The Chef's Table at Second Empire

As a truly special treat for my birthday, Jessica took me to Second Empire (http://www.second-empire.com/) to enjoy their Chef's Table.  The Chef's Table is a unique experience that cannot (and will not in this post) be adequately described to properly convey how incredible it is!  Basically, the head chef (Daniel Schurr) served as the host, server, and chef for our dinner, all taking place at a table INSIDE THE KITCHEN.  As a result, we were able to learn so much about the food, the wine (manager Nick Saddlemire explained the origin of everything we tasted!), the process behind preparation, and the atmosphere inside a kitchen during service.  The entire staff was so incredibly nice and accommodating throughout our meal, and we hope to return in November again because the experience is so fantastic!

Because I cannot do true justice to the Chef's Table experience, I'll focus mostly on the food and then let you try the Table yourself to see it in full action!  With each course, we had a paired wine that without question always complimented whatever we were eating (because I don't know a lot about wine flavors, I'll forgo amateur descriptions... but they were all excellent!).  At the start of the meal, Jessica and I agreed to try everything and I ended up finishing each of my plates (except for dessert, because I was too full).  Jessica did the same except for some of the lamb on the last course, again because she was so full!  This resulted in me trying beans, collard greens, haricot vert, and many others I normally wouldn't like... and all were delicious!

Swordfish

Our first course was a rosemary and citrus grilled swordfish with beans and a fried green tomato.  Neither Jessica nor I had tasted swordfish before but we were both excited because we've heard good things.  Much like I'd heard, the swordfish had a good, meaty flavor (maybe most closely compared with tuna although it's more a white fish) that I really enjoyed.  The citrus and rosemary compliments were excellent, as was the sweet balsamic reduction.  More and more, I enjoy a sweet sauce with my main proteins (whether they be meat or seafood) and this combination worked perfectly.  Surprising to me, I really enjoyed the beans and squash also (two things I don't really eat at all) and hopefully that'll encourage me to try them more in the future.  There isn't a better start to the meal that I could have imagined, and I worry now a bit that the next time I order swordfish (and I will), I'll be disappointed because it doesn't compare to this taste.

The second course was one of our favorites; called a short rib "croquette" it can probably be most comparable to a crab cake that has no filler, except instead of crab it was made of braised short rib and pork belly, then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried.  If my chicken-fried ribeye at Revolution was upscale chicken-fried steak from the South, then this was the Rolls Royce of that combination.  By adding the fried crust to the short rib, the kitchen elevated short ribs with contrasting textures... true genius.  If the croquette alone wasn't good enough, the saffron and smoked tomato risotto was arguably better!  Never have I had a more creamy, balanced, flavorful risotto than this; I wish I could have it every single day.  The ginger molasses jus was again a nice sweet compliment to the meaty flavors in the dish.

Foie Gras

In between our second and third courses, we had blood orange sorbet, which was very good.  Jessica thought it was the best thing EVER and I enjoyed it even if it was quite tart for me.  Regardless, it was quite the fancy "pallet cleanser" considering it was basically a full serving of gourmet, exotic sorbet!

As a special treat from the chef, our next course was extra... a magnificent piece of seared foie gras served over grits and collard greens.  Jessica and I had never ventured into the "foie gras" world in any meaningful way, but any apprehension we had about trying it was erased on the first bite.  Words truly cannot do justice to this tasting experience... without question, it was the best thing either Jessica or I had ever eaten.  My mind barely processed all of the flavor, but it was like a mix of excellent steak, butter, fat, and caramelization but better.  If you haven't tried this before (and don't live in California), please order it the next time that you have the chance.  Even Jessica, who is not Mrs. Adventurous with cuisine, loved every single bite!  An added bonus was the wine pairing of sauternes, which is apparently classic with foie gras.  It is a sweet, syrupy wine and may have been my favorite of the night.  The grits and greens were great too, and a nice addition, but I barely remember them because the foie gras was that amazing.



Lamb



Our "main" course for dinner was  de-boned rack of lamb stuffed with foie gras and spinach and served with creamy hominy (delicious) as well haricot verts and a prune-horseradish jus.  For me, the lamb was perfectly cooked and flavorful; not as gamey as other times I've tried it but with enough distinction from a piece of beef.  The arrangement on the plate, with the stuffing and contrasting white hominy, was very cool as well. 

I was probably most impressed by the flavor and creaminess of the hominy; I'd never had it before and couldn't stop eating it in the accompanying sauce.  By this point in the meal, I was so full but I powered through and finished every bite; the dish was really good!

For dessert, we had chocolate souffle with vanilla cream.  From the two bites I tried, I'd say it was fantastic, but I feel bad I was too full to enjoy it more.  It's an odd dynamic in the kitchen when you see someone working so hard to prepare something, and preparing it so well, only to eat a couple of bites before hitting a completely full state!  Hopefully the pastry chef understands the predicament I was in (she probably has seen it many times before!) and wasn't offended.  Jessica did her part to chip away at the dessert (we actually only had them give us one instead of one for each because I knew this would be an issue!) so by the end it didn't look quite as bad.  Still, though, it would have been

great to box up (although that was tough with us going out after).  I think next time, I'll figure out a way to save room and savor ALL courses at the table!

Without any exaggeration, this was the best meal of my life.  The food was great, and the experience completely unique.  I have become so interested not just with eating new foods but with seeing ways to prepare them, meeting people who have chosen the culinary profession, and experiencing the "business" from an insider's point of view, that this will be something I never forget.  The tastes, the interactions, the setting, and the food service were all perfect... I cannot wait to return with Jessica to celebrate her next birthday!

Thank you to Second Empire... Chef Daniel Schurr, Nick Saddlemire, and the entire staff made this my best birthday dinner ever!

Our Second Trip to Revolution in Durham

Last night, Jessica and I met friends for dinner at Revolution (http://www.revolutionrestaurant.com/) in Durham.  This was our second trip to the modern Durham restaurant (click here for our first try), having enjoyed it for Valentine's Day in 2011 enough to recommend it again.

We started our night in the expansive bar, trying some of their specialty cocktails.  Jessica ordered one of their two "spicy" drinks and it was quite good, but with a lot of heat.  Everyone else seemed to enjoy their selections, and the bar area was surprisingly active for being so early (~ 6 PM) on a Saturday night.  For dinner, we were seated at a table in their downstairs seating area.  The space was okay, and made better when full of people, but it didn't have quite the atmosphere of the upstairs where the decor is more consistent and upscale.  Still, for our group of six, it didn't make any difference because the downstairs allowed us to enjoy each other's company without worry of being too loud!

The table split a few appetizers, and I tried both the scallops and lamb sausage.  The scallops had an excellent sear and were properly cooked... not overdone but certainly not raw either.  There wasn't anything that struck me as "special" about these scallops, but I definitely was satisfied that they delivered what I hoped.  I was honestly surprised that they served five per order; even though they weren't huge, they were still large enough where three could have been the appetizer portion.  The lamb sausage, while somewhat plain on the plate, was more unique than the scallops.  It was slightly spicy and reminded me of a mereguez sausage (which it probably was meant to be) that I'd had before.  I didn't have the chance to taste the sausage, which crumbled from the casing a bit more than I'd like, with the honey, but I imagine that pairing was perfect!

For dinner, I was thrilled to order a chicken-fried ribeye.  For those unfamiliar with the concept, chicken-fried steak is typically a pounded-thin round steak that is then coated in flour / batter and fried so that it has an outer crust like fried chicken.  In this case, they used an excellent, thick-cut ribeye in place of the thinner, lower quality beef commonly used, and the result was very interesting.  First the things I loved about it... high quality steak cooked to a perfect medium rare, crunchy exterior (particularly at the edges) for an excellent texture contrast uncommon with steak, and heavily seasoned for great flavor.  Now the things that could have been better... some of the breading was soggy (maybe unavoidable with a thick, juicy steak), the onion gravy was more of an acidic onion marmalade and I was hopping for an actual gravy typical of country-fried steak, and the sweet potato cake wasn't as crisp on the edges as I'd like.

Overall, though, I loved the steak dish.  I'm always excited to try something a bit different from the norm, and combining my favorite cut of steak (ribeye) with a favorite preparation I don't have often (chicken-fried) was perfect.  There were small areas to improve upon, the easiest being to crisp up the sweet potato cake, but I appreciate the creativeness and the execution of something that I'd never seen before.  When I finished my dinner, the plate was entirely clean and that ultimately speaks for itself!

Our group's experience was very positive; everyone seemed to like their meals and the atmosphere allowed for us to converse, joke, and even get a bit loud at times.  The service was also impeccable (no water glasses ever empty, food arriving at the same time, etc.) and not rushed as our dinner neared three hours.  For a more romantic time at Revolution, I'd definitely make sure to sit upstairs, but that's a small detail.  I think that people looking for a fun night our with good and creative food should definitely consider Revolution.