Columnist Muriel Stevens: Tasty preview of new Gordon Biersch menus a delicious treat

Friday, March 20, 1998 | 10:37 a.m.

Gordon Biersch Corporate Chefs Sam Chong and Mark Stark have been busy creating new lunch and dinner menus for the Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant in the Howard Hughes Center, at Paradise and Flamingo Roads. The totally revamped menus will debut April 1.

A preview tasting of a number of the new appetizers and entrees showed the tempting range of cuisines and new flavors that have been blended into the choices. Prices are as pleasing as the food. Appetizers start at $4.95; entrees at $9.95.

In addition to creating new dishes, Chong and Stark have put their own spin on some familiar ones. Gordon Biersch is a casual eatery, yet the food presentation is as good as any found in fine dining rooms. The new china is another plus. A nasturtium-colored triangular plate was an ideal showcase for the smoky portabello mushroom skewers served with pico de gallo, a wedge of grilled polenta, and arugula salad. The mushrooms were threaded onto the thin skewers and propped at an angle against the polenta. The salad was a colorful ruff. The meaty mushrooms were lightly smoked, just enough to add a hint of smokiness.

Pan-roasted mussels were lightly steamed. The brief cooking was just enough for them to open without being overcooked. Best of all, these were the small, sweet black mussels, not the bland, oversized green-lipped. Order these mussels and you'll get a heaping bowl at a reasonable price. Crisp calamari was paired with a zesty marinara sauce. When I commented on its tenderness, Chef Chong told me Biersch restaurants use only squid from India. "It is, he said, the best in the world."

Crab cakes with Marzen mustard and lemon tartar sauce; smoked salmon sushi hand rolls with radish sprouts and enoki mushrooms; and peppered ahi tuna, seared rare, were excellent. The ahi was perched against a mound of savory sesame soba noodles redolent with ginger -- on the side, a salad of paper thin cucumber salad. The ahi was studded with raw soba noodles, giving it the appearance of some exotic fish. Crushed coriander seeds had been added to the peppercorn mix that covered one side of the ahi, adding additional flavor.

When the food is as good as this, tastings require firm self control on the part of the tasters. One bite tells the story, a second confirms it. If you can stop there, you can go on to the next step -- entrees.

All of the entrees are generously portioned. Grilled Alpena sausages -- plump andouille, bratwurst and weiswurst stood like sentries around a mountain of gleaming sweet and sour red cabbage, rosemary sauteed apples, and mashed potatoes. Alpena makes the best andouille sausage ever tasted. This New Orleans speciality is right at home in the Brewery. The chefs' take on the classic Cowboy Steak includes an 18-ounce ribeye grilled over hardwood, "drunken" beans (Gordon Biersch beer gives it the rich flavor), a spicy salsa and red onion fries.

The appetizers and entrees sampled were a good representation of the variety and scope of the new dishes.

Neither my host, Jeff DeVito, Vice President, Gordon Biersch Corporate Operations, nor I, had given any thought to dessert -- there is a separate dessert menu, but when they arrived we were ready, all for the sake of research, of course.

Chef Mark is a fan of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. His adaptation of the time-honored lemon sponge pudding is irresistible -- he adds other citrus juices as well as the lemon, to the mix. The citrus pudding cake is cooked and served in an individual souffle dish, garnished with a dusting of powdered sugar and a thin crisp cookie, and accompanied by fresh strawberries drizzled with strawberries sauce. It's divine. One bite and a burst of citrus flavor floods the taste buds, puckery and sweet at the same time.

Apple-pecan bread pudding was another delectable dessert. A generous portion is served in a deep bowl. Sotly whipped cream masks one side; sweetened pecan bits cascade down the sides. The texture of the bread pudding is perfect -- not too soft, not to firm, just right.

Would these dishes be prepared the same way I enjoyed them when these expert chefs went on the next Biersch property? Everyone involved assured me no one was leaving until after the April 1 change takes place and the brewery chefs were cooking with exactly the same style and flavor. Both chefs believe anyone can follow a recipe, but developing a palate to understand how to use seasonings (a key element in the Biersch style) is an art.

If the artists are ready, so am I. Put on the mussels and save a citrus pudding cake for me!

C.A.M.P. at UNLV

A festive six-course Oriental-themed feast will be prepared by the Quantity Food Management class at UNLV's Hotel College, April 16. A cash bar will be open at 6 p.m.; dinner is at 6:30 p.m. Monies raised from the $50 dinner will benefit the new Culinary Arts Management Program (C.A.M.P.) which is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Educational Institute. The five-course meal will include a variety of Asian and domestic wines, beers and non-alcoholic beverages.

During the dinner, John Stefanelli, associate dean and professor of hotel administration, will talk about the benefits and importance of having C.A.M.P. at UNLV. He will also discuss how the community can become more involved in the wine and food programs.

Reservations must be made by April 13. Call 895-1650.

Short orders

*Foundation For An Independent Tomorrow will host their first major fund-raiser, Notte di Carnavale, at Caesars Palace's new Palace Tower on March 27. Community activist Sandy Colon Peltyn will be honored with the first Civitas Laurel award. A colorful meal created by Executive Chef Gary Waldron and Banquet Chef Scott Sharkey will follow the Carnavale theme. Included are a roast duck strudel; salad chiffonade of bibb and red oak lettuces; a pink grapefruit and Campari sorbet; an entree of tenderloin of beef, salmon roulade, crisp herbed potato cake, and seasonal vegetables; Mandarin orange Bavarian cream with fresh berries and a raspberry and passion fruit sauce; and coffees served with chocolate shavings, whipped cream, and citrus peels. Overseeing the event is Director of Catering and Convention Services Barry Tester. For tickets or more information, call 731-5514.

*Now open: DiMartino's in Green Valley at 1000 Green Valley Parkway in The Pebble Market Place. Owned by Chefs Mark DiMartino and Michael Greenstein with Ricky DiMartino, it is the second family-style eatery for the chefs. There is a DiMartino's in the Meadows Mall. Opening night was like old home week. Many members of the DiMartino family were at the opening, including Shirley and Dee DiMartino, whose restaurant on Maryland Parkway introduced Las Vegas to the family's style of delicious homespun cooking. The same concept is still in place at the new restaurant. The pizzas are outstanding. Don't miss the sauceless Bianca topped with crushed garlic. It's not on the menu. Ask for it.

Mark and company are also the new owners of the venerable Tillerman seafood restaurant on E. Flamingo Road. For the first time in its existence, the Tillerman accepts reservations. Good move, Mark.

*Spartan Health Foods will host the second of two free low-fat cooking classes March 26 at the West Sahara store at Sahara and Arville. Certified nutritionist Marge Roman is the teacher. Class time is 6:30 p.m. For more information, call Roman at 253-7672.

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