incommunicado

so...thanks to my non-bill paying roommate (i do love him though), i haven't had internet access for a hot minute.  lots of pictures and thoughts are collecting...when the situation is rectified, it'll be like the great deluge.

roasted duck breast | lentils vinaigrette | chive oil | braised figs | sherry reduction

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eventually, there will be more than pictures. a couple of open letters are being drafted. a few thoughts and musings are beginning to pile up on twitter; and will be compiled here shortly. but i'm tired, and lazy, and its really fucking cold.

speaking of which, after 6 years here, i think i've become too acclimated to the weather. me and this cold snap are definitely not friends. although, based on my ride home the other night - if i ever do move to chicago, getting around shouldn't be too bad - assuming i'm bundled up like an arctic ninja.

pork tenderloin | truffled potato puree | carmelized apples | black truffle tuile | calvados reduction

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cecil's bbq

three words: fuck. yeah. texas.

one before work

asian steak frites: szechuan crusted ribeye | tempura sweet potato fries | kimchee ketchup | nappa stir-fry | soy-ginger emulsion

Yak loin. Good to keep the Yang up.

on wednesday, my chef had me come in a couple of hours early, because our specialty produce and cheese vendor was coming. This was a really cool experience on a couple of levels. first, it gave me an oppourtunity to start to get to know our vendors, and second, we get to taste/smell/feel everything, and buy shit straight off the truck.

one of the coolest things we bought, was a case of dry farmed organic pears. dry farming is agriculture without irrigation, and is dependent solely natural precipitation. it takes sustainable/organic farming another step further. and you can taste that extra step. they're the most intensely pear flavored pears i've ever had.

this restaurant is definitely affording me some opportunities and experience i've never had before. i got to try my first meyer lemon on wednesday, and now i understand why they're the most highly valued lemons in the world. a few days before that, i had my first taste of a real black truffle, not just truffle oil. amazing funky funky goodness.

i'm stoked that spring is pretty much around the corner...i'm hoping for some ramps, fiddlehead ferns, and maybe some softshell crabs.

(from top: dry-farmed organic pear; the haul: hedgehog mushrooms, dry-farmed pears, meyer lemons, cherimoya, a giant purple japanese radish, chocolate covered figs, cheeses; two of the cheeses we bought: Beemster X.O. - a 26 month aged gouda that is flaky, crumbly and incredible, and Formaggi Rossini - a redwine soaked blue cheese, it was....distinct...and would be really good with a malbec and some honey and walnuts.)

for a rainy day

grilled pork tenderloin | roasted sweet potatoes | fennel cream | red pepper emulsion

Ribeyes and riding home at 3 am

ribeye | cauliflower puree | andouile & roasted beet hash | andouile oil

piñones en orlando

Monfungo Relleno con Camerones al ajillo y Monfungo Relleon con Carnes Fritas / Vasitos al King Crab

hands down the best latin food in town (excluding El Cocqui Mexicano cuz they're never fucking open).

i think one of my favorite parts of the PeO experience is the disbelief/appreciation that someone non-puerto rican is eating there, let alone that stoked on the food. and it gives me an oppourtunity to cautiously try out the spanish that i am slowly learning (apparently my pronunciation is good, but i need to work on my accent).

either way, the food coming out of a little trailer parked behind a gas station on Conway/Curry Ford is putting out better latin food than anywhere else i've been in orlando...and possibly even dallas.

chipping away

diver scallops | handmade gnocchi | asparagus | soy-caper brown butter | red pepper relish | roasted red pepper emulsion

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making a dent in the archive

pan roasted grouper | cinnamon & clove spiced couscous | grilled asparagus | citrus fried chickpeas | cilantro chermoula

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elvis drives a Scion XB

today was a pretty sweet day off. no cooking (sometimes its good to get out of the kitchen), but definitely a culinary adventure nonetheless. actually, it was just an adventure in general.

a small group of us went to the sanford flea world, to go exploring and see elvis. yes. elvis. i'll spare you a full recap, but the highlight was elvis getting visibly pissed that a group of mentally handicapped were stealing the show with their dancing.



first thing on the agenda before elvis though; was food....A word to the wise: carnival/fair food is great at the carnival/fair. at flea world - not so much. couldashouldawoulda gone with the gi-normous (and kinda phallic) hand dipped corndogs. oh well.



after a full day of getting lost in the labryinthine complex someone suggested Uncle Jones' BBQ. Their slogan is "None Mo' Bettah", and maybe my texan roots make me a bit of a bbq snob - but i've had way better. their pulled pork was weakweakweak. although the braised pork in white gravy was pretty intense, i still think even places like Sonny's do it better.





tommorow will conclude my weekend. i'm craving mofungo. i think a trip to my favourite box truck Piñones en Orlando is in order.

one more before bed.


pan roasted grouper | smoked paprika | saffron whipped potatoes | sauted spinach/apples/raisins | romesco

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and it can run straight from the start

part of what i'll be using this blog for is a space to post pictures of the dishes i create on a daily basis at my restaurant.

for the most part, all of the pictures are taken with my phone, on the line; usually during service, right before i put the plate in the pass. i realize that none of those elements add up to a great photo, so i'll try to clean them up a little bit before i post them here.

i have a bit of a backlog of pictures and a short attention span when it comes to editing and photoshop, but here are a couple from last month when i was working the saute station (i just moved to grill a couple of weeks ago - and we rotate every time the menu changes - which is roughly every 6 weeks). They're both grouper dishes. actually the next few will all be grouper - we had a lot of grouper to burn through during the holidays.


Bacon wrapped grouper | wild mushroom cigar | sweet corn puree | red onion marmalade


thanksgiving: fried shallot crusted grouper | wild mushroom risotto | grilled asparagus | warm bacon vinaigrette | cranberry gastrique

march through the desert one step at a time

so....its been years since i've had an actual blog. mostly because i didn't have anything to write about i guess. but, this is a project i've been meaning to start for a long time. more as means to document (for myself) my journey towards becoming a chef; than anything else.

after having a lengthy conversation a few nights ago, with a chef that i greatly respect; i decided it was time to actually start this. if i can clearly see where i've been, then i'll be able to more clearly see where i'm going.