Intermittence

Donnell and I ate at Uchi two weeks ago.

To make a long story short, it whas phenomenal. The courses went thusly:

1. Pickled cucumber amuse bouche
2. Flounder sashimi with yuzu and shredded daikon salad
3. Poached Maine lobster with fennel and Granny Smith apple
4. Sweet shrimp sashimi with uni
5. Seared diver’s scallops with bone marrow, steamed chard greens and pickled chard stalks
6. Grilled halibut with crab gelée, okra, and heirloom cherry tomatoes
7. Sea bream with Thai chili
8. Escolar carpaccio
9. Young chicken with gooseberries and a mustardy sauce
10. Foie gras sushi (by far my favorite)
11. Oak-smoked chocolate, red pepper sorbet, dark chocolate sauce, bitter chocolate wafer, with a white chocolate powder

We’ll definitely go back, but probably not splurge on the omakase dinner. Instead, I could probably spend a couple of hours eating some amazing sashimi and sushi, and drinking some nice sake (I was pleasantly surprised by my first experience with unfiltered sake). It’d be a fantastic place to take friends and/or family…

This is easiest-done if you served shoulder roast beef tacos to your friends the night before, with onions, cilantro, diced organic tomatoes, and a spicy homemade salsa on the side.

1. Pan fry several slices of center-cut bacon, ensuring that it’s not quite done when it’s removed from the pan. This ensures that it doesn’t ‘coast’ and overcook.
2. Drain most of the oil, trying to bring up as much of the blackened bits as possible. Sweat a small handful of diced onions in the oil, along with a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside, and turn the heat on the pan down to medium.
3. Beat six eggs in a bowl, along with some freshly-cracked black pepper and some finely chopped cilantro. Mix in a few tablespoons of water.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pan (which still retains a bit of bacon fat and probably a few small bits of onion). Add the sauteed onions and a pinch of salt.
5. Start toasting several slices of real bread.
6. Scramble the eggs by gently pulling the solid portion to the center and turning occasionally. Once it’s mostly cooked, but still retains a bit of moisture, turn out onto two plates.
7. Butter the toast and put half on each plate, along with some of the bacon slices.
8. Top the eggs with fresh onion, chopped cilantro, and diced tomatoes. Add another pinch of salt and a bit more freshly-cracked pepper.
9. Eat, being sure to comment often on what a fabulous breakfast you’ve made.
10. Blog about it.
11. Await praise.
12. ???
13. Profit!

Any questions?

Donnell and I dined today at Schoepf’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, and I have some good news for everybody:

You can stop searching. I have located the best pork chop in the world, and you can have one (along with two sides) for just $8.95. It’s tender, flavorful, encased in a marvelously smoky crust, and run through with the most flavorful pork fat I’ve ever had the good fortune to shovel into my greedy mouth. It must be experienced warm—I accidentally let mine cool a bit while sampling Schoepf’s brisket (good, but under-seasoned), sausage (decent), and ribs (yowza! almost as good as Smitty’s), and it just wasn’t the same afterwards. Dig into one straight from the pit, however, and you’ll never look at pork chops the same way again.

I’m known among my friends as the guy who eats undercooked beef. Depending on the cut, I’ll gladly accept anything from rare to what was known to the cook at the Officer’s Club I worked at in England one Summer as ‘blue’—that is, seared quickly on the outside and as uncooked inside as possible.

During our recent visit to Kansas City, however, I took the final step and ate raw meat at the Blue Nile Cafe.

It was actually kitfo, an Ethiopian dish consisting of minced beef, seasonings, and spiced clarified butter. Eaten with pieces of injera, it was simply outstanding: tender, smooth-textured, with a subtle but unmistakable beef flavor. As Donnell mentioned at the time, it was reminiscent of a Bolognese sauce, but (obviously) with a more exotic flavor.

I’ll definitely try it again. There’s an Ethiopian place in Austin that we’ve been looking forward to trying. Kitfo is definitely on my short list.

Our dinner last night consisted of:

• Roasted garlic (slice the tops off of mostly-depapered garlic, partially wrap in foil, drizzle with olive oil, seal, and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes)
• Thin slices of baguette
• Chavrie brand plain chevre
• A Texas-made peppered chevre
• Pesto
• Shaved Black Forest ham
• Sliced Spanish-style chorizo
• Shiner Black Lager (Donnell did not partake in this)

This is my ideal Last Meal.