The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Bouchon Bakery Rockefeller
Toasted Pistachio Scone with White Chocolate and Cinnamon
Caramel Cream Puff with Vanilla Bean Custard and Chantilly
The Elvis with Banana Mousse, Devils Food Cake, Peanut Crispy, Toasted Marshmallow
‘inoteca
Three Two Three – Rosemary Infused Hendrick’s Gin, Fresh Fruit, Basil, Reduced Balsamic Vinegar, Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Walnut, Ricotta, Fig-Mascarpone
Truffled Egg Toast with Bottarga
Cinnamon Peach Bread Pudding with Raspberry Coulis, Raspberry, and Crème Chantilly
New York, June 2012, was one of those things that HAD to happen and due to fortunate circumstances it did, albeit on very short notice, when the Los Angeles Kings made the Stanley Cup finals. Fast on the heels of a 9 day trek through DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia I found myself in New York for just about 72 hours to fulfill a lifelong dream of seeing the Kings in the finals and although they would face their only road loss of the year at the game I attended at The Prudential Center they would end up lifting Lord Stanley’s cup only a few days later…and of course while in New York I ate quite well making 14 stops for food, coffee, and pastry – the first of those stops being Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller.
Needing little introduction and documented heavily here it goes without saying that service was superb and although prices are expectedly high so was the quality. Selecting only options new or novel to me this visit proved once again that Keller’s team crosses boundaries in technique and the results shine; particularly in the case of that extraordinary cream puff with the delicate choux shattering to the tooth as the center oozed custard topped with light whipped cream – the expected effect – and then surprised with a thick ribbon of salted caramel coursing the base. Sure the scone was textbook and the “Elvis” every bit as good as its constituents make it sound, but that Cream Puff still haunts me.
With lunch at the Modern Dining Room past (another post, another time) and Blue Hill at Stone Barns yet to come an unexpected rainstorm left me diving for cover near my friend’s apartment – a dive into something not at all “divey” in the form of ‘inoteca – a spot I’d always wanted to visit but one that for some reason never made the final cut until serendipity intervened, sitting me in front of the large bar where a friendly young fellow named David served me an excellent cocktail, three slices of bruschetta, and two outstanding dishes; one savory and the other sweet.
Beginning first with the savory, much has been written about ‘ino’s Truffled Egg Toast with Bottarga and I’m happy to say all of it is true – the thick brioche more than capable of standing up to the rich egg and cheese topping while a hefty nose of truffles perfumed the palate and rich bottarga added its characteristic brine as snappy fresh asparagus provided a bit of texture and a much needed vegetal tinge to the otherwise rich dish.
Having never intended to order dessert given the rest of the night’s eating agenda it was with reluctance that I even looked the menu yet as soon as I did so I knew I was in trouble – that same luscious bread soaked in cinnamon peach custard and topped with fresh raspberries, a bit of mint, and lightly sweetened crème Chantilly – the third of three rich and carb laden dishes and although not quite as balanced and beautiful as the Egg Toast every bit as delicious; more than enough reason to return to ‘inoteca at a later date…though given the heft of the food (and my lack of control when it comes to eggs and bread pudding) probably not before a four hour meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.