Another thing that is complex, the dinner that Collin Murray and I just participated in. Since Collin is still working at Colicchio and Sons, he has been fortunate to make good pals with one of the sous chefs. This sous chef in particular, let's call him Chef J, used to work at another of Tom Colicchio's restaurants called Craft. Craft exemplifies the cooking philosophy of Chef Tom rather well. There are both layers of flavor and an emphasis on simplicity and seasonality in every dish from the amuse bouche to the dessert plates. So tonight, as sort of a birthday gift to Collin Murray, Chef J took us to Craft for a double date. We ate so much that I had to come home and print off the menu and highlight what we ate because the meal is a fog. I won't give you the menu breakdown, who wants to hear about all the deliciousness that we ate when you can't eat it yourselves? I will give you the highlights though.
I tried octopus! Big highlight pour moi. I had to cut the tentacles off because I was afraid that they might stick to my tongue and then I would remember what I was eating and be too grossed out to swallow...
Also a highlight was discovering that Chef Tom loves pork. In fact, he might be obsessed. Of the nine courses that we had that had a meat component, six were created around pork. A fact that I literally came face to face with after dinner when we were standing/shivering in the meat walk in with head chef and I caught a glimpse of the little suckling piglets strung up and waiting to be butchered...hello farm to table. Our desserts were also truly lovely. We had a selection of ice creams, petit four size brownies and smore tarts (look for those on the blog soon as I am stealing the idea and going to be recreating them at home), a vanilla semifreddo with crispy bananas and hazelnut crust and a chocolate bread pudding with ginger and apricots.
However, one thing that really stood out for me is being able to try the Hen of the Woods mushrooms that the restaurant only has on their menu seasonally. Collin Murray has been raving about these mushrooms for weeks because neither of us had ever seen them -- they are one of the many ingredients that his experience at Colicchio and Sons with Chef J has opened his eyes to. Today though, I got to see what all his fuss was about. They are as good as he claimed they were and it was really exciting to experience them with him, and Chef J and his date to celebrate Collin Murray's birthday and his Craft-experiences have taught him.
Greenmarket Hens of the Woods Mushroom
Its nice for you to experience the great tastes of NY. Chef J is being a great mentor for Collin. I do see that the blog is keeping me guessing? It appears a bit cut off at the end. Thanks for keeping us all blogged and up to date.
ReplyDeleteYes, I met Chef J while were dining at Colicchio & Sons and I was quite impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. He was gracious enough to give me a guided tour of their kitchen. That was quite the experience!
ReplyDeleteWe are very impressed how the staff have taken Collin Murray under their wing and are treating him to an amazing experience working in a very impressive place of food! It appears that they definitely appreciate his presence in the kitchen from the way we were treated while eating in the restaurant.
I had never seen let alone eaten these fancy Hens of the Woods mushrooms. They look sort of funky in their raw state but taste amazing!!!
We have had so many firsts as far as dining or culinary experiences on this trip. Including these mushrooms, the fermented black garlic and the trip to Kalustyans market. It has been both very enjoyable and educational.
Thank you Katie and Collin for a great visit!
ReplyDelete