Monday was a crazy day. I spent the better part of the day zipping, yes zipping through Manhattan--I was not driving and this particular driver does zip, dodge and narrowly avoid Manhattan's minefield of traffic.
Monday also provided a boost of culinary excitement. When you get together and surround yourself with passionate individuals more often than not you will come away with something great. As we zipped through the streets and visited many purveyors of fine ingredients, ultimately we were able to uncover ideas which were somehow buried deep in our culinary consciousness.
The end result of our forays resulted in the discovery of a Japanese grill and a smokeless compressed hardwood charcoal. This is a grill that we have been searching for for several months and I was finally able to purchase it at Korin, a Japanese store on Warren street. I could spend many words and too much time describing the knives, pottery and tools that are sold there and still not do the store justice. You can shop there on line but if you're in town it's definitely worth a visit. After all, you can't know if a knife really suits you unless you hold it in your cutting hand. Anyway, we walked in and in the corner was the grill I had been looking for. And right next to it was an incredible long-burning smokeless charcoal.
As it turns out my friend and I both bought the grill and split a case of the charcoal. When I got home, we began cooking. I began simply with grilling jalapenos for a bacon-jalapeno lacquer. However, I foresee this grill getting a work out in the near future with ideas ranging from imparting the finishing touch to Axis Venison cooked sous vide to a table side presentation of s'mores where guests are given a tray of raw materials and can revisit childhood by toasting up their own creations.
