A Comforting Meal that sent me down this path.

So far this week I've spent a bit of time experimenting with cuisine, ranging from redoing a simple staple (fajitas) to trying something new (potato soup).  I guess that's what happens when you are home by yourself all weekend with nothing but cookbooks from 3 awesome chefs and the Food Network going.  Well, I guess I could have been watching basketball, but after the Huskies were eliminated, food seemed far more interesting.  But I digress...

I usually like to intersperse my experimenting/learning meals with a few of my comfort classics.  These are meals that are simple, easy to put together and reliable.  With my experimenting there is sometimes the risk of a flop followed by tuna melts for dinner.  Today's default was actually to one of the new entrants to the comfort food menu, one that actually started as an experiment, my risotto.

Prior to making my first risotto, the meals that I made for us were good.  They were pretty simple, and pretty basic.  I could grill a steak, bake some pork chops, things like that, and put together decent, palatable meals.  Stretching was when I learned how to steam salmon, or put pre-made mango salsa on halibut.  When I first made the risotto, it was shortly after I returned from my work trip to Vegas, and my first meal at the Mesa Grill.  I had purchased the cookbook, and was flipping through it trying to figure out what should be the first thing to cook.  When I got to the risotto, I decided to give it a try.  It looked simple, something I figured I wouldn't screw up too badly.  It also would allow me to cook with things that I hadn't used before like chicken stock and arborio rice, not to mention use the blender for something other than smoothies and margaritas.

All in all, it turned out well.  I followed directions well enough.  The risotto was a little al dente, and stuck to the bottom of the pan, but it was good.  I topped it with a seared diver scallop and a little tropical salsa from Whole Foods, and we had a nice dinner.  But, most importantly, it gave me confidence to keep trying new things, stretching myself a little more, experimenting with different things in the cookbook.  And, it was good enough that I could try it again, slowly perfecting then adapting the recipe to my personal tastes.

The base of the risotto is always the same.  Saute some onions, add the arborio, then white wine, then chicken stock until it is all absorbed.  But from there, that's where the experimentation starts.  I've done red pepper puree, green peas, or just cheese.  I've added bacon and fresh tomatoes, and different types of cheese.  I usually serve it is a bowl with some sort of seafood on top (tonight was shrimp), and then something sweet to balance the savory.

It's a hearty, healthy dinner, full of grains, vegetables, and proteins, but low on fats.  And it's something that just always seems to hit the spot.  But most of all, when I cook a risotto it puts a smile on my face because not only does it feel like I'm cooking something a little more fancy, but it reminds me that this simple recipe really helped set me off down the path that I'm currently on.  Who knew all of that would come from 7 ingredients?

Restaurant Review: Deck on The Mesa Grill, Las Vegas

For my first restaurant review, it only seemed natural to go back to the place where it all started for me, The Mesa Grill by Bobby Flay at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.  The first time I went there was about a year and a half ago.  I was in Las Vegas for work, attending a small conference.  Not really wanting to venture out of the hotel as I had just wrapped up a day at the show and still had a bit of work to do that evening, I decided to just head down to one of the casino restaurants.  The Mesa Grill was close to my elevators, and looked interesting, so I headed in.  I recognized the chef from a Food Network show that I had seen as a barbeque guy, but really didn't know anything beyond that.

When I walked in, I headed to the bar.  I figured I was dining by myself, no need to get a table.  I ordered myself a beer, and asked for a dinner menu.  While looking over the menu, trying to find an entree that would allow me to stay close to my dinner per diem, I reached out and grabbed one of the bread sticks sitting up there.  As I took that first bite, the flavor just exploded in my mouth.  This was no ordinary breadstick.  Firm on the outside, but soft on the inside, with a hint of spice, and a dash of cornmeal.  I quickly polished that off and reached for another.

Now, with my taste buds alive, I quickly made a decision on the menu; the New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Ancho Sauce.  When I asked how I'd like it prepared, I hesitated.  No one had asked me that on pork before.  The bartender, noticing my slight bit of confusion, said that the chef recommends medium.  So, I went with it.

About 15 minutes (and probably a half dozen breadsticks) later, I saw the plate making its way toward me.  At this point, I was almost giddy with anticipation.  The first thing I noticed was the aroma, a spice with a hint of sweet.  I cut into the first piece of tenderloin and took a bite.  Instantly, I knew this was like nothing I had tasted before.  The pork was so juicy, the spice blends just right, and the sauce just pulled it all together.  I quickly devoured the first piece of tenderloin before noticing that there was a tamale on my plate.  Thinking back, I think it was one of the sage butter tamales.  It tasted like a perfect piece of cornbread, but had this just creamy, melt in your mouth texture that was unlike any tamale I had ever eaten before.

When I finished every last bite on my plate, cleaned up the sauce, and had one last breadstick, I felt like I was in food heaven.  Now don't get me wrong.  It's not like this is the first time I'd ever been to a nice restaurant and had delicious food.  But for some reason, it was this experience that really seemed to bring everything together for me.  Food and flavor took on a new meaning.  I knew that when I walked out of there, I wanted to start trying new things, creating sauces to accompany my food, exploring different cooking techniques.  Why it was Mesa Grill, I couldn't tell you.  Maybe because the flavors were uniquely different and appealed to me.   Maybe because it took things that seemed so basic, and transformed them to something so much more.

The memory was so great that I had to revisit during my trip to Las Vegas last week.  This time, I dragged my friends with me.  I was a little worried because I had set such a high expectation in my mind, and in theirs as well.  Could Mesa Grill deliver the goods again?  In a word, Absolutely!  I recommend the pork to Nick, and ordered the Lamb Porterhouse for myself.  This time when I asked how I wanted it prepared, I remembered to ask, "How does the chef recommend?"  Again, I was blown away.  I've never had lamb cooked so perfectly, and flavored so wonderfully, with that perfect blend of spice with just a little sweet.  I don't know any other way to describe it.  But, the biggest telling point was when my friend Cliff took his first bite.  Before he had even finished chewing he said it was probably the best lamb chop he had ever eaten.  High praise for someone that has spent his entire life on a sheep ranch in Wyoming.

I know that this post has gone on for awhile, but, I think that the back story is important, and the Mesa Grill deserves it.  It opened my eyes, and my palette, to food in a different way, both in my own cooking, and when I go out to restaurants.  If you ever find yourself in Las Vegas, there are many fantastic places to eat (and I know that there will be more chronicled in this blog), but the Mesa Grill is one place that is absolutely worth visiting.  The food is superb, and is very reasonably priced ($25-$40/entree).  My only regret from that first trip is that I didn't eat there every single night.

A newfound passion...

About five and a half years ago, I met this girl.  Like any guy, I wanted to find any way to talk to her, and any way to impress her.  So, for one of our first dates I decided to cook her dinner.  It was a mess.  We ended up eating slightly undercooked steaks and potatoes in the dark.  But that date spawned something.  Maybe it was my desire to keep trying to impress her with my cooking prowess.  Maybe it was my understanding that she was never going to be the cook in this relationship.  Whatever it was, I kept trying new things, and slowly improving what I was doing.  I'm not sure what the tipping point was exactly (though I'm pretty sure it was right around the time I ate my first meal at a Bobby Flay restaurant), but in the past year, a new passion has taken hold.  So, like any 20 something in this high-tech, inter-connected world, I'm not just exploring it, I'm blogging about it.

Now, I'm not about to embark on something like the Julie and Julia (or whatever the title was) movie where I work my way through a cookbook.  And I'm not about to drop everything to go to culinary school and open a restaurant.  It's not about me becoming a great chef.  It's simply about me enjoying food; whether it be cooking it myself, enjoying the labors of others, or learning about new things in general.

So, that brings me to my point.  I've developed a new appreciation for food.  I've gone from the type of guy that prided himself on being able to purchase a month's worth of groceries for $100 to a guy that will spend twenty minutes just staring into the meat section at Whole Foods before selecting just what I want.  I went from having two pots and one pan to watching Iron Chef and adding things to my wedding registry because I was so intrigued by what they were doing (though I had to draw the line at vacuum sealer and imersion circulator).  I watch shows like Top Chef and Iron Chef America to get some ideas as much as for pure entertainment.  I went from Mac and Cheese to Roasted Red Pepper Risotto with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Orange Glazed Prawns.

But, it's not just about the cooking.  It's about the eating too.  I am already anticipating blog posts about restaurants that I've been too (guaranteed that CraftSteak and Mesa Grill are coming up).  I've actually created a spreadsheet of different restaurants in different cities that I want to try, given the opportunity of making it to the city through travel.  

I know I'm no different than many amateur chefs out there.  In fact, there are many that have far more talent that I do.  But, it is something that I absolutely enjoy, and I'm hoping that a few of you that read this will enjoy it as well.  And who knows, maybe as my skills continue to develop, one of these days I'll be able to share some of my creations with you.

As the French would say, Bon Appetit!