flashbacks and future glimpses

nothing else tells you that you're getting older like a twenty five year reunion. when the invitation to attend my 25 year reunion for the Culinary Institute of America arrived, i really didn't plan on attending.  it would be an expense that i just couldn't justify and in all honesty, i hadn't kept up with anyone.  when i received a letter from one of my classmates telling me who was planning on attending, i changed my mind and i am glad i did.  it was awkward at first, i was traveling alone and when i arrived at the school, none of my classmates was there yet.  slowly but surely, they began to gather and a few of us went on a tour of the school.  the changes that have taken place since we graduated are astounding.  it made me envious to see the school that these students attend in comparison to the one that we attended.  

present for the festivities were  in the back from the left; erich, louie, jeff, beth and ken.  in the front row from the left; mark, laird, myself and cynthia. 

after the reception, we went on to the St. Andrews Cafe for dinner.

the food served was excellent, we had fresh saffron pasta with seafood, a wonderful salad and veal chops.  it has been a long time since i ate veal and it was a pleasant change.  every thing served was expertly prepared and the wines accompanying the dishes were well chosen.  after dinner, we went out to the plaza in front of the school for fireworks and then on to the library for a game of culinary jeopardy, students vs. alumni.  the alumni lost, much to our dismay, but there were rumors of cheating (ha ha ha).

saturday's festivities included a continental breakfast buffet in the danny kaye auditorium which is located in the library building.  we had many fresh baked goodies to choose from as well as fresh coffee.  all of the muffins and scones looked wonderful, there were too many to try but the two that i did taste were perfectly baked and i enjoyed them.  there is nothing worse than a dry crumbly scone or muffin.  after breakfast, we were addressed by president tim ryan.  he gave us a thorough account of the schools history and the plans for the future.  the vision for the future is impressive, if i wasn't already an alumnus, i might just enroll.  then it was on to a chocolate tasting.  it was an opportunity to taste different chocolates and compare how the various geographic regions can add to the flavor complexity.  some were fruity and others were almost smoky, any way you look at it, they were all very good which is what i would expect of valrhona chocolate.

after the chocolate tasting, we went on to the Caterina di Medici restaurant for an Italian buffet lunch.  while that may not sound enticing, this was not a trip to the pasta bar.  as a matter of fact, there was very little pasta present.  inside the restaurant, there were three separate buffets, one each for the north, south and central regions of Italy and the food was very different on each buffet.  my favorite was the central region, the duck filled pasta and the roasted stuffed pigeon being my favorites although, the grilled shrimp came pretty close.

when lunch concluded, several of my classmates went on to another demonstration but i chose to leave campus and do a little sight seeing.  my travels took me down to Beacon where i walked the main street district and did a little shopping before returning to my motel room to get ready for dinner.

The final event of the weekend was the big dinner dance on Saturday night.  It was held in what was once called Great Hall, the former chapel when the school was a jesuit seminary.  We gathered in the courtyard first for a reception.  The students served us sparkling wine and seafood to die for.  The shrimp and lobster, presented on skewers for easy consumption,  were perfectly prepared.  However, for me, the best selection was the freshly fried calamari.  Living in Nashville, calamari is hard to find fresh and this was some of the best I have ever eaten.  Lightly breaded and fried, it melted in the mouth and it was tempting to eat large quantities.  Knowing that dinner would be equally impressive, I restrained myself!

the menu was enticing, well planned and we were eager to try it all.

 shrimp and corn chowder is always one of my favorites and this one was exceptional

the argentinian wine served with it was very good as well

the ginger soy dressing on this salad was so tasty.  I could have easily settled for a small trough of greens with that dressing and called it dinner.  it has been a while since i had a glass of gewurztraminer and i forgot how nice it can be.

when dinner arrived, we all laughed at the differences in the size of the meat portions; there were large differences from plate to plate.  my plate had the perfect portion for me.  the baby bok choy and the mixed grain pilaf were excellent and the short ribs were tender enough to fall apart easily.  not being much of a red wine drinker, i did not even taste it, after all the champagne and wine i already had, i decided to abstain.  since i was dining with friends, i found myself distracted and did not take a picture of dessert.  the chocolate bread pudding should have been labeled as jack daniels with a little chocolate bread pudding.  a delicious combination and i enjoyed every bit of it.  the cheesecake with raspberries was very good as well, it had an extremely light and smooth texture that was complimented perfectly by the fresh raspberries. unfortunately, i was not impressed by the peach tart.  the peaches were flavorless and the custard was almost liquid, it ran out of the shell when i attempted to take a fork full.  regardless, the meal was outstanding, the service impeccable and the dancing was fun.  

after spending two days catching up with my classmates and stuffing myself with great food, it was time to head out and venture on to nj to spend time with family.  arriving empty handed always seems odd to me so i searched for a farmers market to find a gift for my dad.  on the way, i stopped in the eveready diner in hyde park, ny.  it is a genuine old diner, it was moved to the site in pieces and it replaced the old lighthouse diner that was once a favorite of cia students.  the food was very good, and the prices very reasonable.  my choice for breakfast was the corned beef hash with eggs and toast.  the potatoes and corned beef were all cooked from fresh and it was some of the best hash i have ever had, and my over easy eggs were perfectly cooked, truly impressive.  i am only sorry that i was dining alone and couldn't taste anything else!

if you want a good indication of an areas food scene, check out the local farmers markets.  this one takes place in rhinebeck, ny on wednesdays and sundays.  by many standards, it is a small market, maybe a dozen or so vendors.  but we all know it is quality, not quantity that matters and this is a quality market.  from fresh flowers to fresh oysters to breads and mushrooms, this 

market has a wonderful selection.  i bought breads-san francisco sourdough, tomatoes-striped germans and chocolate cherries and a small watermelon.

the wiltbank farm in catskill, ny only sells mushrooms.  there were beautiful oyster mushrooms in several shades of pink, orange and yellow and shiitake as well.

migliorelli farm from tivoli, ny and taliaferro farms of new paltz, ny had beautiful produce to choose from.