=" /> The Mile High Eater: 01/01/2011 - 02/01/2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Next two or three weeks

Hi all

Well the blog is being put on a minor hold due to flu and family issues but I expect we will be back up and running in 2 or 3 weeks. Thanks for stopping by.

Jonathan

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A few questions and a recipe from Chef Lon Symensma of Cholon Bistro

1. What attracted you to cooking?
I grew up in Iowa, my family had a big farm/garden and in charge of hoeing, picking fruits and vegetables. I lived in a rural area and grew up around food. We raised a lot of our own food, so I knew what I wanted to do from an early age.

2. What is the philosophy behind your cooking, or in your kitchen?
Modern Asian Bistro – I lived and worked in France for a year. I spent a year in Asia. I wanted to reproduce the traditional kind of Asian dishes with the traditional kind of French style. I wanted to bring the European way of cooking and discipline into Southeast Asia. And to generate educated dishes that represent the county of origin with a refined technique to it.


3. What is the biggest influence on the way you cook?
Traveling – once you learn how to create food and learn how to develop flavors, you expose yourself to cuisines and people. You learn about food through the people. I attribute a lot of thought process to a story that represents my traveling.


4. Is there a chef living today you would like to work with?
Thomas Keller – haven’t spent much time with him and his philosophy. What he does is amazing. I’ve lived with Daniel Boulud’s family in France and spent some time with him. So, I’ve spent time with some of the big chef’s out there.

5. Is there a particular ingredient you like to cook with more than others?
Right now I’m digging tamarind, lemongrass, and kaffir lime.



6. Is someone asked you for two Colorado restaurants to try other than your own what would you suggest?
Fruition (Alex Seidel) and 12 (Jeff Osaka). Alex, Jeff and I have developed a friendship.


7. How about one restaurant anywhere in the world?
McCrady’s in Charleston, South Carolina – Chef Shaun Brock is a really cool guy. He’s raising his own pigs, making his own cheese. He’s really far out there.

8. Would you be willing to share a recipe with us?
Yes.
Please see end of article for the recipe!

9. Which food are you embarrassed to admit you like?
I’m from Iowa; I’m not embarrassed about any food. I eat peanut butter by the spoonful and I really dig the Velvetta shells and cheese. (Hmm..did he know Barb is from Iowa too).

10. What made you choose Denver?
It's interesting to see how Portland has emerged, and I feel that Denver will be the next city to thrive. The city’s beautiful; the economy hasn’t caught up, there’s the Aspen Food and Wine Festival. The area has a green technology business that’s booming with a lot of computer software stuff. I wanted to be a part of what’s happening.

It’s a no brainer. It’s going to explode soon and I want to be a part of it.

11. Why the small plate concept?
I enjoy the vibrant flavors. I get bored after 3 or 4 bites, tired of taking the same bite over and over again. I wanted to throw away the full dining structure and create an interactive eating atmosphere. Our atmosphere creates energy and conversation.

Once we set up the expectation, it’s a true dining experience. I would rather have 4 dishes that cost $10 bucks instead of one meal for $40. You’ve gotten more for your money, and you get a variety of dishes to taste and talk about.


Chili Crab Rolls, Charred Corn Salad, Sriracha Mayo
Yield: 1 Qt.
Sriracha Mayo
Egg Yolks 4 ea.
Water 1 Tbl.
Sriracha ½ C
Salt 1 tsp.
Lime Juice ¼ C
Grapeseed Oil 3 C

Method: Mix yolks with water, sriracha, salt and lime juice. Add oil in a slow steady stream.

Pickled Peppers Condiment
Red Bell Peppers, roasted 8 oz.
Yellow Bell Peppers, roasted 8 oz.
Red Finger Chili, roasted 2 oz.
Pickling Liquid 1 C

Method: Peel and dice the bell peppers. Mince the chili and place them all in the pickling liquid and reserve.

For the Plate
8” Rice Paper Wrap
Red Leaf Lettuce, large leaves
Vermicelli Noodles, cooked and lightly oiled
Blue Lump Crab, picked 2 oz.
Scallion Whites, thinly sliced
Corn, lightly oiled and charred in the wok
Cilantro, wide chiffonade
China
Slate Plate


Thanks to Chef Lon for talking to us. As we said before in a previous post, get to Cholon Bistro as soon as you can, you will be happy that you did.

Thanks for stopping by the blog. If you have any questions, leave us a note here or email us at jonathan or barb@milehigheater.com.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Cholon Bistro, Go, Go Right Now!

Hi all,
We spent a great evening at ChoLon which is located at 15th and Blake in Denver. According to their website www.cholon.com, ChoLon, translates to "big market”, and is named after the largest Chinese-influenced market in Saigon, Vietnam.
A peek at the kitchen:
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Chef Lon

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A glimpse at the restaurant:

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They have small bites, small plates, large plates and Wok choices. We decided to try 3 small bites and 3 small plates. Our friend Elena joined us, so we each picked two to try.

First off, they bring you a Sesame Rice Puff with Tomato Chili Jam. This was a nice crunchy appetizer to start the evening with.

tomandcholon0014

He says:

I thought this was pretty cool, something different from the standard bread and looked fun. Taste wise it was good but not great with a nice dipping sauce. If for nothing other than cool factor I liked it a lot.

Jonathan picked the Pork Belly Pot Sticker, with Ginger Mustard and the Butternut Squash Soup with Golden Raisin Miso and Root Vegetables.

Barb picked the Curried Duck Spring Rolls, with Cilantro Yogurt and the Shrimp Cakes with Nuoc Cham and Lettuce Wrap.

Elena ordered the BBQ Chicken Bao Buns with Cucumber and the Green Papaya Salad with Tamarind Sorbet and Grape Tomatoes.

We'll go with the order of how plates came out.

First up was the Curried Duck Spring Rolls.
tomandcholon0015

She says: These were a great start to the night. Crunchy, chewy filled spring rolls. The cilantro sauce was a great sauce to swirl your spring roll in. The contrast between the warm spring roll and the cool sauce made me want more.

He says: Yum! That is all, one of many things that makes me want to go back.

Next was the Pork Belly Pot Stickers.
tomandcholon0017

She says: These were really good as well. I think I could have an entire meal of the spring rolls and the pot stickers.

He says: Double yum. Ok, I need to watch out or all you will hear from me is well, yum. But seriously, these were great. Wonderful cooked pork inside the dumpling made me a happy camper

Next was the Bao Buns.

She says: This was a very interesting dish. You open the bun up and make your bite. We had BBQ Chicken, cucumber and other items. This was a lot of great flavors mixing together. I loved creating it and the taste. I didn't like the messiness of it though.
tomandcholon0020
He says: Bah the messiness was kind of fun, and I agree that the chicken and all the ingredients were very tasty, but for me maybe because I did not put enough on but the steamed bun seemed to detract from the overall flavor rather than make it better.

Small Plates

Next up was the Green Papaya Salad.
tomandcholon0021

She says: This dish was my least favorite of the night. I wasn't expecting this dish to be such a cold dish and the tamarind sorbet just made it that much colder.

He says: Rarely do Barb and I completely disagree but here we do, this was one of my most memorable dishes and one that kind of makes me smile when I think of it. The sweet tart taste of the sorbet just made this salad fun, and fun to eat. I wish every salad could make me want to have more like this one did.

Next up was the Butternut Squash Soup.
tomandcholon0025

She says: This was a wonderful warm, rich soup after the cold salad. It was crunchy and tasted delicious. I wanted to lick the bowl clean!

He says: YUM, darn it there I go again, but really that’s all I can say. This wonderful soup was one of those that warms the stomach and makes the taste buds scream for more.

Last up was the Shrimp Cakes
tomandcholon0027

She says: This was a great end to the meal. I didn't care for the Nuoc Cham (the dipping sauce). It didn't really seem to fit the dish, and it was messy running down your fingers as you ate the lettuce wrap. But, the flavors of the shrimp were good.

He says: Well here is the one thing out of so many great dishes that I was not impressed with. It wasn’t bad and some people at our table liked it but for me, meh. Looking back wish we would of stopped at the soup.


Dessert!
We tried two: Bread Pudding with Palm Sugar Ice Cream and Caramelized Banana and the Spiced Doughnuts, Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream and Condensed Milk.

The doughnuts came first, but we were all in agreement that we wished they were the last thing we had as they were Elena and Barb's favorites. Jonathan favored the bread pudding.

Spiced Doughnuts
tomandcholon0030

She says: Yum! The doughnuts came out spiked with a small bamboo stick. The doughnuts were light and fluffy and the coffee ice cream had a nice kick to it.
-He says: YUM! Nope that does not do it justice - YUMMMMM! These were out of this world yummy even for a non coffee drinker like us. The combination of the incredible donuts and the rich wonderful coffee ice cream will blow your mind. If there are 2 of you, you may want to get 2 orders as you’re not going to want to share even though there is more than enough on the plate to do so.

Bread Pudding
tomandcholon0031

She says: The bread pudding was good, but after the doughnuts, it just didn't stand up. It was also messy to dig into. It was hard to cut into and get just the right bite.

He says: Yeah, would have to agree this was the lesser of the two desserts, but it was still a good bread pudding and I enjoyed it, but this was quickly pushed aside for another bite of the donuts.


Overall, we had a wonderful meal and this was one of the two restaurants from last year that were dying to go back to (the other being DISH in Edwards). Next time you’re in Denver or anywhere close and hungry, GO HERE you won’t regret it. As always, thanks for stopping by and if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them here or email us at jonathan or barb @milehigheater.com



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Friday, January 7, 2011

Friday news bits 01-07-2011

Hi all


Friday news bits

Black Cat at the James Beard House
A Heritage Breed and Heirloom Cultivar Dinner
We are fortunate to have been asked to cook again at the illustrious James Beard House on January 19th in New York City. Our progress with heritage breed livestock and ethno botanical and cultivar crops made us stand out in the national dining scene. For the dinner we’ve woven these themes into a menu that speaks of Boulder’s sense of place, its climate and its community. Along the way of cooking great food and taking care of our guests, the Black Cat's mission is to develop a cuisine specific to the Front Range and plains of Colorado. With this special dinner in New York the Black Cat has an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the elements that make our community a special place.
Though the NYC dinner is sold out, we want to share this special dinner with you in our restaurant. From January 10-14th, we will offer our special James Beard menu as our regular tasting menu option along with our à la carte menu, leading up to our two James Beard Celebration dinners on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. Eric will be coming out of the kitchen to talk about each course and how it reflects our regionalized Front Range cuisine.
Cost: $99/$149 with paired wines
We also would like to invite you to read our Winter Newsletter and discover all that has been going on at our farms. You can find it on our website and by following the link:
www.blackcatboulder.com/main_newsletterrwinter2011.html.

We hope you can join us as we prepare for our night in the Big Apple!

Happy New Year!

Eric & Jill Skokan

Black Cat is located at:

1964 13th St.
Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: 303.444.5500''

Please join us next Sunday, January 16 at 5 p.m.
for our first in a series of Italian wine dinners

Northern Italian Wine Dinner
(excluding Piedmont)

Course 1:
Tuna carpaccio with blood orange, fennel, pickled cippollini onions, Meyer lemon oil, and fried capers paired with the Le Colture Cruner Prosecco

Course 2:
Sweet potato bisque with sweet potato ravioli and crispy prosciutto paired with the Tenuta di Blasig Friulano

Course 3:
Duck breseola en brioche with farro paired wtih the Castelfeder Lagrein

Course 4:
Red wine braised bison short ribs served over creamy Gorgonzola polenta and gremolata paired with the Inama Carmenere

Course 5:
Hazelnut torte with lavender honey ice cream paired with the Cantina Beato Bartelomeo Torcolato

Tickets for this event are $55 excluding tax and gratuity.

__________________________________________________

Join us as we tour Italy's many wine regions...other upcoming dinners:

Sunday, January 30 at 5 p.m.: Piedmont Wine Dinner

Sunday, February 13 at 5 p.m.: Terroir's 3rd Annual Chocolate Lover's Dinner featuring the wines of Tuscany

Sunday, March 6 at 5 p.m.: Central Italian Wine Dinner

Sunday, March 27 at 5 p.m.: Southern Italian Wine Dinner

To join us on this journey of Italian wine country, please call 303.651.0630 to make your reservation. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!!

Terroir Restaurant is located at:

246 Main Street
Longmont, CO 80501
Phone: 303.651.0630
Fax: 303.651.0631



Twisted Pine Shows Craft Beer Cares
A Summary of 2010’s Contributions

Boulder, Colorado – January 4th 2010 – Twisted Pine Brewing Company has long been a believer in community involvement. "Giving back to the community is built into the core of our company, it's a part of our mission statement and, while we always have fun hosting events, we take our contributions very seriously,” says general manager Jody Valenta. Over the past 12 months the brewery was able to collect 1,000 lbs of food for EFAA(Emergency Family Assistance Association) a local food cupboard, through their canned food drive. The brewery offered, and continues to offer a promotion that encourages customers to bring in 3 canned food items for a free pint of beer.

This month, the brewery will begin employing members of Imagine!. Imagine! supports services to people with developmental delays and cognitive disabilities. They will be assisting with box construction and mixed 12 pack assembly.

The Ale House at Twisted Pine hosted one benefit event every month for the past 12 months. The events serve to raise a substantial amount of awareness and critical funds for various organizations. “This is a win-win situation for everyone involved,” says brewery owner Bob Baile. “It’s great to work with local organizations to help build awareness, make new friends and give back to the community that has supported us for the past fifteen years.” A few of the organizations partnered with in 2010 include the Autism Society of Boulder, the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center and KGNU public radio.

The company plans to continue with these programs which have only grown in popularity since their inception. “We measure the success of our business in various ways,” says Baile. “Partnerships with organizations like this are critical to our overall success and essential to who we are as a company.”

For information regarding beer donations or to propose a charitable event send an email to info@twistedpinebrewing.com.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Happy New Year

Hi all


Happy New Year! We took last week and this week off from the blog we will be back with our experience at Cho Lon Bistro next Monday. (if you haven’t been yet GO!)