Industry Dinner Held on March 14, 2021
We don’t get the chance to attend dinners like this very often. When Chef Tyler and Jennifer Lyne came to Birmingham, they brought their incredible talent and creative vision to TastingTBL - a supper club that they host in their home. Their tasting menu is always on point, both in the beauty of the dish and the creativity of each course. Chef Tyler had the vision to host an Industry Dinner to appreciate hard working chefs, waiters, bartenders, restaurateurs, and anyone working in the restaurant industry. Covid hit the restaurant and hospitality industry hard resulting in layoffs, closures, stress, pain, tears, all the hard hitting emotions… I know it would make me cave. I felt the dinner honored those working in the food and hospitality industries, while lifting spirits and ushering in a better 2021 after a very sucky 2020.
Before we get started on the event and food, I wanted to write about all those who were involved to make this dinner the success that it was. The dinner was hosted by TastingTBL in partnership with Zack Redes, former Chef de Cuisine at Highlands Bar and Grill. Donations were made by:
Inland Seafood - donated the meat and seafood.
What Chefs Want - donated the produce.
Knox Fanelli of Larder Foods - donated the truffles.
Pinnacle Imports AL - donated the wine and beer.
Dread River Co - donated the cocktails and event space.
All tickets sold secured an industry member a seat free of charge.
Dread River’s event space is beautiful! Spacious, clean lines, a bar centered in the space, and walls that are painted a deep blue. If you’re looking for an event space, Dread River Co. is an excellent choice of venue.
This is where the photo perfectly describes the dining setting. I don’t have anything to add other than the place setting was simple and exactly what it should be.
The noise level in the space we were sitting was pretty high - high enough that I had a difficult time understanding what people were saying on the other side of the table. But it wasn’t unbearable. Lots of talking and laughing which put me in a fantastic mood and heightened the excitement of the dinner. When the dining room is quiet, I feel introspective and closed in which is wanted if Nick and I go out to a “romantic” dinner. It’s not what I want in a meal like this where I want to see what people think of the meal, hear what the conversation around the meal is, and feel the positivity and laughter of surrounding diners.
Let’s talk about the cocktails! Wait… I’ll have to update this later. I looked through my notes and I cannot find descriptions of the cocktails. Even though I don’t have the descriptions, I’ll go ahead and share the photos! Man what a blogger fail.
I had the opportunity to go back into the kitchen to take photos of the action! I was mesmerized. It’s one thing to sit and enjoy the meal and another to see the activity in the kitchen. We are the type people who watch Top Chef and Iron Chef often and on repeat because we love the scramble and activity in the kitchen - and then to see the creative plating and delicious food brought out to the diner. There’s a reason why it captures our attention - the action and energy is epic. It’s exactly what you’ll get when you go to TastingTBL’s Supper Club. They prepare your meal right in front of you - You’ll get the best view at the Chef’s Table right beside their open kitchen!
Here are a few photos that I took in the kitchen at the Industry Dinner:
Now for the food! Let me start by saying I forgot to take photos of the Fish Course. In my defense, I was taking photos in the kitchen before heading into the dining room to eat. I set my camera down and totally forgot to take the pic before I ate.
It’s hard to really pick out a favorite - between me and Nick - we picked our favorites and it ended up being pretty much the entire menu.
CANAPE COURSE: going left to right: Virtual Truffle | Patatas Bravas, Garlic Aioli, Nduja | Shrimp, Paella Nigiri, Sofrito | Beef Tartare, Caper, Brioche | Chicharron.
Our notes: Loved the virtual truffle because the truffle wasn’t overpowering. The shrimp paella nigiri was my favorite bite - I can’t live without rice and this saffron rice was fire - I need more.
BREAD AND BUTTER SERVICE: Focaccia Bread and Honey Chili Butter
CRUDO: Hamachi, Umaboshi, Avocado Mosaic, Ginger Aioli, Green Apple and Cucumber, and Herb Oil.
Our note: The hamachi was fresh and light. I was incredibly surprised when I ate the green apple and cucumber foam! The tartness and crunch from the apple, the soft bite of hamachi, and the cucumber foam was a bite of summer. It was incredibly light and I couldn’t stop tasting the foam by itself. I think the reason it reminded me of summer was because I eat cucumbers with salt, pepper, and a hit of vinegar in the summer. It’s such a refreshing bite… can’t get enough of it.
SNACK: Pomme Aligot Mochi, Stracciatella, Iberico Lardo.
Our note: YUM! It had a chewy outer shell and the mashed potatoes in the center were so creamy. How in the world did they get it so freakin creamy?! I love the texture of mochi and could have probably eaten Nick’s if he would’ve just looked away for a sec. This is another favorite bite on this menu!
DOWN HILL FROM HERE: Cuban Cigar, Black Sesame, Dijonnaise, Charred Red Pepper Puree.
Our note: It was a cuban sandwich made to resemble a cigar. What a fun dish! The ash was black sesame - I took a bite of my “cigar” and then scooped up the black sesame on the end as I took bites. Mmmm… If I could just have some sesame ash, I would add it to everything. Okay I’m going on a bit of a tangent here but have you had the black sesame filled mochi balls (it may not be considered mochi but the outer gummy shell is made from rice powder)? It’s a Chinese dessert that is served in a hot or could soup…. I would take this black sesame ash and dust it on them and do my happy dance! Okay enough of that.
PASTA: Tagliatelle, Black Truffle, Walnut, Fines Herb.
Our notes: The Tagliatelle was dense and had a good chew. I was nervous about the black truffle but again, it wasn’t overpowering. It was a beautifully delicious dish.
FISH: Fluke, Seaweed Beurre Monte, Broccoli Puree, Smoked Broccoli Pesto, Preserved Lemon (not pictured).
Our notes: Ugh I’m so mad that I didn’t get a picture of the dish! SO MAD! This dish was my favorite. Light, perfectly cooked fish with a fresh green sauce made from one of my favorite vegetables - broccoli.
MEAT: Fire Roasted Lamb Rib, Romesco Puree, Potato, Pickled Mustard Seeds, Wild Leeks, Lamb Jus.
Our notes: DELICIOUS lamb! Not gamey at all. It was tender and perfectly seasoned. A bite of lamb with the leek was heaven.
DESSERT #1: Grapefruit Givre, Sesame Mousse, Rose Loukoum, Grapefruit Granita, Burnt Sugar, Halva Hair.
Our notes: This is Nick’s favorite dessert. It’s certainly not a dessert we can find on a menu in Birmingham. We are huge fans of Chef Jennifer Lyne’s desserts! This dessert was bitter from the grapefruit, floral from the loukoum (the most pillowy beautiful rose flavored jelly candy), nutty and creamy from the sesame mousse, sweet and smokey from the burnt sugar, and the cotton candy Halva Hair. And the granita - don’t forget the chill of the granita! Such a fantastic dessert.
DESSERT #2: Torrijas, Brioche, Honey Custard, Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, Butterscotch Sauce, Raspberry.
Our notes: Hello - it’s bread pudding in a butterscotch sauce with fresh raspberries. Yes, it was delicious. But by the time we got to dessert #2, we were hitting a solid wall. We were so full! But I did eat all of the butterscotch cap, raspberries, and the ice cream.
PETIT FOURS: Smoked S’mores and Madeleines.
We are not forgetting about the wine. We are not wine drinkers - we prefer bourbon so I don’t really know how to describe the wine. I do know that I enjoyed drinking them with our meal! I also know that I would 100% purchase them for another meal.
And don’t forget to go by and try some Dread River spirits - rum - vodka - whisky - gin. They were used in the cocktails!
The dinner was a huge success! It was a four hour dinner where we had creative and delicious food, wine, and excellent conversation. My face was hurting from smiling and laughing with our table mates. I can’t wait for our next dinner at TastingTBL Birmingham.
Thanks for checking out our blog!
-Jenny