Culinary icons, Tony and Marisa May hosted their 24th-annual White Truffle Gala on Thursday November 21 at the SD26 restaurant.
The event, which had been held at the pair’s famed San Domenico restaurant off Central Park South until 2008, when it moved with them to their gleaming new jewel, SD26 off Madison Square Park in 2009. The newer restaurant features a modernist approach to their classic Italian menu.
This year marked the family’s fourth annual celebration of Il Tartufi Bianchi or the White Truffle at SD26. The truffles, grown outside of Alba, a town in the Piedmont region of Italy, are some of the rarest and most valuable of Fungi. After they are unearthed, these precious mushrooms must be eaten within a few days. With the help of truffle forager Sandrino Romanelli, the May family flies in truffles the same day of the gala for a fantastic five-course tasting menu by Executive Chef Matteo Bergamini and Pastry Chef Valentina Urizio worth $350 per ticket.
SD26′s 14,000 sq ft space with Italian black-oak flooring, private dining alcoves, tables with white linens, and an open kitchen sets a splendid mood for patrons upon arrival. Tony May greeted the guests and gave historical contest to the annual celebration, while they dined on exquisite hors d’oeuvres, including Robiola cheese and mushroom toast, a crostino with cured lard and anchovy, paddlefish caviar on an olive oil and potato puree, and Tatra’Piemontese with crispy sage. The attentive staff worked the floor at an exceptional pace, giving the highest quality service complete with wines from Bene di Batasiolo from the Boisett family estates.
As the night progressed, each table was offered a basket of truffles to garnish each of the masterfully prepared courses which included the restaurant’s signature dish, Toma Piemontese, filled Ravioli del Plin and toasted hazelnut and sage. Other dishes included the pan-seared saddle of venison with Barbera wine infused pear with Foie Gras and a fascinating “Domori” dark chocolate tortino and white truffle gelato dessert.
The evening wrapped with a silent auction of three large truffles to patrons with a closing word from Tony and Marisa May, a seductive end to a decadent evening!
Be sure to attend next year’s month-of-truffles menu offered at SD26 and the 25th anniversary of the White Truffle Gala!
For more information, please visit sd26ny.com , sandrino-tartufi.it, and boissetfamilyestates.com/products/BrandDetails.aspx?BrnId=41
–Joseph Amella, Jr.
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