MIAMI MOOD

Down to Miami for Art Basel. Of course, I didn't see as much art as I would have liked...

... but did get to enjoy some stone crab and the (relatively) warm weather of Florida in December.

The Standard Hotel sits on Biscayne Bay, a quieter spot than the other hotels on the Collins/ Ocean Drive strip.

The classic beachfront Miami Beach deco hotel: the Raleigh. One of my favorite interiors in town.

SPT DAY 30: TO THE WEST COAST

We left the Hapuku Lodge for the west coast of the South Island.  It was raining hard when we left Kaikoura, and as we drove into the hills it began to pour.  We were listening to Black to Comm's album, Alphabet 1968, and it made for a eerie drive through gray hills and shadowy woodlands between Kaikoura and Lewis Pass.  Here is a video of theirs to put you in the mood:

After listening to an hour of this we were dreaming up dark scenarios where the hundreds of wet sheep we were passing all suddenly stood up on their hind legs and slowly turned toward us to stare in unison.  

Just as we changed the music to something cheerier, the rain let up and we drove into the Victoria Forest National Park.

We came upon the Mauria Springs Thermal Resort just in time, and pulled over to take a dip in their very hot natural springs... to wash away the darkness.

The Japanese style baths were just what we needed mid-drive, and after soaking for 30 minutes, we continued on our way toward the coast.

Here is the Buller Gorge, where things started to get really dramatic just a few minutes away from the ocean.

Outside the town of Westport we stopped for lunch at the Bay House Cafe on Cape Foulwind.  Despite the name, given by Captain Cook, the weather finally broke and the sun came out momentarily.

We were able to sit outside and enjoy the cafe's view and beautiful subtropical garden.

South of Westport the fog rolled in and hid the sun again.  This didn't keep the drive from being one of the most dramatic I have ever experienced.  By the time we made it to the boarders of Paparoa National Park, we were speechless: rugged cliffs, seemingly tropical rain forest, black sand beaches, 100 foot waterfalls, bright orange flowers.  It looked like something Dr. Seuss would dream up for a children's book.
Here are the pancake rocks of Dolomite Point in the national park.  Awesome.

After the drama of the Paparoa region, the broad plains and wide driftwood strewn beach of Hokitika, our stop for the night, seemed quaint.

Hokitika was a mining boom town, and maintains an end-of-the-earth feeling of isolation and eccentricity.

The bizarre but pretty town library.

Perhaps the weirdest thing in all of Hokitika was the cuisine.  I listened to the accounts of several guide books and magazine articles and tried the famous whitebait pizza.  Whitebait is the immature version of the local river smelt.  That is right: fish with cheese pizza.  I wanted to like it, I really did... but it was everything you imagine when you think of baby fish and mozzarella together.  Avoid it at all cost.  ALL cost.

BDAY, PART II

The birthday dinner: bouillabaisse.

Bouillabaisse

(recipe from Piera Gelardi)

Serves 10-12

3 live lobsters

1 bottle olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup celery with stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bay leaves

8 peppercorns

sea salt

4 fresh sprigs thyme

8 cups water or seafood stock

2 bottles clam juice

1 bottle white wine

2 leeks

2 medium fennel bulbs

juice and zest of 1 orange

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (save shells)

1 pinch saffron

2 cans whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

2 pounds assorted shellfish: little neck clams, cockles, scallops

1 filet whitefish (cod or tillapia)

First cook lobster in hot olive oil in a large pot until bright red. Reserve oil. Seperate lobster meat and reserve.

For the broth, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in another pot, sautee onion, celery, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt thyme for 5 minutes. Add water or stock and clam juice, wine, leek greens (save whites for later) fennel ends (save bulbs for later) and shrimp shells (save shrimp meat). Simmer on a low heat for 60-90 minutes, strain.

Place strained stock back on heat, add 1 pinch saffron, 1 cup leek whites (thinly sliced), 1 cup fennel bulbs (thinly sliced), 1/2 cup lobster oil, tomatoes, orange juice, orange zest, 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, parsley. Simmer until vegetables are tender, then add clams and fish. 5 minutes later add cockles, then in another 5 add scallops. Lastly add shrimp and cooked lobster meat. Once clams are opening, serve with fresh parsley and slices of baguette with saffron aioli (see below).

Saffron Ailoli

(recipe from cooking.com)

Makes 1 cup

20 strands of saffron

1-1/2 tablespoons warm water

2 large egg yolks

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

fresh ground pepper

Soak saffron in warm water in a small bowl for 20 minutes. In a deep bowl, combine egg yolks, garlic, salt and whisk to combine. Very slowly, dribble the oil, whisking all continuously.

Add the saffron and its soaking water, then use the lemon juice to swirl around the saffron soaking bowl to catch any remaining essence. Whisk the lemon juice into the aioli. Add a few grinds of pepper. Make at least 4 hours before using, refrigerate until served.

Beet and Asian Pear Salad
(recipe from Piera Gelardi)
serves 10

2 bunches red beets
2 bunches golden beets
2/3 cup slivered almonds
9 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
2 large asain pears, sliced thinly
1 pound baby arugula leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Wrap bunches of beets in tinfoil and roast for 1-1/4 hours. Sautee slivered almonds in olive oil until golden brown, drain, reserve oil, and set aside to let cool. Season with salt.

Whisk shallots, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, oil from the almonds, salt and pepper to taste together.

Once the beets have cooled down, mix them with the shallot dressing and pears, serve on a plate with portions of arugula.

LABOR DAY MAINE

Back to New York for a hectic week of work and catch up.  Luckily I got to wash the stress away with another perfect trip to Maine.  It took nearly 9 hours to get there (I recommend NOT driving anywhere on Labor Day weekend) but it was worth it.  The weather was amazing, and we boated, hiked, antique shopped and ate lobster until we could eat no more.

Vintage Maine

Red's famous lobster rolls, in Wiscasset.  Very tasty, but they go the "plain Maine" route with their rolls: no seasoning, no herbs, little mayo.

Nothing plain about these fried clams.  Totally delectable.

We also stopped in Pemaquid for some hiking, followed by some down and dirty oysters harvested right there in the waters off the town.  Again, no frills: no minonette, no ice, no cracked pepper... just super fresh oysters and a lemon wedge.  Intense.  Sea.  Flavor.

A bowling alley in Cozy Harbor