Blue Duck Tavern Blog

Masters of Food & Wine

Next week I leave for Paris to participate in the first Paris-based Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine event, September 21 - 25.  I was invited by Executive Chef Jean-Francois Rouquette of Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome's Michelin-starred Pur' restaurant to work alongside Jean Sulpice, executive chef of L'Oxalys, a one-Michelin star restaurant in Val Thorens, France, and the up-and-coming Benjamin Toursel of L'Auberge du Prieure in Moirax, France.

The festival begins with a welcome reception at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, where guests will have the opportunity to meet the six participating chefs, including myself, followed by a series of exclusive dinners over the next four nights. In addition to the dinner, the hotel will also host a cultural program, Discovery of Paris, which includes cocktail classes, a trip to Billecart-Salmon Champagne House and a tour of the Boucheron factory.

Au revoir!

Viva Las Vegas!

Recently I traveled to the Bellagio Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas to participate in the Park Hyatt Culinary Experience, a dinner for sixty of Park Hyatt Hotels' best customers. Fernando Beteta, Master Sommelier of NoMi Restaurant at Park Hyatt Chicago, joined me for the event, and put his personal spin on the wines and pairings.

Fernando and I gave the attendees a touch of the Blue Duck, while dining at Tuscany Kitchen, a restaurant at the Bellagio.  Similar to Blue Duck, Tuscany houses an open kitchen, giving all who attended a great view of each dish as it was prepared.  The dinner was interactive as we shared our cooking techniques and why we use sustainable farming and farmers markets to purchase our ingredients.

Some items from the evening's menu included Pressed Chapel Hill Farm Veal Breast with a Summer Tomato Tart, Elysian Fields Lamb Loin with Humboldt Fog Cheese and Potato Gratin and Maine Lobster Salad with Yellow Beets, Pole Beans and Carrott Broth Vinaigrette.

  

 

Mushroom Hunt

Every Spring when the wild trillium start to bloom in the Blue Ridge Mountains, nature's most elusive wild mushroom, the morel, begins to come up!  So finally, with a few hours to spare last week, I made the two-hour journey from Alexandria, VA to spend a day in the woods looking for these tasty morsels. 

It's such a neat experience because each year is different from the year before, as you never know what will be found!  Below are some photos from Old Rag Mountain.

 

Shown here is the source of a mountain spring which flows right out of the rocks. The watercress growing here is some of the sweetest I've ever found. (I filled my bags before leaving!!)

Stepping across the creek, not five yards into the wilderness, I looked down to see the scene before you. It was a bit difficult to spot this mushroom - in fact, I saw two!

Needless to say, finding two at the start of my hunt was very encouraging. Sadly though, these turned out to be the only two of the day. But hey, spending the day in nature and finding at least one mushroom is a day well spent! The cress made an amazing salad.

My Trip to Argentina

As you know, I recently spent 9 days at Duhau, one of the restaurants at Park Hyatt Buenos Aires.  I worked closely with the culinary team, focusing on organic ingredients and presenting new items, similar to the family-style of Blue Duck Tavern. Grass-fed beef products were truly amazing as well as their local produce.

A special nod to the restaurant's waitstaff, managers and culinary team whose professionalism and focus truly made the whole trip a success.  Below are a few pictures from my visit.  I'm already to go back!

 

culinary team

 

breads from the organic market

 

hotel/restaurant terrace

 

market

Destination: Buenos Aires

Tomorrow I depart for Argentina, participating in a guest chef series at El Palacio Duhau, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires.  From March 14 to March 21, I will be preparing organic, farm-to-table dishes, similar to those found at Blue Duck, in the kitchen of Duhau Restaurant & Vinoteca. Duhau is the hotel's signature restaurant, offering international cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal and fresh products, similar to the concept we have Blue Duck. 

Throughout the trip I will be posting about my experiences in and out of the kitchen and perhaps share a few great Argentine wines that I am tasting!

Chau, suerte!