A hushed dinner...

I have never been on a blind date. Truth be told, I have never actually been on a classic “first-date.” The inconsolable anxiety, lack of basic information about my dining/beach walking/movie-viewing partner-to-be and claustrophobic prison cell of a date situation in general, sounded like a sweat-fest shit-show of the tallest order to me. Though, I recently attended a Hush Denver dinner event, and there is a generalized “blind-datey” feeling that surrounds the night; and it is simply exhilarating. Hush Denver was started by Phil Armstrong, as a way to celebrate and pay homage to the “others” in the kitchen; the grunting, sweating, bleeding mess of line cooks that actually flex the food out each evening. With the growing adoration and deification of the “Chef”, as a celebrity, a shouting drama queen, but very rarely, actually as a Cook, Hush Denver brings the focus back upon the real architects. For tonight, the menu is unknown, our only information is that it will be featuring food prepared by Erin Boyle, of Root Down “fame” and that it is sure to dazzle.

The dinners (for now) take place at Studio Como, (think Ikea, though the customers aren’t all recently divorced men or college students, but Range Rover driving, square toed shoe wearing, upper crusters with a little funk) and the modern chairs and exposed brick walls are oddly at ease with one another, and appropriately industrial. The energy is generally something between a co-ed mixer, a murder mystery dinner and an awesome 80’s party. Our coats are taken, and we are directed by Phil towards the “bar”, (actually a semi-functional display kitchen) and given a Deshler (made by Kevin Burke, Head Barman of Colt and Gray) to sip on. Approximate something between a Manhattan and a Sidecar in a snifter, and you’re on track. This is paired with a passed-app of a Duck Mousse Bonbon, Nutmeg Cookie with Cranberries and Micro Arugula. For me, the drink is too strong for a first and the mousse is tasty, but a little fatty, and rillette-ish, really lacking citrus or acid to cut it a touch. We meet fun new foodie friends, and find a table that suits our sentimentality (dark, back of the room, by the band) and get to drinking, laughing too loudly and most importantly, eating and judging.

Eating at a dinner with food lovers is much akin to watching previews at a movie. After each bite (or preview) everyone leans in to give their two cents about the thumbs ups and thumbs downs of the offering. Our first course was a Kabocha Squash Soup, with a Cilantro-Squash Seed Pesto, Smoked Brown Sugar and a Lime Crème Fraiche, paired with a Spanish Sitios Bodega, Verdejo/Sauv Blanc blend. The thumbs are up, the crowd is hushed…save a couple “ooh’s” and copious slurping. The soup is executed perfectly: velvety, rich and the Lime Crème Fraiche adding a light crispness that brings all of the flavors together. The wine is humbled by the soup, and falls a touch flat. The table’s bowls are all cleaned thoroughly.

Onto the three main protein courses, with an unfortunate common theme: cold plates. Seared Scallop with Braised Root Vegetables, Pork Belly, Mushroom Jus and Yucca paired with a Opawa New Zealand Pinot Noir. The dish is conceptually quite nice, but the salt is instantly overpowering. The scallop was seasoned well, seared well, but the tepid, brodo-ish vegetables and broth must have been salted before braising and reducing, and the compounded seasoning is just too much. In addition, the “pork belly” was a thin, tangled piece of bacon, which, yes, is in fact pork belly, but stretching the description a bit. The Opawa pinot is bold, inky and delicious, ending up as my favorite amongst a group of interesting pairings. For our third course, Braised Lamb with Israeli Couscous, Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Jam paired with an interesting and delightful La Garrigue, Southern Rhone blend. The dish is really excellent: the lamb is cooked perfectly for me, with crispy seared nibbles on the outside, and a perfect mid-rare on the interior, the tomato “jam” (more like a sweet tomato paste, but great) adding just the right flavor nudge and a complex, herbed take on the couscous. The dish is simply lukewarm at best though, leaving me wishing for a rented hotbox in the kitchen to keep the plates like, Mexican restaurant HOT! Fourth course, third protein: a Pan Seared Blue Marlin, with Blood Orange and a Jungle Broth, paired with a Bonny Doon, Roussanne Grenache Blanc; a wine that I truthfully don’t remember having. The marlin was seasoned and cooked very well, only, it happened probably 20 minutes ago. I am reminded of my banquet serving days, eating cold leftover plates in the hotel back hallway, and thinking how great they would have been, hot and fresh. The blood orange and jungle broth are an interesting nod to Thai jungle curry or country curry, with peppery, soft notes, but falls short of truly fitting with the marlin. All of the mains had a potential for greatness, but a couple seasoning missteps and serious temperature concerns (easily fixed with a plate warmer) kept them from attaining their full “Oh my God!” factor.

Second star to the right, and straight on till morning…we enter Dessertland. A jiggly and sensual Rose Panna Cotta, with Lemon Saffron Sorbet, Clover honey and a Lemon Tuille is placed before me. With a Moscato in my hand…I smile. Now, read this knowing that the Pastry Chef from Root Down, Samm Sherman, is a friend of mine from culinary school, but I am not biased: the dessert was great. Save for the rose petal on the plate, (NO inedible/non-functional garnishes!) the dish was delicious. The panna cotta had just enough of a hint of rose, and was a consistency just perfect for squishing through my teeth (my preferred eating method), and the lemon saffron sorbet was uber-sweet and saffrony, a combo that I was concerned about. Eaten in one forkful, the plate was delightful, all elements singing in harmony.

As was discussed at my table, eating at Hush Denver is about the mission: Give the underlings some light to shine in, support local eateries and do so with the fellowship of foodies and fun-loving gastronomes alike. I am always happy, full and a bit buzzed after a Hush meal, and leave with great new friends and a head full of conversation. There were some stumblings in the meal, but ask anyone that was there: it was fun as hell. The Chefs are putting themselves out there, with no walls segregating us, and making a symphony come together out of thin air. It’s at the very least an exciting, mysterious adventure in foodery and a chance to be in a think-tank of discerning and intentional eaters. I will be at every Hush Denver event; in anxious anticipation of my “blind-date”, red rose in hand…waiting to be wowed.

Digging my roots in....

When I move to a new city, I have a little laundry list of things that I must get accomplished before I feel comfy:

First and Foremost, get a library card. Its free. They let you HAVE books and movies. Its a dope place to meditate and intellectually gorge yourself. I personally love to camp out in the childrens book section and read the REAL books; and I shave my head so that people mistake me for Shel Silverstein. I'm available for autographs.

Secondly, scout the local food and bev offerings. Liquor store with good beer, check. Killer local market with organic goodies, check. Restaurants, fine dining to greasy taquerias and spoons, check. I budget more money for food than anything, and it certainly pays happiness dividends by the bucket full.

Third, and I think most importantly for where we are as a culture now: I look for places that are bringing the community together, getting people good feelings and food, and are being proactive. Then I volunteer with them. Again, it's free. It boosts your good Samaritan factor exponentially, and it might even get you girls (or guys). Its like telling the "got attacked by a shark" story at the bar, except its the "I helped build a garden with little kiddos to feed a neighborhood today." HOT!

So I am working with a couple different groups here: Denver Urban Gardens (www.dug.org), Feed Denver (www.feeddenver.com) and the GrowHaus (www.thegrowhaus.com). They are all volunteer, and the latter two are in their infancy, but have LOTS of energy. DUG is a group that manages about 200 urban gardens in Denver, at schools, apartment complexes and for neighborhoods. They help the people get the garden set up, divided up and planted...and then, (in theory) the community takes it over. This is generally the case, though there are some that need a little extra TLC and some watchful eyes. DUG sponsors alot of community events and really keep their name and mission in the minds of the city folk. DUG works with volunteers, many of which are college students and/or members of the neighborhoods.

Feed Denver is a program that is starting up on the Urban Farm, a 27 acre farm that is close to downtown and has about 150 animals and such for kids in the area to learn about farming. The Feed Denver project is going to encompass the crop growing section of the farm, with large hoop houses and about 2 acres of row crops. They have some really cool access to the younger kiddos, and bring alot of great energy from kids that are working off community service hours, and want to help out with animals and veggies.

The GrowHaus is a really cool project begun by a friend of mine who is a food advocacy and empowerment soldier and then a fella who is big in the real estate industry here. He bought a HUGE old florist shop, (like 20,000 sq ft) in a neighborhood that is quite simply, a food desert. They don't have any places to buy food, (except convenience stores, and a Super Wal Mart that is 5 miles away) and they are really struggling with diabetes and other diet related illnesses. The area is all shades of brown, with so many rich food traditions that are being lost to processed, unhealthy food. The project is all about empowering the neighborhood and community to come together and share their food histories, and understand that the GrowHaus will be getting delicious, organic food to the neighborhood, from inside the neighborhood. All crops are going to be grown using Aquaponics and Vermiculture systems, and there will be an on-site market for the neighborhood.

If you're in Denver, come out with me sometime. If you're not, first, your life is worse than it would be here, and secondly, find some programs like this in your zone. Everyone is on the Locavore kick, and if they're not, they want to be. Start something small. My neighborhood is all about the little backyard/windowbox gardens, and I am anxiously awaiting the spring so that I can eat the bounty and garden in my little daisy duke overalls. Don't lie, gardeners are sexy. Alright, Im going to go cook something. It seems that everytime I write a blog entry, (which I know is not often enough) I punctuate the last sentence with a desperate feeling of hunger and I always go and cook something killer. Come eat with me....

Why you too should be enamored with food...

I just live for the feeling after you have cooked a delicious, belly warming meal. You've gotten your guests groaning with pleasure and certainly overstuffedness, the dishes are done and your feet are up. It's that punch drunk tiredness, and a content that I fiend for. The passion that great food ignites in people, and the immediacy with which it brings them together, is unlike any other medium in the world. If a beet only knew the seductive trance that it can have on top of the food chain, opposable thumb having, world conquerors, the tables would certainly be compromised, if not turned. Though I think beets are pretty non-confrontational pacifists. I find myself being substantially intrigued by the elemental things in life lately. The idea of sleep has been really fascinating me: Your body turns itself "off", and you can go to these deliciously weird corners of yourself that no one else knows about and its basically free medicine; a natural restart button. Eating, cooking and talking about food brings me this insatiable pleasure, I am feeling myself falling towards the grips of hedonism. Why pain, if pleasure? Instinct can be my divining rod: salt, meat, fat, touch, drink, laugh, sex, sugar, butter, BACON...why abstain from things that satisfy my shallow id? Let it take me over...

I say this with a conflicted heart, the world is seizing up, so many are in pain and without. There must be a leveling off...I am dedicating a lot of my brain and soul's energy to thinking about those subjected to the fringe. Do all that you can, as small or as large as that may seem. Our energy needs more positivity and cohesiveness. Don't feel bad about pampering and treating the ones you love, squeeze everyone around you and feed them with something that feels like your truest heart. I think I do this best with my food, so come to my table and let me tell you that you're my love. Eat up kiddos, there's a storm outside...

Mikey

Potentiality...

I've got lots of rants, thoughts and experiences that I have gone through as of late that I will soon be blogging about...I may have some time to do so, as I think I might have compromised the structural integrity of my right knee yesterday. I have been skiing for about 27 years and the knee injury fairy just may have caught up with me. I extend to this fairy, a whole-hearted: Go fuck yourself. I am focusing all of my loving energy towards my knee (and I think, more specifically, my MCL) so I would love if you could do the same. I can't say that I am very good at being injured...

Rants to come: Sausage Making Craziness, My Hush speakeasy supper and Why Rush and Pat Robertson even have an audience...

Mikey

On Love and Food...

Food is sexy. If you don't think so, then I would just hate to see what you're eating. I've spent the last week in a glutinous love affair with food, wine and friends, and I emerge from it grinning, a bit of a picky hedonist and just plain exhausted. I have always found myself drawn towards the things in life that immediately influence the most emotion and sensual stimulization. Eating, talking about food and cooking play into an array of sensory experiences that just light my world up.

...Smell/Olfaction: I would perform cooking demonstrations in Washington, and I could talk louder than anyone, start chopping with as much Morimoto as I can channel or start banging pots and pans...and still, people would shy away. Though, add a little butter to my pan, and start sautéing garlic and onions, I'm the Halloween house that gives away full size candy bars; cats are COMING.

...Sight/Vision: The displays at the farmers market are like an Adult book store for me. I find myself sweating a little and holding little private conferences with a voluptuous bundle of beets or a handful of sweet, meaty figs. The glossy pages of Bon Appetit, Art Culinaire or a new cookbook, give me a touch of fever that can only be cured by a gastronomical orgy. I also know for a fact, that I look even more sexually attractive (if that's at all possible) whilst cooking some food for a young lassie.

...Hearing/Audition: One of my favorite Chefs in culinary school was a huge preponderant of cooking with your ears. It allows you to hang out with multiple jobs, and be aware of each items status from a distance. One particular day, I was caramelizing a rondo full of onions, (picture a 4 foot circular pan with no doubt, 50 onions) and Chef Wong pulled me away. "Just listen, you know they're sexy and happy when you hear the muffled little pops...Hear anything different, you've got issues. Low, slow and listening, that's sexy cooking baby." I think I owe him one for bringing the word sexy to my food.

...Touch/Tactition: Working on a farm for the last year brought a whole new appreciation for the touch of veggies. The satisfying scrunch when ripping the feathery tops off of our carrots while standing in 8 inches of quicksand mud, giving each of our beets a little thumb press to ensure that the root was solid and delicious and the feeling of dirt grit in your teeth when eating a sunchoke right out of the earth...I could lay in the bins of veggies and feel like I was laying in a pile of lovely friends.

...Taste/Gustation: and of course, time to get those buds involved. I think of a fresh piece of burrata and a salted tomato slice sliding over my tongue, a chunk of butter poached fish or the first warm leaf of basil in the spring...Taste is the manifestation of all food foreplay. I have no edit button once something is attacking my taste buds, my "tasting tourettes" comes on in full effect, and whatever comes up, comes out. I can't think of something more sexy than feeding someone a concoction from a spoon, their eyes closing, a hand on the chest or fist on the table, followed by a resounding..."Fuuuuuck! That is DELICIOUS!" This why I cook. This is why I eat.

In closing, I just love to love. People, food, music, art, kissing, falling, flying, cooking, growing, sleeping, life, love........

Sometimes it's almost too much to handle.

Breath.

It's just enough.

I eat Denver

I apologize profusely to my very few dedicated readers, to myself and to the world that has been without my written voice for some time now. My life has been a busy one as of late: buying a house, looking for employment and lots of little ventures into the mountains in a fleeting search for snow. I have also been dedicating myself, full-time, to buying and eating as much of Denver as is humanly possible. I have spent the last ten years of my life in small towns, and while I love certain things about each one, none of them had the stuff that a city does: I have seen about twelve shows since touching down here, (some great: The Wheel, Tune-Yards, Stella Star...Some lackluster: Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings) I have officially become a member of most every museum and/or group that I have come across and I am attempting to eat the entirety of Denver. The restaurants that I have come across have run the gamut from sexy and delicious to simply a good attempt, but none have been terrible. All the chefs are trying their damnedest to carve out a little personality niche in the local food scene. There is a heaping amount of young energy in the food, decor and general mood of the restaurants, and I think it is a great lens with which to view Denver. In no particular order, I will reminisce about my chompings....

I must jump on the bandwagon a bit, and give some props to my neighborhood, the Highlands, for dropping some serious food knowledge on the 303. Sushi Hai, Vita, Venue Bistro, Duo, Felix's are doing a sincere job of pushing out great food and my two ultimate favorites are absolutely killing it: Root Down and Masterpiece Delicatessen. Root Down is arguably the hottest spot in Denver, and definitely the most talked about. I casually attempted a Tuesday reservation for two last week, not a chance. Root Down takes place in a renovated auto mechanics shop, with the backwaiters and bussers rocking the short-sleeved, polyester, rectangular name-tagged shirts. The atmosphere is mod, and nearly a bit too hip, but pulls it off, with large format paintings and colorful found art (30 or so old phones on one wall and paint/oil can lids mosaic-ing a wall in the private dining room). The food is fun, playing the neo-American, local, organic, sexied up comfort food angle quite well. I'm a sucker for the Beet 3-ways salad (pickled, fried, roasted with Etorki cheese, sheeps deliciousness) and then the small plates: the Smoked Organic Portobello Gyoza with the Soy Milk Dunk rock my world everytime without fail. Simple as can be, but ridiculous...get it. The Seared Gnocchi Cakes are crunchy and spiced just right and the Lamb Meatballs with the Herbed Chickpea Broth can be amazing as well as a bit overdone, I guess it depends on the night. Entrees have some interesting options, but I say stick with the small plates, lots of em. Croissant Bread Pudding with Sour Cream Ice Cream owns the dessert realm, believe that.

Masterpiece Deli has been my jam for around two years. A friend of mine worked there, and would bring me butcher paper wrapped sandwiches whenever he would come to Steamboat. The Deli is all business when youre there, some cute paintings but pretty utilitarian. A rockin fleet of tattooed employees keep the food moving, and the food is super gangster. Everything is around $9, and everything is worth it. I usually stick with the (12 hour) Braised Beef Brisket sandwich, dripping with meaty jus on a fresh baguette, or the Seared Ahi Tuna, with Asian slaw on an English Muffin - Morimoto meets Mary Poppins, how could it go wrong?! But, I must admit, if I'm up, (and perhaps a touch hungover) breakfast is where simplicity shines at Masterpiece. The sandwiches come on a bagel or english muffin, with an heirloom egg, cheese and killer meat/umami options: sauteed wild mushrooms (that's me baby), applewood smoked bacon, Taylor pork roll, pastrami...its all good. The heirloom egg bleeds deliciously all over the plate after the first bite, life is dandy! I suggest stopping by Living the Sweet Life bakery next door for a cupcake, the girls are cute and the chocolate is beautiful.

To venture out of my neighborhood, which Highlanders are known to do on very rare and momentous occasions, the grazing to be had is colorful and vast. Stuebens, Snooze, Fruition, Organixx, Potager (bringing that true, local flavor), Cucina Colore, Sputniks (late night sweet potato fries, SICK!), Bistro One, Marczyks (Local food, wine galore, nice fonts...) - Point is, theres lots. I have probably eaten at a bunch that aren't coming to me, or I had too much wine, lo siento amigos. For the time being, I'll talk about a place that I dug hard recently. Beatrice and Woodsleys. No sign in front. It looks kind of like an art gallery on acid from outside. There are old chainsaws murdering the liquor shelves. I love it. We bellied up to the bar, and ordered a half bottle of pinot noir from my old Cali stomping grounds. The bartender put a little "toe" tag on the neck of the bottle, ID'ing its origins, for you to pocket on departure. All small plates, we chose about five or six, the menu reading through like a kooky Grimms fairy tale. The Sheepish Beignets (truffle ricotta batter, fried, topped with a sugary/salty gremolata), the Cheeky Bastard (Braised Veal Cheek Rillette, encased in a buttery, crunchy polenta, smokey tomato/parm jam on top) and the Stewed Garbanzo Beans (w/grilled eggplant, harissa paste and a garlicky yogurt) were inventive and inspired. The food, the atmosphere, the company and probably the wine...I felt transported and as tranquil as warm jello. As I slid out of my seat to head to the bathroom, I unwittingly entered a sort of Alice and Wonderland room of installation artwork. The bathroom doors are one with the wall, you enter by pushing a round ball and the wall becomes an entryway. The sinks have medieval chains and wood handles that you pull in one direction or another (I don't think I figured it out fully) and the water comes cascading 15 feet from the ceiling, cloying to a cluster of ball-bearing strands until it hits your hands in the basin. Where the F__K am I? I DIG it...It's hard for me not to act like a kid anyways, but this just pushed me over the edge. We left with lots of giggles and perhaps a touch of skipping on the way home.

In closing...Go/Come Eat Denver with me. I'll be doing it with or without you, so giddy up kid.

Go Farm Yourself: a Manifesto

Our food world is in disrepair. Our fellow countrymen are becoming a swollen, ignorant mass of indiscriminate consumers, bent on low prices and consequently, even lower nutritional value. Our countries kids are suffering as a bi-product, with increasingly more sedentary lifestyles as a catalyst. People in general simply do not know from where or how their food really comes to them. There are those that are fighting to bring it back to it’s origins, but their numbers pale in comparison to those pulling it further away from us. The need for people to be reintroduced to what they are eating is dire.

Plant gardens and make compost. Meet your nearby farmers and ranchers. Identify local producers of your main food items. Reuse rather than buying new.

Reprioritize. Don’t believe the hype.

Live creatively.

There was a 20% increase in 2008 of people planting home veggie gardens in America. Of course, much of this was due to the economy, but what better a way to kick-start people into action. Schools around the country are teaching kids all subjects with the garden/farm as a starting point. If the kiddos are excited about vegetables, you should be. Break out the overalls dad. I raised strawberries, garlic, tomatoes and potatoes out of an old claw foot tub in Steamboat, where the growing season is like 2 days. If you have dirt, you can have veggies. Nearly all your food and paper waste can be composted (and most others can be recycled). With minimal effort, you can have compost that is good enough to eat…and your garden will do just that. California is considering eliminating home trash bins, only to use compost and recycling containers! Compost is like veggie bling! Pimp your garden! I sit here, eating a fried green tomato with basil (and homemade queso fresco), both from a friends garden…my mouth is in lust. Go Farm Yourself!

I am just moving back to Colorado from living in Napa Valley, CA and the Olympic Peninsula, WA, (two of the most fervently growing and producing areas imaginable) and I’m knocked out by what Colorado is creating. I sat down one night last week and had Haystack Chevre (Lakewood), with beets and late season greens from a friends yard, local grass-fed beef from Mavericks and a neat Stranahans whiskey (both in Denver). Just because we have four seasons, and we’re about a mile up, by no means dictates that our stomachs must suffer. For anyone who loves food, I suggest that you take a day, and visit, or even better, work on one of our local farms. I’ve been working as a chef on a 400-acre organic farm in Wash State for the last year, and I have never known my ingredients (or the farmers that care for them) more intimately. In my estimation, I feel that local is a bit more important at this point than organic. Supporting your local foodshed and artisan producers’ keeps the money in your community, reduces wear, tear and the carbon footprint on your food and it simply tastes like where you live.

We as Americans have become well trained to discard and repurchase items the minute that they begin to fail. Though, as of late, I have noticed more duct taped, reconstituted and DIY fix jobs than ever before. The old, dusty shoe and watch repair shops are revitalized with customers not willing to let go of their trusted accoutrements. Even the hipster kids are diving into their mother’s justifiably discarded 80’s accessories, (perhaps this has little to do with sustainability, but thought I would try to give them some credit). Think about your “garbage” conscientiously. Fill your fridge with used glass and plastic water bottles, wash your Ziploc bags, install a grey water catch for use in your garden, or even make some cool, original art with the kiddos using items formerly earmarked for a landfill life. Compostable egg crate artwork?! Sustainable-chic!

Taking back our food system is a matter of reprioritization. With a bit more effort up front, (or perhaps a few cents more at the farmers market or Co-op) a considerate decision about where to buy and/or how to grow your food will reduce the overall cost in the end. The health of our population and land depends on a reinstated reverence of our food and the way in which we frame it. Listen to your body, not to commercials. Become a learned, conscientious consumer. Buy used gardening, horticulture and food books. Knowledge is sexy! Make food and life a bit more whimsical. Plant a garden, raise some chickens, compost, talk to vendors at the farmers markets, meet some new veggies, create something delicious and good for your soul! Let this be a message to the little, dreamy child in all of us: The World is our Farm, let’s care for it…and Chomp it up!

Go Farm Yourself - Mike