AQUAVIT
After having chatted with Marcus Samuelsson for a time on this
rainy New York afternoon, the combination of having read, prepared and tried items from both his cookbooks, and our conversation, gave us a bit more understanding of his thought process as he creates a dish. We were eager to partake of his Chef's Paired Tasting at Aquavit, winner of the James Beard "Best Restaurant in NYC" award in 2003. Louis has followed Marcus, host of the show "Inner Chef", from early in his career, having watched his numerous TV and guest appearences over the years. That, and his recent duel with Bobby Flay on Iron Chef, had us eagerly anticipating our evening of culinary flight.
At Marcus's suggestion we ordered the full 14 course tasting menu, so that we could experience all that the restaurant and his executive chef, Johan Svensson have to offer. There are 2, 7 course chef's tastings to choose from. We ordered both and shared, as is our way. In typical N.Y. style, I will cut to the chase. We were delighted by the execution, the art on the plate, and by the fact that, as artistically as this flight was in its presentation, the taste was exponentially even better than that.
The decor is decidedly Scandinavian and salutes the classic furniture and interior designers of Scandinavia with, to use the restaurant's own description, "a nod to Danish Masters Arn Jacobsen, Poul Kjaerholm and Verner Panton."
To say that this meal was excellent is to almost get the description right. Marcus and Chef Svensson took us on a journey of elgant fine dining while taking us on a tour through Scandinavian cuisine. While plates arrived with cutting edge, new age presentations, the integrity of the dishes served was in a way that captures all that is the Scandinavian tradition of the ingredient used. This was a truly enjoyable experience, and it was made more so by thoughts back to sitting with Marcus just hours before, as he revealed his thought inspirations with regard to each dish, and all the elements that make up that one amazing bite. To hear his words while consuming 
his creations makes you appreciate the nuances that he brings to a dish even more. His cookbooks did that for us. His cuisine and personality brought that to us. He opens you up to the emotion of food. After all, that is what it is essentially all about for all of us who are foodies. For us, food invokes an emotion, and the really good chefs move us by the art they create and bring to us on their china canvas each night.
We started our evening with a flight of aquavit that the restaurant infuses in-house, to awake the taste buds. We chose the Horseradish, Chipolte Pepper and Mango and the liquor delivered its anticipated punch. I say this with tongue in cheek as while I am familiar with this drink, it is potent.
On to dinner.....
A HERRING SAMPLER, taken from the cafe menu out front, of six delightfully distinct interpretations of this ingredient started off our evening.
Course 1:
LOBSTER ROLL, bacon, trout roe.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD, fresh dill cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, breadsticks
Course 2:
FOIE GRAS GANACHE, duck confit, apple compote.
MUSHROOM RAVIOLI, pioppini mushrooms, peas
Course 3:
HOT-SMOKED TROUT, apple-horseradish broth.
ROASTED BEETS, goat cheese, watercress
Course 4:
VENISON, cured ham, huckleberries, dumplings.
SALT-BAKED FENNEL corn spätzle, roasted French horn mushroom
Course 5:
OSSAU-IRATY VIELLE, tomato tarragon salad,
MONTENEBRO, truffle honey, micro greens
Course 6:
HONEYDEW CONSOMMÉ, watermelon 
tartar,cantaloupe sorbet
CHOCOLATE AND MARZIPAN TERRINE, toasted almond ice cream, saffron-orange sauce,
ARCTIC CIRLE, Passion fruit lava within a cone of goat cheese with a thin tuile cookie sandwiched between the parfait and a scoop of garnet sorbet. This was a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. At the end of our excursion, Chef Svensson and his staff were most gracious, taking a few moments to chat with us in the kitchen on what was a busy Friday night. Make Aquavit a must on your next trip to NYC. You will thank us for the recommendation after the first bite, and forget we even exist by your last. CHEF’S PAIRED TASTING MENU, $115 pp, $195. with wine pairing.
Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel, NYC
Quiet, refined, elegant.
If you base your opinions on TV personalities, then you would not dare to think that I am describing Gordon Ramsay, the brash, often down right cruel and demanding Master Food Maestro of the TV show Kitchen Nightmares. Yet, indeed I am. Immaculate is the word that comes to mind when I describe the experience we had recently when we sat for dinner with friends at "Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel" in New York City's London Hotel.
After experiencing this restaurants impeccable service, it is easy to see why it is one of only a handful of New York City eateries to have garnered a Michelin 2 Star ** rating. Chef Ramsay has stated he will not be satisfied until it has a 3 star. He would then be in very elite company, as only Jean Georges, Le Bernardin and Per Se have recieved the coveted rating. With 2 stars, he is still in quite illustrious company with: Bouley, Daniel, Del Posto, Masa and Picholin as the others in this category. Our opinion is he is not far from his goal, service and cuisine were outstanding. 
When you enter from the London Hotel Lobby, you walk into the dining room from the front of the house, through Maze, the relaxed and more casual restaurant which boasts its own stellar menu. The moment the frosted glass door closes behind you, you are swallowed by the hushed tones of intimate conversation, and the subdued atmosphere that permeates such an elegant setting. This 45 seat dining room has creamed neutral tones with an air of of old world charm.
We chose the Menu Prestige.*pictures are not specific to the menu..
Course 1:
Pressed Hudson Valley Foie Gras, with candied ginger, tapioca and calvados jelly, toasted sourdough.
Course 2:
Sauteed Maine Diver Scallops with mixed spices, cauliflower puree and sherry caramel.
Course 3:
Slow Cooked Sablefish with butternut squash carpacio, red wine vinagrette.
Course 4:
Loin of Colorado Lamb with spring garlic, baby turnips and Pommery mustard.
Course 5:
Filet of Brandt Beef with braised short rib, cipollini onions, baby beets.
Course 6:
Srawberry sorbet, white rum gelee and crystallized mint.
Selection of cheese from the trolley. $17.00 supplement
Course 7:
Cinnamon sable with rasberry cremeux and Kilchurn Estate honeycomb.
Seven courses $135
Wine pairing $95
We were then treated to a tour of the pristine kitchen, which, as it was explained by our host Jean-Pierre Yvart, boasts 85 chefs in total. The kitchen services all of the hotel's needs, from room service, to the more casual Maze, and finally, the fine dining room where we dined that evening. A Chef's Tasting Table is available for up to 8 guests with a flat rate of $1,900.00.
151 West 54th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019
T: 212 468 8888
F: 212 698 8138
BLU SUSHI
2008 March of Dimes, 'Chefs Auction' 1st Place Winner- Fine Dining.
This isn't the first time you've read about Blu Sushi and it 
certainly won't be the last. This is a hip and trendy spot offering a sleek and club like atmosphere, which just so happens to be serving some of the best sushi in South Florida. Coupled with the carnival assortment of Outrageous Cocktails, such as the Alhoa Mr. Edison, or the DejaBlu, this restaurant would be just as at home in Miami or NYC as it is in the Gulf Coast Town Center, in Ft. Myers or Naples. On the day we visited Chefs Billy and Kevin Mak, after graciously sitting for our Chef to Chef interview, the brothers insisted on getting behind the counter to whip up some of their specialties. 
With a wink as he poured some of his favorite cold saki for us, Billy explained about their partnership and about how they had come up with the name.
The name blu, is an acronym for "brothers like us," a nod to the group of partners who started the restaurant. Along with their partners and director Larry Genta, they have grown the restaurant into a destination. The diverse and incredibly creative original specialty rolls are as beautiful to taste as they are to look at, and as many of you know, art on a plate" goes a long way with us.
Both of these young chefs are full of life and when we sat for lunch, we discussed China and all the the economic and culinary trends that make up Hong Kong. Billy explained that they try to get back there as much as possible to follow the trend restaurants. Seems, once a new dumpling or chicken dish or preparation becomes popular, little restaurants pop up all over the city that specialze in that new "trend".
When the next new thing pops up, with its own eateries, they then follow the new one. He explains that it keeps them in the forefront of what chefs are thinking globally with regard to ingredients. They then sometimes try to replicate some of the trends they experience, bending them for application in a sushi environment.
Whether a local, or in Southwest Florida for a short stay, Blu Sushi should be on your must do list.
You can read more about this restaurant and these culinary Picassos in this month's Chef to Chef.
Below is a gallery of some of the artisitic presentations that await patrons of BLU SUSHI.
