SAME Cafe Contending for Hometown Award

Cast a vote for Denver eatery serving fresh, wholesome, house-made food to all

Thanks to Westword's Patricia Calhoun for reporting that Brad and Libby Birky, whose three-year-old SAME Café (So All May Eat), a pay-what-you-want or what-you-can restaurant at 2023 East Colfax Avenue, are finalists for NBC Nightly News' hometown heroes contest. The network news featured the cafe in its "Making a Difference" segment last March. Cast an online vote for the Birkeys by clicking here. The winner is awarded $10,000, money the Birkeys can put to good use for the SAME Cafe. I'm campaigning for the Birkys and their wonderful, idealistic restaurant.

Beaujolais & Beyond: Débutante Party for a Favorite French Wine

Chefs competition, wine tasting, silent auction and glorious food

The November release of nouveau Beaujolais is a reason, or an excuse, that the French-American Chamber of Commerce uses to organize Beaujolais & Beyond, a transcontinental celebration of this annually anticipated new wine. Each FACC affiliate selects its own precise date, venue and event details. Denver's FACC's Beaujolais & Beyond fête was Thursday, November 19, and for the second time in consecutive weeks, I was thrilled to be a judge for the chefs competition. My co-panelists were Stacey Brugeman of Denver Magazine; Vanessa Martinez, online editor for 5280 Magazine and Lori Midson of Westword. 

The event took place at Mile High Station, which had hosted the Denver International Wine Festival the week before. I half-expected the place to festooned in the French tricoleur, but elegant white was selected instead. Space in the center of the soaring hall was reserved for the entertainment, especially the stunning aerial dance act. But the real attraction was the food and the wine -- or the wine and the food.

Once again, participating chefs prepared fantastic dishes, crafted to pair with the evening's Gerorges Duboeuf nouveau. They could enter one, two or all three categories. Below are the winning dishes:

 Judges' Choice Winners

Best Appetizer - Beaujolais Braised Petite Redbird Coq au Vin by Michael Long, Opus Restaurant, Littleton. Beautifully sauced drummettes served with pearl onion and a shave of black truffle. The dish was similar to one that Long prepared the previous week the Denver International Wine Festival, where it was also much praised. Long likes to serve three drummettes on a three-compartment plate, but only two are visible here, shown as he presented it to us judges. Not a flattering photo of the chef, but the judging moved along  fast and so did he.

I couldn't get a good photo angle of Chef's hands, shaving the black truffle on each drummette -- but I did get a good taste!

Best Entrée - Duck Cordon Bleu by Cade Nagy, Catering by Design, Denver - Mushroom-spätzle casserole, grilled arugula, dried cherry salad and house-cured prosciutto chips made a multi-textured, multi-color dish with complementary flavora. The chip actually was standing up straight out of the casserole, a distinctive presentation that doesn't really show in this image.

Best Dessert - Cranberry Tart with Brie Fonduta by Brendon Doyle, Jonesy's EatBar. "Tart" is an Americanized name for a French clafoutie in which the fruit combines into the batter. The fruit of choice was, cranberries which make me think of autumn, and this tart was topped by a creamy melted Brie encircled by Pinot Noir reduction and additional Brie. Doyle said that he likes these grandmotherly plates. To my eye,  the busy pattern detracted from the presentation, but nothing could detract from the taste.

People's Choice Winners

Best Appetizer - Duck Raviolis in a Duck Jus Reduction by Jean-Luc Voegele, Westin Tabor Center. Truffles and leeks, julienned and crisp-fried, made this a winner. Interestingly, he was also the People's Choice winner at the Denver International Wine Festival. Bottom line: the "people" really like Voegele's dishes -- an so do I.

Best Entrée -  New York Strip with Huckleberry Demi-Glaze and  Best Dessert - Creme Brulée Cake, David Oliveri, both Farraday's Steak House, Black Hawk. I goofed big time on this, especially since Oliveri won two out of three categories. For the judges, Oliveri plated a small portion of the meat on one end of a large oval platter and the cake on the other. I took pictures of neither, and attendees voted for both. I guess FACC will  just have to ask me back to judge in 2010. I'll do better with photos. I promise. Meanwhile, apologies to the organizers, to Chef  and to the fans who voted for him.

The best I can offer, photographically, is a bit of the People's Choice ballot station. Each chef prepared and plated his dish(es), which were arrayed on a fall-festive table with the ballot box as the centerpiece.

Other Noteworthy Dishes

Creativity reigned in several other dishes, a couple of which are worthy of a photo and an explanation here. Restaurant 1515's Chuck James prepared sous-vide lobster that he smoked at the table. He inverted a martini glass over the lobster and smoked it via a hose stuck under the rim. When the martini glass was lifted, aromatic smoke rose from the plate and the smoley flavor permeated the rich lobster meat. James served it with a corn/truffle waffle, garlic butter "caviar," arugula and lemon dust -- yes, dust, not zest.

Catering by Design's Cade Nagy upscaled and deconstructed the infamous Egg McMuffin: braised pork belly, fried quail egg, Hollandaise and a biscuit. He described it as his homage to fast food. Unlike its inspiration, I called it delicious.

Most "Favorite" Hawaiian Restaurants Aren't Really Hawaiian

Hawaii.com's recent online poll reveals nothing but chains


Hawaii.com, which is owned by Gannett (USA Today and others), asked its million-plus members to vote for their favorite restaurants in the Hawaiian Islands. I'm not sure what constitutes a "member" of hawaii.com -- a site visitor perhaps. The poll is obviously skewed to favor Honolulu, specifically Waikiki, which has the most visitors, the most hotels and the most concentrated tourist-oriented dining options. Beyond that, the leader of every single category is part of a chain, usually with more locations off the Hawaiian Islands than on. Also note that not one of these chains is even headquartered in Hawaii. This makes me incredibly sad, because Hawaii has such rich and varied food offerings and unique local restaurants. I have to wonder: Is this an indictment of Hawaii or a function of the "members" of hawaii.com? With that caveat, below is the list:

• Favorite Steakhouse in Honolulu  - Ruth's Chris Steak House Waikiki, 226 Lewers St., Honolulu; 808-440-7910. One of 100 locations around the world and one of five in the Hawaiian Islands, two on Oahu. It is headquartered in Florida.
•  Favorite Hamburger in Honolulu - Cheeseburger in Paradise, 2500 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu; 808-923-3731.  One of eight locations in Hawaii. Others are such mainland sites as Reno, Las Vegas, Key West and assorted locations in the Midwest and Northeast. It is headquartered in Illinois.
• Favorite Breakfast Spot in Waikiki - Duke's at the Outrigger Waikiki, 2335 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu; 808-922-2268. Named after Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, a renowned surfer who competed in the Olympics for 20 years and also appeared in over 28 Hollywood movies, this is one of half a dozen Duke's. It is part of the TS Restaurant Group that also owns and/or operates Hula Grills, Cliffhouse, Jake's Del Mar, Keoki's Paradise, Kimo's, Lelani's and Sunnyside Lodge. It is headquartered in California.
• Favorite Restaurant with a View on Oahu  - Duke's at the Outrigger Waikiki, see above.
• Favorite Maui Restaurant with a View - Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., 889 Front St., Lahaina; 808-661-3111.California-based chain with 22 restaruarants in the US (including two in Colorado and one in the Mall of America in Minnesota), two in Mexico, two in Japan, two in the Philippines, one on Bali and one in Singapore. The chain is headquarted in California.
•  Favorite Maui Restaurant - Cheesburger in Paradise, 811 Front Street, Lahaina; 808-661-4855. See above. 
• Favorite Kauai Restaurant - Duke's Canoe Club at the Kauai Marriott, 3610 Rice St., Lihue; 808-246-9599. See above.
•  Favorite Big Island Restaurant - Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill, 250 Waikoloa Beach Dr., Waikoloa; 808- 886-4321. First introduced in Honolulu by James Beard award winner Chef Roy Yamaguchi, two dozen of Roy's Hawaiian fusion  are on the mainland. The chain is headquartered in California.
•  

Just a Few News Notes

Denver International Wine Festival Report

Yesterday evening, I was honored to be a judge at the "Taste of Elegance" chef competition at the Denver International Wine Festival. My fellow judges (illustrious Coloradans indeed) were last season's "Top Chef" winner Hosea Rosenberg of Jax Fish House in Boulder, Amanda Faison of 5280 Magazine and Teresa Farney of the Colorado Springs Gazette. We ate and wine-paired two dishes from each of 14 leading chefs (plus a "bonus" third dish from Boulder's Restaurant 4580). Even a bite from each dish and a sip of each paired wine meant a lot of food and a lot of wine.

At the end of the competition, we judges met in a private room with video camera trained on us while we deliberated. We had very few differences of opinion -- a dish here, a dish there, perhaps a pairing. There were many excellent dishes that were carefully thought-out and beautifully presented. In the end, our top two chefs for overall excellence were Michael Long of Opus, Littleton, and for creativity, Robert Corey of Sandoval's Kitchen, Denver. I'll write another post with photos when I've digested, literally and figuratively, the evening's fab foods and wines.

Red Hot News: Kleinman Gone from Westin Westminster

I mentioned that 14 chefs competed in the "Taste of Elegance." Number 15 would have been Ian Kleinman, Colorado's captain of molecular gastronomy, except that is no longer at O's Steak and Seafood's in the Westin Westminster. I confirmed this morning and learned that Kurt Zuger, the executive chef, and Christoph Schöttle, who is the executive sous chef are filling the void. Again according to rumor, Kleinman is planning to open a restaurant on Larimer Square. Stay tuned.

Boulder Eatery News

Steve Abo, owner of Abo's Pizza, and a partner, whose name I can't recall have taken over the shuttered space that was occupied by Seven on Pearl (previously Seven Eurobistro) at 1035 Pearl Street, a bistro/bar just west of the Pearl Street Mall. Workers have been busy remodeling (right), so it ought to be opening soon...An Australian pub is reportedly going into the beguiling but challenging space on Broadway between Canyon and Araphahoe that, between sitting empty, has housed a variety of restaurant. The most recent was the short-lived Alexander & Livorio (or similar). With the recently closing of the Scotch Corner, it might fill a pub void on the street....I haven't previously reported on two restaurant that opened not long ago at The Peloton, the upscale condo development at 3601 Arapahoe. The Gindi Café is an an eco-practicing morning, noon and night eatery (i.e., it services breakfast, lunch, happy hour and small plates).The phone number is 720-206-5157. It joins Pizzeria Basta, a southern Italian restaurant with a wood-burning pizza oven and what it calls an "intelligent wine list." Sounds smart to me. Alas, I can't find Pizzeria Basta's phone number. The website is "under construction" and dexknows.com doesn't know...Agave Mexico Bistro & Tequila House opened on Wednesday at 2845 28th Street, Boulder; 303-444-2922. They're offering an extensive menu with organic and all-natural products and many gluten-free and vegetarian offerings. Until November 22, they're mixing their house margaritas for $4 as a grand opening special...Chef Fabio Flagiello is now is working with Bácaro Venetian Taverna owner/chef Anthony Justice, overhauling the menu and adding cred to the restaurant's middle name. Chef Flagiello trained in Italy and France and on this side of the pond, has run restaurants in California. While in Los Angeles, he was as a film, coaching actors with roles that required culinary technique, including Tony Shalhoub’s character, Primo, in the 1996 movie “Big Night.” He's a Boulder kind of buy, a triathlete and Iron Man competitor and interested in finding the balance between both great tasting and healthful meals. Bácaro is at 921 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-444-4888.

Historic Nottoway Plantation Houses Contemporary Restaurant

Ramsay's Mansion Restaurant:  Stellar dining in the Louisiana countryside

New Orleans is one of the country's best-known dining Meccas, but on a recent farm-to-table visit to Louisiana, I found lots of other amazing food. A recent addition to the region's fine-dining scene is Ramsay's Mansion Restaurant at Nottoway, a magnificent plantation house that was renovated and refurbished earlier this year in time for its 150th anniversary.

Executive chef David Reyes was a city kid, raised in a rough Chicago neighborhood, but he has his Mexican family's farm-to-table catering business in his blood as well. His family planted corn by hand, raised cattle and made cheese, forging a direct connection from the growing and raising to the preparation and finally the consumption of food . Reyes himself graduated from Kendall College's well-regarded culinary program and interned at Puerto Vallarta resort and a Michelin-starred restaurant in Toulouse, France. Last year, back in the US, he won the grand prize and a $20,000 scholarship in the Kraft Foods 2008 Chefs of Grey Poupon Student Culinary Competition for his Dijon Surf and Turf in a New World Romesco Sauce recipe.

Once he was on board at Nottoway, he set his sights on some of the property's 38 acres for a kitchen garden, from which he has already been harvesting. The phrase "more than 30 herbs" also passed his lips. He is not yet 30 and has a combination of energy, ambition and culinary training that bode well for Ramsay's Mansion Restaraurant, especially if our group's seven-course dinner featuring Chef's selection is any indication. A lovely setting in a glassed in garden room looking out at the landscaped grounds (until it got dark), attentive service and wines that I wrote down somewhere but can't find made this an idyllic meal.

The first course was a single moist blue crab cake with mango sauce, a cap of smoked paprika aioli and a "feather" of dill from the small-plates list on the regular menu.

Butternut squash and ginger soup with a bit of Louisiana blue crab and a froth of coconut milk, garli,c chive and soy sauce was an excellent autumn soup.

If the soup said "fall," the caprese salad said "summer." This version is made with organically grown heirloom tomatoes and house-made mozzarella with cucumbers and basil  from the garden.

I had never heard of fish called "triple tail," but it is one of those species long recognized by saltwater sport fishermen that has only recently come into its own on the table. Once considered bycatch of the New Orleans shrimp fishery, it is now recognized for its similarity to sea bass. It was served in a light lobster bisque, Parmesan risotto and crisp salad of house-grown borage, fennel, beet sprouts, basil and arugula on top.



The word gnudi, a close relative of gnocchi, has now made it to southern Louisiana. The Mansion Restaurant's ricotta gnudi were soft pillows of dough made with house-made ricotta, perfecty cooked and loaded into a soup plate with fresh house-made sausage, sage, brown butter, a piquant sauce and a shaving of cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, other?) on top.

X marked the spot on the plate where two lamb chop bones crossed and Reyes's signature tandoori spiced lamb chops rested. The tender lamb was seasoned with an almost-Cajun spice mixture, roasted and served with a bit of roasted vegetable parfait layered with goard cheese and shallot confit.

Silk buttermilk pannacotta served as the underlayment for a coulis of fresh berries and oh-so-Southern pecans.

Price check:  At dinner, small plates, $8-$12; soups, $8-$19; salads, $8-$11; mains (including grilled items), $18-$32.

Nottoway is at 31025 Louisiana Highway 1 (off The Great River Road), White Castle (south of Baton Rouge);  225-545-2730.