Chef J. Looney

I got a text message yesterday from Elizabeth letting me know that I had a birthday present arriving early, and that it was perishable.

“What COULD it be?” I wondered…

Well, later that afternoon two boxes appeared on my doorstep.

“Burger’s Smokehouse” was printed on the outside of the box.

Now, I admit that my first thought was “those better be some tasty effing gourmet burgers if that’s my present!”

Funny thing is, although I didn’t know it yet, I’d just received the culinary equivalent of the Ark of The Covenant.

I opened the small box first, to find a high quality 100% cotton heavy-duty red grilling apron! OK, this was getting better, and I was genuinely excited.

Setting aside my nice new apron, I reverently opened the larger box.

The heavens opened!

Choirs of angels rang out in glorious strains of Hallelujah!

BACON!

And not just bacon, but SEVEN GLORIOUS POUNDS BACON! Seven different flavors in all – Original Smokehouse, Smoked Maple, Hickory Smoked, Maple Country, Peppered, Peppered Country, and Old Fashioned.

Could it get any better?!

Ok, it’s not exactly a restaurant, but this place merits a review. It’s right next door to Tony Burgers in Centerville, and it’s one of the most fascinating (if only for a few moments) food places I’ve ever been to. Truth is, I probably never would have found the place if it hadn’t been for my son. We were out to dinner the other night and he and his girlfriend were debating about where to go for ice cream and how far out of the way all the ice cream places are.

“What about Sub Zero?” I asked. I’d never been there, but I knew that it was right next door to Tonyburgers and on the way home.

“That place is weird.” They both said at about the same time.

“Weird how?” I asked.

“You just gotta see it. We’re going there!” Replied Stefahn, with his trademark grin that means I know something you don’t know.

So we were off to Sub Zero Ice Cream.

Now, there’s nothing special about the ice cream there, you gotta know that going in. I mean, it’s as good as any ice cream shop – I’m not saying that it wasn’t up to snuff. I enjoyed what I ordered, as did the other three. The pricing isn’t too bad, comparatively, either. But the real draw is the gimmick, and it’s worth a visit just to experience it.

You see, when you first step in, there’s a large poster of Albert Einstein on one wall, and a massive graphic of the Periodic Table of the Elements on the opposite wall. OK, so they’ve got geeky science-project décor. As I waited in line to place my order, I also noticed other hallmarks of a traditional ice-cream shop – rotating cooler in the dining area with ice cream cakes displayed, long counter with several high school-age kids filling orders, etc.

When it was my turn to order the fun really started. First, I picked from a list of ice creams – premium, custard, low-fat, frozen yogurt, etc. Then I picked my flavoring, and the mix-in ingredients I wanted. I chose the premium ice cream, caramel flavoring with dark chocolate chips. As I watched through the glass, the girl behind the counter carefully measured out a creamy off-white substance and dumped it in a large stainless steel bowl as she passed it down the line. I wasn’t sure where this was going – that stuff was definitely NOT ice cream, it was like milk in a bowl, and after she added the dark choclate chunks it looked like the bottom of a large bowl of cookie crisp cereal when all that’s left is the milk.

But here’s the really cool part – as it got passed to the next kid in line, he pressed a button and a spray of liquid nitrogen blasted the whole bowl! He started mixing quickly with two large metal paddles as the liquid nitrogen bubbled and steamed over the edge of the bowl. A few moments later the steam had stopped as all the nitrogen had evaporated and left behind the freshly frozen ice cream. I begged the kid behind the counter to let me push the button for the next serving (Megan’s), but he wasn’t too keen on that idea, probably thinking I was some kind of whackadoo for even asking.

Disappointed at not being allowed to dispense the super-cold liquid nitrogen, I reluctantly left the counter area and started eating my ice cream. They also politely declined my request to simply fill one of their Styrofoam containers with some of the magical liquid (which is probably a good thing – no telling what trouble I could get into with that!). It was pretty tasty, and exactly what I had expected. Good quality, good flavor, but nothing extraordinary in and of itself.

Like I said, the ice cream is good, but the gimmick is worth the trip.

After my last post on The Greatest Stuff in the World, one of my friends suggested I try the minestrone soup at Zucca Trattoria in South Ogden, claiming it was sincerely the best minestrone in the world. I recently took him up on his offer and went to dinner with he and his sweetheart.

I was a little surprised at the location of what my friend had hailed as (and Zucca’s website had also purported to be) a fine dining restaurant. It’s on the corner of a lonely strip mall about a mile off US 89 in a rather sparse part of South Ogden. Withholding my judgments until I’d sampled Chef Elio Scanu’s creations, I held the door for my wife as we stepped inside and were immediately welcomed by subtle and pleasant aromas of skilled artisans meticulously creating culinary bliss. We were seated promptly by a very friendly hostess, and our server arrived shortly after to take our drink orders. My friend decided on a glass of red wine (I don’t remember what kind, as I’m not a fan of the reds) and I selected a glass of the Pinot Grigio.

While waiting for our drinks, I couldn’t help but notice that as much as they’d tried to create an atmosphere of warmth and relaxed refinement, the large windows that made up the east wall of the building were a dead giveaway of the reality that we were dining in a strip mall. Kinda ruined it a bit for me, to tell you the truth, but again, I was here to have the best minestrone in the world, not to enjoy the ambience.

Our drinks arrived with appetizers of beef carpaccio with lemon-basil aioli and truffle oil and a plate of tempura-style shrimp and calamari. Although I’m generally not a fan of seafood, I did sample the prawns, which were excellent – tender, moist and flavorful with no need for cocktail sauce. The carpaccio was equally excellent – paper thin and so tender it almost fell apart on the fork. After thoroughly enjoying the appetizer, I felt like my friend may have been justified in his appraisal of the soup and was genuinely looking forward to the next course.

My minestrone arrived, and although I was not disappointed (it truly was a revelation), I don’t know if I can go so far as to call it the best in the world. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the broth was rich and flavorful, the beans were firm but tender, and the vegetables still had just a touch of crispness to them – it was an excellent soup, to be sure. That being said, I sampled some of my friends tomato basil bisque, which was rich and creamy, and absolutely perfect. Perhaps it was just my mood, but as wonderful as the minestrone was, I would have enjoyed the tomato basil even more.

Our entrees arrived, and were as beautiful as they were tasty. Megan had ordered the mushroom risotto for her meal (which at $15 felt a bit overpriced), I had the filet which was cooked to a near-perfect rare and served with wilted spinach and a balsamic reduction. I don’t know that most balsamic vinegars lend themselves to a reduction, as they tend to be quite robust in their flavors to begin with. By reducing what was a very well-balanced balsamic, Chef Scanu had further intensified the already strong flavors to a point just this side of overwhelming. I touched my exquisitely tender filet to the reduction sparingly and delicately, which may very well have been the chef’s intention. It was delicious and succulent as any filet I’ve ever had.

I did sample my friend’s seared ahi, which was equally brilliant. Had Zucca not offered a filet, I almost certainly would have selected the sushi-grade ahi steak. The sear on it was textbook, penetrating only 1/8^th of an inch and leaving the rest of the cut perfectly uncooked. There was no fishiness to it, but instead a delicate flavor of herbs that was a brilliant compliment to the firm texture of the fish. In spite of the fact that it was a fish, it was superb.

For dessert, we chose crème brulée and tiramisu. The tiramisu was perfect in every way, although the coffee flavor was quite mild. As a man who enjoys a very bold and strong coffee in his cup, I would have enjoyed a more robust flavor. The crème brulée was a bit of a disappointment, as it had a very grainy texture which is usually the sign of cooking the custard too fast or too hot – either of which is an unpardonable offense for a chef of Scanu’s caliber.

Overall it was a fantastic experience, although given the sub-par dessert and the dischordant ambience, ever so slightly overpriced. I’ll certainly eat there again, as I enjoyed the food (and the company) and our server was very attentive without being obtrusive, which is very important to me, but I’m likely to entertain other options before settling on Zucca for a second visit.