I was fortunate enough to be invited to the event tonight at Roux and I wanted to share with the community my thoughts on tonight’s inaugural 10 Tables dinner. First, a little about myself as a matter of introduction since this is my first post to the forum. I am currently the sous chef at Z’s Oyster Bar and Steakhouse-East (the one behind P.F. Chang’s). I have been a chef in this town professionally since 2002 when I graduated from Sullivan University and have done time on the lines at Varanese and Napa River Grill among others.
Pictures are on my Facebook
Amuse:
Smoked Lamb Belly, Goose Liver-Cashew Mousse, Hot Sauce
Served on a sliced baguette the mousse was light and nutty paired with the small chunk of lamb belly. Unlike pork belly, the lamb was meaty and stood up well against the mousse. I would have liked to have the baguette slightly more toasted to give a little more crunch.
Salad:
Kokoretsi Finished w/Pear Glaze, Ultra Asian Blend Greens, Soft Boiled Egg, Lavender & Fig Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese Sformato
I have to admit that I had to look up what kokoretsi was. If you don’t know, let’s just say that every culture has their haggis, this one comes from the Balkans. The roasted kokoretsi started this dish with a nice roasted sweetness. If you want to try the pear glaze it is the same as what is being used on the new Shorty bowl being served at Rumplings. The other ingredients paired with a sliced pear garnish made for a wonderful savory and peppery blend.
Soup:
Lobster-Chayote Bisque, Basil Infused Whipped Burratta Cheese, Lemon Balm
The burratta gave the bisque a great creaminess balanced with the tartness of the lemon balm. I did feel that it was heavy on the chayote and the spicy heat almost overwhelmed the soup to the point that three out of the four in our party couldn’t finish it.
Appetizer:
Charred Octopus, Smoked Red Eye Gravy Aioli, Preserved Lemon Oil, Spiced Cannellini Beans, Fried Bone Marrow, Beet of the Night Micro Greens
I feel that this was the most balanced course of the night to this point. The octopus was meaty without being chewy, the aioli and the beans added a perfect seasoning finished with the fried marrow gave a savory and crunchy bite.
Appetizer:
Benton’s Country Ham, Duck Fat Fried Potato Confit, Scallion & Hot Sauce Puree
I have been hearing nothing but great things about Benton’s ham for some time now and now I know why. Personally, I’d eat just about anything cooked in duck fat and it did wonders for the ham wrapped potato. The hot sauce was Roux’s own and I can’t wait to get back and get more.
Entree:
Red Grouper, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Braised Guanciale, Sorghum Butter, Hot Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette, Dragon Carrots, Midnight Spice Micro Greens
Another well balanced creation. The salty bacon flavor of the guanciale with the sweetness of the sorghum and jelly vin tartness. The fish was firm and flavorful finished with the crunchy carrots.
Entree:
Over Roasted Quail, Caramelized Baby Turnip Stuffing, Israeli Cous Cous, Pickled Radish Beurre Blanc
According to chef Eric Moris' FB pic of this dish the cous cous heat was provided by some green chilis and was worked perfectly with the risotto-like creaminess served in endive leaves. This by itself would make a great appetizer and I’m stealing it. The dark meat of the quail was well served with the sweetness of it's stuffing. I could have used a little more sauce, but the sliced radish garnish gave me a tart note that I was craving with this.
Dessert:
Roasted Banana, Mustard Butterscotch, Marcona Almond, Lime, Mascarpone, Sea Salt Sable
The mustard butterscotch threw my wife for a loop, but I thought it gave a great spice note to an otherwise perfectly sweet finish to the evening.
A wonderful evening put together by four great chefs. On the whole, while I have my criticisms, I have no complaints. That said, I do have two criticisms to help to make the next dinners even better.
First, there was too much time in between courses. Things got going a little later than the scheduled 7:30pm start time and pushed the event past 11:00 on a school night. I don’t know if it was to allow the guests to fully consume their drinks or just slow getting dishes around the dining room. Perhaps one or two more staff could have helped as I only saw two servers and the manager serving (couldn’t see the whole dining room so I don’t know if there were more staff on the other side). Second, the pours on the wine pairings that my two guests opted to include were heavier that I expected for an eight course meal. Even though they did not finish several of the glasses, there was still enough to make me feel uncomfortable letting them drive home and I put them in a cab. For a meal such as this a half pour of wine is plenty.
Again, this was a fantastic meal and I feel extremely lucky to be picked to attend. If those guys ever need an extra hand or a fresh idea I’ll lend either to the cause. God bless and keep cooking.
