The James Beard Foundation never fails to throw an amazing party and this year's Celebrity Chef Tour pulled out all their tricks bringing eight stellar chefs together at Maketto (H Street Corridor) where James Beard nominee Erik Bruner-Yang hosted one of the best events ever.
The evening started off with Chef Eric's hor's d'oevres being passed as we roamed through the restaurant, large open patio and kitchen and had the change to greet the chefs as well. Delicious Vodka, Ginger, Lime and simple syrup drinks were poured(I stuck with one) as I tasted the yummy Taiwanese Fried Chicken (one of Chef Erik's signature dishes) along with awesome Crystal Shrimp Dumplings which are akin to the dumplings that explode in your mouth as these had shrimp in chicken broth inside!. Spring Rolls were passed and I was told they were great, but the size was so huge, I passed knowing how much food was yet to come! I wandered into the kitchen to say hello to Chef Gerard Craft from St. Louis, where he has won the Best Chef Award for his stellar Niche where I have dined multiple times over the years. He also has opened Cinder House, Sardella, Taste, Brasserie and Pastaria creating a true empire and making him one of the best chefs (I say in the USA, but surely) between the two coasts. Chef Gerard hails from DC and I am blessed to know his wonderful parents who, like me, are opera fanatics and supporters! I got to meet some of the other chefs, but had to take a selfie (FB) with Chef Kristen Kish(of Arlo in LA) who won Top Chef several seasons ago and is one of Samuel's all-time favorites!
We sat down and I was thrilled to have a seat at the bar(there were only 4 of us) and the two bartenders, Rob & Jay(Jamaal) were awesome and also generous pourers and servers. I would highly recommend visiting Maketto and sitting at the bar just for a fun chat with them at anytime they are there!
The first course came from Chef Mei Lin of Nightshade(LA) and it was a dream to start with: Scallops with Crispy Ginger, Coconut Vinaigrette and Coriander (all on FB) was a ceviche style dish in a yummy sauce akin to leche de tigre but with a huge punch and fresh jalapeno slices as well. I knew this was going to be an amazing meal if the impetus kept going. the wines from Rebecca Buchanan at Maketto were stellar starting with a Ayunta "Piante/Sparse" 2016 a Mount Etna whote from Carricante and Catarratto that we just kept asking for more of as it was so delicious and had an acidity to fight that amazing scallop dish.
Chef Kristen Kish was next and in the explanation session prior to sitting down, when we all gathered in the courtyard and the chefs explained their dishes, she basically called her dish "Crispy Rice with Saffron, Bacon and Crab: her "shit!" Well, that's not the word I would use to describe this dish that we all raved over as we kept drinking the Etna Bianco!! It was getting hard to have favorite dishes anymore as they were all truly stellar.
Next came Chef Gerard Craft's Charred Asparagus with Garum Custard, Red Pepper Jelly, Crispy Garlic & Basil. the custard was the consistency of a hummus and indeed reminded me of a garlic paste and it was dreamy as were the super fresh local asparagus. These chefs were all using truly local and amazing produce that only the finest purveyors have and I felt like I was on a uber chef trip to my farmer's market! The wine switched to Casa Rojo Orange Republic(odd name) 2017 red from Valdeorras, Spain and it was a lighter rioja but worked well with the strong garlic, even though I might have gone acidic white thinking asparagi & garlic! Okay, now which was my favorite dish? IMPOSSIBLE!
Chef Gregory Gourdet(Departure in Portland, OR) was next with a yummy Herbed Snapper and Strawberry-Rhubard Ponzu with Basil. How can you get more local than these ingredients!
the next dish arrived family style and we all hunkered down over the gorgeous spread from Chef Esther Choi(of Ms. Yoo & Mokbar in NY) who presented what she called Kimchi Four Ways. It had a small kimchi salad made from a spring Korean veggie call "stone crops" that she explained only is available at this time of the year--it was spectacular. Ram-Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi was the highlight of this dish and there was also Napa Cabbage Kimchi; the whole thing was daunting and paired with beautiful sliced Pork Belly that seemed to have nary an iota of fat on it. The soy beurre blanc paste blew me away as did the entire preparation. A Belezos Tinto reserva 2012from Rioja was a full bodied and brilliant pairing.
Chef Deuki Hong (Sunday Bird, San Francisco) introduced us to the Uni Shake Box which he explained was something he grew up with. At the start of the evening Chef Erik said the evening was designed around each chef's American roots and their heritage as well. This dish had uni, black tobiko, roasted kimchi and toasted anchovy which was shaken after the box was revealed tableside. What fun and what taste sensations! The pairing was a Tuk Tuk International Lager by Maketto x DC Brewing which I tasted and then returned to the red Rioja just because I am not a beer fan, but I can really see how it made sense.
the last dish served was Sweet Potato with Sable(a cookie dough crumbled) and Cheese which was with tapioca and had a dessert essence from Chef Jon Yao(Kato also in LA-these guys travelled far!!) and I loved its lightness from aeration of the sweet potato tapioca.
There's always a takeaway and we got little boxes to go with treats from Maketto pastry chef Rebekka Baltzell and I loved them later and the next day: Pineapple Bun, Matcha Blondie and the brilliantly spicy Kimchi White Chocolate Cookie--what a way to remember the event the next day with my coffee!!!
I love these events and have to thank Jeff Black for returning to DC and I hope it's more often from now on! BRAVI TUTTU and so much to all the staff, especially, Rob, Jay & Joe!
