Big Red for the Arts

Thursday night, the Society Room in downtown Hartford and the Greater Hartford Arts Council played host to a rosy gala. The hall quickly became filled with red gowned women, often on the arm of equally color-clad men, and a din of clinking glasses and conversation.

For VIPs, the evening started at 5:30 with a premier wine tasting on the balcony level. Specialty wines were paired with specialty appetizers from Rob Maffucci, Chef of Vito’s restaurant group. Chef Maffucci laid out three dishes: The flat noodles in his pasta Bolognese had a texture of gnocchi, soft and pillowy, and had a thick red sauce interspersed with chunks of slightly spicy Italian sausage. His second dish was an octopus salad. Contrary to most seafood, octopus needs to be boiled substantially before it loses its rubbery texture. He finished it on the grill and placed atop a mélange of marinated artichoke heart, white bean puree, and topped with micro chives and a dab of olive oil. His last dish was an oyster cocktail, freshly shucked and plated in small cups with lemon, shallot, diced tomato, garlic, and just a hint of horseradish. I took both the octopus and the oyster as a shot, providing a mouthful of briny, sweet, and bright vegetative flavors.

On the main floor, beer, wine and food tables were interspersed as the crowd meandered. The Capitol Grille made an appearance with a top loin steak, cut into two thin slices and topped with a garlic butter. While delicious and decadent, I preferred the steak “naked,” allowing the flavor of the meat to come through. It was paired with a lobster mac and cheese, whose sauce was buttery and runny. It made an equally decadent topping on the steak.

Bear’s BBQ laid out generously filled pulled pork sliders. Owner, Chef, and competitive eater, Jamie McDonald has been making the rounds to every function, fair, and festival, spreading the word about his Kansas-style BBQ. He certainly knows what he is doing as the meat was tender and juicy, only asking for a light sprinkle of sauce (the sriracha being my favorite).

The Society Room’s own kitchen put out a number of dishes. In the middle of the room was a 4 foot wide paella serving paella (the name of both the dish and the pan) stuffed with clams, mussels, chicken, chorizo, and yellow rice, a delicious and traditional approach. Next to them was a shaved pork slider, complete with pickled onion and deep fried pickles. Both were complimented by a bright orange chili aioli which brought creaminess and a touch of heat to the meat. Lastly, The Society Room featured a butternut squash risotto with pan seared lemon garlic shrimp. Unlike many of the other stations, the risotto was made fresh, combining butter, herbed parmesan, rice, and a squash puree in one pan, and searing the marinated shrimp in the other. The whole concoction was finished with a balsamic reduction.

The night was finished with a sampling of local ice cream. The mini cones and single scoops were as adorable as they were delicious. The ice cream was made with high-fat dairy, providing an unctuous texture. The flavors were uncomplicated, yet highly present. I could taste the individual pieces of ginger in the lemon ginger, and the cinnamon crunch came through in the Biscoff (or speculoos) cookie variety.