Hello All,
so this weeks edition of my blog will feature our menu at Flying Fish cafe, an entire week of celebrating the time that Sam, Ally, and myself were able to spend together, as well as what I am up to this week.
Flying Fish is the most versatile of the signature dining restaurants because the menu is affected by seasonality, therefore there are signature items that are served year round but daily new items are added or rotated on the menu. We started with the yellow fin tuna tartare and crispy tempura tuna vegetable sushi roll. This was delightful with green and black seaweed that had been tossed in sweet and spicy ginger sauce. The dish was slightly spiced with a little yuzu and wasabi foam. Overall it was fresh and flavorful.
After we tried the artisinal cheeses which featured 5 different cheeses from around the world which were accompanied with raisins on the vine, honeycomb, Spanish Almond -Fig Torta, kiln- dried and fresh Peach, citrus and sweet Bermuda Onion compote agrodolce.
Next we tried two salads an ugly tomato with balsamic glaze, petite basil, and buffalo mozzarella. It was delicious very light but full flavored. And each of the tomatoes was different heirloom variety. After we tried a sweet and bitter field greens melange salad. This delightful salad featured candied walnuts, california farmer's market white nectarines, gorgonzola dolce, and artisinal walnut oil dressing. The bitter greens were a great way to cleanse our palets before our entrees. The candied walnuts complimented the richness of the gorgonzola and the nectarines lent sweetness to round out the plate.
For our entrees I had the Potato wrapped Red Snapper with leek fondue, veal glace, red wine, and cassis butter reduction. It was accompanied by 2009 Pinot Noir. The dish itself was phenomenal. The snapper was a flaky moist fish securely wrapped in a crispy potato skin.. The leek fondue was creamy and rich where as the veal glace and red wine butter reduction added depth and another level of flavor. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I enjoyed this red wine. Typically I prefer whites, but this red was young, fresh and reminiscent of blackberries, strawberries, cherries, and tones of chocolate.
The other entrees we tried were the oak grilled diver scallops with squash, artichoke, eggplant, fresh and sun-dried tomato, piquillo pepper, capers, basil pecorino romano, and mascarpone laced risotto di carnarolli. Char crusted certified black angus new york strip steak pan roasted fingerling potatoes, pole beans, young carrots, and bermuda onions, with an applewood smoked bacon, mustard see vinagrette, and classic sauce foyot. Rainforest Pepperberry grilled kurobuta pork tenderloin, leek fontin and truffle laced trofie pasta, grilled asparagus, witha cherry port wine, balsamico carmelized onion and trumpet mushroom compote.
For dessert I had a golden apple pecan and blondie tart with toffee ice cream, apple cider syrup, and apple tuile and moscato d'asti from Piedmont Italy. We also tried the seasonal sorbets and marcona almond laced chocolate mousse and sinful triple rich brownie creation with applewood smoked bacon praline crunch, smokey salt scented chocolate sorbet, and rasberry coulis. All and all we had a spectacular time. The food was delicious, the service was efficient and and friendly. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the boardwalk during the golden ages feature carousels, tents, and rides that would have been seen on the boardwalk.
Our roomate Sam left this week and missed her flight due to extensive partying. And my roomate Ally leaves this week on Friday. It has been bittersweet as I have become quite close to these girls, which for myself has always been difficult, I've always had more guy friends than girls. And for me to form close relations with these ladies has been a wonderful and enriching experience for all 3 of us. However, I have been making some new friends and this week alone I have met people from South Africa, Australia, and China.
On Tuesday I plan on doing another shadow at Flying Fish Cafe. Wednesday I will be showing the chef's at work how to make parisienne gnocchi, adobo ( a filipino dish), chinese fried rice, and salad elysee if I get the chance.
Alright, well I have a long day ahead of me but atleast now its my Friday. Talk to you soon,
peace,
Ally
