Developing and Refining One's Sense of Taste - week 19

Final Market Basket. The rules for the evening were written on the whiteboards in the classroom.

What I learned

• Two hours to create two dishes using all the ingredients on the tray selected.
• Students had roughly 20 minutes to determine their menu  and any additional ingredients they might need to make their dishes.
• The dishes should be plated presentation style for Chef to taste and family style for the class to try.
• We could use a recipe we prepared in class or make a dish using a recipe we learned elsewhere.

Observations

• The class assistants were available to answer questions, make and retrieve ingredients from the commissary
• Unlike the first Market Basket, the class was pretty relaxed. Smiles. Chatter. Joking. Or was it nervous energy?
• Chef told the class that Market Basket was not a competition. Despite this reminder some teams positioned themselves closer to stoves than they had been in previous weeks. 
•  It turns out the class was nervous and a bit stressed about the activity. For some students this resulted in taking other student's utensils without asking in order to complete a task or leaving dirty dishes in order to stay on track.
• Seven trays were prepared for 14 students. Only 13 students showed up for class. Chef asked the class what they would do. Someone would either join a team or cook solo. Yikes! 

 

Self Realization

• The missing student was Marl. I had a choice to make, join another team or cook alone?
• I chose to cook alone. Timing of dishes has been my Achilles heel in the past  so cooking alone would be a good way to find out if I made any progress.
• My tray had brussel sprouts, mushrooms, potatoes, strawberries, tilapia, scallops. There ingredients were tansformed to roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts sauteed with bacon, scallops and tilapia in a cream sauce with sauteed mushrooms, and  strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier and garnished with orange slices and mint. 
• When Chef approached my dishes to taste them he told me, "I  no reservations about tasting your dishes. You are the only person  in class who cleaned your work space before asking me to taste your dishes. I like watching you cook, there's a soulfulness about you when you cook." I was stunned. I had no idea that Chef had been observing me cook.  
• The hardest dish to prepare was the macerated strawberries. I'm allergic to strawberries so tasting the dish was out of the question. Chef added balsamic vinegar to  the strawberry dish. Angie reminded me that I can ask the assistants to try a dish.
• While I missed working with Marl, I proved to myself that my timing skills have improved. I did it!!!

Week 20: final class, hors d'oeuvres

Be well,

Technicolor girl

Quaint, Cozy, and Delicious - Maple Ave Restaurant

photo of Chef Ma courtesy of the internet

I ran into a pal and her sister recently at an event. When the sister was informed that I had a blog she excitedly told me that I must visit Maple Ave Restaurant.  She shared that she was thoroughly impressed by the food and the staff, but couldn't recall exactly where the restaurant was located.

Fortunately, with the clues provided I found the Maple Ave  website and noted that the chef was Tim Ma- this name was appearing on the rosters for  dinners and other food/dining events in the DC metro area. My curiosity was definitely piqued. One evening, after I long day in the office I decided to stop by Maple Ave Res.

It is easy to miss Maple Ave  Restaurant (FYI. Chain Bridge Rd becomes Maple Avenue as you travel into Vienna - the restaurant is adjacent to Merchant's Auto). The restaurant has limited parking and warns diners about parking in the neighboring vendors' parking space (use the off street parking around corner instead).

spicy Burnese salad

I made reservations via City Eats and received a text message confirming my reservation. When I crossed the restaurant's threshold the staff greeted me warmly and showed me to my table in Maple Ave's cozy space. My server told me of the evening's specials and asked me if I had any other allergies besides what had been noted when I made my reservation. He then pointed out which dishes I should avoid because of my food allergies.

My dinner choices:

Spicy Burmese salad

Seared scallops

Bittersweet chocolate bread pudding

Two Hearted Ale, Bell's Brewery Inc, MI

 

Two Hearted Ale

A new favorite beer



seared scallops

bittersweet chocolate bread pudding

My server suggested a beer versus a glass of wine with my meal. The Two Hearted Ale  was crisp, refreshing with a just a hint of citrus notes. It was nicely balanced the crunchy, innocent looking, but spicy flavors of the Burmese salad.  When I finished the salad I had a few minutes to peruse the notebook Maple Avenue had placed on the table. Inside the notebook were comments from previous diners about the food, the service, the ambiance. 98% of the diners seemed to enjoy their meal, some were repeat diners.  The server appeared with the seared scallops and I moved the notebook aside. The scallops were plump, tender and had slight crisp on the top and bottom. I took a small forkful of the risotto. The coconut flavor was subtly sweet and completed the seared scallops.  The melting basil basil utter magic- it enhanced the flavors of the risotto and the scallops, but added another subtle flavor level. I closed my eyes and breathed in the basil and coconut.  When I opened my eyes a woman at an adjacent table was looking at me. My face warmed as she asked, 'Is it good?" I couldn't speak; I simply nodded my head affirmatively. A woman at another table smiled, nodded her head as  well and said, "Isn't it amazing?".  The women asked me if it was my first time dining at the restaurant and encouraged me to return again for lunch and dinner (Maple Avenue offers a three course dinner special on Mondays and a  two course lunch special Monday thru Friday).  I returned to my reverie and silently thanked my server for recommending beer with the dish.   As the server took my empty plate he suggested dessert stating ' you only live once'.  After a few minutes of deliberation I settled on the bittersweet chocolate bread pudding.The bread pudding was served warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. I finished the dessert as well.

I now understood why my pal's sister was so enthusiastic about Maple Avenue Restaurant. Good service. Creative, eclectic dishes. Cozy atmosphere and a good selection of beverage options. In addition to beer, Maple Avenue offers for wine, cocktails and soft drinks.

As I stated earlier,  Maple Avenue is a cozy spot.  I strongly suggesting making a reservation before visiting.  If you don't make a reservation the staff will take your contact information and contact you when a table is available.Families would certainly be welcome at Maple Ave, but I did not see a children's menu and the space is really more adult focused. It would be a great space for parent night out.

Maple  Avenue's bathroom was tidy and fresh smelling. The space might be a bit narrow for those needs to be a wheelchair or requiring other assistance.

My takeaways for the evening: find out where I can purchase Two Hearted Ale to stock at home, talk to BeBe for ideas on how to make the Burmese salad at home, and find a way to return to Maple Ave Restaurant on a Monday evening and for lunch.
  

Thank you Maple Ave Restaurant  for a lovely evening. I look forward to visiting again.

Be well,

Technicolor girl