The weeklong dinner series, Food Wine Design, came to a close last Friday, May 18. Held at the Lumen Private Event Space, St. Louis Magazine’s signature event, presented by Lexus, was an evening focused on St. Louis’ culinary and design talent. The featured chefs were from locally celebrated restaurants: Justin Haifley of SLM’s 2011 Restaurant of the Year, The Tavern Kitchen and Bar, and Nick Miller of SLM’s 2009 Restaurant of the Year, Harvest.
Welcoming guests to the evening was a red carpet lined with a radiant display of Lexus automobiles. During the cocktail hour, Mixologist Ted Kilgore of Taste served up show stopping cocktails. Kilgore, who Relish’s George Mahe calls “the undisputed king of cocktails,” now offers a monthly mixology course by way of his company, Last Word Cocktails. “He’s just amazing,” Mahe told the guests. “He’ll deliver the best cocktail you’ve ever had.”
As guests filled Lumen, they were welcomed by the soulful voice of Kim Massie and viewed three featured tabletop designs. The designers were Marcia Moore of Marcia Moore Design, M. Joyce Mathis of MJM Design Company and Niche/The Lawrence Group’s Jay Eiler. Guests voted for the table of their preference. The winning table was Jay Eiler’s sophisticated design. “I wanted it to feel really fresh. The whole point was to use different layers or color, scale and pattern,” Eiler said. Three bouquets of fragrant pink peonies adorned the table’s black, white and muted greys tones.
Guests who participated in the voting were able to make a suggested contribution of $5 to Friday’s charity partner, the Madison Foundation. All donations benefitted the local organization, whose mission is to fund research of SIDS and unsolved infant death research. To learn more about the Madison Foundation, click here.
The diners took their seats, excited to enjoy the four-course meal from collaborating chefs, Haifley and Miller. The wine pairings for Friday were from Moet Hennessy USA. Marc Gottfried, Vice President of Brewing and Chief Brewing Officer of William K Busch Brewing Company, introduced the featured beer, Kräftig Light. “There are lots of things you can put into beer to make it cheaper or lighter,” Gottfried said. “But we do none of those things. This is an American all-malt beer.”
For the first course, Haifley presented a Hawaiian influenced dish of Ahi Tuna in five different flavors, paired with a Chilean Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc. The second course was a plate of sea scallops with carrot, curry and coconut with leafy greens. The zing in the glass of Newton Chardonnay matched the flavors from the coconut and curry.
Next, owner of Harvest, Nick Miller, delivered a Sayersbrook Bison ribeye, cooked medium rare. To be paired with a Terrazas Reverva Malbec, the lean cut was served with russet potato pave, Morels mushrooms, and asparagus and spring garlic. Miller said, “When I conceptualized the menu, I was in the doldrums of winter, so I was really looking forward to the ingredients that spring has to offer – like the Morels and garlic.” For dessert, Miller created a warm Brioche bread pudding with bourbon currant sauce and vanilla whipped cream. Paired with a Chandon Rosé, the thick bread pudding was in a league of its own.
St. Louis Magazine would like to thank guests who donated to the Madison Foundation and attended Food Wine Design. Be sure to check out the party pics from this extraordinary evening.
