Corey, Kleinman & Long take top honors, and newcomer Prescott is the People’s Choice
The 2011 Denver International Wine Festival, including the Taste of Elegance chef comeptition, coming this November will be the seventh annual, and the just concluded 2011 Denver International Beer Festival, including the Taste of Elegance that required the chefs to prepare dishes that paired with pre-selected, award-winning beers was the second annual of this popular fest.
Chefs, sous-chefs and assorted assistants setting up for the Taste of Elegance in the Omni Interocken Resort's pavilion. The ideal evening was warm, balmy and windfree.
I have been a judge at every one but the very first wine fest, which might not have included a chefs’ competition. Over the years, I’ve seen the same chefs enter and the same names pop up on the leaderboard over and over. Judging is never easy, because so many chefs put out such delicious, creative and beautifully plated dishes but some just seem to have a knack for preparing good that resonates with judges.
Below are the winners’ menus dishes from the June 7 competition, but in my book, they contestants were all winners.
Robert N. Corey, 12 Seasons Personal Chef
Corey was given two beers from the Deschutes Brewery from Bend, Oregon, so he prepared a Pacific Northwest menu. He billed the selection of appetizers as a Potlach Degustation, and centered his dessert around regional nuts and berries.
A selection of Pacific Northwest seafoods arrayed on a cedar plank.
The complex and delicious dessert started with a foundation of Oregon blueberry brioche and was topped with a Bing cherry/berry "caviar."
Most Creative, Michael Long, Aria, and Ian Kleinman, The Inventing Room
Long is a master of exquisite and expensive contemporary cuisine who put Littleton on the local culinary map with Opus and recently opened Aria in Cherry Creek. Ian Kleinman is a culinary wizard who creates things that look like something and taste like something else and now operates The Inventing Room, a wild and wonderful catering service. The two tag-teamed recently in a mano-a-mano competition called” Dueling Cuisine: Science vs. Art,” and for this event they teamed up with each preparing one of their winning dishes.
Long's smoked turducken breast with watermelon, radish and poultry jus.
Kleinman's spiced crab with compressed vegetables, smoked olive oil and "yudu dots," a molecular spin on "Dippin' Dots," served on stone.
Most Creative, Runner-Up, David Harker & Mario Clapes, Meritage and The Tap Room, Omni Interlocken Resort
What put this team that works together at the Omni high in the scoring was their imaginative presentation, with both dishes described on scorched-paper menus, and the upscaling and gastronomizing of pub food.
House-made wild boar slider on Bavarian pretzel bread, with Hacker Pschorr beer mustard, braised onion, applies and kraut. Ballpark hot dogs will never do it again!
Pineapple upside-down cake in a glass with two-malt caramel and gelto made with Fat Head "Head Hunter IPA" and Fruition Farms goat's milk ricotta. The chefs took a leaf from Ian Kleinman's book and used liquid nitrogen.
People’s Choice, Alicia Prescott, The Blue Star and Nosh, Colorado Springs
This young newcomer to these competitions came up from Colorado Springs and wowed the attendees with her lively spin on one pub classic and one dessert classic.
A trio of soft pretzels, each with its own sauce: herb pretzel with blue cheese sauce, oat pretzel with whipped orange honey and fennel apple butter.
Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler with pink peppercorn-basil ice cream and creme fraiche.
Sayonara Till Next Year
I love judging this event. The creativity and passion are knock-outs, and anyone who enjoys good food and great beer, or great food and good beer, should pu
