Have you heard of Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef from New York? I came across an interesting article he wrote on Things to avoid when eating in restaurants, such as he won't order fish on a Monday because he knows how old most seafood is on Monday - about four to five days old!
He also talks about brunch, well-done steaks, sushi, vegetarians as well as what to have for a home chef. A decent knife is important to have for the home chef's kitchen. Others include a slicer with various cut settings, and heavyweight pans.
The home chef to also have the same basic ingredients that restaurants use such as shallots, butter, roasted garlic, chiffonaded parsley, stock, demi-glace, and fresh herbs. He also shares how to make stock and a fish recipe.
He says, Good food is often simple food. Some of the best cuisine in the world - whole roasted fish, Tuscan-style, for instance - is a matter of three or four ingredients. Just make sure they're good ingredients, fresh ingredients, and then garnish them.
Example: here's a dish I used to serve at a highly-regarded two-star joint in New York. I got 32 bucks an order for it and could barely keep enough in stock, people liked it so much.
Take one fish - a red snapper, striped bass, or dorade - have your fish guy remove gills, guts and scales and wash in cold water. Rub inside and out with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Jam a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon and a few sprigs of fresh herb - say, rosemary and thyme - into the cavity where the guts used to be. Place on a lightly oiled pan or foil and throw the fish into a very hot oven. Roast till crispy and cooked through. Drizzle a little basil oil over the plate - you know, the stuff you made with your blender and put in your new plastic squeeze bottle? - sprinkle with chiffonaded parsley, garnish with basil... See?
Read full article, Things to avoid when eating in restaurants
