Make It Right (part two)

...continued from the Sept 8 2010 post

Indiana Duck

Let me catch you up. At this point in the evening we are feeling fine. We have had fabulous wine and amazing food up until this point, and Chef JJ and his staff have been personal, attentive, and a true pleasure.  Our table company (a recipe blogger named Kate and her husband Connie) is absolutely hilarious.  The conversation couldn't be better: full of great stories and personalities.  We are having such a great time that we don't want the night to end.

So far every course has been better than the last.  First came the wow-worthy smoked beef bruschetta with its pickled vegetable crunch and subtle barbecue back notes.  Then came the amazing chilled cucumber soup that was equal parts refreshing and indulgent.  Next, the roasted prawn panzanella impressed even the biggest panzanella critic at our table (yours truly) with its fresh take on the Italian summer classic.   

Then came the duck. Oh my goodness was that duck amazing!  The skin was so crispy, the meat so tender and succulent. There was just enough smoky house-made barbecue sauce to add an acidic component.  The biggest surprise was the corn.  The unassuming half-cob on the plate was the best corn I have ever had.  Coming from someone who has lived in Indiana much of her life, this is saying something.  It was smoke-grilled to perfection and finished with a garlic-basil butter. 

As good as the duck was (and it was!), the pork tenderloin was a fierce rival.  We went back and forth the rest of the night debating the merits of each.  The pork was slow-smoked and finished with a red currant jus full of herbs and aromatics.  Cooked to perfection (still pink throughout), it was to die for.

Roasted Pork Loin w/Currant Jus

To forget Grandma Betty's homemade pound cake (cooked right on that crazy little EGG), would be like forgetting the sweetest kiss at the end of a first date.  Impossible. It would be like forgetting to wake up for your presents on Christmas morning (unthinkable).  Grandma Betty's pound cake, topped with gooseberries, strawberries and blackberries, was the perfect end to this unbelievable meal. The chantilly cream, scented with fresh vanilla, was delightfully unsweetened to bring out the sweetness of the fruit.  Often, I think whipped cream (and its added sugar) puts a dessert into the "so-sweet-you-can-barely-taste-it" category.  When I tasted that chantilly cream, my conviction that Chef JJ's Backyard just gets it was unshakable.  They have that special something you can't teach, the intuitive ability to pair flavors so that the total experience truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

Grandma Betty's Poundcake w/Gooseberries

I am so appreciative that, after some difficult feedback (on food that wasn't all theirs, no less), Chef JJ's Backyard chose to redeem the Make It Local dinner by completely blowing their guests away.  I am convinced that every single person who attended the Make It Right dinner will be a raving fan of Chef JJ and his staff's innovative EGG cooking for the long haul.  Our party has already discussed what sort of private event we can dream up just to approximate that experience again.  The best compliment I can give Chef JJ is my business, and I can assure you all that I will be a loyal customer. Cheers!

Make It Right Dinner (follow-up to Make It Local)

The Make It Local dinner, as chronicled in this blog, was not my favorite meal or event of the year.  In fact, it didn't even make the top 100.  It was a thorough disappointment after several years of enthusiastic participation and high expectations.

Chef JJ addressing one of his tables

While Chef JJ's Backyard did not provide all of the food for that dinner, they were the hosts. Within a few days of posting the f+f blog about the event, they had emailed me thanking me for my honest feedback (impressive). Also within a few days, the owners of Chef JJ's Backyard had organized a "Make It Right" concept: a series of available dinner dates for everyone who had attended the first event (beyond impressive).  We reserved our spot immediately.

Stunning opener of smoked Beef Bruschetta

If ever there was a successful customer service initiative, this was it!  From the moment we walked in we were treated like something between close family (remembering each of our names all night) and royalty (the service level was impeccable).  The food was mind-blowing, but we'll get to that. 

Chef JJ started off by an informal introduction to address the reasoning behind the Make It Right.  Though they weren't directly responsible for all of the details of the Make It Local event, they wanted to take this opportunity to thank us for our support and show us their brand of food and service. Dually noted!

We started off drinking some phenomenal wine provided by Graybull Organic Wines and local beer from Sun King Brewery while we met the people at our table. I should note that my glass never even made it to half-way empty.

Roasted Prawn Panzanella + Chilled Cucumber Soup

The first course was a home run called Dig-IN's Beef Bruschetta**. This was the description on the menu: "slow smoked beef shoulder paired with our famous grilled bread and spicy pickled Indiana vegetables." What the description didn't say was how the beef melted in your mouth, the crunch from the pickled carrot and onion exploded with flavor, and the subtle watermelon-peach barbecue sauce set the whole thing off. I didn't start the meal exceptionally hungry (late lunch), and I made a Herculean effort not to wolf down my generous portion in 5 seconds.  In fact, our incredibly chatty table ceased all conversation in favor of appreciative "mmm" noises.  What a start!

The soup and salad course was a duo of chilled cucumber soup and a roasted prawn panzanella. If you've ever eaten at my house you are probably familiar with panzanella--that incredible summer staple of crusty toasted bread, tomato, mozzarella and basil in some sort of delicious vinaigrette. Truthfully, I have never liked anyone else's better than mine. Believe me, I know how narcissistic this sounds, but it is true... everyone has that one thing that they rock! This roasted prawn version was heaven.... The chilled cucumber soup was creamy, slightly smokey (from grilling the cucumbers on the EGG), and amazing. It had a distinct Greek tzatziki characteristic that was marvelous.

**Yes, for those of you who were savvy enough to attend Dig-IN this year, you may have tasted it at the Chef JJ's Backyard booth.

This was such a phenomenal experience that it will require a two-part blog.  To be continued...