On a balmy Wednesday evening in August, I made my way to an address in Manhattan I knew well enough but had never visited before: the Copper building on 1st avenue on the east side. This building is quite the architectural marvel, more like two pillars of copper precariously balanced against each other, one inclined and the other ramrod straight, connected by a walkway high up in the sky! How typical of Manhattan.
What a view!
While I’ve seen this building countless times, I didn’t think I would be attending a dinner there, organized by a commercial establishment. After all, it is a residential building. Turns out, that is exactly the modus operandi of this company called the “Resident”. As its tag line goes: “Redefining the private dining experience at NYC. We are not a restaurant”. It is an experiential platform based in New York City, that organizes curated dinners in exclusive locations, partnering with celebrated chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, The French Laundry, Noma, and Per Se, to name a few. The experience includes a 5-course meal, paired with wines from their in-house sommeliers.
As the company states on their website: “The result: the elegance of Michelin dining with the excitement of a dinner party!” I had first seen their ads on Instagram (isn’t that what’s hot these days?) and ever since then, I’d been keen to check them out, but life and schedules didn’t quite permit until this one came up in the middle of August. The dinner was a 5-course menu with wine pairing, hosted by Chef Charley Donnelly, whose resume includes stints at New York institutions like Charlie Bird and Gramercy Tavern. The menu was entirely seafood focused, which was all the motivation I needed to attend, despite the dinner being hosted on a Wednesday evening, bang in the middle of the week!
As I walked into this lovely Copper building, I was shown to the private room where the dinner was to be hosted. A large communal table had been set out for, I’d estimate, about 20 or so people. I was immediately handed a glass of crisp sparkling wine from Burgundy, a Val de Mer French Sparkling wine made in Chablis (100% Chardonnay) using the méthode champenoise. Honestly, it was hard to tell the difference between this and a traditional Blanc de Blanc from Champagne; high praise I know! Pale gold, notes of brioche, butter, and toasted nuts popped immediately from the glass, followed by floral notes, honeysuckle, stone fruit like nectarine, ripe peach, and a hint of vanilla. Quite a bit of complexity, with a crisp acidity that gave it just that little bit of zing, which we all appreciate in a sparkling wine! On the palate, more fruit and a smooth buttery mouthfeel with a striking, stony minerality; this wine was exactly what I needed to shake off the New York humidity and settle down to an exciting dining experience ahead.
I am not usually one for surprises; while I’d seen the food menu, the wine pairing wasn’t revealed until we took our seats. To my astonishment, the wines being served included not just whites, but reds as well…hallelujah!! I am quite fatigued with the traditional narratives of food and wine pairings, as I am sure most of you are, and so to see whites and reds paired with seafood was an absolute pleasure. Kudos, Resident team!
The food was plated and served beautifully. The first course was a smoked bluefish with horseradish, lemon curd and oyster cracker, paired with a lovely Granbazán Albarino Etiqueta Verde, 2024. It was everything you could ask for with a fish and wine pairing. The freshness, salinity and crisp acidity of the Albarino helped balance the umami richness and salty, concentrated flavors of the bluefish, the sharpness of the horseradish and tartness of the lemon, thereby creating a symphony of flavors and sensations in the mouth. This was probably my favorite pairing of the night!
The second course was a New England style shrimp toast, with bottarga and bisque. The wine paired with this dish was a Weingut Jurtschitsch, ‘Mon Blanc’, White Blend 2022, consisting of a mix of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner. The wine was a bit rounder on the palate, which helped balance the subtle flavors of the shrimp toast, and the acidity of the Riesling complemented the richness of the bisque. On second thought, a Pinot Noir would go just as well! The bisque was so good, I could have had a whole bowl of it.
The third dish to make an appearance was seaweed gnudi, littleneck clams and corn on the cob, floating in the most delicious broth ever! This was paired with a Domaine Chevrot, Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023; the most innovative and interesting food and wine pairing of the night. I was instantly transported to the south of France, where I confess I have had some of the best seafood, including the most delicious bouillabaisse, except of course I was sitting in a swanky room in a fancy building in the financial capital of the world! I am not so sure the pairing worked as well, but treated separately, both were absolutely divine. I even asked for a bit more of the Burgundy, and the sommelier was happy to oblige.
The fourth pairing definitely brought on my curiosity: Monkfish paired with Mencia, not something you see very often. Not only was the dish a burst of summer on my plate, but the colors and flavors were just as spectacular. It was a monkfish roulade, paired with a Bodegas y Vinedos Raul Perez ‘Ultreia’ Bierzo 2022. Now, monkfish is quite a meaty fish and Mencia is a strong wine, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with the first bite and sip. This pairing certainly took me by surprise. Mencia with fish would not be my first choice but the pairing worked quite well, and the sherry and tomatoes forming the base, along with the summer vegetables really did stand up to the complexity and rich, bold flavors of the Ultreia. Just as I think more whites can pair with various meats, so too do I believe now that more reds can work really well with seafood, if done right. You just have to take the leap!
The last and final course was a delicious molasses cake, with dark rum toffee, black sesame and crème fraiche. We ended the night with an absolutely stunning Kopke, 10 Year Tawny Port. The cake was lovely, and I loved the black sesame, which added a nice little salty touch but not being terribly keen on dessert, I savored my tawny port as my fellow diners polished off their plates!
This was truly an exclusive experience, that made me feel like I was at a private dinner party. I can safely say that I have had a culinary awakening of sorts and cannot wait to explore more such pairings in the future! So, cheers to you, Resident, for living up to your brand and I look forward to attending many more such dinners. For those in the New York area, if you are interested in checking them out, here’s a list of upcoming dinners over the next few months.
Cheers! ~ Ipshita
