Tonight's Episode: Fusion...that I don't hate.

            Sorry for how long it has been since I posted. Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I recently had throat surgery. Turns out blogging about food without the ability to swallow is dicey business.  After they sorted my swallowing bits out, I was lucky enough to stumble on an Asian fusion restaurant that doesn't make me curse the word. Riso Noodle House (http://www.risonoodlehouse.com/) may just be my new favorite spot to eat.
            I must have driven past Riso about 900 times without thinking twice about it. Tucked away in a strip mall beside Outback Steakhouse, unassuming would be a gross overstatement on the outward appearance of this small Asian restaurant. Walking in expecting a typical take away joint, we were instead surprised by a very cool, very inviting interior.
         I know there are pictures on the menu, usually a bad sign, but here they are very helpful. The reason being the chef behind Riso. A Pan-Asian menu from a chef who has worked in a GERMAN restaurant. GERMAN!! We will get back to that later. The menu is expansive - Bento boxes, hot plates, teriyaki bowls, noodles, soups and salads, curries. Usually such a continent-spanning menu means many cuisines done poorly, but that is not the case at Riso.
         For an app we went to the Philippines with Lumpia (2 pcs for $2.50). This is a traditional light beef and vegetable spring roll. Crispy, and not grease filled, overall very delightful. They were served with what tasted like red duck sauce.  I just wish hot mustard was offered, too.
        For the entrees, the extremely helpful waitress pointed The Girl towards Mr. Beef ($7.50). Mr. Beef, like many of the dishes here, is a one-of-a-kind creation. Piled atop a bed of zucchini and onions and served with a crock of your choice of rice (brown rice for her today), the Mr. Beef glistens with a beautifully dark sauce. The flavor reminds you of a teriyaki beef satay, though not as sweet or salty. The richness of the flavor is honestly like nothing else I have ever tasted. Hints of hoisin and fish sauce maybe? All I can say is I haven't tasted a sauce that good since the last time I was at Josephine's Filipino Restaurant in London. It is incredible! The beef itself tastes like it has been cooked in the salamander, giving it a smoky grilled taste. Patty, the second waitress on duty, told us that if 10 people come in, 9 order Mr. Beef. I can see why. Oh, and on a side note, you get your own squeeze bottle of white sauce.

             For myself, I went with the suggested German Famous Beef ($8.95) and upgraded to the Yaki Udon noodles ($3) instead of rice. The noodles are wonderfully soft and flavorful thick wheat noodles with mixed vegetables. The pencil thick carrots that the German Famous Beef is stacked atop are perfectly cooked to the edge of loosing crispness. The beef, unlike the Mr. Beef, tastes almost stewed. The sauce helps with that effect. It's a spicy sauce that takes cues not only from an Asia but a thick German gravy. The entire effect is a spicy Asian take on a German beef and carrot stew. This dish is GENIUS, pure and simple.




           Riso does many things right. Attentive and friendly staff, wonderful and surprising dishes, fresh quality ingredients, it makes one wonder why this place isn't the talk of the town. Location must be the major factor going against them. Don't let the strip mall location fool you, Riso is a top notch Pan-Asian restaurant with global influences, and it is an absolute MUST TRY. I don't think I can stress just how happy I was with the entire dining experience. More importantly, I can't stress how happy The Girl was with me for finding Riso.

The Scores:
Ambiance: 3/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 10/10
Value: 4/5
Overall: 22 out of 25, an absolute gem hidden in a strip mall

Interlude: Ezekiel 4:9 Thou shall eat the pasta

So, I will be having throat surgery in two days. For several weeks I will be reduced to baby food and snack packs. Before that time comes I decided to try some Ezekiel pasta. What is Ezekiel? Well, it is supposedly the next level of whole grains. In the process of creating the pasta they allow the grains to germinate in pure filtered water. This is supposed to release the dormant nutrients. The pasta contains 9g of complete protein, 7g of fiber, 0g of sugar, and is supposed to cook in half the time.

To go with the pasta I put together a simple red meat sauce with natural organic ground buffalo. The result? Well, with a few small adjustments, it is actually surprisingly good. First change I had to make was to increase the cook time from the 4-5 minutes to almost 12. Second, the noodles need to be placed in the sauce and allowed to sit for at least a minute to absorb the sauce. The noodles themselves are bland but soak up the sauce like a sponge. Unlike normal whole wheat pasta you lose a lot of the grain starch aftertaste. I'm actually kind of excited to see how it tastes reheated tomorrow.

Tonight's Episode: Let the Culinary Jihad Begin

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING BLOG POST IS FOR A 20 COURSE MEAL. IT MIGHT BE A TAD LONG!!!!
           I'm walking around in a daze. I'm shell-shocked. My world has been broken apart and put back together in a form I don't recognize. I think I have Stockholm Syndrome.  What does hostage psychology have to do with food? When your Chef is a culinary terrorist, everything.
          Moto is the brainchild of Chicago mad scientist Homaro Cantu. With gadgets ranging from a sonic drill that can cut through granite, to a large capacity centrifuge, dinning at Moto is equal parts science experiment and practical joke. Chef Cantu takes his food engineering seriously, at the same time thumbing his nose at all the conventions we have come to expect. The best thing is, he let's you in on the joke as well.
        Moto is located in an old industrial warehouse, across from the Latino meat market. Nondescript exterior hides a modern if minimalistic interior. The atmosphere is swanky and romantic. By the end of the dinner, however, you will be best friends with your neighbors. The shear absurdity of what you are to eat tonight needs to be discussed, right then. Oh, and you'll have plenty of time. The 20 course Grand Tour takes 4 hours. The service is fluid, with at least a half dozen servers with earpieces swapping out duties. The table is simply adorned with a single yellow candle. Bring on the 20 courses!

           The 20 courses to come all have a deft hand, creativity, and whimsy. Only small missteps exist, and the overall effect of many of the dishes are indescribable. So here I go to describe them:
    The Menu:

        Edible menu? Why not? A baked Ciabatta bread menu has the standard menu ($135) and the Grand Tour ($195) printed out for your eating enjoyment. Served with a nicoise salad. Nothing adventurous, and frankly half way through the menu the novelty has worn off. At the same time, you are eating your menu!
       1st course- SNOWman:

          Lemon foam snowman, with Himalayan salt face and buttons. Beneath is ahi tuna. The foam is light and refreshing, and the tuna is top grade. Tuna tartare to the next level.
        2nd Course- ROSEbush:

     A beautiful dish, but also the least successful. The goat cheese salad with the champagne vinaigrette was nice enough, but not exciting. The rose itself is a dehydrated beet. In all honesty it tasted like a crispy piece of beef jerky. Not the most pleasant taste or texture.
      3rd Course- GOLDEN twist ale:

       This is the Wisconsin inspired dish, a wonderful pretzel soup. In the bowl is 4 year aged cheddar, brats, and vegetables. The server also has a bottle of beer. Out comes the opener, and with a crisp snap, the bottle of soup is opened and poured into the bowl. The cheese thankfully comes right through, and the over all taste is a big cheesy pretzel. The sweetness of corn is delightful.
       4th Course- CHICKEN noodle soup:

           Noodles....made from Chicken powder......Genius. The mirepoix is spot on. Then you try the crispy chicken skin....and then words desert you. Genius
         5th Course-MISO soup

       In the bowl is a perfectly seared piece of Hudson Valley foie gras. The portion is a little large and hard to cut through with a spoon, so just take the entire portion in one bite! Also in the bowl are trumpet mushroom cubes and faux foie tofu......yes, tofu made from foie gras! Then comes the miso broth. If apple cider and Iron Chef Morimotto had a love child, this would be it. The apple nose to this broth is strong, sweet, and warming. This dish would be perfect before a few salmon rolls.
        6th Course- POTATO & leek:

         So, through the meal I have been watching a copper pot pouring steam going to the tables around me. Finally my turn to find out what was in the pot. Placed before me was a deconstructed hot vishyssoise with trigger fish and a potato leek puree. The cold element came from the liquid nitrogen frozen cream that was spewing smoke from the pot. Every bite tickles the nose and sends puffs of smoke flying about like a pissed off dragon. I can't help but giggle. I feel 5.
       7th Course- EGG cubed

        That cubed egg in front of you? That is an egg yolk ciabatta bread. With it is a tomato sauce, micro greens, pickled beet, and beautifully salty roe. You had me at egg yolk.
       8th Course- BASEBALL snacks

          If the concession stand at Wrigley Field was run by Dr. Evil, this would be the result. A quail breast chicken nugget with Coca-Cola drizzle, candy apple puree, powdered popcorn, candied peanuts, and an edible Cracker Jack label that tastes like cherries. If you could see the smile on my face while I write this, you would know how great this dish is. Equally great is the story behind the quail. Organic and natural is the name of the game at this farm, raising some of the best quail in the nation. Unfortunately a bug entered the prize-winning stock. Instead of treating with chemicals, the owner stuck to his principles and burnt the entire ranch to the ground. Three years later, he's back to the best organic quail you can find.
       9th Course- CAPON & cornbread

          This may be my favorite dish. A sous vide rooster breast and pulled rooster leg, served with a cornbread puree and a trio of powders; bacon, jalapeno, and coleslaw. Looking at my plate, the server had a puzzled look on his face. "Does that look dry to you?" he asks. Before I can answer, he pulls the saucer from under the candle, puts it on top to snuff the flame. He then pours the wax all over my chicken. That candle that had been merrily flickering for 8 courses was a basil emulsion. The capon was juicy and cooked dead on. The cornbread puree.....tasted like cornbread. The entire dish screams Deep South.
        10th Course- CUBAN cigar

       This is bizarre. In an ash tray in front of me is a cigar, with ashes. The ashes are powdered black and white sesame seeds. The "cigar" is pork shoulder with pickle and mustard, in a crisp bread, wrapped in a collard green. The flame at the end was a red pepper coulis. This dish is wonderful. A play on words, a visual trick, and a damn good Cuban sandwich.
       11th Course- NUAC man

       Here we get a straightforward dish - a Vietnamese style pork belly with mushrooms. The pork was beautiful, though slightly dry. The large mushroom sticking up from the rest is different, though. Here we have a mytaki mushroom that has been roasted, pureed, turned into a foam, dehydrated, formed, and re-fired into a mushroom. A 36 hour process to turn a mushroom into a mushroom. The technique is fun, but in this case it might be a little over the top. Overall, this dish is a slight miss for me.
      12th Course- ALLEY-yum

    Allium is the family of the onion, and on this plate you get a whole lotta onion. In the center is a slice of venison that serves as the vehicle to deliver a cocktail style onion, shallot puree, ramp blossom over pickled onion, a green ramp puree, onion crisp, and fried onions. The venison and shallot puree meld well together. The large onion crisp was at first a little bland, but it really grew on me. My favorite part? The ramp blossom. My first ramp blossom, and it was delicious.
       13th Course- LIGHT bright:

          So, here comes the palate cleanser. In a beaker is a purple liquid and a pipet full of OJ. Squeeze it out, swirl it, and you have an orange dreamsicle. Again, I smile.
    14th Course- CINNAMON toast:

      This is breakfast in a bowl. Little cinnamon toast squares over which they dump a raw egg. Seriously, a raw egg. This is Moto, though, so nothing is as it seems. That egg is a coconut and mango egg. This is yet another fun dish.
       15th Course- RHUBRB & yogurt

      This is a plate of raw rhubarb with nitro-frozen yogurt. The taste of raw rhubarb is probably one of my top five desert flavors, and this does not let me down. Another home run!
          16th Course- GREEN CURY-esque

               I honestly think this should have been the last course. I don't mean stop at 16. I mean this should have been served last. It is a black cardamom cake, mint ice cream, a chocolate gelle, and pineapple. Cardamom is such a wonderful flavor, and the mint was so fresh and cleansing. So amazing.
          17th Course- BANANA split

                This is a sundae, ramen noodle style. A noodle of ice cream with pipets of banana, strawberry, and chocolate. Allow your inner Jackson Pollock to come to the surface.
          18th Course- ACME bomb

           Remember the old Looney Tunes? At some point the poor Coyote would be left holding a little black Acme bomb with the fuse burning down. Here is your chance to experience it, in s'more form. Allow the marshmellow wick to burn down before throwing it into your mouth for a chocolate explosion!  Literally!
       19th Course- COOKIE crumble

               My least favorite dessert. A freeze dried cookie crumble with ice cream and a sauce. To be honest, just not my cup of tea. A well made dessert, just not for me
      20th Course- SODA de jour

          To clean your palate at the end of the meal we have a beaker of mad scientist soda, with an edible packing peanut. Drop it in, swirl, and chug.
         Normally, this is where the dinner ends. Not today. Chef Cantu was kind enough to take me on a tour of the restaurant, the lab, the kitchen, and show off his new system of expediting and running the entire operation. The toys he plays with are cutting edge. The kitchen is organized chaos. The best part, and probably the thing Chef Cantu will be most remembered for, is a new intergrated system for running the entire operation. Unfortunately, I can not tell you too much about it, but I promise you will be seeing everyone using it soon.

           Sitting in my hotel room after the meal, I found it hard to put into words what I had just experienced. The skill, the whimsy, the flavors, the complete and utter dedication to redefining what food can be. I thought long and hard about the title to this piece, and I decided on Jihad for a reason. Homaro Cantu is waging a war against the holy beliefs of traditional cooking. An Iconoclast in every sense of the word, Chef Cantu delights in the destruction of convention, the upheaval of radical change. He may be one man fighting the world, but the world will hear him. I just hope they get the joke.

The Scores:
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 10/10
Value: 1/5
Overall: 21 out of 25. If you are in Chicago, and you have $200 a piece to spend, PLEASE try Moto, with an open mind, and enjoy the ride.
#ForkandTell Chicago

Tonight's Episode: Dr. Sproutlove, or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Brussels Sprouts

          Admit it, you hate brussels sprouts. I hated them. My dog hated them. I know this because she wouldn't eat mine. I have had a conversion, however. I now LOVE the little green orbs of yuck and have a favorite joint to gobble them up by the bowl full. I'm sure I've lost most of my readers by now, but keep an open mind. Maybe you'll learn to love them, too.
         Let's define why we hate brussels sprouts. As kids, our mothers threw handfuls of the evil mini-cabbages into boiling water and let them cook until mushy. The result was a sulfurous boggy ball that offends multiple senses, with the stench, the bitter taste, and the gummy texture. The overcooking releases a glucosinolate that provides the bitter taste and smell. The overcooking has another unintended side effect, stripping the sprouts of their anti-cancer properties. That's right. Brussels sprouts help prevent cancer. They also help you become super-human strong. Remember Jean-Claude van Damme? Most people mistakenly think he was called "The Muscles from Brussels" because he was Belgian. Nope, the man ate sprouts like Popeye in a bar fight.
           So how did I go from cursing my ungrateful dog for not destroying the evidence to being a die-hard sprouthead? The first taste of a good sprout came from the cookbook of my least favorite TV food personality, Ina Garten (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html). At the bottom of the recipe she says "I like these salty like French Fries." That caught my attention, and I decided to cook them up. Belissimo! From her recipe I expanded, first by quartering the sprouts to brown more completely, to adding bacon and a balsamic drizzle. Salt is a must though, plenty of Kosher salt. There are several other sprout recipes that I have found that I truly enjoy, including Alton Brown's (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/brussels-sprouts-with-pecans-and-cranberries-recipe/index.html) and even Brussels sprout soup! (http://www.squidoo.com/brussels-sprouts)
            Okay, we have home cooked sprouts down, how about restaurants? There are a couple of fine dining spots that have pretty darn good sprouts. Oak would be one, of course (http://www.oaksteakhouserestaurant.com/index.html). They don't have the best, though. For my money the best Brussels sprouts belong to a chain restaurant. That's right, a chain; although it is a local chain. Tbonz (http://www.tbonz.com/), whose sister restaurants include Pearlz and Kaminsky's, has been around for years. I, however, have never been much of a fan. That would be courtesy of the Market Street location, which is priced perfectly to draw in the tourists by the busload. So for several years, Tbonz has been on my 'why bother' list.
            That all changed when I received a coupon this past December. Being the thrifty Scot I am, I grabbed The Girl, and off to the West Ashley location we went. I'm not going to go in depth about most of the food. The steaks are on par with Outback, and well ahead of Applebee's. Good, filling, inexpensive. The rack of ribs are Titanic in scale, and priced on par with the much smaller portions at Chili's. None of that matters. None of that is why I come back. I come back for the service and the Brussels sprouts.
           The preparation of the sprouts is amazingly simple. Halved, flash fried for 30-45 seconds with parmesan cheese and Old Bay, and on the plate. THAT IS IT! Boy does it taste like more work. The nutty parmesan and the slight bitter of the sprouts blend seamlessly. The Old Bay is subtle, so much that until you know it is there you can't place the taste. Once you realize that fact, you realize these aren't Brussels sprouts, they are Crab sprouts! The similarities in taste to Maryland blue crabs is uncanny. This one dish is a must have for anyone who loves, or hates, these much maligned veggies.
         Every other week for several months we have been stopping in, mostly so I could have sprouts. Then on Easter Sunday, the 6th Day of Passover, our waiter Ben nearly ruined my world. He told me that they were planning on taking the Brussels sprouts off the menu. I know they are a winter veg, and in spring and summer they can be much smaller, but they are so damn good! Apparently my shock was so visible that Ben went to his GM, Rob, and told him about my dismay.
             I want to stress the fact that at this time no one knew who I was, or that I write this blog. To Rob I was just one more face that passes through his restaurant, one of hundreds he sees every week. He asked me if it was true that the sprouts were the reason I keep coming back. 'Of course they are, they are perfect!' I tell him. His next sentence won me over as a customer for life. "Well, I guess we will just have to keep them on the menu then." One person wanted to keep them. One person he has never met. One person who might never tell another soul about the generous move on his part. Can you imagine the GM at Outback doing this? Tbonz may be a chain, but it is a local one, with a local focus, and a real focus on the guest experience!
            So there you have it. In one post I have been able to show you that my outlook on a childhood arch-nemisis and a poorly thought of restaurant have changed over the course of time, with the help of proper preparation and great service. What other foods and restaurants have I ignored all these years that might actually be good? How about you, what are you going back and trying again?

Tbonz The Scores:
Ambiance: 2/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 7/10
Value: 5/5
Overall: 19 out of 25, If you are looking for an inexpensive but good tasting steak, check out Tbonz, and their Brussels Sprouts!

Tonight's Episode: Don't Worry, Eat Chorizo

         Tune into the Travel Channel or Food Network, and if you're lucky, they might have a trip to Charleston for you to enjoy. It doesn't matter what show, what host, what schtick they are doing, there is one stop that seems inevitable. At some point the host will be in front of that venerable restaurant on the corner of Rutledge and Cannon, Hominy Grill. Just once I would love it if that celeb chef, home grown cook, or whatever vacuum headed mouth-piece with a microphone is talking would take the time to turn around and point the camera at the old filling station across the street. Inside is the Caribbean inspired restaurant known as Fuel Cantina.
         The 50's era fueling station facade is complimented inside with a blend of classic filling station signage and equipment. The space itself is small but has a large outside area. Depending on the time of day you arrive, the bar/dining area can be VERY loud, so don't expect a quiet evening.
        

          For starters we began with the anguillan beef kabobs ($6.50). These turned out to be three medium sized tenders of beautifully grilled beef, served with a cilantro mojo. While I would have loved a spicy sauce to go with the kabobs, they were very satisfying. As a second app, we went with the chips and queso carne ($6.50), which is a blend of fried and grilled soft tortillas with a house made chorizo queso. While the flavor was fantastic and the grilled soft tortillas especially so, the portion size is rather small considering the price.

         For a main The Girl decided on the BBQ buffalo burger ($13.95) with grilled bison, a mango ketchup, and french fries. I went another direction, choosing the House made chorizo burger ($13.95) with green chili horseradish aioli, smoked tomato ketchup, and shoestring potatoes, served with plantain fritters. Her burger was juicy and smoky, the mango ketchup adding just the right hint of sweetness. The chorizo burger was a damn good burger. The fat and hint of spice just give you an incredible mouthful, bite after bite. The size and heft of these burgers lessen the pain of the price tag and leave you feeling full. Not too full for those plantain fritters, though. Those were heavenly, especially the end bits. These are halved plantains deep fried to give a nice crunch with their banana like sweetness. I could polish off an entire plate in three minutes flat.

              The other reason I like Fuel as much as I do is the outdoor patio area. Come in, order a mojito, and enjoy a beautiful outdoor area. The crowd you will find there is very reflective of a transitional area, college kids and older families, all enjoying service from a young and energetic staff.
             I wouldn't say everything is perfect at Fuel. The service, while friendly, can be slow. If you come in too late at night, especially on the weekend, the place will be filled with college kids - loud, drunk college kids. I can not stress enough that inside can be VERY loud. The final complaint would be the rather limited parking. I have a great secret fix for that, but I can't tell you. Wouldn't be a secret anymore.
           Overall I have to say I have enjoyed my trips to Fuel. The relaxed atmosphere, good drinks, and great food more than compensate for any negatives. As the days get warmer, why not consider a trip to the Caribbean?

The Scores:
Ambiance: 2/5
Service: 3/5
Food: 8/10
Value: 3/5
Overal: 16 out of 25, An excellent taste of the Caribbean at import prices.