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 This Month's Calendar
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Event Location For reservations, call The James Beard House at (212) 675-4984 or (800) 36-BEARD. |
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| Special Event |
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Flavors of San Diego
Riko Bartolome
Tom Dowling
Bernard Guillas
Thursday,
September 14,
7:00pm
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There was a time when the most exciting dining event in San Diego was feeding time at the zoo. While the world's greatest animal corral still provides some level of gastronomic thrill, the restaurant scene in San Diego has hit its own stride. In what has grown into an almost city wide celebration of the current state of dining, San Diego is sending a delegation of three chefs to the Beard House to show 'em what they've got. The event has created such excitement at home that San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine began chronicling the journey to the Beard House in their January 2000 issue, and plans to follow the chefs right up until the last chocolate truffle is served on September 14.
The trio includes Riko Bartolome of 150 Grand Cafe in Escondido. A CIA graduate, Bartolome cooked at resorts in La Jolla and Maui, perfecting his unique brand of Pacific Rim cuisine along the way. While chef de cuisine of Pangaea in the Hotel Nikko in Los Angeles, he began to attract national attention. There, Gourmet restaurant critic Caroline Bates called his cooking "fresh and provocative, an exciting exception to the dullness that has descended on the Los Angeles restaurant scene."
Another graduate of the CIA, Tom Dowling has been executive chef of the beloved El Bizcocho at the indulgent Rancho Bernardo Inn since 1987. Named the best restaurant in the San Diego area in 1999 by the finicky Zagat voters (who called the restaurant a "gourmet knockout"), El Bizcocho affords a formal French dining experience that includes elegant tableside service, a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list, and Dowling's modern French cooking.
What San Diego chef delegation would be complete without Bernard Guillas, who's been executive chef of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1994? A native of France's Brittany region, Guillas felt an affinity for the coastal climes of San Diego County. Born into a family of butchers, bakers, and restaurateurs, he completed his culinary formation early, working with chef Georges Paineau. Guillas moved to Washington, D.C., in 1984 to work with former White House executive chef Pierre Chambrin at Maison Blanche. In 1989 he relocated to San Diego. He was tapped by the Rising Star Chef television series for PBS in 1996, and has also been featured in Food Arts.
MENU
Spoons:
Foie Gras with Cane Apple Berry, Belgian Endive, and Pomegranate Glaze
Dungeness Crab with Purple Potatoes and Osetra Caviar
Carlsbad Mussel Barquette with Avocado, Saffron Cream, and Citrus Confit
Scharffenberger Pacific Echo Brut (NV)
Chilled Thai Basil and Ogen Melon Soup with Pacific Lobster and Broad Leaf Cress Salad
Mount Palomar Viognier 1997
Kaffir Lime-Scented Onaga with Buttercup Squash, Sweet Black Rice, Tatsoi, Honshimeji Mushrooms, and Spotted Prawn Coral Sauce
Caymus Conundrum 1998
Two Preparations of California Lamb: Loin in Feuille de Brique, and Chipotle-Scented Rack with Plantain Gnocchi, Chayote, and Caramelized Onion Coulis
Hartford Court Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir 1997
Goat Cheese Brålèe with Black Mission Figs, Peppered Walnut Crisps, Young Organic Greens, and Verjus Mist
Ferrari-Carano Siena 1997
Preserved Fruit Nougat Glacèe with Strawberry-Anise ConsommÈ and Pistachio Tuile
Raymond Vineyard Eloquence Late-Harvest Chardonnay 1997
Chili Ibarra Chocolate Truffles with Gold Dust