FoodMayhem

We told you we were going to the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) Dining by Design event: Table Hop & Taste….and we did attend, of course. It was really a lot of fun, all these great tablescapes to look at and lots of great stuff to taste, a treat for the eyes and the tummy. Lon and Carol were my fabulous dates…

Our first taste was a Veal Meatball by Icon. It was just that, a veal meatball, nothing special. It could have been better if it wasn’t cold already, but it’s always difficult serving this way.

Our next stop was the L’ecole table, where they presented a beautiful amuse of cured salmon, curried parsnip, croutons, and salmon roe. The flavors and textures were each vital to making this one of the clear winners of the event.

Paris Commune had four different pastries, each puff pastry with a different filling. These were rather disappointing since none were particularly pretty, and the puff pastry was under-baked. The one with duck confit, and the one with braised lamb skimped on the filling, to the point where you could not tell what the filling was.

The Mixed Mushroom ones and the Crab ones had more filling, but were still boring.

While some tables seemed more focused on aesthetics, others seemed to be sending a message.

Ilili had cute little grape leaves, a bit extra acidic, but Lon loved them.

The little flatbreads with ground lamb were also tasty.

But the three of us swooned over the Beef Dumplings in Yogurt. The meat was tender and juicy, spiced and seasoned wonderfully, submerged in a thick yogurt with an herby oil. The whole shooter was served hot too.

North Square had the table next to Ilili, where they served cute little cups of Shrimp Cocktail with Avocado and Mango, with pretzels. It was pretty standard.

Carol’s favorite was the Tuna Tartare in Limestone Tartlets, by Kittichai. The candied tuna had a nice bounce and texture, but it was too sweet for my taste, but Lon agreed with Carol, and they went back for more.

All three of us are cheese fanatics so of course we enjoyed the Murray’s Cheese stop. The fresh Asiago with apricots, and the Castel Rosso with Charcoal Crackers were great.

There was one cheese that I can’t remember now, but the last was a bitter cheddar that all three of us walked away complaining about.

Estiatorio Milos definitely put out the biggest spread. We each walked away with piled plates of simple but well executed Mediterranean salads. The roasted peppers weren’t peeled but they were very tasty.

They used excellent mozzarella to pair with cherry tomatoes and olives.

I thought a few pieces of octopus were tough but Lon didn’t notice.

I’ve been unhealthy lately, so I appreciated the tomato and feta salad. We also loved the dips with pita, hummus, yogurt, and roasted pepper/feta. You could really make a nice lunch out of this spread.

I liked the Pane Rustico Insalata by Bella Cucina. The Toasted pane rustico flatbread is ultra thin so it breaks really easily, but to my surprise (since I’m not an olive lover), I loved the strong tapenade dressed with fresh arugula with a slice of Parmesan.

L.A. Burdick, a chocolate company, ended up being our favorite. We tried all seven chocolates and an incredible hot chocolate, and all agreed that this was a fabulous company. The Richelieu – Cherry, flavored dark chocolate bonbon with hint of vanilla, garnished with dried morello cherry, was mine and Carol’s favorite.

Lon’s favorite was the Pave Glacee, cube of rich, velvety, dark chocolate gianduja mixed with hints of saffron and cognac.

We’re going to do an interview with the Chocolate and Pastry Chef Michael Klug soon so stay tuned…

The Pain a la Grecque by Dandoy Biscuits are just biscuits with pearl sugar, nothing interesting really.

Oddly, Tribeca Grill served desserts. It was an amazing looking spread but they looked better than they tasted, mostly because they were generally too sweet.

The three of us tried nearly every one and all favored the Dulce de Leche, the only one that was more flavor than sugar, ooh that caramelized goodness.

In our experience, the food at these types of events seem to be an after-thought. Yes, even when it’s called a food event or tasting. This time, I’m actually impressed. All three of us enjoyed several different tables and left full and happy. Presentations were great (as you can see) and I hope we get invited again next year!

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