Madidi whipping up culinary
magic in clarksdale
BY susan garcia
the clarion-ledger - february 2001
The city of Clarksdale is shining like
the Star of Bethlehem, the Delta is in the national spotlight,
and two young chiefs are making their mark. All thanks to
two friends who wanted fine dining close to home. Attorney
Bill Luckett of Clarksdale and famed actor Morgan Freeman
- who lives in nearby Charleston - tired of driving great
distances for fine dining and decided to open a restaurant
in Clarksdale. That was the first great thing they did. The
second was to hire chef David Krog, 26, of Tampa, Fla., formerly
employed at La Tourelle in Memphis, who brought with him from
La Tourelle pastry chef Anden Hamilton, 27, of Memphis.
Madidi opened in November of last year with Krog as the Chef
de Cuisine, which means he's in charge of the kitchen. He
has six chefs. His sous (assistant) chef is Dennis McNeal,
27, of Clarksdale. Krog is also in charge of the menu. Not
a bad idea. After dining at Madidi, many might say Krog knows
his way around the culinary art, so to speak. Cooking is a
major part of Krog. "It's not work to me," Krog
says of cooking, "It's my love and passion." In
fact, when he was in high school, Krog took a lot of ribbing
from classmates because he enjoyed reading Food and Wine magazine.
"It wasn't cool back then," he says, "Now it's
cool to be a chef."
Rather than to say his dishes are French, Krog prefers to
say he uses French"technique" (mainly sauces are
French). That's not the only technique he's using right now.
Presently (Krog changes the menu periodically) the menu includes
three French/Southern accented entrees. The Sweet Potato Crusted
Salmon with grilled squash and shallot jus (juice) ($20) is
his own creation and very good. The fish is dredged in olive
oil, herbs and garlic. The top is dredged in flour, painted
with sweet potato puree and seared. Then there's the Peppered
Veal Chop grilled with roasted succotash and black currant
vermouth demi-glace (stock cooked until it's reduced to a
glaze) ($23). And, finally, the Filet of Beef is served with
fried green tomatoes, roasted corn mashed potatoes and a Merlot
jus de veau (veal stock that's reduced) ($23). Two of five
appetizers offer a bit of down-home flavor: Catfish Cakes
with tomato compote (a thick tomato sauce flavored with aged
balsamic vinegar) and saffron aioli (a saffron-horseradish
infused mayonnaise) ($7), and Cornmeal Fried Oysters with
red cabbage cole slaw and brandy sauce ($6). Krog's Pan Seared
Sea Scallops with Basil-Habanero Cream Sauce ($8) appetizer
really showcases his talent. The sauce offers an exquisite
balance of flavor with only a hint of heat from the habanero
(considered one of the hottest peppers known to man) that's
not felt until well after the bite is taken. He created it
that way. "I try to keep the sweet and the salt on the
front end," he says, and uses sambuca (licorice-flavored
liqueur) to achieve this. Another show of talent is the superbly
prepared Herb Encrusted Rack of Lamb with roasted garlic smashed
potatoes and port jus de veau ($28). This item is one of his
biggest hits. By the way... it's best medium rare. Actually,
if it were up to Krog, all dishes would be served medium rare
except the pork. "People tend to overcook everything,"
he says. Krog respects and appreciates the value most foods
hold in their natural state. "My goal is to buy the freshest
stuff and try not to mess with it too much," he says.
And he makes every effort to do just that. "Everything
we serve here is fresh," says owner Luckett. "Even
the fish are still jumping when they come in." Which
is why some of the fish, particularly the tuna, may be shipped
from as far away as Hawaii and Fiji.
Speaking of fresh, pastry chef Hamilton makes all desserts,
right down to her ice creams, from scratch. One of her biggest
hits is the cheesecake made with mascarpone (Italian triple
cream cheese) which makes for a lighter than normal cheesecake.
It's flavored with Tahitian vanilla bean, crusted with pecans
and served with a warm bourbon sauce. Among other desserts
available are the Grand Marnier Crme Brulee (rich custard
topped with a thin, crispy coat of caramelized sugar) and
Lotus Ice Cream ensconced within tuilepetals (delicate almond
wafers). All desserts are $6. My dinner date, Mike, and I
found dinning at Madidi an elegant and enjoyable experience.
The dinner waitstaff was ready and willing to serve. Once
seated, we were attended to right away and presented with
an extensive wine list. Wines from the U.S. Australia, South
Africa, France, Italy and Chili are available. The service
throughout dinner was excellent.
The two-story restaurant - in a building built in 1900 0 is
impressive. The entrance is a double mahogany door that opens
into the bar area. A 30-foot mahogany bar with black granite
tops graces the room. The next room is the main dining room.
Both levels of the restaurant are full of eye-catching are,
mainly the works of Mississippi-based or -born artists. Artist
Celeste Zepponi of Clarksdale was commissioned to do the restaurant's
signature piece titled Madidi, which features images from
a national park in Bolivia, the restaurant's namesake. Among
other artists featured are Sister Mary Bertoli of Tutwiler,
Gerald DeLoach of Alligator, Stan O'Dell and Jere Allen of
oxford and Leslie Turner of Tutwiler. Four private dining
rooms reserved for parties of six or more are located upstairs,
as are Bolivian national park-themed bathrooms.
Due to Freeman's celebrity status, Madidi has received mention
in papers across the nation. Freeman has been quoted, as saying
his name alone will not make the restaurant succeed. He says
he hopes there's enough people locally - in the Clarksdale
area - as well as those in the Delta willing to drive, who
will dine at Madidi. In the packed restaurant recently, among
towns from where we found diners were Greenwood, Rosedale,
Oxford, Jackson, and of course, Clarksdale, just to name a
few.
So, it seems that Luckett's and Freeman's new business endeavor,
Madidi, is profiting Clarksdale economically, inching the
Delta's image up a notch and giving the state bragging rights
to a celebrity-owned French-accented restaurant, and two talented
culinary artists new to Mississippi. It's all good.
