Last night, I was lucky enough to be a part of the Summer Solstice Cider Dinner at Cooks & Soldiers (not my client). My actual clients, the team at Six Plates, in Durham, NC, came to town along with Diane Flynt, the founder and cider maker at Foggy Ridge Cider in Virginia. It was a lot of work coordinating between two restaurants, a beverage producer and no less than three PR firms – but I was rewarded with an amazing experience and unbelievably generous access to the kitchen as the back of house teams prepared the meal. Huge thanks go out to Chef John Eisensmith, Mattie Beason, Chef Colton Wells, Diane Flynt, Fred Castellucci, Chef Landon Thompson, Chef John Castellucci, Chris Dobson, Chef Colin Auer, Chef Ashley Auer, Stewart Barnes, Caroline Plyler Haye, Natalie Earwood and everyone who helped out along the way.
Here’s the menu:
First Course
Six Plates
Quail eggs, confit fingerlings, haricot vert, chorizo and smoked tomato foam
Pairing: Foggy Ridge Serious Cider
Second Course
Cooks & Soldiers
Lemon curd, caviar, baby greens, strawberry, pear and green goddess dressing
Pairing: Foggy Ridge First Fruit
Third Course
Six Plates
Pan seared diver scallop, fennel, lentils, pancetta and fresh cherry jus
Pairing: Foggy Ridge Handmade
Fourth Course
Cooks & Soldiers
Iberico tenderloin, fava beans, fennel, asparagus, peas, berries and Iberico jus
Pairing: Foggy Ridge Stayman Winesap
Fifth Course
Six Plates
New York Strip, shiitake barley risotto, lion’s mane mushrooms, corn, blueberries and calvados demi
Pairing: Isastegi Basque Cider
Sixth Course
Cooks & Soldiers
Georgia peach-apple galette, bacon, cider and house-spun honey-lemon ice cream
Pairing: Foggy Ridge Pippin Gold Port
The Bachelor's Test Kitchen 
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