Things a Chef Can Do( That I Can’ t)
BY LUANNE MATTSON
IN MY BOOK, the difference between brilliant chefs and decent cooks are deliciously apparent. Maybe one of these days I’ ll become a chef, but I’ m happy to enjoy the chefs’ culinary skills at my favorites Southern Indiana( SoIN) restaurants.
What makes chefs rock stars? Their ability to elevate humble ingredients into magical dishes is a start. This month’ s Taste of SoIN is dedicated to their mad skills. Here are just a few of them.
THE MAGIC BEHIND THE KITCHEN DOOR
You walk into a restaurant, and the dining room is beautiful. You order your food, and your server disappears through the kitchen doors. Minutes later, they re-emerge with beautifully made dishes. How does that magic happen?
At Mesa Collaborative Kitchen, you feel like you’ re being let in on a delectable secret. Grab a seat at Mesa’ s counter, and you can watch as simple ingredients transform into lovely dishes. Mesa is a new concept that allows you to join 20 others for dinner while you watch the chef and team work.
If you love the Food Network but wish you could be the one asking the questions, you’ ll love Mesa. The chefs and their staffs will plate a 3- to 5-course meal where you’ ll get a front row. Chefs talk as they cook, and you can ask questions along the way.
Grab a friend, a seat and a libation. This sport is a meal where you are a fan, interviewer, student, and dinner guest!
MESA COLLABORATIVE KITCHEN
2 Pearl Street New Albany 812.725.7691 MesaChefs. com
FLAMING DESSERTS
If you’ re a cooking show fan, you watch masterful chefs set something aflame and cook it perfectly. I’ m adventurous with flavors, but I’ ll keep the flames on the burner, thank you very much. I leave the flaming desserts thing to the professionals. The staff at Olive Leaf Bistro can give you a show with Bananas Foster. Though bananas foster isn’ t on the restaurant’ s printed menu, you can order it as a special request for dessert. They’ ll roll a cart near your table and expertly light it so you can watch as your flaming bananas foster is prepared tableside.
OLIVE LEAF BISTRO
130 W. Riverside Drive Jeffersonville 812.913.1252 OliveLeafBistro. com
16 EXTOL SPORTS / SEPTEMBER 2017