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Chef Enzo: creating his magic. Here he reconstructs his deconstructed veal stew with a twist: shallot foam. (Tom Kirkman)
Celebrated chef Enzo Fargione of Teatro Goldoni, Washington, D.C., recently amazed and thoroughly satisfied members of the James Beard Foundation at the iconic Beard House on 12th street in the West Village of New York City. The evening’s theme was Cucina Moderna (italics), “modern kitchen.” Although Fargione has the utmost respect for the traditional regional cuisines of Italy, he loves to deconstruct, rearrange, and recreate recipes for shocking and pleasant surprises for his diners. Each interpretation and each creation awes his guests and leaves them satiated with an unforgettable dining experience. I still cannot forget the experience I had that evening.
This talented chef pulls off one culinary feat after another with his original creations. It was magical. As I was observing the performance and enjoying the food, I could see that there were yet other facets to chef Enzo's dishes: precision, perfect timing, and passion, the enthusiasm required in the kitchen to produce the wonderful balance of colors, flavors, and textures we experienced.
A reconstructed veal stew entices with colorful appeal. (Tom Kirkman)
I believe one can know the makings of a great chef by the quality of his simplest dishes. Take for example the foie gras served during cocktail. It had the right rose color and was cooked to the correct temperature, not too hot and not too cool. It looked perfect sitting on a little pool of green tomato sauce and topped with red wine infused salt. It felt buttery in my mouth, smooth yet crunchy, sweet, and salty. What a fabulous way to start the evening, with a tickle to your palate!
From the cocktail room below, we walked up the narrow stairs to the rustic and intimate dining room, where the legendary James Beard used to dine with his guests and friends.
Applewood smoked Branzino Carpaccio lay perfectly on a simple white plate that stood in elegant contrast to the colorful carpaccio. The moment I opened the lid, it felt like a dream. It was as if I were in a log cabin in the middle of a forest on a misty day and I could see a lovely pond through the mist. I indeed felt something like awe as I gazed over the box’s top and wondered about the mysteries inside. I was thoroughly awakened by the taste of Fargione’s mouthwatering carpaccio prepared with scallions and blood oranges, fresh porcini mushrooms, micro pea shoots, citrus dressing, the aroma of apple wood, and the beautiful contrasting colors of nature. The dish gave me the feeling of the outdoors, and I could have stayed there forever had it not been for the next pleasing shock that again bring me back to reality. This shock arrived in the form of sheets of pasta, hand-stamped with a logo and flavored with saffron, steamed shellfish stew, raw, zesty San Marzano tomato emulsion, and topped with oregano leaves. The shellfish was scallops, and they were sweet in contrast to the slightly bitter saffron pasta.
My favorite, however, was the butter-roasted baby octopus that gently sat in the middle of the plate surrounded by a heavily buttered natural polenta, crispy basil, capers, and orange caramel. The moment I took a bite, this dish took my breath away. The recipe is simple with no major artwork and no exotic ingredients. There is only the octopus and the sauce, and it was glorious. The world would be a sad place without this dish. The roasted octopus is first poached and then roasted in a lot of butter. Three different flavor elements of sweetness and the texture of fried, crispy basil and tangy capers combined to make a perfect complement to the octopus. I could have had a few more servings of this, but we were to be served with yet another amazing presentation.
Edible Graphics: with chef Enzo, we love to expect the unexpected. (Tom Kirkman)
In a small, almost vase-shaped glass bowl arrived the veal stew reconstructed with pureed sweet peas, roasted pearled potatoes, candied cherry tomatoes with thin slices of black truffles, and roasted shallots foam. The roasted shallots foam is the element that brings out the taste of the peas and the truffles. The shallot foam brought out the flavor of the truffles, while the tomatoes add wonderful sweet and sour flavors with brilliant color. It was amazing. Fragione told me that one of his major challenges cooking in the United States is to get the natural tastes of produce and other ingredients with which he was raised. He said that in Italy and the Mediterranean, one is able to both smell and taste a fresh tomato from a distance, or to roast octopus without first blanching.
Dessert was yet another shocking surprise. It came in a caviar tin looking like eggs fried sunny side up but it was, in fact, vanilla panna cotta. The presentation was that of the typical breakfast fare, eggs sunny side up, but instead with peach “yolks,” chocolate nibs, pistachio crumbs, and, surprisingly, tulip bacon. This was his take on a breakfast meal for dessert. It was magnificent. Fragione said that it took him a long time to perfect the flavor, color, and size. It was very light and delicious. One can feel his love for cooking through his every word, as he was explaining each dish.
Fargione grew up in a family where food was important with an excellent cook for a mother who was deeply rooted in Mediterranean heritage. Fragione knew he loved cooking at age three. Fargione recalled an incident of one Sunday morning when he brought a stool to the stove to cook his eggs, and his mother came after him with a large rolling pin to get him away from the stove. He also remembers how he would spend time with his mother in the kitchen on those mornings to learn from her instead of going to play with his friends.
Chef Enzo said at the end of dinner, “I wanted it to be very visual, so I can shock. I want it to be happy and light so that you won’t feel heavy after the meal. When I create the dish, [I] not only want it to look good but when you taste it, you would say, ‘Wow! It is quite good. I did not expect it to be so good!’ Sometimes I see the idea in my head, and then it becomes a reality, and sometimes I have to see how it looks, and sometimes I see something that is amazing that I get inspired to do something of it. It is like writing a book: When you see someone else’s writings, you will get the inspiration and the idea that is something similar or along those lines, and the idea that you want to do it better.”
Indeed, the experience was unforgettable. It was brilliant and magical.
Panna Cotta Surprise. If you are expecting a breakfast favorite, think again. (Tom Kirkman)
Crisp basil leaves and capers add counterpoint to the rich, buttery octopus. (Tom Kirkman)
