Recently, I was asked by Summerfair Cincinnati to be an “Honorary Fashionista” at their upcoming Little Black Dress event. I was extremely honored, although a bit confused. You see, I was surprised that they asked me, a food writer, as opposed to someone who had more of an “in” with the fashion community. Yes, I am most always in black. I chalk that up to being a native of New York, even though I’ve been a proud resident of the Queen City for over 30 years. And yes, I love snazzy shoes, as do most women. So I started to think of this whole thing as I usually do, in culinary terms, and I remembered that one of my very favorite beverages, Champagne, goes with everything, and is, therefore, as far as I’m concerned, the “Little Black Dress” of the food world.
The thing is, I don’t know much about wine, and since we choose our contributors at 513{eats} for their unique expertise in the food world, we’ve brought in a top notch expert to join our family as a wine consultant. Amy Simmons Neyer is the former wine columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer and CityBeat. She holds a Level III/Advance Certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, and the national and Cincinnati chapters of Chaine des Rotisseurs, a global food and wine society. In her spare time, she and her partner are the parents of three-year-old twins. I knew she would be the perfect person to speak to the topic of everyone’s favorite celebratory beverage, Champagne.
Wine questions? Ask Amy at als357@aol.com
~Ilene Ross
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It’s that time of year again, when the confluence of diverse life events – weddings, fund-raisers, graduations and other notable celebrations sends us to the closet for proper attire. Fashionably flexible, the classic Little Black Dress is often my trusty party companion; it can be dressed up or down. And what do I pair with the “Swiss Army knife” of women’s apparel? Aside from a pair of great shoes, I don’t need baubles; give me bubbles. Few things are better and more versatile accoutrements than a glass of Champagne. Unfortunately, wine’s equivalent of the classic black dress, Champagne (and its kissing cousin, sparkling wine) is, too often, reserved for Big Events.
There are a wonderfully increasing number of sparkling wines, but there is, however, only one Champagne, which is made in the Champagne region located east of Paris. Location is the North Star to understanding French wine. Sparkling wine made outside of this region cannot be called Champagne. Champagne has been historically dominated by the big producers aka “houses,” recognized at shelf as Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot and the like. The wine is made using some combination of only three grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – using a process known as méthode champenoise or traditional method.
We all know that Champagne pairs well with formal food such as smoked salmon and sushi, but like your LBD, you can dress it down to delightfully enhance more casual, fun fare such as salted nuts, potato chips, and even fried chicken-the crunchy, salty texture of the chicken likes the bubbles.
Admit it: we’ve all got that special bottle of bubbly that gets passed over, waiting for the “right time.”
So why not drink it?
Perhaps its Champagne’s price tag that makes it tough to simply open for a Friday night starter. Champagne can be pricey (usually north of $50) but there are lots of excellent options now made from smaller winemakers known as grower champagne or “farmer fizz,” where the price tag is well within reach ($30-$50).
As much as I love champagne (and I do), I find myself all too often saving the fizz for a justifiable event. So, a challenge to all of us – celebrate those everyday Black Dress moments with Champagne. Trends come and go. Classics are forever.
~Amy Simmons Neyer
photography by Gina Weathersby/Kiwi Street Studios
Chef Jose Salazar
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We are very pleased to announce the addition of yet another talented chef to our roster of contributors here at 513{eats}. Chef Jose Salazar, Executive Chef of The Palace Restaurant at The Cincinnatian is hands down one of the Queen City’s top culinary minds. After earning his stripes in some of the country’s most illustrious restaurants, including Jean Georges and Thomas Keller’s legendary Per Se in New York, he went on to become Food and Wine magazine’s “People’s Best New Chef: Great Lakes.” We’re delighted that Chef Salazar –a native New Yorker-has made Cincinnati his home and added his serious game to the Queen City food scene, and we’re delighted that he’s sharing his vast amount of knowledge and talent with our 513{eats} audience.
One of Chef Salazar’s first contributions is this absolutely superb recipe for a white gazpacho. Typically, gazpacho is a tomato based, raw vegetable soup, enjoyed throughout Spain and Portugal. It’s served cold, and is extremely popular during the warm summer months. Chef Salazar’s excellent version –more characteristic of the ancient Arab style- omits the tomatoes and relies on a bread base. Whichever variety of gazpacho you choose to enjoy, the great part about this refreshing dish is that not only is it delicious, it’s extremely healthy.
This leads me, unfortunately, to some very sobering statistics. Recently, The American Heart Association released their 2012 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report. I’ve highlighted the link so that you can access it yourself, but the ones that caught my eye are; among children (2 to 19 years of age), 23.6 million are overweight or obese and 12.6 million are obese. Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight adults. This increases to 80% if 1 or both parents are overweight or obese. As stewards of our young people, it’s important that we teach them early about good food in moderation, exercise, and I believe the most important thing of all, how to prepare their own food. When children know how to cook, they take an interest in what they are preparing, and are more likely to eat foods that they wouldn’t necessarily try. So, bring your children into the kitchen with you and cook together. It’s important for your physical health and its quality family time as well.
Need some quality ME time? On Thursday, May 24th, Actress Andie MacDowell will be here for the SmartTalk Connected Conversations Series. Along with acting you can find her dedicating her life to healthy heart awareness, including teaming up with “Time to Talk Cardio” which helps you get the most out of your medical visits, and we have 2 tickets to give away! Email your favorite heart healthy recipe to me at ilene@513eats.com, and the winning dish will be featured in our “Your Dish” segment of the September 513{eats} magazine, and the tickets are yours! *must be received by Tuesday, May 22nd.
White Gazpacho
Yield: 3 quarts
8 cloves garlic confit
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups. crustless cubes of white country bread
4 cups green seedless grapes plus additional for garnish
4 cups hothouse cucumbers peeled, seeded & chopped
1 ¼ cups Marcona (or any good quality) almonds plus additional for garnish
500g. plain Greek lowfat yogurt
¼ cup plus ½ cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Smoked paprika to taste
Sherry vinegar to taste
Kosher salt to taste
White pepper to taste
To make garlic confit: place garlic cloves in small pan with vegetable oil over very low heat until soft and light brown in color. Drain oil and save for another application (garlic bread perhaps).
Meanwhile soak bread in cold water. Once moistened squeeze out excess water.
Using a blender, puree the garlic, bread, grapes, cucumber, almonds and yogurt (do this in several batches, so you get a smooth puree and don’t over work the blender)
During the last batch and with the blender still running drizzle in remaining ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil until emulsified, and add honey.
Pass soup through fine mesh strainer pressing on solids (if any).
Season with, salt, white pepper, and sherry vinegar to taste. Serve with shrimp and garnish with quartered green grapes, rough chopped Marcona almonds, a drizzle of good olive oil or reserved garlic oil and a pinch of smoked paprika.
This recipe is best prepared a day in advance to let the flavors marry and to thoroughly chill. Thin with cold water if needed to get desired consistency.
The almonds are the star of the show, so be sure to use a good quality brand.
written by Ilene Ross
Photo by Gina Weathersby/Kiwi Street Studios
On Sunday I invited a bunch of Cincinnati’s finest chefs and culinary professionals to my “virtual kitchen”, asked them to put down their chef’s knives, and tell me what their other “can’t live without” kitchen item is. You see, for the most part, a chef and his or her knife hardly ever part ways, and the correct one can make or break your speed and performance, so if it’s not going to be a knife, it had better be something seriously versatile.
Typically the largest knife in your arsenal, this jack of all trades is so useful that you could pretty much do without any other blade at all, manual or electric. As its design is perfect for performing many different types of cuts, often times it’s quicker to tackle all of your slicing, chopping, and mincing than to bring out, assemble, and clean such items as a food processor.
Choosing the right chef’s knife is essential. After all, the price of this indispensable kitchen work horse can be exorbitant, often running into the hundreds of dollars. But if chosen and cared for correctly, your chef’s knife will last you a lifetime, therefore well worth the investment. And I can’t underestimate the importance of investing in a good knife skills class. This is imperative for safety, and a real boon to your confidence level. Watching a few Cooking Channel shows is no substitute.
So, first things first. All chefs’ knives are not equal. Size does matter, and the handle of your knife needs to fit well with your hand and feel comfortable. Take your time and test drive a lot of them in the store. This is when it’s a good idea to head to one of those fancy shops like Sur la Table or Williams Sonoma where the salespeople are well educated and the selection is large. You can’t buy a quality knife off of a peg board. A good size knife for a beginner is 8 inches. 6 inches won’t cover you through most large jobs, and 10 inches can be a bit intimidating. Whether you choose steel or ceramic is totally personal preference. In my opinion, choosing a knife really does come down to comfort and fit. After all, you’re going to be reaching for this tool for many years to come, and you want it to be second nature, so have an open mind when you shop, and try not to go into the store with a particular brand in mind.
Alright, back to the “virtual kitchen.” I honestly expected everyone to tell me their item and then leave the conversation. But they didn’t. See, that’s the thing about this town that’s different than a lot of other cities. Our culinary community genuinely likes and respects one another and enjoys hanging out together. There really doesn’t seem to be much mean spirited competition. Conversations between folks began, light hearted ribbing arose, and hilarity ensued. People questioned and ribbed each other over their use for certain tools, and most of it isn’t fit for a public blog. What’s the saying, “If you can’t stand the heat…..”? But it really was all in good fun. For the most part, it was as if the “kitchen” had closed and we were just sitting around after hours over a few beers.
Some of the items had nothing to do with the actual act of cooking at all, like music, or in the case of Cumin’s Executive Chef, Owen Maass, “Menchie” the mascot, pictured above. By far, one of the things I most enjoyed was when Michael Worth of The Palace at The Cincinnatian, asked Chef Jimmy Gibson of Jimmy G’s, if he could, “come trail you at G’s, Chef.” To which Chef Gibson replied, “Anytime…txt me.” See, that’s the best outcome this little exercise could have . Because the one thing you really need in the kitchen is knowledge, especially when it’s passed on from a friend.
What our Culinary Professionals Can’t Live Without: in the order they replied
J Michael McGrath (Sous Chef at Nicholson’s Gastropub) Improvisation
Mary Beth King (Owner of Sweet Peace Bakery) My Kitchen Aid Mixer
Jean-Francois Flechet (Owner of Taste of Belgium) Surprise! A waffle iron!
Julie Niesen Gosdin (Blogger at Wine Me Dine Me) A hand juicer– a little citrus juice brightens up anything.
Amy Brandabur Hunter (Owner at King Street Consulting) A bench scraper
Michael Christner (Owner at Dojo Gelato) A bottle opener
Rachel Grubbs DesRochers (Owner at Grateful Grahams) A 5 wheel fluted pastry cutter.
Michael Worth (Sous Chef at The Palace) His “Pokey” a cake tester, vital for testing “doneness” on virtually anything.
Owen Maass (Executive Chef at Cumin) a stereo for music, and a mascot.
Jimmy Gibson (Executive Chef at Jimmy G’s) 1quart plastic “deli” containers w/ lids and blue painters tape
Todd Hudson (Owner and Chef at Wildflower Café) Blowtorches and beer
Courtney Tsitouris (Blogger at Epi-Ventures and Producer of Cincinnati Deconstructed) A lime zester
Gary Sims (Owner of Taco Azul) Passion and his Kitchen Aid
Barb Cooper (Daisy Mae’s Market) Paper towels
Caitlin MacEachen Steininger (Cooking with Caitlin) Wooden spoons, I have an arsenal!
Josh Freid (Executive Chef at P&G-The Compass Group) Rubber bands. The heavy duty kind like what holds asparagus bunches together. I use them in more applications than I can list.
Erin Swing Romanos (Owner, Gluten Free Organic Chemist and Chef at The Sensitive Epicure) The most important piece of equipment anyone should have when baking is a scale.
Thomas Acito (Owner, Café de Wheels) A small demi tasse pot. Mine is probably 25 years old.
Shalini Latour (Owner, Chocolatier Chocolats Latour) A 6” drywall knife.
Lauren Brown (Executive Chef at The University Club) Spoons of all sizes. For tasting, turning things, basting, and transferring.
Matt Madison (Owner, Operator Madisonos Gelato & Sorbet) The Centurion 18” It’s a heavy pot we use for sorbet, caramel, dulce de leche, and fruit reductions. I should also add our Vat Pasteurizer without it there would be no gelato.
Donna Distasi Phelps (Owner, Operator, Donna’s Gourmet Cookies) My mixer, and in the human category, Leah! (Donna’s daughter)
Megan Ketover (Pastry Chef at The Hilton Netherland Plaza/Orchids at The Palm Court) Boring but I vote parchment. Makes life better, easier, neater.
Justin Dean (Relish Restaurant Group) Boning Knife can’t cut piggies without!
Rom Wells (Bar Manager at The Rookwood) Black Sabbath records
Words by Ilene Ross
Photo of “Menchie” provided by Owen Maass
I’ve been a chef for a very long time. Because of this, young people looking to get into the business-and often times a lot of their parents-ask for my opinion on culinary school. Let’s face it. Culinary school is expensive, and you don’t really need to attend a customary college degree program to work in the food world. I didn’t, and a lot of world class chefs didn’t either. But these days, the competition for the best gigs is fierce, and in all honesty, if I had to do it all over again, and in a more traditional way, I would take the culinary school route. So then, we’re back to the question of which school to attend. Fortunately, if you live in Cincinnati, you needn’t travel far from home to get a world class culinary education.
The Queen City is truly blessed to be the home of the Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) at Cincinnati State. Nationally recognized as a center of educational excellence, students from all over the U.S. learn in state of the art kitchens, and receive a top notch yet affordable education from an internationally respected faculty. But their educational opportunities don’t end in the classroom; MCI’s outstanding co-op program is the largest in the nation among two-year colleges.
This past Sunday night, those dream kitchens were opened up to the public and on display for Cincinnati’s premiere culinary event, 1 night, 12 kitchens. This annual gastronomic delight benefits the MCI scholarship program, and if your budget allows you to attend only one “foodie” event, I highly recommend this one. Not only did we sample the finest, most beautifully displayed gourmet fare from the area’s top chefs, but the staff of MCI and their students’ cooking prowess was also amply represented. We were treated to a wine/food pairing seminar, a molecular cooking demo, fine wines, and those who purchased VIP tickets enjoyed a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres, specialty drinks, and a little mingling with the chefs.
Would you like the opportunity to hang out in those ultra-cool kitchens and learn from the masters? Well, MCI also offers cooking classes for all ages and abilities in their “Creations” program, where you can tie on an apron, get your hands dirty, and cook like a chef!
written by Ilene Ross
photos by Jens G. Rosenkrantz Jr.
As we begin the sixth month of our little labor of love, we’re overwhelmed-and I say this often-with support and love from the community. With that in mind, I’m really excited to announce that we’re expanding 513{eats} far beyond the magazine and blog. Due to your requests, and our desire to always share the finest of our talented food community, we will be adding some really sensational elements to our repertoire.
Cincinnati has the most gifted food professionals, and when we’ve featured them, you’ve asked to meet them. We’ve been on delicious road trips, and you’ve asked to come along. Best of all, you’ve told us, “it always looks as if you’re having so much fun, you have the best job in the world.” Well, we are, and we do, and we want to share our good times with you. We have a lot planned. Are you hungry?
So let’s go! First up, a really superb Summer Wine Series at Clifton’s La Poste Restaurant. Their wine team led by sommelier Bryant Phillips is unsurpassed, and their wine cellar features over 1000 different labels. Chef Dave Taylor’s cuisine is seasonally based, wine focused, and exquisite. The goal of this series is to take you from neophyte to expert in four delicious and fun-filled nights. If wine lists leave you confused, overwhelmed, and intimidated, or even if you’re an expert but you’d like to meet new culinary minded friends, join us for the party.
The best part of all? Register as part of the 513{eats} community, and one lucky attendee will be rewarded with a $100.00 La Poste gift card.* Cut-off date for drawing (done through random.org) will be May 31st.
The Summer Wine Series at La Poste Eatery June 5th 6:30-8:30 Wine Tasting 101 $45.00
Wine Tasting 101 is the ideal class if you find wine lists unapproachable and intimidating. At La Poste Eatery we welcome our guest’s questions, as we want them to feel comfortable in their exploration of our extensive wine list. Wine Tasting 101 will prove to be a delightful, educational, and above all, a delicious way to remedy this! With the in depth knowledge of our sommelier and owner Bryant Phillips, you will take part in a blind tasting and use all of your senses to gain a basic and fun understanding of what it means to taste, discover and interpret wine. Enjoy a variety of wines and delicious hors d’oeuvres from the La Poste kitchen. It’s the perfect way to start your summer!
July 10th 6:30-8:30 Food & Wine Pairing $60.00
It’s time to take your basic foundation and apply that to the art of pairing wine with food! The possibilities are endless and truly exiting. Join us and quench your thirst with enchanting wines from all over the globe as one of La Poste Eatery’s knowledgeable sommeliers instructs you on the complexity and creative nature of this topic. Light hors d’oeuvres from the La Poste kitchen will be served.
August 7th 6:30-8:30 Old World vs. New World $60.00
Let’s explore one of the most hotly debated subjects in the world of wine-Old World vs. New World. Led by one of our extraordinary sommeliers, you’ll explore the characteristics of wines from all over the globe, including Europe, Australia, and both North and South America. Light hors d’oeuvres from the La Poste kitchen will be served.
September 11th 6:30-8:30 The Grand Tasting $125.00
Your new found wine expertise will be put to good use during this magnificent Grand Tasting. Our sommeliers have chosen the most outstanding offerings from of our extensive wine room to be paired with a sumptuous five course dinner from the La Poste kitchen. This evening will be the culmination of all of your hard “work” and it’s an event you will not to want to miss!
Reduced price for the entire series: $250.00
For more information on the Summer Wine Series, please contact Katherine Purdy, Event Coordinator at La Poste Eatery at:
Phone Number: 513-542-3663
Email: Purdykm@gmail.com
*Be sure to remind her that you’re a part of the 513{eats} community! *
*May not be used for The Summer Wine Series.
Photographs courtesy of Jens G. Rosenkrantz, Jr.
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. I’m so glad you liked the knife reference, but most of all, I’m really glad you’re part of what makes our food community so much fun! {Ilene}
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