Monthly Archives: May 2012

Let’s Play What’s in the Walk-In: Wild Ocean… Trout?

Say hello to Bradley’s little friend.

On a visit to the restaurant this morning to drop check-stuffers for Harry’s upcoming Animal Pizzeria, I ordered a chopped salad to bring back to the office for lunch.  I forgot to ask for mine just the way I like it, with croutons (we make some of the most addicting ones ever in my opinion – more on our secret later) so I popped into the kitchen to grab some before leaving.  Low and behold, chef de cuisine Bradley Herron was cutting fish in his usual spot  – but with an unusual specimen.  It looked like trout!

“River trout?” I asked, now all curious as to where these slim, hooked-mouth beauties came from.

“Nope. Wild Ocean Seafood trout,” Brad replied. “About 30 pounds came in.”

Is it just me, or have you also only had trout out in the landlocked west?  If so, you can try something new and get a taste of trout from the Atlantic tonight with Bradley’s dinner special. I smelled it all the way upstairs in our mezzanine without even knowing it: simply dredged in flour, pan fried in brown butter and finished with lemon and capers.  I asked him to describe the fish and how it eats from chefs perspective.

“It eats like a trout,” he continued. “Soft, medium to fine flake, crispy skin. It cooks super quick, skin side down, quick flip and it’s done. I’d drink something clean, like a crisp white with this dish.”

Tweet Wine Director Eric Larkee for some winning contenders on our wine list, and read my interview below with Chris Merrifield of Port Canaveral’s Wild Ocean Seafood who shares a little more about his trout source.  Michael and I will get to spend some more time with him next week, when he and other key members of the fishing industry gather for the Southeast Fisheries Association Annual meeting in the keys.  We’ll keep you posted!

It is On! Genuine Cayman’s Pizza Episode Airs Tonight & Hedy FN Dishes on the Afterlife of a Vanilla Bean

It’s always fun when our genuinely talented team shines outside of the restaurant. Hedy and Michael are doing just that today — and making us proud in the process! Check ‘em out.

The Afterlife of a Vanilla Bean As previously reported, Hedy is now blogging sweet somethings on Foodnetwork.com’s FN Dish. Hedy’s posts on FN Dish go live every other Wednesday and highlight her bold, playful approach to nostalgic treats and the sweet side of comfort food. In today’s post, her second, Hedy wastes not and wants not with the majestic vanilla bean. The treasure does not lie solely in the sticky beans inside!

Genuine Cayman: Pizza Episode In his debut television series, Genuine Cayman, Michael celebrates two years on-island by sharing the stories of Cayman’s own farmers and food sources. In tonight’s episode, cheffie heads to East End to visit with Patrick Panton and harvest some delicious calabaza for a hand-formed, thin crust pizza. Just how we like it. Find the recipe below, with a clip of how it comes together in our kitchen at Camana Bay.

Continue reading

Flambé? Touché! Kevin Sbraga Schools Schwartz on the Art & Science of Modernist Cuisine

Kev’s new favorite toy, a wheelable liquid nitrogen tank seen here on the floor here at SBRAGA. Tableside freeze action? Yes, please!

Kevin Sbraga is the chef/owner of SBRAGA in Philly where he practices a modern approach to seasonal and ingredient-driven cuisine. This winner of Top Chef: Season 7 and our guest chef tomorrow night at Harry’s May pop-up dinner arrived in Miami yesterday with two cooks, Jocelyn and Jason. They are ready to get cracking on prep for SBRAGA Pizzeria’s family-style menu and will head to the restaurant to begin after finishing lunch with Schwartz at La Camaronera, one of our favorite local seafood joints to share with visitors. (Can I get a doggy bag, please?)

Knowing Michael’s love of foam and other techniques on the more scientific side of cooking, we thought it was the perfect time to set the record straight on this sometimes misunderstood cuisine and find out from a pro what Michael is missing out on. With its most comprehensive manifesto to date taking home 2012 James Beard Awards for “Professional Cooking” and “Cookbook of the Year,” what has been coined molecular gastronomy and put on a pedestal may actually have more in common than meets the eye with the fresh, simple, pure, and down-to-earth approach to food and drink that we know and love here at our restaurants. Read Kevin’s take in his words below, and check out our pop-up series referenced with a quote from Michael in this weekend’s Wall Street Journal at this link.

Continue reading