Joseph Mahon

Braised Halibut Mode

                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                         

This fish is not braised "per se" however it lends itself to the technique. I enjoy using this technique because there is "No" loss of flavor because it all goes into the broth that makes the sauce. At the restaurant, we make a halibut-tomato water broth. We pan roast the halibut and cook it on one side until med. rare. Then we take the fish out of the pan and deglaze the fond with the broth. This broth is fortified with fresh clams, mussels, shrimp and scallops. Once the mixture is brought up to temp we place the halibut and place in the oven until med. well. We finish the dish with numerous starch's depending on the fish and season. In this picture it is heirloom potatoes but we have moved on to saffron-orzo. Balance out the dish with a touch of lemon juice, fresh snipped basil or cilantro and infused olive oil. JM

                                                                                    

Spaghetti Mode

Spaghetti, is probably one of the most well known variety's of

pastas in the United States. So it became a huge reference point on our menu and in our guests experience. The dish is Spaghetti w/ poached tuna, wilted spinach,chive, meyer lemon and togarashi sesame seeds. The key to the dish simple: Balance. We did through a monte buerre made up of white halibut stock, butter and shallots. Once the right consistency was achieved, we added the pasta and spinach until it forms a light glaze. Then at the last moment we added the seasoned dice tuna and meyer lemon juice. The tuna should not be cooked all the way. It should be around medium rare or just warmed through. Think about it as lightly poached. Finish with sesame seeds and chive. Always remember to taste,taste,taste.JM

Scallop Mode

  

When I see Bacon, Blood Orange, Diver Scllops and Celery Root I think of Fall. When I think of that flavor combination it makes my mouth water. This fall dish is one that is truly dear to my heart. It has everything you would want in a dish....... especially soul.Fall is when my cuisine goes back to a soulful place: Root Vegetables, Game Meats, Soups, Stews, Nuts, Berries, Braised items and anything else I can get from my local farmers. It is all about comfort and soul of a dish or recipe. Which I beleive everyone needs a little of, heading toward this winter:)JM

Lamb Loin Mode

Great to be back. I was able to source some lamb from Pennsylvania

last week on my visit to Pittsburgh. the loin has a very complex flavor profile and the texture is amazing. My inspiration comes from India and Morocco. I believe the elements of Raitta and the Harissa -Carrot Stew play off each other very well. I tied the dish together with braised  Swiss Chard and a natural Lamb Jus. The Lamb is simply grilled, which in my opinion is the best technique for these elements. It has been a big seller for our

menu and definitely a flavor combination to have for a long time. JM

                                                                           

Shrimp Mode

Well it is pretty amazing to me to have such a successful dish on our menu made strictly from a ratio of condiments. The condiments are tangerine juice, sweet chili sauce and coconut milk. These items are reduced down with pan roasted shrimp. We finish them with sesame seeds and cilantro. The garnish is a couple streaks of celery root puree. I believe that cuisine is extremely simple: Either it is good or bad. There are no shades of gray in cooking. A lot of Chef's I know would like to complicate this process by making there own sweet chili sauce or there own coconut milk. My question is, does it make it taste better or does it make your ego feel better? I believe consistency is the hardest thing to do in any career. This is why I think this dish is successful: consistent flavors every time. When you tend to start making all your condiments in house, you run into consistency issues. Cooks,season changes, purveyors, cost and time are all big factors. There is enough issues to worry about on any given day in the restaurant, leave some of the little things to the other guys.JM

New Menu "Check It Out"

Well I have been working hard on getting a new vibe for our dinner service. We have had a great response to the new menu. Menus are one of the most crucial parts of a restaurant; given it is the biggest point of sales for the restaurant. I believe it is a direct reflection of a Chefs past, present and future experiences. Chefs tend to live in the moment and it reflects there menus because they are always evolving (at least the ones know). However you must reach a careful balance of selling what people want and creating something truly unique. You can be the most creative chef in the world, but if know orders your food.......it is going to be hard to pay your bills. Please check out our new website www.208rodeo.com JM

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Mission Fig Mode

In my opinion this is the true essence of how I would interpret Californian Cuisine. Three to four high quality ingredients in the proper ratios that are well seasoned. Of course there is always a themed emulsion, vinaigrette or reduction to make it really sing. At 208 over the last 3 days we have sold over 85 orders of this Mission Fig Salad (which for us is very good). The salad like most of my salads focus not on the salad but the main ingredient, in this case obviously figs. Moving forward the salad is a simple arrangement of Mission Figs, Burrata, Prosciutto and Arugula. Everything was tossed a simple aged sherry vinaigrette and I accented the dish with toasted Hazelnuts and Cassis Syrup. I guess sometimes it not what you can put into a dish, but what you can take out of a dish that counts.JM    

Wild Salmon Mode

Wow........what a difference a camera makes!!! We were fortunate enough to have our owners camera available. Thanks, Michael. This dish is really satisfying. It consists of a classic combination of flavors: Artichokes, Tomato, Watercress and Wild Salmon. Once again, I am offering two different preparations of the same product which is Smoked Salmon and Roasted Salmon. I also did the same with with the Artichokes which is Braised and a Caramelized Puree. It is straight forward and concentrates on the basic combination of Salmon and Artichokes with the accents of Broccoli Rabe and Cured Tomatoes. I believe this is one of my most recent dish's that completely represents my style of cooking. This dish has won over the hearts of most of our guests and I believe it will soon become a staple of our menu. JM

208 Rodeo Restaurant Mode

I am proud to announce I am the new Executive Chef of 208 Rodeo in Beverly Hills. We will be doing New American Cuisine with eclectic influences. We are in the process of re-building our website: 208rodeo.com. I apologize for not posting sooner, however I have been extremely busy getting everything in place in the kitchen. Please keep posted. Thank You. JM   

Bluefin Tuna Mode

I love Bluefin Tuna. Tuna is a constant staple of every chefs arsennal in one form or another. It seems it has came a long way from the "Chicken of Sea"( which is Albacore Tuna in a can). However, Albacore is only one variety; there is Blue Fin, Yellow Fin and Big Eye Tuna. If I had it my way, Bluefin would be on my menu all the time. The fat content and flavor are unlike any other tuna I have tasted. Guests are very comfortable with almost any preparation of different tuna's and expect it on the menu. If tuna is on the menu, it always in the top 3 items sold on a menu. Today, I simply prepared it two ways: Seared and Raw. I always enjoy the contrast of hot and cold textures. Second, I consistently have small amounts of trim left over from portioning out the fish. Instead of making it into an amuse, I made it into a tar-tar. The mixture consisted of lemon emulsion, chive, shallot and radish. The block was seasoned with espelette pepper, lemon salt and simply seared. The tuna was served with fork crushed peas and a ponzu sauce thickened with xanthum gum.
This dish is perfect for warm spring day. JM