David's input on Fish/Sea Food
Wild fish that is too fresh to eat: first , I have rarely encountered wild sea bass of less than 700 gr . Farmed sea-bass is 400 -500 gr . Farmed never exceeds 600 gr .
Second , regarding freshness : Any fish that was swimming 1-2 hours before being cooked needs to be treated very carefully because it is before the onset of rigor-motis. Rigor Morris is a stiffening of the muscle ( meat) due to lactic acid released from the dead cells that burst. Most fish and all meet we consume is post rigor-mortis . Every Israeli ( our age) remembers the Greeks slamming Octopus on the rock 100 times to release the rigor-mortis .
In restaurants such as Barbur in Acre and Shawartina in Haifa they have their own fisherman and serve very fresh 2 hour fish. They will offer to deep fry the fish . Do not agree !! It will be chewy. Pre rigor-motis must be steamed slowly or cooked in wet oven in sauce - the Portuguese way . Six days later , after rigor-motis is over the fish can be cooked in any way .
I doubt the Portuguese know what lactic acid and rigor-motis are . But the fish they cooked at Arquinho Do Castelo in Port was 10/10 and the three of us easily devoured it.
There are a handful of mid-priced Seafood Restaurants in the world, which David will eat night after night One of them is:
.Civera - Fish Restaurant, in Valencia Spain.
Other fish restaurants are:
"Telegrapho" in Madrid -Spain
"Marius et Jeanette" - Paris -France
"La Rosa Nautica" in Lima - Peru ,
"Assunte Madre" in Rome- Italy
"Sheekeys" in London -UK,
"Da- Dong" in Beijing -China and
Valencia is the birthplace of Paella
David's Tips on Lamb
Lamb meat contains a high amount of sulfuric amino acids ( methionine and cysteine ), which give it the typical flavor we like when it is delicate . When lamb is reheated or contains a higher amount of Sulfuric Amino Acids (AA) , the gas H2S develops into a bad off flavor ( like in rotten eggs ) .
Lamb that feeds off green grass and has fast growth like the lamb raised in New Zealand or Australian lamb, it incorporate a higher amount of Sulphuric AA and has strong off flavor. Indeed it is the lowest cost lamb . No good restaurant will serve NZ or Australian lamb So the source of Lamb is important .
The Spanish lamb, the Arabic lamb that eats yellow grass , and the Greek lamb are my favorites . Sonoma Lamb is excellent and Colorado lamb still very good .
Now that you know to ask what is the source of your lamb , the next question is what part
Lamb chops are the best part , but they differ very greatly .
Lamb usually have either 13 or 14 thoracic vertebrae and a corresponding number of pairs of ribs, and the first 6 make very good chops . The next 8 vertebrate are what is called rack of lamb - and have only the loin muscle which are heavenly ( for me ). This is for a butcher the vertebrate after the rib section . There are many other chops from the keg , the shoulder, but they are inferior .
Now that you have the non Australian lamb and got the rack from vertebrate 6-13 , you need to tell the cook how old the lamb should be .
The best lamb I have eaten is in a restaurant called Botin in Playa Major in Madrid . It’s the oldest restaurant in Spain . We have had their lamb half a dozen times over the past 20 years and it’s perfect. No fat . The bones are fully edible , as they are not yet calcified . Each portion is one quarter lamb . Reservations a must . Not expensive (30-50 Euro max for two ) . Botin served near from 3kg baby lambs . The Greeks prefer to serve 12-13 kg lambs - which are also excellent but not quite as good .
The Arabs have no consistency in lamb age , but Arabic lamb is usually from an adult and very good .
+++++++++++++++
David's tips on Coffee
David’s take on coffee, after a visit in 2014 to the plantations of Boquet - Panama,
What is the best coffee ? based on his personal experience :
Boquet through our eyes has the most beautiful Coffee growing landscapes and farms. .
The Arabica and Geisha (Gesha) coffee brands plantations grow on steep volcanic cliffs in a cloud forest, of the youngest geo-morphological formation, relative to the African and the Indonesian landscapes.
In Meru, the Arabica coffee plantations grow at 10,000 ft “ on the equator in a lush volcanic area with the advantage of elephants that visit the borders of the coffee plantations .
The Kilimanjaro Arabica plantations are also impressive.
Pereira in Colombia has similar , stunning Arabica coffee farms, but not as striking as in Boquete.
Pereira does not have the earth and “ cloud” to raise the Geisha brand .
But tourism, hotels , prices in Columbia are superior to Panama.
The Thika in Kenya plantations are different because they are not intermingled with a rain forest. The Arabica plants growing on vast rolling hills . Mt Kenya plantations similar but less expansive.
last comes Bali , which grows Robusta and the Luwak coffee, which is digested by Civets (kind of cats ) and excreted, and thus also is a “ destination “ with the negatives attracting multitudes of tourists .
Which is the best coffee?
David - a true Coffee-Phile - feel an organoleptic difference only in filtered coffee with "weak coffee” between a good $10/lb Arabica , $30/lb Gesha, $80/lb Luwak , and a $500/lb cup of coffee he was treated to in Panama.
Under home conditions and those that use espresso machines , he is convinced that for “good coffee” ( $8-10$/lbs) the degree of roast, time from roasting to drinking and the amount of damage done during grinding - type of grinder makes a bigger difference than the small but costly differences between good, excellent and super califragilistic .
Furthermore it is very subjective ? In summary under our “ home conditions “ with espresso machines buying $30 lb coffee is like having a stereo system with a $2000 amplifier and $200 speakers.
++++++++++++
Delightful Meals
Arache France 2017
Piedmont CA 2018
2016
Lisbon Portugal 2018
Restaurant Rameh Azabe 053-9441458,
Comentarios