Restaurant Widow

Luma on Park - Dining in Orlando

Being a foodblogger, I typically look to other food blogs to tell me where to eat when traveling to other cities.  I found a dearth of Orlando food blogs before traveling there, and I was having a hard time finding restaurants in which to dine while there covering the Bocuse d'Or.  I find Chowhound and Yelp to be remarkably unhelpful, quite frankly.  Searching for a decent sushi joint, I get tired of reading things like "I loved the pecans and peanut butter in the Daytona 500 roll, it was really great, authentic sushi, and a bargain."  Of course, I made that up, but this is the sort of thing I always read on Chowhound.  I just can't trust the opinion of someone who thinks these kind of ridiculous ingredients belong in sushi.  Fortunately, Open Table exists.  Something about the description of Luma made me think it would be just right for me.  When I looked at the website, I thought it might be a little too chic for a frumpy waitress, but I braved it. 

Luma on Park is located in Winter Park, which is a delightfully charming suburb of Orlando.  For some reason, I always had this idea that Winter Park was where the elderly overwintered; a chef told me I wasn't too far off, but I thought it was a great neighborhood.

As a single diner, I was offered a seat at the pastry counter, a bar-height counter which overlooked the cold app/garde manger station and the dessert station.  There's no better way to make a waitress feel at home them plopping her at a presentation counter where she can engaged in banter with disgruntled kitchen workers.  It was so entertaining I never even opened my magazine.

The menu made it very hard to decide, but for an appetizer, I settled on the wagyu beef tartare, which contained so many of my favorite things on one plate I just couldn't resist, just look at its beauty:
 
This was a very generous portion, and tasted amazing.  It was perfectly seasoned; notice how there is no toast or anything - it didn't need any.  Topping the tartare are pickled ramps (the chef already had my heart when I saw that on the menu) and a bitter green and herb salad.  The red garnish is a puree of pickled beets!  Another of my favorite things!  And then, just to gild the lily - a soft-cooked egg coated in panko bread crumbs and flash fried.  Are you kidding me?  I was in heaven.

From out of nowhere came some truffled popcorn, and all of a sudden I had a feeling I had been spotted taking pictures.  I usually try to be very, very discreet when taking pictures in restaurants, and I never take notes, but I figured - hey, I'm in Orlando.  Who cares?  The truffled popcorn was really, really tasty and was topped with shavings of parmesan:

Next up was oxtail ravioli.  It had chanterelles and I think ricotta salata.  Again, just look at it - these perfectly-made fat little ravioli, filled with pretty much just oxtail; there was no cheap filler.  I think I ate this whole bowl in about 2 minutes flat.  There were amazing, just my sort of thing:

Because I am powerless to resist Anson Mills grits, I ordered a side of Luma's rosemary grits which, if memory serves, might have been topped with a little drizzle of chorizo oil.  As much as I love the flavor of rosemary, it is so frequently misused - there is nothing worse than getting a branch or even leaf of unchewable rosemary.  However, these grits had a very nice and pleasing rosemary flavor and I vacuumed the entire bowl down with no yucky bits of rosemary.  See?  It's the little things which can make such a difference:

Then came a scallop from the chef!  Perfectly seared, this scallop was served on a different sort of large-grain hominy grits and was really amazing.  Even the green beans were perfect, and if you know me, you know that I have a little bit of a dislike for green beans.  They were only lightly cooked but weren't squeaky.  Of course, the bacon with the beans helped a lot:

Chef Brandon McGlamery came over and talked to me for awhile.  I asked him a bit about his history - because the menu reminded me so much of things Chef Tetzloff (from G Michael's) would cook, I thought perhaps he had done some training in Charleston, but if memory serves, he had worked in Atlanta.  He told me that he loved pickling veggies, and he loved to do lots of pickles and relishes when things were in season - hence the use of pickled ramps.  Pickled ramps, by the way, make a great foil to rich things, as you will see in a few minutes.  Chef Brandon expected his supply of pickled ramps to run out around December, and then it's just patient waiting.  I know the feeling.  He was also going to be at the Bocuse over the weekend.

Sitting a few seats away from me was another single diner, an Italian who had just moved to Orlando from Cleveland.  I tried to explain what ramps were, probably not very successfully, but I did my best. The cool thing was, when the Chef sent me the popcorn and the scallop, he did the same for this other single diner, which I thought was really cool.

When the Chef found out I was from Columbus Ohio, he sent over his sous chef Derek, who was also an Ohio boy.  He has lots of cook friends who live in Columbus and work on High Street.  So, I'll say hi to all of them on his behalf!  For being an Ohioan, he gave me his own foie gras and duck liver (non-fattened) pate, along with more pickled ramps (perfect with foie!!), black currant preserve, and fig jam.  A little garnish of salt, pepper, and chives was also on the plate, which reminded me of the Vietnamese "black and white" condiment of salt and pepper mixed with lime juice:

This was a great dinner, and I highly recommend Luma.  Chef Brandon seems very passionate about using seasonal ingredients, he loves to can things and make pickles and relishes, and the results of these little touches are amazing - from the pickled ramps and the pickled beet puree (something I've never seen before and would love to see again) to the jams and preserves, the homemade oxtail ravioli - everything was spot on.  And I'm not just saying that because I was "made" as a food writer.  Chef came over and talked to me - asked me lots of questions about myself, and he was a real charmer (I'm sure if I would have outed myself as a waitress he might not have been so nice; everyone knows chefs hate waitresses).

Luma was a bright surprise in the Orlando area, and I give it an A.  A note on the wine list - wines are available by the glass and the half glass, which was really nice because I was driving about 12 miles, at night, in a strange city in a strange car, so I wasn't going to drink very much.  I chose a glass of roussane/viognier, and was boggled by the giant pour - it must have been 8 ounces.  So it was nice to have the option of getting a half glass of red (a Cotes du Rhone) to go with the ravioli.

I did manage to charm the cold app guy into giving me one scoop of Thai basil ice cream, which came out with candied peanuts and was a perfect and refreshing end to a fantastic meal:

and you know what?  The manager even called the next day to ask me how dinner was!  That's service!

Info: Luma on Park 290 S. Park Ave Winter Park, FL 407.599.4112

Whew! That's the end of Day One!

Here are the contestents from the first day of competition, enjoying their well-deserved champagne:

l-r (the name links go to my posts of their presentations, and the company links go to the restaurant/institution the chefs represent) Commis Joshua Johnson, Chef de Partie, and Chef Percy Watley, executive chef at Delaware North Parks in Yosemite, CA.

Commis Jennifer Petrusky, Sous Chef, and Michael Rotondo, Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo in Las Vegas.

Paul Bocuse, the Grandfather of Modern French Cuisine and the founder of the Bocuse d'Or.

Kevin Sbraga, Culinary Director of Garces Restaurant Group, and commis Aimee Patel, cook at Amada

And of course, Columbus' own: commis Seth Warren, cook and Richard Rosendale, Executive Chef at Rosendales.

Chef Michael Rotondo's Bocuse d'Or Presentations

Chef Michael Rotondo is the chef at Restaurant Charlie in Las Vegas.  His commis was Jennifer Petrusky, the sous chef at Restaurant Charlie.  Chef Rotondo won the award "Most Promising Chef and Bocuse d'Or Candidate," which is a bit of a confusing award - it seems to mean that he didn't win but will be a good candidate for a future Bocuse.  His award is a $10,000 sabbatical provided by Scott Kaysen, a New York-based "Gastronomic Philanthropist" (hey Mr. Kaysen - I'll take some sponsorship!) to train in several Michelin starred French restaurants.

The fish presentation:

North Atlantic Cod wrapped in Baterra Kombu with fermented black garlic:

Spanish chorizo profiterole & Oregon chanterelle mushrooms (this is one of my favorite pictures I took on the trip):

Seared Long Island scallop with haricot de Mar & Elephant garlic chips:

Hawaiian blue prawn mousse with molten black garlic:

Meat presentation - not detailed below is the Beef Tenderloin collard greens, rosemary portobello mushrooms and spicy bourbon relish; turnip confit with red wine braised oxtail & caramelized shallots:

Sweet potato custard with crispy okra & black pepper tuile:

Beef cheeks with preserved mustard seeds and petite coin onions:

      

Kevin Sbraga's Presentations at the Bocuse d'Or

I have to admit I was rooting for Kevin Sbraga, a little bit.  Sbraga is the culinary director of the Garces Restaurant Group, which owns Amada in Philadelphia.  I had one of the best meals of my life at Amada and have frequently considered going back to Philly just to eat there again, calling ahead for the whole roasted suckling pig (wow I'm hungry) and try Tinto while I'm at it.  Sbraga was assisted by commis Aimee Patel, a cook at Amada.

The cooks in their kitchen:

Here is the Cod Presentation, "Southern Flair" most of the components are described below in greater detail; however, a few of the pictures didn't turn out very well, so the little thing on the green teardrop is green onion bread pudding with scallop and red pepper confit; the square item wrapped in green is a terrine of shellfish with duck liver wrapped in swiss chard:

Shrimp & Grits with Quail Egg and Shaved truffle:

Fried Okra with Benton's Bacon & Buttermilk:

Loin of Cod with Pecan Squared and Tomato Marmalade - I love how they peeled the tomatoes and then fried them so that the peels stood up and out like little flowers:

Here is the plated presentation:

and here is Chef Gavin "Boy Wonder" Kaysen taking in the aroma before tasting:

The meat presentation.  I think my heart might have stopped beating for just a few seconds when I saw this - the perfectly roasted tenderloin, the little jars, the perfectly-latticed pie, Not surprisingly, it won the award of best meat presentation.  Beef tenderloin with peach wood smoke and red eye gravy:

Collard green and bbq beef cheek en croute:

Jalapeno cornbread with oxtail and cheddar:

This is definitely going to be on my Thanksgiving menu - candied yams with sage and pecans, along with toasted orange blossom marshmallow:

and here's the plated presentation for the judges:

André Soltner takes notes while tasting: 

 

A Few More Pictures from Chef Rosendale's Fish Presentation

Hawaiian Blue Prawn and Cabbage Timbale:

Asparagus and potato charlotte filled with Asparagus veloute:

Chef Rosendale's Meat Presentation

About an hour after the chefs presented their cod dishes, they had to put up the meat presentations.  Here is Chef Rosendale's:

another view:

close up of the tenderloin, which has been stuffed with foie gras.  Oh yes:

this beehive-looking thing is spaghetti hiding beef cheek chili, it's like Cincinnati chili, haute cuisine style:

this little perforated box contains, I believe, Oxtail ragout:

Wax and green beans are hiding something delicious, I'm sure.  I'm just not quite certain what that something is:

   

The Tight Schedule of the Bocuse d'Or Competition

Just a quick note not how the competition works, on each day, the chefs have 5 hours to prepare their platters.  A few things can be done ahead of time, but most of the cooking is done that day.  They have about 3 1/2 hours cooking with no audience, except the many chefs who are judging them, and then for the last hour and a half, the people get to watch the chefs cook - from behind a velvet rope.  There were for chefs presenting on the first day, and the schedule goes something like - chef one presents his fish platter for the judges, and while the judges are judging it visually, chef one has 10 minutes to plate his dishes for the judges (not from the platter, but from his kitchen).  When things really get going, the judges are looking at the next platter while eating the previous platter.  Things can get confusing.

So, it is with this caveat that I might make a few mistakes on whose platter is whose, although I tried really hard to keep things straight.  I was also using 2 cameras, so I have completely different files of my thousand pictures.

On the first day of the competition, the press was given a lot of time for up-close shots of both the chefs and the platters.  On the second day, however, we were forced to step in quickly for a shot and then move back.  This was less than perfect because everything is in constant motion so you might get 1 good shot out of 10.  Also, on the first day, we were allowed to get right up close to the platters so that I could get some great macro shots of some of the amazing presentations.  On the second day, I had to show my press badge every 3 seconds (so it seemed) and was about 3 feet away from the platters, making it really difficult to get good close ups.  Excuses, excuses, I know.

But one of the great things about being non-legit media is that I can show you a few less-than-perfect photos.  For example - wouldn't this have been a really great picture of Hung Huynh if it wouldn't have been blurry?  I still like it, because Hung is smiley and nice, even when I heard people ask him the dumbest questions nonstop.  I could never be famous, because I would be like to say really mean things, like "of course I eat nothing but foie gras torchon and red currant emulsion for breakfast every morning, you idiot. And yes, I do sleep in my chef hat and my favorite knife."
 

Bocuse d'Or - the Chefs & Their Presentations::Percy Whatley

In no particlular order, I am going to document each chef's creations.  I was going to do it all in one fell swoop, unfortunately it would be way too much information and I have some dramamine & xanax to sleep off.  Enjoy!!

Percy Whatley, Executive Chef, Delaware North Parks- Yosemite, CA
Commis: Josh Johnson, Chef de Partie, Delaware North Parks

Chef's Whatley's Meat Presentation - "Texas Ranch Preparation" Chorizo barded beef tenderloin (Chef Whatley took the leftovers from the tenderloin and used it to made his own chorizo); Pipian Braised Beef Cheek with Chile Relleno, Tomatillo Salsa; Hot Oxtail timbale with pan fried arepa and chilli beans; Skillet baked Spoonbread:

close up of skillet spoon bread:
 

Chef Whatley's Cod Presentation - "New England Seaboard Flavors" Butter-poached shrimp crusted cod loin with summer truffle mousseline; pan-seared diver scallops with braised fennel & leek, herb cracker; Corn Custard with baby carrot and potato "tot"; crispy fresh cod brandade fritter with ham hock & vermont cheddar:

I was totally charmed by the scallop in the cracker "shell":

Cod Custard with baby carrot:

cod fritter with pork belly & pickled onion?  Yes, please!
      

The Official Bocuse d'Or Winners Press Release

I just received the press release regarding the winners of the Bocuse.  This release is very helpful because it goes into pretty good detail about the ins and outs of the competitions, saving me from having to do it again.

Chef Rosendale & Commis Warren came in second, winning a prize of $10K.  They also won for their use of sous vide cooking, which will provide them with special sous vide equipment as well as education and certification.

Without further ado . . .

BOCUSE d’OR USA ANNOUNCES WINNER

TO COMPETE IN BOCUSE d’OR WORLD CUISINE CONTEST IN LYON September 27, 2008, (Lake Buena Vista, FL)— The Bocuse d’Or USA judges and executive board have announced Chef Timothy Hollingsworth of The French Laundry in Yountville, California as winner of the US competition at a Grand Gala held during the International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. Chef Hollingsworth will go on to represent the United States and compete in the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in Lyon in late January 2009.

Earlier this year, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jerome Bocuse and many of this country’s leading chefs united their efforts to establish the Bocuse d’Or USA, the not-for-profit organization created to recruit, train and support an American team for the world’s most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest, held every other year during the SIRHA International Hotel Catering and Food Trade event. The Bocuse d’Or is an Olympic style event for professional chefs created over twenty years ago by Paul Bocuse.

Eight US based semi-finalists teams (one chef plus one assistant/commis) competed in an elimination contest held over the past two days at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The competition, open to the public and all guests of Epcot was hosted by WNBC’s Al Roker and Chef John Besh. Before a live audience, the teams prepared elaborate fish and meat platters for a panel of prominent judges including Michel Bouit, Harmut Handke, Daniel Humm, Traci des Jardin, Gavin Kaysen, David Myers,

Patrick O’Connell, Georges Perrier, Alain Salihac, Andre Soltner, Laurent Tourondel and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Winners were announced by Food & Wine editor-in-chief, Dana Cowin, at a ceremony emceed by Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation.

Daniel Boulud, Chairman, Bocuse d’OR USA noted, “It was so important to our advisory board that the US candidate represent the best cooking in American restaurants today. In fact, when Paul Bocuse invited me to become Chairman of the US team, my first step was to reach out to the country’s best restaurant chefs so they would encourage the young talent in their kitchens to compete. Today’s result represented the highest score in an accumulation of points based on in taste, presentation, creativity and technical skill. The Bocuse d’Or officials and I couldn’t be more proud of the candidate we will send to Lyon in January.”

Chefs were each required to present two dishes; one fish and one beef, in both elaborate platters and individually plated portions. Presentation of plates comprised 50% of the contestant’s total score, determined by the following criteria each worth 10%- texture and cuisson (perfection in doneness), harmony of flavors, sophistication and creativity. Presentation of elaborate platters counted for 30% of the contestants scores based on the following three criteria, each worth 10%- complexity, technical knife skills and originality. Kitchen organization completes the final 20% and was comprised of 10% commis performance, 5% cleanliness and 5% efficiency in timing. Competition regulations required that the fish dish be prepared using cod, prawns and scallops with three garnishes. Hollingsworth presented Atlantic Cod with Hawaiian Blue Prawns and Sea Scallops

The dishes’ garnishes included Artichoke Gratinwith Grilled Cod Belly, Hawaiian Blue Prawns, Piment d’Espelette and Nicoise Olives; Tomato Tart with Charred Green Onions, Sweet 100 Tomatoes, and Tomato Consommé en Gelée; with the third garnish Barigoule Bread Pudding with San Marzano Marmalade and Society Garlic Blossoms. Seafood for all contestants was provided by Pierless Fish Corp. Brandt Beef Tenderloin Roasted in Bacon with Beef Cheeks and Oxtail was garnished with Port Wine Braised Oxtail en Feuille de Bric, with of Violette Figs, Scallion Salad and Truffle Coulis; Beef Cheek Enveloped in Swiss Chard with Yukon Gold and Black Truffle Mille-Feuille, Tokyo Turnips and Pickled Pearl Onion Petals; and Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Cooked Fig Leaves with Jacobsen’s Farm Crosnes. Hollingsworth will be awarded a three-month paid sabbatical to train for the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in Lyon. He will be coached by Master Chef Roland Henin and live and work in a specially constructed training center located beside The French Laundry in Yountville, California. Hollingsworth also received a $15,000 cash prize, a 12-day cruise courtesy of Crystal Cruises and a timepiece courtesy of Jaeger-Le Coultre.

The Silver Medal and a $10,000 cash award was given to chef Richard Rosendale of Rosendales in Columbus, Ohio; and the Bronze Medal with a $5,000 cash award went to Michael Rotondo of Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo in Las Vegas, NV.

The competition also honored a number of chefs for exceptional performance.

The competitions’ beef dish required use of tenderloin, beef cheeks and oxtail. Hollingsworth’s presentation,

When asked about his experience in the competition, Hollingsworth noted, “It’s an extreme honor just to have my name associated with the Bocuse d’Or. I will remember the people I have met and this entire experience for a long time to come.” Hollingsworth was also quick to acknowledge his young commis, Adina Guest and noted, “her talent was inspiring.”

Jerome Bocuse, son of competition founder Paul Bocuse said, “My father and I, as well as the entire Bocuse d’Or USA organization, are extremely proud to have found a very talented chef who will represent the US team in Lyon. We have very high hopes for him and wish him great success in the international competition." commis to Timothy Hollingsworth won Best Commis with her prize including three one-week stages with Rougié Foie Gras, Regis Marcon and competition founder Paul Bocuse. Best Technique with Sous Vide was awarded to Richard Rosendale of Rosendales in Columbus, Ohio who will win an official certification and training program with Cuisine Solutions Bruno Goussault, and a complete emersion circulator and sous vide set from Poly Science. The award for Most Promising Chef and Bocuse d’Or Candidate was given to a young chef whom the Michael Rotondo of Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo in Las Vegas. Rotondo’s prize package includes a $10,000 sabbatical provided by Scott Kaysen, a New York based Gastronomic Philanthropist, to train in three Michelin starred restaurants in France.Each of the eight chef contestants was also given a one-year subscription to Avero Slingshot Restaurant Management Software.

The winning chef goes onto compete in the global competition at the SIRHA, the culinary industry’s most acclaimed International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade event. The SIRHA exhibition will take place from the 24 of January 2009 in Lyon, France and will host the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest on January 27th and 28th The full list of competitors for the Bocuse d’Or USA 2008 includes:

Commis: Adina Guest, Commis, The French Laundry

Chef Hung Huynh, Executive Chef, Solo New York, NY

Commis: Girair Goumroian, Student, Culinary Institute of America

Rogers Powell, Instructor, French Culinary Institute- New York, NY

Commis: Kyle Fiasconaro, Student, The French Culinary Institute

John Rellah, Jr., Executive Chef, Hamilton Farm Golf Club- Gladstone, NY

Commis: Vincent Forchelli, Chef de Partie, Hamilton Farm Golf Club

Richard Rosendale, Chef/Owner Rosendales- Columbus, OH

Commis: Seth Warren, Cook, Rosendales

Michael Rotondo, Chef de Cuisine, Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo- Las Vegas, NV

Commis: Jennifer Petrusky, Sous Chef, Restaurant Charlie

Kevin Sbraga, Culinary Director, Garces Restaurant Group- Philadelphia, PA

Commis: Aimee Patel, Cook, Amada

Percy Whatley, Executive Chef, Delaware North Parks- Yosemite, CA

Commis: Josh Johnson, Chef de Partie, Delaware North Parks

The Bocuse d’Or USA was sponsored by All Clad, Krups, Diageo, Enodis, Moet Hennessey USA, Sysco, Acqua Panna, San Pellegrino, American Express, Avero, Brandt Beef, Chefware, Continental Airlines, Rougie, Artisanal Premium Cheese, Crystal Cruises, Cuisine Solutions, D’artagnan, Opentable, Petrossian Paris, Pierless Fish Corp., Waring Commercial, and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Very Early Word Says...

This is completely unsubstantiated, but the early word is . . .

1st place goes to Timothy Hollingsworth from the French Laundry

2nd place goes to Richard Rosendale & Commis Seth Warren

All things being equal, coming in second to the French Laundry is pretty freakin' awesome, for any chef in the US today.  I'll update tomorrow with the final final results.

Good job, boys.  (I mean chefs, gentlemen, whatever; I only call you boys because I know it drives you crazy)