'Merica!

    Here in America we have tremendous pride in almost everything we do. We like to think we're the best at virtually everything there is to be good at: Basketball, winning the Olympics, making movies, having the best language, breeding celebrities, stealing British musicians, fucking over natives, being underdogs, being the favorites, consuming electricity, going to college, rewarding the wealthy, fighting, defending the world, getting to the moon, conspiracy theories and propaganda, ethics, using PowerPoint, being vegan, depleting resources, driving drunk, nascar, hunting terrorists, being good looking. When it comes to America, we are the best at everything. Our slogan should read: "America...because we're just better than you!" So it comes as no surprise that when we are not the very best at something we just shrug it off and dismiss it as if has no relevance to anything (watch someones facial expression when you bring up soccer). Being less than #1 leaves a bitter taste in our mouth and has no place in society.

"And you guys call yourselves a Super Power"

Congrats America, you are the best!!

    ( In my opinion there is nothing more American than "rocky" and the arcade game "cruisin' USA")

    I mention all this because food used to be one of those bitter subjects. For as long as we have been a country we have been getting our ass handed to us in the cuisine department. When you thought of where the best food came from it used to be standard France and Italy. If anyone tried to mention American food as a legitimate cuisine they were laughed at. I always wanted to extern in Spain (easily becoming the culinary powerhouse of the world) but through time I questioned why? Why not extern somewhere in my own country. Where food is finally starting to matter, and be taken seriously. All jokes aside, our country provides exceptional foods it just took us a while to understand how to use them properly (hey, we haven't been around for 1,000s of years...we're new at this).Obviously you could shoot holes in my argument like Swiss cheese by mentioning anything fast-food, or the tremendous problems are country faces when it comes to processed foods and how the animals are treated, blah blah blah. You can mention those things and you would be totally correct, but I'm talking about real American cuisine. You may not realize it but we've come a long way since meatloaf and tuna casserole (I still love both don't get me wrong). If you search the top restaurants in the world, a decent amount of them reside right here in the US of A
http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners
    A few weeks ago my parents were on their way to the city (my friend Keith Egbert has a problem with the fact that "the city" is universally excepted this side of the Mississippi to represent NYC) and stopped by CIA to have a belated birthday dinner with me at one of our campus restaurants--American Bounty. Its all coming together now ya see? I made a reservation a few weeks in advance, and we arrived at American Bounty while the students were till setting up the dining room. Sitting at the bar, over cocktails I tried to break down everything I have done in school up to that point, and how things generally work here at CIA. I tried my best to explain to my parents how everything works from our meal plan, to kitchen class, but for some reason I felt they were a little lost (CIA has a pretty unusual curriculum style, and I talk fast).

"I think I get it...wait...what?"

    This post is getting particularly long so I'll just jump right into the food.

STARTER:
Cage-free Foie Gras from the Hudson Valley (Daily preparation).

    That night they were serving the foie gras atop a warm brioche doughnut and caramelized pear. The dish comes wrapped in brown paper so you know your in for the ol' "bottom of a Chinese takeout bag". I still can remember the smell weeks later. The aroma was intoxicating. And so you take your fork and draw it through the foie gras, scooping up some of the warm doughnut on your way back up to your mouth. I'm eating it, and it just melts in your mouth. Crispy exterior, but warm and fatty inside...it was "like buttah". I'm glad this was the first foie gras I tasted because they absolutely did it right. This was sex on a plate.

    MAIN COURSE:

Seared Sea Scallops and Wide Noodles 

Chanterelles, Leeks, Meyer Lemon Broth
Qupe Marsanne, Santa Ynez Valley, California 

    I have to start out by saying that fresh sea scallops are one of the best things on earth; and I don't mean those petite little bay scallops. I'm talking big, plump, succulent sea scallops, baby. Sea scallops get a bad rap because a lot of people believe most of the time when you order sea scallops at a restaurant what you really get is mystery fish meat or shark meat punched out of its fin? I can't make this stuff up, people actually believe this (my mom included). Allow me to school you on how to know you ordered actual sea scallops. When your working with a real scallop, you will find a small muscle attached to the side where it was connected to the shell. That muscle can be tough and rubbery so it is important to remove it before cooking the scallop. When you order scallops there will be a tiny indent on the side from where that muscle was removed.
    These scallops were delicious (nestling in a sauce composed 90% with butter never hurts) and I thought it was neat that the base of the sauce was a "fish fumet"--a fish stock fortified with white wine and sauteed mushrooms, because that was something I had made THAT DAY in kitchen class. Who knows, maybe my fish fumet was part of this dish, hey a kid can dream, right? Its amazing to me that I'm out to dinner with my parents at a restaurant on campus, eating a dish made with something I made in class that very same day. I donno, its just cool to get to eat the fruits of your labor...

wine pairings with each course so I was feeling riiiiiiiigghhttt

   

Tourne Girl

    Ahh, where do you start when it comes to tourne girl...first off she has an actual name (Leah) so you don't think she's a weirdo just known as "tourne girl". One day a few of my comrads and I were sitting down to a nice dinner from K-16 (main production kitchen) in Farquharsen--the main dining hall on campus known simply as "farq". We all are sitting there, me still being in total awe of what I get to eat everyday even though it was a product of K-16 (you'll know what I mean when you read "the ex-girlfriend") when Leah comes and sits down at our table with us. It was only the 2nd week and up to that point I had only known her as my server in East Wing dining hall during orientation, but she knew some of the people at my table. The topic of "tourneing" came up and from there the legend of "tourne girl" was born.
    Many of you are probably asking yourselves, "but Pete, I do not even know what a tourne is? What does it all mean?!?" Well let me hit you with some knowledge. A tourne by definition is a 7 equally sided vegetable cut that yields a garnish looking very similar to a football, as shown below.

Mine don't look like this...

    These deceptively difficult little demons got introduced into our conversation (always animated and outlandishly inappropriate) and I made the best decision of my life; which was to inquire how the hell you cut one of these suckers. Leah (sitting next to me) wielding 2 potatoes says "anybody have a knife". Nobody had a paring knife with them (we usually have knives with us at all times...don't F with us), which is the ideal tool for the job. Jokingly, someone sitting at our table said "use a butter knife" and before I knew what was happening, Leah...I'm sorry, "tourne girl" was cutting and trimming part of the potato into what you see above; which is not the actual one she did...that would be creepy if I kept that (polishes off finger prints, returns potato to glass case).

"Call me the bus driver cause I'm takin' ya'll kids to school"

    Each side she slowly carves with the care and precision of a surgeon, and she's doing it with a dull ass butter knife. A few minutes and boom, a football-shaped tourne ("Laces outt") emerges from her crafty artisan hands. Mouths open and wide-eyed (except Eric, hes Asian) we all gawk at what we just witnessed: the birth of "tourne girl".

Me watching in awe...but with a shirt on

    For me, "tourne girl" represents the true magic and inspiration of this school. For me, tourne girl represents a new start. A step in the right direction at a place that pumps out more culinary gods than any other place in the world. A place where you can walk by people in the hallways everyday and say to yourself "they're probably going to be famous one day". "Tourne girl" is not a person, tourne girl is an idea. The idea that after 3 years of struggling to find my footing, my perseverance lead me to a place where people can tourne potatoes with dull butter knives, where culinary legends the likes of Grant Achatz, John Besh, Richard Blais, Anthony Bourdain, David Burke, Michael Chiarello, Michael Symon, Cat Cora, Rocco DiSpirito, Steve Ells, Todd English, Charlie Palmer, and Rick Moonen, all built their culinary foundations and refined their skills. I am walking the same path that giants have walked, and if you cannot get inspired by that then I have to question, what are you doing here?
    I know my posts (especially recently) can get a little lengthy and philosophical, and at times seem less about the actual food. It's important to understand that this blog is not just about food or pretty pictures of it, but everything that goes along with it. To me, food means something and this blog is a vehicle for me to express how I perceive the things around me; while also giving anyone who reads this a tiny glimpse into who I am. The name of this blog is "Food For Thought" after all. I didn't choose the title because I thought it was some clever pun to name a food oriented blog. On that note, don't worry, once I get some pots and pans up here and start progressing through the curriculum, you will see more fascinating photos, stories, recipes of my own, etc.


    Disclaimer: Leah, if you ever happen to read this post which is highly unlikely, I hope I didn't embarrass you, and I also hope you continue to kill it every single day.

Friday Night Eats: Palace Dumpling

    For this edition of "Friday Night Lights Eats", I'm bring it all; the bad jokes (we like to have fun here), the facts, the completely 100% biased opinions, the overuse of parenthesis (see: any post ever...), and a few photos...for the kids.
    When that joyous time arrives when you get the "hey, you wanna go to 'buh-dump-ah-dumps?" from a friend you know your in for a solid meal. In fact, it doesn't even have to be a friend, it could be a total stranger who asks you (I don't discriminate here) and you'll still say yes because that's how GOOD this place is (hey kid! Get in, I have dumplings...). We don't just clarify butter here (we do clarify a lot of butter here though) so let me clarify that "buh-dump-ah-dumps is street slang for Palace Dumpling.

    ["Teens and young adults everywhere are hooked on a new drug. The kids are calling it 'dumpies', 'dump-alicious', 'that dump-da-dump-dump-dump', and 'buh-dump-ah-dumps', but we know it as Palace Dumpling. It is a pandemic sweeping the streets and addicting the youth. 60 minutes will continue its investigation, live at 11!"]

Now I have hooked you fo'evair...my pwan have woked tu purfection

    Disclaimer: I am not racist by the way. I have Asian friends, and from time to time we poke(mon) fun.

    I looked up some reviews on Yelp to hear what people were saying about P.D. and to my surprise the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. We arrive to a tiny 'mom an pop' establishment tucked away on the end of a shopping plaza next to a take out pizza joint. The inside was a basic setup with a few tables, and white walls with a couple paintings hanging for decoration. Basically it was your run of the mill Asian establishment, churning out legendary dumplings for fractions of a dollar. A dozen dumplings for 6 bucks?? That's a world I want to live in...so for my virgin P.D. experience I ordered pork dumplings with mushrooms and spicy noodle soup. The dumplings were awesome, and the soup, oh my god. If your a fan of heat then this is a soup for you. Not only do they serve it to you in a gigantic bowl (here's your ladle sir) and magma-hot, but they do not skimp on the red chili flakes (and I'm sure a laundry list of other spices). The soup was so hot that by the end everyone at our table had the sniffles like a 1980's board meeting

Hooked on the spicy noodle soup, hombre

    oooo ooo ok ok wait how about this one...

"Jean, cancel my dinner with Evelyn at Dorsia, I'm going to Palace Dumpling with Paul Allen"

    I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is the greatest picture ever taken. If there's one thing you should know about me its this, if I ever get the chance to post something about anything 80s business I am going to do it dammit! Actual pictures after the jump.

$Free.99

Inside Apple Pie from my table

    Once the pork belly an grits from Apple Pie Bakery enters your mind, its not a matter of if you want to Apple Pie to get it, its a matter of how long will the line be once you get there. If this dish is on your mind its impossible to say no. The problem is sometimes Apple Pie can be a can of sardines as discussed in previous posts. I was there earlier today at around 11:30 so it wasn't crowded at all...which is good cause I was itching for the grits (scratches neck, brushes teeth with index finger).



    Apple Pie is not part of the meal plan so you have to either pay your own way or use the greatest gift to man: culinary cash. Exception: Post-extern. When you return from extern you can use your meal swipes at Apple Pie....game....over. I believe the reason why they do this is because they would be overrun if every student could use swipes there. I know our court side cafe operates under the same principle.

Walk This Way

   Its a nice day (spending it in the library) outside so I figured I would snag a few pics around campus on my walk from Apple Pie Bakery Cafe to Conrad Hilton Library...I ordered the pork belly and grits again for lunch today. "I...GOT...THAT...ITUS!!" some of my friends would say; that's slang for "I'm immobile due to fullness".

Anton Plaza Right outside Roth Hall (main building)

Caterina de Medici, our authentic Italian restaurant on campus. Nice little herb garden out front, except its winter so there's nothing to show.

The last few weeks of the curriculum every culinary student spends 3 weeks in front of the house followed by 3 weeks in back of the house at one of the restaurants on campus. This is the real deal, they are open to the public and booked for weeeeks!  

Crazy sky outside our rec center a few weeks ago

Its Like Warrrmmmm Apple Pieee Part Deux

    As previously stated, 2 of my favorite meals I've eaten here have come from Apple Pie bakery, and here they are.

duck x four: foie gras mousse, duck confit, crispy duck skin, red onion marmalade, brie cheese on focaccia brushed with duck fat, served with a lima bean side salad with frisee lettuce, red onions, celery & sherry vinaigrette

Don't you just want to live in there?

    Where to start with this one? Everything about this sandwich is brilliant; from the fresh baked focaccia to the crispy duck skin for a nice textural crunch...and tenderly brushing the bottom of the bread with duck fat, WHOO DOES THAT?!?! The biggest surprise, however, was not the sandwich at all. It was the lima bean side salad with Sherry Vinaigrette. It had the taste of a potato salad, but much lighter w/o mayo. Complemented everything so nicely.



crisp house-cured pork belly Stone Milled Carolina grits with cheddar cheese, bacon braised bok choy, fried egg & Sriracha honey sauce

I'd kick a blind lady in the shin for this...good thing I don't have to and can get it any day of the week

    If your what I like to call a "TV dinner style eater" then you are not allowed to eat this meal. Ever. TV dinner style eaters are those who must ensure that each ingredient on their plate remain separate from each other like those compartmentalized TV dinner trays. You know what I mean, protein in one corner, carrots and green veggies in another, potatoes in another. There is a place for it, and its not here. This dish is meant to be mixed up! Poke that runny yolk and let it run rampant like a California wildfire baby!! It may look more like one of those KFC vomit bowls once mixed, but I'm telling you that your doing yourself an injustice if you don't follow the "pork belly shakeup" protocol.

Incest + the roller coaster/chewing tobacco scene from "Sandlot" VS Cindy Crawford in a red dress...that's what we're dealing with here people.


I forgot to mention that these two meals also happened to be consumed on the same day, lunch & dinner. This is how my stomach felt afterward:

Have a goodnight everyone.

Its Like Warrrmmmm Apple Pieee

White bean & Kale soup; strawberry/basil smoothie

Roommate, sorry dude your not my first roommate named Ethan

    I'm just going to come right out and say it...Apple Pie Bakery kills it on a consistent basis. For those of you who don't go here, Apple Pie is a bakery here on campus that's staffed predominantly by baking and pastry students (and a few culinary it looks like), and is open to the public. The place is usually always packed, which makes it inconvenient when you want a grab-n-go coffee before classes on the 4th floor. Since this school has a strict lateness policy you better not be late. I've sprinted up these set of stairs, which are andre the giant sized in business clothes to make it to food safety on time. You ever run up a flight of stairs with a bookbag on?? It's crazy how bat-shit insane it makes you look. With that being said, a friend of mine, and I'm not purposely saying "a friend of mine" instead of their name I just genuinely forgot who told me, but I was told Apple Pie rakes in a cool 4 million a year, easy. This comes at no surprise because as I previously stated, Apple Pie killllls it! Trying to get a table on a graduation day or move-in day (which both occur every 3 weeks) is like trying to get a table at "Dorsia". If you get that reference your my hero....
    I go to Apple Pie all the time to grab a quickie...as in coffee. Although there are some babes behind the register (Baking and Pastry is like cheerleading--there are very few straight guys who can pull it off, and they clean up). They also offer a savory menu that's off da chain. Two of my favorite eats at CIA so far come from Apple Pie. They're so ridiculously good I'll have to set aside a separate post for those 2 meals.