Saturday, April 12, 2008

Reading Between the Lines

 Humor me for a minute if you will. You are going out for dinner tonight to a new place that opened a few months ago that you have been meaning to try. No one has been there yet so you really don't know what to expect, but you've decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. After all, it's only 1 meal in your lifetime, right? What's the worst that could happen? 
 You sit down and are handed a menu. This is it! How do you know if something will taste good? When reading a menu for the first time, you have to try and get a feel for the place. Sometimes it's so easy. Everything sounds great. Things just seem to go together naturally. Your biggest dilemma is that you are expected to narrow down your choices to maybe 1 or 2 appetizers and 1 entree. Great problem to have.
 But wait, what's that? Seared Diver Scallops with a Huckleberry Pilaf and Pomegranate Emulsion.... What? You're in for trouble.... Why? Because unless the restaurant you are eating in happens to be named Jean Georges, the chef probably has no clue what they're doing. So few chefs understand how to pair fruit with savory items. Generally you get a highfalutin pancake topping. 
 The reason some fruits pair well with some rich foods is because of the fruit's natural acidity. But for some reason too many restaurant chefs take the fruit and bring it right to the edge of tasting like sundae topping, or in the worst case, over the edge. I have been disappointed so many times that unless I really know the chef I will steer clear of any dish that sounds like it might be suited for a pie crust and a glass of milk to wash it down.
 I don't know why this trend is so prevalent. Is it fear of rejection? Do people not understand the role that acidity plays in cooking? I really like Steak au Poivre. I really like Peach Cobbler, but please don't pair them with each other! They won't enhance the other one. Keep dessert as a separate course.
 I'll take a good Duck a l'Orange any day. But hold back on the sugar. I want to taste the duck.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree completely. Sweet fruit is lovely, for dessert. By the way, One of my favorite orange sauce recipes (from the Balthazar cookbook) is very, very tart. It goes perfectly with the fatty richness of the duck.