Il Capriccio; I Still Have So Much To Learn

Somethings you suspect. Others you just know.

A couple of Fridays ago Crabby was on the road and found himself back in Boston. Whenever I get back home, there are a couple of "must dos" on my list. First, there's visiting WWBob. A quick visit to Harkey's Wines in Millis always yields great memories and a few great wines. Since I was traveling overland this visit, I was also able to bring back a few rarities to the Midwest homestead, but more on that another time.

Number 2 is a dinner out with WWBob. Over the years WWB has introduced me to a number of restaurants and chefs in the greater Boston area. One of the best is Il Capriccio in Waltham, Massachusetts. The restaurant is co-owned by Head Chef Richie Barron and Sommelier & Maitre d' Jeannie Rogers.

Richie, educated at the Culinary Institute of America and one-time sous chef at Boston's renowned Park Plaza Hotel, prepares seasonal ingredients with a Northern Italian twist. Complimenting his food are Jeannie's wine selections. Jeannie makes annual pilgrimages to tiny Italian wineries, unearthing hidden gems and convincing the wine makers to export a few cases to her restaurant. I know, I know, nice work if you can get it.

What follows is a quick review of Friday night's dinner.

Antipasti

Vitello Tonnato - A special request. Braised veal, served at room temperature with a delicate tuna sauce. That's right tuna sauce. I love this dish. Richie has shared this recipe with me before. No matter how many times I've tried it, I can't come close to the delicate and complex flavors he brings out in this dish. I'm a very good cook, this dish reminds me that I'll never be a great chef.

Souffle di Porcini - A long time staple on the antipasto menu. This is a souffle of wild mushrooms and heavy cream. Incredibly rich. Incredibly good.

Primi

Mortadella Ravioli with Pistachio Walnut Sauce and Arugula. I admit I was skeptical about this dish. I figured it would be greasy and possibly too salty-sweet. I couldn't have been more wrong. The arugula and walnut sauce provided a sharp counterpoint to the richness of the mortadella.

Braised Beef Short Rib on Soft Polenta. Another long time menu item. Rich, but well portioned so as not to overwhelm.

Vermont Braised Rabbit Pappardelle. If the Vitello weren't enough to point out my cooking incompetence, the rabbit left no doubts. I love rabbit. I can't prepare it to save my life. I almost cancelled my main course and ordered a larger dish for dinner. Richie is well known for his pastas, this dish was simply spectacular, in my opinion the best of the night.

Secondi

Roast Chicken Schnitzel with Fried Egg, Spaetzle, Lemon and Sage. An amazingly light texture for a meal I always assume will be very heavy.

Pan Roasted Veal Chop with Lemon, Balsamic Reduction and White Beans. This was my main. First of all, the chop was massive, it looked like it came off a Mastodon not a veal. It was the best chop I've ever had, tender, flavorful and perfectly done.

A couple of people had dessert, but I passed. I was perfectly content and just wanted to loll in the flavors of the meal.

Here are the three wines we had. Hopefully WWBob will leave a comment describing in detail the intricacies of the wines:

Massa Vecchia Rosato 2006
Castell'in Villa 1990 Chianti Classico
Case Corini "La Barla" Barbera d'Asti 2003 (the wine of the night)

Well crablings, there you have it, a night out with Crabby, WWBob and a couple of friends. After eating this well I have to remind myself, I can do it, I can cook. Ciao.

Guadalajara Grill - Tucson, No Mas Taco Bell

I had planned on posting a grilled strip steak recipe today, but some loyal members of Crabby Nation pointed out that I'd promised a review of a Tucson Mexican restaurant. Well, my public has spoken, so here we go...

For many of the last seven years the Crabby family has spent a week vacationing in the Scottsdale area. During that time we've watched both Phoenix and Scottsdale explode before our eyes. There is a vibrancy and energy in Phoenix that simply does not exist in the upper mid-west. The downside of all this growth has been the So-cal-ification of Arizona. With each passing year, Phoenix feels less and less like its own city and more and more like an L.A. ex-burb.

If Phoenix is Los Angeles, then Scottsdale is Beverly Hills, an enclave of wealth, beauty and entitlement. It is a city of million dollar starter homes, $3 million dollar second homes with $250,000 Bentleys, all tended and maintained by fashionably pilloried illegals. The women are trophy wives, buffed and polished to a high sheen, with any flaws or signs of age quickly exercised or surgically excised. Parts too small are inflated, parts too big are suctioned. These women, when they die, will not so much be embalmed as they will be recycled.

I love it.

If Scottsdale is the movie star and Phoenix her slightly older, not quite as pretty sister, then Tucson is the hard living, little talked about but much sighed over cousin. Where Scottsdale is organic produce, spas and designer clothes, Tucson is bodegas, taquerias and tattoo parlors. Scottsdale is green and groomed, Tucson, sere and hardscrabble. Unlike Scottsdale, Tucson is original, forthright and without affectation.

It was with that background that we visited Guadalajara Grill, 1730 E. Prince Rd, Tucson, 520.323.1022. When we travel I spend a lot of time on the internet trolling for the best places to eat, Guadalajara Grill kept coming up. Close to the University of Arizona campus it sits in a somewhat threadbare but safe neighborhood. Don't let the surroundings put you off, it is a place well worth the visit.

Whereas Binkley's dances on the chef's knife edge of pretentiousness (and occasionally falls over), GGrill is a straightforward and clear presentation of Mexican cooking. Salsas are prepared fresh table-side, to your heat preference. Tortillas are handmade on-premises.

The quesadilla appetizer was a delicate blend of Mexican cheeses, onions and chiles with just the right amount of heat. CrabCake2 had Carnitas and Skirt Steak Fajitas, that have nothing to do with the fajitas you get at Chiles. The pork and beef were ridiculously tender and perfectly seasoned.

The high point of the evening was the main course which SSSal and I shared, Molcajete Ultimo. A Molcajete is a Mexican mortar bowl made out of volcanic basalt rock. Our meal consisted of shrimp, beef, sliced chicken, onions and peppers sauteed and then served simmering in a tomato-chicken based broth. The molcajete had been heated in a hot oven and the broth stayed simmering for five minutes after the meal had been served, and remained warm for at least 25 minutes.


While the bowl is only the serving vessel, it succeeds in keeping everything warm while you serve yourself. The meats were succulent and the simmering sauce a great balance of spicy heat and delicate tomato flavor. SSSal and I finished the meal by trying to sop up all the broth using our remaining flour tortillas. If you've only ever had Mexican food of the Chipotle's, Qdoba ilk, then you need to make an effort to find true Mexican cooking and experience what you should be eating. You'll never eat Taco Bell again.

Dinner for three with a margarita, agua and a cerveza came to $40 with tip. This does not include the tip for the salsa lady or the money I slipped to the strolling Mariachi Band that sang at our table. When they asked me what I wanted to hear, (not wanting to look terribly caucasian I skipped over La Bamba), I asked for Besame Mucho (translated lyrics below).

There you have it, Guadalajara Grill. If you're ever in Tucson, check it out. Also, if you have great or poor restaurant experiences you'd like to share with the rest of Crab Nation, feel free to post those experiences in the comments section.

Next Time: Balsamic and Mustard Grilled Strip Steak.

Bye.

Besame Mucho
(1940), written at the age of 15 by Consuelo Velazquez

English Translation (It just doesn't sound as romantic in English - even Sinatra sang it in Spanish)


Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
As if tonight was
the last time.

Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
Because I fear to lose you,
To lose you again.

I want to have you very close
To see myself in your eyes,
To see you next to me,

Think that perhaps tomorrow
I already will be far,
very far from you.

Binkley's Restaurant, or "A Crab's Got To Know His Own Limitations"

Pavarotti sang. Tiger Woods plays golf. Kevin Binkley cooks.

There are times when you just have to sit back and watch genius at work. You can get frustrated learning that you're never going to get to their level, or you can be inspired to push yourself.

Last week the Crabby family vacationed in Arizona. What follows isn't so much a restaurant review as a grand tour of what great cooking can be. In a subsequent post, I'll rant on restaurants and explain how I look at them, but today is about how food can become art; art that you can see, smell and taste.

Binkley's sits in an unassuming strip mall in the dusty, increasingly fashionable former cowboy town of Cave Creek, Arizona. The restaurant is owned by Kevin and Amy Binkley. Kevin trained at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, subsequently rising to Executive Sous Chef at the acclaimed Inn at Little Washington, as well as working at Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Napa Valley.

Translation: The guy knows food.

When dining at great restaurants I always try and do two things. If offered, I always go for the tasting menu; it's a great way to experience the widest variety of the chef's talents. I also make it a point to order things that may be a little out of my comfort zone. Besides the main menu, Binkley's is famous, (infamous?, notorious?) for its slate of Amuse Bouche, (Bouches, Bouchi?).

SSSal and I both ordered the 5-course tasting menu. What follows, in order, as best as I can remember, is the evening's meal. Before you freak out about the amount of food, the amuses are small, single bites. The tasting menu portions are at most, half the size of ala carte servings.

Amuse Bouche 1: Parsnip Soup with white ruffle oil and white truffle powder. Served in a demi-tasse cup, the truffle powder rims the cup ala salt on a margarita glass. Amazingly smooth with just the right balance of earthy flavors.

Amuse Bouche 2: Prosciutto wrapped, blue cheese stuffed fig in a port wine foam. Tangy, sweet and tart.

Course 1- Cold Appetizer: Langoustine Ceviche. Tasso ham, celery gelee, butternut squash, menegi onion and lemon accompanying lobster ceviche. Very light. The ceviche was sliced razor thin, and the accompaniments provided great tastes to go with the langoustine. The most intriguing thing to me was the celery gelee, think celery jello, but so much subtler.

Amuse Bouche 3: Pomme Souffles. Potato souffles, (think very light and airy french fries), served with various dipping sauces, (truffle ketchup, sweet dijon mustard and a southwest "barbecue sauce" were our favorites).

Amuse Bouche 4: Diced Soppressata salami mixed with date relish and served with a deep fried sweet potato chip. Perfect blend of sweet and salty, though I thought the sweet potato chip didn't add much.

Course 2 - Hot Appetizer: SSSal: Seared Diver Scallops with porcini mushroom, bluelake beens, pearl onions and curry cream. Beautiful light curry flavor and a sauce as smooth as silk.

Crabby: Sweetbreads with sauce gribiche. Crabby loves sweetbreads, yes I know they're brains or glands or something wierd, but I love them. Sauce Gribiche is made from hard-boiled eggs, banyuls vinegar, mustard, cornichons, olive oil, capers and herbs. Think of the best egg-salad you've ever had and you're getting close.

Amuse Bouche 5: Fruit Caviar suspended in some sort of liquid. I don't have a good description of this amuse, but I can say it just didn't work for me. The tastes just didn't quite meld.

Course 3 - Fish: SSSal: Kampachi with baby bok choy, radish, lotus root, purple scallion, coconut couscous and chili oil. A type of Hawaiian Yellowtail, amazing flavor in the skin of the fish.

Crabby: Olive Oil poached Halibut, with baby carrots, spinach, cipollini onions, wild rice and caramelized onion broth. Fish was very moist and delicate, the onion broth was spectacular.

Course 4 - Meat: SSSal: Duck with red wine poached seckle pear, strawberry jam, sugar snap peas and baby turnips. Beautiful use of fruit. The snap peas were served with the husks broken open exposing the peas inside.

Crabby: Leg of Veal with clam shell mushrooms, salsify (think white carrot), fava beans and nettle coulis. Leg of veal was new to me. Again, all the sides combined for great mouth feel and taste.

Amuse Bouche 6: An intermezzo of Sorbet. Mango for SSSal and Asian Pear for Crabby.

Amuse Bouche 7: Blackberry and Pineapple lollipops.
Amuse Bouche 8: Meringues (with a faint hint of anise)

Amuse Bouche 9: Two drinks, A chocolate mouse malt and a strawberry float with strawberry Dip'n dots in homemade ginger ale (absolutely fantastic).

Amuse Bouche 10: Candied Mint on a dollop of whipped cream. Perfect.
Amuse Bouche 11: Raspberry foam frozen with liquid nitrogen. The raspberries are somehow pureed and then brought to a froth before they are frozen by the liquid nitrogen (320 deg. below zero). When you eat the foam, it doesn't so much melt as it evaporates in your mouth, leaving just the essence of raspberry flavor.

Cousre 5 - Dessert or Cheese: SSSal: An assortment of chocolate. Crabby: an assortment of three cheeses.

That's it, by this point my bouche had been seriously amused. I know it sounds like a lot of food, but remember, the amuse bouches are small bites, taken together they probably amounted to the same food as the meat course. This is a meal not about bulk but about taste.

The only vague complaint we had was that the meal took two hours. With sixteen courses fifteen more minutes would have been just right, but given the coordination that's involved in something this complex, I have no real complaint about the pace.

For me, the greatest flavors were the caramelized onion broth and the sweetbreads with sauce gribiche. I didn't love the fruit caviar and the asian pear sorbet was only OK. But understand, these aren't complaints, this was a spectacular meal with insight into how a truly talented and creative chef thinks and works. Everything is designed to show off the food. Even the large white plates are used more as a canvas than conveyance.

SSSal and I split a glass of champagne and a bottle of Paul Hobbs 2006 Pinot Noir. Cost of the meal, $82/person without wine, tip or tax. A steal if you consider the work involved. By all meals, if you love food and tastes, dine at Binkley's if you ever get the chance.

Binkley's Restaurant
6920 E. Cave Creek Rd
Cave Creek, AZ
480-437-1072
www.binkleysrestaurant.com

In an upcoming post I'll be tell you about an equally great meal at the far other end of the cooking spectrum, a neighborhood Mexican joint in Tucson.