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A real-life friendship was the catalyst for this tasty collaboration. Chefs Trigg Brown and Danielle Spencer, of Brooklyn's beloved Taiwanese bakery and restaurant Win Son, will cross the bridge to join their long-time pal, executive Chef James Tracey of the Midtown East brasserie Monterey, for a one-night-only collaboration dinner held at the latter restaurant (37 E 50th St). With the chefs cooking together, the exclusive evening will feature dishes inspired by both Monterey's modern American and Win Son's innovative Taiwanese-American cooking.
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Kicking off with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on Saturday, May 11, at 5:30pm, the Monterey-hosted meal will be a “pop-up seven-course blowout menu” that will “transport diners across boroughs and across continents” with bold dishes like fried soft-shell crab with grilled ramps, Taiwanese fish sauce and herbs; guajillo-braised beef cheeks with Anson Mills grits, fresh chickpeas, spring onions and cotija cheese; and chicken wontons with morels, firewood bean paste and five spice beurre fondue. Of course, you’ll be able to finish off with one of Spencer’s famed mochi doughnuts (a popular order at Win Son’s bakery offshoot), turned à la mode and topped with strawberry gelato and red wine gastrique.
The dinner marks the first time that the trio is back in the kitchen together, fusing the best of their respective restaurants, since the gang's Colicchio and Sons days: Brown interned for Chef Tracy back in the day at Craft, and later cooked together at Colicchio and Sons, where they met pastry chef Danielle Spencer.
Tickets for the event are $98, excluding tax and service; space is limited, so you can reserve your spot now on Opentable. A creative drinks pairing from Chef Driven's Beverage Director Aviram Turgeman will also be available to add on for $75 per person, with bubbles, sakes and wines accounted for. You can check out Brown, Tracy and Spencer's full collaboration menu for the Monterey x Win Son dinner event below. Save us a mochi doughnut!
