Duck fat poached shrimp gazphacho paired with Villa Chiara prosecco. The gazpacho had a very mild spicy to it and flavors of cucumber and scallions stood out the most to me. The shrimp itself was cooked perfectly, but if they hadn't said it was poached in duck fat I would have never known it because that flavor just didn't come through. That being said, this was a fresh and flavorful start to the meal.
Japanese style beef tartar using seared Kobe beef and seared tenderloin. It was seasoned with sesame and Chef Cassano's own persimmon ketchup on a pickled and fried lotus root. It was paired with a Karatamba Sake. This dish was all about amazing texture. The crunchy, sweet candied lotus root paired perfectly with the soft beef tartar. This dish had the table buzzing because of how well the flavors and textures worked together. The persimmon didn't come through for me, but this dish didn't need it to. The sake in this course was also very light and easy to drink, which was nice because it didn't take over my palate as I was eating.
Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno and daikon sprouts in a light ponzu sauce paired with Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc. This dish was all about eaching each component together to get the full effect. The spice from the jalapeno and the acidity of the ponzu perfectly balanced the flavor of the yellowtail, and the fresh daikon added just enough texture to the dish to make this a "perfect bite".
Beef Sushi Brochette in a Sake soy beurre blanc reduction paired with Underwood Pinot Noir. This was hands down my favorite dish of the night. The meat was cooked perfectly. The texture of the beef was so soft it just melted in my mouth. Add the butter, scallion and slightly garlic flavor of the beurre blanc with the smokey flavor of the beef and you have a dish that I could have eaten all night! Simply amazing.
Course 5
White chocolate dried cherry Bread Pudding finished with Jack Dainels butter paired with a Snow Maiden Unfiltered Sake. This dish was savory and sweet with the white chocolate and cherry coming through just enough to make this a wonderfully balanced dessert. The most unique part to this course was the unfiltered sake. I've never had this type before and as my tablemate Edsel explained it would have a somewhat chalky texture to it because of the unfiltered nature. He was right on, and when drank with the dessert it really helped to balance out that chalkiness.
From the first course to the last, I enjoyed every portion of food and how it paired with the drink. Highlights for me were the Beef Tartar, the Yellowtail and the Beef Sushi. The event was another successful one for Emerging Chefs in terms of food, fun and entertainment. The next Emerging Chefs event, Summer White, will take place on Saturday, July 16th and will feature Chef Regan Reik of Pier W.
For more information on Summer White Click Here.
Disclosure: I was provided a media pass to attend this event. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
2 comments:
The portions at these dinner seem pretty small, considering the price. Do you walk out of the events hungry?
The first three dishes at this event were small, but the last two did provide enough filling food that I didn't leave hungry.
I totally agree with you that the price to amount of food ratio is extremely important for food events like this. Tonight's overall quantity of food wasn't the best, but honestly the quality of what was served was excellent. That makes it a difficult call on the "value" because they are also serving a drink paired with every food course.
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