First Look
Friday, September 12th, 2008I finally got a chance to head up to St. John’s and see what my soon to be chef Ben Bettinger has been doing these last few months, cooking, what turns out, are excellent Sunday Dinners at The James John Cafe. If you are not familiar, The James John is a coffeehouse opened a few years back by my old cohort from Paley’s Place, Suzanne Bozarth and her boyfriend Ken Yates. She enlisted the help of Benny awhile back to bring the kitchen up to the level of Ken’s already amazing coffee and with the addition of a full liquor license, they really have the makings of something truly special. I know at this point, they are offering dinner on Friday and Saturday as well, but Sunday nights are the family suppers, and at $30 a head, it’s a tough deal to beat. 4 courses, highlighted by an excellent seafood ravioli and a braised beef brisket wrapped in eggplant and smothered in stewed(?) peppers. The wine list had a few perfectly complimentary choices and Suzanne and Emily (from Toro Bravo) are there to make you one of Suzanne’s amazing cocktails. Highly recommended.
This is something I’ve been waiting for for a long time. Sunday the 21st of September is the next Spirit Dinner, brought to you by Tim Davey. I will again be bartending, BUT NOT ALONE! Lance Mayhew and Doug Paquin will be joining me and Ben Bettinger will be cooking the food. This is the first chance to see a rough outline of the future Beaker & Flask. The theme is Rum and we’ve been working hard to develop something to please the Island Gods. I’ll post the press release below, and I expect you all on time.
Friends and family,
On Sunday evening September 21, 2008 at the Cleaners event space in
the Ace Hotel, there will be a Rum Dinner. There will be five courses,
spirit pairings, cocktail parasols, Hawaiian shirts, and torches.
Doors open at 6 pm. This is spirit dinner #6: Rum!-–a sneak peek at
the developing chemistry of Beaker and Flask. Your chef will be Ben
Bettinger of James John Cafe.
To make a reservation email spiritdinners@gmail.com. Please include
the number of person(s) in your party and a phone number. We will
confirm your reservation by phone and we ask that you provide a credit
card number to hold your seat(s). The cost of this dinner is $65, not
including gratuity. As before, payment for this dinner is cash/check
only.
This menu is bright and playful-–the only way to confront the coming
clouds. The cocktails will transport you. Enjoy our tiki-encrusted
environment, flush with the aroma of cocoa butter, voodoo kitsch, and
raffle tickets! Special guests include Robert Louis Stevenson. As
always, we look forward to guiding you through this experience.
Chef: Ben Bettinger
Bar: Kevin Ludwig
Host: Timothy Davey
September 21, 2008
1014 SW Stark Ave
the Cleaners
6:00 pm doors open
$65 / person
Reservations: spiritdinners@gmail.com
