My choice for The Last Supper

Written by Victoria Baker
Friday, 09 December 2011 14:09

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food” said George Bernard Shaw, and how true it is! With Christmas Eve just around the corner I am sure many of you are making arrangements for Christmas Eve dinner so I thought I’d share some of my favorite culinary moments to give you some ideas...

Restaurant Jean Louis is, to me, the pinnacle of gastronomy in Greenwich. I will never forget my first meal at Jean Louis’... it was a few years ago so the details have dimmed but the memory of each first bite has remained. I recall an Ile Flottante for dessert like nothing I’ve ever tasted before, a heavenly slice of Dover Sole and chocolate truffles that have yet to be matched in this chocoholic’s experience. This year Chef jean Louis has devised a Christmas Eve dinner entitled “Menu with Choices” for $65/person. First seating is at 6:15 p.m., second seating at 8:35 p.m. Appetizer choices include homemade Lobster Bisque, Foie Gras or Bouchee a la Reine and for the main course Dover Sole with Risotto (that sounds particularly good), Boar osso bucco with polenta or Ballotine of Capon. I hope this has given you a hunger to go do your own research and whet your appetite, no pun intended. Here is the restaurant website Restaurantjeanlouis.com.

In 2006 Jean Louis was awarded the illustrious James Beard title of ‘Best Chef Northeast’ which came as no surprise to his longtime foodie fans. One of my other recent but no less favorite Chefs, Jonathan Cartwright, is also affiliated with the James Beard House having cooked there. Chef Cartwright is also a European, British, working his magic on the American food scene. I discovered his culinary gifts at the Muse restaurant in Newport where it is located inside the elegant Vanderbilt Grace Hotel. My memories of this meal are fresher, though no less delicious than Jean Louis’, and I remember distinctly the seven course tasting menu, the butter poached lobster a favorite. As with any good Chef the culinary offerings were designed to highlight local ingredients and they brought a new meaning to the term New England cuisine... a distinct marriage between American freshness and European tradition. A lot of risks were taken but as the French say “Celui qui risque rien, n’a rien” which translates “He who risks nothing, has nothing” and Chef Cartwright’s calculated culinary risks certainly paid off. But don’t take my word for it, check out the upcoming Christmas menu Vanderbiltgrace.com/dining.

If I were forced to choose where to eat my Last Supper I think I’d be torn between my two favorite chefs: Jean Louis and Jonathan Cartwright...then again it’s impossible to choose, they each have their strong suits and it’s silly of me to compare two culinary geniuses in their own right. No, no, the only solution is I will have to die twice in order to enjoy two Last Supper’s... in the meantime, I plan to live each day as if it were my last...supper or not!

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