Walking into the event, I was overwhelmed by all the action and excitement around me and didn't know where to begin! Also, as soon as I pulled out my camera, I realized I had left my memory card behind and would have to make do with using the camera on my phone. So I grabbed a glass of champagne from the nearest waiter and headed to the first station on my right.
This first dish was a lobster taco with avocado tomatillo sala presented to us by Bell Book & Candle. The lobster filling was definitely a nice start to the event and the avocado tomatillo salsa was a refreshing condiment to the tortilla wrap, but I felt that the tortilla wrap rather overwhelmed the flavors. Overall though, still a pleasant way to kick off the evening!
Next up was the cornbread with tomato jam from Red Rooster by Marcus Samuelsson. And oh boy, it was GOOD. Definitely different from any other cornbread I have ever eaten, the bread was moist - like a cake - and had hints of maple syrup soaked within the bread, all the meanwhile maintaining the delicious corn flavor. In fact, it was so good, I had to go back for seconds. Yum!
We decided to go a little out of order, but if you had seen the Morimoto dessert station, you would've veered off the path as well! Our greedy selves were worried that the dessert station would be wiped out before we got a chance to sample, so alas, it became our 3rd dish. Highlights of the spread included the tofu cheesecake, which was an extremely light and refreshing rendition on the traditional dessert, with the added bonus of being so light and tasting (ironically) healthy, that you don't feel the need to run a a few laps after eating! Another favorite was the chocolate hazelnut crunch cup (I'm completely making up names here, by the way), which was basically a cross between a Ferrero Rocher and those praline-filled wafer cookies (think Pirouettes), all piled into a delicate chocolate cup. The wasabi chocolate truffle also had a nice spicy kick to it, especially since it took a few seconds for the wasabi flavor to actually come through. The chocolate truffle was one of the smoothest I have ever had, with a beautifully rich and creamy texture.
While waiting in line for Sushi Zen, we decided to pop over to sample the potted duck with foie gras mousse and orange gelee by Jose Garcis for Amada. The potted duck was Many people actually complained that the dish was too salty for their tastes, but I soon discovered that if you took a proper ratio of duck to foie gras mousse (which meant taking a full spoonful - all the way to the bottom - instead of just halfway through the duck like most people had been doing), the flavors mixed together wonderfully, with the rich flavor of the duck and foie gras blending together to produce what I can only describe as a delectable duck reduction flavor.
I suppose you could say Sushi Zen, our next stop, was the belle of the ball (excluding Morimoto's sushi station, of course), as this station had the longest lines - lines which remained long even 2 hours into the event! But people had to have been lining up for a good reason, and it was obvious why. The sushi display was immaculate, with a lovely ice sculpture and an extremely bountiful spread of sushi and sashimi. Part of the reason why the line was also so long was because each of the chefs would carefully assemble each plate of sushi/sashimi - and no plate was ever the same! The fish was fresh and delicious, especially the Shima Aji. The rolls were interesting and fun, like the salmon and Chinese yam roll shaped like a checkerboard, but the sashimi was really the knockout from this station.
The next station literally took my breath away - never in my wildest dreams did I think Chef Morimoto himself would be slicing bluefin tuna, forming the nigiri, and serving it directly to us, all while we stood there and watched! We were served two cuts of tuna - medium and fatty - in nigiri, roll, and carpaccio form. The nigiri was absolutely to die for; the delicate tender fish was literally melting in my mouth. I also like to believe that while Chef Morimoto was dabbing the wasabi and tenderly swiping the fish with 2 brush strokes of soy sauce, he was imparting his love into that piece of sushi. I woke up the next morning and all I wanted to eat was that sushi again. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
When I walked to the next station, I thought to myself how unfortunate it was for this next chef to be placed immediately adjacent to Morimoto. But alas, I was proved wrong, and this dish really held its own. Ken Oringer from Clio Restaurant/Uni Sashimi Bar presented us with an amazing toasted foie gras and unagi with kinome and sweet and sour rhubarb. I actually did not eat the rhubarb with the dish, but the foie gras and unagi alone were so rich and so tender alone that I can only imagine what new level the dish would have been elevated to with the addition of the sweet and sour flavors of the rhubarb. The foie gras melded with the unagi almost like butter, and the sweet flavors of the unagi excellently complemented the salty flavors of the foie gras.
This next dish was my friend's favorite dish of the evening, a taro taco with salmon tartar and salmon roe. I believe it may have also been served with tuna tartar, but I am not even too sure which type of fish was in my taco (rather than look at it, I ate it almost instantly...oops). The taro shell was such a pleasant alternative to the typical corn shell, with the taro adding a sweetness to the dish and a fragile, delicate crunch. The dish was composed of both sweet and salty flavors, of crunchy and tender textures, and of light and dark colors - beautiful! And the salmon roe provided a nice surprise to each bite, with the salty juices spilling out with each crunch to add a new dimension of flavor and texture.
Next up was a ligurian octopus salad from Bartolotta. I have to admit I am not a huge fan of octopus or beans, so I did not eat very much of the dish. But I have to say the octopus was cooked beautifully, tender with smoky flavors and just enough acidity from the lemon and olive oil to keep it fresh.
The chilled avocado soup with unagi and shiso from Anita Lo for Annisa was so delicious and creamy and a nice break from all the solid foods we had consumed up until that point. The avocado and unagi flavors mixed to create a salty and milky, yet at the same time light, soup with hints of shiso flavor popping in to add a new dimension of flavor and give the soup a little alternative kick.
Next up was the Asian meatball with herb consomme from the Mandarin Oriental hotel. The meatball was so tender, with bits of crunch and texture from shrimp and what tasted like water chestnut keeping the meatball exciting and not monotone. The herb consomme provided a nice sauce/bath for the meatball, keeping the meat moist and adding a little bit of juice to each bite.
From one of the most beautiful stations of the evening, we were served a hamachi tartar roll from Daniel. The roll was beautifully plated and the flavors of the tartar were delicious yet still very light and fresh. Once I got to the daikon component (which was pickled, I believe), the flavors of the daikon overpowered the fish slightly and inhibited my enjoyment of the fish, but overall still simple and clean flavors.
Next up we had a beautiful quail egg with suckling pig and black bean sauce from Yuhi Fujinaga for Bar Basque. This dish had possibly the cutest presentation, with a syringe full of a garnish to sprinkle on top of the dish. Honestly I am also not a fan of quail egg, especially not runny, but once I got past that fear, the dish was quite a pleasant amalgamation of flavors. I happened to be so unfortunate as to have the suckling pig left behind in the boat after I had downed the other ingredients, but the suckling pig on its own was so tender and so flavorful that I didn't really mind.
Jonathan Waxman was adorably slicing bread at his station for the vegetable crudo served at his station. The flavors were simple (and the bread was actually quite tasty in fact), but after having been served so many amazing dishes at the event, this one did not really do much to excite me.
From Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur for Devi, we were served a Goan shrimp and grilled asparagus with mustard leaf curry. Unfortunately, it appears I did not receive any asparagus in my portion, but the shrimp with the curry sauce was pleasant enough on its own, exuding sweet flavors with a mild kick from the curry.
Kathy Heffernan from South Gate served a chilled english pea and ramp soup with a tarragon and crab salad. This dish offered beautifully contrasting flavors between the soup and salad, with the salad offering a nice change of texture and delicate sweetness against the creamy pea and ramp soup.
I concluded the night with an assortment of macarons from Francois Payard bakery. Each macaron featured a unique Asian flavor, such as shiso leaf, red bean, green tea, and even wasabi. The macarons were delicate and fun and overall quite satisfying.
Overall this was an extremely enjoyable and fun evening - I am so grateful I was able to attend! I was able to eat amazing food, see amazing people, and contribute to an amazing cause. Thank you, Chef Morimoto, for hosting this spectacular event!
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