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Growing up in Texas it is a given that one will eventually learn how to grill. Thus my modus operandi when it came to steak had always been the grill. That was until chef Tim Love (Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth) rocked my world forever with his tenderloin recipe and its call for steaks in the saute pan and oven. Seriously? Yeah, seriously - my wife can attest - these are the best steaks I've ever cooked. Genuine steakhouse quality. Bon apetit!

Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 8 oz. beef tenderloin fillets (filet mignon)
10 garlic cloves, roasted
1 cup red pepper, julienne
1 cup red onion, julienne
1 cup green cabbage, julienne
1 cip red cabbage, julienne
2 cups veal stock reduced by half
1 cup syrah (red wine)
2 russet potatoes
4 cups peanut oil
1/4 cup jalapeno, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil

Demi-Glace Preparations:
1) In a sauce pot, add 1/2 cup of wine, and bring to boil.
2) After half has evaporated, add veal stock, and reduced by 2/3. Keep warm.
3) Make a small slit in the side of each tenderloin with a paring knife, and stuff 1 large colve of garlic in each, and set aside.

Hash Preparations:
1) In a 4 quart sauce pan, add peanut oil, and heat to 325 degrees.
2) On a mandolin, or by hand, julienne the potatoes to 1/8 inch strips and rinse in cool water to remove sme starch.
3) When oil reaches 325 degrees, carefully drop potatoes in oil, stirring frequently. Cook for approximately 4 minutes or until golden brown.
5) Remove potatoes from oil, and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
6) In a large, hot, iron skillet or flat grill, put 1/4 cup of olive oil, and add peppers, cabbage, onions, and remainder of garlic.
7) Cook until cabbage is wilted, adding, salt and pepper to taste.
8) Add remainder of wine to cabbage mixture and simmer.
9) Reserve and keep warm.

Steak Preparations:
1) In a hot saute pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil.
2) Season fillets by liberally rubbing the salt and pepper into the top and bottom of the steak.
3) Place all four steaks in the pan, sear on high for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, and place in a 350 degree oven for 4 minutes for medium-rare to medium.

To plate, place potatoes in the center of the plat, and add the cabbage on top. Place tenderloin on top of the cabbage, and pour demi-glace on top of the steak. If desired, garnish with a seasonal green vegetable like grilled asparagus or green beans.

The other night my wife and I were in the mood for some steaks. I've never really put too much creativity into the side dishes when steak is the entree, so I decided to search for something interesting. I'm from Texas; steak is synonymous with Texas - so I started my search with the best chefs in the Lone Star state. The result of my search was this fantastic recipe from chef Dean Fearing (Mansion at Turtle Creek and Fearing's in Dallas):

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
6 russet potatoes, peeled
5 tablespoons butter (divided use)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 ears yellow corn (kernels sliced from the cob)
3 ounces queso fesco
1 pint half-and-half (or less, to taste)
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil. Reduce to simmer, cook potatoes for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain.
2. Place potatoes in large bowl and mash by hand for homestyle (slightly lumpy) mashed potatoes, or with an electirc mixer for smoothness.
3. Bring medium saute pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Add garlic and saute until very light brown, about 1 minute.
4. Add shallot; saute for 1 minute. Add corn kernels and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat and add mixture to mashed potatoes. Fold in cheese. Stir to combine well; taste for seasoning.
6. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter. Add melted butter.
7. Slowly add up to 1 pint half-and-half, stirring well so consistency is not too thin. Add salt to taste, and stir.
8. Keep warm until served.

As salmon season kicks off this month with fresh, wild King Salmon from Alaska now available, I've been looking for some new salmon recipes. So far one of the best yet is this one from chef Emeril Lasasse. The only restaurant of Emeril's I've ever been to is Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas and it was a wonderful experience. His bold Cajun flavors I think are best displayed with seafood - and this recipe is no exception. A nice crisp, white goes well with this dish.

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups corn kernels
2 large Creole or other vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and cut into 3/4 inch dice
2 Hass Avocados, peeled, seeded and diced
6 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
4 six-ounce salmon fillets, with the skin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine the corn, tomatoes, avocados, onions, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
2. Toss to combine and set aside.
3. Position the grill to the open grill position and preheat to the "max" setting.
4. Lightly brush the salmon fillets with the olive oil and season with the remaining salt, pepper, and Essence.
5. Place the fillets on the grill, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.
6. Turn and cook the fillets until opaque and medium-rare, about 3 to 4 minutes longer, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
7. To serve, place the fillets ono the centers of the 4 plates, then spoon some of the relish over the top.
8. Garnish with lemon wedges.

This was one of the most interesting white wines I've had in quite a while. While I prefer Sauvignon Blanc over Chardonnay, I have, for the most part, mostly had Sauvignon Blanc wines from either California, New Zealand or South Africa. These are crisp wines with normally a floral nose and grassy, mineral notes.

The Pascal Jolivet Sancerre (French) surprised me with its peach-like fruit that was balanced with almost a chalky kind of minerality. When I researched the wine some more I found that it was grown in 50% limestone, 30% chalky clay, 20% flint rock. Very interesting soil.

Isabell and I had this wine with coho salmon and mango salsa. The wine definitely held up to the freshness and kick of spice in the dish.

One afternoon Bell and I were taking our daily six mile walk in Rome. We were going down a very unassuming street near the Campo de Fiori called via Pellegrino, when we saw a restaurant - no signs on the outside at all - that happened to have a Michelin sticker in the window. The restaurant was called Bric and we decided to makes a reservation for our last dinner on this wonderful trip to Italy. Bric really does deserve its own post, because the meal was amazing - our best during this trip. What helped was that we had the best wine on the trip as well, the 2003 Ca'Marcanda Promis, a red blend from the Tuscan region. Only after we got the bottled did I discover that Ca'Marcanda is a project from Italian wine icon, Angelo Gaja. The wine was deep, with dense black fruits and mineral notes with a pleasantly ripe and lifted personality.

This is a special wine that provided a fitting end to a very special trip.

A dinner at a very unassuming ristorante called Abruzzi, near the Vittorio Emanuele monument in Rome, came the discovery of another fantastic Chianti Classico: the 2001 Marchese Antinori. Was I biased because of the Antinori name again? Absolutely, but Isabell nor I had ever had this particular chianti - the reserve for Antinori.

This lovely wine was deep ruby red with light garnet hues. It had pronounced cherry and violet fruit with tobacco nuances on the nose. It was a full-bodied and rounded red wine of remarkable depth, structure and length... all for 22 euros ($28). The next day I found the wine at an enoteca near our hotel and saw it retailed for 19 euros.

So what justifies so many American restaurants marking up mediocre wine by 50%??

On New Year's day Isabell and I walked from our hotel near the Vatican to the fun, but low-key area of Rome called Trastevere. We had dinner reservations at an osteria called Ferrara. Upon being seated we were given two books, both about six inches wide. They were the white and red wine lists respectively. It took us nearly ten minutes just to page through the books. We settled on a barbera from the Piedmonte region, taking a breather from Tuscan wines. The 2001 Paolo Scavino Barbera d'Alba was an excellent wine that we enjoyed throughout dinner. Unlike many of the Tuscan wines we had, this barbera was more smooth than dry, more dark berry than cherry, and had a nice floral aroma. I looked into Paolo Scavino a bit more after we had this wine and discovered his well respected as an excellent winemaker of barberas and barolos.