It feels a little bit like we’re all sitting around Cincinnati (semi-)patiently waiting for spring. It’s an interesting feeling, but with the past month being so blowy/snowy, I think folks are just bearing down and waiting things out. One of the impacts I’ve noticed is a pretty small number of folks dining out—it’s been hard to find ANYWHERE with a wait or without an open table. (Last weekend, it was Terry’s Turf Club at 7:30 on a Saturday night, and we pretty much sat right down. That says it all!)
But it DOESN’T mean that there aren’t lots of interesting things to see and do these days. Last night was an excellent example and was one of the most interesting and enjoyable meals I can remember in a long, long time.
In this unassuming building on the campus of Cincinnati State college in Clifton lies the venerable Midwest Culinary Institute, a place where I took very memorable and productive classes for a year. On this particular evening, we were headed to their full-on working restaurant, The Summit.
Even though I’ve never had a meal there, from my affiliation with MCI (which I freely admit to!) I know that this place is very important to Cincinnati’s food culture, for three important reasons. First, MCI is responsible for schooling or retaining many fine chefs in Cincinnati, many of whom have used their time here to prepare to launch new ventures in Cincinnati (and beyond). It’s the sort of thing that can fuel an ongoing culinary culture. Second, in addition to getting excellent chef-students, it brings excellent chef-instructors to town who have lots of experience running professional kitchens and lets them drop anchor in town to teach…and bring their considerable skills to other Cincinnati establishments on evenings & weekends, again raising the profile and quality of local dining. And third, MCI staff—fueled through The Summit—can use the space and their strong credentials to put on special events that provide lots of direct interesting evenings here in town. Last night was one of those.
MCI made big local news last year when they announced that Jean-Robert de Cavel (needs no introduction, right?) was to be their Chef in Residence, joining Chef John Kinsella (Head Instructor, and a Certified Master Chef) to further elevate the role of the MCI in Cincinnati’s food culture. Over the past month, de Cavel has done a lot for the school—a little bit in the kitchen, a lot in the trade and media. Last night, however, was the night de Cavel returned to the kitchen to cook for the diners at The Summit in a chef’s series that will bring in several of Cincinnati’s finest chefs.
The Summit is a perfectly nice fully-operating restaurant. There aren’t tons of tables (this place is more about learning/teaching than it is about profit), the bar is a little lonely (beer and wine only, same reason), and the light is a little bright (gotta be able to see!). But it’s earnest, hard working, and… well… interesting. Getting to The Summit requires walking for a few minutes through a very obviously still well-functioning school, past the bookstore, past several classrooms (on this night, filled with step teams), past the cake lab, the baking kitchen, and the locker room. And around the corner and into the warm (if slightly sterile) space.
While we waited for our friends, we had a glass of wine at the bar—the service wasn’t great, but then the dining room was pretty full and it seemed that anyone “tending bar” was doing so for their patrons at the tables, so we were (understandably, I suppose) an afterthought. But that was all forgotten—and immediately so—when they took us to our table, to the back of the dining room to what is quite obviously the best table in the joint. Want proof? This is the view from my seat:
This little hidden table was tremendous. The downside is that I likely wasn’t the best dinner companion because, I couldn’t help looking back into the kitchen, watching folks work. Many of these employees are students, another several are full-time paid employees and oh yes, Jean-Robert was there. This was for me, an incredible treat, to watch Jean-Robert cooking and instructing for nearly 3 hours.
Our excellent and attentive (if just a little dramatic) server Michael (apparently a part of JR’s team, though I never had him serving me at Pigalle’s) brought our amuse, a strange (though admittedly interesting) spoon of pie crust with banana and powdered ginger. I made the mistake of inhaling as the spoon made its way to my mouth—forcing in ripe powdered ginger and nearly causing a coughing fit! The amuse was tasty but a little different than what I think of a classic amuse—it was quite sweet and didn’t go an overly long way in whetting the appetite. However, after looking at the menu, I was salivating plenty!
There was a full menu on this evening, full of delectable choices—I was intrigued by the sweetbread appetizer and the lovely-looking Asian-styled snapper, and on another evening I’d have happily given them a try. But on this evening, Jean-Robert had a special appetizer and a special entree. The first course was described as “Due of Maine Lobster ‘Salad & Bisque’.” Interestingly, both courses were made with the same ingredients: celery root, apple, watercress, and truffles! The salad was arguably the best thing about the whole night—bursting with fresh lobster flavor! The dish came across very light—the celery root kept the dish grounded and the light apple rounded it out beautifully. Double that portion and call it a meal! Fantastic!
The bisque was excellent as well. The broth was VERY strongly flavored of lobster (maybe a bit more than most Cincinnatians would enjoy, but I’ve had similar strength on the east coast and have enjoyed it). I think the truffles were unnecessary (though I’ll never argue with them!) and the dried apple slice was a little tough for the soup (requiring me to fold it up and take it in a single bite), but the flavors were excellent, with the celery giving the bisque lots of nice body. This was an excellent way to get the meal started!
While we waited for the main (and I should mention that the courses were timed perfectly), our good dinner conversation constantly drafted to our private picture window on the kitchen. It was a genuine delight to watch Mr. de Cavel work. I wondered how much of his time would be spent cooking versus instructing, versus talking with patrons—and in fact, it was a good deal of all three. Throughout the evening, he flitted from station to station, walking the students and cooks through important points of detail, carrying his spoon from place to place to taste seasonings and adjust flavors. At the same time, he seemed to be responsible for several of his own elements, most notably a series of sauces in the back that I think were used for the main (though I’m not positive of this). Above you can see him roasting beef bones for the marrow (again served with the main). He seemed very comfortable here, and it made me wonder how much time he has spent in commercial kitchens recently. But it was a bit soul-warming for this writer—who loves the too-infrequent time he gets to spend in the kitchen—to see a master so at home in this environment.
And what of the main dish? It was substantial: “Duo of Beef Tenderloin & Vista Ranch Short Ribs.” They were very, very good. The tenderloin on top was prepared a little more done than I had ordered but were very flavorful, topped with a little slice of marrow. Unlike many current presentations (short rib is so hip these days!), the short rib was presented more like a pork belly, a thick cut, layering a hard-caramelized exterior with layers of fat and fall-apart tender short rib. It was delicious and substantial. both meats, which were stacked, sat atop a streak of very strong red wine and bittersweet chocolate reduction. It was a lot of chocolate with a little bit of wine—it didn’t do a ton for the tenderloin, but it really made the short rib sing! Alongside the meats sat a medley of mushrooms, spinach, roquefort cheese and pear—an interesting, light, and flavorful accompaniment. And at the edge of the dish, a root vegetable gratin, a slice of stacked vegetables that—were the portion any bigger—would have become a regular object of my dreams. Fantastic, lightly crusted, and bound in lovely thickened cream, this thing was a vision.
So the main was substantial and fantastic. While it wasn’t what I had come to think of as classic “de Cavel cuisine,” it showed his deft touch of blending flavors and appreciating the season—and what was there, was delicious.
Between dinner and dessert, Jean-Robert made the rounds in the dining room—full of Cincinnati dining industry faces. Several prominent restaurant owners, who I won’t name, were there to enjoy the meal, greet JR, and show appreciation for what he was doing that night for them, and for the city. We had a lovely though brief conversation with him that showed him to be his usual genuine self—we talked of the meal, of The Summit, and of his restaurant under development. It was clear even from our short conversation that he is very excited for this venture, and after this important reminder of what he can do in the kitchen… we’ll be first in line!
The evening ended with a lovely port and a plate of cheeses that hit the spot. Is there anything better than a cheese plate after a fine meal? After all the food eaten to this point, I couldn’t finish it all, but it absolutely left the perfect taste in one’s mouth as we headed back out into Cincinnati’s cold night. But hearts and stomachs aglow, we were reminded of what this place, and this chef, has done for our fine city.
P.S.: Apparently, lots of interesting things coming up here at the Summit, most prominently to include 10 Night, 10 Kitchens in April. Buy your tickets now!