James Beard House

[cabrales]

I recently received information on the menu for Gabriel Kreuther (Atelier)'s dinner at the J Beard House on Thursday, January 30, 2003 (not 2002 as indicted in the title), beginning at 7 pm. The number of dishes included is somewhat higher than normal, and the menu looks fairly good. Also, the Taittinger tete de cuvee champagne for the reception is a plus.

Reception:

Caviar Beggar's Purses with Gold Leaf

Foie Gras Toast with Figs

Smoked Trout Rillettes on Olive Croutons

Wild Mushroom Tartlet

House-Marinated Salmon and Smoked Salmon Brochette with Chive Dipping Sauce

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1995, en magnum

Dinner

Rabbit terrine with Riesling, Hyssop and Fine Herb Coulis, with Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 1993

Tartare of Diver Scallops and Bluefin Tuna Seasoned with Caviar, Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli de Getaria 2002

Peasant Flour Soup with Florida Frogs' Legs and Onion Sprouts, with Masion Champy Les Argilieres Premier Crus Nuits-St-Georges 1999

Dayboat Halibut with Fresh Heart of Palm and Truffle Sauce, with Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 1996

Spiced Venison Medallion with Winter Vegetables and Elderberry Jus, with Chalk Hill Peters Vineyard Merlot 1997 En Magnum

Beraweke (?) Croustillant with Huckleberry Coulis and Pain d'Epices Ice Cream, with Willi Brundlmayer Trockenbeerenauslese Gruner Veltliner 2001

The price is $85 for members, $110 for guests. There are still seats (at least for members).

Edited December 20, 2002 by cabrales (log)

[CathyL]

Lovely menu. I'd never heard of beraweke either so I Googled it: it's Alsatian, a bread flavored with dried fruit (pears, prunes, figs), nuts and "de nombreux aromates."

[cabrales]

The price is $85 for members, $110 for guests.

A good deal for J Beard members as well. At $85, the comparable restaurant food and wine price (assuming a low 25% add-on to such price for tax and tips) is $68. The Taittinger comtes de champagne (not necessarily the same year, but at least in the 1990s) is selling at Bubbles for $30/glass.

$88 in the case of the $110 charged to non-JB members.

I plan on attending, and will report.

Edited December 20, 2002 by cabrales (log)

[cabrales]

An interesting (and good) dinner, although one that does not leave me necessarily impressed with L Gras. I am impressed with J Beard dinners, though, after not having sampled taht many of them.

An excellent value for Gras' food and for the sampling of black truffles (I've had more than I wanted), although these were large truffles from Southern France and not from the Perigord. I am not particularly experienced in J Beard events, but, if this is an indication, I will definitely report on more. Overall assessment -- why is Gras known but Portay not (Ritz Carlton, Nob Hill and a more senior pupil of Ducasse)? Assessment of Gras' food to come with more samplings, but I did indicate to Gras that I thought Portay was underrated (with the connotation perhaps that he was overrated relative to Portay?).

(1) Reception: Black Truffles Croutons

Veuve Clicquot Rose Brut 1996 (2 full champagne glasses)

The amuses were numerous, and generously offered. I positioned myself in the best possible position for them -- in the little kitchen area on the ground floor of the James Beard house right in front of Gras and his team. Members are free to position themselves in this mini kitchen, and I stationed myself where the food was being readied for distribution. Amuses included:

-- Rilettes of rabit, on a little crunchy toast, with 2 slices of black truffle (I had perhaps 3 of these, at least)

-- Potato soup, in a little ceramic serving cup, with a very marked sliver of scallion on top and little diced black truffles overall (1 serving only)

-- Sea bass sliver curled up, with an acidic oil, and two slices of black truffle on top (these were served in white ceramic spoons, a la Radius; I had at least 3 of these)

-- Diver scallops, cut into 1/2 to form a burger-like effect, with diced black truffles between the two "slices" and two slices of black truffle on top (I had at least six half-scallops of these). Lime jus was utilized on top of the scallop pieces. This was not poor.

-- Crouton with salted butter from California, two slices of black truffle on top (I had at least 3 of these)

-- Foie gras section (circular in form, attached to a fork) with gelee (I had at least 3 of these; they were not appealing, due to oversalting of the gelee and the dish overall)

-- Small oysters (larger than Kumamoto) with slices of black truffle on top, in their shell (I had at least 3 of these)

The $100 or so price of the J Beard dinner (tax and tips included) would have been justified by the amuses alone, together with the champagne. Not that the amuses impressed me, but they were appropriate and conveyed sentiments of black truffle. I stood right in front of Gras, receiving the items as he prepared them and not losing sight of any amuses that he was preparing. This is proactiveness that is necessary for a diner interested in sampling the most of everything, and formulating an informed assessment.

V-C champagne was fine. The rose was not, obviously, among the better I have had (think Grand Dame rose millisieme), but it was appropriate and I was guzzling happily away.

Many members of Gras' former Peacock Alley team were on hand. A number of them were working at Daniel, and wore costumes with that label.

(2) Lobster Salad -- Maine Lobster Poached in Rich Truffle Broth With Frisee Salad and Coral-Ginger Vinaigrette, Pouilly Fuisse "Clos Reyssie" Domaine de Lalande (Winemaker: Dominique Cornin) 2000

This dish featured a single curl of lobster, almost the size (and taste) of lagnoustine. Interesting saucing, with black truffle coupled with acidity. On top of the lobster was a mass of juliennes of raw vegetable (likely fennel, cut very thinly, or something similar) that had entangled within it small, small bits of black truffle. Nice elucidation of black truffles in the sauce, and, if I may commend myself, interesting utilization of squid ink in the sauce (almost taking like seaweed) which I detected. Overall, a nice dish. Lobster cooked appropriately, and an interesting dish. Decent wine pairing also.

(3) Halibut Braised with Endives and Truffle, with Jurancon Sec "Cuvee Marie" Charles Hours 2001

Nice utilization of both cooked-down endives and a bit of raw endives (more bitterness, crunchier) as garnishes. Halibut was nice, and accompaniment of tapioca (softened, cooked) was interesting. Saucing was truffle and meat-stock-based, and smelled like mushrooms. Nice differentiation from truffles-based saucing of prior dish.

The truffles, diced and cooked down, formed a layer atop the halibut. Nice, but not impressive in my book. Nice choice of Juracon.

(4) Niman Ranch Pork Belly Poached Slowly with Black Truffle and Roasted Crispy on the Skin with Truffle Jus, with Cote du Rhone Rouge "Vieilles vignes" St Esteve 1999

An impaired dish, in realization. Very fatty, two pieces of pork belly. Fat was there, but not cooked down or luscious. Also, the skin was not crispy per se, but was still distinctive. Potato slice in thick version was nice offset to meat. Pork belly was of nice texture and flavor, and infused with truffle, but main problem with the dish was overutilization of black peppercorns -- Sarawak (spelling) from Malaysia, which are quite severe. These peppercorns overwhelmed both the aroma and the mouth feel of the black truffles, which were still present, but muted in an inappropraite way. Overall, average, although I appreciated the idea of this dish.

(5) Guanaja Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Flavored with Black Truffle and Served with Dark Berry Marmalade, with Niepoort LBV 1997

A nice dessert in a sundae glass. The chocolate mousse tasted more like milk chocolate (not a negative in my book), and had roasted nuts (perhaps peanuts) sparingly in it. At the bottom was the more interesting portion -- tapioca with a white vanilla-based cream. In that "white cream" portion, which was light, were bits of bitter orange peel. Nice effects. I enjoyed that portion of the dessert.

Plantin from Puymeras, France, was, unexpectedly, the truffle supplier. The utilization of truffles was generous (reportedly 12 pounds). The quality was generally good.

Overall, a strong showing by J Beard and a good value-for-money relationship. Perhaps I am being unduly harsh a critic after having sampled an all-black-truffle meal at Troisgros recently, but Gras is overrated in my mind. I will sample more of his cuisine at Fifth Floor to make an appropriate determination.

Edited January 23, 2003 by cabrales (log)

[cabrales]

A few additional thoughts --

-- I asked what the pepper utilized in the pork belly was; it was Sarawak from Malaysia, which is strong. The general notion of combining black pepper with truffles is not a flawed one. However, in the pork dish, the pepper dominated.

-- Truffle shavings and other uses of truffles were very generous. A huge bowl of large truffles from Southern France sat next to Gras on the kitchen counter. Large truffles. Many of them.

-- James Beard can be a bit cliquish. I spoke with a very nice woman, but many of the people at my table took a while to warm up to me. I was told that one table consisted of "Grand Circle" J Beard members (the highest level?), who always attended the best events. A number of the couples at my table seemed to know one another. Fellow diners were well-dressed. I had changed after work into a two-piece dress ensemble, and was not underdressed.

[Jim Dixon]

It's probably a bit late to make thisBeard House dinner, but I read in Wedneday's Times that Alfonso is also cooking at a restaurant somewhere in the City...the notice isn't on the Times' web site.

I have a business relationship with the Iaccarinos, so I can't be completely impartial. But he and Livia (his wife, who's also in the US) are a couple of the hardest working people I've ever met.

They're completely dedicated to the food of southern Italy. If you can track down where he's cooking Friday, it would probably be worth a trip.

Jim

[Bond Girl]

I'm going tomorrow night, wondering if there's any egulleters who are also going?

[Ruth]

I had to skip that one but I shall be there for Julian Serrano tonight, Rick Tramonto on Saturday and Ming Tsai next week. Will you be at any of those?

[NY News Team]

Ferran Adria of El Bulli and Juan Mari Arzak of Restaurante Arzak are the two chefs honored this year at James Beard Foundation's 17th annual Holiday auction and dinner. The event on November 16th will feature a live auction of gourmet travel, culinary events and other luxury items, followed by dinner some some of the top Spanish chefs around. You will get to sample preparations from culinary luminaries like:

Jose Ramon Andres, Jaleo and Cafe Atlantico, Washington DC

Teresa Barrenechea, Marichu, NYC

Jordi Butron, Espai Sucre, Barcelona, Spain

Bruno Oteiza, Restaurant Tezka, Mexico City

Enrique Sanchez, Taberna del Alabardero, Washington DC

Julian Serrano, Picasso at the Bellagio, Las vegas

Terrance Brennan, Artisanal Cheese Center, NYC

Cost of admission is $250 for members and $300 for the general public, $3,500 for a table of 10-12. For those folllowing the thread on El Bulli, and the El Bulli cookbook, this is certainly cheaper than a plane ticket to Spain, and you wouldn't even have to leave Manhattan---Y. Yang

17th Annual Holiday Auction and Dinner

Sunday, November 16th

The Essex House

160 Central Park South

Reservation: 212-627-2308

source: James Beard House Calender

[Fat Guy]

Were I a wealthy man, I'd buy a table for eGullet. Sounds like an atypically amazing event.

[Bond Girl]

Were I a wealthy man, I'd buy a table for eGullet. Sounds like an atypically amazing event.

My sentiments exactly.

[ballast_regime]

I'm sitting contemplating using my student loans to go, just as I did last year when Charlie Trotter honored Fredy Girardet in Chicago. I suspect my rational side will get the better of me.

IML

b/r

[Bond Girl]

If you do go, I will see you there.

[theabroma]

Oh, mercy! Haven't made the others, but Tezka is divine - Arzak is Oteiza's mentor. Methinks we'll be slaughtering ye piggye bank for this one.

Theabroma

[alacarte]

Clark Wolf, a New York City-based restaurant consultant, will host a reading of excerpts from the James Beard Papers on Tuesday, October 21, at the Fales Rare Book Library at New York University. Photographs and some of the original letters will be on display to celebrate the collection in this, Beard's 100th birthday year. For info: (212) 998-2596.

(source: Food Arts magazine)

Edited October 4, 2003 by alacarte (log)

[Bond Girl]

Due to a friend backing out at the last minute I have an extra place at the James Beard House Greens event tomorrow. It's a cocktail party offering tips on "How To Give a Party". The appetizers are from Aaron Sanchez Paladar with lots of cocktails. Everything is all paid for, I just hate lettingthe reservation go to waste. Anyone who would like to have the free ticket should PM me for more details.

Edited October 8, 2003 by Bond Girl (log)

[Jim Dixon]

Cathy Whims and John Taboada will cook an all-Oregon (or mostly Oregon...they're using Italian olive oil and Portuguese sea salt) meal at the Beard House Monday, 10/13. Here are the details and menu.

Whims was chef/owner of Genoa until recently, and Taboada runs the quirky small plates wine bar Navarre. This is a good opportunity for you New Yorkers to see why we Pacific Northwesterners are such food chauvinists.

disclosure: I've known Cathy for about 25 years (she still thinks I tried to drown her on a Grand Canyon trip) and John since he first came to town, and they're both customers.

Jim

[mikeycook]

A few years back, I bought my mother-in-law a membership to the James Beard Foundation and, mainly due to the fact she lives on Long Island, she only went a few times, but had a good time. About a year ago, she discontinued the membership since she didn't go often enough.

I have been toying with the idea of getting a membership so my wife and I can go (we live in the village), but have gone back and forth on whether there are enough good events (and enough we could get into) to make it worthwhile. I also thought this might be an opportunity to have meals cooked directly by some top chefs, as opposed to going to their restaurant and having the dishes cooked by the staff.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether a membership is worthwhile? What events are best? How easy/difficult is it to get to the better events? Is it a good source for discovering new chefs? How does it compare to going out to a top tier restaurant in NYC?

Edited October 10, 2003 by mikeycook (log)

[alanamoana]

i don't know a whole bunch about the beard foundation, but it might be better to scope out the calendar of events on-line and purchase the dinner without the membership. the membership gives you a discount to the dinners, but you're still paying for that in addition to the membership fee. you'd just have to factor in how much you'd save and if you'd attend enough dinners to make it worth your while i guess.

i'm not too sure about your other issues, but here's my opinion:

the kitchen is small. most chefs who come from out of town prep in other kitchens ahead of time as there isn't a ton of space there. this isn't a bad thing, but it isn't their kitchen, so take that in consideration. any time a chef is cooking for large amounts of people, the quality will suffer a little because of the time factor. the amount of time to pre-prepare the food, the amount of time it sits before it gets to you, etc.

it is a little bit like an "old boys' network"...to get invited to do dinners there you have to have some connections. this doesn't mean that you are the best chef in town. so i don't think it compares to actually eating at a high end restaurant. remember though that the chefs are from all over the united states (and possibly the world) so you would get to taste food that is being served all over the place which you wouldn't get just from eating around town.

lots of factors to consider i guess.

[MatthewT]

the monthly calendars are pretty good. i'm in the business so i guess i like it for the newsletters so i can catch up with chef's i have worked with around the country. the dinners are definately worth every cent. you get the chef's dinner meal and wine usually all included. it's a different kind of dining experience.

[alacarte]

How much is the membership?

I've attended a couple of "Greens" events (under-40 divison of James Beard) and they've been a lot of fun (and a lot of food!)

[mikeycook]

Here is the listing.

I was thinking about the Fellow membership of the Food and Beverage Professional one (that is the one we got my M-I-L.)

[Schneier]

My wife and I are going to their dinner event in December. We would have saved $50 x 2 if we were members.

How much is membership?

Bruce

[mikeycook]

As an Associate ($125) you get a member's price for one.

As a Fellow ($250) you get a member's price for two, plus Previews, which seems to be key in getting into the better events, and access to First Friday luncheons.

For another $25, you can get a listing in and copy of a food and beverage professional's directory.

There are higher memberships (some of which sound like corporate donations), but these are the ones I considered.

[Schneier]

Sounds like if you go to a couple of events a year, it's a good deal.

Bruce