Benko at James Beard House

Enjoyed a lovely Sunday brunch with a special guest apparance by Chef Karl Benko and his lovely wife, Carrie. His news? He'll be the featured chef for a James Beard dinner, August 11 at NYC's James Beard House. More to come with details. (We hear there's an apparance on the TODAY show scheduled as well.) Hear hear!

Friday Updates and Some Link Love

Spent the early part of the week in a rainy Boston and am heading to points Texas and Oklahoma next week for work and a wedding. Posting may be a bit sparse, but you people will all be out in your gardens, right? Here are just a few tidbits you might find interesting as we cruise in the long holiday weekend. (Long for me, anyway. Viva la day off!)

* Local Food Podcasts: Too Many Cooks may be gone, but Chef Daniel Orr has teamed with WFIU public radio for a new podcast, Earth Eats. Each week, Chef Orr talks about seasonal recipes, local producers, and the bounties of Indiana.

*A Seder's Delight: Local blog Wolfsong Enterprises has changed its name to Wolfsong Diner and is still your go-to source for Kosher delights and reports on great Seders and other Jewish celebration meals.

*Chef's Alliance: Don't forget the Chef's Alliance dinner with some of central Indiana's best chefs next Sunday, April 19. including Dave Tallent, Karl Benko, Ryan Nelson, and Regina Mahallick. Alas, I will miss it as I'm out of town, but it's always a fine way to spend a Sunday night. (Maybe, I'll grab a cab from the airport for the afterparty.)

2009 Chef's Alliance Dinner Announced

Chef Ryan Nelson sent the news over yesterday. He's schedule the 5th annual Chef's Alliance Dinner for Sunday, April 19 and put together a fantastic line-up. One of the best dinners of the year, this event is one night when local chefs partner to both celebrate food and raise money for the Riley Children's Foundation. Nelson organizes the dinner and hosts at the Oceanaire each year.

Who's cooking? Last year's line up returns with Chefs Greg Hardesty, Tony Hanslits (Chef's Academy), Eli and Nicole Anderson (H2O Sushi), Karl Benko, Regina Mehallick (RBistro), Marc Urwand and Deidra Henry (Taste Cafe) and, of course, Dave and Krissy Tallent (Restaurant Tallent). Book your space now. This dinner will sell out.

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 19
$150 per person
For tix, call Sheryl Parks, 317.955.2277

Karl Benko, Adobo and Pikk's Tavern

Where's Karl Benko been lately? After a busy year consulting and spending a lot of time in airports, Benko is hanging around town for the next month. He's come on board with DaVinci group to help Exec Chef Javier Fuentes and the rest of the team get the downtown Adobo Grill up and running along with the new northside Pikk's Tavern. (Pikk's will go in the current Adobo space.) Opening one restaurant is challenging enough, but opening two in 30-days can be touch. Benko will be lending his expertise in logistics, staffing, and of course, food as these two new restaurants open.

In the meantime, the folks at Adobo on the northside have asked for a little moving help. Pop in for fresh tableside gauc on Sunday, August 31 -- their last day -- and get a molcajete set to take home. Then, bring it with you on or after the downtown opening, Sept. 10, and get free gauc for your trouble.

Dates to Save for Food/Wine Events

That last weekend in April is starting to look a little crazy! Not only is Thursday, April 24 Dine Out for Life night, but the rest of the weekend is a star-studded food and wine fest!

Midwest Cabernet Experience
Friday, April 25
One of the best catalog tastings of the year, this one is all collector cabs and worth every penny! 75 Cabs all $30 retail and above (plus a spread from the Montage). Benefits Riley Heart Center at the Riley Hospital for Children. $75 in advance/$100 at the door. Collectors Club tix (cabs that retail for $100 or more) $125 in advance/$150 at the door. Get tickets at Kahn's or through Riley Hospital.

Chef's Alliance Dinner
Sunday, April 27
Don't miss the annual Chef's Alliance Dinner hosted by Chef Ryan Nelson of The Oceanaire. As he's done for the past three years, Nelson brings together some of his top peers to cook an 8-course feast benefiting Riley Children's Hospital. Look for Chefs Nicole and Eli Anderson (H2O Sushi), Tony Hanslits (The Chef's Academy), Regina Mehallick (R Bistro), Greg Hardesty (Elements), Karl Benko (nee Peterson's), and James Beard nominee Dave Tallent (Restaurant Tallant) and Marc Urwand and Deidra Henry (Taste Cafe and Marketplace). $125 per ticket. Contact a participating chef or their restaurant for tickets.

April in Paris
Sunday, April 27
This yearly benefit for Ivy Tech is a perfect showcase for culinary students and diners alike. Seven courses at The Fountains Banquet Center in Carmel. $125 per person. Information and tickets online.

Karl Benko Leaving Peterson's

For a town this small, I was surprised the rumors didn't start earlier. Yes, it's true, Chef Karl Benko is leaving Peterson's to spend a year teaching, consulting, and learning. He announced it to his staff on Friday before service. He'll tentatively leave on March 1 after which he'll serve as a consultant to the restaurant.

What's next for Chef Benko? Karl is already an active consultant, teacher, and presenter for culinary groups like Star Chefs and Food University working with well-known chefs and food personalities around the country. This year, he'll be involved full time with Food University, hitting the road for a 15-city tour this spring as well as expanding his national consulting business. He's even planning a stage or two with some well-known chefs in Chicago and NYC. He and his wife, Carrie, plan to stay in Indianapolis and hope to remain here long term.

Karl and Carrie are dear friends and the best of people. From the US Culinary Olympics team to seminars at Food University, Karl has a long history of generously sharing his knowledge and love food and wine. I can hardly wait to hear about his new adventures. (Maybe there's a guest blogger spot in his future.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes: The Glass Chimney will serve its last steak Diane at the end of April. Chef Dieter Puska is retiring and the old school Carmel eatery will close April 26. He's also closing Deeters next door. Deeters and Gabes, Puska's restaurant at 86th and Ditch, closed 5 years ago. (Oakleys Bistro is in the space.) More from the IBJ.

Quitting the Night Job: Susan Brewer, bar manager extraordinaire at the downtown Ruth's Chris, celebrated her last day (night) with the restaurant last week. In her day job, Susan is an accomplished local artist with a studio at the Stutz Building and will be pursuing her art full time. (Good for her!) She will be missed.

Closed for Remodeling: Reports are trickling in from Zionsville that changes are in the works at Brix. They're currently closed for remodeling and a format change while ownership changes within the family. (Their website touts a new seafood raw bar.) They're targeting February for an opening date.

Late Lunch: Z's Oyster Bar is still in "soft launch" phase but we're hearing they have some marketing plans in the works for the Spring. In the meantime, they'll be opening for lunch later this week which could be a good way to try them in the daylight.

Meat: What I Learned

It's the beginning of October which means I can finally say "Hey, check out this month's issue of Indianapolis Monthly to see what I did all summer." Yes, writing about meat was how I spent my summer vacation. With a few road trips, lots of drafts, and some cute pictures of cows, this was my summer of beef. (Looks like an excerpt is online.)

Earlier this spring and summer, I had a chance to visit some of Indiana's best butchers, beef and pork producers, and processors and reconnect with meat from beginning to end -- or hoof to plate, if you will. I grew up in Oklahoma cattle country and I'm not kidding when I say school, 4-H club, and all manner of other groups took us on field trips to feedlots, feed mills, and our local Swift meat packing plant. It was never a mystery. I knew exactly where that side of beef in our freezer came from and how it got there.

But today, the business of beef is a lot more complicated. We have so many more choices. Butcher shops versus grocery store meat counters versus cases of pre-packaged branded meat in a case. Corn-finished or 100% grass fed. All natural, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, organic, local -- so many options! In addition, few people really understand all the other factors that go into making your steak taste great. Fat content, marbling, cut, and aging -- all are just as important. As consumers, we know so much more than we used to about what we're eating, but in that knowledge, there's so much more confusion. There are no easy answers and the best you can do is decided what's right for you and your family. It was terrific to visit some top producers and butchers, but only a tenth of what I learned actually made it into that article.

Now that you've read it, what can I saw I learned in my summer of meat?

* Trust your eyes: We did an 8-way steak taste-off comparing as best we could the same cuts trimmed to roughly the same size. Karl Benko at Peterson's gave us an afternoon of his time, lending his expertise to make them as equal as possible. Our panel of foodies and steak eaters tasted them in pairs, blind, and scored each steak on a 100-point scale. The surprising winner was the USDA Choice Sutton and Dodge pre-packaged steak from SuperTarget. And you know what? It was a great looking steak before it hit the grill! When our panel looked at all the steaks (with their labels) before cooking, we were all amazed. The meat was a great, deep, rich color of red, had plentiful and even fat marbled throughout, was well trimmed, and had an even grain. Lots of other steaks did, too, but we all noted after the surprising results that the top ranked steak had looked great right out of the package.

* Pre-pack can be OK: Call this Trust your Eyes, Pt II. If it looks great in the store, chances are it will be a pretty good steak. What I really learned is that we can't just write off pre-packaged meat. I interviewed a top meat merchandiser with 30 years of national chain grocery experience who reminded me that the state-of-the-art facilities that process and package much of the pre-packaged, ready to cook meat you find at some (better) stores run an ultra-clean environments. Of course, the downside to that is that these pre-pack facilities source so much meat to such large areas, that when there's a problem, it's a big, multi-state, huge recall of a problem. Bottom line: pre-pack isn't necessarily better, but you can't rule it out either. Trust your eyes.

*Butchers can make your life a lot easier: We have some terrific butchers in town. And their aim? To educate you. They want to get an amazing steak (or pork chop or chicken) in your hands and help you cook it. They want your family or guests or whoever to say to you "this is so good!" What's the best way you can succeed especially if you're not an experienced cooker of meat? Tell them what you're doing or what you need. At Kinkaid's, the first question they ask you when you call is "what are you making." And Joe Lazzara at Joe's Butcher Shop in Carmel can -- I'm sure quite literally -- get you *anything*. (Plus, he's become the best go-to guy on fish.) The last thing any of these guys want is for you to make an expensive mistake. They want you to shine -- impress the boss or the girlfriend's parents or whatever. 'Cause they want you to come back.

*When in doubt, ask: Over the summer, I overheard a woman lamenting an agonizing choice in front of a farmer's market stand. "I can never decide what's the best thing to do. Should I buy organic? Or local?" The answer is "ask". If she'd bothered to ask the farmer standing right in front of her, she would have found that he follows organic farming techniques, doesn't use pesticides, and in fact, just hasn't gone through the time and expense of getting a formal organic certification. Often local *is* organic -- and when it comes to meat, it's often *better* than organic. At least one producer I talked to has opted against USDA organic certification for their beef and pork even though their land and program is fully compliant. The reason? There are still certain medications allowable for organic meat that many producers feel shouldn't be allowed at all. And in talking with other food writers and authors, producers who choose to remain uncertified is a national trend. So, what to do? Ask. Ask your producer, ask your grower, ask the farmer. And you'll often find the "local versus organic" issue isn't one at all.

*Farmers -- 2nd Career, Smart, Professionals: This one may seem obvious, but it's worth pointing out especially since (in my opinion) at least one author who wrote a bestselling book last year went out of his way to portray farmers as dumb hicks driving tractors and stupidly raising cows pumped full of chemicals with no regard to the finished product. What I found was very different. Whether it's at the high end, large scale corporate farming level or the smaller producer raising 100% grass fed or all natural corn finished cattle, at every turn I was reminded that these agriculture professionals are a sharp, intelligent, and well-read breed of business owners. Farming is a tough business and these people have done their homework -- especially those who have chosen to come back into agriculture as a second career. (Rebekkah Fielder's successful first career? Commodities trader in NYC. Dave Fischer? Software developer in Europe.) And again, in talking with writers and authors across the country, everyone's noted it's a trend -- and one Indiana is right in the middle of. Smart, talented professionals are moving home to family farms around the US, and looking at ways to address issues of sustainability, production, and product. In Dave Fischer's case, he looked at the best use of the land and also at the trend for high quality, all natural beef. Jim and Rebekkah Fiedler made some of the same decisions -- but focusing on heritage breed pigs and grass feeding. Both have made the choices that antibiotic and hormone free beef production is the way to go.

*It's a small world: A huge shout out to Christine Barbour for her help and support. It was a year ago, at the Slow Foods Bloomington potluck, that I first met Jim and Rebekkah Fielder in Christine's kitchen. (Rebekkah and I are from the same part of Western Oklahoma and know people in common.) The Fiedlers and Christine introduced me to Dave Fischer (whose beef you can eat at The Oceaniare, Elements, and Restaurant Tallent in Bloomington). Dave introduced me to the Sander Processing folks (who also do the Fiedler's beef.) Thanks to all the great butchers and meat cutters I met and interviewed as well as all the guys who patiently let me stand out of the way on killing floors of processing facilities.

There really is something pretty elemental and special about seeing your food up close. And I remain impressed by the dedicated folks who do this for a living. Plus, I ate some pretty darn good meat along the way.

Three Latest and Best

And now, in case you're getting a little sick of hearing about foie gras, we return you to your regularly scheduled snark-a-licious restaurant programming. And while I may have been grossing out some of you vegetarians -- and flexitarians -- here are a few notes for you eaters of sea creatures. Three Latest and Best -- The All-Crustacean Edition!

Shrimp-tastic Burgers at Alcatraz: Wednesday, we attended the launch of a new menu at Alcatraz Brewing Company downtown at Circle Center Mall. Alcatraz has been in Indianapolis for nearly 10 years, once part of a chain but now with only two remaining locations. While I was all excited that we might have a good chef coming to town to run the operation, we found that Tavistock, the corporation that owns Alcatraz as well as quite a few other decent eateries around the US, has a new corporate chef, Bobby Varua, who will be based in Chicago. He's redone the menu at Alcatraz but won't be on site day-to-day. So, while the bad news is that we have yet another absentee landlord for a not-quite-a-chain restaurant trying to make it, the good news is that the menu is really pretty good. My favorite? The Shrimp Burgers -- think crab-cakes-with-shrimp, think deep-fried, think sweet sauce on a soft bun. Also good were the flatbreads, oh, and the cocktails.

I Love Shrimp Tempura Rolls: While one doesn't always associate Fishers with good sushi, their new little place, I Love Sushi! is getting good press. Right on 116th across from the Nickle Plate, look for decent lunch specials with an assortment of nigiri, maki, miso soup, and salad. My favorite? What they called "white fish" and a shrimp tempura roll even though it was garnished with eel sauce. But on a cool and rainy day? The miso soup hit the spot.

Shrimp, Lobster, They all Have Tails: Check out the winning soup from the Indianapolis Dine magazine Best Soup in Indy competition. Sure, it's been a Karl Benko love fest around here lately, but I can't miss a mention of his superb lobster bisque with his housemade infused oils and perfectly cooked lobster. The soup from Peterson's was the clear winner in two days of tasting nearly 70 entries. My favorites were also the two winners from Brix (the coconut curry and BLT) and the tomato bisque from Ripple Bagel and Deli. (What I won't do for the craft. Just order me the ba-donk-a-donk-butt, extra flabby, with the side of thunder thighs.)

Two-Minute Warning: Oh, where to begin, dearest Vitesse. Before, while your food was found lacking, you were a warm hotel lobby bar, a beacon in the night, never crowded until you had loud "jazz" music. Now you are but a hotel coffee shop. Gone are the cushy chairs. Gone are the comfortable couches grouped around the faux fire. Gone are the lengthy wine lists and considerate waiters. Oh, wait. You didn't have that before. But, still, gone are the dishes that at least *tried* to pretend they belonged in a swanky-wanna-be downtown bar. Vitesse, we hardly knew you. OK, we knew you and didn't like you very much, but we liked you better then.

French Laundry Torchon -- Day 1

If you'll please turn with me to page 106 in your hymnal, also known as Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook, and join with me to sing Poached Moulard Duck Foie Gras au Torchon (and skip verse 4, "with pickled cherries.")

The foie arrived yesterday! I thought I'd bore you all with more details than you care to know about this strange odyssey. I'll try to limit it to one post a day (in case you, like many people I know, are sick of hearing about it!)

Day 1: Yesterday, the foie arrived, we deveined it, and put it soak in milk to remove impurities. In Keller's book, he recommends soaking the foie in milk before it is cleaned and deveined, but after going through the deveining yesterday, I think soaking it afterward is a better idea. The milk, much like brine for a bird, will draw out impurities using osmosis. However, unlike water and salt, the milk shouldn't cause the same chemical reactions or breakdown of tissue. After deveining, the lobes were separated and there were quite a few bit more exposed areas where we'd found small blood clots. So, I'm hoping the milk will help "clean" up those areas in a more effective way than if we'd just submerged the unseparated whole lobe.

And how was the deveining, you ask? Based on Meg and Adam's experiences, I was prepared for the worst, a long and tedious process. However, under the gentle tutalage of Chef Karl Benko, the process was relatively painless. What did I learn? First, we worked using rubber gloves. The meat is so fatty, it will literally melt just under the warmth of your hands. Rubber gloves helped insulate body heat for just a few minutes -- long enough to get a good start on separating the lobes. Secondly, and most importantly, I learned to the most effective way to devein was to just, well, follow the vein. Using a pair needle nose pliers -- never a knife! -- we looked for the biggest veins, then carefully pulled, following them along the meat and gently pulling the lope apart further if needed. We also removed any fat we found along the way. (But wait, you ask, fat? The whole thing is fat! Well, yes, but there was just a little pure fat which we did take out.) After we separated the main lobe from the smaller one, we gently searched each lobe for veins, pulling out the biggest ones and also removed remnants of blood and clots where we found them. As Karl kept reminding me and Keller says "Remember, it's like play-dough. You just put it back together."

Don't get me wrong, gripping and pulling the little veins is difficult. Karl made it look easy on the large lobe and when it was my turn for the smaller one, I found it difficult to perfect the grip-twist-and-turn technique he used for grabbing them. It also takes a bit of practice to figure out exactly how much pressure to apply to gently pull them along using enough force to separate the lobe, but not so much you tear the vein. We focused on the biggest veins and connective tissue, but ultimately didn't pull each lobe completely apart as I'd seen in pictures in the past. (And we put each lobe back together again, "like play-dough" as we went. The entire process took about 10 minutes, although it would have taken me considerably longer had I been on my own. Thanks again to Chef Karl for the lesson! And stay tuned for Days 2-4.

Three Latest and Best

Italian Dinner with Friends: Was it the asparagus wrapped in aged prosciutto with reggiano, ancient balsamic vinegar and lemon? Was it the housemade pasta rags stuffed with cheese and gently placed in a bed of freshly ground Parmesan and topped with white truffle brown butter? What about the salad with apples and grapes soaked in white wine, the roasted brined pork or the blood orange syrup (with flourless chocolate cake and Cointreau ganache, my contribution)? How about that it was a terrific dinner with friends and some of the best Italian wines I've had in years.

Hanging with Karl: My favorite food moment of the week? Hanging out with Chef Karl Benko at Peterson's brainstorming about food, flavors, chefs, and wine. Bonus? I got to see where he dry ages all those steaks he serves.

Devouring RBistro: If you missed Devour Downtown, you missed a great opportunity to see some chefs doing great food. Our choice? The coq au vin at RBistro. My favorite dish on the tasting menu? The pistachio semi-fredo. Delish!

Two-Minute Warning: I've given it the old college try and I've come to the realization that I just can't eat at The Jazz Kitchen. Let me clarify and say I love their catering! I love the brie on a skewer with brown sugar and berries! I love the horseradish-y cocktail sauce with the shrimp and even the quesadillas. But if an outing involves dinner at the restaurant, nothing works from the crab cakes to the etouffe. I love the owners and managers, I like the bartenders, and I've even had good service. But if you want to enjoy the best The Jazz Kitchen has to offer, go for the great parties (their Carnivale party is coming up and it's a fun one), go for the salsa and jazz, and skip the menu.

Apples, Pears and Chefs for Dinner

Bet You Didn't Know About Apples: When you're dealing with apples, there are two kinds: those that "hold their shape" and those that don't. In other words, some apples cook down more easily into pulp and other remain chunky even cooked through. Depending on what you're making, your consistency will be all about the combination of these kinds of apples. Chutneys, sauces, salads, and pies all need different varieties. Here's a list to get you started. For jams and butters, these apples soften when cooked: McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Russet, Honeycrisp. For conserves and chutneys, these apples hold their shape: Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Ginger Gold, Crispin, Idared, Spy, and Sparten. Have an apple but don't know where it falls? Combine it with others and give it a whirl.

Simple is always best: Speaking of apples, leads me to pears. At a dinner party (hosted by the venerable purveyor of dry aged beef), one guest provided the most delectable tidbit -- roasted pears mixed with blue cheese. What a sublime combination. It formed a middle course with greens after our noble steaks and was a perfect counterpoint to the rustic, European simplicity of the meal -- excellent cheese, a simple salad, a wonderful spicy roasted corn soup, and one of the best slices of pumpkin cheese cake ever. Bravo!

On chefs as guests: Bill Buford pointed it out perfectly when he noted in his book, Heat, when he said he was terrified at the idea of inviting chef Mario Batali to a dinner party. A friend knew Mario and suggested it saying chefs never get invited to dinner parties. And it's true, at least so says Karl Benko of Peterson's, who with his lovely wife, Carrie sat next to me at one this week. It was truly delightful just to chat -- even though we talked all about food and people we knew in common. While it may lead to more dinner parties on Sunday nights, I think we should all try to invite more culinary professionals to dinner!

Three Latest and Best

Whoo, doggie, has it been a long week. I feel as embarrassed as if company was coming and my house wasn't clean. (Oh, wait, that happened to me in real life already this week.) In between too much work, a cocktail or two, a dinner party (and matching hangover), and more work, my blogging fell to neglect. I promise once again to make up for the deficit.

In the meantime, here are this week's three latest and best:

The Barbecue Sandwich at Lulu's: Who knew Lulu's had such great food? I didn't even know they were open for lunch. They are and the stars are the sandwiches including smoked turkey, a lovely pork in a sweet bourbon sauce, and the most amazing fries.

Dry Aged Beef from Karl Benko: More on this later, but as we tucked into one and a quarter inch thick steaks that had been lovingly wet and dry aged for a couple of months, we all said a little thank you for cows. This noble beef was unlike anything I've ever had -- flavorful (albeit a bit gamey, but in a good way) and tender. No accoutrements needed except for the housemade truffle butter on top.

A Cold, Blustry Farmers Market: I hustled out to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market this morning for the last time of 2006. A hardy few vendors and shoppers alike braved the wind and cold (at least the sun was out!). I stocked up on Capriole goat cheese (O'Bannon's for the freezer), fingerling potatoes, peppers, and apples. No brussel sprouts to be found but lots of good dried herbs. So long, Farmer's Market. We'll see you in the Spring!