awadablog

it's

been awhile.... but i'm back, for an exciting new season.

 just opened the year for me and for the cincinnati chamber orchestra ( conducted by mischa santora) with two concerts, in one day.

 i dont' think i've ever done that before; a matinee and then an evening performance but it went well. i've done a couple concertos at one concert, and will do so again with the new mexico symphony in march. anyway it promises to be a busy year, and look here for new developments, including 'instant encore'.... more on this later.

 meanwhile the piano beckons, and i'll look forward to your posts as well.

 what kinds of things do you want me to write about? (besides restaurant reviews!!)

ap

steinway factory

so, to my surprise and delight i found out a couple of weeks ago that ccm is buying me a new steinway b for my studio. in the midst of all the budget issues at the university, it's refreshing and heartening that this sort of investment is made. the steinway currently in my studio came out of a practice room when i was hired, and you can imagine (perhaps) that no matter how diligent and capable a technician is, the abuse suffered prior is hard to erase and as such limits the possibilities of the instrument.
while one can learn music on an upright; the hardest things to teach on a piano are color, voicing, and gradations of tone and dynamic, (and......)
for a multiple of reasons, the larger the piano, the slightest variations in touch manifest exponetial difference in the tone, and color produced. even though the studio does not allow for the full bloom of the instrument, the student can hear immediately and more persuasively the difference in tones, after making adjustments and moderations to their touch, voicing, and pedaling.
i have had many opportunities to choose pianos, but those were for a concert. sometimes the selection made in a hall, sometimes not, but the choice is geared to a particular concert. i have never before chosen a new instrument for 'permanent installation' as it were. unlike string players who get to take the instrument away, have it adjusted by someone, play on it for weeks, and take it or return it for another; with pianos it's more like an arranged and shotgun marriage. you play them for a while, ( i was there for about 2 hrs.) and choose.
premier pianos is the steinway dealer in cincinnati, and greg kottman arranged the visit to the factory showroom. at the time we didn't know how many pianos there would be to choose from- i'd heard from 3-5, but as it turned out, there were six....
the trick was to find an instrument that i thought had the greatest range of possibilities, - of palette inherent in the instrument, and one with a beautiful tone. i believe i found it. in many ways it was the less obvious choice, (others were brighter in treble and punchier in the bass,) my opinion of its tone was seconded by our technician eric wolfley, who assured me that my reservations regarding the balance of the instrument, and the shy treble were not any problem at all.
it was the newest of the pianos, and the least played or prepped. in fact while i was there, the tech's at the factory did a quick lacquer job to show a bit what was possible with more time.
all in all a fascinating experience.

thomas ades----wunderkind?

you may perhaps find it odd that i choose to principally write about food and not music. there are many reasons for this, the most pronounced having to do with making manifest my displeasure with aspects of the industry, at the same time as having success in it. very tricky ground. thomas ades has been hailed as one of the great composers of today, and quoting the new yorker, "has outgrown his status as the wunderkind of a vibrant british scene and become one of the most imposing figures in contemporary music".
ades just performed a piano recital at zankel auditorium (new yorkers are accustomed to the aural assault of the city but i can't be the only person disconcerted by the rumble of the subway eight feet underneath the hall-- i mean this is carnegie, and that is almost comical) at carnegie and i was among the many in the industry (artist managers, orchestra managers, musicians) in attendance. the program consisted of janacek miniatures, in the mist, ades' own compositions --traced overhead and darknesse visible, stravinsky miniatures, niccolo castiglioni miniatures, and conlon nancarrow canons which were .... you guessed it miniatures as well.
the longest single piece on the program was about 12 minutes. i'm not sure where the criticism is there, but i realized afterwards that i really had not a clue what ades was about except that he can play the piano, he has a fondness for janacek, (two of the three encores), and a nice sense of humor; oh, and of course as well .............he likes miniatures.
having read the ecstatic reviews of his music, and liking the titles of his pieces (yes a bit like buying wine according to the label design) (asyla, ...but all shall be well, five eliot landscapes, these premises are alarmed ) among them, i was hoping to find some new music to play. instead i found there was no 'there' there, or not as much as i'd hoped. traced overhead was in need of some editing. (ades was very charming and earnest in his comments between pieces, but if as he suggested he was attempting to mimic angels' circular ascents, i'd suggest not having a downward descent of the keyboard as one of the opening gestures....... )
to my ears darknesse visible was much more successful, though i have to say it still gave no indication of genius. i'd like to hear some orchestral, vocal, and chamber music, but for me this was not remarkable music. i also must comment that i felt emboldened, as many a listener should by bernard holland's both recent and older articles in the new york times about the validity of my first impressions; though of course nicholas slominsky's the lexicon of musical invective essentially inveighs against such preliminary judgments. ultimately though i do hope however that i'm missing something, for he has a candor largely absent from our musical discourse, quoting here an article by alex ross of the new yorker.

"Granted, Adès has got into trouble for insolence. “Prodigy with a notable talent for sounding off” was the headline over an early account of him in the English press. The writer, keeping his options open, said that Adès was either “the new Mozart” or “the biggest piece of arrogance and pretension to hit British culture since Damien Hirst pickled his first fish.” The problem wasn’t simply that Adès had fallen victim to the obsessive cattiness of English criticism; he had, in fact, made several questionable statements. He said that Benjamin Britten was not a major twentieth-century opera composer. He described Shostakovich’s solemn Eighth Quartet as “a terrible con,” and compared the minimalist religious music of John Tavener to “dog psychiatry—utterly bogus.” He has learned to rein in remarks of this sort. It’s too bad, in a way, because Adès’s disdain for received opinion is one of the vital signs of his mind. For him, the great composers are not distant idols but noisy neighbors, and he has his ups and downs with them.
Lately, he’s been quarrelling with Brahms. “Oh, I used to like him,” he mused on the train back to London. “I used to go to bed whistling the Clarinet Trio, just like the next person. Then, one day, I woke up and said to myself, ‘It won’t do! No, it won’t do at all! He’s wretched, he’s tedious, his finales are dutiful and are there only for the sake of appearances.’” The tirade became more elaborate as I—a confessed Brahms lover—grew visibly more crestfallen. Brahms also had committed the sin of declaring that the greatest music had already been written. “No one has the final word,” Adès said, looking out the window at the neat, bleak villages of the Midlands. “No one exhausts the possibilities.” He recently returned to this theme, by E-mail: “Nabokov, in ‘The Gift,’ pictures someone who claims there are no mountains left to climb—only to look up and see a tweedy Englishman waving cheerfully from a higher peak.”

this concert was not one of the great pianistic concerts of the season, and i daresay that the times critic would have had many sarcastic remarks for anyone playing a program as 'light' as this one no matter how adventuresome; but as i predicted they gave a very positive review as they are wont to do for those whom they proselytize. (note the music director searches for the new york philharmonic, as well as hugely unjust/unfair criticisms of almost everything lorin maazel does.)

the positive upshot though is that i did however come away with some possible repertoire additions for my miniatures program. ... :)
happy thanksgiving all.
ap

cincy new restaurants, via vite,

via vite.....
i have twice sampled this beachhead fountain square restaurant in what one hopes will be growing pietoso empire.
i must initially comment that upon my approach to the square i felt i could have been at some piazza in italy. maybe not quite the fontana di trevi, but you get the idea. the city has done a remarkable job with this resurrection.

the restaurant is beautiful, visually arresting and wonderfully open to the square.
the terrace on the 2nd floor should be wonderful both in the summer and even in the winter overlooking the ice rink.

my dining experience was good if not completely consistent, ( both visits in the 1st week of opening) but the 2nd night showed a real crescendo from the 1st, particularly with the pizza- onions, and sausage. the first night not well crisped and soggy, while the 2nd night the onions were caramelized to a melt, and the crust was perfect.

the linguine pesto is sensational. perfect in every was though only gently scarred by slightly salty shrimp.
the inzimino, a traditional tuscan stew with calamari and spinach, cooked in red wine for 7-8 hours, was delicious, and might be well renamed calamari saag for those fans of indian food.

speaking of indian food cumin's -falling of the bone so fast it appears to be running-lamb shank now has a rival in chef christian pietosos. sampled 3 times, it's a consistent winner. served with a gentle, creamy, sumptuous polenta.

there are however a few blemishes.
super-super lemony salad
the staff knowledge is not quite up to par, though i'm sure this will be remedied in time.
the more vexing concern is the lack of wine storage space.
the wine i ordered a brunello di montalcino of la gerla 2001, was served at about 75-78 degrees. this is far too warm for both storage and consumption. dominic pietoso, the sommelier assures me this will be remedied soon. neither he nor i would want to have a conversation about a damaged masseto, lupicaia or any one of the fine gaja wines on the list.

this is an auspicious debut, and it's presence on the dining scene will be an important one.

seny, new to the sceny in cincy

well, seny restaurant has as much going for it as it doesn't. the opening salvo is decidedly less successful than at via vite.
there are some hits, and there are some misses. the misses really miss.
there are some dishes that will need reconsideration, and likely, remedy.

in addition there is a lack of truth in advertising on the menu. for instance it reads in part:
"fresh fried calamari spiced with espresso over preserved oyster mushrrom salad"
espresso spiced could work.. ( i use a coffee, and vanilla rub on lamb...) however what i was presented with were beautifully crisped fried calamari that i was to dunk in an espresso.
why dry-- to dunk?? i cannot understand how one calls a cup of espresso a spice.....

I ordered the pork belly which reads "marinated and braised belly of pork with braising liquids, apple, and fava beans" . i received a tasty morsel of belly, but with rice and not an apple in sight, unless it had been pulverized and dusted in the air above the belly while being plated...

prawn fritters with tomato seeds and mint oil, tasted like fried??? with tomato seeds in ??? oil

slow roasted mushrooms stuffed two ways, were two ways too many- for the mushrooms themselves were excellent.

i'm a nervy eater but something about pan roasted breast of chicken with an unexplained peach-green mustard puree scares me.

on the other hand, ---yes there was one!,
the croquettes of chicken , ham and spinach were a marvel.
fragile and delicate, with subtle, savory flavors.

the house cured beef loin with charred scallions, idiazabal cheese, and sherry foam was a perfect marriage of flavors and textures.

the winner was the hake a la basque, poached loin with pea water, grilled potato, and tartare.

in the beverage department, i was confronted with yet another toasty, red wine........
this an alvaro priorat les terrasses.
i'm hoping that this was an anomaly and there is an appropriate wine storage space here, as i love spanish wine..

in general the chef is skilled technically, however his craftiness, and creativity are not consistently at the level of the actual quality of the preparations.
i've had the torture of dining at alinea in chicago, the plate served on a saffron pillow, the heat from the plate releasing the essence ....god i can't even write the rest of the nonsense there...:
and the magnificent creations of the aforementioned soto in nyc. i've enjoyed a stunning meal at the french laundry with thomas keller doing a virtuoso turn in the kitchen preparing variations on each item of tasting menu for me, while my friend received the actual menu items. ( i'm a friend of the then restaurant sommelier bobby stuckey) that was complicated, challenging, and beautiful.
i'd love to go to el bulli, and i understand that his meals are a mix of the non-food food, and food, and in the end both spectacular and enjoyable.

chef travis maier interned with martin berasategui for two months. i'm not sure that's enough time to master the complexity of the combinations of flavors he's attempting.
i'm on his side however, because i'd love for there to be great, ambitious, thought-provoking food in this city, but i fear it's a short leash town for adventure.
new experiences are tough for cincinnatians, ambivalent new ones won't get repeat visits from most.
i however will be back in a week or so, and see if it's all working better.

ap out

seattle symphony

i had excellent- if i may say so- concerts with douglas boyd, who had a refreshingly lovely, expressive and fluid approach to the mozart major concerto; one with which i was in great sympathy.
our efforts were well received in packed houses. ( a review). (and another)

i ventured to licorous - sister restaurant to lark a couple of times, and the pork cheek with polenta was worth having twice, and the cured salmon carpaccio was simply delicious.
all over seattle i found the drink lists and beverage knowledge to be excellent. i never had to define a negroni and it was never defiled.
in addition< my favorite gins junipero, and old raj were in plentiful supply.
i also recommend cafe presse, zigzag and my old favorite haunt cafe campagne, ( though the service at the latter suffered on this visit.) my friend david butler's novel "cassius and claudius" will soon be published, joining the brilliant "slavonic dances of josef vidich" in his published oeuvre.
the 'string quartet' "under a sun of lead" is finished and he tells me the next will be piano 4 hands.....
i'll save the restaurant gourmand in ballard where he is the sommelier for the next visit.
i also had the opportunity to re-connect with gerry schwarz the maestro in seattle, and we made excellent use of both my one free day and the sunny weather, on the tennis court.

i also on that day had the opportunity to visit the seattle art museum.
i was not very happy with the collections, dribs of this, drabs of that.
i did enjoy seeing some of the aboriginal art - works of gloria and kathleen petyarre in particular.

if the wall street journal says.....

so my first appearance in the wall street journal, to my knowledge is in an article about food.
high time i say.....

wall street???

look for charleston restaurant in the power tables section saturday the 13th october......
a

superb soto, attractive aburiya, sour susanna

my east coast trip was a typically wonderful culinary journey. highlights were a new discovery thanks to my friend and colleague Ben Breen, the discovery of the quite authentic aburiya kinnosuke which we found from the michelin guide; my reacquaintance with my friend sotohiro kosugi at soto restaurant, which i used to frequent in atlanta with frightening regularity.
there was a reconfirmation of the delectable massage of the palate at blue hill. starters are perfect in their simplicity, much coming from the farms at stone barns . for entrees, all i can say is that "sous vide rules".... the most delicious chicken and pork i've had, dessert-- yes i eat it on occasion-- cherries with the almond oatmeal cobbler, and pistachio ice cream. .....summer berry coupe.. with strawberry granite vanilla cream lemon cake and candied almonds.. just please let me bathe in this stuff..

disappointments were susanna foo (referenced elsewhere) in philadelphia, i rued my visit to rue 57 for brunch in nyc where i coudn't get a waiters' attention for 15 minutes, and he was vile upon arrival...

on a more recent visit, shilla korean was fantastic, spotted pig delicious,( though not the revelation that david falk at boca in cincinnati claims), and the ricotta white pizza at mariella's pizza my dining partner found 'divine' and is still having dreams about...

aburiya kinnosuke delighted with traditional small dishes.
this is a long list of winners but bear with me.:
japanese style fried organic chicken
organic berkshire pork simmered in brown sugar soju
pork cheek with greens, carrots, and onion.
steamed salmon and roe over rice,
fatty salmon and head with sesame oil and salt
salmon in miso cooked tableside on a houba leaf
dried squid, dried sandfish
japanese pickles, ( watch out for the wasabi leaf...!)
a variety of specials, unique fish... goldenthread....( eat it)
oh, and yes.... beef tongue...

if you've been to japan and crave the taste, flavor, combinations of what you can find in the hole in the wall place.... go eat here. haste- post haste.
if you wonder what the hell i'm talking about... go there... haste --post haste.

soto, the proprietor an avid music lover and amateur musician, is a friend of mine from his days in atlanta. i have long regarded him, and continue to..one of the masters of japanese cuisine along with tetsuya wakuda at tetsuya in sydney, nobuo fukuda at sea saw in scottsdale, arizona; and have hoped that he would get the recognition he deserves. the tepid review in the nytimes notwithstanding ( when will they get a critic there who actually likes food?) i think even in these short months of being open, ( atlanta abandoned) he is beginning to make his mark.
his imagination is unparalled while maintaining an integrity to the true flavor of the foods. there's no obscuring, no baroque ornamentation. just beautifully crafted, sublime food.
after a disaster earlier this year at sushi yasuda where after appearing in timely fashion for our reservation, we were told that our first order would be our last, (except that they got it wrong, ) and the waitress offered the check with the arrival of the food, and was a no-winged-hovercraft at the table until i said 'go away while i eat' and my expression of disappointment in the service was met with the manager du jour looking out the window..; i was eager to make amends to my dining companion on that occasion-( while the service was no-tip regrettable, the sushi was top-notch.) and soto was just the remedy.

the times critic.. what's his name????????? made mention of the normal, average quality of the sushi. let me say first off that this is absolute nonsense. the quality of the fish at soto has always been non pareil. on this occasion. chutoro, otoro, hamachi, kampachi, saba, isaki kobujime, were sensational. the tartare tuna roll, with spicy tune, asian pear, cucumber, avocado, sesame, pine nuts, scallion wrapped in white kelp , is the work of gods. the provenance of the fish is indicated on the menu, and over a third comes from japan.
other sushi highlights, kampachi tartare, with wasabi tobiko, pine nuts, and soy foam
chyu toro tartate, with avocado coulis, gaviar, chive in a sesame ponzu sauce
goma tofu, with black and white sesame tofu, wasabi soy sauce...

the cooked food the highlights were the flounder in ponzu, ( karei kara age),
broiled lobster with mango and portabella, ( this listing of ingredients cannot do justice to the dreamy quality of the the melting textures in the mouth, the balance of richness and acidity.. little crunchiness of panko bread crumbs to boot.)
steamed lobster with uni mousse, ( garnished with smoked uni and caviar...) ( help....!!!!)
orange soy marinated yellowtail,

then there are specials which i shall leave you to both imagine and discover.
kudos soto....

philadelphia dining and cigars...

so i stuck around philly one more day to practice after the successful concert at curtis with joey.

i had a disappointing dinner at susanna foo , one of the premiere fusion chinese restaurants in the country. though they don't formally use the word fusion, the merger of chinese dishes and french techniques constitutes the same in my book.
while the dumpling platter was good,( and they were gracious enought to provide for one what is normally for two, ) i would have preferred there be a tasting order-like a good cheese plate- so that i didn't have the more delicate lobster ravioli, soybean puree and emulsified coconut-lobster sauce after the mongolian lamb pillows stuffed with tarragon, cumin and leeks with an ancho chile sauce, or after the steamed diver scallop dumplings with thai curry-tomato sauce.

the slow roasted scottish salmon with sake and miso marinade though well cooked, was tasteless...
then again it was scottish (why did i order it?)salmon......

the evening ended at my new favorite cigar bar, mahogany where i enjoyed an opus x. this is a tremendous cigar made by fuente.
i believe the secret of the cubans is that everything comes from the same soil.
whereas many otherwise lovely dominican cigars are marred by the connecticut leaf wrapper, i believe what makes the opus x cubanesque is its native grown wrapper.. a true competitor to cubans.
if you're a lover of fine cigars, and liquours, this place is a must.
i enjoyed a pierre ferrand reserve (try the abel or ancestrale sometime, and highland park 12 yr old scotch.

great chairs and great conversation, and when i'm next in italy i'll thank one leonard insalaco for his tips......

philly

played a concert on wednesday with joseph silverstein at thecurtis institute.
joey is on the faculty there, and it was part of our preparation for weill on tuesday. some of course argue tongue-in-cheek (i hope) that the move order should be reversed) more on curtis, and the eats, and drinks, and cigars in philly to follow...
out,
a