Dishcrawl » tracy

Archive for

16 May 2012

“For the Love of Foie” at Sent Sovi #foiebattle

Ah yes, Chef Josiah’s wonderful cuisine in the form of 10 tastes of foie gras.

Sent Sovi is a charming French Californian restaurant located in Downtown Saratoga. The perfect place for a romantic date or gastronomic adventure with Josiah. You’re always guaranteed an amazing experience. Plus, he looks fun, right?

On the patio, we were served little amuse cups of foie creations.

It was time to get cozy in the sunset lit restaurant and we began a journey into 7 courses of foie gras.

First up, an Arugula Salad with Foie Gras Vinaigrette and Bacon.

The vinaigrette was heavy with rich fatty foie essence. The arugula made nice and let the foie hug it so that each leaf was wet with desire to be consumed.

Foie Gras “Brûlée” with Strawberry-Pistachio Relish

Perfection in the flavors on this dish. Rich, smooth foie gras torchon candied from the brulee and the strawberry with mustard seed and pistachio. The combination of ingredients gave an earthy-toned base for the buttery foie highlight.

Foie Gras Mousse with Tartufata and English Peas

It’s always nice to try something that you’ve never seen, and the pairing of the foie gras mousse with the peas hit a new level of high on my palate. The peas were so fresh, so vibrant and colorful, but gently so, to match the creamy, cool brush strokes of foie.

Foie Gras with Hamachi “Mi Cuit” and Sherry-Maple Whip

Oh heaven. Warm hamachi partially cooked in cubes underneath the layers of cold diced foie gras, warm sherry maple whip, and absolute intrigue.

Seared Foie Gras with Savory “Rhubarb Pie” and Warm Dulce de Leche

Pan seared foie gras playing with puff pastry, sweet rhubarb, and bright candied orange peel. Warm dulce de leche added some texture and sweet to cut the rich foie gras. Everything seeped together into the puff pastry, making the messier bites the most memorable.

Roasted Pork Loin with Foie Gras Jus

This was a simple dish, merely highlighting three ingredients- pig, duck, and asparagus.

“Foiecies”: Foie, Peanut Butter and Chocolate

A delicious mousse-like cake with a foie sabayon to pair with the chocolate and peanut butter.

Join us for another #foiebattle dinner at foiebattle.com. Dishcrawl’s ode to foie gras ends May 31st, with the finale dinner yet to be scheduled.

Share|

tracy | No comments

06 Apr 2012

dishcrawl • Uncategorized

The Foie Battle Kickoff Dinner! Chef Revealed!

Oh what great pleasure it brings me to reveal the Foie Battle Kickoff dinner menu and chef!

Andrea Lee of Examiner broke the story here.

Chef Octavio Gomez of Mezcal gathered a group of food lovers last Sunday night.

A family business, Mezcal is a great place for truly authentic Oaxacan food. With his mother in the back and his brother Adolfo in the front, all foodies are welcome into what they graciously call their “second home”. I frequent Mezcal often for happy hour tapas and great drinks like the infamous “mezcalrita”. Octavio imports many of the Oaxacan flavors from Oaxaca FRESH, like the cheese and other ingredients.

First up, a Foie Gras Terrine served with a sourdough tostada and cranberry jus. The textures set the tone for the rustic interpretations of foie gras to follow. My palate was delighted with this tease.

Second, the ever-loved Pan Seared Foie Gras served on top of soft apple slices and an agave nectar sauce. On the side? A mango chutney with a huge kick of sweet and sour. The stark contrasts between the chutney and foie made me pick up the pace of eating and quickly work in some toasted bread for balance. A whirlwind ride for the tongue.

Then, something rather difficult to pull off- the Foie Gras Salad with grilled foie gras. Pairing the textures and flavors of green with foie is a tricky task, but Chef pulled it together perfectly and cradled our tastebuds with a tequila balsamic vinaigrette. The tomato was a nice touch of savory sweetness.

Grilled Sole was the next dish. Seared foie gras, mole, mashed potatoes, and bok choy. Mezcal’s mole negro has 15+ ingredients mixed in, a true authentic taste of Oaxaca.

Petit Four topped with foie gras buttercream. The first sweet interpretation of foie gras on the #foiebattle! The foie was light in the cream, and complimented the petit four in a soft way. The brie cheese added a slight grasp of savoury on the plate, while the Oaxacan chocolate was really the winner here. Wow. Oustanding texture, bright flavor, and absolute intrigue. Great way to end off the night on a high note! Not to mention, the port pairing was fantastic.

Adolfo graced our goodbye with shots of Tequila and we parted ways until the next #foiebattle.

RSVP for a #foiebattle in SF, SJ, HMB, San Mateo, and more at foiebattle.com. For a limited time only.

Share|

tracy | No comments

02 Apr 2012

dishcrawl • San Jose

Foie Battle Preview at Little Chef Counter

Linda Zavoral of the San Jose Mercury News recently broke the story of the Foie Battle Dishcrawl is hosting. Check out the breakdown here.

And so begins the journey into the exploration of foie gras.

For those of you unaware, Dishcrawl is hosting battles between chefs all around Silicon Valley with foie gras! You can join in on the fun- RSVP to a dinner here.

The Silicon Valley Foie Battle began with a little preview at Little Chef Counter where Chef Robert and partner Steven Le prepared 5 courses of foie gras for patrons last Sunday March 25th.

The night began in the brand new San Pedro Square Market. A table setup for 18 lucky foie lovers in an artsy open space was the perfect way to celebrate the foie gras and make new friends that night.

Chef Robert worked his way up from dishwasher to chef, to sous chef, and finally, to executive chef and partner of Little Chef Counter. I love his cuisine because he knows how to cook great food (trained by the famous Waterbar and many other restaurants in SF), yet he wants to make fine dining, good ingredients, and whimsical palate stimulating dishes attainable to the masses. At any time, you can pull up a chair at his counter in Downtown San Jose, try his food, and really get a sense of the community he is forming.

We started off with a Foie Gras Torchon, sitting atop a toasted brioche and in a black pepper orange marmalade. People made heavenly whispers of “oohs” and “aahs”.

The next dish was a Crispy Foie Nugget, reminiscent of Au Pied du Cochon’s foie gras cubes (talked about here).

“It’s like a waterfall of foie gras!” a Dishcrawler exclaimed as his knife slid into the nugget. Warm foie gras drizzled out. The savory grape relish added a strong bite of acid to this interesting interpretation.

Pan Seared Foie Gras was but of course the dish everyone was waiting for. Sitting atop an apple chutney held up by a piece of soft roasted squash. I don’t know if it was the fatty juices, the tenderness of the meat, or the marriage of sweet and savoury, but this hailed to be one of the favourite dishes of the night.

I sneaked into the kitchen to checkout the guys plating the next dish. The deliciousness was a Pan Roasted California Sea Bass ladled onto a cauliflower puree, melted leeks, and topped with a balsamic reduction and crispy potatoes. The foie gras in this? A foie butter sauce. This came in as the second fave of the night.

And the winner of the night and last dish? Petit Filet with Wine Poached Foie Gras. Wow. Ignore the risotto, the black truffle coulis, and the wild forest mushrooms. Sure, they added to the dish, but the meat and foie gras? The foie melted so willingly onto the steak, like the perfect piece of butter. The room went quiet as we each savoured this dish. Perfection. Heaven. Awesome.