The Food Monkey will be on hiatus while Mike works on his thesis in a warmer climate.

Stay tuned…

Photo Credit: Michele Karol, from FoodieMommy

In music, it is ofttimes the harmony that transports a simple theme from the prosaic to the sublime. Such too is the way of cuisine, when the perfectly chosen accompaniment provides contrast to the focal point of the dish, rendering flavors brighter and more poignant to the palate.

This was the case of the shirred duck egg at Uni Sashimi Bar–the custardy foil to a delicate and crisp green tea salt seasoned anago (salt water eel) tempura with which it was served.

I was somewhat taken aback at my first trip to Uni, as the cuisine, dexterously and single-handedly prepared by Chef Chris Chung, differed from my expectations. Erroneously, I assumed that the food at Uni would be simply a high-level incarnation of the many ubiquitous sushi joints that so thoroughly bespeckle the greater Boston area. These sushi restaurants celebrate the art of the colorful maki and the thick-cut sashimi slice, which Gaijin gleefully drown in a soy and wasabi slurry.

While one can certainly request the basics at Uni, my particular dinner, contrastingly, focused primarily on the presentation of a variegated arsenal of marinades for which the fish was the vehicle.

During my meal, which I shared with fellow food writers Michele (FoodieMommy), Scott (OneFoodGuy), and Linh (Improper Bostonian), I felt somewhat uneasy. On one hand, I was greatly pleased with the quality and variety of sauces and dressings that I was tasting. I also was acutely aware that much of the host of exotic fish ensconced within these dressings had been imported directly from the waters of Japan at great cost, and thus I was driven to taste the fish. When naked sashimi was ordered, the fish (mostly white) was very subtle in its flavor, and I felt that my palate had not been properly attuned to fully appreciate the differences between them, other than minute contrasts in oil and textural composition. This was akin to someone who has just gotten into wine getting frustrated that they can not yet distinguish a Cabernet from a Pinot Noir.

So my initial gut feeling was that the dishes with exotic fish were either over-sauced or that the fish was under-flavored, and that both modes of ordering were missing something important. In reflection, perhaps we ordered too luxuriously (I was not footing the bill), sometimes from off the menu.  Were it salmon, tuna, hamachi, etc. as opposed to houbou, I might not have been so inclined to feel I was missing something.

Thus, for the ordering, the blame falls upon we the diners. Mea culpa. My preference is to taste the quality of the fish over the sauce, and I will revamp my requests accordingly on my next visit. Uni offers an exotic sashimi platter, which I am looking forward to trying.

Then came the anago tempura and shirred duck egg. This was a well-constructed culinary idea that worked from a classical standpoint of flavor and textural juxtapositions. The tempura was crispy and salty, and the duck egg was a creamy cask of smooth lipid goodness. The egg, which happens to be one of Ken Oringer’s original signature dishes, was for me the highlight of the meal–both for its individual merits, and for its contrapuntal support of the fish.

It is not to be missed.

While it is called a shirred duck egg, the egg is not shirred in the traditional sense, which typically involves the baking of an egg in a ramekin until it sets. The egg in this case is heated and thickened in a double boiler while being constantly stirred, and then placed back into the egg shell for presentation.

Chef Chung was kind enough to share the recipe with me, so that I might share it with you. Like many other recipes derived from cooking cultures based on apprenticeships and oral traditions rather than schools and cookbooks, the exact proportions of each ingredients are up to the personal style and experience of the cook.

Overall, I had an excellent time at Uni, and I look forward to returning and expanding my knowledge of high quality exotic fish.

I conclude with my suggestions for Uni neophytes:

• Try their many special days: Maki Mondays, Saki Bomb Tuesdays, Restaurant Week Wednesdays [link to info]
• If there is a rare or interesting fish on tap, try the plain sashimi version first and then order the creative incarnation.
• The fish is delicately sliced, leading to great flavor, but not necessarily satiety. You may have to have a post-game culinary supplement. Clio or KO Prime perhaps?
• Take advantage of the highly knowledgeable staff, and the fact that the chef is no more than 15 feet away from you, to ask many questions.
• Order the anago and shirred duck egg.

N.B. I highly suggest trying this recipe on your own. For those slightly concerned about consuming undercooked egg, read I present this passage from the American Egg Board:

The inside of an egg was once considered almost sterile. But, over recent years, the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. So, the likelihood that an egg might contain Se is extremely small – 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). At this rate, if you’re an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years.

In following with the currently resurgent ethos of Nose to Tail dining, which dictates that the entirety of a beast is up for grabs as an ingredient, B&G Oysters, in Boston’s South End, will be serving a series of affordable small plates in a Fins to Gills style.

Every Sunday and Monday through April, guests are invited to come in and experience recently promoted Chef de Cuisine Stephen Oxaal’s take on this tradition in a variety of small plates ranging in price from $3-$12.

The Fins to Gills menu changes each week and might include some of the following:

• SALMON BELLY BACON: brioche, quail egg – $6
• BLUEFISH AND BASS RILLETTE: beets, crème fraîche – $3
• SCALLOP BOUDIN BLANC: brussels sprouts sauerkraut – $12
• TROUT ROE BLINI: citrus, prosecco – $6
• MONKFISH LIVER TORCHON: apples, horseradish – $9
• SEA URCHIN CUSTARD: kombu, white soy – $9
• SHRIMP HEADCHEESE: avocado – $9

I greatly enjoyed B&G’s oyster and lobster small plates last winter (read my review here), and I’m looking forward to seeing what Chef Oxaal has come up with.

UPDATE: Burger Bash, alas, is sold out

On Monday, February 1 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM in Boston’s Nine Zero Hotel, James Beard Award-winning chef Ken Oringer will pit the talents of his KO Prime kitchen team against those of ten contenders, chosen for their fanatical dedication to ground beef.

They are:

• Andy Husbands, TREMONT 647
• Brooke Vasika, THE BRISTOL LOUNGE @ THE FOUR SEASONS
• Jamie Bissonette, TORO and COPPA
• Jay Haaj, MIKE’S CITY DINER
• Josh Buehler and Ken Oringer, KO PRIME
• Louis di Biccari, SEL DE LA TERRE
• Michael Schlow, RADIUS, VIA MATTA
• Ming Tsai, BLUE GINGER
• Tyler Potter, THE LOWER DEPTHS
• Greg Reeves, GREEN STREET GRILL
  

Sample 10 burgers for $25 (at the door) and support Autism Speaks.

RSVP to: rsvp@koprimeboston.com

From the press release:

$25 admission to the All Star Burger Bash entitles attendees to taste each chef’s burger (10 total). Scorecards will allow tasters cast a vote for the tastiest meat patty of the evening.

Boston’s Burger Bash serves as a practice run for the TV Food Network / Food and Wine Magazine sponsored version coming up in Miami’s South Beach in a few weeks. There, Ken Oringer will compete against other renowned chefs for national bragging rights.

Burger Bash judges Andrew Rimas (author of “Beef: The Untold Story”) and food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt will tally the results and present an engraved trophy to the winner.

KO Prime and Nine Zero Hotel (90 Tremont St., Boston) are operated by Kimpton Hotels. KO consulting chef Ken Oringer, chef de cuisine Josh Buehler.

Press Contact: Chris Lyons Communications / lyonspr@rcn.com 508-877-4154

Update: Each Monday from 3:00PM – 8:00PM starting January 18, 2010 and continuing until March 22, 2010, if you buy a small plate, you get another one for free.

Burtons Grill, near Fenway in Boston is offering small plates through March for $4.95 each Monday from 3-8PM.

Small Plates Menu

• Warm Goat Cheese Salad: A blend of alouette and goat cheese, lightly breaded with panko crumbs and fried, served over a spinach salad
• Firecracker Shrimp: Crispy shrimp tossed in a spicy aioli sauce
• Chipotle BLT:  A classic BLT served on a brioche roll with our zesty chipotle mayonnaise, served with crispy onion straws
• Scallop Crostini: Pan seared and served on a warm bacon crostini, finished with a light lemon butter sauce
• Fried Feta: Buttermilk battered and fried, served with a tomato cream sauce

From the press release:

Burtons Grill, located in the Fenway District, is now offering a special Monday night feature to combat both cabin fever and your post-holiday financial woes. Each Monday starting January 18, 2010 and continuing until March 22, 2010 come into Burtons Grill, located at 1363 Boylston Street between 3:00PM – 8:00PM and with the purchase of any item off their new small plates menu, receive another for free! Yes, that is 2 for 1 small plates every Monday night!!! Choose from one of the many favorites listed below:

All items are $4.95 and there is no limit per customer. This special is available only at Burtons Grill Boston and is only available only in their lounge area. For more information please call 617-236-2236 or visit www.burtonsgrill.com