ON20 goes to the James Beard House

Executive Chef Noel Jones of the PolytechnicON20 in Hartford was honored this week with the opportunity to show off his expertise at the James Beard House in New York.
And since I never turn down the chance at a good meal, I jumped at the opportunity to attend.

After champagne and hors d'oeurves in the garden, which included Stonington fluke sashimi and PEI mussles with an edible shell, we nestled into our table in what appeared to have once been the library.

The dinner began with a Starlight Gardens tomato salad marinated in a 25-year aged balsamic and stuffed with goat cheese and parmigiano-reggiano crisps. Our first course was also paired with a 2009 Huia Sauvignon Blanc.


Our next course has been on the ON20 menu for some time now, but this was the first chance I've had to try it. As I knew I would be, I was enthralled.


A Flamig Farms golden egg, poached one hour sous vide, topped with a truffle-infused beet sauce and shaved summer truffles and paired with a 2009 Domaine Joseph Cattin Reisling. A bouillon spoon was key for lapping up every last heavenly drop.

Our next course consisted of pan roasted Maine diver scallops over a sauce bercy with a crispy scallop chip that made me wonder whether I had ever truly tasted a scallop before.


Accompanying the scallop was a 2007 Chatom Vineyards Chardonnay.

Next we enjoyed a playfully plated vegetable stuffed Point Judith squid with a squid ink demi glaze and a 2009 La Croix du Prieur Rose.


The fifth course was a velvety Colorado lamb loin served with a chickpea cake, caramelized baby carrots and a bordelaise. After the first several bites we all forgot our manners and polished off the last few meaty morsels with our fingers, washing it all down with a 2008 Chateau Haut Bayard Montagne-Saint-Emilion.


For dessert, a summery blueberry tasting with a blueberry ice cream sandwich, a white chocolate macaroon with blueberry filling and blueberry shortcake, all paired with a 2009 Bricco Del Sole Moscato D'Asti.


It's not often that we get to enjoy such dinners from the other side of the plate so a spectacular meal combined with a show of support for a chef and his team that we know and love, made for an experience to remember.