Cincy in NYC - A James Beard House Affair

In  early May New York City hosted an hosted a program featuring the arts of Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Pops. The program was titled "Cincy in NYC".  Fortunately, The James Beard Foundation hosted a  complementary program featuring  several chefs from Cincinnati area restaurants. I decided to go - it would be a belated birthday celebration, a great opportunity to try the dishes  of chefs I'd not heard of before, and hopefully an early Mother's Day gift for my mother.


Cincy Chefs hard at work

Featured Chefs:

Jean-Robert De Cavel

Jean-Robert's Table, Cincinnati

David Cook

Daveed's Next, Loveland, OH

David Falk

Boca, Cincinnati

Julie Francis

Nectar, Cincinnati

Jose Salazar

Salazar, Cincinnati

Stephen Williams

Bouquet Restaurant, Covington, KY

Pastry Chef Jean Philippe Solnom

French Crust Café, Cincinnati

in the JBH kitchen

I ended up travelling to the event alone, but had the most wonderful experience. I travelled via Amtrak and arrived early. As I walked through the doors of the James Beard House (JBH) I heard a flurry of activity as the chefs were preparing the menu items. A couple stood in front of me chatting with another woman. I waited quietly for the arriving JBH  to get settled before checking in my bag.  The woman in the couple suddenly turned to me and said, 'can you find me a copy of tonight's menu?'. I replied that we'd have  to find a member of the staff to help her. She blinked for a few seconds taking in  my black linen pantsuit, brooch, purse, and slides before weakly explaining that she thought I was staff. I smiled and waved to passing staff member (he was wearing a name badge) and asked if he could bring the woman a menu. Before the awkwardness could linger any longer another JBH staff member arrived and began the check in process.  It turned out the woman was a member of the press of the man with her was her husband - they did not stay for dinner.

Hors d'Oeuvres

• Spring Potatoes with Garlic Snails and Pipérade
• Foie Gras Torchon with Apricot Compote and Challah Toast
• House-Cured Kentucky Pork Charcuterie
• Veal Sweetbreads with Kentucky Ham and Apples
• Oysters with Pineapple, Cilantro, and Pimentón
• Croque Madame with Mangalitsa Ham, Comté Fonduta, and Spherical Egg

During the reception I met the Millers. The Millers are food enthusiasts like me who live in Ohio.  We chatted and compared notes about the appetizers. The Millers, Samantha and Michael, and I  had positive things to say about all the appetizers except the Croque Madame. The spherical egg atop the appetizer was messy to handle and ended up getting on our clothes.  Samantha, Michael and I chatted about the format for the dinner, the food scene in Cincinnati, and the arts scene in Cincinnati. I was disappointed to discover that we would not be seated at the same table for dinner.

Dinner

• Fluke Crudo with Green Strawberries, Spring Vegetables, Verjus, and Yuzu Gelée
• Maine Lobster with Big Fish Farms Local Caviar, Beet Barigoule, Avocado, Arugula, Seaweed, and Lemon Crème Fraîche
• Robiola Cappelletti with House-Cured Guanciale, Fava Beans, and Brown Butter Sabayon
• Pistachio Relish–Crusted Halibut with Rhubarb, Fennel, Edamame, Pickled Shiitakes, and Soy–Ginger Reduction
• Hickory-Smoked Duck Breast with Crisp Goose Goetta and Wild Juniper 
• Kentucky Rack of Lamb with Ful, Morels, Asparagus, Preserved Meyer Lemon, and Harissa
• Composition of Chocolate and Strawberries

Lobster



Fluke crudo



Cappelletti

Halibut



Duck breast and goetta

Kentucky rack of lamb



chocolates and strawberries
















I had the distinct pleasure of sitting with a lively group at dinner. I perplexed about the buzz of JBH staff at the table until one of diners disclosed they were the child of a JBH board member. Another diner was a wine importer and had provided two of the wines featured at dinner. The room was heavily represented by Ohioans - the vibe in the room felt lighter and more relaxed than previous JBH dinners I attended. Could it be the Cincinnati crowd were less intense diners than the typical crowd? All air of pretense at my table evaporated when the man seated next to me turned me and said, 'this wine is f*****g good!' I nodded in agreement while his dining companion stiffened and reddened. Table favorites: fluke, lobster, duck breast.  I loved the morel mushrooms with the lamb, but understood the complaints for more lamb.

After dinner the Millers and I reconnected and compared notes on the dinner menu. They explained that goetta was a dish originating from Cincinnati and attributed to the German-American community in Cincinnati. Samantha introduced me to Chef Julie Francis of Nectar.  Chef Francis was the only female chef/owner the Cincy team. Her featured dish was the Kentucky lamb - I was curious what she wanted diners to experience with the flavor combinations. We exchanged business cards and she promised to add me to Nectar's mailing list. The chefs came out and personally thanked the guests for attending the dinner. I could sense the sincerity and gratitude of the chefs.

As we neared the exit Samantha asked how to keep in contact;  I gave them my business card, hoped I would hear from them and made a mental note to check out the dining scene in Cincinnati.

Samantha and Michael, if you read this post, it was a pleasuring crossing paths with you along my Technicolor dining journey.

Be well,

Technicolor girl