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

Chef's Tasting | Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen

Back in January, Chef Yuji Haraguchi launched his very own Kickstarter campaign that would, if backers pledged enough to meet the financial goal, bring the "first-ever ramen omakase tastings in the U.S. at a new pop-up location from mid-March through mid-May in Manhattan's East Village" through his Yuji Ramen enterprise. Having tried the awesomeness of Yuji Ramen at Smorgasburg for the first time this past fall, I knew this venture would be nothing short of amazing, if it came to fruition. As a result, I immediately pledged an amount for a tier that promised an Omakase Date Night for two to attend one of the five-course ramen omakase seatings with priority choice of date and time (on a first come, first served basis of course) before the opportunity would be released to the general public.

The Kickstarter campaign was open to pledges through the end of February, where Chef Haraguchi not only met his $3,000 start-up goal, but did so four-fold, raising nearly $13,000! I was so excited to know that Marcus and I would be attending one of his ramen omakase dinners sometime this spring, which took place this past Friday. {1} The pop-up restaurant, entitled Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen, found its two-month home at the second level of the Whole Foods Market located on Houston and Bowery, near the East Village.


{2,4} The Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen is open daily from 11 AM to 6 or 9 PM, depending on the day, available for take out and sit-down. The omakase seatings are only available in the evenings, and  the last I heard, have been sold out through its last run date in mid-May. {3} The daily shoyu ramen at Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen is an original development by the team at Yuji Ramen just for Whole Foods Market. The Test Kitchen sources its bones from the Whole Foods Market Bowery butcher counter for the ramen broth that is made fresh daily. As the bones are based on availability of what the butcher counter has, the broth will change accordingly, as the kitchen works to "promote sustainability and a respectful relationship for its food supply." {5} The ramen found at Yuji is also unique -- it makes a new style of ramen called mazemen, which is ramen without broth. Ramen, instead, is served with tare (i.e., sauce), flavored oil, and a variety of toppings.

Chef Haraguchi, founder of Yuji Ramen, has over six years of experience working in seafood supply. In the earlier days of Yuji Ramen, Chef Haraguchi "strived to import the highest quality seafood from Japan to the East Coast." However, over time, he "soon fell in love with the many possibilities of locally sourcing American seafood." He and his team have spent the last year developing over thirty new preparations of ramen here in New York City, beginning with Yuji Ramen's temporary home at the Kinfolk Studios space in Williamsburg as well as the weekly outpost at Smorgasburg and finally resulting in the carefully curated, every-dynamic menu at the Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen. In addition to this, Chef Haraguchi created mazemen in order to move away from the traditional style of ramen you would typically find in noodle shops of Japan. His mazemen has a deliberate lack of fat and salt, so that the focus on quality ingredients is very important and can clearly show its true flavors without being overcompensated with salt and overdressed in oily fats. He has always believed that a meal should start off heavy and finish light -- as if the "main course" should come first with the typical first courses (i.e., smaller in portion) coming later.


As we sat at the counter, we were presented with these mysterious dinner cards, tersely summarizing the focal ingredient of each course, and not revealing much else.


The pre-omakase dish was the tsukemono -- pickled market vegetables sourced from Whole Foods Market and served in a thin wooden boat. Sharp yet refreshingly vinegary, these vegetables packed a nice punch on the palate, preparing us for the savory courses ahead.


The first course was salmon, which was cured with lemon and sansho pepper, served over mazemen noodles with cheese (a Camembert  sauce), lemon zest, shiso, shredded nori, and pieces of crispy salmon skin. Essentially a more delicate, Japanese take on a "bagel with cream cheese and lox," this course was beautifully done, as the salmon was the right balance of savory and silky interplaying with the cream cheese which had a lighter consistency more like crème fraîche. The aspects which made it truly Japanese was the shredded nori and the well-browned bits of salmon skin which added an interesting textural contrast and smoky flavor to it all. The ramen noodles were thick and al dente, allowing it to handle and hold all of those toppings nicely. Loved this!


Next was the squid ramen -- a squid bolognese sauce and nori bread crumbs served over squid ink shell ramen. Chef Haraguchi was inspired to make this dish while making sausage, as it is typically found in Italian bolognese -- his twist on it would be to make a seafood bolognese. Within the bolognese sauce was some ramen broth that was made using lots of squid to get an intensely concentrated flavor of squid throughout. Just as he did with the first course, Chef Haraguchi created an Italian-influenced ramen dish here with shell-shaped pasta like an orecchiette (but taking it up a notch and making it from squid ink), a thick "meat" (in this case, seafood, and flavored with sesame) sauce like spicy bolognese, and breadcrumbs (instead of garlic and herbs, they are of nori origin). This course was certainly was our top favorite of the evening, as it had really bold flavors (you could really taste the squid thoroughout) had the warmness that I love about ramen (though without being completely traditional), and had perfect crunch with each bite.


The third course was uni served with blood orange, tare, shredded nori, and shiso over whole wheat ramen raviolo. Here, Chef Haraguchi was inspired by Shanghai-nese xiao long bao (i.e., soup-filled dumplings) and filled these ramen ravioli with miso broth and liquid uni. The uni was luscious and buttery and tasted great with the tare, while the orange added some sweet-and-tartness to the salt and brine heavy ingredients. The raviolo shell tasted a little hard for my liking, but I think that was to be able to strongly hold in the hot contents of the broth and uni without leakage. I really enjoyed the flavors in this course.


The following course was oyster, which began with two separate components: {1} slightly chilled oysters from Long Island, charred bacon, cubed cucumbers, and a gelatin broth concentrated with essence of oyster and {2} hot ramen noodles. {3} Chef Haraguchi asked us to pour the contents of the clear bowl (oysters and bacon) into the bowl of hot noodles and {4} stir until the jellied broth fully dilutes into a slightly darkened broth. The resulting ramen course became a room-temperature dish, meaty with oysters and chunks of bacon. We got to taste the silky brine of the oysters with the thick, slightly fatty cross slices of bacon in a refreshing broth mixed in with cucumber. You would think that mixing a delicate bivalve like the oyster with the heavier bits of bacon would be an odd combination, but surprisingly enough, it is a delightful combination. Plus, I slurped up every last drop of the broth.


For the last course, Chef Haraguchi started to torch a bunch of mussel shells.


{1} He then placed them into individually-sized French presses with a hot, concentrated broth, as to really steep in the smoky flavor from the dark, pearly shells, along with shaved bonito and a mussel-duck broth. {2} As the broth steeped in the French press, we were given a hot bowl of ramen (sourced from Sun Noodle Company in New Jersey) with mussels, scallions, shredded nori, Japanese chili powder, and a dash of soy sauce.

Once the broth was done steeping, we were told to pour the broth directly over our dressed noodles.


The resulting ramen course swam in the most fragrant broth, deeply concentrated with the smoky flavor from the mussel shells and the dark and flavorful intensity from the duck bones. The mussels were the perfect temperature (served at room temperature, but well heated with the steeped broth. Just in Chef Haraguchi's approach to the progression of a multi-course meal, this was a very light and delicate ending to the heavier, more savory first courses we had.

Findings: It is so wonderful to finally see the brilliant culinary approaches curated by Chef Yuji Haraguchi in action at the much anticipated opening of the Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen. The creative potential with Japanese ramen is executed here in the most interesting ways and in the most unlikely techniques. Drawing inspiration from other international cuisines and applying those traditional ingredients and compositions to the world of Japanese ramen and noodles, Chef Haraguchi provides an enlightening experience at his counter omakase seatings. Not only are the courses colorful, each and every aspect of a given dish is deliberate and explained in the most poetic gastronomy I've had the pleasure of witnessing.

I am so incredibly thrilled for the team at Yuji Ramen and the success they've garnered in the short span of a year -- I can only imagine that this is only the beginning for them. I can't wait for the next iteration of mazemen and delicious twists on Japanese ramen here at the Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen. Rumor has it that it'll extend its time at Whole Foods Market through the summer, which means Marcus and I will be back for more as soon as possible. So if you're curious about how something as simple as ramen noodles can really surprise and haunt you, you'll definitely find it at the Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen.

Price point: $120 donation to Yuji Ramen's Kickstarter campaign in exchange for an Omakase Date Night at Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen; $40 per person for the general public via KitchIt.

--April 12, 2013

Yuji Ramen Test Kitchen
Whole Foods Market Bowery
95 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/bowery
http://www.facebook.com/YujiRamen
http://www.kitchit.com/local_events/YUJIramen
omakase seatings available through May 12, check KitchIt for updates for upcoming omakase seatings

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

Dinner | SHO Shaun Hergatt

So I wanted to choose my birthday dinner this year, and after narrowing the list down, I finally decided on going to SHO Shaun Hergatt, located at The Setai New York of downtown Manhattan, to celebrate. A little bonus is that SHO is a participating restaurant on Savored.com, which offers 30% off the entire meal if your reservation is booked through its reservation service. From strong recommendations from Lisa, Alice, and some Chowhounders, SHO was definitely the spot I was looking for a food-focused dining experience. Having been to Ai Fiori, the main restaurant of The Setai Fifth Avenue (its midtown location), I knew I'd be in for a highly aesthetic ambiance and décor as well.

Chef Shaun Hergatt, originally from Australia, began his career as the chef de cuisine of The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton in Sydney, and during his stint there, the restaurant was named "Top 5 Up-and-Coming Restaurants in the World by Condé Nast Traveler. Later, he came to the U.S. where he worked as the executive sous chef of Atelier, the now-shuttered Ritz-Carlton Central Park restaurant, in 2003 and as the executive chef at The Setai in Miami in 2005. Four years later, Chef Hergatt returned to New York City to open his eponymous restaurant, SHO Shaun Hergatt, where the menu draws its influences from modern French cuisine with "Asian accents."


Very "zen-inspired" décor of SHO's dining room. I love how the reds and organic woods playoff each other.

Menu at SHO.

We started with three amuse-bouche along with freshly baked bread and flavored butters.

{1} coconut cream with carrot paper: The coconut cream had a tapioca-like texture, followed by a thin, earthy crunch from the carrot paper.

{2} squid ink-colored potato balls stuffed with foie gras: There were warm and super savory.

{3} mushroom espuma (Spanish for "foam") with espresso powder: This was very custardy with a strong flavor of mushrooms and a hint of lingering espresso. Loved this!

{4} country white bread with {5} truffle butter, French butter, and sage butter: The bread had a soft middle and a loose and crusty exterior. The butter was incredibly soft, considering they were served in the shape of logs, which made for easy spreading on the slices of bread. The truffle butter was my favorite, primarily because it, one, had truffles, and two, was the most fragrant and flavorful.

The first course was the "cool appetizer" within the scheme of our five-course dinner.
{1} Marcus's first course -- salt-pressed Petuna ocean trout with compressed nashi pear (aka Asian pear): This reminded us of a course (i.e., Atlantic halibut and green curry ceviche) we had at the JBF LTD dinner we attended last year with Chef Laurent Gras as the featured chef. Only differential here was that this course at SHO had citrusy highlights and the soft texture of pear. Marcus and I both really liked this as it was very refreshing.

{2} my first course -- Hudson Valley foie gras with duck skin tuiles and three flavors of apple: The foie gras terrine had a nice flavor to it, especially when eaten with , though it was a bit oversalted for my liking -- this saltiness was hard to take in, especially when there was no brioche to eat with it. What I did like, however, were the duck skin tuiles (tuiles are in actuality a pastry term for thin curved cookies, typically made with almonds) that topped the terrines, which added a crisp and fatty (in the way bacon is) layer of greatness to the already juicy and smooth textures.


The second course, to counter the first, was the "warm appetizer" for the night.

{1} Marcus's second course -- housemade polenta-filled agnolotti with grana padano (a hard Italian cheese) and brown bread granola: These were circular pillows of creamy and chunky meatiness (but without the meat!). An absolute delight, it was one of our favorite courses.
{2} my second course -- slow poached Knoll Krest egg with crunchy black rice: Don't get me wrong -- the egg was delicately poached to the ideal runnyness of yolk, and the crunchy black rice was a nice way of sweeping up that concentrated sunshiny syrup gradually without being overpowered by egg. What really upset me was that the menu (see above) described this course with an additional ingredient: Santa Barbara sea urchin. It was the entire reason (well, most of the reason -- gotta love me poached eggs, too) I wanted this course. You tell me there's sea urchin/uni in a dish, and I'm there. With that being said, when I inadvertently said "sea urchin" when I was running through my choices for each of the five courses with our captain, he looked at me as if he had no idea what I was referring to. I responded by saying that one of the second course options had sea urchin as an ingredient and that I would like to order that. He then said something along the lines of, "Oh, he said you mean the egg course? That has a poached egg and crunchy black rice. There is no sea urchin." I proceeded to point out where I saw the item with said sea urchin to him on the menu, and he still insisted that I was wrong. I was frustrated beyond belief, but I didn't want to argue anymore -- there was nothing more I could do. His heavy accent and my "delusions" were not on the same page. When you say there is going to be sea urchin, there better be some gosh darn sea urchin! You do not play games or joke when it comes to sea urchin -- it is serious business, especially for those who are enthralled by it.

Next came the "fish course" -- one of two main courses.

{1} my third course -- East Coast flounder with langoustine and black truffle cauliflower purée: I was enticed so much by the black truffle cauliflower purée that I decided to order the flounder. The sauce was well done, and the purée was great. While the flouder broke apart really easily and became creamy with the accompanying sauces, it tasted like mediocre hotel catering. I thought the langoustine would salvaged the dish a bit, but alas, the langoustine was a little tough and let's face it -- the flounder was just not very good.

{2} Marcus's fourth course -- Nova Scotia lobster with coconut cream rice balls and coconut curry: Marcus really enjoyed this dish. The drops of coconut curry around the circumference of the plate was done by one of the waiters -- in a very precise yet artsy. The lobster was cooked perfectly, just to opaque. The coconut curry was too strong in South Asian flavors for me, losing the lobster's natural flavors and everything. Beautiful presentation, nonetheless.

{1} my fourth course -- three-day red wine braised beef cheek with black trumpets and potato crisps: Out of all the courses I had, this was my favorite (which isn't saying a lot, as I felt the courses I had were unimpressive). Braised in red wine for three days, the beef cheek was bursting with intensely dark, hearty flavors. The thinly sliced black trumpets perpetuated the overall earthiness in the dish's core. The potato crisps added a decorative and textural effect, complementing the softness with a bit of structural crunch. Just like the traditionally braised short rib, this was done very well.

{2} Marcus's fourth course -- Upstate New York guinea hen with caramelized salsify, quinoa, garlic cream, and rillette: The guinea hen was our mutual favorite, for it was unbelievably tender and moist. Upon cutting right into it, Marcus found it to be super soft and so very tasty. Never knew poultry could melt in your mouth like that -- defies culinary gravity for sure.

{1} my last course (dessert) -- caramélia custard with dehydrated chocolate sponge cake and crispy dark chocolate: The dehydrated sponge cake had an interesting texture to it -- airy yet exuding a soft, velvety flavor of chocolate. The custard, however, was way too sweet, making the enjoyment of this dessert rather muted. Another disappointment, sadly, despite the beautiful presentation.

{2} Marcus's last course (dessert) -- lemon meringue with fennel lemonade: Another delicious hit for both Marcus and myself which tasted like a gourmet lemonade slushie. Quite sour, but it was much to Marcus's liking, considering his sour-driven, citrus-inclined palate.


The five-course tasting concluded with three mignardises.

{1} This was some shortbread dipped in chocolate -- mostly a vague memory. Nothing too special.

{2} These were a delightful post-meal refreshment -- in summary, large homemade junior mints.

{3} Miniature cinnamon ginger doughnuts proved my love for all pastries covered in cinnamon sugar. Delectable and savory sweet in one bite.

Findings: Overall, I wasn't very impressed with our five-course prix fixe at SHO Shaun Hergatt. In all honesty, I think (1) I overhyped myself, (2) I got bad taste in my mouth from the getgo with the sea urchin incident that I previously mentioned, and (3) the courses, at least the ones I had were pretty disappointing. Marcus certainly ordered better than I did, and I have to admit that I am a bit upset with myself and kinda jealous that he was able to carve out a much better experience than me. The service was just okay -- it wasn't particularly welcoming nor was it at all conducive to a relaxed and enjoyable dinner. I can sense the talent hidden underneath Chef Shaun Hergatt's toque filled with enlightening culinary experience (e.g., with the flavors of guinea hen and the agnolotti as well as with the presentation of the foie gras and lobster), but for whatever reason, our meal wasn't very representative of such refinement. I was very letdown, especially since we were out celebrating my birthday with what I had hoped would be a spectacular meal. I'm blaming myself partially for this because I got so hung up on the menu mishap that I ruined the rest of my night. I probably should've been more aggressive in trying to understand our captain, but I was so beyond annoyed and frazzled that I just gave up. I need to not do that in the future. Damn you, sea urchin. Why do you have to be so mesmerizing, so much so that if I am promised to have you and later that promise is reneged, I turn into a crazy food fascist where nothing else matters? Ugh, I need to be more forgiving.

I think I would give SHO another chance during another season and probably during lunch -- I am not sure I can justify the $85-$100 prix fixe when a hit-or-miss game is involved. So lesson here? Just know what to order, and you will be okay. Oh, and don't let the sea urchin become a siren to your gastronomic ears. You will be very disappointed otherwise.

Price point: $100 for five-course prix fixe.

--February 25, 2012

SHO Shaun Hergatt
The Setai New York
40 Broad Street, Second Level
New York, NY 10004
http://www.shoshaunhergatt.com