Feast Wilmingon- Day 2, Brunch Elevated, Saturday, March 23

    The first event on the second day was the mid-day meal, entitled Brunch Elevated. Fourteen  restaurants presented their tastes. The purpose of Feast Wilmington was to provide an opportunity to a wide range of eating and drinking establishments to exhibit their wares. They certainly achieved that goal. I had never heard of most of the participants, and it would be impossible to sample food from so many, if I were dining one at a time. And I discovered several places that I really liked!

     I will provide three more posts related to Feast Wilmington- two event descriptions, plus some summary reflections.

    Because a number of Brunch  dishes include sweet ingredients, I was pleased to see (and enjoy) Bitty & Beau's Baristas- Barista Mike Wiley & Barista Lea McHugh- BEAU'S BLEND - their house blend coffee. I went back and got another cup after every sweetish dish.

Beach Shop & Grill - Chef Gerald Hawkins Jr.

CAROLINA GOLD RICE CHURROS - With Fermented Hot Sorghum Syrup & Macerated Berries

Brooklyn Café - Chef Tara English

OLD FASHIONED CAKE-STYLE DONUT HOLES – with Cinnamon Sugar, Vanilla, Lemon, Chocolate and Sprinkles

Brunches - Chef Jillian Enloe-Hamill

SHRIMP & GRITS - With Lobster Cream Sauce

Buen Dia - Chef Marcos Cruz (3 dishes)

COSTILLITA EN SALSA - chopped Pork Ribs simmered in Guajillo Salsa

MINI BIRRIA BURGERS - with melted Cheese, Birria, Cilantro and Onions, served with Consommé

RAJITAS CON CREMA - Roasted Poblano Pepper, Onions and Corn in a creamy sauce

Drift Coffee & Kitchen - Chef Thomas Mathers

BLUEBERRY COCONUT LIME STACK - Brown butter and buttermilk blueberry pancakes, topped with a lime curd, coconut cream, toasted coconut and sous vide blueberries

Elijah's - Chef Aliesha Johnson

FRIED SHRIMP & GOUDA GRITS - with Roasted Corn and Applewood Bacon

Ellipsis - Chef Margot Robinson

NOLA BRUNCH - Miniature Praline Pecan Sticky Buns, Quiche Lorraine and Andouille Sausage

Eternal Sunshine Cafe - Chef Michael Pellegrino

CARIBBEAN ILLUSION - Rum Bread French Toast with Coconut Pudding, Mango Purée, Guava Gel and Cinnamon Pineapple

Nothing Bundt Cakes - Chef Jack Marinich

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BUNDT CAKES 

Oliver's On The Cape Fear - Chef Dustin Garrett

GREEN EGGS & HAM - Avocado Devilled Eggs topped with Crispy Pancetta and Smoked Maplewood Bacon

Salt & Charm - Chef Caroline Corey, Chef Alissa Fetherolf, Chef Lora Plauche

PORK BELLY BREAKFAST BITE - Sweet & Savory Pork Belly, Grits and a Biscuit Crumble

Sweet D's Cuisine - Chef Brian Dickey (2 dishes) 

GRANDMA'S COUNTRY GRIT BOWL - Creamy grits with bacon, sausage and eggs

MINI CUPCAKES & MINI CROISSANTS

Sweet N Savory - Chef Rob Shapiro

OPEN-FACED DUCK CONFIT SLIDERS - With Bacon-Onion Jam, “Secret’s in the Sauce” and Lettuce on a Hawaiian slider bun

US Foods - Chef Josh Hughes & Chef Cliff Vogelsberg

SEARED GEORGES BANK SEA SCALLOP - With Creamy Stone Ground Grits, Crispy Prosciutto and Bloody Mary Nage

     End of Days Distillery provided cocktails- CARGO MULE, GIN & TONIC, HURRICANE, CASA BLANCA COFFEE ROASTERS ESPRESSO MARTINI.

     Featured Wines: MAISON RICHE CREMANT BRUT, MAISON RICHE CREMANT ROSE, MAISON RICHE DRY ROSE, SEA SALT SAUVIGNON BLANC.

     I would repeat my caution from yesterday: this was not a competition, and I did not participate as a judge. But once again, even though I enjoyed everything I tried, I encountered a few places that I thought just deserved special recognition. Herewith, a few more personal favorites:

Most attractive presentation: Drift Coffee & Kitchen - Chef Thomas Mathers, BLUEBERRY COCONUT LIME STACK PANCAKES and Ellipsis - Chef Margot Robinson, NOLA BRUNCH - Miniature Praline Pecan Sticky Buns, Quiche Lorraine and Andouille Sausage

Most creative/original idea: Eternal Sunshine Cafe - Chef Michael Pellegrino, CARIBBEAN ILLUSION and Oliver's On The Cape Fear - Chef Dustin Garrett, GREEN EGGS & HAM.

Favorite Flavor: Buen Dia - Chef Marcos Cruz, RAJITAS CON CREMA, COSTILLITA EN SALSA, and MINI BIRRIA BURGERS

Feast Wilmington- First Event, VIP Kickoff, Friday, March 22, 2024

   There's a saying- Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

   It was a dark and stormy night.

  Ok, not that stormy, not by any means the worst. The forecast warned of winds and possibly heavy rain, but the rain was fairly light, the wind moderate. 

  And Feast Wilmington was well prepared. Two large tents, heavily anchored, housed providers and participants. The tents flanked the Live Oak Bank Pavillion stage at Riverfront Park. This is a great facility! The only time we got wet was when we navigated from one tent to the other. Ticket prices included adult as well as non-alcoholic beverages, listed below. 

  My wife and I tasted dishes from 11 restaurants on this first night of the event, and we enjoyed everything we tried. I have named personal favorites in three categories at the end of this post. This was not a competition, I just wanted to recognize a few dishes that really caught my attention. There were no pre-arranged categories. As I edited photos and reviewed my notes, three criteria just kind of emerged from the "data." There will be three more posts this week, one per day for each event, followed by a final that will name our favorite dishes, overall.  

  

Apple Annie's Bake Shop - Pastry Chef Hans Westermark

Apple Annie's SPRING PETIT FOUR- White Roulette Sponge Cake brushed with a fresh Orange Syrup, two layers of house-made Raspberry Cream and two layers of house-made Lemon Curd Cream

Benny's Big Time Pizzeria - Chef Evan Morton & Chef Ben Knight

PORCINI AND FENNEL PIE- Whipped Ricotta base, Porcini and Cremini Mushrooms, mild Fennel Sausage, Garlic, Pickled Fennel, Parmesan, Fresh Mozzarella. They also served ANATRA ALLA CACCIATORA PIZZA- “Duck Huntsman’s Stew” Spiced Tomato base, braised and shredded Duck, Parmesan, Fresh Mozzarella, finished with Fresh Basil.

Blackburn Brothers Seafood Market – Whitney Blackburn and Mackenzie Lynn

RETAIL MARKET DISPLAY- of fresh seafoods

Bridgewater Wines And Dines - Chef David Andersen

DATE NIGHTS- Fresh local Figs stuffed with Chorizo and Goat Cheese with a Balsamic drizzle

Circa 1922 - Chef Will Copeland

PICKLED NC SHRIMP SALAD- with Green Tomato Chow Chow and Prawn Crisps (photo above). They also served TUNA POKE UMAMI BOMBS- Tuna Poke “Umami” Bombs with crispy Sticky Rice, Avocado and Citrus Ponzu and BERRIES & CREAM- Berries & Cream macerated Strawberries, Creme Diplomat and Rhubarb.

Covey - Chef Parker Lewin

SLOW ROASTED PORK CHEEK - with Sour Cherries, Maple syrup, and Crispy Oats

Floriana - Chef Lou Rivera

LAMB GNOCCHI- Chianti Braised Lamb Ragu with Potato Gnocchi, Ricotta and Fifth Element Farms Micro Basil

G Prime - Chef Kevin Draper

BEEF TENDERLOIN- Shaved Beef Tenderloin with Tallow fried Fondant Potato, Truffle Aioli, Chimichurri, and Pickled Red Onion

Olivero - Chef Sunny Gehert & Chef Lauren Krall Ivey

CRISPY LASAGNA - with Fontina Béchamel, Romesco

Southern Smoke BBQ - Chef Matthew Register

WOOD FIRED BEEF LOIN - with Charred Corn and Tomato Chow Chow

True Blue Butcher and Table – Chef Nick Bilello

BLACK ANGUS BEEF TENDERLOIN - with potatoes dauphinois, braised shiitake mushrooms, and bordelaise sauce

     I regret that my photo from Kipos was lost- Chef George Delidimos, SHORT RIB YOUVETSI - Fork-tender Braised Short Rib with Orzo “Manestra” cooked in braising Jus. The flavor was among the best. 

    Cocktails were provided by End of Days Distillery.

    Featured Beers- CIGAR CITY JAI ALAI IPA, BLUES DALE'S PALE ALE, FOOTHILLS CAROLINA BLONDE, FOOTHILLS HOPPYUM IPA.

Featured Wines- COPPER CAP CHARDONNAY, CURRENCY CABERNET SAUVIGNON, PIN POINT PINOT NOIR, and SEA SALT SAUVIGNON BLANC.

   There was a lot of good food, and there were no limits on returns, either for food samplings or visits to the bar. Picking favorites was not easy, but a few just stood out:

Most attractive presentation: G Prime - Chef Kevin Draper, SHAVED BEEF TENDERLOIN

Most creative/original idea: Olivero - Chef Sunny Gehert & Chef Lauren Krall Ivey, CRISPY LASAGNA

Favorite flavor: Floriana - Chef Lou Rivera, LAMB GNOCCHI; and Kipos - Chef George Delidimos, SHORT RIB YOUVETSI. I could not rank one over the other. Both great!

Wine Dinner at The Katharine

          The Katherine Brasserie & Bar (Kimpton Cardinal Hotel, 401 North Main Street, Winston-Salem 27101, (336) 761-0203, katharinebrasserie.com) hosted a wine dinner on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Winemaker Michele diAprix presented several of her own wines along with a few others made by her friends and/or mentors in Bordeaux, France. She is American. An American woman making wine in Bordeaux- that’s really unusual!

          Executive Chef Danny Tippetts created dishes to pair with each wine.

          We started with Maz Caz Blanc, a minerally white blend of Roussanne (51%) and Grenache Blanc (49%).

         Chef served an amuse with this, a lightly chilled oyster with apple-ginger mignonette and cucumber water granita, seasoned with tarragon. My wife cannot eat oysters, but she slurped that mignonette with relish! (And I enjoyed a second oyster.)

        Round “Une” was Maz Caz Rose’. This is a blend of Grenache (60%) and Syrah (40%), producing hints of raspberry. 

        Hamachi Aguachile was the food pairing. Hamachi is a mildly flavored white fish, in this case marinated in lime juice, yuzu scented oil, and Calabrian chili, with avocado and fine diced cucumber, plus an orange wedge- a Japanese inspired preparation. 

        Course “Deux” featured Pierre Angulaire Blanc, a classic French Sauvignon Blanc, with mild grassy undertones plus green apple and pear notes. 

        Fried Chevre (goat cheese) was enhanced with pickled strawberry, balsamic gastrique, pea tendrils, and two wedges of crisp toast.

        Michele diAprix made all three of these wines. We not only liked them, we thought they were especially noteworthy for high food friendliness, and a strong value at $17/bottle.

        For our “Trois” course, we enjoyed Chateau des Fougeres, a red from the Graves region, Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot (40%), vintage 2015. The Merlot softens the tannins of the Cabernet. We noted light leather fragrances on the nose.

        Chef paired this with Confit Cornish Game Hen, cannellini beans, crisp bacon, carrots and carrot tops. 

        Domaine Simon Blanchard Village, another red blend of Merlot (85%) and Cabernet Franc (15%), vintage 2020, and Domaine Simon Blanchard au Champ de la Fentre, 100% Merlot, vintage 2019, led Round “Quarte.” Both are from Saint-Emilion. 

        These are bigger, more robust wines that paired beautifully with New Zealand Lamb Loin, roasted beet puree, Swiss chard, radish slices, and blackberries. 

       Course “Cinq” was based on Pentimento, a blend of Merlot (75%) and Cabernet Franc (25%) from Bordeaux, vintage 2018. 

        A tender, lean, moist cylinder of Elk Tenderloin joined Peruvian potatoes, Comte’ fondue, and mellow leeks on the plate, a mellifluous match for the wine.

        Dessert was Japanese Cheesecake with berry compote, dark chocolate, and freeze-dried blueberries.

          These wines are not widely distributed. They will be available for a limited time at Zeto (corner of 335 Battleground Avenue and West Lindsay St, Greensboro 27401, (336) 574-2850, zetowines.com).

        And The Katharine continues to sustain its level in the most elite echelon of Triad restaurants.

Edenton Christmas Tour

 My wife and I have become quite enamored with Edenton, NC. There are several blocks of homes in pristine condition, built in the 1700s and 1800s. Go to edentonpilgrimage.org to keep up with tour schedules. These photos are from Christmas, December 2023.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

 Wife and I recently returned from the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Spent time in Lexington, then Louisville, with Bardstown in between.

These barrels at Buffalo Trace (buffalotracedistillery.com) show why aged bourbons cost more. From an almost full barrel (bottom left), evaporation takes half to 3/4 or more, as flavor intensifies. The part that evaporates is called the "angel's share." Bourbon gets all its color and most of its flavor from the barrel.

Tasting lineup at Buffalo Trace. This is an excellent tour and a great shop, a must on any visit. You do not have to take the tour in order to buy in the shop. Buffalo Trace is one of the properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Woodford Reserve (woodfordreserve.com), also an essential stop. This is another of the distilleries that is on the National Historic Register.

Note the extensive copper, the only metal Woodford Reserve products ever touch.

Aging in progress. The two red ends designate special batches that will be released in Baccarat crystal for Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby release. This ain't cheap!

Tasting lineup at Woodford Reserve.

Tasting lineup at Old Forester (oldforester.com).

Bar/tasting room at Old Forester.

Tasting lineup at Rabbit Hole (rabbitholedistillery.com).

Other distilleries are all about history. Rabbit Hole is a recent enterprise. I liked their rye- the only one I bought on this trip.

At Rabbit Hole. Looks like something out of Star Wars doesn't it?

Best meal of the trip: Distilled (distilledonjefferson.com) in Lexington.

Other visits I recommend: Angel's Envy (angelsenvy.com) in Louisville. One of my personal favorite bourbons, maybe #1, but I have to taste more to be sure.

A number of distilleries are opening tasting rooms on Whiskey Row in Louisville. This is a good base of operations for any tour.

We did not spend enough time in Bardstown to provide a guide. We wanted to go the Bardstown Bourbon tasting room on Whiskey Row, but it wasn't open yet. 

Heaven Hill (heavenhilldistillery.com) in Bardstown was a favorite tour. Fascinating history, really good museum.

Tasting notes:

I think bourbon needs a little water in order to open up flavor and cut alcohol taste. Try one small ice cube in 2-3 ounces of bourbon, let it melt, swirl, then sip. Adjust future servings to taste.

I get the best results when I move the bourbon around in my mouth after sipping. (Don't gulp!) Get it under the tongue, on either side of your gums, open your mouth slightly, breathe in a little air, swirl it around. That's when you really taste it. Get it off the tip of your tongue, where the alcohol taste is strongest.

I did not like the higher alcohol bourbons. None of the 100 proof products (or higher) appealed to me. I just could not get beyond the alcohol taste to find the bourbon. Other tasters, of course, would disagree!

The Jefferson Hotel in Richmomd

 This place is spectacular. Classic!

The restaurant, Lemaire, is quite good, too.

Mussels

Red Snapper

Scallops