Year #4 of the popular Pullman/Kroul farm dinner is in the books and once again the staff outdid themselves. Chef Smart and Pullman staff continue to present inspiring and beautiful dishes to attendees of this event and this year was no different. Considering they were cooking over an open flame on a close to 90 degree Sunday, you may have thought there would be hiccup….not at all! Every dish, start to finish was excellent!

DISH #1
Za’atar eggplant gallette, sungold tomato, ricotta salata, green chile zhoug
Canteloupe gazpacho, coconut, cucumber, mint
Rosemary skewered Mussels, lemon-caper aioli, roasted red pepper

The perfect way to start the evening! A chilled gazpacho with melon and cucumber to cool off the hot evening and then digging into the mussel with a fresh caper aioli. Finish it off the somewhat spicy gallette and its flaky crust….I’ll take more of that gallette please!

DISH #2

Wood-fired chanterelle mushrooms, grilled diver sea scallop, sweet corn, brown butter sabayon, pickled apple, hazelnut, sweet basil

The second dish might be my favorite of the night! A perfectly cooked scallop served alongside sweet corn and chanterelle mushrooms…absolutely outstanding! And anytime brown butter is added to a dish it makes it that much more exquisite…just an outstanding dish.

DISH #3

Cedar plank trout, herb roasted marble potatoes, marinated cherry tomato, blistered green beans, horseradish & smoked trout roe cream, fines herbes

Extremely fresh fish and perfectly cooked vegetables made this the perfectly placed dish amongst the courses. The added touch of the horseradish to give it a little bite was very nicely done.

DISH #4

Pavelka’s point Lamb Merguez with blistered shishito & onion
Roasted zucchini, confit summer squash, blistered radish, garlic, mint & red chimichurri

I love the idea of serving dishes family style and this lamb sausage dish not only tasted wonderful but was visually appealing as well. The sausage had a little heat to it and blistered shishito peppers were the perfect accompaniment. Delicious!

DISH #5

Short rib Shepherd’s pie, roasted carrot, onion, celery root, thyme
Grilled prime cut of Kroul Farm’s beef
Roasted pumpkin & bitter greens with fresh chevre & apple-onion-pancetta agrodolce

I did say the scallop was my favorite until I remembered the short rib shepherd’s pie! Creamy and delicious with melt in your mouth beef. This is a dish for the cooler months for sure but it tasted damn good on a warm Sunday night as well! The prime cut of beef was perfectly cooked and seasoned and was melt in your mouth!

DISH #6

Gooey butter cake & bourbon poached pears with maple cream, rosemary caramel, spiced streusel & candied ginger

I don’t consider myself much of a dessert guy but all 4 years of this dinner the crew has put together some of tastiest desserts I’ve ever had and this year was no different. The butter cake was extremely moist and the poached pears still had some crunch in them and were not mushy at all. The cake was paired wonderfully with one of the best coffees I’ve ever had, a chai cream coffee.

Special thank you to the Kroul family for hosting once again and to Cory Kent and Chef Ben Smart and staff. A truly remarkable meal and I look forward to next year’s event! Cheers!