Jealous, Charleston?
I just did a McCrady’s review and this dinner had so many courses that I can’t even begin to write a full review. A couple quick comments though:
Top 5 dishes of the night (in no particular order):
Hamachi Sashimi + Crispy Sweetbreads + Smoked Mayonnaise - The hamachi was some of the best sashimi I’ve ever tasted. You wouldn’t expect it with the chefs that were cooking and the other items on the menu, but the smoked mayonnaise was one of the stars of the evening. If McCrady’s would put the smoked mayo from last night, use the pork jowl from the 2nd course as the bacon, and use some of their amazing heirloom tomatoes, they could make the world’s single greatest BLT. I would pay $15 for it, easy.
Foie Gras Rocks + Fig + Pancakes + Maple - My friend Sarah’s favorite dish of the night. The foie gras had been dipped in liquid nitrogen to freeze it and then crumbled on the plate. It absolutely melted in your mouth with that smooth, silky texture that makes foie gras so awesome. The tiny pancakes were topped with a wonderfully light foam/mousse that was packed with flavor but didn’t weigh you down like syrup. Putting a little of the maple on the foie gras was a unique, but beautiful experience.
Country Fried Grouper Steak + Potatoes - The grouper was just a great piece of fish with a light batter surrounding it and topped with a little sausage gravy. The potatoes were pureed and encased in a very thin crispy exterior. I’m not sure whether they were seared or very lightly fried, but the end result was what tasted like the worlds greatest home fries. I felt like this is what they would serve at the Cracker Barrell if they just opened up a new franchise…in Heaven.
McLamb Rib + Butternut + Peanuts - I love lamb and this was some of the best I’ve had. Right on par with how good it was the last time I ate at McCrady’s. The combination of the boiled peanuts with the lamb meat and butternut puree was out of this world.
Canned Soup - Interestingly enough, this actually did come served in a can (fully adorned with Trail Blais logo and nutritional facts). It was a smooth green tomato gazpacho with horseradish. Very refreshing. I wish more Southern restaurants would carry something like this.
Other interesting elements of the meal -
- The Oyster + Pearls remix was served with a tasty melon flavored “Dippin Dots” style ice cream.
- The cole slaw sorbet that was served with crab met mixed reviews. It definitely tasted like cole slaw, but I don’t think most people knew how to feel about that (although, I buy the 4.5 lbs econo-size tub of cole slaw from Sam’s Club every few weeks so it tasted good to me).
- The sweet tea ice cream on the dessert was top notch, why can’t I buy this at the Harris Teeter?! Southerners should have been making this into milkshakes and putting it on top of pies for generations by now!
Other notes from the evening -
- Got to meet Chef Blais and shake his hand which was very cool. My friends made fun of me for looking like a giddy middle school girl (that’s about as big a celebrity as I’ve met). He’s a very down to earth, very funny guy. He’s a little goofy, but he was a great host for the dinner. He came out every other course and described the reasoning and cooking process behind each dish.
- Spoke briefly to Chef Brock, he said they are planning to continue doing these guest chef dinners, although he didn’t mention any specifics. Seems like a win-win situation though; Charleston gets to try innovative new dishes by great chefs and, for the people in the kitchen, as Brock said, “It’s an excuse to bring my friends in to town and hang out.
- The Long Room at McCrady’s is a very cool place even with 125 people in it. Now I can tell people that I ate in the same room that George Washington did.
- I think we were the only college students there. One waiter apparently thought we worked for the Charlotte Observer instead of the George Street Observer. We should have played along. Probably could have got some nice perks.
All-in-all, it was a great meal, top three in my life from a pure food perspective (I don’t see anything ever beating my last dinner there). For overall experience, though, I’d have to put it at number one. If you have the opportunity to check out one of the next guest chef dinners, I’d definitely check it out. Keep on the lookout for pictures from this event by Paul Cheney over at LetsTalkCharleston.com and on the GSO website.
p.s. If you’ve got any other questions or info you want about the evening, leave me a comment and I’ll gladly answer.
p.p.s. I start my new internship at Leapfrog PR Co. tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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That’s so neat! Wish I could have been there. Blais was my favorite chef this season.
It really was awesome. Blais grew on me as the season went on, but I was really pulling for Andrew from the beginning. He made awkward rap references and always seemed like he had just bumped three Adderall.