On the Menu: November 1 to November 7

by jbfauthor on October 30, 2009

Here’s what happening at the Beard House and around the country next week: Sunday, November 1, 12:00 P.M. Day of the Dead Brunch On the Day of the Dead, families in Mexico lure departed spirits back for a visit with lavish banquets in their honor. At our celebration, chefs Margaritte Malfy and Barbara Sibley will delight diners—and wandering souls—with authentic Mexican delicacies from NYC’s La Palapa and their new cookbook, Antojitos! Monday, November 2, 7:00 P.M. The Pig and The Malt Gastro-pub pioneer April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig wows critics, locals, and celebrities with British-inflected dishes prepared with a Chez Panisse–inspired attention to ingredients. Join us for a taste of the cuisine that launched the bar food craze at this spectacular dinner presented by GQ and the Glenlivet. Tuesday, November 3, 7:00 P.M. New Horizons Vegetarian Dinner The kitchen at Philadelphia’s Horizons restaurant puts out “some of the most interesting cooking in town,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig LaBan, who raved about Richard Landau’s elegant and nuanced meatless menu. Along with his wife and co-owner, Kate Jacoby, this trailblazing chef skillfully reinterprets vegetarian cuisine for a sophisticated, fine-dining audience. Wednesday, November 4, 6:30 P.M. Friends of James Beard Benefit: West Orange, NJ Once again, the spectacular Pleasantdale Château is out to prove New Jersey’s fine-dining prowess at its annual fund-raiser, where JBF Award winners from North and South will team up with some of the best chefs in the Garden State to prepare an exquisite meal to benefit the Foundation. Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 P.M. Upstate in the Big Apple For the past four months these four talented chefs from New York’s Capital District have staged incredible meals in one another’s restaurants. Their “4x4 Dinners” will culminate at the Beard House with this collaborative menu, a delicious showcase of upstate New York’s vibrant culinary culture. Thursday, November 5, 12:00 P.M. Beard on Books In Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share, JBF Award winner and self proclaimed clay pot “junkie” Paula Wolfert introduces American cooks to the wonderful, yet largely unknown technique of cooking in clay. Wolfert demystifies the process of clay pot cooking and teaches readers how to transform fresh ingredients into magnificent meals using the vessel. She shares 150 recipes including those for soups, fish and shellfish, poultry, meats, pasta and grains, vegetables and beans, pies and breads, eggs and dairy, and desserts. Thursday, November 5, 7:00 P.M. Spice-Inspired Dégustation Acclaimed chef Ana Sortun won our 2005 Best Chef: Northeast award for her gutsy, complex Eastern Mediterranean cooking at Oleana. For this innovative dinner, Sortun has designed an enchanting menu of dishes inspired by exotic flavors from spice expert Lior Lev Sercarz. Thursday, November 5, 7:00 P.M. Celebrity Chef Tour: Scottsdale, AZ Celebrity Chef Tour events are dinners produced by Inner Circle that benefit the James Beard Foundation, in which JBF Award winners and other celebrity chefs travel to private clubs, resorts, and other exclusive venues across America to prepare dinners and promote the culinary arts. Friday, November 6, 7:00 P.M. Along the Silk Road Extending more than 4,000 miles across Asia, the Silk Road was a rich network of trade routes along which merchants peddled silks, perfumes, spices, and other goods. Inspired by this ancient cultural nexus, chef Rodelio Aglibot has developed a modern Asian menu that draws on the region’s myriad cuisines. Saturday, November 7, 7:00 P.M. Oregon Food, Wines, and Spirits At the intimate Park Kitchen in Portland, Oregon, chef and owner Scott Dolich serves refined, intensely seasonal food with a genuine sense of place. To bring us a taste of his vibrant, Oregon-inspired cuisine, Dolich has designed this ingredient-focused menu, complete with beautiful Soter wines and Oregon-crafted spirits with each course. For details and reservations, visit www.jamesbeard.org/events or call 212.627.2308. (Photo by Eileen Miller)