Cook Reflection- Elodie Furey

Spending the day at Cook with Chef Allen was another wonderful experience made me love jterm even more. As soon as I stepped inside the door or Cook I was impressed by the clean, modern decor and all the cook books neatly organized by their type of cuisine and purpose. I loved the dark hard wood floors, white tiles and cabinets, large island, and the saddle light blue ceiling. When I am older I hope to have a kitchen very similar to the one at Cook. I was also impressed by the friendly staff who greeted us right away and had made place cards welcoming us and previewing the menu. We were served drinks right away and watched as Chef Allen and his assistant Jack finished their preparations. I noticed how young Chef Allen was to have achieved such great success in his field. Although I am not a huge fan of tattoos, I admired the bright, floral designs covering his arms. This great first impression made me very excited for what I would see, learn, and taste when the demonstration began. 

We started the course with an amuse bouche that was similar to a reconstructed peanut butter and jelly with banana. The flavors in the small dish were very simple and familiar but where produced by things with different textures than what you would normally expect. This was especially interesting because Chef Shola also spent lots of time discussing texture with us. Next we were served Tasmanian sea trout topped with apples, fennel, radishes, mustard oil, and a frozen sponge. I was a little nervous at first about so much raw fish because sometimes when I eat sushi I feel overwhelmed by all the raw fish and do not enjoy it very much. However, I trusted that Chef Allen knew what he was doing and I was excited to try the dish. After taking my first bite I realized that my doubts could not have been more wrong. The fish was delicious and the and carefully placed toppings brought and array of different flavors that made it taste even better. I cleaned my entire plate and even wanted to ask Chef Allen to eat another piece of the fish that was still lying on his cutting board. Another thing that impressed me about the dish was the detail and effort that went in to the presentation. Chef Allen's assistant Jack carefully chose and placed each topping and made sure they were in the perfect position on the plate. He took his time and made the dish into artwork that was pleasing to the eyes in addition to the mouth. As we ate the dish Chef Allen talked more about the process of making the frozen sponge and about how using different quantities of stabilizers and whipping techniques can create certain consistencies. He made a foam using a stick blender and made a thick substance using a kitchen aid that could be poured into a mold and frozen into one of the sponges. Next Chef Allen prepared a wagyu beef short rib. The smell of the short rib cooking was enough to make my mouth water. He talked to us about slow cooking and cooking in a bag and how that can lead to longer shelf life for meats, fish, and vegetables. He also talked about how some discoveries in his kitchen have been mistakes that they turned into something delicious. Chef Allen does not like to waste any part of the food he cooks so he experiments with what he can do with the discarded parts of food to make them into their own meal. When the short rib was served to us it fell apart under my knife as I tried to cut it. The tender meat was as good as it looked and smelled and I again wanted to ask for more after completely cleaning my plate. Our fourth dish was a goat cheese infused with fennel powder. This was accompanied by yellow beets and sesame crackers. I love cheese and goat cheese it one of my favorites so I was again very excited to eat. Chef Allen talked to us about the process of making cheese and how good bacteria is used to allow the cheese to safely ferment over a long period of time. His cheese dish was great and his pairings of different flavors and textures enhanced the taste. Finally we finished with a key lime sorbet. He talked about how sorbet is different from ice cream since the ice cream we eat has more stabilizers in it to held retain its thick creamy form with sorbet is balanced right between and liquid and a solid and will melt in your mouth. This sorbet was a nice palette cleanser but was probably my least favorite of his dishes because I found it a little tart. Despite this critique I still enjoyed it and finished it all. 

Cook and different than Studio Kitchrn because with a bigger space and more staff they were able to make the experience flow more smoothly and present their dishes with artistry. Shola talked more about the science behind what he was doing and used cool machines that we would not normally have acces too. He food was delicious but it was simpler and was not something i had yet to try before. I liked how he showed that he can make something we all know so well 10 times better but I would have enjoyed being able to try new things that I do not usually eat. Because of this I think I like the food we ate at Cook better. I also thought Chef Allen was a little more personable than Shola. Both places were great and both Chefs were incredibly skilled and accommodating and I would love to visit either again!