Asian Fusion coming back??? yep yep yep yep.......yep

Above you have my appetizer special from last night, a Chile Relleno with an Avacado Bechamel sauce.

I still remember my first batch of wasabi mashed potatoes, wayyy back. The slightly spicy, green-hued potatoes represented the big trend of the day; Asian Fusion, a culinary movement of the 90s defined by its East-meets-West mix of ingredients and techniques. Some restaurants that had been around for years had to include ingredients like soy, ginger or wasabi or install five woks to stay really contemporary and popular; the same way that a restaurant today must nod to sustainable ingredients to be trendy.

Wolfgang puck is credited with starting the culinary food style at his Chinois on Main in Santa Monica in 1983. Before long, every chef was dumping sesame oil on this, and infusing lemongrass with that... oftentimes with silly, and overly complicated results. Though the culinary trend appeared promising in the hands of a capable chef, it overall was an epic fail for most.

By the late 90s, Asian fusion had become a culinary punch line, not "fusion" but "confusion". Well guess what? It's back man! This time around, it's less about gimmickry and more about cleverly combining traditional Japanese, Korean, and Chinese flavors with local ingredients.

My mother and I were watching the cooking channel the other night, and we saw a prime example of this; kimchi quesadillas from Los Angeles food truck Kogi, and the roasted brussels sprouts with Benton's bacon, apples and bonito from New York's Momofuku. Today's chefs would never describe what they're doing as Asian fusion (it's a freggin dirty word these days man)... but rather, American Cooking; a melting pot of culinary traditions, a fusion of global flavors.

This past weekend I had the chance to produce some fusion dishes at Santangelo's. Some amazing items were sold like; Philly Cheesesteak on bao buns with sriracha, curry chicken pot pie, soup dumplings with sweet onion and Gruyere, sake mussels with miso, braised lamb cannelloni with chili garlic sauce, honeycrisp apple, and mizuna... and my favorite, crab wonton tacos... nomnoms of the month in my book. And they all sold great, Fusion is back... DUDE... ;)

Question of the week:
"Dear ChefMez, I'm from a generation that grew up thinking draft beer was the way to go. It was supposed to taste fresher, and had a certain snob appeal. Now, though, I'm hearing canned is better. Is there a definitive answer?" signed, BEERGOGGLES

Dear Beer,
Remember when beer, unlike that oh-so-fancy beverage, wine, was the "easy" drink of choice? One went to the supermarket, chose a six pack or a case, stuck it in a koozies, and gulped brew down with little thought as to aroma, flavor, or texture. If it was ice-cold, it was good beer. Today, there's a beer on the market from just about every country and state, American craft brewery is on the rise, and consumer knowledge is growing. Those are all good things. As for the best container to enjoy beer from; can, bottle, or keg... well, there's no short answer. Cans may look unsophisticated, but they are eco-friendly and keep out light, the cause of skunky, stinky, dank beer. That's not to say that bottled beer is bad, but that storing it out of direct sunlight is crucial. Then there's beer on tap. Kegs are impervious to light and air, which is why people say key beer is fresher than the stuff from a can or bottle. However, the plastic line that runs from the keg to the spout can be a problem. Over time, those lines can grow bacteria and become lined with "beer stone" (aka calcium buildup), which results in nasty tasting beer. Keg lines should be cleaned at least once a month; more often if beers are being changed up routinely. You can't really know how often people are doing this unless you ask.
Sincerely,
ChefMez

Post your questions in the comment section below or send them to my email @ Mezmerizer03@hotmail.com ... If I chose your message I will come up with a funky nickname for you when I post the answer on the blog to keep you anonymous. (because, well... there may not be millions of followers here but there are potentially many viewers of this blog)... If you don't care and want your name up on my blog, just let me know in your message.


Restaurant review of Santangelo's by the Post Standard

Overall an excellent review, and I was in the tall grass all weekend because of it. Thanks Denise!

follow all of Denise Owen Harrigan's local restaurant reviews by clicking here.


See you guys next week... Just to update you guys on the wedding plans, I've been researching and looking through the available caterers for the Arrowhead Lodge. The date is set to December 27th, 2011. My fiancee has been doing amazing, her and I have gotten our invitations squared away, centerpieces, and we've been narrowing down the honeymoon search. Post your favorite idea for a honeymoon location and we'll check it out! It's also my woman's birthday this week, so you can give her a "happy birthday" here and I'll pass it along to her.

The Stages of Bein in the Weeds

So my first real post is going to be sort of a reference post for everyone. In the kitchen there is a status known as being "in the weeds", which basically means you are super super busy. Now for small restaurants that aren't too busy and don't do incredible amounts of volume, just saying you're "in the weeds" is suffice enough for being really busy. But for incredibly busy restaurants there comes this list of stages of weededness. This should be printed out and posted up on a bulletin at every busy restaurant. If you were to read through this and have stories to tell about your experiences in any particular stage, I would be very entertained at your responses. But without further ado, here is the list. We use golf references to illustrate the level of difficulty.

Stage 1: The Clubhouse
You're not busy at all. There is nothing happening. In fact, there is so little business that the few housekeeping things (like maintaining the water in the steam tables) get neglected.

Stage 2: The Fairway
You're now getting some tickets, but there's not enough to really make you focus. This is usually at the very beginning and very end of service. Thoughts of beer and making out with your woman fill your mind, while the steak overcooks.

Stage 3: The Green
Now you have plenty of tickets to keep you busy, but not feel rushed. You're in the zone. Meat temps are spot on, ticket modifications are all done, life is good. You feel strong, ready for more action.

Stage 4: The Rough
Your board is beginning to fill. There are no more thoughts of your hot girlfriend. You have an increasing number of pans on your stovetop, your grill is filling. You're in the flow, slinging some serious food, working up a good lather. NOTHING can stop you.

Stage 5: The Tall Grass
You now have a full board and your tickets aren't getting pulled off the printer right away any more. Your grill, stovetop and friers are all full to capacity. You are now operating at peak efficiency. You're working up a good sweat, there are no wasted motions. You're feeling a little rushed, but that's Ok because you're on top of it. But if ANYTHING goes wrong, then that's it for you and you progress to...

Stage 6: The WEEDS
Now you have more orders comming in than you are putting out. There is no more physical space to handle the load. You start employing certain "tricks" to get the food out faster. The stress level is building, the expediter is getting louder and tickets are now 10 deep at the printer. Ticket times are getting longer. The most important part about this whole thing is that it's a mental thing as well. You start to feel a little panic in the back of your mind. Getting into and leaving the weeds can be in a matter of minutes and you can do it on your own without help.

Stage 7: The Forest
You're in really deep now. The printer is going nonstop. You're mind is starting to move faster than your body, usually to the detriment of the food. Things get dropped, presentations are sloppy, sauces may start to break. Things start to burn. It's at this point that you realize you need help to get through the rush. You start to lose track of the levels of mise-en-place on your station and next thing you know, you gotta run to get something out of the walk-in, putting you further behind. Ticket times are consistently exceeding acceptable limits. Without help or a sudden stop in business, you spiral deeper into...

Stage 8: The Jungle
Nothing can save you now except for a stop in orders. You feel beset on all sides. You've resorted to sandbagging food. The tickets are forming a 6-7 foot trail of paper and are curling on the floor. You swear you see Indians out of the corner of your eye shooting blowdarts at you. Food is coming back at an alarming rate because you didn't get the mods right, the wrong sides went out, the food was over/undercooked. The world is crashing all around you. This stage is often accompanied by, say, an oven going down, or the dishwasher breaking, or some other global event. Rarely is a cook on the line alone in the jungle. For the mentally tough, this is the final stage. This is rock bottom. A fried calamari app can take up to 45 minutes to go out (should take 5). The strange thing, though, is that an eerie calm comes over you and the world turns in slow motion, and you start to laugh randomly. There's nothing more you can do.

Stage 9: The Kelp Forest
You're now under water, and you can't breathe. Crabs are pinching your toes and seals are dropping rocks on your head. The only difference between this step and step 8 is purely mental. To get to the Kelp Forest, you experience a total mental breakdown such that you cease to function. You are so overwhelmed that you're found muttering to yourself in a corner, or curled up in the bathroom crying. If you reach the Kelp Forest, you should not be in this line of work. And few people, after reaching the Kelp Forest, continue on in the kitchen.

So this is the list, comment on it and tell me what ya think. I'd be more than happy to read any stories you have about it here.

Chef Mez

Welcome to ChefMez Blog!

Welcome to the ChefMez blog! In my first blog I want to share with you why this blog is here and what I expect to give to the readers of the internet. I want this to be a stop for you if you have questions about food and the kitchen, or stories about food and the kitchen. I plan to not just answer any questions you may have, but I want to share with you the new knowledge I am gaining both professionally at my restaurant, at home when I cook for my family, or in Canada when I cook for my fiancee. I'm a young cooking professional, and the great thing about this industry is you never stop learning. So join me in my experience, I hope to be both a service to you and maybe even slightly entertaining at times.

I want to get it out that I am a goofy man, I know what it takes to be a great chef and being overly serious is not a quality I believe is required to become a geat chef. I have fun every time I step into a kitchen to cook. At the end of each blog I will chat for a bit about what is going on in my life, with me being engaged to a Canadian, a lot is going on these days wi th planning the wedding, and going up to Canada each week on my days off to see my sweetheart.