Chef Talk Dinner at Craft, 1/26/02

After our whirwind tour of some of NYC's culinary high spots, the group headed over to Craft for a fabulous dinner. Sadly, KyleW and Linda had to cut out, to attend the festivities for the new name of ICE, but Cape Chef, Shroomgirl, MBrown, Momoreg, Foodnfoto, and Suzanne were joined by Suzanne's s.o., Paul.

For those who don't know, the menu at Craft is sort of do-it-yourself, put together the meal you want. It is divided into Appetizers, Main Courses, and Sides; within each of these, the items are divided into method of cooking, such as Braised, Roasted, Sauteed, and so on. (Sauces are now mercifully decided upon by the kitchen.) The food was placed in the center of the table, and we operated on the principle of "Take some and pass to the right" (just like Thanksgiving, MBrown noted). We all shared, with much oohing, aahing, sighing, and hilarity:

Appetizers:

House-cured Duck Ham
Roasted Foie Gras
Roasted Sweetbreads
Gamebird Terrine
Frisee Salad
Nantucket Bay Scallops

Main Courses and Sides:

Braised Guinea Hen
Braised Shortribs
Roasted Skate
Braised Quail
Roasted Loin Lamb chops

Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushrooms
Roasted Bluefoot Mushrooms
Braised Salsify
Potatoes Boulangeres
Soft Polenta
Fennel Salad
Celery Root Remoulade

To go with all these, we had a 2000 Pinot Gris from Matakana Estate in New Zealand, and 1999 Pinot Noir, St. Innocent, from Shea Vineyard in the Willamette Valley (Oregon).

After all that, could we eat dessert? Since we had a couple of illustrious pastry chefs in the party, we all felt it was our duty to try. (Here, too, everything is a la carte.) We ordered:

Chocolate Tart, and Coconut Sorbet
Freshly-made Donuts (chocolate, wheat, and Cinnamon) which come with chocolate sauce for dipping
Toffee Sticky Pudding (with its own jug of toffee sauce, and whipped cream)
Roasted Apple Rings
Roasted Quince slices
Espresso Panna Cotta.

This led to the only conflict of the day or evening, when one person at first refused to share! But the problem was short-lived, without anyone having to resort to uncivil behavior.

But wait, there's more! First of all, since the waiter overheard some comments at the table, the chocolate tart came out with "Happy Birthday" on it for MBrown. Then, even MORE desserts were brought, courtesy of the kitchen:

Brioche Pain Perdu, with a side of caramel sauce
Blood Orange, Pear, and Pineapple Sorbets
Rum Raisin, Caramel, and Hazelnut Ice Creams.

WOW! It was a struggle, but we demolished just about everything.

Finally, we received delightful migniardises of caramel popcorn, chocolate-dusted raisins, peanut brittle, and apple jellies. And, oh yes, another little extra of tiny Chocolate/Espresso Ice Cream Sandwiches.

The staff at Craft could not have been more gracious. And on a busy Saturday night, they let us take our time -- 4 hours (!) for our incredibly wonderful meal. But as good as the food was, the company of Chef Talk friends made it extra special.

A wish for everyone on Chef Talk

Cape Chef said:I have to make one small correction to that: We already ARE old friends, because we've gotten to know each other through Chef Talk! (Although I could never have imagined what fun it is to WATCH M Brown talk, as well as listen to her!) At one point at dinner, I overheard Foodnfoto telling CC how important the site is to her, how connected it makes her feel -- is that ever true for me, too! And, I'm sure, for many others.

Which gets me to my wish: I hope that other "Chef Talkers" throughout the world can find a way to get together to share times like the one we had! Nicko is quite right in his warning -- but once you get to know each other online and can get a group together (safety in numbers -- I mean, for all I knew Cape Chef could have been some kind of madman ;) [well he is, but only when it comes to food!]), you might have as fantastic a time! This kind of friendship is life-saving.

And, of course, you'll be able to share the BEST food!!! :lips: :beer: :D

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!

Foodnfoto, don't sell yourself short! Your suggestion of the quail was brilliant -- we all agreed that it was one of the real highlights of the meal -- so tender and juicy, not at all dry the way those little guys often end up! And, yes, you DID share, without any threats from the rest of us (well, maybe it was those longing looks we gave your plate...).

To get back to the rave about Craft: it's really a great place to go with a crowd, for 2 reasons. 1. if somebody doesn't like something that gets ordered, there's sure to be something else they'll love, and 2. it's almost impossible to not like almost everything. And the staff was so gracious to us, letting us hang out for so long, even on a busy Saturday night.

Craft is definitely on my best-of list now!

Looooooooooong dinners

Oh, Athenaeus, we'll turn you into a New Yorker yet!

Believe it or not, some restaurants here actually operate under the barbaric principle that the table you, the customer, occupy is really theirs, to do with as they please. And since they want to make as much money as they can, they only want you to sit there for what they decide is "enough" time to have your meal. Then they will have another customer in your place, to be rude to in the same way. This tends to happen in new, "trendy" places, and can be as little as 1+1/2 hours. I've heard that they actually tell you that your time is up! Disgusting thought, isn't it?

Well, maybe they are not doing it so much now, if business is down. But they are often the type of place that is very busy when it first opens, and then loses business to the next "hot" place. I cannot speak for the quality of the food in places like that, since I am neither young nor thin enough to be part of that crowd. Athenaeus, you'll have to be our emissary to those places when you get here. (only joking!)

To repeat: the door is open!

PollyG -- and others who find themselves in the "Big Apple" -- Please do get in touch. If we can work it out, I'd be happy to show you the city I love! Other cities have much to offer in the way of food and culture, but this is my home and I love it. I want you to learn to love it, too. And I want to learn what YOU have to offer, too.