Saturday, June 7, 2008

Spirited Dinner @ mk - June 3, 2008

I was fortunate enough to have the compnay of five guests at the bar this week for my spirited dinner: Chris and Susie; Jane with Rebecca and Kathleen.

Here's the menu . . . my notes throughout.

aperitif
bacon whisky, sugar snap pea juice, snap syrup, lemon juice

NOTES: While not a true example of what I typically call an aperitif cocktail, this is more akin to a cocktail 'amuse'. It was the first time I got to use our house cured and smoked bacon in a drink (we have a Bradley on the roof). We used maple. 'Snap syrup' is simply the pulp from from the snap pea juice infused into a syrup. I was looking for a different medium to work my pea-cognac-whisk(e)y. See mid-course below.
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hamachi
raw sliced yellowtail, pencil asparagus, piquillo peppers, black olive oil

oyster's last gasp
kumamoto oyster spirit, mineral water reduction, lemon juice

NOTES: As you've seen prior, I've infused oysters into everything: gin, neutral, junmai sake. My idea here was for a low alcohol neutral that is cut by a reduction of mineral water (i.e., reducing 2 L of Pellegrino down to about 240 mL). I wanted to get the texture from the TDS (total dissolved solids) and minerals to go with the 'sea life' tate of the spirit. Lemon juice is a familiar acidity for most when dealing with oysters.

I think the umami from the drink is an exciting way to set up the palate for Chef Erick Simmons' raw fish dish.

Mid-Course
snap pea bourbon sour

NOTE: I replace the snap syrup for simple and give the bourbon a green earthiness. I think it's the best I've done in showing that cognacs and whisk(e)y share many flavors. In fact, I'm looking forward to enjoying a refreshing one on a late Spring day off soon.

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lamb
boneless roasted rack of four story hill farm lamb, crushed fava beans, black trumpet mushrooms, baby carrots, veal reduction

earthy burg, no. 3
pomegranate-shiitake spirit, black tea syrup, lemon juice, rosemary tincture

NOTE: This is my first time using dried shiitakes and I loved the results. Much more earthiness for less (by weight) than when I use the freshies. The key is to not over do the earthiness. I left out from the spirit my typical 'black' (i.e., black peppercorns and black tea) or 'blackness' (i.e., same as before but with black trumpet mushrooms) with this style drink. I wanted to taste the shiitake unfettered.

I added cranberry and pomegranate to the black tea syrup for more tannic tartness.

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panna cotta
lemon buttermilk panna cotta, rhubarb consomme, fresh berries, cornmeal

spring bubbles
mocato d'asti, strawberry-tarragon tincture

NOTE: Didn't want to get in the way of the subtleness of Pastry Chef Amy Sampson's dessert so I worked the nose with a spring-scented tincture.

That sounds kind of funny, doesn't it?


Finally, as a heads up: we're sold out for this upcoming Tuesday. I'm excited for the drinks as Chef's going with an entire seafood tasting menu for the next three to four weeks.

As always, at 6:30pm every Tuesday, I offer a three-course spirited dinner for $65. Max seating is eight (8) so call me (773-206-3357) to book a reservation.

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