A wedding gift from James Beard

For people like my hubby and me for whom dining is an elevated art form nearing an ethereal experience, a gift to the renowned James Beard Foundation and a gift certificate to dine there was perfection personified. To put it mildly. The second I walked into the old yet hallowed building I felt at home. Why hadn't I stumbled in before or signed up for one of their illustrious dinners? Oh yea, they come with a hefty price tag that most mere mortals reserve for special occasions and birthdays. But there we were on a random Monday rubbing elbows with the culinary elite and we fit right in. Comparing meals we had eaten in Spain. Talking about planned future meals in far-flung corners of the earth or hidden spots down the street. We held our own. And bite after bite offered from our aspirational chef Shuji Hiyakawa of Komé & Ooka Restaurants in Pennsylvania I began to truly understand the mission of James Beard which is to celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. The Foundation values artists who are creating work not just in New York and other major cities but all over -- bringing elevated food to the masses.

We had signed up for the meal entitled Fine Japanese Cuisine and if you regularly read this blog you'll understand why. The food was fantastic and the amazing wine pairings helped to soften my previous belief that red wine is best (these whites were incredible!). We began with a bevy of hors d'oeuvres including sushi spheres, pork belly pot-stickers with a sweet BBQ sauce and Foie Gras dumplings to name a few. Then onto our memorable five-course meal in which every bite stood out. I was awed by the Cauliflower and Uni Cappuccino - an airy amuse to begin the evening. The Sous-vide Wild Salmon with baby root vegetables, ginger balsamic and lavender foam was perfectly cooked and divine. And we punctuated the meal with a White Chocolate-Raspberry Mouse with Chocolate crumble thank you very much.

For now, we'll rejoice in our membership and no doubt splurge on a few more dinners. But much like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, in a year's time we'll be reduced to peering into the windows of greatness. Unless of course we or our generous benefactors pony up for year two.

James Beard Foundation
167 West 12th Street