Chefs and restaurants are known for their style and approach to the cuisine, often featuring signature creations on a menu driven by the ethnic heritage of the chef.
At his successful Warwick cucina, Vanda, restaurateur Dino Passaretta and chef Gina Pezza are becoming known for their Bolognese with hand-cut fettucine, pecorino and basil. It has often been included in reviews of the modern Italian spot.
At the recent Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, signature dishes competed for attention with hundreds of wines. Teams of celebrated chefs collaborated to bring course after course to the table, where they were paired with superb wines personally selected by leading vintners from around the world.
The centerpiece of the weekend was the highly regarded Vintner Dinner held at Rosecliff. According to the Preservation Society of Newport County, Rosecliff’s architecture was inspired by the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles.
The setting was the inspiration for the theme of the evening, “Vive La France,” featuring wines and sparkling wines from the regions of Alsace, Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux and, of course, Champagne. The dinner that followed was a culinary triumph and was also interactive and engaging. The brigade of chefs and the vintners responsible for the pairings chatted with the diners in the ballroom as each course was presented. The renowned chefs were: Laurent Manrique of Café de la Presse, San Francisco; Robert Sisca of Bistro du Midi, Boston; Anthony Cole of Chatham Bars Inn, Chatham, Mass.; Christopher Curtin of Éclat Chocolate, Philadelphia; Daniel Skurnick of Le Coucou, New York City; and Michelle Boland of Oak + Rowan, Boston.
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CHEF COLLABORATION: Robert Sisca, pictured, is the chef at Bistro du Midi in Boston. He collaborated with chef Anthony Cole of Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Mass., to create one of the courses at the recently held Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, which featured crudo of Atlantic bluefin tuna with Santa Barbara uni paired with a 2016 Philippe Pacalet Meursault Chardonnay.
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Chef Sisca described to my radio and podcast listeners what he created in collaboration with chef Cole, with whom he had cooked previously at Chatham. Theirs was the second course served, crudo of Atlantic bluefin tuna with Santa Barbara uni in an “East meets West” idea. The just-landed bluefin was served in a sashimi presentation – thinly sliced with fresh wasabi and a black garlic dashi (broth) and the uni – the highest grade of sea urchin – made for a unique dish. Its bold and spicy flavors were a match for the wine pairing, the 2016 Philippe Pacalet Meursault (Chardonnay), which was complex and buttery.
Before the recipes and menu were finalized, each item went for approval before the wine director of the festival, renowned certified sommelier Todd Lipman, who also oversees all the wines chosen for the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival. The signature aspect was brought up with the recollection of a menu item from Sisca’s time in Providence, at a downtown restaurant that is now part of the Providence G complex. He recalled it right away – a brunch creation of Earl Grey-cured salmon that, although cooked, was presented in a crudo style. “Anything seafood … crudo is always one of my favorite [style of] dishes to work with. When you have so much great fish [as] we have here in New England, it [is] showcased in this type of preparation, so it definitely is one of my favorites,” he said. n
Bruce Newbury’s “Dining Out” radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK, on radio throughout New England, through various mobile applications and his podcast. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.
