New York, Paris, Tuscany, and if Chef Niven Patel and the Board of Tourism of the Cayman Islands has anything to do with it, the Cayman Islands will soon be on your list of destinations for a one of a kind culinary experience! Last night I was invited to an event designed to do just that by my friend Kirsy Munoz, marketing manager of Snooth Media. Chef Patel of Brassiere restaurant of the Cayman Islands borrowed The Kitchen located on E. 44th St. to hold this spectacular event. Because of the open layout of the venue, my fellow food enthusiasts and I were able to witness, firsthand, Chef Patel’s masterful preparation of each course! Each course was inspired by Cayman Island cuisine while using ingredients readily found here in New York City and was paired with wine that was selected by Gregory Dal Piaz, editor and chief of Snooth Media.
Upon my arrival, I was greeted with a cocktail called the Seven Mile Mule which was made with the Cayman Island’s very own Seven Fhathoms premium rum, ginger ale and an orange slice garnished. The sweetness of the ginger ale and the rum was balanced by the zest of the orange. However, even without being incorporated into a cocktail, Seven Fhathoms is a very smooth rum. For now, the rum is only available in Chicago, but I am told it will be making its way to New York City in the very near future.
I started the dinner with a canapés of fluke credo, crispy chickpeas, seasoning pepper escabeche.I loved the freshness and the texture of the raw fish.There was just enough kick from the spices, but it was not overwhelming.The dish was paired with the Seven Mule drink I had previously,this was a good pairing.
The first course was fresh clams BLT, smoked bacon, heirloom tomatoes, charred ciabatta paired with Loimer- Lois GurnerVeltliner 2011. Because I do not eat pork,I had to remove the smoked bacon from the dish. As anyone who knows me knows, I am a sucker for any dish containing tomatoes.The sweetness of the tomato sauce, combined with the freshness of the clams was enhanced by the wine.
The second course was farmer’s salad, organic beets, goat cheese, red spinach, Cayman citrus vinaigrette paired with Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2010.Normally I am not a fan of goat cheese (mainly because of the smell),but the citrus vinaigrette balanced this out for me and I was able to enjoy the dish.
The third course was day boat striped bass, gnocchi, tat soi, Romano beans, Caribbean stone crab butter paired with Cloudy Bay Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010.This was my favorite dish of the meal. The striped bass was pan seared perfectly, it was very moist. The saltiness and butteriness of the crab butter was essential to tying this entire course together.The gnocchi added a starchy texture that brought the course full circle.I felt that the pairing of fish with Pinot Noir was a very gutsy move.I liked the oaky smell and flavor of the wine, but personally it did not work with the striped bass. But that’s just my personal taste.
The fourth course was thirty- eight day dry aged strip steak, squash, wild greens, mushrooms, scotch bonnet pepper jelly paired with Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno 2008.The beef was extremely flavorful, moist, and tender.The pureed squash and creamed mushrooms only added to this delicious cut of beef.
Dessert was Jonagold apple, almond strudel, coconut ice cream paired with Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese 2009. I particularly enjoyed the pairing of the wine with this dessert. The wine was not too sweet, which was perfect because the dessert more than compensated for this.
It was a wonderful evening; Chef Patel’s dishes packed a lot of flavors. With the exception of the Pinot Noir paired with bass, the wines were excellently and properly paired with each of the dishes. This meal might just confirm what the event organizer has been saying all night long that “The Cayman Island is the culinary capital of the Caribbean”.
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