After reading about Foodie back in September, receiving invites to the last few events and having scheduling conflicts each time, I was finally able to attend this past Sunday’s Spanish-themed Foodie at Gallery A in the East Village. I brought three of my food and wine-loving friends to enjoy the evening with me. After all these months, my anticipation and expectations were both running high, and I was not in the least bit disappointed. Joe DeSalazar, who runs the event, was as pleasant as he had been in our email correspondence, and after a few glasses of pear sangria, my friends and I each sat down at a large table, with a personalized menu welcoming us to our seats. We shared the table with about a dozen people, all of whom were very interesting and clearly shared our love of food and wine.
Each course was paired with a Spanish wine. The first course was a mint-marinated seared tuna with grilled peaches, which was light and simple, and goat cheese-stuffed figs with pecans and serrano ham. Despite my ridiculous aversion to goat cheese, I ate one of the two figs.
The second course was one of my favorites, a manchego corn flan with grilled zucchini, caramelized corn, and mint oil. The slightly charred corn lent a sweet, smoky contrast to the fluffy yet creamy flan — pure summertime. 
The next course matched sweet piquillo peppers with a stuffing of chorizo, bacalao, olives and chive oil. Every time I have chorizo, I ask myself, “why the hell don’t I eat this more often?!” The spiciness was a great contrast to the sweetness of the peppers. The wine pairing with the peppers was a 2001 Tempranillo called Telmo Rodriguez “G” Gago, which we nicknamed “Roddy G.” We decided it was most likely related to Ali G. It was also at this point in the evening when we played “stump the chef” in order to win extra wine. 
[Our challenge — what is the unit used to measure the “hotness” of a pepper. Any takers?]
Despite our increased wine intake, we forged on to the next courses. The Basque seafood stew was a medley of shrimp, mussels and monkfish in a ham hock broth, with green beans and aioli toasts. As you can see, I dove right in before I could even sneak in a picture. The broth kept the stew light enough for the hot summer evening. 
The last course, a grilled summer Cocido, consisted of a grilled lamb chop and a slice of pork tenderloin served on a bed of chickpea puree. We finished our evening with a rice pudding, with fresh fruit, toasted almonds, and a dark chocolate sauce, which was paired with a smooth, sweet sherry. A fabulous finish to an extremely indulgent evening. 
Join me, my friends, and Joe at the next Foodie event, which will be in approximately two months. Visit the Foodie website for details and to learn more about past and future events, and click here for more pictures.
Comments
12 responses
i don’t see a price anywhere on the foodie web site–is this one of those “if you have to ask you can’t afford it” things?
i don’t see a price anywhere on the foodie web site–is this one of those “if you have to ask you can’t afford it” things?
Each event is priced somewhat differently. This past one was $100, and I thought it was well worth the money — six delicious and beautifully prepared courses, each paired with an excellent wine. I know the last one had a focus on wine and was more expensive.
Each event is priced somewhat differently. This past one was $100, and I thought it was well worth the money — six delicious and beautifully prepared courses, each paired with an excellent wine. I know the last one had a focus on wine and was more expensive.
it does sound worth it if you’re a foodie.
it does sound worth it if you’re a foodie.
hey, I’m Spanish ad those dishes sound good! I’m so tired of seeing foreigners try to adapt our food with the most absurd ingredients (ie since when do we put chorizo on paellas?) It’s also impressing that they paid some attention to Basque food, by far the best in the country (in case you’re wondering, I’m not Basque 🙂
hey, I’m Spanish ad those dishes sound good! I’m so tired of seeing foreigners try to adapt our food with the most absurd ingredients (ie since when do we put chorizo on paellas?) It’s also impressing that they paid some attention to Basque food, by far the best in the country (in case you’re wondering, I’m not Basque 🙂
the foodie i attended was not worth 100 dollars. i got the distinct impression that the cache of being in attendance was very worthwhile to the folks there – the prestige of the event made up for failings of the food. it was by no means a poor meal, but it was not a one-hundred-dollar meal.
the foodie i attended was not worth 100 dollars. i got the distinct impression that the cache of being in attendance was very worthwhile to the folks there – the prestige of the event made up for failings of the food. it was by no means a poor meal, but it was not a one-hundred-dollar meal.
i attended as well. i thought it was well worth $100. First, the wines alone were fantastic. A glass of wine at a restaurant is like $8 at the low end, and some of these wines were excellent. That alone was worth $50. Then, you are really talking $50 for six courses of food…not sure how you can beat that. Plus, thought the food was excellent.
i attended as well. i thought it was well worth $100. First, the wines alone were fantastic. A glass of wine at a restaurant is like $8 at the low end, and some of these wines were excellent. That alone was worth $50. Then, you are really talking $50 for six courses of food…not sure how you can beat that. Plus, thought the food was excellent.