2nd Annual Grand Gourmet Food Tasting Event
Sukey Pett's Quick Bytes
Grand Central Partnership kicks of the 2nd Annual Grand Gourmet Food Tasting Event at Grand Central Station.
Judging by the crowds and multiple laps around the steam tables, the 2nd Annual Grand Gourmet Food Tasting, sponsored by the Grand Central Partnership was a smashing success. More than 30 executive chefs from midtown restaurants served their dishes, many of which were specially created.
The beneficiary of all this largess is the Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation, the largest drop-in center for the homeless in Manhattan. It is not in any way affiliate with the Grand Central Partnership, except where this benefit is concerned.
The organizers behind Grand Gourmet were: Peter S. Kalikow, Chairman, GCP (Grand Central Partnership) Fred Cerullo, President & CEO of GCP, Ken Aretsky, owner of Patroon and Co-Chair, Craig Cupani, Executive Chef at Patroon and Restaurant Captain of Grand Gourmet, and Jerry Della Femina, owner of Della Femina.
Now to the food: space, discretion and a bit of inebriation prevent this reporter from listing every single dish tasted.
Highlights: Asia de Cuba's Duck Leg Ropa Vieja. Executive Chef Gerald Drummond was kind enough to tell me how he cooked it: He browned the duck legs on top of the stove then braised in the oven, for about five hours, and served in a port wine-hoisin reduction, with julienne of peppers, snowpeas and rolled up in a lettuce leaf.I will try this at home.
Icon's Fisher Island Oysters with Tomato-Horseradish Granita.
Cool, cooler then hot, the briny, slimy sexual feeling of the oysters sliding straight down, cool icy granita, no Sno-Cone from childhood ever tasted quite like this, chaud-froid horseradish fallout afterwards...
Had more than I could count...
D'Artagnan, The Rotisserie Duck sausage on baguette with black truffle butter. Need I say more?
Patroon Loin of lamb, very rare, with a succotash of spring vegetables and a lemon-coriander sauce. The sum of the parts do not to justice to the whole here. Several portions were consumed, and if there had been a polite (or at very least, discreet) way to acquire a doggie bag I would have acquired one)...
One potable in particular stood out:
Farnum Hill Ciders Hard, dry ciders made in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, in the artisanal French and English styles. This is extra-dry cider made from vintage cider apples. Cider apples are to eating apples as wine grapes are to table grapes. According to Louisa Spencer, one of the partners of Farnum Hill, many of these apples would taste quite foul off of the tree because they're overly tannic.
Some of the heirloom cider apples Farnum Hill uses - and the cider is pressed at Poverty Lane Orchards - (love that name!) include Medaille d'Or, Somerset Redstreak, Kingston Black and others.
For more information on Farnum Hill Ciders, go to www.farnumhillciders.com.
