We told you last week, we’d be going to Cabaret Gourmet, so of course I’m rushing to post our thoughts on the food. In general, each restaurant’s table was set up beautifully and there was plenty of wine/alcohol. (Lon and I are not drinkers.) There was a comfortable amount of space so that you wouldn’t feel cramped and you never had to wait on a line to sample the food, but the event was a bit smaller than Lon and I expected. There was 10 featured restaurants/chefs and they were all very different which made it more fun. The food was generally pretty good but nothing that made me want to run to the restaurants. (Also, I’ve mentioned before with other food events that I don’t think the performance at an event is indicative of the restaurant’s food.) Never the less, here’s what I thought:
Angus Mcindoe managed to serve their Cassoulet nice and hot. The beans were all nicely cooked but there was only one piece of chicken and one piece of sausage, making the balance a bit odd.
Butter served a Truffle Mac and Cheese with excellent, well-balanced flavor. It was a bit too wet and the macaroni was too soft, but they could easily remedy this dish into something magnificent.
Back Forty served Duck Meatballs with Asparagus and Orange Sauce. They were very tender but the meat was a bit gamey.
Devi Restaurant shaped these piles of Bhel Puri, which I liked. It reminded me of when I used to eat dry ramen right out of the bag as a kid, except this had the tamarind sauce on it.
Graffiti enhanced Paneer with pickled mango. It gives it a nice tang but I’m still not a big fan of paneer (one of my least favorite of cheeses).
Gramercy Tavern made a chocolate cake covered in gooey nuts, very reminiscent of something you’d make out of box mix, without the artificial taste. Lon was a huge fan of this tender cake.
Chef Michael Hu of Hana Pastries is one smart dude. He left his adorable son to man the table, plate the desserts, and answer questions. Gosh, this boy was cute, and he plated the desserts well.
The pastries were beautiful and quite unique. I tried a Chocolate Layered Cake with a hint of lime. It was a lovely display of textures and I always love a bit of tartness. That’s why I liked the Lemon Meringue Tart too.
This cookie bottom was hard to break through but it was wonderfully light with an interesting tart center.
Il Gattopardo served a Spec Salad with Lemon and Oil and Spec with Red Chili. I liked both, simple and tasty.
They also served a Cabbage Wrapped Meatball which we found very dry.
That isn’t our main concern with Il Gattopardo though. While everyone else was gracious, this table was snobby, not wanting to waste their time to describe what they were serving to us. We both felt as if they didn’t want us to eat their food. So fine, I’ll remember that you don’t want me to go to your restaurant.
Pera Mediterranean Brasserie gets points for most interesting dish, a Beef and Bulgar Tar Tar, generously spiced. They served it in nice lettuce leaves with a spritz of lemon and oil. Pretty refreshing.
Spec Alto Adige IGP & Asiago DOP displayed samples of their products, both good ones. I would buy them.
It was a nice and enjoyable event, pretty relaxed, and the food was mostly pretty good. If you would like to support theater, you should consider this charity event for next year. If you drink alcohol, you’ll likely get your money’s worth.
Cabbage Wrapped Meatballs… That’s a dish called SARMALE where I come from and… it’s dry because it was cooked in a pan or tray of some sort… NO!
Sarmale is a simple dish if you respect some basic rules:
1. It should be made of pork with rice and spices, wrapped carefully BY HAND in a thin cabbage sheet.
2. The cabbage should be well pickled IN BRINE (not vinegar). The cabbage is to be pickled whole, with lots of horse radish and dry dill.
3. In a large pot, enamelled (but exceedingly best ceramic) or stainless, put a few slices of smoked ham at the bottom. Then, put a layer of thinly cut pickled cabbage, then a layer of sarmale, then again cabbage with some pieces of smoke bacon or ham and again sarmale. End with a layer of cabbage. Add in grains of black pepper, thyme and a bit of paprika. Minced tomatoes too. A bit of cooking oil and some water to cook it
4. Simmer in a preheated oven slowly. It usually takes several hours for it to cook.
5. It should be cooked two days in a row. In my country, this is a traditional Christmas dish. It is usually cooked a day before Xmas Eve. Left out in the cold to chill out and then put again in the oven in the Xmas evening, to be cooked again.
Served warm, with polenta and hot peperonis. Usually preceeded by a small glass of high proof fruit grappa.