I am indisputably related to Art Mitchell. For one thing, he is my dad's brother. But there is also the fact that he plans our family's Christmas meal months out, carefully selecting a country, researching its Christmas foods, and penning the menu in the language of that country. When it comes to eating, we are a family of extreme measures. Art's travels are built around restaurants he will visit and foods he will try. I bet he would spend an extra hour or two in transit if it meant the best cannoli or oyster at the destination. I know I would. But the most telltale sign of our relation is my uncle's use of the word awesome in this ten bites interview: all in CAPS, followed by an exclamation point. Some might save such a superlative for describing Jupiter being bold and visible on a clear night, but my uncle lays it on a taco. Which, in my mind, makes him AWESOME!
Best meal in San Diego?
This is a hard one as I have had so many outstanding meals in San Diego. Where to start? Growing up in San Diego, I have watched it progress from a town best known for “Jack-in-the-Box” and thousands of Sonoran style taco shoppes to becoming a cosmopolitan city with so many outstanding restaurants. So, I would have to classify them: Best Romantic dinner was at the Marine Room; Best Seafood was at Point Loma Seafood; Best Festive meal is a toss-up between 1500 and Misters A’s.
Winter salad?
It is more of an autumn salad, but the Waldorf salad is my favorite.
Cookbook?
Well, to get down to the basics and still be able to prepare a wide range of foods, I would boil it down to three books: Bernard Clayton’s, The New Complete Book of Bread and James Beard’s two companion books, The New James Beard and James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking. I might throw in Beard’s book on Fish Cookery. With these three books, you could fill your lifetime with outstanding food.
Beverage of choice?
Nothing like fresh, sun-warmed blood orange juice: picking the three or four oranges from the tree on a warm Southern California afternoon in mid-February to immediately squeeze them. Truly nectar of the food gods!
Christmas food?
Work in progress, still so many cuisines and traditions to sample.
Food memory?
My first fish tacos: that would be 1979 on the quay in Ensenada. Back before container ships made Ensenada a port-o-call and you could see Todo Santos island from the quay. My brother and I were on our way to a Hobie Cat regatta in Punta Banda, which is 10km south of Ensenada. We hit the Corona distributor first to replenish our supply of Coronas—did I mention the beers were 10 cents apiece, including the bottle deposit? Duly replenished, it was down to the quay. As the fisherman were bringing in their harvest from the sea, there stood a little Mexican Lady with her food stand—a table under a tiny umbrella, a pot of oil, some mismatched bowls, a meat cleaver, and a rather worn chopping block. While we watched, she carefully chopped up some salsa and cabbage. As the fisherman walked by, she bought some fresh fish, filleted the fish, and battered and fried it. Within minutes we were feasting on twenty-five cent fresh fish tacos! AWESOME!
Person, dead or alive, you'd most like to eat with?
Le emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, that is. I would love to dine with him after the Battle of Marengo. Maybe then I could end the age old food controversy: veal or chicken Marengo?
Most challenging dish you've ever prepared?
If you go to the extremes of food science and technique, there can be many challenges on every dish: boiling an egg can be a science. In the extremes, one challenge was Julia Childs’ recipe for the classic coq au vin. I think there were like 40-50 steps to the recipe. The other challenging dish was Kulebiaka, which is a puff pastry salmon dish from the Baltic Sea region of Russia. The salmon-filled pastry loaf is about two feet long, six inches wide and five inches tall. The pastry shell is covered with pastry leaves and stems. The finished Kulebiaka is as magnificent to behold as it is to eat.
Piece of kitchen equipment or utensil?
Other than that perfect spoon, I would say my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer is essential. There are so many loaves of bread to bake.
Food destination?
In the past four years, Seattle, Washington with its fresh local ingredients and variety of cuisines is truly unbelievable.
Notes
* Image of Napolean eating a Napolean is courtesy of of twelve_cards' on flickr
* Image of Pike's Place Market is courtesy of moi. I took it from a window at Matt's in the Market. Go there.
* The photograph of my uncle is at Blanca Restaurant in Solana Beach, California during restaurant week. Our meal included a delectable quenelle of olive oil ice cream, among many other delights. Visit Blanca here.