Chef's Corner: Dustan Bristol, Brick 29 Bistro
Jake Alger
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
Chef Bristol puts tasty spin on pork
Traditional comfort food and culinary panache collide at Dustan Bristol’s Brick 29 Bistro in Nampa, where everyday products such as bacon get their very own extreme makeovers.
Bristol has garnered fanfare for his uniquely prepared bacon, which he infuses into dishes including fish, risotto and the BLT, a traditional favorite from many people’s childhoods.
Actually, Bristol’s take on this well-known crispy sandwich is so important that it demands another letter. His BLAT – bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato on a toasted baguette with house mayonnaise – sandwich features bacon cured with a unique twist; it is apple-wood smoked and braised with brown sugar and chili flakes.
Beyond the one-of-a-kind pork strips, Bristol takes pride in the butter leaf lettuce — he calls it the best variation out there — and locally grown tomatoes he uses.
Even a pig may be tempted by such a combination.
Bristol came up with the idea after seeing various new ideas for bacon at Berryhill & Co., where he used to work: “Through trial and error, I finally found something that I really like.”
It’s completely different than other bacon recipes, he said. “It’s our No. 1 sandwich and our No. 1 comment.”
Bristol said the BLAT truly fits the eatery’s theme, as it’s a simple, familiar dish with emphasized flavor and freshness: “It nails us and our concept.”
He said the sandwich fits into Brick 29 Bistro’s “comfort food reinvented” niche perfectly. It’s like an old-fashioned BLT on Wonder bread, he said, but with a special touch – hitting all different palettes: salty, sweet, smoky and spicy.
“It’s like the comfort food we knew, but better.”
The side dishes available to go with this pork creation are equally intriguing. The most popular are the apple almond coleslaw and tomato bisque, he said. In the beverage department, Bristol recommended choosing an Arnold Palmer or a Cinder Rosé. (Cinder Vineyards is located right here in the Treasure Valley.)
Regardless of what one chooses to wash it down with, the BLAT sandwich keeps locals coming back for more — more of that breakfast food from their childhoods with an undeniable twist.
BRICK BACON
Serves 4
1 lb apple wood smoked thick sliced bacon
˝ c. brown sugar
2 T. red chili flakes
Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350 F
Place parchment paper on sheet pan and line with bacon
Spread with brown sugar in an even layer
Sprinkle with red chili flakes and place in oven
Cook bacon until crispy — roughly 15-18 minutes
Let bacon cool on pan for a couple of minutes so sugar can caramelize
Can be made in advance and reheated in oven for a couple of minutes
BRICK BLAT
1 crusty baguette from Cafe de Paris — sliced in half lengthwise
1 tomato from H&H farms sliced thin
˝ head butter-leaf lettuce
1 avocado sliced thin
Best Foods mayonnaise
Q and A
Who is your favorite chef and why?
— A real toss up between Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller. Trotter is very whimsical and spontaneous while Keller is extremely refined and patient.
http://www.charlietrotters.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Keller
http://tkrg.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8sJuU94Zfc
What is your favorite food and why?
— My favorite food is classic-reinvented – where a classic dish that has familiar flavors is re-created in a stylish new way. For example, Shepherd’s Pie has the components of peas, carrots, potatoes, corn and lamb in a stewlike form. I would re-create the dish as broiled lamb chops, duchess potatoes, carrot flan, sweet corn mousse and pea emulsion sauce. I used to eat one item at a time as a child, so I like dishes in which each ingredient is singled out. Even famous chefs like Paul Bocuse would say an apple by itself is a beautiful thing.
What is your favorite drink and why?
— Steel Reserve 211 and Oban Scotch, 18 years. Steel reserve is a high alcohol malt liquor that I acquired a taste for in college, and I’m still loyal to the rock gut beer.
What are your top 5 favorite cookbooks?
— Chefs typically don’t collect cookbooks. They read periodicals, read menus for new ideas and may watch inspirational programs on TV. My top five would be: a) “Cordon Bleu Baking Cookbook” – baking is science with no room for error, b) “The French Laundry” by Thomas Keller, c) “Kitchen Sessions” by Charlie Trotter, d) “Tom’s Big Dinners” by Tom Douglas and e) “Farallon” by Franz/Weiss.
What fun fact/tidbit should we know about you that we don’t already?
— As a chef, a lot of my friends, wife’s friends and even family members are intimidated to cook for me or have me over for dinner, and the truth is it always tastes better if somebody else made it. I’m easy to please.
Another tidbit: I got into cooking in high school – Juneau, Alaska. I took a cooking class to meet girls (I heard there were minimal guys so my chances would be better) and fell in love – with cooking, that is!
Traditional comfort food and culinary panache collide at Dustan Bristol’s Brick 29 Bistro in Nampa, where everyday products such as bacon get their very own extreme makeovers.
If you go
Address:
320 11th Ave. S., Nampa at the former Masonic Temple
Hours:
11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays.
Phone: 468-0029
Blogging about bacon
Dustan Bristol’s proficiency with bacon led the Bacon Unwrapped blog to do a feature on the sizzling treat last fall. The Brick 29 Bistro chef didn’t disappoint, providing a four-course meal with bacon intimately involved.
Check out the entry at: http://www.baconunwrapped.com/2007_10_01_archive.html.
Address:
320 11th Ave. S., Nampa at the former Masonic Temple
Hours:
11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays.
Phone: 468-0029
Blogging about bacon
Dustan Bristol’s proficiency with bacon led the Bacon Unwrapped blog to do a feature on the sizzling treat last fall. The Brick 29 Bistro chef didn’t disappoint, providing a four-course meal with bacon intimately involved.
Check out the entry at: http://www.baconunwrapped.com/2007_10_01_archive.html.
Media
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Greg Kreller/IPT
Bristol has garnered fanfare for his uniquely prepared bacon, which he infuses into dishes including fish, risotto and the BLT, a traditional favorite from many people’s childhoods.
Actually, Bristol’s take on this well-known crispy sandwich is so important that it demands another letter. His BLAT – bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato on a toasted baguette with house mayonnaise – sandwich features bacon cured with a unique twist; it is apple-wood smoked and braised with brown sugar and chili flakes.
Beyond the one-of-a-kind pork strips, Bristol takes pride in the butter leaf lettuce — he calls it the best variation out there — and locally grown tomatoes he uses.
Even a pig may be tempted by such a combination.
Bristol came up with the idea after seeing various new ideas for bacon at Berryhill & Co., where he used to work: “Through trial and error, I finally found something that I really like.”
It’s completely different than other bacon recipes, he said. “It’s our No. 1 sandwich and our No. 1 comment.”
Bristol said the BLAT truly fits the eatery’s theme, as it’s a simple, familiar dish with emphasized flavor and freshness: “It nails us and our concept.”
He said the sandwich fits into Brick 29 Bistro’s “comfort food reinvented” niche perfectly. It’s like an old-fashioned BLT on Wonder bread, he said, but with a special touch – hitting all different palettes: salty, sweet, smoky and spicy.
“It’s like the comfort food we knew, but better.”
The side dishes available to go with this pork creation are equally intriguing. The most popular are the apple almond coleslaw and tomato bisque, he said. In the beverage department, Bristol recommended choosing an Arnold Palmer or a Cinder Rosé. (Cinder Vineyards is located right here in the Treasure Valley.)
Regardless of what one chooses to wash it down with, the BLAT sandwich keeps locals coming back for more — more of that breakfast food from their childhoods with an undeniable twist.
BRICK BACON
Serves 4
1 lb apple wood smoked thick sliced bacon
˝ c. brown sugar
2 T. red chili flakes
Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350 F
Place parchment paper on sheet pan and line with bacon
Spread with brown sugar in an even layer
Sprinkle with red chili flakes and place in oven
Cook bacon until crispy — roughly 15-18 minutes
Let bacon cool on pan for a couple of minutes so sugar can caramelize
Can be made in advance and reheated in oven for a couple of minutes
BRICK BLAT
1 crusty baguette from Cafe de Paris — sliced in half lengthwise
1 tomato from H&H farms sliced thin
˝ head butter-leaf lettuce
1 avocado sliced thin
Best Foods mayonnaise
Q and A
Who is your favorite chef and why?
— A real toss up between Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller. Trotter is very whimsical and spontaneous while Keller is extremely refined and patient.
http://www.charlietrotters.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Keller
http://tkrg.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8sJuU94Zfc
What is your favorite food and why?
— My favorite food is classic-reinvented – where a classic dish that has familiar flavors is re-created in a stylish new way. For example, Shepherd’s Pie has the components of peas, carrots, potatoes, corn and lamb in a stewlike form. I would re-create the dish as broiled lamb chops, duchess potatoes, carrot flan, sweet corn mousse and pea emulsion sauce. I used to eat one item at a time as a child, so I like dishes in which each ingredient is singled out. Even famous chefs like Paul Bocuse would say an apple by itself is a beautiful thing.
What is your favorite drink and why?
— Steel Reserve 211 and Oban Scotch, 18 years. Steel reserve is a high alcohol malt liquor that I acquired a taste for in college, and I’m still loyal to the rock gut beer.
What are your top 5 favorite cookbooks?
— Chefs typically don’t collect cookbooks. They read periodicals, read menus for new ideas and may watch inspirational programs on TV. My top five would be: a) “Cordon Bleu Baking Cookbook” – baking is science with no room for error, b) “The French Laundry” by Thomas Keller, c) “Kitchen Sessions” by Charlie Trotter, d) “Tom’s Big Dinners” by Tom Douglas and e) “Farallon” by Franz/Weiss.
What fun fact/tidbit should we know about you that we don’t already?
— As a chef, a lot of my friends, wife’s friends and even family members are intimidated to cook for me or have me over for dinner, and the truth is it always tastes better if somebody else made it. I’m easy to please.
Another tidbit: I got into cooking in high school – Juneau, Alaska. I took a cooking class to meet girls (I heard there were minimal guys so my chances would be better) and fell in love – with cooking, that is!