With his intensely blue eyes and jutting red beard, executive chef Tim Elliott of Mie N Yu might well resemble an oversized Irish leprechaun. Instead of being a canny trickster decked out in green, however, this easygoing guy cooks well, backpacks and absolutely adores pâté de foie gras. And hot dogs.
“I can’t pass up a hot dog vendor,” he says.
Hot dogs seem like pretty simple fare for a chef who can turn out Silk Road-inspired cuisine, food that ancient travelers might well have sampled along the way. But to attest to his creative inspirations, Elliott transforms such dishes as barbecued lamb shank from “ancient” to “modern” by pairing it with lavender cardamom sauce, as only a modern American chef might do.
Understanding and learning about foods from that ancient thoroughfare, admits Elliott, is a tough challenge, since he has never traveled through Asia or any of the countries touched by the Silk Road, including those in Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean.
“I do the research and teach myself,” he says. “Today I went to Super H [an Asian supermarket in Northern Virginia], and spent two hours there. I bought many things to try out, including peanut soup and squid jerky. I want all my staff to taste it.”
Elliott, a Baltimore native, started cooking in high school, although he had always been interested in becoming an artist. But he found that cooking is an art form itself, and that discovery inspired him to go to the Baltimore International College’s School of Culinary Arts. After graduation, he worked in various Marriott kitchens for 15 years before landing the executive chef’s position with Mie N Yu.
Now tasked with creating an extensive exotic menu and updating it twice a month — “I do all the designing and creating of the dishes,” he says — Elliott is inspired to travel to those far-off lands to taste and eat firsthand all the dishes he dreams about.
“I am planning to travel this spring with other chefs to Indian and Thailand,” he says.
And when he returns? The restaurant’s patrons may be treated to some unexpected culinary creations.
Mie N Yu
» Venue: 3125 M St. NW
» Info: 202-333-6122; www.mienyu.com
In Elliot’s own words
Who cooks at home? I do, but it is more just comfort food unless it’s for a dinner party. But on a snowy Sunday, it will be chili. My cooking at the restaurant is much more research and development now; I don’t do much line cooking, though I love to cook.
What is your favorite dish? I like all food, but I would say foie gras pot au feu — anything with foie gras, like duck sausage with foie gras. (Note: Elliott has a tattoo that reads “Peace, love and foie gras.”)
What ingredients do you consider as “must-haves”? Fresh herbs and spices. Everything must be fresh. And then really good seafood and top-notch beef, like Kobe-style beef.
Where do you eat out? I try to try out every new restaurant.
What is in your fridge right now? Not much. A package of Nathan’s hot dogs and all the condiments. Coffee. One beer. But in the freezer, I have shrimp, pork and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I would not own my own restaurant because working here is like owning my own. I have freedom and can come and go as I please. I will still be working for this group.
What do you do in your leisure time? Remodel my house. But my leisure time is one day a week. So I hang out with friends, get tattoos, play golf.
The Chinese New Year is a time for enjoying feasts and in celebration of the Year of the Pig, Mie N Yu’s executive chef Tim Elliott has created a special Chinese-themed six-course tasting menu which will be offered into March (when it switches over to a Japanese theme for the Cherry Blossom Festival). The Chinese menu will be available for $85 and will feature dishes such as Lobster Imperial (see recipe below).
Lobster Imperial
Two 3-ounce rock lobster tails
Salt and black pepper to taste
Flour for coating
Soybean oil for deep-frying
2 baby bok choy, trimmed
2 oz. snow peas, trimmed, halved
2 scallions, sliced diagonally
1 oz. julienned sweet red pepper
1 oz. julienned yellow pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. fermented black beans
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup cold lobster or chicken stock plus 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, whisked
To prepare thelobster, split the tails in half lengthwise. Place them in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with the flour.
Preheat the oil to 350 degrees. Deep-fry the lobster pieces for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
To prepare the bok choy, snow peas, peppers and scallions, heat 1 tablespoon of the soybean oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the vegetables for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
To prepare the sauce, in a wok over high heat, combine the vegetable oil, sugar, chopped fermented black beans and garlic. Stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the sherry, and reduce the mixture by half. Add all the prepared vegetables and continue to stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Deglaze with the lobster stock and add the reserved lobster tails. Continue to stir-fry another 20 seconds. Arrange on plate decoratively.
