Dinner at...Can Can.

Can Can Brasserie en Carytown

Two nights ago I enjoyed probably one of the best dining experiences I've had in recent months in Richmond.   It was at Can Can Brasserie in Richmond's "chic" Carytown.  Can Can, you say?  Yes, Can Can.   Tuesday evening was begging to be enjoyed, as so many nights in the month of May do.  Warm, moist, smelling verdant.  The full moon was rising.      So S and I slid into a front table by the open window and embarked on a culinary experience that will go down in the books.   After a harrowing work day, I was in need of reprieve, and, celebration!

Advice:  When dining after 8pm in Richmond, call ahead before showing up to any place reputable, unless you have a reservation.  It's just the right thing to do.  Even if it's a busy place, you want the assurance that you're expected.  Richmond is a town that bizarrely doesn't eat late.  9pm or even 10pm dining - especially during the week - is an oddity.  To Richmonders:   that's weird and wrong.  But, let's continue to be sleepy and boring.  And, while we're at it, let's pass another noise law.  Late night enjoyment for the palate?  Gasp!

The bar at the Can



Back to Can Can -  A place near and dear to me, so it seems.    But even so, it is hit or miss.  You don't go to Can Can for consistently good food or good service.  But who cares about all of that at une brasserie? I've long ago dropped the fine dining expectation there.   Though I'm thoroughly dissapointed sometimes, I'm also sometimes thoroughly pleased.  Because they care so much, a little compassion can be shown even when the sloppy slip-ups happens.  It's a big place, miscommunication happens, and you can only grin and bear.  Perhaps this is an instance where life is too short.  Why am I so kind?   Hmmm..  Who cares if they don't clear the first course before immediately dumping the main course onto you?  Well, I do, but we can deal;  It's Can Can!   No side of mayonnaise even though I ordered it and have asked a million times?  Who cares, it's Can Can!    You call that burger medium rare?  Really?   Stupid lazy chef (or dumb server!).  But, who cares, c'est Can Can!   Wait, did the server really just ask me how to make a Gin Fizz?   How should I know?   But c'est la vie, Can Can!    Your joie de vivre can truly be fulfilled at the Can and mine has on several occasions.   It's a lively place with incredible atmosphere and charming people.  Occasionally - no, frequently, the tacky loose-jean-clad tourists will wander in wide-eyed and gaping, ambling with their fanny packs, glad for the ac after the long walk up from their Byrd Theatre tour and rampage through Carytown's "boutiques"; but that's half the fun of the Can Can experience.   People watching is always fun.     It's beyond chic; Can Can is perfect.  It encapsulates everything you need it to, especially in a town so starved of restaurants with atmosphere and solid consistent mantra.  Can Can, overall, gets it. 

And the cocktails at Can Can?  Those I will blog about on a later date.   Please bring back the Blanc and Blue!  Please?

On Tuesday night at 8:30pm, our server's name was Eleanor.  She was absolutely perfect in all respects.  I don't say that much, but really - from the moment I called in (and she picked up my call) to the solid service throughout, it was refreshing.   Eleanor you have a fan. 

We began with drinks -  I ordered a Hendricks martini with cucumber, and S ordered a ginger champagne drink.  Eleanor, brought back my Hendricks with cucumber finely muddled within.  Bold, I thought, but really quite OK  - Was there vermouth added?  Yes, I think.  And I'm glad.  Hendricks isn't that special. I ultimately appreciated the effort and thought from the bar as pertains to the muddling decision.  May ask for it that way next time! 

START:   Two small individuals hors d'oeuvres were offered to us by the head maitre d' that night, a girl I shall not name, but shall ever be held in my greatest admiration.  She's level-headed, calming, quite gorgeous, and just, so sweet and nice! Every time.     Thank you Miss S for the Smoked Fried Oysters with the thick honey gastrique (really love that word), and crispy leeks; as well as the Early Summer Cherry Tomatoes!  The cherry tomatoes of different color came with a tart conserva paste and a hot olive oil. It really was a shock in the mouth, but in the end, I think I liked it.  

A blurry image I took of the Summer Tomatoes and Smoked Fried Oysters we were given.

THEN THE APPETIZER:  we ordered Tuna Tartare.   Our small plates were removed and out came the Tuna Tartare.  Smooth transition.   Lovingly engulfed by an avocado and cucumber purée with watermelon, micro basil and spicy pistacho praline.   It was beautful, particularly with the thick dusting of the pistacho praline.  The taste?  Totally bland to the point where I had to ask for salt and pepper. That's always tough and a process i hate going through.   Just get me some damn salt and pepper because this tastes so.. blah!   But, the redeeming factor on this appetizer was the quenching flavor of the watermelon interspersed amidst the tartare..  Watermelon and Tuna; nice color, yummy summer burst.    But, even if the Tuna Tartare looked fun, it wasn't fun eating as the flavor totally begged improvement.  Bland just never works, even if its "intended."  Do chefs at Can Can actually taste before sending it out?  No, but really, boldness is needed! 

Tuesday's Can Can Plat du Jour:
Truffled Chicken

The main courses:   Per Eleanor's suggestion, I ordered Tuesday's plat du jour, the Truffled Chicken.  A wise choice.  The enticing description offered by her was fully matched by the kitchen's execution.  (Anything with truffle usually begs an experience.  I don't know what it is about the smell and taste of truffle, but it sends me to a plane of ethereal joy.  Those cute hard-working truffle-hunting pigs; how sweet you are to find such a treasure.  Definitely need to witness in France some day.)   S ordered the Grilled Hanger Steak; a Can Can staple that never seems to be wrong, at least in my experiences - mainly because I'm a nut for the sauce that comes with it called bourdelaise.  S enjoyed the steak; it was perfectly medium rare (what a nice shock), sliced correctly and thinly, and the accompanying potatoes gratinée were crispy and subtly infused with garlic.   But the contrasting color?  Dark greens are needed peut-etre?  Oui.    My Truffled Chicken was beyond truffled:  it was bedecked with sweet english peas that almost "popped" in my mouth with only that green garden flavor peas seem to so happily provide.   Even better were the medley of wild mushrooms hidden and playful throughout the plate, beneath and around the Chicken - almost cuddling with the chicken, and for me it was a fun game of hide and seek with some of the best mushrooms I've eaten in a while.   I don't know what kind exactly, nor did I ask; i need to study my mushrooms.   Finally, the herbed "bread salad" soaking up the spring garlic jus was just enough to not overwhelm the dish, but provided the starch that was needed, and really, honestly, "melted" in my mouth.    Bravo to the Truffled Chicken at Can Can. 

For wine, Eleanor suggested pairing our entrees with a 2009 Corbières called Cols des Vents by Castelmaure.  Brilliant suggestion.  I originally asked for a Pinot Noir, but Eleanor wisely guided us to the  Corbières.  We ordered a half-carafe, and I found it both full bodied, plummy, and just down right pleasing.  Corbières is a huge appelation in France from the Languedoc region.  I loved it because it was both a little spicy, yet very fruity, and really cut through my chicken with a great ease.  It had a perfect finish.  I'm not a wino, but I love it when little affordable wines please you for whatever reason - and especially when thought goes into the pairing.  

The dessert, I will not write about...much.  It involved Johnny Walker, granache and praline.    Need I say more.  Desserts at Can Can always seems to be anti-climactic..  There's a lack of transferrance from menu description to actual execution.  Tuesday night was a big exception.  It's a new addition to their menu.  Perfect.  Hopefully they won't change a thing.  I'm not giving the actual name of it, because a) I forget, and b) I hope it remains a secret to be discovered by the lucky ones.

Thanks Can Can for a great May weeknight dinner.  Your seasonal menu is looking nice and I'm grateful for an experience that satisfied me.   See you again soon.

Can Can Brasserie can be visited at 3120 West Cary Street, and can be contacted for reservation at 804.237.7795.   Don't know where else to dine or drink on a boring Richmond night with your friend or out-of-town guest, or biz partner? Just go to Can Can; it's always worth it.

bon apetit,

Austin

 


A Monday FunDay Pimms Drink

Mondays are always nice.  I try to explore my home and kitchen and reserve the whole day and evening for myself to eat and lounge.  And errands.  And laundry.    I call these days Monday FunDays.  I've been holding Monday nights sancrosanct for years; starting at Lower West when nights entailed grilling, drinking beers, and enjoying the warmth.     It just so happens that Mondays now are my days off from the Club.  So the next time you're slogging through your Monday, take comfort in knowing that at least someone is enjoying and coming up with cocktails to help make our Monday nights a little better.

This past Monday I decided it was time to use up the quarter liter of Pimms No. 1 that was sitting idly on my bar since the Royal Wedding day.  It almost looked sad, as if to say, "why didn't you drink me on the Royal Wedding day?  Daresay wasn't I special?"   Indeed you are Pimms No. 1,  indeed you are.    After looking around online and in my kitchen, I settled on the following cocktail to craft:

Introducing, (or rather, re-introducing) my take on the Pimm's Turbo:



My take on the Pimms Turbo.



  Stir the following lightly in a shaker:

  1 oz. Pimm's No 1

  1 oz. Tanqueray No. 10 Gin

  Ginger Lemonade

(yes, it's actually good.  Squeeze one lemon, add   water and slightly-infused ginger simple syrup)

  Pour on top of a high ball or water goblet, packed with thick ice cubes,and garnish with a lemon and a slice or two of cucumber.  You can also add a cherry, but I prefer cucumber instead.




On a warm spring night, you can't beat the Pimms Turbo.    Enjoy!

Time to fire the Charcoal Grill - Pork Burgers!

Pork Burgers; Photo by Jennifer Davick

A few years back when I was living in the Carriage House I came across a neat recipe in an old June issue of Southern Living Magazine.  It was for “Pecan-Crusted Pork Burgers with Dried Apricot Chipotle Mayonnaise."   Southern Living described the recipe as an “alternative” to regular beef burgers.   Something different, “down home” yet a “little gourmet.”   I'll admit, I love Southern Living -  Just for the recipes, all of which are easy and simple and just delicious.      So, pork and burger?  Why not?   So, I made them.  My spring and summer grilling has never been the same since.   These Pork Burgers create a sensation each time.    Granted, this is warmer weather fare, when the old Weber can be fired up.  It’s a nice surprise for the springtime griller after a long winter of going without.    The Pork Burger is also something you can easily make throughout the rest of the grilling season and spoil your guests with a treat they’ve never had before.  Grilling a burger that's different (not to mention mouth watering);  that’s the key.  

   

Last Monday I decided it was time to de-winterize and enliven the Weber.  Thanks to the care of my old landlord that had kept it for me, it was in good shape after the winter.    I retrieved it from the English Basement and brought it to my “new” place, which I’ll call “The Quorum” (a nickname my roommate and I came up with, long story).     My old worn-out Weber, pictured below, is one of those relics that has taken me through many seasons of serious grilling, from the amateur cooking out of my college past to some more serious grilling with special friends that taught me a few tricks, particularly a friend I’ll call Ken who certainly possessed kitchen-to-grill culinary savvy.

Rule #1:  You have to have charcoal.  Sorry to those of you that like your convenient gas (or electric??!) grills, but it’s just not true grilling. Even Ina Garten agrees.  Charcoal grilling gives a flavor unmatched by any other method.  So please, be respectable and use a charcoal grill.   Any kind will work.  But I think Weber is the best.  They just hold up and stand the test of time (like mine has).    Why mess with lighter fluid?   A friend years ago showed me that using a Chimney Charcoal Starter is really the way to go.  By not using lighter fluid you can also avoid the risk of blowing yourself up and won’t have to deal with any possible taste of the fluid in your grilled dinner.   Besides, chimney starters are just easier.   Simply fill it with charcoal, take two pieces of newspaper, stuff on the bottom, light the newspaper, and let it go.  Mine usually takes 15 minutes to get fully stoked.  It’s a magical process.  Well, at least I think it is.  I’m still impressed by the Chimney Charcoal Starter concept, but grilling experts have been doing this for years.  Ha!    Once the coals are perfectly red and flaming, dump them out of the chimney starter onto the bottom grate of the grill.   Now for the Pork Burgers!



My Trusty Weber



The recipe is here.  Be careful to buy the right kind of ground pork.  Not sausage pork or italian sausage pork – just plain ground pork.  It’s sometimes tricky to find this at regular supermarkets, mainly because its not a commonly used meat item.  Johnsonville is the common main brand, but any proper butcher shop can freshly grind it for you.     If lost and confused at the supermarket, just always ask the on-hand “butcher” and he’ll hopefully retrieve some from hiding.  This may involve enless waiting and beligerantly lazy butchers or unskilled meatmongers that don't speak your language, but if asked with a smile and slightly desperate look, miracles can happen.      The key to the Pork Burger is the Dried Apricot-Chipotle Mayonnaise!    The key to the mayonnaise mixture is the inclusion of the chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce.  Hot, smokey.  Yum!     Any brand works, but I usually get La Costena because my supermarkets of choice are either Kroger or Libbie Market and that's all they carry.     Coat the the burgers heavily with the buttery chopped pecans.  Heavily!  Musn't detract from the potential texture, and many of the pecans will fall off in the grill.    Word of note, make sure you soak the dried apricut for 15-20 mins in the lime juice.  So crucial!  Just follow the directions in this case, you won't regret it.     

A bit of advice:  These pork burgers can be either too hot (ie spicy) or not hot enough.  I personally love things with heat, so I load and pack the mayonnaise mixture with the chipotle peppers unless i know I'm going to have guests that may have a weaker palate.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  My palate is a sadistic nut for the heat and all things peppery and so often my guests eating these little burgers have take the brunt of that.  Not fair!  So be mindful of the heat.  Sample and taste the mayonnaise throughout mixing.  And feel free to add whatever else to the mayonnaise you prefer (like a dash of lime juice, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, regular crushed pepper, cayenne).    The basic recipe is superb, but employ creativity to make it yours.  That's the way, however daunting it may seem. 

Then the grilling:  Coat the grate of the grill with vegetable oil.  Lots of it; pecan-crusted pork burger patties have a tendency to stick even more than regular burgers and the oil will help.  Use a paper towel soaked with oil and coat down the grate before placing on top of the coals.    Make the burger patties small and thin.  There is nothing more disheartening than serving your guests Pork Burgers that are too rare on the inside.  No one should have to eat rare ground PORK.  But yet, no more than 7 mins on each side when it comes to grilling.   I'll blog soon about grilling temperatures as I myself gain greater knowlege this summer.  In the meantime, it's worth noting that while charcoal is the best, it's also much more challenging to maintain a proper heating temperature.  This is especially annoying when doing pork burgers because they grill much differently than beef burgers.   A key element for helping maintain proper coal temp is making sure the bottom of the grill is clean so that the air holes are open.  This allows for the embers to properly breathe from underneath.  It's so easy for charcoal dust to build up and block the naturally-placed holes in the bottom of your grill.  Don't get lazy, even if you did belong to a fraternity.  Don't just expect your grill to become de-sooted.  Clean it before grilling!   Charcoal Grilling is to Fly Fishing like Gas Grilling is to Bait Fishing.  In other words, you can't be lazy when it comes to charcoal grilling.  It's more of a challenge. 

On that warm "Monday Funday" evening when I broke in the grill, I roasted some asparagus to accompany the burger.  I love asparagus; roasted in virgin olive oil with red pepper flake and kosher salt, there's nothing better.   For the bun I used challah buns from Montanta Gold, and bib lettuce purchased at the Krog.   Roomate, her friend and S enjoyed!  Here's a picture of my final plating. 

More grilling adventures yet to come.  Enjoy and thanks for reading!  Best, Austin