Like Carnegie Hall for Chefs
-
- January
- 4
David DiBari, the chef at Zuppa in Yonkers, cooked an amazing lunch at the James Beard House last week. He, like many other LoHud chefs who have cooked there, was extraordinarily honored to be there. (I wrote a story about it for Friday’s paper.) I was extraordinarily excited to be invited.
Here’s the Beard House. It’s on 12th street around the corner from 7th Ave. Pretty good place to live, I’d say.
(If you don’t know about James Beard, suffice to say many people call him the father of American cooking, but there’s tons of information about him on the James Beard Foundation Web site.)
Here’s his portrait.
When I got there, David was pretty much done serving hors d’oeuvres.
The sauce for the short ribs dish was on the stove, next to the lobster for our first course:
One of the hors d’oeuvres was Ricotta Tortina with Sopressata and Balsamic Onion:
Old-school but dressed up! Very tasty: salty, rich, creamy and sweet.
Another was Truffled Butter Beans with Parmigiano-Reggiano and Rosemary
Addictive. Unfortunately, I was a little late and missed the other hors d’oeuvres:
Prosciutto Cups with Foie Gras Mousse and Lingonberries
BaccalàTartufo with Gaeta Olive Gremolata
Smoked Mission Figs with Gorgonzola Dolce Latte and Candied Pumpkin Seeds
Here’s the crowd at the reception. (Notice the courtyard? When it’s warm enough you can go out there, too.)
Prosecco with the hors d’oevures:
Robert Leggio, one of the owners of Zuppa:
Holy Hannah! Look at those white truffles:
At the Beard House, most of the tables are upstairs. Here, the crowd heads up to their seats for lunch:
They made room for a large table in the reception area. I also sat downstairs, which worked out great for photo taking!
My table was on the other side of the kitchen.
My place:
The view into the kitchen:
Can you see David on the left? Here’s a better look:
He’s plating the first course:
Crispy Panissa, Poached Lobster with Madeira-Marinated Black Currants
Cold Marinated Mussels with Orange-Fennel Foam
Cantine Volpi Gavi Vobis Mea 2004
The mussels were like standing on a rocky beach with wool coat on, and the lobster was like floating in a Caribbean bay inlet. Both seas  but each with its very different feeling. The two dishes contrasted beautifully and started the meal off with fireworks.
Guess what’s coming next?
David, plating the second course:
The harried wait staff, checking the menu:
A cool photo of the ravioli and the plates:
David, shaving those white truffles over the ravioli:
The second course:
Ravioli “Liquidi” with Foie Gras, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Shaved White Truffles
Come on! This was insane. Foie inside, which melted into liquid, truffles and a sauce of butter and pasta water. Everyone was oohing and aahing.
The best part? We were offered seconds. Upstairs, David actually went around and served everyone. Peter Kelly, who was at the lunch, said: “His serving of the ravioli really pushed it over the top. His interaction with the guests  it was a very special, intimate moment with the chef, which was very well done.”
The next dish was actually part of the second course, because it was another pasta.
Here’s David’s good friend Jared Lewin  they cooked together at Babbo  plating the next dish:
Everyone working together:
Rigatoni with Oxtail Ragù, Roasted Parsnips, and Sage
Fattoria La Massa Super Tuscan 2003
The parsnips really brought a sweet component to the dish. This is just the sort of thing I’d want on a cold winter’s night. (Now, when are we getting one of those?)
Plating the last savory course:
Onion-Crusted Beef Short Ribs with Smoked Mushrooms and Peppers Agrodolce
Dino Illuminati Zanna Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva DOC 2001
What was so cool about this was that it wasn’t served over polenta, and it didn’t push you over the already-too-full edge. I mean, yes: We were full. But there was a vinegary-sharp note in the agro-dolce (that’s what the sauce is all about: agro=sharp and dolce=sweet). Brilliant.
The wines really matched the food, too. Lovely combinations.
OK. Last course: dessert.
A Light Air of Peanut Butter, Milk, and Strawberries
Crespella Brûlée with Roasted Bananas and Nutella
Ricotta Zeppolini with Amaretto Butter
Tenute Soletta Dolce Valle Moscato Passito 2002
I’ve loved those zeppole since the first time I tried them in 2003. The roasted banana was terrific. But it was the “air” that everyone was talking about. David says he takes a puree of each flavor and mixes it with gelatin before using a whipped cream canister to make it airy. I have to go to Zuppa again immediately to eat this again.
After the meal, David went around so diners could ask questions. (They asked a lot about that air.)
He got a thunderous round of applause, a few parting gifts, and the chance to say he cooked at the Beard House.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, January 4th, 2007 at 10:21 am by Liz Johnson.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email
(4.62 out of 5)
(4.21 out of 5)
To ooh and aah over eating foie gras—to think it was necessary to make an animal suffer so a human can please his pallette—is pretty sick!
Thanks for allowing us to be a part of the dinner. Your photos and plate by plate descriptions make me feel as if I was there. Would love to learn more about James Beard…you have inspired me to do some research.
Who is this rita person anyway, was she even there, probably not, do something better with your time than rant and rave about foie gras. The Chef was great!
I agree Rita, foie is just an awful thing. It’s such an easy out for chefs to make a ‘sophistciated’ meal. There is nothing sophisticated about it. Many people simply have no understanding where their food comes from. It is changing, with the organic movement, but we have quite a ways to go. The more we can understand how the food we eat arrives on our plates, whether at home or a restaurant, the better off we will be.
I encourage those who eat foie gras to visit:
http://www.nofoiegras.org/
James and Rita,
Why just foie gras? What about all the chickens, pigs and cows raised in confinement and shot up with hormones and antibiotics that end up on our grocery store shelves?
Should we ban chicken, pork and beef too?
Liz
It’s not about banning. For cows, look for grass fed organic beef. The cows roam about as they wish, and since they eat only grass, the amount of energy needed to bring one to harvest (slaughter) is greatly minimized. As far as chickens, it’s best to support farms who practice both organic and free-range style productions. I don’t eat pig myself, but for any pork products, again, look for organically raised, small farm type.
We need to wake up to our eating habits. The solution is about education.
Let’s take this discussion to another thread. I’d hate to get all political on David DiBari’s accomplishments.
http://lizjohnson.lohudblogs.com/2007/01/06/foie-gras/
Liz, I agree with you. Especially since David happens to be my nephew. He is a terrific chef!!!