The Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame awards dinner Monday night was a posh affair. Our special projects director Sandy Friedman and her team outdid themselves, staging the event in the stately Cipriani 42nd Street. CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo hosted the ceremony like the pro she is. And then there was the food.
To give you a table-level taste of the evening, we asked B&C and Multichannel News Online Sales Manager Jory Cener to review the menu:
Cocktail Reception: Top 5
5. Marinated Salmon Canapés w/ Capers- Delicious flavor on the salmon, but this dish would have scored higher except if the bread had been toasted.
4. Skewers of Beef Florentine- Perfectly cooked beef, no two ways about it. The rosemary certainly came through but wasn’t too overpowering. Cipriani knows how to cook its meat.
3. Blini w/ American Caviar and Crème Fresh- Certainly deserving of the top 3. Blini was made to perfection- a beautiful pillow for the very delicious caviar. Kudos to whatever fish this caviar came from: salty with just a hint of sweetness.
2. Veal Bitok- It’s a fancy way of saying meatball. These were absolutely perfect and would have easily earned the top spot if it wasn’t for…
1. Baby Lamb Chops- The meat was like buttah: cooked to perfection, spot on medium rare. And it wasn’t complicated with some crazy sauce, just a little Dijon mustard to dip it in. (And the mustard was thick enough that it didn’t drip and ruin anyone’s lovely ensemble.)
Dinner
Appetizer
Jumbo Shrimp and Asparagus Salad
Very light and a perfect appetizer for when you first sat down at your table. Maybe a little less olive oil or, better yet, adding a nice malt vinegar.
Main Course
Roast Fillet of Beef with Porcini Mushroom Sauce
Again, Cipriani knows how to cook beef. Hats off to whoever had to cook upwards of 700 fillets, get them out at the same time, and make them all medium rare. I would’ve preferred a red wine reduction, but, hey, that’s just me.
Sides
Bundle of String Beans
Polenta Cake (?)
Bundle of string beans: been there done that. I would have liked to see that with some carrots, or at least a variation of colors.
As for what I could only describe as a polenta cake, this was the worst thing served all evening. I could not make out exactly what it was: never a good thing. Overall, a small mishap.
Dessert
Individual Lemon Meringue Cake w/ Fresh Strawberries
Chocolate Mousse Cake w/ Fresh Raspberries
The individual lemon meringue was very light, airy and a breath of fresh air after the long evening. Fresh strawberries were a nice accoutrement.
The chocolate mousse cake was a bit too decadent for my taste buds. Compared to the above dessert, it was a 180: heavy and almost overpowering. I also know that depending on where you sat, and where they started to distribute the dessert, you might have only tasted one.
By Jory Cener
