So last time I was in New York, we ate at Kraft and for the main course, we split two entrees - braised monkfish and a saddle of vension in a huckleberry sauce. When it came time to pick a wine, I asked the Sommelier for suggestions - She asked what we liked and we responded with red - cabs, brunello, pinot, just about all reds. She then recommended a barolo (actually she recommended a Barolo or a barbaresco - we picked the barbaresco, but she brought out the barolo - we figured that was what she was trying to say we should have ordered instead - so why fight it.) It was a good wine, but I do not feel like it mixed particularly well with the foods. In retrospect, I think maybe we should have had a pinot or burgundy. What are your thoughts?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: thirsty man,

What's the braise on the monkfish? A Burgundy would have been a much better pairing, from what it sounds...I wouldn't have thought Barolo at all...too overpowering for the fish and I don't know about a Barolo with a huckleberry sauce...

Just my 2 cents!

I cannot remember what the braise was, but it was a strong. I want to say it was tomato based.

The Sommelier was rather distracted and it took forever for her to make it to our table and then she was less than enthusiastic. I have found that between my southern accent (which is not strong to a fellow southerner, but to a yankee...) and the fact that I look like I am under 30 - I am rarely taken seriously at expensive restraunts up north (unless I am with older diners or natives). I am not sure why this is as I have not had this experience down south or anywhere on the west coast. Currently, my goal is to learn enought that I will not need to ask for pairing suggestions. Instead questions, if any, will be focused on specific bottles instead of entire regions or varietals.

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I just realized - we ate at Craft - not Kraft. completely different restraunt.

Monk fish is so subtle it does'nt work with big bodied wines. If you are trying to pair the Monk fish I would go for a sweeter wine or a citrusy wine being careful from both angles,not to over power the delicate flavors and then probably in a different course. !st. or 3rd. Pairing the two with one wine, is beyond my palette. The venison has a lot more potential for pairing with the great Italian reds and burgundies. That would be fun though. How was Kraft? I am a chef in New York, who has as of tonight discovered the joy's of Blogging. I can think of a lot of wines I would pair with either, just not together.

OH its spelled C.R.A.F.T. Then I must be thinking of Mac & Cheese. O.K. There are any number of wines that pair with Kraft Mac & Cheese, It really depends on weather you are using the one with th powdered, add milk cheese or the velvita. HE Heeee

yeah, that was kinda embarassing not sure how I made that mistake. Kraft is apparently a casual dining place and Craft is much more upscale. I discovered this when I tried to find the reastraunt online to see if they had the info on the braise for the monkfish.

The food was great. It was my second time eating there. I also have eaten at the one in Dallas. The menus were very similar eventhough over a year had elapsed. Except for the Sommelier, the service was excellent. I went back the last time with a college friend who is a chef at La Bernadine (spelling?) and wanted to try Craft (not Kraft - we ate plenty of that in college). Generally when I go to a city, I try to eat at a different restraunt every time. Try a little something different (especially cities like NY, LA or San Fran with all the dining options)

The meal was excellent. We had a glass of bubbly with a seafood 1st course (cant remember what it was now) and then a glass of wine with wagu carpacio. Then the Monkfish and Venison. We probably should have asked to bring them out seperately, but we were a walk up and had already been there over an hour. Nice Cheese plate and a glass each of vintage port to end the night. Then a long night of hibernation at the hotel. Around $500 with tip for everything, but it was worth it. It was a good way to catch up with an old friend. I would go back, but there are so many other great restraunts I haven't eaten at yet.

I wasn't trying to critique your spelling, just make you laugh. Sounds really cool. a lot of the people that I learned from in cooking school, always tell me to go to these places in NYC. Even though, I work at a very high profile place. The only times that I get to enjoy what you have experienced, is when I have a high-profile chef or a really great chef taking me out to get drunk and reminisce. It's really cool to hear your critiques. Thanks for responding.

And by the way. If you want to know about food..braising monk fish Etc. I am happy to explain. It's really not a "Braise" in the traditional sense. To braise something like monk fish would turn it into a stock or perhaps a vapor. What they are doing is more like a Pappiotte or a steaming preparation being careful not to make appear as though they are poaching it. which is really for all intents and purposes...what they are doing. They are just cooking it over a bed of mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery) with a cooking liquid of fish or vegetable stock. And then probably not for too long, lest they make it tough, like briney lobster that you get in the Caribbean. If they were to actually Braise it, it would be impressive, since ovens don't typically operate well at those low temperatures. It would make good seviche though.

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Originally posted by teddyblues:
And by the way. If you want to know about food..braising monk fish Etc. I am happy to explain. It's really not a "Braise" in the traditional sense. To braise something like monk fish would turn it into a stock or perhaps a vapor. What they are doing is more like a Pappiotte or a steaming preparation being careful not to make appear as though they are poaching it. which is really for all intents and purposes...what they are doing. They are just cooking it over a bed of mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery) with a cooking liquid of fish or vegetable stock. And then probably not for too long, lest they make it tough, like briney lobster that you get in the Caribbean. If they were to actually Braise it, it would be impressive, since ovens don't typically operate well at those low temperatures. It would make good seviche though.

braising being pan searing first before you apply liquid,
poaching is cooking in liquid,
papillote is baking in parchment
and steam is using the steam of boiling water to cook the food.

would imagine you could braise a monk fish by pan searing skin side down for a brown crispy skin first.

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Originally posted by g-man:


braising being pan searing first before you apply liquid,
poaching is cooking in liquid,
papillote is baking in parchment
and steam is using the steam of boiling water to cook the food.

would imagine you could braise a monk fish by pan searing skin side down for a brown crispy skin first.

Although you certainly might pan sear the meat before braising, braising does not involve pan searing per se. To braise is to cook in a covered vessel in the oven with a small (as compared to stewing) amount of liquid and perhaps fat. It might also include such a treatment with the addition of vegetables. (I cite "The Joy of Cooking" as a reference.)

(Braising, poaching, stewing and boiling are all ways of cooking in liquid, but they are quite different methods.)

That being said, I usually pan sear chicken, beef and pork before braising because it improves the flavor considerably.

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teddyblues - I didn't think you were trying to critique my spelling. I knew you were making a joke, I was still embarassed about naming the wrong place - who would have thought that there were two restraunts in NY both called "Craft" and the only spelling difference was the first letter.

As to whether it was a braise, they had it listed on the menu as a braise - it appears from their current menu that they still have a Monkfish braise. I guessed that tomato might have been involved because it was two months ago and I remember the sauce (the braise i guess) being thick and dark. I assumed it was tomato - but now that I read your post, I remember that there were carrots, onions, and celery in there as well.

I will say that the monkfish was a little tough and chewy for me. It was the first time I had eaten monkfish since a trip to portugal where I ate monkfish almost daily. I was a little disappointed that it was chewy - but my friend did not think it was too chewy - he said that it was fine. My memory kept reminding me of the monkfish my wife and i ate in portugal - it was always fresh that day and was fall apart flakey and tender. the one at craft had a little more heft to it almost like a lobster tail- the flavoring was still excellent. I recommend the place, but get a reservation well in advance if you want to be able to eat there. We got lucky.

quote:

Originally posted by thirsty man:
As to whether it was a braise, they had it listed on the menu as a braise - it appears from their current menu that they still have a Monkfish braise. I guessed that tomato might have been involved because it was two months ago and I remember the sauce (the braise i guess) being thick and dark.

Could have been some red wine in it.

quote:

I will say that the monkfish was a little tough and chewy for me. It was the first time I had eaten monkfish since a trip to portugal where I ate monkfish almost daily.

Are you sure you were not eating Cod, which is the most popular fish in Portugal?

quote:

My memory kept reminding me of the monkfish my wife and i ate in portugal - it was always fresh that day and was fall apart flakey and tender.

Monkfish is called 'poor man's lobster' because its texture is really similar to lobster so nothing flaky to it. Again, I think you had cod...

I am pretty sure that it was monkfish that we ate. In one restraunt we even saw the whole fish (and it was one ugly fish - i don't recommend checking out the whole fish for monkfish).

I think the main difference was the preparation. Everyplace that we ordered the fish in Portugal served it in a large cooper pot that had two halves that when fitted together made it look like a copper basketball. Maybe they were poaching the fish? Normally, it was served with shrimp or prawns, multiple different types of veggies and a stock of some kind (not chicken - i couldn't understand what it was but it wasn't chicken)

The monkfish was generally cut into inch cubes and was delicious. It was very tender and would literally melt in your mouth. I have eaten plenty of cod (I lived on the baltic sea for a year and it was a staple) and this was definately not cod. Cod would have fallen apart under this cooking style and one probably would not have been even able to locate the cod in the dish. It maybe that the difference was due solely to the preparation style and I do want to stress, it was not bad - the flavor was excellent - the texture was simply different that what I was expecting.

I think Cab Franc based wines pair terrifically with venison.

Matching one wine with both those dishes sounds a little tough to do.

Trying to keep a good red wine match with the fish involved, I'd say a not overly tannic or overly fruit forward wine like Le Dix di Los Vascos. Even though it is a cabernet sauvignon based wine, it strikes a good balance between fruit and reticence. Well balanced, and not overly 'big.'

I'm jealous of your meal!

They should have half bottles so you could do a white and red!