June Earth to Table Dinner with Chef Ed Brown of 81 in NYC
Saturday June 5, 2010 6:30pm
Appetizers
Toy Box Tomato Salad, Tomato H2O, Rainbow Basil Mix
Outrageous & Red Rose Romaine Caesar Salad, Crispy Oyster Croutons
Fresh Herb Pasta, English Peas, Fiddlehead Ferns and Tom Thumb Lettuce
Jumbo Green Asparagus and Braised Morels with Soft Boiled Hen Eggs, Ruby Crystal Lettuce
Entrees
Braised Brown Eye Peas with Smoked Pork Belly, Bowtie Arugula
Slow Roasted Organic Lemon Chicken
Chef’s Garden Earth to Table Vegetables
Roasted Dragon & Cobalt Carrots and Artichokes Barigoule
Potato Salad, Tomato Confit, Chive Blossom, Onion, and Parmesan
Roasted Cauliflower, Capers, Shallots and Herbs, Pearl-stemmed Gold & Green Spinach
Dessert
Chocolate Banana-Cream Cake, Anise Hyssop
$55 per person plus tax and gratuity
About Chef Ed Brown
With the opening of eighty one in 2008, acclaimed Chef Ed Brown fulfills a lifelong dream of owning his own restaurant – a dream he's spent years preparing. Having earned himself high acclaim throughout his career, especially during his tenure as Executive Chef at The Sea Grill where he proved himself a master at seafood, Ed will show his flair for all ingredients. Through eighty one’s modern American menu, Ed's collaboration with the talented Chef de Cuisine Yuhi Fujinaga, dishes will reflect his relationships with the finest farmers, fishermen and culinary craftsmen from both close to home and around the globe – relationships that, in turn, reflect the high regard held for him by people throughout the culinary world.
The creation of eighty one is the culmination of Ed's long and successful career. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1983, Ed joined New York's Le Parker Meridian as sous chef at its three-star Maurice Restaurant where he worked beside Chef Christian Delouvrier and Chef/Maitre Cuisinier Alain Senderens. Two years later, he traveled with Senderens to Paris to work at the famous Michelin three-star Lucas Carton as Chef de Partie Tournant. It was during this time that he was introduced to the cuisines of the world and the variety of techniques that are still evident in the combinations, flavors and simplicity of his cooking style today.
In 1990, Ed joined the venerable Restaurant Associates (RA) to open Tropica, the organization's first project in New York's MetLife building complex, eventually overseeing the culinary programs at all of RA's restaurants in the building. After a brief stopover at Judson Grill, Ed returned to the RA family in 1994 to serve at the helm of The Sea Grill. During his 14 years as Executive Chef of The Sea Grill, Esquire magazine called it "one of the best restaurants in the world" and Brown, "perhaps the most impressive talent in his field." Ed has earned an impressive collection of stars from The New York Times, 14 in all for such properties as Marie Michelle, Tropica, Judson Grill and The Sea Grill.
Ed's well-respected status – earned in part from his gentlemanly nature, and from his extensive knowledge of agricultural practices – puts him at the top of his purveyors' lists and ensures that he is the first person they call when an exciting new ingredient of any kind becomes available. With these ingredients at his disposal, Ed will create modern American dishes that reflect both Japanese and French techniques with an eye for presentation, dimension and color.
Ed's star status is not limited to the confines of a restaurant. He also shines in the media world with frequent appearances on NBC's The TODAY Show and numerous contributions to culinary publications. In addition, Ed authored The Modern Seafood Cook (Clarkson Potter, 1995), a comprehensive look at how to buy, handle and prepare seafood. He also participated as a contributing author for the new Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 1997), updating its fish and shellfish section, and wrote the forward for celebrated Chef Pierre Franey's last edition of 60 Minute Gourmet (Clarkson Potter, 2000).