Feasts & Affairs | Outstanding in the Field NYC, 2013

Last weekend, it was time for our yearly tradition since 2010 -- another farm dinner with Outstanding in the Field (OITF) during one of its NYC stops. It was crazy to think that we (including Linda, John, Jess, and John) bought our tickets back in March (on the first day of Spring!) for this much anticipated dinner in mid-September. This would be my fourth dinner since Linda introduced me to OITF, and I was every bit as pumped as I had been that very first time in 2010. Plus, it was even more special for Jess's John (I will refer to him at JJ from now on :P) as this was his first time at an OITF event!


Our dinner last year was supposed to take place at Brooklyn Grange (an acre-sized rooftop farm in Queens we had all been to together two years ago), but due to some bureaucratic hurdles, it was moved to La Plaza Cultural at the last minute (which was also lovely, but in a different way). We were thankful to have another opportunity to enjoy an evening at Brooklyn Grange this time without a hitch -- this year, we were very excited to have Chef Sisha Ortuzar of Riverpark curating our literal farm-to-table dinner. Given how much I had been blown away by the restaurant's NYC Restaurant Week lunch menu (something that is typically watered down and may not properly showcase a restaurant's menu well) last year, so I knew we were really in for a real treat if Chef Ortuzar could really pull out all the stops here.


Upon checking in around 4 PM, Brooklyn Oenology started us out with its 2012 Social Club white wine, a chardonnay-based blend, to be paired with the hors d'oeuvres that had started making its rounds through Brooklyn Grange's grounds. The wine has a "food-friendly acidity, with notes of crisp apple, pear, and a touch of tropical fruit, while finishing with orange blossom and a lingering, palate-cleansing minerality."


One of the first bites we had were the rabbit rillettes with late summer berries and summery savory, which, funny enough, did not taste like rabbit at all! Upon these first bites, none of us had seen the printed menus at our seats so our next best guesses were crab or chicken. Boy, did they have us fooled, especially myself, since I usually do not like the gaminess of rabbit one bit. However, in this case, it was actually quite nice with a little tart from the summer berries and lightly creamy from the rillette base. Something else to note is how well toasted the circular cut-outs of bread were, as each bite had that lovely crunch without getting soggy from the rillette spread on top.


Next up were these flutes of  tomato & corn soup. For someone who doesn't really believe in chilled soups, these sweet shots of fresh summer could surely change a gal's mind. It had this richness to it that was not heavy or creamy in the traditional way a soup is but creamy in a magically fluid way. Little splashes of concentrated oil added some color and flavor to this beautifully emulsified soup, which reminded me of the chilled corn soup with red peppers and shiso I had at Riverpark. Not gonna lie -- I may have had another one of these shortly after I had my first one! :x


Last of the hors d'oeuvres were the ricotta crostini with pole beans, pickled shallots, and shiso. This had a fun interplay of creamy from the fresh ricotta, of bite from the pickled shallots, and of summer from the just-picked pole beans. The fact that the produce used as ingredients in these bites made them that much more appealing -- can't get any more "farm-to-table" than this!


Traditionally, OITF has set the "long table" at farms, at gardens, on mountaintops, in sea caves, on islands, and at ranches -- wherever its tours would take the table. Because of the limiting confines of the farm being on a rooftop, the tradition of OITF's "long table" at its farm dinners had to be slightly adapted by splitting the dining table into two shorter tables to fit comfortable on the grounds while accommodating all guests.


Here's the other table that was already set up at Brooklyn Grange. We decided to sit at the other table as it made for easier conversation because of the shorter table width.


While everyone enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres, host farmers Ben Flanner (above) and Anastasia Plakias gave small group tours of the farm while giving a brief overview of what Brooklyn Grange is all about.


Brooklyn Grange's crops and the view of the city skyline in the backdrop.


More shots of crops and skyline.


And of course, OITF founder Jim Denevan gave opening remarks right before dinner was to start.


Our obligatory group shot!


Another OITF tradition is BYOP, i.e., bring your own plates, so I made sure to bring the lobster plates Marcus bought for me a while back from Anthropologie (a throwback to Friends: Phoebe's philosophy of "lobsters" as soul mates).


Fresh miniature baguettes from a local bakery whose name escapes me now. A fun fact that all of the sit-down serviceware are all pieces from Heath Ceramics, one of the few remaining mid-century American potteries still in existence today, based in Sausalito, California.

All courses that arrive at the dining table are all served family style, to be shared among eight or so guests. We began the sit-down portion of our dinner with Brooklyn Oenology's 2012 Friend riesling, which was on the dryer side and not too sweet. The little bits of residual sugar adds "wonderful richness perfectly balanced by an abundance of apples, Asian pear, white peach, nectarine, jasmine, and a hint of petrol with a crisp, clean finish of citrus, slate, and honey."


As our second course, they served us (fresh) burrata with purple tomatillos, ground cherries, and lemon verbena. The burrata was incredibly fresh, a pretty white blob of creaminess that complemented the tomatillos similarly to a delightful Caprese salad, just with a touch of stone fruit (gotta love cherries!) and herbed with the fragrant lemon verbena. This dish didn't even need dressing -- it remained undressed so that the burrata could soak up the juices of the fruits without any distractions.


Alongside the burrata, we also had a spicy melon salad with chicharrones (i.e., fried pork rinds), Thai basil, and coriander flowers. This salad was very much like a more "ethnic" version of a panzanella salad, where the chicharrones, watermelon, and Thai basil respectively acted like the expected day-old bread, tomatoes, and Italian basil. It was a very interesting twist, as the chicharrones and watermelon were dusted with some medium-hot spices, giving it a little heat and panache to stand out. A really refreshing salad bidding an honorable farewell to the warm days of summer.

Our next wine pairing was Brookly Oenology's 2010 chardonnay, which deviates from the typical California chardonnays. Crafted in a Burgundy method, this chardonnay has a palpable "creaminess matched with great acidity and structure, with tastes of baked apple, dried pineapple, quince, coconut with layered vanilla and hints of smoke and honey." Essentially, it was a lot buttery than we may have liked.


For our third course, we shared some grilled prawns with nasturtium. The prawns were sizable and juicy, and the added florals of nasturtium and splash of citrus gave interesting flavor and visual appeal. Grilling the prawns with these herbs and seasonings and serving them cooled down made for a lovely summer-driven dish.


This was probably Marcus and I's most favorite dish of the night -- Sfoglini reginetti with squid ink, clams, calamari, baby octopus, sweet peppers, bronze fennel, and oregano. Reginetti is a ribbon-shaped  (with wavy, ruched edges) pasta commonly served with more delicate sauces. Also served chilled, the reginetti was simply delightful as the light cream sauce which had the most vibrant varieties of seafood and had the lightest kick from the peppers and fennel. The oregano gave a slightly earthy tone to the dish overall to counter the sweetness from the seafood. The inked pasta was a divine al dente, with the sauce swimming in its little crevices. What a well-thought-up course!

Our main course was paired with Brooklyn Oenology's 2008 Motley Cru red blend with "a core of juicy cherry fruit and spice on the palate." Very much like a Rhône-like wine, the wine is "round and soft with great acidity and fine tannins with a medium body and a texture of a robust pinot noir."


The fourth course was a Berkshire pork rack with grilled peaches. Not many things say summertime like grilled peaches do, and that's exactly how I felt here. They had smoky grill marks and ended with a sweet bite (in that limbo between a bruised ripedness and a firm under-ripedness. The cuts from the pork rack had a nice exterior of fat (plus the bone from it being prepared as a rack) that the meat soaked up in flavor and juice. Pork can easily be overcooked into something really unflavorful, tough, and difficult to eat, but this pork rack was so tender, soft, and tasty, especially as pork is always well-complemented with stone fruit.


The side dish for the pork rack was corn with purslane, chanterelles, and sun gold tomatoes. It was a little reprise of the corn soup we had as an hors d'oeuvre (sweet and chilling), but with a teaser of fall in the mix as chanterelles are in their prime in the coming season. Great accompaniment to the pork rack.


Approaching dusk at Brooklyn Grange.


Dinner by candlelight à la mason jar, as OITF tradition dictates! :P


We were given a tub of brown butter-sage ice cream to be served alongside our last course (dessert).


Dessert consisted of an olive oil cake with roasted figs, meant to be served with the brown butter sage ice cream. The cake had a favorable denseness to it -- quite moist while being able to soak up the creaminess of the savory ice cream without losing the great consistency of the cake. While the brown butter, sage, and olive oil flavors turned this into a much more savory dessert, only to be brought back slightly to the sweeter side with the roasted figs, which just had the right amount of sweet.


Jim Denevan, Leah Scafe (director of OITF), Chef Ortuzar, and his team from Riverpark greeting guests that night at the end of our farm dinner.

Findings: I probably say this every time I leave a farm dinner with Outstanding in the Field, but I think this year was by far my most favorite dinner -- if only because I thought Chef Sisha Ortuzar made the most dynamic and flavorful use of hyper-locally sourced produce and ingredients. This may come as unfair as Chef Ortuzar does this same exercise at Riverpark as the restaurant sources most of its menu from the eponymous urban farm located right next door on the same campus so the challenge may not be as prominent as it would be for other chefs whose sourcing radius is a little broader. The real challenge for Chef Ortuzar may have remain in the sheer number of guests for which he had to cook up this extraordinary dinner. It didn't seem to faze him or his team as the dinner went quite smoothly without a hitch -- even as the sit-down courses were all served family style, everything was beautifully presented and tasted just as gorgeous as it had appeared on the plate. And as lovely as the food was, the service team was delightful and pleasant during the course of our dinner, making everything that much more seamless and enjoyable.

And as I appreciate with all OITF dinners, I loved how we can get together as a group every year over this fabulous meal, meet other food enthusiasts who appreciate this kind of thing, and hear personal stories from farmers/purveyors/artisans about the very ingredients that were prepared before us. It is truly an unparalleled experience -- traditions are close to the heart for this very reason, and I am thankful I get to spend it with these fantastic friends of mine each year.

Thank you to the team behind Outstanding in the Field for organizing yet another unforgettable dinner here in New York City! Already looking forward to the next year's farm dinner (and maybe even one at Secret Sea Cove over in California if Marcus and I are fast enough to nab a couple seats!).

Price point: $230 for a 100% locally supplied 5-course dinner with wine pairing by local winery.

--September 14, 2013

Outstanding in the Field
P.O. Box 2413
Santa Cruz, CA 95063
http://www.outstandinginthefield.com

Brooklyn Grange*
37-18 Northern Blvd
Queens, NY 11101
http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com

Riverpark
450 East 29th Street
New York, NY 10016
http://www.riverparknyc.com

Brooklyn Oenology Winery*
209 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
http://www.brooklynoenology.com

Sfoglini Pasta Shop*
630 Flushing Avenue, 8th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11206
http://www.sfoglini.com

Bodhitree Farm
2116 Jacksonville Road
Jobstown, NJ 08022
http://www.bodhitreefarm.com

Paffenroth Gardens
95 Little York Road
Warwick, NY 10990
http://hudsonvalleybounty.com/listing/paffenroth-gardens‎

Locust Grove Fruit Farm
154 North Road
Milton, NY 12547
http://www.locustgrovefruitfarm.com

Migliorelli Farm

46 Freeborn Lane

Tivoli, NY 12583

http://www.migliorelli.com

John Fazio Farms

497 Freetown Highway

Modena, NY 12548

http://www.johnfaziofarms.com

Prospect Hill Orchards

73 Clark's Lane

Milton, NY 12547

http://www.prospecthillorchards.com

S. & S. O. Farms

234 Mount Eve Road

Goshen, NY 10924

https://twitter.com/ssoproducefarms

Heritage Pork International

206 First Street

Seargent Bluff, IA, 51054-0668

http://www.heritagepork.com

Feasts & Affairs | Outstanding in the Field 2012

Last week, Marcus and I found ourselves returning back to Brooklyn Grange in Queens for another farmer dinner hosted by Outstanding in the Field (OITF) with Linda, John, and Ralf in tow (sad Jess, John, and Lynnette couldn't join us this year, though) -- only this time, Chefs Benjamin Towill and Chef Nick Wilber from The Fat Radish had curated our literal farm-to-table dinner that evening. As we've done in the past (it's certainly a ritual now :P), Linda and I bought our tickets for this event way back in March. Hardcore fans, we most certainly are! So much, in fact, that this time, we solely picked the dinner because of its location (I mean, c'mon a rooftop farm in Queens -- who can say no to that?!), as well as our familiarity with Brooklyn Grange from the farm dinner we attended last year, before the folks at OITF even announced who the guest chefs would be. We didn't even know we'd be graced with the presence of these two wonderful chefs from The Fat Radish until a week before the date -- Linda's guess was they were waiting for some kind of dramatic impact. Either way, it was a pleasant surprise for all of us -- Linda and I even were saying we'd been meaning to get our butts on over to the Lower East Side to check out The Fat Radish, so what better way to experience it than with OITF?! :P

We were met with another last minute change a couple days before the dinner. Due to some "bureaucratic hurdles" encountered by the OITF team, the location of the dinner was moved from Brooklyn Grange to La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez, a location that Linda and I were familiar with from the farm dinner in New York City two years ago with Print restaurant. La Plaza Cultural is a beautiful space and much easier to get to, so it wasn't disappointing news.


{1,3,7} So around 3PM that very Wednesday, our group arrived to La Plaza Cultural where {4} we got comfortable, {8,11} put down our plates (after all, OITF has always been BYOP), {2,5,6,10} explored the community garden a bit further, and {9} selected our seats at the dinner table.

Traditionally, OITF has set the "long table" at farms, at gardens, on mountaintops, in sea caves, on island, and at ranches -- wherever its tours would take the table.

As I've written before, the mission of OITF is "to reconnect diners to the land and the origins of their food and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it," and as a "restaurant without walls," each and every dinner hosted by the organization ensures the "consistent theme of honoring the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table." With that being said, the ingredients for these farm meals are almost all local (many times, sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region (which, in our case, are the guys from The Fat Radish). To read more about OITF, please see the organization's history section of its website!


Normally, the course pairings for these OITF dinners (at least the ones I've been to) usually are wines. So it was a pleasant surprise to see that {3,4} the first pairing (for the hors d'oeuvres) was a cocktail -- The Basil Brush, which happens to be on the menu at The Fat Radish's new sister restaurant called The Leadbelly, is a blend of gooseberry, {1} fresh basil, {2} elderflower, and {5} Brooklyn Gin. Later, we just happened to be sitting next to Joe Santos, one of the co-founders of Brooklyn Gin, so that was really neat! They also started pouring a glera (i.e., the grapes used in prosecco) produced by Bisson from Treviso, Italy with a 2011 vintage to go with the second course.


The first course consisted of three hors d'oeuvres: {1} red and golden beet lollipops with hazelnuts and horseradish, {2} Noble Road cheese crostini with Brooklyn Grange rooftop honey and dried bee pollen, and {3} coronation chicken (i.e., combination of precooked cold chicken meat, herbs and spices in a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce with curry powder) lettuce wraps with a mild yogurt sauce. All three were well done. The beet lollipops were ripe and nutty; the Noble Road cheese was creamy and very brie-like (Linda even commented that the cheese was as if brie and goat cheese had a baby together) and the honey added a light sweetness to it; and the lettuce wraps were divine, as the lettuce itself was really delicate yet was able to hold the dollop of coronation chicken salad without wilting.

 

Gratuitous pre-dinner photograph of me, Linda, John, and Ralf! And as usual, our table possibly rivaled that evening as the honorary title of the rowdy "drinking table" -- loud and proud!

{1} The organizers, Jim Denevan and Leah Scafe, gave a brief background on OITF and how it stumbled upon La Plaza Cultural in the past. They later introduced Ross Martin, the landscape architect of the community garden's grounds. {2} Later on, Ben Flanner from the Brooklyn Grange farm, came over to greet the guests and shared which of menu's ingredients were sourced from his farm (i.e., heirloom tomatoes, kale, various herbs, jessup, beets, cilantro, and honey). {3} The team from The Fat Radish came out once all the courses had been served, thanking everyone for coming as well as OITF for asking them to be a part of this dinner.

Founded in 1976 by local residents and "greening activists," La Plaza Cultural used to be a series of vacant city lots covered in rubble and trash. A Latino group, CHARAS, cleared out truckloads of refuse, "determined to reclaim the neighborhood from a downward spiral of arson, drugs, and abandonment." Working with architect Buckminster Fuller, "a geodesic dome" was built in the open plaza and began staging cultural events. Green Guerrillas pioneer Liz Christy "seeded the turf with 'seed bombs,'" planting what are now the towering weeping willows and linden trees. During the 1980s, the garden was "under attack by developers seeking to build on the space," and after countless court battles, La Plaza Cultural was finally preserved in 2002 as part of a landmark settlement, which had saved several scores of gardens across New York City. Armando Perez, a CHARAS founder and former District Leader of the Lower East Side who was brutally murdered in 1999, "recognized the power of gardens to bring communities together" and consequently, La Plaza was aptly named after Mr. Perez in 2003.

{2,5} Once hor d'oeuvre and mingling hour was over, we grabbed our plates and sat down at our seats, to be met with the rest of the evening's menu. {1} Our pairings (done by Craig Atlas, a sommelier from NYC) moved onto riesling produced by Dirler-Cadé from Alsace, France with a 2010 vintage and a pinot noir produced by Robert Sinskey Vineyards from Carneros, California with a 2009 vintage, respectively for the third and the fourth courses. {7} The second course following the first of hors d'oeuvres was the grilled end of summer squash with heirloom tomatoes and a kefir lime dressing (made using olive oil, egg yolk, kaffir lime juice, and Thai chili). It was the idyllic dish to bid farewell to the ending summer days -- crunchy and smokey squash, juicy and sweet tomatoes, and a wide array of green herbs. The kefir lime dressing was what made it come together and so distinctively different with its South Asian flavors. {6} Next as the third course was the beet root tart tartane with an herb salad (i.e., parsley and watercress) and Pipe Dream goat cheese. While the tartane's pastry was flaky and savory and the beet root earthy with fruity qualities, the goat cheese was what did me in. It was gamier than I was expecting, and for someone who is still an amateur when it comes to cheeses, it pushed my limits as to how far away from my cheese comfort zone I could handle. {9} Before the next course came out, there was a bit of a commotion at the other end of the long table -- lots of cheering and applause. Turning our heads, we found this gentleman, down on one knee, proposing to his girlfriend. It was really cute and very fun to be a part of this beautiful moment.

{4} The main course that evening (i.e., the fourth course) was a roasted leg of lamb with wilted kale and mustard greens, with a side of {3} couscous with coriander seeds and cilantro as well as an heirloom bean salad with cumin yoghurt and sprouts. From since we arrived at La Plaza, there was lots of roasting action happening, as the scent of smokiness from the leg of lamb wafted throughout the grounds. It was nice to finally see these teasing scents brought to fruition. Though the lamb was overcooked in some slices/areas, it was still super flavorful and juicy. Served cold, the sides were refreshing and complemented the roasted lamb very nicely, though having them served warm may have been even better. {8} Last, but not least, was the fifth course for dessert -- a warm spiced plum cake with oat crumble and whipped mascarpone -- paired with a perfect moscato d'Asti from Piedmont, Italy produced by Vitorrio Bera & Figli with a 2011 vintage. Resembling a loose muffin, the dessert was crumbly, subtly rich, and spiced up with the trappings of the impending fall season. The moscato d'Asti, as always, was the ideal ending to a fantastic meal, as if I were biting into a piece of peak-ripened fruit.

Pink skies from an almost sunset.

Findings: Outstanding in the Field proved to be another satisfying success. The season's bounty spoke wildly in the curated menu done up by Chef Nick Wilber and Chef Benjamin Towill of The Fat Radish and was only underscored by the refreshing Basil Brush laced with Brooklyn Gin (my new go-to brand!) and the complementing wine pairings by sommelier Craig Atlas. Although we only heard from the folks at Brooklyn Grange about that evening's ingredients as well as met Joe Santos from Brooklyn Gin, the spirit of the local farms and purveyors was still very tangible in the fresh greens, vegetables, and protein that we so voraciously ate through family-style. While we had our hearts initially set on this farm dinner being on the rooftop of Brooklyn Grange, La Plaza Cultural had its own distinctive charm as well. 

Thanks to the teams from OITF, The Fat Radish, Brooklyn Grange, and all of the other farms/purveyors (see below) for orchestrating yet another noteworthy dinner to be included in the annals of my personal gastronomic history. 

Price point: $230 per person for a five-course locally supplied dinner.

--September 19, 2012

Outstanding in the Field

P.O. Box 2413

Santa Cruz, CA 95063
http://www.outstandinginthefield.com

La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez

southwest corner of Avenue C & 9th Street
New York, NY 10009
http://www.laplazacultural.com

The Fat Radish

17 Orchard Street

New York, NY 10002

http://www.thefatradishnyc.com

Brooklyn Grange*

37-18 Northern Blvd

Queens, NY 11101

http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com

Brooklyn Gin*
http://www.brooklyngin.com

Bodhitree
2116 Jacksonville Road
Jobstown, NJ 08022
http://www.bodhitreefarm.com

Paffenroth Gardens
95 Little York Road
Warwick, NY 10990
http://www.hudsonvalleybounty.com/listing/paffenroth-gardens

Feasts & Affairs | Outstanding in the Field 2011

It's that time of year again -- that is, when Outstanding in the Field (OITF) makes its annual stop in the Big Apple for its farm dinners featuring guest chefs from the area. After last year's event at La Plaza Cultural with the husband-and-wife chefs from Print., I was very much looking forward to this year's extravaganza, so much that Linda, Jess, and I bought our tickets back in March (five months in advance!) when tickets are quickly sold out shortly after. New York City was fortunate to have two farm dinners hosted by OITF this year -- one at Queens Farm (featuring Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster) and one at Brooklyn Grange Farm (featuring Chef Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen), both located in Queens. OITF has held dinners at Queens Farm in the past, so Linda suggested we sign-up for the Brooklyn Grange dinner as it is essentially a rooftop farm overlooking the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. She had me at rooftop.


So after (im)patiently waiting five months until we were on the M train over to 36th Street in Queens, we were finally there, ready to be swept away by the amazing powers of the local, the organic, and the sustainable. Now, if you remember my not-so-great review of ABC Kitchen earlier this year, you will understand my initial apprehension about this collaborated dinner with OITF. I desperately wanted for the dinner to be as amazing as it was last year, not at the expense of shifty service and mediocre locavore fare. However, I knew I trusted the judgment of the folks at OITF -- you wouldn't be running a successful, 12-year running culinary enterprise such as this if they didn't know what they were doing. So with my concerns pushed aside, I did my best to clear my mind of any preconceptions I had about ABC Kitchen upon arriving at Brooklyn Grange that night -- and I'm really glad that I did. I wanted to give the restaurant another chance to show me they were serious about its commitment to "offering freshest organic and local ingredients possible" and showcasing them to their highest flavor potential.


Clever postcard directing us to the rooftop where Brooklyn Grange Farm resides.


Almost there!


Once we took the elevator up a few stories followed by two flights of stairs, we finally reached the rooftop farm of Brooklyn Grange, where we saw the long tables where all the farm dinner guests would be dining.


Traditionally, OITF has set the "long table" at farms, at gardens, on mountaintops, in sea caves, on island, and at ranches -- wherever its tours would take the table. Only problem at Brooklyn Grange is that most of the space is used to cultivate garden and farm produce alike, so with the tight arrangement of vegetation, the placement of one long table to accommodate the hundred or so guests wasn't feasible. To compromise, the tables were broken up into three long-ish tables along vacant rows of soil.


As I've written before, the mission of OITF is "to reconnect diners to the land and the origins of their food and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it," and as a "restaurant without walls," each and every dinner hosted by the organization ensures the "consistent theme of honoring the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table." With that being said, the ingredients for these farm meals are almost all local (many times, as in the case here, sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region (which, in our case, is Chef Kluger of ABC Kitchen). To read more about OITF, please see my post on last year's dinner in NYC (aka, my first OITF experience) as well as the organization's history section of its website!


Once we arrived to Brooklyn Grange Farm, we were directed to walk over towards the other end of the roof for hors d'oeuvres and "bubbles" (what Linda likes to call sparkling wine).


Brooklyn Grange is a commercial organic farm located on a rooftop in the Long Island City part of Queens. The farm grows vegetables in the city and sell them to local people and businesses, whereby its goal is "to improve access to very good food, to connect city people more closely to farms and food production, and to make urban farming a viable enterprise and livelihood." The farm measures about one acre (i.e., approximately 500 feet long and 70 feet wide) and is comprised of roughly 1.2 million pounds of soil and over 20,000 linear feat of green roofing material.


As for the wine paired with our meal that night, Shinn Estate Vineyard, a winery located on Long Island.


We started off with a 2007 sparkling brut from Shinn Estate Vineyards. It was a nice crisp and light sparkling wine that paired well with the hors d'oeuvres. As a vineyard that is committed to being biodynamic, Shinn Estate's wines are all organic with an unusually precise harvesting process that involves the moon phases. Interesting approach, I must say!


As part of our hors d'oeuvres (i.e., the first course), we had a roasted eggplant toast with peppers and lemon, where the bread for the toast was supplied by Sullivan Street Bakery. This was a nice starter, as the assortment of colorful peppers mixed in with the eggplant showcased what the flavors of the summer season. I thought the bread was a little bit chewy and hard, making it difficult to eat what was supposed to be "finger food," causing the toast contents to easily fall off I guess I was expecting the bread to be crisp and toasty, but given the conditions of having to prepare a five-course dinner not only outside but on a rooftop for a good number of people with limited kitchen appliances and supplies, I'm sure it was pretty difficult to top the toasts while maintaining a loose, crispy texture.


The kitchen also served herb pizza with spinach and goat cheese from Lynnhaven Farm of Pine Bush, New York. I'm not gonna lie -- I was wary of the goat cheese on here. The gaminess of it almost always turns me away from any given dish, but it really worked its magic on me here. The pizza had a nice layer of smokiness to it with the spinach in the limbo stage between raw and totally soggily cooked. The goat cheese was what pulled it all really nicely together with its soft, creamy, and rustically elegant earthiness. The gaminess was mostly non-existent -- a big relief to me so I could fully enjoy the herb pizza. Linda mentioned that she and Jon pick up this goat cheese at the farmers' market at Union Square on Saturdays, and that it's really that awesome -- I may have to start doing that, too! Overall, I really relished in how the mere simplicity of the ingredients (quality ones, too, of course) could deliver such a profound reaction among all of us. It was a dish that could have easily been prepared at home that would have that mysterious panache given behind the scenes by the chef himself/herself in a restaurant setting.


Last of the first course was roasted squash with Parmesan and lemon. This is another example of how the quality of the ingredients used (i.e., fittingly selected to be served during the peak of their season). Something as simple as summer squash can be dressed to the nines with a casual sprinkling of Parmesan and a squeezed spritz of lemon juice. Succulent, juicy, and boldly crunchy -- all I can succinctly say about the roasted squash. Love the bamboo serving toothpicks!


This was one of the tables made by the farmers at Brooklyn Grange.


Group photograph in our fancy schmancy specs -- Lynnette, Linda, me, Jess, and John!


After munching on our first course, Katy Oursler, the Director of OITF's Private Events, and Jim Denevan, the founder of OITF, came out to say a few words to the farm dinner guests. They briefly touched upon how the goal of OITF in its initial days was to bring the farmer to the forefront of the dining experience, so the chef(s) can step back a little and share the spotlight with the individual(s) who provided high quality ingredients to impressively showcase the chef's culinary imagination on a plate. They also mentioned how this was the first time that they held one of OITF's dinners on a rooftop!


Mr. Denevan then turned it over to one of Brooklyn Grange's head farmer and co-founder, Ben Flanner. Another loss to the financial services industry to the food world, as Mr. Flanner was formerly a trained engineer with a background in finance before becoming an urban farmer. He gave all of the OITF dinner guests that night a brief overview about Brooklyn Grange, its history, and its inner workings. So you must be wondering why the farm called "Brooklyn" Grange would be located in Queens? I mean, there is already a farm by that obvious name (i.e., Queens Farm over in the Glen Oaks neighborhood), but that's not the real reason why it's called "Brooklyn" Grange. When the individuals behind the farm began their company in 2009, they thought they had a site in Brooklyn ready to be transformed into the urban farm they envisioned. As everyone had been living in Brooklyn at the time (and thus, had put together the business plan there), Brooklyn Grange made sense. However, the initial site had fallen through in 2010, and the team had to begin looking for a new site, leading them to the farm's current home on Northern Boulevard in Queens (the Long Island City region). And at that point, the company had been chartered as an LLC under that name, and fundraisers and events alike had supported Brooklyn Grange. So to avoid any confusion, they kept the name, and here she stands in Queens!

Once they found the space here, it took an unheard of two weeks (wow!) to put the deal together in 2010 during April/May. Since then, Mr. Flanner has been developing a green roof system with soil on this very roof along with a few beehives as well. Working with an oblong rectangle as the potential farming plot on a rooftop, the folks at Brooklyn Grange have come to find that sun-loving crops (almost intuitive in this situation). Ultimately, the aim of Brooklyn Grange is to take advantage of "unused" rooftop space to grow and yield amazing produce and ingredients. The space also makes for a very ripe place for sunset dinners.


Mr. Flanner sharing more about Brooklyn Grange with the guests that night.


Part of the rooftop farm.


To keep track of the farm's crops, numbers have been stenciled along the walls of the rooftop.


View of the city from Brooklyn Grange.


More crops.


ABC Kitchen's menu for OITF that night!


View of the "rooftop kitchen" used by the team from ABC Kitchen.


Preparing for the courses ahead!


Other half of guests on a farm tour.


And in true OITF fashion, after a tour of the featured site, everyone settles in -- "farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners" take their seats along the "long table."


View of the table from where we were sitting.


Table setting and menu!


Artisan bread from Sullivan Street Bakery in a playful brown paper bag with a foldover opening.


Marcus and me at Brooklyn Grange for OITF.


The first wine served during our dinner was a 2010 rosé from Shinn Estate Vineyards, which I found to be on the heavier side for rosés, but still light enough to enjoy over the second course that we awaited shortly after we were seated.


The first dish within the second course was heirloom tomatoes from Brooklyn Grange with chilies and basil, all mixed with a housemade vinaigrette. Sweet, juicy, and refreshing -- this assortment of heirloom tomatoes embodied everything a breezy summer day would be if it was personified into food. I don't think I've ever had tomatoes this lovely served salad style. The sweetness of the fruity tomatoes just blew me away. The basil definitely blended well into the dish as well, with those zesty chilies in good measure.


The next dish within the second course was an arugula salad with strawberries from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, Lynnhaven Farm goat cheese, mint, and lime. Lynnhaven shocked me here once again with its amazing goat cheese that went incredibly well with the tart and seed-happy strawberries. The mint and arugula rounded out the heavy flavors from the goat cheese and strawberries. All in all, great summer salad combination!


Lynnette's new plate from Anthropologie!


The last part of our second course was grilled housemade chicken and pork pistachio sausage served over Brooklyn Grange warm field greens, crispy prosciutto, sherry vinaigrette , chives, and cheddar-style cheese.


You can see the pistachios right inside the sausage -- what utter deliciousness we had here! Definitely top favorites of the night -- the pistachios inside the sausage itself and crispy prosciutto were enough to whisk me away into the night! The soft nutty flavor from the pistachios mixed in with the crunchy saltiness from the prosciutto with the sharpness of the cheddar made for a wonderfully crafted dish to bid farewell to the fleeting summer days ahead (at that point in time, that is) and to welcome in the imminent fall season blowing our way. The meat was lean and juicy filled with the hale flavors of chicken and pork. Besides, crispy prosciutto is almost like bacon, which always makes everything better.


My attempt at some decent plating on my dish, haha.


Ms. Oursler brought out Lynn Fleming of Lynnhaven Farm. She briefly talked about her farm and the products it sells at farmer's markets in New York State as well as New York City, which includes the famed goat cheese, feta, ricotta, as well as goat meat. Ms. Fleming emphasized her farm's commitment to humane treatment of the goats, both in the production of cheese as well as the butchering process. As previously mentioned, her farm sourced the goat cheese used in the herb pizza as well as the arugula salad.


For the third course, the first dish comprised of grilled broccoli rabe with ginger and scallions. Normally not a fan of the bitterness of broccoli rabe, but the preparation here (and the sourced broccoli rabe itself) allowed for a softer, velvety taste. This, along with the below dish, was paired with a 2010 chardonnay from Shinn Estate Vineyards.


The second dish within the third course was the steamed halibut with Maxwell's Farm goldbar zucchini and nasturtium vinaigrette, topped with toasted pumpernickel chili bread crumbs. My other favorite that night, the halibut had the silkiest of textures that swam lightly in the custard colored nasturtium (Latin for "nose twister," most likely due to the common reaction from mustard oil in its leaves) vinaigrette. The chef even garnished it with a couple nasturtium flowers over the fish. It was pleasantly fragrant, in both scent and taste. And those toasted pumpernickel chili bread crumbs punctuated the dish to its ultimate potential -- these very flavorful pumpernickel crumbs that take the cake over any mediocre crouton. The goldbar zucchini from Maxwell's Farm was a delicious addition of color and vegetable to the meat/sauce heavier dish. Surprisingly delightful and sweet in taste, boasting the same effect the heirloom tomatoes had on me.


Another attempt at plating!


Ms. Oursler later brought out Bill Maxwell of Maxwell's Farm located in Warren County, New Jersey, who supplied the goldbar zucchini in the steamed halibut dish. Along with zucchini, Mr. Maxwell's farm also grows tomatoes along with many other produce.


For the fourth course, ABC Kitchen served sautéed corn with manchego cheese, jalapeño peppers, and lime. From the looks of it, I thought this was going to be overly shaven with cheese, but like with many of the courses that night, this course humbled my preconceptions into an unexpectedly warm and spicy side of corn that melted in my mouth.


Along with the sautéed corn, the kitchen also served cold fried chicken battered with summer ale beer, served with a potato and whole grain mustard salad. I found it a bit odd for fried chicken to be served cold, but I gave it a shot. I found it to be just okay overall -- I suppose it was a better idea in theory than it was in execution, though the batter was pretty good. The potato salad was too mustardy for my liking, and the potatoes were not very soft. However, the wine that was served with this was probably my favorite wine served during the dinner. It was a 2008 Wild Boar Doe from Shinn Estate Vineyards -- talk about a play on words! Boar Doe = Bordeaux! So cleverly cute! It was also fittingly delicious and outstanding Bordeaux -- here, a blend of cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet sauvignon.


As a condiment for the cold fried chicken, the kitchen served a hot sauce butter with orange peppers, habenero peppers, quinoa, and lemon zest. The habaneros spoke for themselves upon first taste, giving the chicken a playful kick.


Watching the sunset from Brooklyn Grange rooftop.


Diners, skyline, and sunset -- can't get much better than this!


Our last course consisted of two desserts. This one was the peach and blackberry crostada with crème fraîche. As a group, we found it to be just okay (mainly because the crostada that Linda makes is out of this world -- I will need to bribe her someone to make it again!), probably because the crostada crust wasn't loose and crispy enough. Unfortunately, it was a tad soggy. Loved the presentation though!


The second dessert dish was glazed donuts with a pink currant glaze and a chocolate glaze with cacao nibs. Again, dessert was a bit disappointing, but with so many beautifully orchestrated preceding courses, this was an afterthought to an otherwise fabulous night in Long Island City, Queens.


Mason jar candles are always present at OITF!


The chefs of ABC Kitchen who worked hard to put together our dinner that night came out at the end to receive a gracious and welcoming round of applause from all the guests! I think there was a miscommunication to me on my part -- I didn't realize Chef Kluger wasn't able to make it to New York City that night due to the flight delays caused by Hurricane Irene. So his sous chef, Ross Mendoza, had taken the lead in the kitchen at OITF that night, bringing the guests a wonderfully prepared meal. No hurricane can stop a team of precise and passionate chefs!

Findings: It was no surprise that Outstanding in the Field had worked its magic once again in New York City -- OITF was able to assemble, craft, and organize an astounding dinner with the joint collaboration of famed chefs, regional farmers, and local culinary artisans for the anxiously hungry guests that night. As OITF's aim, at these farm dinners, there is no mystery where the ingredients (comprising the courses during the meal) had come from. Chefs are no longer compelled to stand behind the heavy swinging doors in the kitchen, and farmers are no longer kept in a professional capacity as a supplier. Chef, farmer, and diner are all peers, sitting at a long communal table, where the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and inspirations can flourish into many possibilities. Here, the farmers' bounty, the chef's creation, and the diner's gastronomic gratification share a common denominator -- individuals that are passionate about food and the movement behind sustainable dining and locally-sourced ingredients. Chef Kluger and his chefs from ABC Kitchen certainly demonstrated this commitment to such a cause, as a team and as a restaurant. All of my negative feelings for ABC Kitchen subsided once the five courses unraveled before me at this OITF dinner at Brooklyn Grange. Embracing simplicity and letting the ingredients speak for themselves (with a little help from the chefs at ABC Kitchen, of course) worked wonders that night.

There is something magical about the dinners and the resulting experiences that follow these dinners hosted by OITF -- there is a certain je ne sais quoi that it brings to the table (literally) and to the night sky just as the meal is coming to a close. Some may say that the price point here is a little bit much, but to me, it is worth every last penny. It serves as a lovely reminder, once a year, just how far a locavore meal can take you and just how captivating it is to eat produce when it is at its seasonal peak.

So as I've said last year (and expect to say for years to come), I am very much looking forward to next year's dinner, where I know to expect nothing less than an impressive orchestra of exciting flavors, inspiring individuals, and stimulating dinner guests.

Price point: $220 for a locally supplied 5-course dinner with wine pairing by local vineyard.

--August 30, 2011

Outstanding in the Field
P.O. Box 2413
Santa Cruz, CA 95063
http://www.outstandinginthefield.com

Brooklyn Grange*
37-18 Northern Blvd
Queens, NY 11101
http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com

ABC Kitchen
35 East 18th Street
New York, NY 10003
http://www.abckitchennyc.com

Shinn Estate Vineyards*
Mattituck, NY 11952
http://www.shinnestatevineyards.com

Maxwell's Farm*
Changewater, NJ 07831
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maxwells-Farm/176937079025293?sk=info

Lynnhaven Farm*
Pine Bush, NY 12566
http://www.lynnhavennubians.com

Mountain Sweet Berry Farm
Roscoe, NY 12776

Flying Pigs Farm
Shushan, NY 12873
http://www.flyingpigsfarm.com

Paffenroth Gardens
Warwick, NY 10990

Eckerton Hill Farm
Hamburg, PA 19526

Cato Corner Farm
Colchester, CT 06415
http://www.catocornerfarm.com

Four Story Hill Farm
Honesdale, PA 18431

Phillips Farms
Milford, NJ 08848
http://www.phillipsfarms.com

Windfall Farm
Montgomery, NY 12549
http://windfallfarm.blogspot.com

Migliorelli Farm
Tivoli, NY 12583
http://www.migliorelli.com

* from what I recall, farmer(s) from these farms were in attendance at this OITF farm dinner!