{"id":12194,"date":"2017-03-02T07:52:38","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T12:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/?p=12194"},"modified":"2017-03-01T22:40:34","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T03:40:34","slug":"post-mardi-gras-mention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ashley-spencer.com\/ArtIsEverywhere\/2017\/03\/post-mardi-gras-mention\/","title":{"rendered":"Post Mardi Gras Mention"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another Mardi Gras has gone by but not without making a post Mardi Gras mention about several events happening recently.<\/p>\n

First, with tribute to a Southern cuisine-mix and Mardi Gras, about which I’ve just hosted 2 fun dinners for friends. The first being for my Book Group two Tuesdays ago after my birthday weekend. To “prepare” \ud83d\ude09 Peter and I experienced the new Honeysuckle restaurant <\/a>by Chef Hamilton Johnson because he features the unusual pairing of Nordic and Southern cuisine, and does it exceptionally well.<\/p>\n

\"Honeysuckle-logo-food_AIE\"<\/p>\n

The restaurant is in the former location of Vidalia a long-time DC classic. It’s chef was Chef Johnson’s mentor, so stands to reason he would follow suit, but in his own way. You still have to go downstairs to get to the restaurant but from the outside, you’re not sure it’s the restaurant or so upscale with graffiti-style murals of skulls and bones by Rick Bach<\/a> on a bold red backdrop. The simple Honeysuckle name is on the outside black canopy entrance. The name doesn’t seem to jive with the theme. However, if you think about it, honeysuckle is one of the sweetest-smelling and hardiest flowering-vines in the South — one of my favorites. Honeysuckle also grows in Finland and is the main ingredient of one of their famous teas. In this case, the complexity of the sweet and flowery balances the hard-edge juxtaposition with the food and d\u00e9cor, maybe also just like the chef with his many tattoos. Chef Johnson is a master of combining complete opposites with creative, cooking artistry.<\/p>\n

\"Chef
This photo greets you at the bottom of the stairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Honeysuckle2<\/p>\n

The restaurant interior is a mix of more murals on the ceiling, a vermilion colored back-lit bar with rotating images of Finland on a large TV screen. Dining areas and rooms are separated by themed rock stars with their large-scale portraits commanding a presence as some of Chef Johnson’s favorite performers. We ate in the Freddie Mercury elevated area. It was a gorgeous setting with shimmery white-capiz wallcovering that I recognized from Maya Romanoff<\/a>. Mercury was wearing a bunch of bananas as a headdress, which seemed to downplay the elegance in a self-deprecating and appreciative way. \"Freddie<\/p>\n

I had mentioned to our waiter that it was my birthday and part of the reason for attending was to experience the unusual Nordic \/ Southern pairing<\/a>. Being from New Orleans and that I’ll be going on a Scandinavian cruise to visit my Danish heritage, experiencing the combination was something I could appreciate. I’m not sure if this is how we received a complementary order of sweet breads from the chef. It’s not something I would have ordered but was the most delicious thing!<\/p>\n

\"Honeysuckle_sweetbreads_AIE\"<\/p>\n

The winter vegetable salad of pistachio, prune, meyer lemon, buttermilk, tarragon, buckwheat on butter lettuce served on top of the Icelandic dressing<\/em> was something I semi-replicated for my book group dinner, with the addition of Southern grapefruit, mandarin orange segments, walnuts and cranberried goat cheese crumbles. It was delicious and I’ll do it again and again. (Good tip: put the dressing on the bottom to prepare in advance without wilting the lettuce)<\/p>\n

\"Book
My Book Group Dinner version of Scandinavian + Southern style – Mardi Gras colored flowers with Fleur-de-lis Iris & dragonflies connected to Norse goddes Freya<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Scandanavian-Southern-salad_AIE\"
Winter Beet Salad version<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peter had the fois gras to start and the slow roasted Icelandic cod, rutabaga, chicken crackling, smoked roe, malted veloute<\/em>. The seared sea scallops, pig tail tortellini, squash fondue, coffee-bacon jam, parmesan <\/em>was initially calling my name but the waiter talked me into their pork special, which I am not sure is currently the same on their menu as the dulse rubbed pork tenderloin, cipollini, melted parsnip, roasted apple, kale<\/em>, as mine had Icelandic dried seaweed. I won out with mine, which was rich and abundant. We finished by sharing the butterscotch panna cotta, oats, skyr creme fraiche, rum raisin, toffee meringue<\/em> dessert, which was soft, light and divine! This is one restaurant where we will be returning, especially as the menu changes and our waiter informed us intends on being even more daring with the Nordic-Southern pairings.<\/p>\n

\"Honeysuckle_cod2_AIE\"
Icelandic Cod<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Honeysuckle
Luscious panna cotta for dessert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then second Mardi Gras mention was a combination of this Southern theme with Nordic style to pay tribute to the book we read, God’s Daughter, Vikings of the New World Saga Book 1<\/a><\/em> by Heather Day Gilbert. Since I didn’t take pictures during my book group dinner, I replicated afterwards (see some above as well as below). I will be making some of the same dishes on Mardi Gras evening to celebrate our good friend, Steve’s birthday. Most years his birthday falls on Ash Wednesday or during Lent and he can never fully celebrate while giving up all drinking and sweets during this time. We thought the timing worth acknowledging with a dinner for the many times we’ve been treated.<\/p>\n

\"Scandinavian
Scandinavian Style + Creole Seafood Gumbo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"2
2 Types of King Cake – traditional & Danish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instead of the Nordic theme, this second dinner was full on New Orleans. However, unlike the typical seafood gumbo, like I did for the ladies, or with chicken and andouille sausage, this gumbo was made with scallops (Steve’s favorite and happens to be mine as well) from Peter’s New York Times recipes. Scallops are more New England than they are southern but this was a nice twist on a classic New Orleans recipe. Mark Bittman<\/a> does a great job of simply making this recipe work. I also replicated the Southern beet salad.<\/p>\n

\"Scallop
Scallop Gumbo. This was delicious and maybe even better than the previous.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n