Last week we rose early in Des Moines for our 6am flight back to DC and still were awake to head to a small intimate Chef's Table dinner in the wonderful private dining room at Centrolina in downtown DC. Chef Amy Brandwein has been doing these dinners every month or so and we have sadly missed them all--UNTIL NOW! She invited one of our favorite chefs in DC who is temporarily restaurant-less(although there is a pop-up at Little Vietnam!) as he looks for a new place to house his Moon Rabbit or new incarnation, where we shall promptly flock again! The evening started with an amuse bouche where the two chefs did side by side delights:
EGGPLANT nigiri with Yuzu Miso & Sesame (all fotos on FB) was twice cooked and hand torched and made this simple and tasty(not spicy) dish from Chef Kevin a dream, whileChef Amy chose to go the spicy route with a Vietnamese Chua Lua(pork sausage) in a grape leaf(instead of banana) with Nonnata du Pesce(preserved anchovy) and cucumber that was a novel and spicy approach from the pair.
We ordered a bottle of Fiano Planeta "Cometa"from Sicily which we always love as it was recommended by the team for these dishes and it was superb. Wines are not included so it is either order by the glass or bottle and we chose the latter.
Next came the first course from Chef Kevin of KANPACHI CRUDO in a magnificent lemongrass tomato broth (I need this recipe made with ginger, garlic & shallot!!!) with a hint of mint(I did not taste it) and pineapple. Just when we thought it could not get any better came a novel and terrific TURMERIC TAGLIOLINI from Chef Amy which was sauced with Tomato, Coconut, Lime, Peanut and Soft Shell Crab. There was a huge spiciness to this superb creation which was also quite rich and creamy, but then healthy due to the turmeric!! This was where our Fiano wine shone as well.
The third and main course from Chef Kevin was a 10 grain MISO PORRIDGE which we declared was "Congee on crack" with a 72 HOUR (cooked) SHORT RIB, Coconut Caramel and Fried Shallots atop that all just melted in your mouth. Again, these chefs had reversed their normal spice intensity roles! For the main course we added a glass of full-bodied and yummy 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella from Campedel.
The dessert was a refreshing OLIVE OIL TORTA with Ginger Plum, Sesame Whip and Crunchy Vermicelli that sent us home all very happy and very sated. I can't wait for the next of these dinners and do hope we are available to attend!!
