On the Menu: January 24 through January 30

by jbfauthor on January 22, 2010

Here’s what happening at the Beard House and elsewhere: Monday, January 25, 6:30 P.M. Cold Nights, Warm Bites Come in from the cold and join the James Beard Foundation Greens for our first event of 2010. Discover the National, a hidden gem of the Lower East Side--a great place to warm up with great food and inventive drinks. Monday, January 25, 7:00 P.M. Tuscan Sun From the lush olive groves and vineyards of the countryside to Florence’s fine-dining restaurants, Tuscany boasts one of the world’s richest food cultures. Todd English’s Tuscany brings the rustic flavors of the region across the pond to Mohegan Sun, where chef James Klewin’s kitchen “excels at just about everything,” as per Gayot. Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 P.M. NJ Farm Fresh It’s not called the Garden State for nothing. New Jersey’s exceptional farms take center stage at the storied Pluckemin Inn, where chef Juan Jose Cuevas (the former executive chef at Blue Hill) puts his exacting training to work crafting sophisticated yet approachable American cuisine alongside equally accomplished pastry chef Joseph Gabriel. Wednesday, January 27, 7:00 P.M. Gotham Surf and Turf After taking over at Gotham Bar and Grill 25 years ago, Alfred Portale established himself as a pioneer of New American cuisine and one of the most talented chefs in the country. Celebrate the chef’s anniversary milestone and the opening of a Gotham outpost in Miami Beach at this superb surf-and-turf dinner. Friday, January 29, 7:00 P.M. Unconventional Chefs With decades of combined culinary experience between them, the Centerplate chefs have created menus and meals for just about everyone, including presidents, prime ministers, and celebrities. Thanks to their talents, they’ve elevated convention center cuisine well beyond its tired Continental cuisine roots and into the realm of contemporary fine dining. Saturday, January 30, 7:00 P.M. The Farm in the City There are few settings more idyllic than the celebrated Blackberry Farm. Its Relais Gourmand restaurant, the Barn, only adds to the property’s charm, where committed locavore chef Adam Cooke uses produce from Blackberry’s own gardens to prepare dishes that expertly marry haute cuisine with the Great Smoky Mountains’ regional traditions. For details and reservations, visit www.jamesbeard.org/events or call 212.627.2308. (Photo by Eileen Miller)