Courtesy Wolfgang Puck

2 teaspoons dry Chinese or English (Coleman’s) mustard
¹/₄ cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons light sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil (2-3 for 4 servings)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 package wontons

Chicken Salad

One 3 pound chicken, cavity filled with finely diced celery, carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 small heads, or 1 medium head Napa cabbage
1 cup romaine lettuce, cut into 1/4 inch julienne strips
10 snow peas, cut into 1/4 inch julienne strips
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

DIRECTIONS

Courtesy Google Images

An interview with Wolfgang Puck is always fascinating, simply because Puck is the quintessential chef, entrepreneur and culinary genius. Usually I like to conduct my own interviews, but I thought John Mitsewich captured some interesting facets of Puck’s personality for  American Food Guide. John’s interview is a fun read.

What is a typical workday like? How many hours a day do you work? Do you work from one location, or travel around to your various restaurants?

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world because my work is also my hobby. So whether I’m starting early in the morning, or finishing late at night, I love the restaurant business. I certainly have to travel a lot to our different locations from Maui to Atlantic City, and the only thing I don’t like is meetings with accountants, lawyers, or attending board meetings.”

Why do you think you’ve had such staying power in the Hollywood dining scene, when other chefs and trendy restaurants come and go so fast? 

“We are not a trendy restaurant or bar like so many of the others we see opening over the years. We are all about quality and in the end, quality will win out and stay around for a longer time.” 


You’ve recently expanded your prepared food offerings to include four new appetizers; pork spring rolls, arancini, shrimp cakes and chicken pot stickers. How did you decide on these items? How many recipes did you test before settling on these? Are these regular items from your catering business, or were they specifically designed for the retail market?

 “Most of the new offerings in our food line started in the restaurants like shrimp cakes, potstickers, spring rolls, etc. I only had to decide which ones would hold up the best when you freeze them and which ones were easy to serve. We always taste and test a lot of different appetizers in the restaurant or for our frozen food offerings. Most of the items we selected were already popular in our catering kitchens or we did them for parties at the restaurant, so I thought it would be nice that people can have a wonderful product handy at home.”

[Read the rest of this entry…]

For me, flirtation definitely qualifies as an appetizer for a great night out.  My guy starts flirting as soon as we close the front door. Don’t laugh. When was the last time you rolled your eyes a bit and held hands at the start of an evening? Well, that’s not really the flirting part, but you get my point!

By way of background, I must admit my guy and I have been married forever. In the beginning, we had a conservative budget for eating out. Now that the kids are grown, the possibilities are endless!

Savoring the ambience of great restaurants and fabulous food is our favorite pastime.  So, join me in reading about my most memorable dining experiences around the world, and recipes for great dishes shared by some of the world’s most talented chefs.

The Fearless Foodie

The Gourmet Review

Courtesy Google Images

Wolfgang Puck served an incredible 1500 guests at this year’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards dinner for the Governor’s Ball.

To pull off an event of this caliber is no small fete.  It required 900 staff, 250 chefs in 16 kitchen stations, 10,000 pieces of cutlery, an 18 piece all female orchestra, and 10,000 flowers for decoration.  These flowers included my personal favorite, hydrangeas from New Zealand, orchids from Thailand and organically grown roses from Ecuador.  It required 1,700 man hours to install the decor and prepare the room for the party.  Now that’s an event!

Being the curious soul that I am, having read the menu for Wolfgang Puck’s past Oscar dinner, I naturally wondered about the sheer quantity of ingredients needed to cater such an event.  I meana, seriously, how do you go about ordering for 1500 guests?

1200 Bottles of Moët & Chandon Champagne

1000 Pounds of Wild Salmon

1200 Pounds of Organic Chicken

50,000 Organic Heirloom Baby Vegetables

150 pounds of Albacore Tuna

1200 Kumamoto Oysters

7200 Individual Shrimp

1000 Stone Crab Claws

3000 Petite Edible Flowers

300 pounds of Santa Barbara Chanterelles

350 pounds Yukon gold Potatoes

40 cases of Frisee

4800 Cage-Free Eggs

500 Pounds of Guittard L’Etoile du Nord Bittersweet Chocolate

20 pounds Wolfgang Puck Fair Trade Organic Coffee

15 Pounds of Edible Gold Dust

4000 Mini Chocolate Oscars

Now that’s a grocery list!

My thanks to Bite Club Eats for the fantastic list of ingredients!

– The Gourmet Review

Courtesy Google Images

Wolfgang Puck always gets raves for his post Oscar dinner at the Governor’s Ball. The legendary Puck once again created  pizzaz for the Hollywood set. Take a look  at this year’s menu and you’ll see why.

Courtesy Google Images

Photo showing Wolfgang Puck’s famous edible “oscars”.

The official Menu was created by Wolfgang Puck with Chef Partner Matt Bencivenga and Executive Pastry Chef Sherry Yard

Tray Passed Hors d’Oeuvres

Tempura Shrimp and Lobster

Mini Kobe Burgers with Aged Cheddar and Remoulade

Wasabi Pea Crusted Crab Cake with Mango and Thai Basil

Smoked Salmon Pizza with Caviar and Dill Creme

Black Truffle & Ricotta Cheese Pizza

Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce

Chicken Pot Stickers with Ginger Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce

Dinner

House Smoked Salmon, Potato Galette, Creme Fraiche and Baby Greens  
with Butler-passed Warm Brioche

Chicken Pot Pie with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Baby Heirloom Vegetables and

Homemade Pastry Crust 




Dessert

“L’Etoile de Oscar”

Baked Alaska with Espresso Glace, Guittard L’Etoile du Nord Chocolate Sorbet and Toasted Meringue

Menu features sustainable seafood, organic poultry and organic produce from Chef’s Garden

Don’t forget those chocolate  oscar statutes covered in edible 24k edible gold dust!

The official menu was provided by Bite Club Eats.

– The Gourmet Review

I must admit. I am annoyingly curious about the entire dining experience and the ambience surrounding it. My curiosity makes me want to know how chefs create and prepare their meals, where they get their ingredients, how they present their food. 


Tell the truth, if you saw purple broccoli, wouldn’t you at least want to know how it came to be on your plate?

As I’ve delved into the whole food experience, what has amazed me is the absolute heart and soul of people involved in the food industry.  A chef may not be  a painter or sculptor, but the commitment and passion are the same.

Consider this. Although the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a masterpiece, if you tried to touch it, you’d need a plane ticket to Rome, a heck of a tall ladder, and a tersely worded permission slip from the Swiss Guard. 


Not so with great dining. Just pick up the phone, make a reservation and go savor a great meal. Don’t waste another moment. Plan your night out, imagine the great food your favorite chef will prepare, and please don’t ever underestimate anticipation!

The Fearless Foodie

The Gourmet Review

Le Bar Courtesy Four Seasons George V

Four Season’s George V head bartender, Johann Burgos, was kind enough to answer some questions guests might ask directly, if lucky enough to be enjoying a Parisian nightcap at Le Bar with Johann on duty.

Q     Please share with us a memorable story during your tenure as head bartender.

A memorable story between many others was (one particular) service of martinis at a table.  We use mini shakers and each guest has (their) own minishaker. That  night we had to serve 21 martinis at the same time, so we invited people from the restaurant and concierge to shake with us. Guests were truly amazed.

Q     How long have you been at the Georges V and what do you love most about your job there ?

I’m working at the FSGV (Four Seasons Georges V) since June 2004, so almost 6 years now. The FS philosophy, combined with the George V hotel result in an amazing place, with passionate people. So are the guests (passionate), and this is what makes the FSGV so special – the (interaction) on both sides.

Q     What is the most commonly ordered cocktail?

The  most commonly ordered cocktail would be the family of martinis. We offer an extensive martini selection, from the classic dry martini, (the) Cosmopolitan, to the mango or special creations like the pink pearl. Most of our martinis are served in unusual “snowball” glasses, filled with crushed ice and shaken in front of you by your waiter with a mini shaker.

Q     Can you share your signature drink recipe for the “George Fizz” with my readers?

The “George Fizz” (signature cocktail) was created by Antoine Corneille , our Food and Beverage assistant manager and former La Galerie Manager.

Q     What do you love most about working for the Georges V?

The passion of the people working at the George V is a true asset. Working in the bar is a travel journey every day. Adapting to the language, mood, tone of each guest is an everyday and every minute challenge. This gives us the opportunity to create fantastic “once in a lifetime” shared exchanges with the people.

Note: Please forgive any errors in translation. They are mine alone.

– The Gourmet Review

Courtesy of Canlis Restaurant

Canlis restaurant in Seattle, Washington,  is synonymous with celebration; birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, or just a great night enjoying elegant food and ambience. Residents from the  Pacific Northwest have held Canlis near and dear to their hearts for three generations.

I’ve been fortunate to celebrate my l6th, l8th, 21st and one other major birthdays that I choose not to detail (definitely milestone events) in their Seattle or Honolulu location, so you see I’m rather partial.  There’s a small executive office on the second floor, where my romantic husband surprised me for an anniversary dinner one year, filling the room with my favorite flowers.

As years go by, restaurants change their menus, but for me I always order the Canlis salad, Steak Pierre, shoestring potatoes, and Grand Marnier soufflé. Over the years, as new dishes replaced some of the old, many customers were pleased to hear that if they called at least one day in advance, they could still order Steak Pierre. That’s the kind of attention to detail that long time customers have come to love about Canlis.

Check out more about Canlis at www.canlis.com.

– The Gourmet Review

Courtesy Four Seasons Paris

The Four Seasons George V in Paris is spectacular. As each day drew to a close, we would end our evenings at either Le Bar or La Galerie. Both were elegant, yet  intimate.

Decorated exquisitely,  as we had come to expect of the Four Seasons, Le Bar presented us with the perfect opportunity to recall the highlights of the day and plan for the next!

Considered the heart and soul of the George V, La Galerie is the definition of elegance and exuberance. Its walls showcase Flemish Tapestries and 19th Century paintings, while the lavish furniture and artifacts are something to be marveled by guests.

Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel

La Galerie just happens to be the perfect locale for people watching. My husband and I could have happily sat there for hours, merely absorbing the ambience.

“Hmmm.  What should we do tomorrow? Sleep in, or enjoy room service on the terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower?  Decisions, decisions!”

NOTES

Did you know that many years ago the very thrifty oil tycoon, Jean-Paul Getty, who made the Georges V his residence while in Paris,  asked the barman to decant the contents of two magnums of champagne that were given to him as a gift. Getty wanted the champagne to be poured into six different bottles, so his friends wouldn’t drink the entire bottle at one sitting.

– The Gourmet Review

Courtesy Four Seasons Hotel

When the original Georges Vhotel was built in 1928, builders utilized stone from the old quarry  used to build the Arc de Triomphe.  Located 46′ below the ground of Le Cinq Restaurant, the wine cellar is a sight to be seen!

Monsieur Eric Beaumard, restaurant director of the Georges V, oversaw the spectacular creation of the Georges V wine cellar in 1997 during renovations at the hotel.

Wine for dinner comes from one of approximately 46,000 bottles kept in the cellar. If the occasion calls for a bottle of the finest Champagne – and why not, this is Paris, France!

Sommelier Monsieur Thierry Hamon, who has been at the Georges V since 1999, will pull a perfectly chilled bottle from a separate cellar that contains more than 100 varieties of Champagne.

If you are one of the lucky few invited to enjoy a tour of the wine cellar, you may also get the opportunity to sample some of the delicious wines as you listen to a brief history of the cellar itself.

Today, Monsieur Hamon is the master of pairing the cuisine of Le Cinq with the perfect bottle of wine and he has been kind enough to share about some of his background and experiences at Le Cinq.

Q  When did you have your first glass of wine?

I was 15 when I had the first glass of wine I ever tasted, properly.

Q  Do you remember the name of it?

Saint Emillion Grand Cru 1990.

Q  When did you decide that you wanted to be a sommelier?

Through hotel school (he graduated from Lycee Hotelier of Dinard, Franch) and seeing all the different parts,  it was the winery that  interested me the most.

Q  What is the oldest wine you have ever opened?

Lile de Madar 1795*.

Q  What makes a great wine in your opinion?

Wine that is balanced and has its own identity but also reflects its territory.

Q  How do you keep up with knowledge about new wines?

Through doing a lot of tastings, keeping connections with winemakers and vineyards and constantly going over to visit them.

Q  What is the most interesting aspect of your job that you could you share with us?

(To) advise people in such a way as to find the right wine paring with the food for more pleasure and new discoveries.

I was curious about the taste of the Lile de Madar 1795. For me, it was difficult to comprehend the history behind a wine bottled that long ago. When asked, Monsieur Hamon described it as “an eternity taste, with fig and cacao aroma. It was a sweet wine, but with a very dark color because it was very old.”

NOTES

Did you know that in 1953, to celebrate the newly elected president of the United States, the Manager of the Georges V presented President Eisenhower with a bottle of cognac that was 152 years old from the private cellar of Napoleon Bonaparte!

– The Gourmet Review