Gnudi

Gnudi is something that I'd heard of but never tried. Many describe it as ravioli without the pasta. It is a dumpling with an extremely tender, smooth skin surrounding a rich, cheesy filling. It seems counter-intuitive to say that this isn't a time-consuming dish to prepare even though it takes 3 days to make.

Start by beating ricotta in a mixing bowl with salt, pepper, a small amount of half and half, and a drizzle of olive oil. My ricotta was a bit on the wet side, so I did a quick drain before mixing.

To form the skin on the gnudi, the ricotta dumplings are submerged in semolina flour. Put a thin layer of semolina on the bottom of a container, and drop balls of the ricotta mixture over the flour, making sure that they do not touch. Cover the ricotta with more semolina until completely covered. This will sit covered in the fridge for 2 days. After 2 days, some of the semolina is remove to expose the gnudi to the air, and is allowed to sit another day uncovered.

Its a good time to mention that this is a bit of an overdue post. I actually made these back in early August, back when fava beans were still in season. I served the gnudi with a fava/pea puree. To make the puree, I had fresh fava beans that I blanched, shocked in ice water, and peeled. I blended the favas and peas with a touch of half and half, nutmeg, raspberry vinegar, and salt and pepper. I also added a touch of honey to balance out the vinegar. It looks like I missed a picture of the sauce, which you'll see in the photo of the final dish.

After the gnudi had a few days in the fridge to develop a skin, they were removed. The gnudi were removed from the semolina and cooked gently in a pot of water. I was careful not to boil these as I didn't want them to fall apart.

The gnudi were removed from the cooking water and plated with the fava/pea puree, Parmesan, and a touch of olive oil. These dumplings are delicious, and difficult to put into words. They are extremely light, with a near ethereal skin holding the ricotta together. However, once the skin is breached, it exposes a rich, molten cheese filling. They really do seem like ravioli without skin. The dumplings are a bit of a blank canvas flavor-wise, so the pea puree was able to shine without dominating the ricotta. I will definitely make these again, but will try to make the ricotta balls a bit smaller and more uniform.

Leonardo's (Kahuku, HI)

For our final night in Hawaii, we stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort at the north tip of Oahu. The resort had endless activities to do, including surfing, snorkeling, and golfing, among others. It also had a number of dining options that looked good; in particular, the fine dining restaurant of the resort, 21 Degrees North. However, after a long day of snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and driving around the island of Oahu, we were a bit worn out and wanted a more casual dinner. We decided on Leonardo's, serving Italian cuisine.

I had an Italian red (don't recall the type) to drink with the meal, which began with bread and caponata, sans-eggplant. I rather enjoyed the caponata, served cool, and containing large slices of not-too-strong raw garlic. It had a sweet and sour flavor profile that I found somewhat addicting.

For appetizers, we got an order of Polenta Fries and a Romaine Heart salad. The polenta was served with a red bell pepper salsa, and was fried well, relatively grease-less and molten in the middle. Unfortunately, the salad came overdressed, and the honey-lemon Caesar dressing was far too sweet. The croutons accompanying the salad was cold and dry. Surprisingly, the white anchovies were of high quality, and acted to temper some of the dressing that still clung to the lettuce after we scraped most of it off.

For the entrees, Kristen ordered Chicken Parmesan, served with gnocchi and a vegetable medley. The chicken parmesan was moist and crisp, but the star was the gnocchi. Light and delicate, this was my favorite part of the dish.

I ordered the Osso Buco Milanese, which turned out to be a disaster. The pork shank could have used another couple hours to cook, and required a steak knife to get any meat off the bone. Once it came off the bone, it was like eating pork flavored rubber. I'm not sure how anyone in the kitchen could have possibly thought that this was edible. Most people who know me know that it takes quite a bit to render food inedible for me. This was that bad. The polenta underneath the shank was passable when eaten with the sauce. I only had one bite of the pork before turning my sights onto Kristen's entree.

When our waiter came by to check on us, I mentioned that the pork was far too tough, which he seemed to already know. I wonder if other tables got the shank in the same condition that I did. Fortunately, the pork was taken off the bill when it came, but it was too little, too late for Leonardo's. This was a disappointing last meal in Hawaii for us, and I can't find too many reasons to recommend Leonardo's to anyone.

Azure (Waikiki, HI)

For the fine dining meal on our belated Honeymoon in Hawaii, we decided on Azure Restaurant in the Royal Hawaiian. After enjoying Alan Wong's Pineapple Room on our last visit, we were also hoping to add his flagship restaurant to the list, but it didn't work out and will have to wait until a (hopefully near) future trip. Looking at a la carte menu, a few options looked intriguing, but we decided on the tasting menu with wine pairings.

To start, our waiter brought a clam dip with black pepper crackers. The clams were tender and briny. We enjoyed this first taste, although the creamy sauce was a bit too thin for the crackers.

Next, a bread basket was brought with olive bread (my favorite), parmesan flatbread crisps (different from the first ones, and Kristen's favorite), and a cold demi (not good). The butter was pretty typical, but topped with red Hawaiian sea salt, creating little bursts of flavor in each bite. I think all butter should be served with sea salt.

The first course was Azure Sashimi, consisting of Hawaiian Yellowfin Ahi Tuna and Japanese Hamachi. The fish surrounded an avocado salad, and was served with watermelon radishes and a papadum crisp. They seem to like bread crisps here, but they were tasty so I'm ok with it. A ginger vinaigrette was poured table-side. I really enjoyed the interaction between the creamy avocado and fish with the vinaigrette. The fish was very fresh, and the radishes added a nice textural contrast. This course was served with a Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec Rose.

The second course was a "Ocean Cappuccino", described as a Dungeness Crab and Black Tiger Shrimp Bouillabaisse. This soup had an intoxicating aroma, and the intense, bold taste of shellfish. There were also small pieces of crab and shrimp strewn throughout the soup. The only complaint about this dish was that it was a large portion, perhaps slightly too large for such a rich soup on a hot day. Its not like I didn't finish it, though.

The third course was a Kona Lobster Tail Risotto. A half Kona lobster tail was served over a saffron and cheese risotto, marinated tomatoes, and Waialua asparagus. The lobster was grilled perfectly, probably the best cooked piece of lobster that I've ever had. I generally prefer the claw, since the tail is often overcooked and tough, but this was exceedingly tender. The problem with this dish was the risotto was overpowering to the point that you couldn't taste the lobster when eaten together. I enjoyed each, so I ate them separately, but this is a perfect example of why cheese and lobster are never allowed in the same dish in Italian cooking. Finally, the marinated tomatoes detracted from the dish and were picked off. This dish was paired with a BEX Riesling, which worked well as the crisp, citrus notes of the wine cut through the rich risotto and lobster.

The final savory dish was the chef's play on Steak and Eggs. A butter poached Beef Filet was atop sauteed Hamakua mushrooms, and served with a taro and brandy puree, and topped with a Madeira-Truffle sauce. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and was as tender as you would expect from a filet. I've had a oil and butter-poached beef a few times, and have been happy with the flavor and tenderness each time. The egg added richness, and the Madeira-Truffle sauce, along with the mushrooms, added a heady earthiness to the dish. The flavor of the taro puree was ok, but the texture was a bit gummy and offputting. This course was served with a Vita Nova Merlot.

For dessert, we had a Kula Strawberrry and Chocolate Gelato, topped with balsamic syrup. The strawberry was very sweet, and made me wish there was more than one. The gelato was creamy and smooth, but not any more remarkable than others I've had. A single leaf of lemon verbena added a nice herbal note.

Overly stuffed, we were ready for our bill. However, our waiter had a surprise in store. When asked if this was a special occasion before the meal, we had mentioned that our trip was our honeymoon of sorts. Because of this, our waiter came with one final dessert, a banana split. The bananas were carmelized and had a crispy sugar shell, and was topped with vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut, and carmel sauce. Being the good guests (gluttons) that we were, we felt obligated to finish. And we did.

We thought Azure was a pretty good value, given that tasting menus at other spots in town would probably be another $15-20. The service was good and we would be happy to be back.

Gyu-Kaku (Waikiki, HI)

Looking for restaurants before the trip, we came across Gyu-Kaku. Gyu-Kaku is a Japanese BBQ restaurant, done Korean-style where you grill your own meats at the table. They also have a lunch and dinner happy hour, where the drinks and certain plates are much cheaper.

We started with a few cocktails, the Asian Pear Mojito and Paradise Punch. Both drinks were tasty, but Asian Pear Mojito was definitely our favorite. One can easily drink a lot of these in a short period of time if not careful.

I ordered ala carte off the happy hour menu, while Kristen ordered the Petit Kaiseki. Her meal started with a salad, seaweed soup, marinated bean sprouts, and edamame. None of these were particularly good, though not offensive either. The edamame, which came out later with the meats, were tasty.

Onto the star attractions: the meats. I ordered filet, NY strip steak, and corn with butter (not pictured).

With Kristen's Kaiseki she received Berkshire Pork Sausage, Shrimp with garlic, Scallop, Beef Tongue, Short Rib with garlic, and marinated skirt steak.

Time to grill! The potatoes and corn come in foil pouches so they steam as you grill. You use the tongs for the raw meat, and your chopsticks to take the cooked meat off the grill.

Each of these meats are eaten over rice, and can be accented with three different sauces: Ponzu, Sesame, and Spicy. My favorite was the ponzu, followed by the spicy. For the meats, our favorites were the filet and marinated skirt. I also enjoyed the pork sausage a lot.

Kristen also got an order of Haupia with her meal. Haupia is a coconut milk based pudding. We weren't very impressed with this dessert, as didn't have any sweetness to it. We weren't sure if it was intended to be like this, or if it was a mistake. Fortunately, it was very small.

We also ordered the macadamia nut ice cream. Although we were full, we managed to polish this off without any problems. Large macadamia nuts were dispersed throughout, and Kona coffee was sprinkled over the top.

We were very happy with out meal at Gyu-Kaku. From browsing their website, it looks like they just opened up a new location in Chicago. I can see myself returning during the happy hour again to try more of the various offerings.

Cork (Chandler, AZ)

On a recommendation, we headed out to the Chandler area to try Cork for a Sunday Brunch.  When we got there, we were a little taken aback by the pricing of some of the dishes....$14 for pancakes, $18 for crepes?  Then we saw it:

"Our a la carte Sunday Brunch features traditional breakfast & lunch items as well as COMPLIMENTARY BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS & BELLINIS."

Whaaaa?  Sold!  (Thanks again to my pregnant wife/designated driver)

So when we were seated, we put in our drink order and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  It was a good 15-20 minutes before we even were able to make eye contact with one of the servers (not our original).  The great news is that they were on the ball with everything after that.

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts | Warm Honey Dipping Sauce

Crepes Suzette | Sliced Strawberries | Orange Butter Drizzle | Whipped Cream

And in order to appease us, they also provided a complimentary order of their Crepes Suzette, which were served with their Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts.  The doughnuts were fresh and delicious.  The crepes, which I thought were maybe a tad undercooked and chewy, were good as well.  I thought the orange butter drizzle would be completely overpowering but it was a nice complement.

Buttermilk Pancakes | Sliced Bananas | Razz Cherry Syrup

Wild Smoked King Salmon | Salmon Roe | Scrambled Eggs | Potato Latke | Vodka Horseradish | Crème Fraîche

The pancakes were nothing above and beyond special but they were nice and fluffy. The razz cherry syrup was a good sweet addition, but it would have been nicer to add the syrup tableside, as the syrup soaked into the pancakes fairly significantly by the time the dish was served. The salmon, though, was absolutely outstanding. Each bite of the salmon, eggs, latke, and roe were outstanding individually, but when they were all combined with a little of the crème fraîche, capers, tomatoes, and onions...wow. 

We don't often repeat restaurants because we are continually trying out new and different places, but (save for the service at the beginning) we would definitely come back here, if anything, just for the smoked salmon.

Different Pointe of View (Phoenix, AZ)

For our final choice of restaurants during the fall version of Arizona Restaurant Week, we decided to try Different Pointe of View in North Phoenix.  Different POV has been consistently known to have some of the greatest dining views in the valley.

To start the meal, fresh bread was brought out with an olive oil goat cheese emulsion, a spicy softened butter, and an arugula cilantro pesto.  In addition, an amuse was served, consisting of a cold quinoa and vegetable salad.  Nice and refreshing.

Crispy Seared Pork Bellies

 Sweet Soft Corn Polenta | Sherry Scented Chanterelle Mushrooms | Stone Fruit Reduction 

Lobster Bisque

Lump Lobster Meat | Honey Corn Milk Sour Crème

For our first course, we tried the Crispy Seared Pork Bellies and the Lobster Bisque.  The preparation of the pork belly was my absolute favorite.  The pork was both crispy and tender, and completely avoided the dangers of being overly chewy.  The polenta was a surprisingly nice addition to the pork belly.  The lobster bisque was deliciously rich and, for the first time in too long, actually had significant amounts of lobster.

Maine Lobster & Parmesan Ravioli

Chanterelle Mushrooms | Smoked Bacon | Watercress Pesto | Lobster Reduction

Pan Seared Wild Day Boat Halibut

Rock Shrimp & Beech Mushroom Ragout | Asparagus | Peppadew Peppers | Peruvian Purple Potatoes | Lemon Fennel Reduction 

For our main course, Carli continued her lobster theme of the evening and chose the Lobster Ravioli, while I decided to try the Pan Seared Halibut.  The ravioli was nicely stuffed with plenty of lobster and the crisp bacon added a strong smokey flavor to the dish.  However, the combination was just a tad salty, which unfortunately overpowered some of the more delicate flavors of the lobster.  The halibut was fantastic.  It was cooked extremely well and held up nicely to the starchy potatoes.  I could have done without the rock shrimp, but at the same time, they were all gone at the end of the meal, so they couldn't have been too bad.

Midnight Espresso Cup

White Chocolate Mascarpone filled Chocolate Cake | Coffee Ice Cream 

For our final course, we split the Midnight Espresso Cup.  It was as good as it looks; rich chocolate cake and the sharp bold flavor of the coffee and espresso.

I wish we were able to take a great picture of the panoramic views at Different Pointe of View, but the camera would not cooperate.  Regardless, it was a nice way to end restaurant week for us and we look forward to the spring version...

Ken's House of Pancakes (Hilo, HI)

The first time that Kristen and I visited Hawaii, we stayed solely in Honolulu; specifically, Waikiki. For this vacation, we wanted to venture out and see the Black Sand Beaches, Kilauea Volcano, Akaka Falls, and the other spectacles that the big island of Hawaii had in store. We spent the first 2 1/2 days in Hilo before moving onto Oahu for the remainder of the vacation. On the last day in Hilo, after spending the early morning in a rainforest and the Akaka Falls and staring down a flight back to Honolulu, we settled for the 24 hour breakfast joint right down the street.

When we arrived, Ken's was surprisingly busy. Upon receiving the menu, we noticed recognition on the front from Bon Appetit and USA Today. Apparently we stumbled onto a well known restaurant without even knowing it! The menu had a number of intriguing options, both sweet and savory. As with most cases, I decided on a savory breakfast, choosing one of the many variations of the Hawaiian favorite, the loco moco. Typically consisting of rice topped with a hamburger patty, gravy, and fried eggs, my version substituted the (apparently famous) housemade corned beef hash for the hamburger. I knew going in that I would love this, since given my love for both gravy and corned beef hash, but it exceeded my expectations. The gravy melded with the other breakfast items, and the rice added a substantial base, as well as keeping the saltiness in check. I also had a side of Portuguese sausage, but they were a mere distraction to the loco moco. This was the first of many loco mocos in Hawaii, and was by far the best rendition.

Kristen went in the sweet direction, and had the Banana Macadamia Nut Malted Waffles (and a fried egg on the side). This came with five different syrups, including guava, passion fruit, coconut, boysenberry and regular maple (last two not pictured). These, as you can imagine, were sweet and decadent. Our favorite syrups were the guava and boysenberry.

Our biggest disappointment with Ken's is that we found it on the last day that we were in Hilo. There is a vast menu full of items I wish I was able to try. If/When we make it back to Hawaii, Ken's will definitely be on the top of the list for breakfast.

Modernist Macaroni and Cheese

The Modernist Cuisine Cookbook was one of the biggest cookbooks released in recent history. One of the more popular recipes from it is the Modernist Mac and Cheese. Instead of making a cheese sauce from a roux-base, the modern cheese sauce uses an emulsifier and a thickening additive. This allows for two things: more intense cheese flavor without the sauce breaking, and the ability to perfectly melt all types of cheese, even aged, hard cheeses. The cheese sauce begins by warming water and wheat beer (I used Hefeweizen).

I used three different cheeses for this recipe: a pungent, mature white cheddar, a slightly softer, nutty Dutch Robusto, and an extremely nutty, hard 5-year aged Gouda. I also used sodium citrate as the emulsifier to have a perfectly melted and creamy sauce, and iota carrageenan to thicken the sauce.

As you can see, even the hard, non-melting aged gouda melts thoroughly. The carrageenan thickens the sauce nicely as well.

The most delicious block of Velveeta cheese ever.

Boil the noodles until just before al dente. I used cellentani, a corkscrew-shaped, ridged pasta.

Per the recipe, you refrigerate/freeze the cheese so that you can grate it into the final sauce. I forgot to freeze it, so I just cut it into small pieces and it was fine.

With the residual water in the pan, the cheese sauce coats the noodles beautifully. Most of my water evaporated while the noodles cooked, so I found that I needed to add a fair amount of water to achieve the right texture.

We had the pasta with a simple salad. We found this to be more of a side dish, rather than having a full bowl of it. The cheese is very intense, much cheesier than any other mac and cheese that I've had. I think I would use a more typical, sharper cheddar next time, as all three cheese were quite nutty. Others have frozen the cheese for lengths of time without negative effects, so it can make for an incredibly easy dinner. We will definitely be making this in the future.