BOBBY FLAY’S BAR AMERICAIN COOKBOOK
Many of us don’t get to meet food personalities even once, but on September 20, I met Bobby Flay for the second time, at a signing for his latest book, Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Cookbook, at Williams Sonoma in Short Hills. The first time I met Chef Flay was last year, when I was a judge on Throwdown With Bobby Flay on the Food Network.
The cookbook features American regional flavors and is based on Chef Flay’s restaurant Bar Americain, located in NYC and at Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel in Connecticut. The 110 recipes with full-color photographs are not only a delicious read but are also easy to follow, with clear, precise directions. Some featured dishes: hot potato chips with blue cheese sauce; oven-baked pizza with double-smoked bacon, caramelized onions, and toasted garlic; pan-roasted pork tenderloin with green tomato–peach relish and green pea couscous; steel-cut oatmeal with apples, raisins, burnt orange crust, and cinnamon cream; and, my favorite, Gulf shrimp and grits, which Bobby said in the interview was one of the most popular dishes at Bar Americain—he can never take it off the menu.
What else is doing with Chef Flay? He’ll probably work on another cookbook, called BBQ Addiction, which will feature a much more global look at grilled foods. “Everything outdoor cooking,” he said. And in a few months we can look forward to a new Bobby’s Burger’s Palace in Cherry Hill and, later in 2012, in Princeton. If you’re going to eat at one of your own restaurants, I asked him, which one would it be, and what would you order? Flay replied without missing a beat, “Southwest rib eye at Bobby Flay Steak,” which is located in Atlantic City. And yes, his wife does cook for him. “She cooks about five different things very well,” he said. “That’s the key for people who are afraid to cook at home. You have five different dishes—that’s it—and you do them well.”
We all know that Chef Flay is quite successful with his restaurants, cookbooks, and TV shows. But I asked about plan B, what he’d do if he changed careers. “No plan B,” Bobby replied. “Food is a very important part of my life, as you can imagine. So the important thing is my restaurants. My whole life is locked into that four-letter word: f-o-o-d.” He did admit to enjoying playing golf, and he said that any free time he has, he spends with his family.
Chef Flay talked about his childhood food memories and learning how to cook for survival. “I was very inspired to learn how to cook, because my mother was not a good cook,” he said. Bobby’s favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Rosh Hashanah is his next favorite holiday because he doesn’t have to cook. I asked whether people are nervous when they have him over for dinner. But it seems that he doesn’t get a lot of dinner invites unless people ask him to come over and bring his knives! Chef Flay, you and your family are invited for a Rosh Hashanah dinner, no matter when. Brisket, noodle pudding, apple cake. No throwdown needed, and you don’t have to bring your knives.
Bobby Flay’s restaurants include Mesa Grill (NYC, Paradise Island, and Las Vegas), Bar Americain (NYC and CT), Bobby Flay Steak (Atlantic City), and Bobby’s Burger Palace (various East Coast locations). The chef is the host of popular cooking shows on Food Network, including Throwdown With Bobby Flay. Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Cookbook is his eleventh book.
Bobby and me schmoozing before his book signing at Williams Sonoma in Short Hills.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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HERE COME THE MANGALITSA PIGS
Learn how to slaughter, eviscerate, butcher, and cure your own Mangalitsa pig at a three-day hands-on class, Mosefund Mangalitsa Pigstock 2011, taught by Christoph Wiesner, president of the Austrian Mangalitsa Breeders’ Association, and his wife, Isabel. Two sessions will be held at Mosefund Farm, 315 Mattison Reservoir Road, Branchville, on October 28, 29, and 30 and November 4, 5, and 6.
On day one, students, under supervision, will slaughter, scald, gut, and split their pig. Learning how to clean and cook the organs will be taught on day two. Day three will deal with seam butchering, cutting, and curing. Two meals will be provided each day.
There are three price levels: class only, $1,300; class and half a cleaned pig to take home, $1,900; and class and a whole cleaned pig to take home, $2,450. Each class has only twelve students and requires a 50 percent deposit to reserve. Make checks out to Mosefund Farm and mail to 315 Mattison Reservoir Road, Branchville, NJ 07826. Or contact chef Michael Clampffer at 201-289-0210 or [email protected].
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TWO GLENFIDDICH SCOTCH DINNERS
On October 11, a four-course Glenfiddich single malt scotch dinner will be held at Chakra, West 144 Route 4 East, Paramus. The 12-, 15-, 18-, and 21-year versions will be paired with dishes created by Chef Thomas Ciszak. 6:30 PM; $60 plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 201-556-1530.
On October 13, there will be a Glenfiddich scotch tasting and dinner at Blue Morel Restaurant and Wine Bar at the Westin Governor Morris, 2 Whippany Road, Morristown. The tasting seminar, featuring a tour of the 12-, 15-, 18-, and 21-year versions, will be followed by a specially created menu by Chef Kevin Takafuji, pairing four courses with the single malts from the tasting. 7 PM; $75 including tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 973-451-2619.
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BEER VS. WINE EVENT
On October 22, the First Annual Beer vs. Wine Event will be held in the Adrian Phillips Ballroom, Boardwalk Hall, 2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. Fifteen American craft breweries and fifteen American wineries will be in attendance, along with twenty local restaurants that will be offering samples of food prepared to enhance the taste of the beers and wines. Local chefs will also perform cooking demos while beer enthusiasts and sommeliers host seminars. 7 to 11 PM; $74.99 in advance, $79.99 at the door. Designated-driver tickets may be purchased for $39.99 at the box office on the day of the event (includes food and entertainment). Tickets are available at the Boardwalk Hall box office, at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com, at www.acbeervswine.com, by calling 800-736-1420 (fees apply), and at Joe Canal’s on Fire Road in Northfield.
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GARY’S GRAND TASTING
On October 20, Gary’s Wine and Marketplace, located at 121 Main Street, Madison (973-822-0200); 100 Morristown Road (Rt 202), Bernardsville (908-766-6699); and 1308 Route 23 North, Wayne (973-633-3900), will hold its Twentieth Annual Grand Tasting at the Park Avenue Club, 184 Park Ave, Florham Park, with all proceeds going to the Interfaith Food Pantry, Atlantic Hospice, the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at Morristown Memorial Hospital, and the Arts Council of the Morris Area. 7 to 9 PM; $75. VIP tickets, which are $100, allow for earlier admission. For ticket information, call 973-633-3900 or log on to www.garyswine.com.
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RISTORANTE GIORGIA, RUMSON
Chef Francesco (Frank) Panucci, originally from Calabria, Italy, is showcasing Italian cuisine at Ristorante Giorgia, which opened in June at 102 Avenue of Two Rivers, Rumson. What this neighborhood eatery lacks in décor it makes up for with the homey and filling dishes it offers. For example, the pasta fagioli, one of the best renditions we’ve had, was a humungous bowl of pasta and beans, thick with ingredients. Made with dried beans rather than canned, it had a spicy sauce that added oomph. Chicken cacciatore included half a chicken on the bone, with a thick sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. It came with roasted potatoes, which added to the jam-packed plate. Spinach acted as a base for veal topped with prosciutto, which would have been better if it wasn’t served to us lukewarm. Ditto for the hard-to-chew, room-temperature bread that would have crisped up with a few minutes in the oven. The ravioli of the day was cauliflower, an intriguing and seldom-seen choice, and although we mostly tasted ricotta, the combination worked.
All of the specials were recited without the prices, and we didn’t ask. We found to our chagrin that the appetizer portion of two ravioli cost $12, a bit steep for a casual BYO. Other menu options included stuffed zucchini, bruschetta, salads, pastas, meat, and seafood such as cod, tuna, salmon, calamari, and seafood stew. Only four dessert choices were available, and we opted for the one made in house, a passable tiramisu that we would have preferred to have more filling and less cake. Ristorante Giorgia is open for dinner every day but Tuesday. For reservations, call 732-741-3880.
Chicken cacciatore.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein.
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WESTFIELD RESTAURANT WEEK
Downtown Westfield Restaurant Week will be celebrated October 9 through 16 with a two-course dinner costing $20 and a two-course lunch for $10. Tax, gratuity, and beverages are not included. For a list of participating restaurants, log on to www.westfieldtoday.com/restaurantweek.
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DINING DEALS
On Sundays, with the purchase of an entrée at lunch or dinner, a bottle of wine from the list is discounted by 25 percent at the Stockton Inn, 1 Main Street, Stockton. For reservations, call 609-397-1250.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Trinity, 84 Broad Street, Keyport, offers a three-course prix-fixe menu for $25. For reservations, call 732-888-1998.
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SAVE THE DATE
On October 27, a panel discussion called So You Want to Be a Food and Wine Blogger? will be held at Montclair High School. Topics to be discussed are how to start blogging, the etiquette of blogging, and what the bloggers on the panel did right or wrong when they started. If you’re interested in blogging, come and hear fascinating stories and advice from those in the field. 7:30 to 9:30 PM; $20. More info is here on page 9: www.adultschool.org/catalog/ASM-Fall2011_web.pdf. Psst: I’m on the panel.
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