Chicago Style Lobster Dog

This post kills two birds with one stone. First of all, Helen Rosner of Menu Pages challenged the culinary world to come up with a unique version of the Chicago style hot dog. This isn’t on the menu (yet), but I have to say I found it very tasty and it resembled the Chicago ‘red hot’ visually and in texture.
One of the comments in her post suggested only Alinea or Moto could do something with this worthy of the guest’s appreciation. Surley there would be some cynnical and humorless bastards that wouldn’t appreciate it, but I took the comments as fuel to prove that reader wrong. 
I’m not trying to rival the incomporable Hot Doug’s. And you won’t automatically get bitched out if you order it at Lockwood like you do at the Weiner Circle (but I may make an exception if you ask… or if I don’t like the way you look)! Check out this hilarious, foul mouthed 7 minute video on You Tube if you don”t know about the Weiner Circle. 
Regarding the menu though,  it took me forever to work up the balls to put my buffalo-ed wings on the menu and that has been to huge fanfare. So stay tuned… this dog may also see it’s day (pun intended).

These are the components:
Diced lobster folded into a scallop mousse, seasoned with smoked paprika, cayenne and tarragon; rolled it in plastic wrap the size of a hot dog, then slow poached it at 140 degrees. It is then removed it from the plastic and grilled.
Not wanting to use mustard, instead I made a saffron-ginger beurre blanc to give it a similarly bright yellow color.
The rest is pretty basic – peeled pear tomatoes instead of the tomato wedges.
Brunoise of sweated leeks instead of onions
Green pepper curls
Potato bun – I f’d up and forgot the poppy seed!
I’m happy that ketchup as it turns out is considered sacreligious on a hot dog as I didn’t know how I would pair/mimic it with lobster! 

On a second note, this segues me to a topic which had been on my mind anyhow. As you may have noticed from my recent entries, I have been having fun lately re-interpreting casual American food. It all pretty much started with the Buffalo-ed Wind and  has recently expanded to include Waldorf  with Foie Gras Emulsion, Reuben Reconsidered and Sliders of Foie Gras Torchon. 

Before we opened Lockwood, it was asked of me to name my style of cuisine. After giving significant thought to this as it was the first time I had been the leader of a brand new restaurant, I decided to call the cuisine - Contemporary Cuisine Rooted in French and Italian Traditions. I figured that it was important to make a statement as to being forward thinking, but also to mention the background of my training. I also felt at the time that American Cuisine was too vague. I did an about face when I was sick of how old and tired it sounded, and soon changed our mantra to Contemporary American. If this does go on the menu, it will only cement that this is what we are about.