Fine Dining: Beacon, Sag Harbor, East Hamptons

A weekend at the Hamptons for the Memorial Weekend celebration with some good friends turned out to be a most palatable experience. After driving around Montauk, Amagansett, and Sag Harbor in East Hamptons, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant by the Sag Harbor



Newly opened for the season last May 12, 2010, Beacon was highly recommended to us for a fine-dining experience with Executive Chef Sam McCleland's epicurean creations.



We joined a line of people to be seated...and went to the bar, first, for a round of mojitos.



The surrounding view was spectacular, especially, as the sun was about to set.



After a twenty-minute wait, we were assigned our table and we settled down to what became a three-hour dinner. Perusing the menu made us salivate for some Mediterranean and Asian inspired items. We started with Steamed Mussels "Beacon Style" with garlic, white wine, lemon-thyme, creme and tomatoes...and some Braised Pork Belly, wrapped in soft tortilla, with pickles and spicy hoisin sauce.



We finally ordered our main courses, which were among the specials of the day: A whole Seabass, garnished with a quinoa-based salad...



and Bouillabaisse.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how the Bouillabaisse was plated. I am familiar with this dish as a fish soup. Here, the presentation was all together, in one serving platter, topped with the crispy slice of bread with rouille mayonnaise.

A quick check on Wikipedia gave me additional information that this is a traditional Provençal fish stew, that had it's origins in the port city of Marseille. The word Boullabaisse comes from two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce heat, i.e., simmer.

It is a fish soup made from a long list of ingredients, consisting of a variety of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse, typically scorpionfish; sea robin; and European conger; and it can also include gilt-head bream; turbot; monkfish; mullet; or silver hake. It also usually includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins , mussels ; small crabs; spider crab or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish.

Bouillabaisse is uniquely different from other fish soups in the way it is served. Traditionally, the broth is served first in a bowl containing the bread and rouille, and the seafood and vegetables are served separately in another bowl or on a platter. The broth is usually served with bread and rouille, a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillabaisse

For more on the history of bouillabaisse, check the following link. There is a recipe included if you are inspired to create your own.
http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/70/

The bonus to dining in Beacon is to watch the sunset.









While we waited for our main courses to come, which we ordered family style, we also had time to make friends and chat with people around us. As it turned out, there were three sets of customer changes on both sides from us, as we dined a la French style, sipping our wine, taking our sweet time to savor each others' company and the different flavors of the gourmet food. We sweetly capped the night with Maple Crème Brûlée with Fresh Berries and Lemon-Pudding cake with a Berry Compote.

What a lovely way it was to spend an evening. The whole experience was sensually delightful!

Walking Tour: The Bloomberg Building, One Beacon Court, NY

There is so much to see, architecturally, in New York City. As I walk around, I find myself stopping for a few minutes to admire some architectural sculptures. One such place is the BLOOMBERG Building, designed by Argentinian- born, American architect Cesar Pelli.
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/cesar-pelli/

Bloomberg is a familiar name in the world of finance. Michael Bloomberg, who now reigns as the Mayor of New York, formed Bloomberg as a media company in 1981, to provide the tools and data needed by businessmen in the world of finance. Their main product, the Bloomberg Terminal, is "a computer system that enables financial professionals to access the Bloomberg Professional service through which users can monitor and analyze real-time financial-market data movements and place trades." It is most relied upon because it provides "the fastest-growing real-time financial information network in the world."

The building structure occupies a whole block bound by 58th St. where the main entrance to the building is located...leading to the atrium...

...59th St. where there is another entrance. At the base of the building, in 6 floors, the offices of Bloomberg are situated.

The atrium is elliptical in shape, with the glazed-glass walls sloped inward with a 7% slope. Seen from the elliptical shape is the Lexington Tower.

After taking this picture, I was told that I could not take pictures within the atrium area as it was private property. But, they graciously informed me I could continue taking pictures from the sidewalk, or from any other angle outside of the building's perimeter.

From a vantage point on the 27th floor of another building, this is the view of the Lexington Tower, which is now the eighth tallest building in New York City. A third of the tower is for residential use, the third top most.

Here is another angle from 59th and 3rd St. Built with a structural-steel frame system, at the bottom of the building's structure you will find your favorite commercial establishments such as a bank, a hardware store, a coffee house, a department store...you name it, you think it...and it might just be somewhere around the block.

Here are more photos I took as night time was setting in...from the sidewalk across the surrounding streets:

You are at ONE BEACON COURT.

As you can see, the entrance to the offices is marked by the Bloomberg sign, while the residential entrance is through the white-framed glass doors. Professional business groups in the world of finance can make an appointment to tour the Bloomberg Building, by booking an appointment in advance. But for a tourist like me, "sorry"...is what I got when I tried to make an appointment.

Just in case you happen to be walking by this area when you come to visit New York, slow down and you might catch a glimpse of Mayor Bloomberg, and possibly Beyonce and her husband Jay Z, Woody Allen and a host of other celebrities and prominent people. As for me, I was content to simply admire the architectural beauty, design, and movement of this building.

A Gastromique Tour: Breizh Café for some French Gallette

When treating friends to something Frenchy, a visit to Breizh Café in the heart of La Marais in Paris, at 109 rue Vielle de Temps, becomes a fun experience of deciding just what to order. The choices on the menu are limited to sweet and savoury French gallette creations.


A galette is like a French crêpe - it is a thin, large, savoury, buckwheat-flour pancake, while a crepe is made from wheat flour, much smaller in size and mostly filled with a sweet filling. This type of large, thin pancake originated in the regions of Normandy and Brittany, where it was used to replace bread as basic food, and it is now eaten countrywide. Buckwheat was also planted as a crop in impoverished soil conditions, in the regions of Limousin or Auvergne.

It was a treat to see how easily these things are prepared. First, the chef poured a ladle-full of the buckwheat mixture on to the top of the crepe maker - these round, flat gizmos.

With a wooden squidgy, the pancake mix is thinned out up to an inch 

from the outer rim of the heated, crepe plate.

With a stainless spatula, the chef lifted up one side and proceeded to turn it over to brown the other side.

While still on the crepe plate, butter is spread on it, then the other ingredients are added to the center of the gallette, and finished by folding the curve sides to form a square...just like you see it.

The savoury gallete is frequently garnished with egg, meat, fish, cheese, cut vegetables.

One of the most popular varieties is a galette covered with grated Emmental cheese, 

a slice of ham and an egg - and this is what I had ordered - galette complète (a complete galette). 

This was filling to my tummy.

The sweet gallete is filled with apple slices, berries, caramel, or similar ingredients and topped with powdered sugar, ice cream scoops, syrups...and what ever else you want on it, for an additional fee! 

For my dessert, this is what I ordered: gallete topped with 2 scoops of marron glacé ice cream.

This is how it came! Oh...that was so sweetly delicious!

Did I tease your palete enough? If you want to try making it yourself, check this recipe from  Bon appetit!

In the Kitchen: Parmesan Chicken

Home-cooked meals are a constant adventure for me as I design healthy but tasty meals. Here is one of my son's favorite "Parmesan Chicken."

This recipe is similar to "Scaloppine al Limone" (made with veal.) Instead of using breadcrumbs, I am substituting grated parmesan cheese and using chicken breast as my meat. The elimination of the breadcrumbs makes this meal a high-protein food.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Chicken breasts, butterflied to 1/4 inch and tenderized with a kitchen mallet
Sprinkle with lemon and set aside.

On parchment paper (or wax paper), spread grated parmesan cheese, then add some dried onion flakes.

In a shallow plate, scramble one egg. Dip both sides of the chicken, then coat both sides with the parmesan/onion mixture.

In a pan, warm up a little butter and cooking oil (do NOT use olive oil). Pan fry each side 2-3 minutes or until. Serve with a side salad.

SIDE SALAD: Arugula with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Garnish with Green Apples and Pecans Caramelized with agave.

Market Day: Union Square, NYC

Saturday was coming up and my daughter asked me to set aside some time to go to Union Square to check out both the artists and produce markets. On April 18th, we were out the door at 9:45...on the subway. Little did we know that there was going to be some controversy.

These are paintings on used wood as the canvass...a good way to recycle 

odd-shaped and odd-sized wood.

I noticed the sign: "Stop harassing artists." I asked what that was about...Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has launched a move to limit the number of vendors who sell art in Manhattan's busiest parks, including Union Square, Battery Park, the High Line Park and parts of Central Park.

Hundreds have gathered where the hearings are held, chanting "Artist power" and holding signs that accused the city of harassing artists.

What will happen to these artists? Where will they sell their artworks?

The artists are fighting. The reason cited for the city's move to reduce the artist population by 80% because the parks and squares are dangerously getting over crowded, is not acceptable to them.

This are the artists' perceptions of what is really behind Mayor Bloomberg's motive!

For now, they are still there, along with the other vendors...

Plants for spring gardening...

rescued kittens in search of new homes...

tie-dyed shirts...and other fashion accessories and gift items can be found as you walk around...

artisanal products from the local areas...

Regular and organic produce...

Here is something for the knitters, lambswool yarn.

Man's best friend...sorry, they are not for sale!

If you are going by car, factor in the cost of parking. It may not be such a good deal to go all the way to market day in Union Square unless you go there for other reasons. It could be well worth it!
---
For now, the city said there would be no immediate decision, but rather, the purpose of the hearings was to gather comments. In the meantime, the street artists have launched a creative campaign that portrays Mayor Bloomberg as a "destroyer of artists' rights."

I pray that this will all end to the mutual satisfaction of all parties involved.

Cloudscapes: Colored by Volcanic Ash

After having our original flight canceled, due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland this month which choked air travel to Europe , my daughter and and I finally got on our way. Before leaving, one of my friends called to wish me goodbye and to tell me to enjoy the view from up there as the scenery would be beautifully colored, as a result of the presence of volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

After taking off at about 7:05 p.m., I fell asleep for a good 15 minutes. 

When I woke up this was what I saw through the window.

I moved over to the window-side seat and got out my little toy - my point-and-shoot camera, and began clicking away. I noticed the black streaks in the horizon and concluded that they were volcanic ash.

The colors were so vibrant...beautiful complimentary colors. I thought the reflection on the wing was a tinge of blue, on the turquoise side. 

Then, dinner was served. That interrupted my sky-viewing enjoyment. 

Later, the choice was for me to watch a movie or go to sleep. Well...my age decided for me! 

I soon woke up...It was almost morning time in Europe, breakfast was being served, 

 and the sun was rising!

Ice crystals had formed on the window...

and the black streaks got even more noticeable!

What could that black line of concentric circles be?

As the sky brightened a bit more, I was able to see better. There was a jet plane at the beginning of that black line. I guess it's exhaust from the engines was having a reaction with the volcanic ash to form that dark line...I saw two of these!

Can you see the outline of the plane now?

In a matter of minutes, the sun was up, which was about the time we were descending from 35,000 feet!

Below the clouds, the effects of the volcanic ash in the atmosphere could no longer be seen and the jet plane's exhaust was white.

Right before we touched down, the captain announced that it was 7°F and a bit foggy, but clear enough to see the quilt-like patch on the ground of yellows from the mustard flowers, greens from other vegetables plants, and a community in a developed village in the middle of the open field.

And finally, we arrived at CDG!