Jumbo Lump Crab Martini

Jumbo Lump Crab Martini appetizer with papaya, avocado, apples and passion fruit vinaigrette

Croque Monsieur sandwich with duck confit, Gruyère and Mornay sauce, served with seasonal greens

Baba Au Rhum dessert

Soups-of-the-Day include:

Monday – Spring Pea
Tuesday – Tomato Bisque
Wednesday – Wild Mushroom
Thursday – Chicken Tortilla
Friday – Corn Chowder with Crab
Saturday – Gazpacho

The topic of the boot camp was regional food systems. Chef José and participating chefs met with Mayor Greg Fischer, who has embraced the concept of local food in an urban community as part of his policy agenda. Chefs also spent time at Laura Lee Brown and Steven Wilson’s Woodland Farm. A weekend of classroom work, mock-interviews, hands-on activities that engaged the chefs with local natural resources, and a collaborative dinner cooked by the participants culminated in a morning of strategic brainstorming about effective action points and next steps.

Menu and Wine Selections

To Start
Lamberti Prosecco N/V, Veneto

First
Homemade Agnolotti with ricotta, frutti di mare and chili oil
Tenuta Rapitala, Grillo 2011, Sicily

Second
Pancetta Wrapped Tenderloin of Pork with pecorino, rosemary, almonds and peppers and warm gigante beans “salad”
Marchesi Di Barolo “Ruvei” Barbera d’Alba 2009. Piedmont

Third
Beef Short Ribs Caponata with Gorgonzola polenta
Le Ragose Amarone della Valpolicella 2005, Veneto

Dessert
Lemon Semifreddo

by Hannah Sayle via Memphis magazine

Mid-afternoon, around 2 p.m., is espresso time at José Gutierrez’ River Oaks restaurant. Before us on the sleek bar top is the paragon of espressos: a rich dark base crowned with a centimeter of velvety caramel-colored crema. Nearby, Gutierrez’ phone displays an identical image to that before us on the bar.

“I made this one,” he says, pointing to the espresso pictured on his phone. “The machine made this,” he says, pointing to the one in front of him.

“Watch,” he says. He walks to a machine at the end of the bar, pushes a button, and out pours a perfect espresso. “I could make it myself, but this is faster.”

Gutierrez leaves the espresso-making to the espresso maker. He takes the upcoming Saturday-night dinner service with a laidback assuredness. After 30 years in Memphis, 22 of them spent at Chez Philippe in The Peabody, Gutierrez has mellowed. He is, after all, the dean of Memphis cuisine, a master chef who has seen restaurants come and go, and a mentor who has played a significant role in nurturing many of the individuals who are at the center of this city’s contemporary culinary scene. And it’s been quite the journey . . .

There is, as if embedded in his genes, a comme il faut quality to José Gutierrez. Bred in the dire perfectionism of French haute cuisine — a world that led French master chef Bernard Loiseau to commit suicide in 2003 when it was hinted his restaurant might lose its Michelin 3-star status — Gutierrez has long equated quality of work and self-worth.

At least some of this mentality is a result of spending his formative years working under internationally celebrated master chef Paul Bocuse. In that “no excuses” kitchen, Gutierrez was made to understand that food quality is a religion.

“In France, the way you do things reflects on you, your family, and your past instructors,” he says. “You’re not allowed to make mistakes.”

Gutierrez’ family life set the stage for his self-determination. Born in the foothills of the Alps in the south of France to a single mother of Spanish descent and extremely modest means, Gutierrez and his sister were raised in a tiny apartment where the three shared not just a bedroom but also a bed. Every night, Gutierrez says, he and his sister would haggle over who slept parallel with their mother, and who would sleep next to her feet.

“One of the best times of my life,” he says with a smile. “I think everyone should live that way at some point.”

With little to no cooking experience (his mother was a terrible cook, he says) young Gutierrez nevertheless found himself in the kitchen. “I wanted to be a fashion designer first. I don’t know why. I just wanted the creativity part of it. But they rejected me, so I went to school to learn to be a maitre d’ or a chef.”

After formal schooling at the Professional Culinary School in Manosque and apprenticeships with Chefs Roger Petit and Francis Trocelier, Gutierrez went to work under Bocuse, where he experienced fully the rigorous life of working in a kitchen.

“When I saw Hell’s Kitchen, I thought, none of these guys would make it in France,” he says. “Not a single one. Bunch of sissies. They had bandages. I never saw a kitchen with bandages. When I cut my finger, I grabbed a tissue, tied it up, and continued service. Never show anybody that you’re in pain. There was never an excuse allowed.”

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Paula Disbrowe is no stranger to Memphis. The travel editor of Southern Living magazine co-wrote Pat and Gina Neely’s first cookbook, “Down Home with the Neelys.” “I mostly remember a lot of delicious breakfasts, perfect biscuits,” she said.

This was before she began leading the charge for the magazine’s annual “South’s Tastiest Towns” contest, an online competition that lets voters decide which of 10 towns nominated by the magazine editors is, in fact, the tastiest. Vote at southernliving.com, once per day per e-mail address; click on the link for “South’s Tastiest Towns.”

Memphis is competing against New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Austin, Texas, and two towns in each of the Carolinas: Greenville and Charleston, S.C., and Asheville and Durham, N.C. The latter two have been leading since voting began Jan. 10. At press time, Memphis was shifting between third and fourth place, neck and neck with New Orleans.Yep. New Orleans — which was beaten last year by Lafayette, La.

“This is all about rallying around the home team,” Disbrowe said. “When I was in Lafayette last year, I couldn’t go in a restaurant without seeing ‘Geaux Vote’ on a menu.”

A Get Out the Vote party will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Hog & Hominy, 707 W. Brookhaven Circle in East Memphis. Happy hour specials include $1 off draft beer and well drinks, and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Computers will be set up so that votes can be cast during the party.

Other parties will follow at other places.

“They say that being nominated is an honor in itself, which is true,” said Patrick Reilly, chef/owner of The Majestic Grille and the president of the Memphis Restaurant Association. “It’s going to take some effort to win this. The important message is that people vote every single day. Do it first thing in the morning.”

But, he said, winning is more than just taking the honor.

“Winning is indicative of the enthusiasm of this city,” he said.

“We have this positive karmatic flow,” said Kelly English, the chef/owner of Restaurant Iris whom Disbrowe sees as the pioneer who put Memphis in the national spotlight. In 2009, English was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs by Food and Wine magazine.

English said Memphis’ small-town feel is one of the things that makes it special.

“One of the great things is that Memphis supports what local people do,” he said. “That’s one of the things that struck me from the day we opened.”

Disbrowe, who is also a cookbook author who lives in Austin, Texas, said that her city and Memphis suffer from the same ailment: People think it’s all about the barbecue.

“What’s happening in Memphis goes beyond people’s preconceived notion of ribs and home-style favorites,” she said.

Memphis made the cut this year; Nashville didn’t.

“Obviously, Nashville is a very exciting city right now,” she said. “We felt like Nashville has a lot of sparkle and shine now.”

Yet Memphis has something else.

“It’s the soul of what’s happening in Memphis,” she said. “It’s a better story to offer our readers.

“It’s the growth of a culinary community.”

Reilly points out that Memphis has long had a solid base of good restaurants of all varieties, and names Jose Gutierrez, Erling Jensen and Wally Joe, along with chefs at The Peabody such as pastry chef Konrad Spitzbart, as early community leaders.

“More recently, there’s this, almost like an incubator of creativity that’s come up in the past few years,” he said.

Restaurateurs support one another; they share a vision of a vibrant food community that will attract national attention. In 2012, they came together to cook for LeBonAppetit, which paired local chefs with prestigious chefs from around the country for a benefit dinner. Cochon 555 hosted an event in Memphis in February, and the Cochon Heritage Barbecue launched here over Labor Day weekend.

“There’s so much togetherness and camaraderie in the community,” English said. “We eat in each other’s restaurants. They come to Iris; we go there. Our restaurants are filled with the personalities of the people making the food, and we all like to be part of it. That’s when you know you’ve got a food town, when you go to other restaurants because you love to.”

Click here to read the original article.

I recently celebrated 30 years in Memphis. Looking back, I realize just how long 30 years in one city really is, and it makes me grateful for all of the incredible people I have met. I have so many fond memories of my 22 years at Chez Philippe, but my absolute favorite part was the chef’s table in the kitchen that seated 30 people.

From those early experiences at Chez Philippe, I learned that in order to be a great chef in this city, you must know your customers and what they like. We just put ingredients together. The farmers are the true stars. They work extremely hard and sacrifice so much to bring us the very best products. Then you must serve it to the people the way they like it. My customers know I will always listen to them and that I appreciate their feedback. Jack Belz comes to my restaurant, River Oaks, because I always make him a special vegetable soup. Customers know they will find the foods and recipes they love.

Those same customers also joke with me about my French accent, which is still very strong after 30 years in the South. What they might not know is that language barriers drove me to this profession. During my school days, I developed an open curiosity about things and a desire to learn on my own. That has helped me because my customers’ interests are so diverse. A life in the kitchen would be very boring without customer interaction, and I enjoy discussing a wide range of topics — everything from photography to childhood nutrition.

Some might get bored being in the same city for 30 years. I am greatly humbled by the love, support, and friendship I have received. I consider myself lucky that I am a Memphian, and I have been able to share my love of food and conversation with the wonderful people of this great city — first at Chez Philippe, then at Encore, and now at River Oaks.

Power Player Bio:

José Gutierrez

Chef of River Oaks Restaurant. Professional Culinary School in Manosque, France; trained under Chefs Roger Petit, Francis Trocelie, and Paul Bocuse. Previously owner and chef of Encore Restaurant and Bar; Chef de Cuisine of Chez Philippe, Peabody Hotel for 22 years; Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant de France, Meridian Hotel in Houston. Master Chef of the Year 2011 and 1996 — Maitre Cuisinier de France; Great American Chef Award 1999; Chef of the Century 1998, The American Academy of Hospitality and Sciences. Married to business partner, Colleen.

Click here to read the original article.

Don’t forget that River Oaks is available for your holiday party!

Our experienced team will help you plan your holiday party to the last detail, tailoring our facility to match your needs. If you require AV and sound equipment, specialty linens or custom designed floral arrangements, we will coordinate and arrange those special details to create a unique experience for you and your guests.

Do your plans include more than 30 people? Our main dining room is the perfect space for larger events. The main floor is available daily for lunch events and available evenings. Events in the evenings are subject to a food and beverage minimum in order to close for a private function.

We have a deep commitment to providing an expansive, thoughtful and unique wine selection to enhance your dining experience. We are happy to provide interesting wine selections and recommendations to accompany your menu, as well as create wine pairings for each course.

To ensure we are able to accommodate your group, please make your reservations as soon as possible by calling 901-683-9305.

Catered Events
If you would prefer to host your guests in your own home, Chef Gutierrez and his team can prepare an intimate meal, personally crafted to suit your tastes.

We’re happy to honor requests for catered parties of any size. Please call 901.683.9305 with your catering request, and we are happy to provided an estimate for your event. Again, holiday catering events fill up quickly, so please give us a call as soon as possible.

Here are a few of the items you won’t want to miss:

Soups: Monday – French Onion; Tuesday – Butternut Squash; Wednesday – Black Lentil; Thursday – Chicken Tortilla; Friday – Corn Chowder with Crab; Saturday – Chili.

New Appetizer: Marinated Charmoula Shrimp with Chef José’s Mac and Cheese

New Salad: Julie’s Roasted Beet Salad with Salmon

New Entrée: Coq Au Vin Blanc (Braised Organic Chicken in White Wine with Root Vegetables)

New Entrée: Braised Short Ribs with Beaujolaise, Sweet Potato Puree and Caramelized Cippolini Onions

New Dessert: Pumpkin Cheesecake

To view the entire fall menu, click here: Lunch | Dinner | Wine