Taste of New York
I don't know about you, but I think New York Magazine gave me free passes to its Taste of New York event because of my photography skills. I mean with a picture like this, what else could it be?
Ok, that's a pretty bad picture but, in its own particular way it gives you a sense of the room: chefs, foodies, lights, cameras, suits, dresses, hair, tablecloths. Ilan Hall from Top Chef was there, as were all the bloggers--Eater, Grub Street, NYC Nosh--plus other journalists, media types, and, of course, New York's favorite chefs. But there was one person there who was happier than anyone else--a certain someone who, after going last year--begged me to take him again....
Yes, that's Craig with Jean-George's goat cheese parfait, an amazing amalgam of texture and flavor. I remember beets and, of course the goat cheese, but not much else: it was certainly a highlight.
The real highlight for both of us, though, was Dan Barber's contribution: "V-8 Juice" with some kind of panna cotta from Blue Hill Stone Barns. Don't you love the presentation?
That's a cracker with garden greens resting on each glass. You eat the cracker, then you scoop up the panna cotta with a spoon from the bottom of the glass and finish by shooting the V-8 juice. It was surprising and refreshing and inspired: at a big city event, it was a welcome dose of the country and as far away from cliche (tuna tartare, anyone?) as you can get at an event like this.
We spoke to Dan for a bit, and he said he was burned a bit last year after someone criticized him for serving raw multi-colored cauliflower straight from the farm. I told him, truthfully, that it was one of the more memorable bites that we'd had. But I suppose what makes a chef great is how they absorb criticism; some get defensive, but others (like Dan) use the criticism as a launching pad to do something better. And this year's dish was certainly a testament to that.
I was incredibly flattered to be recognized by a chef whose name I immediately recognized: Marco Canora of Hearth (which I love) and Insieme (where I've never been). He was serving pumpkin tortellini and it was fantastic: it's one of those dishes that never fails to impress (I've had it at Babbo) and I hope to make it at home some day.
I spoke to Wylie Dufresne for a moment and asked him about the popcorn soup he was serving.
"It's simple," he said. "It's just popcorn and water."
It was a strange soup--some people around us didn't like it--but I'm always impressed by anyone who takes chances, and Wylie is probably one of the biggest risk takers in New York. (I still need to get to wd-50.)
Some of the best bites of the evening were the desserts. Daniel's pastry chef made an incredible hazelnut cream that I devoured in just a few bites:
The best, though, was this confection from Payard: a milk chocolate morsel with caramel inside and--here's the best part--salt sprinkled on top:
That salt knocked it out of the ballpark. Amazing what salt can do for a dessert.
In conclusion, this was again a very fun event; a great chance to mingle with chefs and other food writers. It's truly fascinating to see what chefs come up with when presented with an opportunity like this: I know a certain someone who can't wait to see what they do again next year.
