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Succulent Seafood Once in a while restaurant patrons desire more than the proverbial canned tuna, and we know that for many it's all about the trend toward healthier lifestyles. It’s understandable that seafood is playing a more predominant role on restaurant menus as the healthy and nutritious aspects of seafood are critical. It’s low in fat; low in sodium; and cholesterol levels are not significant in most seafood products. Even high-fat fish generally have less than 15 percent fat, which is considerably lower than red meat, and seafood is also lower in saturated fat than most other protein sources. With all this good health in mind, and there’s more than just health considerations when it comes to fish and things, so we checked in with some big-time chefs and inquired about the state of seafood from their perspective.
‘21’ Club Just how spectacular is the visual presentation of Chef Blauberg’s signature dish of Crisp Black Sea Bass with Whipped Potatoes and White Wine Sauce? Well just consider the fact that famed artist, Leroy Neimann recently strolled into Club ‘21’, and ordered this classic creation. He was so taken with the visual presentation that right at the table he quickly sketched the famous dish and sent his artwork to the kitchen. Suffice it to say that he became a regular customer and even a friend of the chef – and guess what, it tastes as good as it looks. And courtesy of our featured chef, we present the recipe…
Ingredients: Fish: Cut the filets into 2 pieces each and roll the filet into the crunched Rice Krispies. Season with salt & pepper. In a hot pan add oil, and when the oil starts to lightly smoke, add the fish. Cook until golden brown (about 2 minutes). Turn the fish and cook another 2 minutes. Remove and blot dry on a paper towel. Whipped Potatoes: Place the diced potatoes in a pot of water and cook until fork tender (about 15 minutes). Strain the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and warm cream to the potatoes and mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm. Sauce: In a saucepan add the wine, shallots and reduce until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Whisk in the butter and continue to cook until the butter is smooth. Add the cilantro or chives. Season with salt and white pepper with a pinch of sugar to taste. Keep warm. Plate-Up: Place the potato puree on the center of each plate. Place the filets on top of the potato; drizzle the sauce around and serve immediately. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Yield: 4 servings. Eric Blauberg is what you would characterize as a "serious" chef. He began his illustrious culinary career with an apprenticeship under master-chef Jean-Claude Fadot, and after literally traveling and cooking around the world, he returned to his hometown (New York) in 1983, and has worked in some of the most famous restaurants in the City. Prior to his position as Executive Chef at ‘21’, he served as chef/owner of Soho-based American Renaissance, and his stops in New York have included the likes of Tavern on the Green, Windows on the World, Bouley, La Cote Basque, and Colors. Getting back to "serious chef", just consider the subject of caviar, which happens to be a major factor at ‘21’. Chef Blauberg took the extra step by actually traveling to Romania and Russia to find and serve the world’s finest caviar. He personally inspected the "Black Pearl" caviar process from the fishing boat to the final lab inspection. And upon altering his host’s processing formula to arrive at a lower salt content and the enhancement of the flavor of the egg, he arranged an exclusive agreement to bring what he calls "the world’s ultimate caviar" to his restaurant. "My trip allowed me to see first hand the entire process, and to ensure that my specifications for the caviar were met. The taste is like no other, and in terms of freshness, we have developed the logistics that place the caviar on our plates within two to three days of processing. That’s unheard of in the restaurant business, and of course, our customers appreciate the quality, and we sell lots of caviar." "Seafood now represents about seventy-percent of our sales, so we take it very seriously, and it really is a healthy lifestyle thing. Our customers want to eat lighter, and fish and vegetables have become more of a factor at my restaurant. My philosophy concerning seafood is the precisely the same with everything I do – I buy the absolute best in terms of quality; the presentation provides the color and excitement; and of course, the final and most important aspect is the taste. It all has to blend together perfectly." And according to Chef Blauberg, there is yet another factor that is the absolute mainstay at '21’ – it’s called freshness. "It’s this simple…my products arrive in the morning, and my walk-ins are empty at night. In terms of the sea bass, I’ll place a call to Maine to check the availability of that days catch, and my order is on a truck immediately to arrive the next morning. It’s the basic formula for everything we do." As a culinary historian, Chef Blauberg spent considerable time exploring the archives at ‘21’ and sifting through recipes dating back to 1930. He discovered an assortment of Escoffier-inspired versions of famous ‘21’dishes, and has redefined many of them with his own sense of creativity. Fans of this historic restaurant can still enjoy some of the original classics (with the "Blauberg adaptations") such as the Old Fashioned Chicken Hash, the Dover Sole, and the popular Chef’s Baked Alaska featuring a layering of vanilla sponge cake, ice cream and strawberries crowned with meringue and flambéed with liquor-soaked sugar cubes. And while this is essentially about health and seafood, the classic ‘21’ Burger is still intact. The famous 12-ounce burger has been restored to its 1960s grandeur, and is now served with haricot verts, caramelized onions, and a choice of potatoes. Since his appointment as Master Chef in December of 1996, Chef Erik Blauberg has succeeded in raising the ‘21’standard of excellence to a new level. He’s also generated new interest in the ‘21’ classics, and has helped maintain the historical significance of this seventy-year-old New York institution.
Kinkead’s 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW In this popular 220-seat restaurant located only blocks from the White House, you can find Chef Kinkead communicating quietly and efficiently with his team through microphones and headsets stationed adjacent to an open kitchen at the rear of the restaurant's top level. Through this successful marriage of teamwork and technology, Bob Kinkead becomes an intricate part of every customer's meal and from this vantage point, (actually outside the kitchen), the chef inspects each dish as it leaves the serving area. Kinkead’s was established in September of 1993, and in a matter of a few short years, Chef Bob Kinkead’s highly decorated restaurant has, by virtually all accounts, become one of the most successful upscale seafood houses in the country. He describes his restaurant as "an American brasserie with a heavy emphasis on seafood" and that heavy emphasis is approximately 95%. So with a small dash of meat and poultry, this restaurant is really about seafood. According to Chef Kinkead, "I really feel the popularity of our seafood is only mildly health related. I mean people do want to eat healthier food, but they come here to enjoy a meal that they can’t cook, or don’t wish to cook at home. Unlike the big volume seafood houses that mainly concentrate on shellfish with much of it frozen, our emphasis is on fresh finfish, and again, people basically prefer this type of food at a restaurant." "At my previous restaurant (Twenty-One Federal), we featured an equal balance of meat and seafood, but seafood comprised seventy-five to eighty-percent of our sales. We had a great reputation for seafood and our customers responded accordingly. When it came time to develop a whole new concept, I was looking for the right niche, and with my background in fine dining, and my success with seafood, I quickly determined the direction for Kinkead’s." "Upscale seafood is not easy, and undoubtedly the most difficult segment in the area of fine dining. You have to deal with high food costs and much lower margins. There’s no such thing as an inexpensive, quality fish, and keep in mind that this food is so highly perishable. Unlike steak for example, I’m dealing with a product that can last maybe two days. We work with some fourteen different suppliers, and fresh fish is delivered several times each day, and our objective is to end each day with nothing in the house. "We have a seafood buyer on staff who in addition to performing the purchasing duties is also responsible for cutting the fish. In many cases, it’s a day-to-day thing as availability really dictates your menu, and while many items remain constant, the menu changes daily. There are some dishes that are so much in demand here that we can’t afford not to find a way to keep them on the menu. In terms of a signature dish, I would suggest one of them is our Pepita Crusted Salmon with Crab, Corn and Chillies, and we probably average eighty to ninety orders of this dish on a daily basis." And from a typical menu (March 11, 1999), some of the seafood selections included the following: Pepita Crusted Salmon with Crab, Shrimp, Corn and Chile Ragout...$25.00 Grilled Mahi Mahi with grilled Zucchini Raft, Artichokes, Capers, Olives, preserved Lemon, Basil and Mashed Potatoes…$23.00 Pepper Seared Rare Tuna with Pinot Noir Sauce, grilled Portobella Mushrooms and Flageolet Beans…$25.00 Crispy Whole Yellowtail Snapper with Green Papaya Salad, Coconut Peanut Sauce and Vietnamese Dipping Sauce…$24.00 Seared Sea Scallops with Braised Endive, Roasted Potatoes, and Parisienne Carrots in a Truffle Walnut Broth with Thyme…$27.00 Sesame Crusted Rockfish in a Tomato Water and Ginger Broth with Aspargus, Pea Shoots, and Cauliflower…$25.00
Striped Bass Now celebrating its fifth anniversary in downtown Philadelphia, the Striped Bass continues as one of the nation’s top seafood restaurants. To hear owner Neil Stein tell it, things have never been better… "What I am most proud of is that after five years, the Striped Bass is better than ever! Everything is at its best, from the food to the service to the wonderful energy one feels when entering the restaurant. With Feury leading the kitchen, Striped Bass will continue to grow." Of course, the Feury Mr. Stein is talking about is the new executive chef who recently joined Striped Bass from the kitchen of the renowned Le Bernardin in New York (another restaurant that knows something about great seafood). According to Chef Feury, there’s a world of difference in the two experiences. "They’re both outstanding seafood restaurants, but Le Bernardin is French, and a much more formal restaurant. The waiters are outfitted in tuxedos, and the environment is richer and darker. The Striped Bass is more energized, less formal, and the entire presentation is more exciting." "Today it’s much more feasible to run an all seafood restaurant. I realize that health concerns play a major role in the overall popularity of seafood, but what makes the Striped Bass so successful is really the education of the public concerning food in general. Our customers are more open to new items, and certainly much more adventurous. They eat things today that they never would have considered a few years ago. I’ll give you an example – the other night I added sea urchins in shells as a special, and we ended up selling out of them. We recently added a dish of raw Hamachi that is imported from Japan, and it’s becoming a very popular item. And these days we’re serving delicious wild salmon from Alaska which is another very popular item. Of course, we still feature the Striped Bass, the Chilean Sea Bass, and the Tuna, but the fact that people are more adventurous is making everything more interesting." And according to Chef Feury, "our customers demand freshness, and they must have trust that everything is basically right off the boat. Unlike serving chicken and steak, seafood is subject to availability, and it’s much more than just seasonal. You have a blizzard in Maine and the fishing boats can’t get out, then you’re not going to get the bass that you had counted on for the following day. The buying process is critical, and we have a very talented buyer in Tom McCarthy who buys direct from the boats, and he’s one of the best in the business." While the menu at Striped Bass changes on a daily basis, some of the currently featured offerings include: Chilean Sea Bass with red wine sauce, caramelized butternut squash, savoy cabbage and Szechuan peppercorns; Pan Roasted Grouper with root vegetable confit and lemon chive broth; and Grilled Rare Bigeye Tuna with foie gras, bone marrow mashed potatoes and red wine-shallot marmalade. Appetizers include Seabass Carpaccio with caviar; Fennel Cured Salmon Gravlax with gingered beets and baby arugula; and Steamed Littleneck Clams & Scallops with leeks, potatoes and shellfish jus. BB
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Master Chef Eric Blauberg
Crisp Black Sea Bass With Whipped Potatoes & White Wine Sauce
Executive Chef Robert Kinkead
Executive Chef Terence Feury