684 replies to this topic

[Mummer]

It's Shola's job for the food to be "out of [the] league." He's not let me down.

The wine, Sockii, isn't an issue. Some folks have fancy bottles to bring; that's great. Many of us don't. But Shola's dinners have always been about his food and his generous sharing about prep and sourcing. We could drink water and not lose a beat.

Bring something wet. Either we'll have it or you'll take it home. Nobody cares.

I don't even know where the new place is at this point. I'm sure it will work out.

[percyn]

Last night's dinner was fabulous !! A marathon 10 courses celebrating corn.
A few of us took pics, including Shola, which I am sure will be on his blog soon, but I will post the ones I have before heading out for the weekend.

There were some last minute changes to the menu and I can't seem to find my copy, so will copy the menu from the blog and update it from memory:

Chilled Corn Soup . Lemongrass . Ruby Grapefruit . Peeky Toe Crab . Kaffir Lime Gelee - The Kaffir lime gelee was surprisingly delicate and not as overpowering as I had imagined.


Silver Queen Ice Cream . Sake Cured Trout Roe . Corn Shortbread . Sorrel - Great combination of creamy, slightly sweet corn ice cream, the saline saltiness of the trout roe. The dish would reach even greater heights by the addition of a crunchy textural element.


Scrambled Corn . Santa Barbara Uni . Spicy Yuzu(?) - Luxurious textures and flavors with a kick at the end.


Corn Juice Polenta . Ginger . Truffle . Castelmagno Cheese - Another small, yet flavor packed dish. Amazing how the ginger just accentuates the corn flavor.


Scallop . Marcona Almond . Corn-Miso . Smoked Hijiki - This was a bowl full of umami. Delicate sweetness of the scallop and corn-miso and the sea essence from the Hijiki or wild Japanese sea vegetable.


King Salmon . Matsukate . Onion Sprouts - Super fresh salmon quickly seared to be rare in the middle, over Matsutake mushrooms in a broth with a lot of depth.


Cavatelli . Corn Carbonara . Meadow Run Egg . Grated Benton's Ham (and bacon?) - Scallion(?) Cavatelli, just formed creamy egg yolk to cut the smokiness of the Benton's ham and bacon. My palate would have preferred for the yolk to be just a tad more runny - I love runny yolks.


Grass Fed Lamb . Shisito-Corn Relish . Yellow Watermelon . Yuzu Kosho - Lamb from D'artagnan, compressed yellow watermelon which had almost a pickled flavor. I am not a fan of watermelon, but I loved this.


Epoisses-Corn "Yoghurt" . Caramel Corn . Corn Shoots - Amazing flavor combination of funky cheese with soothing corn yoghurt and the crunch from the corn pops.


Corn Bread "Perdu" . Sweet Corn Sorbet . Chocolate . Orange Liquid + Crispy - After this elaborate meal, I was glad to see a light dessert and a super refreshing corn sorbet, which embodied the taste of raw corn. The flavor and textures of this dish made it one of the highlights of the evening.


Unfortunately, I was not taking taking wine notes and there was a lot of wine which was enjoyed by all, so I hope my fellow dining companions comment on the wines we consumed.

[tbabes]

Beautiful pictures Percy; thanks for posting. I thought every single course was fantastic, but if forced to choose, my favorites would be:
Silver Queen Ice Cream . Sake Cured Trout Roe . Corn Shortbread . Sorrel
Scrambled Corn . Santa Barbara Uni
Corn Juice Polenta . Ginger . Truffle . Castelmagno Cheese
Cavatelli . Corn Carbonara . Meadow Run Egg . Grated Benton's Ham

I took wine notes on the back of my menu, but clearly had one wine too many, as I left my menu on the table. From memory, the 2005 Kongsgaard Chardonnay was an excellent match with many of the courses, and quite the contrast to the 1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. The 1995 Chateau L'Evangile is drinking wonderfully at present, but I think (hope) it will continue to improve for another few years. The 1988 Chateau Rabaud-Promis is an excellent expression of Sauternes, and is fully mature -- a nice pairing with the cheese and dessert courses.

I see Shola has set up a "Breakfast as Dinner" event for tomorrow night; the menu is posted on his blog. I will be there.

[lfabio2007]

Do I understand correctly that the Oct 2nd/3rd dinner is moved to Oct 16th? Also - is anyone planning on showing up? We were thinking of going....

[Spinner]

It better not have been because here it is 10:20 pm the night before and I have no update from Shola about this. I took off work tomorrow to go so..this would be a problem for me.

Edited by Spinner, 01 October 2009 - 07:19 PM.

[dagordon]

According to the site (upper right), the Breakfast as Dinner dinner was rescheduled for the 16th, so unless two distinct dinners were both rescheduled for that night, I think it's safe to say that this weekend's dinners are still on.

Edited by dagordon, 01 October 2009 - 08:32 PM.

[Spinner]

I saw that and that is all well and good but Im still wondering where the menu for tomorrow is. It is usually posted on the Monday before the event on Shola's blog and I don't see it as of now.

Edited by Spinner, 01 October 2009 - 08:44 PM.

[dagordon]

I saw that and that is all well and good but Im still wondering where the menu for tomorrow is. It is usually posted on the Monday before the event on Shola's blog and I don't see it as of now.

I don't know about other events that Shola has done, but I do know that for the Ideas in Food collaboration dinners they don't finalize the menu until very shortly before the dinners -- that is, there's simply no way that the menu was anywhere close to being fully planned out on Monday. For one thing, a good portion of the food is market-driven, based on what's good and available in the days right before the dinners. But also, part of the fun of these dinners is Alex and Aki and Shola experimenting with new techniques and preparations, and my impression is that dishes can get reconceptualized many times up until pretty much the last minute.

Enjoy the surprise! (And as far as wine pairings, I can tell you that a menu wouldn't help much, given that it's almost always very difficult to predict how one of their dishes will taste from a description. As I think they've said about past collaboration dinners, bring what you like to drink.)

[Spinner]

Well, that's some good info then. If I had been told that instead of not having emails answered I would not worry as much as I have.

Understand, I am traveling in excess of 2 hours for this meal with someone who is traveling 1 hour to get to me..so we can meet someone in PA that is traveling there to meet us. And I took off work. Lots of logistics I have to plan for :)

So Im not trying to be a pain in the ass..just trying to figure out what's going on.

Edited by Spinner, 01 October 2009 - 09:55 PM.

[lfabio2007]

Oh, er, two different events. Never mind me then! I apologise for the confusion...

[tbabes]

Please share your thoughts about tonight's dinner; I'll be there tomorrow. It is at Alex and Aki's place in Levittown this time, and am looking forward to seeing that.

[mrbigjas]

Please share your thoughts about tonight's dinner; I'll be there tomorrow. It is at Alex and Aki's place in Levittown this time, and am looking forward to seeing that.

i'm powering through the remnants of a miserable cold to be there tonight. hope i can taste anything.

[percyn]

The "Breakfast for Dinner" event was off the hook !! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day...OK, the morning...so this was a special treat.

Shola has posted about this dinner on his blog as well. I borrowed the names of the dishes from there as he might have made final adjustments to the menu he provided.

There was plenty of good wine and I will leave that to our trusted wine scribe - Brian.

Scallop . Chamomile-Apple Gelee . Breakfast Radish . Celery - the sweetness from the apple complimented the sea-sweet scallop. Delicate yet flavorful.


Marble Rye Ice Cream . Smoked Char . Sorrel - It would be hard to identify the flavor of the marble rye ice cream in a blind taste test, but it gave a great backdrop to the house smoked salmon. In a way, to me, this dish was about the contrasts - salty, smokey and slightly sweet flavors with creamy and crispy textures and contrasts in temperatures as well.


Egg Salad "Chiboust" . Caviar . Puffed Parsnip - A simple yet profound bite. Another study in contrasts. The saltiness and the pop from the caviar contrasted the Chiboust and the caviar gently popped in your mouth while the parsnip brought some crunchiness to the party in your mouth. Makes you wish they sold parsnip puffs in stores - Shola, I smell a business opportunity.


Rainwater Madeira Oatmeal . Roasted Matsutake . Parmesan - A savory delight. You could easily fool someone by introducing this dish as a slightly softer version of a mushroom risotto. Wish they served this at the cafeteria at work - for breakfast or lunch. Will certainly have to try this at home.


Toasted Croissant Soup . Cheddar Whey Froth . Bacon Wrapped Andouillete - One of the highlights of the night in a dinner full or stellar dishes. The Andouille and Bacon were smokey and super flavorful while the soup had great depth and the cheese whey froth lifted the dish to a new level.


Spanish Mackerel . Tomatoes . Chermoula - Shola was afraid this dish would not fit into the theme, but there are many cultures who have fish for breakfast besides the British - it is fairly common in the far east. The Chermoula kicked a$$.


Meadow Run Farm Egg . Triple Chicken Bouillon . White Truffle. Whipped Foie Gras - Looks can be deceiving - this was an umami bomb. The egg was cooked so that the yolk was just set, though I would have liked to try some with a slightly runny yolk.



"La Ratte" Potato-Oxtail Terrine . Potato-Egg Yolk Foam . Oxtail Jus - On an ordinary day, this version of "steak and eggs" would rock - and it did. However, in this meal of superstars, it did not shine as strong.


Old Spot Pork Belly . Dulche de Miso . Apple . Fennel . Celeriac - Now, I have had my fair share of pork belly (and yes, I have the belly to prove it) and Shola's pork belly is on top of the list and this was probably the best one I have every had. Just perfect ratio or fat to meat and the skin....ohhh that crispy, crunchy, flavorful skin. If I were a poet, I would write an ode to the pork belly skin. The Dulche de Miso and Sous Vide apple puree were amazing and have been added to my "must try at home list".


Dessert #1 - Caramel Corn Puffs . Celery Root Milk . Corn Sorbet . Mint - Another simple looking dish, but very unique flavor profiles, making you wish you could have this everyday.


Dessert #2 - Frozen Butterscotch . Smoked Chocolate . Roasted Banana Sorbet . Bourbon Maple Glazed Benton Bacon - A "Maverick" dessert.... conceptually intriguing, texturally interesting and flavorful.


Thanks to Shola and my fellow diners, for a very memorable StudioKitchen dinner (some would argue they all are).

Edited by percyn, 17 October 2009 - 07:16 PM.

[Irenesh]

I think you have sent inspiration sparks to many a thread viewer here. Cooking what you love, serving guests, teaching, and making a good profit all at the same time - dream job indeed. I am interested as both a host and a guest. What I wonder is how one goes about advertising such an enterprise - website, flyers, word of mouth... It is so special when a private home is turned into a public venue. Brings personal relationships back into the corporate world.

Perhaps one can take a building and turn each apartment into a unique restaurant! Call it Restaurant Mall!

[Holly Moore]

Studio Kitchen Returns -

With the September opening of his restaurant, Speck, Shola will resume the Studio Kitchen experience. "Nine courses and a few surprises," according to the announcement on the Studio Kitchen blog. Reservations may be purchased, prepaid, on line as tickets. Two four seat counters - communal in that any number up to eight may sign on.

[Tim Dolan]

Damn, those Saturday night seats got snatched up right quick.

[cdh]

Fantastic news... I'm hoping that the whole Speck/SK project exceeds our already high expectations... It's about time Shola had a restaurant to showcase what he does.

[Tim Dolan]

I have seats for Friday night. Based on all the excellent pictures and glowing reviews, I'm pretty excited.

[Holly Moore]

Anyone want to grab some seats on a week day, I'm game.

[zeffer81]

Anyone want to grab some seats on a week day, I'm game.

I'm down. Make it happen!

[jmbrightman]

we will add 2 seats to the weekday visit...

[Tim Dolan]

Unfortunately I had to give up my reservation on Friday, Oct 8th at the Studiokitchen table. It should be available if anyone here would like to jump on it.

[tbabes]

Does anyone know if they're still on track for opening next week? The first studiokitchen seating is for next Wednesday -- only one week away!

[Buckethead]

Does anyone know if they're still on track for opening next week? The first studiokitchen seating is for next Wednesday -- only one week away!

Nope, delayed 6 weeks:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Hold_on_a_Speck_there.html

[Mummer]

Be careful. You're talking 2 places. Call Shola to confirm.

To my resto friends - always call to confirm!!!

[SaxChik]

Hmmm, haven't been able to eat real food since July 16th due to surgeries and other fun stuff ... this may be a good option for my break fast.

[Peter Johnson]

GRRRRRR

Logged on to the site last week and discovered they started taking reservations again; made one for 12/4. Today it was cancelled and refunded--no explanation. I'm pretty close to being in the camp of "I'll believe it when I see it."

[fchrisgrimm]

(bump).

Any news?

[Peter Johnson]

Now fully in the camp of "I'll believe it when I see it."

[philadining]

I've seen it, and I believe it.

Of course I'd rather be sitting at the counter eating, rather than believing in it, but FWIW, I'm confident it's imminent.

I cannot, however, Speckulate on an exact date...