I had the honor to be an invited guest to the 25th anniversary of the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-Cap) last week. C-CAP, is a national non-profit that works with public schools to prepare undeserved high school students for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry. For the record, the Pinkyfingerup crew love the kids and hope they keep feeding us till we’re old and grey. The founder and chairman of C-CAP, Richard Grausman, has a career spanning over forty years as a teacher and writer. This year’s honorees included businessman Dick Parsons and restaurateur Alexander Smalls.
Now for the food. The event style is a walk-around tasting. There was forty-three restaurants participating in this years tasting . A good portion of chefs involved were C-Cap alumni. Out of the forty-three participating restaurants, I managed to sample forty-one. Some of my personal favorites came from, Marc Forgione, Sea Grill and Juni. Enjoy the pics and if you see something you like go there and eat it.
– Pinkyfingerup
Dos Caminos, Plantain Empanadas
Union Square Cafe/ Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake, Fennel seed sable Blood Oranges, Kumquat Confit
AltaMarea Group Hazelnut Paris Best
Wayfarer/Cured Salmon cucumber jalapeño apple vinaigrette.
Vinegar Hill House/Braised pork, sunflower hummus,apple&fennel chutney , sourdough naan, curried sunflower bark and herbs
Porter House/Prime rib au jus
Lexington Brass/ Beet Cured Salmon Ceviche, Pickle Mango Puree, Black Sushi Rice Chip
Michaels/ Duck Confit Tacos
Catch/ Hit Me Cake
Nobu 57/Nobu Umami Wings
Juni/ Charred squash,smoked trout maple
Asiate/Truffled Yukon Gold Potato
Maya/ Tlayuda Adobo shrimp, crispy tortilla, spicy bean puree,chopped lettuce,pico de gallo, cojija cheese and crema
Marc Forgione/ Meyer Lemon Cheesecake
Blue Hills/Coppa with farm eggs and squash
Benoit/ Warm egg custard, green asparagus, sea urchin
Daniel/Pheasant Terrine
Extra Virgin/Escabeche
Clement/ Saffron chirashi with fluke
Chadwicks/ White Water Mussels with Salami Crumbs
Red Rooster/Chicken Tack Tack
Sea Grill/ Can build your own Chirashi Sushi
Mintons/ Sweet potato creme brûlée, sweet tea molasses pickled raisins candied pecans
Almond/ Moroccan style lamb meatballs with salsa verde and ricotta salata
La Marina/Crispy Arepa Braised beef short rib, lime scented sour cream, creamy avocado, cilantro
Mailino/Cured beef tongue, parmigiano,mustard and argula
SD26/Soft quail egg filled ravioli with truffled butter
Betony/ Beets , Horseradish and goats milk
Dirty French/ Chicken and Crepes
Talde/Pretzel Pork & Chive dumplings with Tahini Mustard
Loi Estiatorio/Salmon Tatare with chives , shallots, lemon and horseradish with yogurt dill sauce in phyllo cup
Barbuto/ Farro salad with fennel,olive meyer lemon and almond
The Cecil/ Curry crusted cod, kimchi rice porridge gaunciale , fish sauce caramel
Sarabeth/Banana Cream Trifle
Shun Lee Palace/ Peking Duck
Maysville/Charcoal Grilled Sweet Potato
Batard/Coffee and Milk Kardinal
Felidia/Tuna Semi Carpaccio
Telepan/ House made kielbasa with sauerkraut and apple compote
Le Cirque/ Blue Crab Simplisse
Last week, I attended an extraordinary culinary experience at Basketball City. The event was put together by one of the finest charitable organizations in the city. Although I had to use some old-school Brooklyn style tactics to get in, the event was one for the books. With over 70 restaurants participating, it was wall to wall of delightful bites. The venue also was set up with a dessert bar, an auction, a few mixologist, a scotch whiskey station and a cigar corner. Not only it was a fun event but the charity raised over a million dollars to help feed hunger. PINKYFINGERUP
BBQ BRISKET with JALAPEÑO, MUSTARD CREMA and Pickled APPLE
SPICE-BRAISED SHORT RIB with BEEF HEART with COCONUT and FLATBREAD
STEAK TARTARE with GOCHUJANG and MUSTARD SEEDS
NORTH CAROLINA RED SHRIMP with RED RICE, GREEN PAPAYA SALAD, GINGER RED WINE SAUCE
Pinky Finger Up 