August 2011 Tasting Menu Post Report:

It's taken quite a while to get this post report posted...things have been crazy at the restaurant, what with Hurricanes and power outages and such.  I'm very pleased to announce that the August Tasting Menu was an unprecedented success.  We sold out all three days of the menus run and completed a total of 98 chef's tasting menus!  My team and I want to thank all of our wonderful guests who came in and participated.  We put an enormous amount of time and effort into the tasting menus (from development to planning to execution and production) and it's all worth it when we're able to sell out for three straight days and please our guests.  What's even more exciting is that by the time we were finished with day three of the August tasting menus run we had nearly sold out our September tasting menu, and that menu hadn't even been written yet!  There are still some slots available for the upcoming September Chef's Tasting Menu, but they are going quick...

Anyhow, here's a brief photographic synapse of the August Chef's Tasting Menu that ran Sunday, 8/21/11 to Tuesday, 8/23/11...

For the amuse bouche we put together a clam(s) casino.  This is simply a freshly shucked countneck clam (about the size of a half dollar) on the half shell that is topped with a casino butter (a mixture of bell pepper, garlic, bacon, white wine, butter and other goodies) and baked/broiled.  The resulting bite is fantastic!

First Course:

Tuna Crudo

tomato ceviche, watermelon pickles, micro cilantro

cucumber "soba" noodles

aji amarillo coulis, chipotle aioli

this dish came together beautifully with all the components combining to create a wonderful marriage of freshness, acidity and summer flavor.  This dish featured sungold cherry tomatoes from Beckett Farm right here in Glastonbury, CT!  The aji amarillo coulis is a spicy yellow chile sauce that is inspired by my El Salvadorian team members, many of whom are very fond of this chile. 



Second Course:

Butter Poached Lobster Tail

gold potato blini, celery salad, native tomato marmalade

lobster-tarragon emulsion

This dish was received as a great success and chosen by many of our guests as their favorite course, but I secret was not pleased with our plating on this dish.  For me the plate presented itself as crowded and if I had it to do over again I'd most definitely re-work the plating.  The lobster poached in beurre monte is the star here and this cooking method (slowly cooking the lobster submerged in emulsified butter) highlights the subtleties of lobsters and produces a perfectly cooked meltingly delicious lobster...

Third Course:

Braised Boneless Shortribs

sweet corn polenta cake

local goat cheese stuffed squash blossom

roasted mushroom pan jus & horseradish bubbles

this dish featured boneless beef shortribs from Meyer Ranch slow cooked in a porcini mushroom & veal jus.  The finished shortribs were served with a pan seared corn polenta cake (featuring local corn from Ferrari Farms in Glastonbury, CT), roasted cremini mushrooms, fresh horseradish bubbles and a goat cheese stuffed squash blossom tempura.  The goat cheese we used for the squash blossom was from Beltane Farm in Lebanon CT. 

Fourth (Dessert) Couse:

Vanilla-Mango

mango sorbet & salted vanilla-caramel ice cream

strawberry fluid gel

vanilla olive oil cake, candied pinenuts, mango "tartare"

this dessert featured the flavors of mango and vanilla and the components of the dish were developed to accent or contrast them.  I also presented variations in temperatures (hot/warm olive cake and cold ice cream/sorbet) & textures (crisp pinenuts to smooth sorbet).

 

The meal finished and we presented our guests with a Chocolate-Passionfruit Macaron (below).  The macaron cookie shells are flavored with a fine belgian cocoa powder.  A valhrona chocolate & passionfruit ganache is sandwiched between 2 macaron shells.

and for those guest with canine friends/furry children we sent them home with some hand made dog treats as I'm a fanatical dog lover.

That completes the post report...again I'm very pleased with the success of this tasting menu and look forward the September Tasting Menu which is right around the corner (September 18th - 20th).  The menu for the September Tasting is completed and will be posted very soon!

Thank you all