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Empellon Cocina in NYC blew me away with its modern interpretation of Mexican flavors. Alex Stupak is wildly creative while adhering to the core of Oaxacan food.
We visited with another couple and were able to try a good portion of the menu. Everyone thought I was crazy: an Angeleno, going for Mexican on a trip to NYC. But I haven’t tasted anything like this here in LA (and I do love Chef Rivera here).
Our server was great: she knew the menu and the drink list backwards & forwards and struck the perfect balance of friendly/easygoing with “I’m not your friend, I’m your waiter” reverence. You can’t beat the service in New York.
The salsas stuck out in my mind. The way they were emulsified both dazzled and puzzled me. No runny stuff here but beautiful, glistening and holding their own. I thought maybe egg whites or xanthan gum might’ve been the culprit, but our crack server checked with chef Stupak, and who knew?: the mere inclusion of nuts here, or straining heavily there (say a tomatillo) gave them their oomph. The chile de arbol salsa tasted like Christmas. The verde was fresh but had depth. They had a bit of sweetness, which countered the spiciness beautifully.
For the dishes, most were hits. A couple weren’t quite misses, but when compared to the hits paled. We loved: carrots w mole & yogurt (photo above), duck tinga, beef tartare. Less successful: lobster queso fundido-type dish, squid w mole (but it sure was pretty…)
Interesting note (mini trend perhaps?): Stupak did pastry at wd-50. Another one of my recent favorites here in LA, Red Medicine (Vietnamese flavors, modernist treatment), is helmed by Jordan Kahn, also a former pastry guy.
Photo Credit: Paul Goguen/Bloomberg
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Grasshoppers for lunch
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Enter "The Braiser": Food Media is an Official Ad Category Now
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Friends, Wine, Mole Ragu & YouTube Videos
Hosted a great evening with co-workers. Rainy day turned into a cool night starting with appetizers by the grill moving to a casual sit-down, cocktails and lots of YouTube videos. The menu combined rencent F&W recipes, with an original pasta creation and a family favorite:
Grilled Shrimp and Scallions with Kimchi Miso Butter
Silvano Follador, Prosecco Supieriore Brut, Valdobbiadene 2010
Zanotelli, Muller Thurgau, Trentino-Alto Adige 2009
Papardelle with Mole Ragu (recipe below)
La Rioja Alta, Rioja Vina Ardanza Riserva Especial, Rioja 2001 (1.5L—decant for min 2 hrs)
Grandma Phyllis Wildnauer’s Spring Rhubarb Custard Tart served with vanilla ice cream
Coffee, Los Angeles Cocktail, Grapefruit-Ouzo Spritz (ask me for our house recipes!)
Papardelle w Mole Ragu
Serves 10
- 1 lb veal shoulder, cubed
- 1 lb pork shoulder, cubed
- 1 lb beef chuck/stew meat, cubed
- 1/2 lb pancetta diced
- 1 large (or 2 medium) onion, chopped fine
- 3 celery sticks, chopped fine
- 2 carrots, chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 bottle dry red wine
- 5 tbsp Dona Maria prepared mole
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or less, to taste)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 28 oz chopped San Marzano tomatoes
- Chicken broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive Oil
- 3 packages artisanal papardelle (check label that each package serves “4”)
Make the ragu one day in advance and refrigerate overnight. Reheat before serving.1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil2. Brown the pancetta and remove once beginning to crisp3. In the pancetta fat, brown all of the meat cubes in batches so the Dutch oven is not crowded and that the cubes are browned nicely. Remove the meat to a plate or bowl.4. Brown the onion, carrots and celery in the remaining fat. Add more olive oil if necessary to brown. Cook until veggies are just translucent.5. Add the garlic and cook 2 min more.5. Add tomato paste and stir to integrate. Cook until paste is just starting to emit a caramelized, browned scent, about 2 min.6. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook over high heat while scraping the edges of the pan.7. Add the mole & red pepper flakes and cook 2 min more.8. Add the meat back to the pan, add the tomatoes, then add chicken broth to a level where the meat is just barely covered with liquid.9. Add the bay leaves10. Simmer uncovered over medium low heat for at least 90 min-2 hr or until the meat is starting to fall apart.11. Season the ragu w salt & pepper at the end of the cooking time.The day of serving, reheat ragu very slowly (at least 2-3 hours over medium low…). Set a boiling pot of salted water with olive oil.1. Once the ragu is nearly cooked, Start the water boiling.2. When the ragu is nearly done, place papardelle in pot of water until cooked just below al dente level3. Remove, then sauce the pasta and combine with a little hot pasta water.4. Serve on plates or in low bowls, garnish with grated parmesan or cotija cheese -
I agree with Forbes: @LaunchpadLA is both happy and charming
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Delicious meal at Felidia
Pre-theater oldie but goodie Felidia delivered. From the ridiculously varied, yet super-Italian bread basket, to the ramps fava buratta speck app, to the pastas, to the veal to the odd but delicious 04 teroldego from the Dolomites, it was superb and worth every penny
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Wild sumac tea @ farmers market. No it’s not wild hemlock
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Pasta heaven at Eataly!
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Great Cocktails from Trader Joe’s Bottom Shelf
Are pisco or mezcal too exotic to justify a spot on your home bar? With TJ’s peddling “Pisco of the Gods” and “Authentic Oaxacan Mezcal” for <$18, they don’t have to be.
Here are two cocktails—one a classic pisco sour, the other an attempt to reconstruct a fabulous mezcal-based sour drink that was custom made for me at Santa Monica’s Copa d’Oro last week.
Either gives you ample opportunity to practice your artistic skills drawing patterns of bitters on the foam to garnish. Copa went so far as to draw a palm frond—kind of like those you see on high-end lattes. Needless to say, I couldn’t replicate at home!
Pisco Sour
Shake over ice vigorously:
- 1 part egg whites (use pasteurized from a carton for a yuck-free drink)
- 2 1/2 parts pisco
- 1/2 part simple syrup (or 1 heaping barspoon confectioner’s sugar)
- Juice from 1 lemon
Strain into a chilled coupe, sour glass, champagne flute or footless cocktail glass. Garnish with artfully placed drops of Angostura bitters.
Copa di Rosato
Shake over ice vigorously:
- 1 part egg whites
- 2 parts mezcal
- 1 part aperol
- 1/2 part agave syrup
- juice from 1 large lime or 1 1/2 small limes
Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with Peychaud’s bitters by “pulling” drops of bitters across the froth into a pattern with a toothpick.
Cheers!
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Improv dinner: Cuban style pork & okra stew, slime-free!
Personally indulgent ephemera on digital media, food & drink, design and life.
