Govind Armstrong: Small Bites Big Nights

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Small Plates Big Night (Clarkson Potter 2007) is a party book, a variation on Tyler Florcence's Tyler's Ultimate (see previous review). The subtitle is "Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions and Lavish Parties." No wonder, its author is Govind Armstrong, who spent his formative years -- age 13 onwards -- in some very hot restaurants where entertainment was king. Start with his summer internship at Spago Hollywood. (If you want to know how eye-opening that experience was like for a teenager, read about Nancy Silverton and Mary Bergin, who posed as "Madame Isis," in Super Chef, pp. 12-14.) After Spago, young Govind worked for other Super Chefs and top French chefs, like fellow Spago alumni Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel at Campanile, fellow Spago alumna Susan Feniger along with partner Mary Sue Milliken at City Restaurant, Joachim Splichal at Pinot Bistro, and another Wolfgang restaurant, Postrio in San Francisco. Americans may worry about being super-sized: Govind is super-chef-ed. Govind is a good student, in more ways than one. His vocabulary is grounded in French Californian cuisine. He focuses on high-quality, fresh, seasonal ingredients. He presents in a simple way, without too much adornment and fuss. He approaches cuisine as entertainment. He now runs Table 8 in Los Angeles and Miami and L'Scorpion in Hollywood, making the one-time student a Super Chef. With that mantle of Super Chef come the celebrity chef photographs by Lisa Romerein of Govind strewn throughout the book: Govind smelling herbs at a farmers market, Govind presenting a dish to a guest, Govind choosing lemons, Govind eating. Too bad these photographs tell us nothing more about his ideas, philosophy or technique. Take a look at the table of contents. It's all tongue in cheek–Govind uses the number "8" to finish words, as in celebr8 or cre8 . After an exuberant forward by fellow Celebrity Chef and entertainment maestro Tyler Florence, Govind traces his career in food from his family vegetable garden to Spago and onwards. Govind is enamored with small plates: After years of working with different ethnic foods and farm-fresh ingredients, I discovered that small plates were the best way to tie together all of the knowledge I had accumulated. Lounge menus allow for freedom in creation. When you are making three or four dishes as opposed to one larger one, the diversity of flavors is more interesting as a cook (and as a guest). (p. 15) The key, of course, is to make sure none of those three or four dishes is too complicated or time consuming. The cookbook is helps by identifying difficulty levels. Govind's passion for small dishes is not unique. Cindy Pawlcyn came out with the splendid book, Big Small Plates (Ten Speed 2006), Jose Andres wrote Tapas, and there are plenty more books on the subject. Many restaurants focus on mezes, dim sum, tapas, and other small plates. As our own living quarters get smaller and we entertain less, we use restaurants as meeting places where we can sit and linger over a drink and numerous small plates. Celebr8 starts the party off with a simple summer salad of Arugula/Dates /Parmesan (p. 53). Govind offers two alternatives better suited for colder months: stuffing the dates with parmesan, wrapping them in prosciutto, sautéing and then serving over the arugula or stuffing the dates with chorizo, which he seems very fond of, and baking them and then serving with shaved parmesan. He ends the chapter with Fried Olives (p. 69) stuffed with Spicy Lamb Sausage, coated with a panko dustin' mix (p. 69). Small plates like these and the rest of the book are typically eaten slowly while sipping a glass of something. Govind doesn't disappoint. Small Bites Big Nights is full of recipes for cocktails and mixed drinks. There is a Raspberry Slinger (p. 72) made with raspberry sorbet, Table 8 Sangria (p. 73) with honey and rum, and even a Table 8 Spritzer (p. 77) without any alcohol. These are fun summer drinks for a grown-up party. There are more cocktail recipes at the end of the next few chapters. Some of Govind's best recipes are labeled "challenging" in a chapter featuring Table 8's signature dishes. They start with an easy Pomegranate Martini (p. 136) made with pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses that rings of flavors straight out of Baku. The tough dishes come a bit further on like his Kurobouta Pork Loin/Mushroom Grits Cake/Long-Cooked Greens/ Braised Bacon (p.155). It is a full on porky dish, Southern inspired and not really a small plate – though perhaps it would be better to eat only a small portion! The following recipe is equally fortifying and wintry: Beef Tenderloin/Oxtail Ravioli/Swiss Chard/Cipollini Onions (p. 159). Then there is an apple dessert requiring two days of attention: Apple Tart/Brown Sugar Sauce/ Roasted Apple Ice Cream (p. 163). Many pastry chefs try to walk the line between American apple pie and French tarte Tatin by creating a deconstructed dessert that aims to capture the best parts of the two versions. Govind's sets the tarte apples on a cookie and uses the other sub-recipes to add crunch and more flavor. Though he doesn't say so, any of the components could be used on its own in a more simple dessert as well. Small Bites Big Nights contains plenty of great tips from a seasoned kitchen pro. Govind also presents recipes in groups, a great help for menu planning. You don't have to think much – just follow his good advice and have those mixed drinks ready when the guests arrive. 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