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Simple Can be Great By Thomas J. Haas
Ruth Reichl, restaurant columnist for the New York Times,
recently discussed her vacation at Martha's Vineyard, mentioning
the wonderful simplicity of the food she prepared at this summer
retreat. She discussed the freshness of the produce, seafood,
herbs, etc., and how good ingredients prepared properly in a simple
manner are, without a doubt, a real treat and a wonderful experience.
The commentary was very thought provoking, as I find it more difficult
that ever to decipher menus and entrees that work overtime to
be creative, but end up becoming cutesy and contrived instead.
I have seen Osso Bucco presented in the new pile-it-on layered
look, which almost forced me to use a step ladder to climb over
the elements and reach the ultimate of shanks. I have sat at an
East Coast seaside resort and watched grouper, red snapper and
wahoo jump for joy knowing that all the fish served at this prestigious
mecca for dining were flown in special from Honolulu. I dined
at a wonderful seafood restaurant that uses only local fish, but
you could never order grilled, pan-seared, broiled or poached
seafood without mangos, raspberries, figs and other ingredients
designed to confiscate the original taste of the entree served.
Why do the nouveau chefs today feel it's necessary to be so convoluted?
Their creativity in food preparation should be like a symphony.
If Beverly Sills is in concert, why sit a tuba player in front
of her to destroy the exquisite sound her voice creates? Elements
must be brought together to create harmony, not chaos. The level
of ingredients or flavors utilized should enhance the essence
of the plate's central character, without destroying its soul.
Russell Baker, another favorite columnist for the New York
Times, wrote a wonderfully sarcastic and humorous piece entitled,
"Orgies in the Kitchen."
He wrote, "Al and I went out to dinner. The chef was from
the Pile-It-On School of Cooking. 'I'll have some shrimp,' I said.
'Do you want shrimp wrapped in bacon and served on a chilled bed
of pureed green beans with a dash of sea salt, cooked in a combination
of vintage muscatel and extra virgin olive oil?' Or do you want
our shrimp petite vache? The chef sautees the shrimp on a veal
chop which has been marinated in a sauce of cumin and oil of cloves,
then seared over a hickory fire and garnished with thinly sliced
tangerine peels and tiny bits of aged spruce bark.'
'Actually', I said, I'd like something a little simpler. Just
some plain boiled shrimp, I think.' 'That is impossible,' said
the waiter. 'The chef could have his diploma lifted if gourmet
authorities should learn that he had perverted his art by serving
just plain boiled shrimp.'"
Baker continues to ridicule some of our newfangled, eccentric/eclectic
cuisine, but both he and Reichl make a valid point: Simple can
be great. Possibly the reason for the old "chop house"
comeback is that they prepare food the old-fashioned way, where
meat is meat and fish is fish, and you can taste it.
I would present additional recipes from Baker's article, but someone
out there in DiRoNa-land might copy them down and add them to
their menu. The bridge to the past did not work for Dole, but
restaurants should not run out to the bridge to the 21st
century without properly executing and utilizing the fundamentals
which, though basic, can be the most creative, exhilarating and
palate-pleasing experiences of them all.
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