Chef Salazar's 5th foray into the Mediterrenean for Tasting Thursday inspiration has made me wonder why we don't all regard this region as the harbinger of the great american dieting crusade. In an American culture which often satiates itself upon the kitchen counter altar of its culinary fads and celebrates its eating habits in an often ridiculous and preposterous way, it is refreshing to realize that there nevertheless remain three important ingredients or reference points that we may ultimately return to time and time again whenever we grow weary of the latest dieting trends. These trends can range from the sensible, disciplined yet very difficult weight-watching approach of consistently trimming your fat and calorie choices to the more sensational, problematic, and nearly impossible to maintain culinary diversion of adopting an almost completely carb, protein, or whatever else ad infinitum diet. The options regarding what we should eat; how we should eat; and what benefits may be derived from such approaches are as boundless as the book shelves and blogs which hold the information. As we jump from one dieting or fasting indulgence to another, does any of us ever stop to wonder why none of them seem to possess the staying power of that oldest and most tried and true dieting doctrine of of all - moderation!
Having come of age in the Mediterranean, moderation as a dieting exercise is the indisputable king of culinary fads. It is an approach whose time of prominence may have been yesteryear but whose influence and essence is remarkably constant for the last two thousand years. What was good for Cicero, Ceasar or even the 115 + years of age fisherman living near the beaches of Palermo today surely must be good for us as well?
For after all it is in the moderation of thier diet that the early civilizations of the mediterranean approached most deftly to the true purpose of human existence - living the good life - and embracing the dolce vita that is all around us in the food that we eat, the wine that we drink, and the bread that we make both figuratively and literally. Perhaps there has never been a more effective and salubrious piece of advice provided for our dining benefit than that of the old Italian proverb: "Moderation in all things!"
It is a credo which Chef Salazar no doubt has fully embraced. With such superb bread, wine and olives available in the region it would come as no suprise to any chef worth his weight in olive oil to understand that such sage advice likely dervived from some ancient Sicilian culinary forebearer. In no other place is the Mediterranean Holy Trinity of wine, olive oil and bread more in evidence than in this waterbound island locked away in one of the earliest cradles of civilization. All three ingredients of the Santa Trinita Mediterranea combine to form the primary staples of this greatest diet of all, tailor-made for the hilly slopes, poor soil and sun-drenched terrain of this most traditional and ancient of Italian regions.
One more diet, one more fancy miracle ingredient, or one more failed meal scheme asking you to scrape by on paltry vituals and an unsatisfied appetite is rarely going to make one healthier or happier but it might inspire one to take another look at the precursor of all meal schemes, the original one which hails from the mediterranean and simply states to cook your ingredients in olive oil, to make your bread fresh and to cleanse your palate with wine. Tactically in the kitchen it is not what you eat that makes you healthy; but rather it is how you prepare what you eat, how you pair what you eat, and how you wash it all down which is truly at the heart of any man or woman's culinary health and happiness.
Chef Jose Salazar agrees that very little else is as important in the kitchen than using simple ingredients and the proper cooking technique for each respective cuisine and region of the world he prepares and visits. For a 5th time he will be returning to the Mediterranean on Thursday, April 19th to showcase the virtues of this most original and longlasting approaches to dietary excellence. In short, eat what you desire; prepare it correctly; pair it effectively; and finally drink what you want but indulge in it responsbily and with the proper food closeby and according to age-old sicilian tradition you can never go wrong. And, oh yes, one last thing, take a nice brisk walk to fountain square when the meal is finished.
To make your last-minute last reservation for this months' Tasting Thursday call the Palace Restuarant Cincinnatian directly at 513-381-3000. Superbly prepared cuisine, organically grown sicilian wine and home-grown Jazz with the Phillip Paul Trio are the staples of Cincinnati's Sicilian evening. Buon Appetito!
Every afternoon I make a point of passing through the kitchen to greet and exchange pleasantries with my colleagues in the restaurant. Typically there is always something cooking both literally and figuratively as the ingeneuity and creative zeal of Chef Jose Salazer is something that has never failed to impress me. But on one particular afternoon, in 2009, as I scurried on by, the Chef flagged me down with what seemed to be an extra-ordinary flourish as he stood in conference over his kettle with several members of his staff to exclaim, in a boisterous tone of excitement, that he had "an idea."
"An idea?" I responded, with about as much eager anticipation in my voice as he had enthusiasm in his.
"Yes, I was thinking I would take 'Tasting Thursdays' on tour - every 3rd Thursday a new destination. First stop will be Italy, then perhaps Germany, then the South pacific, Japan, and who knows where else from there."
And from there Chef Jose Salazer, Maitre' d John Mclean, and the proud staff of The Palace Restaurant Cincinnatian has maintained their culinary tour de force ever since. From his first stop in Italy, Chef Salazar then moved on to various cuisines as diverse as Peruvian, German, Polish, Puerto-Rican, Japanese, Indian, Pacific Islands, Cajun, French, Irish, English, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian, and on..and..and on...So many lands and regions have been explored that Chef Jose Salazar may one day run out of stoppin points. That's why, starting this Tasting Thursday, when The Palace Restasurant becomes Sicily for a day, The Cincinnatian Hotel and Maitre' d John Mclean, are asking you - the fan of Tasting Thursdays - where you want Jose to travel in the Summer! Any region, any one of the world's cuisines, can and will be bravely tackled by this Chef with extra-ordinary culinary ambition. State your case and let us know where you would like him to go!
In the meantime, keep watching for the upcoming Sicilian menu which will be posted here, on our website and on our Facebook page. True to tradition The Cincinnatian Hotel will try to have nation-specific music to accompany the meal whenever possible. Short of that the Legendary Phillip Paul Jazz Trio will bring their classic live elegance to attend to your every bite. While savoring the meal, you may also savor excellent Sicilian and Italian Wines hand-picked by Maitre' d and Wine Steward John Mclean.
The purpose and goal of Tasting Thursdays is simple: The Mission of the Palace Restaurant is to allow our guests and patrons to plant an American flag upon several of the world's most celebrated cuisines without ever having to leave the convenience of their own home. In so doing you thereby avoid the actual expense of travel and research into which of Rome's, which of Paris' or which of Tokyo's restaurants you will have to seek out for the finest dining experience. This is truly an estimable culinary endeavor in any foodie's book. One chef attempting to tackle so many different styles of food - effectually transforming his restaurant for an entire evening into a Sicilian Cafe, a Japanese Sushi Bar or a German Stube - solely for a flight of culinary fancy and all for the enjoyment of the people of Cincinnati.
For just $60.00 per person, you can join the Chef each and every Third Thursday as he takes you on an international journey across all 7 continents to experience his pre-fixe, sensational interpretations of some of the world's most celebrated cuisines.
Upcoming scheduled tastings include Vietnam and Columbia. Check back here for details or provide me with your Tasting Thursday suggestsions. Where else should Jose go?
For many years one of of Santa's helpers has been keeping his own Wine Shop in the Greater Cincinnati area. Known and loved by many in Santa Boz is Old Saint Nick's favorite North American Bartender situated in the heart of Santa's toy distribution route in the great fly-over zone known as the Midwest. Given the breadth and scope of our country it is the Midwest after all where the majority of Santa Claus' Christmas Eve action takes place and here also is where Santa Boz has been personally serving up his immortal Bozmopolitan Cocktail after a hard night of Kris Kringle and the Elves driving the reindeer and swooping down over countless rooftops to deliver their parcels of goodies to all the good little boys and girls of the Queen City. Such a miracuous feat afterall is bound to make a big fellow thirsty
So on or about the mid-1980's, it was probably a culinary destiny of sorts that influenced Santa to eventually get tired of all the milk and cookies being served to him and to step inside a bar. What we now recall as decade of decadence is also the time and place where a new Christmas tradition and holiday cocktail was born. One of the great unknown pastimes of Santa's "midnight run" is the habit he got into of dropping into the Cricket Lounge to say hello to one of Santa's favorite helpers and surrogate Bartender "Santa Boz" for his annual Christmas morning nightcap. It is an indulgence that Mrs. Claus has overlooked for years, ever since Santa Claus happened in on Boz one night as we closing down the Maisonette. From there Santa Boz migrated to The Cincinnatian Hotel's Cricket Lounge and Santa Claus had to find a new Cincinnati watering hole. While the Reindeer take a quick power nap on the roof, Santa is able to take a quick power nip from his Cocktail.
And what better Cocktail to partake off than the magical essence that is the Bozmopolitan. The story goes, in fact, that Santa used this elixer to power him home to the Northpole after dropping off his last bundle of toys in Cincinnati. If it was Rudolph's famous and bedazzling nose that allowed Santa to journey through the snowstorm, then certainly it was Santa Boz's nightcap that allowed him stay awake at the sleigh. But lest you good boys and girl think Santa is setting a bad example, let it be known that Santa only partakes of a single adult beverage before again taking up the reigns and heading home. From thenceforth, grateful to the Bartender and now friend who revived his "spirits" and gave a tired old Claus the wherewithal to find his way back home after the long hard-sleigh slog over the world, the longtime celebrated bartender of the Cincinnatian Hotel - Boz Haller - was ever known and lauded by Santa Claus during the holiday season as "Santa Boz."
This year Santa Boz not only is serving half-price Bozmopolitans all-night long but he has cleared out his wine shop and is offering to the good guys and gals of The Cricket Lounge, Palace Restaurant and Cincinnatian Hotel some spectacular last-minute wine deals. Come for a Bozmopolitan and leave with a fantastic and inexpensive bottle of wine. Last time he checked none of the Wine-pricing websites such as winezap.com included the North Pole in any of its wine shop-listings, but The Cincinnatian Hotel has something better, Santa's own hand-picked vintner of the sleighride, Boz Haller.
Many style and varietals are available from Santa Boz's wine shop so stop-in to Cricket, say hello to Santa Boz on the 22nd and 23rd of December, express your Merry Christmas wishes and take home the kind of deal that only a combination of Boz and Claus can deliver.
One of the most anticipated and competitive displays of artistic skill, ingenuity and finesse returns in the annual Cincinnatian Hotel and Palace Restaurant Pumpkin Carving Contest. For many years the employees of The Cincinnatian Hotel have been proudly wielding their cutlery as they go about the business of creating and carving the most imaginative, original and finely executed examples of pumpkin-carved sculpture the city of Cincinnati is privileged to see. This year will surely prove no different, as already 20 contenders have signed up for the highly coveted crown of Cincinnatian Hotel Pumpkin Carving Champion.
In a post next week the rules of the 2011 contest will be forthcoming; but in order to get the competitive juices flowing I offer the guests and readers of this blog examples of former champions, intersting entries and unforgettable highlights from yesteryear. Some took home the spoils while others just proudly and unforgetably competed.
This Halloween weekend, Friday and Saturday nights, October 28th and 29th, consider spending your trick-or-treat at The Palace Restaurant, dine and you will be given a voting card to choose this years Pumpkin Carving Champion. The stakes are huge as the year-long bragging rights at The Cincinnatian Hotel are just as important as the $400 prize money the winning carver takes home. Second, third place and honorable mentions are also awarded while the voters themselves (the Patrons of the Palace Restaurant and Cricket Lounge) are entered in their own trick-or-trreat drawing for $125 Gift Certificate towards a future visit.
Well, it appears that I spoke and wrote to soon. Whether it was that I underestimated the people of Cincinnati, or simply allowed a little pessismism to creep into my hopeful expectations is irrelevant at this point, except insofar as it now permits with even greater joy and fanfare to announce that, in fact, Chef Jose Salazar was the winner of Food and Wine's Best New Chef for 2011 by a considerable margin. He toppled many fine chefs throughout several states; and it is indicative of both his talent as well as the support he recevied from the local dining denizens of the great city of Cincinnati that he was able to achieve this much coveted honor. This was not a designation awarded to him from on-high, say by an oligarchic panel of tasting luminaries; but rather it came to him as part of groundswell of support that he received from across the Greater Cincinnati area and abroad.
To be sure native Cincinnatians spread across the nation did their own part to bring the title home to the Queen City, and Chef Salazar couldn't have been more humbled by their support. "It truly speaks volumes about the small-big town feel of Cincinnati." says Linda Eigel, a native Cincinnatian and Humana Executive. "The fact that I received an email from the Cincinnatian to support Chef Salazar all the way down here in San Antonio, Texas and was then able to pass it along to other guests and friends in order to drum up support makes me feel good about how we Cincinnatians stick together."
And stick together is certainly what Cincinnati did. In the last week there was a surge of voting from people all over the city that eventually put Jose over the top in the last 1/2 hour to 45 minutes of the tally. Represenatives from virtually every downtown company who have had the pleasure of dining with Chef Salazar at his Palace Restaurant Cincinnatian did their part to support him. He is more than grateful; he is indebted. Each and every time he steps into the kitchen he'll know that he has a heavy burden upon his shoulders, as he continues with each and every meal at each and every opportunity to merit the faith and attention that local diners have placed in him as "the People's Chef." It is a huge responsibility, no doubt, but it is one as Polly Campell, the distinguished Cincinnati Enquirer's food critic aknowledges, he "totally deserves."
Stop down and say hello to Jose Salazar. If you have a specical occassion you're celebrating or wish to treat that special somebody to the greatest fare in the Great Lakes, then come yet again and try out the Palace Restaurant. And if your out of town, and wish to come home again for a few days, then why not while your in Cincinnati do as the Cincinnatians do and stay and dine at The Cincinnatian.
Well, we came close! Cincinnatians far and abroad came out in droves this weekend to vote for Chef Salazar. From one Cincinnatian to another, even if you're only temporarily a Cincinnatian at heart, should you be a former guest, current guest, previous patron, supporter of all things Cincinnati, friends of the local foodie community, or food and beverage colleagues and Cincinnatian Hotel Employees, I wish to say that I appreciate all of your assistance in this endeavor to stir up the buzz for one of the finest chefs in Cincinnati. The deadline to vote will chime at exactly midnight. As I write this post, it is approximately an hour away, so I believe a thank you is in order for all of your votes.
Finally, I wish to thank the Employees of The Cincinnatian Hotel for their hard work and efforts each and every day to bring the finest of dining to the Queen City, especially for the dedication and support shown by our Pastry Chef, Summer Genetti, who has contributed to and complimented Chef Jose Salazar's food for over 2 years.
Here's to all the future meals. May fine dining in Cincinnati continue to thrive, and may we forever hold our own in the national gourmet spotlight!
The word is out around the nation – the people are voting with their palates - and The Palace Restaurant Cincinnatian is asking for your help to make the Queen city victorious! Cincinnati, historically recognized and appreciated for its contributions to the world of fine dining and haute cuisine, is again being honored for its rising culinary prominence. For such a relatively small city it truly is an accomplishment to have one of its very own – Chef Jose Salazar - ascending to the top and contending for Food and Wine Magazine’s 2011 title of “best new Chef” in America.
Steadily applying his craft at downtown’s Palace Restaurant for close to 3 years, Chef Salazar, many believe, richly deserves the award not only for his unique and adventurous approach to dining but also because he’s keen on sharing his sense of excitement about food and cooking with the city and the people of Cincinnati. Originally honing his talents in New York under such culinary luminaries as Thomas Keller at such gourmand landmarks as Bouchon Bakery, Chef Salazar is certainly no stranger when it comes to understanding how fickle and market-driven the industry can be in bestowing honor upon a chef who works outside of New York’s culinary mainstream.
But why should New York have all the fun? And why should Cincinnati, when we have one of the best chef’s anywhere, have to take a backseat to those plying their craft in such Great Lakes cities as Cleveland and Detroit? That is why the Food and Wine contest is special. Calling itself an “eatocracy,” it is perhaps the only large-scale contest of its kind that removes the power of the vote from the mainstream critic and places it exclusively with those who first experience their respective Chef on their own home turf, in the local restaurants which first brought them to critical attention, prior to introducing them to the wider culinary audience abroad.
Some may ask why the “Great Lakes” is the region that has been selected for Cincinnati. In fairness, we have been paired with a region whose cities are closer to our size, so the “Great Lakes” is fine with Chef Salazar as long as it’s fine with the people of Cincinnati. Without question, similar to Chef Salazar’s cuisine, Cincinnati could have fit seamlessly into many categories. As a borderline city hugging the Ohio River, Southern recognition could be forthcoming; just as our obvious Midwestern locale appears equally logical. Nevertheless, a great Chef should be duly recognized no matter where he plies his craft; so if you’re interested in recognizing achievement, establishing honor, and rescuing the title of “Best New Chef” from the clutches of those lake dwelling metropolis’s back to where it rightly belongs here in the River City, then we hope you take the time to cast your vote for Cincinnati and Chef Jose Salazar at Food and Wine magazine for the Great Lakes Region of the United States. Vote for Chef Salazar Here
In the meantime, why not stop down sometime this year – pick a third Thursday of the month – and sample some of the world’s finest cuisines in the comfort of your own city. Been to Ireland lately? How about China, Mexico, or the Polynesian Islands? Well, it may be too far afield to travel there; but you can certainly dine there – and only at The Palace Restaurant as Chef Jose Salazar continues his quest to put his own personal stamp on every part of the globe, designing a menu for all of the world’s great cuisines so that, in turn, he may offer them up to the people of Cincinnati. Now, seriously, what other Great Lakes Chef is doing that?
