HO HO HO!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

The weather outside is frightful (no way it's sledding time), yet it so delightful ( yea no school!)… let it snow, let it snow, let is snow… ( Santa will surely come as he thinks it is the North Pole!)

Happy Holidays from Simone Rathle and her helpers, Kemp and Spencer!

A 'Victory' for New Orleans

The National World War II Museum was unveiling something new November 6-9 and it was going to be big in many ways. D-Day for me was going to be November 6, 2009, when the star studded cast of distinguished guests were paying tribute to the men and woman of World War II. I’m not talking about the celebs on stage like Tom Brokaw, Patricia Clarkson, and Tom Hanks, but the true stars of the day: the 300 or so World War II veterans in attendance. My niece, Aimee Rathle (14 years old), got to accompany her “Auntie Monie” to what I indicated was to be a Social Studies project. I truly believed it would be a great experience for her and Aimee had every intention to learn something, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of Hanks, all bets were off! Her goal was to say hello and get a picture with him. “It would be the coolest thing,” Aimee said, nudging at every moment.

I made her pay attention during the whole ceremony and understand the importance and sacrifices of the veterans sitting directly behind us, standing proud for fighting for us and supporting the rights of this country, and rightfully so. It was warm day and the sun was beaming ferociously down on all of us. I saw water bottles under each of the veteran’s chairs but most were not able to bend down so far, so I began to grab the waters underneath their chairs to give it to them. I stopped counting and made sure they were completing hydrated! It was wonderful to listen to Gordan Mueller and speak of his great friend Stephen Ambrose. The museum would not be here today if it was not for Mr. Ambrose - a man with vision, heart and determination. He wanted to give these brave men and women something back for all their unconditional love for this country… our country… my country!

When you visit New Orleans and the National World War II Museum, you will ‘experience the victory’ of the museum through its Solomon Victory Theatre’s 4-D movie, Beyond All Boundaries produced by Hanks! The Stage Door Canteen is what will keep you hopping with live entertainment, and my friend and longtime business associate John Besh's new restaurant, The American Sector, brings back nostalgic meals that was on every American table in the 40’s and 50’s. It’s simple, but one of my most favorite dishes is the Heirloom Tomato Soup – creamy and delicious, and the grilled ham and cheese. I skip the ham but you have to love that seriously melted cheese just oozing out with great flavor.

At the end of the day, Aimee’s wish came true and her Auntie Monie got bumped up in the cool category for a few months. Teenagers! Thanks Mom for surviving those years with me.

"Victory belongs to the most persevering." - Napoleon Bonaparte

That's Entertainment!

Don’t we all have a television fantasy? You know the one, where you deliver a confident, polished – even witty – performance, and the director, producers, and your fellow ‘talent’ beg you to come back for more?

Pastry Chef David Guas is living the dream, fresh from his eleventh appearance on The Today Show, which coincided, remarkably, with the 11th of November. David explains that after all this time, while he’ll never deny that he takes each appearance very seriously, and that, yes, there are still butterflies, he’s now able to relax on air.

It’s a good thing, because on live television, anything could happen – and often does. Like the time David was demonstrating a kid-friendly Pumpkin Seed Oat Crunch recipe and turned an induction burner on at the far end of the set to start caramelizing his honey. A minute later, Al was yelling “We got a fire over here!” as co-host, Natalie Morales, ran on from backstage brandishing a fire extinguisher. Once you can roll with that kind of punch, you can handle anything.

Which is why he got back on the horse, so to speak, torching a crème brûlée on a later appearance. He offered to change his plans when the producer mentioned they’ve have a licensed fire marshall on-set for the entire segment, but they said “no, no; this is just the way we do things here.” And sure enough, the New York City safety official checked the blow-torch [provided by The Today Show,] and stood at alert while David demonstrated his poise under fire – literally.

And yet his most memorable show has nothing to do with fire, but rather, the time when Hoda and Kathie Lee were ‘helping’ him make his signature beignets. “The dough was pretty sticky – ok, I hadn’t floured it, so you could call it a set up. I handed the rolling pin to Hoda, who saw what was coming and passed it right along to Kathie Lee, who dove right in, finger bling and all. People kept telling me it was like an I Love Lucy episode – too funny, and the kind of thing that can only be improvised by good natured people with a knack for slapstick. It was a riot, and it would have been, had it happened in my own kitchen or on national television.”

David typically shows up at the studio for an hour-long rehearsal the afternoon before each appearance. He doesn’t know for sure who his host will be until the next morning, and probably won’t even speak to him, her, or them until a minute or so before he’s on. So the rehearsal is all about getting the cooking demo down pat – all the ingredients, all the equipment, and the order of operations. Luckily, Bianca, the behind-the-scenes chef/stylist, is there to take care of everything, adding her television skills to David’s culinary prowess. “Having Bianca there in the wings makes it seem homey and comfortable, even under the glaring lights,” says David, “and now I feel pretty much at home, sneaking in to the kitchen for coffee when I arrive in the morning, instead of waiting in the Green Room.”

Other aspects of television took some getting used to. “I’m sure I still don’t understand all the union rules,” he laughs, “there’s a different union handler for every kind of equipment – someone let me have it when I picked up a spatula in the equipment room; apparently there’s someone in charge of the spatulas, and that’s that.” The props are chosen before the show in the morning, from what David calls “a giant room of goodies – every imaginable kind of cake stand or platter.” Ed, the set designer, will pop in to make sure everything looks all right, and between him and Bianca, all David has to worry about is his own performance. Which, watching him live, seems like a piece of cake!

Hog Wild

With the onset of fall, a few of the local Harley-riding chefs known as the District Hogs break the pen and head to the woods -- specifically, to a blind on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, widely considered the country’s best terrain for goose hunting. Pastry chef David Guas, who grew up enjoying the country’s best duck hunting in southern Louisiana, now has the best of both worlds when he shoots geese at the property of a close buddy in the industry out in Maryland. He’s usually joined by a rotating cast of Hog colleagues, including Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s, Brasserie Beck, and Brabo fame, and Vidalia’s RJ Cooper.

In a few weeks, Guas will be heading out to ‘re-dress’ the property’s three blinds, in advance of the season opening around Thanksgiving. He’ll help cut new evergreen, cornstalks, grasses, and other natural materials to cover and disguise the plywood shelters from which they shoot. “It’s my way of giving something back to our host,” he explains, “besides my standard offering of peanut brittle to stock the blinds.”

Of course, with a crowd like this, food plays a significant role in any event, and gourmet peanut brittle is just the beginning. Guas reminisces about a meal on the last day of goose season last year, featuring Robert’s venison chili, fresh seared duck breast, his own roasted cauliflower casserole and lemon meringue pies. “I much prefer eating duck to goose, which can be tough and pretty gamey” he says, “but RJ gave me a great recipe for goose pastrami that seems to be the ideal treatment: you roll the breast meat in heavy salt and spices – coriander, cinnamon, and so on, then cool them on a drying rack/sheet pan in the refrigerator again. Then I hang them in cheesecloth for about a month to cure them; I find that in my northern Virginia garage, the temperature at the end of the season is just about perfect for the job – about 50 degrees – so I rig a broomstick between my tool cabinet and workbench, and hang them right over with butcher’s twine. Then I’ll cryovac them, and pull them as needed. It’s do-it-yourself charcuterie.”

Guas loves the ritual of hunting waterfowl, as much as the game itself, and has fond childhood memories of hunting with male family members and friends. Within a few years, he hopes to pass his own first shotgun on to his elder son, who has also expressed an interest. “I’ll probably bring him along to the blind this season, with earplugs,” he says, “to expose him to the reality and discomfort, and frankly, for a kid, long stretches of boredom. Then if he’s still raring to go, we’ll get him in to a hunting safety course to do it right.”

With a supply of his father’s peanut brittle in the blind, heck, what’s not to enjoy?

Rachel’s Kids, Part II

It’s time to take another brief break from the whirl of restaurant openings and cookbook launches to provide a happy update from the Kenyan Postal Service front: nearly three months after I first wrote about my friend Rachel Jones and her mission to help the children of PCEA Muniu Primary School in an impoverished refugee camp two hours outside Nairobi [where she is now living,] the boxes I’d shipped have been delivered.

With superhuman mental discipline, energy, and determination – hopefully no bribes necessary this time – Rachel tackled the postal service and collected the boxes of my boys’ outgrown summer clothes, gently used toys, and new workbooks, and delivered them personally to the school. The government has completely abandoned these refugees, she explains, and so they are amazed when people so far away care about their plight.

“I wish you could have heard the squeals of delight!” she writes. But I don’t have to; these photos say it all. The clothes, she says, are desperately needed, and the books will be used in English language class. What you can’t see, though, and what really made me cry was this line from her letter: “you'll be happy to know that the bag full of action figures is perfect for the mental health counseling sessions for the kids in the refugee camps. The counselors were really thrilled to see them.”

True to her promise, with the help of the English language teacher, Rachel has identified a pen pal for my son Kemp. “He is a 6-year-old boy named Duncan Mbugua, in Form 1 (like American First Grade), one of the top kids in the English class. I've asked him to write a letter to Kemp, so they can be pen pals. I will let you know when he's finished and when I'll be putting it in the mail,” she writes. Kemp is beside himself with excitement, suspense, and plans – these pictures, and the prospect of a friendship with Duncan have already expanded his 7-year-old world more than Rachel knows. An enormous return on a few cartons of old clothes –

Chef Shaya Visits Jefferson Elementary

It must have come as a delightful surprise to 3rd grade teacher Lana Nuccio of Jefferson Elementary School when Chef Alon Shaya greeted her and her husband as they were dining at his new restaurant -- and revealed his interest and experience in providing cooking demos for young students.

Shaya, executive chef and partner at Domenica, the latest venture of renowned chef John Besh, has spent much of the last year-and-a-half preparing for the restaurant’s opening – much of that time training in and around Parma, perfecting his understanding of the culture and cuisine of the Italian countryside. Still, he managed to remain involved in New Orleans Outreach, an innovative program dedicated to enriching the quality of the city’s public schools by linking them with volunteers and other community resources. “It’s a great program,” says Shaya, “not only because it gives them instruction, but because it improves their quality of life. For instance, I go into a kindergarten and do a cooking demo, but I’m stressing the importance of being in the kitchen together as a family. It’s how I learned to cook, and it’s the basis of my bond with my mother and grandmother.”

So the following week, Shaya and Felicia Dewey, one of his cooks at Domenica, drove the ten minutes to Jefferson Parish and unloaded their gear: everything necessary to create Lasagne Bolognese and Gianduja Budino, or hazelnut chocolate pudding – plus enough hot, pre-cooked lasagna for the entire third grade – all 55 students.
“When I was growing up in Philadelphia,” recalls Shaya, “kids wanted to be firemen and policemen. I don’t think it even occurred to anyone to want to cook for a living. But I went in and asked them who wanted to be a chef, and all the hands went up! I think it’s thanks to all the cooking shows, the profession is getting so much more visibility. It’s really heartening.”

Shaya showed them how to make the pasta and the meat sauce from scratch, as well as how to assemble all the layers. Then he slid it under the table, “my ‘magic oven!’” pulling out the prepared dish, piping hot and ready to serve. Topped off with a dessert of chocolate pudding [candied hazelnut topping optional] the students had a mighty fine Italian feast, plus a heaping serving of inspiration and encouragement. Who knows? Maybe our next great generation of chefs will be coming out of Jefferson Elementary School….

DamGoodSweet Sell Out at Disney

Pastry chef David Guas packed up his knives (and mouse ears) and moved into the kitchens at Disney World’s Epcot Theme Park for the 14th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival last week. David participated in two demos, both of which were sold out, one by more than 30 people!

Kicking things off on October 9, chef David Guas prepared Chocolate Cupped Cakes with Coffee and Chicory before having his first book signing for DamGoodSweet.  Sundays are the sweetest days at the festival, and on October 11, David was the featured chef for Sweet Sundays where he will whipped up three desserts selected from DamGoodSweet: Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble, and just in time for Halloween treats, Heavenly Hash and Caramel Peanut Popcorn, and hosted a second book signing. By the end of the signing, David had sold all of the books and was signing photos and programs!

The 14th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival began September 25 and continues until November 8, 2009 and features more than 60 visiting wineries, breweries and distilleries and more than 100 visiting chefs and speakers including Todd English, Cat Cora and Andrew Zimmern.

Roosevelt Grand Opening Celebration

October 23-25th, 2009

Domenica is honored to be a part of the legendary celebration, the grand opening of the historic hotel – The Roosevelt New Orleans. Join us for an unforgettable weekend of famous performers including a Friday night celebration with the Neville Brothers, the Saturday evening black-tie Grand Opening Gala with Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas, and a Sunday morning Champagne Jazz Brunch with renowned clarinetist, Tim Laughlin.

There was never any question that the restaurant anchoring the always elegant, newly renovated Roosevelt Hotel would be anything but sophisticated and true to the Italian heritage found in New Orleans. Besh Restaurant Group is proud to have Domenica as part of the revitalization of a New Orleans landmark. Home to the legendary Blue Room and The Sazerac Bar, The Roosevelt’s splendid interiors boast a history of glamour and the goings-on of high society, the infamous underworld, and everyone in between. Now with Domenica offering simplicity in pure modern sophistication, The Roosevelt is complete with authentic Italian cuisine with a few sly and calculated nods to the Old World.

To make reservations for the Roosevelt Hotel event, please call 504.648.1200

Domenica Restaurant

Roosevelt Hotel

123 Baronne Street

New Orleans, Louisiana 70112

(504) 648-6020

Facebook.com/DomenicaRestaurant

Twitter @chefjohnbesh

Milky Way

Through his Havana-born father, there is a certain amount of sweetened condensed milk flowing in David Guas’ veins.

“When my sister Tracy and I were little, we loved it when our dad would demonstrate his quick-method for making dulce de leche. All it involved was peeling the paper label off a can of sweetened condensed milk – Borden’s or Eagle, it didn’t matter which – and boiling it, completely sealed, for a couple of hours. I happen to like mine really dark,” he points out, “so now I let the can simmer for a good six hours.” Their father still never tires of telling the story of when he and his brother, as children, forgot to keep the boiling pot topped off with water: after a while, the can exploded, blasting dulce de leche all over the kitchen – ceiling, light fixtures, you name it. They got in big trouble, but that didn’t put them off the sweet stuff.

And sure enough, when Guas made a pilgrimage to Miami to learn about Cuban desserts first-hand from his aunts and cousins there, he found sweetened condensed milk in abundance. Their friend and housemate, Teresita, who cooked homemade desserts for a number of local eateries, made her great big sheets of flan with nothing but sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. “My own technique is a little more complex – a few more ingredients keep if from setting as firmly as hers – but it just goes to show you how they use the stuff in the old country. It’s a real staple.”

“Oddly,” he reminisces, “one of my favorite condensed milk memories growing up is not at all Cuban, but pure New Orleans. Sno-balls were a regular treat of my childhood, and the ‘crème de la crème’ version of this summertime delicacy was to choose your favorite flavor and have it drizzled liberally with sweetened condensed milk. I loved strawberry syrup – also chocolate – on the fluffy shaved ice with milk; if you were going all-out, you’d also have it ‘stuffed’ with soft serve ice cream. Nothing cooler, nothing sweeter.”

These days, sweetened condensed milk is a key component of Guas’ key lime tarts, lemon ice-box pie, and, of course, flan. He likes his dulce de leche [very dark] with ice cream. He drizzles it on top, heating it up for more fluidity, and often swirls it right in when churning his own. His father? “He would dig out a great big spoonful for himself – to eat plain – whenever he transferred it from the boiled can to a jar or Tupperware container to store in the fridge,” says Guas, “Too rich -- and believe it or not -- too sweet for me!”

Molto Bene!

Just before i bambini were due back in school, I whisked them off to New Orleans – their home away from home – for the long-awaited opening of Domenica. John Besh and his executive chef / partner Alon Shaya got it just right: cozy, relaxed but lively, and really, really good.

Anchoring the just-renovated Roosevelt Hotel a stone’s throw from the Quarter, Domenica was inspired by the bountiful Sunday feasts of the Italian countryside – hence its name, which means “Sunday” in Italian. Shaya and his team have immersed themselves in the intricacies of Italian culture over the past year, and it shows in the layers of detail that build the ambience of the restaurant, which is at the same time rustic and sophisticated. Long central communal tables underscore its warm and friendly nature; timber salvaged from a long-submerged vessel gets a second chance as flooring full of old-world character; intricate collages of Italian product labels adorn the walls, and the wooden tables wear nothing but their paper menus, which double as placemats. The white leather cushioning the wooden banquettes and the monumental modern crystal chandeliers and sleek stainless surfaces in the elevated bar area are completely contemporary, though, as is the stunning curtain of bronze chain that creates a sense of intimacy around the communal tables.

An extensive menu of Shaya’s authentically prepared estate-raised pork products vies for attention with the array of homemade pastas and toothsome risottos, braised meats, and local seafood fried to perfection or swimming in a delicate broth. My boys (as usual,) couldn’t get enough of the pizzas. But even at their tender ages, I think they sensed something special about the irresistible blistery-crusted pies baked in a 9,800 lb. wood-burning pizza oven with a rotating stone deck – the only one of its kind in this country! Head over to Domenica any day of the week from 11am ‘til 11pm, and you surely will, too…. Buon appetito!

Citizen Cane

Just as early spring is when the maple trees are tapped up north, down in southern Louisiana, fall means sugar cane season, when the endless acres of cane are cut, stripped, and boiled down in open kettles to produce the region’s beloved sticky cane syrup. Steen’s Cane Syrup, in its iconic yellow cans, is a staple in every New Orleans pantry; it’s been produced by the Steen family in Abbeville, Louisiana for nearly 100 years.

One of David Guas’ favorite uses for cane syrup (besides being poured generously over pancakes) is in Gâteau de Sirop. Cane syrup is a close-cousin to molasses, and this cake is basically a gingerbread, distinguished by fresh grated ginger and a splash of Crystal Hot Sauce for extra punch. Served warm with vanilla ice cream and swimming in plenty of extra syrup, it was a holiday staple in the Guas house when he was growing up in New Orleans – and still is in his own house here in northern Virginia.

The recipe is featured in DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style, David’s first cookbook. An advance copy just arrived here in the office, and it looks good enough to eat – with syrup on top.

La Vie Provencale

After a crowded preview party for “La Vie Provencale” with all the decorators in situ and Provencial food from Patti Constantine, Palate New Orleans, Café Degas and Sucre, the first decorator show house since Katrina opened in the home of the Alliance Francaise de La Nouvelle Orleans. This venerated educational center in the Garden District is where “tout le monde” goes to learn and keep up their French!

The new crop of hot young local designers and decorative painters like Grace W. Kaynor, Trudy Hurley, Nadine Blake, E. Lee Jahnke Mead joined their mentors and friends Sherry Haydel, Kathy Slimp, and Anne Bishton. New Yorkers and ex-New Yorkers (Jennifer Flanders, Ned Marshall and Roy Malone) added their special touch like dark green-blue peacock walls, Ferragamo covered divans, Brazilian fabrics and contemporary sculpture. George Hewitt showed me his magical LED mirror that wiped wrinkles away—not that I need one mind you!!

The outside was refurbished by donations of plants and the help of local landscape designers. To top it off, three adorable Smart Cars in “bleu, blanc et rouge” were parked in front (they are made in France.) I was amazed to see the old blue and white sidewalk letter tiles installed in the cement in front of the building: a young man called Nick … has rediscovered the secret and now everyone can name their street or business in that old traditional way.

Who needs to go to France? New Orleans is it! Now if only they had a petanque field...

Don’t Pigeonhole the Pastry Chef

David Guas, pastry chef par excellence, may be defined by sugar, butter, and chocolate by day, but at home cooking dinner for his wife (a busy professional who loves food but doesn’t cook it) and their two young boys, he’s all about healthy savory dinners. And while they’re all ‘good eaters,’ he knows, to put it in restaurant lingo, exactly ‘what sells.’

They don’t eat much red meat, and in fact, in this economy, he says he won’t buy the high-end cuts anyway. Turkey, however, is a family favorite, and shows up in everything from Turkey Meatballs (served in David’s homemade marinara over spaghetti) to Turkey Burgers (lots of Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and onion powder) to Baked Ziti (in the same marinara softened with heavy cream, layered with no fewer than four cheeses, parboiled pasta, and topped with lightly oiled panko crumbs before baking.)

Turkey tacos are a Sunday night favorite, with everyone joining in to assemble the goods. David sweats a chopped onion then adds the ground turkey with cumin and a touch of chili powder: while one of his boys is starting to emulate Papi (as they call him) by getting into hot sauces – the other “freaks out over too much black pepper” –

Sometimes he’ll roast a chicken heavily seasoned inside and out with a dry rub of herbs and a little lemon zest. A butter massage under the breast skin helps create pockets of moisture (and can’t hurt the flavor, right?) He’ll start it in a 425˚ oven, then after about 20 minutes, lowers the temperature to 350; it’s done in roughly an hour, total.

On the side, the boys are big fans of green beans, which David boils and tosses with olive oil instead of butter. They also love his salad of blanched, chilled green beans tossed with sliced red onion, feta, almonds, and olive oil. Twice-baked potatoes, a childhood favorite of his own, are always a hit. After baking the Idaho potatoes, he mixes the contents with butter, buttermilk or sourcream, green onions, Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar before stuffing it back into the lightly salted jacket halves. “The boys could easily make a meal of those alone,” he’s convinced.

This summer, he’s been taking advantage of all the good local sweet corn, and serving it boiled and cut off the cob mixed with some sweet Vidalia onion, sweated ‘til translucent, and butter. Other nights he’ll make a (slightly) more elaborate corn salad with red onion and cilantro.

No, it’s not all puddings and pastries at the Guas house. In fact, dinner sounds like it might give dessert some stiff competition.

On Top of Spaghetti

With the opening of Domenica, John Besh’s rustic Italian enterprise, now on the horizon, I thought a brief tutorial on its various pastas would be in order. In all shapes and sizes, these tender morsels – each in a flavorful sauce traditionally dictated by the noodle’s characteristics – will make you lean back in your chair sighing “Mama mia!”

Spaghetti, you already know; here at Domenica, it will be offered simply tossed with olive oil, garlic, herbs, and Parmigiano. Linguini – who knew?- means ‘little tongues,” thanks to its flat, narrow shape; try it here with Louisiana shrimp, shaved bottarga, chiles and mint. These two are fine imported Italian pastas; the rest are handmade in house, just as Executive Chef Alon Shaya and key members of his team were taught to make them during their extensive training in Parma.

Anolini, small semi-circular pockets, are stuffed with braised pork and prosciutto, and served with chanterelles, herbs, and Pecorino. Stracci, literally ‘rags,’ are hand-torn herbed noodles served with oxtail ragu and fried chicken livers. The Lasagne Bolognese is a sauce of ground veal, beef, and pork layered with green spinach noodles. Tagliatelle are quarter-inch ribbons of spinach or egg pasta, served at Domenica with a braised rabbit ragu and summer squash. Fazzoletti, another of the many descriptive pasta terms, means ‘little handkerchiefs” -- indeed, these are flat, loosely folded squares of pasta, sometimes filled, sometimes not – tossed with housemade guanciale, heirloom tomatoes, and basil at Domenica, you can’t go wrong.

DamGoodSweet, The Book

David Guas’ first cookbook [Taunton Press, Fall 2009] was jump-started by his intense emotional response to Hurricane Katrina wiping out so much of his hometown – including his parents’ home. “It was then,” he writes in his introduction, “I knew I had to record not only the dessert recipes of the region, but my memories, too.”

The book, to be published in November, was featured in Publisher’s Weekly earlier this summer. Taunton Press spokesperson Pamela Duevel called it “a Taunton house favorite,” which acquiring editor Carolyn Mandarano attributes to Guas’ talent, attitude and commitment. “David’s voice is so passionate. He loves the city.” DamGoodSweet, the write-up continues, is “a combination of a memoir and a cookbook, where the author’s memory of going to Galatoire’s on Bourbon Street with his family every year for Christmas leads into a recipe for Double Chocolate Bread Pudding with Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce.”

Well, who are we to argue with Publisher’s Weekly?

But enough about rich and heavy Christmas desserts when it’s 100 degrees in the shade these days. In a chapter called, sure enough, “100 Degrees in the Shade,” Damgoodsweet will also provide plenty of truly chill treats to cool you down and sweeten your spirits. How about Watermelon Granita-Topped Sno-Balls? In a brilliant adaptation, Guas concedes that he can’t possibly replicate the distinctly fluffy texture of a New Orleans Sno-Ball, so much softer than its crunchy northern cousin [actually he can: unlike most of us, he owns a big old Hansen Sno-Bliz, the classic mechanized ice-shaving machine] so he offers up a recipe that yields a comparably satisfying dessert, complete with soft vanilla ice cream underneath the light fruity ice. And speaking of ice cream, the ice cream flavors in this chapter range from Cane Syrup to Brandy Milk Punch – a real taste of the south, in each cold, sweet spoonful.

As Good as it Gets

John Besh knows that on every great menu, while many things do change and evolve, there are other items that are, simply put, ‘as good as it gets.’

At Restaurant August, that would be the pumpkin seeds. Since October 2001, when August opened its doors and upped the culinary ante in town, Besh’s signature salad has been his Organic greens with pumpkin seed brittle, Point Reyes blue cheese and pumpkin seed oil vinaigrette. No sense messing with these perfect complements of sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy, all dressing up a pure and simple bed of greens.

Likewise, his foie gras prepared three ways was on the original menu at August – and remains there by popular demand. Two of the three ways it is presented on the plate adapt to the season: these days, his foie gras ‘pastrami’ (cured, smoked, and rolled into a torchon) is served with a pickled local chanterelle salad; and the foie gras blackberry ‘crème caramel’ is dependent on the seasonal berries. But the foie gras in a baumkuchen crust, the delicate liver wrapped in layered sponge cake with aged balsamic and a Champagne gélée, is the constant, having achieved a timeless perfection unaffected by the vagaries of the growing seasons.

The hand-made potato gnocchi tossed with blue crab and Perigold truffle is also a popular favorite from day one, varying only when fresh truffles are not available, and we must resign ourselves (*sigh*) to their dried state. P&J Oysters have always graced the August menu, and as John Besh is a champion of local fishermen and seafood, now more than ever, they always will. He serves them up crispy fried with Louisiana caviar “ranch dressing,” pepper seared, with truffle spoon bread, horseradish crusted.

Some signatures just never go out of style!

Cock"taling" it in New Orleans

Trips back home mean connecting with my family and clients, making it all mesh in a timely fashion. They typically start with visits with my long term, good friends, who happen to be members of the media (and I adore!) and then with family. I “fly” out of my brother’s house in the morning and arrive back late at night.

This particular weekend I was entertaining a “virgin visitor” to New Orleans, Polly Weidmaier, and catching up with famed D.C. chefs, Robert Weidmaier (her husband) and Michel Richard. To be an escort in my own city is something I truly love, being able to give the behind-the-scenes tour of such a soulful place. What makes it special are the local peeps: everyone has a story…a really good story of what New Orleans means to them.

Polly and I popped in to my brother’s to see where I usually lay my head when in town. His is a beautiful, French-style house in Old Metairie. Hugged my niece Aimee, who is now about 2 inches taller than me, and my nephew, Max, who is catching up in height. Assured Aimee I would attend her summer camp play (I did and she will definitely end up on stage—an incredible natural).

Then we were Uptown bound, to where Polly and I were staying—with my friend of over thirty years, Karen Gundlach, to change and hit the city, just us girls. We dined at Coquette, a new restaurant on Magazine and Washington Streets. Adorable place, very good food, but this trip was to become all about the cocktails. I missed ‘Tales of the Cocktail’ the weekend before, so Polly and I planned to make our own version of one of the best events for the city (created by Ann Tuennerman.)

In the spirit of our miniature event, four cocktails were brought to the table. After one sip, we all looked at one another wide-eyed and simultaneously said, WOW! Yes, we knew cocktails originated in New Orleans, and that the town would not let us down, but these were the best I had ever tasted. We had the Belle Fleur, orange-infused vodka and a healthy twist of lemon; and the Blueberry Crush; but the pièce de resistance was the Kahlo that rocked our taste-buds with jalapeño-infused tequila, orange zest, palm sugar and kaffir lime.

The night was not complete until we went to “The Cure!” A new bar in a neighborhood where in the past I would barely stop at a red light. While not exactly the “hood,” it bordered on being a rough area of town, enough to subconsciously check that the doors were locked. It’s great that someone’s investing in a part of the city that has such potential.

We owned the bar that Thursday night. I was hooked! Polly and Karen loved it. We had the undivided attention of a true mixologist. We all became part of the game. We would tell him flavors we liked and he would put a splash here and a pinch there, and a drop, a drop and another drop. Potion bottles lined up along the bar looked fresh out of a scene from Bewitched! His concoction honored my request for something citrusy and tart. It was presented in an elegant little glass, and I, for the first time, understood why famed restaurant writer and critic John Mariani loves a traditional straight-up daiquiri. He always carries the recipe on the back of his business card. There is no going back to any other cocktail. The Cure makes for pure entertainment with all the excitement coming from the magical mixologists!

Plenty more tales to tell about dining with Michel Richard and Robert Weidmaier in New Orleans – stay tuned!

Rachel's Children

So I’m going to take a rare break from the hospitality industry for a moment and tell you about a project that is dear to my heart – mostly because it sprang from my dear friend Rachel Jones, intrepid international journalist and ‘sister of a different mother’ as she calls us.

Vacation was to begin for all of us this past Saturday on August 1, but office needed my attention with so many projects at hand. I assured the family I would be with them on August 5 for Kemp’s birthday. As for Rachel, she is the reason why, when I dropped my ‘boys’ (husband and little ones, Kemp 7 and Spencer 5,) at the airport at 6am Saturday morning, I rushed back to the house, collected the best of the outgrown kids’ clothes and shoes languishing in the basement, then headed up to their rooms to cull all the toys I thought they wouldn’t miss too much. I packed them up in two giant boxes and was at the post office when it opened. $200 later, they were off to Kenya, and the good care of Rachel. Rachel, you see, has been lending a hand to children in Nairobi, and, with her insatiable nose for a story, came upon one that has become her personal mission: about two hours away is an Internally Displaced Persons Camp, a makeshift refuge of dismal poverty. Rachel has taken its PCEA Muniu Primary School under her wing.

She delivers food and supplies as often as she can, supplementing her own generosity with donations from friends and family back home. When she was last in the States, we had a farewell dinner just before she left and she showed me photos that just about broke my heart: little children, about my boys’ age, wearing nothing but tattered shirts. Another wearing just one shoe. I told her then and there that I would be sending regular packages of boys’ clothes and toys – Lord knows we all have so much more than we need, right?

Sadly, it isn’t as simple as it all should be. Rachel reported that when my first box arrived, it took her the better part of a day, ridiculously frustrating lines, forms, and ultimately, bribes, to take possession of her own property. And that’s only after the customs officials rifled through the contents – ostensibly to determine the ‘tax,’ but helping themselves to whatever they fancied. The whole experience, she vents, makes our postal system seem like ‘a day at the spa’ by comparison.

Still, if any of it gets through to ‘Rachel’s children,’ it’s worth it. If any of you reading are moved to replicate the gesture – well, think of it: we could outfit the whole village. Imagine the difference a complete pair of shoes would make to a child who has none – or only one. It made me so proud earlier this summer when Kemp told the babysitter he planned to give his proceeds from the yard sale they were holding ‘to the children Mommy is helping.’ He’s written them a letter, and Rachel is working on establishing a penpal or two for him.

That’s the kind of life lesson that is just as valuable as any box I could send in the other direction.

Back in the Saddle

Yes, you read it right: as Tom Sietsema reported in The Washington Post on Wednesday, David Guas and his would be partners in Bayou Bakery have “parted ways,” and so the hotly anticipated southern bakery/coffee house is on hold – for a moment.

Guas is right back in the saddle, looking for another vintage space in a lively neighborhood to replace the downtown Clarendon venue where he’d been planning to set up shop. All the public support and media attention focused on his southern themed bakery, especially after the disappointing word got out, redoubled his determination to make Bayou Bakery a reality.

Once established, it will be a warm and welcoming place you’ll wonder what you ever did without, where the pages of Guas’ forthcoming cookbook, Damgoodsweet, comes to life for friends and neighbors in the Washington area. With its progressive coffee program, hot pressed French bread sandwiches, creamy sno-balls, southern pies, cakes, puddings, and Guas’ signature hot beignets, Bayou Bakery will be well worth the wait.

So stay tuned: the proof is in the pudding – and the suspense only sweetens it.

Decadence and Elegance

Decadence and Elegance-these two words are customarily used to characterize New Orleans. Opposing as they are, they provide a balance to the ambiance with in the heart of the CrescentCity. After 10 great years of representing one of the most culturally rich boutique hotels in New Orleans that provided a look into the rituals and heritage of Louisiana and strong underlying current of decadence, International House will no longer be a client of simoneink, LLC. It was a wonderful journey and I sincerely loved every moment I could share with friends and family this unique experience. Please see one of the final and valued inclusions I was able to provide for owner, Sean Cummings of International House, and in turn, the city of New Orleans. New York Times / National Geographic Traveler

I am taking this opportunity to start where I began with my career 21 years ago in New Orleans, by representing a hotel with a genuine touch of elegance. I am delighted to announce that I will be representing The Soniat House, in the residential area of the French Quarter, beginning September 1, 2009. The hotel was developed 20 years ago by combining three historic Creole cottages and decorating them with period antiques. Glorious details – spiral staircase, balconies and patios are original to the 1830s establishment. Courtyards are lush with sweet olive, magnolia, and ginger. Your experience is as if you are a resident with all the necessary amenities of a small luxury hotel. Thank you for your continued support and looking forward to welcoming you to New Orleans by visiting The Soniat House once again or for the first time. And dining at one of chef John Besh’s restaurants anchored in the business district or near his hometown, will truly complete your next trip to the City that care did not forget… these past three years!

Bergamo or Bust!

So with all the buzz about John Besh’s newest venture in reviving New Orleans’ culinary heritage, you may be wondering “what possible claim can a hometown boy from Slidell, Louisiana have on la cucina rustica??” And that’s a fair question. His classical culinary education, his German roots, and his intensive training in Bavaria and Provence – not to mention his own fond memories of the old Franco-German brasseries that used to anchor many New Orleans’ neighborhoods – gave him all the authority necessary to create Lüke, his most recent revival of a local staple. But Italian? I asked him point-blank.

JB: “I’ve always loved Italian food. But what’s important to me is not that it’s my personal heritage, but that it belongs to the city and needs to be celebrated as such. I want to raise the profile of Italian food here. There’s so much our Italian immigrants have brought to New Orleans – remember, the French Quarter was also rightly known as ‘Little Italy’ – and there ought to be a restaurant that reflects that contribution, that culture.”

SR: Got it. But how exactly did you become an instant expert in all things Italian?

JB: I didn’t -- I created one! His name is Alon. No, but seriously, Alon Shaya has worked with me for years – he was Chef de Cuisine at Besh Steak – and we’ve been kicking this idea around for about as long as we’ve known each other. Italian food has always been his first love. His family emigrated here from Israel when he was little, and the first restaurants he worked in as a kid in Philadelphia were Italian. His dream has always been to get back to that cuisine. And look at a map – Israel is just across the Mediterranean from Italy, right? Maybe it’s not such a stretch. When the moment was right, I finally said to him, “Alon, if we’re going to do this, you’re going to go to Italy and learn it. Learn it all. Immerse yourself in the culture, the whole culture of food that exists there beyond the world of Michelin stars.” And then I gave him a plane ticket, pocket money, and the name of a friend of a friend with a restaurant in a little town outside Bergamo. He was a great sport, considering he didn’t speak Italian and the chef he teamed up with didn’t actually allow him to touch the food. Turns out you can learn an awful lot just washing dishes for three months. And peeling shrimp.

Yikes! Stay tuned for the adventures of Alon in Italy, or, how he went from peeling shrimp to mastering rustic Italian cuisine…

Pressed is Best

David Guas may be a pastry chef par excellence, but the new Bayou Bakery, sister property to Liberty Tavern in Clarendon, will be featuring savories that give the sweets a run for their money.

Being a native of New Orleans of Cuban descent, he has cleverly – and deliciously – combined two sandwiches of his culinary heritage, the classic hot-pressed Cubano and the popular Po’Boy, to create a flavorful, hot-pressed French bread sandwich. With crusty baguettes Guas is making in-house as a foundation, and his own bread & butter pickles as the perfect piquant optional accompaniment, you’ll want to enjoy every last morsel of these satisfying sandwiches -- even as they commandeer your ‘room for dessert.’

Starting out, Guas has developed four distinct varieties. The “French-u-letta” is his spin on the beloved New Orleans Muffuletta, originated at Central Grocery over 100 years ago: ham, salami, and provolone, with the all-important house-made olive dressing (and a good kick of garlic) hot-pressed in that authentic New Orleans French bread. “Veg Head” is a true vegetarian feast of grilled Portobello mushrooms, asparagus, red onions, and smoked gouda. The “Spicy Pilgrim” doffs its tall black hat to pre-Colonial history with plenty of house-blackened turkey. And “My Miami” features roasted pork loin, thinly sliced French style ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, and yellow mustard.

Hand-crafted-to-order and hot-off-the-press, these sandwiches redefine the lunchtime favorite. Though there is that golden rule at Bayou Bakery — you don’t skip dessert!

Pucker Up

Most of us will have to wait ‘til later this summer to experience John Besh’s celebration of rustic Italian cooking, when Domenica opens in New Orleans’ Roosevelt Hotel.

But those lucky listeners who caught the raucous live radio broadcast on Friday, July 10 with culinary personality, Kevin Jenkins, one of the Atlanta-based duo team also known as “Chef and the Fat Man,” got a delectable sneak preview. And things got even livelier with the special guest appearance of Danny DeVito, lending the enterprise his own particular style of Italian American heritage.

Broadcasting from the Carousel Piano Bar at the legendary Hotel Monteleone, the guys had a high time creating Torta Fritta stuffed with Mortadella and Ricotta Cavatelli with Local San Marzano Tomatoes and a last minute diversion from John Besh celebrating one of his favorite dishes- Shrimp and Grits for the listening public and a spirited audience – including DeVito’s wife, actress Rhea Perlman, who was devotedly snapping away with her camera…

…with good reason! DeVito was in town promoting his new brand of limoncello at New Orleans’ annual Tales of the Cocktails event. During the demo at the Carousel Piano Bar, the diminutive entrepreneur was occasionally engulfed in clouds of liquid nitrogen as he assisted Domenica’s Executive Chef/Partner Alon Shaya in creating Danny DeVito’s Limoncello Sorbetto.

“Oh, are my hands cold!” he quipped with biting restraint. “Just let us know when you can’t feel them anymore,” was Shaya’s sympathetic response, adding “Don’t anyone try this at home!”

DeVito was to only be present for a 15 minutes to meet and great, but ended up staying for the duration of the show [ a full hour]. So who really “Tuned In” to what New Orleans is all about—The Limoncello Man and his ever so funny wife and camera maven who let those good times roll!

A little touch of ‘Sanford & Son’ in David Guas

When David Guas saw a certain coffee table at Restoration Hardware, he knew its industrial chic surface would be the perfect spot for his customers to rest their big ol’ cereal-bowl shaped ceramic coffee cups. Then he saw the price tag. Conscious of the demands on his budget as the opening of Bayou Bakery looms in the coming weeks, and never one to dwell on disappointment, he moved right along tackling the rest of the items on his mile-long to-do list …. Not long after, combing through a giant salvage yard out in the Virginia countryside he’d targeted for possible vintage accessories to lend down-home character to the bakery’s interior, something caught his eye: it was an old, low, factory cart on four big heavy-duty casters – just the same base as that fancy table he’d seen. The proprietor said it was a feed scale cart. He’d let it go for $10. Guas popped the rotten wood top off and got it home to his workshop in a pickup truck. Fixed up with a lot of elbow grease, steel wool, and a nice new top fashioned from some massive old beams that came out of the bakery’s ceiling to make space for the new mezzanine level, its industrial chic surface… will become the perfect spot for gathering.

Ingenuity, creativity, craftsmanship and afterschool TV breaks as a child seems to pay off!

Honoring the Legacy of Italian Groceries, Delis, and Hard Working Home Cooks in New Orleans

Continued...

Central Grocery, home of the beloved Muffuletta, opened in the French Quarter in 1906 and is still going strong today – a cheerful old-fashioned shop piled high with imported goods, its deli counter more often than not crowded with salivating patrons anticipating their piled-high sandwiches. Sal Lupo, its founder, invented the sandwich back in the day, topping Italian cold cuts and cheeses on a crusty bun with his highly seasoned olive salad.

Generations of New Orleanians have made Brocato’s their go-to place for sweets. It was one of the city’s first sit-down ice cream parlors, and though it’s no longer on Ursuline Street in the ‘Quarter’ where it was also established in 1905 (good year for historic Italian food icons!) – the family has since moved it mid-city – the confectionary emporium run by Angelo Brocato’s descendants still serves the best ice cream, candy, cookies, and pastries in town: just ask any nostalgic native.

Progresso, of canned soup and fine Italian products fame, was established in –you guessed it! – 1905, in – you guessed it! – New Orleans – by Vincent Taormina. His whole family was soon involved in importing foods from their native Sicily to their adopted country for all to enjoy.

Mother’s Restaurant, another New Orleans institution, was not established between 1905-1906, but rather in 1938 – oh well, no matter: locals and tourists alike flock to Poydras Street for Chef Jerry Amato’s comfort food. He and his brother, who co-own the restaurant, are descendants of Sicilian immigrants.

2009: Chef John Besh opens Domenica, a restaurant that celebrates the deep and delicious Italian heritage of New Orleans, in particular its home cooking, imported delicacies and lovingly cured pork products. Artisanal house-made pastas and pizzas and cheeses, heaping platters of slow-braised meats, succulent seafood, piquant antipasti and homey Italian dolci -- the makings of memorable meals to share with a crowd or savor to yourself. Mangia!