Thursday, September 6, 2012

Some people do it better.

Here I am eating mussels in wine broth at Redfish Restaurant in Port Orford, a dish I would normally prepare and eat at home.

I have prepared many steamed mussels and clams dishes, Our Christmas Vigil meal always included a chioppino or steamed clams. How is it then that I gladly leave the comforts of home, and come here to enjoy a simple meal like this?

Simple.

I do not know great suppliers, fishermen or distributors of seafood products who'd drop everything and bring me what I need, when I need it, as often as I need it. A restaurant has those connections, or better have them. A restaurant scouts up and down the food chain for just that ability to get a good product to prepare on their premises. If they can't get it, they don't serve it!

I would have to get a seafood harvesting license, don my waterproof boots, identify areas in my vicinity where mussels are safe to harvest, and spend a cold morning by rocky shores trying to pull and cut enough mussels to feed me. The license is the only easy step in this transaction.

I notice that Redfish has special salt flakes on its unsalted butter! What are those red flakes, I ask.  They inform me I'm tasting Hawaiian salt. What a delightful change on the palate, for sure, I admit. Now that's better than any butter I ever tasted. Oh, it is ordinary until the flakes are added.

So, I try to improve my cooking skills by searching and acquiring great products as the professionals have done, and accept that they will do a better job providing me with memorable meals when I'm not able to do so. Yes, some people can do things better than I can. And they are worth every penny they charge. Plus tips!

7 comments:

  1. Any kind of seafood with any kind of pasta and I'm happy whether at home (when things are in season) or at a restaurant. My favorite restaurants specialize in seafood and I love the creative ways they prepare dishes.
    p.s. It's nice to see a recent photo of you.

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  2. i LOVE steamed mussels!!!
    If you have a good recipe, I would love it if you can share it with me. :)
    Lovely photo btw. :)

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  3. I'm not a great fan of shellfish, having had some dreadful experiences with them. But glad you enjoy them.

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  4. you look so nice, and so happy
    I love it when dining is an experience
    you made me chuckle a bit

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  5. I liked reading about why you are eating out. I think this makes perfectly good sense. I have found that I appreciate dining where the food preparers actually do all those things you describe. Unfortunately, it seems that so many places serve substandard food these days. That is so upsetting.

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  6. I've been craving steamed mussels for awhile. But I haven't got the time to have one. Ugh! I'm salivating just by reading that you ate one. Lucky you.
    removalists sydney inner west

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