Something hot was cooking at the Biltmore this weekend, and it wasn't in the kitchen. As we entered the regal ball room our stomachs started rumbling prompted by scents of sizzling Kobe beef, ginger, minced garlic and chives. Groups of culinary enthusiasts sat clustered around tables outfitted with cooking stations ready to cook and enjoy a meal tableside at the Cellar Club's interactive luncheon. The guest chef of the day was Juliana Gonzalez, Chef de Cuisine at SUSHISAMBA dromo, wok master and charming host.
She held court from a podium in the front of the room and instructed the table chefs via a headset, giving background about the ingredients and suggesting cooking techniques. The menu nicely blended the restaurant's signature mix of Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese traditions with plenty of cross-cultural flavor combinations. The ladies at my table left the cooking up to the gents, as we were content to sip copious amounts of Mumm champagne and observe the frying pan action from our plush seats.
The meal started with pan steamed American Kobe beef gyozas (top) with caramelized onions and shoyu dipping sauce. The dumplings were a decadent mix of tangy and earthy with ginger and garlic deftly cutting the richness of the beef mixed with shiitake mushrooms. Next up, pan seared branzino with baby vegetables and yuzu soy sauce. The fish was spectacularly fresh, and cooked perfectly (thanks, Yannick!). The sauce (1 cup sake, 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup soy and yuzu mix) was a perfect foil to the flaky, moist fish with the citrusy yuzu adding amazing tang to the whole dish.
Dessert was a delicate mix of sweet and tart: a mini-macaroon, key lime, chocolate pot de creme and peach sorbet - the last being uber-refreshing and surprisingly creamy for a sorbet.
All in all, a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, and a nice indication of where SUSHISAMBA is headed. With a talented woman like Gonzalez manning the stoves, this is the kind of food that will keep the restaurant ahead of the fray on Lincoln Road.
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