Chefs: Tasting Your Food Isn’t Always Enough
At two recent dinners I tasted dishes that were intensely flavorful and delicious. For two bites. Af
By Allison Austin Scheff April 14, 2009
We’ve all heard the mantra, whether in person at restaurant jobs or on TV’s Top Chef or what-have-you: Chefs: Taste Your Food!
Except lately, I’ve noticed that it’s not always enough for a chef to “taste” his or her food.
But let me back up. About two months ago I dined at a French bistro for an updated review that’ll run in our June issue. I ordered the bouillabaisse, which our server had suggested and a dish that just sounded like it’d hit the spot. And at first, it was terrific: the saffron broth was smokey and intense. The thick rouille slathered on the bread another nice hit of garlic and saffron. But with each successive bite, the pleasant intensity became a smothering smokey haze. I got fatigued. There was no break–acid (lemon, vinegar, etc), herb or otherwise–for my palate anywhere on the plate.
Then on Friday, at a downtown restaurant with a group of friends, my husband ordered what our waiter described as “the house specialty.” Pulled hunks of succulent pork were surrounded by clams and chorizo in a smoked paprika-spiked broth, and boy was it good. We passed dishes halfway through (my lamb ravioli was also nice), and even so, I could only enjoy the pork dish for five bites. It just begged for something non-smoky, non-intensely savory. It was just alot of the same, over and over.
If I were a chef working in either of these kitchens, dutifully tasting my sauces as they went out, these sauces would’ve tasted great to me. Hey, they were great.
But I wonder how often these chefs ever sit down in front of one of these dishes and eat the entire thing, top to bottom. I doubt it happens very often–in the restaurants I’ve worked in, we usually got a bite of the daily special to taste, but never a full plate to enjoy.
And that’s where I think the problem lies. What tastes great for a bite or two isn’t always what tastes great for 15 bites. When you’re making a meal of it–rather than ordering a “small plate” or appetizer to share–there’s a tipping point when a taste of something savory, bold, instense and delicious turns into a broken record on the plate.
Has this happened to you?