Restaurant Review: David's 388, South Portland, ME

Oh, dear.  How the mighty have fallen.  I have eaten at this restaurant twice before -- including a birthday dinner -- and the food was exquisite.  That was NOT the case last night.

David's 388 (388 Cottage Rd., South Portland, Maine) is a surprisingly up-scale restaurant in the space formerly occupied by a breakfast/lunch joint.  It has just finished its expansion into the space that was occupied for decades by a barbershop.

The decor is modern, and the open kitchen lets you watch the staff as they prepare food.   There is also a bar stocked with the usual liquors and a fairly extensive wine list for the size of the space.  There are around 8-10 choices for wine by the glass, ranging from $6.50 - $11.00 each, with many more full bottles available for purchase.  There are also some oddly-shaped trapezoidal booths near the front doors so narrow that one wonders how people can sit and eat comfortably.

However, the first thing that you notice is most likely to be the noise.  It is LOUD in this place.  My companion and I sat at the bar (which had no one sitting within 8-10 feet) and I still could not hear the specials as they were recited to me.  The music was of the Billie Holiday/classic jazz variety, and the volume was turned up so it could be heard over the cacophony of voices.  The sound bounced off of the tin ceilings and walls, with nothing dampening it at all.  I had to speak at an uncomfortably loud volume to carry on what I hoped was a private conversation with my companion.

I ordered the duck pot-stickers as an appetizer, but that's not what arrived a short while later.  Pot-stickers are Chinese dumplings that are steamed and then lightly fried/seared in the pan after the water has evaporated -- they are called pot-stickers because they literally stick to the pot they're cooked in.  These were dumplings, but they were deep-fried and crispy.  There was also no duck in my duck dumplings, though there was a little crispy duck skin in the small wilted-greens salad served with them.  The dressing was slightly tangy and spicy.  It was a tasty dish, but it was not what was on the menu.

My entree order was a ginger and scallion crusted salmon with sesame snow peas and wasabi mashed potatoes.  The presentation was attractive.  However, there was no noticeable ginger in the ginger crusted salmon (which seemed to be just coated in bread crumbs), though there were a few slices of scallion on the top.  The vegetables on the plate consisted of two asparagus spears and two snow peas.  There was a very faint taste of wasabi in the potatoes, which were not really mashed.  They had been boiled, but someone forgot to mash them very well, as there were spoon-sized pieces of unmashed root in them.  What tasted like pure hoisin sauce was drizzled over the plate, but the sweet taste of it overpowered the taste of the other items on the plate, so I avoided it as much as I could after a couple of bites.  Again, the food tasted good -- though not exceptional -- but it was not as described on the menu.

David's 388 serves smaller portions for their "main" dishes on their menu, which is something I applaud. Too often I've gone to a restaurant and ended up with a truly unholy amount of food on the plate that I then feel obligated to eat due to the fact that I'm paying for it, and some things don't "doggie bag" very well.  Oddly, though, the entree was about the same amount of food as the appetizer, though.  The major difference was the fact that the main dish was served on a plate that was much too large for the amount of food.

I was sorely disappointed.  I have had some fantastic food at David's 388 before, but this was not the case last night.  The food was acceptable, but not exceptional.  The server commented that the kitchen staff was fairly new, so perhaps some of the issues can be chalked up to them not being familiar with the items on the menu or how to steam a freaking pot-sticker.  (Not knowing the basic cooking technique kind of sticks in my craw on this one.)  The volume of the ambient noise and the music are a little overpowering.

The cost was not unreasonable.  Two appetizers, two entrees, and a beer cost $57, but this does come across as a bit pricy when you take into account the amount of food you actually get.  I mean, $14 is a lot of money for a 2-oz portion of salmon, 2 asparagus spears, 2 snow peas, and a fist-sized portion of boiled potatoes.

Based SOLELY on last night's experience, I could give David's 388 a rating no higher than 6 out of 10. Prior dinners would rank significantly higher, and I sincerely hope that last night was just an "off" night instead of an indication of how things will now be.

Recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups

4 Chicken Breasts
4 slices ham or proscuitto
4-6 slices of swiss, gruyere, Ementaller, or similar cheese OR 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs (I prefer panko)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp butter, melted

The first step is to pound the chicken flat.  To do this, first place a chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap.  Then pound it to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick using either a meat tenderizer or a big heavy pan like a cast iron skillet.  I really like the cast iron skillet; since it has a large surface area and is heavy, it will help prevent the meat from tearing as it flattens.  4-5 good whacks (keeping the skillet as flat as possible) is all it usually takes for the average chicken breast to be about the right thickness.

Once the breast is flat, take off the top piece of plastic wrap.  Place1 slice of the ham and 1/4 of the cheese on top of the flattened chicken.  You want a little chicken to "frame" the filling.

Now for the trick.  Flip the top end of the chicken over the top.  Grabbing the plastic wrap farthest from you, pull it toward you, rolling the chicken into a tube.  Now, you want to tighten the plastic wrap on both ends so that it looks like a piece of hard candy wrapped up in cellophane.  You may need to lay the plastic wrap flat again after rolling up the chicken, then set the chicken on one end and roll it up.  Then grab the ends of the plastic wrap poking over the sides of the chicken, and twist to tighten.

Repeat all the above for each piece of chicken.  Then -- and this is actually pretty important -- put it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.  Half an hour is better.  This will chill the meat and help keep it from falling apart as you bread it and cook it.

Now, set up a breading station.  Put the flour in one bowl.  Crack the eggs into another bowl and then scramble them with a fork.  In a third bowl, mix all the other ingredients well.  Also, spray a baking dish or a non-stick pan with non-stick spray and preheat the oven to 350F.

One at a time, carefully and gingerly unwrap the chicken roll ups.  Working VERY carefully, coat the chicken lightly with flour, tapping off any excess.  Then cover in the egg, and finally the bread crumbs.  (You want to do it this way so that there is a dry surface for the egg to stick to, which gives a wet surface for the bread crumbs to stick to.)   If you can, use one hand to move the chicken from the flour to the egg, and the other hand to coat the chicken with the bread crumbs.  Otherwise, you may need to wash you hands between each rollup.  As you coat each one, put it in the baking dish.

Once all the chicken is breaded and in the baking dish, bake it uncovered for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts and how tightly they're wrapped.  Serve hot.

And yes, I know there's only 3 pieces in the last picture.  There was only 3 pieces of chicken in the package I took out to defrost.

Recipe: Irish Oats & Whole Wheat Pancakes

1/2 cup Irish (aka steel-cut) oats
3/4 cup boiling water
1/3 - 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar (or Stevia sugar substitute)
1 egg
1 Tbsp melted butter
dried fruit or fresh berries (optional)

First, combine the oats and the boiling water in a bowl, then go have a cup of coffee.  It needs to soak for at least 10 minutes (20 wouldn't hurt anything).   As this cools, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) in another bowl.  After the oats have cooled, add the egg and butter to them, and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix by hand for about 15 seconds -- only until everything is incorporated.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water dances on the surface when put onto it.  You may need to lightly oil the cooking surface, depending on what you're using.  One the cooking surface is hot, add about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the center of the pan.  If adding dried fruit or berries, sprinkle lightly onto the top of the batter at this time.  Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the edges of the pancake start to dry and are set.  Bubbles that pop near the edges should stay "open" and not be immediately filled with batter.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Repeat until you run out of batter.

Serve hot, preferably with real maple syrup.

Recipe: Simple Steak Fajitas

SIMPLE STEAK FAJITAS

1 piece skirt steak (approx 1.5 lbs)
2 limes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic or 1 clove elephant garlic
1 onion
2 bell peppers (any color)
tortillas
salsa or taco sauce
shredded cheese

Trim any excess fat off of the skirt steak.  Cut it into 2-4 pieces -- you'll be putting the meat into a zip-top bag to marinade.

To make the marinade, juice the limes.  Mince the garlic, and then, using the side of the knife, grind the salt into the minced garlic.  This will make a rough garlic paste.  Add this to the lime juice.

Put the steak and the marinade into a zip-top bag, and leave for 30 minutes-1 hour.

Heat your heaviest skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat.  Remove the steak, and dab dry with paper towels.  Add the meat to the pan and sear the meat for 2-3 minutes per side.  You may have to work in 2 batches.  Move the cooked meat to some foil and cover tightly.

Turn the heat on the skillet down to medium to medium-low.  Cut the onion in half and slice thinly.  Similarly, remove the seeds from the bell peppers and cut into thin strips.  Add the veggies to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until they are limp.  They may char slightly on the edges, but that's perfectly fine.  Remove the vegetables from the heat.

Take the meat and slice thinly against the grain.  Heat the tortillas to make them flexible.  Add some meat and vegetables to one side of the tortilla.  Add cheese, salsa, and/or taco sauce as you like, then roll the tortilla around the filling.  I usually fold one side of the tortilla over before rolling it so that there is a "pouch" in the bottom that will catch any juices that may come out of meat or veggies.

Recipe: Smoked Turkey Breast

There is only one ingredient:  turkey breast.    This is all about the cooking.

Most turkey breasts you see in the grocery stores have been brined.  This is soaking it in a salt water solution, usually with some sugar and other flavorings added.  This makes it VERY forgiving to long cooking preparations, like smoking.

Before you do anything, you need hardwood chips.  I'd recommend hickory, mesquite, or apple, but any hardwood will do.  (Never use pine, cedar, or any other softwood.  The smoke will have way too much soot in it, among other things.)  Get a big pot of water, and put several big handfuls of the wood chips in it. Let the wood soak for an hour or more to saturate it.  This is to make sure that the wood will smolder and smoke as opposed to catch fire.

And now, on to the food.  First, rinse off your turkey breast under cold water.  Lift up the flaps of skin, and -- using your fingers as much as possible and no knife if you can help it -- remove as much of the fat under the skin as you can.  Dry the turkey with paper towels.

Now it's time to set up your grill for indirect heating.  If you have a charcoal grill, you'll pile the coals as far to one side of the grill as you can.  If you use a gas grill, turn on only the burner all the way to either the left or the right.

Next, to start the smoke.  If using charcoal, you'll be able to just throw the wood chips on the coals.  However, you'll likely have to do this more often, which means opening the grill and releasing heat, which will increase the cooking time.

A fas grill is a little more complicated, but it will also give you more control and probably give you a quicker cooking time.  If you have a "smokebox," you'll use this.   A smoke box is more or less a metal box with some holes in it.  I don't have one of these, but I do have a little pan from an old (no longer functioning) toaster oven.  You can also use disposable aluminum pie pans or even just a  pouch made of heavy-duty aluminum foil -- but I would not recommend using thin aluminum foil to make a pouch.

Drain about 2 cups of the wood chips, and put them in the pan/pouch and cover it with heavy duty foil tightly.  (This will help keep the wood from catching fire, since it reduces the amount of oxygen near the wood.)  Poke 6-8 SMALL holes in the foil on the top.  Place the smokebox near the fire on the gas grill.   Within a couple of minutes, you should see some wisps of smoke coming out of the holes.  (If charcoal, put the wood directly on top of the coals).

Put the turkey breast on the grill as far away from the heat as you can.  If you have a stand roaster (it's a device that looks sort of like the middle of a Bundt cake pan or a tube pan -- you stick the vertical part into the cavity, and it stands the bird up for roasting), use it.  Put a meat or instant-read thermometer in into the center of the biggest part of the turkey breast.  Close the grill and keep an eye on the temperature.  You do not want the interior of the grill to get lower than 200 degrees F or much higher than 250 degrees F.  225F-250F is perfect.  On my grill, this is one burner at about "medium low," but your grill will likely be different.  WARNING:  Having the temperature too low can increase your risk for food poisoning.  Nobody wants that.

Check your grill every 15 minutes just to make sure that smoke is still coming out from around the edges.  When this stops, you'll replace the wood chips.  You want to open the lid of the grill as little as possible.

Generally, the breast will need to cook at least 30-45 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15-30 minutes for every time you open the grill.   Cook it until the internal temperature of the turkey is 156-160 degrees.  Remove the turkey and wrap it tightly in foil without removing the thermometer.  Let it set for 30 minutes or longer, and then carve and serve.

Recipe: Duck Leg-Quarters

I love duck.  It's maybe my favorite protein to eat.  Don't fear the duck.  If you find it in your grocery store, buy it.  Then have me over for dinner.  Or, as Wimpy famously said in the Popeye cartoons...."You bring the duck....I'll bring the dinner."

DUCK LEG QUARTERS

2 duck leg-thigh quarters
salt

That's right....all you need for a delicious main dish is 2 ingredients.

Put the duck on a work surface.  Using a very sharp knife (or a utility knife, like I did), make VERY shallow cuts across the skin about 1/2 of an inch apart.  You only want to break the skin -- you don't want to cut so deep it gets into the flesh.  The knife MUST be sharp, or you will not be able to make it through the skin.  Then turn the duck 90 degrees, and make more shallow cuts exactly the same way and depth.  Sprinkle with salt.

Repeat on the other duck quarter.

Heat a good heavy skillet over medium heat until very hot.  I strongly recommend a cast iron skillet if you have it.  A drop of water should sizzle and evaporate almost immediately.  Put the duck in the skillet, skin-side down.  If you have a splatter-guard (this is a fine screen on a round frame), put it over the pan, or else you may get to clean a mess off of your stove top.  Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes for medium doneness.  If you prefer your duck "well done," then you should really reconsider.  Also, turn the heat on the pan down to medium low after 6 minutes and cook for a total of 10 minutes.

Flip the duck and cook for the same amount of time you cooked the "skin" side (6 minutes for medium, 10 minutes for well done).  Put on a plate and cover tightly with foil for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

BONUS:  Pour off the excess duck fat from the pan.  Add 1/2 cup of your favorite juice to the pan (orange is traditional, but white grape or cranberry works well, too) while the pan is hot.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to get any tasty browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Boil on hot until it thickens (only a couple of minutes).  Serve this pan sauce over the duck.

Finally, in the words of Beldar Conehead, "Consume mass quantities."

Recipe: Greek Yogurt coffee cake

This is an adaptation of a sour cream coffee cake.  I had picked up some Greek yogurt at the grocery store and decided to see what it was like and what I could do with it.  Substitute sour cream or regular unflavored yogurt, if you wish.  Also, you can substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour, but take out 1 tablespoon per cup.

GREEK YOGURT COFFEE CAKE

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 large apple, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Put the first four ingredients in a food processor, and process on a low setting until it is smooth.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, and mix with a whisk to incorporate.

Add 1/2 of the flour and 1/2 cup of the yogurt into the food processor, and process on low until incorporated.  Add the rest of the flour and yogurt, and process until smooth.   The batter will be thick, so you'll likely have to turn up the speed a bit.

Liberally lubricate a springform pan, and put the batter into it.   Smooth the batter, and arrange the apple slices on the top.  Put into the oven and back for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing the side of the pan, then cool another 30 minutes until serving.