Author: Flavor & The Menu Staff

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff Cocktails get an instant update with the addition of fresh produce. The signature Sake Sangria at Kabuki is enlivened by an infusion of fresh fruits such as apple, lime and orange, along with sake, shochu and lychee liqueur. “Sake adds umami to the drink, and shochu extracts flavor from the fruits, since it’s a distilled alcohol,” says Yuji Matsumoto, R&D Manager and Master Sake Sommelier. “Also, shochu preserves the drink, since it has a higher alcohol content than sake.” Shochu has a 24 percent alcohol content, versus sake at 15 percent. The...

Pickled Blueberry Balls coated in shrimp paste, blueberry paste, ginger purée, freeze-dried blueberries and panko; with pumpkin-sesame seed butter, blue gastrique and blue agar

Tomato, Peach and Fontina Skillet Dip with grilled baguette slices.

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff College dining has come a long way in the last decade. But a sous-vide, dry-aged steak served with pickled mushrooms and black truffle chimichurri? If you’re a student at Stanford University, then yes. The Chef Inspired Flavor Experience, a new pop-up concept, is aimed at highlighting culinary creativity while giving students a memorable experience. Started by Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) Stanford Dining, the event, held every few weeks, showcases the talents of its award-winning chefs, who present 50 plates, like the sous-vide steak. “The idea is for the chefs to focus...

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff With rave reviews from diners every time it’s on the menu, the local lamb entrée at El Dorado Kitchen is a best-selling special. In the hands of Executive Chef Armando Navarro, the dish is a study in delicate textural and flavor play. “The rack of lamb is seared over high heat, preserving the juiciness,” he says. “We then cut it just before serving, allowing the natural jus to accent the palate.” The lamb is plated atop creamy white grits, lamb reduction and fresh caponata of eggplant, onion, fennel, roasted tomato, basil. “A...