Swanky Good Food

Waiting in the checkout line at the grocery about a month ago, I glanced at the magazines and noticed one I'd never heard of. "Garden & Gun?" I thought to myself, "Never heard of that one before, but I guess there's a magazine for everything!". Then, sometime in the next few days, a friend tagged me in a Facebook post with a link to an event, hosted by none other than Garden & Gun magazine. I decided it was fated and I must attend.

A Fashionable Feast was held in a beautiful space in Highland Park Village. Two chefs were featured - both female chefs, which was also one of the reasons I decided to attend. Chef Julia Sullivan from Nashville, TN, and Chef Amalia Scatena from Charlotesville, VA were joined by Mixologist Kellie Thorn from Atlanta, GA to create the fantastic and sumptuous meal with which we were presented. Simple and beautiful were the keys to the day.

Before the brunch, they offered passed h'ors de oeuvres and cocktails, champagne, or rosé wine. The first of the h'ors de oeuvres that I tried was a crouton topped with goat cheese and fresh figs, and the second was an oyster topped with red onion, shallots, and marinated in a light citrusy vinaigrette. I was afraid of having too many appetizers because I didn't know how much food would be served, but I indulged and had two of the oysters, because YUM, it was one of the best raw oyster preparations I've ever tasted. I considered cornering in the waiter and just downing the rest, but I decided to behave myself and not cause a scene. I'm not usually a rosé wine drinker, but I really enjoyed the one that was served at the event. I unfortunately didn't think to get the name of the wine, but the bottles were square, and one of my table mates thought it was one she'd bought before at either Whole Foods or Central Market.

I peeked in at the table, and was impressed with the beautiful table settings and flower arrangements. There was a photographer taking pics of the fancy people (I'm not one of the fancy people). The seating chart I thought was very creative. All of the guests names were printed on "packets" of vegetable seeds and planted in a faux garden. I was a Tomato.

Emily Clarke Events provided the design for the event. I had some lovely ladies join me in the Tomato section of the table, including two friends on a girl's weekend up from Austin. They kept the conversation fun and we laughed, ooohed, aaaahed, ogled, and enjoyed our three course brunch.

The first course consisted of Lavender and Pistachio Scones with strawberry jam and orange butter. Followed by Chilled Sweet Corn Soup. These were paired with a Hummingbird Fizz. This was my almost my favorite beverage, just falling second to the "punch" that was served with the passed h'ors de oeuvres. It was all light, fresh, fizzy, and very Southern.

The second course was heaven in my mouth. Chef Scatena presented Crab Cakes with French Pepper Aioli, and Duck Confit & Vegetable Hash topped with a Poached Farm Egg. Chef Sullivan presented a Heirloom Tomato Panzanella and Grilled Summer Squash.

The Panzanella had fresh burrata and Castelvetrano olives mixed in with heirloom tomatoes and croutons in a lovely vinaigrette dressing. The Grilled Summer Squash was zucchini and ricotta cheese. I sort of wish I had followed through on my declaration to scoop the last platter of the Panzanella into my purse. But then I'd never be able to go back to another swanky event. I'm pretty sure they ban you for that kind of behavior. The cocktail paired with this course was called Idle Delilah. I'm not a fan of sherry, but one of my lunch companions swapped her empty glass for her friend's full one, so I take that as positive vote for sherry lovers.

The third course was a cool Lemon Verbena Panna Cotta with Pickled Stone Fruit and Toasted Hazelnuts. This was paired with a glass of Royal Tokaji Mad Cuvee. This was a very sweet dessert wine, but when tasted with the pickled stone fruit and the slighly salty panna cotta, the sweetness was tempered and made for a beautiful finish to the meal.

I was so pleased with the event overall, with the fact that the chefs and the mixologist were women, with the freshness and simplicity of the food, and just being able to relax and enjoy an afternoon. Apparently I need to be on the lookout for more events like this. And now I have it on my to-do list to visit the home cities and restaurants of these talented professionals.

Handily, Facebook has come out with an "instant video" maker, which I've added below so that you can enjoy the rest of the photos of the event and the food. I'll have to learn how to make my own videos in future, because the music I think is just a little obnoxious. One thing at a time though.

#brunch #foodie #cocktails #wine #events #chefs