Food fabulous food

First off...I would like to thank all of you for your suggestions about the blog. It will really help me set up the blog to be enjoyable for me and a great place for all you to get recipes, some advice and a couple stories.
I am currently out west for a couple of days doing my yearly holiday tour for Calphalon. I have been their chef spokesman for the past 10 years and typically spend a couple days around holiday time traveling and doing some demos and tv for them.
The trip started in LA and as luck would have it my good pal J Waxman was in town doing a book tour so we had a great lunch together at Pizzaria Mozza. Mozza is a great new restaurant courtesy of Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. This is truly my kind of joint, casual and deliscious without a bit of pretense. We were lucky enough to be joined by Ruth Reichel and Nancy and just had an outstanding meal. We started with a bunch of antipasta including white beans al forno, meatballs with crostini, chicken livers bruchette with guanciale and brussels sprouts with foccaccia bread crumbs. We then moved into some outstanding pizzas incliding one with egg, guanciale and radicchio, a fennel sausage number and a wonderful anchovie pie with rosemary. Great meal with great people, nothing is better!! I also had a great meeting with some people with Jay Leno and it looks like I may be doing a segment after the writer strike is over, which is very exciting.
That evening I headed to San Fran where I was joined by Liz and continued the eating frenzy. In two days we have eaten at Hog Island Oyster bar, Chez Panise, Incanto, Bar Jules, Slanted Door, Jardineire and Zuni. All the food has been amazing and I am insanely full. Here are some of the highlights. Chris just killed us at Incanto with tuna meatballs, cod sperm crostini, linguini with grated cured tuna heart, seared duck liver with braised duck tongues, a pork liver and kidney pie, roasted pig head wrapped in bacon, roasted lamb neck with salsa verde, and fried tuna "ribs" with chile and mint. Boy I'll tell you Chris can really cook and his food is just loaded with soul and flavor. At Slanted Door we also ran the gamet with some raw yellowtail, oysters, cellophane noodles, whole roasted branzino and some killer wilted pea shoots. Zuni and Chez were just classic wonderful California cuisine. Perfect preperation of beautiful ingredients. Simple and deliscious..what more can u ask for. Bar Jules is a new little place that i highly recomend with a tiny chalkboard menu that changes daily and is super fresh and spot on. We are heading to Jardineire in a couple minutes which I am very excited about. Traci is one of the greatest chefs in the country and I dont know what I love more...her or her food.
The bonus of traveling is getting to see so many different chefs in action and try all their great food. It is a great way to learn and to stay inspired and I highly recommend it to any young cooks and chefs. You should never stop learning and travel is a great way to do that. Its not always easy to do and certainly isnt cheap but I feel it is a absolute must and an important part of growing as a chef.

Live to cook....how bout dem Browns, MS

Comments

[Pamela]

Lots to check out if you ever come to Portland too! We'll make sure you eat well if you come to visit!
http://www.portlandfood.org/

[ilea]

Okay so far what I have gotten RE: Cod milt is that it tastes a lot of clam chowder. It seems like an expensive means for covering a toast, as I might just grab some clams and steam, shuck, and chop...blah blah, blah. Can you suggest an alternative recipe for the toast? Mercifully in Columbus we have the North Market--fresh is the definition there.

Kind regards,

ilea

[Vikki Horowitz]

Good Evening-

I don't know if you will remember me or not but we brought our daughter (8 years or so old) in to Lola's for our birthday (both on the same day) not long after you opened and you came to the table, not to see if we liked our meal but to see if she was happy-(nice work) we have been back quite a few times. I saw you again at The Food Network show at the IX-who knows what year and you invited me to come hang in the kitchen-unfortunately i have not made it over to take you up on it and quite frankly i would understand if the invite has been revoked-hehehe. Well i would like to invite you to one of my events-actually at a friend of yours place-Dante Boccuzzi. Saturday December 22nd, we are having St. Alfonsos's Pancake breakfast with Ike Willis of Franks band (Think Joes Garage right up to the end) at his restaurant-11AM i know it would mean a lot to him to have you pop in if only for a bit. I was surprised you didn't mention him in your restaurant rec's piece. Well it will be a ton of fun and at $15.00 for music, pancakes/waffles, bloody mary's you cant beat it.

let me know-congrats on the Iron Chef ofcourse-

Vikki Horowitz
Museek Management

[juliette]

Wilmita--
Thanks for reinforcing the importance of readability (and navigation) for bloggers.

Because, Michael, we all want you to be successful at blogging (there is a bit to think about in doing it well) so we can continue to enjoy reading your comments here for a long time to come!

Juliette

[Jill]

Love your blog and the improvements!!

I am sending an email to Lola later today. I think I might be of some help with your blog. Only payment requested is the hopes that you will post more regularly!

Jill

[Brad]

For those of us who live too far away, can we send a proxy guest to the class if we win ?

[Carl]

Congrats Chef Symon,

I have been a big fan for a long time. Your food has always been awesome. Then here I am in Sarasota Fla and looking at the Cavs website and saw you on the opening page. I went to your website since its been awhile since I have been there. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would ever have the chance to experience an Iron Chef battle. To see you are doing a Iron Chef themed dinner New Years Eve forced me to come home early. I would pay doulbe to just be served the food the judges get on IC. I can't wait.

As you said the best way to experience great food is when you travel. Do you recomend a place in Sarasota?

See you New Years Eve. I hope to get you to sign the nights menue/ticket.

Thank you for the great food I have enjoyed at your resteraunts and the great food I am sure to enjoy for years to come.. I just wish I could get in your classes sometime. I will keep trying.

Thank you Chef Symon

BTW great job on NICA

[Carl]

Chef Symon

It was a pleasure to talk to you in person. Too bad I didn't have my clubs with me and you are in Cleveland getting ready for New Years dinner.
I would love to play 9 or 18 with you my treat any time....

Carl

[David]

I am a big fan of yours, i have been running the gaunlet of resteraunts on the east coast resort towns, but long for the mid-west kitchens i grew up in. I am thinking of relocating back to Cleveland (i cant believe i miss the snow). I can only hope the scene there is still growing.

[DM]

Dear Mr. Symon:

I just returned from a hosting a large dinner meeting at Lola. I am going to look for a link to contact you under the Lola website, and wanted to call your attention to it. I think you should be made aware of the completely unacceptable service and staff attitude that I encountered. Please look for my comments. DM