French Toast For Dinner? Yep.

Eric writes:

Mom, Dad, Sister K, and I couldn't decide where to eat dinner last night. It looked like we were gonna hit Les Halles (yes, I guess there's one down here, too), and then flipping through Zagat's, I hit a description of Norman's. My mom's eyes lit up. "We're going!" she informed us. I explained that Zagat's said this place was really expensive and that I'd be happy eating cuban sandwiches from a food cart and drinking Miller High LIfe on the beach. We started our drive over to Norman's. It took a while to find as street signs were hard to see or non-existent. After a lot of, "Let's just give up and go to Chili's" or "If this place isn't worth the drive...", we stumbled upon it. Chef's name is Norman Van Aken. Winner of James Beard Association's "Best Chef of the Southeast" and all sorts of other awards, he's got quite a menu (which changes regularly; lists where a lot of his suppliers come from (all over the world)... Here's what I ate:

Okay, I made a strange decision for a beverage to go with my first plate. I ordered a glass of Sake. Here's how it started:
1. My Down Island French Toast with Curacao Scented Foie Gras, Griddled Brioche, Passion Fruit Caramet and Gingery Candied Lime Zest.

Then I went for a plate of meat:
2. Snake River Farms' Wagyu Strip Loin and Braised Short Ribs with Salsa Verde and a Gratin of Name, Roasted Garlic and Smoky Idiazabal.

Were these good choices? Yes. Curiosity regarding french toast with foie gras was what stopped me from going into full glutton mode and getting the tasting menu. Um, did the french toast blow my mind? You betcha'. Dad wasn't so into it, but as combinations I haven't had before go, it was pretty great. It's like the Wylie Dusfrene version of the usual plebian pancakes&bacon breakfast. The Strip Loin/Short Ribs Combo was great 'though the short ribs were off the bone and almost too tender (I like 'em a little sinewy and less the texture of pulled-pork). The Strip Loin was a well-salted bloody piece of meat (a very rare medium rare (more red than pink, which I think is great)). (Alex, you'll be proud to know: my mouth didn't hurt after this meal.) But yeah, the french toast was definitely the thing I liked most. The caramel syrup didn't overpower the foie gras at all. Foie gras is a food born out of cruelty, but damn, those birds yield a great liver. "But Daddy, I want a golden goose!" Finding myself with a dearth of words to describe the greatness of the meal. At the end, my sister tried a dulce-de-leche-from-chile cheesecake. I skipped dessert and found myself too full to take advantage of the impressive cheese choices. Norman Van Aken, keep on keeping on. Will try the Norman's in Los Angeles as soon as I can afford to. Thanks to Mom and Dad for footing the bill (which always makes a meal like this taste even better, somehow).

It's Saturday. I've worked out and walked on the beach. The weather is great here. It's warm like Los Angeles, but without the thick brown haze clinging to the sky. Pretty relaxed. Great to be hanging with Mom, Dad, and K. Trying to get to Little Havana to try some cuban sandwiches at some point. That's all the news right now. Your glutton in Florida, Eric

P.S. Fashion Folks/Beck fans: A mix Beck made for Dior Homme Read more at: http://men.style.com/fashion/collections/S2005MEN/review/CDMEN


P.P.S. The chimpanzee attack
in California resulted in a weird dream last night, that involved chimpanzees cooking spaghetti for baby chimpanzees at a restaurant, and then me getting yelled at by the chimps when I walked into the kitchen to watch how they made fresh pasta. Gonna re-read that T.C. Boyle story about chimps when I get back to L.A. I remember liking it a lot... Trying to convince my Dad to join me on a trip to a place nearby our hotel in Miami called "Monkey Jungle". Here's an excerpt from the Frommer's review: "Personally, I think this place is disgusting. It reeks, the monkeys are either sleeping or in heat, and it's really far from the city... If you can stand the humidity, the smell, and the bugs(flies, mosquitoes, and so on)" - Yeah, This sounds like a place that I need to see. It's only a 8 or so miles away from the hotel, I think. They have a "Wild Monkey Swimming Pool". Sign me up!