Last week I posted about my love for Clams Casino and how much I enjoyed new chef Joey’s version at Cafe Europa. The next day, Cafe Europa owner Phil sent me a comment that I should try the Scallop Skewers on the Daily Specials menu. That sounded like a good idea to me, so I finally got around to trying them this week.
This is pretty simple dish so you need strong execution and flavourful ingredients to make it work. I think Chef Joey made it work.
After Bartender Jen presented the dish, my fist impression was the delicate char marks on the Scallops and veggies. I removed the skewer to reveal the well cooked Onion and Green Pepper chunks. I went first for a scallop and it was fresh, sweet and slightly salty in taste with a slightly dense texture. I bite into the onion and peppers next confirming they were well cooked, slightly sweet and still el dente. The surprise for me was the bite-size morsels of Pineapple hidden under the onion chunks. My first views of the dish did not reveal the pineapple to me and you have to look hard in the photo to see them but there there. It was a nice addition to the dish matching the sweetness, adding a slightly different texture and mouth feel. Very nice. The portion size is great for an appetizer dish. Well done. Thanks for the tip Phil. Send more.
New Topic – Hollandaise Throwdown. I few weeks back I posted about the Hollandaise Throwdown and it’s starting to come together. So far I have Three Chefs saying they want to play, Three Judges willing to judge, Cafe Europa owner Phil willing to play the Chairman’s role and Web Celebrity Nalts willing to video the whole Throwdown so it should be fun.
So this is a bit of a tease on two of three chefs that will be participating and more details are coming but let me know if you are interested in attending.
Peter's Food Adventures 