SLT: March
Sorry everyone, but I’m going to have to postpone March’s Sous La Terre. I’ve been a lot busier with the new cycling team and this year’s road season than I had imagined, and things are not letting up at work. Having too many things on my plate is stressing me out! Anyway, to all of those who have expressed interest: I apologize. I hope you all understand!
Sous La Terre: March
This is unconfirmed as of now, but I might have a date and time for the next Sous La Terre: Sunday, March 25th, 6:00PM. Menu and price to be determined.
If you are seriously interested, please drop a line here and I will be sure to keep you updated with any decisions regarding this potential dinner. Leave your name and e-mail address, please.
I hope to see you in March!
Greetings from Singapore!
Traveling
Please take the time to follow my travel Tumblog, Moving Through Places. I am leaving for Asia on Monday and I will be writing about my various discoveries on that Tumblog.
Yes, it will include food.
Interview
A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by a friend, Uyen Cao, for a column in the UC Davis’ student-run publication, The California Aggie. I forgot all about the unedited version:
Individuals who elevate food are naturally selfless people; these are the folks who slave away in the kitchen, working meticulously to coax out flavors from their products in every possible way—all for the enjoyment of others. I can’t think of a better way to connect with people other than to serve them something good that I’ve made with my hands (on a side note, I’m sure some sort of sexual innuendo would be fitting after having said that).
For some reason, Americans have this notion that cooking is expensive, that eating right is expensive. It doesn’t have to be. In reality, convenience is what burns holes through pockets. It’s a lot easier to raid the dollar menu three times a day than it is to do any actual cooking, even though the amount of money spent is likely to be the same in the long run.
I’m also willing to bet that when most college students do groceries, they end up spending a lot of money because they usually get more products than they can consume in an appropriate amount of time (as do most Americans, my case in point being my mother—shit goes bad and moldy in the fridge all the time, mostly because she loves to buy in bulk because, well, “it was on sale”).
And so, my advice is this: stop it with the fast food, and put a limit to how much you eat out. Shop at the farmers market, and make it a plan to go every week. That way, you’ll get into the habit of only buying what you’ll need to sustain yourself for a couple of days at a time, and you get to be a responsible grocer by buying locally. If I could, I’d buy my products a day at a time. Fresh, tasty ingredients are what makes a dish great to begin with.
In terms of health, I’m not one to promote healthy living. I eat a ton of meat, I love fat, and I think the one thing I can’t not have in my fridge is butter. However, I am all about moderation. Look at the Italians and the French; they all eat rich, fatty foods and drink a lot of wine, but they are mostly skinny, model-like motherfuckers. Be more European.
In terms of creativity? Limits on ingredients definitely induce creativity. Iron Chef is the perfect example. The only problem is that it takes someone who knows a lot about the culinary arts in order to make most out of limited options. All I can say to this is that experience matters. If you enjoy cooking and you like being in the kitchen, keep doing it. Make cooking an excuse to get away from the stresses of homework. Be hard on yourself. Step out of your comfort zone. The more you learn and pick up, the better off you will be when it comes to food.
Now, let’s be honest. Most college students aren’t going to have the time or resources to prepare intricate six-course meals for their roommates. It’s all good. Do what you can, just so long as it’s enjoyable; but if you can bust out with some fancy French technique or feel like dabbling in a little bit of molecular gastronomy, I’m all for it. I respect those who try to make food more than what it is, just so long as there’s a respect for the process and a respect for the ingredients. I think food becomes an art form once the artist understands the basics, and from there, decides to take the work into his or her own hands to shape its focus and direction to convey meaning and invoke emotion. Those are the cooks and chefs that really get it, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from doing an entire year of Sous La Terre, it’s exactly that. I can wow people with amazingly executed dishes with sous vide meats, foams, purées and such, but I can just about equally win anyone’s heart with a simple pasta dish.
The best “low cost/tasty but classy” dish to make: bread pudding. First, you can use up all that old, stale bread you have laying around. Second, even though it’s fairly simple, it involves a decent amount of technique, so it keeps it fun in the kitchen. Third, depending on what variation you decide to do, you can make it sweet or savory, and you can eat it hot or cold. It’s the perfect dish to make that would last you all week.
Thanks for the picture, Ericka! I knew I made the right decision to send the nicer-looking plates your way.
Huckleberry, mache, beet, celery, ricotta, Valencia orange sorbet.
Thank you all again for the continued support. It’s amazing to see how much Sous La Terre has developed into in such little time.
From last night’s private event: braised short rib, sunchoke purée, carrot, Tokyo turnip, bone marrow powder, pea shoot.
The most valuable skill I’ve learned from hosting Sous La Terre dinners for the past year is definitely stress management:
Don’t burn the fish, JR; there isn’t any extra. While you’re at it, don’t forget to throw the plates in the oven to warm. Isn’t there a sauce for this? Throw it on the stove and get it simmering. Is the fish still okay? Grab the other products for the dish and stage them. Keep an eye on that sauce, it’s starting to boil. Take the plates out and start plating since the fish is almost done. Ouch! They’re fucking hot!
Surely I’ve become a more methodical being after this.
In case any of you were wondering what we have for staff meal here at Sous La Terre: Bud’s Burgers usually works well.
SOUS LA TERRE.
If you haven’t been, you need to go. Real talk.
Every time I go, I have been amazed at how JR pushes himself more, challenging himself further. This past dinner was honestly one of the best I’ve been to. He prepared amazing dishes. Not only that, I was able to step aside and really get to see the love that JR puts into every single dish.
Each of them are a preparation of pure passion and love. You should really watch the way he does things. Honestly, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find another chef who’s willing to put the same amount of work in, with the edge of intimacy that Sous La Terre offers.
Dinner conversation was amazing. Being seated as a group of 8, oftentimes not with people you know, forces interesting conversations to arise. Everyone is brought there with the same love of food, and since the food is damn good… there’s no way you can have a terrible conversation.
The dishes are timed well - you leave feeling full. The wine is perfectly paired, the aura and energy of the setting fits so well. I don’t think you can ask for a better experience for such a great price.
If you like food, and you love good deals. COME CHECK Sous La Terre OUT! Seats go pretty quickly, especially with JR posting his menus and dates ad hoc. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
If you need more information, feel free to follow SLT on Twitter or Wordpress, or ask me (;
-Landielong
SOUS LA TERRE
JR’s done it again! Tonight’s 6-course feast was beyond amazing and the wonderful company was a huge bonus.
Tuna tartare, avocado, yuzu, pear, puffed rice
Ok, I don’t normally eat raw fish, but I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The pear and puffed rice worked so well!
Huckleberry, mache, breakfast radish, celery, frisée, mascarpone, Valencia orange sorbet
The only time I ever eat radishes is at Sous La Terre. I’m kind of scared to try them elsewhere because I might get disappointed, haha. He just makes ‘em so good!… and I would’ve never thought to pair sorbet with a salad. This course was AMAZING. That sorbet was delicious!
Scallop, gnocchi, fennel, shiitake, potato skin consommé
Everything in this dish complimented the scallop; nothing overpowered it. So good.
Sablefish, kobocha squash, haricot vert, coconut milk, shrimp paste, chorizo espuma
Omg, DELICIOUS. That is all.
Braised short rib, sunchoke purée, turnip, carrot, bone marrow powder
THAT MEAT WAS SO TENDER! And that bone marrow powder was ON POINT. It definitely complimented the short rib well.
Cardamom ice cream, sweet potato custard, dark chocolate ganache, snickerdoodle
Haha, I don’t even know what to say anymore. I feel like I’m being redundant. Whatever. EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING.
Ch-ch-check it out! sltresto.com!
Damn, I knew I should’ve given you the dessert plate with a nicer looking quenelle! Nice pictures!
My favorite part about Sous La Terre:
Drinking all of the leftover wine to myself. Cheers!
