Chefdance 2012 Night #4: Donatella Arpaia

Sundance continues and Park City is still swarming with movie stars, industry people, film buffs and all sorts of cool people. Tonight I had the privilege of sitting with the crew from the intriguing and fascinating Slamdance documentary film about the fighting-boxing underground culture of 8-year-old little girls in Thailand, Buffalo Girls—wow!

Kenny Griswold introduced our chef, the awesome Donatella Arpaia. Not only is she a killer chef and a total stylin' knock-out, she's also an impressive businesswoman, a former corporate attorney, restaurateur, Iron Chef judge, TV personality, cookbook author, proprietor of the Donatella Food Collection, and the list goes on... Oh, and she is married to a famous cardiac surgeon and is a new mom. She's my idol. 

Nantucket Bay Scallop Crudo, Citrus-Pickled Spicy Pepper Panzanella, Basil.  Too fabulous for words. The flavors and textures were over-the-top, just phenomenal—chilled raw slippery scallop, grapefruit segments, spicy panzanella (chic croutons). Can't wait to visit her restaurants in NYC for some variations on this dish. Till then, I'll try copying.

Ricotta Gnocchi, Caciocavallo Fonduta, White Truffle, Pecorino, Cincotto, Chives.  Hands-down the best BEST, gnocchi I've had in my 35 years of life. Insanely delicious with perfect amount of rich cheesiness. The gnocchis were dense, tender and packed with flavor. The truffles took it above and beyond. We were all scraping our plates and licking every last bit off our forks. Again, exceptional.

When Life Gives You Lemons.  Ketel One Vodka cocktail prepared by Snake Oil Cocktail Co.

Red Wine Braised Short Rib, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Parsnip Puree & Preserved Lemon.  The parsnip puree was the perfect starch, smooth, rich and sweet. They balanced perfectly with the intensely flavored tender short ribs. Brussel sprouts were al dente, perfectly quartered and simply prepared, loaded with flavor. Sweet potato crisps (?) added crispy crunch. We couldn't believe how every course got better and better. Unreal.

Meyer Lemon Budino with Pinenut & Rosemary Shortbread, Olive Oil Gelato & Meyer Lemon Marmalade.  I can't believe I missed her dessert. Shame on me ;'(

SOFI kills. Sofi is the BOMB. So is Sonya.

Then upstairs for a girls night out with Drake...

Here goes uber cheesy pix. Girls night. Thank goodness for girlfriends :) Danyi Deats, Sonya Powell.

DJ Scooter...

Girls night with Mimi Kim, Ellie, Cosima Fryer, Danyi Deats, Sonya Powell, Samantha Clayton...

xoxo