Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Mastering a Craft

A friend of mine made the bold decision to forgo jumping into the corporate world after college and headed to Las Vegas to go to culinary school.  He recently returned to Colorado...Boulder to be exact and is now working as the sous-chef at Dolans Restaurant.  

To be honest, I was a little skeptical AND jealous of his decision to go to culinary school.  I'm a pretty big foodie but I couldn't imagine making the decision to become a chef.  It's probably influenced by the fact that I'm not the best chef but it doesn't stop me from loving almost every aspect of cooking.  This is especially true when a nice red or white wine is cracked.  It's relaxing to me.  There's something very peaceful about the chopping process and actually creating something your going to eat.  It's also wonderful when other people get to enjoy your cooking.  Cooking, eating, drinking is a social thing.  A perfect night can be nothing more than an evening with some friends, wine and great food!  

So, last night i had the opportunity to go to Dolans for dinner.  My friend came out to my table and told me that i'm not going to need the menu.  I immediately smiled and new i was in for a treat.  About 15 minutes later he personally brought out the first course.  It was tuna sashimi with thinly sliced jalapenos along with small slices of succulent orange.  It seems like pairing jalapenos and tuna is a pretty trendy combo these days which is fine with me!  I think they pair together perfectly.  

The second course fresh pear and lobster salad with an aged balsamic lightly drizzled on top.  It was light yet flavorful.  The heaping pile of lobster didn't hurt either.  Pears are a funny thing because i really enjoy them but NEVER buy them.  I think the last time i bought a pear at the market it sat on my counter until it was a mushy disgusting mess. 

This next course was something i've never had and was pleasantly impressed.  Thinly sliced sea scallops were marinated in lime ceviche style.  The sea scallops were then plated with a very interesting pesto sauce that was spruced up with lime juice.  This created a buttery and zesty sensation in my mouth.  It transported me away from winter to a perfect spring day....some might even call it a mouth orgasm.  Oh yes, i went there!  I wouldn't normally think that raw scallops would be very good.  The key was slicing them fairly thin so that they weren't chewy at all.  As if this wasn't enough food, there was one more coarse!

When he came out and asked his girlfriend if she liked gorgonzola i knew i was in for a treat.  I'm a HUGE and i mean HUGE cheese fan and i love all types of blues.  A new your strip was brought out with what appeared to be a light beaming down from the sky.  It was covered with perfectly melted gorgonzola and fried shallots.  Apparently fried shallots are also becoming trendy.  I ate probably three more pieces than i thought was humanly possible but i didn't want to be rude (at least that's how i justified it).  All in all it was an incredible meal start to finish.  Even more importantly to me, it was great to see a friend succeeding and mastering his trade.  He left Boulder a couple years ago as a good cook and returned a Chef.  It was a pleasure to see.  

Tres Bien!

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