Special feasts for foodies

It’s the last Sunday of the month and the tiny Calico Restaurant and Patisserie in Rhinebeck is closed to the public. But inside, 22 in-the-know diners are clinking glasses and munching on hors d’oeuvres as chef Anthony „Tony“ Balassone fills them in on the five-course meal with paired wines that he is preparing.

Many of the diners have a standing reservation for Calico’s fixed-price monthly wine dinners, served to them by amiable co-owner and pastry chef Leslie Balassone.

„We celebrate every month,“ said Helen Harwood, who, with her husband, Bill, has attended 35 wine dinners at Calico.

Loyal customers like the Harwoods make snagging a reservation at the last minute difficult, but those who are willing to plan a few months ahead have a decent chance of getting a table at this special supper club.

Calico is among a handful of Hudson Valley restaurants that operate under-the-radar dining experiences for an average of 20 customers a night.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, chef Jordan Schor transforms Solstice, his busy luncheonette in uptown Kingston, to an upscale restaurant with a small fixed-price menu.

Offers a peek at chef’s skills

The chef compares the exclusive experience to dinner at Rao’s Restaurant in Harlem.

„That’s your table for the night and that’s it,“ Schor said.

With only 26 seats, including the stools lining the former greasy spoon’s counter, the restaurant is not big enough for Schor to hire a sous chef.

„It really is a one-man show,“ he said.

And what a show it is.

Customers who sit at the counter get a bird’s-eye view of the chef’s techniques, almost like an episode on the Food Network.

But Schor takes it a step further one Wednesday a month, offering a cooking class for about 10 diners that he has dubbed „Supper Club.“

Foodies learn to prepare an entire meal, feast on the creations and then take home recipes to re-create the experience.

At a recent club night, a group of women from Poughkeepsie sipped a favorite chardonnay — Solstice is BYO — and took notes as Schor demonstrated how to make eggplant napoleon.

„Jordan, when you use the jarred garlic do you think you lose flavor?“ asked Debbie Dvorkin, a first-grade teacher at James Evans Elementary School.

The chef did not hesitate to respond: „I don’t think you have any flavor with the jarred.“

He went on to describe how to use fresh garlic in recipes; for the napoleon, Schor sauteed it in olive oil with spinach.

„What chef in a restaurant shares his recipes?“ said a giddy Barbara Cohen, a dental hygienist from Poughkeepsie. „It’s just a little find in the Hudson Valley.“

Chrystal Delisio, a 33-year-old stay-at-home from Woodstock, was taking her first class with her husband, Kriston, and a group of friends.

„To actually get to see how everything is prepared and then get to taste the food is a fabulous experience,“ said Delisio, who was looking forward to making Schor’s recipe for crabcakes at home.

Also in uptown Kingston, Gabriel’s Cafe prepares an ever-changing menu of Friday night ethnic dinners.

One recent night the menu was Indonesian, another was Jamaican and another was Creole, offered as a fixed price five-course meal or a la carte. For diners who do not find the evening’s theme appealing to their palates, Gabriel’s also provides a choice of two alternative entrees.

Co-chef Susan Dixon, who decides on each night’s theme, acts as hostess and waitress on Fridays.

„Since I help make the food, customers can ask me anything,“ Dixon said.

The personal touch is not lost on Gabriel’s regular Maria Hankewycz of Hurley.

„It’s almost like being invited to dinner at someone’s home,“ she said. „The menu is always very exciting and different.“

Dixon said the Friday night suppers first began as a way to bring in additional revenue for the cafe, which serves only breakfast and lunch during the rest of the week. But it has fueled a passion in Dixon and chef/owner Gabriel Vasquez.

„We’re doing the research on the different cultural items, we’re learning, which makes it fun for us,“ Dixon said. „Customers can sense when the people in the kitchen are having fun.“

Across the river in Rhinebeck, A Spot of Tea, which usually serves traditional British fare, features a small, mostly organic French menu on Friday and Saturday nights.

„We wanted to keep it to a very exclusive time frame for enjoying the freshest you can get,“ said owner Lou Jones of his market-driven menu.

The featured region of France changes periodically.

Interaction with diners

Jones, an instructor at Escoffier Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, develops the menus that are interpreted by his chef, Brian Harrison.

„The customers often want to speak to the chef and he comes out,“ Jones said.

Balassone, the chef at Calico, said by having only one seating for his wine dinners, he is able to interact much more with his customers.

„After they have their dinner, they will come back to the kitchen, knock on the door and ask if they can come in,“ he said.

Helen Harwood said she enjoys feeling part of a special supper club. She and her husband have even formed friendships with their fellow diners.

„It is nice to know we are experiencing the food and drink with others, who are like-minded.“

Source:  @poughkeepsiejournal.com