We did the chefs table tonight in our garde manger kitchen and cooler. When we do something like this Chef Rob, Arnaud, Dan, myself, Bogdon, and Shimo handle the food. This was chef Rob's menu and a sick one at that. We all get our lists and produce our parts of the dishes and bring it together. this is the second installation of the chefs table and it works out pretty well and have had good feedback so far.
First the guests arrive in the lobby, are greeted, then walked through the blue light lit back of the house to get to the gm cooler where overcoats await the guests.
We turned the gm cooler into an ice bar where the guests get some nice cocktails with lots of vodka options to start them off.
in the same cooler was an ice carving setup for oysters, mignonettes, and various cold and frozen apps all
after 20 minutes in the cooler the guests move on to the kitchen where there places are marked by personalized cutting boards.
The kitchen is set and the decor is neatly arranged food stufs
Amuse
sous vide squab, cherry jus, brunoise consomme, micro tarragon
1st
summer melon, tomato sorbet(frix air), baby leek, meyer lemon
2nd
scallop and clam, clam butter, clam air, red pepper noodle, baby squash, 10 summer blosssoms
the clam is on a rong of red pepper gelee that is also filled woth the clam and cornichon butter
3rd
iberico wrapped wsb, chanterelle, radish, roe, lobster bouillon
This was a cool technique, we wrapped the fish in iberico, seasoned, then twisted them up in the foil. Then sear in a dry pan in the foil and finish in the oven. I have to admit that this is the first time I've ever seared foil but chef said this is classic TK.
You can see the fish does look seared and the iberico has melted onto the fish. I had to temp the fish out because with this preparation. I couldn't get a good read on it, the fish stays super soft and moist.
lobster bouillon was finished at the table
4th
four story hills dry aged cote de boeuf, grandma cib's gnocchi, peas and carrots, bordelaise glazed sweetbreads. I'll put four story dry aged up against Kobe any day of the week.
there is truffle fluid gel, pea tendril puree, truffle vin(manni evo), and also sauced the beef tableside.
It was a great dinner. It's good to know you work for someone that everytime you cook together you know your going to learn something. It may not be agar clarification or reverse spherification but some serious solid food that can stand up to some of the best restaurants in the country. The butter, the manni olive oil, the vinegars, the peppercorns, the herbs, proteins, veg, all procured from the best. It's nice to work with these products especially during a period where you don't get to see them that often.