This time a Best of OC Weekly 2011 Award. Check it out here:
http://www.ocweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/best-culinary-experimentalist-1143982/Best of OC Weekly – Best Culinary Experimentalist

Again – thanks OC Weekly!

While we here at Sol Del Sur Bistro dream of one day living in a better economy, hiring lots of staff, servers, even a dish washer some day, we hope frantic energy (and our awesome customers) will tide us over till then!

Working hard to serve you some crazy fun and tasty food!

As rated by Dave Lieberman of the ‘Stick a Fork In It’ column from the OC Weekly.

Check out the review and the complete list here: OC Weekly Blog Stick A Fork In It

We here at Sol Del Sur Bistro greatly appreciate Dave Lieberman’s reviews!

And he clearly appreciates the food here!

Pretty cool for our humble little operation.

But at #3, we’ll just have to try a bit harder!

Dave – thanks for the Props! We’ll be here workin’ hard to try to make it at least to #2 for next year!

I, however, spend all my ‘free’ time searching for new / fun / interesting / novel things to potentially serve at the restaurant.

‘Cause I just love to eat.  Fun / new / interesting / novel things.

Especially when they promise to taste good.

So I stumbled upon the Dekopon.

While the name itself does not exactly quiver with excitement, the comments about it from people who have recently been in Japan and have tried this new citrus varietal do.

People gush about it. Stores in Tokyo sell the citrus for more than $10 per fruit (for one fruit!). Gently swathed in tissue, perched individually in decorative little boxes.

For gifts. Connoting a particularly savvy sensibility to the gift giver.

Well. I’ve spent loads of time in Japan.

I’ve spent days selecting just the right gift for a particularly special occasion. To make sure I came off as savvy and sophisticated, and did not insult the recipient or bring shame to my family or myself. I get it.

This must be one hell of a fruit.

And after just a bit of a search, it turns out that this fruit is just now, after 5 plus years development in the US, just about to hit the markets here.

Renamed ‘Sumo’ citrus (as that has got to sell better than something called Dekopon).

Plus, it’s a big fruit. Like a softball. Like a sumo wrestler (or the stomach of one, anyways).

Sort of a hybrid marriage between a Mandarin and a Navel.

With some effort, I was actually able to contact the grower here in California.

And despite the fact that there are not yet any of this fruit available in stores in southern California, I got some for my restaurant.

Big.

Juicy.

Sweet.

Really sweet.

With just a tinge of the acid you always associate with oranges.

And only available here. At Sol Del Sur Bistro.

This week, we are highlighting the Sumo Citrus as a Tapa along with a Carpaccio of raw Beet marinated in a Sherry Vinaigrette, with some shaved Parmesan and baby Arugula. The supremed Sumo Citrus sits on top of the Carpaccio with a tiny drizzle of Sesame Oil and a light sprinkle of Pink Sea Salt. A vibrantly flavored dish.

Please stop by this weekend and give our Sumo Tapa a try! Let us know what you think!

Long Stem Red Roses for every lady, for example.

And some especially sensuous Small Plates, Entrées and Desserts.

They will be special!

These treats will be offered Saturday and Monday evening, February 12th and 14th.

Just in case you would rather treat your Valentine a few days early!

We will also offer our regular menu both evenings.

So, you can go with the special Valentine’s items, make a complete menu out of it.

Or pick just a few Valentine’s items, and maybe some regular menu items.

Or just order from the regular menu.

Any way you want.

As a chef, I have always liked the special set menus. The ability to create a theme that every course supports. Make the evening as a whole greater than the sum of the individual parts. And because I know in advance exactly what I need to do, I can offer a much more intense dining experience. I can afford to take more risk with the ingredients, because I know that they will be served and not tossed. That’s why I can offer a lower price for the fixed menu than I can if I offer the items individually. So it seemed like a good idea to me.

But that is not what people have told me that they want.

Our friends of Sol Del Sur tell me they want to be able to pick and choose. Maybe get some special items, maybe get some regular menu items.

Maybe it’s the tough economy, and the perception that a Prix Fixe menu is more expensive. Maybe it’s just that it seems that everyone is doing a fixed menu for Valentine’s Day. And that creates the perception that everyone is jacking up the prices to take advantage of the occasion.

So, our complete menu will be offered, along with a few special Valentine’s treats, and long stem Red Roses!

So be sure to make a reservation – the food will be fabulous – all of it!

Note – I hope to have the menu for the Valentine’s special items done this week – I will post it as soon as it is ready!

Without a doubt, the Chilean  Sea Bass was the hit of the evening.  But the other dishes got lots of rave reviews as well!

Frisee, local Strawberries, toasted Almonds, Sesame Crisp

Although the recent torrential rain washed out a lot of the local fruit harvest, we were able to get some local fresh Strawberries to highlight a very colorful salad.  The salad was finished with a Sherry Vinaigrette.  The crisps are a lot of work to make, but everyone loves them!

Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Creme Brulee with White Truffles

Fresh Oregon White Truffles highlighted this unctuously creamy Roasted Garlic Creme Brulee.  Love Roasted Garlic!  Loooove White Truffles!!!  The savory Creme Brulee combines some very earthy and deep flavors with a snap of Goat Cheese sharpness.  The entire restaurant was infused with White Truffle aroma from the moment they arrived by FedEx a day earlier.

Fresh Burrata and Radicchio Marmalade Bruschetta

Mmmmmm!  Fresh Burrata.  Mozzarella on steroids.  So rich and decadent.  Balanced with a balsamic and radicchio marmalade and a sprinkle of sea salt.  This was our Amuse Bouche for the evening.

Sea Bass in Potato Paupiette, melted Leeks, Pinot Noir reduction, Arugula Puree, mashed Potatoes with sauteed Chanterelles

This made a spectacular impression both visually and taste-wise.  The Chilean Sea Bass, lightly pan roasted in a potato wrapper was very moist, just perfect.  The Pinot Noir sauce, a six hour effort, has sinfully rich depth of flavor.  The Arugula puree, slightly bitter, offered a nice contrast to all that richness.  Some fresh Chanterelles lightly roasted in butter and white wine set on creamy mashed Potatoes helped push things over the top.

Frozen Cassis Mousse Bombe, Passion Fruit Gelee, Black Currant Glaze, Chocolate Cotton Candy, Macaroon

The Passion Fruit Gelee is hidden inside the frozen Black Currant and Cassis Bombe.  Set on a Breton Sable cookie.  With a glaze of Cassis flavored Black Currant preserves.  The most fun part of this was making the hand-pulled Chocolate Cotton Candy.  It is just amazing that a big blob of sugar can be transformed into tens of thousands of strands a fine as hair.  I loved the contrast of the super smooth Bombe with the fuzzy Cotton Candy.  And we just happened to have some green Macaroons to make the dessert a bit more NYE colorful.

Everyone had a great time, we made it all the way to the New Year, and the menu was fun to make, visually dramatic to present, and offered some fabulous flavors!

A Healthy Happy 2011 New Year to all our friends!

And anyways, what to make?  When to shop?  And the mess!!

And all those people sitting there waiting for that Turkey (which better be perfectly roasted, like some sort of 1950 photo!)!!!

Plus someone is sure to bring that green bean casserole baked in the Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup again.  (Is that really tradition, or some sort of cruel revenge for evil misdeeds in a prior life?).

It’s enough to make any sane person scream.

Fortunately, anyone who has a restaurant is by definition certifiably crazy.  So, problem solved!

I thought a long time about doing a Thanksgiving menu for this year.

But, the more I thought about all the food I could make, things I have been thinking about off an on for a longtime, the crazy idea grew to be open for Thanksgiving and offer some of those ideas to people who might otherwise be forced (more or less against their will!) to do the same at their homes.

And turkeys are hard to cook well.

Breasts and legs are different.  They have different fat levels, different amounts of bone, different muscle structures.

They need to be prepared separately.

The breasts are best brined and roasted with lots of moisture.  Then crisped at the very end.

The legs need a super long low temp roasting time to tenderize all that sinewy dark meat.  Ideally in a nice bath of duck fat.

So the entire turkey is best when the breast and legs are prepared separately.  Each part given its ideal cooking temp, time and moisture to ensure perfection.  Then brought back together at the table.

Who would be crazy enough to do something like that?  (See above).

And that is just the turkey.  Thanksgiving is nothing without the sides.  And some dessert.

Even if you pull all that off perfectly, pretty much every dish, pot and pan in the house is in a soiled heap in the kitchen waiting for a few hours of scrubbing.

Well.  Either that, or you could just stop by here!

Get all the classics you crave (one day a year) presented with some very tasty upgrades!

Served to you!

And then you can just get up and leave the dishes!

Now that’s a Holiday!

I’ll be here, cooking up some sensational flavors, to help make your Thanksgiving a real holiday!

Call and make a reservation today!

949-487-5225

soldelsur@cox.net

Maybe I should.

But I think most who take a look at the menu quickly see that there are many vegetarian options available. Always.

And I try to keep Gluten-Free options in mind with every menu as well. They are always there.

We are already low sodium. Just because I use NO canned goods. Period. And tend to cook salt lite. Just my style.

And we are already healthy oriented in that we ONLY use pure extra virgin olive oil for ALL cooking, unless butter is specifically called out. We change the menu every week to ensure our produce is seasonal. And I make EVERYTHING on the menu from scratch by hand.

This is just how I cook. It is always a part of the menu.

You can be confident of that every time you enjoy the food here.

Sure we have bacon jam, and crosnes roasted in duck fat, etc. And our gelato is not exactly low fat.

But it’s just as easy to find the fresh trout sauteed with lemons and thyme and tomato salsa. And the fresh Rataouille. And the Pear Confit on Wheat Toast.

And while many items are plated on toast, much of the menu is 100% gluten free.

This is just a natural consequence of wanting to put delicious tasting, fresh and creative food on the table.

A lot of delicious tasting, fresh and creative food is meat-free. And gluten free. And does not need to be clogged up with a lot of unnecessary salt and fat.

So, no need to scale back your enjoyment!

The great flavors you crave are already on on the menu!