Conquered by Bluepoints and Wellfleets

I suppose it was inevitable. First beets and now oysters. I'm told the students have to taste everything, regardless of whether they like it or not. Chefs taste the food. When I mentioned to the young women chefs I was accompanying to the City last Saturday that I didn't like oysters, they insisted that I just hadn't had the right kind, right acoutrements, right wine, etc. They were going to show me the right way at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station - famous spot for fresh seafood. Go figure - the basement of the train station. They were right, of course. Let me go back a few steps....

On Friday I was having breakfast with the VP of Advancement, a cool lady who interviewed me and has rolled out the welcome mat to me since I arrived. She was talking to another person at the table about a problem some students were having lining up a chaperone for a field trip scheduled Saturday. The faculty member who was supposed to go with them had a last minute emergency. Seems the student chapter of Women Chefs and Restrauntuers (WCR) had received a grant to travel to a woman owned and operated restaurant and they were planning to go to At Vermilion in NYC on Saturday. Without a chaperone though, no dice. Nancy turned to me and said, "You'd be perfect. Can you take them?" Let's see: support a group of young women chefs, take the train to the City, eat at a fabulous Indian-Latin fusion restaurant run by women, all for free. Gee, I think I might be able to swing it!

Two students were organizing the event - Ashley and Kwan - and they came to my office to meet me and orient me to the plans. Ashley had a check made out to the restaurant and she gave me a check, made out to me, to buy the train tickets. I would accompany the students on the train, to the restaurant, and back home again. Ashley and Kwan had plans for a little side trip to the Oyster Bar - can't go to the City without stopping there. When I told them I didn't really care for oysters...you know the rest of the story. Of course they were wonderful - and I learned to mix a little "mignonette" (a sort of vinagrette) into the sauce with a little extra horse radish. I thought, oh sure, just mask the taste, but that's not really what happened. They were small oysters, a nice briney taste, with just the right amount of heat from the horseradish and sweet from the mignonette. Add a glass of sauvignon blanc from down under (the best pairing according to Kwan) and there you have it - Vincenza enjoying oysters. Will wonders never cease?!!

If you're an Iron Chef fan, you may recognize the chef's name from At Vermilion: Maneet Chauran. She was on the show last week I think. She's a CIA grad, doing rather well for herself. She and her partner also have a restaurant in Chicago. Check it out: www.thevermilionrestaurant.com. As Maneet explained, vermilion is the most vibrant of reds and they chose it to connote the essence and ebullience of the Indian and Latim American peoples. It translates into sindoor, a core symbol of Indian femininity and a celebration of the beauty of women. The students were in awe of Maneet and she generously shared her time with them talking about her path. She also gave them a tour of her kitchen.

They specialize in herb and spice cocktail pairings. We had Latin-Indian street food appetizers - colombian arepas and duck vindaloo, artichoke fritters, Indian "Chaat" - paired with a shot of green gazpacho bloody mary. Totally yummy. Then we had Brazilian seafood stew with Indian seasoning paired with cucumber mint martini. Giggle. Next was a choice of entrees from Tandoori Skirt Steak to Shrimp Paella and Blackened Tamarind Ribs - paired with pani puri margarita. We ended with a rich Indian nut cake paired with a perfectly lovely coconut safron drink. While the cocktails were a smaller size, they came in fairly quick succession. Good thing we were taking the train home!

So 13 very happy students and I headed back to Grand Central Station and caught the 9:10 train to Poughkeepsie. At that time of evening, half the population of NYC seemed to be heading to the same train. It was as busy as Grand Central Station. Oh, wait. It WAS Grand Central Station. Just another perfect night in New York....

Ciao for now!