Hi, there:
Let me introduce myself and give you a little introduction to my new
job. My name is Cheffy and I have 18 years' experience in the
restaurant business in Cape May and nobody really wants to know how
many years before that. This column is a biased point of view of
food, recipes, restaurant critique, gossip and the occasional
alcohol report: usually about wine, but I can't leave out other
items like beer, hard liquor and other imbibeables.
I hope you read my column, but those of you who think you know who I
am, realize the
points of view are mine. Like them or
dislike them but if you are ambivalent about them, I'd like to
hear
from you. Thanks for your support and for supporting CapeMay.com. |
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The food thing:
Conscientious chefs and fish mongers like Samuels and Son Seafood
concur that early April is the beginning of wild salmon season.
Available from April 1st for about 6 weeks is Columbia River Salmon.
Although not as cold a river as The Copper River, Columbia River
Salmon is simply one of the best flavored fish, known for its fat
content and clean environment. It can be prepared in many ways.
Obviously some restaurants know how to use it and some don't. Here's
a sampling of recipes in and around town. Chef Eric Hegyi of
The
Peter Shields Inn (which recently or soon will change hands; see
gossip below) is presenting Wild Columbia River Salmon with a
Fennel-Mandarin Orange Salsa, Chile Oil, Wilted Radicchio and
Basmati Rice. |
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Kudos to Eric, who is well aware
of the affinity salmon has with
orange, orange with fennel, and
everything with a drizzle of
heat. Wakes up those flavors. |
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Another wild fish available as of March 15th is Wild West Coast
Halibut: light and clean this low calorie, high protein, rich in
vitamin B12 and B6 fish can weigh over 500 pounds (yo, a little too
big for my cutting table).
Mimi Wood, much heralded chef of
The Washington Inn, will offer Wild
Halibut with a vanilla-hazelnut crust, a coconut vinaigrette and a
mash of ginger infused purple Peruvian potatoes. (no veg.?) |
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I like the sound of
this;
Caribbean-inspired
cuisine was one of
my favorite
influences during my
tenure as a chef
(not quite over
yet). I didn't talk
with Mimi directly,
but rather with
owner Michael Craig,
who said that March
business was just
standard March. The
Inn will open 2
extra days beginning
April 1st. expanding
their schedule to
Thursday thru
Sunday. |
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 Down
at the bottom of the mall,
Olde
Congress Hall,
responded promptly to my call,
Chef Jeffery Klova commutes past
the big mall,
yet has he dropped the ball?
No wild salmon or halibut
yet; maybe this fall.
Truthfully, this was my first chat with Jeffery, (yes, that is the
correct spelling) who seems like a determined, positive and upbeat
dude. Long commute to town, but it appears that he is giving the Pig
its long-due stability. His late spring-summer menu offers such
labor-intensive and thought-provoking dishes such as: Pork Oso Buco
and Braised Short Ribs. We chefs love those short ribs. Yours truly
even served them at a wine dinner recently as the main meat course
with a fabulous Wild Horse Syrah: big, meaty, bold and spicy.
Calls to Daniels, Union Park and The Black Duck yielded answering
machines during the week, and since I'm now Mr. Mom, when the kids
are at school is when I write. Next month, guys. |
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What would I have done with wild west coast halibut?
Here's an item from an old menu.
Clearly still a fabulous dish,
so some of us were ahead of our
time.
Recipe Included for you from me.
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Gossip:
What's the latest, newest gossip, I'll give a taste of what I've
heard lately. I don't get to hear everything of course. . .
FRESH HOT GOSSIP
Neil Elsohn of The
Waters Edge acclaim is back in business. Neil will be opening his new eatery -
Restaurant 1919 - at
the location of the former Anchorage Restaurant, across the street
from the Lobster
House and at the foot of the bridge coming into town. Watch this
site for grand opening details.
Has the
Peter Shields changed hands yet? Well as of this writing, Chef Eric
says yes, and the new owners take over on April 1st and will spend a
small fortune redoing the place since they clearly have the bucks.
Others involved in the deal say nothing is signed yet. Well, lets
go: either announce it or not; we're not going to sit around and
play diddle here, now are we?
The Waters Edge is closed. Property
owner Gus Andy would not accept phone calls from me (so what's new).
The grapevine say that its going to be another diner. As soon as I
heard that a friend of mine called and said that The Waters Edge was
advertising itself for rent. Most recently the grapevine says that
the guys who used to run The Lampost Diner in North Wildwood and
then The Captains Table are taking over???
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I hope the Chew and
View doesn't get
hurt. The former
Waters Edge staff
has dissipated and
can now be found at:
The Shields,
Martini Beach,
Cabanas, Union
Park, and other places around town all waiting for former chef/owner Neil Elsohn to get off his lazy tush and find them a place to work
together again. Elsohn did not return our phone calls either.
In other Cape May
news, The Mansion
house is changing
hands, soon, very
soon, more on that
soon. Bad word.
Union Park, Union Park, Union Park, What's with the name already. I
remember when it first opened with that name. They compared
themselves to Union Street in San Francisco, a bastion of fine,
upscale shops, Union Bay for clothes, and Union something else for
something else, remember that? I didn't get it then and it still
sticks in my mind. The dining room is a little uptight for me, but I
haven't been there for dinner since it's been under the direction of
Chef John Schatz, formerly of the Peter Shields, and I haven't
talked to him yet either, but I hear that the other owner is waiting
tables in addition to being the owner, Hello.
Well, I do hope you felt something about my column, I honestly don't
mean to offend anyone ever. Will you still respond to my phone
calls, e-mails and other means of communication? Finally, in the
words of one of my favorite newscasters, "I'll see you on the
radio."
Cheffy
4/1/05 |
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