Meals from the Masters wrap-up

Happy Monday. Hope you had a food-filled weekend.

I spent most of it at Meals from the Masters events, the fundraisers for Meals on Wheels Delaware.

Here's photographer Fred Comegys' gallery of photos from Sunday's event.

Friday night's "Evening with the Masters" event at the Center for the Riverfront was a SCENE (so was the traffic, due to a prom and a Blue Rocks game). Organizers said the event eventually sold out - about 200 to 300 tickets were sold at the door. Total attendance, they say, 1,600. But some people said it seemed less crowded. This was my first year attending "Evening", so I'll have to take their word.

It had a completely different vibe than Sunday's brunch - more casual, the lines for the drinks were as long - or longer - than for the food. Bands jamming. (Jazz music on Sunday.)

Popped into the Cellar Masters' Wine Auction on Friday where they were pouring Cakebread Cellars wines (that's one very nice chardonnay).

I chatted for a while with Dale DeGroff a.k.a. "King Cocktail" who recently released a new book "The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks" (Clarkson Potter.) I'm doing a story on Dale and cocktails later this spring. He was shaking "Ritz cocktails" and flavored them with a orange peel that he first lit with a match. (What's up with that?) Dale had me put out my palm, stuck a match and touch it to the peel The heat released the oils and aroma of citrus in my hand was amazing.

(That, apparently, is one of the secrets of his tasty cocktails.)

Food was being passed around from three Stephen Starr restaurants (Tangerine, Buddakan, and Barclay Prime) - but I can't tell you how it was. Never sampled a bite. In fact, never saw a tray that wasn't empty. Which was disappointing.

And I'm not the only one who found it a bit off-putting that volunteers were walking around shushing the crowd. I understand that the wine auction was going on and it was difficult to hear the bids - but it's hard to keep a large group - who's been drinking wine and cocktails - quiet. Especially at a social event where they have paid $90 a ticket.

Maybe next year they can think of a way to put the wine auction in a separate room than the food and drinks? Just a thought.

Some chefs really stepped up to the plate. Some of my favorite bites of Friday night: Scallop ceviche from Ameritage; crab and crawfish cake from Augusta Grille; shrimp remoulade po'boy from Harry's Seafood Grill; Home Grown Cafe's tea smoked tuna sashimi with spicy sprout kimchee; and coconut ice cream from Woodside Farms Creamery.

On Saturday afternoon - I ran into Seattle chef - and Delaware native -Tom Douglas at Casapulla's in Hockessin. (Yet another example of Delaware: Small Wonder.) Can't get good old Delaware subs and cheesesteaks in the Pacific Northwest.

On Sunday, Douglas, helped by longtime pal Tom Ditzler, made an amazing dish using fresh Wild King salmon rubbed with his special spice rub and topped it with quail eggs that he ordered from Vermont. (Douglas, nominated for the James Beard Award of Most Outstanding Restaurateur this year, changed his dish at the last minute - it was supposed to be corned beef hash with quail eggs. Douglas said the salmon just came into season and he wanted to use it.) It was so good, I wanted to go back for seconds.

Here's my story on the event with just a few more tidbits to add:

- Ben Pollinger from New York's Oceana made one of the most wonderful springtime influenced dishes of the day: Alaskan scallops with a salad of English peas, fava beans and pickled ramps. Just lovely. "We're looking for something packed with flavor," said Pollinger about his dish that could be eaten in two or three bites.

Ben said he came to the Meals brunch after chatting with Hotel du Pont chef Tom Hannum. A cook who used to work for Hannum used him for as a reference when he applied for a job at Oceana. Pollinger called Hannum to talk about the job candidate and while Hannum had Pollinger on the phone, he decided to recruit him for the brunch. (The restaurant industry can be a very small world.)

- Sunday's event also was sold-out (all 1,300 tickets were gone) - but there seemed to be less people than the previous years..... Anyone notice that??

- Rumor was going around that Vice President Biden would make appearance. He didn't. But no big surprise. He's never been a regular attendee to the brunch. (If he's ever come?)

- Sign of the economy? The flower arrangements were smaller and no ice sculptures or vodka "luges" this year.

- I noticed a line all morning for the spicy shrimp and sausage with tasso gravy with creamy white grits from Magnolia's of Charleston, S.C.

- The Little Savannah Grill, marking its third brunch appearance, was mentioned in a Sunday New York Time's travel piece on Birmingham, Ala., The chefs had the paper propped open at their station.

- Kobe beef meatballs from chef Randy Donze at Michele's at Dover Downs had plenty of fans.

- Some of the out-of-town guest chefs told me they were hopping Amtrak today to dine around New York. (They loved that NYC is so close.) California chef Jesse Mallgren of Madrona Manor - who made the really cool liquid nitrogen ice cream along with maitre d'/wine director Joseph Bain - said he had reservations at Le Bernardin. (Say hi to Eric Ripert.)