AHA (Vic)’s Post

Dessert caviar, dynamic pricing, A.I. and African grains — here’s what the experts foresee will dominate restaurants next year thanks to this roundup from Food & Wine ✨

The Classic French Chateaubriand The meaning of the French term chateaubriand can be confusing. Depending on whom you ask, it can either refer to a cut of steak or the method of roasting a beef tenderloin. Despite this confusion, rest assured that when you order a chateaubriand from a French restaurant menu, you will receive a beautiful center-cut piece of beef tenderloin (usually enough to serve two), along with a classic red wine sauce. Beef tenderloin is one of the most expensive pieces of beef but for a good reason. The cut lives up to its name, providing the most naturally tender, succulent piece of beef available. Note that a filet mignon, another pricey steakhouse cut, is from the smaller end of the beef tenderloin. This chateaubriand recipe is a traditional version of the restaurant favorite. The lusciously tender beef is seasoned very simply, roasted to perfection, and then sliced on the diagonal. Be sure to make the easy shallot and wine sauce to accompany the meat and serve with chateau potatoes for authenticity. Ingredients 1 pound beef tenderloin (center cut) Salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium shallot, finely chopped 1/2 cup medium-bodied dry red wine 1/2 cup demi-glace 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried) Steps to Make It Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Evenly season the beef with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) set over medium-high heat until cloudy and bubbly. Place the seasoned meat in the pan and brown for 3 minutes without moving the meat. Using tongs, carefully turn the tenderloin on its side and brown for 3 minutes more. Repeat the same browning process on all exposed surfaces of the meat. Transfer the tenderloin to a rack placed in a roasting pan and put in the oven. (Set aside the skillet with any accumulated juices for making the sauce.) Roast the beef to your desired doneness, about 15 minutes for medium-rare, 20 minutes for medium, and 23 minutes for medium-well. Remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a warm serving platter. Lightly tent the meat with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. While the tenderloin is resting, make the wine sauce. Combine the shallot with the juices in the skillet and sauté over medium heat until the shallot is soft and translucent. Pour the wine into the skillet and bring the sauce to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Continue boiling the sauce until it reduces by half. Add the demi-glace to the sauce and continue boiling the mixture until slightly thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon softened butter and tarragon. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Slice the meat on the diagonal and serve with the wine sauce. Enjoy.

Eating Out at a Price: March Food and Wine   Wine and Food Diary of Giles MacDonogh London As a former restaurant critic, the tragic situation in London causes me no small amount of grief. So many old friends have gone, and so many more are struggling; struggling to find staff, and struggling to put out a menu that is both attractive and attractively priced. Many go in for a limited formula, where the restaurant offers just three hors d’oeuvres, three main courses and a trio of desserts. In the first two categories, at least, there will be one meat, one fish and a veg option, making chicken inevitable. It is not really cheap and, to cap it all, you struggle to find two wines on the list for under £50 a bottle. "One restaurant that disappeared years before the current crisis was the Gay Hussar in Greek Street. The Gay Hussar opened in 1953, long before the name began to raise eyebrows. It closed in 2018, after decades of being the Labour Party’s favourite watering-hole, frequented by the likes of Michael Foot, Denis Healey and the Roys Jenkins and Hattersley. In those days, more MPs wrote books, sometimes quite good books."   Before his death in 1999, literary Labour MPs presented their new works to Victor Sassie, the half-Swiss, half-Welsh manager who placed the tomes in a famous shelf framing the route to the lavatories at the back of the downstairs dining room. Sassie’s connection with Hungary was tenuous, although he had opened a restaurant called ‘Budapest’ before the Second World War; by the time I started eating there in the eighties, the cooks churning out gallons of goulash and piles of palatschinken were actually Portuguese.   I had almost completely forgotten about the Hussar until the middle of last month when I had a meeting in a newish Greek Street branch of the actually booming Noble Rot wine bar. There was something awfully familiar about the place, and then I noticed the book shelf and the penny dropped: this was the old Hussar! Almost unchanged except that there was no more paprikash or cherry soup. In fact, the food was certainly better than it was in Victor Sassie’s time, but the aura of literary Labour had left, and when I thought about it, literary Labour had died a death too. https://lnkd.in/gCV2GvJN

🍚 Jollof rice is more than just a delicious dish—it’s a bridge to West African cuisine. When chefs use approachable dishes like Jollof, they create a gateway for consumers to explore unfamiliar flavors. This strategy isn’t just limited to entrees—it can work for any category or daypart. A little taste of the unfamiliar goes a long way in opening up the global culinary conversation! 🌍 Follow me and subscribe to our YouTube channel and Suzy Badaracco on Instagram for more insights. #CulinaryTides #SuzyBadaracco #GlobalFlavors #CulinaryTrends #FoodInnovation #WestAfrica Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gNiXztHs

Soujouk can be a fantastic addition to food service companies and restaurants looking to expand their flavor profiles. Soujouk, is a type of dry, spicy sausage that is popular in Armenian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. It is typically made from ground meat, usually beef or lamb, mixed with various spices such as garlic, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. The mixture is then stuffed into a casing and dried or smoked. Soujouk has a distinctive flavor and can be enjoyed on its own, sliced and served as part of a charcuterie board, or used as an ingredient in various dishes. Its unique and bold flavor can add a new dimension to a menu, attracting customers who are seeking a more adventurous dining experience. Soujouk can be used in a variety of dishes, such as pizzas, sandwiches, pasta, or even as a topping for breakfast items like omelettes or scrambled eggs. Its versatility allows for creative culinary applications, giving chefs the opportunity to experiment and create exciting new dishes. By incorporating soujouk into their offerings, food service companies and restaurants can cater to a wider range of tastes and preferences, attracting a diverse customer base. Let’s us know if you would like to have a conversation about our products. https://lnkd.in/gNGvWrqW #SoujoukDelights #fooddistributors #Restaurantchefs #Delibuyers #FoodService #Ohanyanssoujouk #ExploringSoujouk #SavoringSoujouk

Joe's Refreshing Networking Restaurant Review - Berenjak *** (Borough) I'm going to use this format from now on. A star system (out of 5). Review Below Did I only rate this 3 star as I've been waiting to go for ages and my expectations were too high? Maybe Did I only rate this 3 star as Bubala last week was so good, I'm struggling to compare anything? Maybe Was it because it was just ok? Maybe. With the set menu being nearly £40pp with service, you would expect it to be good and it certainly did look good but did the taste really, really blow me away. It didn't. I started with a blackened hummus (made with black chickpeas). It was rich and probably a bit too rich. Truffle like. Nice. But not even close to the hummus at Bubala......I know, I know, stop comparing. The main is kebab which came as per the photo. The chicken was good and the saffron came through, but the lamb was a bit limp in texture and depth of flavour. It came with a salad (basically chopped toms and cucumber) and very plain rice. All quite subtle flavours which when combined just became a bit flat. If I eat rich food, I want something acidic to cut through it. The salad could have had an acidic dressing and lift everything. The rice is fine plain if the meat smacks you with flavour. For want of a better way of describing things....imagine you made a marinade for meat at home. This felt like a 20 min marinade, when I want a 20 hour marinade. It probably was a 20 hour marinade, in which case it needed more. It was good, but for £40pp for lunch.....I would expect a lot more. Like Bubala last week.

Don't overlook food and beverage to immerse attendees in your meeting destination's community. Get tips from Branson chefs on keeping it local for meetings. https://lnkd.in/etVch-84 #BransonMeetings #ExploreBranson #MeetingsAndEvents #MeetingsMeanBusiness #MeetingProfs #EventProfs

Ten Talented Chefs Unveiled As The Ones To Watch For National Chef Of The Year The champagne corks have been popping today as ten chefs received the incredible news that they have made the National Chef of the Year final. Chefs made this discovery after receiving a bottle of Champagne Collet courtesy of Hallgarten & Novum Wines. After making the top 40 in the competition last month, the chefs had to create an amuse-bouche or pre-dessert with the theme ‘A taste of summer’ using seasonal ingredients. The chefs were asked to bring this to life with a story of a personal food hero such as an inspirational chef, family member, mentor or industry personality. A new group of judges marked this second-round stage with an overall score for both rounds created to find the top ten highest rated chefs. This year’s finalists are: Adam Fisher, head chef, Pennyhill Park Hotel Cleverson Cordeiro, head chef, Frog by Adam Handling Craig Edgell, head chef, Buoy and Oyster Danny  Young, head chef, The Torridon Jethro Lawrence, development chef, Apetito Lee Tyler, head chef, Meadowsweet Matt Ramsdale, head chef, Northcote Nick Edgar, head chef, Hambledon Vineyard Orry Shand, executive chef, Entier Ltd Matt Abé, chef patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay said: “The forty semi-finalists didn’t make this an easy decision for us and there was a lot of deliberation to select just ten chefs, but I am confident we have an incredible level of talent cooking for us in the final. The second stage was really impressive with some great storytelling around the food. There’s going to be some amazing menus for us to taste in October and it’s now just about refining them so the dishes are as strong as they can be. This year, chefs have three hours to cook their full menus and I am looking forward to seeing what impact this has on the end result.” Competition director and food innovation & sustainability director at Sodexo UK and Ireland, David Mulcahy added: “Judging this competition gets harder each year as we continue to attract some of the best talent in the UK to enter. Now this judging stage is complete, we turn our attention to the mentor day where we’ll bring the finalists together to learn from our judges, sponsors and each other. This is such an important element of the process as this competition is about so much more than winning. It’s about building connections, raising profiles and growing as a chef both professionally and personally.” In the final, the chefs will serve up their original menus from the online entry stage but are able to make small refinements to ensure that they make the best dishes possible on Tuesday, 8th October, 2024. Read More:

Here's a great piece by the team at Restaurant Business Online discussing some great new food & drink trends featuring a familiar favorite ingredient. It's a great read for any operator that has five minutes. #restaurants #trends