Q’s, located in the historic Boulderado Hotel, is a classic Colorado establishment. You won’t hear the thumping of techno music as this is a serene environment with elegant food and excellent service. Here are Chef John’s answers to the Flavorista 5:
1. What are you currently working on other than making sure the restaurant and bar are running smoothly 24/7?
"As usual, I’m working on a number of catering and benefit dinner menus, as well as instituting some menu upgrades for the restaurant. Keeping it seasonal and fun. Our Q Bar menu is the best in town and it is fun keeping it that way.
I got bored with doing the same stuff for too long. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and brainstorming to try to recharge my culinary batteries. Also trying to come up with a theme for our next Q’s Food and Wine Series dinner….maybe old world vs. new world wine styles and varietals? I am also looking forward to spring and getting my garden going!”
2. What are the food ingredients you can’t live without?
"Hmmmmm…my little squeeze bottle of lemon juice and good olive oil, potatoes, beer, bacon, slow cooked onions, Cholula and Sriracha hot sauces, sherry vinegar and Haystack Mt. Goat Dairy Chevre."
3. Who are your mentors or what has influenced you the most?
"I’ve been my own mentor and mentor to others for a while now, but past influences would have to include the chefs I worked for at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel in the mid 80’s, my Mom, my wife Sabrina, my talented sous chefs past and present, and Boulder’s Dave Query."
4. What is your favorite food memory?
"Swordfish steaks charcoal grilled with butter, lemon, salt and pepper on summer vacation with my family on Cape Cod. Also, Mom’s cheese fondue and a veal and mushroom dish with noodles that she learned how to make when we lived in Switzerland for a year when I was 11.
Best Restaurant Meal Ever: A perfect 9 courses at the French Laundry in 1998."
5. What would be your ultimate meal, any and all details (place, menu, guests)?
"A simple outdoor meal made after a day on the beach or a day of fly fishing: Wellfleet oysters with lemon and hot sauce, a really great chargrilled steak, lobster steamed in seawater, sunwarmed garden sliced tomatoes with sherry vinegar, oil salt and pepper, several Sierra Nevada beers, Sabrina’s chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
Dinner with Sabrina and our boys would be just great. Celebrity guests could include Thomas Jefferson, Jimi Hendrix."
March 9th, 2010
As I write this I realize that many of our followers are not here in Colorado. But consider this post and chef Alex’s recipe as an invitation to travel without going anywhere.
One of our favorite restaurants here in Boulder is Alba. Owned by Rick Stein with executive chef Alex Feldman , Alba is one of Boulder’s best. We love their regional wine dinners, featured on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, they are the epitome of traveling vicariously.
In January, he featured the food and wine from the Campania region. One of the more unique items on the menu was an sweet eggplant budino, an Italian pudding. In March, we will experience food and wine from the Veneto.
Some highlights of Alex’s career: He started with his mentor, Chris Schlesinger at the East Coast Grill then he moved to his first Italian inspired restaurant in Waltham, MA the Tuscan Grill . He did a short stint as the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.) but found that what he really needed to do was move to Italy and work there. He landed a job at Il Cibreo in Florence and then at Al Cambio in Bologna.
Back in the states he worked at Babbo with Mario Battali then eventually he moved to Vail and worked at Sweet Basil. Rick offered him the job here in Boulder at Alba just over a year ago.
Earlier this fall when I started thinking about posting recipes on fish stews, I had dinner at Alba and fell in love with Alex’s Brodetto. His anchovies wrapped in sage and quickly fried are unbelievably delectable. I implored him to share the recipe with Flavorista
Wish granted!
Brodetto Recipe from Alba
Note: you can adjust the variety of seafood for whatever is freshest at your fish
market.
Serves 2
4 large “dry” scallops
6 tiger shrimp
4 oz calamari rings and tentacles
1/2 lb. mussels, scrubbed
1 large clove garlic, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 sprigs marjoram
pepperoncino, chopped to taste
16 canned peeled cherry tomatoes and a little juice or 1 can diced tomatoes
( Alex uses the canned tomatoes from Academia Barilla)
3 oz. dry white wine
1 cup fish stock (frozen or use clam juice)
zest of 1/2 lemon (use a microplane)
Good EVOO
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Heat a shallow 12" sauce pan with enough cooking oil to coat the bottom, until the
first tendrils of smoke arise.
Season the seafood with salt and pepper, and spread out into the pan.
After 30 seconds, sprinkle the garlic, herbs, and pepperoncino in the pan.
Continue cooking over medium high heat for another minute, stirring constantly.
Deglaze with 3 oz white wine, reduce until mostly evaporated, add 1 c fish stock.
Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until the mussels have opened
Remove from heat. Mix in the zest and 2 Tbsp. EVOO, Taste, season, and serve.
March 3rd, 2010
Start by popping a cork…
Indulge in some chocolate…
Kiss the ones you love…
Settle in for a long day of Olympics!
February 14th, 2010
Mark your calenders flavoristas! I will be teaching at Nutrition Works in Portland on February 11th from 6 until 7:30PM. The class, Flavorista Cooks Quick & Easy, will offer three 30 minute meals and present all kinds of budget-friendly, quick cooking tips. Come hungry!
We will be sampling Eggplant Parmesan Pasta (no breading required), Polenta Cakes with Turkey Puttanesca and Sausage & Artichoke Pizza.
FMI - Click here.
January 26th, 2010
Cheers Flavoristas! May 2010 bring you many delights.
January 1st, 2010
THANK YOU WONDERFUL READERS!
Well Flavorista is keeping good company in the top six food blogs over at Apartment Therapy’s Homie Awards. The competition was made up of 326 food blogs, so WOW and thanks again. The final voting will last for one week - so please cast your vote again.
December 30th, 2009
