Michael Mina was the logical choice to launch the Dalí Museum's series of seven "Immersion Dinners" in honor of Ferran Adrià, the world's greatest chef who's the subject of a special exhibition running through Nov. 27. Tuesday night's sumptuous affair demonstrates why Mina is held in such high regard in food circles.
Unlike many chefs who leave the kitchen for television without accomplishments that may justify such attention, Mina has assembled an impressive empire of diverse restaurants from Hawaii to Dubai, including downtown St. Pete's FarmTable Kitchen and Locale Market.
The reasons for Mina's success were on full display at the Dalí, as his crackerjack crew of chefs and servers put on a show filled with culinary delights. Sadly, the chef was fighting the flu in his San Francisco home, but his FarmTable team did him proud.
Awaiting the dinner, guests roamed the gallery to sounds of a live Spanish guitar while enjoying bubbly cava and oysters on the half shell with nori emulsion and toasted walnut butter.
Guests then retired to the transformed Raymond James Community Room, which proved a stylish dining venue. Dr. Hank Hine, the Dalí's elegant director, welcomed the seated crowd and reminded us that great chefs ask us to re-examine common elements in a new context, much like Dalí's approach to his own work.
Chef David Varley, who worked closely with Mina on the menu and chose the excellent wine pairings, was the man in charge of the evening's team. He praised Adrià to the eager crowd, saying: "Ferran gave us all an excuse to dream." The chef added that this dinner focused on cooking from a sense of place. They hoped to capture Adrià's boundless sense of inspiration to approach each ingredient as we've never seen it before. Ultimately, the cuisine was straightforward and product-driven.
The entire meal was served on top of beautiful, kaleidoscopic emerald green chargers reminiscent of peacock feathers, and each wine had its own sparkling crystal stem to highlight individual nuances.
Our first dish at the table was a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth American red snapper — whose luscious texture indicated it was cooked sous vide — and soft, juicy Key West pink shrimp on a bed of tender lettuces with a sauce of coconut, curry and cashews. Paper-thin slices of kumquat and squash added acidity and texture. The deep golden Tamaral Verdejo 2010, made from 100-year-old vines, showed fine acidity with clean flavors and a nutty palate that had surprising maderized notes. The fish was served on a stunning plate of gold filigree that only added to its appeal.
Next was a bowl of three tender, locally farmed Two Docks Shellfish clams mixed with assertively spiced wild boar ragu, which Varley secretly laced with miso to tweak the pairing with the ripe, New World style of Gran Cermeño Crianza Tempranillo 2010 from Toro in Spain. Incorporating a twist of toasted spaghetti made for an ideal match where both the food and wine are better for the paring.
Our final entree was a rich duo of 36-day dry-aged duck breast and sautéed foie gras, boletes mushrooms, and fermented garlic chimichurri with wilted greens and a comforting potato galette with beautiful golden edges. The Añares Rioja Reserva 2010 tempranillo blend in the more traditional Old World style had smoky earthiness, which pulled together beautifully with the aged duck and mushrooms.
The happy crowd then exited to the Dalí foyer for a Willy Wonka circus of desserts. In a direct nod to Adrià, there was liquid nitrogen ice cream, plus some trees bursting with baby blue cotton candy and traditional Spanish horchata push pops. There was also an embarrassment of riches driving a food critic bent on tasting everything to the edge of gluttony — sublime lime chiffon cake with lemon cream; peanut butter-chocolate, hazelnut and banofee tarts; coconut cake truffle; cherry Hawaiian shaved ice; and an apple baba.
The evening was a grand reminder that the museum really knows how to throw a party, and that Mina's presence locally is to be treasured. I sat down with him at FarmTable's paella party when Adrià was in town, and he's lost none of his zeal for cooking. He's even more determined to continue to tweak Locale Market by increasing the percentage of prepared, health-conscious options and expanding the wine program with his corporate sommelier, Rajat Parr, one of the legendary figures in the wine industry.
There are six more immersion dinners with Tampa Bay chefs like Jeannie Pierola, Greg Baker and Tyson Grant coming up, though few tickets remain. Try your luck.
