Greek Dinner at the Chef’s Table

Last night I took an unusual cooking class that was two parts food-history lesson and one part cookng class. Maybe you could say it was food theater but it seemed more like eating at a great restaurant and being able to ask the chef as many questions as you wanted. In short, it was brilliant.

The class was conducted by smart and sassy Susan Eckis, a local chef and contributor to Richmond Home. She’s fun and funny and proved extremely knowledgeable about the origins of Greek cuisine. Some basic bits: Seafaring countries have more diverse food because it can be imported more easily. In Greece’s case it’s between Europe and the Middle-East, therefore contains attributes of both. (O.K. there were also great wine parings so I don’t remember all the details.)

Mmmmmm … momofuku

It’s 35 degrees out and all I can think about is Momofuku Noodle Bar’s Ramen and Birkshire Pork goodness. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. This dish and this restaurant are no secret. Chef David Chang is the darling of the New York restaurant world having been named best new chef/restaurant by so many rags, even GQ named him Chef of the Year – do they even do that? New York magazine restaurant critics Adam Platt, Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld love Chang so much it’s almost embarrassing to read the reviews … and the best of lists … and the cheap eats write ups. 

But, oh, Chang deserves it. Lets take a closer look:The house noodle bowl combines Chang’s background: Korean heritage, southern upbringing and time in Japan. Just fatty enough, melt-in-your mouth Berkshire pork belly and shredded shoulder mingle in a stock made from chicken legs, roasted pork bones, ham hocks, and bacon. The perfectly compartmentalized toppings add a much needed veggie twist: scallions, snow peas, sliced bamboo shoots and sheets of nori that melt right in. But the pièce de résistance is the poached egg that breaks open and oozes warm yolk all in its business. mouth is watering now …And meanwhile you’re sitting on a bar stool watching the chefs put it together.

And this is what you’re starting off with: steamed pork buns with house-made pickles. 

Are you booking your flight now?

Momofuku Noodle Bar. 171 first ave. nyc 10003 | btwn 10th & 11th

Soup’s On

A head cold and the fall breeze inspired a soup-cooking kick this week. This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Soup from Cooking Light looks good and tastes hearty but the Velveeta gave it a strange processed taste. Normally a fan of Velveeta, here I wished I’d used shredded cheddar instead. It was clever, however, to sub milk and flour for cream, but next time, I’m going for full fat, true flavor. There was no fooling this head cold.

Ingredients

• 1  cup  uncooked quick-cooking wild rice
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2  cups  cubed peeled baking potato
• 3  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
• 10  ounce  light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
• 2  cups  chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley (optional)

VCU’s Third “Genius” in 5 Years

When sculptor Tara Donovan was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant” just a couple of weeks ago, she became the third Virginia Commonwealth University grad to receive the prestigious award in 5 years. Go Rams! Donovan has made a name for herself by transforming everyday, man-made materials into natural entities. Her secret weapon: repetition. In her hands, straws become glaciers, toothpicks become haystacks, tape turns into bubbles. This spring she had an installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where she turned Mylar tape into round bubbles, climbing the walls like an infestation.

Donovan received an MFA in sculpture in ‘99 from VCU. Since then, the program has been ranked no. 1 by U.S. News. Donovan follows in the footsteps of fellow VCU alumni Teresita Fernandez and Daisy Youngblood, who received MacArthur Fellowships in 2005 and 2003, respectively, both sculptors. Fernandez received her M.F.A. from VCU in 1992, and Youngblood studied at VCU in the 1960s. The first major survey of Donovan’s work opens at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston this month. Locally, gallery director Bev Reynolds, was the first to notice and show her work at Reynolds Gallery. Below is a detail of Untitled, 2006, a work made of paper plates and glue.

For More:

See my short  review of “Tara Donovan at The Met “in Richmond Magazine.

For more on VCU’s sculpture program, read “Inside the Studio,” a cover story I wrote for Style Weekly.

W magazine’s September feature on Tara and the home she built in Brooklyn.

The New York Times Sept. 23, Arts section story on Tara: “The Genius of Little Things.”

NY Times Likes Pumpkin Pie

Richmond native Clay McLeod Chapman is a creepy, creepy guy. His short stories start out normal enough - a school kid, a housewife, a nurse, talking in the first person - but they always twist into a macabre O’Henry ending. The kid jerks off in class, the housewife has a crush on a death row inmate, the nurse marries dying soldiers. Chapman and his troupe of actors perform these short story/monologues, often with equally eerie songs, in what he calls “The Pumpkin Pie Show.” I wrote a profile of him in Style Weekly in 2005 when one of his stories was turned into a short film that went to Sundance. Today he got a glowing review in The New York Times. The current show runs through Nov. 1 at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, East Village, (212) 868-4444. Check him out.  pumpkinpieshow.com

Barry Dixon Kicks Some Knowledge

Barry Dixon is the type of person you want around. He’s poised, articulate and smart. Smart enough to turn down Dick Chaney. Although, truth be told, he says he just didn’t have the time.

The D.C. interior designer visited Richmond last week to speak about his work and the secrets of his success. Interestingly he’s one of those people who has no secrets. He’s just good at what he does, almost intellectual about his interiors — so people, magazines, book publishers, furniture and fabric manufacturers come to him, and want him on their team.

Part of what makes his approach so unique is that it ’s global, if a bit Eastern leaning. As a child he lived in Korea, Pakistan, India, New Caledonia (a French island in the South Pacific) and South Africa and he incorporates those experiences into his rooms, not to mention actual antiques he brings back from his travels, singapore, France, wherever the lucky stiff finds himself. The photo above is the sitting room of his Warrenton, Va. estate. During his slide show one room that stood out was a porch with four club chairs and a round breakfast table. He designed the table so it would also crank down to a coffee table so the chairs could face the view. Brilliant. It’s all even better told through Dixon’s soft Tennessee twang, with his blazer-jeans-pocket-square bon vivant persona, it’s no wonder he’s hot. Oh and a book, Barry Dixon Interiors, just came out of his work, too.

Death Becomes Him

Richmond artist Noah Scalin just released this amazing book, Skulls. It might sound strange but it’s actually quite beautiful. It all began when he decided to create a skull each day for a year and record them on his blog www.skulladay.com. I ran into him at Richmond’s First Friday Artwalk last week and he said he’s always had a fascination with skulls (he showed me a skull ring and his skull chest tattoo to prove it). The images in the book are fun and surprising - skulls made of soap, police caution tape, petroleum jelly, cotton balls, feathers, hair, coco puffs for gods sake! Pictured above are the vegetable and Vegemite skulls. (A fan from Australia sent him a jar.)  A testament to creativity and finding art in the everyday. There’s something about art made from everyday things that grabs me. Now it’s your turn, the next phase of his project is getting people to submit their own.

Things Are Looking Up

What’s black and white and green overhead? This cute cottage kitchen. The black-laquer floor and white-cabinet kitchen has an unexpected apple-green punch overhead. Painting the ceiling is a fun way to add a shot of color to a simple room.

Love Shack

Drop it All and Move to Mexico

Riviera Maya, the 75-mile coastline south of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula still has the white sand and turquoise Caribbean water (and 10-to-one peso-to-dollar exchange), but is thankfully lacking Cancun’s Senor Frogs mentality. Instead it’s got eco-resorts, Mayan ruins and wildlife reserves. The fishing village of Puerto Morelos is a great home base (and just 15 minutes from the airport). It’s remained resort-free with a historic church and center town square surrounded by open air seafood joints. Explore the area’s cenotes – Mayan underground cave and river system – for an exotic snorkeling day trip. Or venture just 1,500-feet offshore to dive with 500 species of fish on the Mesoamerican Reef, the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Icing on the cake: Rent a one-bedroom, thatched-roof palapa steps from the beach for $380 a week or $850 a month.Check it Out: http://www.puertomorelosmexico.com/vacation-rentals4.htm