by Stephen D » Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:17 pm
I wanted to let everyone know how things turned out...
The secret ingredient turned out to be Woodford Reserve. When it was announced, I felt sorta bad for Chef Ashton and the Brits. We love Woodford and work with it often. Coming from scotch country, I felt they were a bit disadvantaged on this selection...
Chef Ashton rose to the occasion, producing some great food in an unfamiliar environment. I didn't get to try all his dishes, but what I did taste I liked. Most notable were the babyback ribs that he braised, then deep-fried to order. They were tossed in an Asian-inspired BBQ sauce that was ginger prevalent. He served them over a spicy slaw that featured mung beans (and I do love me some mung beans!)
To be honest, I felt Dallas and the kitchen staff showed great sportsmanship and hospitality towards the visiting competition. They all certainly seemed to enjoy having company, as the kitchen was abuzz with chatter every time I went in there. Dallas could have pressed his obvious sourcing advantage and brought in some exotic, high-end products. Instead, he chose to match the same quality tier on Chef Ashton's ingredient list.
At the end of the day, Louisville squeezed out a .5 marginal win (on a 10 point ranking system.) Guest-voted, I wondered how this meal would have been judged if it were held in England.
The cocktails were well received, so I was pleased. The after-dinner cocktail was definitely the star. An espresso martini variation, I felt it would cut through, yet compliment, both desserts. It's also the kind of drink that can be enjoyed alone like a cup of coffee. Here's the recipe expressed in batch format like I made it:
1 part Woodford
1 part Tuaca
1 part Simple Syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
1 part Espresso or Very Strong Coffee (we use a med-roast from Consumer's Choice)
1 part Water
Premix and keep in a pitcher until ready to serve. Blend for 5 seconds, incorporating ingredients, opening flavors and creating the crema that espresso lovers seek. Pour into chilled martini glasses that have been rimmed around 1/2 the lip with the following:
1 part granulated sugar
1 part ground espresso or good coffee (we proudly use a medium roast from Consumer's Choice)
Place both in a food processor and blend until fine and homogeneous.
Looking back on this event, I keep thinking about how typical it was. I know, using the word 'typical' infers a sense of lackadaisicallity or humdrummedness- this was neither. There just seems to be some reoccurring themes at special/catering/off-premise style events and this dinner had many of them. One classic is the 'disastrous spill.' We have all seen the normal restaurant spills which, at their worst, mean the loss of a shoulder-tray of plates. Yet, at special events, there always seems to be a situation where that tray winds up taking out 75 champagne flutes before knocking over the chocolate fountain and landing in the bride's lap!
I also love the social environment inherent in this style of dinner. With people seated at communal tables, prix-fixe pricing and structured format, people tend to open up and talk more. Besides, with everybody tasting the same things at the same time, they have something to talk about!
All in all, a fine evening and I believe I can speak for everyone at Z's when I say that we are looking forward to doing it again- sooner the better.
