Twenty ounces in twenty minutes. I doubt I’ve ever devoured a steak this size this fast, but who could resist the juiciness and tenderness of a USDA Prime rib eye prepared sous vide to medium rare, finished with a pan sear?
The origins of this feat started with a hamburger at a classmate’s eighth birthday party at McDonald’s®. Before then, I always asked for the usual: hamburger, plain. Anything beyond a fried patty in a bun was like pre-Columbian explorers headed due west. My mom was concerned if I would eat anything at all at the party. The moment of truth arrived, and I unwrapped the condiment-laden sandwich. With slight hesitation, I took a bite. And it was good.
For the first seven years of my life, I had robbed myself of the joys of mustard and ketchup, onions and pickles, just because I was afraid of trying something new. Not discerning it at the time, the event latently deposited a question in my mind, “What else is out there waiting to be discovered?”
The point where I realized how much I enjoyed food happened before my sophomore year in college. On a rare fine dining family excursion, I ordered cherries jubilee. Prepared table side, I was mesmerized by the process of turning raw ingredients into a dish of pleasure. The butter, the brown sugar, the juiced orange, the cherries, I knew to be independently satisfying. However, combined with the brandy flambé they were spectacular when expertly prepared. This is how I want to eat, I thought to myself, but the college student’s perpetual lack of discretionary funds prevented me from venturing on my own, or at all.
Six years later and on my first business trip my colleague–a seasoned traveler–told me, “When on travel, don’t just go to the site and do your business. See the area.” He decided the waypoint on our return to be Eastern Market about seven blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The neighborhood looked rough, and the building exterior showed no signs of commerce. I was concerned with his judgment.
Inside it was a different story. It was a bustling center of fresh foods, and crowded with shoppers on an urban forage for ingredients. We weaved our way through the masses to get to the back corner for Market Lunch. A local told my travelling companion this is where you get the best crab cake in DC. Having eaten much crab, but never impressed by crab cake, I found the local’s claim dubious. My doubts melted away in the creamiest most flavorful crab cakes I’ve ever had. So impressed, I carried a second order on the flight home to share my discovery with the family. “The next time you go to Washington, don’t come back without crab cakes,” my mom, a crab connoisseur, directed me.
And, thus, I set sail on my culinary voyage.
“What started your quest for seeking new foods?”
Michael Gabertan discovered eating a few hours after discovering breathing and has been on a culinary journey ever since. The college summer he experienced lobster bisque, cherries jubilee, and white linen tablecloth introduced dining excellence to his voyage.
Business travel permitted Michael to visit fine restaurants around the country. Personal travel introduced him to foreign interpretations of dining excellence. He was not always looking for amuse-bouches and petit fours, but a place that exhibited a passion for food prepared and served well. Whether it was a Michelin 3-star restaurant or a food truck, Michael looked for enthusiasm bordering on obsession for places to visit.
Michael has no training in food preparation or service. However, to deepen his appreciation of the effort to produce and serve a fine dish, he attempts to cook at home. Sometimes he is successful. Other times he goes to In-N-Out®.
