Iron CHEF Led: Morimoto

RER 1.10.13

We (and I don't mean the royal We) have always been a fan of the Japanese import Iron Chef Morimoto, constantly in awe of his poise in Kitchen Stadium and innovative flavor combinations in battle. Just watching him move in the kitchen on tv and the plates that he produces, makes you want to taste his food and feel his vision with your appetite. So that is what we did during our little vacation to the historic city. We indulged in the swanky Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia, with open hearts, minds and mouths (and wallets).

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From the outside, Morimoto looks understated and obscure, but almost like a club. Upon entering, the front is low but wide and the open concept dining area is flooded with odd blue lights and rosy hues, oranges and purples. The restaurant is trendy and hip. Stark whites and greens, but everything morphed with the light, making it all glow softer and less harsh. The place was loud with chatter and music, but somehow the intimate booth like seating (not soft and cushiony, but horizontal and planes), and lack of walls created bubbles. Every element was included on purpose, from the straight lines to the dancing lights, even the immutable center piece at many of the tables.

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The menu was stark and beautiful looking, aesthetic and minimalistic, just like the décor. On the surface simple and easy, but through the details and the words more complex and intriguing. The blank white sheets revealed lines of food inventions and invitations, ranging from starters, hot and cold dishes, and even sushi rolls. Despite the simplicity of the aesthetic, the menu was overwhelming, a fair mix of familiar and expected as well as flourishes of refinement, flair, and yes, Iron Chef.

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Somehow, when I was looking at the menu, it was impossible for me to take anything in. I just saw words, not dishes, nothing came together for me. Maybe I was in awe and too excited, but it was hard to land on any one thing; everything seemed so intriguing, but nothing stood out. The thought of choosing items for my meal was not only daunting, but nearly impossible.

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So we asked about the tasting menu, an easy and mysterious way out, a potential resolution to our dilemma. So we asked; why the different price points, what our server thought about it, and what it entailed.

Price point  $80, $120 and $150 The price points, our server explained, mainly had to do with ingredient quality and luxury. The preparations for most of the courses were be extremely similar, but the ingredients would remain different. It would be the difference between run of the mill tuna and the fancy fatty variety of toro tuna.

Server Our server was very nice, accommodating and really open to answering our slew of questions, even though she appeared to be training the new guy. She patiently explained what the dining adventure would involve and what to perhaps expect, though it would all remain a mystery. She thought that it was a good way to explore the kitchen, and also that it was an excellent choice.

Entails The tasting option involves 7 to 9 courses, blind, up to the chef’s discretion. There would be hot and cold dishes, fish and otherwise, an intermezzo and to top it all off a Morimoto dessert. Each dish and course would be explained and described by a server, with enough detail to almost taste the item. 

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It seemed like risk. It was an opportunity to put our experience in the hands and the talents of the chef, a way to understand the vision and the palate of the creator. But it was a risk we were willing to take, running on the edge towards the discretion of the chef and the vision of the restaurant.

We decided to let our mouths go on an adventure, a journey that does not go too cheap.

We chose, after much deliberation, to go for two different price points of the tasting; 80 and 120, just so we could experience double the flavors and try to distinguish the differences. It was another way to indulge and evolve, testing our tongues as well as allowing them to experience.

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The first few courses were cold, raw fish. Beautiful to look at, simplistic, and elegant at the same time, just like the menu design and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The plates were generally about the food that was on it, though the preparations felt like every piece, every orb of caviar, or sprig of micro greens were chosen specifically for that plate, your plate.

Some courses came in bowls, like our first course of tartar, either yellow tail or toro. A perfect column of beautiful raw fish drowned in a soy sauce. Each fish and price point had different sauce, but very similar flavors. The crunchy onion, scallion, and tiny beads of caviar, added a punch of flavor and texture. While some other courses, like our fish carpaccio came in shallow dishes, drowned in delicate sauces, sometimes sweet, sometimes tangy. But each time, no matter the vessel, the sauce was meant to heighten, emphasize and transform the flavors of the fish.

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Maybe our tongues are not acute enough, especially when it comes to raw fish, but the differences between the different kinds were not always flagrantly noticeable. Sometimes when certain courses were placed on our table in front of us, described and tasted, it was not difficult to tell which was of the higher price point, mainly cause of texture and flavor, and two completely different fish. Mostly in the course right before the sour orange soda intermezzo, which featured a Spanish mackerel at the lower point, and a smoother Japanese kampachi. The mackerel was much more abrasive, less subtle, with dark skin and a more meaty flavor and texture. It was a little harder to eat than the light colored kampachi, which was slick and thick.

JAR 1.10.13

The hot courses were just as pretty and carefully planned, but the differences between the price points was much more obvious and easy to spot. Where the first of the hot courses for then lower price, was a round scallop, plated pretty, the warm dish with the higher price point was spice smeared lobster. Here the scallop seemed more refined and elegant in preparation, but the ingredient might have been better, arguably. The next hot course ventured closer to land, straying from sea creatures. They even came close to comfort food, that we could be almost familiar with, and have eaten before, but with a Morimoto twist. The $120 meal featured a tiny stringy short rib, cooked perfectly, paired with a dollop of creamy starchy parsnip and pickled endive. This was definitely a play on the classic meat and potatoes, however this was a daintier version, not only tasting size, but lighter and richer. The other land course was red duck breast served with a cube of crispy rice and more red cranberry sauce. This too was familiar and delicious, with elevated technique and ingredients.

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The last course brought us back to cold elements and reinforced the vision of the restaurant, bringing in traditional values, techniques and Japanese culture. We were given sushi, with different kinds of fish on ovals of rice. It was obvious the ingredients were the best, fresh, delicious and cared for, but somehow the rice overwhelmed the beautiful fish. Not that it was a lot of rice, but it was pretty flavorful; it was rich and buttery, not like the bland uncultivated rice we are used to at our favorite sushi spots. The richness of the rice, brought down the innate qualities of the raw fish, making them almost obsolete and disappear. I wanted the fish to be the star like they had been with the other courses, not outshone by rice.

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Dessert was heavy, contrary to most of the dishes that we had that night. It was dark, tall, rich and heavy. The dessert was a chocolate chestnut cake, meaty, bitter and sweet at the same time, from the other elements on the plate. There was a glazed cumquat bright and glistening, beautiful in contrast to the dark cake, and the tall slice was dusted with rice pudding powder. A heavy ending to a long and luxurious dinner, that in someways left us hungry for more.

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All in all, the experience was amazing; an adventure for our tongues, and a great way to try some of the brain child of Morimoto, our Iron Chef idle. Everything from the atmosphere, to the food and its plating, to the service was precise and cultivated. It was a curated experience from start to finish, especially participating in the tasting menu. I am so glad we chose that way to eat at Morimoto. The food was beautiful and delicious, but not the mind blowing level we were expecting, or hoping for, but it was all about the ingredients rather than innovation in preparation. I would definitely be inclined to go through a blind tasting like that again...any time and most anywhere.

RER 

1.11.13 

RER 1.10.13

 

a quick trip to CUBA : The Cuban

RER 9.13.12

JAR 9.13.12

Hoboken recently had the addition of not only one Cuban restaurant, but two. (Check out my review for the other newcomer, Havana). Both came about at the same time, causing confusion, but also excitement. The Cuban is on Washington Street, amongst other restaurants with outdoor seating when the weather is right. It consists of more than one dining area and a bar in the first area right off the street.

The front window was open letting the street in and the live music out. There is live music on Thursday nights, transporting the diner out of Hoboken and closer to Cuba with the food and music. The first dining area is lined a booth and tables while the bar danced on the other side. The colors hot and cool, trendy and vivacious, with artsy lamps, black furniture and sexy red walls. The narrow dining area is beautiful, delicious with color and heat.

The menu is not huge, but full of Cuban flavors from hefty appetizers to meat and fish entrees. The list of appetizers is much more intriguing than the entrees, mainly because of the special ingredients with gourmet accents like a jalapeño truffle aioli.

Mar y Tierra was a surf’n’turf appetizer with pork with scallops along with pureed black beans. The presentation of the appetizer showed mild artistic restraint and planning, but at the same time looked over the top. It was not what I was expecting as my recent pork belly exploits looked more like half raw bacon rashers. This was crispy and stringy, moist in some bites and crunchy in others. The festive toppings added nice counter points to the fatty pork—the thinly sliced green apple added brightness and cut some of the richness with the refreshing tartness, while the watercress brought a different kind of green and earthy liveliness. The two different kind of onions were a great addition as well, the white onions sweeter, while the pickled red ones had more tang and bite. A nicely seared scallop floated on either side, and went really nicely with the black been puree. Their disparate textures created a nice play off of each other; the scallops smoothness countered the graininess of the paste.

Despite being on the same plate, the scallops and the pork felt like two entirely separate entities. The black bean paste and the kind of sherry vinaigrette floating on the plate were efforts to create and maintain a unity between the sea and land, but in some ways those efforts failed. The bean paste did not meld with the pork as well as it matched the scallops. Perhaps it was because of what was a mass of complex and varied flavors that topped the pork, and the addition of the beans became too much. The swirled sherry glaze really heightened the flavors of the pork, as well as the apple slaw that crowned it, adding that extra bite to lighten the load. However, that same mixture dimmed the sweetness of the scallops.

The pulpo, ordered at the suggestion of our waiter, was roasted octopus with a white bean puree, crispy potatoes and an avocado lime vinaigrette. The octopus itself was so tender and succulent, soft and buttery. It was smooth and exotic but not strong in flavor. It literally felt like the consistency of butter on the tongue in a weird and intriguing way. Even though it was solid, it was not chewy, but almost creamy in the mouth. The white bean puree was not strongly flavored either, but added a more gritty grainy texture to counter the oddly creamy octopus. In a way the juxtaposition brought the dish back to reality for the tongue, making it more tangible.

Unfortunately, the lime avocado was a mistake. It caused a major clash with the other elements and it was too tangy for the richness of the octopus. The lime overpowered the avocado and anything else it touched. A subtler hint of lime would have created a different dynamic with its rich counterparts, bringing out a different flavor profile. The ratio was off. The crispy potatoes were also a misstep, even though the crunchiness served as a kind of counter point, they were dry and unappealing.

The Cuban’s ropa vieja was a rendition of a typical Cuban stewed steak with peppers, onions and tomatoes, served with rice. The meat was very tender and stringy and almost disappeared in the mouth. Most all of the texture and taste of the meat was lost, but the kind of stringiness reminded the tongue of what it used to be. It was salty—perhaps the only flavor, as there was no heat and the other veggies were lost. This ropa vieja was almost the complete opposite of the appetizers, which were vibrant and varied; the stew had none of the interest or complexity. It was also greasy; a sheen floated at the top, heavy and present. The accompanying rice was soft and chewy, but also felt buttery like rice from childhood. It along with the stew was almost like overload.

The pork shank was comparable to a pernil, tender pork. This dish however was similar to the textures of the pork belly from the mar y tierra appetizer—stringy and crunchy. This meat was served in a large hunk on the bone, which conserved the moisture of the interior. This method kept the fats that make pork so delicious, while allowing for a crispier, crunchier exterior. The pork was mildly seasoned, permitting the natural flavors and decadence of pork to shine, though it was not too salty and uncomfortably rich. It was a decent sized entrée, almost unexpectedly large. The shank was served atop rice and beans, which may have been under flavored but the fat from the pork amped it up a notch.

Dessert was a fried dough with guava, cheese, and caramel disaster. This was not sweet enough to perhaps warrant the title of dessert. The presentation was inventive; the four fried morsels were placed in a red paper bag while the dipping sauce was on the side. The fried bites were stuffed with little bits of cheese and drizzled with the utterly sweet guava. They were too floury, coarse and grainy on the tongue, definitely not the texture expected, and too heavy. The cheese was subtle and the caramel was lost. The only sweetness, was that of the guava, and even that was outweighed by the savory textures of the stuffed fried dough. Desserts with savory elements that go hand in hand with their sweet friends, can be exciting and unusual, but a balance must be mastered. This dessert lacked that balance. There was so much promise but little delivery.

Live music was too loud, which dampened the mood as no one could talk to his or her dining companions. There was a lot of silence and concentration on food, or hand motions and repetition of the diners. It even made chewing more difficult and a task. The music could definitely have been a nice addition, producing a more complete experience and voyage, but the diners were at a definite disadvantage because the music was so loud. Had it been softer, closer to a whisper, it would have added intrigue and atmosphere.

The service and atmosphere were really nice, except the too loud music, but the food was not well rounded. The appetizers were much more lively and complex than the mains, with different flavors and textures, almost on a different level of inventiveness. The restaurant maintains the cultural staples while trying to add something new and exciting. This is definitely present in the appetizers, whereas the mains are more immutable. The extensive happy hour, including tapas and drinks, might be the way to visit the Cuban; loading up on starters and forgetting the duller entrees, perhaps then the journey would be complete.

RER

9.13.12

JAR 9.13.12

RER 9.13.12

 

FoodView: Give me the DEETS...

Apparently, this is not anything new, but upscale restaurants are keeping tabs on their patrons. At one time waiters and maitre-d’s took notes directly onto the reservation books or kept information on file in their memory, but now there is technology specifically designed and to aid this recording and tracking of customers. As usual, technology is making things bigger and better, but also maybe more complicated and intrusive.

Susanne Craig explores the methods of intelligence collecting, as well as its importance in her article in the Dining section of the New York Times early September. The article “What Restaurants Know (About You),” looks at how restaurants keep files on their customers. This creates “highly personalized hospitality.”[1] Restaurants are making it their business to get to know its clients, some times in the most intimate ways, in an effort to make the dining experience extra personalized and smooth. This includes individual tastes and preferences, spending habits, even tracking profession.

According to Ann Shepherd (vice president for marketing at OpenTable), as Craig points out, this is called the “Cheers’ effect.” You know, where everyone knows your name. Knowing these details about patrons and potential customers, creates an atmosphere of familiarity, even if it is the first time visiting. It produces a place where everyone is friendly and knows you, a place where you can be comfortable, and enjoy things how you like it, like your local corner spot.[2]

In the ever-growing industry, with restaurants appearing all over the place at a high rate, this kind of personalization of service and the dining experience, gives restaurateurs a competitive edge. According to Craig, restaurant managers and owners believe that this kind of gathering details and information about customers can make or break their business. This is even highlighted through a quote of Clark Wolf, a restaurant consultant; “’The ability to know and read your customer is critical for staying on top, particularly in power restaurants.’”[3]

This also appears in most every area that relies on customer service. As in retail, from low to high end, building relationships, through trust and individualization, is key to maintaining business. It is these relationships, forged through honesty and getting to know the customer as a person, which make that customer return and continue to patronize the business.  Also, there are systems, whether it is the point of sale system or other methods that track purchases as well as personal information. In retail settings this can help with determining where to potentially open another store or even what products are the most popular. This links to keeping notes on customers in restaurants, as it is all to build stronger and reliable relationships. It appears to be a good business practice to uphold quality and standards, as well as creating an environment that invites people to return.

Technology is making it easier (or more difficult depending on who you ask) to note and maintain the details—from major, like names and allergies, to the minor like ice preferences. As well as things like anniversaries, birthdays, spouses. Websites that we use all the time to make reservations such as OpenTable, give restaurants insight into who will be dining with them. In order to use those sites, you must create a profile and that profile is automatically shared with the restaurants. Although this profile created with signing up with the site is the bare minimum—email address, and area—the user can also list likes, as well as make notes of favorite restaurants.

 A New York Post article, “Is Your Restaurant Spying on You?” from December of 2010, brings up how OpenTable allows restaurants to find out more information about their customers, even if they do not make reservations with the website. It becomes a searching tool, where managers can type in a name and search the client. Carla Spatos and Brian Niemietz reveal in their article, that managers and owners of restaurants are likely to Google patrons, to find out even more about them. They call this “online sleuthing.”[4] Owners go as far as following twitter accounts, searching through blogs and other profiles, all the get the inside scoop to better serve.

Some headwaiters and restaurant owners believe that there could be excessive notes, and that that can overwhelm and prove not to be useful at all. This has become especially true when there is so much access to identity now through the internet. When the copious notes become too copious, and too much information proves dangerous; “That woman is not his wife…” or “Didn’t the market do poorly today, why is she here…?” The talent not only becomes how to employ information, but also tip toe around it as well.

Customers get profiled. Restaurants are identifying and then recording your kind of status: newcomer, regular, if you are a friend of the owner, or even a person who lives in the area. Not only that, but some clients are given code names or just acronyms for the headwaiter or the wait staff to discern certain patrons. For example some of these acronyms are LOL (little old lady), HWC (handle with care), FOM (friend of manager), PX (person extraordinaire) and NR (never refuse), to name a few. [5] There are names for people who are poor tippers or people who are extremely needy and difficult. These little gems are the labels that are most times unknowingly attached to a customer, and must remain secret in effort to deter lawsuits.

Larger groups of restaurants or networks sometimes share the intelligence gathered, letting even more people into the tics and tocks of customers, which could create infamy or honor. Your reputation can precede you.

The question becomes is this beneficial for the diners? This could be both yes and no.

Yes, it may create a certain atmosphere, where you are comfortable and the servers and staff and owner are not really strangers, they are your friends who know what color napkin you prefer. And yes, it may be nice to walk into a place and not have to repeat over and over that you like crushed rather than cubed ice. And yes, this upscale restaurant can feel like home to you, intimate and loyal. The diner gets the customized service of the staff and the restaurant, elevating the dining experience from just food to a unique experience catered to the specific individual. Dining and eating in restaurants is not only about the food, it is the experience and service that tends to stick to the ribs. It is also this experience that brings them back.

 But on the other hand the investigations and note keeping can be too much. Is it too much an invasion into privacy and identity?  With just a name these days, histories and profiles can be searched and found, noted and kept. This is not just a risk that diners encounter, but it is a risk of this highly open and accessible world though the internet. But certain facts about the patron are known to restaurants through the various booking websites, even if she is a first time visitor. The restaurant has the heads up and advantage, even though these online booking sites often contain scarce information. Is there something so wrong as walking in a restaurant as an anonymous, a blank canvas that the staff could get to know? What if someone wants to remain anonymous, and maintain her own mystery and privacy, as well as some remnant of unpredictability? This is a notion that seems to be fading in the minds of the owners of these power restaurants, but protecting identity and spontaneity is present in diners.

The manipulation of getting to know the customer, as a current, past or potential, is all in the restaurateur’s effort to maintain a competitive edge and business in a cutthroat world. This kind of exploitation of the patron goes both ways, a potential benefit to both the owner and customer—to get the business ahead as well as to create an environment for the patron. Knowing the client, her needs, whims and tendencies, are all keys to a great service, but also stumbles on the line of intrusive.  A custom tailored dinner or dining experience can ruin surprise and take the adventure out of eating, which against the hopes of the restaurant owner, could result in no result, no return. Technology has only granted further access into personality and recording, which was once an art and mildly less invasive. This, though, is a trend that will not vanish, as it has already been going on in the restaurant business, and the times are allowing it to grow.

Check out my sources page for full links to the articles in the New York Times and New York Post.

 RER

9.17.12

RER 8.19.12

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[1] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times

[2] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times

[3] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times

[4] Carla Spartos and Brian Niemietz , “Is Your Restaurant Spying on You”, New York Post

[5] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times