the cub comes to town, 7/14/07

My buddie Shane Baird is an extremely talented cook. We worked together in Brest, France at Restaurant La Fleur de Sel in 2003. Being American stages in a foreign kitchen bonded us and we have remained friends ever since. I have had great respect for Shane from day one at LFDS when he was working two stations with extreme skill and precision. I thought he was one of the French guys. He was 19 years old then and has always been the young blood in the kitchen. Thus, his nickmame: the Cub. He came to town and we collaborated on a nice little dinner.




Mackerel tartare with snowpea and radish salad with a Korean chili vinaigrette
















Cooking shrimp with the shell on results in a flavorful, moist product. The problem is that leaving the shell on makes it difficult for the diner to eat. To get around the problem, Shane used combination of techniques. He cut the shell along the shrimp's back, but left the shell attached on the belly side. He then removed the vein, seasoned with salt and pepper, and inserted a basil leaf.


















Making a pineapple gastrique and picking up dishes in a cramped Chinatown kitchen

































Basil shrimp with grilled pineapple and gastrique













The usual suspects.




























Diver scallop, corn puree, and nori

















Happy guests.

































Branzino with red amaranth, quinoa, and dashi









The "Shane" salad, where he treats avocado like dairy, using it to make a creamy dressing that coated the greens











This was a rather civilized dinner party.