Last week we put together a tasting panel to help us determine the menu for our big whisky dinner on November 18.
The panel, starting with the gentleman with his back to the camera and moving clockwise: Flavien Desoblin, owner of Brandy Library, Ethan Kelley, spirit sommelier of Brandy Library, Craig Koketsu, chef of Quality Meats and Park Avenue, Joe Campanale, GM/beverage guru of Dell'anima and L'Artusi, Alain Sailhac, our Dean Emeritus and André Soltner, another Dean of ours.
We had them sample 2 fish dishes, 2 meat dishes and 2 desserts. Many of the recipes were developed by our culinary students. I can’t divulge the winners, but I’ll share some photos with you.
Seared trout with barley risotto, Calvados raisins and apple cider reduction
A full table. The whiskies were Glenfiddich 15 Year, Glenlivet The Nàdurra and Dalmore Gran Reserva.
Chefs Alain and André had the exact same scores for each dish and both swore they didn’t look at each other’s notes. The concept of pairing whisky with savory dishes seemed a little foreign to them. André said, “With the fish and the meat, I’m not there, but with the sweetness it’s very good.”
One of the many exciting things about this dinner is that I think we’ll be able to show how successful whisky and savory food pairings can be.
A Thirsty Spirit 