RSS FEEDWho won the crab competition at B&O American Brasserie, which was supporting a good cause and celebrating its first anniversary last night? Read on to find out the winner.
I had the honor of being a guest judge at the Crab Bash along with other food-loving folks: Jamie Costello of WMAR, Reagan Warfield of Mix 106.5, and blogger Dara Bunjon. Our delicious task was not easy.
The dishes from seven local and visiting chefs were great. Here’s a rundown:
Jason Ambrose, Salt: sriracha sauce, avocado crab ball with corn and tomato salad.
E. Michael Reidt, B&O American Brasserie: smoked crab cake with creamed corn and tomato and liquid ravioli.
Jay Silva, Bambara, Cambridge, MA: sweet corn and crab ravioli with chorizo chips and basil oil.
Christian deLutis, formerly of Alizée and The Dogwood: sweet corn and crab salad with plantain polenta and diced guacamole.
Guillermo Tellez, Square 1682, Philadelphia: blue crab salad with heirloom tomatoes, pickled beets, and candy fennel.
Paul Healey, Domaso, Arlington, VA: crab spanakopita with charred red pepper aioli and micro basil.
Dave Newman, The Brewer’s Art: Maryland crab cake, popcorn sauce, and beer.
The 200 guests, who were keeping score, too, for people’s choice awards, spread out among the restaurant’s two floors sampling the food, while also enjoying a complimentary drink—back-porch lemonade with citrus vodka—created by B&O head bartender Brendan Dorr. It was quite the spread for $10 a person.
All the money went to charity. The sold-out event raised about $2,000 for Great Kids Farm, which helps city school students learn about food—from seed to table.
Finally, Jamie, Reagan, Dara, and I compared notes and reached a consensus—though we really thought all the dishes were winners.
The results: overall winner, The Brewer’s Art; honorable mention for presentation, Salt; honorable mention for flavor, Square 1682; and honorable mention for creativity, Christian deLutis.
Congratulations to all. The best part? B&O will do it again next year.
