Two days ago I had agreed to meet a client down at the St. Regis, the place where we are going to be hosting a dinner event a few weeks from now. She had asked me to tag along because I was her "culinary guru" and could help her pick which appetizer plates were to be passed around. It's funny, because somehow my client thinks that I have this intrinsic talent for food pairing. Although I admit, I did grow up in a home obsessed with the entire culinary experience, I am just a fat kid at heart; I like eating food that tastes good. I just don't get food that tastes bad. Once at the hotel, we were met by the event planner who took us down to the private room we will be renting and then handed us the menus to pick what we would be serving. Half-way down the page, there it was under "Cold Dishes": A water melon goat cheese canape. Let me get this straight....A puff pastry, the strong essence of goat cheese, and a piece of water melon? Ever have that piece of water melon that is so dry it tastes like munching on paper maiche? Is that supposed to taste good? Growing up my mother inculcated us with the mindset of "nouvelle cuisine" being a travesty to the culinary world- I couldn't think of any dish being more nouvelle than this canape.

Althernatively, when I go to an "authentic" Italian restaurant opened up by one of the star chefs of this decade in New York City, I expect each bite to take me back to the canals of Venice, the hillsides of Tuscany, or something like that. If one is to claim authenticity, your reputation should be on the line in every dish served to the public. Sweetbreads.
I prefer grilled over any other preparation. If served any other way, you better make sure all the components are in place. If you put it in tomato sauce, the flavor is really masked so the texture must be perfect, right? That is why I will never step foot in that restaurant again.
Unwashed sweetbreads- good heavens.