But first, the food. The cocktail reception spilled into a dining room where glowing, etched ice sculptures marked each setting. Crevices cut into the ice held cocktails of Botanist gin and sweet vermouth, with scoops of crème fraîche–olive oil ice cream scattered in, showered with black truffle shavings. To the side, chef Ryan Ratino dealt out his edible playing cards, their faces etched in sturgeon caviar and red foie gras.
Chef Hillary Sterling of Ci Siamo served seared rounds of crespelle, though not every table’s pasta came crowned with bottarga. Table Four’s gift—each table had its own—was a one-pound white Alba truffle, hunted early in the season, displayed under a glass dome and shaved lavishly over every plate. Other tables received tins of Petrossian caviar, subscriptions to S.Pellegrino water delivered to their homes, rare bottles of wine, or handcrafted Florentine knives. Choosing the best prize proved impossible.
Chef Siddharth Ahuja presented a potato basket of red and black tokri chaat, brimming with spiced chickpeas, yogurt, and tamarind chutney—a preview of the soon-to-open Las Vegas outpost of London’s Gymkhana.
Chef Curtis Duffy showcased wagyu three ways, paired with a sidecar of tom yum broth to sip. One preparation featured thin slices splayed over a crisped rice sheet. Another came Thai-style, bright with mint, basil, and cilantro. The third was seared and served with a fish-sauce béarnaise.
Desserts by chefs Juan Manuel Barrientos of Elcielo and Masako Morishita of Perry’s D.C. arrived as jeweled sculptures. Barrientos offered an edible, laser-cut chocolate screen set over lulo fruit and soursop confections, paired with a margarita in a terracotta amphora topped with a jaunty miniature sombrero. Morishita tucked amazake gelato, red bean, and crunchy miso caramel into delicate monaka—Japanese rice wafer cookies—one shaped like a beckoning cat.
The evening closed with rounds of applause as the chefs paraded into the dining room carrying Morishita’s desserts.
