There are Chef’s that I have respected by visiting their restaurants and eating their food. There are Chef’s I have stalked on twitter and voraciously devoured their cookbooks or blogs. Then there are Chef’s that feed me something that compels me, mid-meal; to stalk into the kitchen and hug them. Will Preisch is such a Chef, and We were extremely lucky to work with him for a week of prep and three nights of service.
Will until recently was Chef at The Bent Brick in downtown Portland. He’s worked all over town, most notably Park Kitchen and Le Pigeon. I met him at ten01 when he was using his time off to stage around town. His considerable experience has caused him to pursue a cuisine that is foremost creative, but manages to comfort and nourish without being too cerebral. His subtle use of modern techniques makes you ponder his inspirations, without feeling confused or alienated. If you can’t tell, he’s one of my favorite Chef’s; and through tentop I feel lucky to be able to call him a friend. Anyway enough waxing romantic about Mr. Preisch, let’s talk about the food.
We served eleven courses of Will’s food, but I’ll just touch upon my four favorites here. You can view and drool over the full menu here. If you have a facebook account, log in and check out the full photo set here, and like the tentop page while you’re there. We opened with a bagel, which was Will’s nod to our sister business Bowery Bagels. The Bagel crew was very excited to make these mini bagels, and Will used them as a vessel for his miso cured smoked cream cheese. We topped the cheese with BLiS trout roe, which is quite good on its own but gave this little bite a briny pop that had guests wooing, and anxiously awaiting what was next. A true “appetizer.”
I have to mention the shellfish dish for a few reasons, mainly because it is a dish that I could never conceive, an exercise in technical prowess as well as a smart use of different textures with similar ingredients. I also mention it because it through it I was able to witness a guest, for the first time, as he described it “…finally get how food pairs with wine.” It was cool to watch his his eyes glaze over as he chewed and sipped, and when his eyes came back into focus he was somehow…changed. I remember the first time I experienced food and wine in this way; and how it changed me, too.
Skipping ahead a few courses we had the cabbage and horseradish dish, which at a glance seemed completely innocuous but turned out to be my favorite of the night. Will braised the cabbage sous vide in his homemade sauerkraut vinegar, and served it with caramelized yogurt he had made in the pressure cooker. The brown butter crumbs he made by simply tossing milk powder into butter as it browned were perfect, and that’s a technique you’ll see me crib a lot. What I loved about this dish it is took an everyday ingredient that usually is used as a side, and brought it to center stage. It was uber-rich but not in a fatty, unctuous way.
Another dish that was a bit of a game changer for me was Will’s celery root dish. The ice cream was similar to a kulfi, that is to say un-churned, but what was striking about it was Chef Will’s use of red eye gravy. The coffee/ham sauce went perfectly with the earthiness of the celeriac in a face palm kind of way; and that is a great bullet point about Will’s food. It’s “why didn’t I think of that” food.
Ok, one more dish…because: SAVORY OATS. Will first hit me with this on a dish at the Bent Brick, essentially a deconstructed haggis, but this version was flavored with green garlic and served with two preparations of duck. The use of oats as a starch in and of it self is genius, but as a vessel for flavor it makes the mind race with possibilities. The presentation on this dish was just gorgeous as well, it popped with color and the eye had no choice but to follow the food around the plate. Another favorite of the night.
Suffice to say I learned a lot working with Will. About cooking and such of course but also organization, cleanliness, and organization. I write organization twice because Will, impossibly; was more organized each night. From portioning herbs for garnish to better organizing our bus tubs, every detail was considered and reconsidered and then considered again. This meticulousness carries over to everything that Will does, and you can’t help but get caught up in it when in the kitchen with him.
