When people ask me what restaurant to try when they visit/come to Charleston, one of my top suggestions to try first is R Kitchen. It has survived the pandemic. It has survived where others have failed. It survived through an ownership change. Why? Because in a top food/foodie town in the US, there has to be a standard or should it be said more appropriately average. This is the standard for when people come to Charleston. By standard, I mean it’s where the food scene in Charleston starts. Restaurants in this town should use this as a standard — this is what you’re competing against. Is the food cutting edge/inventive? No(Honestly nothing in Charleston that I have tried truly is). Is the food cheap? It’s average cost.($60 +tax per person) What is it? Well, it’s different. It is a five course chef’s table with two seatings at two locations, each with its own positives and negatives. It’s fresh — since the menu is created by what is currently available locally. It is diner forward — allergies? — they accomodate for that; vegetarian/vegan? — they make changes in what they serve — you want to bring wine? — we have limited wine and beer, but BYO( as the pictures above show). All that being said the chefs are interactive. They describe every course as it comes out and talk to everyone. It’s seating is like a small diner — with a counter and tables. The counters are right where the cooking/action happens. We/I have eaten there a handful of times and have almost always had a very good meal. Are there better restaurants in Charleston? Of course. But if you want better, you’ll probably spend more. Are there worse? Sure. You might spend or less. So average price, average to above average food, but that’s in a town where this standard is very, very high. As are expectations. Our staycation dining experience started here and our expectations were met. Tourists, family, and friends — take them here to start the week. They won’t be disappointed.

I know it’s been a while since my last post but there’s just so much going on right now. The next few posts are catch up posts that come from a recent staycation in Charleston. My best friend and his wife visited us and we stayed downtown. More on than later. Before they came and after checking into our Airbnb, we had a little date night. We try to get one in almost every week. Something to look forward to after a hectic week. Our first stop was The Tippling House (221 Coming Street). A google find — ” A bar near me.” It’s a small wine and food place that has a nice wine list and some snacky food. We shared a half carafe of a Spanish red. I have over the past year wandered into Old World varietals and blends. Italy and Spain mostly. Knowing what dinner was this wine was maybe a little big but that was ok given the meal was going to be a lot of food. I think that this area of downtown has and will continue to have some great places to eat and drink that are not too remote from King Street. Next….dinner.

Kultura. A name that you should remember — Nikko Caglanan. He won Food Network’s Chopped. He is part of the Charleston food scene, specifically the pop up food scene as he did, but now doesn’t have his own restaurant. Kultura is his Friday and Saturday night pop up now housed in Bagette Magic on Spring Street. Above is a picture of the menu. We ordered the first three things — arroz caldo, kinilaw and pancit, and ordered the dessert too.

How can I describe the dinner? Comfort food, high end Filipino, “Please, Sir, I want more?!(movie/musical reference)” Nikko is an asset to the food community in Charleston. He is an asset to the food scene nationally. His food is thoughtful and filled with technique and care. His food takes what is one of my comfort/feeling shitty/sick foods and elevates it. The arroz caldo was almost a repeat for dessert — only the second dish I/we have ever felt this way about (Bonus points for knowing what other dish made me/we feel like this). Every dish made me long for the Philippines which I had just come back from a few weeks earlier. Was it expensive? Yeah slightly. Was it worth it for all the feels and memories, present and past? Hell yes. Part of arroz caldo is how people have to personally doctor it up — added fried garlic, add calamansi juice, add patis. This required nothing. The rice porridge was as perfect a representation of the food of the Philippines as anything that I have put in my mouth. It needed nothing to bring back memories of Chinatown with my parents, the buffet breakfast on Panglao Beach, the slow crawl of Manila traffic, my Auntie Edna and Uncle Danny’s kitchen in the summertime and the subtle always present scent of tobacco and urine that comes from being in the Philippines. These memories are all good ones. All “I am home” ones.

The kinilaw, the pancit and the dessert were good, but it was the arroz caldo that won the day. Yup I got teary. My wife knows that anything that brings good feelings in me, I get teary about especially when they remind me of home and family. I always search for those days, now and in the future, that remind me of home and especially of family. I feel it all slipping away at times so I hold on to the memories, food or otherwise. Snapshots of life. So the Kultura meal made me say “See you next time” both for the food and the memories. Thanks Chef Nikko.

So the last few pictures are from the drinks — the requisite San Miguel with Filipino food, the strong post dinner iced coffee and the nightcap of bourbon. The bourbon was a new one for me. I think it was Blade and Bow. It was good. Check that one off the list. The Warehouse needs to be a repeat visit to sample their Chef’s tasting. The CDC has spent time at Alinea, a bucket list restaurant, of Grant Achatz fame.

La Rustica, Summerville, South Carolina. So ok after the last blog post about Laura and ranting about bread, salad and cheese, we went to the hottest new Italian place. Family owned. Legit Italian. Yes this restaurant brings it all — bread, salad and cheese, but it seemed different. It was out of the ordinary. Maybe extraordinary. May be our new favorite place for Italian food. Prices are reasonable with even the half carafe of wine being only $22. The food came in hot. The sauces homemade. The attention to detail from the food to the service was excellent.

We sat outside on a wonderful spring day. We got there right at five when they open expecting a huge line that they have been already known for and got seated right away. There are a lot of choices on the menu. We picked all three of the specials for that night — Lamb shank, braciole and shrimp pasta. All were excellent. The lamb was fork tender and as expected tasted like lamb — not overcooked or too gamey. The braciole was super tender and perfectly sauced. The shrimp was cooked well and not over creamed, preserving its light flavor. I always pay attention to the sauce. When I use the word “sauce” when it comes to Italian food, I mean marinara. It was light and bright. The spaghetti was just on the other side of al dente which was perfect. The salad with lemon dressing was very tasty. The herbed bread was warm and delicious. We had enough to take home for another few meals. A lot of care and thought was placed on everything. In every food post so far, I put a lot of emphasis on care, thought and time when preparing and presenting food. This place does it all. They were busy but we felt unrushed. Next time we will try the normal menu. There are so many dishes, so many standards that it will take more than a few visits. So many opportunities to show off. This place complements what is already becoming a very good food town.

Another quick post about a local favorite — Bexley Fish and Raw Bar. It’s in Summerville, South Carolina. It’s owner and CDC is Jeremy Holst. To quote the restaurant’s website –“When you enter Bexley, you are family and we are so humbled to have you dine with us.” If that doesn’t make you drop everything and go, I don’t know. It is the overwhelming feeling once you enter the small restaurant in the square of Summerville. Now, Summerville isn’t a food mecca, but this is one of the restaurants capturing the food scene of this small town to the point where we often have said “we don’t have to go ‘Downtown’ anymore for fantastic food.” Bexley is on another level. Jeremy and his staff are spectacular. Foodies know about Michelin stars. We hunt them down. We travel to eat at restaurants that have stars. We “collected” 11 stars in our first year as a married couple. One to three stars. Three stars is defined an “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.” Meaning plan a vacation around one. Go the extra mile to get there if you close by. We have had a few three stars, a few two stars and a one star. What people don’t know is that Michelin has other categories. Bib Gourmand is one of them. As defined by Guide Michelin, “the Bib Gourmand is our award for great value, and highlights simple yet skillful cooking at an affordable price.” (Affordable is a relative term as there are three star places in Asia that have chicken dishes that are $7 and French Laundry tasting is $400 or more) Michelin mainly sticks to large cities and areas of the world. Charleston has no qualified as Michelin worthy yet. Bexley is Bib Gourmand level food. This was never more apparent than the wine dinner that we had the chance to attend last week. Jeremy and staff are helpful and humbler. They know they’re putting out great food. They let the food speak for itself and speak to the care and precision it takes to get it in from of you.

Yes this was a Chef’s tasting with wine pairing, but this is every night they’re open. This level all the time. The best moment of the night was after dinner was done and Jeremy caught us leaving. We chatted for a little while knowing he had to head back to help clean up, We spoke about what was coming in the future menus. What items from this menu are going to make it to the spring menu. He spoke passionately about the produce that was coming in from local farmers and fishermen acquiring and growing veggies just for the restaurant. This is three star stuff. Knowing the people who take care of you and the people helping you put terrific stuff on the table. Putting a name to a tomato. This heirloom tomato was grown 15 minutes from here type of stuff. Grown specifically for the restaurant. Not what the “F” am I supposed to do with this, but this was grown for something I have in mind to put on the menu. Already. During dinner, Jeremy took time to chat with our table as well. Humble and passionate about putting the best out. Having pride in what he’s putting out for courses. So Jeremy and staff, keep doing what you are doing. We will come happily with hearty appetites with whatever you put on the plate. We support everything you are doing. You are challenging the culinary scene in the Lowcountry.

Continuing with the theme of the unexpected, special places that don’t make sense, but completely do and the start of a few posts about local restaurants that I/we love. Laura, in Summerville, South Carolina, is spectacular. Nico Romo’s homage to his grandmother. It’s Italian. Having been to Italy twice in my life and surrounding my comfort food palate with Italian my whole life, people have said Italian food isn’t necessarily just red sauce and cheese. This place is a reminder of that. If you want red sauce and cheese, there are so many restaurants that fit that bill including Olive Garden (ugh, yes I said it). Several local restaurants fit that bill also. This restaurant reminds you that a good, carefully made sauce, a slow braised piece of protein, a strong, supportive wine list and shareable desserts is what’s really important.

We went there the first week that they opened and were impressed. We have gone a half dozen times and they are always wonderful. I try restaurants twice especially the good ones to see if they will disappoint. If the expected standard of the first visit drops. Most of the places we have eaten at in the Charleston area don’t drop the expectation. That’s what makes it one of the best food cities in the country. We have eaten hyped restaurants that get a wild following on FB that just don’t meet the standard. It seems to almost come down to what my wife asks all the time — “Can Norm do this at home just a good or better than here?” Most of the time I can’t. I make my own sauce with exceptions of fast meal pasta nights when I have started to buy sauce. I now prefer and will spend the extra money to purchase Rao’s marinara. I was going to teach my niece Isabelle how to make sauce years back. (She sent me a card last week thanking me for the wok, we bought as a wedding present, and stating she makes her own sauce now. Keeping up the Navarro cooking tradition) Slow long process. Melding of spices. Letting the anchovies melt to be the only saltiness of the sauce. Parboil the tomatoes to peel and hand seed them. Picking the basil and oregano from the garden. Taking the time. Caring for the outcome and the product. That’s how Laura feels.

This I can’t replicate at home. I really would never want to. It stands alone. It is not copious red sauce and cheese. It is home. It is comfort. It makes me happy.

(Not all dishes were eaten at the same seating.) Until next time.

So this post is about food that shouldn’t make sense but does. Above is Champarado with Dilis. Derived from Spain’s influence in the Philippines from Magellan(1521) to the Revolution(1898). A period of colonization that lasted 377 years. Enough time to influence a lot of things in the Philippines. The easy ones to understand are food and religion. Champarado in Spanish influenced nations is usually associated with masa, ground corn dough, that was changed into sticky rice when it came to the Philippines — a Chinese influence into Filipino food. It was what was available. Glutinous or sticky rice is boiled with tableya, chocolate disks made of ground cocoa beans, sugar and evaporated milk. It basically is a chocolate rice pudding that is more liquid than one would expect. Super sweet. It’s eaten for breakfast or snack(merienda). Okay so here’s the kicker. It’s is commonly served with dilis — fried anchovies. Yup, salty, crispy goodness. I was exposed to this on a buffet line on our first trip to Panglao, Coron. I had to try it. It is surprisingly good. It is one of those dishes that when I get back to the Philippines I have to eat because it throw me into “I am in the Philippines” mindset. Along the the next thing….

Halo -halo

So this is Halo-halo. This doesn’t make sense to the American palate, but every person from the US that tries it says “that is really good.” What is Halo -halo? It is derived from monggo con hielo (sweetened mung beans on ice), which came from the Spanish Filipino dessert called maiz con hielo (sweet corn on ice)– which you can still have in Filipino restaurants in the Philippines. Wiki suggests that it was attributed to Japanese migrants in the Quinta market in Quiapo neighborhood in Manila due the ice plant there. There is no specific recipe. It’s shaved ice with cream pour over as a base. Usually some coconut, fruit and fruit jellies and mung beans that are sweetened. My favorites always include Ube ice cream and flan. The halo halo above is from Via Mare restaurant in St. Luke’s Hospital Center in BCG(Bonifacio Global City). Yes it’s a sit down restaurant in a major medical center. It is my favorite halo halo so far. Great balance and topped with vanilla ice cream. Truly a Filipino dessert comfort food.

Lastly, which one of the pictures above is not a salad? It’s a trick question really. The first is a drink with mozzarella and cherry tomato chaser over a green alcoholic cold broth. It was at Dr. Stravinsky’s, one of the best cocktail bars in Barcelona if not the world. The menu is a guide that let’s you choose your drink based on choices that you make — sweet vs sour, fruity vs bold, etc. You end up with a drink choice and a category with other similar drinks. This actually made sense. It tasted like a burrata salad. The second picture is a salad too. It was at Disfrutar, also in Barcelona. Two if not now three Michelin stars. Amazing five hour dining experience. Crazy good. also crazy expensive but so worth it. this drink salad did not make sense. In fact it was the worst course out of 24 that we had that night. This one I would leave out. The third picture is actually a salad. It was at Enigma, also in Barcelona. It was so good/great that I ordered it for my wife. It’s only like three or four bites. House made mozzarella, perfectly ripe tomato with a basil liquid that made it truly special. I mean who thinks of that shit. Right?

Anyway that’s it for now. Maybe next post I will do something about local food scene. By local I mean Charleston. The search for this foodie continues. Two weeks until R Kitchen, Husk, FIG, Chubby Fish and Ted’s Butcherblock.

Tuyo in its native form

So how do palates evolve? Specifically my palate. For both wine and food. Let’s start with food first. One of my earliest food memories is the smell of tuyo (two yoh with the accent on the second syllable). Actually the smell and the smoke cloud that came with it. Salted, dried fish. I remember having to open all the windows in our two bedroom, Brooklyn apartment across the street from the hospital where my Mom worked. All the windows open even in the heat of summer because of the smell and the smoke. Always timing the window opening before the smoke alarm went off. This almost never happened. We never got it coordinated enough to open the windows right on time. Tuyo with hot rice and ripe tomatoes for breakfast. Salty goodness. The fishy salt lick with the acidity of the tomatoes and the heat and comfort of the rice. It’s simple food centered in a culture where food is part of the love experience. So this is the one food memory that sets it all up. Simple, comforting, loving food that is always difficult in some ways to prepare. Memories that expand, evolve, expand and test all your senses.

I also grew up near and around one of the best food cities in the world, New York. Five boroughs. My life focused around four of them. Nothing was unavailable. Mostly Asian because it was accessible, affordable and abundant. It was simple and yet not simple at all. It was a celebration of fresh ingredients, cooked well and presented hot. Chinatown was always available. It wasn’t moo goo gai pan or beef and broccoli. It was whole fish with garlic and ginger, crabs Cantonese, barely cooked bok choy, and dim sum. It was what was eaten in the old world mixed with new world accessible proteins. It was rice porridge with duck or chicken. So hot it burned your mouth. Basic food. Not what any normal 12 year old kid would order now. My fast food wasn’t McDonalds. My fast food go-to meal was seafood with noodles.

I also grew up and still in some ways live in a world where nothing is wasted. My Mom came from a very poor family. Living on the farm owned by a very rich and famous Filipino family. No flushable toilet, water from a well. There was a humbleness to it.The house where my mom grew up in had four walls, a lot of family and the warmth of an open kitchen always available. I think I wrote about my Mom making three meals out of a KFC bucket of chicken. Dinner, snack and a soup. Plates were completely cleaned at the end of any meal. There was rice expected at every meal. We would take road trips with spam or corned beef tins for protein and the omnipresent rice cooker.

So where else did I go wrong or go right? College in Maine helped. I learned what good seafood is. I ate cheap scallops, fish and lobster without butter. Medical school I had to cook for myself so the Filipino standards –adobo, sinigang. I bought a rice cooker. Also I got to sample a lot of different food. Korean, Italian, Thai and Non Sushi Japanese. Learning to build a stock led to ramen at home. Knowing how tough it is to make a legit stock evolved as my palate evolved. Umami evolved. Learning what good food without crazy sauces or spices. Knowing how salmon tastes and what different levels of defining taste when it is exposed to heat. For example, raw, fresh salmon tastes like this. Salmon in a pan with olive oil and salt and pepper ( S and P from now on) tastes like this. Then it becomes cooking for people, adults and kids. For example, Jenn’s(my wife) salmon initially was a olive oil poached salmon with dill and lemon on the lowest heat setting and now it’s Jenn’s salmon redux if you will is tea steamed with ginger and lemon grass. As she says something like “yeah, that’s alright. You can keep working on it” or something like that. It evolved. maybe not evolved but tested what I could do if I did it what my palate on my own. No recipe. And with what is available in the kitchen. Like the time I had freezer burnt blue berries that with things from the fridge and pantry became a BBQ sauce base. Also time to do things right. Like Jenn’s initial poached salmon is 25 minutes on the clock. Let me tell you it is really hard to set thing up to do this and walk away from a pan on the stove. But know it will turn out perfectly. Probably took three or four times until it was reproducible. A lot of my cooking is trial and error. A level of insecurity most people couldn’t or wouldn’t tolerate. A recipe is more comfortable to follow. Also it takes a failure, which honestly is rare, to realize what you cook has to work.

It also takes a partner who is willing to take food risks. Trying new recipes or new food coming out of our kitchen. Trying that brown thing and knowing “Nope that’s not going to work.” Also finding a partner who is willing to go outside their comfort zone both for food and traveling for food. Like exploring burrata and going to Barcelona to find out one of our favorite presentations of it is at a restaurant called Enigma.

Knowledge of wine derived from the lack of knowledge. The first time we went to Napa I knew very little about wine and here I was in the heart of wine making in the US. I educated myself. I purchased a shit load of wine making our collection the dozen mixed bottles to a collection where most bottles, now over 180 bottles, come with a story. “This is our favorite from Aldi” or this bottle of Silver Oak 2016 Cabernet we tasted at 9 am at the winery and it was the first time I spent any money on a bottle of wine. So now when I see a Cakebread 2016, the words coming out of my mouth is “I’ll take six bottles.” I think I just like knowing. I picked all the wine when we did a Mediterrean cruise. One of my favorites is Assyrtiko, a white wine, from Santorini. It comes from grapes grown in volcanic soil on really low vines. They are low because of the wind and sunlight. It is a bold white but goes great with fish and meat quite well. Why? Santorini is an island surrounded by saltwater and pastures with sheep and goats. The next time we visited Napa I knew where I wanted to go but also took tours for the smaller, family owned wineries. Expanding the palate. My wife has a better palate than I do honestly. Also I will try wine in tastings prior to ordering a bottle or an expensive glass. Knowing that the wine choice will make the food better. It matters. It will make the food better. Everything matters is the lesson here I guess.

So here I sit, getting this post out, months in the making, in a hotel room in Makati, Manila. Trying to tie everything together. So palates evolve based on exposure and being open trying new things. I tried three things from my childhood and from previous trips to the Philippines that ticked the right palate bocks. I guess taste memories. They’ll probably be topics for the next posts. That’s it for now.

So I fly fish. I travel the world to flyfish. It has taught me a lot. Taught me about friends. Taught me about the world. Taught me about fishing. Most importantly it’s taught me alot about myself. I think everyone should have a hobby that takes one out of their element. Forced into uncomfortable environments and situations that make one ask ” How the fuck did I get here?” and “How the fuck am I getting out of this?” On my walks over the past few days, this post has been in my mind. Spinning. Some important lessons are learned on the water, either by people that share the water with you or on your own. Sometimes it is on small water, other times on big water. Sometimes it’s over big fish, or small fish. Sometimes is guessing the hatch or other times when there are no bugs in the air at all. All lessons. I would like to share some.

1) Divide the river. Into pieces that you understand. That are in your wheelhouse. That you have seen before. That you know you can handle. Herb Weigl, a guide and fly shop owner in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, shared this lesson with me as I was getting ready for my first trip out West. The Madison was intimidating. He said “Norm, you know what you’re doing. Just divide the river into something that you know and can handle.” Hmmmm…. Life lesson. Read — when handling big problems or goals or tasks, divide them into pieces you can understand and tackle. Even if you don’t understand or know how to accomplish them. Smaller tasks/goals/problems are easier to tackle. Make goals realistically attainable. And get positive reinforcement when those goals are met. Or suffer a smaller fall if they are not met. Find that small rivulet that reminds you of something you’ve seen on your home stream. Take the Yellowstone River and make it seem like it is the Yellow Breeches.

2) It’s okay to be wrong. So flyfishing is a lot of trial and error especially when there’s no hatch happening. I’ve gone through my whole flybox to find the right fly for a particular situation. And even then your choices might not work. And you find yourself standing in the river for hours with no fish to hand. All the while your buddies are slamming them. Put the bug on, try a few drifts, move along to the next choice. Another example (here a food one): It’s ok to choose the wrong drink or wrong food when you go out to a restaurant. It might surprise you that at the time or at the place, it is the right thing. Even if it’s something that you’ve never tried before. Maybe it’s the way it’s presented or prepared. It’s ok to be wrong because it might be right for someone else. Most kitchens are understanding when a dish is returned within reason. Move along, next choice. It won’t be your last time failing. Eventually you will know enough, learn enough to get it right. Like picking the right wine. Like the pinot at brunch or the albarino with sushi.

3) Catching the big fish is hard. Savor the big successes. They are successes for a reason. The big fish are difficult, but when the catch is made, it is so much sweeter. The picture above is me on the Bighorn River in Montana. Fishing bamboo during a black caddis hatch in a cold rain in September probably 15 years ago. Big fish are big fish because they are smart. Tough to fool. Tough to land. Sometimes it takes hours in the pouring rain, but being in the right place and time makes all the difference. The big questions are hard to answer. The big steps are tough to take. But answering them and taking them is worth it. The picture below is one of my favorite side channels of the Missouri around Craig, Montana. Again, bamboo, but no cold rain. PMDs in June from a few years ago.

4) Find a lifelong hobby that who know might bring you the best adventures in your life. Flyfishing led me to friends and friends become family. And friends who become family teach you a lot about life and fishing. They might even save your life. My friend, Marc, has become family and partially because of him I have a family of life long friends. I gave up golf for a long time because one day he said “Let’s go flyfishing.” The picture below is on the cement bridge on Rock Creek in Montana. Fishing the salmon fly hatch has become one of the highlights of the year for the past 5 years or so.

So yes he has saved my life multiple times. In a bog in Yellowstone where I fell in to my armpit, he was there to help me out. All I saw was bison and elk bones all around me, there he was with a helping hand. He was there when we capsized in the middle of Rock Creek at dusk. He was there when I filled my waders and went under on the Bighorn. He is one of the few people, besides my wife, to say “you can do it.” You can make that cast. You can ford that creek. You can put that pack on. You can wear that bear spray. You can row the driftboat. You can leave your job, You can start again. You can learn things you don’t know now. They support me. They slow this crazy life down. They are the ones who made a chair on the beach ok or made standing in the river waving a stick ok. It goes too fast. They also make me laugh. I think our almost daily phone calls over the years are mostly so we can make each other laugh. I think our wives agree that when we talk or get together, all at once we are 12 year olds. He is the person that can tell me “it’s only about a three mile hike,” when all the while he knows that it’s six miles, uphill at altitude through an occasional snow drift. I know he’s lying, but I believe him anyway. He’s that friend. He is a brother to me.

And because of him, I have these friends. They have transformed a once hardcore backpacking trip (think pooping in the woods, dehydrated food, filtering your own water) in September for the past 20 years to what it is today — an Airbnb, hot food every night, great wine type of trip. And what was a handful of people became 6-8 people every year.

Izaak’s on the Missouri.

Last year, third meadow Slough Creek

I think that Marc and any of the friends above would drop anything and everything if one of us need them. I truly do. I would do the same for anyone of them. That’s what friends who become family do. That is all my family included. These people have slowed down my life. The rush of the next exciting thing is gone. The next exciting thing is right in front of me. These people helped to make that happen. To all of them, I say a most humble and respectful “Thank you.” Love you all.

So home recipes or go-to recipes are something I started at home when I knew I was going to cook most of the food. When my wife wants steak or fish or pasta, I know that I can pull something out of my brain and sometimes a recipe card and make it. It will come out great and she will eat it. I think it first started out with a steak dish that is now known as “Jenn’s Steak.” Jenn’s steak is a large ribeye seared with a mushroom sauce. It starts out with a hard sear on a ribeye with high heat. It’s done with cooking oil and garlic. Yes the garlic gets a little dark but that adds a lot to the finished sauce. Heat is turned way down to medium low and mushrooms, shallots, red wine and soy sauce is added. The steak is turned once after everything is added after the red wine gets reduced. Served usually with a mashed root veggie or cauliflower and brussel sprouts done in the oven. Nothing about this was taken from someone else — a chef, friend or family member.

The recipe/dish called “Jenn’s Salmon” is something partially stolen from a famous chef. (When I talk about famous chef, please take this as someone who can really cook or who I think really does justice to the art form. So NOT Bobby Flay or any one of the celebrity chefs on Food Network or Bravo — think Trisha Yearwood or even Padma Lakshmi) It’s salmon poached in olive oil. The salmon isn’t cover in oil like other recipes. The salmon filet still has it’s skin, and is cooked skin side down. It is cooked under low heat. I remember when I first heard about this, this means the burner is barely on. Another novel thing about this recipe is that it is strictly timed. 25 minutes, no more, no less. (I do most of my seafood to a specific time — ie scallops are 3 timed minutes each side) Cover the filet with thin lemon slices, shallots and fresh dill. Serve warm with carrots and a starch of choice. I love couscous with toasted pine nuts for this.

Another recipe is completely and utterly stolen from Sam the Cooking Guy off of YouTube. If you haven’t checked it out, do so. Sam is amazing. His recipe for Short Rib Ragu is done with the InstaPot. It comes out really well. Probably will do it in the dutch oven next time as I have burned the bottom of the pot three times. It is comforting and filling. It is supposed to be served over papardelle but can be served over any sauce holding pasta. What is a sauce holding pasta? Great example — Spaghetti versus bucatini.

The pictures are to illustrate a home recipe in execution as well as the thought process behind it — at least in my chef brain. Have capers, anchovies, garlic, frozen cilantro and fresh basil and a block of parmesan, add white mushrooms, butter, lemon, and white wine. Done. Pasta here is spaghetti. Finished in the pan. Salmon in the air fryer — 15 minutes at 350 after a hour in fish sauce lemon zest and black pepper. It turned out well. Still need to tinker a bit with it before it truly is a home recipe.

Macaroni alla Carbonara

Hoisin cucumber

So coming home from Barcelona yesterday, a question has been nagging me — “Do Michelin stars matter?” I guess if you’re not a foodie and are reading this post, you’re probably wondering, what is a Michelin star? It was a guide created in 1900 by the Michelin tire company. It is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding cooking. Restaurants can be awarded one to three stars — with three stars being the highest. So I have eaten at two three star places, a few one and two star places. I won’t throw out the three star restaurants names but I got engaged to my wife before dinner at one and ate at the other one just by chance. Acquiring stars doesn’t mean the restaurant is expensive necessarily, but they usually are. It is about the food — the ingredients, the chef and their craft and care for the food. Some foodies pride themselves at how many stars they have eaten at. I might be one of those people.

This trip to Barcelona, I had the chance to acquire three stars. Two at Disfrutar (the pictures above — one with me and Chef Eduard Xatruch) and another at Enigma (the concept restaurant of Albert Adria (pictures to follow).

Disfrutar. It definitely is a bucket list restaurant. Created by three chefs from El Bulli. El Bulli, prior to closing, it was supposedly the best restaurant in the world. It was the brain child of Ferran Adria, the brother of Albert Adria. Disfrutar is amazing. A 28 course tasting menu with wine pairing. The first three courses were little hits of alcohol. The taste and attention to detail was incredible. The progression made sense. Only half the dishes required silverware. The staff was very knowledgeable and attentive. It was creative and in a lot of ways, magic. Two stars.

Iberico with anchovy with pan con tomate

Basil noodles with tomato broth

Enigma — the brainchild of Albert Adria. The menu was al a carte. We told the waitstaff to surprise us with 14 courses. The food was as inventive as Disfrutar and the progression was just a good. The dishes were delicious. I had the sommelier pair wines for me. In some ways it continued the inventiveness of Disfrutar. I knew it was going to be a good night when the meal started with only forceps at the table for the first few couple of courses. A few more courses that featured tableside magic.

The next restaurant was Can Sole. Over 120 years old. In Barceloneta. Within steps of the beach. Locals and tourists. Had one soup and three entrees that we all shared. The monkfish soup was terrific. The three entrees were house cod, oxtail, and seafood paella. There was no magic, no spherification, no liquid nitrogen or CO2, but an exceptional meal never the less. Just beautiful, slow created flavors. The surprise in the meal came in the beauty of the flavors that took hours to create. This meal for me was attainable in my own kitchen. And that was ok, The first two restaurants created meals I can’t make at home. “I can make that.” Given enough time and experimentation. It was as incredible as any Michelin stars that I have ever had.

So to answer the question “Is it about the Michelin stars?” The answer is mostly and maybe a little sadly ‘No.” I understand now that stars are about inventiveness, techiques and ingredients that are unattainable to most. I have had “holy shit” food moments at Michelin star places, but also at places like Can Sole. But also at home. The Michelin stars show what given time and years gathered skillsets can achieve. People talk about 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery. Michelin stars are just that. Food magic created by 10,000 hours of time in the kitchen. I don’t have that time anymore. Maybe that’s the reminder. I don’t have that time anymore. Maybe that’s why Michelin stars are important. That’s why paying to see a great band or see great art or traveling the world to eat at great places worth it. I can’t attain those experiences sitting at home, but I can come close to meals like Can Sole at my house, my kitchen, my skillset. My skillset will improve. Providing great meals to family and friends that bring them to Barcelona, to Charleston, to Napa. Give them a glimpse or a reminder of something past. And look forward to the future. A look into experiences and flavors that I have experienced.

So come to my kitchen and let me fill your empty plate. It might be Michelin star. It might be 120 year old restaurant quality food. It won’t be 10,000 hours of practice worth, but it will be mine. It will always be my gift to you. It will be a reminder of where I’ve been. It will be filled with all the love I can give.