Tabbuli Grill! Amazing little place on North Market Street....

         Can you say.....Mediterranean Food?
 Well Tabbuli Grill is the place to be! Absolutely some of the best I have ever had anywhere. To find this little gem you have to travel to Charleston SC, That's right I said Charleston! Right in the middle of the lowcountry, the epicenter of southern cuisine. Right downtown on Market Street, 6 North Market to be exact is this wonderful little place.

Owner Sam Mustafa had a vision of home when he designed the place, cozy interior with middle eastern accents and the beautiful outside patio is just the place to be on most any day. Sit back and relax and order a Hooka with you favorite flavor of tobacco, order a beer or glass of wine from there nice selection of wines by the glass. If your a mimosa fan well your definitely in the right place because everyday, all day they have bottomless mimosa's and for only ten bucks a head!

Now about the food......well, you need to go hungry. The well rounded menu lets you go where you want. Breakfast anyone? How about a nice lunch on the patio or a romantic dinner under the stars, Tabbuli has it.

We started with the combo platter which came with Falafel with tahini, Baba Ghanoush, Hummus, Tabouli salad, Jerusalem salad and warm pita. Simply delicious! Didn't want it to end. Then I went with the beef kabob platter, another winner. The beef was marinated and so tender you could cut it with a fork. It came with basmati rice and Jerusalem salad. If this is the way everything on the menu tastes I'm in trouble! I would eat here daily if I could and I just might. My friend that day had the Kofta pita, a delicious blend of ground beef and spices grilled and stuffed in a warm pita and served with some of the best french fries on the planet. 

                                                                                                                                                                                         

OK, now for the finishing touch of the meal. Baklava! It was not terribly sweet like most but the perfect blend of walnuts, cinnamon and sugar and just the right amount of syrup so the pastry isn't soggy but nice and crisp with the great bite you can only get from phyllo. The perfect end to this fantastic meal. So, for you locals who want some great food and if you are ever visiting Charleston, find your way to North Market Street and head down to the water where the cruise ships dock and enjoy this great little place, you will be glad you did.......

Getting back into the swing of things!

Well my last post was Sept 30 and that is entirely to long! I have gotten a new job and moved to a new city since then and all for the better. I have moved to one of the great food cities in the south and am so excited to be here! The Town is Charleston SC and I am the corporate chef for the Charleston Hospitality Group. As far as jobs go you couldn't ask for a better job as a chef. Never a dull moment, never boring and so much work to be done it can be overwhelming but its my passion and the joy of my life.

The Charleston Hospitality Group has three concepts and 4 restaurants with a fifth on the way. We have Tabbuli Grill on Market Street, Toast and two Market Street Saloons with fantastic barbecue.

Today, December 5 we cooked at an event called "Wine under the Oaks" we fed around 600 people with some fantastic food from Tabbuli Grill, our Mediterranean restaurant. http://www.tabbuligrill.com/ . We offered people marinated beef kabob (made with prime rib), Hummus, Baba Ghanoush and Tabouli Salad. We had people 40 deep in line from the time we started cooking until we finally ran out of food! The venue was Boone Hall Plantation. http://boonehallplantation.com/

Boone Hall is one of Americas Oldest working living Plantations and is truly amazing, a must see if you are ever in Charleston. What a great event today and if you are ever in Charleston come look me up at one of our restaurants, you won't be disappointed!

Low and slow..aka..For love of smoke...

The leaves are turning and I am
starting to feel a chill in the air, so it
it must be time to put away the charcoal grill. No never, never, never.....I grill year round all the way through winter, until spring has come again. The smell of smoking meat in the winter is intensified by the cold air. There is something primal about fire and cooking meat over it. I am no anthropologist, but I think it is hardwired in our souls..the connection between our early existence and fire is so intertwined that it can never be seperated.
When I grill in fall and winter I choose large more primal pieces of meat, whole chickens, turkeys, prime ribs, sirloins, beef briskets, pork shoulders, picnic hams, legs of lamb etc. Build a hot fire, while it burns down a bit, rub the meat down and go low and slow for up to six hours depending on the type of meat it is, letting the gentle heat and the smoke go to work. This sort of time scale gives me more time to sit by the fire with a hot cider or hot chocolate, a good book and the company of my family. Maybe roast some root vegetables, spaghetti squash or the like, bake a loaf of bread and wait for the meat to simply get done. This is a patient deliberate method of cooking that requires a little planning and an full afternoon to enjoy. Keep some charcoal on hand this fall and winter, broom the snow and ice off your grill or smoker and cook low and slow with some heat and smoke. You will be amply rewarded for your patience....Until next time

Cafe du Monde-New Orleans, La

Every morning I have coffee, well let me be honest here, I have a lot of coffee. Two-twenty ounce mugs to be specific, just to prime the pumps and get the day started. and then I get to work, I might have a couple more. I see nothing wrong with this. Coffee and caffeine are the jet fuel that drives everyone in the hospitality business and the rest of working America for that matter. There are times I drink coffee for a wholly different reason, times that are not as rushed, a day off, quiet time with a book, a newspaper on my deck in the middle of the afternoon. It is these times when coffee becomes more than a mere stimulant, it transform into a spirit raising friend, almost spiritual at times. It was in New Orleans that I had what had to be my most transcendant moments with this magic potion. Oh I had heard of the mecca of coffee, Cafe du Monde, but it was abstract. We were in New Orleans visiting Tulane with my daughter and needed to get the morning started. Out of our hotel and to the cab we went, Cafe du Monde please..five short minutes we are there world famous coffee house on Decateur street. The place was packed, we grabbed a table by the sidwalk, and sit. Servers dressed in black and white are scurrying around trays loaded making deliveries, bussing tables, dodging each other and the patrons. A take out window thirty deep, line, the moving quickly, kitchen behind glass furious with activity. The neighborhood coffee house this was not, more frantic and chaotic than relaxing. Our server comes with water and takes our order, three cafe au laits (half coffee and half milk) and a sack full of beignets (french style doughnuts topped powdered sugar). While we wait we watch the crowds on the street. the muscians and artists in Jackson Square, and are fellow patrons, all the time anticipation building. Our order arrives and I ask for sugar for my coffee. I am met with oddest look and our server suggested I use the excess powdered sugar from the beignets, which we did...silly us for not knowing. The beignets were hot and fresh and the coffee strong, but smooth...this was magic, time stopped, no past no future only the now. Two cups of coffee and three beignets later I was at peace with all that swirled around me. If you are ever in New Orleans , Cafe du Monde is at the top of the must do list...the original one in the French Market on Decateur acrossed from Jackson Square. For more info and history try http://www.cafedumonde.com/ . They also sell the coffee and beignet mix in grocery stores..for an afternoon getaway....until next time

Basil Pesto.... My favorite version ever!

Pesto.....Yes its easy and maybe used way to much in restaurants but it is still a great quick sauce you can make for dinner to dress your favorite pasta, marinate shrimp, brush on grilled fish, chicken and even vegetables. Very versatile and equally delicious. Pesto originated in Genoa, the northern part of Italy and did not become popular in North America until the 1980s and 1990s.  My version I like because of the different flavors the mixed nuts give the sauce and the little bite of the baby arugula. Pine nuts to me are over rated and have very little flavor even when toasted. So I use just plain old Planters salted mixed nuts. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in the flavor. Nowadays you can find fresh arugula in your local grocery stores. Enjoy......... 

Ingredients

2 cup fresh basil

1 cup baby arugula

1/2 c olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c salted mixed nuts

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c Parmesan cheese



Method

In the bowl of a food processor add the fresh basil, arugula, garlic, salted mixed nuts, kosher salt and Parmesan cheese. With the motor running add olive oil slowly until all ingredients are finely pureed. Remove pesto from bowl and place in a clean container. Cover until needed for service.
Pesto will last a good week in the refrigerator and freezes very well for later use.

For a little history of Pesto follow the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesto

Linguini with White Clam Sauce.... So easy, so delicious!

Living on the coast has its rewards. Like fresh seafood, especially oysters and clams. I have been digging clams, gathering oysters and crabbing for Blue Crabs ever since I was a kid. Clams are easy to dig and you can have enough for dinner in no time. Clams seem to grow in groups so when you find one, more should be close at hand. For this pasta recipe we are using fresh littlenecks and minced clams as well.
When digging clams we would save the small littlenecks to eat in the shell and use the large chowder clams or Quahogs for minced clams, soups or fritters. There are many versions of white clam sauce, some with cream, some without, some with fresh clams, some without, its up to you and if you have access to fresh clams. If you are land locked just use the canned minced clams and bottled clam juice from your local grocery store which will work just fine.
A tip for shucking the fresh clams is to freeze the large clams making them very easy to shuck, then you can mince them with a knife, food processor or meat grinder. Enjoy........

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
2 cup clam juice
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
2/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cup chopped clams
2 dozen fresh clams washed

Method

In medium sauce pan over medium heat melt butter and olive oil together. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute (do not brown garlic). Add flour to garlic butter mixture and mix flour into garlic butter thoroughly. Cook roux 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add clam juice and cook until thickened stirring constantly. Add Parsley, white wine, lemon juice, fresh basil, nutmeg and heavy cream and cook sauce over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fresh and chopped clams and cook until clams are cooked and opened. Remove sauce from heat and toss with your favorite pasta.

Spit Roasted Chicken with Lemon Garlic and Rosemary

I really like to cook on the grill, I can't get enough of it this time of year or anytime of the year really. I have a spit attachment on my grill and have a grilling basket where I can cook two split chickens. The reason I like cooking chickens split is, for one they cook faster and second the flavor is amazing because you are roasting both sides of the bird and the coals or wood you use is tasted throughout the meat and the skin is fantastic!. The marinade for this is delicious, simple and also works well with fish and seafood. What I do is heat my olive oil up in a large skillet and add my rosemary, garlic and saute them for about one minute or so and remove from the skillet from the heat and let the oil cool with everything in it. When the oil is cool I strain it and add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly. Basically you are making a quick infused oil and adding lemon and seasonings. (the garlic and rosemary tend to burn on the chicken that is why I strain it out) I don't cut the chickens in half , I just remove the backbone and open the chicken up and cut through the cartilage in the breast and butterfly it open. I add each bird to a gallon baggie and add half of the marinade to each. I try to let the chicken rest in the marinade at least over night.  When ready to cook, remove the chickens from the marinade and place in the grilling basket or just cook them over medium heat on your grill turning frequently. If you are cooking straight on the grill use a lid on your grill to help keep the fire at bay. Flare ups from the fat can cause your chicken to brown or burn before its done.  Grilling baskets for your spit or baskets that you can flip by hand are pretty inexpensive and work great.  Enjoy.......

Ingredients

The juice of 4 large lemons

1/2 cup fresh rosemary 

1 cup of olive

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp of white pepper