Ice Cream Sundae Throwdown
As part of Food Network’s Brain Freeze Week, Bobby travels to Greenwich, N.Y. to challenge the Ice Cream Man. The Ice Cream Man was started in the early 1980’s as just a Memorial day to Labor day operation. Today it is a year round joint offering cakes, sandwiches and inventive ice creams like Peanut Butter in My Chocolate and Chips Gone Nuts.
The second Throwdown is a replay of the Paletas Throwdown from earlier in the week.
Wolfgang Puck Works Culinary Magic
Wolfgang Puck is the most influencial chef in American history. Sure James Beard and Julia Child each had enormous impact on the home cook. Puck has had the biggest effect on the American dining scene. Ask Bobby Flay who he considers his biggest influence and he’ll you Puck. Most chefs will, self included. Well, once again Wolfgang is doing it again. I found this piece at the Ventura County Star written by Rita Moran.
Chef and entrepreneur Wolfgang Puck has developed such a vast complex of good food projects that it was only a matter of time before his organization set its sights on Ventura County.
Well, almost. His newly opened Wolfgang Puck L.A. Bistro is in Westlake Village, just beyond the county line.
It’s part of a fresh, very “Puck” take on dining, with order-at-the-counter lunch service that for dinner switches gears to full, at-your-table service. Similar bistros already are in place in downtown L.A. and Charlotte, N.C., with two on the way in Canada.
The bistro’s compact menu offers starters, soups, entree salads, “The Classics” and, of course, Puck’s signature gourmet pizzas.
Anyone who has ever dined at a Puck place will recognize something on the menu, which includes smoked salmon pizza and Chinois chicken salad, which originated at his Santa Monica Chinois restaurant. Some items have previously popped up at Wolfgang Puck Cafes and at his quick-service spots in airports.
Remarkably, Puck seems unusually able to maintain quality in his far-flung enterprises, whether they be top-scale restaurants or more basic eateries like the bistros.
Extra attention is paid, too, to providing food that is seasonal in addition to being made with organic and/or locally grown products when possible. Chicken, turkey and beef are described as “all-natural,” while the salmon is from “sustainable” sources.
A cadre of cooks is visible in the open kitchen, adding to the airy, contemporary look of the place. Poster-sized photos of Puck himself keep his culinary presence in mind.
There are seats at a small bar and at a high, communal table for eight, in addition to booths and tables. (Outdoor seating is available on patios near the front and back doors.)
At dinnertime, a candle flickers on each table, and handsome woven placemats add a practical yet stylish touch.
Ordering from the dinner menu, we chose two starters: the Niman Ranch meatball sliders ($5.95 for three, $2 for each extra) and Asian tacos (same prices), plus a bowl of gazpacho ($4.95). We realized as our meal progressed that those items alone would make a satisfying dinner for two.
The sliders in particular were hearty, with the three mini-burgers overflowing from their freshly baked seeded buns with caramelized onions and tomato, plus melting Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. They came with a bit of salad sprinkled with balsamic dressing.
The trio of “two-bite”-sized Asian tacos featured teriyaki chicken in crisp “cups” of butter lettuce leaves. The gazpacho, a slightly spicy blend of tomatoes and diced summer vegetables, was as fresh-tasting as its aroma implied.
Also brought to the table for us to nibble on before and during the meal were thin, crisp wedges of lavosh-style bread with sun-dried tomato flavor accents.
From the Classics section of entrees, we ordered tandoori-style rotisserie chicken, half of a small chicken that was very reasonably priced at $13.95. It came with griddled flatbread, cucumber-mint raita and a “petite” butter lettuce salad.
The chicken itself was tender and moist, with good flavor that actually seemed better in the portion we took home and finished the next day. The raita creamy dill dipping sauce was perfect with it, and the bread and salad rounded out a complete dinner on a single plate.
Our other main course was Puck’s trademark smoked salmon pizza ($16.95), purloined from the starters but in a make-a-meal-of-it portion with the addition of a soup or salad.
The familiar salmon over dill cream and fresh chives on a thin but not overly crisp crust was, as a friend said, the traditional Puck version — just without the caviar.
The bistro is no slouch at desserts, either, with two versions of crème brûlée, a Belgian chocolate brownie, assorted cookies and an ice cream duo ($3.95), listed on our menu as a combination of summer peach and Tahitian vanilla.
Somewhere I had noticed that a sauce came with the duo; our cheery server said that, yes, there was a choice of chocolate or caramel. We asked for the latter, to be served on the side.
The ice cream arrived promptly, along with cups of good coffee. But they must have run out of “summer peach”: Instead, we had pretty little scoops of the Tahitian vanilla and chocolate, both as good as it gets. And with them came … chocolate sauce.
Had someone in the kitchen decided that caramel didn’t go with chocolate ice cream? Oh, well: There was no denying that the chocolate sauce was terrific.
Wines are neatly divided among six whites, six reds, a bubbly prosecco and a French rosé, $5.95 to $9.95 per glass. Sources are California, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Argentina. There also are a dozen beers and ales, from Budweiser to Ayinger Hefeweizen, to Stella Artois and Fat Tire.
Other items available include focaccia and pocket sandwiches, fire-roasted focaccia melts, sides of vegetables and small salads, and a Just for Kids selection of dishes that include a fountain drink or milk ($5.95). Brunch specialties join the mix on weekends.
The bistro offers catering services and has curbside takeout, with call-ahead orders delivered to your car.
Puck’s bistro seems destined to win the hearts of diners who prize quality as well as informality, and prices that won’t bust the budget.
— Rita Moran visits restaurants unannounced and pays for her meals. If you know of a new, unusual or just plain good spot, please contact her at ritamoran@earthlink.net.
Back-to-School Special
For the parents out there I guess it is no secret that school is back in session or soon will be. The lethargy of summer is giving way to the bustle of fall. With schedules getting crazy sometimes you don’t have time for a proper breakfast. Well, my friends I have a cure. I call them funky frittatas but they could just as easily be called idiot-proof omelets. This technique is revolutionary so invest ten minutes in watching the video. You’ll thank me later.
Literary Tapas
Originally posted at Paper Palate on August 12, 2008.
Small dishes from the realm where paper meets palate.
This Literary Tapas is a video daily double. Food Network star Anne Burrell gives video reviews of her two favorite cookbooks, Ruth Reichl’s The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes and Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.
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Watch Stuart Reb Donald
on Everyday Gourmet.
