Some of the great restaurant entrepreneurs are showboaters, using brash self-confidence as the path to legendary hospitality. Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque) and Piero Selvaggio (Valentino) helmed eateries with renowned food, but notably developed a cult of personality before the age of social media.
David Laxer, son of King Bern I, is different.
This past Sunday, as Laxer welcomes a packed room of ravenous foodies to Tampa’s Haven to begin the four-hour journey through the third annual Sunday Supper Tampa Bay, he’s quiet and grateful. He partnered with the James Beard Foundation, aka the Oscars of food, to give back for another year.
Newly elevated JBF COO Kris Moon says their goal is simply “good food for good.”
Chad Johnson (Haven and Élevage) makes a self-deprecating remark about his high school in Kentucky as an excuse for his lack of public-speaking prowess before launching into a charming and heartfelt “thank you” to his fellow chefs. Johnson gathered 25 of his generous besties to strut their stuff for charity in a joint effort to showcase the region’s collective culinary imagination.
Crackerjack servers from the Bern’s Steak House empire slither through the tightly packed crowd with trays of elegant Schott Zwiesel crystal flutes bubbling with Taittinger brut Champagne. The passed reception highlights a quintet of hors d’oeuvres full of surprise and explosive flavor. Sadly, I can’t mention every chef or dish from the evening, but please know that each bite soared in its own way. I spent the entire night with queries about what struck my fellow diners and found much gastronomic joy and little consensus, so these reflections are most personal.
Before my flute is topped off, two chefs named Chris, who’ve both led my Best of the Bay nods in the past, wow me once again. Smoked wagyu brisket with bacon demi-glace by Artrip (The Black Pearl and Iron Oak New American BBQ) is a rustic treat, whereas the elegant tuna crudo square from Ponte (Cafe Ponte and On Swann) has grace notes of salt and umami (soy), heat (ahi amarillo), acid (lemon) and herbs (sorrel). We enjoy rabbit confit, wagyu marmalade and uni caviar, too, which leaves the crowd on a culinary cloud as they walk to the trolley caravan.
We are then physically transported to the neighboring Epicurean Hotel’s poolside entrance, where stunning table settings beckon guests by the water or upstairs to the tented terrace.
The attention to detail is just what you’d expect. There’s live music by Phase5, a tight ensemble with dynamic performers who capably morph across the musical pop-rock styles of the past 50 years with aplomb, often being joined in song by the happy crowd. At the apex of the tent is Haven’s mirrored mascot — part cow, mostly pig. It twirls from tail to snout reflecting light that moves around the terrace like a ’70s disco. However, the Sunday Night Fever is more about the food and wine.
Our four seated courses consist of up to five dishes, plus an artisan bread-and-butter treat from Jason Laukhuf’s Jamison B. Breadhouse Bakes with every round. The breads are all superb, but it’s the bite-size kouignette with prosciutto cotto, tartufato and fontina topped with a dollop of sweet fig jam that I don’t see coming.
I’m reminded by the Chalk Hill Chardonnay of how complex and delicious this Sonoma County wine can be. It’s definitely a New World style, but not overly ripe or out of balance from too much oak. It accompanies a cavalcade of flavor from filet mignon ceviche to king crab with almond gazpacho and corn caviar. Tyson Grant (Parkshore Grill) serves up individual portions of rich cauliflower bisque with porcini, almond and comte, as well as a garnish of crisp eggplant “bacon.”
The next course is a blitz of invention from Hawaiian kanpachi and roasted roots to duck breast and seafood sausage. Greg Baker (The Refinery), who boasts numerous JBF Award nominations, treats us to unexpected smoked eggplant gnocchi with nduja collards and “odd and ends.” Van Duzer Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley demonstrates why this grape is such a great food wine.
Even while trying to take small portions from the family-style plates, there are so many dishes that my table is openly wondering if we can make it to the end. The superb servers descend with the heartiest offerings to match a Masi Costasera Amarone Classico from 2012 — among them heritage pork loin, lamb neck with persimmons, charred octopus, rye agnolotti and chef Johnson’s surprising wagyu tartare with sunchokes.
Everything is so delicious, but I’m getting full and dessert is calling. I tell myself I’m a trained professional on assignment. Be strong, Jon.
One young couple inexplicably brought their 5-month-old daughter to this distinctly adult feast, but she’s happiest baby girl on the planet. She’s being passed around the terrace by fawning adults without a peep of discontent. I’m reminded of Renaissance paintings. We flip the switch from savory to sweet, preparing for dessert. That’s when trays of 20-year-old tawny port from Taylor Fladgate arrive.
Luckily, we only have a few platters to finish. There’s the warm banana and coconut pudding from BT Nguyen (Restaurant BT, BT to Go and Bistro BT); a bon-bon of foie gras, milk chocolate, cherry and hazelnut praline with dots of gold leaf garnish; a stunning pecan pie cheesecake; and, perhaps for me, the eye-opening dish of the night: lavender and basil panna cotta. Jason Ruhe (Brick & Mortar)’s panna cotta supposedly also features candy cane beets, Roquefort, Marcona almonds and Iberico ham, but by the time it reaches me, the dessert is mostly just the creamiest, dreamiest custard with restrained seductive lavender notes.
Totally winning.
If you’ve ever doubted that the Bay area has raised its culinary game, Sunday Supper is living proof. I made it through the gastronomic marathon, but I don’t expect a medal. This sumptuous smorgasbord is a reward in itself.
This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2018.