Rick Barbata

Nouvelle Kitchen - Chef Rick Barbata Facebook

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:16:14 -0500

Nouvelle Kitchen - Chef Rick Barbata Facebook:

For Rick Barbata’s most recent goings on check out the Nouvelle Kitchen Facebook page.

Sample Menus

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:50:35 -0400

Sample Menus:

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/nouvellekitchen_holiday.pdf - New!

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/nouvellekitchen2012fallmenu.pdf - New!

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/ricksmenu.pdf

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/bistrozroomservice.pdf

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/nouvellekitchenalska.pdf

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/dukesmenu.pdf

http://nouvellekitchen.com/images/seagrill_banquetmenu.pdf

Photo

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400

A little bit about Rick Barbata

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:57:00 -0400

Being a chef from Los Angeles, Rick Barbata’s culinary career began at Spago on Sunset Boulevard working with the then unknown, Wolfgang Puck. It was there when Wolfgang Puck started incorporating the whole California cuisine concept to the world. Salmon and goat cheese on a pizza, what? It was absolutely unheard of at the time. That man alone helped change the world and the world’s interpretation of what good cooking is all about and he changed Rick Barbata’s life too. Rick learned a tremendous amount of food knowledge from him.

Soon after, Rick Barbata would find himself cooking with some of the biggest names in restaurants and the culinary scene on the west coast, and the whole country for that matter. Some of the other chefs Rick has been involved with and gained knowledge from in his career are Michael Roberts, Alain Ducasse, Jean Francois Meteigner, Pat Soma, Michel Richard and others. Fortunately, Rick has been able to parlay his experience of learning and cooking with the best to getting gigs all over the world. The list of famous people that Rick Barbata has fed is long and includes such well-known people as Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, David Geffen, Senator Olympia Snowe and many others.

In more recent years, Rick Barbata had a popular restaurant in Portland, Maine called RICK’S on Munjoy Hill which was voted “Best New Restaurant 2001” and where he was voted “Best New Chef 2001”!

Please scroll through the pages for videos, menus, photos, and press coverage about Rick Barbata. Thanks!

Check out the “About Me” for more details on Rick Barbata’s culinary history.

Rick’s redefining the familiar in impossible-to-resist style

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

We recently enjoyed a very fine dinner at Rick’s, the new restaurant in Portland’s East End.

This renovated storefront is now a pretty cafe, freshly painted and cleverly partitioned to maximize what had been little more than a large square room. The track lighting is dim and glowing, and the antique desk used for reception, the wooden sideboard used to store table settings and condiments, and the old pine swinging doors to the kitchen add warmth and charm to the atmosphere.

Our waiter brought the bottles of Oregon’s King’s Ridge pinot noir and California’s Blackstone merlot to pour us a glass each while we studied the menu.

The dinner menu begins with hot and cold categories of “small dishes.” The cold ones include salads such as Belgian endive with smoked chicken, romaine and white anchovies with roasted garlic dressing, and tomato and fresh mozzarella.

The hot appetizers include a soup of the day, a roasted vegetable quesadilla, and champagne-steamed mussels with saffron.

We chose a salad of snow peas and shitake mushrooms with lobster and crab cakes with a fried pear and watercress salad. While we waited, our waiter brought us a basket of hot, grilled slices of baguette from Portland’s Standard Banking Co., and grilled triangles of flat lavash. These were served with a little pot of pureed white bean spread. It was an extremely tasty variation on the usual bread and butter theme.

The lobster salad was a little symphony of pleasant contrasts. A heap of julienned crisp, sweet snow peas and slivers of earthy mushroom were piled in the center of the plate and surrounded by hefty knobs of tail and knuckle lobster meat. A shelled claw stood upright on the green haystack. Spicy mustard dressing was drizzled around the circumference. Delicious flavors and a visually engaging presentation without fussiness.

The crab cakes were two large, sizzling, crispy-edged beauties of seemingly pure crab meat with just a few bits of minced sweet red pepper for accent. I make no secret of my endless fascination for the Maine crab cake. When they are as good as these were, it is like hitting the jackpot. These terrific examples were accompanied by a nest of fresh watercress that had been tossed in the sauté pan for the merest second and then topped with thin slices of sautéed pear. Lemon crème fraiche had been dabbed at the periphery for dipping. This highly original dish is really something.

Main courses include a pasta and grains category in addition to seven meat and seafood dinners. There is risotto with lobster and two pasta dishes which are coincidentally vegetarian: white lasagna with grilled vegetables and fettucine with oven-roasted tomatoes, basil and pine nuts.

If the appetizers had demonstrated co-owner and chef Rick Barbata’s imagination with fresh, native ingredients, his version of fried chicken was proof positive of his skill at redefining the familiar. A thick, boneless breast had been “low-fried” (the menu’s term for not deep-fried) to perfect juiciness. All the pleasurable crunch and seasonings of southern fried chicken had been preserved, including a gravy with rich, concentrated flavor but non of the starchiness. The accompanying mashed potatoes were hot, buttery and divine with the gravy.

Medallions of pork loin with grainy mustard pan sauce was an equally impressive dish. The sauce was a dark, rich reduction, and the flavorful por was tender and juicy. Roasted red potato wedges were hot and crisp outside and creamy within.

Both dinners were served with very briefly sautéed fresh baby spinach garnished with a few slivers of charred sweet onion. This excellent side vegetable was emblematic of our entire dinner at Rick’s: Details mattered. Food was served piping hot. There were appropriate lulls between courses. Service was smooth and professional. Invisible hands refilled the water glasses. The music was varied and not too loud for conversation.

There are entrees here of chicken pot pie and “Mom’s meatloaf” with mushroom gravy. Having experienced the fried chicken, we look forward to trying more of the talented chef Rick’s sophisticated version of home cooking.

Other entrees include seared scallops with lemon brown butter and grilled flank steak with charred sweet onions. Mashed or roast potatoes, creamed spinach, stir-fried vegetables, and risotto with herbs are all available as side dishes. A note at the bottom of the menu indicates substitutions are welcome.

The wine list is very reasonable and a bit less creative than the food, although good solid choices are there. Four whites and four reds are available by the glass from $5 to $6.75. Our pinot noir and merlot (we had two glasses of each) were excellent with the food we ordered. Bottles are mostly Californians in the $20 to $25 range, such as Simi sauvignon blanc ($25) and Seghesio zinfandel ($23). Guinness stout is on draft ($4) and Maine breweries are represented in the bottle ($3.50 to $3.75).

For dessert, we shared a slice of pear cranberry pie with a crumble crust that had regrettably lost its crunch in reheating. Desserts that night included chocolate cream pie, pumpkin flan, chocolate raspberry torte and lemon cheesecake, all homemade, all $5.50.

Open only since July, Rick’s must be reckoned with in Portland’s lively and competitive retaurant scene. It’s a whole lot more than a neighborhood café, although as such it sets a very high standard. Excellent food is being served and entrees are under $20.

Our dinner for two with wine, appetizers, entrees and a shared dessert was $87.75. We were struck by how much good, exciting food we had enjoyed. And how often elsewhere we have paid so much more for so much less.

reviewed by CZ Cramer for Maine Sunday Telegram “Taste & Tell”.

Chef@Home brings fine dining to you - Metro Magazine

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

By Eliza Price for Metro Magazine

“Wonderful aromas of great cooking linger to tempt you, your refrigerator is full of gourmet meals and your kitchen is left spotless. Easy.”

Yeah, sure. Whatever.

As unlikely as it may seem, it’s the mantra of what Chef Rick Barbata’s personal, “Chef@Home” service. His goal, he said, is to be the person to make people’s lives easier by bringing healthy food and the family connection back around the table.

It may seem extravagant to entertain the idea of having your very own personal chef, but the affordability of the appetizers and entrees on your self-made menu may actually save you money.

Barbata explained, “I’ve seen three bags of groceries cost $300. I can make two weeks worth of meals (20 entrees) for about the same price.”

On the designated cook date, Barbata will arrive at your home with the freshest of groceries, along with his own pantry spice and cooking equipment. You will look through his menu of over 300 entrees and snacks and collaborate on a plan that suits you. Barbata allows his clients to call the shots. “People are sometimes trepidatious about having someone come into their home, but they are always so welcoming,” he said.

One family has taken advantage of Barbata’s knowledge of international foods.

“Right now I am working with one family that has asked for Latin food. So from the moment I walk through the door I can only speak Spanish, which is really helping to teach their children. And it’s a lot of fun!”

Barbata has the experience and talent to cook anything, however you prefer. After growing up in Hollywood and working on movie-sets where he cooked three square meals for thousands, you can imagine he knows how to pay attention to dietary details, be it food allergies, dietary restrictions, vegan preferences or your mother’s favorite recipe.

Nutrition and healthy choices are the focus of his business.

“To ensure a lifetime of health there are some simple things everyone can do, said Barbata. “Stay away from the inside aisles of the supermarket where colorful processed foods live; include produce, beans, whole oats, grains and, (hold onto your seats people) pasta! You have to have carbs and bread in your diet.”

In response to the curiosity of his clients, Barbata will describe his cooking techniques as he prepares each dish. Much like a show you would see on The Food Network, for the six-to-eight hours he is in your kitchen, Barbata will fully inform you so every full belly has a full mind to match.

As of now, Barbata’s favorite cuisine to prepare, are really fast stir-fries. “I like quickness and the simplicity of using only a few ingredients,” he said.

If you are interested in tasting some of his healthy creations visit Sophia’s Bakery on 81 Market Street…

Photo

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Photo

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Video

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Video

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Photo

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Rick's Maine Crab Cakes with Watercress and Strawberry Salad

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 15:58:00 -0400

(as seen in Port City Magazine)

Crab Cakes:

1 pound Maine crabmeat
1 cup créme fraiche or reduced cream
4 slices lightly toasted French bread
1 egg, beaten
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons snipped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Place crabmeat in bowl and pick through, removing any shell fragments. Add créme fraiche or cream and bread, torn into small pieces. Heat 1 teaspoon butter in skillet on medium-high heat until butter foams. Add diced peppers and sauté for 2 minutes then mix with crabmeat, along with parsley, mint, lemon juice and zest. To beaten egg, add Old Bay seasoning, white pepper, cayenne pepper and salt. Add to crab mixture and lightly combine, being careful not to overwork. Gently form mixture into loose patties. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons butter, heat until butter foams, add crabcakes 4 at a time and cook on each side until golden brown.

Watercress Salad:

3 bunches watercress, washed and trimmed
1 cup Maine strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
Juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch salt
Freshly grated black pepper

Toss watercress and strawberries with orange juice, olive oil and seasonings. Place on serving platter and arrange crabcakes around watercress salad. Top each cake with small dollop of créme fraiche and chopped chives. Serves 8.

Photo

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:11:00 -0400

Photo

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:11:00 -0400

Photo

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:11:00 -0400

Meet Your Neighbor: Rick Barbata, Personal Chef With Vision

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Rick understands how families have to stretch their food budgets because of rising food prices and economic uncertainty. So, the focus in his ’home on your range’ service has become more family-friendly than ever. It’s intended to make families food budgets last longer than ever while catering to their favorite foods and special diets.

MHN readers may well remember Rick’s Restaurant which was at the corner of Congress Street and St. Lawrence Street. It’s remembered by many in the area because it was awarded 5 stars by the Portland Phoenix. It was also the first restaurant at the top of the Hill on Congress Street and led the way for the high quality restaurants that are now established in the same area and paved the way for the others that have followed in the footsteps of Rick’s innovativeness and vision. Currently, there are three destination restaurants in the area where Rick’s once was the only restaurant.

In this new focus, Rick offers a special plan for families. His large menu of 1,000 items allows customers to pick from a variety of foods; special diet foods and certain foods that appeal to children. Rick buys the ingredients, cooks in your kitchen and cleans-up following the cooking. Having cooked for large groups in the past with varying tastes and special diets, Rick likes the challenge of pleasing different palates. Rick prepares meals for families that can be frozen until needed – for example when unexpected guests arrive on your doorstep. Testifying to his excellent skills in all categories is his girlfriend Tiffany Bauer who joined us at a table in the – where else – Hilltop Coffee Shop on Congress Street.

Rick, 43 years old, is from California. He learned most of his cooking skills from traveling abroad – in Japan, Italy and France. Most instructive to him was the time he spent in Italy – learning about using fresh and vibrant produce. Rick had the fun of working in Los Angeles where he cooked for movie stars in 15 different movies. They included the movies Titanic, My Best Friend’s Wedding, the Cable Guy and a bunch more. He enjoys seeing some of the actors he served on movie sets on today’s movie screens. Rick remembered their favorite sandwiches or snacks were even now as the three of us sat at Table # 1 at the Hilltop!

Eventually, what had been planned as a serious interview about Rick’s shifting emphasis on his food service, turned into a pleasant visit as easy as though we were three long-time friends. “Tiff” as Rick calls her is an interesting business woman in her own right – but that’s another neat story for another day. Rick says he’s already lived a chef’s dream when cooking at his namesake on the Hill: standing in the kitchen looking at all the diners enjoying his creations and enjoying themselves – it just doesn’t get any better than that. Except maybe cooking for his guests in their own homes.

Photo

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:12:00 -0500

Photo

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:10:00 -0500

Photo

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:10:00 -0500

Photo

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:04:00 -0500