Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Minibar


this posting is clearly long overdue, but i've been quite busy and haven't had much time to indulge on one of the best meals i've ever had in my life. thanks to ting, i was lucky to have sat in chef jose andres' minibar to a tasting.

eating at places that like, a amateur epicurean like myself regrets never having gone to culinary school. good food comes in many different forms...home cooking, the classic bbq, ethnic cuisine, fusion...and then there's imagination put onto a plate, poured into a bowl, or mixed into a drink. that is what minibar is made of...that is what was prepared right in front of your eyes...and that is the essence of taste that you put in your mouth.

i won't run down all 28 dishes that consisted of that night's tasting, but i will divulge on some of my favorites.

beet tumbleweed i've always been a fan of beets, but this took it to a new level. this was basically a fried string of beets molded into the shape of a disparate tumbleweed that happened to breeze into my mouth.

bagels and lox don't be fooled, this isn't your standard bagel, cream cheese, and lox...instead, it was a cone of crisp breading, filled with creme fraiche, topped with salmon roe. ideally the best breakfast bite.

zucchini in textures possibly the best dish of the night, this is zucchinis done three ways: the bottom layer a savory paste of carmalized zucchini, next a spread of individually plucked fresh zucchini seeds, topped with a sweet and tantalizing zucchini 'glue'. perfect texture meets exquisite flavor.

kumquats & pumpkin seed oil this pre-dessert looks exactly as it tastes...tart, sweet, and the ultimate palate cleanser. at the end of the savory portion and before the sweet, nothing could have freshened the tastebuds better than this dish.

it's difficult to only single out these 4 dishes in 28 amazing plates, but to describe them all would result in my having to replace my computer as i'm sure the drool over my computer would have fried the motherboard.

if you ever get the chance to make a month-in-advance reservation for one of the 12 seats a night, you MUST experience this. expensive...of course. but for a foodie, nothing could have been more orgasmic.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Trapped

it's not an uncommon sight to see throngs of reporters surrounding senators as they leave meetings and are vulnerable as they walk the halls back to their offices. and as there was a finance committee members' meeting, yesterday was no different.

after a constructive 2 hr meeting, i ducked out a bit early to make a phone call in our little hallway phone booth (which is basically a closet). unfortunately, as i ended my call...i noticed that there was a mob outside the door, blocking my exit. normally, it wouldn't be such a rude move to push through a few reporters, but this time was different. the person whose back was pressed against the door was that of the senator from maine, olympia snowe...and you can't just push a senator out of the way.

so for a good 20 minutes, i was trapped inside that little closet (as seen in the photo) as senator snowe answered questions and interviews. i furiously sent emails to our press secretary and a few colleagues asking them to perhaps stop by and ask the senator's staffer to move to the side so i could escape, but all i got back from them was mocking laughter and photo-taking.

as the reporters finally got their share and the questions began to dwindle, i finally got the attention of a staffer and a reporter, who kindly opened the door for me and freed me from my confines. and as a result of imprisonment, i did get a very sincere apology from the good senator from maine.

but beyond that low-moment of the week, there was also a fair amount of excitement (at least for a junior staffer of my level). the past two months have been spent speaking with interest groups, academics, experts, and fellow staffers to hone in on an improved reintroduction of my boss's comparative effectiveness research bill. for those who are not following health reform (i'm taking names and will make sure you don't get insurance or that you're premiums go up!!)...CER is what those on the right have labeled as our attempts to ration your health care by taking away decisions from your doctor and placing them in government hands.

of course, all that is full of crap and i'll be writing talking points to counter them soon. but to get back to the original point, this was the first time i've been sent solo to hammer out the details, make the sausage, and cut the deals...and the outcome was a bill, S. 1213 - The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act of 2009.

it's been a nice progression for me since i've entered the world of professional politics...starting with a few terms with NACHC, helping the medically underserved and low-income populations find access to health care; then moving onto the hill shadowing the legislative director of a congressman from tennessee; to entering the annals of the national journal. hopefully this summer will be capped off with an invite to the white house for the signing ceremony for a comprehensive health reform bill...so here's to hoping.