Showing posts with label guest chef dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest chef dinner. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A Collaboration Dinner: Haru Kishi and Marcel Vigneron at Chaya Brasserie

Chaya Brasserie may be a landmark in the Beverly Hills dining scene for more than 25 years, but Paris-born new Executive Chef Harutaka Kishi is bringing new experiences to its diners, new and old. One of these experiences is a series of special dinners where he collaborates with different chefs. It's not a pop-up. It's not a guest chef dinner where each chef creates their own dishes. It's entirely a collaboration where both chefs work together to create each dish.

The first of these dinners was held with Top Chef contestant Marcel Vigneron, formerly of The Bazaar and Bar210(and now star of Syfy's Marcel's Quantum Kitchen).

Haru Kishi and Marcel Vigneron
Chefs Harutaka Kishi and Marcel Vigneron
Our meal started with a beautiful Thai Lobster Roll, Avocado, Roasted Banana, Thom Kha, Pickled Red Onion
Avocado, Lobster
How beautiful is that dish? It looks like a garden. Despite the delicate look, the the flavors was pretty bold with the thom kha sauce. The richness from the coconut milk added to the creaminess of the avocado.

The dishes were prepared with cocktails made by Devon Espinosa from Tasting Kitchen (and also Marcel's bartender on Quantum Kitchen). The thai lobster roll was paired with the Thai Reviver (Plymouth Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blonde, Fresh Lemon Juice, Thai Basil Leaves) - a great pairing if I may add.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

April Bloomfield Dinner at Melisse

Although this year there has been no news on the 5x5 Dinner series, Angelenos can still indulge in guest chef dinners at Melisse. This summer, Chef Josiah Citrin welcomes Chef Christopher Kostow of Restaurant at Meadowood, Chef April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig and The Breslin in NYC, and Chef David Kinch of Manresa.

I was able to go to the Bloomfield dinner and enjoyed a six (more like seven) course meal prepared by Chef Bloomfield, Chef Citrin and Takayama of Melisse, and Chef Ray Garcia of FIG. Chef April Bloomfield opened The Spotted Pig, New York's first gastropub, in 2004. It was a huge hit and the restaurant with its seasonal British-pub/Italian has maintained its one Michelin star since then.

This dinner is a collaboration hosted by Melisse, so naturally the amuse bouche and bread come from Melisse.

The meal started with Foie gras with yuzu and Melon, mint, pistachio.

Bread service: Basil brioche, bacon focaccia

Since it's Monday and I didn't want to spend even more money, I opted for a glass of wine instead of doing the wine pairing (an extra $75). I ordered the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de La Solitude which was meant to be paired with the Boudin Blanc course. Despite being a fairly young wine, I found it pretty smooth.

Wild Japanese Kanpachi
Sorrel, cucumber, passionfruit-espellete // Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama
The richness from the sorrel nicely highlighted the kanpachi.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Crisp olives // April Bloomfield
This gazpacho turns out to be a good introduction to the food of Chef April Bloomfield: bold flavors and strong on the spice. The crisp olives were a nice textural touch and were something I could munch on all day.

Squid Basquaise
Nduja, forbidden rice, piment d'anglet, prosciutto // Ray Garcia
Part of the squid was stuffed with nduja, a spicy pork sausage which originated from Calabria, and forbidden rice (a type of black rice). The dish was finished with chorizo romesco sauce. This dish is a good followup to Bloomfield's gazpacho with its equally strong flavors. The squid had a great texture although there were a little too much nduja in the pieces that were stuffed.

Boudin Blanc
Sauteed market potatoes, basil & pickled mustard seed // April Bloomfield
This boudin blanc was made with pork and veal. The potatoes were flavorful and moist although I preferred eating them separately from the sausage.
Interestingly, I didn't think the Chateauneuf du Pape actually paired that well with this dish. The boudin blanc brought out the tartness and acidity in what was before a rich and smooth wine and unfortunately this tartness overwhelmed the food.

Arctic Char
Spiced lentils, anchovy-pine nut bread crumb //April Bloomfield
The fish was cooked perfectly and had a nice skin but the lentil and anchovy-pine nut crumb were a little too salty and strong in flavors. Fortunately the tomatoes really helped cut this saltiness. I enjoyed the flavors but the salt could be toned down - or add more tomatoes.

Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef
Chanterelle mushrooms, Brentwood corn, summer truffles, "jus de boeuf acidule"
// Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama
In the back were braised short ribs and potato galette. Even without reading the menu, upon looking at and tasting this dish you should know that this was not April Bloomfield. The dish had more subtle and balanced flavors. Yes, this was very much a Melisse dish. My only complaint was that the wagyu was tougher than I would've liked.

Strawberry, Basil, and Pistachio //Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama
Berry sabayon, brown butter ice cream over pistachio vacherin, finished with basil emulsion. A solid and refreshing dessert from Melisse (although my heart still lies with their Passionfruit Parfait with lemongrass soup).

Persian mulberries, apricot, creme fraiche, canele, and a housemade raspberry chocolate truffle
The Persian mulberries were the juiciest and sweetest mulberries we've ever had while the delightful truffles melted in our mouths.

The three dishes by Chef Bloomfield gave a pretty good idea of her style. Each dish was excellent with strong and bold flavors which no doubt would work wonderfully at a casual gastro-pub but in my opinion as part of a tasting menu where progression of the meal itself is important, their flavors are too strong. They lack the restraint that Chef Josiah Citrin showcases in his dishes.

Next up: Chef David Kinch of Manresa on Monday, August 23rd!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

April Bloomfield Dinner at Melisse: The Menu

The Summer Guest Chef series at Melisse continues. Yes, I'll be attending this one!

Chef April Bloomfield from
The Spotted Pig, New York on
Monday, July 26, 2010.


Amuse Bouche

First Course
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Crisp Olives

Second Course
Stuffed Squid Basquaise-Nduja
Forbidden Rice, Olympic Garden Tomatoes, Espellete

Third Course
Boudin Blanc
Sauteed Market Potatoes, Basil and Pickled Mustard Seed

Fourth Course
Arctic Char
Spiced Lentils, Anchovy-Pine Nut Bread Crumb

Fifth Course
Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef
Chanterelle Mushrooms, Sweet White Corn, Summer Truffles, "Jus de Bouef Acidule"

Dessert
Strawberry, Basil and Pistachio

Each Menu will be $150
(not inclusive of alcohol, tax or gratuity)

A portion from each reservation will be donated to Southern California Special Olympics


For reservations please call 310-395-0881

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Menu: Christopher Kostow Guest Chef Dinner at Melisse

On Sunday June 27, Chef Christopher Kostow from The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley will be preparing a special five course meal (+dessert) at Melisse, kicking their Summer Guest Chef Series.

Here's the menu Chef Kostow has prepared:

First Course
Foie Gras in Black Bread
Dark Chocolate, Apricot, Bacon

Second Course
Santa Barbara Spot Prawn, Hokkaido Scallop and Cuttlefish
Windrose Farm Tomatoes, Uni-Apple Emulsion

Third Course
California Halibut with Serrano "Skin"
Molten Corn, Porcini, Borage

Fourth Course
Liberty Duck Breast and Confit Leg
Murray's Lulu Berries, Japanese Turnips, Jus d' Epice

Fifth Course
Veal Breast "Vitello Tonnato"
Hamachi Collar Mayo, Pickled Cucumber, Sorrel

Dessert
Peach, Peach, Peach


The dinner is $150 per person (tax and gratuity not included)
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Special Olympics.

For reservation please call 310-395-0881 or visit OpenTable.

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