The
Epicurean Publicist.com
For
Media Inquires and Photos:
Public Inquires:
DickDace@TheEpicureanPublicist.com
Bistro Toulouse
713-526-8519
Please call
713-977-6900
Bistro
Toulouse Featured in Nation’s
Restaurant News’ Culinary Currents
April
23, 2007. Houston. Bistro Toulouse, 5750 Woodway, was featured in Nation’s
Restaurant News’ Culinary Currents Food Feature on Hot Potatoes, written by Food
Editor Bret Thorn. For more information, please call
713-977-6900.
“It
was really exciting to have Mr. Thorn call me and ask about the potatoes I have
on my menu,” said chef/owner Michael Scott Castell of Bistro Toulouse. “He said
my potatoes were indulgent.”
In
his article (published April 23, 2007) Thorn said “No one would dispute that
Americans love potatoes, but attacks from health advocates on the beloved starch
and its most popular preparation, the French fry, have taken their toll. The
United States Potato Board says that in-home potato consumption has dropped by
around 15 percent since 1990.
Restaurants
have not seen such declines - and few chefs foresee any major shift in the way
people eat - but as new trans-fat regulations bring the fat content of French
fries to people’s attention, chefs are exploring other ways to serve potatoes
that allow customers to feel indulgent but not like absolute
gluttons.”
“One
semi-indulgent potato preparation at Bistro Toulouse in Houston is “loaded
potatoes Anna.” Chef Michael Scott Castell explains that traditional potatoes
Anna are sliced and then, without rinsing them, are brushed with clarified
butter, seasoned, layered in a skillet and baked. The starch that isn’t rinsed
off helps to bind the potatoes together. “Otherwise it will just fall apart,” he
says.
Castell’s
“loaded” version includes trappings you more likely would find on a baked
potato, including lardons, Cheddar cheese and chives. He says that despite the
name and rich appearance, the dish is lighter than it might seem. The potatoes
are brushed with a very thin layer of clarified butter “just “to make them
glisten,” he says - and the other fixin’s are used
sparingly.
“If
you actually load it, the potatoes never stick together,” Castell
says.
Another
popular item is his chicken and potato “pizza.” He slices Yukon golds and mixes
them with olive oil, rosemary and garlic, lays them out on a sheet pan and
roasts them.
He
brushes a cooked pizza crust with olive oil, basil and garlic, adds the potatoes
and then tops it with four ounces of chicken breast, red onions and “some
Cheddar cheese, just to kind of hold it all together.”
The
pizza is put back in the oven to brown before being served. Instead of mashed
potatoes, Castell has a dairy-free side dish of truffled smashed Yukon gold
potatoes. He smashes boiled potatoes so that some chunks remain and mixes them
with house vinaigrette, chicken demi-glace and truffle
oil.
“The
house vinaigrette is there for an acid more than anything else. It’s not heavy
like mashed potatoes,” he says. “That dish meets the desire for mashed potatoes,
but it’s a little bit different. It’s lighter and actually somewhat sweet
because Yukon gold potatoes are sweet and a little buttery in
texture.”
Castell
said that aside from “one guy who didn’t quite understand them,” the smashed
potatoes have been well-received.
A
popular side dish there is dairy-free, truffled smashed Yukon gold
potatoes.
In
fact, his customers have requested lighter items, even though what they think is
lighter isn’t necessarily so, he says, noting that when people ask for dressing
on the side of their salads they often eat more dressing than if the salad had
been tossed for them. “Or they think pasta’s lighter than potatoes,” he adds,
when in fact regular white pasta can have more calories than potatoes, and both
are primarily starch.
To
read the full article, please visit www.nrn.com.
For
more about Chef Michael Scott Castell and his restaurant, Bistro Toulouse, 5750
Woodway, Suite 174, please call 713-977-6900 or visit our website at
www.bistrotoulousehouston.com
-
end -
-
end -