Chinese New Year has come and gone and this past
Monday a group of folks from AIWF (American Institute for Wine &
Food) at THE SOURCE (http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3941) where Chef SCOTT DREWNO and his amazing team prepared a true New Year's FEAST!
On
arrival downstairs we were presented with a glass of Prosecco and led
to a huge OYSTER BAR laden with Chesapeake beauties and all the
trimmings. I always forego that red cocktail sauce, but here we also had
two novel and superb vinaigrettes or yuzu or ginger that brought
excellent flavor (if used sparingly) to the mollusk treats!
We
were led upstairs past several Live Action Stations where teams of two
or three chefs were busy preparing our first course. We sat down and
Dawn, who never stopped running like crazy all night, served us
Tegrnseerhof Gruner Veltliner "T26" 2011 from Wachau Austria that was a
nice foil to some of the mild spices in the many options we had. Dawn
offered to bring plates of anything for those of us who did not wish to
get up or stand (in very short lines), but we all wanted to watch the
exciting prep:
LOBSTER EGG DROP SOUP was made with Scallions and Wild Mushrooms and each bowl had a Lobster dumpling. There was an intense rich flavor to the broth on this cold night, so it was welcome as well to get a hint of Sweet & Sour spice in the soup to boot.
LOBSTER EGG DROP SOUP was made with Scallions and Wild Mushrooms and each bowl had a Lobster dumpling. There was an intense rich flavor to the broth on this cold night, so it was welcome as well to get a hint of Sweet & Sour spice in the soup to boot.
CHICKEN
SKEWERS came with Peanut Sauce and Pickles made from both Cauliflower
and Persian Cucumbers. The ground chicken was tasty and full of those
fabulous Chinese spice flavors. The LAMB SKEWERS came with Cilantro
Puree and because they were grilled and sat a bit, they were a bit on
the dry side, but still quite flavorful.
WHOLE ROASTED PIG BAO
was prepared to order with each bun stuffed with crispy skin and
delicious moist meat seasonsed with chili and topped with a cucumber
spear and hoisin sauce. When we went back for seconds (and I think
everyone did), we all tried to cut the carbs and just take the meat and
skin with spices and sauce!!
CHINESE NEW YEAR DUMPLINGS came
three to each plate and were presented gorgeously with great flair.
SHRIMP and LOBSTER were milder, with the PORK SHUMAI Dumpling coming
with a slice of Jalapeno. YUM.
WHOLE ROASTED
BRANZINO arrived at the table and was fileted with flair tableside and
tasted like butter with a tasty but not too spicy
SATUSUMA(orange)-PEPPER Sauce and Crispy GARLIC. There were slices of
pink grapefruit and Satsuma adorning each plate and as if this was not
enough tons of side dishes arrived family style:
DRUNKEN NOODLES which had a super spicy bite came with sautéed onions and peppers
FRIED CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUTS were yummy, if a bit oily from the frying
FRIED RICE was adorned with Egg, Scallion and Cauliflower
We
had moved onto a superb FAILLA PINOT NOIR 2012 from Sonoma Coast
California which was perfect for the full flavored fish and sides.
Out
last wine was an amazing full bodied and intense CHATEAU MONPERTUIS,
2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape that I would buy anyday. This was poured with
the WAGYU NY STRIP in a 5 VEGETABLE STIR FRY that was tender and tasty
to boot. Carrots, Potatoes, Kohlrabi, Mushrooms, Peppers, Cauliflower
and a Mala(Squash) Puree also filled each plate, just in case you had
not had enough sides in the previous course! White Rice Noodles were a
highlight of this dish seasoned with Szechuan Peppercorns and Sambal.
Having been on so many Holland America cruises with its large Indonesian
staff, I am a big fan of Sambal, which has a massive spice intensity,
but it was used here in just the right amount. PERFECTION.
Dessert
was a Chinese New Year TANGERINE CAKE & House Made Fortune Cookie
with banan Custard and Blood Orange Glaze. It was so yummy, Will asked
for an extra to take home!
What fun was had by all there and it was truly a spectacular celebration!
