Attitude of Gratitude

Fancy buffet in Dubai resort

Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about food. Everything about food. I could sit for hours enthralled by The Food Channel watching everything from Rachel Ray, to Ina Garten to Bill Granger to Nigella Lawson. Well… not here… because I don’t get The Food Channel anymore. But I would if I could!

And I love fine dining. It’s a bit ironic because I will shop off the discount rack for clothes or ride my bike for miles and miles for the cheapest deal, but when it comes to food I lose all self control and will spend a small fortune on fine cuisine. I’m sure you’ve heard of people who have decided to quit smoking after they realize that with the money they have spent on cigarettes over the years they could purchase a car or other high priced item. That is how I am with food. I can guarantee that I have spent a small fortune on fine dining all around the world, and will continue doing so.

On a visit to London earlier this year I was struck by how many times I have been there for work and not taken advantage of the opportunity to eat at some of the world’s finest dining establishments. Therefore, I went to Claridge’s, a 3 star Michelin restaurant run by world famous chef Gordon Ramsey. It was truly one of the best (and priciest!) meals I have ever had the luxury of consuming. Every bite was like a party in my mouth. It waters now thinking of it. If you like food and you are in London, go there. And the glamorous folks go there – I believe Madonna took Guy Ritchie there for his birthday this year.

Another place I have enjoyed a few times in London is Arbutus in Soho. It is a much cheaper option if you don’t want to spend $200 per person on food at above said restaurant. This place has the most wonderful dessert ever! I am a huge chocolate lover and will hands down pick whatever chocolate concoction is on the menu. Arbutus sports a chocolate dessert called Chocolate Soup with Caramelized Milk Ice Cream. I didn’t think much of it as chocolate and soup are not something I generally envision going together, plus I don’t really care for ice cream. Oh my god. It changed my life. But don’t take my word for it – just go try it!

In Paris I like a fancy little number called Boeuf sur le Toit. For Paris I felt is quite well priced, has excellent food, and doesn’t have the pretentious French wait staff. A very enjoyable place to dine and relax in an art deco interior. And their chocolate soufflé… oh, the soufflé… well, it was literally mouth watering. Literally. That story is better left untold!

If you are in A’dam and feel the need to spend a bundle on food, I highly recommend Janvier. I have dined here several times and not once been left disappointed. The chef creates small packages of food and arranges several in artistic patterns onto large platters before delivering them to your table. It is ideally situated on a picturesque canal and has a large terrace out front where it serves during summer under enormous shading trees. Absolutely gorgeous.

Just outside A’dam in Ouderkerk on Amstel is Jagershuis. Hands down my favorite restaurant in the A’dam area. Ouderkerk on Amstel is an idyllic town located on the Amstel (duh!) that has one good restaurant after another lining its banks, but no doubt Jagershuis tops my list every time. The food here is amazing and the originality of the chef’s creations is limitless. Every time I go there I am pleasantly surprised with the tasty delights he produces. Definitely worth the drive from A’dam, but make reservations (also with Janvier) because this place is always packed. If you just want to stay there, attached is a very cutesy little inn.

In DC (Washington DC, USA, that is), the recently opened restaurant of Michel Richard called Central is a must visit. Michel is arguably one of the best chefs in DC, if not the US. His other famous DC restaurant Citronelle is fantastic, so I was excited to check out his newest creation. Michel calls Central a bistro, but it really serves more diner food, with specialties like fried chicken and hamburgers being served for a very pretty penny. The cheese puffs are incredibly light, delicate and tasty. I could not stop myself from eating every single one of them and would not go back without ordering them again. The oysters, which I don’t order often, are also exceptionally flavorful and well worth it. I am disappointed that I didn’t eat dessert. 

Anywho, all of this is an introduction to bring me to exactly this point. You now will not be surprised to learn that on my flight to DC I watched some movies about food. Two, in fact. And I liked both of them for different reasons. I also think that the lack of oxygen leaves you momentarily insane for what I’m about to write.

The first movie was No Reservations. You know…. that absolutely horrible looking movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones and some other guy working in a restaurant as chefs. I mean, Catherine Zeta-Jones as a chef is *so* believable, right??? Well, I hate to tell you, but I liked it. I don’t know what it was about it, but I loved the guy’s (who is that guy?) passion for food and how he could make something as simple as spaghetti look absolutely divine. I am determined to make spaghetti and meatballs as soon as I’m back in a kitchen. CZJ, on the other hand, just looked stiff and uncomfortable, but I guess that was her character. Feel good little movie that I enjoyed on a plane. I can’t think of any other reason to watch it!

The second was Ratatouille. Could there be a more delightful movie? How they created the most delicious looking dishes with animation (and a rat, no less) is beyond me. But I loved this gem of a movie. If you haven’t seen it, go!

I leave you with this: a recipe. One that you can impress your friends with but that is so easy, quick, and mouth watering that they will all be asking for the recipe. I stole this from Stacie who I believe stole from the Barefoot Contessa), but here goes:

Cheese Sticks

INGREDIENTS
• 2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
• 1 extra large egg
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 ¬degrees.
Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it’s 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the Gruyère, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper. With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don’t overbake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Aaron and I at Fifteen Amsterdam (taken on cell phone)

As many of you know I have a great passion for fine food and last week I had the opportunity to taste test another place owned by a chef many of you have probably heard of – Jamie Oliver (aka The Naked Chef)! I have been watching Jamie grow up on the small screen over the years and had no idea that he even had a restaurant in A’dam until earlier this year when he promoted his restaurant by having a free dinner for people who had dual passports with the UK. I tried to get in on it but seems like the entire country knew about it before I did and it sold out within minutes.

I mistakenly thought that the restaurant had just opened, when actually it opened in 2004. It is named Fifteen and is the second in a series of four same named restaurants of Jamie’s. They are built based on an interesting concept – and one I admire – which is to take in disadvantaged youths and train them to work in world class restaurants. I watched a program on it and saw Jamie’s frustrations with trying to motivate them to have a passion for cooking, but never though I’d actually be eating at one of the establishments myself. The kids are trained for 16 months in the restaurant where they get to work with some world class chefs from famous restaurants in Holland, like Vermeer, a Michelin star restaurant in A'dam. Now they are training their 3rd group of trainees.

They have a set 4 course menu for €46 and in addition we added the wine paring for each course. The menu was:

To get you started…
Antipasti Jamie's favourites
Primi…
A dish of risotto with seafood treasures
Secondi …
Roasted Pheasant with red cabbage ragout and sautéed fresh vegetables
Dolci…
Luscious parfait

Overall I thought it was a very nice meal, however I was not at all impressed with the pasta course. I did not find them to be "treasures" at all, but more like chewy, hard, tasteless nuggets. I told them so and they delighted us by bringing the vegetarian pasta selection instead – a perfectly al dente pumpkin (just in time for Thanksgiving) ravioli that was… simply to. die. for. Absolutely excellent. And on top of that, they also brought the wine paring as well. All free of charge, which is practically unheard of in a Dutch restaurant.

I also found the wine sommelier to be well educated about the wines and very friendly in addition. He was fairly ambitious in his parings, giving us a selection of Moroccan, Australian and Argentinean wines, which all worked surprisingly well. But tell me, who has ever even heard of drinking Moroccan wines?

I got his card, though, and might give him a call about doing a wine tasting at the restaurant. I think that sounds like an absolutely lovely way to spend an evening and experience some more Jamie...

Nigella's John Hancock

One could say that I saw Nigella speak tonight, but in all actuality I experienced a master a work. There was no food or TV cameras involved, just gorgeous and glamorous Nigella and a microphone (and one terrible Dutch moderator who would not stop interrupting). She was truly amazing and inspiring and for one hour I was on the edge of my seat hanging off her every word.

And how could you not? She carries herself with so much dignity that she commands your full attention, almost unknowingly. And she deserves it! I have never heard such a natural and gifted speaker who is obviously well educated and knowledgeable about every subject. After each question, there was no pause, no thought needed… her answers flowed as if it were a perfectly choreographed ballet.

For a woman who has had so much pain in her life, you would expect some bitterness, some anger… but she is such a gracious and eloquent woman, without an ounce of any resentment. She is patient and made every person seem as if they were the only one in the room. There is just something about her…

And she’s lovely! Her natural beauty shines through even more in person than on television (and you cannot say that for most people!). That, and she oozes sensuality. No surprise there! Her husband is lucky! Plus she has the most incredible ta tas!!

It was a marvelous time. Now, I gotta go. I have some potato cakes with smoked salmon to make!!!

Check out those teeth! I wouldn't want to meet him under water!