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One Block West Sensational Seasonal Cuisine
25 South Indian Alley Winchester VA, 22601 540-662-1455
Newsletter for September 2003 Your source for what’s cooking at OBW |
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I’ve been working hard to improve everything at One Block West, from the tabletop to the bread to the dessert menu. I’ve also been working hard with the service staff. Now I’d like to start working with direct customer feedback. When I’m in the dining room, all I ever hear is that everything is just great, which we all know is impossible. So, I am looking for some volunteers to come have dinner and provide feedback directly to me. In exchange for filling out a comprehensive questionnaire about your dining experience, I will give you a gift certificate for a free dinner for two. If you are interested, please send us an email.
Look for us at Taste of the Town 2003 on October 2nd, where we will be cooking with many other local restaurants to benefit the Free Medical Clinic. I haven’t seen any details yet about this year’s benefit, but I expect to soon. And I haven’t decided whether to close that evening or split my crew and work both places. More details when I have them.
This month we’ve added four new wines, tasting notes below, including new varietals Cabernet Franc and Vidal Blanc. In addition, I am working to upgrade several of our wines. I have several replacement candidates for the Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel and so I have put it on sale at $15 (normally $20) to move it. Enjoy it while it lasts. Also, some wines such as the Jaume Chateauneuf du Pape have increased in price so much that they are no longer worth the price being charged. Those wines are being replaced.
We’ve also added Bombay Sapphire Gin and Sauza Tres Generaciones Añejo Tequila to our bar. If you’ve not had aged tequila (añejo or reposado), you are missing an interesting sipping spirit that you enjoy like a glass of fine Cognac. Sauza Tres was given 92 points (of 100) by Wine Enthusiast and is one of my favorite añejos.
And, next time you want something non-alcoholic but don’t want a sickly sweet soda, try our new lightly sparkling orange (aranciata) and lemon (limonata) sodas from San Benedetto in Italy.
You know by now that we take the “seasonal” in Sensational Seasonal Cuisine very seriously. And I’m afraid that means that we are nearing the end of scallop season. The season starts March 1st and winds up around the end of August. The domestic boats are limited to 120 days fishing per year and most are just about at their limits, if not done for the year. Consequently, fresh scallop prices are escalating (not that they are ever cheap) and supply is way down. There are plenty of frozen scallops to be had, but we only serve fresh scallops. I know that we have developed quite a following for our scallops and some of you are going to be disappointed, but you can console yourselves with the fact that oysters will start coming on strong as the weather cools off. And there’s always next year to look forward to.
I have devoted a lot of time over the past month to tasting wines for the wine list and have made some new selections that I think you will like. To see the full wine list, click here.
Cousiño-Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Riservas Maipo Valley Chile 2000. I tasted a boatload of reds from Chile and Argentina in August and selected this one. It offers a clean expression of Cab without being overoaked. Ripe and rich, this is a pretty wine and one that I can drink (Cab is not my favorite grape). Not that you should care overly much, but Bob Parker just gave this 90 points (of 100) a couple days ago. At $27, a steal.
E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2000. Arguably the best producer in the Rhône Valley in France, Guigal never fails to produce solid wine. This Crozes is the most economical way to get Guigal’s outstanding Syrah without paying Hermitage prices ($75-$200/bottle). This will replace the Jaume Chateauneuf du Pape on my list. Jaume’s CdP has increased more than $50/case wholesale, partly due to the weakness of the dollar against the Euro, but I’d say there is some price gouging going on too. At $36, the Guigal Crozes is a really affordable Rhône with big Syrah taste.
First Colony Vidal Blanc 2001. Finally, an affordable wine from Virginia that is also drinkable. While this light and fruity Vidal from Albemarle County isn’t going to knock your socks off, it is a fine wine for dinner without breaking the bank like most Virginia wines will. A solid value at $20.
First Colony Cabernet Franc 2001. Well, I have been hearing for years that we can make good Cab Franc in Virginia, but I haven’t tasted one until now. This is a typical Cab Franc: a light weight red with cherry and strawberry fruit, bone dry, like a Chinon from the Loire Valley. Very juicy and utterly quaffable, quite a steal at $20.
Here’s a little primer on soy sauce that is an outgrowth of conversations that I have had with several of you about my Soy-Sesame Dressing. Soy sauce originated in China so long ago that its development is not recorded. We know that soy sauce in its current liquid form has been around since about the 6th century. The Japanese learned how to make soy sauce from the Chinese.
True soy sauce is made from roasted and crushed wheat, steamed soy beans, and salt. The wheat and soy bean mash is inoculated with an Aspergillus starter and left to ferment for 3-4 days. Then salt in the form of brine is added, along with a Lactobacillus starter and yeast, and the mash is left to ferment until the proper flavor is developed. The most expensive brands are fermented in wooden vats for as long as a couple of years. The liquid is separated from the solids, pasteurized, refiltered, and bottled.
The Chinese make two main forms called light and dark soy. Dark soy is aged longer and is mixed with molasses before bottling. To tell them apart, tilt the bottle. If the sauce clings to the side of the bottle, it’s dark soy. Dark soy is used mainly in the north of China. A comparison to white and red wine may be in order. I use light soy for seafood and poultry, not unlike white wine. I use dark soy for red meats, not unlike red wine. In general, I prefer light soy and my favorite Chinese brand is Pearl River Bridge.
Other forms of soy abound. The Thai have a very thick black soy called Sweet Soy. And there is Mushroom Soy, dark soy flavored with straw mushrooms. Tamari is a Japanese form brewed without wheat. Japanese soy (called shoyu) generally contains more wheat that Chinese soy, so it tends to be sweeter and also less salty.
Imitation soy sauce is made from hydrolyzed vegetable protein and caramel coloring. There is no need to buy imitation soy sauce when the real thing is so inexpensive. There are also reduced sodium soys on the market, which you should not confuse with light soy.
Here is a recipe that proved very popular in August. It’s for wahoo on the grill, but you can use any fish suitable for grilling such as swordfish, shark, marlin, or tuna.
Grilled Wahoo with Maître d’Hôtel Butter
1 wahoo steak (or other steakfish steak) per person olive oil salt and pepper
Heat the grill to hot. Brush the grill with oil. Brush the fish with oil. Place on the grill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Watch the side of the fish. As the fish cooks, it changes color. When the color changes ¼ of the way up, rotate the fish 90 degrees to get nice grill marks. When the color changes ½ of the way up, flip the fish over and do the same on the other side. Top with a slice of maître d’hôtel butter and serve immediately. Fish is far better undercooked than overcooked. If in doubt, take it off the grill.
Maître d’Hôtel Butter
1 stick of butter, preferably unsalted 1 shallot, finely minced 2 T minced herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, dill, chervil, savory, whatever you have)
Let the butter soften until you can knead it. Add the shallots and herbs and knead well. Place on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Place in the refrigerator to harden. Slice coins off the log to use on grilled and sautéed meats and fish.
Trivia
Wahoo is a subtropical member of the mackerel family. On the east coast, wahoo range about as far north as Cape Hatteras. Wahoo do not school like many other fish, so they are rarely taken by commercial fleets. Wahoo, like other steakfish, are great for the grill. Wahoo reminds me of swordfish mainly, with white flesh and a mild flavor. In fact, I much prefer it to swordfish.
Maître d’hôtel (master of the house) is where we get the term maître d’ (headwaiter). The circumflex (^) shows a missing ‘s’, that is, maistre d’hostel. So you might be able to see the origin of the English words master, hotel, and hostel. I studied far too much Medieval and Old French in school.
Tip
Ever wonder how we get that great crust on our trout? We use Wondra, a granulated flour.
It is just about that time—time to switch to the fall lunch menu. I am looking for ideas; if there’s anything you would like to see on the lunch menu, please let me know. I think it’s time for the Four Cheese Tortellini Salad to exit the menu along with the Grilled Smoked Pork Chops. Not enough of these are being ordered, so I’m throwing away perfectly good food.
It’s time to start thinking about Christmas parties. I know that it is barely September, but some of the prime dates are already starting to get booked.
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Copyright © 2003 Shenandoah Food and Beverage Holdings, LLC