful and had a chandelier made of corn stalks.  Perhaps I ordered incorrectly, but most other items on the menu were in the 50 peso price range.  If you would like to find out for yourself and (hopefully) prove me wrong: Rodriguez Peña 1164 - Ciudad de Buenos Aires Tel: 4811-2635

Cold Sooooup

Is it me or does cold soup get a bad rap?  Yes, I know, it is not the season to be defending anything cold, but I am a loyal lover of cold soup year round.  Many times the ingredients are raw and therefore quite healthy, and a lot of times the soups tend to not be as heavy as those cream based chowders.  After all, as the winter months linger, we all tend to put on a few pounds.  This way, you can eat soup and have a taste of summer, too. . . 

(image from the perfectpantry.com)

GAZPACHO (yes, it deserves to be in all caps) is typically a tomato based summer soup as it is served cold and requires fresh and ripe ingredients.  There are, however, other kinds of gazpacho, depending on the country.  For instance, Spain has a white gazpacho which is cucumber based, and much creamier. Here is my take on the traditional recipe:

Ingredients:

8 ripe tomatoes, chopped


1/2 purple onion, finely chopped


1 cucumber, peeled, chopped


1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped



2 tablespoons olive oil


1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice


2 teaspoons sugar


Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste


1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

4 cups tomato juice, V8, or even Clamato if you're into that sort of thing..

Optional garnishes: dollop of sour cream, avocado cubes, croutons, cut up fresh mozzarella.

Method:

Combine all ingredients and blend slightly (I prefer a blender to a food processor, personally).  Place in a non-reactive storage container, cover, and refrigerate for several hours so the flavors blend.  You will probably find that the longer you wait to eat it, the stronger the flavors will become.  When you are ready to eat, add garnishes.  

As a side note, I recommend cutting everything pretty coursely, and not being too careful about peeling and taking out the seeds.  I prefer gazpacho to be a little bit chunky, rustic if you will, while others prefer a smoother consistency.  But no matter how you cut your veggies or how long you blend, make sure your gazpacho is never thin.  The worst thing that could happen is for it to come out watery.  Trust me. 

Cold Curried Yogurt Soup 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 cup fat free half and half

3 cups plain nonfat yogurt

1 cucumber, chopped and seeded

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

salt to taste

 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garnishes:

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 

1 tablespoon dill, chopped 

Method:

Dissolve the curry in water. In a large bowl mix the curry water, the yogurt, half and half, and all ingredients except for the garnishes. Stir well until combined.  Chill for a few hours.  Add garnishes. 

Cantaloupe Soup (I know, I know, just listen..)

Ingredients:

2 large cantaloupes, seeded and chopped

5 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups sour cream

4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 

1/3 cup whatever white wine you have sitting around

1/2 teaspoon orange peel, grated

1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, grated

Garnish:

mint leaves

Method:

Blend the cantaloupe, sugar, and mint until even.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and chill for a few hours.  Add garnish.   For a cute touch, you can serve the soup in a seeded cantaloupe.