I have really been into dinner parties lately and was even wondering if I was going to run out of good options to take part in. After all, these events do take quite a bit of effort to put together and dinner parties with the certain elevated vibe I’m looking for seem to be few and far between. Enter Resident, a currently Brooklyn-based series where up-and-coming chefs are encouraged to take things to the next level. Our Resident chefs for the evening were Meryl Feinstein and Bronwen Kinzler-Britton, a duo with vastly different backgrounds that combined to execute an unforgettable meal.
We began our evening in the courtyard of a new Fort Greene development with luscious greenery and excellent wine along with some bites. Once I tasted the Focaccia di Recco and Sciacchiatine, I knew we were in for a treat.
We were then gathered for some introductory remarks before being lead inside to a beautiful apartment with a gorgeous place-setting.
Each spot had well-designed menus that let us know what to await:
After setting in and getting to know each other a bit, Meryl and Bronwen introduced the first course, the Beginner’s tortelloni with Spiced Brisket mezzaluna:
It was both a beautiful and incredibly well executed dish. The filling of the tortelloni (right) was perfectly rich and creamy while the brisket added a unique ode to Texas barbecue.
Next we’re two passed dishes of greens with an individual pizzetta for each guest. In short, the spring peas were the best peas I have ever tasted.
After that, we dug into a wide variety of pasta: orecchiette alla diavola, rye cappelletti (my personal favorite), pezzetelli, and stuffed corzetti. Each dish had a wide complexity of flavors that made them all very different from each other and incredibly tasty. We were also given bits of the caramel-like Ski Queen cheese that filled the stuffed corzetti for tasting and I’m already craving more.
Even though we barely had room for it, we were then treated to a very special dessert – a strawberry-garnished ice cream with a spring of a salt and cake bits blended in. We were even given slices of that cake that was used to take home afterwards.
Overall, the food was phenomenal. The two wines that stuck out to me were the 2016 Barbera (La Morella) and the 2016 Belb Moscato d’Asti (Mongioia). I was happy to see that care was put into selecting them so that they elevated this incredible meal. And so, hats off to Merton and Bronwen for this remarkable culinary adventure. I’m officially a fan.
Short Skirt Long Jacket 