Docsconz- The Blog

Ferrari Challenge at Watkins Glen

Yesterday, my son, L.J. and I drove across N.Y. State to meet up with my friends, Scott and Tanya Boswell, who were participating in the Watkins Glen Ferrari Challenge along with their friends from Ferrari of Tampa Bay and other regional Ferrari clubs. Jerome Bocuse was also there running his Ferrari adorned with the logo for Bocuse D'Or USA and Daniel Boulud came up with his friend, Dean Santon to participate. While I didn't get a chance to ride in one, let alone drive one, we had fun, partaking of a unique experience. The cars are simply stunning - beautiful just standing still and jaw-dropping when zooming around the track. It was a pleasure to bask in their glow and to resonate with their rumbling engines. The event started on Thursday and was continuing through the weekend. I wish that we were able to stay for more than just the Saturday afternoon.

Blue Smoke in Saratoga

It's really not just Blue Smoke. There's a Shake Shack and a Paddock Bar too, all from the Union Square Hospitality Group. Situated by the Club House Gate off Nelson Avenue and near the paddock and horse path and with their own betting windows, the restaurants are perfectly placed to enjoy both the equine and hominid action of the Saratoga Race Track.

Even though it was a beautiful day after the track's opening weekend of hot and sometimes rainy weather, it was still Monday and the track was only lightly attended as were the restaurants, which at this point was just as well. With the track just having opened for the season this past Friday, the restaurants are still absolutely brand new. It showed in the time it took for small orders to be filled, but the quality of the food was still excellent and service was given with the trademark Danny Meyer reputation for friendliness and excellence. When I ordered fries at Shake Shack, the ones I received were not particularly fresh. When I asked the counterperson about them after I had tasted one, she didn't blink an eye. She took them back with an apology and within a couple of minutes I now had two orders of delicious piping-hot fries right out of the fryer. With a special "Sloppy Track Shake" to go along with the fries, we were good to go. The shake was a truly beguiling salted caramel with a generous heaping of Valrhona cocoa sprinkled on top. I couldn't finish the shake, but I made sure to siphon off the wonderful cocoa. At $7 the shake was not cheap, but it was truly decadent and worth the splurge, especially if splitting it with someone.

 

At Blue Smoke, the ribs came right away, but the pulled pork sandwich took a bit longer despite the lack of any line. Both were excellent, however, especially when eaten in the small dining area situated directly above Blue Smoke overlooking the Paddock Bar. The ribs were meaty with a Kansas City style sauce that mercifully wasn't too sweet. I prefer a non-tomato, vinegar based North Carolina style sauce with pulled pork, but the Blue Smoke sauce was still tasty without smothering the pork's flavor. There are also chipotle chicken wings and some desserts on the menu, but we didn't try them this time. 

The upstairs vantage point is a great spot to hang out, enjoy the meal, have a cold brew or glass of wine available at a small bar up there and observe the milling people and horses below or watch the race on the simulcast tv screens. We just happened to find Danny Meyer himself overseeing the early days of this venture.

 

The Paddock Bar is a nice spot for cocktails. Since I was driving I didn't indulge, but the Lynchburg Lemonade with Jack Daniels and house made lemonade and The English Twist with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Pimm's Cup No.1, lemonade and cucumber both tempted.

A few kinks still need to be worked out in distributing the food efficiently, especially when the days get really busy, but that will undoubtedly happen sooner rather than later. The enthusiasm of the staff at the restaurants and the expertise of Meyer and his crew will see to that. More importantly the food is as good as I expected (I expect a lot from the Union Square Hospitality Group though I must admit that Shake Shack burgers are not my favorite) and the location and ambiance are as good as it gets for food at the track. I'm not a betting man in general and I don't really go to the track to play the ponies. I go because it is fun to watch not only the incredible horses, but the people at the track as well. Now with the additions of Blue Smoke and Shake Shack as well as kiosks for a number of local Saratoga eateries, it is also a fun place to eat.

Scott Boswell's Louisiana Part 1: Redfish

On my recent trip to New Orleans I got to spend a lot of time with my friend, one of that city's top chefs, Scott Boswell, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana. I have documented some of that time here including a couple of posts dedicated to our redfishing expedition and the subsequent dinner he made for me and my family. In addition to still photographs I did some video and am putting together a small series of videos on Chef Boswell and his Louisiana. This is the first. It is a short, light-hearted video representation of our fishing experience and a recap of the dinner that followed. Several more videos will follow. Chef Scott Boswell is up for a James Beard Award for Best Chef: South on May 3rd. I wish him luck!

Scott Boswell's Louisiana Part 1: Redfish from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

The redfish dinner was complimentary. Wild redfish may be caught and eaten with a valid Louisiana fishing license up to 5 per licensee per day.

Ed. I am sickened by the growing oil spill off the Louisiana coast and the potentially catastrophic effects it may have on the redfish and other wildlife of the area.

Redfish #2

Once back on shore, Capt Corey filleted the fish using a heavy duty electric knife. By this time a number of the fish already had rigor mortis. Capt. Corey did his job very efficiently. The fillets were placed back on ice to be brought back to the restaurant Stella!, where Chef Boswell's staff would finish the prep.

 

He started with a cut down behind the gills and than back to the tail along the spine. Apparently it is difficult to cook these fish whole as they are difficult to scale.

 

This partially digested small crab was discovered in the stomach of one of the fish. Redfish are voracious feeders and apparently will eat just about anything. Like for me, crabs are one of their favorite things to eat. Captain Corey inspects the stomachs to get a better understanding of what the fish are eating and thus where to fish for them.

 

Unfortunately there was a lot of waste product. It would have been nice to have seen the rest of the fish put to good use too.

 

Captain Corey trims the peritoneal membrane from the fillet.

Next: Redfish #3: Dinner

Redfish #1

I had the pleasure of fishing for redfish in the Louisiana marshes with Chef Scott Boswell, my son Andrew and our guide Captain Corey. My understanding is that linefishing is the only legal way to get redfish and that they are not available for commercial use. The limit per day is five per person. We went out bright and early on a spectacularly beautiful day. We used shrimp as bait followed by trolling with spinners. The latter was the more successful approach. Chef Boswell caught the most. We finished before we might have as we had to get my son back to a class at Tulane. The morning spent fishing was a blast!

 

More on redfish to come....

Taste of the Week - February 6th-13th

Sports fans do a lot of little things to show their support and maybe add a little positive mojo for their team. I'm no different. Rooting hard for the New Orleans Saints in last Sunday's Super Bowl, I added a little touch of Louisiana to our dinner – tasso from Savoie's, which had been sent to me by a very good friend in New Orleans. I cooked it along with garlic, supple sun-dried tomatoes (freshly made and purchased at DiPalo's in NYC a few days earlier), parsley, Parmiggiano and cream and tossed it with pasta for a delicious and satisfying dish. The tasso added nice smoke and porkiness to the dish that was balanced by the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes, the salty umami of the Parmiggiano and the lushness of the cream. That, good wine and a wonderful dessert made by our good friend, Amy, made for a lovely dinner. The dinner, company and the Saints winning made for an exceptional evening. I would like to think that using that tasso mojo had just a little to do with it.

Geaux Saints!!

La Festa di Ferrari

Who says that we are in tough economic times? One wouldn't know it based on the collection of vintage and new Ferraris on display at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center this past Saturday. A collection of vehicles brought together from around the country, this show, a product of the Saratoga Auto Museum, was part of the Saratoga Food and Wine Festival this year sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission and rivaled the collection of Ferraris on display at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy just outside of Modena.

Though I have never ridden in one, let alone drive one, I first became enamored of the artistry of the automobiles on a visit to the museum, when my son and I were staying in Modena several  years ago. They are simply beautiful creations, exquisitely built and a joy to look at. I can only imagine the thrill of driving one on the road.

The assemblage at SPAC included private touring vehicles as well as several that had won major international races. They also covered a variety of styles, and in addition to the well-known Ferrari red, an assortment of colors, including my favorite, the yellow. I am told by a friend and colleague who I worked with in the past and who now owns one of the Ferraris that was on display, that a few of the cars present are considered to be "priceless" given their individual histories. I have no doubt that he is correct.

There was plenty of food and wine under the tents, but just seeing these beautiful machines all together was food for the spirit. More to come on the Food and Wine event later. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy this slide show of the Ferraris.

Sunday at Citi

For Met fans like myself, it has been a long, frustrating and downright unbelievable summer. With an astounding number of injuries decimating essentially all of their best players for most of the season, it is no wonder that they have lost more than they won. With high hopes and a brand new stadium entering the season, the disappointment has been particularly bitter. Despite their travails and the fact that I had been to the stadium at the end of March for a culinary preview, I still wanted to get to a game and so did my son. This past Sunday was our opportunity as we were down in the Metropolitan area over the weekend.

The one bright spot of the Mets woes was that tickets could be had for a fraction of their face value. The evening before the game I managed to get two tickets through Stub Hub just below the SNY broadcast booth for less than half of their face value including a ticket for parking. It also happened to be Francisco Rodriguez bobblehead day as well as a Dyno Dash at the end of the game!

 

Mets GM Omar Minaya watched the game from the booth right behind us.

It turned out that our luck did not stop with the favorable ticket price or the bobbleheads. We actually picked one of the most satisfying games of the year as the Mets took care of their old rival Chicago Cubs (I'm dating myself here) with a 4-2 victory on a day with mostly perfect weather. Other than the Met victory, the best part, though was being able to take advantage of some of the special dining options of the stadium. Our tickets enabled us access to both the Caesar's Club (very convenient bathrooms and concessions) and the Acela Club, the restaurant run by Drew Nieporent's Myriad Restaurant Group along with Aramark.

 

The glassed in Acela Club as seen from our seats.

I managed to snag a reservation for one of the outside tables overlooking the action. Looking forward to a four hour drive home after the game, we opted for a late lunch/early dinner and meandered over from our seats during the 5th inning. Much like the Patron's Club at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the restaurant provides a buffet followed by a main course. The price of the all-you can-eat buffet plus main course was a reasonable $41 (of course, when one considers the cost of a ticket to the game that allows access to the restaurant, the overall tariff becomes somewhat less reasonable). That they offered a children's menu for my son that included the buffet for $21 made the situation better yet. I generally don't like children's menus because they tend to dumb things down and play to the lowest common denominator, but in this case, my son was still able to have his clams and mussels as well as a decent pasta dish and I was able to save $20+.

 

The menu

For a buffet, the food was quite good, but wary of gorging myself, I limited my selection to same tasty Spanish style clams and mussels in a saffron/ chorizo broth and mozzarella di bufala with tomatoes and basil. The clams and mussels were flavorful, but somewhat overdone. My main course, crab cakes however, were superb, full of tasty crab, Old Bay and served with cauliflower in a mildly spicy tomato sauce. These were, in fact, some of the finest crab cakes I have had in some time.

 

Clams and Mussels with Chorizo

 

Crab cakes

 

Met Macarons

To be able to indulge in food like that while watching my favorite team, brought a previously unassociated pleasure to watching a baseball game. To sit at the stadium and watch the game while dining very well was simply something that I could never have previously conceived of!

 

We made our way back to our original seats to watch our bobblehead of the day hero, Francisco Rodriguez, get the final out and earn the save.

 

Fortunately for my son and I, our day at Citi Field was the antithesis of the Mets season. For one day, at least, we were able to watch, cheer and eat without indigestion. I look forward to returning next season, hopefully with a brighter outlook and a chance to sample some of the fare from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group.

 

Horses in Saratoga - Polo

August in Saratoga, N.Y means three things, Thoroughbred racing, Polo and crowds. The crowds were much in evidence over the weekend, the first of the racing season in Saratoga. Downtown was absolutely hopping Saturday night with multiple bands in various street venues and people galore. Somehow, I managed to find a parking spot and had another fine meal at Max London's. I didn't make it to the track that day - in fact I tend to go at most only once or twice a year and then mostly for the spectacle. I did, however, make it to my first ever Polo match at the Saratoga Polo Association fields.

My wife and I had been meaning to get to a polo match for quite some time, but for various reasons had never got around to it. This past Saturday evening, however, the stars aligned for me (but alas, not my wife, who was away for the weekend) to finally attend a match. A friend had mentioned earlier in the week on Twitter that this past weekend would feature all female polo players including some of the very best in the world. In addition, earlier in the day at The Saratoga Farmers Market,I had run into Jim Rossi, the owner of the Polo Club,  who reiterated the same. With no other obligations for the evening, I decided to take the plunge, especially as it was a rare beautiful day of late. That the match would be held at all that Saturday evening was also a stroke of luck for me, as it was originally scheduled for the prior night, but it had been rained out - I did say the sunny days were rare this summer!

I trucked on over to the fields and paid $20 for entry, arriving a half hour after the scheduled start. There were a number of people and their cars lined up on one side of the field looking into the sun with a match already underway by the time I arrived. While the size of the crowd appeared decent to me, I was told that it was smaller than usual given the rescheduling from the night before. In addition, though most of the matches are held in front of the Polo Club's clubhouse along with it's food service,  this evening the matches were held on alternate fields given the waterlogged nature of the regular fields.

Given that the sport is an expensive one to participate in and has a reputation of elitism, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I discovered was a varied crowd that was quite relaxed in appearance and dress doing a lot of tailgating and picnicking. Though I had no particular rooting interest, I found watching the matches to be fascinating. The sport is full of fury and grace, with thundering hooves nearby and extreme athleticism from the horse/human team. It was as much watching art as it was watching sport. While initially looking into the sun was distracting, as the evening wore on and the sun rode down the sky, the light softened and the back lit setting added an additional element of beauty.

Though the sport was new to me, it clearly was not to the majority of attendees, who were out between the chukkahs "stomping divots" and garnering autographs from these world class athletes.Whether one's interest in the sport is serious or casual, a day at the polo matches is one that is relaxing, diverting and surprisingly accessible.

Culinary All-Stars at Citi Field

I have been a N.Y. Mets fan ever since I was a young boy and have stuck with the team through times thick and thin (more thin than thick). I loved Shea Stadium, not because it was a great ballpark (it wasn't), but because it was home. One of the worst things (and there were many bad things) about that stadium was the food. It had the double whammy of being lousy and expensive. Despite all its negatives, I was sad to see Shea disappear, that is until Tuesday, March 31st, when I had the opportunity to visit the new stadium - Citi Field, try out some of the food and get a tour.

The stadium is magnificent. The sight lines are great. It has fun quirks and already appears to have a lot of energy even though there wasn't even a ballgame!

 

I arrived early enough to scope out the situation before the press conference started. This was held in the Caesar's Club on the Excelsior level of the stadium, one of a number of such dining venues. This one ultimately will be a place for more informal dining for premium ticket holders, but on this day it was the sight of this culinary showcase,  featuring food from every different venue in the park.

The event opened with a welcome from  Dave Howard, the Mets executive vice president of business operations, who is directly responsible for organizing the food services. He introduced Jeff Wilpon, the Mets COO and the team of culinarians who will be operating the various food elements. Aramark, the exclusive concessionaire for Citi Field for the next 30 years was represented by Marc Bruno, the President of Aramark Sports. The food concessions represent a partnership between The Mets, Aramark, Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, Dave Pasternak of Esca and Drew Nieporent's Myriad Restaurant. Group. Each came to the podium to describe their offerings and say a few words.

Dave Howard spoke of bringing everything together while listening to the fans, taking into account their diverse tastes. He mentioned that the wine beverage service in the various restaurants will be coordinated by Zachy's. Overall, he said that they were quite proud of the value presented, noting that "pricing on average is less than it was at Shea by 6%." Of course that value is relative, as Shea was not particularly noted for high quality food at low prices.

Drew Nieporent spoke first and spoke of making sure that the quality of food served in his Acela Club would be top notch and a great value with a prix-fixe "Market Table" menu featuring "Americana" cuisine at $48. Of course, the bulk of their service will be prior to the ballgames with the restaurant opening 2.5 hours prior to game time. The Executive Chefs will are Michael Sobelman and Stephen Lewandowski. The restaurant holds up to 350 people and overlooks the game with panoramic views from left field. Nieporent stated that the reason he got involved in this project is because he is a Met fan.

Next up to the podium, Dave Pasternack, the award-winning chef of Esca, spoke about his food offerings at "Catch of the Day" including lobster rolls, shrimp po'boys, Long Island clam and corn chowder and his "Bayside Fries" with smoked sea salt, Old Bay seasoning and a side of sharp cheddar cheese sauce. Pasternack stated that these fries will "become legendary!" He enthused that a fan "can stand in line and watch the game," something not possible at Shea.

Danny Meyer, whose Union Square Hospitality Group runs the lion's share of the name restaurants associated with the stadium, opined that the venture, to be successful, is "all about team." He stated that even though he grew up in St. Louis as a Cardinals fan,he has also become a Met fan. He added, "We are here because our company loves baseball." Noted for arguably the best service model in the industry, Meyer vowed to bring that level of service here, saying that they "are training people to smile, even if they had never done so before." He was asked how they plan to keep their food products fresh and top quality at service. He responded that they plan on making everything to order, but have limited selections "to keep the lines moving," a wise decision in my estimation. When asked about price, Meyer noted that the price differential for Shake Shack is only $1 more per item in the stadium than in Manhattan. Meyer's hope is that the quality and value of the food at the stadium "will make (a Mets') victory taste even sweeter and may even take the sting out of a defeat."

A number of USH's chefs are participating in the venture. In addition to Shake Shack's offerings, Kenny Callahan is bringing Blue Smoke bbq, while Floyd Cardoz of Tabla is venturing into Mexico with El Verano Taqueria. On my tour, I did come up with a question that was too late to have answered at the event, What is "Chicken Mole Pipian?" I know what chicken is, I know mole and I know Pipian. I can see chicken mole or chicken pipian, but not both. It sounds to me like they liked the terms and figured that two are better than one. That dish was not available to taste today, but I suppose that so long as it is good, most people won't care what they call it.

I asked a question regarding what if anything they were doing in taking into account issues of sustainability when sourcing product. The question was given to Marc Bruno from Aramark, who stated that that is an important consideration for them and that they are sourcing a fresh and sustainable product from Hudson Valley farms as well as surrounding areas. Danny Meyer added that these concerns are addressed with their packaging products as well. Time will certainly tell, how much of this is lip service versus a real commitment. I expect an interest here from the restaurateurs, but it is encouraging to see a company like Aramark at least express a concern. Hopefully, it will turn out to be more than that and Bruno's statement will pack some punch. Between that and what Sysco appear to be doing (at least according to the latest Saveur magazine), there may be hope yet. While these actions don't absolve either Aramark or Sysco from some of their less noble business elements, these are at least steps in the right direction with potentially great significance for our food industry and beyond.

 

 

Danny Meyer

 

Drew Nieporent

 

Dave Pasternack

After a few photo ops with each of the culinary principals wearing Mets jerseys with their names and 09 on the backs, the food finally took center stage. It was impossible for me to try everything, though I gave it my best effort. The food was generally as one would expect from those producing it. Some of the highlights to me were the fried flounder sandwich and clam and corn chowder from Catch of the Day, the pulled pork sliders from Blue Smoke and the Heritage porchetta from The Acela Club. Though the sushi from Daruma of Tokyo looked better than it generally tasted, they did come up with the most unique, fun and tasty item - their Citi Field All Star Shrimp Dog, served with shrimp chips that were dead visual ringers for french fries. With spicy mayo adding a kick, the sandwich was quite flavorful. While I was told that they were priced at $8, I noticed that at the ballpark point of sale they were priced at $14. At $8 I wouldn't hesitate, though I wonder how many they will sell at $14.

The Shrimp Hot Dog

 

Box Frites fries 

 

Fish Filet Sandwich

 

Chile-Marinated Skirt Steak tacos

 

Heritage porchetta

I enjoyed the food, which in scope and quality is the best I have ever encountered in a ballpark. I hope that this translates (given the players, I expect that it will) into an on-going reality. While the food has the potential to be dynamite for a ballpark and should indeed elevate the overall ballpark experience, it is not so good that I would go to Citi Field just to eat. I would, however, be happy to partake of the offerings when at Citi Field to enjoy a game.

Let's go Mets!

For more photos, please click here.

Citi Field

More to come...