Fire Island-bound

Now that I am safely tucked back in my New York City environs, what does one do on the weekends now that the summer is officially in high gear???  You probably think that everyone goes to the Hamptons on the weekends, but that's just not true.  The tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) has some of the most beautiful beaches around.  I don't say that lightly.  I say that after going to different parts of the world in search of a beautiful beach and it's true.  Our beaches are pretty up there.

Giuseppe and I go to Fire Island, a barrier island on the south shore of Long Island.  It's a place that does not have cars, so bicycling or foot limo is the only way to go.  It is reachable by ferry.  It is about 31 miles long and anywhere between 520-1300 feet wide, depending on which part of the island you are on.  

Some may have heard of Fire Island and its gay community.  That's changed a lot and the gay part is several miles from us.  Besides, these days, all things have been gentrified.  Our town is a more family-oriented neighborhood with the island's only synagogue.  Overall, it's a beautiful and relaxing place.  

The island's biggest town is Ocean Beach, with its own police force and main strip in town with restaurants and shops.  On a recent night, we went to a dinner and wine pairing at a restaurant called The Hideaway.  The wines were supplied by New York Vintners, a store, event and classroom space in downtown Manhattan.  

The 5-course dinner commenced with a fluke crudo with citrus, celery leaf, apple and kohlrabi.  The first wine was a 2011 Keller "Von der Fels" Riesling from the Rheinhessen in Germany.  The wine was medium bodied with flavors of stone pits, lemons, grapefruits and citrus rinds.  I thought the wine combination with the fluke was classic.  The citrus flavors in the wine really accented the citrus on the fish.

The second course was an oyster miso soup with maitake mushroom, coriander cress and fresh cracked coriander.  The pairing was a 2011 Matthiasson white blend of ribolla, tocai friulano, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc was from Napa Valley, California.  The wine was pale gold, light to medium body.  I don't know if it was the best paired match with this soup.

The next course was a pappardelle with turnip, heirloom tomato, kale sauce and crispy kale.  The wine was paired with a Braida 201 Montebruna Barbera d'Asti from Italy.  Barbera is one of those red grape varieties from northern Italy that is high in acid, few tannins and flavors of red raspberry and jam.  The texture of the pasta was perfect.  The acidity from the wine cut the fat in the pasta like a Chianti.  The combination of turnip and kale was a good one, but it was a bit dry.  The dish did marry very well with the wine.  

The main course was duck two ways: seared with beet puree, cherry brittle and duck confit pierogies with turnip kraut and creme fraiche.  The wine here was a 2005 Lopiez de Heredia Cubillo from Spain.  It's from the Rioja region of Spain, where the main grape variety is tempranillo, Spain's answer to cabernet sauvignon.  The duck and the wine were a fine combination.  The wine had a menthol aroma initially, but then would exhibit aromas and flavors of black cherries, mushrooms and earth.  It was very vibrant for a 7-year old wine.  

Finally, for dessert -- homemade doughnuts with Pasquet Pineau des Charentes.  The dessert wine was a blend of cognac and ugni blanc must (Must or the marc is what's leftover from pressing grapes.  Ugni Blanc is one of those non-descript white grapes used to produce cognac).  It was vinous and medium sweet with flavors of stone fruit pits, flowers and perfume.  It tasted high in alcohol but balanced against the acidity and sweetness.  It was just the right thing to pair with these little bombolinis.

Links:

http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/new-york/long-island/review-439170.html

www.newyorkvintners.com

www.fireislandferries.com

Sletten Kro & Ida Davidsen

I cannot believe this is our last day in Denmark.  It was a full one though.  First, Laurie and I had lunch in Copenhagen at Ida Davidsen's.  Who is she?  She is Denmark's most famous sandwich lady.  So famous, in fact, she's in the "1000 Things to See Before You Die" book. Yes, one must eat here before one dies!!!

IDA DAVIDSEN
Laurie and I ventured here on our final day.  I smiled when I saw Ida Davidsen herself behind the counter.  She rattled off every sandwich she made and the diner was to pick two -- one from the fish side and the other from the meat side.  Imagine doing this ALL day long to each and every diner that eats there.  I think I would kill myself.  Ms. Davidsen had the grace and patience of a saint.  She described each sandwich as if I was the first customer of the day.

Ida Davidsen behind the counter

fried flounder with asparagus, shrimp and roe

smoked salmon, cream, salmon roe

I ordered the fried flounder to start and Laurie had the smoked salmon.  We accompanied our meals with beer this time -- I had the Carlsberg pale ale and Laurie had the Tuborg, a beer brand also owned by Carlsberg, but the style is a little fuller than a pale ale.  Our reactions to our first bite said it all -- the flounder was flaky and not oily.  Laurie's smoked salmon was amazingly delish.  Next, I had the Danish meatballs.  Laurie had the salami.  It's one of those combinations that seem so simple, but who would've thought???  I'm totally inspired now, so when I get home, I'll have all sorts of things to cook for Guiseppe.   

Danish meatballs with boiled potatoes and  beets

salami and cheese with radishes, cream and  jam

SLETTEN KRO
Chef Per from Falsled Kro got us this final reservation for our last night in Copenhagen.  It's run by one of his former colleagues from Falsled Kro. We figured since we would be going to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art nearby we would probably not want to travel too far. Sletten Kro  is situated overlooking Sletten Harbor in an old and the most charming fishing village.  Here's a picture of a view from our table.  On the other side of the harbor is Sweden.  How cool is that???

Even more cool was that the night we had dinner, Sletten was being reviewed by the Danish version of the NYTimes.  By the time we got there for dinner, we found out Sletten was awarded 5 out of 6 stars, which the ownership was extremely happy with.  Who wouldn't???

Chef Martin Riber personally came to greet Laurie and me and made his recommendations for the signature dishes.  Some of the dishes we were recommended were: a tuna tartare with blackberry, pea shoot combination, which was simple, tasty and briney; lobster with white asparagus, roebuck (again!) and poached oysters.  It was recommended that 3 or 4 choices would be sufficient for a meal and we finished off our dinner with a rhubarb dessert and a strawberry dessert.  Wow!

tuna tartare

lobster

poached  oysters

roebuck

Our wine of the evening was a French Burgundy.  Why?  Because the grape behind the French Burgundy is pinot noir and it is a versatile grape.  I once said in a wine class that I taught: when in doubt, drink pinot noir for red and chardonnay for white.  Pinot noir has very few tannins, the tactile sensation you have on your teeth.  Kind of like when you steeped a teabag in water for too long.  It's gripping.  So pinot noir doesn't have much of tannins, unless they are oak tannins, which this had some.   Just enough to give it some weight to support a meat dish.

Dining at Sletten Kro was probably the best way to conclude our week-long trip to Denmark.  Laurie and I spent a MINT on everything.  I cannot believe prices are what they are in Denmark, with the exception of some foods, but we had the time of our lives.  Next time I write will probably be back in NYC!!!

Links:
www.1000beforeyoudie.com
www.idadavidsen.dk
ww.sletten.dk

Falsled Kro, Denmark

Laurie and I drove 2.5 hours to central Denmark today to Odense.  First of all, it was Laurie who drove as I shamefully do not drive manual.  But why did we come so far?  Because silly.  It's one of the 1000 places to see before you die!  

I am a devoted follower of Patricia Schultz's book, "1000 Things to See...." so of course on this culinary adventure we're on, we HAD to visit some of the places in Denmark.  Odense was one of them.  It was where Hans Christian Andersen was born.  I don't know about you, but I don't remember his books or much about the man who wrote them.  After that day, I plan on buying his complete works and have a newfound appreciation of Mr. Andersen.  

After Odense, we went to Funen to visit Egeskov Castle.  Not the most impressive castle I've seen in my lifetime, rather, more of a large ordinary American home on steriods. Lovely nonetheless.  It's the gardens at Egeskov that makes this place very special.  They are so impressive and Renaissance-like.  Laurie and I both felt that the drive was worth the trip. 

For dinner, we went to a Relais & Chateaux hotel/restaurant called Falsled Kro.  Yup, you guessed it.  A third 1000 Things to See.  We hit three in one day!  When we got there, we had a cocktail in this beautiful room with the fireplace in the center.  Talk about romantic!  To whet our appetites, we were presented with some snacks -- quail eggs two ways: poached and in balsamic, whipped cream with lamb, beef in aspic over brown bread. It was almost enough for a meal!

When we were ready to sit, we proceeded to the dining room, where chef Per Hallundbaek did the actually presenting of each and every dish.  It very personal and special that he did that. 

Our first course was turbot with chervil, peas and bacon, Laurie was presented with guinea hen and foie gras.  OMG was it delicious.  And the turbot was taste-wise texturally amazing.  Not fishy in the least.

turbot

guinea

Our next dish was roebuck, which is a deer unique to this country.  Apparently it's a short hunting season, so when it's around, chefs serve it everywhere.   White asparagus is also in season in Denmark and the center piece is white asparagus with pickled onions.  The roebuck has a texture of filet mignon and does not have any hint of gaminess to it.  Laurieand I were totally impressed by this.

roebuck with white asparagus

Next came the cheese course.  We had so many to choose from!  Laurie likes pungent cheese and I liked mine mild.  The most memorable taste from the cheese course was a tomato jam.  It was sweet and savory at the same time that tasted fresh and delicious onits own, but married well to enhance whatever cheese we tried. 

Finally, came dessert and to serve a rhubarb for dessert seemed to be de rigeur.  I must say this, it's not the rhubarb dessert you would be accustomed to having in the States. Usually rhubarb desserts have been boiled or cooked to death so it has a texture of mush.  Not in Denmark. This had more of a texture of slightly steamed celery, but with a sweet sour taste.  Desserts in Denmark are not overly sweet, yet just enough to sate the sweet craving one may have at the end of a meal. 

So far, Laurie and I have agreed that Falsled Kro is the best of the meals we've had so far. 

It pays to befriend the chef.  He got us a reservation at a former colleague's restaurant, Sletten Kro, which will be reviewed by one of Denmark's largest newspapers tomorrow night!  How cool is that????  Thank you chef Per!!!

Links:

http://www.falsledkro.dk/

http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-book/hotel-restaurant/falsled/

http://museum.odense.dk/museums/hans-christian-andersen-museum.aspx

http://www.egeskov.com/

http://www.1000beforeyoudie.com/

Relae in Copenhagen -- Noma-like

Copenhagen night 2 -- Laurie and I ate a Relae, another one of those highly reviewed restaurants.  It was a place that didn't have any tablecloths, simple Danish design.  The flatware and paper napkin are in a drawer along with the menu at each table. The menu was simple.  Only 2 four-course menu choices.  One with meat and the other without.  Laurie ordered no meat and I ordered the meat.  There was an option of wine pairings, but we decided to order a bottle.  The choice tonight was a grolleau (GROW low) unique to the Loire Valley in France.  It is a light, fruity red that is best drunk young. La Boit San Soif was a young red with blue hues and had flavors of violets, sour cherries and bright acidity.  Seemed like all the vine pairing choices were very young and acidic as well.  It's a wine best drunk with food.

We started with a snack of baked shallot with goat cheese.  It was fried right before serving so that the outer layers were crisp and once bitten the shallot was hot and soft.  The goat cheese tasted like light cream -- no gamey flavor at all.  Laurie and I agreed it was probably the most amazing food item we've ever tasted.

Hake, old leeks and salted bergamot

cucumber, caraway and lemon balm

Our first course was hake, old leeks and salted bergamot.  The hake was raw and wrapped in the leek like a present.  It was very mild and did not taste fishy.  The cucumber, caraway and lemon balm starter that Laurie was served cold in a broth.  It would've been the perfect dish to have had it been 80 degrees outside.  Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been all that good here in Copenhagen, so we chalked it up to an interesting dish.

The next dish we both had was asparagus, sunflower seeds and mint.  The sunflower seeds and barley gave the dish heft and crunch.  The mint down below was the surprise element of the dish.  We both commented as to the Danish combination of grains and they are integrated into every foods.

green asparagus, sunflower seeds and mint

second course up close

My main course was chicken wings, white asparagus and anchovies.  OMG.  The chicken was cooked for 2-2.5 hours at 65 degrees Celsius.  It was amazing.  The asparagus was shredded vertically so as to look like noodles.  The anchovies melted to give the dish that 'what else is in there' element.  There was no indication of a 'fish' in this dish.  I would make this at home -- and I probably will since I'm due to cook for my family on Father's Day.

chicken wings, white asparagus and anchovies

romaine, egg yolk and nettles

Laurie's main was romaine with egg yolk and nettles.  The green goop was pureed nettles.  The romaine was steamed with the egg yolk giving the dish body and flavor.  The only way we could describe this dish was that it was 'green' tasting.  

Finally, for dessert, we had a dish of shaved ice with elderflower and rhubarb. There was a crunchy element in there -- like the crumble in an apple crumble.   Tasted a little like a Singapore shaved ice dessert, though less sweet.

elderflower and rhubarb dessert

From what we read in The New York Times, Relae was the most Noma-like of the restaurants we've visited so far.  We left dinner feeling just right -- not overstuffed.  Relae made us think about our food and the food combination possibilities.  It is definitely worth the visit.

Link:

www.restaurant-relae.dk

Copenhagen

Dear friends and family,

Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark!  My running partner and friend, Laurie, and I arrived here on Monday and oh my gosh, is it cold!  Apparently up until last week it was in the 70s/80s.  It cooled off just in time for our arrival.  The lo's at night reach the hi 40s.  Hello???  Isn't this summer?  It was so much nicer in Tenerife and New York!

We're here on a home exchange.  Yes, ever hear of it?

One of the reasons why I wanted to come visit Copenhagen was because it has become quite the culinary destination now with the #1 restaurant in the world here called Noma.  The day Noma opened up for reservations FOUR months ago, I was already too late -- I was put on the waitlist for lunch AND dinner.  Can you imagine???  So eagerly we're waiting.  Laurie and I even paid the restaurant a live visit yesterday to make sure that we weren't overlooked in any way.  Never mind though as there are plenty of other great restaurants, like the one we went to last night, Geist.

Geist's executive chef, Bo Bech, is the man above.  We were lucky enough to sit right in front of his plating station.  He plated every dish personally.  It was so cool.  Laurie was in awe of the food and the atmosphere.  Why did we come here?  Because we read about this place in The New York Times and Travel and Leisure Magazine.  Seems like all the news outlets are writing about Copenhagen being a culinary destination and this restaurant was on both lists.

We started our evening with a Spanish red from Rioja.  Alcohol here is super expensive and the Rioja seems to offer the best value.  Usually in America the wines on a restaurant list are 3 times the retail.  Here?  It was 5-6 times the retail.

Laurie and I started our evening with crushed potatoes with oyster and almond.  The potatoes were put through a ricer and according to the Times, it was very Joel Robuchon-ish.  I ordered the black lobster with small tomatoes.  These were tomatoes of the smallest kind.  About the size of a marble.  Laurie and I tried counting them as Chef Bo kept plating this dish for other diners.  We think it was 30 tomatoes per plate.

Then we ordered the west coast turbot with fennel ravioli on cheese.  The fennel was used in place of the pasta.  How was it?  Sublime.  Laurie is not a fish eater and she thought the texture was just right.  Not too firm and overcooked.  I had the charred roebuck leg with beetroots.  We both thought it was devine.  No gamey flavor to indicate that it was venison.  It tasted more like filet mignon.  The rioja berry flavors and medium tannins washed it down perfectly.

vanilla ice cream with black olives and liquorice

air in air in air tiramisu

Cotton candy!

For dessert, both publications talked about the vanilla ice cream with black olives and liquorice.  It was sweet and savory at the same time.  As another publication put it, it was 'a wafer of solidified milk.'  We also ordered air in air in air tiramisu, which was VERY airy.  It tasted like mousse but was lighter.  And because perhaps we complemented the chef and told him through our waiter (as Chef Bo never looked up even once in those 3 hours we were there) that we were there because of the Times, a beautiful spun sugar confection of cotton candy with grated lemon zest appeared before us to finish our meal.

Tonight we're headed off to another culinary expedition called Relae.  They warned us to allot 2.5 hours for dinner.  Will report back after tonight's dinner!

Love to all and we'll be home before you know it,
Jennifer

Links:
www.noma.dk
www.restaurantgeist.dk
www.newyorktimes.com