Dining Under the Stars – DC Event Review
Posted by Lauren, "Gal About D.C." - 09/08/10 at 12:08 pm
Seared Scallop
Canapes at sunset and four course dinner at dusk…fab food, a sexy setting and perfectly paired wines meant black mini cocktail dress with exposed zippers and fire engine red stilettos, if I do say so myself.
On Thursday evening, the folks behind the International Wine and Food festival joined the Washington Wine Academy in hosting the 1st Urban Farm Table on the Plaza. The event, held outdoors at the Ronald Reagan Building, was designed to offer local foodies an opportunity to satisfy their cravings for decadent food in an intimate setting. Four local chefs prepared distinctly varying courses for approximately 80 attendees. The chefs:
- Chef Olivier Perret of Ici Urban Bistro
-
Chef Todd Gray of Equinox Restaurant
- Chef Xavier Deshayes of the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
- Chef Tiffany MacIssac of Birch & Barley and ChurchKey
The humid evening kicked off with canapés and champagne in the Reagan building’s Pavilion room (the DC weather gods decided to pour buckets). The beautiful canapés included a seared scallop with what I imagine was mango, corn chutney and almond slices (Do you slurp a 2 inch scallop? At least make forks available, pretty please!), lukewarm crab salad served on a dim sum spoon and an olive oil sorbet. The execution was gorgeous! (see photo)
Crab Salad spoon
Olive Oil Sorbet
The glorious glorious food:
Chef Olivier concocted a sweet pea veloute with grilled Carolina day boat shrimp and olive oil foam (shrimp cooked perfectly and the foam was drool-worthy). Chef Todd Gray’s grilled golden river trout was served with Benton’s Tennessee ham and stuffed with a summer succotash – perfect for a hot summer day. Chef Xavier got heavy with a beef striploin covered in roquefort beurre (yuuuum). The final course was a jasmine tea mouse with plum sorbet. The coconut cream was a light and delicious kiss to close a night of gluttony.
Chef Xavier's Striploin with Roquefort Beurre
Each course was lovingly paired with interesting wines by the Washington Wine Academy. The wines:
- Sweet Pea Veloute – Albrecht Riesling Reserve 2009
- Grilled Golden River Trout – Nautilus Pinot Noir 2008 (Marlborough, MZ)
- Fire Roasted Ayrshire Farm Beef Striploin – Bodega Weinert Malbec 2004 (Argentina)
- Jasmine Tea Mouse with Plum Sorbet – Saracco Moscato d’Asti 2009 (Italy)
Bold move to pair the trout with the pinot noir, oui? Oui. The success of this odd relationship was an interesting discussion at the table…and the jury’s still out.
Overall: The heat certainly changed the flavor of some of the wines and texture of the dishes but c’est la vie. A few of the ladies were truly stylin’ (snakeskin strappy 4 inch open toed stilettos! Swoon), which always makes events more fun for me. The idea behind this event is fantastic – the folks who did the wine pairings wandered around during dinner to explain the pairings and the chefs were available afterwards to chat. I’ll be there next year, assuming the weather gods cooperate, and I think you should be too!
Chef Todd, Chef Tiffany, Chef Xavier & Chef Olivier
[Photo Credit: Will Dyer, Will Dyer Photography]
