What a $98 Ribeye Looks Like
Plus: Proud Parents, Moldy Pickles, and Strawberry Vodka.
Hey everyone,
My parents are in town and if you’re a long-time reader you know what that means: EPIC EATING.
But before we get to all of the food, I have to share this picture of my proud parents modeling my latest cookbook:
It’s funny when you’re a writer: you spend most of your time behind a computer clicking away and your loved ones wonder what you’re doing with yourself all day. And then finally, if you’re lucky, you have a concrete thing to show for yourself and they’re like: “Oh! That’s what you were doing all that time.”
So to get a sense of it yourself, do yourself a favor and pre-order Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway. You’ll have it on your doorstep in just three weeks….
Okay, so let’s talk about that ribeye.
On Saturday night, I went with my parents to Cut, Wolfgang Puck’s steakhouse in the The Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
We’ve been a few times before and always it’s a treat but this time the prices were SHOCKINGLY expensive. I couldn’t believe how much Wolfie raised the prices (he was there working the room, still shaking everyone’s hand after four decades in the business). I know inflation is happening and things are more expensive everywhere… but $98 for a ribeye?!
This bread service cost $18 and came with house-knotted pretzel rolls, Hokkaido milk bread, parmesan crisps, and roasted pepper walnut dip. The warm buttery bread made the price worthwhile.
But this heirloom tomato salad for $28 was highway robbery.
The tomatoes tasted like supermarket tomatoes and, worse, the melon balls tasted like they came from a synthetic honeydew grown in a lab. It had absolutely no flavor. I could make a better version of this salad in my sleep with just one trip to the farmer’s market (though according to the menu the tomatoes came from Valdivia farms, so maybe tomatoes are just out of season).
I had to say this tomato salad had me worried about the rest of the meal, but then things completely flipped on their head with the $98 ribeye.
People: this was the best ribeye I’ve ever had in my life. Those $98 were $98 well-spent — the meat was deeply flavorful (aged for 40 days) and so well-marbled, each bite was like a luxurious meaty vacation. Would I ever go on my own and spend $98 on this ribeye? Hell no! But if someone else is treating (aka: your parents), definitely say yes to it.
After this, everything was stellar: especially the desserts. Check out the Baked Alaska:
Once a classic, always a classic. And the banana cream pie was none too shabby.
And that was our dinner at Cut, which — after the appetizers — was really a cut above, though it really cut into our wallets. (Okay, I’ll cut it out with the Cut jokes.)
Bad news to those who were inspired by my pickling post last week: my pickles got moldy :(
WARNING GRAPHIC!
This was Alison Roman’s recipe which is really a great recipe, I just let them go too long at room temperature and I didn’t have everything submerged in the brine, as one should when pickling. So I’m going to try again and refrigerate sooner.
In happier news, my strawberry vodka — which I made along with everything else — was ready to go yesterday.
To review: you just clean strawberries, cut off the stems, and submerge them in vodka in a jar and leave it for a week. It’s really that easy. Then you funnel it into a bottle.
Following the Kachka cookbook’s instructions, I stuck that bottle into the freezer and let it get super cold before pouring myself a shot and shooting it at four in the afternoon on a Sunday.
Immediately, my face warmed up (no wonder Russians like to drink vodka in the winter) and the strawberry flavor was pronounced and not at all chemical-tasting. Funny enough, I actually like the tarragon vodka that I made a little better: that only infused for 24 hours and yet the flavors were complex and herbal and unlike anything else I’d ever tasted.
Time for some links! But here’s Winston looking cute first.
John Kessler drags Alinea and it’s a most excellent read (Chicago Magazine);
How to buy rare fruit online (Taste);
The Best Pasta Dishes in LA (I want to eat them all) (The Infatuation).
That’s all for today, folks!
If you missed Thursday’s newsletter, you missed my tarragon vodka, Wickedoodles from the Broadway cookbook, setting red peppers and eggplants on fire, and even more links.
Don't miss this Thursday’s! Become a paid subscriber and get access to my full archives.
Until next time….
Your friend,
Adam
Where else did you eat with your parents? Or did that one meal wipe them out??
I do an herby booze every summer -- stuff an old bottle with herbs from the garden, usually tarragon, thyme, a little sage, hyssop (fabulous! who knew? I planted it because it's pretty), summer savory, a tiny bit of mint. Then add lemon peel, some ginger, and cardamom pods. Stick it in the basement until you want to use it -- then it makes a fab addition to some cheap white wine on ice, or in a cocktail with lemonade and fizzy water.