Dinner at Pesca, a highly recommended seafood restaurant in Amsterdam

My friend Erik Dorr, an Amsterdam native now living in the wilds of suburban Atlanta, had given me the names of three restaurants I should try while in Amsterdam. Of the three, I tried Pesca first, a self-identified "restaurant by Pescatarians, for Pescatarians." As detailed on the establishment's website, "... don't expect a traditional restaurant. We've changed the old rules: no menus or fancy tablecloths. It's all about the experience at the fish market." Now if you have never been to the restaurant, you would not know that this is a statement that is actually operationalized. But don't let me get ahead of myself; let's continue with the web-site statement: "As a guest, you're part of our concept and you get to pick your own fish and dishes." Truer words have never been spoken; but they are meaningless to the first time buyer.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the hostess asked if I had been there before. I said no. She then launched into a fuller description of what the website had alluded to. But first she gave me an unopened can of sardines on which she had written three numbers. My seat number, she said, and you will have to show this to the market folks so that they know where to deliver the food and wine items. I still don't get why the numbers were written on a can of sardines rather than a card of some type. I vaguely remember hearing her say that I could return the unopened can at the end of the night or I could keep it and pay an additional 5 euros. To that end it must be some type of charity initiative.

As she explained it, I would first go to one of the two "fish markets" that were situated against the wall opposite her and each of which was manned by a fishmonger? I would make my selections of the seafood items I wanted to consume that night, after which i would be taken to the wine market to make my selection. Notice there is no beer market. Or Gin market. I had to sit and wait as both of the fish market stations were serving other guests.

When one of the slots opened up I went over and begun a dialogue with my person. Arrayed behind him was a wide selection of seafood. As he explained it, I would select the items I wanted to eat, how I wanted it prepared (from a menu of preparation choices), and the sides. He would then weigh out the portions -- for pricing purposes --  and take this material to the chef to be prepared. I selected Oysters and Hamachi for cold appetizers, mussels and shrimp as the second course, and a Seabreem as my fish dish. I ordered asparagus and French Fries as my sides.

It was rather nerve-wracking, honestly. I don't normally make these kind of decisions when I go to a restaurant. I am normally choosing between completed dishes rather than from the raw materials up. If things went awry here it was all on me.

After the Fish Station I was taken over to the Wine Market. The wines were arranged vertically against a wall with the prices clearly marked next to each. I selected a Meursault. Did I mention that this is currently my go-to white wine? The wine person placed the bottle into a bucket of ice, pulled a glass from the rack, and walked me to my table.

The restaurant had a lively vibe with, as the web site had indicated, nary a tablecloth in sight. The block-like tables were close together so you had a sense of shared seating without it actually being shared. Enthusiastic pescatarians were everywhere.

The cold appetizers arrived and, to the best of my knowledge, this was the first time I was eating Dutch and Irish Oysters. They were delicious. The Hamachi was drizzled with a Rotterdam Soy Sauce. Heavenly. Hamachi with Meursault? To die for.

The warm appetizers were Gambas and Mussels. The shrimps were lightly barbecued and served with salsa verde and spring onions. The Mussels were prepared Asian-style with homemade Sambal, ginger, and lime leaves. Again, the Meursault was an enhancing agent.

By this time I was beginning to question my choices. I had eaten a whole lot and still had not gotten to the fish dish. When the fish arrived I knew that I would only be consuming a part of it. It looked beautiful, laying there waiting for me to attack; but I was saying no mas, no mas. Well I did mas, but not too much. The fish was cooked in a Puttanesca Sauce along with anchovies, olives, and capers. And, I had French Fries and Asparagus as sides. Too much.

The dishes were immaculate but there is a shortcomings to the first visit. You are not sure as to what things will look like on the other side so you run the risk of over- (or under-) ordering. I am much better positioned now to order more effectively the next time around. And there will be a next time.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Co-Inoculation as a risk-mitigation strategy in malolactic fermentation

I have previously discussed the malolactic fermentation (MLF) of wine both as a 'natural" occurrence and being induced through inoculation. In that treatment I discussed MLF as occurring after alcoholic fermentation (AF) in a sequential process. The gap between the conclusion of AF and the initiation of MLF is a risky period as no sulfur can be applied to the wine due to its toxic effect on the bacteria that facilitate the latter. During this time, the wine is exposed to the potential of oxidation and attack by spoilage organisms. While inoculation reduces the duration of the gap, it does not completely eliminate the risk.

Under the "right" circumstances, the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can themselves pose a risk to wine quality. In a normal AF, all of the fermented sugars are consumed by the yeasts, with residual sugars coming in at < 2g/l. Also, the fermented sugars will have been fully consumed prior to the full depletion of the malic acid. In cases of stuck or sluggish fermentations, however, the malic acid may be fully depleted while fermentable sugars are still available. LABs are heterofermentative and while they preferentially consume malic and citric acids, they "possess the metabolic machinery to utilize glucose and fructose for the production of energy." The by-product of such energy production is acetic acid, an undesirable characteristic in wine.

Co-inocualtion, an emerging approach,  has been employed as a strategy to minimize the identified risks. The figure below shows MLF considerations and the options in the inoculation space.

Co-inoculation involves introducing selected LAB into the wine within 12 to 48 hours of its inoculation with AF yeasts. If the LAB is introduced earlier than 12 hours post yeast inoculation, 99% of the viable cells would be killed off by free sulfites. In the early stages of AF, however, the yeasts produce compounds which detoxify the free sulfites, rendering the environment more hospitable for the LAB. 

Advantages of Co-inoculation

Following are some of the benefits associated with co-inoculation:

• Better control over the winemaking process in terms of time management
• Shorter AF-MLF cycle
• Bacteria are introduced into a low-ethanol, high-nutrient environment with the lowest pH the wine will probably experience
• Bacterial activity is suppressed during active fermentation but cells acclimatize their membranes to the rising alcohol during this time
• Microbiological activity of both the yeasts and the bacteria work to limit  development of contaminating organisms 
• As yeasts begin to die at the end of AF, they release nutrients into the wine just as malic bacterial production begins to transition from lag to log phase
• When MLF occurs under the reductive conditions of AF, lower levels of diacetyl and higher levels of fruity esters manifest in the wine. 

©Wine -- Mise en abyme