STK chef Aaron Taylor prepares aphrodisiac-inspired menu for Valentine’s Day
Aaron Taylor, the newly appointed Executive Chef at STK Miami at the Perry South Beach Hotel, is ready to make sure everything is flowing nicely on Valentine’s Day.
Taylor is using his 12 years of experience at restaurants such as Meat Market, Pierre’s in Islamorada and The Keystone Ranch in Colorado to craft a romantic menu that will feature plenty of blood-flow-enducing aphrodisiacs paired with his signature flavorful cooking style.
On Monday, Feb. 13 the restaurant will have a special dinner party for singles and those looking for that certain someone. Expect the regular menu, oysters at the bar, a DJ and plenty of people – Mondays STK averages 400 people, Taylor said.
“You come here at 10 p.m. on a Monday and you are going to see a nice party going on,” he said.
On Tuesday – Valentine’s Day – Taylor has created a special a la carte menu that will include roasted heirloom tomato soup, seared sea scallops and a trio of desserts made for two (red velvet flourless cake, passion fruit truffles and chocolate covered strawberries).
We chatted with the Cleveland native about the South Florida food market, aphrodisiacs for Valentine’s Day, and impressing his girlfriend of just over 3 years who is from France.
You have worked at high profile restaurants such as Touch, Meat Market and Pierre’s in the Keys. What did working at those places teach you about the restaurant market in South Florida?
It’s a tougher market to figure out and it’s changing monthly as new places are opening up and in what people are looking for in food. In the four years I have been here, the dining scene in Miami has changed in the last year and a half ten-fold. Pierre’s is a whole different animal. The kinds of things we could do down there with game meats and stuff like that, we really haven’t had that much success selling here in Miami. I had to adapt a lot when I came back down here from Colorado. Even compared to what we sold at Meat Market to what we sell here [at STK] is completely different.
If you could only cook one item on the new STK menu for a month, which item would it be?
I probably would say the rack of lamb, because I love to eat lamb and it’s one of my favorite meats to eat. As far as for the dining public it would probably be the sea bass, because I know it grants them all wants and desires and it really shows off how I try and cook my dishes with flavors and textures.
When you prepare a menu for Valentine’s Day, what factors do you consider?
I do things that will appeal to a grander scheme and try to use things that I have learned over time. Like asparagus is actually an aphrodisiac that helps increase blood flow, which adds to other things down the line. So I went that route and tried to include scallops that I know everyone will like and getting the best I can find, pairing it with asparagus, and I really enjoy playing with wild mushrooms and feature something exotic on the menu.
So there really is a science to a Valentine’s Day menu?
I was also doing some research and found list of things that are considered aphrodisiacs and I was shocked to find out what they were – like honey and bananas because of the potassium, which is good for blood flow. Everybody could use more blood flow.
What about well-known aphrodisiacs like oysters and chocolate?
We will have four different kinds of raw oysters to choose from and our dessert is featuring chocolate truffles and we are going to use them inside of a chocolate vessel also. The soup I am doing will have fried oysters in them with some chorizo and smoky, roasted tomato soup.
Did you ever have a memorable gift from someone on Valentine’s Day?
There was one time in school when a girl I liked gave me a card and told me she liked me too and I was like, ‘Oh wow’. But that was back in grade school.
How will you and your girlfriend celebrate Valentine’s Day?
She will be at home. Unfortunately being in this business, a lot of the holidays we don’t get to celebrate in a traditional fashion. I can’t remember a New Year’s that I spent with my significant other. But neither of us are really big Valentine’s Day people, either.
Did you ever use your cooking skills to impress you girlfriend?
Oddly enough I date a girl who is almost vegetarian – she does eat fish. So I will cook for her sometimes and make some vegetable dishes to make her happy. But I am sure I have wooed her with some of my cooking prowess and I have made a chocolate cake for her at home one time that knocked her socks off.
So for Valentine’s Day, why should people choose STK, aside from your menu?
People want to come, bounce their heads to some good music and eat some great food. STK separates itself because of the whole scene. You can get up and dance with your date if you want to, sit down and enjoy your meal, and then go back to the dance floor and have a few after-dinner drinks. I think that is what really separates us from anyone else right now. And people really enjoy it and takes you away from the traditional sit down, don’t move, don’t look at the other people next to you dinner setting.
This story was originally published February 9, 2012 at 3:02 AM with the headline "STK chef Aaron Taylor prepares aphrodisiac-inspired menu for Valentine’s Day."