Thanksgiving Jitters

The Impala loaded with foodstuffs for the journey to Woodland Hills.

Since I was heading out to Las Vegas for Chuck's 40th Birthday Bash, I decided not to hassle with the holiday travel crush and headed to Los Angeles to hang out with Al and Polly for a week and spend Thanksgiving with our West Coast friends. Planning for our holiday feast started a couple weeks ago and since I've become increasingly focused on quality foods, I encouraged everyone to do the same.

Okay, maybe I was a bit more forceful than "encouraging" since Polly told me after I arrived that everyone felt "pressured" to make something tasty and with thoughtful ingredients.

Sadly for me and my peers, our generation is one of poor eating. Even before I developed this newer sense of awareness, I was continually aghast with the quality of food my friends would lay out at various parties and gatherings - lots of thoughtless slop mish-mashed together into a non-cohesive whole that was a cornucopia of processed and low-grade food The classic example of what plagues our nation today.

I wasn't about to spend all this money and time to fly to Los Angeles for a crappy Thanksgiving meal, so I admit that I was a bit more than "encouraging" in my e-mails, and if it stressed everyone a little to think harder about their food and source their ingredients thoughtfully, then all of us gain.

Al wrestles with the fried turkey.

Working outside of ones' kitchen is always a challenge. At home, I know that I've got an assortment of sieves, pans, pots, Cambros, spiders, knives, high-temp spatulas and a china cap to assist me in my culinary visions. When on the road, one never knows what to expect and since our totalitarian government wants to incarcerate anyone carrying a chef's knife on the plane, it meant leaving home with only a small tub of Italian Sea Salt in tow for our adventures and cooking with whatever tool assortment that was handy. No cherry pitter? Then hand me that small Ginsu Knife and let's get cracking!

I set up a small to-do list that I asked Polly and Al to carry out beforehand since I was only arriving the night before Thanksgiving. Source a nice Diestel Turkey, rinse, dry, salt and cure in the refrigerator, unwrapped, since Monday was the first task. Create a chicken stock was the second. Happily, I arrived to a brillant-looking turkey and a gallon of fresh stock: happiness.

After a quick trip to Super Whole Foods to secure some the final ingredients, we got things rolling. First off, were the sauces: Apple and Cranberry. Laila made those. Peel about five sweet apples, core, chop and toss into a sauce pan with a stick of canela or Mexican Cinnamon. Heat, stir, reduce until it becomes sauce. Add some water, if necessary.

I really don't know the draw with cranberry sauce, but since it's "Americana" we were going to do it. Toss a couple pints of fresh cranberries into a sauce pan, add some water, heat and reduce until it breaks down into sauce. Add sugar to taste. Easy peasy - just takes a little time and patience.

Anna's very tasty and perfectly executed prime rib.

In the morning, Al got his garlic mashed potatoes rolling. Boiled potatoes mashed with garlic, butter and cream. Salt to taste. It was smooth, creamy and oh so garlic-y. Perhaps a bit more garlic than I would have used, but as they always say: "there can never be too much garlic."

Meanwhile, Polly finished off her desserts of Banana Pudding and Lemon Chess Pie. Again, simple creations with simple ingredients. Nice. Laila also carmelized some sugar and orange for the Burnt Orange Ice Cream (recipe on loan from Woodberry Kitchen).

In the morning, we piled everything, everyone and the two dogs into my brand spanking new (with only 5 miles on the odometer) Chevy Impala for the forty minute drive to Anna's place in Woodland Hills.

Anna's Sweet Potato Souffle, Christine's Cumin Cabbage, Christine's Three Cheese Mac N Cheese and Al's Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

After a wild goose chase looking for a place to refill the propane tank for the turkey fryer and a stop at Vallarta Mexican SuperMercado, we finally got down to some serious prep for our Tday feast. Polly did a quick julienne on some potatoes and Al blanched and fried them into a wonderful papas fritas snack for everyone to enjoy and tide them over until dinnertime. It also gave us a little season for the virgin peanut oil.

I've got to say that while the "pressure" may have been on, everyone stepped up to the plate and really made some stellar dishes. Anna, being our host, went all out by roasting a prime rib, making an au jus and freshly baked Yorkshire Pudding. Christine and DJ Un-G whipped up a Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with cheese from the Silver Lake Cheese Shop and a Cumin Cabbage casserole. Christine had offered to pick up some coffee but I already had a bag of Ethiopian Biloya from Stumptown in tow (a gift from 2005 USBC Champion Phuong Tran).

Fried Turkey with Laila's Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Apple and Cranberry Sauce.

Debra, the much loved vegan of the group, brought along Tofurky and stuffing and an edamame salad to meet her dietary needs. She also brought her mom in tow who is visiting from Mexico City. We exchanged great stories about Mexican food and the places to eat in the D.F.. Evidently, she doesn't think too fondly of Patricia Quintana's Izote but does think very highly of Aguila y Sol - a "must eat" for my next trip to Mexico City.

I could write more, but the true enjoyment of the meal was not the food but the gathering of old friends. Friends who I haven't seen in quite some time. It was great just being with them and even better because they really made some wonderful and thoughtful food.

I hope all of your Thanksgiving feasts were just as fulfilling.

Debra's Tofurky and stuffing.

The Boys, Tonka and Moses, guard the turkey fryer and grill outside.

Anna doing finishing touches on the Yorkshire Pudding.

This was Ian's first Thanksgiving.

Conchas from Vallarta Supermercado as a precursor to dessert.

Super Whole Foods

For our Thanksgiving Day shopping excursion, we headed to the relatively new Whole Foods Market in El Segundo. It's fricken huge. Unlike the Whole Foods in Baltimore, this one seems just a bit more thoughtful with better quality ingredients. Not to mention Mexican foodstuffs like dried chiles and tomatillos.

Considering our shopping list, it looks like it's going to be a good Thanksgiving feast.

The Evil of Cinnabon

The D Concourse food court by gate D38.

Beyond the problem of crappy food at the airport is the relentless
boredom while waiting for your flight. I'd us during these times of
insane boredom does the horror come-a-calling.

I'm sitting in the food court of the D concourse at Vegas' McCarran
International Airport and that grotesquely sweet Cinnabon is calling
me as a lurid temptress would. I won't lie, I want her too. Badly.

But deep in my heart (and tummy), I know I don't need it. I'm just
trying to occupy this infernal boredom.

I will resist.

I must...

Sent from my iPhone

UA1223 BWI-LAS

United 1223 to Las Vegas waiting for me to board and looking a bit haggard.

Heading back out to the West Coast again after three days at home in Baltimore. First stop: Las Vegas. Sin City. Two nights of partying for Chuck's 40th birthday then off to Los Angeles for a week to visit Al and Polly and hang out with our West Coast crew. Then maybe some coffee work towards the end of my stay...

Checking Out The Competition, Per Se

The Fifteen Dollar per cup Panama Esmeralda Auction Lot coffee at Caffe Artigiano, Kerrisdale, Vancouver, BC.

During my visit to Vancouver last week, I got into a bit of an argument with 2005 United States Barista Champion Phuong Tran and Mark Prince, owner of coffeegeek.com, regarding "the competition." Perhaps I'm just an arrogant bastard or a impressively moronic idiot, but I'm rarely concerned about the actions and/or service levels of most of our "competition" in the coffee business - including Starbucks.

For them, regular visits to Starbucks and other "indie" shops are a necessary part of business to see what our competition is doing. Without a doubt, Starbucks is the behemoth in our industry. They've got all sorts of resources I cannot begin to dream of understanding. They can launch and market a "pumpkin spice egg nog peppermint latte" that's going to sell millions of units worldwide and use .001% of those earnings to buy my company and smush us out of existence.

But somehow, I'm not too concerned about that.

What I'm concerned about is continually developing and refining what we do to deliver some of the best coffee beverages in America. Thoughtful, considerate and tasty is what concerns me as my approach develops. The rest of the industry does what they do very well: deliver coffee drinks to the mass market. I want to focus on the niche of coffee that actually gives a damn about what they consume.

Because of this, I see visiting Starbucks and indie shops on a regular basis "to see what they're doing" as a disconnect for me. Does Thomas Keller regularly visit Cheesecake Factory to see what they're up to lately? Somehow, I think not.

Meanwhile, I read the coffee industry forums that are filled with chatter and discussion about what Starbucks is doing lately. There are literally hordes of indie coffeeshop owners obsessed with checking out, hating and beating Starbucks - yet they offer the very same menu Starbucks offers. These people are my line onto what Starbucks is doing. I don't need to waste thirty minutes of my day visiting one to see for myself what these people are up in arms about this week. That's distraction to my goals.

Instead, I want to be inspired. I want to strive for something more than a mocha frappuccino in a sixteen ounce cup.

For me, I'm not interested in visiting Starbucks to see what they're doing, I'm interested in visiting places that are doing things at a much higher level. I want to see a higher standard to strive for. I want us to do things beyond expectation.

This is the main reason why visiting places such as Charlie Trotter's and Alinea are so important to me. These restaurants operate at the highest levels. They are amongst The Best. I want to see first-hand what they are doing to see if there is something we can emulate and import into our own approach. Food standards, service standards, decor - anything is possible. What is it that makes these places thoughtful and compelling? I want to know. And I want to import that.

That's why next month I've secured reservations for four at Thomas Keller's Per Se in New York City.

On Assignment

I'm visiting the Pacific Northwest this week and as usual during my trips away, updates to this blog are a long-time coming. But rest assured, I'm eating relatively well, visiting friends and generally having a good time on the road.

Just to let you know, Bronwen took us to Machiko's in West Seattle and Tavolata in Belltown. Mark Prince brought us to Metro in Vancouver where we were hosted by the always brilliant Barrett Jones. Jen Prince and Maki Campbell took me to the new Seattle Stumptown and we visited the 49th Parallel Roastery today.

More details to follow...

Fruit Of The Sea

The shrimp fresh out of the broiler.

The other night I was lucky enough to score a bag of farmed shrimp through Spike from Two Oceans Seafood. It's been sitting in the fridge for the past two days and really needed to be used. Something simple, something quick, but there's no time to create a shopping list, just see what we've got here at the house.

A couple of sweet onions, some capers, a lime, few cloves of garlic and a tub of Trickling Springs butter and we're off to the races. Set the oven to broil and tossed the cast iron skillet in to heat up while the prep began.

I really enjoyed the peeled shrimp at Woodberry the other night so I set off to shell (with the heads remaining) the entire lot. It's painstaking and rather frustrating work. Pull too hard on the whiskers and the head cap comes off. Pull the shell at the wrong angle and the entire head is severed. Short of using my paring knife, I was never able to remove the shell entirely without losing the fins in the process. Those guys at Woodberry are just so much better than me.

After about fifteen or so shrimp, that was enough, I gave up. The rest will just have to be with the shells on. By this point, the pan is nice and hot, pull it out of the oven, set it on the stove (no heat), toss in some butter (sizzle, sizzle), the onions, the garlic, the capers, toss in the shrimp, squeeze some lime juice on top, stir, salt and back into the blazing oven.

A few moments later, give the shrimp another stir to mix and expose all sides to the flaming heat and then it's done. Just get them orange and don't go any further. Too long and they get hard and chewy.

Heated some rice in the microwave and that was today's breakfast. Not a bad way to start the day. Repeat the process for the remaining shrimp and save a few to make sinigang later.

More shrimp fresh out of the broiler and ready for the fridge.

Dub "K"

I won't go into a long narrative here with another post about Woodberry Kitchen. For my loyal readers, you already know that The Kitchen is good, this is just testimony to that fact. "The Berlin", "The Goodrow" and "The Alicia" were in town for dinner at "Dub K". The Goodrow is on his way to work at New York City's Ninth Street Espresso, The Alicia is on her way to wrestle the EPA (that's Environmental Protection Agency, for the civilians in the group) and The Berlin is just, well, on his way.

Being that I'm surrounded by such illustrious coffee (and environmental) people, Spike and the kitchen decided to cook for us. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Wood Oven Roasted Oysters with Bacon.

Oysters Iced, On The Half Shell with mignonette and cocktail sauce.

Squash Rings with dipping sauce.

Various Beets, yogurt cheese and lovage oil.

Wood Oven Roasted Shrimp 'n Grits

The Rockfish Special - a bit on the rare side, but I liked it.

Bone-In Pork Chop - sous vide, braised with greens, tomatoes and new potatoes.

Oven Roasted Mixed Cauliflower.

Carrots and Their Tops - roasted carrots with carrot cap puree.

Cast Iron Roast Chicken - Chard, grits, pan sauce. Definitely the highlight of the meal for me. Perfectly cooked boneless half chicken that was flavorful, tender and moist throughout.

Cast Iron Ribeye - Cheddar potato gratin, house steak sauce.

Frozen Yogurt. Nice flavor and great texture.

Date Pudding. My personal favorite dessert - too rich for me alone.

Isaiah teaches Alicia how to sling fugas into the oven.

"I-Fed" showing his Dub K Pride after another late night baking bread.

Apple Cider, Interrupted

I get excited over ingredients. From the nape of an ancho chile to a side of beef hanging in the locker in Mount Airy. If it's good and tasty, it's something I can get excited about.

Over the weekend, I picked up a couple gallons of apple cider from Reid Orchards. They were very excited about this weeks' blend because so many of their apples were ripe and ready to go. Until that point, I hadn't even thought that apple cider could be a thoughtful blend of apples to create a whole, but now I knew better.

I grabbed a gallon and brought it to my niece's birthday party in Virginia and we ended up drinking the entire gallon - so much for protecting The Spro's inventory...

As I was tasting the cider, it inspired me to play with a simple recipe of slightly warmed cider, a single shot of Hines espresso, topped with a layer of half & half foam. Light, fruity, complex and creamy. A seasonal drink for the fall. A drink I thought might be nice for the menu at Woodberry Kitchen (if they'll have it).

The only problem is that I don't have a name for it.

Cena Ahora

The Enchilada de Mole and a beef and cheese quesadilla at Fiesta Mexicana!

Caffe Fresco Garanzia di Qualita

Memoirs from Sant'Eustachio il Caffe.

It always nice when a long-time customer remembers you while on vacation. One of our long-time customers, who has been with us since Jay's Shave Ice and now at The Spro, recently took an Italian holiday and visited Rome's famous Sant'Eustachio il Caffe. He brought us a couple pictures, a drink receipt and a small bag of their noble coffee.

It was a kind and thoughtful gift and is greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to sampling the coffee.

Almost Off The Menu

Cast Iron Ribeye modified with french fries and fried egg.

Hadn't hung out with Christine and Chef Mike for some time, so we made a date so they could try out Woodberry Kitchen. I was late getting out of The Spro so they had started off without me. Mike and Christine are adventurous eaters and are up for anything. In other words, my kind of people.

It was one of those nights where you seem to know everyone in the place. Beyond the Woodberry crew, there's Guti (pronounced goo-tee, as in Gutierrez) sitting at the Captain's Table with his entourage, Juan Manuel and Michelle are to the left and there's Tamara with her Scandinavian boyfriend (whom I always seem to run into when he's just about to winter back home in Europe). The Kitchen is getting a strangely family kind of feeling and you'll never know who you're going to run into.

Anyway to make a long story short, I finally got to try the Indian Summer Flatbread. Tasty. Sweet. Me likey. But what I was really looking forward to was the modified ribeye. Juan Manuel had come by The Spro earlier and we were chatting about menu options and how nice it would be to have the ribeye with french fries and topped with a fried egg instead of the potato gratin - and that's the way I had it. Just right with a little bit of yolk to act as a sauce. Nice.

Of course, Mike is similar to me in that a meal isn't complete without some rice. What better way to compliment the ribeye than with an order of the Bacon & Egg Fried Rice?

Lovely.

Smells Like Sweet Potatoes

Roasted samples from Royal Coffee New York ready for the cupping.

Finally got around to roasting the samples from Royal yesterday and cupped them today. The problem with cupping at The Spro is that I'm continually serving customers, which means that cupping five samples took all day long. It took awhile, but I got through them. Unfortunately, I did not find any of the coffees to be compelling. Nothing to get excited over. Nothing that I'm rushing out to purchase. Some were nice. Some were not. None of them were horrible, though. Some just were "meh" - kinda nothing on the palate.

It seems like this sourcing and roasting thing is going to take a long, long time.

Juan Manuel happened to be at The Spro today so I invited him to join in the cupping. Not too long after, my old friend and business partner, Sam Holmes stopped by with his son Michael to return some books and joined in the cupping. At first, I didn't think Michael was interested but at one point he just walked up, took a sniff and laid down some science. Descriptions such as "sweet potato," "metallic," "boiled potatoes" and more poured from his lips. And he was right. Quite impressive to see this young man working the cupping spoon along with the rest of us and, hopefully, a good omen for the appreciation of coffee.

Michael Holmes rockin' the slurp while cupping an El Salvador Cerra Las Ranas.

Good Breakfast Hunting

The French Toast - in serious need of help.

Had some extra time this morning and decided that I would go out and have a proper breakfast. A couple places came to mind in Baltimore but I wanted to stay in Towson, so I hit the pavement to see what I could find.

My first stop was at a local bakery cafe. As many of you know, coffee in the "real world" is quite disappointing, so I grabbed a cup of the house blend from The Spro before heading out to accompany my meal. I've eaten here before and wanted to give them another try. Looking over their menu, I decided to go with their French Toast. Would have liked to have some meat or eggs but the price would have doubled and I decided to pass.

The French Toast had some promising ideas: baguette, sliced almonds. Nice thoughts but the execution was flat. The bread was too thick so the egg didn't penetrate, leaving a doughy interior that was just unpleasant. Unlike Hawaiian Bread which is soft and fluffy on the inside (not to mention sweet), a baguette is tougher and less forgiving. The almonds added a nice crunch but that was the highlight of the dish. It wasn't "good", but certainly it wasn't "bad" - it was uninspired. Flat. Boring. Ho-hum. I left completely unsatisfied and regretting my choice.

Zia's Beef-filled Empanada. Tasty but with an odd shell.

As I wandered the streets of Towson, I decided to visit Zia's Cafe. The owner had stopped by The Spro a few times and she seemed pleasant enough but I hadn't had the time for a proper visit.

Zia's is a cute, brightly colored cafe that specializes in organic foodstuffs, coffee and fruit drinks. Since I'm always wary of coffee no matter where I visit, I orderd a fruit smoothie and picked up a beef empanada that they heated for me.

The smoothie was nice, pleasant, thick, smooth and tasty without being overtly sweet. A bit of tang, a bit of sweet, it was quite enjoyable. The empanada was like many of the "organic" and "vegan" stuff I've tried - not bad, just slightly weird. Since it was beef, it was decidedly un-vegan. The stuffing was tasty and nicely done but I found the shell to be on the dry side with an odd, unfamiliar texture. When you've grown up eating Filipino-style empanadas with their rich shell or the Mexican style with the crispy corn masa, then this shell really is something different. Not bad, just different than what I'm used to and in need of a good spoonful of lard.

Certainly, there must be a way to make manteca "healthy"!

Zia's was a pleasant time. An enjoyable time. A moment to sit quietly and enjoy the food. And a redemption of my morning after that French Toast debacle.

The Morning Roast

A full sack of Idido Misty Valley beans from Ethiopia awaits its' slaughter.

Sundays have become the days that I hate to leave my house. It's the one day a week that I enjoy being home and don't want to work. Of course, "work" always follows me and that can't be helped. But it's usually enjoyable work that I choose to do rather than must do.

Today, I decided to smoke the chiles habanero and black beans I picked up yesterday at the Waverly Farmers' Market. Got the smoker set up and realized that I should roast some coffee while I'm at it as well, so I fired up the Petroncini.

It was a good time. Spent the morning roasting up three batches of Mexican Chiapas and one batch of Misty Valley. I'm a neophyte roaster so I'm having some consistency issues, but no matter - we press on. Lunch will be in a couple hours, so I tossed a ribeye into the lower half of the smoker and let it do God's Work.

After lunch, I took my siesta then proceeded for an afternoon round of roasting a variety of coffee samples from Royal New York and another batch of Misty Valley. The peppers and beans were done, so pulled those out to cool. A couple hours later, I've got fifteen pounds of coffee, a six pan of dried habaneros and two pounds of smoked black beans. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

Fresh Beans

There are those who believe that Baltimore's Waverly neighborhood is the next for a social renaissance with the adjacent rejuventaion of Charles Village, but I don't know.

Either way, Waverly is host to the city's only year-round farmer's market and I finally made it down for my first visit. Spike needed to shop for Woodberry Kitchen and I just needed to get out of the house. It's a relatively small or pretty decent-sized farmers' market (depending on how big your farmers' market is) but the selection is pretty good. Local favorites, like One Straw Farm, are there and there's quite a bit to choose from. I ended up buying some chile habanero, apple cider and fresh beans (butter, black and lima). I've never experienced fresh beans before and am looking forward to cooking with them. After years of dried or canned, it was kinda odd to see them fresh and ready to use. Just wish I had more time to use them right away but, alas, they will be vacuum packed and frozen until it's time.

Spike, on the other hand, went off. He buys like I prefer to do: in mass quantities and with full abandon. What's that over there? Something fresh and exciting? We'll take a case. Maybe two. Onions are in short supply locally, so we'll take whatever you have. And those shallots too. And you with the $10 frenched lamb racks - we'll take it all. Let's have five crates of apples and why don't we throw in four gallons of cider while we're at it. Fresh beans? Do you have an extra bucket? No? Be back tomorrow. We'll need two cases of red peppers for that special. And is that all the kale you have left? We'll take that too. What? You'll cut us some fresh herbs for tomorrow? Snap! And how about a couple more cases of lettuce...

We filled up the bed of my Sonoma pickup and it's still not enough to satisfy the needs of the restaurant. But it's always cool driving around packed to the gills with product.

Even More from "The Kitchen"

This was my late-night supper. Two new specials at Woodberry Kitchen. Locally farmed shrimp cooked in the brick oven with onions and a tomato-based sauce and beef & raisin stuffed bell pepper.

The shrimps were thoughtfully peeled but served with the head-on, which is something I can appreciate. For the Asian in me, it's always a pleasure to suck the guts out of a head of shrimp. There's a couple of tiny, but flavorful, morsels in there for the knowledgeable. My first thought was: "how nice a touch this will be for their Asian clients", followed by: "how horrified some of their American clients will be." I find it a strange oddity how America has a hard time dealing with food that hasn't been beheaded. Maybe it's guilt. The shrimp were nicely done and served wonderfully hot. A few deft moves with my knife and these big shrimp were mine.

The stuffed pepper was also cooked in the oven and served hot. Nice flavor to the beef that's crisply accented with the sweetness from the raisins and the sweet twang of the bell pepper. I enjoyed it.

Los Siete Moles de Oaxaca

Chilaquiles con Salsa de Tomatillo, Queso y Cilantro.

After spending yesterday morning at Titita Ramirez's cooking demonstration, I decided that I had to go down to Oyamel and try her seven moles. Was going to go last night, but thought that I should go out with friends on Halloween, so I saved the trip for tonight. Of course, I didn't count on the fact that I was completely and utterly exhausted due to working long hours, running all over the city and waiting until late at night to ring Ana, then having to get up again the next morning with only four hours of sleep. After a week of this kind of schedule, I was beat tired and wasn't looking forward to the drive to DC.

But drive I must to deliver the latest and greatest in food adventures for my energetic readers.

Met up with CapitolSwell around 9:30pm and was seated right away. This was my second time visiting Oyamel. The first was right after my return from Mexico City with Spike, Mariano and Luisa. There were some questions in my mind then and I wanted to settle them with this trip.

The notion that Titita Ramirez would be hosted by Jose Andres and Oyamel was a bit ironic in my mind. During my Mexico City trip, the chilaquiles at Ramirez's El Bajio were the best I sampled and I've since modeled my own approach after hers. The chilaquiles from Oyamel in September were, well, I won't go into that here. More on that later...

Oyamel is Jose Andres' interpretation of Mexican "street food." It's a nicely done restaurant with a very modern interior design that incorporates Mexican "touches" to give it flair. Orange hues on the wall, lots of candles and decidedly Dia de Los Muertos decorations for the occasion: skulls, paper cutouts. Overall, nicely done, but I could do without the very modern touches, like the steel bulkhead and uncomfortable seat cushions that compress to much so that your legs are pinched by the frame. The lighting is very moody, which is nice for the ambience, but too low to see your food.

As is our usual Modus Operandi, we decided to order a number of plates to share. As soon as I sat down, I orderd their Papas al Mole right away to get us rolling. French fries drizzled with mole poblano, queso cotija y crema. Served in what looked like a stiff paper hot dog holder, it meant to reinforce the notion of "street food." However, I would have preferred that the fries came out hot instead of on the warm side as though it had been sitting at the pass for some time. Otherwise, the flavors of the mole were quite enjoyable: deep, rich, twangs of chocolate. It would have been nicely done had the fries come out hot.

Tacos were next on our list. Unfortunately, they were out of the one I was looking forward to trying: Tacos de Chapulines, the Oaxacan specialty of sauteed grasshoppers. That was lame. CapitolSwell ordered the Carnitas con salsa de tomatillo taco - confit of baby pig with green tomatillo sauce (I didn't know there was any other variety), pork rinds, onion and cilantro. Sounds pretty good, right?

Now, if you're someone that goes to traditional Mexican taco joints, you kinda know what to expect. Some meat, some stuff and two corn tortillas. If you're like me and find the stuffing to be quite generous, you pull apart the tortillas and make two. The carnitas came out completely stuffed - to the gills. With only one tortilla. I sampled it. The pork was tender and flavorful, the ground pork rinds added some texture and the seasoning was just right - no need to add stuff like you do at the taco joints. But the thing was so overstuffed that the meat overwhelmed everything else. Out of balance. Too much meat and the corn tortilla was lost.

Quesadilla Huitlacoche.

The next round brought us the Quesadilla Huitlacoche and Chilaquiles con Salsa de Tomatillo, Queso y Cilantro - which is a lot of name for just chilaquiles, but more on that later.

For those of you unfamiliar, huitlacoche is a black corn fungus that's not readily found in America but a delicacy in Mexico. They called it a "Black Mexican Truffle" at Oyamel, which, I guess, is accurate in that a truffle (as we know them from France) is also a fungus, but I found it odd and a bit misleading to label it a "truffle." They've already called a grasshopper a "grasshopper", why not call a fungus a "fungus"?

The huitlacoche was nicely done. A bit plain as a folded quesadilla, I wondered how it might turn out wrapped in corn masa and deep fried. Mixed with yellow corn and Queso Oaxaqueno, it was enjoyable and demonstrated flavors unusual to the American palate that surprised CapitolSwell.

After what I thought was a tasty, but unfortunate show of the chilaquiles the last time we were here, I decided to order it again to see if it was just an off night or if that's really how they do it here. Sadly, it was the latter rather than the former.

At El Bajio, which I am now holding as the definition of chilaquiles on my tongue, the tortillas are laid out and coated with the salsa, then sprinkled with crumbled cheese, Mexican crema, topped with a fried egg and served with a side of refried beans. To me, it is what chilaquiles are all about. A luxurious juxtaposition of chips softened by the sauce and other chips keeping their crunch. Es divino.

I hate to say it, but the chilaquiles at Oyamel are little more than glorified Nachos to satisfy the American palate. Served in a nice-looking cazuela, the chips are drenched in salsa verde before being smothered in Queso Chihuahua y Queso Oaxaqueno that is then melted and blistered under a broiler. If you're looking for something very similar to "Nachos", this is the dish. But if you're looking for an understanding of chilaquiles, this is not the one.

Earlier I said that I thought it was "ironic" that Titita Ramirez would be hosted by Oyamel - that's because of my chilaquiles comparison. That hers were amazing and theirs lackluster. I wish they would have Titita go through their menu a bit.

But all of that is just idle chatter, the reason we were here tonight was because of Titita Ramirez's Mole. This is why I had made two trips to DC in two days - and risked killing myself at the wheel due to exhaustion.

The "Day of the Dead" Specials from Carmen "Titita" Ramirez listed:

Margarita de Chamoy
Titita's margarita with Siembra Azul Blanco tequila, tamarind, chile and salt air

7 Moles de Oaxaca
Take a tour of Oaxaca and its' seven traditional moles. Served with grilled chicken, seared duck breast, pork rib, refried beans and a side of house made tortillas.

Camote y Pina
A traditional "Day of the Dead" dessert of sweet potato and pineapple puree served with pineapple soup.

Calabaza en Tacha y Bunuelo
Calabaza pumpkin candied with piloncillo sugar and spices and served with deep fried pastry.

7 Moles de Oaxaca.

The seven moles were quite a production. Two plates and a woven basket for the tortillas. On the side plate were the moles, each in its' own little saucer ready for dipping. Of course, the plates arrived and no one told us what mole was what. A few moments later, our waiter, who seemed quite new to restaurant service, came by to inform us that the green was the mole verde and that the moles continued down the list in the same order:

Mole Verde
A delicate mole made with fresh greens and typically served with vegetables.

Mole Manchamantel
A fruity mole that includes pineapple, sweet potato and plantain.

Mole Coloradito
A red mole made with a unique chile only found in Oaxaca.

Mole Almendrado
A red mole made with almonds and dried chiles.

Mole Amarillo
A yellow mole made with avocado leaves and a unique yellow chile found in Oaxaca.

Mole Chichilo
A mole made with unique Oaxacan chiles and tomatillo.

Mole Negro
The King of Moles. Mole Negro has a smoky and earthy flavor.

The problem was that there must have been some disconnect between the kitchen and the front of the house because our moles were not in that order.

Because of my experience in Mexico City, I'm a fan of El Bajio. Which is why it pains me to report that I was underwhelmed with the moles.

Granted, I'm no expert with mole. I barely know anything about them. But, for some reason, these just didn't dazzle me. There were hints of something special, but nothing powerful was spoken. The little that I do know about mole is that it's more a smothering sauce, designed to cover whatever meat is being served. Since these were served in little sauces, I think the moles lose context and, therefore, they lose their meaning and power.

I tried dipping pieces of duck, chicken, pork and beef in all the sauces but found it unsatisfying. For someone without any knowledge of these foods, I think it would have been a more powerful statement for the moles to be served individually - in the meat most appropriate for the mole, as decided by Titita Ramirez. I imagine that's how it's done at El Bajio and I wish it was done here as well. CapitolSwell also noted that there were just too many competing flavors for anyone to fully comprehend and appreciate any of them.

That said, I liked the Mole Almendrado the best. It had a nice, thick texture. Rich, warm and enjoyable. Just wish it's flavor was a bit more pronounced.

Sopes con Polvo de Chicharron.

Next up and a bit out of order, was the Sopes con Polvo de Chicharron. Four "traditional" corn flour cakes topped with ground pork rind and house made guacamole.

You know you're in some sort of interpretation of traditional food when the sopes come out the size of silver dollar coins. The corn masa tortilla "cakes" were crispy and nicely done. The guacamole had a bit of spice and kick to it, but the chicharron were just gratuitous. They were piled on high and didn't really make any sense on a flavor scale. The quantity was as though they were putting it on a normal sized sope. The pork rinds were just "too much" and overpowered everything else. For two people that love pork fried anything - especially fried pork rinds, to see half the order remaining on our plate was just telling.

Calabaza en Tacha y Bunuelo.

Moving into the dessert section, I decided to go with the special Calabaza en Tacha y Bunuelo while CapitolSwell went with Pastel de Tres Leches con Pina - traditional cake soake in Myers rum and three kinds of milk, with rum & milk foam, fresh pineapple gelatin and pinepple salsa, with a scoop of dark caramel ice cream.

The calabaza was something I had read about in some Mexican cookbooks. It looked interesting, so I went with it. Not bad. The pumpkin was soft and had a sweet and nutty flavor from the piloncillo. The accompanying pastry was crispy and coated with cinnamon and sugar but otherwise unremarkable.

The Tres Leches cake had a decidedly modern twist with the foam and gelatin. The gelatin was lightly sweet and thick. But the flavor of the cake with caramel ice cream was pretty darn good. A highlight of the meal. While I returned to my pumpkin (without ice cream), I secretly wished I could swipe CapitolSwell's cake.

My gentle readers know that I'm in the coffee business. Those in the coffee business know that I'm a pretty opinionated operator who's made the call for better coffee in restaurants. I already knew that Oyamel was using Mexican Chiapas coffee from Southern Skies Coffee in Sykesville, but did our server know that as well?

After a few moments of questioning and our server consulting with the manager, he returned to inform us that the coffee being served was indeed a Mexican Chiapas from Southern Skies. He even brought along the five pound bag to show us. Nice.

When dining, I regularly ask our servers these questions. If the coffee isn't up to my expectations and is from a less than compelling roaster, I decline coffee. I urge all of you to do the same. The more people that demand quality coffee, the sooner restauranteurs and chefs will wake up and smell it.

Decided to go with the Chiapas that our server said was made recently. The coffee came out in glass cups with steam rising from the liquid. But it was on the cooler side of 180F. I didn't have any problems drinking it because of heat. However, the coffee was drip filtered and lacked the body of a French pressed coffee. Not exactly the perfect crown to a meal but superior than most restaurants.

Pastel de Tres Leches con Pina.

All in all, I was disappointed. Maybe I hyped it up in my mind too much. Maybe El Bajio and their chilaquiles weren't that good. Maybe it was that good because I was with Ana - heck, I could have eaten at McDonald's with her and thought it was the best meal of my life. Whatever the case, I guess I expected a lot from this dinner and what we were served left me underwhelmed and unsatisfied.

I sat there for a long time at the time trying to analyze and understand why I wasn't blown away by the moles and I think it's context. If a certain someone ever invites me to visit Mexico City again (hint, hint - I'm ready), El Bajio will be top on my list to try these moles as they should be served: in context.

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana
401 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-628-1005
www.oyamel.com

Dia de Los Muertos

Today and tomorrow, Mexicans in Mexico and throughout the world celebrate a holiday known as Day of the Dead. No, it's not some horror flick, it's long tradition and I thought we'd bring a little of that to The Spro.

Senora Lopez at Fiesta Mexicana made these little tables of food for Dia de Los Muertos, so I picked one up the other night and today it's on the front counter with a candle and a cappuccino.

Friends and longtime readers of this blog know that I'm not Mexican. I'm Filipino. And while there may be a tradition in the Philippines called Araw ng mga Patay (same meaning), it's something that my family never celebrated outside of, maybe, going to church for the Roman Catholic observance of All Saints Day.

According to what I understand about Dia de Los Muertos, the day celebrates those of our friends and family who have died. The candle is the light guiding the deceased back to this world. A table is set with a photo of the remembered and their favorite foods. On our table, we have a photo of beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. In the center of the table is the traditional pan de muerto, a sweet bread with the shapes of bones on top. Surrounding the pan de muerto are: rum, tequila, Electropura agua, Coca-Cola, frutas, arroz con huevo, mole, frijoles, leche de Alpura and Zucaritas cereal. And since we're at The Spro, I've added a cappuccino.

In traditional celebrations, it can days of planning and labor to prepare the food and everything for Dia de Los Muertos, but what happens to the food? I wondered that too. Throughout the day, no one touches the food. It's for the dead and no one else. It's for them to eat. Of course, as per usual with ethereal beings, they are unable to consume the food (as we understand consumption) and the food is disposed of at the end of the holiday.

Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated on both November 1st and 2nd, and even if you aren't Mexican, it seems to me to be a good way to remember our deceased loved ones.

More From "The Kitchen"

The baked cheese special - locally produced Chevre and black peppercorn crusted cheddar baked in the brick oven and served with house made toast strips.

Here's another snapshot from the crew at Woodberry Kitchen for our family member living out there in Ireland. How's it going, Chris?

From D.F. to D.C.

The son-in-law (center) waxes poetic, while Chef Ramirez (in white) watches on.

Readers of this blog might remember my visit to El Bajio with Ana and Tia Cristy back in September. While they're known for other dishes, I found their chilaquiles to be spectacular and a style that I've been trying to recreate ever since. It's a wonderful restaurant whose menu I hope to explore a bit more on my next visit to the DF.

How pleased I was to receive an email from Jeff of Southern Skies Coffee informing me that Chef Ramirez would be giving a cooking demonstration this morning at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC. So, in spite of waiting until 1:30 in the morning to chat with Ana, I rousted myself out of bed at 6am to begin the long journey down to DC.

After a forty minute commute down to Baltimore's Penn Station, a fifty minute train ride on Amtrak, a 25 minute ride on The Metro (including a train malfunction and two train changes), and a ten minute walk, I arrived at the Cultural Institute just a few minutes shy of the 10am scheduled time. But in true Mexican style, the session would start fashionably late. When I arrived at 9:50am, I was the lone attendee. However, by the time they started, there were about 30 people in the beautifully ornate hall.

The session was led by Carmen Titita Ramirez Degollado, chef and owner of El Bajio, her youngest daughter Maria (a chef who attended CCA in San Francisco) and Maria's husband (also a chef, hailing from Spain).

Surrounded by wood cutting boards, butane burners, glass jugs of agua fresca and mounds of fresh ingredients, Chef Ramirez went to town. First, she started off showing how to make Almendrado, a mole made from almonds, onion and garlic. The second demonstration was on how to make Mole Verde using a wide assortment of greens.

Surprisingly, the preparations were simple and looked relatively easy. I've heard stories about Mexican abuelas spending days grinding and preparing mole. Because of those stories, an attempt at mole always seemed daunting, at best.

I still have to pour through my notes, but here's the best I can do at the moment: the Almendrado consisted simply of almonds, ancho chiles, onions and garlic. Roast the almonds and chiles, saute the onions and garlic, then combine in a blender until pureed. "Re-fry" in oil and it's done.

The Mole Verde on the left and the Almendrado on the right.

The Mole Verde was similarly simple: cilantro, hoja santa, epazote, hoja de chayote, chile poblano, chile jalapeno, chayote, green beans, peas, zucchini, green fava beans, white onion and garlic. Blend the onions and garlic together with some water, into a pot. Blend the leafy veggies, then into the pot. Heat it up and simmer with the chopped veggies and you're good to go.

Of course, it's slightly more involved than that. They didn't talk proportions or measurements so it's going to be a trial and error kind of approach over the next few days.

The flavors (to me) were new and interesting. I thought they could use a bit more salt to give the flavors better pronunciation, but it sparked my interest and I'll have to start making my shopping list for the weekend soon.

But if you're in the DC area (or willing to drive down to DC), then get to Oyamel before Friday to catch Chef Ramirez's cooking in honor of Mexico's Dia de los Muertos.

I'll be there tonight!

The Fridge

The Motherlode.

Was trying to organize the fridge after a morning breakfast of chipotle chilaquiles and thought I would share my current stock (starting from left to right):

- a third pan filled with camembert, cheddar and gouda cheeses
- one Haas avocado, just about ripe
- nine pan of crumbled queso anejo
- ziplock bag of queso chihuahua
- 2qt cambro of chipotle chilaquiles sauce (just reheat)
- cup of homemade herb butter
- Queso Oaxaqueno
- Queso Fresco
- 2qt cambro of guacamole
- 2qt cambro of salsa verde
- 1qt jar of chimichurri (hiding behind the guac)
- 1 ribeye steak from Springfield Farms
- 1 vacuum pack farm-raised chopped pork
- 1 pound salted butter from Trickling Springs Creamery
- 1 squeeze bottle of Mexican-style crema

On the window sill, in a six pan, I've got fresh cilantro, green onions and asparagus in water, ready to eat.