The St, Louis Restaurant Scene

Q: You grew up in Southern Louisiana. What is it that makes New Orleans cuisine so special?
Nowadays, the nostalgia of New Orleans' cuisine holds sway over me. From a less biased point of view, the boldness of flavors makes the food of Southern Louisiana unique and appealing. Many cuisines and cultures layer flavors through the cooking process, but only the cuisine of Southern Louisiana and New Orleans build flavors one on top of the other so consistently in every dish.

Q: After Hurricane Katrina, St. Louis became your home. How does the restaurant scene differ in each city? Is it easier or more difficult to dine out alone in St. Louis?
In New Orleans, dining out is more like a sport than a bodily need. For St. Louis, the restaurants are components in a person's sense of pride and identification of a community. I believe it is easier to dine out alone in New Orleans because of restaurant proximity and the strong restaurant-bar culture.

Q: What is the easiest yet most impressive dish to serve on a stay at home date?
Risotto, simply because it can be prepared beforehand to a point that is almost finished. Then, during the date, you don't have to spend all your time in the kitchen fixing the food. Plus, it's something that you usually only see in restaurants, not in homes.

Q: If you had to use only three (or a few) ingredients, what would they be and why?
Bacon, olive oil, and a fresh cheese like ricotta or chevre. I love pork, and bacon is my own personal crack. I can serve bacon, and everyone instinctively gets it. For the other two ingredients, I love the crisp flavors of ricotta and olive oil that can marry with so many other ingredients (if I'm allowed to have them).

Q: Do you like dining out alone and, if so, which are you favorite types of restaurants?
Dining out alone is personal therapy where I can completely concentrate on myself. It sounds selfish, but in the restaurant industry, we give all the time whether through our work or through generosity. Plus, I don't like making a fuss about going to dinner.

Q: Do you have any favorite local restaurants?
I like to go to fine dining restaurants with bars because I can dine unannounced and with little fanfare. I usually eat on my feet most days, so most of the time I want my food fast and without pretense. A restaurant's bar is relaxed for me. Also, I get to try out a restaurant's menu with little expense by sampling from three or four appetizers. My favorite local restaurants for dining out, whether alone or with others, are Sidney Street, Erato in Edwardsville, and Niche.

Q: There are very few recipes for one. Can recipe quantities be scaled down to single serve portions or will the taste, consistency and flavor suffer?
Sure, recipes can be scaled down for one and it's definitely a lot harder to scale up a recipe. Just be careful with the seasonings any time you multiply or divide the servings that a recipe is designed to produce. Especially if the recipe has aggressive seasonings. My advice is to taste as you go and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.

Q: You are chef de cuisine at Larry Forgione's American Restaurant,which is a fine dining spot. What tips would you give to individuals who are too intimidated to dine out alone?
It's like I said before, I love eating in a fine dining restaurant's bar. It's less formal, less pretentious and you can get basically the same menu when you sit down at the bar.

Q: At An American Place, you are creating dishes that reflect the American Heartland. Please elaborate.
I love going to the area's farmers' markets and talking to the men & women who provide the food for my menu. When it comes to designing the menu for a particular week or season, I try to take an ingredient and elaborate on it through one dish. On that plate, I try to show off the vegetable or meat with three different cooking techniques. By playing around with an ingredient, I get to manipulate and hopefully magnify a person's dining by showing off different textures, shapes and tastes.

Q: Care to share one of your single-serve recipes with our readers?

Chilled Watermelon Soup

Ingredients

1 Small Watermelon, about 3 lbs.

1 green cardamom pod, ground

8 coriander, ground

1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, small dice

1 teaspoon sorghum molasses

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

2 shrimp, 10-15 count

1 sprig cilantro

1/4 jalapeno, ribs removed and julienned

Instructions

1. Remove the watermelon flesh from the rind. You will need 1 pound of watermelon flesh. Puree half of the watermelon flesh in a blender and roughly cut the other half of watermelon flesh.

2. In a small pot, heat the olive oil. Add the cardamom, coriander, and ginger; cook over medium heat for two minutes. Add the molasses and the large chunks of watermelon; cook for one minute. Add the watermelon and puree. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes.