Have you ever felt your pulse beating slower and slower until you can barely feel you heart move? That's how it was last week at The Grass. The first few weeks in February before Valentine's Day are always slow but this year hit a new low. All the staff and I are really looking forward to this weekend, Valentine's Day and the next few weeks of Dining Week.

On Saturday we start our Valentine's Day celebration. We are featuring an a la carte menu combining our Lemon Grass and Bistro menus. In the past we used a prix fixed menu but a few years ago we switched to an a la carte menu and its been a big hit. It offers a larger variety and a more flexible price range. Now they have the freedom to order how much or how little they like.

On Tuesday the 15th we dive right into Syracuse Downtown Dining Week(s)! This year we are offering everything from sushi and curries from Lemon Grass to roasted chicken and an 8 oz cut of filet mignon from Bistro Elephant. We were lucky we locked in the price of filet mignon last month before they increased it for the holiday. For the next three weeks they will ship us filet at last month's price.

For the past three months all I have heard from our suppliers is how all their pricing is on the rise. They sent me the following report last week. Take a look at it, it will give you a glimpse of what I have to deal with everyday.

Inflation Report February 2011

Your Chef,

Max

For the next few weeks I will try to blog two times a week. One will be about my trip and the other will keep you up to date about whats going on at the Grass.

I have returned from my trip refreshed and ready to get back in the kitchen. Before I went to Thailand I was experimenting with some new dishes. The first is a deconstructed spin on a classic Thai-Muslim dish called Kanum Jean Num Prig. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before its been on the drawing board for eight weeks now. It is a Tamarind curry with half a kiffer lime simmered in the sauce served over rice noodles, fresh vegetables and tempura greens.

We have faced several challenges with this dish.

1. New materials, this is the fun part, what works? what doesn't? We decided to substitute shredded cabbage for the banana florets. It brought a nicer texture and more color to the dish.

2. The technique is tough. It has more components than many of the other dishes and with our extensive menu will we be able to keep the flavor and presentation consistent? Will we be able to rotate the sauce and materials to keep its freshness?

3. Timing and fabrication, some of the components are prepared at different stations. Will everything come together correctly?

I had a lot of fun with this dish. After all, now I can extend variations of this basic sauce to create other new dishes.

Here is a glimpse of the creation process...

This is our first experiment. Its too close to the original, the sauce is too thick and there was too much going on in the dish.

Our second attempt a week or so later. It was too wimpy and the sauce was still too thick.

And the final product. Its an old classic with a new twist!

The other dish we have been working on is an Indian-Muslim vegetarian dish called Barh Yearh. Its an appetizer of mung bean fritters with fresh herbs and spices. We put our Thai twist on it by serving it with our chili tamarind dipping sauce. We wanted to spice up our vegetarian options and these fritters pack a little heat without over shadowing their great flavor.

Both of these new dishes will be offered on our lunch menu starting next week. So far everyone we have tasted them on seems to really enjoy them. Now it is time to put them to the true test... their very own spot on the menu. So come in, check them out and let us know what you think!

Your Chef,

Max

So I'm back in Syracuse just in time for the arctic weather. It is winter in Thailand right now too. They also were experiencing extremely cold temperatures. The whole time I was there it didn't get over 93 degrees! And the cold 75 degree nights were frigid for most of the Thais. Ha ha I can't believe it everyone over there was wearing sweaters and complaining about how cold it was. It was nice to thaw out for a while!

The morning we arrived in Thailand I went out to breakfast with my brothers and nephews to Mongkol Chai. My dad used to take us there when we were young. We had Chicken Rice and Morning Duck Soup, a basic Thai dish that was inherited from Cantonese. I remember the dish from my childhood it was one of my favorite places to eat. The meal was just okay but the memories with my dad are priceless.

This was not just an eating trip. The real reason we went was for a funeral in Pook's family. The ceremony began the first day we arrived. After breakfast I walked around the morning market before the services began at 10:30. We sent her parents' ashes out to sea during a great ceremony performed by our Royal Thai Navy.

For the first two days during the ceremony we explored the local North and Northeastern style food. After the services we went out to lunch where we ate Ant Egg Soup. I've never been one to eat bugs or try anything too weird but what the heck, why not? So I jumped on the bug band wagon and I actually enjoyed it! The restaurant catered to the locals and the near by university. Their portions were small but very inexpensive.

The ant egg soup was just a warm up for the rest of the meal. We also enjoyed their papaya salad with salted egg yolks, roasted pork (moo yang) with sticky rice, marinated whole fish fried in fish sauce with a green mango salsa, hot and spicy chicken soup (tom sap), a couple of curries, rice, a few beers, some sodas, and dessert. For ten people it cost less than $10 US per person!

Ant Egg Soup with seasonal local vegetables. You can see all the white eggs over the spoon!

Tom Sap or Northern style spicy chicken soup

When I was walking around the morning market I came across a whole in the wall Kah Num Kruk stand that has been there for almost eighty years! They open up at 5am and run out of food by 1pm. This is where I got my inspiration for our new coconut risotto cups I put on the menu last month!

Thailand even has fried dough. Its a little different than our Italian fried dough that you'd find at the NY State Fair or the farmer's market. It has less yeast, is softer and is more inviting. Plus its only ten for $1

I took so many pictures over there. These are just a few from the first day. I will blog more about my trip this week.

Your Chef,

Max