An American Chef

Images from Service

Short Rib over Red Dragon Polenta with Parsnip Chips

Coriander Seared Tuna with Citrus

Gazpacho Shooters

The Charleston Chop

The lambs were screaming...What became of your lamb, Clarice?

Diver Scallops

Are a very popular here at 21Main we do ours with a exotic mushroom risotto fried spinach and finish it in a Thai Butter Sauce

Say Cheese

"A meal without some cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.”- said the famous gastronome and cookery writer Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin.

One of the hardest mistakes I ever had to learn was not to over process my food; I think that is the first thing every young chef wants to do and was exactly the reason I failed my CEC with the ACF a very bittersweet moment in my career that would take me years to truly appreciate as a producer of fine cookery such as it may be. So heed my lesson or not, I say to you all save your Roulades, Stuffing’s, and for God’s sake your Mousses for the not so benevolent creatures of the night and let your protein shine with what may soon come to light highlighted with appropriate sauce and such of course. If this doesn't make sense, wait 5 years and reread it.......

Tapas Menu for Bar

Seared Scallop on Truffled Parmesan Risotto with Basil Oil

Sherry, Garlic Shrimp on Basil Ricotta Crostini

BLT-Beef Tenderloin Lettuce, Tomato and Dijon Aioli on a Crostini

Dessert

Yes We Recycle!!!!!!

In my household we have employed one Calypso; here she is found working day two of an orphaned Bone in Ribeye an instrumental part of our program to say the least

Tonight’s Service

Beef Tortelloni in a Truffled Mushroom Ragout

Fresh Pasta

Laying out the sheet

Beef Short Rib with Demi-Glace Filling

All lined up and ready for the water

Finished Product with Mushroom Sauce

From Dinner Service

Bone In Ribeye with Hollandaise

Shrimp & Grits

Chocolate Chambord Raspberry Mousse

So much more to come.......

Easter in New York with 21 Main

I was blessed with the opportunity to visit our sister restaurant this past week in New York and got a rare glimpse at a real professional gastronomic Juggernaut in motion

Chef Pauly making Nitro Ice Cream

The Bain Marie from Hell kept at a saucy 200,000,000 BTU's

Uber tender Ribs....

32cm of cheesecake

Bittersweet dark chocolate cheesecake, Raspberries,Graham Cracker Crust, XR Anglaise and Fresh Mint

mmmmmmmmmmmm Soooooooo Good!!!!

Whisky Dinner March 23rd

Bamboo Rice

Is a sushi grade short grain rice that is soaked in bamboo juice and green tea to achieve that vibrant color then is cooked and bound together with a gastrique in order to to form a seared rice cake that we serve with our saku tuna it is found to be aromatic as well as herbaceous in quality

Myrtle Beach area chefs sweep S.C. Seafood Challenge - Local - TheSunNews.com

Strand chefs sweep S.C. Seafood Challenge

This was such a fun dish to do and so whimsical I couldn't have enjoyed it anymore if I had tried(coffee and doughnuts) was a triumph for all cooks in our area proving that outside the box does work and we are able to strive above the calabash seafood platter after all

Service

Nothing intrigues me more than shots of kitchens during service; the intensity, focus, hustle and controlled ciaos I find fascinating as well as fulfilling much like a mental sandwich

Pickled Cauliflower

Basic Pickling Recipe

8 cups water
2 cups rice wine vinegar
8 tablespoons pickling salt
3 tablespoons of pickling spice blend
1 tablespoon of Turmeric
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
6 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves
8 to 10 cups vegetables, washed and diced

Method:
To prepare brine, combine all ingredients in a large stockpot. Boil for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Place vegetables to be pickled in a plastic container. Pour warm brine over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for days to allow vegetables to pickle before eating. The vegetables will stay crisp for up to 30 days.

Working on New Dishes

On of the most loved things of any chef is a menu change, I for the life of me am not sure why, along with being nerve racking and also certain number of politics that must be adhered to in the corporate world

Lobster and Shrimp Spaghetti

Escabeche

This is another dish that we are currently playing with is a Local Grouper Escabeche served with Cassava Chips in the heat of the low country summer's I consider this one to be sex on a plate

Halibut with Roasted Tomato Risotto

Pink Snapper with bamboo Rice

Bringing Home the Bacon

The other day I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and made a side of bacon, Ol what fun it is to cure meats

Pork Belly all cleaned and ready to cure...

Day two of curing in a mixture of Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Mustard and Maple Syrup

After Five Days curing and Three hours in the Smoker I was really impressed how much flavor the cured belly retained from the smoking

Oscar Wilde

"To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist–the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know how much oil one must mix with one's vinegar."

Early Summer or Late Spring, You Decide

Well much has happened since my winter of construction gig, Please understand it was my every intention to bring you updates of new foods and tidings of edible joy from Bovine's but that is sooo not the case. As the greater powers that be at D.D.G. have seen fit to offer me the Chef de Cuisine position at The Divine Fish House and to answer your question; I never looked back..........First order of business The over grown Garden.

We added a Peach Tree which I am very excited about

Sushi

"What is food to one may be fierce poison to others."
-Lucretius

100 Best Chefs

All I can say is Thank You so very much and for those of you that are not familiar Chef2Chef.com it is the premier chef's practical guide to practically everything culinary. Whether you're a professional chef, an aspiring culinary student, or just love to cook, you're bound to find something you'll love. From their online cooking classes to forums, and from culinary school directory to a chef job board, you can commune with fellow food lovers and find the resources you need to take your cooking skills to the next level,please follow the link and give it a look.

Top 10 Chefs 2009

Tell the world we're a Top Chef!

I am very honored, Much Thanks again to all who voted for me.

The Down Low

To my readers that may be curious, I have been spending my off season masquerading as some sort of foreman for D.D.G. all though I'm not really sure how this little job came to me I currently find myself working on my second of what I am told to be a trio of restaurants one of which is my own that I am currently stationed at. Please don't get me wrong I love my job, it's just that I'm a cook not a carpenter, I've always known this. As I am far more successful in my daily duties within the confines of a commercial kitchen.I guess in retrospective it's good to be involved in the construction phase of restaurant design after all the say what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

All the while some of the less savory workers spend their time talking of women of ill repute and cheap hooch, I tend to find my mind wandering to things like a proper bouquet garni,the simplistic beauty of a whisk or making stocks aahhhh to depouillage. It is at this moment in my life I truly understand the feeling of frustration and dealing with it...On the plus side, My knives have never been sharper