Many of my friends, who often give up their evenings to be my +1s at various blogger and media events across the city, know this to be true: I rarely know what I’m getting us into. It’s definitely a risk, but just saying yes (with limited details) is how I’ve gotten to experience many of the super cool things this blog has allowed me to do. So when I got the invite for Dietz & Watson‘s #ChooseTheTable dinner, I, again, wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Except, this one minor detail: Nick Elmi would be preparing us dinner.
Kelly (one of my best buds – you guys know her from her guest post about her unique visitor tour for your Philly guests) gladly accepted my +1 request (based on that minor detail above) and we arrived at the beautiful Power Plant Productions (230 North 2nd Street) for the event. We were greeted with a spread of Dietz & Watson products, some specialty cocktails, and craft beer from Double Nickel Brewing Company. I was instantly photographed about 7 times while picking up various meat products (all v good), and I’m sure there will be a photo of me eating one of the four kinds of pepperoni that finds its way onto the internet very soon.
There were a lot of familiar Philly food-loving friends there (@phillygrub, @phillyfoodgal, @geostable, @urphillypal), and, since Dietz & Watson is a family-owned, 4th generation Philadelphia company (the original D&W plant was at Front and Vine, a few blocks from where we were eating dinner), the whole Dietz & Watson family (Mama Dietz’ three “kids” currently serve as CEO, COO, and CFO) was also at the event. I loved that.
Dietz & Watson’s newest initiative (in partnership with No Kid Hungry) is #ChooseTheTable, which centers around sitting down and spending quality time together at the table with the people you call family. So, we sat down, as a food-loving Philly family, to let Chef Nick guide us through a five course menu, featuring five Dietz & Watson products.
The table setting was amazing (I was so obsessed with the flowers from Robertson’s) and Roberta and Anna made great table companions. I even got to sit next to Louis, Dietz & Watson’s CEO, and share tips on his favorite places to eat down the shore. His daughter, Lauren Eni, VP Brand Strategy for D&W, pulled off the entire amazing event.
First up: Grilled Butter Greens with Pistachio, Cured Egg, and Crumbled Bratwurst. Courses 1 through 3 were paired with a 2013 Côtes Catalanes D66 Grenache which was possibly one of the best wines I’ve ever had. Ever.
Nick Elmi is pretty famous for his gnocchi, so I was #honored to try this baby: Fresh Ricotta Gnocchi with Fine Herbs, Green Garlic, and Sopressata. It lived up to the hype. A lot of the people around me were like, we’re gonna not eat all of this because there’s a lot more coming! I did not say that. 
Third course (as I guzzled as much of this red wine as I could) was a Rosemary Ham & Sottocenere Panini with Truffle Potato Bisque. AKA, butter. AKA, yum. 
For our fourth course, we moved on to a white wine (2014 Château de Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc) and indulged in Kielbasa-Wrapped Pork with Mustard and Bacon-Braised Kale. The mustard ingredient are those little crisps on the top. Amazing. 
And for our last course, complete with Moët & Chandon Brut Rosè Impèrial Champagne, we tried a Green Apple Espuma with Horseradish and Yuzu Curd. While I appreciated Nick’s challenge, I can’t do horseradish in a dessert. Just can’t. But those around me seemed to really love it. 
In the end, Kelly got to meet Chef Nick and we both got to attend one of the best Philly events I’ve ever been to. Kudos to Dietz & Watson such a worthwhile initiative and the creative way they shared that initiative with their hometown. I guess walking into this event with minimal details turned out just fine.
This is not a sponsored post. I was invited to dinner and wanted to share my experience with you!
