An Effing Foodie

Grab That Blowfish by the Horns: Morimoto, Meatpacking District, NYC

Momma Foodie's splurge choice was Morimoto--that is, the Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's not-Nobu outpost, adjacent to the Food Network's Chelsea Market. 

Bright white and uber-modern, this place houses the kind of people you'd expect (you know, the guys that pretend to know everything with the women that pretend to eat), but with the big bonus of not having to compromise your dignity to get a table. 

And there, in the temple of good lighting...we laughed in the face of death! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

That's right, folks...that'd be fugu sashimi, with lil shreds of fugu skin (yubiki) all a-piled! 

What does death taste like?  Not much.  Mostly like the lovely besprinkled shiso flowers (though flesh itself was pleasingly melty-tissue-thin).  The skin was chewy and didn't really register on the palate either, but hey--waste not, want not.

The deep-fried fugu bones (fugu karaage) and fugu hotpot (fugu-chiri, also comprised of blowfish bones) proved to be tastier than the pristine sashimi.  The hotpot was the fave, with a limpid dashi soup base scented with shredded scallions and mushrooms, rich with blowfishy collagen.  Momma sipped and fished for the poached fugu bits, temporarily relieved of her frostbite blues.

Prime Rib, the Vertical Strip!

Since y'all have already read the ins-and-outs of doing a standing rib roast at home (AHEM!), I figure emphatically captioned piccies would serve you better than a recap.  Be prepared to know everything you need to know about roasting in a scrolling 18 seconds.  Ready?

1) Assemble your sh*T! AKA, mise en place:

• 1 (4-lb.) fridge-aged standing rib roast
• kosher salt, cracked black pepper
• mixed herbs (I went with 2-3 sprigs each of rosemary, thyme, and winter savory)
• 6-16 cloves of garlic (to taste!)
• Coleman's mustard powder
• (not pictured: olive oil)

2) Strip herbs!  Chop 'em!  Mix with chopped garlic and a couple glugs of olive oil!  Smear it on!  Season with salt, pepper and mustard!

3) Brown on high heat (450 degrees F, 25-30 minutes), finish on low (275 degrees F, 60 minutes, or 15 minutes per pound for medium-rare)!

Well HULLLOOO 2009!

I hope your holiday hoopla was entertaining, relaxing, or blessedly brief.

What have I been doing?  Mostly, enjoying the rare opportunity to break bread with Momma Foodie, and the reunited family!

  

Clockwise, from top left: Dobanmushi (seafood soup steamed in a teapot) from Soto; Mirugai (Geoduck) Salad from Soto; Oysters with Uni and Foie Gras at Morimoto; Hamachi (Yellowtail), Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp), Maguro (Lean Tuna) and Uni (Sea Urchin) Sashimi from Sakagura.

Clockwise, from top left: Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup from Bouchon Bakery; Standing Rib Roast a la EF (same as last year!); Lobster with Uni Mousse at Soto; Spicy King Crab from Morimoto.

Detecting a pattern?  Momma Foodie's NY trip last year took an unexpected turn to unrelenting beefy carnage (BLT Prime, Blue Smoke, remains of 5-lb. roast), so this year, she requested that the eating be a little less punishing, a 'lil more cardio-friendly.

...and lo, inadvertent piles and piles of sparking fish ushered in 2009 (ironically, the Year of the Ox).