Menu Revealed for L20 Hosted Hawaiian Fish Dinner with Stein, Duffy and More

On Aug. 30, L20's executive chef Francis Brennan will host a dinner to benefit the Hawaii Seafood Council and he's invited some of the city's top chefs to join him in the kitchen. Brennan, along with chef de cuisine Matthew Kirkley and pastry chef Stephanie Prida, will be joined by Curtis Duffy (Avenues), Todd Stein (The Florentine), Andrew Zimmerman (Sepia) and Paul Virant (Vie, Perennial Virant) to create a multi-course meal highlighting fish provided by Supreme Lobster.

Guests will first enjoy passed appetizers during a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. before dinner starts around 7, when each chef will create and present a course. During the cocktail reception, five different types of canapes will be passed, each created by a different chef. The dinner, which comes with specially selected wines per course, costs $175 per person. Reservations can be made by calling Meredith at 773-868-0002 or via email.

In related news, Supreme Lobster will be holding the 2011 Summer Chef Challenge, where one chef will walk away with $1,000. The contest, also honoring Hawaiian fisheries, is open to all working chefs as well as select culinary students. The deadline to enter is noon on Aug. 31 and instructions for entering can be found online.

But now, on to the menu for the L20 dinner...

RECEPTION:
· foie gras, big-eye tuna, tomato-shiso gelee (L20)
· hamachi tartare, apple brodo (Todd Stein)
· liquid black truffle (Curtis Duffy)
· smoked chubs, creme fraiche, dill and sourdough rye (Paul Virant)
· onaga, luxardo pickled cherries, preserved lemon puree, juniper, violet (Andrew Zimmerman)

DINNER:
· amuse (L20)
· 1st course: mother of dragon, romaine marmalade, white poppyseed, nasturtium blossom (Duffy)
· 2nd course: opah belly, fried egg puree, togarashi, peaches, kimchee, heart of palm salad (Stein)
· 3rd course: tandoori marinated nairagi, buttered black lentils, cucumber, mint (Zimmerman)
· 4th course: blue kanpachi, smoked eggplant, roasted tomato, hot pepper vinaigrette (Virant)
· 5th course: mero seabass, caramalized artichokes, cured roe, rice wine bordelaise (L20)
· 6th course: cucumber and sake ice, kaffir lime (L20)
· Dessert: caramel mousse, manjari chocolate, Kona coffee (L20)
· mignardises (L20)

[Photo: Curtis Duffy and Todd Stein]