M. Cirino of A Razor, A Shiny Knife

The day after a theatrical dinner party for 30 people, hosted by A Razor, A Shiny Knife, I am with Michael Cirino, the gentleman who heads this lunatic group of performance-loving chefs. I am watching him clean up while simultaneously fielding requests for extra-thick bacon and roasted garlic. There was an article about his culinary venture in the Times a few weeks ago and now he’s hosting parties nearly every week. The previous evening had been an amalgam of performance theatre and performance cooking, which is exactly what he is going for. Cirino’s concept is to throw parties in which social, educational, and theatrical elements are all represented. Cooking is his art of choice and he invites guests into the kitchen to help him create it.

He grew up in a large Italian family where there was as much action in the kitchen as while gathering around the table. With Cirino’s dinner parties, he recreates this feeling of merriment and celebration, but his cooking adds a new layer of allure. After taking a class taught by Harold McGee, Cirino naturally fell into the cooking=science thought camp. FerranAdriá-esque cooking experiments ensued.

The result is dishes like mole papardelle with duck ragu. Instead of braising the duck in mole sauce, Cirino prefers to make the pasta from the sauce and serve the duck ragu dry atop it. Looking through his website, www.arazorashinyknife.com, there are all kinds of culinary inventions like this. There is mushroom bread pudding and raisin granita; there is a long list of inventive pasta infusions (beef broth? Pheasant egg? Check. Check).

At each event, his friends and helpers include celeb-chef minions and full-blown culinary intelligentsia in their own right. He strives to push himself to learn new techniques and also to teach his skills to the attendees. He wants everyone to have a vested interest in the food they cook, pointing out that it adds to the shared experience.

For the time being, the price of an evening is just enough to cover grocery costs, usually ranging between $60-100 per person. He still has a “legal-type day job” to pay the bills and doesn’t know exactly what the goal of his operation is; however, the passion and drive are there and he seems to have a pretty good nose to follow.

mmmmMCM

This newsletter is not to plug our own events; however, the mosaics of Michael Curry are just too gorgeous not to mention.  On October 14th at 423 W.55th, The Dish’s Dish will be catering an event for a show of Michael Curry Mosaics. He works with stained glass, Venetian glass, and mirror to create artworks that catch and refract light in transcendent ways. As backsplashes in kitchens, as tabletops, as window panels and as stand-alone pieces of art, Curry works masterfully with his materials to enhance any room. Head to his opening to see his stunning new works and nibble on DISH-catered cuisine while you are there. You may be inspired to (finally getting around to) decorating or redecorating your apartment—and to hire The Dish’s Dish for your house warming party thereafter.

Carlos Coffee at Fives Leaves

I wanted to check out Five Leaves, a new café that’s come to the periphery of my neighborhood, because of a) the Smith & Mills connection to its design and b) the Heath Ledger connection to its inception. I was surprised when, one day, while grabbing a coffee from its convenient to-go window, I saw Carlos. Carlos is a highly skilled barista who I patronized many years ago at Brown, in the Lower East Side. I hadn’t been there in a long time until a few weeks ago when I revisited the place, and of course saw Carlos, which left me nostalgic for daily access to perfect cappuccinos—sweet steamed milk, velvety foam, and caramel-y smooth espresso. He was such a pro that he’d even finish off the top with a steamed milk design of a tree or a leaf or a heart. I was then doubly surprised to see him resurface at Five Leaves. More than the design and the Heath Ledger connection put together, you should go to Five Leaves for a Carlos coffee.