A Bradenton native who honed his culinary talent in Montana before returning to his community to share the best of what he learned while he was away, chef/owner Rich Knowles opened EnRich Bistro in 2015, the restaurant's New American-style menu draws on flavours from around the globe with hints of Latin America, Italy, France and Japan, but they’re just that: subtle injections of international ingredients. Knowles isn’t trying to recreate any important cultural dishes. Instead, he’s allowing the best parts of those cuisines to weave through his own creations to appeal to the American palate, which is unfortunate. The menu is definitely meat-centric with a few dishes for those who prefer fish or lighter fare, such as their tuna poke with wonton chips and wasabi kale slaw, calamari salad with wasabi vinaigrette, and bestselling buttermilk-fried chicken breast with honey truffle butter. As a Bradenton native, Knowles is committed to farm-to-table-dining sourcing local ingredients to create fresh, seasonal dishes with vegetables from Geraldson Family Farm, Gamble Creek Farm, and O’Brien Family Farms, Daikin Dairy products and fresh seafood caught in the Gulf of Mexico. Invited to join friends for dinner at EnRich Bistro, we were introduced to one of Bradenton's more well known restaurants. Apart from the food which was very ho-hum, the service was appalling. Will we return? I think not.
Chef/owner Rich Knowles of EnRich Bistro
Mushroom Bisque
I have ever experienced
served with wonton chips and wasabi-kale salad
Shallot Crusted Grouper with Stone Cab Rice and Spicy Ponzu
Serves 2
Recipe courtesy of chef Rich Knowles
1 lb fresh Grouper, cut into 2 8-ounce pieces
2 tbsp seasoned flour, with paprika, salt and pepper
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 oz stone crab meat, boiled - leave meat in claws for better presentation
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup Jasmine rice
1 large egg, scrambled
6 sprigs cilantro, for garnish
Spicy Ponzu:
4 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp orange juice
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp water, whisked to make into a slurry
2 tsp Sriracha
In a small pot, make the ponzu sauce by adding the mirin, soy, orange and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Then add the cornstarch slurry, and whisk slowly until it thickens. Finally, add in the Sriracha and remove from the heat.
Boil the jasmine rice until cooked through, but still a little al dente. Meanwhile, while the rice is cooking, scramble the egg and set aside. Then heat up a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. While the pan is heating, season the grouper filet with salt and pepper, and place the thinly sliced shallots on top. Add the seasoned flour evenly atop the shallots and lightly press down, then carefully place the filets shallot-side down in the hot pan and cook until a golden crust is formed. Finish, shallot side up in a preheated 375°F oven, for 8-10 minutes until the fish is cooked through but still moist.
Prepare the fried rice while the fish is baking. Heat up the sauté pan with the final tablespoon of olive oil and add the jasmine rice. Stir the rice around for a few minutes and add the ponzu sauce. Keep the het high and stir for a minute or two until it starts bubbling, then add the scramble egg, sliced green onions and stone crab meat. After 30 seconds, turn off the heat.
To serve, place the fried rice on 2 plates with the grouper on top. Place a few crab claws around the rice and drizzle any extra sauce around the plate. Garish with cilantro sprigs or green onion. Serve immediately.
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