St. Louis (June 6, 2012)—Chef John Griffiths, who recently accepted an invitation to prepare dinner at the internationally respected James Beard House in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 7:00 p.m., is holding two “pop-up” preview dinners for St. Louis in preparation for this honor. Modesto and Sidney Street Café will host the preview dinners featuring Chef Griffiths’ six-course menu for the James Beard House on Sunday, June 10 and Sunday, June 17 at 6 p.m., respectively. The cost of the “pop-up” dinner and wine pairing is $89 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Seating is limited to 60 guests and all reservations for both dinners are to be made through Modesto by calling (314) 772-8272.
“I am very humbled and thankful that Brendan Marsden of Modesto and Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Cafe are offering me their fantastic restaurants to "pop-up" on their normally closed days,” said Chef Griffiths. “It's just another great example of what a strong restaurant community we have here, and why I am proud to represent St Louis in New York later this month.”
Chef Griffiths menu to be served at the “pop-up” dinners includes:
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
House made salume
Chilled tomato, smoked olive oil
Oysters with cucumber tapioca
Goat milk ricotta with blueberry mostarda on walnut toast
Domane Saint Vincent NV Rose, New Mexico
First
Trout Crudo
Missouri pecans, lemon and trout caviar
Quattro Mani “Toh-Kai,” Brda, Slovenia 2010
Second
Panzanella Salad
Early summer vegetables
Montelle Vineyards, Dry Vignoles, Missouri 2010
Third
Casoncelli Pasta
Ricotta-escarole filling
Wild mushroom and charred sweet corn ragu
Giacomo Borgogno Dolcetto d’Alba, Piemonte, Italy 2010
Fourth
Jones Farm Lamb “Stufato”
Fava beans, cipoline onions, mint
Augusta Vineyards, Norton, Missouri 2010
Fifth
Olive Oil Shortcake with local blackberries
Elio Perrone, “Bigaro” Piemonte, Italy 2011
“These preview dinners allow me a chance to serve this menu to St. Louis and help me fine tune the flavors of the various dishes and the wine pairings for each course,” said Chef Griffiths. “It is also providing St. Louis with the opportunity to experience a James Beard dinner without having to travel to New York.”
Reservations for the James Beard dinner are available by calling the James Beard House reservations department at (212) 627-2308 or visiting www.jamesbeard.org. Foundation members, as well as local supporters of Chef Griffiths, can purchase all-inclusive tickets for $130 per person. Tickets for the general public are $170 per person.
About The James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America's diverse culinary heritage and future. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts.
Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs.
For more information, please visit www.jamesbeard.org. Find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation’s blog Delights & Prejudices. Become a member of the James Beard Foundation, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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