Golden Knives Pop Up Restaurant

If you haven’t heard the buzz around the Golden Knives Challenge, it’s about time you get on the foodie band wagon. The pop up restaurant concept, started by Chef Eric Korn of Good-Life Gourmet, gained momentum when it transitioned into the challenge, a series of evenings where chefs go head to head, serving their best three-course meals for diners to vote on.

While Chef Korn and Chef Carl Van Dekker, winner of the first challenge, gather chefs and venues for the next event (look for it sometime next spring), they host a Golden Knives pop up restaurant featuring different chefs at various venues across Westchester every month.

One of the most interesting things about these pop up concepts—aside from the food, of course—is to see how the chefs collaborate. While the evening allows them to “play” with ingredients and dishes outside their usual repertoire, you can see how they work off each other, creating some of the most interesting and intuitive menus (trust me, you reap the benefits).

Last night, Chef Van Dekker played host, as he and Chef Korn teamed up to create a delicious menu at Tarrytown’s Village Dog:

Tasting of Summer Tomatoes
Consommé of Sweet Corn and Clams
Duo of Lamb with Summer Vegetable Hash
 “Torta” Dela Nona with Basil Ice Cream

Although the basil ice cream was delicious (and helped beat the humidity in the air), the dish of the evening was most certainly the clam consommé. The well-balanced, light course was the perfect step between the natural tartness of the tomatoes and heartiness of the lamb (served with a poached quail egg).

To learn more about the next Golden Knives Challenge, check the event page.