It's not too late to make reservations for the year's first "don't miss" dining event, a collaboration of Gerard Craft of Niche and Megan and Colby Garrelts of bluestem in Kansas City. As I noted in a prior Tweet on @stlmag_relish, it's a "helluva good way to blow some Christmas dough." The five-course dinner event will be held at Niche on Friday, January 20. Seatings will be at 6:00 and 8:30 p.m.
Bluestem has been racking up dining awards since its inception; the same can be said of Niche. One common denominator for Colby Garrelts and Craft is that both have been recipients of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs award (Garrelts in 2005, Craft in 2008). They met at a F&W awards ceremony, and according to Garrelts, "have been friends ever since."
Besides their friendship, another reason for the collaborative dinner is to kick off the Garrelts' new book, bluestem, the cookbook, a 100-recipe volume that preaches the Garrelts' mantra that "fine dining can be playful and, with a bit of care and dedication, doable in the home kitchen."
Several of the courses come via Garrelts' cookbook, several via Gerard Craft. The evening's dinner menu is as follows:
Amuses by the Chefs
First Course - Hamachi Crudo, scallions, hon shimeji, dashi vinaigrette
Second Course - Crispy Sweetbreads, roasted radicchio, pickled apple, buttermilk, bourbon pecan molasses
Third Course - Pancetta Poached Cod, whipped carrots, caramelized parsnip broth
Fourth Course - Kansas City Strip and Short Rib with puffed barley, Mienke grits, Thane’s kale, pumpernickel and horseradish
Fifth Course - Graham Cracker Pound Cake, hot chocolate poached pears, tangerine sherbet
Petit Fours
The price is $115 per person (plus $35 for wine pairings), not inclusive of tax and gratuity. Each guest will receive a copy of bluestem, the cookbook, personalized by Chefs Megan and Colby. Call Niche at 314-773-7755 for reservations.
