Dallas’ top chefs were cooking up a storm last Thursday at the annual March of Dimes Auction at the Omni Hotel. Lead chef Kent Rathbun of Abacus, who has worked on this project for 15 years, led a team of over 20 top local chefs who each brought their own signature dish to the table. Guests could stroll around the ballroom to sample dishes, refill on wine, and ponder which auction items to bid on.
The Signature Chefs Auction of Dallas has raised over $7 million since 1995 for healthy babies and moms. It also has cranked out some awesome dishes.
Jump for the lowdown.
Stephan Pyles offered a pheasant dish with blue corn chestnut dressing and foie gras. There was candied pumpkin, too. Chef Mike Sindoni from Charlie Palmer at The Joule had a pork shoulder sausage with butternut squash puree sautéed in ginger. Bolsa got festive with rabbit sausage on braised apples and fennel, while the Village Marquee had shrimp and squid ceviche with spicy gazpacho and banana puree.
Speaking of seafood, Pyramid brought along a hamachi crudo dish with amaranth seed, green olive fennel salsa, and cilantro. Delicious. Chef Eric Brandt also prepared a creamy polenta with crispy pork belly and walnut pistou. It’s now on the menu at Bistro 31, so Chef Brandt was happy to promote and celebrate his newest creation.
One of my personal favorites was the beef short rib ravioli with sweet corn bisque from Komali. The warmth of the dish was absolutely perfect for the night’s chilly cold front. If I could have this delivered to my apartment, I would. It’s that great. Chamberlain’s flat iron steak with sweet potato gratin was not only hearty, but seasonally appropriate. Definitely worth circling back. The oxtail and foie gras soup from Rosewood Mansion at Turtle Creek was also calling my name. I could literally see steam coming off the little serving bowls. How perfect.
On my loop around the room, I spotted Jim Severson of Sevy’s Grill serving up plates of lemon pepper shrimp with creamy orzo pasta and tomato basil butter.
“Hey, I remember you from the Scottish Rite event last week!” he said. Be still my heart. And to top it off, the shrimp and orzo was absolutely my favorite of the night. Sevy’s strikes again.
So thank you, D Magazine, for allowing your interns to gawk over top chefs in town, even when these chefs remember the fact that I show up to everything.
Sarah Bennett is a D Magazine intern. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in May 2011 with a degree in English/Creative Writing. She admits her nerdy passion for historical fiction, and can be found on the weekends cheering on the Mustangs from the Boulevard.
