The Gulf and Its Seafood

Every once in a while, an event exceeds even the loftiest of expectations. The Gulf and Its Seafood — One Year Later panel discussion and Wine & Dine Reception at the National Museum of Natural History was one of those occasions. At its heart, the event highlighted the status of the Gulf of Mexico one year after the BP oil spill. However, it ostensibly promoted the Gulf seafood industry and emphasized that the region’s fish, shrimp, and oysters are safe to eat. It was an interesting and informative forum. That said, the true draw was the food and wine and the 36 chefs and 25 wineries that showed off their wares for the crowd in an amazing setting, the Museum of Natural History.
When the event was over, I left entirely fat, dumb, and happy. Pretty much every dish and oyster was enjoyable and incredibly satisfying, but if I had to pick a few offerings that stood out from the night, they would be the following (in no particular order):
The «Sweetwater» and Kumamoto oysters from Hog Island Oyster Co. I love Pacific oysters especially Kumamotos which possess a perfect balance of brininess and sweetness in a small delectable bite.
Chef Xavier Deshayes’ (Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center) Oregon Dungeness Crab served with Fennel-​Tomato Gazpacho. The best and sweetest crab I’ve ever had is Dungeness. Chef Deshayes put a healthy dollop of my favorite crab in an amazing cold soup. To be sure, I could’ve had the Fennel-​Tomato Gazpacho without the crab and still been very happy. His inclusion of Dungeness Crab made it sublime!
Chef Mike Isabella’s (Graffiato) Spiced Rainbow Trout Escabeche. While he may not be planning on putting this dish on his menu at Graffiato, he should. One word describes the dish… fresh. From the perfectly spiced fresh trout to the liberal use of fresh herbs and vegetables, the choice of ingredients made the dish sing. It was easily the best of the escabeches served during the evening!
Chef Chris Lusk’s (Café Adelaide in New Orleans) Blue Crab and Camembert Bisque with Saffron Popcorn. Words cannot describe the complex flavor profile of this bisque. Needless to say, it was delicious! Chef Lusk and Café Adelaide has been added to my list of «must eat» places if/​when I go back to NoLA.
Chef Randy Evans’ (Haven, a Seasonal Kitchen in Houston, TX) Wild Texas Shrimp with House-​made Worcestershire Meuniere. The shrimp were big and cooked perfectly. They were lightly bathed in wonderfully spicy sauce. I’ve read that Houston is a great food town. I believe it! Chef Evans really knocked it out of the park in my mind.
Lots of very good California and Virginia reds and whites were served. However, the wine of night was the 2008 J. Lohr Tower Road Petite Sirah. It may be petite but it drank huge! The 100 percent petite sirah wine was solid, with good fruit notes and noticeable, but soft tannins. It was the one wine we had to go back for another glass.
The few misses… and I’m splitting hairs:
Chef Jeff Buben’s (Bistro Bis and Vidalia) Rockfish Escabeche. Rockfish, to me, tastes better served hot rather than served cold. The cold temperature muted the flavor of the rockfish despite it being marinated.
Chef Richard Brandenburg’s (Café Atlantico) Black Cod Vera Cruz. The cod was cooked properly; it just didn’t excite my palate especially compared to the other offerings.
Chef Jeff Black’s (Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and BlackSalt) Mahi Mahi Ceviche. Next to Tilapia, Mahi Mahi is my least favorite fish. The fish was marinated in a tasty sauce with well-​balanced citrus and spice. However, the Mahi Mahi was cut into too big of chunks which perhaps hindered the fish to be «cooked» perfectly by the citric acid which didn’t help a variety of fish that lacks a singular characteristic that makes it stand out.
All told The Gulf and Its Seafood — One Year Later Event provided good value and worth my dime and my time. If/​when the Smithsonian does something like this again, I’m SO there!