There is no place like home

As much as I like to cook I have to admit it is still nice to go home and be spoiled by mom. I'm visiting for the weekend and my mom is prepared with all of my favorite food and drink.  Tonight we are having elk burgers with what was supposed to be mango chutney but turned into whatever ripe stone-fruit we had in the house chutney. It was delicious.  I helped a little (for some reason since I started this blog my mom is under the impression that I am an expert). It was so much fun to cook together.

Elk Burgers with Stone Fruit ChutneyElk burgers are delicious.  Like bison, the meat cooks very quickly and should not be overcooked (if you like your burgers well done, I would recommend not eating elk or bison).  I prefer elk and bison burgers to beef.  I find beef greasy and not all that flavorful.  Bison is readily available in most supermarkets.  Elk is  a bit harder to find, but obviously still available.

Tomorrow I am taking the night off and we are going to the Culinary Institute of America.  I can't wait!

Sometimes it's ok to be a glutton

Just in time for bikini weather comes two almost back to back nights of pure gluttony--dinner at Makoto in Washington, and the Culinary Institute of America's American Bounty restaurant in Hyde Park, NY.  My husband's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated at Makoto, one of the best restaurants in DC.  Dining at this Japanese restaurant is a unique experience.  Their sushi is amazing, but I highly recommend getting the complete dinner, a series of small plates that includes sushi, but for me the highlights were the other dishes.  I'll go into more detail on the restaurant review page, but I can't resist describing the first dish.  We started our meal with conch and wild mushroom soup served in a conch shell over "fire."  This  soup is traditionally cooked over a fire in Japan so it was served next to a flaming piece of blue lava. ok, I have no idea if it is really traditional or not, but I have no reason not to believe them and the flame was a completely gratuitous and enchanting accompaniment to the meal.  It just got better from there... 

I really enjoyed the meal because it was challenging.  I think that so many "gourmet" restaurants are simply variations of the same theme.  Although we had some familiar flavors at Makoto--ginger, mushrooms, avocado--there were many unfamiliar tastes.  Also, the way the flavors were mixed together was completely foreign to me.  Luckily I already hired a master chef to teach me the art of Japanese flavors.  Stay tuned for that adventure!

I am visiting my mom for the weekend which means lots of good food besides our trip to the CIA, and of course being spoiled by mom.  I can't complain.

Update on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 7:58AM by Klutz in the Kitchen

I've just been informed by the aforementioned Master Chef that he is not a Master Chef.  In fact, he is an Iron Chef.  Coming soon, Iron Chef America Battle Kitchen Klutz.  Let the battle begin!