Food, Inc.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the premier of “Food, Inc.”, a documentary about the food industry in America.  To say I was excited is an understatement.  Not sure why I was so excited, but I think it was the idea of watching a film prior to it’s opening along with the opportunity to experience the cuisine of John Bullington that peaked my interest.  And both on the same night . . . well, that is not an opportunity that you come across often.

Being two separate occasions, that to my fortune culminated into one, I am going to divide this into two blog entries.  I have good reason for this, actually.  First, the meal that Mr. Bullington put forth, deserves recognition of its own.  Second, I am still digesting (pardon the pun) the movie.  I would like my initial reactions to the film to filter a little more before describing them on line.  I think that is important not only for the film (and to the respect that it deserves), but for the information it puts forth.  I say ‘information’ because that is the way I viewed it.  I believe that the artists producing documentaries have a responsibility to present as much fact as possible, and a responsibility to clearly separate fact from opinion.  And, in this instance, I feel that was a responsibility completely fulfilled.  I have included a link to the film preview below.

To that end, it is time to pay homage to the meal set forth by John Bullington.  The ingredients were brought from various farms and gardens in and around Austin.  As John put it, “98.5%” of the meal was from within about 30 miles of Austin.  Some of the ingredients, such as the herbs and other components, came directly from Mr. Bullington’s own organic garden.  Others, as I have said, were from local organic and sustainable farms in the area.  The exception were the wines, which were chosen from sustainable vineyards from around the world.  The only reason for this being that ’sustainable’ vineyards are not all that common yet.  However, it was clear that the main inspiration was the local product, inspiring the choice of wines.

Menu by Alamo Drafthouse Executive Chef John Bullington

• Summer squash soup, fennel crisps with Parducci sustainable white wine -  This was a wonderful dish, served slightly chilled.  It was very crisp and clean and paired nicely with the white wine which was fruity with a slight hint of oak.
• Henderson’s Farms pork belly braised in Alamosa Vinyard syrah with oyster mushrooms with Pircas Negras Syrah – The syrah was a wonderful accompaniment to the texture of the pork.  A creamy texture complimented by a crunch of the skin (I can only assume, since I really couldn’t see it).  The scent of the mushroom was fresh (oyster mushrooms tend to turn south very quickly) and the glaze went well with both.
• Grilled Loncito Ranch lamb sirloin, peach mint rice, seasonal greens with Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon – This was incredible.  I love lamb, but this was so fresh and of local quality, it took me a minute to realize that it was truly lamb.  It had none of the gaminess that is usually associated with lamb (or more to the point mutton).  And, just to prove a point as to the quality of this dish, the peach mint rice was very good.  I hate peaches.  I ate every bite.
• Wateroaks chevre custard with seasonal fruit – Again, here was a dish I was skeptical about.  Normally I am not a fan of chevre. It often has a tanginess and scent that simply does not agree with my palate.  This dish was sweet and creamy and downplayed the chevre to a degree that the custard was extremely enjoyable.  The seasonal fruit was reminiscent of a chutney, but seemed without the acidity that is normally associated.  It was sweet and crisp paring well with the custard, offering a balance to the plate.

My only regret?  I couldn’t see the food all that well.  I could slightly tell, though the darkness, that the plating and appearance of each dish was wasted in the shadows.  However, that made for a more interesting experience and forced me to at least taste (although my plate was always clean by the end) each component, even items I don’t generally enjoy.  All told, it was a wonderful culinary experience.  One that I hope to repeat in the near future.

I saw a special the other night about a restaurant in San Francisco that blindfolds its patrons and dims the lights significantly to enhance the ‘taste’.  Suddenly, I don’t think this is such a bad idea.  Next time I am in San Francisco, I think I will look it up.