She was one table away. I had a bladder full of pee. And panic set in when I realized I had no clue what I was going to say. I could only think about peeing. Every cocktail came out while I was halfway through the last, meaning there was a lot of chugging so as to not waste a single drop of liquor. Trying to avoid looking creepy, I kept my gaze at my mom sitting across from me. I got my nosiness from her. We couldn’t help but make deliberate eye contact and sip our rushed drinks and overhear the woman in gray leggings gush to her about how much she loves Top Chef. I decided to sit on the edge of my seat to hold in the pee so I didn’t miss my only opportunity to meet the season 16 Top Chef competitor. Nini Nguyen is a New Yorker originally from New Orleans, Luisiana and after watching her season, I was finally able to taste her combination of Vietnamese heritage and southern spice in delicious, inventive dishes.
The second course served her first dish of the evening: Masa Ball Soup.
Yes, you read it right, MASA ball
The jewish are probably fuming at the thought, but my tastebuds were fucking salsa dancing all over my tongue. What inspired her was her own city’s backyard culture, filled with jewish restaurants and hispanic eateries, New York is the threshold for culture infusion. The masa ball soup itself was a new experience for me. The delicate creaminess from the coconut milk was cut by the lime, jalapeño, and cilantro that delivered herby freshness.
AND THE BALLS?!
Cooked in the very broth that oozed of flavor, they acted as a sponge. Ready to burst as the first bite is taken and dissolve in your mouth. It was 100% the most clever dish of my night. The soup was paired with a gin, St.Germain, watermelon, cucumber, and aloe cocktail called “subtle solstice”. It was light and sweet which fought against the lemon grass and chicken broth in the soup. Not my personal favorite, but I understood the mixologist’s decision.
(you can find Chef Nini Nguyen’s preparation of the recipe here)
The first course was cooked by Katsuji Tanabe, another chef who cooks using two beautiful cultural influences: Japanese and Mexican. He was in season 12 of Top Chef in Boston and in Top Chef Mexico. On Top Chef Boston, episode 4, he was challenged to come up with an appetizer in 10 minutes. He killed it by putting a twist on a ceviche tostada and he served us the very same dish.
Made from a corn tortilla, a shrimp, octopus, and hamachi ceviche, an avocado puree, and wasabi-infused tobiko, chiles, and lime as garnish.
As the plate was served, I was reminded of Wilmington. Smells of the salty ocean signaled how good this was going to taste. The octopus was the strongest of the mariscos and its texture added the most diversity. My favorite part was the wasabi-infused tabiko. It had a deep smoky flavor and back-of-the-throat spice. After speaking to Chef Tanabe, I learned that it was basically his Mexican take on sushi.
The drink was made with rhubarb vodka, chartreuse, and lemon. Our server called it the “squid ink drink” because before she walked away, she poured the black pigment on top. It was indeed very satisfying to watch the ink corrupt the vodka. But what wasn’t so nice was the god-awfully strong vodka. While it may be a Russian’s dream, it had me cringing with every sip. It took my attention away from the simple, perfectly balance appetizer and stripped the beautiful ocean saltiness and zing to a bitter, sharp, and distracting aftertaste. Yes… I drank it all. But that is because mama ain’t raise no bitch and I live on the moral of never wasting food.
By the third course my mom and I were indeed drÖnk, but the night was not even halfway over and we still had food coming! We befriended Austin who was stood-up by his date. As a commencement of the spilling of tea, he was extremely kind and ordered all of us a round of shots. And to top it off, our next drink came out before the food, the “Perfect Pairing”. Sweet and tangy, garnished with a little bit of candied ginger, it was hands down the best drink of the night. Not too sweet, not too bitter. I have deemed it’s name worthy.
That’s why I was disappointed when it didn’t pair at all with the main course: Morisqueta. Adobo spiced lamb served over sticky rice topped with a chili sauce, mint, and sliced radish. It was plated beautifully and I was super excited to try the dish. The lamb was smokey and rich to taste, but the rice was quite bland and unmemorable. In my opinion, why eat the carbs if they don’t make your pants wet? It would’ve been nice for the rice to either mimic the spices of the lamb or be a balanced opposite and surprise our palettes.
To be extremely honest with you, my mom and I were swaying by the 4th course that Chef Nini made. I have memory flashes of a good drink with white dots on top and well-seasoned, maybe a littleee too burnt ribs with a delish sweet potato mash. Did the drink pair with the food? NOPE. But it was one of my favorite cocktails of the night!
Ah, we finally made it to dessert. This last course was made by Vidrio’s head chef, Saif Rahman. An apple cake with a berry reduction, topped with granola and basil. I loveee berries and cake, so naturally, the flavors (& alcohol) had me doing my lil food dance. The downside was that the cake wasn’t as spongey as I would have liked and there was A LOT of frosting. I’ve never been a frosting gal, sue me.
I also completely forgot to take a picture of the food, but got a snap of our last drink! Do I remember it? barely. Was it tasty? yes.
Final Thoughts:
Individually, the food was really good. Chef’s Nini, Katsuji, and Saif are amazing at what they do and I will never bash someone for being brave enough and working hard to showcase their talents.
That’s why I wish the courses correlated more. I have no idea who put the menu together and thought the chef’s would curate a seamless fluctuation of flavors. But I think the dishes were randomly chosen from different Top Chef seasons and they tried to get the guests drunk enough to not notice. I’m a virgo. I. will. notice. I also drank all of the paired cocktails and let me say that I have some THOUGHTS.
Natalie Cox made some questionable drinks, but also some damn good ones. The perfect pairing and the one with the little dots were bomb. Yet they never actually paired well with the food. It was always a harsh contradiction which led to a lot of tipsy confusion and a full bladder.
Nini’s eyes crinkled through her slightly fogged glasses as she made her way over to our table. Her energy was immediately warm and inviting which helped me relax and compose myself. I asked her about her inspiration for the masa ball soup, how she has pivoted her business since Covid-19 hit, how it was being on a reality cooking show. But the question that I’ve been constantly asking myself and one of the reasons I even started this food blog was: how can I, a business student who loves to cook, go from the business world to running a kitchen to owning my own restaurant one day. Her response:
“oh shit, same!”
EXCUSE mE WHaT?!
she took her glasses off and I knew it was about to get real.
Chef Nini graduated with a business degree and enrolled in culinary school thinking she needed it. In fact, she didn’t. At all. She started working at different restaurants studying under chefs she was inspired by.
Immediately, I asked “how do you start that? I’ve only been a server”
She told me to ask to start coming in early to work to train under one of the chefs. If I were assigned to chop onions, become the BEST at chopping onions. Every little bit of effort counts. And it resonated with me. I hold myself back because I think that I need “qualifications” to start moving towards my goals, but in reality, those who make it, ask the crazy questions. Most of the time, people are willing to give you what you ask for. What determines the outcome is the effort you put in. The universe helps, but you have to show that you are willing to do anything.
I didn’t think my conversation with her would have meant so much. I expected to get some answers about her favorite food or everyday life, but Chef Nini gave ended up giving me some life advice and I’m so happy to share it back with the world:
ASK. CRAZY. QUESTIONS.
And as always, keep eating,
Tati
