The Desert Dish

**Billy Joel wasn't exaggerating when he sang about his consuming need to get back to New York City. I feel that way now. I finally made it out to the Big Apple and it was everything I imagined it to be. The most amazing thing I found about New York is the sheer energy in the streets. At all hours of the day and night there are people in the streets, bright lights and action.

A long weekend in the City is definitely not enough time to explore all it has to offer. Central Park, the Hudson River, Soho, Downtown...there are so many different areas with its own unique characteristics. My favorite neighborhood was the West Village. The little tree-shaded streets crowded with brownstones, snug corner cafes where you can sit and waste the day away people-watching, and the little boutiques (my girl-friend's favorite).

A few of the things I enjoyed was taking a walk through Central Park, shopping in Soho, hanging out in Greenwich, taking a boat tour to see the Status of Liberty and the New York skyline from the Hudson to the East River.

Of course, top of my agenda was to sample a wide variety of the NY fare - from award-winning restaurants to ethnic cuisines in neighborhood eateries. On my first full day, my girlfriend took me to all her favorite spots - La Boqueria on 6th and 19th for early cocktails and spanish tapas, then Sushi Samba in the West Village for brazilian and japanese fusion. Both places are very scene-y but the food was also very good.

The second day was my day and I was eager to try out some of the best cuisine in the City and drop some serious coin! For lunch we went to Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier in the Four Seasons hotel. The food was great, I had the Tomato Gazpacho which had great flavor and vibrant red color, Rib Eye Steak that was very tender along with a Potato Puree that had more butter than Potato. I could only get about three bites down of the potatoes, but I loved every bite. For Dessert I had there trio of Sorbet which were home made and refreshing. For dinner, we went to the high-brow Le Bernadin in mid-town. This was a nice relaxing dinner with tons of courses,and each plate was 10 for presentations. The Pastry Chef of this restaurant is superb, the Chocolate Tart was the best I have had. If you like fish and Desserts you have to check this place out. But make reservations now because it's not easy getting in.

We also explored the maze of little streets in Chinatown. Everything single exotic food item you can think of was sold in little sidewalk storefronts in Chinatown. We also had delicious dim sum for breakfast. We tried to grab a cupcake at Magnolia, but the line that snaked all the way around the corner was daunting (I thank Anne for accepting that I can't wait in lines). At night, we strolled through St. Mark's in the East Village, which was a little bit more of a younger, grungier crowd, but still alot of fun. We had dinner there at a corner Italian restaurant with french doors that opened up into the sidewalk patio.

P.Ong is a tiny little asian fusion restaurant we stumbled upon in the West Village. There we met Fernando, the Master Mixologist. A Mixologist is not just a mere bartender, but a Chef Bartender - the highest order. Fernando's creations went well beyond the usual bar fare. My apple martini was made of 100% organic apples squeezed in a juicer and my girlfriend's champagne concoction smelled and tasted like sweet roses, he had crushed rose pedals to garnish the drink. If you are ever in New York, stop by. You might just find me there.

Chef Brett

Hudson River boat ride
Central Park on a sunny day
China towns array of goodies

It's hard to believe that at exactly this time last week I was laying on golden sands, baking in the sun and diving into the warm, blue ocean waters. Yes, I just spent a week in Paradise...I just came back from Hawaii.

Hawaii is like no other place on earth - lukewarm breezes, tranquil beaches, lush green mountains, volcanoes, craters, and more. But the one thing that stood out in my mind about Hawaii is its Aloha Spirit: the warmth of the people of Hawaii matched the Islands' lovely temperatures. I found the service in Hawaii outstanding due to the Hawaiian people's friendly, inviting culture.

Anne-Marie (My girlfriend) and I started the week out in Oahu, where you can get your fix of the beautiful nature of the islands while enjoying the perks of a metropolitan city, like high end shopping and the nightlife. I liked Oahu the best because there's no shortage of things to do.

Our first full day we watched the sunrise over Diamond Head volcano from our hotel balcony. Then we jumped in the convertible and headed for the opposite end of the island - the North Shore. On the way there, we stopped at the Dole Plantation where we learned about different types of Pineapples grown in Hawaii and the history of the Dole Plantation. The Plantation is not used much anymore for production, as most produce usually ends up being grown in other southern Countries for cheaper labor.

After exploring the historic town of Haleiwa and spending time on gorgeous Waimea Bay beach, we headed down the Kamehameha Hwy in search of the famous shrimp trucks. On the side of the road, a group of colorful shrimp trucks are parked with their favorite dishes using fresh shrimp. We of course picked last years #1 Shrimp Bus in the North Shore and I tried their Coconut Shrimp, it was spectacular!The breading was light and the Temperature of the oil was perfect. This is very important to get your breading to a light golden brown. About 325 degrees should do the trick.

After a few more days exploring Oahu, we packed our bags and headed to Kauai for some more sun and dee-lish Hawaiian food. Kauai was a great way to end our vacation, its very small, quiet and absolutely beautiful! We rented a Mustang Convertible and cruised the roads looking for those dinosaurs I saw from Jurassic Park. You will recognize this island from all the movies they filmed here. I could see why it would be a perfect location with all the water falls, green lush mountains, and blue beaches (you MUST check out Hanalei Bay Beach). They even have a small Hawaiian version of the Grand Canyon called the Waimea Canyon that is 10 miles long and 3,600 feet deep.

In our 3 days in Kauai we happened to find our favorite Restaurant from our entire trip called the Polynesia Café. On our first visit (we went back a couple of times) the two of us ordered a table full of food and the waitress was laughing at us as we polished off a Crab Omelet, 3 fresh Eggs Over Easy, Hash browns, Home Made Sausage, Macadamia Nut Pancakes, Pancakes with Pineapple-Maple Syrup and a side SPAM! I could feel my watch tightening on my wrist as the salt from the Spam was entering my body, I have to admit I am a Chef and yes, I Like Spam!

Another great thing about the restaurant was the ocean view from the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, which caught the ocean breezes perfectly. It's the one thing I miss the most, now that I am back in the desert and the 103-degree heat.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my blog so far, and the overall Arnold Palmer Restaurant website. The Desert Sun recently wrote this article about the website http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007705300303. I don't get to speak face to face to as many customers as I would like to and this blog allows me to connect to my customers on a bigger level.

I hope you enjoyed my stories about Hawaii. Come back and visit my blog again soon! Thank you and...Mahalo.

Brett Maddock

Dole Plantation
#1 Shrimp Truck
Our Favorite Restaurant of the Trip
Honolulu Downtown

This Sunday, April 29th I'm participating in the California Date Chef Competition at The Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio.  No, I'm not dating, but competing against other chefs from around the US in preparing different recipes that include dates.  I'm making a Date Bread Pudding that I'm sure the judges and the attendees will love.  If you're in the area, come by and check it out the event on Sunday afternoon - there will be lots of food, champagne and music.

This dish is on our menu

After tasting wine in Bordeaux for the majority of the week, we decided to fly to Monte Carlo where Tony has a home there
Tony's Place in Monte Carlo and spent two fabulous days dining at our host's favorite restaurants.  I spent Wednesday at the local markets checking out all of the great produce, freshly made pasta, and fresh fish that was just caught that morning - Daurade, Sea Urchin, Prawns - anything you want! It's great that people there shop for their breads, produce and meats for the day, and no one is stocking their freezers full of preservatives.  Also, when you go for dinner in Europe don't expect to eat in an hour and get home for the basketball game.  Eating is the most important part of the day in France, and family, friends, food and wine always complete the meal.

Here I am at Chateau Margaux

I'm on another amazing wine tasting trip to Bordeaux and Saint Emilion.  I started doing these  trips just over a year ago after I was cruising through the dining room at Arnold Palmer's and happened to stop to talk to a man by the name of Tony.  After chatting about the restaurant and our wine list which had just received the Wine Spectator award, Tony's comment to me was "your French wine selection is a little small."  I agreed and told him that we sell a lot of California Wine.  It was obvious that Tony had extensive knowlege of French wines, so I stepped up to bat to tell him about a trip I had taken to Paris, Champagne and Bordeaux a few years ago.  He smiled and his response was "Next week I'm going to Bordeaux with some friends, and I have room on my plane if you want to go with us and do barrel tastings of the '05 vintage."  Well...that night I tore through my house looking for my passport while brushing up on my French!  A few days later I was on a G4 heading to France for a week of drinking, eating and making new friends. (By the way, be sure to buy the 2005 vintage - it's going to be a great wine and an expensive year to purchase - but well worth it.)

I got the call again recently that Tony was headed to France to taste the '06 vintage, and I jumped at the invite.  We've been staying in Saint-Emilion at Chateau Grand Barrail which is located just outside of town.  No only is Tony educated in French wines, but all of the chateau owners know him as well.  I suppose it's because he owns a couple of chateaus himself! 
Hangin with James SucklingWe've enjoyed having lunch with the owners of Chateau Pontet Canet, dinner at Chateau La Gaffeliere, and dinner at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. 

Wine Spectator's European Bureau Chief James Suckling joined us for the '06 barrel tastings (a good vintage, but not as great as the '05 vintage).  You can check out James' insights in his blog at www.winespectator.com.

Steve Wallace who owns the legendary Wally's Wine Shop in LA was also traveling with us, and we had a great birthday
B-Day Boy Steve with his dinnercelebration for him and 40 guests.Steve has been traveling to France for 30 years. He hand picked his lobster for dinner. I think he was hungry!