Taste Makers: New England Epicurean Society

Submitted by Amanda Rae Busch on June 24, 2009 - 11:23am

The next time Tuesday morning rolls around, I'm gonna wish Monday evening felt like the last (June 22).

The Setting: Twilight, on the magnificent wraparound porch of Ventfort Hall, the historic Berkshire cottage hiding in plain sight on Walker Street in Lenox, Mass.

The Crowd: Thirty or so sharply dressed regional scenesters and visiting Manhattanites, all of whom adore exquisite foods and relish the social, historical, and cultural significance of fine ingredients.

The Raison d’Etre: To toast the New England Epicurean Society at its premiere event: Artisanal Salts, Heirloom Pepper, and Old World Olive Oil Tasting with Fine Wine and Champagne Pairings, with a menu of more than a dozen demi-courses conceived by chef Austin Banach, of the Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough and Rubiner's Cheesemongers and Grocers in Great Barrington, Mass., and European-trained sous chef Maite Nader from Belgium.

We mingled while sampling salts of varying shades provided by one of the evening's main sponsors, Himala Salt; Richard Bourdon shared bread from his Berkshire Mountain Bakery in Housatonic, Mass., accompanying samples of three exotic olive oil offered by Jean-Francois and Helen Bizalion of their eponymous epicerie in Great Barrington, and a dozen or so fine cheeses. The ever-affable sommelier Steve Dixon of M.S. Walker Wines uncorked bottle upon bottle to pair with each presentation: Wellfleet oysters with Champagne mignonette; vichyssoise with citrus salt and crisp asparagus; artichoke petals dipped in melted butter and fleur de sel; steak "fondue" brioche with spring-fresh chimichurri--it all just kept coming:

The event capped off with an extra-special tasting—“the Eyes Wide Shut portion of the evening,” our hostess, NEES founder and director Torrey Oates, quipped, handing us silk blindfolds and petite glasses of white Spanish gazpacho sprinkled with lavender salt. Inside was a marinated grape, a sweet-crisp surprise amid the garlicky puree.

“Always new, always fresh, always a culinary adventure,” is the motto. Tastings are already in the works for July, August, and September, plus blindfolded cocktail gatherings in between each. Want in? Find out how to join our upcoming members-only events…