Play with Matt McCallister

I was so happy I got the opportunity to check out Play with Matt McCallister at Salum last week. See, I was at the first Play dinner at 2d Floor and didn't get a chance to write about it. During that dinner I got a text from my sister that my mom was being admitted to the hospital. After receiving that text, I don't remember much of anything about the dinner other than I have amazing friends in L & M (and I and C). Without their support, I would have never gotten through that night. Thanks guys. You're the best.

I need to put a disclaimer here. I'm personal friends with Chef McCallister and his wife, Iris. I've been to their house, they've been to mine, we've had more than a few drinks together. I say this because there are going to be quite a few raves here but I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression. Yes, I'm friends with the McCallisters but as Iris will be the first to tell you, I always tell it straight. If I'm raving, trust me, it's rave worthy.

Chef Salum was supposed to have been cooking right beside Matt that night but he's one busy man. Komali duty called and we got to see Chef Salum only a couple of times when he'd flit in and out to get a taste of what we were eating. He's still smiling. Although I think he must be sleep walking by now.

We started with an amuse bouche: carbonated strawberry mojito with shaved foie gras. Wait. Isn't a mojito a drink? How the heck is it staying on this spoon? Well, Chef had encapsulated the mojito so when you bit into it the mojito popped in your mouth, unleashing its amazing flavors. Yum-my.

The next course is described as "cauliflower, cheddar, ale" on the menu. It was cold soup with a cauliflower base and a cheddar ale consomme. The flavors were spot on but the textures were a little weird so it wasn't my favorite dish of the evening. (See, I tell it like I taste it).

Next was a "salad" of salmon, beets, horseradish, citrus, caviar and dill. Matt had changed up his desconstructed borscht that I had had before and made it even better. The citrus added just the perfect bite to this dish and balanced the sweetness of the beets perfectly. I could really eat this dish every single day.

We then had chili salt octopus, squid, brandade, and 5 minute farm egg. I really enjoyed the octopus and squid. The kick of the chili was just perfect. The farm egg was cooked perfectly but I didn't really need it for the dish. It made the dish look neat but tastewise, it didn't really add any wow.

Matt's version of a sloppy joe was next. Now, I grew up on Manwich. And I guarantee you, you can't get this flavor out of a can. Matt's sloppy joe was made with duck confit, foie gras aioli, black-pepper brioche and pickled, er, grapes. So good. A perfect bun and the duck confit won over this "not a big duck fan" girl. And the grape?! It tasted like pickles. Fun.

Sesame pork ribs with tamarind hoisin, cilantro and daikon was next. Oh My Goodness. When Matt opens up his restaurant, these have to be on the menu. Fall off the bone deliciousness.

Next up was sweetbreads with bacon, sunchoke-barigoule, red-pepper, gribiche. (Yea, I have no idea what I just said either). Ok, now I have to get my sweetbread rant over with. Dear chefs of Dallas, I'm over sweetbreads. Every chef's dinner I go to has sweetbreads on it. There's only so many times one girl can eat fried thymus. Let's move on to something else, okay? Now that I've said my peace, Matt's sweetbreads were the best I've had (sorry, Randall Copeland, yours have moved to #2).

The next dish was my personal favorite. Root beer short rib with vanilla lemon potatoes, radish and watercress. The short ribs were cooked to perfection but it was the vanilla lemon potatoes that really made this dish for me. The lemon and vanilla just added this little something extra which was just divine. I was absolutely stuffed and could have eaten 2 more helpings of this dish. So very, very good.

Then we had roast beef with black truffle, mire poix, turnip, potato and parsnip. I was so full by this point, I have to be honest, I really can't remember anything about this dish other than it was good. Ooof. So. Much. Food.

But wait! There's still our dessert courses. Yes, you read that right. Just in case we had an room (and I didn't) Matt made us 2 desserts. Our first dessert course was brioche french toast with bananas, bacon brittle, and vanilla rum ice cream. Our second course was dark chocolate panna cotta, maraschino, mint, malt ice cream. They were both really good but I was so very, very full.

Had a wonderful time. So glad I can now have happy Play memories. If you get a chance, Matt will be Play-ing with Randall Copeland at Restaurant AVA at the end of this month. I may still be digesting this meal by then.

Cheers!