Chefs Mike Moran and Erik Baker

I’ve got the spot for you. The Naples Grande “Chef’s Table” offers one of the best, and certainly most memorable meals you’ll ever have! It’s intimate dining, served in the kitchen of the former Lafite’s restaurant, on the first Friday of each month. Your table directly faces the chefs “on the
line.” Chat with them

The five course meal started in the Naples Grande lobby, as my guest and I met the other guests at the Community Table, and savored Veuve Cliquot Champagne. Two guests were from Naples, and two were from North Carolina. The perfectly bite sized five spice lightly seared duck and
goat cheese amuse bouche

The first course’s jasmine rice smoked Scottish salmon was perched on a crisp green apple and celeriac slaw, cut matchstick sized on a Benriner mandoline before our eyes. Topped with a tarragon horseradish crème fraîche and accompanied by the fruity, crisp Joel Gott Sauvignon blanc 2008, it’s a delight. A bonus is the warm lemon tea for contrast-you’ll find yourself trying each component separately, then synergistically combining the elements to have a delightful bite of smoky duck, crisp apple, and lush horseradish crème fraîche.
The “grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup” is not what you had as a kid! This is over the top with Hudson Valley foie gras, cured pork belly, caramelized onion and fig marmalade, and topped

Course three’s pomegranate BBQ laquered quail

brown egg shell containing warm creamy custard with cool and slightly salty Osetra caviar.


The quail pairs well with the Joel Gott 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Intermezzo offered a Veuve Cliquot Rose Champagne sorbet with strawberry pearls. The “pearls” are formed by adding the strawberry emulsion drop by drop into an alginate bath, yielding pearl round spheres that pop on the tongue like caviar!
Course four’s “low and slow” braised short rib is cooked for 8 hours til truly “melt in your mouth” tender, and served with a rich bone marrow, red wine and caramelized onion demi glace. The star of this course is the pairing with the silky-rich cauliflower puree. Savored with sips of the Joel Gott Cabernet, and it just doesn’t get better!
The pacing of the meal allowed for conversation with other guests, the chefs, and the portion size is just right, so there’s anticipation (and room for!) the fifth courses dessert of mini cheese cake

The Chef’s table is an almost one-on-one experience for up to 12 people. This is an amazingly great gift and sensory rich culinary experience. You’ve had many meals in your lifetime, however not may will offer Chef Baker and Chef Moran cooking for you in their kitchen. This one of a kind experience is on a par with any one or two Michelin starred restaurants.I’ve sampled (and prepared) quite a few multicourse meals. I am confident you will find it one of your most memorable and enjoyable dining experiences ever. The prices varies with what’s offered; it ranges from $80-100. A Chefs Table can be also be scheduled on other nights for private functions. Naples Grande Beach Resort, 475 Seagate Drive, Naples, 254-5600, www.naplesgranderesort.com.
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