Season and Taste

This is to speak about the simplicity of food and basic reasoning. Food is generally delicious on its own, even though we try to combine it in clever ways. So before you can put a great plate together, the separate components have to be great.

If you would ask most chefs what they’re favorite spice is, most would logically answer salt. It enhances the flavor of pretty much everything. I have worked at a few places in the past couple of years and I have seen some trying to send out bland unseasoned food because they forgot to season it. Once you make them taste it and then taste it with a little salt and pepper, it sinks in.

Yesterday was a very sad day in my life. The restaurant I worked for announced that it was going to close. It hurt me pretty bad, but not nearly as much as the chef/owner Nate Garyantes. His family was breaking up.

It was a close knit bunch that I realized from day one. Everyone helped each other without being asked and the teamwork was just incredible. The kitchen produced some of the most beautiful food Ive ever seen, but a quick look around the kitchen showed relatively lower skilled labor. How was this happening?

Foie gras is the liver of a duck or goose which has been fattened to increase its size. These animals are force fed to make this happen, but it is only for a short period of time before they are slaughtered. I am not justifying that, but its not as bad as most make it out to be. For those who don’t know, there is a movement in Philly trying to ban the sale of foie gras in the city limits. Why? Because it is an easy target and people can feel high and mighty copying other places. Chicago has already enacted such a law and I guess Philly is trying to now. To me there are major problems in the food industry in which the masses of America are affected.

The rise of the celebrity chef has spurred a new appreciation for the restaurant business, but it has also created false dreams. Now people think they can go to school and come out, run a restaurant and be on t.v in a couple of years. It’s not like that. 99% of these celebrity chefs have been in the business for at least twenty years and have paid their dues. They had successful businesses before they ever looked into the camera.

Well, another St. Patrick’s day is almost in the books and as the drunken mayhem dwindles down I ponder a question. Why does Irish food have such a bad reputation? To be honest, as a person of Irish heritage I am not very interested in the food. General consensus on Irish food is that it is bland, dry and tasteless. Not a great stigma to have attached to your national fare, huh? Well, how has that progressed?

While this may not be as drastic as the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is a part of chef history. I know the image most conjure up when thinking of a chef. He is screaming at his cooks, throwing a frying pan across the kitchen, just going crazy. A real “Full Metal Jacket” attitude at its best. Why? Because this is the exciting version of a chef. Who wants to see a relaxed chef peacefully assembling beautiful plates with grace and ease? Thats boring, so the image of the angry chef is the one that gets remembered and recorded.

All right, got my complete set up, I’m ready to go with all my mis en place. I looked at the reservation list earlier and we are going to get rolling right at 5(normal restaurant dinner service start). As I check my clock(cellphone) I realize something is amiss. Its already 5:25 and we haven’t got an order yet. As I walk up to the front of the kitchen my worst nightmare is harsh reality. The alarm ringing in my head could break the sound barrier.

I am a meat lover and my posts will reflect this opinion. So to add a counter-balance to the site we are introducing Vegetarian Viewpoint. Arash Arabasadi is a twenty-nine year old vegetarian who lives in Washington D.C. He was raised in the great city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. Arash concluded his stay in North Carolina with a Journalism Degree from the University of North Carolina and this led him to D.C. In D.C he has worked at ABC News and for a voice of America’s Persian News Network.

This may veer off the usual path, but I must write about this. My mom is in the hospital right now with “flu like symptoms” and should be alright, but as a son anytime your mom is in the hospital is a nervous time. My thoughts, prayers and anything I can do are with her right now. This is because she is the biggest influence in my life and my hero. I got an interest in cooking from her and maybe more importantly my work ethic. She basically raised my brother, sister and myself on her own. She also worked a full time job, was president of our baseball association(never missed a game) and a best friend.

Heres something I found from the past that I thought some people might enjoy!!

Sunset Rise Restaurant

Summer 2009 Menu

Soups
ALL SOUPS ARE SERVED WITH BREAD AND BUTTER

Bloody Mary Gazpacho-cilantro pesto crab relish and Tabasco crème fraiche
Chesapeake Crab Soup-oyster crackers
Ginger Carrot Soup-red chile oil and honey wheat tortilla strips
New England Clam Chowder-snipped chives

Sandwiches
ALL SANDWICHES SERVED WITH FRENCH FRIES AND COLESLAW OR SIDE SALAD OR VEGETABLE DU JOUR

Smoked Pork Tenderloin Wrap-georgia peach relish, caramelized red onion, pepper jack cheese, candied pecans and bourbon honey mustard in spinach tortilla