Foodie: A Night of Food and Wine
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008On the list of underrated social activities, dinner parties rank right up there with bowling, mini-golf and a game night of “Scene It” and “Taboo”. Sometimes taken for granted, always a good time. When you combine the great qualities of a dinner party — enjoyable conversation, meeting new people, intimate setting — with the fine dining experience of a restaurant, what you get is foodie.
Here’s the description from the website:
foodie is a bi-monthly six-course food and wine tasting event based in New York City. Fifty passionate food and wine lovers come together in an elegant loft space to share a unique dining experience with friends or people with similar interests.
Always up for a unique dining experience, Moki and I checked out a foodie event on a recent Friday. Not surprisingly, we had a great time. The loft space was certainly elegant.
The night started with a pre-dinner glass of wine. Then we found our name cards at the tables and sat down for the meal.
No one told me I’d be sitting at the “cool eyeglasses” table. Moki and Leah were engaged in deep discussion.
The chef and founder of foodie, Joe DeSalazar, announced the theme for the night’s menu — “French techniques using Asian ingredients.” There would be five courses, each paired with a different wine. Here’s a pic of the menu.
First up, Asian Nicoise, a play on Tuna Nicoise. Instead of lettuce, the dish included mizuna, a mild Japanese green.
Kimchi Bouillabaisse with crispy rice. Kimchi can be overwhelming, but it was used sparingly here, its flavors balanced nicely with the seafood and broth.
Swordfish Au Poivre, replacing the traditional strip steak with a delicate and crusty piece of peppercorned swordfish. Moki and I commented that the dishes were getting progressively better and better, a key for a multi-course meal — you want to save your best for last. I was also busy inspecting the plating of each dish, since plating is something I’m trying to improve in my own cooking.
(Keep in mind, each course was also accompanied by a glass of wine [with refills]. I was starting to feel very, very happy.)
The fourth course was a powerhouse, cutely called, “Cassoulet… Sort of.” The green of the edamame was a nice visual contrast with the white beans, and the edamame were expertly cooked, popping in the mouth upon each bite. We all ooh’d and aah’d about the tender duck and deliciously salty piece of braised pork belly. This was good eating. Did the server just pour me another glass of wine?
Spiced pear with sweet cashews and cilantro ice cream. You know how the chefs on Iron Chef America always use the secret ingredient in a dessert, and it turns into a bizarre concoction like sea urchin custard or something? Cilantro ice cream isn’t quite as bizarre, but when I first saw it on the menu, I did think, “That’s unusual.”
After eating it, I may put cilantro in all my ice cream; it was outrageously good. You wouldn’t think the sweetness of ice cream and the pungency of cilantro go together, but somehow they do. It’s like the cilantro blunts the sweetness and turns it into something remarkably refreshing.
After dinner, Joe visited each table to speak with the guests and discuss the meal, a classy personal touch that added to the intimate feel of the night.
Moki and I enjoyed ourselves immensely, although we thought there was room for small improvements.
First, I’m not sure about the assigned seating. Part of the charm of these events is meeting new people, so I’m thinking guests should be able to sit wherever they want. It’s not a wedding. Second, there was no real conclusion to the dinner — as people drifted out, the night sort of ended with a whimper. Moki suggested setting up a dessert bar to encourage everyone to get up and mingle, and then serving an after-dinner drink.
But enough nitpicking, it was a great time, and we’re looking forward to another dinner.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to buy cilantro and ice cream.
