I will admit that I don’t really get the concept of the Chef’s Club. When it was first announced I thought it would be more of a rotating pop-up concept. But it is actually a regular restaurant with a menu created by four visiting chefs (selected each year) but helmed by a different executive chef. I’m not sure that I would ever visit just for dinner but I was happy to see that others are supporting it and the dining room was quite full. But there is a separate ‘studio’ space where dinners are hosted when the visiting chefs are in residence and I was lucky enough to reserve a spot for one of Erik Anderson’s dinners. I have regretted not having made it to Catbird Seat while he was there so was thrilled to FINALLY be able to have his food. Expectations certainly exceeded.
The Puck – bourbon, bee pollen, pear, pepper (at the bar pre-dinner)
Maine diver scallops – raw & cooked
Potato – creme fraiche, caviar
White truffle porridge – Danish rye bread, goat butter, hickory nuts, tonka bean
Pike – onions, roasted chicken skin bouillon, preserved lemon
Roasted pigeon – cranberry, juniper, chestnut, turnip, pine
Hay custard – roasted sweet grass hay, fresh cream, barrel-aged maple syrup
Burnt sugar and Rosemary pudding – buttermilk, pecan, sable
Wine Pairing
Raventos I Blanc ‘de nit’ Rose Cava 2012
Les Granges Paquenesses Cremant Du Jura Brut NV
Lanson ‘Black Label’ Champagne Brut NV
Domaine De La Pinte, ‘La Capitaine’ Arbois 2011
Charles Joguet ‘Cuvee Terroir’ Chinon 2012
Vinhos Barbeitos, Rare Wine Co. ‘Historic Series’ Savannah Verdehlo NV