By Kimberly Cooper // Photos by Tony Lewis, Jr.
Mother’s Peninsula Grille
br969 Ritchie Highway, Arnold
br410-975-5950
mothersgrille.com/peninsula
brbrSometimes, brothers can fight and argue with the best of them.brOther times, they team up to make magic. Such is the case withbrDave and Adam Rather. The Rather brothers, president/chef andbrowner, respectively, of Mother’s Peninsula Grille (and of Mother’s FederalbrHill) have opened a restaurant with a fun, friendly atmosphere and out ofbrthis world food. They share their thoughts on good food, as well as theirbrrecipe for Soy Glazed Tuna with Wasabi Mayo.
How did you get started in the restaurant business?
brAdam Rather: I started working in restaurants at age 14. First, I workedbras a dishwasher, then at Roy Rogers, cooking chicken. I also worked atbrAngelina’s Italian Restaurant in Bowie. It wasn’t until I moved to St. John,brin the Virgin Islands that I started cooking professionally.
brDave Rather: I got started managing a restaurant in Baltimore in 1996.brI have always felt comfortable entertaining and socializing. I realizedbrquickly that I found my calling and started looking for my own location.
What do you consider more important: local orbrorganic?
brAR: I think both are important. Buying local stimulates the localbreconomy and represents the regional products. I also believe thatbreating foods free of pesticides, hormones, and steroids is somethingbrthat we should all be doing. Hopefully, in the future, organic foodsbrwill become more abundant and, in turn, become more affordable.brI would love to use more organic products in my cooking but theybraren’t cost effective.
What are some culinary trends that you’ve noticedbrlately?
brAR: Food trucks, bacon and pork bellies, ethnic foods, healthierbrfoods, and smoking foods.
brDR: The trends I notice are bacon inspired dishes, Mac and cheesebrcombinations, and gourmet hot dogs.
What is the most important tool you use in thebrkitchen?
brAR: I’d say my tongue is the most important tool in the kitchen.
brDR: My brother’s answer of the tongue is perfect. The taste budsbrtell you everything. It is important, with two locations, to make surebrboth restaurants are consistent on our dishes.
How did this dish originate?
brAR: Our Soy Glazed Tuna with Wasabi Mayo was borrowed frombrChef Aaron Willis of the Fish Trap restaurant in St John. Hebrborrowed it from his time cooking in California. It’s an example ofbrCalifornia fusion.
What wine or drink pairs best?
brAR: I think a nice light and crisp white wine would go well with thebrtuna, although I did have a great sparkling sake the other night thatbrmight go better.
What is the most important step when cooking it?
brAR: The most important step in the preparation of the tuna isbrcooking the fish to your desired temperature. Also, adding the cornbrstarch slurry to the soy glaze is important. Not enough slurry andbryour glaze is runny; too much and the glaze turns gelatinous.
Recipe:
Soy Glazed Tuna with Wasabi Mayo
br8 ounce tuna steak
Soy glaze:
br1 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
br1 3/4 cup soy sauce
br1 cup pineapple juice
br1/4 cup fresh ginger, chopped finely.
br1/2 cup brown sugar
Wasabi Mayo:
br2 Tbsp. wasabi powder
br1 cup mayo
brTo prepare glaze, combine all ingredients in a sauce panbrand bring to a boil. Add a cornstarch water slurry, a bitbrat a time, until sauce thickens and coats the back of abrspoon.
brTo prepare mayo, mix wasabi powder with enoughbrwater to make a smooth paste. Add the paste to thebrmayo to combine.
brSalt and pepper one 8-ounce tuna steak per personbrserved. Grill or pan sear to desired temperature. Glazebrthe cooked tuna with one or two ounces of soy glaze.brApply mayo in a squeeze bottle, in a zigzag fashion.brThen, in a perpendicular motion, drag a toothpick acrossbrmayo in another zigzag fashion.
