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Evening Star Farm Fresh Dinner


Escoffier

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I'm sorry, but something has come up and I will not be able to make it. I hope someone else out there can take my place - sounds like it will be a wonderful dinner.
I am sorry that you can't join us u-bet, but we are also happy that goldenticket can join us and take your place. Thanks all!
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I am sorry that you can't join us u-bet, but we are also happy that goldenticket can join us and take your place. Thanks all!
So am I - I stopped by Planet Wine after work and was happy to hear from Chef Artley that the incredibly delicious yellow tomato gazpacho I'd tasted during Del Ray's first Thursday is on the menu for tomorrow :lol: Looks like we're in for a very tasty meal!
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A BIG T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U to Chef Will Artley for your entertaining stories, company, and of course, for the food. Chef certainly made dinner feel like family and made it family-styled as well. I will defer the comments/reviews to our first-timers (IlanaKS or dalaii) or even our 2nd-4th timers (aaronsinger or TheMatt), but certainly, I am happy to provide my own little "amuse pictage" for the evening.

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Grilled Habanero & Cheddar Biscuits with Fried Dragon Creek Center

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Chilled Pea Soup with Minted Creme Fraiche

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Savory Cones with Tuna

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Trio of Heirloom Tomatoes: Gazpacho, Tartare-style with Bacon, and Grilled watermelon with goat cheese trio.

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Brown Butter & Blue Cheese Gnocchi with Mussels & Sage Froth

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Day Boat Scallops with Fava Bean & Mschroom Succotash, and Corn Sabayon

I believe someone else has a lovely picture of the Apple Butter Based Suckling Pig served family-styled, as it was passed around quite quickly before I had a chance to take a picture of it. It was accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes.

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Indian Summer Fruit Pie with Homemade Vanilla ice cream

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First things first, an enormous thank you to goodeats for organizing the event and everyone else who participated in its creation, especially Chef Will. The menu was well thought-out and above all superb!

And finally (I promise to get to the review soon!) I want to thank IlanaKS for graciously reviewing the rest of the menu and sparing me (and the readers) the injustice that I would have undoubtedly done.

Trio of Heirloom Tomatoes (refer to the previous post for a picture.)

Can I just say - grilled watermelon. WOW! Stacked with yellow tomato, this was an amazing explosion of flavor. The accompaniment of tartare topped with homemade (yes, I said homemade) bacon hit sweet on my tongue and I couldn't eat it fast enough! The saltiness of the bacon balanced very nicely in this morsel. However, my favorite item was the tomato and olive oil gazpacho. This was quite interesting on the palate and the tartness/acidity of the tomato was very prevalent, but definitely not in a bad way. I thought the texture of this portion was very interesting as well, almost granular but that only added to the dish. I am a gazpacho novice, so if it normally feels that way then I had no idea!

Chef did a fantastic job in showcasing the tomato in ways I never thought possible! It was an eye-opening experience and one that I hope to repeat very soon. Stay tuned for comments on the rest of the course.

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My first impression from reading through these pictures is, "$50 for this meal is a bargain."

My second thought is that I need to get back into Evening Star and SOON.

You're right - it was a lovely meal, with a lot of rich, delicious dishes, but appropriately portioned so we didn't have to be rolled out of the place after dessert :lol:

I think the Farm to Table dinner is a great idea for those looking for a venue for a small and intimate (up to 14) group meal at a reasonable price. Chef Will had told me that they do 4, 5, and 'anything goes' (I think that was about 8 courses) for a range of ~$50-85 - wine extra, of course. What a steal!

ETA - Sorry you couldn't be there u-bet!, but I'm really glad I could fill in!

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I have nothing but praise for the food, particularly the tuna with wasabi and the melt-in-your mouth pig. There were two porkies for the 14 of us, and we cleaned the platters. It got to a point where taste trumped hunger. I heard the chef mention "five days" but I didn't catch the context. Could he have been referring to how long the pigs had been simmering -- or marinating -- or what?

The restaurant went out of its way to make us comfortable.

All but aaron were present and waving our forks ten minutes early. Let future banqueteers beware.

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Grilled Habanero & Cheddar Biscuits with Fried Dragon Creek Center

Trio of Heirloom Tomatoes: Gazpacho, Tartare-style with Bacon, and Grilled watermelon with goat cheese trio.

Brown Butter & Blue Cheese Gnocchi with Mussels & Sage Froth

Apologies for the spelling errors -- it's what I get for not proofing my typing. I just wanted to highlight some things that people didn't mention (a bit of injustice to Chef Will, I think if I didn't write about highlights). The cheddar biscuits appetizer tasted like mini-sliders, but with the right combination of buttery goodness plus a little *kapow* of habanero. The spiciness did not at all linger in your mouth, which is great because it didn't mask other flavors to come.

The bacon was just the right combination of fat and meat, but that grilled watermelon + goat cheese combo created this fusion of melt with sweet that was nice.

My favorite dish of the evening was the gnocchi, as I have not had such good gnocchi in a looong time. The blue cheese and butter created sort of this mac-n-cheese likeness, but was exactly as Chef described it in his talk: "soft and rich."

One note for women if you plan to attend a Farm to Table dinner -- one of the a/c vents is right by the table, so you might want a light sweater just in case.

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This thank you is long overdue. I had a marvelous time at the dinner this past Sunday. Great job by goodeats for organizing and planning, Escoffier for the inspiration, and to Chef Will for his fine cuisine. I was delighted upon entering that we were seated at one long table in the wine shop. Mussels and gnocchi were delicate and divine. Wine flowed effortlessly into my glass with each new palate pleasing course that appeared. Decor all around was lovely, and I left happy that I wasn't stuffed but satisfied. Yummy!

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