Area 31's E. Michael Reidt hosts sea foraging field trip & feast with visiting chefs

By Lesley Abravanel | Lank@aol.com10/30/2012

On November 12, Area 31 chef E. Michael Reidt will host a fab field trip to Key Largo where he and an entourage of equally acclaimed chefs will forage for spiny lobster, conch and clams--the subject matter of a dinner open to the public the following night (11/13) and costing $75 per person.

Joining Reidt on the field trip and dinner are: Pino Maffeo, a restaurant consultant and previous winner of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs, Star Chefs winner and one of Esquire's Best New Restaurants (the now shuttered Restaurant L in Boston); Patricia Yeo, of Chicago's 1 Eleven Marketing Hospitality, a previous season 4 contestant on Top Chef Masters, recipient of 2 Michelin stars for her early 2000s NYC restaurant AZ, NY Times columnist and Saveur contributor; Sean Brasel of Miami's buzzy Meat Market as well as 2012 Chopped contestant, and Star Chefs winner; and Toni Susi of NY's Isola Trattoria, Gourmet Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants and Star Chefs winner.

As for the field trip finale held outside on the terrace on the 13th, each chef will have an "action station with items foraged from the day before," including spiny lobster and smoked sapote; seared oysters with jack fruit; clam ceviche with starfruit and aji amarilo and chef Susi's famous lobster gnocchi. There's also a raw bar, paella station, grilled station and a Veuve Clicquot open bar from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To get your ticket, email geno.dew@area31restaurant.com.