Jay D's Bites: Fried Salmon Burger

by Chef Aimee Tortorich

I love cooking burgers at home, but I wanted to create a burger using only seafood. I decided to go with salmon as my protein not only for nutritional purposes, but also the flavor. This Japanese inspired dish was a fun play on a baked salmon roll that you would find in most sushi restaurants. The panko gave it a nice crunch and the Sriracha and Jay D’s Molasses Mustard aïoli added a punch of heat and sweetness. I added some sliced avocado, pickled cucumber and pickled carrot to round out all the flavors. For those looking for a fun fish idea, this one is a winner all around.

Fried Salmon Burger with Molasses Mustard Aïoli

serves 2

2 salmon fillets, boneless, skin-off
½ onion, small diced
2 Tbs fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbs avocado oil
2 eggs
2 cups seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1 cup all purpose flour
2 hamburger buns

For the aïoli:
¼ cup Jay D’s Molasses Mustard
2 Tbs Sriracha
½ cup mayo

Garnishes:
Sliced Avocado
Pickled cucumber
Pickled carrot

Heat a sauté pan on medium heat, add avocado oil and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add fillets to the pan and cook salmon on both sides until cooked through and starting to flake (about 10 minutes). Put salmon, onions and garlic in a bowl and let cool. Add one egg and ½ cup of breadcrumbs to the bowl and form into patties. If patties don’t form, add more breadcrumbs until they stay together.

Next, you’ll need to set up a breading station. You’ll need flour in a shallow dish, another dish with the beaten egg and one additional shallow dish for panko.

Dredge patties lightly in flour, shaking off the excess. One by one, dip in the beaten egg, coating completely and then roll in panko to coat.

Fry at 350F until golden brown. Build burgers with garnishes and aïoli and enjoy!

Jay D's Bites: Molasses Mustard Salmon

by Aimee Tortorich

Salmon is one of those proteins that never gets old and can be prepared multiple ways. It has amazing health benefits with vital nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, B12, and Vitamin D. Naturally, salmon works very well mustard so it was a no-brainer when we decided to use Jay D’s Molasses Mustard. The sweetness from the molasses pairs well with the tanginess of the mustard and adds a perfect touch of flavor to salmon while the rub gives it a spicy, smokey kick.

Molasses Mustard Salmon

Yield 4-6 servings

4 salmon filets
1/4 cup Jay D’s Molasses Mustard
1 Tbs of Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Rub

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix mustard and rub together and set aside. Pat salmon filets dry and place skin side down on an oiled, foil-lined sheet pan. Add the Spicy & Sweet Rub/Molasses Mustard mixture to the tops of the filets and bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.

Marit says, "Holiday Cooking is for the Birds."

by Marit Schroeder, intern

Well I did it. My first major holiday without my parents cooking for me, and it worked out just fine! Don’t get me wrong, I had other family in town to celebrate and cook with, but I’m allowed to be a little dramatic about cooking a holiday meal, I think.

When I first found out my parents wouldn’t be in town for Thanksgiving, I was given the major task of cooking the turkey for my 14 other family members. Talk about feeling overwhelmed!

Everyone here at Bite & Booze was super helpful with tips and tricks about how to cook the perfect turkey. Luckily, I have an aunt who took over the last minute stress to cook the turkey.

Rid of the turkey pressure, my next task proved to be even trickier: cook the food for my vegetarian family members. I love myself some meat, and it was hard to focus on a meal plan revolving around vegetables. As much as I enjoy them as a side dish, translating that into a more hearty meal was a challenge.

For an appetizer, we started out with a salmon mousse and cucumbers for dipping. Not so shockingly, my sister and I had never made mousse before so it came out like a cheese dip. It was definitely delicious as a dip even though it should have been more of a gelatin mold. Clearly my college culinary skills need improvement.

Salmon Mousse with cucumbers.

Next, we had to change up the stuffing and made ours with herbed wild rice and quinoa. Quinoa has been rocking the food world for the past few years and it’s a great grain substitute or complement for a plethora of dishes.

Vegetarian dressing featuring wild rice and quinoa.

Lastly, and most easily, I was in charge of a cheese tray. I took care of this by heading down to Calandro’s and picking up some of their pre-made cheese balls and fancy cheeses from the deli. 

Fancy Cheeses and accouterments from Calandro's

All in all, though daunting, I felt accomplished at the end of the day. It was a Happy Thanksgiving to all at my house, even for those non-vegetarians!

Sadly, this is my last post as a Bite & Booze intern. I hope you’ve enjoyed my grandmother’s recipe for red gravy and learning about my first brewery experience during our Hot Chicken on a Tin Roof event. Most importantly, I’m leaving behind the valuable (and expert) knowledge of where to find the best frozen daiquiris around town!

Acre: Humble, Southern and Inspired

by Aimee Tortorich

After an epic road trip to New York cooking at the James Beard House & Chefs and Champagne and eating at some of the best restaurants in NYC, Team Bite and Booze had one more important stop to make. Jay had been talking about having dinner at Acre in Auburn, Alabama for over a week. I didn’t think it would live up to the amazing dishes we had in New York, but Chef David Bancroft blew me away.

Acre in Auburn, Alabama

Nestled only two blocks from the historic Toomer’s Corner in Auburn lies one of the South’s hottest new restaurants. Acre is a restaurant that passionately follows the farm to table concept. Surrounded by an acre of fruits, vegetables and herbs, Chef David has fresh ingredients fueling his creativity a few steps away. A self-proclaimed “country boy” and a master culinary magician in my eyes, Chef David welcomed us with true southern hospitality. Seating us at the Chef’s table he immediately began offering up simple, but flavor packed, inspired dishes. 

Chef David picked watermelon from the front yard of the restaurant for a snack and a cocktail!

As a chef, it’s a dream of mine to build a career focused on the harvest of southern, seasonal ingredients. Raised to live off the land, I’ve always had a passion for this kind of cooking.

The first dish that hit our table was the Chicken Fried Bacon. Two strips of house-made smoked bacon were gently fried in a pepper batter and served with silky white sawmill gravy, Vermont maple syrup and garnished with local pecans. We were fighting over the last bite because it was that good!

Chicken Fried House-Made Bacon, sawmill gravy, Vermont maple syrup, local pecans

These tender Gulf shrimp swimming in an Asian-inspired sweet and spicy BBQ butter sauce almost knocked me out. We were only on our second course and a single bite of the crispy sweet corn donuts dredged in the flavored butter had me feeling feelings. 

 

Peel & Eat Shrimp-“Top secret” BBQ Butter, Sweet Corn Donuts

This was easily one of my favorite dishes of the night. If curry is on the menu, I’m all over it and this dish didn’t disappoint! The balance of heat and sweetness around the tender oyster was absolutely addicting.

Chargrilled Oysters-Curry Butter, house-made hot sauce

The beef tartare with stone ground mustard was the perfect balance of umami and tang. The creaminess of the tender beef with the acidic, spicy mustard was a perfect bite on a charred bread.

 

Wagyu Beef tartare-stone ground mustard, grilled bread

The smoky flavors of the salmon balanced well with the acidity of the mustard and pickled veggies. I could ping pong back and forth between this dish and the beef tartar any day.

Smoked salmon rillettes-mustard, pickled veggies, grilled bread

The flavorings of the sausage were far from traditional. Chef de Cuisine, Caleb Fischer added bright Asian flavors to the sausage, which balanced out the fattiness of the pork. The house-made waffles had a nice crunch, but tender on the inside, while the huitlacoche purée brought the whole dish together with nice, earthy notes. 

Sausage and Waffles-house-made sausage, house-made waffles, Huitlacoche (corn smut) sauce

  

As our bellies began to get full, Chef David slowed the pace down with a nice and refreshing intermezzo. A fresh picked watermelon from the garden graced our table garnished with torn basil, Gulf of Mexico salt from our friends at Cellar Salt Co. and a slight drizzle of Georgia olive oil.

Sliced watermelon, torn basil, Cellar Sea Salt, Georgia olive oil

Chef David brought out his magician skills with the highlight of the evening, a two-year aged ham. Beautiful in color and thinly sliced, the ham melted in my mouth. Following boucherie-style tradition, we shared a shot of whiskey with a Bancroft twist. First, you place a drop of Poirier cane syrup on your tongue and let it sit. Then, we took a sip out of a mason jar filled with skins/fat from the ham soaking in Woodford Reserve and finished it all off with a bite of that heavenly ham. 

 

2 year aged ham, Poirier cane syrup, 2 year old ham skins/fat in Woodford Reserve

The cream poached sweet corn with sweet corn donuts was a simple, yet flavor packed dish. It came as no surprise that Chef David picked the corn from the restaurant garden. He described the Silver Queen variety as the “cream of the crop.” Super tender, extremely sweet, and a perfect welcome back to the South.

Cream poached Silver Queen corn with corn donuts

We closed out our amazing dining experience with a humble but tasty dessert, fig cinnamon rolls. It was especially touching for Jay because we had just served his Granny’s famous cinnamon pecan rolls earlier that week at the James Beard House. They were warm, fluffy and drenched in icing; job well done Chef Caleb Fischer!

Chef Caleb Fischer's cast iron fig cinnamon rolls

After dinner, we took a tour around the property where Chef explained the significance and importance of living off the land. Every crop in the garden and protein used inspired the kitchen to create dishes that were not only well thought out but executed with a humble touch. I hope to return to Acre sooner rather than later to see what Chef David is cooking up!

Rolling in the Deep...Fryer: Our Power Rankings of the Best LSU Rolls in Baton Rouge

by Sydney Blanchard & Blair Loup

I'm a Baton Rouge native, and if there's one thing I can say about this city, it's that its people are passionate. I theorize that living so close to the state's seat of government rubs off on us. Our opinions, on everything from LSU football to where to find the best sushi, are about as polarizing as our politics.

Thus, an idea was born.

We decided to do some research and find out which local sushi places had football themed rolls. At first, we thought we'd stumble across a few, but after poring over dozens of menus, we discovered that almost every sushi restaurant in town offers some play on an LSU inspired roll.

There are Tiger rolls, Geaux Tiger rolls, Death Valley rolls, LSU Tiger rolls, and of course, a number of LSU rolls.

It would have been nearly impossible to try to write about all of these, so we narrowed our focus on the LSU rolls and got to eating. One pattern emerged: at least one fried element is present in nearly all of these rolls.

Go figure.

Here's our rankings of the best LSU rolls this town has to offer, with photos for reference.

Rock-n-Sake Bar & Sushi

Shrimp, cream cheese, snow crab, red tuna, avocado at Rock-n-Sake (3043 Perkins Rd #A).

Rock-n-Sake's roll was by far the standout. Colorful, inventive, and tasty, we had no problem gobbling down this roll. This interpretation of the LSU roll consisted of battered shrimp and cream cheese in a traditional rice roll and snow crab topped with ruby red tuna and avocado slices.

Sushi Masa

Snowcrab, crawfish tails, cream cheese, and spicy mayo and eel sauce at Sushi Masa (5837 Essen Ln).

Sushi Masa's LSU roll fell in line with some of the other rolls on this list, but we think their interpretation was the best. Snowcrab, crawfish, and cream cheese combine in a rice roll that's battered, fried, and topped with spicy mayonnaise and eel sauce. The crunchy fried shell plays well with the cool cream cheese in the center.

Ichiban Hibachi Grill & Sushi Bar

Fried oyster, snow crab, avocado, asparagus at Ichiban (5741 Essen Lane).

Ichiban's LSU roll confused then pleased our tastebuds. The combination of fried oyster, snow crab, avocado, and asparagus topped with crunchy and purple and gold sweet sauce was uniquely Louisiana. I'm not a huge oyster fan, but the choice to include fried oysters in a roll earned Ichiban some extra points.

Omi Hibachi Grill & Sushi Bar

Snow crab, cream cheese, battered and fried at Omi (7951 One Calais Ave).

It was Blair's and my first time at Omi, and we were excited to see what it was all about. We were pretty disappointed this roll was so similar to Sushi Masa and Koi's LSU roll (snow crab, cream cheese, rice roll, battered and fried), but Omi's choice of batter made this one of our favorites. The texture of the batter reminded us of beignets, and it worked well with the other ingredients.

Drunken Fish

Spicy tuna, cucumber, salmon and eel at Drunken Fish (4410 Highland Road).

Blair and I were impressed with how different Drunken Fish's take on the LSU roll was compared with the others, but for us the flavor just wasn't there. Spicy tuna and cucumber nestle together in a rice roll topped with fresh salmon and barbecue eel. Drunken Fish was my spot in college, but this roll was a miss for me.

Koi Sushi Restaurant

Crawfish, Snow crab, cream cheese, all fried at Koi Sushi (Koi Sushi Restaurant).

Koi's interpretation fell in line with that of Omi and Sushi Masa, but the biggest turnoff for us was the value. This was the most expensive roll we had, and we couldn't figure out why. The components were the same as the LSU roll as Omi and Sushi Masa, but Koi's batter just didn't hold up as well as the others.


Do you agree with our rankings? Did we miss a must-try LSU roll? Let us know in the comments!

Martinique Bistro is a Gem in the Big Easy

Smoked Salmon Starter at Martinique Bistro

Every now and then I have a culinary experience at a restaurant which blows me away. With so many options in New Orleans for world-class cuisine, I've been equally impressed and disappointed over the course of time. It takes a unique combination of tradition and innovation to truly impress me these days. Not to say that I don't like almost everything that I get to eat. I most certainly consider myself to be a food and beverage enthusiast rather than a critic, but I mean to really impress me, it takes something special. To stand out to the point that I'll tell my closest friends that they have to eat somewhere. To meet a chef that reminds me about why the term culinary arts truly is an art, and why a master of kitchen magic is every bit an artist as someone whose medium is canvas or lyrics. Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street in New Orleans had that kind of impact on me. Sitting five blocks away from Audubon Park, it is a quaint gem with an outdoor seating area that is sure to bustle in the fall and an inside dining room small enough to shake everyone's hand from the center table. I got a spot with Aimee Abernathy next to a window overlooking Magazine. Chef Eric Labouchere greeted our table and told us to enjoy the ride as he prepared to unleash a flurry of his finest creations on the summer menu at us.

Double Thyme at Martinique Bistro

Manager Jennifer Sherrod started me off with a Double Thyme to go with a couple starters before our main courses started flowing. The Double Thyme blended High West Double Rye whiskey, Meletti Amaro, Rothman and Winter Apricot, Lilet Blanc, and thyme. I do love a good, well balanced whiskey cocktail, and the Double Thyme worked perfectly to whet my appetite and prepare me for the ensuing gorge.

Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho with Cucumber-Lime Granita

Our meal began with the smoked salmon, a reimagined crostini dish on housemade brioche with vidalia onion, hard boiled Louisiana quail egg, flying fish roe, and caper aioli. The visually stunning dish put together expected flavors with a modern focus to create a couple fantastic bites of scrumptious salmon. At the same time chef sent out a cup of chilled watermelon gazpacho with Louisiana blue crab and a scoop of cucumber-lime granita. The cold appetizer beautifully blended the fruit flavors and it all worked well with the crab at the bottom. During a hot New Orleans summer, this is a go-to dish for a refreshing starter!

Socca

Our tasting menu kicked in with the Socca. A trio of chickpea crepes were garnished with chili oil and topped separately with field pea hummus, heirloom squash ratatouille, and feta. The creative pancakes were delicious savory bites that served as vessels for multiple mediterranean flavors. Next up came a fish dish featuring loup de mer or European seabass. The sauteed fish sat atop butter poached chanterelles and some tender greens. The mushrooms and fish played off each other in the red wine and butter sauce. The taste danced on my tongue as I took bite after bite. It truly is one of the best, more refined seafood dishes that I've had in awhile. It had nothing too complex. Nothing molecular happened to any element of the dish. It simply featured great products, simply prepared, seasoned wonderfully, and combined on plate to make a beautiful arrangement of complementary flavors. I want to cook like that.  

Loup de Mer with Beurre Rouge and Butter Poached Chanterelles

The meat course excited me from the moment I sat down in Martinique Bistro and laid my eyes on the menu. A boneless new zealand lamb loin with cucumber and sweet onion pickles, israeli couscous, meyer lemon-watercress aioli, and tomato-sherry vinegar demi-glace awaited my taste buds. Anybody that reads enough Bite and Booze knows that I detest pickles. They are my arch-nemesis of food. But here, I almost, sorta, maybe looked forward to them. I certainly admired the choices that went into the flavor combination on the dish. There was a lot happening on one plate and I didn't want anything to overpower the lamb, but that didn't happen. The medium rare lamb loin took on the medley of gastronomy and came out a winner because of it. The dish had a certain tang to it for sure due to the vinegar in the pickles and demi as well as the lemon in the aioli and the garnishing tomatoes. Still, it worked. Every bite of lamb and couscous with accoutrement felt like middle eastern flavored fireworks exploding on my tongue. Bravo, chef. Bravo.

Boneless New Zealand Lamb at Martinique Bistro

Of course, with this much goodness, there had to be dessert. I wouldn't dare ruin an epic meal like this without giving it the proper ending that it deserves. Chef sent out a couple sorbets and a couple ice creams to kick off the sweet tooth rally. I don't actually remember what they all were, but I do recall that the ice cream on the far right below is a chanterelle mushroom ice cream. If that doesn't sound good to you, well, you'd be wrong. The earthiness of the mushrooms made love to the rich creaminess and sugar in the ice cream to create a truly unique and amazing dessert. Chef Labouchere had one last trick up his sleeve. He presented Aimee and I with a blueberry cornmeal tart complete with blueberry curd and lavender chantilly. Another splendid dish, this dessert hit right on the money balancing the natural sweetness from the berries with the nearly savory cornmeal crust.

Blueberry Cornmeal Tart

My experience at Martinique Bistro came to an end but I know for sure that I'll be back. This uptown eatery impressed me immensely. I know they'll have a fall seasonal menu coming out soon, so your chances to try any of these dishes may be limited to only the next couple weeks. I'll have to make sure I get back there once the new menu is out. I can't wait to see what Chef Labouchere comes up with next.

"Month of Salads" Post VI: Chimes Covington's Caesar with Blackened Salmon

Blackened Salmon over Caesar Salad at The Chimes in Covington

While on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain to film a teaser for a beer documentary, our crew wound up at the Chimes in Covington for an interview with our fixer and Craft Brands Manager from Champagne Beverage, Vanessa, and their beer buyer, Shane. After the shoot we settled in for lunch where keeping true to my "Month of Salads," I opted for the Caesar with blackened salmon. I've long been a fan of the Caesar salad at the original Chimes in Baton Rouge. The salad in Covington lived up to expectation with the hard boiled eggs, grape tomatoes, parmesan cheese and theirs signature creamy Caesar dressing. The blackened salmon had a great burst of flavor from the spices while being served rare on the inside just like I ordered it. If you're a big fan of the Chimes in Baton Rouge, I definitely suggest that you make the trip to Covington and see that location. It is impressive to say the least. I also had several beers while at the Chimes including a Voo Ka Ray IPA from Chafunkta and the Woot Stout from Stone. Balancing out the beers with a salad and a nice piece of fish is something I could almost get used to!

Saint Arnold Beer Dinner at L'Auberge Baton Rouge

Coffee Crusted Beef Carpaccio with the St. Arnold Santo

Nobody ever really questions the perks of my job.  Lately I've been trying to convince everyone how difficult it is at times.  On a trip to New Orleans, Chuck P experienced a draining albeit food and beverage packed day in the life of myself.  However, as Chef Wadsworth says, "it's good to be Jay Ducote."  I'll never complain that I found a way to eat and drink for a living.  It might be difficult at times to constantly write about it, or to record radio show after podcast after radio show.  Or perhaps sometimes the eating and drinking actually takes its toll and I need a break.  That does actually happen.  But still, at the end of the day, I've created the best job imaginable for myself.  It has been a lot of hard work to actually turn it into a job, but if it wasn't, everyone would do it!  So back to the perks.

During American Craft Beer Week I received an invitation to attend a beer dinner at the Stadium sports bar in L'Auberge Baton Rouge.  The beer dinner paired brews from the Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, TX with creative cuisine from the casino's culinary team.  The dinner began with the Saint Arnold Santo, a malty Black Kolsch that is quite enjoyable.  The darker German style beer came paired with an appetizer of sorts: coffee crusted beef carpaccio alongside fried capers, pickled red onion, roasted beef tallow, and a beer bottle tuile.  The carpaccio itself had a delicate flavor with a hint of coffee bitterness and the natural savoriness of rare beef.  When all the flavors on the plate combined into one bite, this dish became magical.  The beef fat livened up the lean carpaccio while the pickled reds added enough acidity to cut through the fat.  The fried capers chimed in with a blast of texture and saltiness.  Great dish!

Root Beer Granita and Vanilla Hop Pickled Strawberry Pearls

After the first course came a creative intermezzo.  Utilizing Saint Arnold's Root Beer, the chefs came up with a root beer granita to pair with vanilla hop pickled strawberry pearls and chocolate mint oil.  I enjoyed the palate cleanser, though it confused me slightly.  Somewhere between a dessert and a refreshing stop between courses, the flavors were sweet and delightful though reasonably strong.  It also came between the appetizer and fish courses, which seemed a little odd.  I felt like it would have fit better between the second and third courses as a true palate cleanser between entrees, but perhaps the chefs had good reason not to.  Perhaps they wanted to keep it farther away from the dessert course.  Either way, I ate it all.  And the hop flavors really worked quite well with the strawberries!

Beer Poached Salmon

The second course of the evening featured beer poached salmon with a plantain chip, citrus salad, and blood orange vinaigrette.  This salmon once again made me really enjoy the fish in cooked form.  I'll have remember to beer poach my salmon in the future!  The beer served with the fish dish was Saint Arnold's Icon Series Amarillo Hefe.  With some hop presence to add to the citric flavor of the beer, it partnered up with the salad very well to complete a light and refreshing course.  

Roasted Pork Poboy with a Cascadian Dark Ale

Perhaps the most interesting plating of the night came with the main course.  L'Auberge has very cleverly worked packaging design into their craft beer dinners, and this Saint Arnold dinner proved to be no exception.  The course featured a very pedestrian menu item done up in a very nice way.  Wedged into one side of the four-pack container, the roasted pork poboy featured some nice mustard greens and smoked provolone as well as au jus.  The sandwich hit the spot.  Comfort food for sure, the poboy fit the vibe of the beer dinner and the atmosphere of the Stadium.  Served with seasoned potatoes that actually had hops in the seasoning, the course also paired extremely well with the latest in the Saint Arnold Icon Series, the Cascadian Dark Ale.

Dessert at L'Auberge with the Endeavor Double IPA

My first thought when I looked at this menu item was that it is quite the risk to use a double IPA to pair with dessert and end the meal.  I like risks though.  And the bright floral notes and bitterness in an IPA can certainly work with dessert.  To match the more assertive flavors of the Saint Arnold Endeavor, the chefs served Endeavor poached citrus peaches, vanilla bean candied orange swirled gelato, and orange essence sponge cake.  The fruity citrus flavors complimented the DIPA and the dish played on my palate with the different textures.

Keep an eye out for more craft beer dinners at Stadium as well as rum and wine dinners at 18 Steak.  L'Auberge is definitely a nice addition to the culinary scene of Baton Rouge in addition to the entertainment scene!  And look for Saint Arnold Beers all around Louisiana as well.  Our neighbors in Texas are brewing some great suds!

ChefDance at Sundance

Beetroot Macaroon, Foie Gras, Sherry Reduction

While I didn't get to watch any films at the Sundance Film Festival, nor did I do any skiing on the famous Park City slopes, I did get to attend one event worthy of noting (other than the party at which I cooked).  MorningStar Farms ChefDance, a series of celebrity-chef crafted dinners at Sundance, clearly has made a name for itself as the go-to culinary event during the festival.  Each night, a different chef takes center-stage to put on a multi-course dinner offering for celebrities, festival attendees, and members of the culinary media.  Fortunately for me, I fell into one of those categories!  The crowd at ChefDance was huge.  I spied the likes of Tony Danza as I found my seat, and after some cocktails from the Snake Oil Cocktail Company and a brief delay, food started to come out of the kitchen.  Chef Shawn Armstrong led the brigade to create a stellar menu for the multitude of diners.

Snake Oil Cocktail Co's Bulleit Bourbon Beverage

Aspen Smoked Salmon, Blood Orange, Avocado Cream, Tangerine Lace, Citrus Creme Fraiche

Parsnip Cream & Crisp, Sugar Cured Pork Belly, Seasonal Mushrooms, Oregon White Truffle, Micro Chive, Green Onion Oil, MorningStar Farms "Chix" Pea Powder

Femme Fatale: Bulleit Bourbon, Smoked Maple-Chicory Soda,  Dried Apple Chip

Lamb "Ribeye", Charcoal Tortellini, Local Honey Glazed Butternut Squash, Puffed Black Barley, Roasted Brussels Sprout Petals, Black Garlic

Ginger Graham Crusted Sweet Potato Cupcake filled with Cinnamon Honey Creme Brulee, topped with Orange Whipped Cream and Candied Pumpkin Seeds

On the whole, the meal was quite extraordinary.  Despite the long wait time and lengthy dinner service, each course impressed me enough to stay in my seat until the end.  The macaroon had a savory element with sweetness from the sherry redux.  The salmon may have been the best course, though I'll never argue with lamb or pork belly.  Both of those dishes were outstanding as well, and the lamb came out cooked beautifully, especially considering the crowd of 300+ plates that went out.  The cupcake was a creation of Megan Brown from Sweet Tooth Fairy, winner of Cupcake Wars.  It may not quite have been one of Christina Stephen's cupcakes, but it was really damn delicious!

I'm definitely glad that I got to experience MorningStar Farms ChefDance while in Park City.  Hopefully I'll be back again... perhaps even as a chef.  Hey, you can always tweet @chefdance and let them know that @biteandbooze should be there next year!

COOLinary New Orleans: Superior Seafood

Oysters Superior: Four Ways to Deliciousness

During the entire month of August the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered up with a multitude of local restaurants to offer a special COOLinary dining experience.  Locals and tourists alike were treated to special prefix menus at a small price tag of $20 for lunch and $35 for dinner.  With that kind of price tag at some of NOLA's newest as well as most legendary restaurants, there's no reason not to eat out!

The New Orleans CVB invited me to experience a few of the COOLinary meals for myself.  Since I was in town anyway for the Louisiana Cookin' Magazine Chefs to Watch dinner, I figured it couldn't hurt to grab a couple lunches as well.  My first stop brought me a newer restaurant on St. Charles Avenue called Superior Seafood.  The restaurant has the same ownership as Superior Grill in New Orleans and Baton Rouge and Superior Steak in Shreveport.  The latest concept, a truly supreme seafood restaurant and oyster bar, is captained in the kitchen by Chef Justin Ferguson.  Chef Ferguson is a graduate of the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge and has worked at several Red Stick restaurants.

Fried Green Tomato topped with Crab Meat and Hollandaise

Strawberry Basil Mojito

While I came to Superior Seafood to enjoy the three-course COOLinary menu, there were a couple dishes that Michele and I just couldn't pass up.  Since Superior Seafood also dubs themselves as an oyster bar, I couldn't resist the Oysters Superior which came with four preparations: Bienville, Rockefeller, Char-grilled, and Angels on Horseback.  The Bienville, which contains bacon and shrimp in a creamy stuffing, were my favorite. The Angels on Horseback also featured bacon, but it was wrapped around the oyster then battered and deep fried!  Another appetizer came out before our sensation salads.  The crispy fried green tomato beautifully topped with crab meat and hollandaise tasted every bit as appetizing as it looked.  I'm a fan of fried green tomatoes so I knew I'd like it, and this dish did not let me down one bit.  I also managed to add a strawberry basil mojito to my lunch.  With rum, fresh strawberries, fresh basil, and lemon juice, the fruity cocktail refused to be overly sweet so I rather enjoyed it.

Glazed Salmon Entree from the COOLinary Menu

Summer Upside Down Cake

While Michele went with the Shrimp Vieux Carre for her entree, I stuck to the prefix COOLinary menu and had the glazed salmon.  I'm typically not a fan of salmon any way other than raw, but Superior Seafood proved me wrong.  The pan seared salmon had a honey and balsamic glaze that freakin' rocked.  This dish easily wound up being my favorite salmon preparation of all time.  The grilled asparagus also impressed me.  It remained rigid while being tender enough to eat with a fork and it partnered wonderfully with the salt and balsamic drizzle.  I made a happy plate in no time, enjoyed another cocktail, and prepared for dessert.  The summer upside down cake capped off the delightful three course COOLinary meal.  The captivating cake came topped with cooked down cherries and dollop of cream.  The cake provided a lovely ending to a damn good lunch.  I'll definitely be down to go back to Superior Seafood again to check out more of their excellent menu!