We were given a seat at the Culinary Cinema‘s opening night event on Saturday, March 8th. The exciting evening began with a charming film, the romantic comedy Brasserie Romantique, and followed by an elegant 3-course dinner at the vintage French restaurant, La Gloutonnerie, and specialty sparkling cocktails created with Plymouth Gin.
Lee Schrager’s Culinary Cinema program consists of six cinema and cuisine experiences held during the 2014 edition of the Miami Int’l Film Festival (MIFF) from March 8th to March 16th.
Lee Schrager’s Culinary Cinema Opening Night Film
The charming film, Brasserie Romantique, set in a prestigious intimate restaurant, serves up the drama along with healthy portions of humor. Pascaline long ago made personal sacrifices to watch over her younger brother, who is now the chef at their family-owned restaurant.
On Valentine’s Day, when the Brasserie Romantique is featuring an aphrodisiac-fueled special menu, Pascaline’s long lost lover, Frank, has secretly made a reservation for one. Frank hopes to whisk Pascaline off with him to exotic Buenos Aires. Despite that this proposal is sudden, and late coming, Pascaline is tempted. While she contemplates Frank’s offer, the drama from the kitchen is spilling through the double doors, and spreading onto dining couples’ tables, with comedic effect.
The lust-inducing menu in Brasserie Romantique, that made the audience salivate, was comprised so:
First Course: Oyster Gratin with spinach in a Champagne sauce
Main Course: Braised Wild Pigeon with chicory, red cabbage & oyster mushrooms served with a Port wine sauce.
Dessert: Frivole Framboos – A duo of raspberry ice cream and raspberry crème brulee, dressed with crème fraîche, fresh raspberries and Belgium chocolates
Lee Schrager’s Culinary Cinema Opening Night Dinner
MIFF’s spirit sponsor Plymouth Gin welcomed diners with an elegant bubbly concoction, called Avignon Royale. Sweet & citrusy, this refreshing cocktail was slightly accented with basil and made with Plymouth Gin, lemon, simple syrup, and the premium French Champagne, Veuve Clicquot, – and readily replenished throughout the evening’s meal.
The dinner, composed from La Gloutonnerie’s regular carte menu, started with Salade Avignon. The star-shaped Endive and Arugula Salad, topped with freshly shaved Parmesan Cheese was simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon, but the sweet punch of the salad’s tomato confit was the real star of this plate.
Next, diners had three choices for their main course, the first being a creamy risotto pasta dish, Risotto Montecatini, with Porcini Mushrooms and Mozzarella Cheese. Another option was Le Salmon en Croute, a celery root-crusted, grilled salmon fillet in Soya Reduction Sauce.
The irresistible meat dish, Tournedos Perigourdine, was the winning choice. This very generous portion (10oz) of filet mignon was cooked perfectly medium rare as per request. It was beautifully plated with a Perigourdine Truffle Sauce, which was not overly rich, unlike the standout side dish of creamy and garlicky Potatoes Dauphinoise. Magnifique!
To finish, an enormous traditional crème brûlée was served with an excellent caramelized crust over slightly runny custard.
However, sharing this experience with fellow film-loving foodies was the true pièce de résistance of Lee Schrager’s Culinary Cinema opening event for MIFF 2014!