Tasting “Top Chef” Talent: Perilla

Today, I received an email from a restaurant I have nearly forgotten about: Perilla. It was advertising a three-course summer prix fixe lunch menu, one I hope to try.

I first sampled Perilla in late 2007, seven months after “Top Chef” Season One winner Harold Dieterle opened it in NY’s West Village. Priding itself on being a neighborhood restaurant, it had a limited amount of seating, but was beautifully put together with modern touches and was a charming experience. (I was fortunate enough to convince my friend John to check it out, even though he had never seen “Top Chef” and was skeptical of the food.)

Though it’s been some time since I’ve been there, I still remember enjoying every bite of my dinner. The notable highlights?

Spicy duck meatballs. Dieterle made these on the show, and they were tasty little morsels that practically danced on my tongue, and indicative of Dieterle’s Asian leanings in flavor with his seasonal American menu.

Berkshire pork belly. As a Filipino, I’m sure I could be bribed with generous haunches of the animal in the first place. And if Dieterle ever needs a written favor from little old me, all he has to do is volunteer this dish. The dish was beautifully presented, and memorable for the distinct textures- the crisp pork skin, rich fat, the tenderness of the meat.

The crispy Berkshire pork belly. (Photo courtesy of All Top Chef, blogspot.com)

I don’t recall the desserts; apart from remembering they were done by a separate (and talented) pastry chef and looked pretty, the main courses were so distinct that the desserts have sadly faded- a rare occurrence, but one that’s a testament to the rest of the meal.

Other details- our server was fun and friendly. As a downtown eatery, the prices were less expensive than expected. The space was elegant yet retained a casual friendliness.

And, Dieterle himself is gracious. The inaugural “Top Chef” winner posed for a picture with the family seated next to me, and signed a chef coat for a 12-year-old birthday celebrant.

All in all? This is an experience I hope to repeat, and hopefully soon with new friends. In the meantime, I hope other people give it a go.

A Quiet Little Sushi Spot

A nice, quiet spot for a friendly sushi bite is Tokyo 1. Nestled on 24th Avenue away from Ditmars Blvd.’s usual hubbub of eateries, the restaurant is a small treasure frequented by regulars and neighborhood dwellers.

The food itself is passable. Though Tokyo 1 isn’t my first choice for a sushi meal in Astoria, it is a recession-friendly choice for some tasty eats within a sensible budget. I have sampled its sushi, sashimi, gyoza, and teriyaki, all of which were very satisfactory.

My favorite things to have at Tokyo 1 are its spicy maki rolls; I love having the combination of spicy hamachi, salmon crunch (done with tempura flakes), and scallop rolls. Tokyo 1 also has a selection of creative maki rolls; among the better picks is its Nippon roll featuring white tuna and avocado, as well as a red snapper and kiwi combination.

The prices are on the lower end for Astoria sushi, and the service is always remarkable- it’s friendly and prompt. I have also been accommodated with switched tables when a family with young children has sat next to me, and even given generous amounts of edamame while waiting for takeout or main courses.

Check it out.

Spicy hamachi, salmon crunch, and scallop maki rolls.


The white tuna and avocado Nippon roll.


The super-yummy red snapper and kiwi maki.

Smoked Oysters, No Thanks

I love oysters. I could eat them all day long, whether raw, fried, baked, or in bouillabaise.

But, out of a can and smoked, I can’t.

Photo courtesy of vox.com

Yesterday, my friend John swore that smoked oysters were the vice of a woman who had lost nearly 300 lbs by eating them alone out of a can. He popped out a can, handed me a fork, and asked me to taste them with him. We each took specimens, and chewed. As I felt the sides of my mouth twitch, John scowled.

The taste was a balance between the tinned saucy consistency of sardines with an unpleasant ickiness of liver. I was so yucked out that I also thought something had died in the can and affected the taste.

John has kept the can in case he can use it for a linguine & clam dish with tomato sauce (and hide the taste of it with tomato’s acidity), but it’s a definite no for me.

A is For Arroz Caldo

One of my favorite Filipino dishes is arroz caldo. A Filipino spin on congee and risotto, it’s one of the best comfort foods to have in winter, feverish, or when struck by inopportune food poisoning.

Sadly, I don’t have the recipe I grew up with; my family’s beloved housekeeper Cleofe made some of the best arroz caldo, and is happily retired in the middle of the Philippines and isn’t exactly computer-friendly. And, since my day-to-day cooking is mostly European-inspired or American, I realized to my shock: I had never made it.

So, I trolled around and found this recipe– a quick, simple recipe that was easy to put together in under an hour and produced four very generous servings:

* 4 chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
* 2 cups of sticky rice (uncooked)
* 1 qt of chicken stock (fat free, sodium free)
* 2 knobs of ginger (peeled, chopped 1/4 inches)
* 4 cloves of garlic (chopped roughly)
* 1 onion or 2 shallots
* green onions
* 2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
* salt and pepper

Since I couldn’t immediately find sticky rice in my neighborhood, I substituted jasmine rice, which produced a dish that didn’t have the same childhood feel (alas), but thanks to a few extra splashes of water while cooking, had a passable texture. (I’m also sure that I’ll be able to ride out the rest of my food poisoning by eating the rest of this during the week.)

Taste-wise, I would have been fine with scaling back some of the fish sauce (I used a Thai fish sauce instead of Filipino patis, which is pretty close in taste and smelliness) and down to 1 or 1.5 tbsp. I used regular Swanson chicken stock instead of the reduced sodium variety, and probably should have used the latter for something a little salt-friendlier.

In any case, my arroz caldo quest isn’t finished. I have a few more attempts to make before I master this dish. The next recipe I’ll try is Cristeta Comerford’s. Since she’s the Filipina in the White House, I’m willing to bet she’s got a good one to taste-drive.

Arroz Caldo attempt #1

M is For Meatball

As a result of living in Astoria, one of the things I’ve come to love is a nice, juicy meatball.

No, I am not talking about Italian men.

I’ve come to enjoy meatballs because they’re easy to make and pretty uncomplicated. Plus, a batch of ground meat weighing anywhere between 1.3 – 1.7 lbs lasts me for days and doesn’t go over $5. Factoring in an additional cost of eggs, breadcrumbs, and dry seasonings, it’s a great thing to make when the bills are higher than usual. There’s a ton of ways to liven up ground meat, so if you’re stuck eating them for a few weeks in a row, you don’t have to be bored.

And, who doesn’t love meat shaped like a ball?

I wouldn’t lose this if someone sneezed.

As of late, I’ve been noshing on a spin of New Jersey housewife Caroline Manzo’s “Mama Manzo’s Miraculous Meatball” recipe- a beef, pork, and veal fried to juicy perfection. While I’ve also eaten baked balls, these healthy versions don’t have the same ooomph as a fried meatball. Other variations are turkey/pork combinations or just straight turkey; while they are lighter and pretty easy on the digestion, they don’t have the same decadence that comes from eating the beef, pork, and veal combo.

Another favorite is a lambic-beer marinated lamb meatball, fried to perfection and carrying a slightly boozy, hearty taste.

Am I a meatball-and-tomato-sauce-type? Nope. I’m not terribly fond of tomato sauce and meatballs together. I concede that it could be because I have not yet had a combination that makes me want to copy the recipe in that instance, but it isn’t my preference. I like my meatballs hot, juicy, and with a little cheese. (No, I’m not talking about guys from Astoria. Really.)

And, just because I miss the fish balls I ate as a child, I’m on a current quest to see if it’s possible to make a seafood meatball. I’ve seen a couple recipes involving shrimp and scallops, and another one for swordfish. But, so far, I haven’t come across any definite ways of making that seafood meatball.

But, in the meanwhile, I’ve got my sights set on this fun little restaurant: The Meatball Shop. A Lower East Side hangout entirely devoted to meatballs, I can’t wait to make someone go with me for this jaunt.

Suggestions? Meatball tips? I’m open.

Perfect to snack on at IKEA.

Looking For Lamb in One of Right Places

I never had much lamb growing up. But, as I’ve settled in a largely Greek neighborhood (Astoria), it’s become more of a craving.

Photo courtesy of xanga.com

However, one of the most definitive moments I ever had with lamb was at a fun, West Village eatery called Philip Marie. Chic yet rich and comforting at the same time, the 3 or 4 dining experiences I had there have never disappointed me.

My favorite dish? A lamb shank braised in Jack Daniels for 24 hours, making it fall-off-the-bone good. Served on a bed of dirty rice, it’s a large, generous dish that automatically elicits thoughts of a Hagar the Horrible fantasy come alive (and extremely hilarious for a girl to have, especially when her date is stuck with the comparatively weenie wild boar medallions).

I’ve gone on to sample some of the offerings on the largely American seasonal menu. But, Philip Marie (and chef John Greco) sealed its place in my heart with lamb.

Overpriced, Overrated & Sloppy: Mojave

I really, really wanted to like Mojave. As I generally like casual food given fresh, high-quality spins, I thought a Southwestern menu seemed like an ideal premise. After eating at Mojave, I still believe Southwestern food is totally suitable for higher-end dining.

I just don’t think it’s suitable at Mojave.

The food? I have a round of complaints

First, it’s overpriced. They make a mean meatloaf, wonderful to have in winter, but is questionable at $15. A butternut squash bisque is likewise yummy, but doesn’t seem worth $6. While portions are generous, the prices seem designed to designate Mojave apart from similar casual eateries, and it’s a negative.

Secondly, the menu has undergone some changes. While it first started with generous seafood selections, it has been whittled down to a few dishes that don’t have the same original appeal. Missing from this menu is the scallop dish that first convinced me Mojave was a delicious experience in spite of my issue with its pricing.

Third, there seems to have been some careless handling with the food. An order of fried blue cheese oysters set off my stomach during dinner with a date in 2008. In the same meal, I also noticed bad milk with my post-dinner coffee- again- with a bathroom trip. While this is the only time I have ever been sick from Mojave’s food (subsequent takeout was satisfactory), I certainly didn’t enjoy the experience.

These factors have already convinced me to leave Mojave alone. But two weeks ago, due to a friend asking to try it, I went back one more time. I kept an open mind, but wasn’t impressed.

We had some slightly bland guacamole, a kind of good summer seasonal salad with apples, pears, and fried goat cheese- a dish that seemed difficult to mess up. My salmon seemed a little too blackened; I like mine medium rare, and not dry. And the corn-crusted calamari fritters just seemed a little too heavily breaded, while the chipotle and avocado cremas accompanying it were tasty.

So, it wasn’t *that* great of a meal. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t hate Mojave. But, additional suckiness came later. Getting the calamari wrapped up to go, only to discover that neither of the sauces were included in my takeout package.

WTF?

I called the restaurant, where I got an apology from a hapless waiter. But it seemed incredibly careless (and rude) to get a dish wrapped up without the sauces the menu was touting pretty heavily. I asked the waiter if there was a policy of neglecting the sauces; he swore there wasn’t, but a friend wondered if they hadn’t included the sauces in order to reuse them.

Unfortunately, the service does nothing for the restaurant either. While I’ve never encountered any rude waiters here, the service I’ve had has been fleeting and cursory. No warm rapport was built with me as I had any of my dinners, and I wonder if the staff was well-trained and actually enjoyed working here. Regardless of my own speculations of employee happiness, Mojave’s service is lacking.

Perhaps Mojave has been a good dining experience for other people. But, for me, after some 6 or 7 visits, I know why I routinely skip it. I’m sure this isn’t the last Southwestern meal I have, for I don’t hate the genre. I just hope to have a better one that hits the mark.

In the meantime, I’m sure I’ll find something better at one of the city’s taco truck offerings or a burrito stand in Corona.