Nov 17, 2010

New party spot, another fall menu

Last night, I partied it up and ate some super delicious, chef-crafted fare. First, I hit a sneak-peek-type affair at DUO, a new venture headed up by restaurateurs (and celebu-chef wives) Lynae Fearing and Tracy Rathbun. This party space, a couple doors down from their other venture, Shinsei, is more than just a venue — it can host sit-down dinner parties, but also public and private cooking classes — starring Dean Fearing or Kent Rathbun, if you got the dollas — and probably even showers and such.

But the twist on the traditional party venue idea here is that it’s also a boutique. You can order and pick up florals here, as well as an eclectic variety of cooking gadgets and gifts. You can even buy a TV or a sofa, because EVERYTHING in the store is for available to purchase. You like that atmospheric photo triptych on the wall? You can have it. That mother-of-pearl silverware set? Buyable. The stainless steel fridge in the chef’s demo kitchen? Where do you want it delivered? Strange idea, but very cool — definitely unique. Let’s not forget the food — I’ve never seen such a variety of hors d’oeuvres at a party, and it’s all available for whatever kind of event you’re hosting. I’m already dreaming of the kind of classy shindig I’d wanna host, and it would totally feature those Shinsei sangrias I was sipping last night. Why not just call them Shinsei-ngrias?

I couldn’t stay long at DUO — had to git to the presentation of Chef Andre Natera’s (left) fall menu at Pyramid Restaurant, in the Fairmont Hotel downtown. I have to say the menu had me shaking in my shoes — I’ve never been a big fan of pork belly, tuna crudo or terrine, and alas, they were the first three courses of Pyramid’s tasting menu. I feared seeming rude and leaving everything on my plate, but I opted to be adventurous, and I’m glad I did.

My biggest gripe with the typical pork belly is the sheer amount of fat on that thing. Absolutely inedible in my book, and YES, I know the fat is what “makes” the dish. Thankfully, Pyramid’s was quite a bit leaner and meatier, and I loved it. The very autumnal sous vide Granny Smith chunk and celery root puree rounded out the dish nicely, and the rooftop garden-grown chervil made an ideal topping.

The tuna crudo came beautifully plated and garnished. I squeezed the lime slice, sprinkled on the lime salt and dug in. And the knife work on this dish was tremendous — superthin slivers of grape lay atop the slab of fish. The cool pear dice were refreshing, but not quite enough to offset the intense heat of these jalapenos. I merely rubbed the peppers over the tuna and it had my eyes watering!

The country-style venison terrine was probably my least fave dish of the night, but it was still tasty, especially with some course Dijon mustard slathered on it.

A huge five-spice-dusted duck breast was our final meat course. But although it was cooked to perfection on the inside, I didn’t taste much five spice, nor did I detect the characteristic flavor and texture of a perfectly rendered duck skin. The accompanying soy-glazed shallots, thankfully, did much to add some savory flavor to the poultry, and the carrots were tender perfection.