Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2012 – Part 3 – Food

Like fraternal twins, one can no longer give the latest buzz in kosher wine without speaking of the distinctive elegant array of kosher foods to pair it with.  CS has already shared with you the fabulous wine selections we had sampled at the show.  The culinary offerings were no less remarkable, I loved the amenity of table hopping proximity sampling bite sized servings of some of the most exclusive culinary offerings out there in the greater NY area.  Top tier restaurants caterers and food producers showed off their best gourmet delights.

Sushein

Here are some highlights.  My all time favorite in the fish category was far and away Gemstone Catering’s Ahi Poke– a hawaiin street style Ahi tuna sashimi served on a sesame wasabi crispy wonton shaped like a spoon topped with ginger & lemongrass foam. It was the perfect mouthful of harmoniously matched flavors. I would pair that with Herzog‘s Reserve Chardonnay 2009. 

got cholent? Inc/Gemstone Catering

Honorable mention goes to Sushein for their delicious sushi offerings.

River Dale from Pomegranate Supermarket, gave Geila Hocherman (Kosher Revolution) a taste of their prosciutto and she told me it was almost as good as her own duck prosciutto, I sampled their Butcher Block Honey Mustard Corned Beef and it was melt in your mouth scrumptious. etc’s steakhouse‘s Barbeque Oxtail coated with etc’s own barbeque sauce served with crushed red mashed potatoes was incredible and it looked like attendees couldn’t get enough of it.

Pardes served a smoked organically grown appetizer with meat from ‘Grow and Behold’ – Smoked Ribeye Tartare, Soy Enoki & Rice Krispies that was quite tasty.

Tevere is tevere as always incredible, and though I had no room left I had to go back for seconds of their artichokes – Carciofi alla Giudia, I would pair it with Herzog‘s Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2010.

Dr. Alan Broner and Jack Silberstein - Jack's Gourmet

Jack’s Gourmet served me their Sweet Italian Sausage with olive oil, smashed potatoes and pepper and onion ragout.  CS, tells me  our videographer insisted on a 5 minute break to devour a few sets of their sausages!

Silverleaf  Caterers had a very nice Veal Shepard’s Pie which we followed with their Tiramisyu Cake-Up.

Silverstone Caterers Veal Sheppard's Pie

I was now ready for dessert, Basil‘s table was manned by our good friend Chef Udi Ezra (the restaurant’s Pastry Chef), he was serving a chocolate truffle pastry and introduced me to Guilty Pleasures, a few tables away. Their Very Strawberry, was just that verrrry strawbery! I loved the Bana-Bana, the Cappuccino Truffle and Toasted Almond Crunch I could see it all paired with some of Binyamina’s Liqueurs like the Limoncello, or the Sour Apple, my favorite, or perhaps the Amaretto. CS interviewed Maureen Sussanah owner/confectioner of Guilty Pleasures on last evening’s internet radio special.

All in all it was a great show with superb wines, succulent food, and lots of friends!

SYR

RELATED POSTS

Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2012 – Part 2

Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2012 – Part 1

Kosherfest 2011 Highlights – Part 2

Wednesday, the last day of Kosherfest 2011, proved even more eventful than I expected. Irving Schild and I started the day by interviewing Alain Bankier (from Manischewitz) which you can hear motzey Shabbat at 8:30pm (Eastern Time) on BlogTalkRadio.com.

We then proceeded to cover the 4th Annual Kosherfest Culinary Competition, produced in partnership with the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts (see here, here and here) and sponsored by Jack’s Gourmet.

Shortly after getting there I was asked if I could take over as the third judge because cookbook author, James Beard Award winner and encyclopedist Gil Marks, had an emergency. The pressure started at this point… I had eaten at the various establishments represented and thought each was truly superlative. This was not going to be easy!

(Photos by: Esti Berkowitz of Primetime Parenting
for The Kosher Scene)

From left to right: Emcee Chef Avram Wiseman - Dean of CKCA, Chef Jack Silberstein - from Jack's Gourmet kosher sausages, yours truly and Chef Philippe Kaemmerle from CKCA

Chef Avram, last year’s Kosherfest Culinary Competition winner, more than ably emceed the event with wit and charm intermingled with educational tidbits. The three contestants were (in alphabetical order): Craig Solomon from Ariel’s (18 Engle St  Englewood, NJ 07631; Tel: 201.569.1202)…

Chef Craig

Seth Warshaw, from etc steakhouse (1409 Palisade Avenue; Teaneck, NJ 07666; Tel: 201.357.5677)…

Chef Seth

Moshe Wendel from Pardes (497 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11217; Tel: 718.797.3880)…

Chef Moshe, rarin' to get started!

Immediately before hitting the clock to allow 45 minutes for cooking and plating, Chef Avram unveiled the secret ingredient…

...Boneless Duck Breast!

Each Chef was allowed to bring something from his restaurant, each one’s individual style shone through as they made three plates each. Chef Solomon showed the gracefulness and precision of a well trained ballet dancer; Chef Warshaw betrayed no nervousness under pressure and was the first one to plate, with over a minute to spare; Chef Wendel, ever the innovator, performed his magic with unusual ingredients.

Chef Craig brought in habanero peppers and sugar cane, Chef Seth used pomegranate – his signature ingredient, while Chef Moshe preferred the exotic. He brought in amba, a tangy Iraqi mango pickle condiment, which he made into a heavy sauce.

The judges walked around to observe each chef in action. We were looking for cleanliness, technique and overall mastery, while Chef Avram periodically announced the countdown and kept the audience entertained throughout. A few minutes before the clock came to a stop the three of us sat down and readied to taste.

First to serve was Chef Seth he presented each of us with a beautiful tower of duck resting over three cornmeal johny or journey cakes. Next came Chef Solomon who showed had he cooked and moved with precision and graceful elegance but his square presentation looked like an architectural masterpiece.  Chef Moshe served a very aromatic duck covered with a generous helping of amba, another beautiful presented very succulent dish as I’d come to expect from him!

...remains of the winning dish

Each dish tasted very different, each showed the consummate professionalism and artistry of its creator. Incredible how the same basic ingredient can be made so differently! It was hard to decide which was best – specially as we tasted in very quick succession washing out our mouths in between each dish. The maximum number of points, per Chef, per judge, was 30 points for a total a grand total of 90. All three were within one or two points away, after a few minutes of deliberation in a back room (where each judge explained the rational for his grading on preparation, presentation and taste) we finally had a winner…

The winner, his silver trophy and $1000.00 in cash

Seth Warshaw from Teaneck’s etc steakhouse!

After the competition we visited with Brigitte Mizrahi, CEO of Anderson International Foods, makers of Sugar River, Les Petites Fermieres, and Natural & Kosher brand cheeses. Sugar River won this year’s Kosherfest Best New Cheese Award. You can hear the interview tomorrow eve.

From there we proceeded to Jack’s Gourmet (see here and here), while I had a pretty good idea (having tasted it at Dr. Broner’s while they were perfecting it, a couple of months ago) why they won this year’s Best New Sausage Award though I still was surprised by how much they had an improved an already delicious recipe. Needless to say, we kept on coming back again and again… As an old TV commercial used to say: Betcha can’t eat just one! Hear the interview with Dr. Broner tomorrow evening.

The wines we tasted at various price points were superb, proving yet again that great wines can be (and are!) kosher. Shortly before leaving, I run into Alex Veyg, from veygsgourmet.com. This young man produces a line of delicious natural flavored honeys and he too will be on our internet radio show, tomorrow evening – mothzey Shabbos – at 8:30 pm (Eastern Time). You will tune us in, won’t you?

CS

Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2011 – Part 1

It was billed as bigger than its preceding shows… it was, it was billed as better than its preceding shows… it was! This was one of those rare occasions when hype and truth actually walked in locked step. The food, the wine, the liquors, all added up to a wonderful evening, an epicure’s dream come true.

SYR and I went in at 4:00pm, we saw and met many friends, magazine editors, fellow foodies and bloggers. We delighted in some products we’d already raved about on these pages, we discovered the new and revisited some great restaurants. As we spoke to favorite chefs, we  were happy to hear their craft was more than just a job, their passion for food, their creative juices continue unabated. Chef David Kolotkin of Solo and Prime Grill, Chef Jeff Nathan of Abigael’s and his wife Alison, Chef Mark Green of Glatt A La Carte, Jose Mireilles of Le Marais were among old friends showing off their creations.

Pomegranate had a large booth serving up some dishes that could have been made at any top restaurant.

Chef Emilio getting ready to hand out some delicacies.

Shana Wendel and staff presented Pardes‘ fares…

Lamb Meatballs with Turnip and Olive. Juicy, succulent, beautiful to look at... unmistakably Pardes!

Dr Alan Bronner and Chef Jack Silberstein of Jack’s Gourmet were serving  Chorizo Tacos, Pepper and Onion Soup with Sweet Italian Sausage and Bratwurst Sliders. We sampled all three and and loved them, here is an easy recipe they shared with us:

Bratwurst Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 package (4 links) Jack’s Gourmet Cured Bratwurst Sausage sliced 1/4″ thick on an angle
• 12 slider buns (4 burger buns can be substituted instead)
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 4 tablespoons grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Directions

1. Combine the sauerkraut and caraway seeds and reserve.
2. Combine the mustard and tarragon leaves and reserve.
3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons oil. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, about 3 – 5 minutes.
4. To serve, slice the buns in half. Spead a small amount of mustard on the bottom half of each bun. Top with sausage and sauerkraut and place other half of bun on top. Secure with a toothpick if necessary.

Some other friends with a great product are Valerie and Robert Groper from My Brother Bobby’s Salsa. SYR finally got to taste their salsas, she fully agrees with me they are superb. Can’t wait until they are available in Brooklyn!

Shalom Bombay was there as well, I had a selection of their Chicken Pakoras, Chicken Biryany and the Chicken Tikka Masala liberally sprinkled with the Mint and Tamarind Chutney and loved the whole combo. Noi Due still makes the best Espresso I’ve ever tasted in the US.

A new discovery was got cholent? Inc. I had their Moroccan Dafina and the Polish Cholent (just like my mamma used to make!!!). They have 16 different types of cholent, wish I could taste them all… The same people folks also own Gemstone Catering and we were very impressed with their Eve’s Apple and Hickory Wood Smoked BBQ Pulled Brisket Sliders. Tammy Polatsek from Aristocratic Design Co. told us these guys make superbly delicious food, well… they do!

There were so many restaurants to choose from, so much looked, smelled and tasted great I could write a very long post extolling the virtues of each, suffice it to say that the choice of eateries and caterers represented was tops. We also talked to cookbook authors Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum, Chef Jeff Nathan, Chef Susie Fishbein, Chef Jamie Geller. All in all a delightful evening, amidst delightful people.

CS

Pardes Restaurant

Pardes Restaurant‘s Chef/Owner, Moshe Wendel, opened this new eatery on October the 24th (497 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11217; Tel: 718.797.3880), barely three weeks ago. Chef Moshe’s culinary talents and passion for food, along with the friendly enthusiasm of his tight-knit staff result in a successful venture. Through the years, he carefully and methodically honed his skills. Starting out as a dishwasher at age 16, he climbed through the ranks through various prestigious establishments such as Philadelphia’s celebrated Django restaurant. Moshe and his wife Shana became ba’alei tshuvah, and rushed back east to cook for Mosaica and Mike’s Bistro. He opened Basil as Executive Chef, stayed there for a short while, and is now fulfilling his own dream of owning a top kosher restaurant.

Small, warm, very welcoming

Moshe had a clear vision for Pardes. Located in an area filled with art galleries, bookstores, fashion shops and assorted eateries featuring every kind of cuisine, Pardes became an extension of the chic, upscale, urban cool mix. My companion (SYR could not make it this time) and I got there at around 3:00pm,  Lunch to Dinner transition time…

I ordered the Home Made Bouquerones [house cured white anchovies], with Red Pepper, Caper Berries, Arugula, Lemon Dressing.

Home Made Bouquerones with Arugula

With a hint of spiciness and ample richness of flavor, the well appointed dish was a perfect intro to the rest of the meal.

My companion chose the Tuna Crudo, with Porcini Popcorn,  Arugula and Corn Coulis. She found it beautiful to look at and extremely flavorful.

Nile Perch, Poached in Hazelnut Garlic Broth, “Risotto” of White Asparagus, Granny Smith Salad was my next choice. Again… the unusual mix of seasonal flavors were refreshing & delightful! My companion opted for the Saffron Linguine, Mojama, Almonds & Chiles. A spicey delectable mix of flavors, nicely presented.

Next we both had their Spicey-Smokey Chicken “Wings”, Red Pepper Saffron Vinaigrette, Tomato salad with Herbs, Preserved Lemon, Green olive and Jalapeno…

Close-up of one of the Spicy-Smoked Chicken "Wings" With red Pepper-Saffron Vinaigrette

Check this out!  A real treat for the taste buds!  We were instructed to place the meat into our mouths and then press the spice filled pipette releasing the wonderful burst of flavours… Pretty outrageous!

For the mains we shared both the Pizza of Beef Tongue Confi, With 24 Hour Roasted Tomato and Fresh Basil….

Pizza Beef Tongue Confi

…and the Short Ribs & Broccoli Rabe Lasagne.  The meat Pizza tasted sinfully delicious; the thin crust and beef tongue confi made the cheese topped pizzas, I’m used to, almost irrelevant. The Short Ribs Lasagne, was unusually tasty but had a rather limp presentation compared to the other dishes we sampled.

For dessert, we had the (“Manna” Bee Pollen Dusted Angel Food, Quince, Honey Ice Cream, Sugared Almonds and Olive Oil Cake, Chocolate Flan, Espresso Flavored Marron Glaces) all quite tasty – even gifted – although presentation was lack-luster. All in all, we were treated to an outstanding meal and each of us gave it two big thumbs up! In a lesser restaurant we might even have praised the minor negatives we encountered here.

Next time I’ll order from their ample beer selection, as well.

I was very gratified to see our favorite Chef, Lévana, shares our overall view after going to Pardes the evening after we did.

CS