Eating Oaxaqueno

DJ Un-G and Christine contemplate their orders after the opening round of chips, salsa and pan dulce.

If there's anywhere in the United States that has to have good Mexican food, it's here in Los Angeles. With just over half the people in California of Mexican/Hispanic ethnicity, there's got to be some authentic food because these people have to eat and I cannot imagine that Taco Bell and Del Taco will suffice for that crowd.

With that in mind and a sense of adventure, we made our way to West Los Angeles to check out Restaurante Monte Alban in the citys' "Little Oaxaca" - a strip of Oaxacan style joints on Santa Monica Boulevard just west of the 405 Freeway. The interior is pretty simple. Nothing fancy. Nothing about the interior design really struck a chord. Although the case of pan dulce greeting you as you enter warmed my heart because I felt good things were about to come.

The nice thing about being here in L.A. is that my friends here love to eat. No food is "too exotic" for them. If it's edible, they'll put it in their mouths and who can fault anyone for that? Besides myself, it was Al and Polly. Anna and Christian brought Ian in tow down from Woodland Hills. DJ Un-G and Christine came down from Silver Lake and we had a full table.

Clayuda con Quesillo, Cecina y Tazajo - corn tortilla with black beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, cabbage, cilantro, beef, pork and strip cheese.

The chips and salsa landed on our table right away. These were proper tortilla chips. Thick and freshly fried as they should be. The salsa was a bit thin and runny but had decent flavor.

Since my visit to Mexico City where Senora Garcia had introduced me to the custom of pan dulce before the meal, I've been hooked and was excited to start off with a couple conchas and a pretzel shaped bread with a cup of chocolate con leche. Ah, muy delicioso!

Quesadilla de Queso y Pollo - deep fried corn dough with black beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa and cheese, stuffed with chicken and cheese.

From there, we went right into the first courses of empanada con queso y pollo and a large clayuda, both of which were just delicious.

Main courses different for everyone. I had the Mole Negro, the house specialty and the supposed heart of Oaxacan cuisine. This was the reason I had traveled to West L.A.. The dish is a chicken breast smothered with the mole and served with rice. The sauce was thinner than the mole negro served at Fiesta Mexicana in Baltimore, but the flavor was rich, complex and beautifully balanced. Unfortunately, the chicken breast was over cooked and a bit on the dry side. Luckily, these was enough mole to help cover the dryness up.

While I liked my mole Anna, on the other hand with her Mole Amarillo came to the conclusion tht she really doesn't find mole appealing. I got to sample a bite of her mole and found it to be a bit flat on the flavor. There was richness but nothing about the flavor popped. Perhaps a nice application of salt would help.

The House Specialty: Mole Negro - Chicken breast covered with Oaxacan black mole sauce made from 30 spices, dry chiles, seeds, herbs and chocolate with rice.

Christine ordered the Chilaquiles, which is a favorite dish of mine (and hers as well). These chilaquiles were far different than what we're used to. This one was definitely more brothy and lacked the textural contrast that I prefer in chilaquiles.

Overall, I think everyone enjoyed their first foray in Oaxacan cuisine. Personally, I think it's going to take a few more trips to Oaxacan restaurants before I can develop an understanding and proper appreciation for the cuisine, but so far so good.

Our meal decided for us that I would make chilaquiles the next afternoon for a late lunch and since we missed the opportunity to use the turkey fryer to fry some fresh tortillas, I ended up buying a couple of bags of Monte Alban's very tasty tortilla chips. If only these kinds of chips were easier to source...

Amarillo de Res - Yellow mole flavored with dry chiles, pepper and cumin with beef and rice.

Enchiladas de Pollo - Three tortillas dipped in black mole, folded and sprinkled with cheese, onions, parsley with chicken on the side.

Chilaquiles con Pollo - Tortilla pieces in a spicy tomato sauce, sprinkled with cheese, onion and green salsa.

Enfrijoladas

Restaurante Monte Alban
11929 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-444-7736

Tee Tea

While here in the South Bay of Los Angeles, I've been spending some time just touring the Mexican and Asian/Japanese markets. While I've always been a big defender of Baltimore and the variety of ingredients one can find in Maryland, I have to admit that some places trump the offerings back home. In Baltimore, there is one tortilleria. Here in L.A., there are plenty and we happened across the famous Diana's earlier today that offered not only fresh corn masa but the damp smell of boiling tripe filled the air for tomorrows' pozole. Evidently, Diana's is popular not only for their tortillas but their pozole as well - to the tune of nine very large stock pots filled with tripe that will be all gone by tomorrow afternoon and the boiling will commence once again.

After spending the afternoon visiting various Mexican markets and the Marukai supermarket filled with many of the Japanese ingredients I so crave, in a shopping center filled with numerous Asian stores, Polly and I decided to have our afternoon merienda at Tea Station.

If you've never been to one of these modern Chinese style tea rooms, I think it should be a "must visit". I've been to other American-owned tea joints and they always seem to try too hard to be "Asian" or "Asian influenced." At places like Tea Station, its' understated elegance. The Chinese made chairs and merchandise displays are refined and not the gaudy "this is an Asian place" kind of interior design. It's comfortable without losing respect for the tea.

And unlike the "Asian Tea Joints" I've been to, there's no weird smelling patchouli incense lingering over your nostrils or menu items that reek of being "Asian inspired." No, my friends, there is none of that "Cumin Spiced Brown Rice with mango chutney" nonsense. Just simple East Asian delicacies like Sweet Milk Butter Toast, Fried Taro Balls and maybe the odd-ish sounding Tea Flavored Spiced Pork Slices.

At Tea Station, the menu is intense. It's large and varied. Well, sort of. It's got a lot of options for the tea drinker. Whether you like it hot, cold, with boba, with milk, traditional, with crushed ice, with jelly ice, as a healthy drink or with flavors, there's something for just about everyone. Don't know if this is good or bad but since they stick with tea (and maybe the odd coffee drink), they at least remain somewhat focused and that usually augurs something tasty to come.

For our merienda, Polly ordered the Milk Tea while I ordered the Royal Tea with boba. If you've heard of "bubble tea" then you know what boba is all about (and it has nothing to do with Fett). If you don't know what either of those are then they're basically large tapioca balls that adds texture to your beverage. If you're not Asian and you don't understand, not to worry, you'll get to try it sooner or later. If you're Asian and don't understand, well, I can't help you.

As you can see in the photo above, Polly's Milk Tea came in a rather traditional pot with a cup. My Royal Tea with boba came in a large bowl with a spoon. So while Polly was able to drink her tea fashionably with style, I ended up drinking mine like a soup and looking rather neanderthal about it. The tea was good, hot, with milk and sweet. The tapioca balls were just right. Soft, spongy and with a nice resilience. Not hardened like they had been sitting around too long - which, in the world of bubble tea is an indication on how busy the place is.

As an accompaniment, we sampled the Sweet Milk Butter Toast. A slice of my favorite Japanese style white bread toasted with butter and broiled with condensed milk on top. A sweet and tasty accompaniment to the teas.

It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon chatting about friends, family and the latest gossip pertaining to each group.

Tea Station
1610 West Redondo Beach Boulevard
Gardena, CA 90247
310-515-2989
www.teastation.us

Big Bruddah's

Briased Short Ribs Special.

Some of you may know that I used to live in Honolulu. Those were the bright years. Can't believe they were so long ago. During those years living in the islands, I got used to the food, specifically the Plate Lunches. They're impossible to find in Maryland so whenever I head out west, I always make a couple stops for some proper plate lunch.

One of Al and Polly's favorite places is Bruddah's Hawaiian Foods in the heart of Gardena, California. It's by no means fancy and is just barely a notch above "hole in the wall" but it is good and it is plentiful. Loads of pictures adorn the walls but unless you've lived in the islands and know island entertainers, they won't mean much to you. However, if you do know island entertainers then you'll notice that comedian Frank DeLima has been here, along with plenny others (and no, that's not a typo).

Kalua Pig Plate.

For the uninitiated, a Hawaiian-style plate lunch is typically some sort of main item (like a meat or fish) that's accompanied by two scoops of steamed white rice and one scoop of macaroni salad. It's decidedly low brow fare that's meant to fill and nourish and Bruddah's does not disappoint. Al's Kalua Pig plate had choke (the local term for "a lot") kalua (the local term for "smoked pork", sort of) and had just the right amount of saltiness and smokiness, not to mention wonderfully tender.

Polly went for the Braised Short Rib special. Two thick cuts of beef short ribs without the bones. The meat was tender and flavorful and covered with a light gravy. Simple. Tasty.

I chose the Chicken Adobo special and I almost regretted my choice. Not because it wasn't tasty, in fact the adobo flavor was a flawless example of proper Filipino chicken adobo. The proper balance of vinegar and soy sauce accented with bay leaf and black peppercorns. Delicious. The problem was the size: fricken' huge. Four thigh pieces floating in that magic sabaw (Filipino for "sauce") that were succulent and tender, but FOUR. That's enough to feed a small Filipino family but definitely worth the $6.95 price.

Chicken Adobo and Chow Fun.

My personal preference for plate lunch is to drizzle a little Aloha Shoyu (this is soy sauce made is Hawaii and the only acceptable soy sauce for plate lunches) over the rice and a lot of Tabasco over the macaroni salad and I'm lovin' it. Most macaroni salads use macaroni for the pasta, Bruddah's uses spaghetti noodles that are chopped for the salad. It's different. It's tasty but the different pasta makes it seem, well, different. Not bad, just different. Maybe it's just the nostalgic part of me, but I think I prefer the macaroni pasta for the mac salad.

Either way, the food is good. The food is plentiful. It's a true Hawaiian experience that offers Hawaiian Sun drinks and real Aloha Shoyu. That alone makes it worth the trip.

Bruddah's Hawaiian Foods
1033 West Gardena Boulevard
Gardena, CA 90247
310-323-9112

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.