PR for Speakeasy dinner.

•March 14, 2009 • Leave a Comment

In today’s Courier-Journal:

Surprise yourself at Speakeasy Supper

If you’re an adventurous diner who’s never been to a Speakeasy Supper, you owe it to yourself to experience one of these truly non-traditional meals.

Put on by Bon Vivant Savant, the “underground dinners” occur outside restaurants in surprise venues and with often wildly creative menus. Foods are typically prepared by restaurant chefs eager to experiment, plus wine is poured and described by experts throughout the meal.

The dinner set for 6:30 p.m. on March 23 (locations are disclosed 48 hours before the dinner and only to those with reservations) will be prepared by Ethan Ray and wife Sarah McGregor-Ray, both from the kitchen of the Seelbach Oakroom. Ray said the menu will blend sweet and savory flavors in unexpected ways.

“We’re using a lot of nontraditional applications, to say the least,” Ray said. “We want (diners) to be able to think they’d have never thought of eating some of these different foods and ingredients as a savory course or dessert course.”

And how. Have a look at the evening’s menu:

The salad course includes chocolate brioche, golden beet, olive powder, baby lettuce and saffron, followed by a seafood course of sea bass with potato, charred leek, carrot gel, chicken skin and vanilla emulsion.

An unusual fruit course features a candied apple encased in lime, rosemary apple cider and lime pop rocks, followed by a meat course of pork belly with “mustard butterscotch,” duck confit, mustard greens and maraschino cherry puree.

The meal concludes with a blue cheese “cake” with fruit cocktail and black walnut nougatine, plus an after-dinner “m(e)nt” of white and dark chocolates, sesame, menthol and wasabi. All courses are paired with appropriate beverages.

The all-inclusive cost is $75. For reservations, call Bon Vivant Savant at 287-2772.

————

As of today there is still a few open seats available.

a double-entendre: supper speakeasy

•March 3, 2009 • 2 Comments

menufinaledit

Talk of this dinner has been in the works for almost a year now. Serious menu brainstorming and event planning has been underway for a few months now. As we get down to the wire, Sarah and I finally completed the menu and have sourced a few of my oldest friends to assist in the production.

Menu is as listed above (barring any last minute substitutions due to product availability), and is on Monday March 23rd.

Cost is $75 per person, all costs inclusive.

Capacity is strictly limited to 25-30 people.

Location will not be disclosed until 48 hrs before the event and only after reservations and payment has been made.

For more information regarding reservations, etc:

I can be reached by email at ethanjray<at>gmail.com

or contact Jo at Bon Vivant Savant:

jo<at>bvsevents.com

BVS Events

Bon Vivant Savant Blog

Having fun…

•February 21, 2009 • 3 Comments

voodoo

Chicken Blood.

Yummy.

My own personal brand of cook’s humor.

The Secret Ingredient.

•January 31, 2009 • Leave a Comment

hands_holding_salt

Contrary to what the photo might suggest, I’m not talking about salt. (Though I am one to argue that even a little salt will make almost anything taste better, brighter and more pronounced – even sweet things).

Chad made a recent post on his blog that really struck a chord with me on a number of levels. I recommend any of my fellows cooks out there give it a read. Forget the Kung Fu Panda reference at the beginning. It’s really when he digs deep and starts to analyze things in retrospect does the reading get really good. So read the whole thing!

Chadzilla: There is no secret ingredient

Check out the ‘FOMO’ link in Chad’s post as well. It’s another good (and related) read.

Ostrich Tartare

•January 24, 2009 • Leave a Comment

Ostrich Tartare

Ostrich Tartare


beet puree, pickled beet, beet caramel, sweet potato,

curried celery root, pumpernickel, buddha’s hand, bull’s blood