Andre's steakhouse, kalamata olives and the birth of a foodie...

Eat steak, eat steak eat a big ol' steer.
Eat steak, eat steak do we have one dear?
Eat beef, eat beef it's a mighty good food.
It's a grade A meal when I'm in the mood.
Cowpokes'll come from a near and far
When you throw a few rib-eyes on the fire.
Roberto Duran ate two before a fight,
'Cause it gave a lot of mighty men a lot of mighty might.
Eat meat, eat meat, filet mignon.
Eat meat, eat meat, eat it all day long.
Eat a few T-bones till you get your fill.
Eat a New York cut, hot off the grill.
Eat a cow, eat a cow 'cause it's good for you.
Eat a cow, eat a cow it's a thing that goes "Mooooo".

Look at all the cows in the slaughterhouse yard.
Gotta hit'em in the head, gotta hit'em real hard.
First you gotta clean'em then the butcher cuts'em up,
Throws it on a scale, throws an eyeball in a cup.

Saw a big Brahma steer standing right over there,
So I rustled up a fire cooked him medium rare.
Bar-B-Q'ed his brisket, a roasted his rump.
Fed my dog that ol' Brangus steer's hump.

Every chef or foodie that I have ever met has a single defining moment that they can pick that changed their taste buds forever. A moment that opened up a whole new world of taste, aroma and texture and all of it to be experienced with the fingers, nose and tongue. Anthony Bourdain, one of my culinary gods attributes his enlightenment to a fresh shucked oyster. For Marco Pierre White I am told it was foi gras, for me it was the simple and ever so humble Kalamata olive. The combination of the velvety oils mingling with the salt of the brine it was marinated in opened a whole world. I can remember eating an entire bowl of them with bread and churned butter at Andre's steakhouse in London. I would have been all of eight no more than ten. I had always seen the restaurant and wondered what it would be like inside, finally I wore my parents down and they agreed to take me.
WoW!
It was nothing like anything I had ever seen. The waiters wore tuxedo pants, white shirts and black vests with aprons and towels over their arms. There was a bar on the main floor and a dining area downstairs - wood and leather was the main motif. I think the menu's came to us in these massive dark red leather books, the type you fortunately don't see anywhere anymore.
I can only recall a few items that I had read on it - and much of that maybe fabricated memories of things I think should or would have been on it.
Steak Tar tare with raw egg.
Black Angus steak with potatoes and broccoli
Filet Mignon with mushrooms
I have no clue as to what I ate that night besides the olives, it could have been a burger, steak or pork chops.
I do remember seeing the bloody red meat that my dad ordered and was both repulsed and fascinated by it. I tentatively asked for a bite and ......
Sorry, Dad, but your steaks and BBQ'ing that sustained us for so many years, all those nights that you trampled down the snow to the gas BBQ, the times you sat diligently reading a book while the meat cooked next to you. I appreciate all that time, but your steaks sucked.
They were always overcooked and tough.
Andre and his chefs raised up the bar.
For ever after that moment, I was like a heroin addict, chasing the dragon for that first hit sensation all over again. Fortunately I've found.
More importantly I can recreate it at home whenever I want.
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, that dinner at Andre's turned me from an eater to a foodie. I wanted to try and enjoy whatever little taste creations came my way.
I've learnt over the years how to cook just about everything. Culinary school actually helps with that. But the main secret I discovered is keep it simple stupid.
Everything tastes great on its own.
Toasted Turkish bread with butter or olive oil, avocado and sea salt. yum
Asparagus pan seared with olive oil and sea salt and lemon. yum
Pasta tossed with buerre bruin and foix gras. Yum
A rare steak with butter sauce, seasoned only with salt and garlic. Let it rest. Yum.
The list goes on.
I don't think I would have ever discovered any of those treats without that experience at Andre's. Ever since I have been indebted to the humble olive, bread and butter. Its the complexities of the simple flavours that trap me every time.
To this day I always have a special desire for mezze and antipasto platters, just to enjoy those little briney morsels. I even went so far as too plant an olive tree in the backyard. It does well, flowered for the first time last year, I wonder if I'll ever get to try its fruits. No matter how unripe or bitter they turn out to be, I'm certain they'll taste just as magical as those first ones all those years ago,