This past Sunday needing a break from the constant rush that was restaurant week here in DC, I felt it would be nice to take a quick day trip to the serene and peaceful setting of Intercourse and Bird in Hand, PA.  I figured that this would be not only a fun little drive through farmlands and backcountry winding roads but it would also give me a chance to stop at some farm stands along the way.  The drive was amazing but I did have one slight miscalculation.  The miscalculation …

Recently I’ve been able to get out to many of our wonderful local eateries.  In doing this I have come across one small obstacle.  That obstacle is the fact that even my stomach is not large enough to hold everything I want to try.  See, for me the whole point of dining out is to sample a chefs creativity and as much of it as you can.  So dinner after dinner I order everything I would like to try and either leave unbelievably full or leave a ton of food …

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my desire to see a larger variety of seafood on local menus. Later that week is was fortunate enough to come across a restaurant serving cuttlefish which happened to be delicious. Since then I have began my menu development for the fast approaching autumnal season. For this I have started playing with a variety of products, the aforementioned cuttlefish, sablefish, turbot, langoustines, live scallops, rouget, and suzuki to name a few.
I must admit it has been a long time …

With the weather warming I find myself craving more seafood. The beauty about seafood is the simple fact that there are so many different species that yield way to a variety of flavors and textures. My problem is that when dining we only come across only a standard offering such as salmon, ahi, bronzino, grouper, halibut, rock fish, sea bass, scallops, shrimp, calamari, lobster, mussels, clams and a few others. I will first say that all of the aforementioned fish and shellfish are delicious and should be …

Mid-June has become my favorite time of year these days. Simply put, this is when the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen is held. Since I spent my younger days working in Aspen, I have experienced this unbelievable festival at many different levels. Early on it was all about getting your hands on a pass so that you were able to get into the grand tasting and drink great wine all day long.  As time goes on it became less about drinking and more about learning as much as I …

About six months ago I wrote about sandwiches and how they were one of the greatest food items in today’s culinary arena. This fact remains but it is simply time to talk about a few more classics as well as some innovative new comers.
The recent interest in new sandwiches is sparked by the menu development that is currently going on at our restaurants. At Zola Wine and kitchen a mixture of hot and cold are on the plate, at Potenza mostly hot due to the nature of the pressed Panini …

When I first got my driver’s license I really enjoyed a good road trip whether it was a weekend in Vermont for some skiing or heading towards Ft. Lauderdale for some sun.  So now that I have been driving for many years why should that change? I packed up my car and plugged in 2 east 55th street NYC, my destination, the St. Regis Hotel. Just because the idea of a nice drive hasn’t changed doesn’t mean that my accommodation requirements can’t. For this trip, the endurance would not be …

Let me tell you I’m a fan. For about five months now we have been making Red Velvet style whoopie pies at Zola Wine and Kitchen. They have been very well received and we also expanded our reach into our other restaurants.
The classic whoopie is two chocolate cake/cookie discs that are filled with a marshmallow fluff filling. I must admit I have eaten more of these sweet treats than I should have but it is the equivalent of an ice cream sandwich that doesn’t melt.
What we are doing here is …

 
Over the past year I have spent most of my waking hours either at Potenza trying to dial in our recipes from the Sunday gravy to our house cured meats.  On the road visiting local farms learning about animal husbandry and how some of these local vegetable farmers go about their process.  At Zola Wine and Kitchen teaching cooking classes and starting our quick serve lunch.    And finally at Zola re-doing our menu format and introducing new cooking techniques to our staff.  Needless to say when I have had some …

Lamb Tenderloin, Mache Leaves, Manchego Cheese Dumplings, Salted Marcona Almond Vinaigrette
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
Salad:
2c.     Mach Leaves                              1oz.     Micro greens
½c.    Manchego Cheese, grated
Lamb Tenderloins:
1lbs    Tenderloins                               2t.       Curry Powder
2T.      oil                                                 1spg.   Rosemary
1oz.    olive juice
Salted Marcona Almond Dressing:
¾c.    toasted Marcona almonds     3T.     canola oil hot
1t.      Maldon salt                                 2.5oz.sherry vinegar
½oz.   orange juice                             10oz.  oil
¼c.    shallots, minced & sweated  1T.      garlic, minced & sweated
½ea.  orange peel, grated                ½c.     …